Failed Test

So I did the detox diet and continued to follow it in the days following. I did have a cupcake and 2 small cookies (from Whole Foods..not that that makes them better, but just a bit better for you). In the following 2 days I lost another 4.5lbs. I thought, wow, I am doing awesome! I think I will test the limits of what I can eat. It was partially curiosity, and partially a friend prodding, and then there was a little bit of desire on my own part, but I went to a pizza buffet. Oh yes, alllllll the things I should not eat - gluten (a lot of it), dairy (questionable at that), sugars (I just had to have the sticky bun for dessert). The only things I think I stayed clear of there was the grains and soy (because unless they are hidden in something, would they really be in a pizza parlor?). It was good. I have to admit. It was not fabulous, but it was good.

I weighed in the next morning and it was not THAT good! I gained 3.5lbs. OMG REALLY! Yes, really. I was shocked. I did not think I would gain back that much. Given, when Walter got off work and neither of us wanted to cook dinner, we did go to Torchy's for a massive burrito which was pretty good but include the grain (rice) that I was lacking earlier. I was pissed at myself. I could not believe my moment of weakness (that was not going there, but exceeding what I should have had and knowing it. Bad to think, "Oh, I am blowing it already so may as well do it all the way"). I knew what I was doing but did not think it was going to be that bad. Well, I behaved the next day. I did snack heavily on peanuts (probably not the best choice when I was bloating from all the pizza from the day before, but oh well). The next morning came and I weighed myself again. Zero! What? Are you kidding me? Zero? I reweighed and it was the same. I could not believe it. I behaved and did not lose a thing.

I was so accustomed to losing every day for the past 13 days that it never occured to me I could gain again. I was feeling like the biggest loser....really, just like the tv show when someone who was on a roll ended up losing nothing. That was yesterday. Not saying that my response to that zero was the right one, but I was lazy yesterday too. I ate some left over fried potatoes for breakfast (I know, where is the protein..there was none!), then for lunch I grilled some salmon and ate it with some eggs (well, there was the protein and fat, but where the fuck were the carbs!), then felt like a sweet, so had 4 small peaches (sounds like I was on track there right...just wait) covered in Half and Half (there's the zinger). I was watching movies at this time. I put the second one in and decided I wanted popcorn (here come the grains or as someone told me "razor blades to the colon"). If that was not bad enough, I added butter to it (but I have to say, it was a lot less than usual and it was fantastic). For dinner I met a friend out and had a beer and a burger oh...and queso and chips. ZING ZING ZINGER! Yup. I lost it again yesterday. It was a wonder why I possibly weighed in today. I knew I should not have, but thank god I did. It really gave me the reality of what doing shit like that is doing to me.

I weighed in and gained a pound and 1/2. So here it is. My 17lb weight loss just became a 12lb. loss. I was so excited I was finally in the 270's and literally 3 lbs away from being in the 260's (something I have not seen in like 6-7 years) and I fucked it up. I tested myself and I failed. Eating better is the way to go.

There is room for fun, like a cupcake one night after work, but nothing like gorging on pizza (which I think is still in my system and why the hamburger busted me, but it was prob the peached and cream and popcorn too!). Today I am back on the wagon! I am staying strict to it! I cannot afford to gain weight after losing. Once I am under 220 then I will consider it more. I will consider it once a week too, but no more! Back on the wagon baby! I am going to be rollin' again!

Just another day

Even having a day off today is not really exciting. There are things I need to get done but don't want to, things I want to do, but don't have the funds to do, and things that I could do, but just am lacking the ambition and creativity today to do them. So here I sit blogging.

On a good note, I am still following the nutritional lifestyle we did the detox for. I am still dropping weight (17 lbs to be exact). I feel great. Yesterday I was on cloud 9 for no apparent reason other than I was just feeling good. I also heard that I can apply for something that I did not think would be possible for 6 months, so I am thrilled about the potential opportunity for a full time job.

To take it down a notch, Walter text me this morning that he got a speeding ticket (even though I warned him the cops were all over the place this weekend) and will cost us money we just do not have right now. But, since that is the only bad new right now, life is still good!

Think today I am going to take the dog to the park with my friend Chris and hang out with him today. Hopefully I will get some sun and not be so butt white! I like getting sun on me. I should be weedwacking the lawn, but not really in the mood to. Maybe tomorrow night. Today is going to be a day for me since I feel like most of my days off are spent doing laundry, preparing stuff for lunches for me and Walter, and watching way too much TV that I don't really care about.

So, even though this is just another day, I am hoping it turns out to be an awesome one!

Detox Day 10

Well, here it is the end of the detox. I have to say that I am so glad that I did it. It has really made me conscious about my food choices and eating better. I honestly have not missed my grains, not really missed gluten (other than the random desire for pizza or a cookie), I only missed dairy when it came to putting it in my coffee (which as you notice my diary I did not drink the whole detox til yesterday and I tell you, almond milk is NOT a good substitute for it), and sugar, well, I got enough sugar from the fruit smoothie in the morning(but again, the occasional cookie craving). As of this morning, I have lost a total of 12 pounds (I will have to update that number in the morning if it changes). I feel great. I am not hungry. The cost of eating like this is really cheap when you break it down. All in all, I am happy with the whole experience. Will I keep it up. ABSOLUTELY. Will I have dairy and gluten and grains and sugars? TOTALLY! BUT in much more moderation. Well, I figure I will post occasional updates on my new "lifestyle" and hopefully those will come with weight loss numbers, rising energy levels, and a slue of new things I have learned to cook. As for now, it is late and I work in the morning, so here is my food diary for today along with some pictures of our dinner tonight.

9:00am....... Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1
10:10am...... Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP Flax Seed Oil and 8oz water.
1:00pm....... Taco Salad – ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, romaine lettuce, ½ tomato, ¼ avocado, ¼ cup salsa
1:30pm....... med. Peach
2:00pm....... peanuts
7:00pm....... BBQ pork ribs, yellow squash and zucchini, spinach salad with ½ tomato, carrots, cucumber, green pepper and smokey tomato dressing.
8:30pm....... First Cleanse Pill II
9:00pm....... ½ apple
9:30pm....... peanuts

Today I drank about 90oz of water.

Detox Day 9

Well, coming close to the end of this detox. I have to say that it has not been bad. I am enjoying the diet, the food I make is wonderful, I feel better, I feel like my portion control is under control, I feel like I know better what to eat, all in all life is better. We went to a movie on day 9. Instead of the usual popcorn which we love to have, we went to the store and got a bag of peanuts. Still had the salt, still had the crunch and still had to reach from something to nibble on. They had all the rhythms of eating popcorn (which I heard called razorblades to the colon) but were a healthier choice (and if you ask me, $2.99 for a bag of those compared to $6 for a bucket of popcorn with questionable butter on it, I will take the peanuts).

I guess what I have found out over this whole experience is that it is really easy to eat well. It also does not have to cost a lot to enjoy the foods you make. I have learned that EVERY meal needs to have PCF (proteins, carbs, fat). Yes, shock to me FAT! Even in my morning smoothie I am adding some kind of fat (a good fat like EVOO, Flax Seed Oil, etc.). That is what is making a balanced diet. Anyhow, it is my morning of Day 10, the final and last day of the detox. While I did dream of eating whipped cream and other things last night, I will not be spending today doing that. Tomorrow, maybe! Here is what I ate on Day 9...

9:00am....... Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1

9:50am ........ Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP Flax Seed Oil and 8oz water.

1:05pm....... 2 cups vegetarian chili (red kidney beans, Cannellini Beans, rotell, organic vegetarian chili seasoning, onion, green peppers, Anaheim pepper, V8 juice)

1:40pm........ Chicken and apple sausages (2)

6:15pm........ pork tenderloin (grilled), green beans with garlic and EVOO, romaine and spinach salad with ½ avocado, ½ tomato homemade honey mustard dressing

7:45pm....... First Cleanse Pill II

8:30pm....... Organic pomegranate and ginger drink

9:40pm....... Lara Bar

During movie... ¼ pound peanuts (salted and roasted)

I drank about 80oz of water today.

Detox Day 8

Well, here it is day 8. Tonight I went through total dessert cravings. I totally wanted to go to the store and get a brownie or something. I literally had nothing to snack on that sounded good. I was wanting peanuts, there were none,I wanted cake, could not have. I just wanted something and while there was food around, none of it would satisfy my craving for something sweet and cake-like, so I got creative. I made a cake out of the oddest ingredients that I could actually eat on my diet. I figured my protein powder looked similar to flour, and I had some bananas, and hey, they go well in banana bread. I then added 5 eggs since I can eat those and eggs usually go in cakes. I figured I needed a "milk" too so I added some almond milk, chocolate flavor to it. I mashed it all up and mixed it together and dumped it into the pan. It looked kind of boring and I was not sure if the banana would make it sweet enough, so I took my bag of mixed berries out of the freezer and sprinkled them throughout. I knew it would take at least 45 min to bake and a heated the oven to 350. I threw the nice looking thing into the oven. After 25 min I checked it. It was browning too quickly around the edges and the top was already crisp, but you could see that it was not setting at all in the center. The only part of the "cake" that was set was about 1/2 inch around the outside where the pan heat was cooking it. I turned the heat down to 300 and put it back in for another 25 min. I took it out and let it cool just in time for Walter to get home from work. I came nicely out of the pan. I cut it into slices and took a bit. Wow...it was not bad, not bad at all. It gave just the flavors I was craving but made out of things that I was allowed to eat. I probably should not have eaten it this late, but I did and enjoyed it. I never went to the store to buy a brownie or cupcake so mission accomplished! Only 2 days left of this! Not that my diet will change much from this, but it will be nice to have that little bit of freedom!

Here is what I ate today.

7:15am.......Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1
8:30am.......Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP Flax Seed Oil and 8oz water.
1:25pm.......romaine and spinach salad with ½ avocado, homemade olive oil and balsamic dressing, 5oz baked boneless skinless chicken breast
6:00pm........5 oz grilled salmon, red lentil soup
8:30pm........First Cleanse Pill II
10:15pm.......“Miracle Cake” (this is my cake that I made from 3 scoops protein powder, 5 eggs, ½ cup chocolate almond milk, 2 mashed up bananas, and a handful of mixed berries)

I only drank about 80oz of water today.

Detox Day 7

Well here it is, Day 7. At the end of this day I feel great but am missing the ability to eat even a small bit of fun food (like cookies, etc.). While I feel much better, look much better and am eating better, I still just hate the discipline of saying no to things that look or smell good. I don't want to live my life saying no to good things, but I have been educated that I can still have them while still eating well. The percentage is easy...80/20. I can follow the rules 80% of the time and still live healthy and wonderful and the other 20% of the time I can enjoy on things. Assuming that I eat 3 meals a day and have 2 snacks each day, I can add "not so great for me" food in 4 of those 21 weekly meals and about 3 not so great for me snacks each week. Hell, that is easy. I will probably never max out my 20% of freedom each week, but it is nice to know that it is there. Will I ever return to my old ways...I sure hope not, and I will try not to. I just am glad that I am more educated now on nutrition and have my personal experience and weight and feelings to prove it. Anyhow, most say the first few days are hardest. I beg to differ. I think they were the easiest and these last few are really hard! But I am going to finish this detox and continue on with this healthier lifestyle.

Anyhow, here is my meals for today...

7:30am........Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1, 20oz water
8:30am........Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP EVOO and 8oz water.
11:30am......2 cups vegetarian chili (red kidney beans, Cannellini Beans, rotell, organic vegetarian chili seasoning, onion, green peppers, Anaheim pepper, V8 juice), 6 oz London broil on the grill with 2 oz ketchup
4:05pm........romaine and spinach salad with ½ avocado, ½ tomato homemade honey mustard dressing, 5oz baked boneless skinless chicken breast
9:00pm.......5oz baked chicken breast, 3 red potatoes fried with onions in olive oil, broccoli
10:30pm......First Cleanse Pill II

I drank about 110oz of water throughout the day today.

Detox Day 6

So I missed blogging last night about my experience yesterday, so here it is early today.
Other than feeling like I cannot have the occasional cookie, I am doing great. I am feeling well, eating til I am filled, snacking when I want to, and don't feel anymore like I am drowning in the water I have been drinking. As of the beginning of day 6, I have lost 10 pounds! And honestly, I am not really trying. This whole experience was to try to learn to live healthier and eat better. I guess my weight loss is just a testament to to how poorly I have been eating. I know I was eating better than I was before. We RARELY ever eat fast food (thank the movie "Super Size Me" for that, but I am grateful for that too), we mostly cook at home, we usually bring our lunch to work with us. Since a year ago, we were living healthier than we had been, this is just taking it to the next step. In the past year, by changing eating habits/lifestyles, I have lost a total of 48 pounds! I am not a huge exerciser. I like to exercise, but my problem is just getting to the gym! My point being, just make better choices when I am eating had made this happen and it is proving to be still happening. Anyone can do it, they just have to want to. Anyway, I feel like I just gave a testimonial for something so I will stop. Here is a listing of what I ate yesterday.

8:15am....... Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1
8:45am....... Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ champagne mango, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP nut-butter and 8oz water.
11:00am...... banana, carrot sticks
3:35pm....... romaine and spinach salad with ½ avocado, ½ tomato homemade honey mustard dressing, 5oz baked boneless skinless chicken breast
8:20pm....... grilled peppers,onions and razor thin sliced beef (peppersteak), mashed potatoes w/ ½ avocado and salsa
11:00pm...... First Cleanse Pill II

Detox Day 5

Ok, so I decided I need to take some pictures of the meals that we are eating since when I tell people we are doing a detox they think we are on some crazy macrobiotic, vitamin popping, can't eat anything normal diet. I posted our wonderful burgers from the other day under the detox day 3 heading and will post our breakfast from today. If anyone thinks it is too hard they are crazy! This shit is so good, I really am not missing out on anything. I cannot lie. I have a desire for the occasional cookie and kept seeing pancakes and waffles on TV the other night and really wanted some (it is probably the whole you want what you cannot have or not allowed to have syndrome) but I have survived. Like I said in a previous post, I can see eating like this 80% of the time. It is not going to be a huge change but more a liberating one. As of this morning I have lost 9 pounds. So from Sunday morning til Friday morning (5 days people), I have lost 9 pounds. Not of water weight (I drink like 100oz of water a day) but just by my food metabolizing better and filling up on the right foods. Anyhow, here is our breakfast and the food journal for today.

8:30pm...... Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1

9:30am...... 3 egg omelet with onion, green pepper, spinach, topped with salsa. 3 red potatoes fried in EVOO with green peppers and onions with about 2 tbsp ketchup. 30oz water.

2pm.......... 1cup of homemade red lentil and vegetable stew (ingredients: tomatoes, diced celery, red lintel beans, vegetable stock, carrots, spices), romaine and spinach salad with 1 sm tomato and ½ avocado with EVOO and balsamic vinegar

7:15pm .......filet mignon, 3 red potatoes, 7 asparagus spears, red wine reduction, 20 oz water

9:30pm .......strawberries, pears, pineapple

10:30pm ......strawberries, pineapple, apple

11:45pm........First Cleanse Pill II

Detox Day 4

Well, here I am at the end of day 4 of detox. I weighed myself this morning as usual and lost another 3.5 pounds! Woo Hoo! I have lost 8 pounds in 4 days! I am not starving and actually today kind of felt better. I did not have any weird bowel things going on, and no loss of energy midday. The worst part of this is that I just bought 2 new pairs of shorts and they are already falling off me and I need to make sure I wear a belt with them, and that is not even bad, but I cannot think of anything worse. I like the foods I am eating, and do from time to time want a cookie or something like that, but it is not helping that I am working at Whole Foods and seeing this stuff go through my line all the time for 8 hours. Anyhow, here is my journal of food for today!

8:15am Probiotic Pill, First Cleanse Pill 1
9:00am Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ 5 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP nut-butter and 8oz water.
11:15am 1cup of homemade red lentil and vegetable stew (ingredients: tomatoes, diced celery, red lintel beans, vegetable stock, carrots, spices), 1 portion London broil (grilled), ketchup.
4:30pm spinach and romaine salad w/ ½ avocado, 1 sm tomato, orange sesame dressing (2TBSP), 1 baked boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 apple
8:30pm Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ 5 strawberries, ½ banana, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP nut-butter and 8oz water.

Detox Day 3

Ok, so here I am at the end of day 3. It really has not been bad. The explosive ass did not return today. I am peeing constantly due to the 100oz of water I am supposed to drink everyday, but all in all, I sort of feel better, I have lost about 5 lbs in 3 days, and the food I am eating is really good and really healthy. I am wondering what tomorrow will bring. I hope that my system gets all flushed out.

While dairy and gluten are not major part of our diet, they are part of it and I think that I can get rid of them for the most part of everyday life. I think after this detox I will not fully give them up, but make a conscious choice to eat them less. As for the grains, I like the rice once in a while, but am not missing them too much. Sugars are not really temping me, but again, like the dairy and gluten, I won't cut them out, but consciously limit the intake of them. I do feel better but not sure if it is a mental thing, or an actual physical difference. I hope at the end of the 10 days I will feel a definite physical change.

Here is my daily food journal for today.
7:30am Probiotic Pill
First Cleanse Pill 1, 20oz water
8:30am Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP EVOO and 8oz water.
12noon 2 – 1/4lb ground beef patties with garlic and onion, 2 slices tomatoes on romaine lettuce leaves with mustard and ketchup.
4:30pm Baked boneless skinless chicken breast, romaine salad with ½ avocado and EVOO and balsamic.
5:30pm First Cleanse Pill II
9:30pm carrot sticks and nut-butter, water

I drank 110oz water today.

Detox Day 2

So here I am on day 2 of the detox. Other than losing 3 pounds yesterday, I have to say I do not feel much different. She did tell me that the "First Cleanse" pills I am taking might make me feel a bit tired, which they have, but I find that I am tired in the middle of the day usually when I am at home and not doing anything active anyway.

Oops...well, I guess the second part of the cleanse is a little diarrhea. It sort of came unexpected and no, I did not shit myself, but did make a mad dash for the bathroom. Other than that, I feel like I am drinking a ton of water and always having to pee, which smells kind of weird. Not sure if that is due to the "First Cleanse" pills or the food I am consuming, not that the food is so far off what I usually eat, but there is definitely a lot more leafy greens than normal.*

They say the first 2 or three days are the hardest, which it is. That could be due to the fact that I am home and not working to take my mind off it, but due to the "bowel issues" I seem to be facing this afternoon I am glad I am not at work. I guess I need to take "pill II" much earlier to have all this "cleansing" happen before I go to work. Anyhow, here is my food journal so far for today. Again, I will update it with the full stuff before bed tonight. I may take a nap. I am a bit sleepy.

May 12, 2009
8:05am Probiotic Pill
First Cleanse Pill 1
8:45am Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ 1sm banana, 3 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ½ TBSP EVOO and 8oz water.
12:30pm romaine and spinach salad with 1 baby cucumber and 1/8c sunflower seeds with EVOO and balsamic vinegar, 2c fresh miso soup with shrimp and broccoli, 25oz water
3pm small banana, more water
5:30pm First Cleanse Pill II, 20 oz Water
6:30pm mustard marinated chicken breast, 3 small red potatoes fried in olive oil with garlic and fresh sage and basil, ½ zucchini, ½ yellow squash, 1 TBSP ketchup, 30oz water
8:30pm grapefruit

I drank a total of 101oz of water throughout the day.

*(Note: I talked with Walter who is not taking the First Cleanse pills and he is eating about the same as I am, and his pee does not smell weird, so I think it is due to the pills.)

Detox Day 1

While it feels no different than most mornings, there is a linger in the air of change. I am quite excited over the change and to bring my nutrition up a notch. Last year I had decided to go raw for a full 30 days. It was amazing. I felt so much better and had so much more energy not to mention that I lost 30lbs of crap off my body. Raw eating is nothing I could do every day and neither is vegan or any other excessive practice, but we met with the nutritionist at Whole Foods for the purpose of becoming more educated and working to bring our nutrition to the next level.

While I look at product ingredients and try not to eat fast food and make "better" choices on what we are eating, I feel that I can be more educated on the subject and you know KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! So I talked Walter into meeting with Carly (the nutritionist) and finding out how to get started. At the time I made the appointment, I had no clue that I would be working at Whole Foods alongside Carly but it is nice to have a reminder everyday at work now.

So here is what she is wanting us to do for a detox for 10 days.
NO Dairy
NO Soy
NO Gluten
NO Grains
NO Sugar
CUT my coffee intake by half

When I first saw these demands I was like, what? The first thing I asked was about soy...Walter and I eat tofu from time to time and just switched to a soy creamer for our coffee as a healthier alternative to CoffeeMate. Carly explained that fermented soy is ok (think Miso Soup) but once it is processed so much to make these other things that it loses the nutrition, plus, it is only 10 days.

We got our consultation with the diet/lifestyle change last Wednesday and decided to wait it out and start the cleanse today. So here we are. I will probably update my food diary here by the end of tonight, but here is the start of it. This is something we have to email to Carly daily for the first 5 days of our cleanse so she can ream us if we are doing something wrong. Her instructions, "You bite it, you write it!" Wish me luck!

Food Journal

May 11, 2009

8:20am Probiotic Pill

First Cleanse Pill 1

8:50am Gym

9:20am 20oz water

10am Whey Protein Isolate shake w/ ½ banana, 2 strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, handful of peanuts and 8oz water.

10:30am Yardwork

1pm Grilled Salmon (palm sized), romaine and spinach salad with grated carrots and ½ avocado with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. 20oz of water.

3pm Starting to get fatigued

3:20pm Carrot sticks (about 2 large carrots) and hummus (WF plain hummus), 20oz water

6:30pm Boneless/skinless chicken breast (baked, lightly seasoned), fresh miso soup with shrimp and broccoli, 30oz water

8:20pm First Cleanse Pill II

10:30pm Banana, 20 oz water.

Throughout the day I drank a total of 115oz of water.