So I can’t count and shoulda knocked on wood

It is now day 12 and within a few hours of writing that I could see this being long term I wanted to eat ev-er-y-thing!

My day was supposed to go like this
Breakfast: Smoothie ( choc almond milk, banana, blueberries, soy protein, kefir)
Snack: 3 dates
Lunch: Veggie ground round, red beans, half cob of corn, green salad with red peppers and feta
Snack: “Super yogurt”
Dinner: Chicken, veg, coconut, curry sort of soup.

I had that plus, plus, plus - I tried to pace myself with water and herbal teas but it only temporarliy slowed me down.

Also add: dried mango, papaya, strawberries, and a Kenyan puffed wheat snack, more dates, and in the evening a second helping of the soup, fresh coconut, then made up a peanut butter/cocoa/coconut treat (will refine and post recipe - not bad actually), and then a sort of tofu cream cheese /kefir/chocolate pudding. And then dark sea salt chocolate, even more dates and topped it off with a handful of cinnimon hearts.

It came to around 160 protein, 160 carbs, 50 fats, 2200 calories. The day is over, it was off-the-wagon (not just off-plan) but I’m going to hope that’s enough to convince my body there’s no famine and it will chill out the next couple of days (I'm sure I've read a theory like that).  Hoping, hoping, hoping. And I’ll have to get my head back in the game  because it really is a mind game with myself (and really only me).  Game on, game on, game on. 

Song of the day: Amii Stewart's Knock on Wood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztZ7WFo3nw

10/17 or Spring cleanse

Today a colleague who has started the 17dd asked me if I was looking forward to day 18.  But in the last few days I’ve been thinking this style of eating is something I may keep.  Because I’m not following it as prescribed I’m not worried about the negative results of a long term low carb or low calorie diet. (bad breath from ketosis, nutrition gaps, constipation, underweight).  So in the next cycle (days 18-34) I’m curious to note what adding certain foods to my diet will do to my energy and hunger levels and my general feeling of wellness. 

Even with the total exceptions to the guidelines that I’ve had (mother’s day and today some of the treats of a visiting international students) I have a sense of accomplishment of making a plan and following through with it. Especially for someone like me who ponders and debates and dithers a lot before I ever actually do something. (Seriously, I’ve done decision trees for my personal life)

What is interesting is other people’s reactions.  My immediate family is understanding, they know I felt better a couple of years ago on a low sugar diet. But some friends and acquaintances are less helpful even if they mean well.  My roommate, who has done it (down 10 pounds through cycle 3) and helpful in some ways has also made a few quips about my alterations to the plan, but that’s her issue not mine. (gosh look at me, all mature and wise)

What I don’t know how to respond to is other acquaintences.  If/when asked (I used to rarely eat salads at work) and I say I’m doing the 16+1 day thing a common response is “diets don’t work” or “ you don’t need to diet/ lose weight”.  And then I feel the need to justify myself and I worry that I’ll say something that makes it seem like I think they should lose weight too.  But it’s so individual – there are several friends/colleagues whose physique (smaller and larger than mine) or features I admire and yet they may have things they don’t like or want to change.  So I’ve started saying (when asked) I’m doing a “spring cleanse”, that seems to have a more neutral reaction.

Lying hips and truthful scales

According to astrology, jeans, my go to tkd kick and my inner Shakira the hips and thighs are my focus point, my strongest body part and the most fun to shake. However a visit to physio this morning told me that maybe my hips aren’t so strong or stable. I've been having knee pain in tkd and taking a break from it and last week when I joined a group during a round dance (like in this video), my legs were really aching.

So I'm on a plan to do some stretching, strengthening and realigning to reverse the impact of a tight IT band and some weaker muscles. I hope to be back at TKD by the end of May which will coincide nicely with a transition from the most restrictive 16+1 day diet cycle to stage two with more carbs and calories.

I am still feeling good on this plan – sometimes hungry if I don’t plan for snacks but still feeling energetic and not missing the restricted foods too much. (not bread at all which surprises me but definitely oatmeal and chocolate)   

And I'm down 2 pounds in the first 7 days. That even included a rather off-day on Saturday at my grandmother's. For lunch she made seafood chowder, specially without onions for me, and biscuits. I ate the chowder and had spinach salad but passed on the biscuits. And then dinner was lobster*, potato salad and chocolate cheesecake for dessert. I see my grandmother less than once a month so it’s worth it to go off-plan. After all this is a lifestyle not just a diet.

Hope you had a great week!


* Lobster is a tradition for our family on Mother's and Father's day but not so extravagant a one as I live on the coast. We buy it from our cousin, a lobster fisherman or at the wharf. Bought live, cooked outside in a big pot in sea water so it's fresh and sweet tasting. We cover the dining table with newspaper and put out a couple of bowls for shells and dig in.

day 5 - note

I haven't been sleeping as much as usual because I keep waking up early- and yet I am feeling energized.  Normally I am a great sleeper and feel blah if I have less than 7.5 but yesterday on 7 hours I was kind of buzzing but in a happy productive way not a substance abuse way.

My roommate guessed it was the green tea that's a big part of the 16+1 day diet, but I haven't been drinking it. I'm not a fan though I did buy some other kinds to experiement with.

I was very hungry the first two days but the last three, not so much; I think I've worked out a better plan with my meals and snacks so I'm doing well.

Yesterday as example - calories about 1250

Breakfast - smoothie - yogurt, kefir, unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/3 banana
Morning snack - 5 almonds
Lunch - cup and a half of grilled asparagus and kale with nutritional yeast (kind of cheesy taste, good iron) and 4oz lean pork chop that had been baked in 1/4 cup applejuice.  "Super yogurt" = yogurt, kefir, teaspoon of flaxseed oil, 3 prunes
Afternoon snack - blackberres
Dinner - olive and feta scrambled eggs
Evening - big mug of unsweetened almond milk with stevia

So that's me - no weigh-ins until a week, that was a good piece of advice from a friend, it was a bad habit.

Good luck all and enjoy the weekend (if it's a break for you)

Day 1/34

I thought (after musing, pondering, debating, humming and hawing) that I'd give this 16+1 day diet a try, at least the first two cycles.  As I want to make lasting changes and will be exercising more than is recommended I won't be following it to the letter. So I will have fruit after 2pm and eat some non-probiotic yogurt and other oils in addition to olive and flax. 

I know that because of this I am likely to have less substantial weightloss than my friends (examples from earlier post), which is fine.  I'm hoping/planning for a 6 pound loss by day 35.

Day 1
breakfast - 2 boiled eggs* and red pepper
20 min walk to work
lunch - cabbage/broccoli/red pepper/ hummus salad with yogurt/flaxseed/blueberries
30 min walk
afternoon snack - almonds and vanilla almond milk
early dinner - smoked herring kippers with lemon juice and green tea
dinner - two sausages, broccoli, fried in chicken broth with garlic and lemon juice, asparagus soup and 3 prunes
Fitday.com says I'm at 1500 calories.  My feelings so far - ok but I am hungry, and my calories are not that much under my usual (17-1800).  My fat was too high today and I know I need more fresh stuff. The trip to the grocery store tonight will mean getting more protein (lean meat, fish, tofu), pro-biotic yogurt, hummus, flax oil, varied green teas, zevia (stevia pop), fruit and vegetables.  

I'll be posting about once a week as work is getting busy but I will still be following your blogs and wishing you the best (in your day, challenges, goals, successes).

Today's song to remind me to recognize the little changes and only take on a bit at a time - Step by Step - (NKOTB) - look at those dance moves!

Or 16+ infinite of "the Carib-farm diet"

I haven't had time to get to a grocery store yet (none is walking distance) so I've not yet started the 16+1 plan.  However I have reverted back to what I refer to as my Carib-farm diet, what I ate on vacation for two weeks. I came back with great skin, and was temporarily back in my goal jeans.

A few years ago I did a strict no sugar thing (really, the first 10 days were even fruit free) and while it was helpful for health and useful for weightloss, it was hard to be social that way and I found any deviation resulted in a migraine.

The Carib-farm diet (like my Medi-farm diet) was more about simple, close to source food with a good mix of veggies, meat and even breads.  My daily meals at the Carib-farm were predictable -

• 8:30am - bread with butter and jam, dried cranberries (to take with my iron pill) 
• 12:30pm - constant was a big mixed green and veggie salad, rice, and pineapple for dessert. The entre varried (chicken curry, fried fishcakes, frittata, ground beef with fried cheese)
• 8:00pm - often veg and barley soup, or pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce.

And maybe at some point in the day I'd have a piece of fresh fruit (orange off the tree, more pineapple) or coconut...but not every day and I don't remember feeling hungry. I'm sure the heat affected my appetite as well but because of that I was drinking lots of water so I think there was a lot of factors that contributed.  I came back 3 pounds lighter and with that lovely holiday glow that comes from relaxtion (and good, healthy food).

So that's another approach I'm considering instead of the 16+1 diet.  I'll admit part of it is I worry and doubt that I can stick to a rigid plan (even for just 18-1 days) and I've long thought it unfair and pointless to set yourself (or myself as the case may be) up for failture.  So, I am still in the thinking/considering/pondering stage.

Why does stress = treats

So I have a few projects piling up at me at work, emails and phone calls coming in - people looking for information I don't have yet or answers to questions I don't know (or haven't found yet but in some cases should have)
And my response - I raid my colleagues chocolate bowl.

Not a walk outside or a stretch or even a deep breath - it's so automatic.  And it doesn't really work - I had a moment, but just a mini-moment, of a relief from work but I'm not really through it. 

That's the response I have to alter if I'm going to get those last couple pounds (4-6 to get in the jeans for real) and stay there. And enough with the back and forth.

This requires more thought than I have right now but it's what I know is my achillies heel.

What is your main challenge(s) to get to what you want shape/fitness/health/weight wise?