I've been doing green smoothies for breakfast for about a year. By itself, it is not sufficient to do anything for my weight. However, it has improved my energy levels and I've noticed other changes like, not needing a zinc supplement anymore, which I needed all my life. I also was able to cut back on my thyroid supplement. I find it very filling and refreshing.

My smoothie: 1 Tbls chia seeds in some water and soak* for about 10 minutes. Then I add one rounded scoop of whey protein powder, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/2 banana, about 1 cup of other frozen fruit...typically pineapple, mango, mixed berries and cherries....and 1 good handful of kale. I add ice to keep it thick and cold. Whirr until smooth.

----------------------

*chia sees absorb about 10 x their weight in water so can be constipating unless soaked first

Thank you, Annie.
What whey powder and chia do you use?
I just glanced at Amazon.com and there are so many - including flavored whey powder. I assume you would use a non-flavored as you are mixing with other things. Do you get your ingredients online - or perhaps at a health-foods store?
The people I was speaking with also confirmed the increased energy --- and better sleep, one thing I could use right now as I have not been sleeping well. My doctor even reluctantly gave me a script for Ambien, which I am hesitant to fill as I have heard of too many side affects.
I had plain yogurt for breakfast today - came back from the gym and have been nibbling. That was definitely not enough!

I talked to my DH about this diet a while back. He's a family practice doc who was a pharmacist before he went to medical school. So, he's very much up on so many levels when it comes to eating healthfully and really able to discern what we eat, what is in foods/recipes that works and what is actually bunk. Bunk is info fed to the public that has a feel-good spin to it but in reality, doesn't work or perform the way the way you're expecting it to.

With green diets, you're (1) missing out on the ruffage that your body needs. Green veggies are great for you, in a smoothie or eating fresh in a salad, etc. . . . but (2) you can add a lot of calories you don't need with juices that have a high calorie count. Or added sugar.

The bottom line, though, is that although you may initially lose some weight on these diets, most people gain it right back again after they go off of the diet. Because, despite your best intentions to keep the weight off, people eventually go back to their old eating habits . . . which is what put the weight on to begin with! Think about it, none of us is going to stay on a weird diet like that for the rest of our lives!

Instead, what works better is for us to just change our eating habits for good. To lose weight fastest, cut out all breads, rice, potatoes and other empty carbs (cookies, chips, cake, etc). And all high sugary things like many fruit juices, candy, etc. The easiest substitutions for most people are beans, quinoa, fresh veggies and fresh fruits. Stay away from sauces with a lot of butter, oils or margarine in them. Keeping away from empty carbs after you lose the weight is the best way to stay healthy, keep the blood sugar and cholesterol levels down, the energy levels up and the weight off.

Anyhoo, this what he counsels all of his patients to do, including me. His mantra is "Everything is ok, but in moderation". A cookie or piece of cake is fine, but maybe once a week or two, but not every day. It's been working great for me and my last physical (in November) came back as fantastic.

I sure don't mean for this to come off as preaching. It's just that I hate to hear of anyone going on these drastic diets, giving up so much, only to end up putting the weight back on right afterwards.

Lynn

I've come back several times to edit this. Sorry. I'm typing on my iPad and it's changing what I've typed. I need to get onto my desktop computer! Sorry for any typos (lol) I've still missed!

Thanks a lot, Lynn.
I probably should have titled my post "Green Smoothies".
They were talking about this diet - and they each did lose weight --- but there is no way I could survive on three smoothies a day. Plus, I did some reading and it is possible to get more daily calories in smoothies than in normal eating.
I feel I am pretty healthy - just looking toward more "clean" eating. As I said in the post above, the yogurt didn't carry me too far today!! I am not into fad diets, as I know they ultimately don't work.
My son is a surgeon and of course, like your husband sees so many unfit people in his practice. His motto is - eat less, exercise more --- which is pretty simplistic, but quite true. Of course, he means, eat less junk. That is the main reason for the obesity epidemic in this country - processed junk food. He eats everything, but again in moderation. He is also a runner and a biker - and thin as a rail.
I am thinking a smoothie for breakfast might be a good thing.
PS -- I saw pancake recipe - one I use is 2 egg whites, about 1/3 cup of oatmeal, some cinnamon, maybe some mashed banana or blueberries. Spray a non-stick pan and cook like a pancake. Quite delicious and filling.

We had pancakes similar to that while staying at a golf resort up in Oregon last August. They were absolutely delicious, and so good for you besides! I've been perfecting my version of that recipe ever since. I need to make those again soon.

I didn't know your son was a physician. They sure keep us on the straight and narrow, don't they? Or at least they try to (LOL)!

Yes, he is - but he is so highly specialized that he doesn't do us much good most of the time!!! But, it is a blessing to have medical resources close by.
If you perfect your version of the oatmeal pancake recipe, please pass it along. Right now, all I know is egg whites, oatmeal, cinnamon and perhaps some fruit. The recipe calls for a bit of sugar, but I never put that in.

I try to get the whey protein powder that has as little added as possible....usually unsweetened vanilla. I used to get whole foods 365, but they have now changed the formula and added stevia to it...not that that's so bad, but I'd prefer less sweet taste...it's plenty sweet from all the fruit. So I have since bought some other stuff from another health food store that has very little added. You need to be really careful of the stuff they sell at like GNC stores which are designed for "body builder" types as they often have a lot of junk added.

Chia seeds, I just buy what they have. Again whole foods though others get them at the bulk food stores like costco.

I think of green smoothies as a great convenience food where you can pack a lot of nutrition into a glass more naturally than say a Slim-Fast shake. Of course it is entirely possible to put a lot of calories in it. The best way to avoid that is to pay attention to what you are putting in. Personally, we stick with a shot or 2 pomegranate juice (which is spread out over 4-6 people) and if needs additional liquid to blend, we just add water. A couple of tablespoons of seeds are good additions, like chia, hemp, or flax. We skip flax because it is too stimulating. With kale as the green, I like citrus-y flavors such as pineapple, oranges, etc. With spinach, I use a wide range of flavors (really like it with berries and some good cocoa powder). I skip bananas for me from a calorie perspective (and because I am not fond of the way they smell) but generally put them in the smoothies for the kids.

The only way I would consider 3 smoothies a day is if I was a doing a temporary detox for a limited time, like 2-3 days, perhaps after having eaten rather poorly, etc. Otherwise, I just view smoothies as a quick meal once a day and try to eat sensibly the other times. Smoothies are a perfect breakfast for someone like me who is not all that fond of eating in the morning, the only problem is I find the sound of the blender abrasive in the morning.

I make us breakfast smoothies at least 3 times a week. Most of the time, I use orange juice (with no extra sugar or other things added to it), frozen strawberries, a banana, plain or vanilla Greek yogurt and some ground flaxseed meal. Or I'll substitute the green juice that I buy at Trader Joes in place of the orange juice. This morning, I instead used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, plain Greek yogurt, green juice and the flaxseed meal. The color was not all that appetizing and I wasn't crazy about all those seeds, but it was tasty enough. I like to add everything except the flaxseed meal to my blender the night before and store the jar in my fridge overnight. This way, I can get breakfast done a lot quicker on weekday mornings when DH likes to leave between 6:30 and & 7:00AM.

I'm having a hard time finding ANY whey protein that isn't sweetened to a nauseating extreme. I prefer something completely unsweetened and unflavored that I can adjust to my own taste. If anyone knows of one, please share. Annie, what is the name of the one you are currently using and it it sweetened at all? Some of the ones I've tried that use Stevia are the worst in terms of being too, too sweet and artifical tasting. For now, I've been forgoing the protein in my green smoothies because it is just too overpowering for the fruits and veggies.

Wouldn't just using a good quality Greek yogurt give you the protein you need to get through the morning? It seems to work like that for us. I never use whey in mine and they seem to carry DH and I really well until lunch.

Re: Whey Protein Powder - I strive to buy WPP that has most of it's calories coming from protein and not carbs or sugar. My favorite is SDC Nutrition About Time Whey Protein Isolate. It's sweetened with stevia but not very much because I can barely taste any sweetness. It's macro nutrient breakdown is pretty perfect: 100cal, 0g fat, <1g carb, 25g protein.

I usually have a smoothie for breakfast: 1 SDC Nutrition "About Time" Protein Isolate Powder, cup Kefir, 1/2 banana, handful spinach (or whatever I have in my garden), scoop of WPP, 2 tsp. of spirulina, and ice.

Most mornings I have my green smoothie with spinach, kale and fruit. I add a spoon of Barleans flax, chia seed mixture, a squirt of honey, about a third can of coconut water and then ice water and blend. It gets me thru the morning just fine, but sometimes I do have a half English muffin or a small piece of toast if I know lunch might be late.

I'm still working on the rest of the 365 brand without sweeteners, so I haven't tried this one yet so I can't say how it tastes. It's Sports Now Whey Protein Concentrate...Natural, unflavored, no artificial ingredients. I see though it is not made with isolates so it might be an issue if you're lactose intolerant. One scoop is 24 g protein, 3g carb and 2 g fat. Whey protein made with isolates is supposed to be not an issue for those who are lactose intolerant.

That Now Sports brand sounds perfect, annie. I see that they do offer an unflavored isolates formula, too. I will give it a try. Thanks much!

I have a smoothie every morning, which miraculously lasts me through 3 hours of lively physical activity until lunchtime. I get protein from almonds and from plain, whole milk yogurt.

I use energy and recovery drinks that contain whey proteins but sometimes they'll make me feel bloated. I've heard mixed reviews from folks, so don't buy the mega-sized jug of it without trying some samples first.

Smoothies have solved my long-standing problem of how to get enough calories to last me though a long morning of outdoor work, even though I have zero appetite at breakfast time. Hallelujah!

"Wouldn't just using a good quality Greek yogurt give you the protein you need to get through the morning?"

I like to supplement my protein intake because I am very active and am always trying to build more muscle. I don't eat any meat and only have fish occasionally. Protein shakes are an easy way to make sure I'm getting protein. I keep track of my nutrient intake and without a protein supplement, I would fall short most days.

Back on track to the smoothie diet, I bought that book a few weeks ago (10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse). The diet is not just smoothies as other things are allowed, too ... hard boiled eggs, crunch vegetables, apples, a handful of nuts or seeds, peanut butter, etc. I saw it more as a way of cleansing your system to get back on a good nutritional track than as a way to lose weight, though most of the testimonials included weight loss.

Hmmm, thanks for that info, JT. I had never even thought to add whey to our morning smoothies, but your reasoning for using it is really interesting and your points sound perfectly valid to me. Thanks!

I don't add protein powder to a smoothie either, but we get enough protein in our diet so that is not an issue here. I also use a bit of yogurt or almond milk. Like Lynn, I use flaxseed. I prefer that over chia seeds.

I'm a heavy weight lifter and would struggle with getting enough protein in my diet without protein powder. My daily goal is 35% of calories from protein. It's especially hard when also trying to lose body fat.

Thanks to all of you for your advice - and recipes. I appreciate your insight and advice.
I think a green smoothie for breakfast would go a long way helping me stave off the hunger pangs until lunch!!
I think the combination of ingredients is healthy eating.
I also need to keep better track of what I am eating by keeping a daily journal. I think a lot of things go in my mouth that I am almost unaware of.
I don't have a huge amount of weight to lose, but those few pounds will surely make a big difference.

no_green_thumb, the My Fitness Pal app makes it very easy to keep track of your food and nutrition intake.

Thank you, Jellytoast. I was using My Fitness Pal - then fell off the wagon during the holidays. Thanks for the reminder!!

Actually, when I was doing Schwarzbein, I lost quite a bit of weight fairly easily by eating 5 x per day, so I didn't suffer through the a.m. or pm. hungries. Her thing is fairly simple. Every meal and snack should be balanced with fats, protein and carbs. Every meal and snack should contain vegetables. You eat the protein you need, the fats you want, and only as much carbs as you need to maintain the weight you want.