day 1: life after diet

so my 90 days was up yesterday and i haven't weighed myself just yet but last time i checked i had lost 16lbs. i'm guessing i rounded the 90 days out at around 17-18 lbs lost.

so now what? well for starters 6 weeks ago i would have sworn up and down that at the end of the 90 days i would run out and gobble a pizza, 10 donuts and a 2 liter of coke. but now that my official 90 days is over i don't feel that way at all. in fact the insatiable cravings for cake and things like that had vanished i generally eat when i'm hungry (only) and am relatively satisfied the rest of the day. on the off chance i have a super sweet tooth after dinner a scoop or two of coconut water ice cream (agave sweetened) makes the craving go away. i eat less and generally don't feel that crazy full feeling which later turns into full on lethargy.

so what have a i learned: i don't think i'm totally okay, i think that will take years of this and learning to balance. with my minor cheats under my belt i can see that one slip up does not undo all your hard work but also once in a while treats have to stay as such in order to keep succeeding.

i thought about going another 90 days and i thought about ending the diet here and then it dawned on me that it's not really a  diet anymore. it's just the way i eat. that seems oddly satisfying, i think i needed the rigidity of the diet concept to keep me in line and i needed a goal date to make myself stay true to the course.

but i know what bad food does to me, clearly i am more affected by things like flour, sugar, yeast and vinegar  than other people and it's okay for me to stay away from them most of the time. i have lived through these 90 days more than comfortably and i feel much healthier and in tune with my body than i thought i would at the beginning of this journey. i know i will find new temptations and i'm sure i will have my slip ups but i have been inspired both my my feeling of well being and by the changes i have seen in people around me.

i never thought i would find my husband loading up with morning coffee with agave nectar and i never thought i could inspire my dad to lay off bread and beer in order to feel better. will power is an incredible thing when you really want something.

i won't bore you with my revelations. i am happy and excited to take on the non-diet diet of the rest of my life and i hope you'll stick around for the ups and downs.

hugs.

10 days till my 90 day goal

woah!

i can't believe how quickly the time has flown. on oct 12th i will have met my original 90 day goal for following this regimen. there have been ups and downs and while i'm not quite ready to look back and comment on the process (because i'm not quite done) i am happy to report i am not in any desperate frenzy to end the routine.

yes, i have dreamed of walking into a bakery and eating 12 chocolate croissants and sugary sweet latte after latte. but, the longer i take care of business and follow my rules the less and less i am overcome with the insane insatiable cravings i once had.

people keep asking what will happen after my 90 days are up and at this point i am not quite sure what my answer is. i think i'll press on for a few more months maybe until the chirstmas holiday. this will give me an excuse not to ruin it all during halloween.

some quick thoughts about changes moving forward:

• beans are coming back in a big way. beans were my go to cheat food when i was at a place where there were limited options. in those scenarios i never had an adverse effect so i think i'm in the clear on beans.
• i'm not ready for unleavened breads (other than kamut bread) i think i will wait until the new year to test that out. 
• agave is here to stay. no need to mess with sugar, it's bad for me and is high in calories. i'm sticking to agave nectar. in all the substitutions i have used it in it's been fantastic. each type (variety) of agave has it's own properties; amber agave is more maple syrup like and has a combination flavor or brown sugar and syrup, lighter agave has a closer taste to corn syrup and is clean and crisp. 
• kamut (as a grain) alternative was not particularly impressive or easy/quick to cook. i think quinoa and kamut pastas are better alternatives for my lifestyle.
• although it has a bit of natural sugar coconut water is a hydration life-saver. nate loves it for de-hangovering and i love it when i haven't been able to get all the water servings i need in each day. i think it's also on the keeper list.
• roasted salted almonds also make the keepers list because they have stood the test of time as my go to (in my desk & purse) snack. 

i think that's most all for now. i checked today and i've lost 2.2lbs since my last check-in and i'm hoping for 2 more by the 12th and maybe one more period?!!? 

and before i sign off i want to share a little happening that has given me more hope in this new lifestyle. nate went to syracuse for a one week training for work last week. he was on his own with restaurant food daily. i figured he would go wild with hamburgers and pizza (which i think is reasonable). he did mostly eat fast food while he was away but against all my notions he came home craving organic veggies, fruits and yogurt! so while he has been a steadfast pillar of strength and support with me in this.... turns out my martyr has been feeling better and healthy while sharing partially in my lifestyle change. go us!

cheers and happy fall.

-tai

p.s i have some new great recipes from trial and error and friends (like katharine) to share for those who are interested. click here to see these new (and all the old) recipes. 

sweet treats (agave sweetened)

i'd been thinking for some time that someone out there must have conceived of an idea to make delicious teats that are tasty and at the same time fit the rules of all these restrictive gluten, dairy, yeast free regimens. my friend mina mentioned that she had tried some ice cream like desserts made with coconut water but couldn't remember the brand.

so i did a little digging and found that turtle mountain makes incredibly good treats.

i tried the raspberry sorbet and the vanilla coconut milk ice cream. both amazing and have a great really smooth texture. they are made with real fruit and vanilla beans and coconut water or milk as the base and they are sweetened with agave.

the best part other than the super deliciousness is that 1/4 of a carton is a single serving which only has 150 calories. hallelujah!

you can find these products at whole foods. try it, you won't regret it.

proud of myself

quick update.

had a mini birthday dinner for a friend last night and nate brought a foursome of crumbs cupcakes. red velvet, peanut butter cup, oreo and some kind of super chocolate kind. i even cut the cupcakes and severed. nate asked if i was gonna cheat a little on this one and i said no. i meant it and i didn't even feel the temptation.

go me.

tiny cheats confession

i am still within my 90 day strict phase of the candida diet so technically i'm supposed to be as strict and limited as possible and i have to admit i am pretty proud of myself thus far but i need to get a few quick cheats and realizations about those cheats off my head.

• i have had beans twice (at mexican places to augment the size of my tiny meal once i realize that fajitas with no tortillas is not a lot of food)
• i've had one dollop of mayo (which contains vinegar) on tuna fish on two occasions
• i've had some soy sauce and now that i think about it i'm sure there has also been sugar in some of the sauces on beef with broccoli from chinese takeout places. (probably 4 or 5 times)
• as i mentioned in my previous blog i have had bread and pasta (each on time) which were mixed with wheat and corn flour.
• i've had a few cups of decaf coffee (3 or 4)

all of these cheats yielded in no real feeling of change or negative physical reaction. many of them had such minimal amounts of things i'm not supposed to eat that i think even in this early stage of my diet my body can handle it. i also think beans will be an early add back in after the 90 days i really feel they are a great addition to my personal diet. 

however last night, i was at a wonderful housewarming party and there was a beautiful slab pie with fresh hand whipped cream. i made it the whole night without really cheating more than accidentally having a carrot at the dip station and having a drizzle of soy sauce on some asian wraps. but that slab pie was calling my name. late in the evening i finally gave in and cut a one inch by one inch square put a dollop of cream on it and went for it. 

about 10 min later i did that same thing again. tiny insignificant pieces of pie. my body totally freaked out. i was full from eating lots of other things but suddenly my body was craving pie, i started imagining breaking down and just serving myself  3 massive slices and inhaling them. by body was craving sugar like i have never experienced. the yeast in my body had been fed on the minimal sugar in the two bites and was willing me to feed it more.

at this point i decided to leave, to take myself away from the overwhelming temptation. but clearly i'm not ready for tiny cheats, especially where sugar is concerned. my body is not in balance or control enough to handle that yet. and i think i have to be ready to not be at that place for a long long time. that feeling of salivation and almost un-natural convulsion is the same feeling i used to give into with sweets all the time wondering "if i'm so full how can i possibly be eating ANOTHER cookie or ANOTHER piece of cake?" it was an awful feeling and my desire to taste the pie was not satiated in any way. 

so it's back to the strict for me at least for the next 45 days. 

micro update

i haven't updated in a few days so i wanted to touch base on how i have been feeling and things.

this past week has been interesting with the diet. i will start with the good news.... i have lost 4 pounds. which believe it or not is a major victory for me. according to my obgyn and my obgyn friend losing 10 pounds can drastically effect how your body's hormones work together.  the bad news is that i have some very basic eating habits that are hard to break even now. many digestive health professionals suggest that if you're going to eat large meals with grains or seeds and protein you should try to have them at lunch time and try for more leafy greens and fiber in the evening. this gives your body longer to digest your large lunch and you are more likely to drink enough water in between meals to help your body process the food properly.

it's hard to have dinner at lunch time and lunch at dinner time. but i'm working on ways of at least balancing out the meals so they are similarly sized and serving myself smaller portions at dinner even if the food is more hearty than my lunchtime salads.

water is really the other key, while my poop has been pretty consistent i find some days that the difference between a great bm (bowel movement) and an okay one is a few more glasses of water. i'm hoping i find a water schedule while at work and on weekends that allows me to drink enough water but not be a slave to the potty.

i also have suffered from overly dry feet for many years, and as it turns out that dry foot was fungus. as of 2 weeks ago my feet have not been dry or flaky at all. it's really incredible what food does to your body.

lastly i found a pretty good cookie recipe, which actually tastes more like a bar or a scone, that has been helping me snack better between meals and at breakfast time. they're loaded with protein and fiber and the recipe is simple so they can be edited to fit peoples tastes.

so those are my updates, today i am sleepy but not from sluggish body feeling just sleepy from lack of sleep.

cheers!

cake withdrawals?

i know. i know.

to be frank, i haven't had any crazy insatiable cravings yet. i haven't missed coffee too much, i'm not dreaming of bagels, bow-tie pasta & corn bread.

i can't however, get the image of a big yellow cake with vanilla frosting on it out of my head. it's haunting me.

for the record i haven't cheated. i just need to get this cake business off my chest.

shake shack update

first of all inception was incredible and will only be confusing if you don't have an imagination.

second, here are my observations about my first dinner out on my diet:

• i had a double burger with no bun, dry, with lettuce, tomato, pickle and onions. & one plain hot dog.
• hamburgers are really really greasy without the bun to soak up all the fat. 
• the burger was good but i think unless the meat is excellent cheese, ketchup and bun are necessary.
• hot dogs are also very greasy when cooked on a flat top with no bun.
• i like the hamburger better than the hot dog. 
• overall i was pleased but surprised to find that pure protein did not tie me over as long as veggies and quinoa do. i had to grab some chopped veggies and berries about 2 hours later.
• the other thing that started happening last night, which i didn't expect, is that i started feeling very unwell about 30 min after shake shack. 
• i felt almost like i was detoxing, i was clammy, cold, sweating profusely. 
• when i have done cleanses generally there is a period after your body eases into the process that it starts to eliminate all the waste (in this case the bacteria fighting themselves) and your body has a physical reaction. 
• i fell better today but have not eaten anything so we will see.

i know it's not easy taking someone out to eat and watching them suffer with a plain burger patty. nate and skye were very gracious with me last night and i'm very grateful. i'll find a better way to participate soon enough. 

weekly menu recap- week 1

• Monday: i began my week poorly, for certain a place to really mess up this whole process right from the jump. we had a guest over and were so busy socializing that by the time dinner came around we didn't have time or energy to cook anything. we decided to order chinese (but i insisted on a szechuan house which has much more authentic & less greasy cuisine). i had:


• greasy chinese "the better-ish way": beef with broccoli (extra broccoli) with some kamut i had prepared & ready in place of rice.

• Tuesday: 


• mock tacos: romaine lettuce cups with ground turkey breast (sautéed with onions & seasoned in cumin & mexican blend spices) and white quinoa salad (cooked in chicken stock and mixed with cilantro, chopped tomatoes & minced white onions)

• Wednesday:


• meat & mock potatoes:: new york strip steak (pan seared in a little olive oil and seasoned with fleur de sel), cauliflower puree (seasoned with garlic salt, a pad of butter &  freshly cracked black pepper) and spinach sautéed with chopped garlic & extra virgin olive oil

• Thursday:


• super protein salad: chunk light tuna and quinoa over chopped romaine with cherry tomatoes, baby bells, cucumbers & thinly sliced red onions with a lemon/olive oil dressing  plus salt & pepper.

• Friday: tonight proves to be my biggest challenge so far. i am going to see the opening of inception with nate and my cousins skye, alexis, manny and jill. skye had planned to attend the grand opening of shake shack in times square. if you're not familiar with shake shack click here to see their fantastic menu. i don't want to avoid the outing for several reasons:


• a. i'm going to have to figure out how to eat at these kinds of places and stick to my diet. i can't live under a rock.


• this is nyc for christs sake! one time i ate at a restaurant called zen where they make bacon shaped soy to top patty shaped soy on a bun shaped soy something or other. I'm sure restaurants are used to all kinds of crazy diets, requests and questions. right?


• b. nate has been a doll and he has pretty much eaten all the same things as me this week. i think he deserves a chance to stuff his face. 
• if i can make it through this without cheating i can make it through anything. (i think)

i'll post tomorrow morning to help alleviate the extreme suspense i'm sure you all have about my temptation this evening. hopefully, the movie will be good to and i can suggest you see it or not. 

cheers!