My Food Blog - by Brika

I took some “after” pics today, considering I only did Phase 1 of the protocol for 2 weeks (not sure I can physically do much more).  I’m ready to start hiking, biking, yoga’ing and all that jazz, and I just don’t have enough calories.  I feel fantastic day to day, don’t get me wrong.  Energy and motivation are beyond what I expected.  I just know know I will be doing damage to my muscles if I do anything too intense without more calories and carbs to burn.

That being said, I am happy with my before and afters, but I’m not sure how impressive they’ll be to others.   I finally dropped from a firm 8 to a firm 6 (some of my 6’s are even kind of lose!)  It’s hard to see with the naked eye, and to be quite honest, it almost looks like camera tricks. 

I also kind of look like a convict in my pictures, so I’m going to say this up front that I am not vain… but I wish I’d done a better job making my face presentable for these photos! ;)  I plan to compare these photos to images from the middle and end of the summer, once I’ve gotten back to being super-active, which I have already started with light yoga.

Sorry to let you down, but no before and after pics yet!

I’m still on Phase 2, which still involves some weight loss.  Not as high of a rate, but it’s important to phase back in some foods before diving head-first into a breakfast full of carbs, which I’m excited to do very soon!  Phase 3 adds back in a full breakfast, and after that I’ll be able to have a celebratory glass of wine!

After two full weeks of diligence, my last weigh in put me down 7 lbs from where I started… that was on Friday.  Today, I hope to weigh in at 128 or 129 so I can transition off sometime this week and begin hiking/biking again!

I must say the past two weeks haven’t been as difficult as I thought they would be, hind sight.  It’s worth all of the effort to feel as good as I’ve felt and to lose at a consistent rate.  The protein supplement aspect was a life-saver.  My muscles feel different than they usually do on a diet.  I usually feel weak and rubbery, but this time I felt strong and still do feel strong.  I’ve wanted to go for a run this whole time!  Granted, I knew better because I knew I could damage my muscles by doing-so if I wasn’t eating any sufficient carbohydrates.

But today, I’m going to Yoga, and as soon as I transition off of this diet, I plan to start (trying) to run!  I haven’t ran in years, a great reason being I had 20-30 extra pounds to tote around and my knees hurt miserably.  I wonder if trying again after all of this weight loss will make as much of a difference as I hope.

So I have a few more days of stabilization and potential weight loss, after which I will take my “After” pics and post both my before and afters together!  I dont’ expect jaw dropping results, but I’ve definitely lost a great deal of my remaining tire aroud my tummy, and my chest, thighs, and waist have slimmed down enough to so that many of my “tight fitting” pants now slide-off.

It’s a blessing and a curse…

The viral video from Robert Lustig, MD discussing “Sugar: the bitter truth” details how he believes Fructose is a poison!  You can each watch and determine your own opinions on the matter, but either way I agree with what he’s saying. 

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

I have been trying to explain to people for as long as I’ve been doing what I do that the following things are important:

1. Limiting sugars (especially from sodas and fruit flavored drinks) is more important than the “low fat” obsession
2. Fiber is especially important, and not the kind you get in “fiber one” bars… the kind from fruits/veggies
3. Exercise is not a solution for overindulgence in calories/sugars.  (I’m not saying exercise is not good for you when it comes to general good health, but it’s not the only solution to obesity)

Ok, so I agree with this guy.  What do we do about it?  We can change the way we eat, but how?  A lot of people don’t know where to start.  Or, they change their ways, but they’re already overweight or obese… how do they get the weight off?

Weight loss is not a natural process.  Our bodies are not designed to lose weight.  Take a 120 lb person for example, and allow her to gain 30 lbs.  She may still look normal, and could certainly survive with 30 extra pounds.

Take that same 120 lb person, and allow her to lose 30 lbs… she probably wouldn’t make it!  That’s not to say someone who is 200 lbs shouldn’t be able to afford to lose 30 lbs, it’s just that our bodies don’t know how to do it on their own.

I love the value of knowledge that comes along with understanding the body’s physiology.  Sharing it is even more fun!  I am doing weight loss seminars in my town in Colorado, but wonder if doing webinars would be of interest?  If you would be interested in virtually attending one of the weight loss seminars, please let me know.  I will try to organize one sooner than later so I can share the love with those who aren’t geographically close enough to benefit.

As for my status… Today is day 11!  I want to get more strict so I can hurry up and get done.  I’m down 5 solid pounds in <2 weeks, and I’m shooting for 128 before I stop.  Mainly because I will gain a few lbs in water weight when I return to eating a balanced diet, and also because I want to fit smoothly into a pair of pants I’ve been eager too get back into!  I’m almost there…

I haven’t been to a Rockies game yet, and I may have picked a poor time to go… I didn’t realize how yummy hot dogs smell. Funnel cakes too!! Wish me luck! I’ve been a saint today as far as my diet goes. I just have to remind myself that I’ll be done sooner if I don’t cheat. I didn’t crave hot dogs until I smelled them… safe to say if I’d cheat I’d rather have a hunk of brie and an entire loaf of French bread.

See my post on my Wordpress about my Miracle Noodles experience… www.brika.wordpress.com.

I wouldn’t use the term “cheat” to describe what I did today.  The day started rough!  I was nauseous while I was having my breakfast protein supplement, and felt almost like low blood sugar.  I opened and ate some of limited snack item that I had on hand for such an occasion.  Within minutes, I felt fine again.  However, now the bag of snacks was open, and I continued to endulge on this packet for the rest of the day.

I opted-out of 1 of my 2 cups of veggies this afternoon for lunch.  I was full!  So for dinner I figured it would be OK to eat an extra egg (to compensate), and I finished the protein snack I had opened earlier to make up for my night-time protein.

I’m not sure how detrimental that is in the grand scheme of things.  I’ve been so diligent so far, and it’s working… but I weighed myself today and I was up a pound.  Granted, I always tell my clients not to worry, because it’s your weight over a period of time, not day by day, that is important.

Today wasn’t a super rough day, I guess I just gave myself an inch, and I took two!  I better suck it up!  Only one week left before I might have to call it quits, just so I can transition off before May!  I’m ready to ride my bike again, and for some strange reason, I’ve been wanting to run lately!

Let me be honest and say… I never liked herbal tea.  NEVER!  Until now!  As I am not able to enjoy fruit juices, I have been hot and ice-brewing fruity and herbal teas!  I’m also still avoiding coffee, black and green tea (for allergy reasons) so even tea infusions are a no-go.  But I’ve found a few awesome herbals, and here they are.

1.  Harney and Sons African Autumn, caffeine free herbal tea… I found it at Barnes and Noble’s cafe!  It’s a Rooibos tea with cranberry and orange flavors, and it’s the first tea I can drink hot without sweetener!

2. Tazo Vanilla Rooibos, found at Starbucks (and perhaps some stores that sell Tazo like Target…)  This is also a Rooibos but more soothing than the one above, due to the vanilla.  No sweetener needed!  Also good hot!

3.  Tazo Passion (Iced and Shaken)… Justin and I went to REI today and got iced teas before we walked around.  I got the unsweetened Passion tea and was quite surprised… a COLD TEA I can drink without adding sweetener to it!  Amazing!

4.  Sports Drink Herbal Tea at Fluid Coffee Bar…. I just hope it’s there the next time I go back.  It was iced and bright orange with ginseng and orange and amazingness.  It tasted so amazing… I want to find out how to get that at home.

[sorry, no pic]

5. Teavana White Chai Spice, courtesy of my fiance, my super gift for Christmas that just keeps on giving.  I still enjoy this hot ~ on time a week, and man-oh-man… no extra stuff needed, I can just drink this down plain.

This is a huge change for me, as I was first an artificial sweetener girl (the blue stuff) as well as a “sugar free” girl… and slowly switched to real sugar and sweet due to some problems with my health.  I always got jealous when I saw people drinking tea without sweeteners in it, like I didn’t have the will power, and now I feel like I’m re-training my body!

So the moral of the story is, by day 8 I’ve learned to use tea as a reasonable “snack” although it has 0 calories (as long as you don’t ruin it with sugar, honey, or funny business).  It’s satisfying hot or cold, and once your pallet adjusts to the lack of sweetness, it’s quite enjoyable!  I’ve always wanted to be a tea person, and never liked herbals… I guess I just “matured” a bit this week.

I bought and cooked portobello mushrooms today for the first time in my life!  In fact, I don’t think I’ve hardly eaten them, even when prepared for me.  One time at a super-fancy work event with my fiance, they had portobellos hiding under a delicious steak, and I remember THAT on being very good.  I must say, I either grew up, or I am an amazing cook, because I LOVE LOVE LOVED those mushrooms!  I just seasoned them just like a steak — salt, pepper and garlic salt!  grilled for about 7-10 minutes and YUMMM!

This is the 2nd time I’ve prepared mushrooms this week.  Something about grilling them makes them tolerable to me.  (And by grill, I mean using a grill pan).  After using this grill pan, it makes me want a real-deal grill!

I also bought steaks, and had to call my dad from the store to figure out what the heck to buy.  I’m looking forward to enjoying those with Justin tonight.  Probably paired with kale since I haven’t had any “greens” yet today.  I think I’ll need to continue the diet for one more week, assuming I continue to lose another 1-2 lbs this week.  Then I will have 2 weeks with 2 servings of animal protein, and one fewer protein supplement, and will probably continue to lose at about .5 to 1 lb a week. 

By the 3rd phase, I will be adding back in a ton of food at breakfast only.  I’m pretty happy w/ the results after only one week, but I want it to all be worth it by the time I’m done. 

Today I will start adding in exercise. I wanted to give my body a week to adjust to the limited calories and change in “fuel”.  So far, energy is a non-issue, I just need to ease into it, since I don’t want to accidentally burn muscle.  I do however want to use my muscle… so today should be a good day to start at the gym!

I seem to forget I’m dieting, other than the fact that I am losing weight and not only feeling skinny, but I can actually tell I’m slimming down.  ***DISCLAIMER, I know most of the initial weight is from water, but it’s just further reassurance that it’s working the way it’s supposed to.

Lunch today was fun!  My fiance Justin was home and  I cooked him some chicken on our fabulous grill-pan.  I tinkered with some of the Ideal Protein foods and made a “chili pizza”, a high-protein snack that surprisingly resembled a cheeseless pizza!  It made two servings and I plan on making my co-worker jealous tomorrow. She is also on the program and we are having fun coming up with fun alternatives to the mundane diet foods. 

I think getting bored on a diet is the worst thing a person can let happen.  Challenge yourself!  Try foods you’ve never tried before.  You can youtube “how-to” videos for just about any thing you need to know how to make.  I will openly admit that Youtube taught me how to cook!  And thankfully so, because I would still be 30 pounds heavier if I never learned how to eat real food…

My goal weight is upper 120’s.  Mind you, over 3 years ago I’m not sure how much I weighed, but it was probably nearing 160.  I love who I’ve become, it has been a journey and it hasn’t always been easy.  I’ve fallen down on my face a few times, and I’ve learned some hard lessons, but I have my health back and my life back, and can look back now and say it was all worth it.

Once I am done, I plan to incorporate more fruits, nuts and seeds, and a few whole grains back into my diet, but I do NOT plan to add back in cheese (unless its brie) or sweets (unless I make them myself).  I may dive right into a detox aftewards and complete another food elimination.  I’m in the mode…