I am below where I have been with my weight in over 10 years. Weight has always been a struggle since puberty. I know many can relate. I am beyond proud of myself for having lost 50 pounds from my highest weight AND I've finally made it into the infamous "Onederland".... The land of no longer being over 200 pounds. I've made it! I'm here to share some thoughts in my process of weight loss and why I believe so much in WFPB (whole food plant based) and SOS (Sugar, Oil, and Salt-free).
I've done Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Vegetarian, My Fitness Pal, Vegan, many gym memberships, etc. The weight always came back. What I failed to implement was the mental side of making long-lasting changes. So much of what we do goes through several thought processes, many of which are old habit thoughts that have formed strongly over years and years of telling ourselves either negative thought patterns, or beliefs that are simply untrue! It wasn't until I started studying to become a nurse coach myself, that I started to explore these in learning how to change my limiting beliefs I've told myself over the years. I've learned not only how to help others, but myself as well. And..... as we know, a doctor needs a doctor and so..... a nurse coach needs a nurse coach to really challenge our own blockages and limiting beliefs.
Fast Forward to taking WFPB seriously! I had been living mostly vegan up to this point, but was still having cholesterol issues on my annual labs. I only ate good oil! Sooo..... I hired a WFPB nurse coach! The first thing I learned was about caloric density. Certain foods (mostly processed foods) have a higher caloric density per amount than other foods. Most importantly OIL! I had no idea how much of an effect a tablespoon of oil could have. I was already eating mostly vegan, but the day I quit ALL oil, I got out of my plateau slump and started losing like crazy! Nuts were the other thing I quit. Nuts are nutritious, don't get me wrong, but not helpful for one trying to lose weight. There's no way I can blog everything about WFPB, but this was the beginning of my journey, and I can take you down the journey and work with you to learn so much more if you'd like to coach with me.
WFPB is a lifestyle, not a diet. Why do you eat the things that you eat? What is it serving you? There is no doubt that whole food (not processed) and plants are healthy for us. Food grows on this planet in just the form that its meant to be and perfectly balances with just the right amount of nutrition, fiber, fat, sugar, etc. that its intended to be for best digestion and absorption. When "man" comes in and starts changing that perfectly balanced formula around to create processed foods, we also change the way its digested and absorbed (or not absorbed). These imbalances can lead to inflammation and other disease/illness processes.
Now what from here? I will continue to work on my smaller goals. Next stop is 185 lbs! This is a significant number to me. A rheumatologist that liked to "fat shame" his patients gave me this number as a goal to work with. I will meet it and I will surpass it. To get started, here are some of my favorite WFPB recipes that I've tweaked and made my own. More to come, I'm sure!
