For his Minimalist column in the New York Times Dining & Wine section, Mark Bittman cooks and eats everything from rib eye steak to cheesy potato gratin. But when his doctor told him he had high cholesterol, borderline high blood sugar and was 35 pounds overweight, he realized he needed to make some changes to his diet. The doctor suggested trying veganism, but Bittman, a confirmed omnivore, said no way. Instead, he decided to cut out meat and dairy only before 6 p.m., then eat absolutely whatever he wanted for dinner.
Lo and behold, the "vegan 'til dinnertime" plan worked. "Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal ... and my sleep apnea indeed went away," said Bittman, quoted in a New York Times health column. He says though he realizes the diet wouldn't work for everyone, he wants people to see that even simple eating changes can have a big impact on health.
Interesting. I have a feeling that if I let myself eat absolutely anything I wanted after 6 p.m., I would gain weight in rather short order regardless of what I ate during the day (what I want to eat after 6 p.m. is often of the cookie dough and caramels variety).
Have you tried partial vegan diets or restricting foods before or after a certain hour? Did it work?
3-02-2009 @10:40AM scottfeldstein said... Actually, two of my most successful diet periods were characterized by restricting my food intake up to dinner time and then eating more or less normally at that time. It wasn't so much about avoiding certain things, though. I mainly focused on eating a small number of low fat, high fiber calories during the day. I estimate that sometimes I hit the dinner table with only 600 calories under my belt. I'd eat a sensible dinner--whatever I'd prepared for my family--and be quite satisfied. Using this method I once dropped 30 pounds and the second time about 15. Also of note: I quite relaxed the restrictiveness on weekends.
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3-02-2009 @12:00PM Sally said... I've been eating like this for nearly 10 years. There are days when it doesn't work as well as others and I don't worry about it unless I get a long string of them.
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3-02-2009 @1:01PM Melissa A. said... It's an interesting idea. I've thought about going vegan so many days out of the week, more as a way to encourage me to eat more veggies and whole grains.
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3-02-2009 @1:40PM LinC said... There is no science behind this plan for eating. Our bodies take from 24-48 hours to digest a meal, so what counts is the number of calories you consume. His blood sugar leveled off and his weight dropped because he was making better food choices all day (like eating more complex carbohydrates) and cut his total calories. He obviously decreased the saturated fat in his diet. Vegan or non-vegan doesn't matter. He's just come up with a clever way to fool himself into eating sensibly.
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3-02-2009 @3:22PM Megan said... Whatever floats your boat and makes you healthier. Hopefully this doesn't lead to people telling me "Excuse me, I only eat vegan (well, until 6!), thank you very much" when I host parties.
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3-02-2009 @8:18PM RI Swampyankee said... I don't think Bittman's weight loss is due to the vegan-before-dinner plan as much as the fact that he has reduced his caloric intake. If he increased his physical activity, and I think he has, he *will* continue lose weight.
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3-03-2009 @2:00PM Haven said... I actually do something along the same line. I am a happy omnivore who lives with 2 vegetarians. It makes life easier for all of us for me to eat veggie at home and get my meat during lunch at work or when we eat take out. My food bill has dropped quite a bit & so has my weight. This arrangement has me look at me food choices & become more creative in menu planning.
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3-16-2009 @9:49AM Eddie said... This diet idea sounds good but the one that worked for me was the cookie diet http://www.thecookiediet.com, which is a well known appetite controlling regiment. You eat nothing but cookies throughout the day and then a sensible dinner in the evening. Worked for me so it should work for you.
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5-31-2009 @8:25AM Todd said... Diets and diet aids do not help anyone. The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you deserve is by using the right information. This information is in the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps which can be ordered through the website www.bbotw.com Everyone who has gotten a copy of this book has lost weight.
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