my food experiment
About 2 years ago I joined Weight Watchers and expeienced moderate success quickly as I began to change the way I ate. I lost 35 lbs in the first 6-8 months. In the 2 years since i have fallen away from making better food choices and slowly gained 25 of the weight back. i'm still down 10 lbs so i consider that a win. I also know that the choice to not incorporate better choices was in fact my choice. (lots of choices here lol!) I still feel Weight Watchers is a really great learning and support group (notice i loath to call it a diet or weight loss program, because really it isn't).
BUT I have also become concerned with our country's food industry and how much of the products we eat do not contain nutritional value and have been so processed that they are very far removed from the natural food they started out as. The more I investigate (and by that I mean watch documentaries and read books/articles) i feel that i agree a whole food plant based diet (not diet like something to do temporarily to lose weight, but as in your DIET, what you eat every day. Honestly i;m not sure how the meaning of that word got turned around. anyway, i tangent.) As i was saying i find i agree that a whole food plant based diet is probably the most healthy way of eating. Unfortunately WW enourages low fat and fat free products which are NOT whole foods. To make something lower in fat it is processed even more and usually carbohydrates and sugars (or worse sugar substitutes) are used to make them palatable.
SO, If i believe what i am told about whole food plant based eating, I should be able cut out low/non fat products, as well as most meat/dairy and still lose weight. In fact eating this way is touted as creating weight loss. SO i am going to restart going to meetings and using my WW tools and teachings and COMBINE it with whole food plant based eating. Mostly this means that i will go over my suggested "point value" for the day. i'm curious to see if i will start losing weight, what my average point balance will be and how much it differs from the suggested value. i'm also going to track my hunger levels, my feelings of satiation and cravings. at least i hope will. i tend to start things and then drop off (as i did with WW initally) but i am pleased that i am fired up about this now.
BUT I have also become concerned with our country's food industry and how much of the products we eat do not contain nutritional value and have been so processed that they are very far removed from the natural food they started out as. The more I investigate (and by that I mean watch documentaries and read books/articles) i feel that i agree a whole food plant based diet (not diet like something to do temporarily to lose weight, but as in your DIET, what you eat every day. Honestly i;m not sure how the meaning of that word got turned around. anyway, i tangent.) As i was saying i find i agree that a whole food plant based diet is probably the most healthy way of eating. Unfortunately WW enourages low fat and fat free products which are NOT whole foods. To make something lower in fat it is processed even more and usually carbohydrates and sugars (or worse sugar substitutes) are used to make them palatable.
SO, If i believe what i am told about whole food plant based eating, I should be able cut out low/non fat products, as well as most meat/dairy and still lose weight. In fact eating this way is touted as creating weight loss. SO i am going to restart going to meetings and using my WW tools and teachings and COMBINE it with whole food plant based eating. Mostly this means that i will go over my suggested "point value" for the day. i'm curious to see if i will start losing weight, what my average point balance will be and how much it differs from the suggested value. i'm also going to track my hunger levels, my feelings of satiation and cravings. at least i hope will. i tend to start things and then drop off (as i did with WW initally) but i am pleased that i am fired up about this now.