pinkrose wrote:To me, staying in shape is fun and just part of everyday life. I do not look at fitness as something outside my life that I partake in on occasion but just a way of life
Jeff,
I cannot tell you how much you inspire me! You have really helped me to reallign my life, so that my approach to health and fitness is much more streamlined, simple, and makes sense! Having been in the fitness world for awhile as an instructor of all types of exercise, I see far too often that we're missing the mark with exercise--we shouldn't do it just to burn calories (because not burning "enough" calories isn't the reason for our weight problems), we should do it because we are made to move. Humans are made to move, and movement should be a part of our daily activities. So thank you for sharing your viewpoint on exercise, it's one that I wholeheartedly agree with (in fact, there are times during the year when I teach over a dozen classes a week, and I can say that type of strenuous activity is not natural or good for the body).
Also, I was getting your recipes off of your facebook page and you stated that we should be able to eat of food freely, without worrying about portion sizes. I wanted to cry! This makes so much sense, is so simple and it allows us to no longer be slaves to weighing, measuring and calculating. Extremely liberating.
That said, I'm still in the process of learning how to eat the way you teach. I read Waldorf's book,
120 Year Diet (per your recommendation on a thread here), which makes a strong case for calorie-restriction, however, while I think his approach is mostly on, you take it a step further, and make it do-able. Waldorf includes in his menu plans higher calorie (and dairy) foods such as bread, milk, yogurt and relies on portion/calorie counting. I know some people can eat a small amount of something and just stop themselves even if they are not entirely full. I am not one of these people, so I've learned I have to eat MWL at least 80-95% of the time, and reserve higher calorie foods for special occasions/meals and even then, I've learned these foods are not a free for all just because they are McDougall approved (lasagna, tofu, breads, ect.).
One last thing. Is your take on the MWL program should be 1/2-2/3 green yellow veggies and the other portion be intact starches OR fruit? I know McDougall suggests no more than 2 servings a day because of how easy it is to overconsume, but as you've said, you'd be a little more lenient with fruit. I've read several threads discussing calorie density and since fruit can be much lower than starches (strawberries, for example, being 150 calories per pound as opposed to carrots at 200 calories per pound) it would seem logical to say starches and/or fruit, just as long as that ratio of green/yellow veggies is at least 1/2 or more of your diet and the other is coming from intact starches and fruit. Does this make sense?
Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to let you know how much you've influenced and helped me (I made your Longevity soup last night for the first time and LOVED it! Tasty, easy, and QUICK--my kinda recipe!).