Dr. Steven Gundry's Diet Evolution

[mspositive]

Hi forgive me if this has been covered before, I just wanted to throw my hat into the ring regarding the above eating plan. My husband attended a law enforcement conference in Las Vegas at the end of last year. One of the speakers was Dr. Gundry, a renowned heart surgeon. He gave everyone a free copy of his book, and outlined his eating plan. He explained that he wanted to save the lives of all the law enforcement officers in the room. He used his own personal battle with being overweight to illustrate his views. He has developed an eating plan/way of life that he says, if followed, will not only normalise your weight, but may indeed save your life, prevent or minimise heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. He said he realised he was operating on people who looked just like him, overweight, etc, with a whole host of health problems. He was known as the surgeon who operated on patients no-one else would touch. He realised he was heading in the same direction as his patients.

He developed a diet plan centred around leafy greens and vegetables and nuts, similar to the paleo diet, with a few differences. He concentrates on our genes, and the way they interplay with our health. His book is a very interesting read.

My hubby started the diet the day after he got back from Vegas. In two months he has lost 29 lbs/13.3 kg. This is purely through diet and with no exercise. He had a couple of cheat days during the holiday season (which Dr Gundry says is ok), and got right back on the horse. He says he feels amazing and has never been hungry or had cravings for any sweet things ever.

I started with him but had a hard time as I am an emotional eater. Somehow reaching for a lettuce leaf or a handful of nuts didn't appeal when I wanted a quick fix. I lost an initial 9lb/4kg but couldn't stay on it full-time. I missed my carbs too much. But I've been back on it now for 3 days, and have lost the 3lbs I put back on while I was off the diet. Amazingly, this time round I have no cravings and am finding it easy to stay with the plan. The best thing about the plan for both of us is absolutely no abdominal bloating/pain etc we used to get with our "normal" carb laden diet. Also hubby's skin is improving, and Dr Gundry even says after a while on the plan your skin will actually anti-age, with a smoother more youthful appearance. Hubby has already lost skin-tags, which just fell off.

Has anyone else tried this eating plan?

xxxmspositive

[Lifeisamazing]

No, not really, but I might read it just out of curiosity.

Could you describle shortly (a bit more than you have) what makes this diet special?

[mspositive]

Hi Lifeisamazing,

this is his website Dr. Gundry It probably explains the diet better than I could, although to get the entire diet you would have to purchase the book. If you can't do that a google search should find you the information you need. At first I thought it was the same as Atkins, but it's really not. He concentrates on good fats and nuts and leafy greens, and not so much on huge amounts of proteins. Where it is similar to Atkins is that you have to cut out all refined carbs and starches as well as sugars. He has some cute little rhymes to help you remember, like, "If it's white, keep it out of sight." and, "if you eat dark green, you'll become lean".

Unfortunately, the website doesn't have any before and after pics of him, despite the fact he has lost a lot of weight. My husband said he showed them at the conference, and they were impressive.

This diet doesn't seem to be well known, which is a shame, since it is so good.

best wishes,
xxxmspositive

[russianrocket]

I know a lot of cops... lol no way are they gonna follow that. I've never gone out to eat with a cop, where they haven't ordered a steak for dinner, or eggs and bacon for breakfest. Leaves, and nuts? Sounds nuts. Sounds more like a crash diet to me.

don't get me wrong, it will cleanse your body. It probably will show some anti aging as your body cleans out. The reason this diet hasn't been heard of, is because its really no different then every other diet out there. It's just a diet of " don't eat this or that". Other diets just include a few or less this and thats"

[mspositive]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

I know a lot of cops... lol no way are they gonna follow that. I've never gone out to eat with a cop, where they haven't ordered a steak for dinner, or eggs and bacon for breakfest.

Lol that would describe many of my husband's friends, and to a small extent, him as well, before Dr Gundry changed his life. This is exactly why Dr. Gundry lectured at the conference, to try to change the mindset.

I think the reason this diet hasn't been heard of is that there doesn't seem to be much marketing. I don't think the good doctor is interested in the money side of things, since he is already an established expert in his field, he doesn't need the money. Hell, he gave away books to a conference room full of people, and probably does it wherever he lectures. The website also could use a revamp, with before and after photos. But if you look around the web you can find testimonials on unrelated sites of life changing results, as well as podcasts which are inspirational. This does seem like a crash diet, but he wants people to change to a new way of eating permanently. It is almost a raw food diet, if you practice it the way he talks about the maintenance phase.

It is really restrictive at first, which is why I had so much trouble with it. But the object is to change your body chemistry, which in turn changes what you crave. My hubby loved pasta, rice, roast potatoes, etc, not to mention diet cola by the bucketload. But as soon as he started this program, he no longer wanted any of that. It wasn't a struggle for him.

And BTW, he can go out and have a steak meal , just a smaller steak and some salad or steamed vegies with an olive oil dressing. He can also have bacon and eggs if he wishes, but not dripping in fat, and with a side salad
During the day at work he keeps a nut mix on hand to keep his blood sugar levels good, like a trail mix.

For a treat at night after dinner we have a couple of squares of 85 percent cocoa chocolate, and sometimes a glass of red wine, both allowed on the plan. You can even drink spirits if you wish.

I hope this clears up a little for you. It is a difficult diet to get into, and wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea obviously. It's ok to fall off the wagon every now and then with it, Dr Gundry explains that it's fine, that, like the cavemen would occasionally find a berry laden bush and pig out, we can do it occasionally too. But have the pig out and return to the vegies and protein and your body will thank you.

xxxbest wishes, msp

[russianrocket]

that's not the paleo diet tho. Caveman wouldn't be eating like that.

[mspositive]

Please don't think I'm trying to "convert" anyone, I just wanted to hear from anyone already on the plan, or who has tried it.

I don't think I articulated very well, just what Dr. Gundry is all about, since hubby and I are using the diet for weight loss. His main aim in developing the plan was for heart health. Losing weight is a nice result as well, but is not the main aim.

He is a pioneer in heart surgery, having invented devices to assist in this, and having performed numerous operations and transplants, in adults, and children, including babies. This guy knows what he's talking about. The diet actually reverses the damage done to our heart and blood vessels, which is a result of poor diet, smoking etc. He developed the diet to not only help himself, but his patients, some of whom no other doctors would touch. He has done extensive research before and after the diet, into the blockages in blood vessels due to plaque. The diet clears the plaque from the blood vessels, negating the need for double, triple, quadruple bybasses.

Nice side effects from the diet as well as improved heart and vascular function, include stabilised blood sugar, normalised blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And of course the weight loss.

He has had patients of "normal" weight, but with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, go on the diet and get better. It is not primarily a weight loss diet, but a healthy way of eating. Yes it is hard, but some people consider a vegan or gluten free diet hard. I guess it depends on what you want. As I near my 50's I have to realise I can't go on eating c**p and expect to be healthy.

Anyone who has tried the diet? Anyone?

xxxmsp

[Indiana]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

that's not the paleo diet tho. Caveman wouldn't be eating like that.

A digression, but I don't know why everyone's so convinced cavemen had the ideal diet for slim bodies. Take a look at a few Paleolithic female icons. Those ladies have rolls on their rolls. Sure, some of them are pregnancy figurines, but they ain't the sort of skinny-pregnant mamas every magazine urges women to be these days.

Venus figurines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ginkgo]

It sounds similar to the nutritarian diet of Joel Fuhrman MD. In the video with Dr Oz introducing him as the expert on helping people lose weight, he says that people get fat since they are starving for nutrients.

YouTube - Joel Fuhrman, MD w/ Mehmet Oz, M.D. - health / weightloss

Also the unhealthy foods are not the carbs! They are the bad carbs. Fruits, like apple and oranges, and vegetables, like spinach and broccoli, are good carbs. Chocolate cake, cookies, ice cream and candy bars are bad carbs.

[Strem2]

Hi Guys,

I'm late to the party, but wanted to chime it. Dr. Gundry isn't recommending a "lose weight" diet, but a "lose cholesterol and artery blockage" diet, and "lose edema" and "lose arthritis" and "lose diabetes" diet.

The reason we must eat somewhat differently from cave men is because their meat was grass fed, and ours is fed on high fructose corn syrup and chocolate, including farmed fish and chickens. So far, we can safely eat greens and colored vegetables. These foods don't block our arteries or cause release of insulin which creates more problems than diabetes.

Fruits, he says, are a problem too. I thought berries (it's strawberry season, hurray!) and melons were fine, but not according to Dr. Gundry. He says they are the creators gifts to put on weight before winter, and indeed, these are popular with bears trying to do just that. So, now that I'm tired of looking like a bear, I have decided to try his diet.

I have to say that after a few days (started on Monday to transition over and it's only Friday) I have lost 2 inches on my waist and have less swelling in my ankles at the end of the day, and no pain. Cave people did not want to be thin, BTW, because they didn't have supermarkets or refrigerators, and had to, like the bear, bulk up during the summer/fall.

This is one of the genetic attributes that makes it tough for women to lose weight and keep it off. Once a woman lowers her calories, her body thinks it's winter and conserves every calorie she eats by slowing her metabolism. Then, after she's lost the weight she wanted to lose, and goes back to eating "normally" she will gain more weight than she originally lost unless she compensates by increasing her metabolism. Cave people automatically did this by increasing their activity in the spring/summer/fall.

So, we all make our own choices. I have been making the easy/deadly choices for too long, so I'm back in the game.

Take care.

[russianrocket]

I eat grass fed meats

[liamona]

Although the diet sounds mostly good, I'm a little skeptical about it from the little that I saw at his website (but I'm intrigued enough to want to read his book).

1) The first phase sounds fine, but I wasn't impressed with some of the breakfast choices for the sample meal plan: high-protein low-carb shake, Dr. G's Koff-Mocha Freeze, and high-protein low-carb bar.

This is the kind of processed crap that derails a low-carb diet, and is one of the mistakes people make on the Atkins diet (thinking it's okay to use the bars and shakes as replacement for real food). There is NO replacement for real food. I would only eat these "foods" as a last resort, when I've had a really bad day and can't shake a craving.

2) In Phase 2, "The Restoration Phase," he wants you to start lowering your calorie intake.

I don't think eating low calories is ever a good idea, especially since one of the wonders of a LC diet is that you can eat unlimited amounts of vegetables, meat and fat and smaller amounts of nuts and other foods and still lose weight. It's one of the ways that help you not feel deprived.

My biggest doubts come with what he says about his final "Longevity" phase:

"In this phase you will eat as our earliest ancestors did. For them, the opportunity to consume meat and other animal protein was not a daily event; they relied on plant protein consuming most of it raw."

And what in the world does he think people were eating when it was the dead of winter in cold climates? They couldn't go to the grocery store and buy some spinach and lettuce! It's amazing how even "scientists" forget that the availability of year-round produce outside warm climates is a recent modern phenomenon.

[mspositive]

I can only say that following this eating plan has changed mine and my husband's lives. Weight loss wise it has been relatively slow going compared to other low carb plans, but we look on it more as a health plan rather than weight loss. After 6 months I have lost 28 lbs and 4 dress sizes. Mostly without strenuous exercise, just walking a couple of times a week and using hand weights and kettle bell swings. I'm well into the healthy BMI range. Hubby has lost almost 60 lbs. Without exercise as he has no time.

We don't follow the diet perfectly to plan, but follow the basic priciples of masses of leafy greens and lean protein. We don't eat any processed foods at all, including shake mixes and protein bars, since we find them overpriced and we get better nutrition from fresh food. I think he recommends these foods more if you are in a rush. I make all our meals from scratch and if we are short of time we grab a tin of tuna and a green salad, or some nuts. I also make lovely low carb "breads" and muffins using almond meal, eggs and vegetables. We are at a stage in the diet now where we have added avocados, tomatoes and berries for more taste, so we are not eating only greens. Meats are always lean, he is not an advocate of leaving fat on meat or using bacon fat etc. He highly recommends fish especially for the omega 3 oils.

Amazingly we are seldom hungry and have so much more energy than previously. Whereas on our old diet I would have a sugar slump mid-afternoon and want a nap, now I don't even think of it. Sleep at night is fantastic. Apart from the weight loss down to a weight I haven't been for 20 years, my skin is improving and skin tags are falling off. Hubby's excema has all but disappeared. I had blood work done recently and everything came back perfect, including blood sugar and cholesterol. My previous terrible reflux and indigestion have ceased. Even better, Hubby's snoring has completely stopped. After 20 years of sleeping next to a freight train, I can barely hear him breathing. The first time it registered that he wasn't snoring, I actually had to hold my hand in front of his face to feel his breath, I was so afraid he had stopped breathing!

I know Dr G comes across a bit heavy on the old caveman thing, but like all things, you take what works and leave what doesn't. This man has saved many lives with his surgeries, inventions, and now throught this diet. I'm not trying to convert anyone because it is up to everyone how they live their lives. I originally posted about this diet, to find out if anyone else had tried it, and to give people the option of investigating it for themselves. All I know is that after years of yo-yo dieting and following this fad and that fad, this is the first time I've lost weight and haven't thought, "I'm slim again so I can start eating like I used to." This is the first time I want to keep eating the same way I did to lose the weight. Because I feel great and I want to live a long time, and not give in to heart disease or diabetes.

best wishes to all,
xxxmspositive

[liamona]

Sounds like you're doing just great!

You may want to add bone broth or sauces made with broth when you eat lean meats, as they can be hard to digest.

[Strem2]

Read the book, or follow the simple description on his website. The diet is not totally new, but the underlying principles make it work!

I started 11 days ago, just sort of "approaching" his diet. Even so, I lost 9 pounds, and my blood pressure dropped. My systolic dropped 30 points, and my diastolic dropped 10 points. My pre-arthritic ankle no longer swells during the day and I haven't felt pain in days. I have more energy than I have had in a long time and when I "overwork" in my gardens on weekends, I don't feel exhausted and I don't stiffen up Sunday night.

You can make fun of it, or do it. It doesn't matter to me. Not selling, just reporting. Here's one fun fact. A calorie of broccoli has more protein than a calorie of beef, and is far more filling. Some explanations of why fruit doesn't work well, except in moderation is here: http://www.mindbridge-loa.com/heart_healthy_diet.html

[russianrocket]

And you'd need 3 lbs of broccoli to equal your daily requirement of protein. So why mention it?

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by mspositive

I can only say that following this eating plan has changed mine and my husband's lives. ... All I know is that after years of yo-yo dieting and following this fad and that fad, this is the first time I've lost weight and haven't thought, "I'm slim again so I can start eating like I used to." This is the first time I want to keep eating the same way I did to lose the weight. Because I feel great and I want to live a long time, and not give in to heart disease or diabetes.

best wishes to all,
xxxmspositive

Great post. This is not a fad diet, but one that corrects the mistakes that humanity has made as it mis-evolved. The beauty is that it corrects the epigenetic changes so quickly! Once your pain, chronic fatigue or snoring or psoriasus goes away, would you really start eating in a way that you know will bring it back? No.

Those who aren't feeling the bite of the "killer genes" can wait. But remember that there is a better, faster, more complete solution than the pharmeceutical industry once it happens to you.

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

And you'd need 3 lbs of broccoli to equal your daily requirement of protein. So why mention it?

LOL, I thought someone would do the math about the broccoli. But, why turn your nose up at 3 lbs of broccoli? A male gorilla eats 16 pounds of leafy greens a day and has 3% body fat....

Meat eaters all snooze much of the day (lions, cats, dogs) because it takes a great deal of energy and lost heat (- or lost energy) to digest meat. It is an inefficient source of energy. Just remember that the next time you are taking out an attractive woman. -- Meat and snooze, or greens and energy???

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

that's not the paleo diet tho. Caveman wouldn't be eating like that.

That's a good point. What did cavemen eat? Cavemen didn't have access to processed flour, or cuisenarts and ovens, so they didn't have a lot of baked goods. They didn't actually have grains (being pre-agrarian) and the beans and legumes were developed later by Native Americans and the Chinese.

50% of their diet was vegetable, and the balance was a mix of protein sources and plant (nuts/seeds) or animal fat.

Winter was not a time for vegetables, as you pointed out, liamona, which is why cavemen ate the available fruits in the summer. They bulked up and were able to survive a long winter with only dried meats or smoked fish. They became insulin resistant, and conserved calories until food was once again available.

Many of us are insulin resistant because we eat our fruits all year 'round, and guess what? We gain a lot of weight we don't need, and keep it on too. This is an old genetic trait that no longer serves us.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by Strem2

LOL, I thought someone would do the math about the broccoli. But, why turn your nose up at 3 lbs of broccoli? A male gorilla eats 16 pounds of leafy greens a day and has 3% body fat....

Meat eaters all snooze much of the day (lions, cats, dogs) because it takes a great deal of energy and lost heat (- or lost energy) to digest meat. It is an inefficient source of energy. Just remember that the next time you are taking out an attractive woman. -- Meat and snooze, or greens and energy???

We aren't these animals. I don't think you understand the difference between those animals and us. They don't sweat. They get very little meat, and need to save the energy because they might not eat for weeks. Cats and dogs rarely I'd ever eat real meat. Lions do, but also live in very hot places.

We also aren't male gorillas. If you'd like, I can also explain to you how nothing about them has any bearing towards us.

Myself, and many others who eat meat, magically don't lack energy after eating meat. So maybe, just maybe, you aren't right? Meat will will help with testosterone, so with you advice about women, I think id have a better chance with meat.

[korndoc]

Originally Posted by mspositive

I can only say that following this eating plan has changed mine and my husband's lives. Weight loss wise it has been relatively slow going compared to other low carb plans, but we look on it more as a health plan rather than weight loss. After 6 months I have lost 28 lbs and 4 dress sizes. Mostly without strenuous exercise, just walking a couple of times a week and using hand weights and kettle bell swings. I'm well into the healthy BMI range. Hubby has lost almost 60 lbs. Without exercise as he has no time.

Hi mspositive,
Fantastic results. Are you following exactly? I have read much of the book and we are put off by eliminating artificial sweeteners such as Splenda (can't imagine coffee without it....and can't imagine life without a couple of cups of coffee in the morning) and his plan toward being a near vegetarian with nearly no meat and sparse protein.
Love your results (and others I have read about on line) but not sure I can handle these stumble blocks. How did you manage them? Any advice?
Thanks,
Jeff

[stanmrak]

This isn't any kind of "revolutionary" diet plan, although it seems to be a healthy one. The thing is, most people eat so poorly that, yeah, they start doing better when they eat mostly unprocessed foods. It's not rocket science. You just have to stick to it... that's the rub. You can't do it for 6 months and then go back to what you were doing before.