16 Reasons Why You Can't Stick to Your Diet

"Your body prefers the carbohydrates in vegetables rather than grains and sugars " The quote above from the article seems to be the strategy that works for me. If I eat a second vegetable instead of bread or pasta during a meal I don't crave sweets two hours later. I have switched to Egg Foo Young for breatfast instead of an ommlett with toast and potatoes. Plus I take Dr. Mercola's weight loss product. It is slow, but I continue to lose fat.

Darin:

The operative phrase is "...fueling the body!!"  When I remember that my diet should consist of foods that "fuel the body," I don't think about junk food, fast food, and processed foods.  I know that lean, grass-fed meat, organic vegetables, and organic fruits are the items that truly fuel the body.  If we ate PRIMARILY to fuel the body, I suspect that most of us would only include these items in our diet!!

I'm not Doc Mercola,but I think peanuts or some other kinds nuts.Also I try to eat every 2 hours though the day.I have 6 protein meals a day like fish or meat.Protein meals gives your metabolism a 30% boost at each meal.

Also for a sugar replacement try Xylitol.

If that's the only fruit you eat all day, go ahead and snack on a piece of fruit, especially if it satisfies you! Remember, Dr. Mercola recommends limiting, not necessarily eliminating fructose to 15g per day.

How about organic air-popped popcorn with real butter and sea salt? It's crunchy, low in calories and takes time to consume. Or maybe some plain unsweetened yogurt with a handful of fresh berries? The rice cakes might be a good foundation if you ditched the hi-cal p. butter and jam. Can you substitute a thin layer of butter and some cinnamon sugar?

Nuts, cheese, certain veggies, a bowl of strawberries or raspberries with fresh cream on them! However, one of the beautiful things about cutting carbs to very low levels (and those occurring naturally in most vegetables, dairy products and some fruits) is that you loose the need or urge to snack, because you're getting enough in your meals to satisfy you and it holds your blood sugar levels steady. Berries, incidentally, are very low in carbs in comparison to other fruits, other than things like lemons, limes and cranberries.

My subscribers generally don't need to snack, although I've included recipes in my menu service for snacks to take to things like Super Bowl parties, tailgating, picnics, etc. I do keep a small package of spiced almonds in my purse because with my kids I have a very busy schedule and I'm not always eating dinner at dinner time and just need a little something to hold me off. It's what the French do. It's less expensive and healthier than fast food!

I would most definitely not have a piece of fruit or popcorn. Those things have enough carbs in them to spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling even more hungry afterwards. Remember, if you were "normal" in how you deal with these things, you wouldn't be overweight. You need a different way of eating in order to correct this. I hope Dr. Mercola will address what happens in the endocrine system when it ceases to process sugar properly in a future article.

First decide whether you are really hungry or whether you just want to eat out of habit.  Then, if you really need to eat something, try a slice or two of cheese or some other kind of protein, and try to avoid eating right before bedtime.  

After I realized that I do much better on a high-protein diet and began incorporating more protein into every meal and fewer starchy carbs, I found that I wasn't thinking about food all the time and had lost the desire to snack between meals. I also lost weight without even trying. For excellent advice on how to eat for both weight loss and to feel better, pick up a copy of Dr. Diana Schwarzbein's book, "The Schwarzbein Principle." Your library probably has it. If not, you can get it from Amazon.

One of Dr. Mercola’s favorite snacks to enjoy is made by combining two tablespoons of raw organic grass fed butter, two tablespoons of coconut oil, and one scoop of Pure Power Protein.  From there add either one scoop of chia powder or one scoop of organic psyllium.  The result is a tasty snack with virtually no carbohydrates that you should find to be both satisfying and filling.

When I have a craving for something crunchy, I make organic popcorn on the stove, using coconut oil, then adding butter and Himalayan salt.  There is plenty of fiber in the popcorn, and the fat in the coconut oil and butter will temper any blood sugar spikes (one of the causes of weight gain).  Sometimes I even add nutritional yeast flakes, which taste like Parmesan or Romano cheese, for a protein boost, making it a very balanced (carb/fat/protein) snack.

Bottom line: eat what satisfies you.. whether it's nuts, fruit, rice cakes, popcorn, cheese,or protein powder with butter and coconut oil.  Dr. Mercolas Nutritional Typing is all about eating foods that give you energy, clarity of mind and are satisfying.

I've found some foods that feel great first thing in the morning (ie protein shake) weigh me down after dinner and visa versa. A small serving of buckwheat pancakes (100% buckwheat flour) with a little maple syrup and butter makes an awful breakfast (makes me feel irritable), but is an extremely satisfying after dinner snack.

Tracebrooks, I have to agree with your recommendations for the recipe substitutions. I too could not eat that much fast absorbing carbs and still lose weight. I might could maintain weight, but I would never lose any. I can't even eat nuts. I can only maintain my weight eating nuts and stuff like that as a snack. If I substitute a hole meal for something like this I can barely lose weight. It will take me a month to lose what I can normally lose in a week if I stick to the meat and greens.

Like you said, after a few days and definitely after 2 weeks, you are over the whole sweet/carb craving. After about a month you will ask yourself why you ever craved those foods. They will even become disgusting once you learn that the high fiber, high starch diet the FDA has been cramming down our throats for over 50 years was all a BIG FAT lie! Suddenly, that fat ribeye steak you used to cringe to look at because of the brain washing the FDA has done to all of us will look more appetizing than the bag of potatoes on the next isle.

I eat my biggest meal at night and I rarely eat before 8pm. I can often go all day without feeling hungry, so I can get away with eating very lightly. Then at night I splurge with a GIANT salad and a meal with a ton of veg, some meat and a small amount of grain. This has worked for me for a long time now and I have maintained my weight (with very small fluctuations) for yrs.

This looks like a nice recipe for those with normal metabolism. I would switch out the grain flour for almond or coconut flour (adding a couple of eggs if it would be coconut flour), using flax seeds or chia seeds instead of the oats, and using lo han guo, which naturally has a mapley flavor, in place of the maple syrup. Otherwise, for a person with messed-up metabolism, this would have more carbs than I could handle in a couple of weeks.

The thing about breaking the sweets addiction is that it happens pretty quickly, within a few days, as long as you're only getting your carbs via vegetables (not high-glycemic ones like tomatoes). If you can do this for three days, your sweet tooth will be gone.  Doing this breaks the cravings. I find it easier than struggling.

I can't eat gluten/dairy/soy/sugar... Gluten is oats/barley/wheat/rye. Whole wheat would hurt me more. Coconut oil hurts me... Most American's maybe Celiac, but don't know it. Celiac causes cravings...not eating these foods stops the cravings. I eat raw walnuts...crack open shells to avoid gluten contamination...they make me full for 5 hours..and have good fat. Happiness...

I tried the green juice once and disliked the taste.  Could you share your recipe, please?

I do not juice but I make sure to steam many of my vegetables you mentioned above and then sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic at the meals does wonders for my overall being. As to eating for people, there are many types of health plans(aka diets) such as paleo, primal, and ketogenic. A person has to decide for themselves what works for them that they are WILLING to do and actually makes them feel good.

Estesh, green juices have the potential to taste unpleasant if too many strong-flavored veggies are used (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards) and since these brassicas are goitrogens as well, it's wise to limit their use. Spinach, chard, cucumbers are milder in flavor. I use carrot tops whenever available because they actually contain more nutrition than the bottoms! But adding a tomato and a carrot or apple to your juice will lighten the flavor and add a touch of sweetness. I also like to toss in a few cloves of garlic or about an inch of ginger root (not in the same drink, though — they don't marry well). Herbs like fresh basil or oregano can add character to a green juice. Experimentation will find the blend that's right for you!

I have found that Juicing activates candida.  It strips the veggies of its necessary fiber.  Most candida books I have also discourage the practice of juicing.  I have never found the need to purchase an expensive juicer.   Why purchase an expensive juicer when you juice the veggies and then have to add back the fiber you just juiced out anyway?  On top of that the amount of veggies you have to feed into a juicer to get one glass of juice is quite large!  Rich people can afford this cost but many more of us (Especially those of us on a fixed income) cannot.

As an alternative I like Veggie Smoothies!  And you don't have to purchase an expensive Vitamix to do this either.  I use a 99 dollar Kenmore Blender and it works like a charm.  Some frozen spinach, butternut squash, celery, a cup or so of dark green salad greens, an eighth of an organic lemon, scrubbed (peel and all), plus a bit of protein powder and some olive oil and, Voila, I have a great smoothie in less than 3 minutes and hardly any clean up. (Of course, obviously, I add water to all this too to the level of the veggies and start out with about a half a cup at the bottom of the blender before I put in any veggies as well to make things really blend smooth without stressing the blender.) Sometimes I put in cucumbers or zucchini, or other veggies but I always use a significant amount of dark salad greens. (No Kale Collards, Broccoli, cabbage or other brassica family veggies as they are goitrogens.  I eat my Brassicas steamed.)

Linda

My recipe:  2 cups of baby greens, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of cauliflower, 2 leaves of Kale, 2 leaves of swiss chard, 1/2 cucumber, 3 stalks celery.  Organic as much as available.  Makes one pint--one cup for you and one for your beloved. I give some to 1) my mother who has cancer and also dislikes the taste, but cancer patients swear by green veggie juice such as this; 2) my neighbor who has joint pain and her son has autism.

With respect to the taste, add a few berries.  Add half a banana or anything on Dr. M's fructose chart that does not top 25 gr for the day.  But what I tell my kids is, some things you eat for your tongue, some things you eat for the rest of your body.  And you're right, the juice is so rich in nutrients, just drink 2 oz at a time throughout the day.

Celebrities, Jack LaLanne and many, many others, including Dr. M. swear by this and many have said they would not get dementia or cancer (Like Jack Lalanne and lived healthy--able to walk and do stuff--until in their 90's+.)  If you have not tried it, I COMPLETELY agree with all of you that I once thought it is too expensive, won't taste right, it's not a dessert, etc.  Great excuses.  But I've tried it and the health benefits are amazing and not comparable to anything else I have ever done.  Dr. M had an article on how green veggie juice dieters lost an avg. of 33 lbs. and kept it off 5 years later!

Our farms and fields and the way we are gatherers deplete us of soooo many nutrients, I do believe this is the only way to feel the way we should.  We've been spraying on 8 to 10 nutrients on our crops for decades.  Our bodies need 98 different nutrients per day. Mom and grandma and the women used to go out to the fields and woods to forage for different leaves, plants, roots and herbs on a continual basis resulting in about 200 different types of vegetarian foods to eat.  

I disagree it is expensive. Not compared to supplements, not compared to cancer treatments at $2,000/chemo infusion.

What is amazing about green veggie juicing is that you feel great and you feel full.  All day on 100 calories consumed a few ounces every few hours throughout the day. No other food necessary. It works.  And because it works, you know that you were not often hungry for FOOD, you were hungry for nutrients.

With regard to expense, shop around.  I get a a huge box of organic veggies (about 4 of the small boxes) at Fresh Farms for $4.  The other veggies aren't very much at all--cauliflower was 39 cents a lb, I buy broccoli there at 98 cents a lb.  Swiss Chard is the most expensive at $1.49 per lb.  One box of baby greens for $4, one head of cauliflower, 3 broccoli crowns and 3 cucumbers, 1 pkg of organic celery for $2.  It's not expensive at all.  A weed of McDonald's would cost more and oooooh would I love to replace that food agony delivery system with organic green juicing.

Right now I'm working on convincing Whole Foods to do it on a regular basis and keep it low carb.  They do it sporadically, but they add in too many fruits.  They need Dr. M's fructose chart.

Juicing while cutting carbs to very low levels is tricky. Juicing concentrates the carbs in anything, which is exactly the opposite of what you're trying to do. Adding avocado to juicing blends helps. For people who really struggle to loose weight and especially those who have diabetes, carbs must be cut to below 40 grams a day (after subtracting fiber) to give the pancreas a break, and to give every other cell in the body a break from screamingly high insulin levels so that the entire system can heal and begin responding normally again.

You can still eat vegetables, but *eat* them. One thing you don't get a lot of when cutting out all grains, potatoes and sugars is crunch! Veggies have that crunch. You will actually find yourself eating more veggies in this way of eating than you probably used to, if you were eating the Standard American Diet (SAD for short, snort).

Two stalwarts of my personal way of eating are cauliflower and avocados. Cauliflower can stand in for potatoes in salads and casseroles(so can turnips). Avocados are great on their own, but can also stand in texturally for bananas. And, beautifully, you can have butter, cream, bacon, steak...no more rice cakes!

I had been eating low carb for 20 years, my son convinced me to go vegetarian and I added back in beans and whamo!  I gained 30 lbs.  I'm getting rid of it now with green veggie juicing and it's low carb.  I would think that by going low carb you are removing stress from your liver and pancreas.  The only problem you run into a first is hitting a carb wall, but just a few carbs stops that.

Whole Food carries 2" round wafer thin crackers that are actually 1 carb each.  So a few of those with cheese on it and I'm done.  And I counted those carbs carefully.

@tracebooks: when you talk about cutting carbs, you are not differentiating between starchy carbs and green carbs. It's not necessary — in fact, it's detrimental — to limit greens, brassicas, cukes, cauliflower and tomatoes. What has to go are the starchy carbs, which include not just grains, potatoes and rice but most of the root vegetables (ok in limited quantities). These carbs are so different as to deserve their own food groups!

@Islander: Normal people may not need to limit green carbs, but people with metabolic problems, as evidenced in difficult weight loss, easy weight gain, insulin resistance etc. have to limit *total* carbs. You'll still be eating a few *cups* of veggies daily, which is more than the average American eats! But you have to watch it. Onions, carrots, most squash and tomatoes are pretty high in natural sugars, so you have to use them more as flavorings or accents. Most of your veggies are going to be of the salad, dark green leafy, or cruciferous variety (and a few root vegetables, like turnips, rutabagas and jicama).

But the distinguishing point is that for people who have abnormal metabolism, the normal advice on this doesn't work. It has to do with a metabolic process we have to avoid tripping. Tons of good science behind this. What you're saying works well for people who have not seriously damaged their endocrine systems.

jamdenison--I haven't tried this, but as I read through all these comments about using a blender instead of a juicer, I was wondering about using a food processor to blend all these healthy veggies. During the summer when my tomato garden is producing a lot of tomatoes, I have taken 6 to 8 tomatoes and cut them in quarters, put them in the food processor with a dash of sea salt and turned it on for about 1 minute. I don't add any water. Talk about delicious! Yum! I suspect you would have to add some water with some of the other veggies.

Dear Try Try again;

You are soooo very right about those fresh tomatoes.  Yum.  And I was going to suggest for those of you that find the broccoli, cauliflower and kale a bit much, you can just do the following:  1 cup of baby greens, 1 cucumber, 3 stalks celery, 4 or 5 vine ripened tomatoes and a half cup fresh strawberries. I don't think swiss chard tastes bad and it's very leafy and very green. You can add in some carrots too.  I have seen studies on this list that say carrots are high in carbs, but they say it's for cooked.  Fresh are lower in carbs. My daughter and husband can stomach that.  But I'm totally hard core with the kale, broccoli, cauliflower, 2 cups baby greens, etc.  I put in some dandelion once (from the grocery store--food grade), and talk about bitter!  After trying that you will relish broccoli, cauliflower and kale.  Others have said mustard and turnip greens are harsh too.  I can now drink a whole bowl of greens to last me all day, and one one or two oz sip and I'm not hungry any longer.  That's the best part.

The Omega 8005 is easy to clean--about 2 min from start to finish and it mashes the veggies slowly via a worm gear into a screen.  It's pretty amazing.  It leaves about a cup or two of very light fluffy pulp almost dry as a bone.  I use the pulp in soups, stews and burgers.  Yum.

@Tracebooks: the diet I described works splendidly for me, who was diagnosed diabetic 4 years ago and, technically, am no longer diabetic. I continue to avoid all grains and starches. Just another piece of evidence that we are all individuals and what works for one may not work for another.

The link is listed in grey at the very bottom of the article: Bodhifitonline.com August 12, 2011

And why not have a photo of and old person in shape instead of a young person in these articles?

www.bodhifitonline.com/blog/2011/08/12/16-reasons-why-you-can%E2%80%99..

Sorry, I just believe the nutrients in our food supply is so lacking that fasting is no longer recommended.  Plus, there is nothing wrong with a nap during the day.  It's recommended.  I'm doing green veggie juicing during the day and I do not consider that fasting because I am not hungry and I feel alert and good.

Don't you hate those people who say it's "good to feel hungry."  Yeah, like it's good to bang your head on the wall.  What is good about feeling hungry?  I've never experienced that.  Isn't that just a form of sadomasochism?  In my job I have to be mentally focused and alert and hunger is an enemy.

I'm inclined to think that hunger is a normal feeling we no longer experience. We ought to feel hungry prior to mealtime. Instead, we seem to nibble constantly and eat by the hands of the clock rather than the signals from our stomach. I remember someone on this board referring to some supplement she was supposed to take "on an empty stomach" or when she hadn't eaten anything for at least an hour...and her point was, there was never an hour in the day when she hadn't had something to eat. Really, doesn't that strike anyone as a little bizarre? Or has constant noshing become a way of life?

I used to diet just like you are doing and the end result was Metabolic Syndrome (didn't know I had it until I was 32). As my blood lipids test showed, I was steadily getting worse even though I was eating MUCH less (sometimes not at all and NO FAT at all) and I was excercising like crazy. I would often skip breakfast and eat a late evening salad. From the age of 25 to 30 it was a continuous loosing battle. By age 30 I was on statins and blood pressure medication. I was excercising 30 to 90 minutes a day 6 days a week and I was growing my own veggies on my 2 acres of land by the time I was 30. I was hospitalized by the age of 32 with 60% blockage and a cardiovascular spasm that resluted in a "heart attack like event" (complete but temporary loss of blood flow).

I left that hospital (walked out due to no insurance to pay for the hospital bills and pending heart surgery) and went to a controversial doctor who was an MD and had a PHD in Bio-Chemestry and a PHD in Psycology. His area of study focused on the body's chemistry and how foods we ate affect the brain. He learned through science that Fat and Protein work together to actually lower cholestoral and tri's and the carbs actually work to raise the lipids. This intrigued him so much that he changed his area of study to focus on blood lipds and heart disease. He proved that a low carb diet could even reverse heart disease. I put his theories to the test and proved him right. #1 on his list is BREAKFAST and it must be 100% Protein and Fat. Lunch can have some low carb veggies and he said to skip dinner if possible. He said to NEVER skip breakfast.

I have been following this Doctor's perscription diet for 15 years now and I have never had to take another medication for blood pressure or cholesteral. At work we do annual wellness test and they measure your lipids and all your vitals. I'm older than 75% of the people there and every year my blood pressure, pulse rate, Cholerstoral, and tri's are the lowest of anyones

This works well if you're already in shape, but if you've put severe dents in your endocrine system, you won't be using fruit as a snack. Your whacked-out system will churn out insulin out of proportion, spiking your blood sugar. A better snack would be either Dr. Mercola's oils-and-protein snack of butter/Pure Power protein, or an ounce or two of raw milk cheese, or a few nuts. The no food within two hours of bed rule is key. You can apply all the rest of your tips easily while cutting carbs to the kinds of levels needed to give your pancreas and cells a break and begin to loose weight.

Dr. Mercola advocatse intermittent fasting and that means to have your largest meal at dinner.

I know that mainstream wisdom has always been heavy breakfast, midsize lunch and light dinner.

The Warrior Diet and Ori Hofmechler say something completely different.

I would like some feedback on this.

MisterE, perhaps you want to take your concept up with Dr.Mercola because I got the idea from him and Ori.

Did you ever read the suggestion for intermittent fasting in Dr. Mercola's article on the subject?

Ori Hofmechler suggests that humans are noctornal eaters.

I usually wait about 2-3 hrs. before I go to sleep...and I have many dreams.

You can probably get by with it for 1 day, but try eating like that for a week & I bet you'll see the scales edging upwards.

That might be true estesh,but I just got back from the guy and I was stronger then I have every been.Very strange I know.

Rod Hays, if you do not fully understand the toxicity of sugar, I respectfully suggest you do a site search! A gallon of ice cream? Yipes! There may also be a perception issue here. We are so used to seeing obesity as the norm that those who are at a healthy weight may appear too thin. Why not use a reliable frame of reference rather than just "how you look"?

Islander,I was raised on hamburgers fries and milkshakes and I'm still alive to talk about it.In the 11th grade I was on the 97 pounds wrestling class.So what would be a reliable frame of reference?

Great job Rod!  You say you feel great but look too thin so maybe you do need some good strong carbs.  I wouldn't worry about what anyone says only listen to your body.  Just be careful that the carbs are not stripped / processed clean of minerals and vitamins otherwise you will lose those also from your newly healthy body stores.

The fact that you were thin in the 11th grade and have now had to go on an extreme diet (loosing more than 20# is extreme)to loose weight is an indication you may be Insulin Resistant. Insulin Resistance can temporarily be reversed if you do a low-carb/low-sugar diet for a long time. Assuming you lost an excessive 2# per week, you would have had to diet for at least 18 weeks! Going low/no carb for more than 3 months will usually reverse the effects of Insulin Resistance and you will be able to eat Hi-Carb Surgary foods for a while before you start seeing weight gain again. BEWARE, when your cells reach their threashold you will go gain weight like crazy. It will be like turning on a light switch and everything you eat will get stored as fat.

It's OK to have a Carb-Binge now and then, but remember what got you to your new body and what caused the old body to become fat. Quickly follow up on your carb/sugar binge with a week of very low or no carbs and do some cardio. This will help keep the Insulin Resistance from returning and wrecking havoc on your health. Even a little weight gain is harmful. The chemical and physical changes that occur in your cardiovascular system during weight gain is detrimental.

Weight loss is equally beneficial to your health. Even if you are still over weight!!! Furthermore, maintaining your current weight (not gaining any more weight) is as important as losing weight if not more important.

A way to cheat on your body and actually see what is happening is to do a lipids test. If your Cholestoral is below 140 and triglycerides are below 75 you are in a weight loss mode and you can increase your carbs a little. If your Cholestoral & and tri's are above 180 you are probably gaining weight. If either are above 250 you are gaining weight and you should INCREASE the FAT and protein.

I know that is hard to believe, but increasing the fat intake while cutting back the carbs will actually lower your blood lipids.

Z-Flame,thats what I do,is listen to my body.It look like most people have no idea what there body is telling them.Or maybe there body is telling them to do something that they shouldn't be doing.I know that when I went on the no carb diet my body wanted carbs for a while.But when my body went into  Ketosis I was all right then.The no carb diet only works for a few weeks though.I had to switch over to a low fat low carb high protein diet to keep losing fat and keep muscle.Just to show what I can do,today I did shoulder presses on the smith machine 10 reps with 3 35's on each side.I'm 62 1/2 and weight 165 pounds.

jamNjim ,check out my profile photo.That is when I was heavy.I was losing a pound or 2 a day most of the time.Also,I don't do any of those test.

The test I mentioned is just an easy way to tell if your body is in weight loss mode. If your cholesterol and tri's are high you will not lose weight.

Especially for women, water retention can and will throw your scales off and cause you to think you are gaining weight. A quick check of your lipid levels can tell you if you are in weight gain mode or if maybe you are just retaining water. If your lipids shoot up you need to figure out why.

High Cholesterol is an indication of inflammation and inflammation is the cause of heart disease.  Cholesterol is a symptom/indicator of inflammation and if gone uncorrected will cause heart disease. If your lipids are low-to-normal you can sleep better at night knowing that you don’t have any inflammation.

Inflammation is the #1 cause of all terminal illnesses, especially cancer.

Another way to look at it is if you are gaining weight you have elevate lipids and you probably have elevated cholesterol and that means you probably have excessive inflammation.

I use the CardioCheck blood lipids test meter to check mine every 3 months. If I’m dieting, I check it once a week to see where I am. When my triglycerides fall so low that the meter won’t read it I know I’m at MAXIMUM weight loss mode.

That's not to say that weight gain should be avoided. It is perfectly natural. You want to avoid prolonged weight gaining periods as that will lead to other long term (inflamation type)illnesses. It's long been a natural cycle to gain weight during periods of feast and lose weight during famon. Prolong periods of either can hurt your health.

That was your meal yesterday? I would not expect to see a change as soon as today. Also, I would not expect to see a change after eating that only one day. Try doing it for a week or two, them go back to eating healthy, then see what happens.

Looking too skinny can result from losing weight too rapidly. It can also be from sagging skin that has not snapped back to match your new size. Slow steady weight loss with a really nutritious diet and exercise will help get better end results.