My Amazing Macrobiotic Diet Weight Loss
Recently, I have been experiencing a seemingly miraculous macrobiotic diet weight loss. I say seemingly miraculous as I have desired to shed 10 or so pounds for years, with only temporary successes. Since consuming a macrobiotic diet, I have reached my lightest weight in, well, decades!
As Don and I delve more deeply into our recent unexpected gift of several older classic macrobiotic books, the etiology of my condition has become more clear. My history of hypoglycemia + irregular elimination and constipation, allergies, anemia, and other health issues is due to my own 'poor judgement' ~ or, an over consumption of inappropriate foods and fluids ~ including those considered healthy.
The more Don and I focus on the primary staples of a macrobiotic diet ~ whole grains and vegetables ~ the more our judgement improves, and the better we feel. Layers of old accumulations melt away.
In this post, I share how I have accomplished my macrobiotic diet weight loss. (You can also watch my video showing my results, the changes I made, and some recent macrobiotic meals, HERE, and below.)
I briefly touch on the levels of judgement which George Ohsawa outlined, with more to come in a future post.
Macrobiotic Diet Weight Loss & Improving My Judgement
Essentially, according to George Ohsawa, there are seven levels of judgement, from mechanical to supreme. We can only reach the highest level (Level 7) when we consume the right foods. When we do, we naturally maintain our ideal body weight, and restore our natural state of health.
The better we feel, the better our judgement, and the more we automatically and spontaneously desire the most natural, healthy, balancing foods, along with natural clothing and healthy lifestyles.
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| Photo taken Monday, July 24, weighing 99.9 pounds for the second day in a row. My lightest weight since...I don't even know when! |
I, like most of us, have experienced the consequences of poor, lower level judgement. Thankfully, I am now witnessing the subtle, yet profound internal changes as I have not only reached my lightest weight in decades, but I feel more balanced physically, energetically, and mentally / emotionally.
Freedom From Cravings
My cravings ~ for 'protein', coffee, dates with dark chocolate for desserts, baked goods, etc., ~ have nearly disappeared. Even though my 'cravings' were modest, that was not always the case. The more animal foods I consumed (considered more 'yang' in macrobiotics), the more yin foods I craved, like coffee, dark chocolate and sweets. It's the body's innate desire to achieve balance, however, it's a swing from one extreme of the pendulum to the other.
Since cutting out all animal foods, and reducing my total protein, I no longer desire those foods which I believe many consume to break up the stagnation caused by animal-rich, and heavily salted diets.
I look so forward to our meals centered around whole grains and vegetables. I know it sounds weird, but eating whole grains like well cooked brown rice can really push the happy buttons. They are naturally sweet, and sooo satisfying! (You just don't know until you try including whole grains at every meal!)
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| Incredibly delicious brown rice cooked in sweet corn broth, with fresh shucked corn. Such natural sweetness! |
We Wear What We Eat
Without a doubt, most if not all Americans ~ including myself ~ are dealing with some degree of toxic build-up, poor blood flow, unhealthy weight gain, or disease, including physical and mental decline.
Symptoms such as loss of memory or mental sharpness, visual impairment, poor moods, fatigue, pain, stiffness, chronic disease, digestive disorders, mental / emotional imbalances, and all the wrinkling, red and brown spots, growths, swellings or puffiness on our faces, skin, hands and/or feet are signs indicating poor blood flow, weakening organs, and progressive stages of disease.
Thankfully, most if not all symptoms can be reversed ~ depending upon one's current mental and physical condition. When we improve the quality of our food, we improve our whole being ~ including our judgement.
"Everybody is healthy; if not, it is his own crime." ~George Ohsawa, Macrobiotic Guidebook For Living and Other Essays
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| A blend of 100% whole wheat spaghetti + Einkhorn (an 'ancient wheat') spaghetti with LOTS of vegetables ~ A Carrot, Burdock Root & Shiitake Mushroom 'Kinpira', steamed homegrown zucchini + Swiss Chard, salad & a little fermented veggies (not shown.) |
Complex Carbohydrates ~ The Key to Macrobiotic Diet Weight Loss Magic
Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, sweet round vegetables like winter squashes and cabbage, and root vegetables are naturally sweet. These and other plant foods provide fiber which help us feel full while consuming fewer overall calories. They provide a nice steady source of fuel for our brain and our body. Therefore, consuming adequate amounts of these naturally sweet, fiber-rich, low-fat complex carbohydrates aids weight loss, balances blood sugar, improves our energy, and balances our moods and emotional states. They help us feel more grounded and balanced. Cravings disappear, and we feel more satisfied eating less. Macrobiotic diet weight loss can seem effortless.
Emphasizing foods which provide calm, even energy helps us to feel calm, centered, more grounded and at peace. As a bonus, we sleep better, our skin clears, our intuition sharpens, and our judgement improves. It's a win-win!
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| Perfectly cooked black soy beans melt in your mouth, and are great for the kidneys! They also help pull excess protein and fluid out of the body (as can barley, celery and other foods.) Sauté of home-grown Carrots + Carrot Tops, Shiitake Mushroom, Red Onion, Ginger & (Reduced Sodium) San-J Tamari; Brown Rice and a sprinkle of Gomashio (A blend of 16:1 roasted sesame seeds & unrefined sea salt) Also served with a Quick Boiled Napa Cabbage Salad & Sushi Ginger. |
As a petite woman, now age 60, just ten extra pounds is the equivalent of a 10% increase in body weight. While I can hear a few who know me telling me I am already 'tiny!' I must be crazy to think that I'm overweight! However, according to Dr. McDougall's Height & Weight Chart, a 4 feet, 11 inches tall female (that's me) should weigh 92 pounds. Considering my weight often hovered around 109-110 pounds, that means I have been 18 pounds over weight. Even at my average lightest weight of about 105-106 pounds, I can still lose 14 pounds, and be in the ideal body weight range.
Being a health and fitness enthusiast, I have often thought, "If I can't achieve 5-10 or so pounds of weight loss, how do I expect to help others? Who would take me seriously?"
Not only that, but I am acutely aware of deeper issues ~ the direct result of having turned away from a macrobiotic diet and way of life when we did. Weight loss is often part of the healing process, a sign the body is releasing some of the excess accumulations, beyond excess fat stores.
To be clear, our ideal weight has less to do with the number on the scale. Rather, it’s but one measure of our overall health and well-being.
That said, consider the odds...
Statistically Speaking
According to this Mayo Clinic review,
"On average, women gain about 1.5 pounds (o.7kg) per year during midlife (fifth and sixth decades of life), independent of their initial body size or race/ethnicity.
In the United States, nearly two-thirds of women aged 40-59 years and about three-fourths of women 60 years and older are overweight (body mass index [BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], >25 kg/m2). Furthermore, almost half of the women in these age groups are obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2)."
Given the odds favor my weight gain versus weight loss, now that I am 60, how did I finally tip the scales in the right direction?
More importantly, will I sustain it?
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| Oats + Barley Morning Porridge with QB Collard Greens (excellent source of calcium), Daikon & Carrots |
Toxic Fluid Build Up?
As I shared in Macrobiotics, An Unexpected Gift and Answered Prayer, and Our Transition Back, receiving the box of books was like an answered prayer. Reading through these macrobiotic classics by George Oshawa and Michio Kushi, we have been able to do some self-diagnostics.
Macrobiotics teaches that excess fluid consumption strains the kidneys, which can lead to unwanted accumulation of fluids ~ such as puffiness under the eyes like I often have, or foot swelling which Don started to notice while eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. If we urinate more than four times per day, we are drinking too much fluid, which also causes a loss of minerals.
Foot swelling, and puffiness under the eyes are indicative of deeper issues ~ red flag warning signs of weakening kidneys, poor circulation, and cardiovascular disease. So, this is serious stuff that only worsens if ignored.
Excess protein also taxes the kidneys, especially excess animal protein. I've consumed both protein and fluids in excess for years. Turns out, Dr. McDougall, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and others were correct. There's no need to obsess over getting adequate protein. Even when consuming a whole foods, plant-based diet!
Even the medical I Ching query about my current condition, specifically focusing on 'constipation' validated this with hexagram #60, Water over Lake, 'Self-Restraint.' Too much water in a lake leads to over flow; too little causes life to be undernourished. Balance must be achieved to flourish. (From The Book of Changes and Unchanging Truth, Hua-Ching Ni.)
(The pictures below are not great, but they do show some of the puffiness, however, the swelling has often been much more pronounced.)
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| (Not great photos, but you can see some of the puffiness under the eyes. In macrobiotics, we can diagnose one's condition by looking at the face. I'll write more about this in future posts, or check out Your Face Never Lies: What Your Face Reveals About You and Your Health, an introduction to Oriental Diagnosis, by Michio Kushi.) |
A New Low!!!
My desire to look and feel my best for a long time has been a roller coaster ride. My poor judgement led to poor choices, which stalled me from achieving my goals.
Having puffy eyes each morning caused me to sometimes have blurry vision, and feel tired or not well rested. I actually felt embarrassed. Countless videos I recorded for my YouTube channel were trashed because of how aged I felt like I looked!
Considering my average weight has been hovering mostly between 106-108 pounds, I was pretty excited when I finally dropped to 104 pounds. Just a few pounds made a difference in how I felt, and how my clothes fit. So, imagine my surprise when, on July 17, 2023, I looked down to see 100.9 pounds on our digital scale.
While my weight went back up to 101 pounds for a couple days, it dropped back down, and now, as of July 25, my weight dropped to 99.7 pounds. Incredible! Just dipping below 100 pounds, weighing in at 99.9 pounds July 23-24 was stunning.
Several of my older clothes fit better again! I have more pep to my step. My thighs don't rub together when I wear shorts. (And my thighs are my body's favorite place to stash that extra fat!)
It's the lightest I have been in years, aside from a couple times following an illness in which I didn't eat much for couple days. And my eyes are not as puffy every morning, although that is a work in progress, as is restoring healthy, regular elimination.
Weight will fluctuate daily; it's the weekly averages that matter most.
Watch my video about my recent macrobiotic diet weight loss, and macrobiotic meals, below
How I Achieved My Macrobiotic Diet Weight Loss
In The Macrobiotic Way, The Definitive Guide to Macrobiotic Living, Michio Kushi writes,
"Losing weight and then maintaining the desired weight are not difficult on the macrobiotic diet. In general, people who shun foods high in saturated fats (such as red meats, dairy products, and poultry) and simple sugars are trim––and tend to stay that way. Depending on how much you weigh now and the extent to which you adhere to macrobiotic principles, your weight should normalize in a matter of days, weeks, or months."
I attribute my recent macrobiotic diet weight loss to four main factors:
1) Consuming a predominantly low-fat, whole grain and vegetable-based, macrobiotic diet, with far less emphasis on getting ‘enough protein.’
2) I try to finish eating two main meals by 4:00. I don't manage this every day, however, I try to keep whatever I consume after 4:00 as light as I can, either fruit, or a small bowl of low-calorie, puffed grain cereal.
3) For 3 consecutive Sundays, we fasted from about 3:30/4:00 pm Saturday until 3:30/4:00 Sunday. I will likely add a light first meal on Sundays moving forward. However, I do enjoy our Sunday feast meal!
4) I’ve cut way back on fluid intake, trying to drink only when thirsty. I have some type of hot tea or beverage in the morning, however, only a small amount. I then drink when thirsty.
Additionally, I have cut out coffee for the most part. Although I love a good latte, I don't like how I feel after drinking them. The bitterness causes unnecessary thirst, and even decaf can throw off my blood sugar balance. I also consume minimal nuts or nut butters, mostly having seeds each day for essential fatty acids.
I will be sharing more about macrobiotics, and my meals to come. Stay tuned!
You can also download a FREE PDF of one of my previously published Macrobiotic Books with lots of information, meal ideas and recipes. Just click either link, fill in your name and email, and if prompted, enter $0 ~ or any other amount if you would like to make a donation. You'll then receive your free copy of How To Feel Great & Improve Your Health with a Macrobiotic Diet.
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READ MORE:
Macrobiotics (links to all macrobiotic diet related articles)
Other Books of Interest
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