Day 1--Starting again!

So, taking pictures of your food really works. I know this because camera failures have led to overall failure to adhere strictly to the slow carb methods, and I am now back to almost where I started from--just 2.5 pounds less than my starting weight. Last week I cheated a lot, so instead of cheating and feeling bad about it I decided to go off of the diet and eat whatever I wanted for about 4 days. I had pizza, fruit, burgers, fries, chocolate cake--you name it. It was fun, but I feel relieved to be back on slow carb this morning. I think it will be interesting to track how quickly I return to my low point weight-wise, and also to see if I gained back any inches that I lost. My weight may be up about seven pounds, but my clothing still fits better, and people still keep commenting that I look smaller. What the scale says is such a tiny part of this plan--I have got to remember that.

Breakfast was on plan today. I have "supplies" now, so I hope to prepare lunches ahead of time so that I have good food available to me any time I feel any hunger. I also created an Excel spreadsheet to track weight/measurement changes.

My goals for the next 30 days:
1. Stick to slow-carb all week, and only cheat for two meals on cheat day
2. Use the kettlebell 3X a week for 10 minutes per session
3. Return to regular icing (with ice packs) 5 days a week
4. Begin experimenting with supplements

This is not a goal, but I would love for my weight to reach 17 lbs. total lost.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, arugula



Lunch: Mexican roast chicken, beans, grilled onions, avocado salsa, salsa, diet coke (not pictured)



Dinner: Garlic cumin pork, spinach, refried organic black beans (This looks gross but it tasted great) I had two servings of this.

I managed to not cheat today. There is chocolate all over the office where I am working. I've got to just steer clear. It helped to have a plan in place and to have weighed in this morning.

Day 32, 33, 34

Well, my plan to make this a visual food diary is failing due to a lack of a good camera. Friday I was back on plan. Saturday I had a cheat day, and today I'm back on plan again.

Friday:
-Eggs, greens, cottage cheese
-Pork, spinach
-Salad w/eggs, beef, greens, bacon, balsamic, tomato, onion

Saturday:
-Beef patty and beans
-White cheddar Cheez-It, ginger ale
-Gyro, french fries
-Pork and cheese chile relleno, beans, tomato, avocado slaw, ice cream, glass of milk, 2.5 white chocolate and cranberry cookeis

Sunday:
-Pork and beef patty, spinach
-Chicken and white bean cassoulet
-Chicken and white bean cassoulet + arugula and cider vinegar dressing

Day 30, 31

CHEATER! I cheated yesterday. Not sure why or what came over me. Maybe it was that 30 day mark. I had a good breakfast, and then a salad with chicken for lunch, and then I had half a turkey sandwich that was out on the table at work. Then at dinner I ate mostly on program--grilled pork and lamb and a salad, but I had a small piece of spinach pie, and for dessert--a piece of chocolate cake. What came over me? I have no idea. Back on plan today, and I might have to have yesterday be cheat day for the week...we shall see...

Day 31 I'm back on track, but having camera difficulties. For breakfast I had scrambled eggs (2 whole, 2 white), for lunch I had a beef patty, beans, arugula, and avocado slaw. Early dinner was a Snap kitchen dish of chimichurri chicken with carrots and yellow squash with a dessert made of ground up cashew nuts and some peanut butter. It was a bit of a cheat, but after my cheat yesterday I was hurting for more, so I figured it was worth it to have that instead of some sort of serious cheat item.

Day 29

Up half a pound, but down another 3 inches. That's a 9.5 lb and 12 inch loss in a month. I'm very pleased with the results, and plan to continue this plan for at least another two weeks, and maybe even longer. Meanwhile I found out I am NOT pre-diabetic, so that was excellent news. 4-Hour Body will hopefully help keep me that way, and lead to further reductions in cholesterol, body fat percentage, and a longer, healthier life.

No picture of breakfast. I had 2 eggs and an Atkins shake. Not that balanced, but I was in a big hurry.



Lunch: grass fed beef patty, lentils, avocado, arugula w/ cider vinegar dressing.



Dinner: Chipotle carnitas bowl-Pork, black beans, red peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, lettuce. YUM.

From what I can tell, today's calorie count was 1250. I was full and satisfied all day, and even over-ate with dinner. I love this diet!

Day 28

Back down to almost pre-cheat weight. I'm actually working all this week, so I might not have a lot of commentary.



Breakfast: Eggs, beans, avocado slaw, salsa



Lunch: Snap kitchen turkey chili with black beans, arugula with cider vinegar dressing



Early dinner: Grass-fed beef patty, lentils, sauerkraut, artichoke hearts (I had a double serving of this--and sorry for the blur!)

Day 27

UGH. I feel hung over from that pie yesterday. Glad to be back to clean eating this morning.



Breakfast: Eggs, avocado slaw, black and pinto beans, salsa.



Lunch: Free range beef burger, green beans, arugula w/ cider vinegar dressing.

Dinner: exactly the same as lunch above.

Day 26-Cheat Day!

Same weight as yesterday this morning. Today is my 1/2 way cheat day--I plan to minimize white carbs and simple sugars, and opt for whole grains and fruits. I played tennis for about an hour today, so I'm feeling pretty tired.



Breakfast: Eggs, salsa, avocado lime slaw. (recipe to follow soon)



Lunch: Sliced chicken and cheese sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, cucumber, carrot, mustard, mayo, and pickles. Organic pear and organic apple. I ate the pear with the sandwich but I was so full that I ate the apple about an hour later.

Dinner was once again too dark to photograph. I had a pork chop, roasted carrots and parsnips, grilled broccolini, and then for dessert I had about 6 bites each of a chocolate peanut butter pie and a chocolate cream pie. The only things that were cheats during this entire day were cheese and bread on the sandwich, apple and pear, and pie. I realized after ordering it, that the pork chop dinner was pretty much on plan! I feel totally stuffed and satisfied by my meals today. It was barely a cheat day at all, but I had everything I wanted. :)

Day 25

No weight change today, but feeling good. Started the day off with an Atkins shake--I keep saying I will quit the shakes (they are really NOT on program, but I keep using them for easy meals. When they run out I will not buy more. I worked out with the kettlebell again today. Good lord, 5 minutes (and not even continuous) kicked my butt.



Lunch: Paleo-beef from Snap Kitchen: Beef, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, lemon juice. If I could afford it I would do the plan they have where you eat Snap for every meal for a month or two. The food is awesome, low calorie, low sugar, low sodium, high in protein and fiber, etc. Gotta win that lottery...



Dinner: Spinach, chicken, egg, mushrooms, chickpeas, bacon, tomato, pickled onions, balsamic.

Rant!

Here is a little rant: I just found out that the medication I take for my inner ear condition can raise blood sugar levels. I found this out myself, on the internet, in about 5 minutes on Google. My doctor didn't even mention this to me upon prescribing it or upon giving me tests for diabetes. So...the pills that I must take for my ears might be leading to my glucose levels being elevated into the pre-diabetic range. All of the above conditions can be improved by losing weight. (Well, the ear condition has nothing to do with weight, and I will have to take some form of these pills for life in order to control it) So basically, this diet is the best thing I can possibly do for my body--it has very low levels of sugar, and it is helping me drop some weight.

I'd like my money back now, or feel free to give me a license to be an M.D.

Day 24

10 pounds down. In less than a month. Very excited and happy to have had this success. I have lost 9 inches, which isn't that much, but I am large enough that it is difficult to get accurate measurements on my inches week-to-week. I know that I feel great, have plenty of energy, and people are commenting on how good I look. I am (almost) looking forward to taking my underwear pictures again in about a week. I will continue to follow the diet for a minimum of 6 weeks, and then I will begin experimenting.



Breakfast: Chicken, lentils, arugula, eggs, sauerkraut. I was super hungry this morning (probably due to too few calories yesterday) so I needed a nice big, protein rich breakfast.



Lunch: Chipotle burrito bowl: Black beans, steak, veggies, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce

For dinner I wasn't hungry, so I went the easy way out and had a shake. On this diet I tend to feel super hungry all day, and not want to eat at night at all. (Except emotional/boredom eating, both of which are night-centric for me.)

Day 23

The scale is moving today! 9 pounds lost in 23 days. Because of being freaked yesterday I only ate two meals so I could not have eaten very many calories, so I'm glad my weight went down. Also I think lentils are probably the best legumes for weight loss. (Tim says they are, but until this point I had not tried them--weird, because I really like them.)

I couldn't photograph breakfast because I had to be out the door for a super early interview. It was...cottage cheese! Very boring, but it got me up and running with plenty of protein.



Lunch: Grilled chicken w/ onions, pinto beans, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, salsa. Chicken soup: chicken and chicken broth, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, corn (didn't eat)



Dinner: Seared Ahi tuna, salad

Recipe-Lentils!

2 cups lentils
4.5 cups water
1/2 large onion diced
2 large celery stalks with leafy tops diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
splash of white wine vinegar before serving and/or splash of fresh lemon juice

I cooked these lentils in my new pressure cooker, so the texture was a bit too soft. (I have to get better at figuring out how long to cook when using this new tool) First heat the oil and add the onions and celery and herbs de provence with extra thyme and oregano and add about 6 grinds of black pepper and add the garlic last. Cook 2-3 minutes until the veggies soften a bit. Add the lentils and make them according to the package directions (in other words, you might need more or less water, depending on the cooking method, type of lentils, etc.) Add the salt at the very end, and enjoy! These tasted great with chicken, but any kind of fish would also be tasty. Next time I might make them with even more water and create a lentil soup. A splash or two of white wine or some veggie stock would also probably improve the dish or help extend the flavor to the broth if this was made as a soup recipe. The liquid had wonderful flavor from the spices, but this was easy on the tummy, which is not always the case for me with curry lentils. I also added a splash of vinegar before serving, and a little lemon juice. This last touch really brightened up the flavor.

Day 22

So I went to the doctor today. I forgot to get my body fat percentage because they wanted me to do a test for diabetes which kind of freaked me out. My A1c was just barely out of the range where you want it to be. (6.0 = upper end of normal) By most accounts that is pre-diabetic, though hopefully I am not fully in the diabetic zone. Luckily I was running late to the appointment so I had not had breakfast, so I was able to do the test right away. It was so disgusting to drink 75 grams of sugar at 9 in the morning. Even on my cheat day I probably had less sugar than that during the entire day. It felt great to go home and eat chicken and lentils and salad. Now the worry begins, and the hoping that I can steer clear of type 2 diabetes. I think my cheat days from here on out will be cheats with fruit and whole grains, avoiding simple and white sugars/carbs. The good news is that my cholesterol is not too bad, I want to raise my HDL a bit, and lower my LDL, but good levels are within reach with just a little more exercise and continuing to eat well.



Lunch: chicken, lentils, arugula, avocado, sauerkraut



Dinner: Grass fed beef, lentils, arugula, sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar dressing

So this was a pretty boring day of eating. That blood test ruined my appetite. Luckily lunch and dinner were both yummy and healthy.

Day 21

I feel hung over from cheat day. I'm actually glad to be back to slow carb today! I'm looking back over my progress in the past few weeks, and I had the most success in the first week. That was the week I followed the diet to the letter, with no borderline foods at all. I think the protein shakes and eating out (other than Chipotle and a few other places) just cannot be done unless I am being insanely strict about what I allow myself to eat. I also plan to add some exercise into the plan. I purchased a kettle ball and I want to use it 10 minutes a day, and also I will continue the icing. This is all about self experimentation, and it will not work the same way for everyone. So far the results are good, but I hope they get better since I have basically been on a plateau for the last two weeks.



Breakfast: Snap Kitchen breakfast scramble. Grass fed beef, egg whites, black beans, green and red peppers, cilantro, spices. Another home run from Snap. Very tasty and it fit right in with this eating plan.



Lunch: Chicken, lentils, arugula, cider vinegar dressing, sauerkraut



Dinner: Chicken, lentils, asparagus, sauerkraut

Day 20-Cheat Day!

I'm considering not doing a cheat day next week, or at least just doing one cheat meal. My weight is staying about the same, so in order to move the scale I think I need to make adjustments. On the plus side two different people have remarked that I looked slimmer, so something is changing for the better!



Breakfast: Atkins shake, two eggs.



2nd breakfast: Waffle House waffle, hash browns (with ketchup!) and bacon. I was so friggin' full after this.



Lunch: garlic knot with chicken breast and artichoke hearts. This was a rather small lunch, but I was so full after two breakfasts that this was all I wanted. I made up for this small lunch with some insanity at dinner...

It was once again too dark for any of the dinner foods I had. I ate a small chopped steak, buttered new potatoes, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. I got a piece of pie for dessert, but I had one bite and it wasn't any good, so I opted for an ice cream cone when I went to the movies. When I got home just now from the theater I had a grapefruit, half a nectarine, and most of a pint of raspberries. FRUIT=BLISS

Day 19

No scale movement, but I'm sliding my cheat day 'till tomorrow. I've been icing regularly, but just chest/back. Not sure I can handle the full ice baths, but I'm tempted to try it. BRRRR.



Breakfast: Eggs, beans, avocado, arugula, salsa



Lunch: lettuce wraps (no extra sauce)



2nd lunch: leftover steak and broccoli, Atkins shake



Dinner: Salad w/gyro meat. There was cheese on this, but I ate it anyway.

Day 18

I am now officially 7lbs. down on the scale. That's not on target to lose 20, but it's well on the way to losing 10-12 lbs. a month, which is still the most effective diet I have ever tried. I have been pretty serious about not breaking any rules so far, and in addition, I have been icing for the past 3-4 days. I have somehow injured my foot, so my regular recreational exercise of tennis and walking are out for the moment, but I'm considering buying a kettle ball, and at least the cheat day exercises can be done with no extra stress on the feet. I have a feeling that a few extra work-outs would really speed up this process, but as it is, though frustrating for the last week or so, this diet makes me feel pretty darn good.



Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, pinto beans, spinach, avocado, salsa. I'm seriously in love with the spinach/avocado combination.



First "lunch": Atkins chocolate shake. I know I will be eating a good lunch in a few hours, so I'm staving off hunger with this little bad boy. I take cinnamon before I drink these, and do air squats to counteract the 1 gram of sugar.



Real lunch: Cider brined pork with mushrooms and white beans. I had to remove the cranberry relish since it was too sweet, but this came from a place I discovered called Snap Kitchen. They have at least 5 dishes that I can eat unaltered! Local, organic, healthy food. I will be returning as often as I can afford to.



Dinner: salad (unpictured) with balsamic vinegar, steak, broccoli. I had to remove the fried poblano peppers, but I have to admit I ate one. It was yummy!

Day 17

Breakfast: Egg, chicken, spinach, pinto beans, green beans



Lunch: Spinach, chicken, balsamic, walnuts, tomato, cucumber, onion

2nd lunch: tuna, artichoke hearts

Dinner: Atkins shake. I just was not hungry for dinner. I find that often I am not very hungry in the evening on this diet. During the day I feel like I could eat 5 times, but come night--meh. I have been craving sugar pretty badly the past few days. Fruit, ice cream, donuts. I could destroy a couple of donuts right now. Due to an event I am considering sliding cheat day to Sunday this week, so the donuts will have to wait a few more days...

Day 16

No movement on the scale or inches, but I'm not giving up.



Breakfast: Chicken, pinto beans, asparagus, avocado



Lunch: Tuna, white beans, spinach, artichokes



Dinner: Trout, white beans, green beans

Day 15

Half way through the 30 days. I am almost positive that I will stick with this plan for a full 6 weeks. Ferriss suggests that women often need to do that, and I think I am one of those women. I'm still at 5.5 lbs lost, though last week it took until Wednesday morning for me to drop back at or below my total pounds lost. I will do measurements today to see if there has been movement in that department. Many folks say week 2 is a plateau for them, and I am no exception. Still, if I can lose an additional 5.5 lbs by the end of the 30 days I will have lost more in a month than I lost in 4 months of strict (and annoying) calorie counting. I think the protein shakes are probably a bad idea for me, though I might continue to buy the Atkins brand to help with morning protein intake. The flavor I had today tasted like a yummy cold coffee drink, and had 15 grams of protein with only 160 calories, so I think it's worth it to continue to buy those. The others have closer to the full amount of protein needed, but they are too many calories. Those are more for people trying to build muscle than people like me who are trying to lose fat. Also the Atkins brand has only 1 gram of sugar, which seems like a pretty low amount along with eggs, beans, and greens like I did today.



Breakfast: Atkins coffee drink, two eggs, pinto beans, arugula, salsa. This was a very satisfying and tasty meal, and it was super fast to prepare. I'm running low on eggs so I need to get another container of egg whites.

First lunch: Chipotle pork burrito bowl: Black beans, carnitas, veggies, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, lettuce. I mixed this up before I photographed it, so it was not attractive, thus the lack of picture. It tasted great!



2nd lunch: Trout, mashed great northern beans, arugula, artichoke hearts. (I always drain the artichokes, and pat off as much oil as possible with a paper towel)



Dinner: Spicy Dragon chicken and veggies on a bed of mixed greens. There was at least a third of this left when I was done.