For me, diets on the 2nd week are always the hardest and usually when I fail… I’ll lose a few pounds the first week, but then the second week the toxic hunger kick in full force tempting me to eat “restricted” foods. I’ll do my best to resist, but I usually end up cheating a little bit. So, by the end of the week I won’t have lost any weight or even gained a little.
First of all, I’m never able to commit fully to these SAD (Standard American Diet) because of the toxic hunger and cravings. It’s like all of a sudden I’m a crazed addict trying not to think about candy, pizza, french fries, or wine, but I can’t get them out of my mind! I start trying to justify how I could have some Chick-fil-A French Fries and still be under my “calorie limit” for the day. Or, it’s just one small Almond Joy Fun Size Bar….. of course that one small bar turns in to 10 very quickly….
Processed foods are addictive. Nutritarian foods rid your body of food cravings.
Secondly, processed foods are just so addictive. The sugar in candy & processed foods literally light up the same part of the brain that alcohol and drugs do in addicts. It’s why my (and probably yours) willpower is never enough. The addiction is always stronger.
The only way to kick the addiction to the curb is to eat foods that are high in micronutrients. The more you do that, the more those micronutrients help to rewire your brain, so that you just don’t have those cravings anymore and you don’t have to worry about willpower. It’s not about saying no, it’s just the cravings cease.
Those tens of thousands of plant micronutrients clean out your body and reset your mind to crave healthy foods. Really!
This second week has been the best ever on any “diet”. I have had NO toxic cravings for any junk foods. Including, my beloved Chick-fil-A fries. I haven’t even thought about it. I’m actually quite surprised it has happened so quickly. I figured it would have taken longer to get to this point. Everyone is different so it might take you longer, but don’t give up!
Here are a few Nutritarian tips that I think have helped me:
- As a family, we committed to not eating out at any restaurant for the first 6 weeks. Furthermore, we didn’t want to give ourselves the temptation of smelling and seeing junk food when trying to make good decisions. We also committed to not drinking any alcohol for this first 6 weeks.
- We cleaned out our entire pantry & refrigerator and didn’t just hide the junk food – we threw it all away. This way there are no triggers when you are hungry. Only good nutritarian choices.
- I made big batches of nutritarian snacks & desserts to keep on hand. That really helps those of us with a sweet tooth! Having a craving for something sweet? No problem and no guilt! Just go have a Nutritarian dessert – our favorites are the Fudgy Black Bean Brownies & Peanut Butter Cookies (made with Lentils).
- Even though you are supposed to eat 3 large meals a day and limit snacking, if I’m hungry in between meals, I’ll grab a piece of fruit or some Kale Chips or small handful of nuts. Then I’ll try to remember to eat more the next meal. It’s hard when we have been taught our whole lives to eat small to change those habits quickly, so it is a process.
- Previously, if we would be out in our car around lunch or dinner, then we would have just grabbed some Fast Food on the run. Now, if I know we will be out around a meal time, I plan ahead and bring my kids some simple snacks like Peanut Butter/Smushed Berries or Banana slices sandwich on whole grain bread, Kale chips, unsweetened applesauce or other fruit, &/or a Nutritarian Dessert. I’ve even brought them the Taco Bean Soup in a Thermos!
- Also, learning how to shop at the grocery store is important so you know exactly what foods to buy and what to avoid. Everything on this Nutritarian Grocery Shopping List are safe to eat! Download for free!
Want to start from the beginning of my journey?
My Nutritarian Diet Food Journal Week 2:
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157.4 pounds to start
Day 8:
- Breakfast – Avocado Toast (1 slice Ezekiel Sesame Bread) & Berries (Raspberries & Pomegranates). Oh man, I’ve just tried Pomegranate Arils for the first time and they are AMAZING! I bought the prepackage PomPoms from Sam’s. YUM!
- Lunch – Taco Bean Soup; Dark Cherries for dessert
- Snack – Homemade Guacamole & Homemade Baked Corn Tortilla Chips (no fat, no salt)
- Dinner – Soybean Spaghetti Marinara (added chopped spinach, chopped zucchini to sauce); Chocolate Cherry Cookie for dessert.
Day 9:
- Breakfast – running late this morning so I just grabbed a handful of raw almonds and a container of PomPoms Pomegranate Arils. While at the gym, my husband texted and said he didn’t feel well because he didn’t eat breakfast, so when I got home I made a big Fruit & Green smoothie (and took it to him at work) and I drank the other half.
- Lunch – Taco Bean Soup and large serving of steamed cabbage.
- We went to the movies this night, so I came prepared with snacks – I brought Fat Free low salt popcorn, Homemade trail mix, bananas, & chocolate cherry cookies.
- Dinner – I wasn’t hungry since I had snacks at the movie so I ended up just eating another container of PomPoms Pomegranate Arils.
Day 10:
- Breakfast – Small Fruit & Greens Smoothie & 2 whole grain blueberry/raspberry/ground flax seed pancakes, coffee with unsweetened almond milk
- Lunch – Whole grain wrap w/Italian Salad mix, cabbage, bell peppers, red/orange pepper, purple onion, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, hummus, & Fat Free/No Calorie Italian Dressing (Walden Farms); Fudgy Brownie for dessert.
- Dinner – Lentil Meatloaf, Homemade Baked Corn Tortilla Chips, Hummus, and small Fruit & Green Smoothie.
Day 11:
- Breakfast – Fruit & Green Smoothie & Coffee w/unsweetened Almond Milk
- Lunch – Salad (mixed greens & spinach) with black beans, black olives, red pepper farro mix, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, & Maple Grove Fat Free Balsamic Dressing.
- Dinner – Nutritarian Mac & Cheese. I found this Vegan Mac & Cheese Recipe and adjusted it to make it Nutritarian Friendly. I used whole grain rotini pasta, almond flour, & cut the salt & sugar in half. Tip: There are lots of great vegan recipes you can adjust to make Nutritarian! Take out salt, sugar, oil and substitute almond, whole grain, or bean flours/pastas.
Day 12:
- Breakfast – Fruit & Greens Smoothie (these are so fast and easy to make and you can make them the night before and save in an airtight container in the refrigerator, like one of those smoothie shakers); I also found B-12 Almond milk (organic Kroger brand). This smoothie I made with kale, mango, blueberry, strawberry, banana, & ground flax.
- Lunch – went out to lunch with my mom and ate at Panera Bread. I had a cup of the new 10 Vegetable Soup, 1/2 a Modern Greek Quinoa Salad (no feta & chose the low fat balsamic dressing), & a sprouted grain roll. While I LOVE Panera Bread, I looked at the website later and the sodium content of the soups is outrageous….
- Dinner – my mom taught me how to make Collard & Turnip Greens in my Instant Pot!. We had left over black eye peas, collard green, turnip greens, & turnips. It was a hit with my family and we ate the entire batch of greens that night!
Day 13:
- Breakfast – Fruit Bowl w/ground flax seed (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, honeydew, cantaloupe, banana, & dark cherries); coffee with unsweetened almond milk.
- Lunch – Salad – butter lettuce, spinach, cabbage, onion, sunflower seeds, green, orange, red peppers, black olives, red pepper farro, sliced avocado, black beans, sun-dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, & fat free balsamic vinaigrette (Maple Grove).
- Dinner – Tofu Marinara & steamed broccoli.
Day 14:
- Breakfast – Avocado Toast (1 slice Ezekiel Sesame Sprouted Grain Bread), bowl of raspberries & blackberries, coffee with unsweetened almond milk.
- Lunch – Taco Bean & Turkey Soup & dark cherries
- Snack – half a banana & few Tofu Marinara bites
- Dinner – Taco Bean & Turkey Soup, Peanut Butter Cookies
Weight loss on the Eat to Live Diet
- Starting weight this week – 157.4 lbs
- Ending weight this week – 155 lbs
- Weight loss this week – 2.4 lbs
- Total weight loss so far – 9 lbs
Even though it’s not as much as the 7 pounds lost last week, I know that over 2 pounds is really good. The first week is mostly a lot of water weight as you eat less sodium. I’m pretty proud of that 2.4 pounds this week because like I said, the 2nd week of any diet is when I usually screw it up. But eating all the high nutrient food has really stopped any cravings from popping up so it makes it easy.
Interestingly, my taste buds are starting to change too – the first week so many things tasted bland because of the low salt. However, I haven’t really noticed anything tasting bland this week, so I think my taste buds are getting back to normal.
Keep following my journey! What I ate Week 3 of the “Eat to Live” Diet
If you’d like to learn more about my Nutritarian Journey, check out these posts:
Top 6 Reasons You Should become a Nutritarian
What I ate Week 1 of the “Eat to Live” Diet
Nutritarian Quick Start Guide: Eat More, Lose Weight, & Prevent Disease
