Eat Food and Lose Weight

link to book and description on Amazon

This is a change from my normal post, and longer, but I thought it might be helpful as we head into the holidays. Like many of you I’ve been trying to lose extra weight that just wouldn’t go away. I was eating healthful foods and exercising, but couldn’t seem to make any progress.

However, since mid August, I have lost 12 pounds and I’m fitting into clothes I haven’t been able to wear for years. I’m pretty excited! I waited three months to make sure it was a lasting change, before posting anything. I’m not trying to sell their book, but I highly recommend it and want to share what I’ve learned with you.

So much of what Harvey and Marilyn Diamond say in Fit for Life makes sense to me. This is not a “diet plan” but a different way of eating for lifelong health. It’s working for me, so I plan to stick to it. I’m not strict about the “diet” every day, other than eating only fruit or juice until noon. The authors said this was the most beneficial “rule” in healthy digestion and weight loss. People who only made this change in their eating still lost weight and experienced other significant physical benefits. If I want to “cheat” and have ice cream or more meat and bread than recommended, I do. But then I get back on the regular plan. This has kept my weight down and I feel so much better!

The best part of all is you just eat regular food - no pills, powders, or expensive supplements. The key is the ratio of fruits and vegetables, and how you combine foods throughout the day.

I took the following notes as I read through the book. I hope these ideas help you enjoy all the luscious food available for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, without regret.  I know I’ll enjoy the holidays more as I practice what I’ve learned, without making myself miserable and gaining back all the weight I’ve lost.

Decide for yourself if this is something you want to try, or learn more about on your own. I just wanted to share my excitement with you.

Notes from Fit for Life:

1. The authors divide each day into three cycles of digestion: Cycle 1: 4am-12noon, Elimination (getting rid of waste). Cycle 2: 12noon-8pm, Appropriation (gathering and digestion). And Cycle 3: 8pm-4am, Assimilation (sending nutrients throughout the body).
2. 70% of the food you eat each day should be “live” food – plant based and not heated above 130^o.
3. Food combining teaches: “The human body is not designed to digest more than one concentrated food in the stomach at the same time.” Anything not a fruit or vegetable – bread, starch, dairy, legume, or meat - is considered a concentrated food.
4. More than one starch can be eaten at a meal – potato and croutons, rice and beans, bread and chips, but not two proteins – eggs and nuts, or steak and shrimp etc.
5. Because fruit goes through the body so quickly, it should never be eaten with other foods, with the exception of bananas, dates, and dried fruit. Allow 20-30 minutes before eating anything after fruit. This is often what causes gas, because fruit digests quickly and begins to ferment behind other foods.
6. For optimum energy eat only fruit and freshly made fruit juice until noon. Eat as much as you are hungry for, but do not combine it with anything else. Recommended juicers: Champion, Ultra-Matic, Oster, and Panasonic.
7. The first couple of days of detoxing can be uncomfortable as fruit and juices loosen impacted fecal matter from intestinal walls. You may experience gas and bloating, loose stools, headaches, and nausea. DO NOT take anything to fight the process! Gas will disappear once toxins have cleared. (I did not experience any of this, probably because I already ate a lot of fresh fruit in my diet.)
8. Protein takes the longest to digest and uses the most amount of energy. It does not give energy; it takes it. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts supply all the amino acids your body needs to build protein.
9. Try not to eat more than one flesh food a day, and eat it late in the day so it has time to digest fully. Do not eat after 8:00 pm.
10. Dairy products do not digest completely and leave a gooey residue on the intestines. They prevent the absorption of nutrients and promote weight gain. Result – lethargy and toxic mucus overload!
11. If you choose to consume milk products, eat them alone on an empty stomach. Exception - cheese can be eaten with vegetables (as a condensed food).
12. The best sources of calcium – all green leafy vegetables, all raw nuts (raw sesame seeds are the best source), and most fruits (especially figs, dates, and prunes).
13. A simple progression to follow from AM to PM called The Energy Ladder: Fresh fruit and juices; Fresh vegetable juice and salad; Steamed vegetables, raw nuts, and seeds; Grains, breads, potatoes, legumes; Meat, chicken, fish, dairy.

I seek the best for you and your family. Please let me know if you try some of these ideas and how it works for you. Remember, God created us whole beings. We are Body, Soul (mind, will, and emotions), and Spirit (heart). Everything we do in one area affects the other two - either positively or negatively. So, honor God with every part of who you are, and enjoy the blessings He gives - our wonderful Creator.