4 Weeks Plant-Based Whole Foods

I’ve just wrapped up four weeks of eating whole/minimally processed, plant-based foods. So, was it actually worth it?

I lost 3 kilograms. You thought I was going to gain 3, right? All those carbs, sourdough and fruit? Had I paired it with animal fat, yes, I would have gained 5! But we'll get into the science of that in the next newsletter.

I live a reasonably healthy lifestyle anyway so I didn't expect any major changes, but what I did notice, I wasn't crashing after protein meals like I do when I eat meat.

So...

Let's talk about these past 4 weeks, I didn’t do it through restriction, I didn’t walk around hungry and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. (ok maybe missing out on a little bit of cheese). But honestly, I ate enough. That constant feeling of needing more or thinking about food, as one would imagine from just eating plants, just wasn’t there. Really because there are more to plants than just green leaves.

That already challenges a lot of what people believe about weight loss. It doesn’t have to feel like punishment.

For the most part, my days were simple. Sourdough toast for breakfast EV-E-RY-DAY! . A proper main meal with carbs and plant protein. Fruit in the afternoon as my last meal. I stuck to my eating window and was usually done eating by around 2pm. I still had my coffee, just found an almond milk that didn’t come with all the gums, seed oils and preservatives.

So, despite eating carbs, A LOT of carbs, despite eating fruit every single day, and despite not restricting, I still lost weight.

Now for the reality check.

I threw away food. More than I’d like to admit.

And when I actually looked at what I was throwing away, it was all the same type of thing. Foods that were trying to be something else. Tofu. Those tempeh koftas. Zucchini fritters without egg and parmesan. I also realized that I didn't actually like mushrooms, I liked the cheese I was always putting over them.

I just couldn’t do it. The textures didn’t work for me. And I’m not someone who is going to force myself to eat something I don’t enjoy just because it ticks a box. Well, not anymore anyway.

I think this is where people get stuck with veganism. They try to replace what they’re used to instead of learning what actually works for them.

Because really, there WERE things that worked really well for me!

Black bean burger patties AMAZING. Caramelized onion mixed with hummus AMAZING. Butter bean Korma AMAZING, All things lentils and bulgar wheat AMAZING... The list goes on. I found things that absolutely hit that umami spot I look for in meat.

Chickpeas, butter beans, black beans. Learning how to soak them, cook them, store them, freeze them. That changed everything. Once that became easy, the whole thing became easy.

That’s where this becomes sustainable. Not in the substitutes, but in the basics.

Eating on the go was probably the biggest inconvenience. If you’re not prepared, your options are limited. Most of the time it was fruit. Twice I landed up having a clean flour roll because there was nothing else available. That’s not the end of the world, but it does show you how much planning this actually takes.

So where do I land with all of this?

It is completely possible to eat whole food, plant-based, feel satisfied, get enough protein and still lose weight. But only if you stop trying to force foods that don’t work for you.

The next step for me is to start reintroducing eggs and yoghurt for breakfasts/ The rest of the meals I've decided are going to stay, I don't need meat, but I am missing dairy and eggs.

It seems that the Mediterranean style of living, has become a no brainer naturally, it's were my feet have landed and it's no wonder blue zone centennials thrive on plant based whole foods.

I want to understand why that way of living works on an even deeper, more scientific level, not just copy what’s on the plate.

I’ll share how that goes.