Fit For Life Diet

[weebles]

Hello,

Hope I am doing this correctly if not...feel free to direct me.

Anybody care to help advise me on a menu for fit for life? I understand the concept of fruit in the morning, veggies or soup for lunch, and protein and more veggies for dinner. My problem is...I lack imagination at the moment/decade.

If I am reading the book correctly, fruits in the morning until noon (even smoothies).
Lunch can be a plate of veggies or a sandwich (no meat) with veggies, or soup.
Dinner can be chicken or fish or beef and veggies.

Sounds simple but.........I am really not a cooked veggie lover (trying to be, honest). Raw vegetables...no problem. Stir fried...GREAT! Boiled, broiled...ignites the gag reflex for me. I find once cooked, they are very strong in taste! Sadly, to constantly eat raw veg, I will become bored and really and truly want to like cooked veg.

Also, was thinking about juicing my veg. Any ideas?

Any good recipes for cooking the meats?
Thank you
Weebles and parnter Wobbles

[photogirl67]

Hi Weebles

so stir fry them then! what's wrong with that? have you tried lightly steamed? You should never boil veggies anyway - they lose all their nutrients into the water that gets throw away.

or eat lots of salads and do the juicing thing for sure.

I'm not familiar with that plan but I'd avoid or limit breads too - especially white ones. They are basically turned to sugar in your stomach and glue in your intestines. Not much nutritive value at all - even brown breads. If you must have bread, try switching to a sprouted grain, no flour bread - one with less sugar too.

as for recipes I do a weekly one on Rob's blog - you can register to get them emailed to you on this page Recipes by Darlene - a lot of them are vegetable based so you might get some ideas.

what do they say about whole grains (like brown rice, millet, etc) and beans?

[weebles]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I do lots of stir frys per week. Guess what I am actually needing is an ordinary menu per week. FFL does give menu's recipe's etc, and due to the high veg content, I am afraid to try them (I am such a chicken).
Was hoping that somebody was doing the same program as myself for menu ideas. Perhaps they have ideas to tweak them up a bit?

From my understanding of the book, you can eat breads (they suggest pita bread). Again, my take on this is.....for a lunch have a pita filled with veg and a bit of mayo. I could be wrong and this is another area I need some guidelines. A question I have here is: Is soup and pita sandwich okay?
It is all about food combining and that makes total sense to me. Reprograming my mind to get rid of the standard meat and potatoes for a dinner and replace it with meat and veg., saving the potato for another meal along with a Veg.

Anybody willing to come to Scotland and do my cooking for me? I could really use a strong buddy on this, to help me over the next few months.

In the meantime, I will take a glance at the link you provided.

Cheerio

[photogirl67]

oooh, no mayo! Mayonnaise is pure fat - and not the good kind. If you absolutely must have a sandwich, use mustard or hummus as the spread not mayo. Pita bread is only marginally better than regular bread.

So can you give me an example of a day's meals that Fit for Life suggests so I can see what you mean?

Are you afraid of vegetables? How many of the following have you ever tried:

- butternut squash
- sweet potato
- zucchini
- kale
- Swiss chard
- bell peppers
- carrots
- beets or beetroot
- parsnips
- eggplant
- tomatoes
- bok choy
- onions
- green onions or scallions
- ginger
- garlic
- asparagus
- mushrooms - all kinds
- cabbage - all kinds
- brussel sprouts
- bean sprouts
- spinach

try as many new ones as you can. You might find you like them.

[weebles]

I will start with the veg list you provided

- butternut squash - Tried and HATE
- sweet potato - Tried and HATE, unless in a pie
- zucchini - it is okay
- kale - never seen that over here
- Swiss chard - never seen that here
- bell peppers - LOVE
- carrots - only raw
- beets or beetroot - Dislike
- parsnips - DISLIKE
- eggplant - Dislike
- tomatoes - LOVE
- bok choy - Love
- onions - LOVE
- green onions or scallions - Love
- ginger - Love
- garlic - Love
- asparagus - Dislike
- mushrooms - all kinds - Allergy
- cabbage - all kinds - so/so (will eat in very small quantities)
- brussel sprouts - DISLIKE
- bean sprouts - Love
- spinach - Love RAW

The Fit For Life plan is this:

Breakfast is always the same: Fruit! up to 14 ounces of fresh juice and bananas when particularly hungry. Fruit salads etc.

Lunch: fresh fruit juice or fresh carrot juice $- 8 ounces. Salad with a light dressing OR a Veg Sandwich.

Dinner: Veg juice cocktail, soup, potatoes or chicken (not both), veg, and salad. The examples they give are: Creamy Cauliflower soup, potato boats, garlic string beans and french green salad.
The potato boats are a baked potato with banana squash inside along with a couple of spices. The salad has a olive oil dressing.

The basic idea of this plan is not to combine protien and carbs together, as it uses up a great deal of digestive energy.

We are allowed rice, beans, white cheeses, oils, seasonings and condiments, spices, herbs, and even maple syrup!

Here is my menu for today:

Breakfast: I had my fruits.
Lunch: Tomato soup and a veg sandwich (still not sure if I can have this combo)
Dinner: Stir fry with chicken

I am now on my second litre of water, and will get at least one more in today. Went for a walk (20 minutes). Have a SPLITTING headache and trying to think ahead of what to make for tomorrow. (thinking of baked potatoes with green beans and salad for dinner). If I do that..then I am suppose to have or can have a meat for my lunch.

Will leave this with you and see what you may suggest. Be gentle, I am not a cook, and really am asking for help.

Cheers

[weebles]

I survived
Yesterday I managed my fruit in the morning, toasted veg sandwich for lunch (they ask you to toast the bread to help breakdown the gluten or something) and for dinner I had a baked potato with some shredded cheese on it along with garlic green beans and salad.

My question here; is the cheese okay with a baked potato? Or should I have just used butter instead?

Must admit the last few days, I have had a terrible headache. Could this be part of the detox?

Today will be simple dinner: steak and (you will love this) lightly steamed carrots and brocoli. I will try it again but...will have raw carrots on standby.

Anyone help with adjusting these menus? please??

[Rob]

My question here; is the cheese okay with a baked potato? Or should I have just used butter instead?

They're both just as bad, so, whichever one you want is fine. Better off without either (or any dairy of course) see this thread on Milk

as far as I'm concerned, anyone taking action on their health is good. We have to begin somewhere. A little butter is better than the cheese, clarified butter is better than butter, and a little udo's oil is better than either of those. However, whatever it takes to keep you eating, and moving forward with your program is better than having you hate what you eat.

over time, you will find that you tweak your diet more and more ever day.

have you read my report "How I Lost 300 Pounds" yet? There are 7 principles in it that I share that can help anyone improve day by day. It's available on my other website http://www.formerfatguy.com . And it's free.

Must admit the last few days, I have had a terrible headache. Could this be part of the detox?

yes, certainly could be. Could also be dehydration. Often times, headaches are a sign of dehydration. How much water are you drinking?
Either way, increasing water consumption will assist in rehydrating as well as supporting the cleansing process.

Today will be simple dinner: steak and (you will love this) lightly steamed carrots and brocoli. I will try it again but...will have raw carrots on standby.

Nice

Anyone help with adjusting these menus? please??

I highly recommend the recipes that Darlene and I make and release here each week. They're whole food meals, properly combined (most of them). Darlene's Whole Food Recipes are here and secondly, Harvey doesn't discuss it, but a Blended Salad is a good idea too. An drop dead simple way to have a salad as a drink and add tons more phytonutrients to your diet

[weebles]

Hi Rob, Thanks for the input. I have read your story many times before and very impressed with what you have accomplished. I had been searching the net for support groups while doing Atkins when I came across this forum but, I never joined that was a few years ago (if memory serves me correctly).

Being over here in Scotland, it is most difficult to get FRESH fruit and veg as everything is imported from Brazil, Chile, Spain etc. I guess the climate does not allow for good growing? I really MISS being back in Canada with all the fresh fruits and veg! I have no access to a backyard and thus unable to grow my own, and rely on whatever the local shop has available.

I did manage the steak last night, steamed some veg - DISGUSTING. Opted for raw veg instead. There is suppose to be a magic berry (or something to that name) available that tricks the tastebuds so one can eat asparagus, squash, etc. I saw this on a T.V. program over here and the hosts of the show placed this powder substance on their tounges, waited 20 minutes, and then ate an entire LEMON, without a pucker! They drank a Guinnes beer and that apparently tasted like root beer shake. This powder fools the taste buds, turning bitter foods into sweet,and sweet into bitter. Think of the possibilities! This could be the help I need to eat cooked veg.

I looked over some of the recipes here and am going to try the Scillian Couscous. Here is yet anothet question: couscous is considered a carb? The recipe calls for raisons (which is a fruit). Can you have fruit with a carb? Again, this is all food combining and I have searched the book and see no mention of this.

OH, and Darlene...thanks for you link...I read your blog as well. I will be giving some of your recipes a shot as well. Care to come over here and cook for us?

[Rob]

I looked over some of the recipes here and am going to try the Scillian Couscous. Here is yet anothet question: couscous is considered a carb? The recipe calls for raisons (which is a fruit). Can you have fruit with a carb? Again, this is all food combining and I have searched the book and see no mention of this.

couscous is a starchy carb yes.

no, it's not a proper combination. I'm not *as strict* anymore. I used fit for life to reset my metabolism and digestion. I follow the principles a lot of time, but not exclusivly any longer. I recommend using it exactly the way it's outlined to reset your body. Don't deviate from the plan. Then after a year or two, expand it a bit.

Care to come over here and cook for us?

- she only cooks in Canada.

[weebles]

Hi Rob,

I am totally understand the "re-setting" the system. We (hubby and I) have been on this for a little over a week and feel GREAT!!! Okay, menu planning is a bit difficult for me but.....I am slowly getting the hang of it. I still think Dar should come over and help me ...LOL

Okay, so I get a letter in the mail about some testing that I need to get done and will be staying in the hospital for a few days. The tests are a colonoscopy, and the other is a endoscopy (NOT at the same time) plus some other tests. So they outlined the menu to eat 3 days prior to the tests. NOT ONE FRUIT OR VEG allowed! White bread, cheese, meat etc. All the foods I have not had in the past week and a bit. WELL!!!!! Today I ate a boiled egg and a slice of toast for breakfast: I was so tired after I needed a nap. For lunch I ate a chicken noodle soup, and dinner had a cottage pie (shepherds pie over there). Actually, I haven't even eaten the pie yet....I am just looking at it, as i feel like crap! I want juice so bad....it is driving me crazy. I also am so bloated, the next couple of days are going to do my NUT in.

I must say: for such a short time on FFL, I never realized how much of a life change for the better it is! Energy levels were up, no bloating, mood was becoming more stable, and just all round good feeling! I choose not to wait for these tests to be over, and I can get back to LIVING again.