Animals in the wild, eating their natural diet, don’t get fat. Only humans and our pets seem to have this problem of obesity. If you eat a proper human diet, you will not get fat and you will not go hungry. Humans evolved eating a diet of starchy root vegetables. If you eat a diet consisting primarily of potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, fruit and other cruciferous vegetables, you can eat as much as you want without getting fat.
A plain medium sized potato only contains 110 calories. The average woman has a BMR of 1500 calories a day, which equates to a maintenance diet of nearly 5 lbs of potatoes a day. Most women are not going to be able to eat 5 lbs of potatoes a day, which means a diet of nothing but potatoes will most likely cause you to loose weight. Of course, there’s no need to eat only potatoes, just a whole food plant based diet.
Exact calculation: A sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams. 5 lbs = 2268 grams. 86 x 22.68 = 1950.48 calories per 5 lbs, or 390 calories per lbs. So to meet the average female BMR, a woman could eat 3.8 lbs of sweet potatoes a day. Eating your BMR will cause you to lose weight if you do any kind of activity during the day. Cruciferous vegetables are even less calorically dense. It would take nearly 8 lbs of broccoli to meet the average BMR.
Sweet potatoes are a complete protein and vitamin source; however, people eating plant based diet long term should also take a B12 supplement due to our modern water treatment. A 2000 mg tablet once a week is plenty. It is perfectly safe to eat nothing but sweet potatoes for as long as it takes you to hit your weight loss goals. People have survived on potatoes alone for years without complications.
People should not “accept” the fact they are fat. Obesity is nature’s way of telling you you’re not eating an appropriate diet. Obesity has been linked as a risk factor for dozens of diseases. There is a biological reason most people find fat to be unattractive.
Here’s an example of a nutritionally complete daily diet. I challenge anyone to get fat eating this way. Pay attention to the quantity of food involved. This is nearly 6 lbs of food, yet still below 2000 calories.
While whole grains, like oats, rice, wheat, barley, etc.., as well as legumes, are great sources of protein and B vitamins, they are also more calorically dense than tubers and cruciferous vegetables. If you are struggling with a weight problem, I recommend reducing the amount of grains you are consuming. Obviously all processed food, refined oils and animal products should be avoided no matter what.
Dense fruits should be avoided in favor of berries. Pound for pound, strawberries have half the calories of bananas. I recommend avoiding smoothies in favor of whole fruits, as blending increases absorption and reduces the effectiveness of the fiber in promoting a feeling of fullness.
A handful of walnuts is the maximum daily nut consumption you should be aiming for. Nuts are extremely calorically dense. I recommend walnuts over other nuts because they are extremely high in omega 3 fatty acids. A handful of walnuts daily will ensure you get an adequate amount of omega 3s regardless of your other food choices.
Tofu is a great way to ensure adequate calcium intake, but many people don’t enjoy it (probably because they’ve never had it prepared correctly). Alternatives to tofu include any dark green leafy vegetable, particularly kale. Kale is loaded with more calcium than whole milk. Fortified soy/nut milks are also a great way to meet calcium needs; however, avoid coconut milk.
