Esselstyn diet question

August 12, 2009

I am toying with the idea of following the Esselstyn diet. I have mostly followed it, but have notice E2 diet allows more nut butters and chocolate chips, yet still no oil. Has anyone followed Essy's diet religiously for more than a couple of months? If so, please share about the difficulty of staying with no oil, etc... in terms of finding the foods, social situations, cooking, etc... and enjoying the food and how did you feel in the beginning and then later. Was there a detox or cravings, etc....? Thanks.

Maureen

August 12, 2009

I have followed the McDougall plan, which is the same as the Esselstyn

diet (and E2), for the past year. I don't have any trouble staying

with no oil for the food I cook myself and I am very satisfied with

it. It is hard to eat out, though, as, with few exceptions, it is very

difficult to get food that is not cooked with some amount of fat. And

I've found that if you ask for something to be cooked with no fat

they'll either say they can't or they ignore you so I've resorted to

asking that the food be cooked with as little fat as possible. It's a

compromise. Esselstyn the elder (Caldwell) is targeting more directly

folks with heart disease and is stricter on the fats, whereas Esselstyn

the younger (Rip) is targeting a far more general, and hopefully

healthier, group of folks and is a bit more lenient with fats (nut

butters, etc.), which probably explains the difference.

The easiest time I had with it was during McDougall's 10-day

residential program last fall -- they provide ALL of the food and it

was plentiful with lots of variety and it tasted good (to me, not

everyone agreed). I had no detox symptoms and no cravings during that

time. And I was definitely never hungry. Since I've been at home,

however, I've been eating out some and I have have, um, strayed from

time to time and there are sometimes cravings -- which sets up a pretty

vicious cycle since the more off program I go the more I crave. I do

pay for it if I have a more fatty meal, as my system is no longer used

to it (which is a good thing, I think). The closest to 100% the better

I feel.

I say give it a go. If you need to follow the E2's phase-in program to

get started by all means do so, but I think you'll find that the

closest you are to 100% the better you'll ultimately feel.

Debbie

maureen smith wrote:

I am toying with the idea of following the Esselstyn diet. I

have mostly followed it, but have notice E2 diet allows more nut

butters and chocolate chips, yet still no oil. Has anyone followed

Essy's diet religiously for more than a couple of months? If so,

please share about the difficulty of staying with no oil, etc... in

terms of finding the foods, social situations, cooking, etc... and

enjoying the food and how did you feel in the beginning and then

later. Was there a detox or cravings, etc....? Thanks.

Maureen

August 12, 2009

I have done no oil at all and completely vegan with limited nuts and avocado for a year now at home and exclusively for the past six months. I feel great! I have lost 45 lbs, I have more energy, my thyroid is easier to regulate. I had major cravings and only really did the diet at home fore the first 6 months. After that I decided to get serious and do it everywhere. I never had a huge detox with it, but my husband did. He definitely felt worse at first...mainly because he wasn't eating enough calories. You have to eat a lot more than you think you would. At first it was a little challenging finding foods, but now I can make anything and everything and stick with the diet. As far as social situations go some people just think you are nuts, and a lot of people will say, " Not even olive oil? " Other people embrace you, and we have even had people make special food for us when they no we are coming to a birthday party and such. I have found it a little difficult to eat out without eating some oil, but you can always eat a baked potato/ sweet potato that they haven't added butter to, or a salad with no dressing, and just bring some things along to supplement your meal with. Dr. Esselstyn will say though that if you are not a heart patient or someone in a dire situation you can add a little more nuts and such in your diet. let me know if you have any more questions.

On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:57 PM, maureen smith <maureensgardengrotto wrote:

I am toying with the idea of following the Esselstyn diet. I have mostly followed it, but have notice E2 diet allows more nut butters and chocolate chips, yet still no oil. Has anyone followed Essy's diet religiously for more than a couple of months? If so, please share about the difficulty of staying with no oil, etc... in terms of finding the foods, social situations, cooking, etc... and enjoying the food and how did you feel in the beginning and then later. Was there a detox or cravings, etc....? Thanks.

Maureen

August 12, 2009

Hi Maureen,First I wouldn't say diet. I much prefer "lifestyle" because this is a change in your life and a style that will stay with you. Make no mistake about it, it is hard but I am pretty sure poor health because of "bad" foods is harder.I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and did not want medications. I was already a vegetarian. I went the next step to vegan and have gotten my bp under control. And also increased my exercise a lot. You can not achieve weight loss or better health through diet alone. Not going to happen. I bought a inexpensive pedometer and my goal each day was 10,000 steps. Don't hyperventilate, this isn't that much and you don't have to do it all in one go. A good brisk walk in the morning, one at

lunch and one in the afternoon will do it. I keep it on all the time and am mindful of it and it motivates me. I also ride my mountain bike each day at lunch for an hour or more. I did not have too hard of a time removing oil as I didn't use that much anyway. I use veg broth, water or beer. Beer is my friend:)When I am out at social events, I just do the best I can. One situation isn't going to kill you. Consistent and regular use will tend to do that. I think if you go over board with this you will set yourself up for failure.I visit farmers markets several times a week and buy organic. Where I live in CA, this is easy to do. There is a market going on everyday somewhere and they are close by so I can get there. I eat mostly fruits and veggies, and tons of legumes. My husband, who is so supportive, makes the best no cheese pizza. It is to die for and there is none

left. Even cheese lovers like it. What I have found is that a couple of my friends are also vegans or veggies and that really helps to share ideas and recipes because, make no mistake about it, there is a learning curve. But it totally can be done.None of those things are more important than my health, and if this gives me more quality time to be with my hubby, kids and grandkids, it is so worth it. Keep your eye on the prize. And do I feel better? Absolutely! Cravings, heck yeah but not for any bad things...I crave the no cheese pizza, our great made at home california rolls with brown rice, etc. I eat very well and tasty with my lifestyle.And the one thing I just love...I start each day with a smoothie, flax seed, water, spinach, banana and blueberries. There are many options to smoothies, but this is my fav recipe and simple for the mornings.

cheers,Janismaureen smith <maureensgardengrotto Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 1:57:48 PM Esselstyn diet question

I am toying with the idea of following the Esselstyn diet. I have mostly followed it, but have notice E2 diet allows more nut butters and chocolate chips, yet still no oil. Has anyone followed Essy's diet religiously for more than a couple of months? If so, please share about the difficulty of staying with no oil, etc... in terms of finding the foods, social situations, cooking, etc... and enjoying the food and how did you feel in the beginning and then later. Was there a detox or cravings, etc....? Thanks.

Maureen