From 250 lbs to a Healthy Weight!
When I was about eleven years old, I started having weight issues. About that time, I started in various athletics until I got out of school. I was never happy with my weight or how I looked, even though, looking back at pictures, I wasn’t as heavy as I saw myself. As an adult, I fought to keep my weight in control using various diet programs, pills, powders, drinks, bars, books, and group support programs. Shortly after I got married, I lost the fight, and my weight climbed and climbed until I refused to get on the scales after it said 250 lbs! So, I don’t know the exact weight I reached. I don’t have a picture of me at my highest weight. Being so heavy, I didn’t like my photo taken. The images posted above are of me, around 220 lbs.
I struggled with emotional eating. Due to various challenges in my life and bad coping skills, emotional eating was my escape, which was not healthy. I had purchased so many diet books. I tried Susan Summers’ diet books, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Herb-a-life, Slim-fast, Sugar busters, T-factor, various pills, etc.
One day, I went to a program that talked about how to get control of every area of your life according to the Bible. I was intrigued. I was very interested when the speaker got to the part about health. I had tried everything else, so I wanted to know what this guy had to say. He gave us a concise and to-the-point lesson on what he did to be healthy. Wow – it was simple. It was different, but I had tried many crazy things, so why not try something new? I listened to what he had to say, and I tried it. IT CHANGED MY LIFE! It can change yours too if you want it! I finally learned (with the help of God) to get my health under control. WHAT A BLESSING THIS HAS BEEN!
The meeting speaker was intelligent, quick, energetic, and looked like he was in great shape! I was very interested in how he ate.
First – he would drink water upon rising (or hot herbal tea). Then, he would eat a BIG breakfast of unrefined whole grains, fruits, and a small amount of nuts, nut butter, or seeds. He would eat nothing between meals but only drink water or herbal tea (no caffeine) between meals.
Then, he would wait 5 hours between meals. (By drinking enough water between meals, we don’t interpret “thirst” as hunger pains; it also helps us from overeating at meal times.)
For lunch, he would again have a big meal of whole grains and, this time, with vegetables – something like whole grain pasta with a salad and/or cooked veggies. And again, he would only drink water or herbal tea between meals.
He would skip eating in the evening or eat 2 1/2 fruits (like 1/2 pear, 1/2 apple, a banana, or orange) and maybe a piece of whole grain toast. Then only water again.
He said he avoided “WHITE” – white sugar, white flour, and milk. He also ate nothing that came from an animal except for honey. I thought, “Well, I have tried all the other diets; I can try this!” The next day, I cleaned out my fridge and freezer (I was currently doing the Atkins diet) and went shopping for fruits, vegetables, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and some natural nut butter (without added oils or sugar.)
I Ate Like a Queen!
I started my day with a lot of water and quit about 1 hour to 30 minutes before eating. For breakfast, the first day, I had oatmeal with lots of fresh fruit cut up with a few walnuts, two pieces of whole grain bread with nut butter, and a little juice. It was so good! I ate until I was comfortably full.
For lunch, I had whole wheat pasta and stir-fried veggies. (Sometimes I did brown rice or bread).
I just had a little fruit and a piece of dry toast for 3rd meal. I was drinking much more water and feeling better even the first day!
I have stuck with this program since December 2000. The weight came off quickly. I started feeling more energy. I was able to think clearly. My husband has also joined me, and we are so happy. It is not a diet; it is a lifestyle, and it is a blessing. Basically – it is back to Genesis’s lifestyle of eating (Genesis 1:29, Genesis 3:18). We eat what God first designed for us to eat. We eat many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. We drink much water (and often non-caffeine herbal tea – without sugar).
We are plant-based in our eating and drinking. We avoid refined grains as much as possible (we use whole grain bread, pasta (not so much now that we are in Africa), brown rice, millet, whole grain corn meal/flour, etc. We avoid added sugars. We don’t eat any meat, milk or eggs. (And when I say meat, I mean anything that had to bleed when killed – fish and chicken, too. I don’t know why some people think fish and chickens are vegetables).
I ate simply for many months and then I got my first cookbook. I have gone through many great cookbooks since then. And I have learned to modify many recipes since then. My tastes have grown and changed over the months and years to enjoy the healthy taste of food more and more.
We have grown and adapted our menu a lot over the last decade. We now try to not use oil at all. We never buy white sugar, and use refined sugar very seldom (I use it to raise bread). Not having food from animals has been a huge blessing. When we were in the US, our groceries would last longer without going bad since it was all fresh veggies and fruits. We like organic, but sometimes you just have to do the best you can. Even non-organic is better than nothing or something more harmful.
What is really cool is guilt free eating! I love knowing that what I am eating is building up my body and not tearing it down! I LOVE TO EAT! That hasn’t changed, but when I eat, and how I prepare my food has changed. I have found many great recipes. (BEWARE – there are some CRUMMY recipes out there too. Don’t give up if you have some bad recipes. You find those in the normal recipes too!) And I have learned to experiment with herbs and various changes to make the recipes work in a healthy manner. If a recipe calls for something we don’t like, I just substitute. It is sort of creative cooking!
I have learned since then, that following this program (and being even more careful in a few areas) you can reverse atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases. And it will build up your immune system so you can better fight the communicable diseases, too. Many have even healed from cancer. Today there are many great documentaries that have similar principles. I highly recommend the film Forks Over Knives. There are some companion books that can be used in addition.
Tasty Vegan Delights by Gloria Lawson and Debbi Puffer – HIGHLY RECOMMEND! It is not being printed last I heard, but there are some copies still available. I learned how to many gravy and some “cheese sauces” and some other great tricks from this book. I still have a copy and use it often. Here are some GREAT recipes to start with in this book: Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, Scrambled Tofu, Breakfast Banana Splits, No-Oil Granola, Nut French Toast, Maple Millet Delight, Whole Wheat Crepes, Almond Milk, Milled or Rice Milk, Cashew Milk, Walnut Milk, Walnut-Wheat Crumbles (substitute for ground meat in many dishes!), Refrigerator Bread, and Butter Pickles or Relish, Tofu Sour Cream, Tofu Onion Dip, Whipped Nut Butter, Lentil Stew, Tomato Soup, Sloppy Joes, Mock Chicken Seasoning, Peanut Butter Cookies, Split Pea Soup, and Many Many More! (200 nutritious recipes)!
Seven Secrets Cookbook by Neva & Jim Brackett (owners of two plant based restaurants). This had GREAT INFO IN IT and AWESOME RECIPES! Just a few of my favorites: Light and Tender Waffles, Tofu Scramble, Basic Cream Sauce, Vegetarian Pizza, Bulgur Burger, Croutons, Simple Butter, Ranch-Style Dressing,, Pita Pocket Bread, Calzones, Armenian Lentil Soup, Mock Salmon Spread, Pumpkin Pie, Fruit Pizza, Lemon Cream Pie, Pineapple Date Bars, Peanut Butter n’ Honey Cookies, Fruit Thins, Coconut Macaroons, Almond Jewels, Vanilla Custard, and Many Many More!
The Total Vegetarian Cookbook by Barbara Watson. This recipe book has lots of pictures and simple design. I made the mistake of looking in the dessert section. I need to get back to trying some new recipes!
Quick-n-Easy Natural Recipes by Lorrie Knutsen. “These recipes use only a handful of ingredients and take just minutes to prepare.” Here are a few of the recipes I have made that I have marked as our family liking: Basic Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat Gems )don’t over mix or they turn to rocks! So simple, and you can make so many options, add garlic, avocado, ginger, fruit, or nuts – so simple, quick, and healthy!), Date Muffins, English Muffins, Fresh Fruit Muffins, Fruit Betty, Simple Granola, Flour Tortillas, Cashew Mayonnaise, Tangy Middle East Dressing, Carob Candy.
Country Life Vegetarian Cookbook (from the Country Life vegetarian restaurants). Here are a few SUPER GOOD ONES. It has too many recipes for me to flip through all the pages. Simple Granola, Crumble Topping, Flaxseed French Toast, Dried Fruit Butter, Coconut Cream Pie, Harvest Nut Roast, Bread Dressing Roast, Squash Nests, Cashew Loaf, Millet Loaf, Peanut Butter – Carrot Loaf, Tofu Loaf, Oat-Burger Bake, Kasha Au Gratin, Macaroni Au Gratin, Brazil Nut Casserole, Vegetable Stroganoff, Chickpea A La King, Persian Dill Rice, Enchilada Sauce, Ketchup, Hummus, Zucchini Fillets, French Onion Soup – these have very good, 3 or more stars or “excellent” written by them by my family.
Absolutely Vegetarian by Lorine Tadej. There are a lot of simple recipes in here. There are some great recipes, but for beginners I still recommend the first two on my list and then some of these others later after your tastes have advanced. This one is great because it has oil-less recipes. This one has a lot of ADVICE also which is super nice. Just flipping through quickly looking for my notes in the book I see these recipes as keepers: Mexican Avocado Huevos Rancheros, Carob Super Fudge, Carob Syrup, Date Apple Cookies, Danish Apple Cake, Quick Tomato Gravy, Savory Soybean Patties. I should use this cookbook more. We don’t use many recipes now that we are in Africa, but I need to get back to trying some new things.
Country Cabin Cooking – a total vegetarian cookbook by Allison and Emily Waters. Simple Whole Wheat Bread, Easy Corn Bread, Whole Wheat Bagels, Maple Pecan Rolls, Cashew Oat Waffles – we love waffles you can do so many healthy things with them, Oven French Fries, Bit-o-Honey, Carob Fudge, and Many More.
Of These Ye May Freely Eat – by Joann Rochor, she also has a crockpot (slow cooker) cookbook. There are a couple of recipes in the back of that book that are super good. I didn’t get that cookbook since I can’t use a slow cooker here. This book has over 250 recipes. Here are some favorites from this one. Dixie Toast, Banana Ice Cream, Maple Walnut Ice Cream, French Tomato Dressing, Soy-Oat Waffles, Oat-Burgers, Flax Bars, and Many More!
Forks Over Knives – I don’t know if I have tried one of these recipes. They are more complex, but I bought it for the book. I just haven’t gotten to try any of the recipes. It has 125 recipes. It is a good book either way.
What Does our Lifestyle Look Like Today?
Our lifestyle has grown and progressed over the last 13 years. We try to eat on schedule every day. Breakfast at 7 am and lunch at 1 pm. We start the day with a large water or hot unsweetened herb tea. We ensure to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating. We eat whole grains (usually bread, pancakes, gems, or brown rice, or other cooked whole grains), fresh fruit (sometimes dried fruit), natural nut butter (usually peanut butter here) and maybe a little honey, molasses and flax seed. We try not to drink at least for one to two hours after the meal we have just eaten. Then we drink water or herb tea until about 30 minutes before lunch.
Lunch might be some of the following: potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rices, bread, salad(our salads. sometimes have lettuce, but we have to grow it ourselves, so often it might be mostly tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic with some lemon juice, honey salt for dressing), cooked greens, beans or something of that nature. Being in Africa in the bush we don’t have access to food like we did when we were in the US. Then we drink the same as before
We seldom eat a third meal. If we do we try to keep it really light like some fruit and bread, which will digest quickly. There is a lot of great science behind this lifestyle.
We love this life style. My blood pressure is super great (always under 120/70) as is my husbands even though many in our families have out of control blood pressures even on medications. Our blood sugars are great (even though MANY of my family has diabetes). Our BMI’s (weight to height ratio) are in the healthy range. We DO NOT eat between meals for many great scientific reasons. If we feel tired or hungry between meals we DRINK, and it WORKS! We don’t use any caffeinated products, or foods from animals (except honey) and we try to avoid highly refined foods (white sugar, refined grains, etc). The closer to whole the food is, the better it is for us. We do have a few more refined foods now and then (maybe at a friends house – like a gluten type meal, or more refined bread, white rice, etc). But at home and when possible, we try to eat for health (and the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”We try not to use oil for cooking. I use it to oil pans for baking, and sometimes we eat salad at friends’ houses with a bit of oil in it already.
As we have learned more and more about true health (and not fads or people trying to sell their products) we have changed to be more and more simple and careful in what we eat. So we also follow the following guidelines: we avoid alcohol and all harmful substances, we don’t use black (or white) pepper, we avoid spicy peppers, chocolate, refined sugar products (candy and such), soda (for many reasons), fried foods, or artificial foods.
Of course EXERCISE is so wonderful for you. At least 20-30 minutes of brisk exercise each day is important, especially to prevent and cure disease. Brisk walking is a GREAT exercise. Walking immediately after meals is a great way to open up your cells for the upcoming surge of insulin and glucose. Taking a 15 minute brisk walk immediately after each meal is super great for health.
Going to bed and waking up at the same times each day is very good as well. Drinking enough water is VERY important since our bodies are mostly water. We need it to allow our kidneys to do their jobs without harm, for our blood pressure, and so many important functions. So many people could eliminate their headaches if they would drink enough water and at the correct times. It is best not to drink with meals.
So here is my story. I don’t plan to ever go back. And I was a cheese and chocolate addict. If I can change – I know with God’s help, anybody can! I know of many people who have adopted this lifestyle and it has reversed diabetes, weight problems and much more. What do you have to lose? Some weight, some disease? And there are WONDERFUL DELICIOUS foods that you can eat and learn to make simply. It is an adjustment, but not more than many other things people try. And it sure beats having bypass surgery because your arteries are plugged up! Som people say eating this was is extreme – but like on doctor says, having your rib cage cut open and cranked apart taking a vein from your leg and sewing to your heart – that seems extreme. I prefer the Forks over Knives solution for sure!
So Why Isn’t This Popular?
This solution is not popular because there is no money to be made by it! There are no products to sell, no one to get paid for books sales, it is not big business. So many people are out to make a buck, but this program is simple and works!
Here are some websites with information on the movie, recipes, more advice, etc.:
http://www.forsoverknives.com/
There are some great recipes on this site and lots of info:
http://pathlights.com/nr_encyclopedia/Health%20Notes/healthnotes.htm
http://pathlights.com/nr_encylopedia/frames00.htm
http://www.ucheepines.org/index.php?p=resources.counseling&list=all
http://www.wellnesssecrets4u.com/links/
This site is a friend of ours site. He has some awesome recipes! I love the ice creams. I hope to try some more recipes soon. I have eaten his cooking, and I LIKE IT! He was the chef at Wellness Secrets the last time we were there. http://opensourcevegan.com/