To be clear, losing weight was never the goal, it was to break up from my toxic relationship with food; and yes, most definitely it’s me, not the food! The goal was to shift to a healthy lifestyle or healthy eating habits from eating “trash”. This was the goal for every waking hour of the day, for 100 days. Shedding off the extra weight was only the byproduct of this challenge. If losing weight was the goal, like in all my many previous weight-loss pursuits, this change would have only been temporary. After achieving the weight, I’d go back to my old eating habits and wake up one day feeling depressed because I could no longer fit in my skinny jeans (huge problem, yes!) or feel sorry for myself again because I feel pain somewhere in my body. Scientists say that it takes 21 days to build a habit but with this stubborn old brain, I would need more than 21 days, so the 100 days was to ensure that this practice becomes a habit and a permanent lifestyle.
When life gives you lemon, you make lemonade!
-Anonymous
MY WHY: The Compelling Reason
On September 18, 2021, I was feeling an excruciating pain that went on for hours. The pain was familiar as I have had this for a while this year but this instance was beyond what I could handle. My husband convinced me that we drive to the hospital, an option that we never did before because covid cases were apparent. Still, since it was almost midnight and nothing that I took or did could alleviate the pain, my husband risked driving me to the nearest hospital because I just couldn’t. He doesn’t have a driver’s license but he can drive. He just started to walk again after being held down in his wheelchair for many years due to the tumor in his spine. A huge risk we took but that was the only option left.
After a series of blood tests, CT SCAN, Ultrasound, and X-ray, I was diagnosed with gallbladder inflammation (Cholecystitis) and they found stones in it. My kidney has stones too. They did not want me to leave as I needed to be admitted right away. I told the doctor that my husband, who is handicapped, is left in the car for 7 hours now, waiting for me outside the ER so I signed a waiver and left the ER.
I decided to change my lifestyle, allow nature and my body to heal itself and when I am ready I will go back to the doctor and check on my options like surgery. I thought that I owe myself a natural detox. A reset before I go through anything invasive or synthetic meds. I was also hoping that I skip that part with the natural detox but I was worried that the extent of my condition may be too late for it. Anyhow, I planned to start eating whole foods, and plant-based food and not lose hope. I know that the gallbladder or bile salts will only be released (which will make my gallbladder work hard) if I eat high fat like dairy products and meat or if my insulin shoots up from processed food and sugar. Of course, I knew this for many years but I was just so stubborn and I guess I poured my pandemic depression into allowing my amygdala to do whatever it wants to do- eat burgers, drink soft drinks as a replacement for water, and eat meat which I usually avoided before pandemic!
I was so disappointed with myself. I remember telling myself that I wasn’t learning from all the biology courses I took from my bachelor’s to master’s degree because I ate too much “trash” which I should have not, knowing what I know about the physiology and anatomy of the human body. I sobbed when I realized that I messed up the perfect biological systems and the perfect organs God gave me. I threw trash inside my body! I then asked God to forgive me and promised that I will take care of my body which is His gift to me, from now on.
If I didn’t change my food choices, I would be in pain forever and may die from the infection. This was the compelling reason to stick to this lifestyle- to my why. My brain gets this logic and will make perfect sense to command me not to eat anything that is not healthy. I think a compelling reason will only be the ticket to achieving any goals.
WHAT IS WFPB DIET?
Since gallbladder stones and inflammation can be caused by a high-fat diet, which is mostly in animal products; an increase in insulin level which is usually caused by processed food and high sugar diet; and high cortisol induced by stress. The latter I try to manage through yoga and meditation. The first 2 causes led me to decide on changing my lifestyle to the WFPB diet.
As I said, WFPB is not necessarily a diet but more of a lifestyle. The basic principles of a whole-foods, plant-based diet are as follows, (according to Healthline.com):
- Emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods.
- Limits or avoids animal products.
- Focuses on plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts, which should make up the majority of what you eat.
- Excludes refined foods, like added sugars, white flour, and processed oils.
- Pays special attention to food quality, with many proponents of the WFPB diet promoting locally sourced, organic food whenever possible.
WFPB vs VEGAN
If you are on a vegan diet, you abstain from consuming any animal products, including dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and honey. The WFPB diet, on the other hand, is more flexible. Followers eat mostly plants, but animal products aren’t off-limits. This is like going to the basics of life. The stark and fundamental requirements of sustaining good health. You also reduce your carbon footprint and help in the bigger cause- climate change- with this lifestyle. Animal farms are causing the biggest CO2 emission.
Tip: When you go to the grocery store and check on what you can eat, it is so important to read the labels and know what you are eating. It has been less processed and ingredients should be natural plant-based ingredients.
THE RULES I SET & MY WAY AROUND THEM!
NO STARVING because it slows DOWN my metabolism even more. My bowel movement became regular in an instant with this fun rule. I eat as often as I want now.
NO FEELING SO FULL IN THE TUMMY because your stomach expands unhealthily which will overwork it. I also feel that this is more like the pain trigger for me. I eat often but not more than a cup or 2.
NO BUTTER, NO OIL so thank you air fryer!
NO MILK because I avoid the fat content in it so I made my homemade oat milk for baking purposes!
NO ADDED SUGAR which is processed food. Highly processed foods are usually taken by our bodies like poison. Our liver will work hard on this converting it to something that our body can digest. I replaced sugar with Stevia & organic honey, maple syrup, or coco sugar.
NO CHIPS & CURLS so I made my whole wheat chips with sea salt and herbs or vegan cheddar. I also ended up eating baby puffs sometimes LOL because it is healthy- no fats and loaded with vitamins. Some nuts are high in fat so I avoid them and went for dried fruits mixed but those with no sugar added. I just have to go easy on this too as they can be too sweet. The crunchy sound and taste are like heaven to our brains and that is why we eat a lot of them chips! The crunchy sound and taste desire quenched by eating apples, guava, turnips, carrots, sweet beans, and French beans.
NO WHITE FLOUR- another highly processed ingredient that our body doesn’t recognize. I always have wheat flour now ready and learned to bake our bread. Some whole wheat bread got too much oil in it so I make sure that there is no oil added.
NO MEAT which is okay because I can get my protein from red beans, white beans, kidney beans, and from fruits and vegetables.
LOSING WEIGHT CHALLENGE FOR THE BRAIN
Why made it a challenge? It is for my brain to cooperate with me. I need my goal to be specific (A lifestyle of being on a WFPB/Vegan No Oil Diet), measurable (no pain attacks), and time-bound (for 100 days to kick off the habit of this healthy lifestyle). This made sense to my logical brain and my competitive amygdala. There was a level of excitement that I felt deciding over getting onto this challenge, which I purposely did to hack this brain system. I also imagined that I may start to look good in those jeans (LOL) by shedding off inches of my thighs, arms, and tummy! I made my brain enjoy these pictures in my head and committed to it. I changed the picture of my lock-screen wallpaper to a picture of me before the food spree! This was a constant reminder to stick to my commitment as I am a visual/auditory-analytic learner.
A BUDDY
I reminded my husband that he should not be cheating on his paleo diet often! This pandemic has made us eat carelessly. My husband has a tumor in the spine. He was in a wheelchair for almost 5 years and we met a naturopathic doctor who helped him walk again. He followed a meal plan that consisted of more organic food and meat with fewer carbohydrates and no sugar. After three months of this meal plan, he was able to walk again. He is now gardening, cooking, walking, and traveling with me.
I asked my husband if he helps me in this journey by lessening his cheating days. Cheat days used to be just for a day in a week but because we are just home working and when we are together enjoying, we slip back to unhealthy food choices. Cheat days became 5 times a week. Oh boy!
He committed to doing so. The first thing we did was to check our pantry- cabinet, and fridge to get rid of all processed foods, meat, and dairy products. We gave them away. I also am glad that my closest friends made the healthy lifestyle shift too. I still feel that I belong because we talk about weight loss, healthy finds, etc. every time we meet. This is important because your brain will always want you to slip (it will avoid what is not pleasant for you). Having someone or friends to remind you to eat healthily is such a huge help to forget your want and get on to what the body needs.
AND ANOTHER FUN CHALLENGE!
I am motivated by learning and creating new things so I capitalized on this to stay in the course. I challenged myself to enjoy Christmas and prepare a healthy menu. I have to learn healthy recipes during this challenge and choose which can get onto my Christmas list! I created a Facebook page, Food is Medicine: Vegan & WFPB No-Oil & Low Fat Recipes. This page aims to capture these recipes and share them with the rest of the vegan community and with those who want to eat healthily. This kept my mind busy and excited/motivated. I share them on social media which made me commit more to this lifestyle change. Go check out the recipes I learned within this 100-day challenge and beyond.
I am sharing my experience with you now, hoping that you may learn something from it. If you want to follow the WFPB lifestyle, you best discuss it with your doctor about it first and research. Life is precious and has a greater purpose; so we try every day to live a healthy lifestyle. This is not just for ourselves but for our family, children, and loved ones. We work hard on anything, knowing that God is faithful. Thank you and cheers to the new you!
Here’s the beginner’s guide to WFPB Lifestyle:
Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide
