Diet and Progress

I stopped posting my menus b/c I don't think anyone is all that interested.  You get an idea of the things one eats on a no-grain, no-sugar diet, right?  Basically, I'll eat the same thing this week with minor variations.  (Like I'll have lamb instead of steak and this week's soup is lentil instead of chicken.)  I posted 5 days worth of meals if anyone wants to try this diet.

When I weighed myself at the gym on Saturday and my weight was 176.  (Down from 178.)  Okay, so 2 pounds isn't much but I'll take it!  Plus, I did cave in and eat some rice cakes.  This coming week, I'll be more careful about grains and I'm sure the weight will come off more quickly. 

No-grain, no-sugar diet - Day 5

What I ate -

Breakfast:
shake (with rice protein, ground flax seeds, almond butter, cocoa nibs, and soymilk)

Mid-morning snack:
sunflower seeds
green tea

Lunch:
Greek chicken (take-out)
cauliflower
mustard greens
sauteed eggplant

Afternoon Snack:
none

Supper:
omlet (with kalamata olives, tomatoes, green peppers, nitrate-free pepperoni)
salad (with 1 slice roast beef, spinch, arugula, olive oil, and lime juice)

How I felt -
Much better than yesterday.  Kinda blah though. 

No-grain, no-sugar diet - Day 4

What I ate -

Breakfast (4 pts):
1 egg, fried in olive oil
Baked butternut squash w/cinnamon (I just can't seem to get enough of this breakfast!)

Mid-morning snack (2 pts):
4 parsley lemon-pepper shrimp

Lunch (5 pts):
Homemade chicken soup

Afternoon snack:
none

Supper (8 pts):
2 rice cakes
almond butter
green tea

Total pts = 19

How I felt -
Terrible! Had a headache all day that turned into a migraine in the late afternoon.  Couldn't eat much b/c of the accompanying nausea.  I gave in and had the rice cakes b/c it was the only thing I could bring myself to eat.  Will get back to the no grains thing tomorrow. 

No-grain, no-sugar diet - Day 3

What I ate:


Breakfast  (4 pts.):
1 egg, fried in olive oil
baked butternut squash with cinnamon
(It was so good yesterday that I had to have it again.)

Mid-morning snack (3 pts.):
handful of pumpkin seeds

Lunch (5 pts.):
salad with spinach, arugula, 2 slices of roast beef, olives, palm hearts, roasted red pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice

Afternoon Snack (10) pts.):
1/2 avocado
2 slices of turkey
2 vinegar-free pickles (I like Bubbies Pure Kosher Dills.)
flax seed crackers
almond butter
green tea with soymilk
(I was starving when I got home!  Apparently, that salad wasn't filling enough.)

Supper (8):
grass-fed steak (fat cut off)
creamed spinach


Total:  30 pts.


How I felt:
MUCH better today!  I had more energy than usual and had a very productive day.  (I notice I don't need a nap when I stay away from wheat.)

No-grains, no sugar diet - Day 2

What I ate -

Breakfast (4 pts):
1 egg, fried in olive oil
baked butternut squash with cinnamon (I baked it last night.)
Green tea w/soymilk

Mid-morning snack (2):
plain, homemade yogurt

Lunch (5):
homemade chicken soup
Green tea w/soymilk

Afternoon snack (5):
flaxseed crackers with almond butter
dandelion tea w/soymilk

Supper (12):
Turkey patties
salad w/olive oil and lemon juice dressing
1/2 avocado

Total pts = 28

How I felt -
Crappy.  It's sugar withdrawal symptoms.  It takes about 3 days for sugar to get out of your system.  The last time I gave up all sugars, I felt like I had the flu for 3 days.  This time, it's not as bad but I did have a headache and nausea all day.  I can tell you from experience that the first 3 days of giving up sugar is the worst.  If you can make it 3 days, then it becomes a lot easier.  You feel better and you won't have cravings.

Day 1

Today is my first day of being back on my diet of no grains or sugars.  (No fructose or lactose either.)  My weight today was 178 pounds.  (Blerg.  Up from 165 in June.  :P)  I hope to track my success with my blog.  Plus, for those of you out there that want to try it, you can use my meal ideas.  (*Note:  I was on Weight Watchers for years so I still add  up points in my head when I do this diet.  The points listed are my estimates.  Nothing official or anything.)

Breakfast (I estimate about 8 Weight Watchers points):
Shake:
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 T rice protein powder  (The starch has been removed and the protein extracted.  You can find it at health food stores.  Whey protein would be an alternative.)
2 T flax seeds, ground  (I grind them in my coffee grinder.)
1 T cocoa nibs, ground
about 1 t of chopped fresh ginger  (this makes you almost feel like there's some kind of fruitiness to it.)
1 T almond butter  (I can tolerate small amounts of nut butters, but not nuts themselves.  Strange.)

Blend with a splash of water and ice in a blender.

Mid-Morning Snack (I estimate about 1 Weight Watchers point):
4 sauteed shrimp with lemon pepper and parsley (I got them pre-prepared at Whole Foods, then froze them in tiny, individual tupperwares so they're ready to go.  If you can tolerate nuts, I say eat nuts as a snack!  They travel well.)


Lunch (I estimate about 8 Weight Watchers points):
Salad with arugula (rocket), 2 slices of turkey, 1/2 avocado, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives (vinegar-free), palm hearts, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
Green tea


Afternoon Snack (I estimate about 3 Weight Watchers points):
1 hard boiled egg
2 T black bean dip
celery sticks
Dandelion Tea

Supper (about 5 points):
baked fish (cod)
steamed broccoli
artichoke leaves
olive oil dip:  with lemon, parsely, oregano, salt, and garlic

Total points = 25

So far, so good!  :-)

Getting back on the wagon with chicken soup

Lately, I feel the need to get back on the diet I was on when I lost all that weight.  Because I've been bad.  This summer, I ate all kinds of things and gained 5 pounds.  Not too bad, right?  Well, then some friends of mine came over for a girlie weekend and I ate everything bad for four straight days and gained 8 more pounds.  Seriously!  EIGHT pounds in four days?!?  That's just not right!  It's not like I was stuffing my face either.  I just ate unhealthy things at every meal for four days.  It's crazy how my body puts on weight all at once like that.  On the plus side, my body also loses weight all at once like that too.  I just need to get in the zone.  Since that weekend, I have not gained any more weight, but I have not lost any either. 

Everybody is different, but I cannot lose weight as long as I eat sugar and grains.  Even if I consume very few calories.  (crazy, right?)  It was almost a year ago that I went on a modified Candida Diet and lost 30 pounds.  I ate mostly meat and veggies.  No fruit, vinegar, or sugar, and very limited starches.  (Like 1/2 cup of rice per day at the most.)  This week, I'm getting back with the program.  To kick start it all off, I'm going to eat NO grains at all.  Then, I'll add 1/2 of rice per day next week.  I will post what I eat every day just to prove it can be done.  To add a further challenge, I must avoid nuts because I have discovered that they make my migraines worse.  (There goes my favorite snack food!)

Today being Sunday, I thought I'd make a big pot of chicken soup for lunches this week.  It's a good, filling, yet healthy meal that you can make and freeze in individual tupperwares.  Just as convenient as a processed TV dinner, but way more delicious and healthy!  Here's how I make it:

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
whatever chicken parts you want   (I use 2 legs and 2 thighs b/c I think it makes a better-tasting soup)
1 or 2 carrots, sliced
1 or 2 celery ribs, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
thyme to taste
salt to taste
here's the cool part:  You know those veggies that you have in your fridge that are about to go bad?  The ones you bought with every intention of eating them but it just didn't happen?  Chuck 'em in the soup! 

Directions:
Put everything in a big pot.  Pour enough water in to cover.  Simmer for 1 hour over medium  heat.  Cool, strain, then cut the chicken off the bone into bite-sized chucks.  Remove bay leaf.

It's nice to have this soup on hand for a quick meal or snack when you need it. 

A Big Hug for Parent Wannabes

This week, I started fertility treatments again.  I was doing them about 2 years ago, but took a year-long hiatus from it.  I had gotten to the point where the mere thought of going into the doctor's office turned me into an emotional wreck.   Since then, I have lost some weight and have gotten healthier so I thought it was worth another shot.  For those in the know, I am trying IUIs with injectibles.  This is not nearly as invasive as IVF.  I'm not that hopeful since it didn't work the last time, but I'm a little scared of IVF.  This IUI cycle is my last try before I resign myself to the full whack of in-vitro. 

Yesterday morning, I went in super early (7:00am!) for the fertility doctors visit and saw other couples there.  They looked young and healthy and anxious.  I just wanted to give them all a big hug and say, "I TOTALLY know what you're going through".  So----here's a big, virtual hug to all the infertile couples out there.  I totally know what you're going through.

I know that with every year that goes past, you get more and more anxious about that ticking clock.

I know that while you paste on a smile when others tell you they're pregnant, you just can't be truly happy for them.  No matter how much you might want to be.

I know that each mother's day that goes past gets more and more difficult to bear.

I know that when you see terrible parents, you just want to shake them.

I know that you want to scream at God and shout "why?" when yet another teenager gets pregnant even though they were on birth control.

I know that you lose all hope as your friends' children get older and older.   You had wanted your children to grow up with them.

I know that it's another slap in the face when you try for adoption and realize that it's even more difficult and expensive and takes years longer than you ever imagined.

I know that the worst thought is, "what if I go through all of the procedures known to man and it doesn't work?"  What if I never get to have children?  

I know.  I wish I could tell you that it's going to be okay.  For now though, all I can offer is a big hug and lots of understanding.  Most people have no idea.