Back on the Bandwagon...

So, I know that I have been terrible about journal-ing for a long time. Almost a month in fact. But do not fear, I am still going strong. Only 2 other major bumps in my diet road. The birthday debacle didn't really affect/effect (I can never remember which one, maybe you can help me Morgan, I know you are good at spelling and grammar) me, because I had been doing really well up to that point. But about 2 1/2 weeks ago I put in my 2 weeks notice at work and decided that I would stay home for a while to get healthy, and take care of myself, and about 4 days later I had a breakdown. It was my day off, and I had to get blood tests in the morning, which meant that I had to be fasting, which meant that I didn't follow my normal morning eating routine. So on the way home I went by Whole Foods Market to check out the place, and left with 4 gluten free food bars (because I was starving) and I was just going to eat one on the way home. And I ate all 4. Then I went to Trader Joes to get some of my flourless sprouted wheat-berry bread, and I also got a block of Dark Chocolate (which is legal as long as I only have like one little chunk a day) and I ate like 4 little chunks. And then I came home and we were all out of veggies, so I just got frustrated, and decided that I was going to just stop doing the diet until I stopped working and it would be easier to follow the schedule... and I promptly ordered pizza and cheesy bread from Dominos. And I proceeded to eat an ENTIRE thin crust ham and pineapple pizza and half of the order of cheesy bread...

So needless to say I was not feeling well the next day...

I have not taken any allergy medicine, nor have I had any problems with my allergies since I started this diet. And when I woke up the next morning, I had a sore throat, stuffy nose, sinus headache, etc... So I went that day and got everything that I would need to no longer be frustrated with my diet, because I realized that quitting the diet and just starting back up later was not an option. It WAS probably the most delicious pizza I have ever tasted, but it was totally NOT worth the hangover the next morning.

Then a few days ago I was heating up some spaghetti for my husband and he was still in the shower (after a long day at work) so I proceeded to eat the entire plate of spaghetti. I did not have quite as bad of a hangover the next morning, but I did not feel good and I had a sore throat again.

And I have decided that there may be a wheat allergy since that is the only thing that I am not allowed to eat that the two dishes has in common. I guess that we will see. But I love staying home and not stressing about work, and I am doing very well on the diet again.

I haven't weighed in a while but I will be updating that shortly as well. :)

Birthdays...

So yesterday was my birthday. 3-11-11 And my team at work bought a birthday cake at work and someone brought a cheese cake. So I ate a little piece of cake and a little piece of cheese cake. Then tonight, my in-laws wanted to take us to dinner for my birthday, and I tried to be good and get my food cooked without butter and no pasta or bread etc... and I was successful until my father-in-law ordered a lobster pizza for am appetizer so I ate some of that because I could have most of it, but it w as delicious. And then they brought out cheddar biscuits. And I ate 2 of those. Then I just ate my dinner and I was fine. And then they gave me a free dessert since it was my birthday, and it was a hocolate chip molten lava COOKIE with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. So I chatted a lot tonight. But hopefully it won't do too mucc damage and I can gt back on track tomorrow. :) I am having a love hate relationship with my birthday. I loved to food but I hated cheating. At least there is only one birthday a year, right?

PHASE 2 Day 1 (3-6-11)

I get to start having carbs again! :) Sprouted Wheatless bread from Trader Joe's, one slice a day. :)

This morning I had my long life cocktail, (tomorrow I will start with just 4 oz of straight cranberry juice with 4 oz of water and the ground flaxseed)

Then I went on my walk

I came home and had a strawberry smoothie, and a slice of my sprouted wheatless toast (from Trader Joe's) with some flaxseed oil sprinkled with cinnamon.

For my morning snack I will have 1/2 a grapefruit

for lunch I am having a Meatloaf Ball (I can explain that later if anyone wants to know what that is, it is not as gross as it sounds.)
and bell pepper sticks, and 8 oz of Cran water

I will have 16 oz of Cran water for the mid afternoon snack.

4:00 snack is still TBD

As is Dinner. :)

Days 11 and 12

I've been getting home late the last 2 nights so I haven't been able to blog. But I have been doing well on my diet still. I had left over shepherd's pie yesterday and today and it was delicious. And I wanted to share some results. Today I wore my old jeans that are smaller than the ones I've been wearing because my jeans were starting to fall off. And I weighed myself today and I weighed 180 lbs so I have lost 6 lbs. in about 12 days. But I have been able to get up with my husband at 6:30 every day instead of at 8:00 like I had been. I was always so tired in the mornings I would sleep in for as long as possible. But I have had more energy and that has been priceless. That alone would be worth doing this diet even if I never lost a single pound. So I guess tha weight loss is an added perk. :) I will try to be better at blogging my food in the next few days. :)

Day 10 (3-2-11)

This morning I had to wait to eat until after I did a blood test to check my cortisol levels. And I took a pill last night at bed time so that I could take the test this morning. And I went in really early but it took a long time for me to be called, and by the time that I was called it had been too long and the pill wouldn't have had any effect on the test, so I have to go in again tomorrow and fast again :(. Oh well, what can you do?

But I drank my Long Life Smoothie

Then I drank the lemon water,

Then I had a strawberry smoothie for breakfast.

I had a hard boiled egg for snack.

Then I drank the cran water before lunch

For lunch I grilled some tuna (from the can) and put it on top of a salad of baby spring mix and tomatoes and parsley, with some flaxseed oil, and cider apple vinegar.

Then I drank my 16 oz of cran water a few hours later

I had an apple around 4:00 as a snack.

and tonight for dinner we had the Elders come, and so I made a Fat Flush Shepherd's Pie. It was delicious, and I will put in the recipe another day because it is getting kind of late right now, but it really was great. And I will have left overs for lunch tomorrow and Friday which I am super excited about. :) I love left overs. :)

And since I bought some ice cream sandwiches for dessert for the Elders and Jeremy. I made myself a frozen cherry smoothie (I thoguht for some reason that I hadn't had my second serving of fruit for the day, and so I thought this was my second serving) and even though I just realized that this was cheating since I had already had all my fruit, I don't feel bad because it was an accidental cheat, and besides it was absolutely delicious! :)

Then I also drank my 8 oz of cran water,

and I had my Long Life Cocktail before bed, and I took my pill again so that I can try and take that test again tomorrow. :)

GOOD NIGHT NEVER LAND! :)

Day 9 (3-1-11)

This morning I woke up and had my Long Life Cocktail

The I went for my 20 minute walk.

Then I came back and got ready for work. And I ate scrambled eggs with some cilantro and tomato. It was delicious!

Now I need to drink my lemon water (I just realized that I forgot to drink it before breakfast) and finish my Cran water.

for snack I had a pear, it was delicious, I haven't had one in a while, because I don't usually buy them.

then I drank more cran water 20 minutes before lunch

and for lunch I had a grilled ground turkey patty that I cut up on top of a bed of baby spring mix, and I put some flaxseed oil, and some Apple Cider Vinegar. And had another 8 oz. glass of cran water.

I drank 16 oz of cran water a few hours later, and for my 4:00 snack I had a nectarine

For dinner I had 2 tilapia fillets that I grilled and then ate on top of a salad but this I had with lemon juice and the flax seed oil. It was very good. And 8 oz of cran water

then I drank a Long Life Cocktail also. :)

Long weekend...

I am still doin well. This weekend I got home well after 11 every night except Sunday when ibwent to bed early. So I didn't have time to write. But I went shopping on Sarurday night and got more vegetables and fruit. I had just been eating baby spring mix and apples and oranges because I didn't think that it would matter what fruit and veggies I was eating as long as I ate some. But I got sick very quickly of eating the same things every day. So I learned that variety is key to success in this diet. I will do more writin tomorrow. And to update also I lost 3 pounds last week. Pretty good I think. Not too fast but making progress. Best of all I feel better.

Day 4 (2-24-11)

This morning I woke up earlier than normal and packed a breakfast and lunch for my sweetie, so he would be able to eat while he was working and wouldn't wait till he got home or have to go out to lunch or something like that.

I drank my Long Life Cocktail

Then I went for a 20 minute walk and then went and got adjusted by my chiropractor (another part of me trying to get healthier and have less pain).

When I came home I drank the hot water with lemon juice, and had a strawberry smoothie for breakfast. (this includes the cran water so you don't drink it separately)

For my midmorning snack I had a hard boiled egg that I mashed up and mixed in some Apple Cider Vinegar. It was delicious.

20 minutes before lunch I had 8 oz of Cran water

For lunch I made something from the Fat Flush Cook Book. It is called a Stuffed Tomato with Tuna Salad*

For my mid afternoon snack I drank 16 oz of Cran water

Around 4:00 pm I ate two mandarin oranges

For dinner I made the lemon and cilantro chicken that I made yesterday for my lunch, and I ate some of a yellow bell pepper also, and 8 oz of Cran water.

Then before bed I drank another Long Life Cocktail


* Stuffed Tomato with Tuna Salad

1 6 oz canned tuna in water, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
1/4 Cup celery finely chopped (I didn't have celery so I used some of a yellow bell pepper instead)
2 Tbsp onion finely minced (since this is not a whole onion, you can chop the whole onion and then freeze what is left to use later.
1/2 tsp Turmeric (supports liver function and acts as an anti-inflammatory... YAY for me, I think this is going to be what I take to work from now on until I find something I like as well as this it was delicious)
1 medium tomato

Mix all of the ingredients (minus the tomato) and then chop off the top of the tomato about 1/4 of the way down and then scoop out the inside of the tomato and the top and stuff it with the tuna mixture. (I had left over tuna salad, so I just put it in a bowl and ate it by itself, it was delicious!)


I was reading in the Fat Flush Plan book today that before starting I should have taken a week to get my body used to doing this diet, but I just jumped in feet first and cold turkey just stopped eating everything I am not supposed to be eating. My body didn't appreciate the drastic change, albeit good, and I have been in a lot of abdominal pain this week, so just a note to any contemplating this diet, buy the book and read it all the way through before starting. I am definitely feeling the difference but it could have been better if I had prepared more ahead of time.

*******************P.S. I figured out how to make "hot chocolate" that I can drink without cheating. You should have too much of it, because cocoa isn't bad but shouldn't be eaten very often for the diet.

1 Tbsp Cocoa poder
1 Tbsp Whey protein powder
and a pinch of stevia

mix the powders all together in the bottom of the mug before pouring the hot water or they won't blend. :)

Day 3 (2-23-11)

Today started off a little weird, because I had to have some blood tests done and I had to go in fasting. So I started eating after I got home.

BREAKFAST
Long life cocktail

8 oz hot water with juice from half a lemon

2 eggs scrambled with mushrooms and a 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 8 oz of Cran water

MIDMORNING SNACK
1/2 a grapefruit
___________________________________

8 oz Cran water 20-ish minutes before Lunch

LUNCH
I used one chicken breast and defrosted it in the microwave. Then I squeezed a whole lemon on both sides with some cilantro that I had dried and crushed. And I broiled it in the oven for 4-5 minutes on each side. Then I cut the chicken into cube sized pieces and put it on top of the baby spring mix so to add some flavor and then added 1/2 Tbsp flaxseend oil. It was the BEST chicken I have had in a long time! And definitely the best that I have ever made myself. :) and I drank the 8 oz of Cran water also.

MIDAFTERNOON SNACK
1 apple

Then at 4:00 I drank 16 oz of Cran water

DINNER
I marinated two tilapia fillets in Apple Cider Vinegar and cilantro then cooked them on the stovetop. I used my small frying pan that is part of the executive cookware line of Pampered Chef. I like this pan because I don't have to use any oil to prevent sticking and that is helping with the diet. Then I ate this on top of my spring mix salad with 1/2 Tbsp flaxseed oil and half a cap cull of the apple cider vinegar and some chopped up mushrooms. And 8 oz of Cran water.

Before bed I drank a Long Life Cocktail

This chicken and fish that I ate today was so good. I still crave French fries when I pass burger king and I passes Arby's twice and wanted a roast beef sandwich. And I had some cash in my pocket on my way home and wanted to try and find something I could eat. But I also crave the good things that I've been eating. Do I have so far been able to fend off the cravings. The carb cravings are the worst, but the only problem I have had is that last night I had already eaten so my husband made some stroganof and left it on the stove. And I went to go put iron the fridge and I succumbed to the craving and ate like 5 noodles with the wonderful sauce. :( but I didn't have any cheating. I think we are definitely going to save a lot of money on this diet because I won't be doing impulse eating at fast food. :)

Day 2 (2-22-11)

So, this morning I woke up early and my stomach hurt a lot, and I went to the bathroom and then went back to bed, and when I woke up again my stomach felt a lot better. My stomach has been hurting all weekend, and I was worried it would never stop, but I think that just one day of doing this diet (almost the way I am supposed to) helped to clean out whatever was making my stomach hurt. So that is a great thing in my opinion, hopefully it will stay that way. :)

I don't have a scale at my house, so I will be going to my mom's house on the weekends and weighing myself there so that I use the same scale every time. Yesterday I weighed in at 186.6 lbs. So that is my starting weight. I am supposed to weigh between 115 and 145 lbs. So this is my goal to be a healthy weight. I want to start having children but right now my body is not in good enough shape to make that possible. So I am hoping that by changing my diet and with my doctor's help, we will be making that announcement soon. :) So keep your fingers crossed for me. :)

Today I woke up and drank a Long Life Cocktail

Then I went on a 20 minute walk and stretched before and after.

Before breakfast I drank 8 oz of hot water with the juice of half a lemon.

Then I made myself a Strawberry smoothie* for breakfast. :)

I ate a hard boiled egg for a snack on the way to work

20 minutes before lunch I drank 8 oz more Cran water

For lunch I made myself a Salad with baby spring mix with half of a yellow bell pepper, 2 small mushrooms chopped up and some cayenne pepper and Albacore Tuna (4 oz). And I put a half Tbsp of flaxseed oil for the "dressing". I am going to have to go and get some Apple Cider Vinegar to use also because this is not the best way to eat a salad. FYI

Then I drank 16 oz of Cran water

&

I ate 1 mandarin orange around 4:00 pm.

For dinner I had a Dion's salad of spring mix pastrami and mozzerrela cheese. And I had the flaxseed oil for dressing again.

before dinner I drank another 8 oz of Cran water and a Long Life Cocktail. :)

*Smoothie recipe

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 heaping Tbsp whey protein powder

8 oz Cran water

1 Tbsp Flaxseed oil

1/4 tsp Stevia (sweetener)

-> this was too much at the beginning, but I think I need to give it more time to sit before I start drinking because as I got to the end of the smoothie it wasn't as sweet and weird tasting. This just takes some experimentation to get the portions right. :)

I put all of this in the blender in this order and then blended it on the Smoothie setting until it was the consistency that I wanted.

Day 1 :) yay for finally starting! (2-21-11)

OK... So I started today a little off, because before I could eat, I had to go grocery shopping to get the food that I needed.... thus the slight change in menu and timing.

Brunch :) (11:30-12:00)

8 oz Cran water

Long life Cocktail (8 oz of Cran Water mixture with a Tbsp of ground flax seed)

8 oz Water with juice from 1/2 a lemon (real lemon juice is so much more potent than store bought) :) who woulda thunk :)

2 Eggs scrambled with 4 small mushrooms a (5 oz) can of White Albacore Tuna in water (it was on sale at Walmart for $1 a can so I splurged, it tastes better than regular tuna) and a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (a little too spicy maybe a little less tomorrow)

-> I put in the tuna here to replace the 4 oz of meat in lunch and will just have a salad for lunch since the 2 meals are so close together today.

Before lunch I ate half of a grapefruit. (I found out that I like to eat this more if I peel it and eat it like an orange.) :)

For lunch I ate a salad of baby spring mix with flaxseed oil for dressing and another 8 oz of Cran water.

a few hours later I drank 16 oz of the Cran water

around 6:00 I ate two mandarin oranges

For dinner we had about 4 oz of Tilapia fish fillets that I sprinkled with ground flax seed and cooked on the stove with some olive oil. Then I sprinkled lemon juice on top (to taste) and served with a salad of baby spring mix with 1 Tbsp of flaxseed oil and some Cider Apple Vinegar. And another 8 oz of Cran water.

Before bed I had a Long Life Cocktail (8 oz Cran water with 1 Tbsp Flaxseed oil .... it was supposed to be ground flaxseed but I told my sweet hubby the wrong thing so I drank the juice with the oil instead of the seeds :) oops)

Awaiting Monday....

I have started doing as much as possible for the diet. I am waiting for Monday's paycheck to go and get food for the diet. So far I have been drinking (real) cranberry juice and water since Thursday, and that has actually helped me to fend off a sinus infection (I believe) and it tastes terrible, but that is ok if it works. :) And I have been eating scrambled eggs (made with just water to prevent sticking) and cayenne pepper for seasoning. I can't wait for Monday to start really doing the diet. I hate to say it, but at this points most of the food in my fridge and pantry are now illegal. :) So I haven't been able to do much. but that will change soon enough. :)

My reasons for the diet...

First of all I would like to explain the title of this Blog. Sometimes when I have tried dieting in the the past it felt like I was going to DIE and I realized that this was part of the name. However since then I have discovered that if you are dieting for a specific reason (and for me weightloss alone was not a good reason which may be why it felt like "die"ting) that it becomes much easier. Now, I would like to explain the reasons behind this particular diet and why my husband and I are going to try it. I have had problems with back and shoulder pain for over a year and it isn't getting better and my doctor suggested that it might have to do with eating what he calls "inflammatory foods". So we are going to try a diet called the Fat Flush Plan that my Grandma and Grandpa and Mom have all done before. And the goal is to see if we are going to be able to reduce some of the inflammation and make it so that I can do more of the things that I want to be able to do that I haven't been able to do with the pain. We'll see how it goes. Wish us luck. :)