Anyone else WFPBNO?

[Peace and happiness]

I was pretty strict for a while about avoiding oil, sugar, and pretty much all processed foods. But in the last couple of months, I've been eating more processed food with oils, sugars, and other unhealthy additives. I've noticed my energy has plummeted in the last few weeks. Like to the point that I'm exhausted when I wake up and until I go to bed. And this last week I hardly even worked out. I tried working out yesterday and today, but felt so sluggish trying to get through it. I'm someone who works out 6 days/week and sometimes twice per day.

I know I'm not depressed, I'm definitely not dehydrated, work and everything is the same it's always been, so it isn't stress. I'm pretty sure it boils down to eating processed food and sometimes junk food. I also made a point to up my protein, thinking I might have been low, but that hasn't helped either.

Anyone here WFBPNO and can give advice on how to get back on track? Sometimes I do get tempted because my daughter has snacks in the house and she eats things I try not to. I know it boils down to will power, but sometimes it's hard. My biggest vice lately seems to be cereal and store bought hummus.

 

[Emma JC]

I am a starchivore, wfpb mostly, avoid excess oils, salt and sugars.

I have no lack of energy. I eat a lot of pasta, oatmeal, noodles, rice, potatoes, beans, some Gardein and Fieldroast, some cereal, some chips. I get my fats from peanut butter, tahini, olives and the Gardein/Fieldroast and about a teaspoon to tablespoon of olive oil per week. Lots of berries/bananas, lots of garlic, onions, green onions, carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, tomatoes etc.

I would suggest you try Cronometer for a day or so and see if you are eating enough calories and if those calories are giving you the nutrients you need. It is unlikely though that a lack of any specific nutrient is causing this, it is either a lack of calories or there is something going on for which you may need to consult a health professional.

All the best with figuring it out.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

I'm someone who works out 6 days/week and sometimes twice per day.

no wonder you are tired. You're not a kid anymore.

 

[Peace and happiness]

no wonder you are tired. You're not a kid anymore.

I'm doing a 2 week experiment of no oil, sugar, or processed foods to see if that helps. And I'm not THAT OLD lol

 

[silva]

I was pretty strict for a while about avoiding oil, sugar, and pretty much all processed foods. But in the last couple of months, I've been eating more processed food with oils, sugars, and other unhealthy additives. I've noticed my energy has plummeted in the last few weeks. Like to the point that I'm exhausted when I wake up and until I go to bed. And this last week I hardly even worked out. I tried working out yesterday and today, but felt so sluggish trying to get through it. I'm someone who works out 6 days/week and sometimes twice per day.

I know I'm not depressed, I'm definitely not dehydrated, work and everything is the same it's always been, so it isn't stress. I'm pretty sure it boils down to eating processed food and sometimes junk food. I also made a point to up my protein, thinking I might have been low, but that hasn't helped either.

Anyone here WFBPNO and can give advice on how to get back on track? Sometimes I do get tempted because my daughter has snacks in the house and she eats things I try not to. I know it boils down to will power, but sometimes it's hard. My biggest vice lately seems to be cereal and store bought hummus.

I had followed Dr Gregers daily dozen way of eating only whole plant foods, no oil, no sugar (I did keep salt) soon after How Not to Die came out. I joined the group on FB. It made the most incredible difference in so many ways. My allergies gone.No need for asthma inhalors. I had stamina. I had no pains.
I stopped. After swearing I'd never again touch processed foods, thinking my tastes had so drastically changed, anything bad tasted awful...I woke up and it was all gone! I craved all kinds of bad foods. I tried giving myself one day to have something I wanted once a week,but it just never stopped. Thing about this is that I didn't suddenly feel bad, or gain weight right off. Not at all. It slowly and incidiously snuck up on me.
I know I'd feel better eating wfpl-no oil no sugar. I really need to find things to replace my food addictions,and I haven't

If store bought hummus and cereal are your only vices I don't think you should blame food on feeling bad!
Is your diet as complete as you think?
Do you follow the daily dozen?

 

[KLS52]

So, just out of curiosity… When you say no sugar and no oil‘s, does that mean literally, as in no cookies cakes ice cream chips/crisps etc.? What do you do for snacks? Only fruit? This is a serious question by the way.

 

[silva]

So, just out of curiosity… When you say no sugar and no oil‘s, does that mean literally, as in no cookies cakes ice cream chips/crisps etc.? What do you do for snacks? Only fruit? This is a serious question by the way.

Dates and blackstrap molasses are the sweeteners on the green light list. I still make date paste by soaking and blending dates. I use it for all kinds of things, and their are a number of desserts (good) that fit the no sugar list. Even a cashew cheesecake can be made with date paste
Sugar wasn't even my downfall. It was oil and processed foods. I've loved vegan processed soy foods since I was a kid. Of course soy beans, edamame, tofu and tempeh are whole foods, I'm talking things like Beyond!

I dislike dates by themselves, but I keep mine frozen and they're quite different that way! I'll eat one out of the freezer, or dipped in something like cocoa

 

[KLS52]

Oh that all makes sense. So really, prepackaged is an issue. You need to make everything from scratch.

 

[Peace and happiness]

So, just out of curiosity… When you say no sugar and no oil‘s, does that mean literally, as in no cookies cakes ice cream chips/crisps etc.? What do you do for snacks? Only fruit? This is a serious question by the way.

I would consider all the things you listed as processed foods. Snacks for me are fruit or small portions of food I'd otherwise eat for a meal. Maybe even sweet potato wedged, cooked acorn squash, etc.

 

[silva]

So, just out of curiosity… When you say no sugar and no oil‘s, does that mean literally, as in no cookies cakes ice cream chips/crisps etc.? What do you do for snacks? Only fruit? This is a serious question by the way.

I need to be completely upfront about not following this way of eating, as much as I support it, and have benefited from it in the past

I've followed Brittany Jaroudi from the beginning of How Not to Die. She's really turned her health around, and has been posting her daily dozen days, as well as her own recipes, and to me is the best example of how to stick with wfpb eating
A lot of her desserts are really very good! It's such a completely different mindset, I'm hoping to make it click again for me, but haven't put in the effort

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brittany+jaroudi+youtube

 

[Emma JC]

I'm with you @silva - we do eat mostly WFPB and yet we are not obsessed with perfection as you all will know from the fact that we have Gardein at least once a week, Fieldroast once every week or two etc. We do try very hard to limit actual oil (olive oil) to a tablespoon or so a week between the two of us so that gives us a bit of leeway on some of the processed foods like Gardein or Eve's. We are of the age where it isn't good to be shovelling in a fattie diet and so we limit the oils/fats, put salt on after cooking, and try to eat as many tasty whole foods as we can.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

My main concern would be snacks lol. I would want to be able to make a banana or zucchini bread. I don’t mind subbing refined sugar and limiting oil but I’d want to be able to have something tasty.
I will do a bit of research on it. I did watch a couple of the videos silva linked to.

 

[Emma JC]

My main concern would be snacks lol. I would want to be able to make a banana or zucchini bread. I don’t mind subbing refined sugar and limiting oil but I’d want to be able to have something tasty.
I will do a bit of research on it. I did watch a couple of the videos silva linked to.

I haven't watched the videos so I may be saying what they said - I use apple sauce instead of oil when baking and just use mostly maple syrup for sweetener or a bit of sugar - I have one of those plastic bags of coconut sugar that is used so infrequently that it is rock hard and I have to scrape and scrape to get it out .

I try not to bake much because if I bake then I eat it. I try to fill up on non-snacks and then limit my snacking to savoury items like bread sticks with some hummus or a few pretzels or a few nuts.... winner winner I don't have to bake and I eat a lot less.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

My problem is I have a terrible sweet tooth. I can handle cutting back on sweets but not cutting them out altogether. I’m actually very good with having a small sweet snack and not overindulging. If I bake a banana bread I can easily freeze it and make it last.
Grapes actually work pretty well if I have a couple after a meal. Other fruits not so much. But I need to be able to have a piece of chocolate or a scoop of non dairy ice cream. I crave something sweet after every single meal, even breakfast.
I make jokes about me and sugar all the time and posting food porn, but it’s actually very distressing, my need for it. I do really well most days not giving in. But it’s hard to maintain over long periods of time. It’s not like it gets better the longer I go without.
I’ve really come a long way with how I used to eat so it’s not a total bust. Since starting WW in 2014, I really pay attention to nutrition labels and ingredients.

 

[Emma JC]

wow, that must be challenging to deal with, my sympathies

I do keep dark chocolate around for after dinner (I have to keep it in the fridge as we eat it rarely) and a few select cookies that are okay just not so good that I would want to eat tons like I would if I baked something... cereal is my answer during the day if I want a quick almost sweet snack, there are a few organic ones with few ingredients that I keep around and grab a handful if needed, thankfully, it is a rare occasion.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

Cereal is a great idea. I love cereal.

 

[Strugglepuss]

My problem is I have a terrible sweet tooth. I can handle cutting back on sweets but not cutting them out altogether. I’m actually very good with having a small sweet snack and not overindulging. If I bake a banana bread I can easily freeze it and make it last.
Grapes actually work pretty well if I have a couple after a meal. Other fruits not so much. But I need to be able to have a piece of chocolate or a scoop of non dairy ice cream. I crave something sweet after every single meal, even breakfast.
I make jokes about me and sugar all the time and posting food porn, but it’s actually very distressing, my need for it. I do really well most days not giving in. But it’s hard to maintain over long periods of time. It’s not like it gets better the longer I go without.
I’ve really come a long way with how I used to eat so it’s not a total bust. Since starting WW in 2014, I really pay attention to nutrition labels and ingredients.

As my name implies, I have the same struggles - I could have written this post (except for posting food porn ) - so I should probably be the last person to give advice, and the last person you should listen to. But I do know this, and it's something I'm working on presently and it seems beneficial, and that is that the problems are all emotional. It does not come down to will power. If you let yourself believe it's a will power problem, then you are setting yourself up for feeling like a failure, and that won't get you anywhere. If you feel your diet deprives you, then it will. It's like if I told you not to think about pink elephants, so you immediately think about pink elephants. Change the focus. Never think about it in terms of deprivation, focus instead on the abundance and other positive aspects of the diet. But then also never stress about setbacks. Instead of beating yourself up, enjoy the indulgence, and then return to the abundance of healthy choices. In other words, think positive no matter what. Man, if you knew me, you'd know how weird it is for me to say such things

 

[KLS52]

It’s not an issue from a vegan point of view, only if I were to try more whole food plant based.

 

[Emma JC]

the other thing I do if I have a craving... if it is chips or something savoury that I am craving then I just sprinkle a few grains of salt in my hand and eat them and if it is sweet then I have just a teaspoon of maple syrup or agave or a few grains of sugar, or a date... just enough to fool my tongue/brain - a teaspoon of peanut butter also satisfies a snacky need

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com