Soup and gain weight

[Jerzygrl09]

Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Princeton office) who wrote "Eat to Live" and who is a "world expert in nutrition and obesity research" and whose book is endorsed by Dr. Oz, recommends a diet very similar to LDL. His "Simplify" daily suggestion is: Fresh fruit for Breakfast, Salad with beans and more fruit for Lunch, Salad and 2 cooked veggies for dinner and fruit for dessert. There is a lot more to his recommended way of eating, but essentially, it's similar to what we do here.

However, he states on page 179, heading: Starchy Vegetables and Whole Grains: "these two food categories are grouped together because either can be the culprit for those who have difficulty losing weight." He goes on to explain that the reason is they are more calorically dense than the nonstarchy vegetables and should be limited to one serving (one cup) a day. He lists them as: cooked carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, winter squash, chestnuts, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, water chestnuts, yams and pumpkin.

On page 182 he has another heading: "Beware of the Starchy Vegetable" and suggests that for the first 6 weeks the reader should limit to one cup a day those veggies considered starchy." He specifies that this is not necessary for everybody who wants to lose weight but for "those whose metabolism makes it difficult to lose weight." He does stress that "many can still achieve an ideal body weight by cutting out refined starches only, such as white bread and pasta, without having to limit starchy vegetables to merely one serving. Your diet should be adjusted to your metabolic needs and activity level."

He is a proponent of beans and legumes.

But for those of us who have legitimate issues with the named starchy vegetables, they pose a real problem when trying to lose weight. I am in that group.

[Gwennaford]

I am WAY late chiming in here, but I feel strongly about this issue.  IMHO (in my humble opinion) for whatever it's worth, I don't believe it is appropriate to apply elements of other peoples' "diet" philosophies to Let's Do Lunch principles.

Roger Troy wrote what worked for him based on years of trial and error, and has been wonderfully generous to share his experiences with us.  It is my understanding that he took his favorite parts of ALL the many many diets he tried (that failed him), and created a plan that DID work for him.  As far as I know, he has never made medical or scientific claims about the effectiveness of his program, but he has been forward thinking enough to amend it as new foods, techniques and methods have arrived on the scene.  All evidence indicates it is working for thousands of people.  

Is it possible that many people tried it -- REALLY worked the program 100% as written -- and it didn't work for them, over the LONG term, for whatever reason?  Maybe.  We will never know, because they usually don't stick around long enough to tell us.  Yes, peoples' systems vary.  Yes, it is important to follow your doctor's advice when there is a valid medical reason to abstain from a particular food.  But I believe the main reason Let's Do Lunch works so well is precisely because it does NOT eliminate any entire food group, thereby giving your body all the trace nutrients it needs to feel satisfied and be healthy.  

There are many many medical professionals and dietary experts in popular culture whose opinions I respect.  Their theories sound perfectly plausible and most are based on some sort of accepted scientific basis.  But their approach to weight loss, at the end of the day, is invariably restrictive, is about denial and portion control, and CANNOT be maintained for life by the average overweight person.  I believe every person should exercise their God-given free will and explore all these theories to their hearts' content -- in private.  

It's great when our loving Lunchers want to help and educate each other and I know great amounts of time is spent researching information about food, eating and nutrition.  I find it interesting, myself.  However, I believe it is misleading and confusing to newbies and long-timers alike to claim as fact, and expound on all these theories about how or why Let's Do Lunch does or doesn't work.  Many times these are contradictory ideas, taken out of their original context and really don't prove or disprove anything -- they merely cloud and complicate the issue for those of us who want to keep it simple.  I think we can all agree that it's easy to find documentation to prove or disprove EVERY point of view.  Maybe we should have a separate section on the boards for compiling all the opinions, theories, research, documentation, myths & legends about the whys and wherefores of nutrition.  Wherever that is, I feel it is important to keep it out of the mainstream daily conversation, unless it's in a personal food journal.  

FINALLY  -- again IMHO -- What this all boils down to, is that we are all here because of Roger Troy's ministry, to share a program "inspired by Our Father in Heaven".  I feel it is vital that all questions posed about the Let's Do Lunch eating program should be researched in the red book and Roger Troy should be the final authority about how the program operates.  (Subject to review by his esteemed advisors, of course.  Even the big guy can make a typo!)  :D


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[LINDA RN]

Jerseygrl,

I, like you, struggled with trying to make this work for me in the miraculous way it worked for others. Maybe I was on a plateau, maybe it was too many beans, (or more likely too many canned beans as I am very sodium sensitive), or too much food (this recent drop happened when I was eating very little...appetite turned off so really not hungry.) The only way it seemed for me to maintain a "normal" weight was to eat about 800 calories a day (one meal) with daily exercise. I know now that this is unattainable and not healthy...so I am sticking with the plan and going to see where it takes me. God only knows the havoc I caused my body with yoyo dieting. I am guessing my body will adjust to this eating and reap the benefits. I am willing to be the guinea pig and prove the results. I believe others have experienced problems and left because their weight loss was not as dramatic as they hoped. The only way to know for sure is to stay with the healthiest way of eating as the Lord lays it out for you. I think in the long-run we will get the proper weight and health we all desire. Keep up your journal and tweek your food until you find the right combination for you. There are so many choices here.

[Jerzygrl09]

LDL has proven itself over many years. Thousands of people have found success with the LDL WOE.

However, among the posts I've read for one year now, there are a number of people who say they are following the plan but having difficulties dropping weight while others are wildly successful and losing huge amounts. Still others say they stall for months at a time. We are all different and those of us who are not losing what we had hoped to look for answers as to why - other than we may be cheating or doing the plan wrong. Once those issues are off the table, then why can't we explore other possibilities? Are we restricted in what we can discuss?

I think CQ's posts are always interesting and I don't think they threaten any LDLers commitment to LDL. At least, it doesn't affect me one way or another.  I don't see the group as a whole defecting to the "blood type" diet or any other type of plan such as Eat to Live, which I stressed was very similar to LDL.

Lastly, since there have been so many posts about certain foods seeming to stall some peoples' weight loss efforts, I think it's helpful to at least explore other ideas while keeping to the basic LDL WOE. Suggesting that someone limit the quantity of some of the starchy vegetable food choices doesn't, IMHO, negate LDL at all. It may, in fact, be what is needed to get the weight coming off again. If I'm wrong, I will stand corrected, but I've also read numerous posts here suggesting to people to cut back on popcorn, and/or some other items - bananas, for example.

I think it's better to have open discussions and try to help people that are stuck rather than lose them over time because they are discouraged. 

Finally, yes, Roger should definitely be the "authority" as to how his own plan works.

[Gwennaford]

Jerzy Girl -- Please forgive my rant.  It was in no way directed at you or at anyone's individual dietary needs on Let's Do Lunch.  Of course we should have open discussion, but when I came back to the boards from a few months' absence, I no longer recognized Roger Troy's elegantly simple program, based on most of the discussion I was reading.  Anyone not familiar with the boards could easily have been misled.

My main concern is with unnecessarily complicating and restricting LDL with too many conflicting professional and expert opinions and theories.  The beauty of Let's Do Lunch is that it IS so flexible and adaptable to each person's individual needs.  Our food choices are NOT carved in stone, and we are encouraged to find our correct balance of all the food groups over the long term.

You didn't ask for advice , but I would like to share a recent experience with you.  I lost 100 pounds on LDL, then my life took a difficult, stressful turn and I didn't lose anything for a year, even though I insisted I was eating all the right foods.  Roger Troy insisted I HAD to be doing something wrong and he generously offered to review what I was eating to find my mistakes, if I would agree to write down everything I was putting into my mouth.  Well, he didn't even have to say a word.  As soon as I started keeping an accurate, honest, journal -- including the times of day I was eating, I noticed that I didn't have regular mealtimes.  I was either grazing constantly or going long periods, sometimes entire days without eating at all, then bingeing with a huge meal whenever I finally got the chance to eat, even if it was 3 a.m.  I was also not sleeping during this time and my poor body was doing the best it could to just maintain life support.  After just a few days of accurate journaling, I made the choice to stabilize my eating and sleeping patterns and I ended up losing 11 pounds that month.  But it didn't happen by itself.  I had to make myself a priority, which is a hard thing to do for a caregiver, you know?

I encourage everyone whose weight loss is stalled to diligently food journal for a month, and get one of the friendly food police to go over it with you.  Review your progress at the end of every month.  Sometimes it can take more than one month to start seeing trends.

Again, please don't be offended by my words and forgive me for coming on too strong.  I do that sometimes and I need somebody to give me a reality check.  

Thank you!

[Jerzygrl09]

Thank you, Gwen, I really appreciate your post.

I certainly would not want anyone here to misunderstand my motives for wanting to hear and discuss various viewpoints. My purpose is not to deter anyone from LDL.

I know for a fact that my system is carb sensitive - and I also have had thyroid issues, so I have to be careful. I'm looking for help here for myself as well as for others who may have hit the wall. Keeping accurate track of what I eat is key, I know, and I have begun to diligently do so.

I have received 2 very nice pm's in support of what I said earlier and hopefully, more people will speak frankly and openly about what is on their minds. I think we can keep more people here and help them along more if we keep the lines of communication open in a spirit of acceptance.

Again, I thank you so much for your lovely response and your understanding - and your helpful suggestion.

Vicki

[CodingQueen]

Vicki,

I think Mary's right. When I first started LDL I lost 11 pounds my first month even though I had a little cream in my morning coffee. I was eating corn in my black bean soups and also eating all kinds of beans. The only three things I did differently the following months were to eat corn thins, popcorn and buy store bought broths full of hidden MSG. But, I was eating too much of them because they were LDL approved and I was having to eat whenever I could get a chance with my crazy hours. Yes, I had my main meal at lunch but I was eating popcorn sometimes as late as midnight while trying to meet deadlines for my boss who by the way owes me another vacation.

Then the docs tried to give me advice because I wasn't losing anymore. I know they mean well and just want to help but if you and I were to do what Gwen has suggested (keep a journal) then we probably don't need their advice.  :stop: 

What do you think?

Victoria (CQ)

[Gwennaford]

CQ, I was doing the exact same thing when my weight loss stalled.  Living on popcorn, beans and grapes and never taking time to eat a decent meal.  Now that all the funeral food is gone, I have room in the fridge to shop for the good things I have been missing.  Got all my grocery ads circled & waiting for the sale prices to go into effect!

[CodingQueen]

Gwen,

It's easy to do. I thought I was doing a good thing because the popcorn was keeping me out of the fridge while I was working. My husband and older son are excellent cooks but, unfortunately, their recipes are not LDL approved. My husband loves Italian and my son loves Mexican. In fact, during his last trip to Cancun, he took some cooking lessons from one of the chefs at the hotel where he was staying.

CQ

[Jerzygrl09]

Mary, can you clarify something for me? You have been on LDL for quite some time and reached goal weight. What happens then? If you stay on the plan don't you continue to lose? If not, what have you added to your meals that prevents further weight loss and maintains your goal weight?

Thanks.

Vicki

[CodingQueen]

Vicki,

That's a good question. I don't want to have to take up a collection for a bag of cement to weigh me down so I don't blow away.

Mary?

CQ

[Gwennaford]

Mary tells a funny story about when she asked that question of Roger Troy.  I'll let her tell you.

[Gwennaford]

As I recall, you had reached your initial goal weight and were worrying about losing too much.  When you asked Roger Troy about it, he just laughed and laughed and laughed. 

Mary, good thing you are such a good sport about our Fearless Leader's sense of humor!

Don't work too hard.  Hope your bride is nice...

[CodingQueen]

Don't work too hard.  Hope your bride is nice...

Why? Are they  ?

CQ

[CodingQueen]

Mary,

Just be thankful you weren't around to plan mine. I felt so sorry for everyone my mother came in contact with...especially the caterer. My Wedding cake was six feet with a fountain underneath and two double cake layers with connecting bridges to each side making a total of four. She thought she should be able to get it dirt cheap. That was a lot of work for someone.

CQ

[Gwennaford]

Everything went pretty well at mine & Neil's wedding -- or so I thought. 

I planned the whole thing myself, according to mine & Neil's wishes, and did all the flowers from silks.  It WAS the '80s and my color was mauve- still not an easy color to find in fresh flowers.  I sewed my wedding suit and my granny hemmed it for me.  The ceremony was in a small country church and I asked 3 or 4 people from the church to sing inspirational songs I liked during the seating before the ceremony.  Neil was good friends with the pastry chef and his wife at a fancy hotel on St. Pete Beach, so they made a custom cake with handmade sugar flowers to match my bouquet and only charged us the cost of the ingredients.  It was beautiful.  Neil wanted one of those peeing angel punch bowls, so I rented that, thinking it was kinda kitschy and cute.

WELL...

All the pictures that came back later showed all 3 of his teenaged boys crying buckets the entire time.  Apparently they were inconsolable over having their father stolen away from them and they got Neil going after a while.  My choice of music was compared to a hoedown.  I was criticized for wearing a white dress with a bright shiny red blouse (they were eggshell linen and mauve silk).  The cake was said to be so heavy it could choke a horse (yeah, if you eat, like 17 pieces of it, Aunt Matilda).  But the best thing was my mother telling me later that my choices for how the wedding & reception were conducted were ridiculous for a second wedding, and she was embarrassed for me.  Gee, MOM -- why don't you tell me how you really feel!  LOL 

It was a good thing I was so clueless, because Neil and I had a great time!!! 

[CodingQueen]

Gwen,

The one thing that I noticed at my wedding was the ones who were complaining about everything were unhappy people (misery likes company) to begin with...once I figured that out I didn't let it bother me and we had a wonderful time.

Besides, it was your wedding, not theirs....as long as the two of you had a good time then that's what counts.

I can only imagine what you're mother would have said if she'd seen the invitations my husband's cousin sent out...she was married in a nudist colonly....at least you were wearing a dress. By the way, I remember those color combinations and I bet it was pretty.

CQ