Moooove Over Fake Cheese, The Real Deal is Back!

When I read the Virgin Diet for the first time, I knew one of the 7 HI foods was going to be very hard for me to do without.  No, it wasn't Gluten that I feared living without. No, it wasn't eggs or sugar either.  The one thing that had scared me the most was Dairy.  Now, I couldn't care less about drinking milk and even though I ate yogurt everyday, I could easily do without it, as well.  I really only ate it because I thought it was a healthy choice.  Giving up butter was a little intimidating but I have sense found a delicious substitute from Earth Balance. 

The one dairy item that I didn't think I could give up was cheese.  I know if it made me sick, I would have/need to give it up but man-o-man that would be a toughie.  You see, cheese and I go way back!  When I was little my parents jokingly referred to me as a little mouse because of the amounts of cheese I ate.  I remember the highlight of our vacations in Tennessee were taking a trip to Uncle Roy and Aunt Jean Ownby's Cheese Shop in Gatlingburg.  You would think it was a candy shop by my excitement.  Aunt Jean would always let my sister and me pick out what ever flavors we wanted and she would cut off  chunks and hand them to us to eat.  Oh, and of course, she would wrap up more for us to take home with us.  The worst part of the visit was trying to decide which cheeses to pick.

Lucky for me, I am having success as I am reintroducing dairy (cheese) this week.  I started on Tuesday with a GF cheese pizza and Wednesday I had a grilled turkey and brie sandwich.  So far I have not had any stomach aches, headaches, sinus problems, or joint pains.  I am so relieved that cheese isn't affecting me, YAY! 

As I wrap up the end of the Reintroduction Phase of The Virgin Diet, I feel a lot more in control of my body and the various forms of discomfort I felt before.  I have learned which things to avoid at all costs (SOY); which things I need to try to avoid as much as possible (Gluten, Sugar, Corn, Peanuts); and which things I need to keep testing (Eggs, and other forms of Dairy).  I also need to concentrate on following the Virgin Plate rules, focus on eating well balanced meals, and incorporating exercise into my life.  Just because I am at the end of Phase II, this doesn't mean I am done.  It's actually quite the contrary; I am just beginning.

I still need/want to lose about 40 pounds and my weight loss has slowed down a lot while I have been reintroducing foods.  I was told to expect this, so I am not getting discouraged.  I am ready to start living the program and using the tools and knowledge I have gained through this 7 week process.

Stay tuned........