I'll Try Anything Once, (or maybe twice)

Day 5

A day for trying new stuff I suppose.  I am not one of those people who will say, "I don't like that!" when actually I have never tried it.  So, when we were at Whole Foods and I saw the soy free/dairy free/vegan cheddar "teese" I thought, "what the heck!" I managed to incorporate it into my lunch today and I must say, it tastes like crap cold but heated it is edible.  I just melted it on a rice tortilla and topped it with sundried tomatoes, lettuce and a little vinaigrette.  If I stretched mind and my taste buds, I could almost see how it resembled pizza.

After lunch I played with the new toy I found at Whole Foods.

I was so excited when I saw this.  I could just imagine having all the sweet potato, zucchini, squash, and carrot chips my heart desired.  They would be so healthy and it would be an effortless way for me to get more veggies into my diet.  Humph!  I made numerous batches of sweet potato chips and they either burned or were still mushy.  I kept adjusting the microwave time but no luck!  Now, I am either stuck with a $20 chip maker that doesn't work or I can wash it really, really, really good and return it to Whole Foods.  I won't say which choice I end up making, that way you can't be called to testify.  You're welcome!

Ooo, Heaven Is a Place on Earth....

....and I found that place today.  Actually, it was two places.

First, there was this oasis in the land of crap laden fast food:

This is the only fast food restaurant where I feel safe eating.  I get the brown rice bowl with chicken, salsa, lettuce, and guacamole.  Delish!


Next, we went to fabulous place:

I could have sworn I heard the Angels sing when I walked in.  Again, as crazy as it may sound, I felt safe there.  Yes, I still had to read labels but there were so many options for me.  AND, I got a little treasure there that I will tell you about in another post.

Until then......


P.S.  Weight loss total at the beginning of Day 4 = -4 lbs

Food Court and Healthy Are NOT Synonymous!

Day 3

Found this new friend.  A nifty little snack that isn't a nut.  YAY! And btw, they are really good!

Oh, and I learned some valuable lessons while trying to eat at the food court.
#1 Don't trust the cute little lady peddling bourbon chicken at the China Wok when she says, "Vegetables? Oh, yes, they steamed."  They might have started off as steamed vegetables but the thick sauce they pour on them kinda ruined it for me. 
#2 Ask lots of questions and don't be shy about telling them what you want.  My second attempt at lunch was much better.  I went to the Japanese grill and they had uncontaminated steamed vegetables.
#3 Going to the food court is probably not the best idea when it is your 3rd day on a new diet.  Just sayin'.

My Official 1st Day

I tried to start the diet on June 24th; however, after eating two meals that day I realized I didn't have the correct food and I said screw it and splurged for dinner.  I guess that meal was kinda like my last supper.

So, my official first day was June 25.  My food journal looked something like this:

Breakfast:
Vanilla Protein Shake with Chia Seeds (made with SO Delicious Coconut Milk)

Lunch:
Berry Protein Shake with Chia Seeds (made with SO Delicious Coconut Milk)

Snack:
None

Dinner:
Rice Noodles with Meat Sauce
Baked Zucchini
Salad w/Olive Oil an Balsamic Vinegar (Oops, the vinegar was sweetened READ THOSE LABELS)

Didn't my dinner look yummy?

For the meat sauce, I used organic ground beef (I should be using grass-fed beef) and Monte Bene Organic Gluten Free Sugar Free Garlic Marinara Sauce and added a touch more Italian seasoning.

All that stressing and it was easy and delicious!!!!!



P.S.  This passed the 14 year old picky eater test.

My Driving Force

I'm sure you are probably thinking this "diet" is too strict.  Or maybe you think there isn't enough variety.  Well, if so, you aren't thinking anything I didn't think myself.  I guess, if I was just looking at this as a plan for losing weight, I would still have those thoughts in my head or would have quit by now.  But I am not looking at it as a "diet".  It is an eating plan for life.  Now, I know I will treat myself and splurge every now and then.  I am human and I am not perfect.  However, I can't allow the splurges to become an everyday or every meal thing.

I wanted to share with you some of the symptoms that accompany an intolerance to certain types of foods.

Gluten - joint pain, brain fog, gastro distress, headaches, infertility, osteoporosis, anxiety or depression (well, let's see, I had 5/7 symptoms)

Soy - disrupts hormones, bad for thyroid, poor memory and dementia, blocks vitamin absorption, bad for bone health, causes pancreatic disorder.  Not to mention it is genetically modified and overly processed - ICK! (I have Can'tRememberStuff so I think I should watch out for this one  O.o )

Dairy - Acne and skin conditions, gas/bloating, causes fat (think of what mammals feed their babies to make them grow), auto-immune disease, inflammation, runny nose/watery eyes, mucus problems, sinusitis/wheezing/congestion, cramps/diarrhea  (I'm 8/9 on this one)

Eggs - inflammation, gas, bloating, heartburn, eczema, psoriasis (My score 4/6)

Corn - rash, hives, migraines, joint pain, inflammation, moodiness, depression, insomnia, eczema, fatigue, night sweats, dark circles under eyes, UTIs, sinus problems.  Oh and dare I mention corn is genetically modified and carries numerous types of fungus - DOUBLE ICK!  (9/14 on this one)

Peanuts - gut problems (BINGO!  I'm at 100% on this one).  Seriously though, if I can eat tree nuts which are healthier and don't cause me to have stomach issues, then why wouldn't I? 

Sweeteners - mood swings, food cravings, blood sugar crash, sugar addiction (Heck, I win the jackpot on this one, too!  I scored another 100%)

Wow, that just sickens me when I read over it.  So, now you see why I not only want to do this, I need to do this!

Now, go enjoy your dinner!  :)

The Skinny on the Virgin Diet

Okay, here it is.  This is what you have been anxiously awaiting.  I know the anticipation has been killing you.  So, you want to know the "rules" for The Virgin Diet?  Well, here they are in an extremely abbreviated version:

Phase 1 (3 weeks):
Remove all of the high food intolerant (FI) foods from your diet.  This will be your detox period and you should feel a lot better by the end of this phase.  Personally, my stomach issues (I won't go into the nasty details) were gone by the 3rd day.  The daily headaches and muscle/joint pain were gone by the 5th day.  Finally, the Achilles Tendonitis that has bothered me since September had eased up by day 9.  It still rears its ugly head occasionally but I have been able to wear flat sandals a few times.  I haven't tried closed back shoes, yet, but I am hoping to do that this week. 

 

Top 7 (FI) Foods



Gluten

Soy

Dairy

Eggs

Corn

Peanuts

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

 



It is very important that you keep a daily diary and track what you eat and any pain you have.  You will use it for comparison purposes during the next phase.  Also, do not cheat!  You need to get these items out of your system so you will know your tolerance for them when you reintroduce them in Phase 2.

Phase 2 (4 weeks):
You begin reintroducing four of the FI food groups.  You will test 1 food group per week for each of the 4 weeks.  The four groups you will introduce are:

Reintroduce:

Gluten

Soy

Dairy

Eggs

 

I know you are probably asking, "What about the corn, peanuts, and sweeteners?"  Well, boys and girls, here is the bad news.  Those things are terrible for you and you don't need to consume them on a regular basis whether you are intolerant or not.  So, those are only eaten in Phase 3 and only in extreme moderation (avoid 95% of the time).

 

Phase 3 (Lifetime):

If you did not have a negative reaction to some of the FI food groups during Phase 2, you can eat them in moderation (every 2-3 days) with the exception of Gluten.  It gets put into that extreme moderation category with the corn, peanuts, and sweeteners.  If you had a negative reaction to any of the FI food groups, you know you need to avoid those items or you will suffer the consequences (aches, pains, acne, diarrhea, rosacea, weight loss stall, etc.)  I like the fact that I will know what wreaks havoc on my body and I will be able to make an informed decision when deciding if I want to splurge.

 

When I first read all of this I sat and cried.  I honestly didn't think I could do it.  When telling Barry my plan, I sobbed, "This is going to be so hard!"  He just looked and me and said, "I don't understand what is so hard about it.  You eat some good protein, vegetables, and healthy starches.  It sounds pretty easy to me."  I have to say, he was right.  It has simplified eating and meal preparation.

 

Now, I don't want you to think I am eating air and water, so here is what I can eat during Phase 1.  I am on day 18 and it has been a lot easier than I feared.  Everyday for breakfast I have a rice protein shake made with fruit(s), flax meal, and coconut milk.  After that I choose between healthy proteins, healthy carbs, non-starchy vegetables, fruit, and healthy oils.

 

I have tried many new food items since beginning this journey.  I have become very good friends with the people at our local health food store and I don't hesitate to ask lots of questions.  And yes, I have turned into one of those annoying people that reads the label on everything I put in my cart.  It is amazing what is put into the food we eat.  I never imagined.....

 

I know you probably still have questions, just like I did.  I will try to answer the questions and give more information in future posts.  However, I am not the expert and goal is not to paraphrase the entire plan.  If you are identifying with anything I have written, I would strongly encourage everyone to check out the book, The Virgin Diet.  I can't stress enough the difference this has made for me.







Hello, again......

As promised I have returned to this blog to chronicle my weight loss journey. As I read through my old posts, I couldn't help but realize how much things have changed over the past 5 years. The first thing that was blatantly obvious is my Mom is no longer with us. As I read the post where I was trying to plan my day's meals while considering lunch and shopping with Mom and Sis, I became very sad. Wow, how different things are now! Those girls' shopping days and lunches are a thing of the past.

I know you are probably here to learn about the weight loss plan I have been following. I'm sure you are wondering why I am reminiscing about my mother's death and what that has to do with any of this. Well, you see, my Mom was a very sick person. She had suffered with Pustular Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Crohn's Disease. Yes, that is 3 different auto immune diseases! Due to the medications she took she developed Osteoporosis which caused her vertebrates to crush from doing minor lifting, pulling, etc. Mom died April 12, 2012 while having an outpatient procedure called Kyphoplasty. During Kyphoplasty, a cement solution is injected into the crushed vertebrae. Once the cement solidifies the pain disappears. Mom had several of these procedures done with great success. So much success that I feel she didn't heed the Doctor's warning about being careful and slowing down. Unfortunately, on that April day there was a horrible accident when the Marcaine (a local anaesthetic) was injected into the site. It entered her blood stream and immediately shut her heart down.

Again, you are asking, "What does all of this have to do with the diet?" Well, you see, I have had many of the same aches, pains, and stomach issues that my Mom suffered from. The main difference being, Mom's problems began when she around 60 years old. Most of my symptoms started when I was in my 30s. Now, I have not been diagnosed with any auto immune disease and I am going to do everything in my power to keep it that way. I am regularly being tested for Crohn's but thank God the tests have come back negative. I was told that doesn't mean I do or don't have it, just that the test came back negative. Therefore, I am 45 years old and I have had two colonoscopies in the past year and a half. I also have suffered from arthritis since I was 25. It was brought on by a fall that resulted in Septic Arthritis settling in my left hip. After 10 days in the hospital and hip surgery, I went home with a body feeling like that of a 70 yr old.

I had basically accepted the state of my body and was prepared to continue taking medications for the rest of my life. I did, however, want to lose weight. I have not been physically, or mentally comfortable in my skin for a long time. A lot longer than the 5 years since I first started this blog. I wasn't sure what I was going to do to lose the weight. I was a paying member at Weight Watcher's and had been for 3 years, yet I had not weighed in for over 2 years. Barry would occasionally ask me if I was ever going to go to Weight Watcher's or use the online program. His reason for asking was the $40/month we were paying for the membership. I couldn't verbalize to him what I was really thinking and feeling. I didn't want to go back to Weight Watcher's because it didn't work for me. I knew how to cheat the system and eat very unhealthy without exceeding my daily points allowance. But you see, if I cancelled my membership I was pretty much waving the white flag and giving up. I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I didn't want to be a quitter again, even though, in actuality, I had quit a long time ago.

Then, one Saturday in early June I was channel surfing and for some reason a show on PBS caught my attention. (This had to be divine intervention because PBS is in the lower channels and I never scroll down that far on the programming guide). On PBS that morning, JJ Virgin was talking about her diet The Virgin Diet. She was talking about the 7 foods that are highest on the food intolerance list. She discussed the symptoms people have when they consume foods that they have an intolerance to. Well, guess what most of the symptoms were things I suffered from. Here is my initial checklist:

 

After watching her show, I decided to buy the book. I was very excited because I thought, "Wow, I can lose some weight and as a bonus I might feel better, too." Once I started reading the book I realized this wasn't just a diet. This was a complete lifestyle change and a lifetime eating plan. It took me several days to digest everything I was reading. The more I read, the more I identified with and understood what she was saying. It didn't take long before my thought changed to, "Wow, I am feeling better and as a bonus, I am losing weight, too!"

I will give more details about the diet in my next post. In the meantime here is a link to her site:

http://jjvirgin.com/