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. 

the proof is in the pudding

before & at 60 days:

(june2010)(july 2010)

(sept 2010)

60 day update

so i have made it unscathed to my 60 day mark.

quick highlights recap: so far my cycle has been back in action (two months in a row, although 6ish weeks apart), i've lost 12 pounds and i am going to the bathroom pretty much every day, if not every other day. i am not feeling tired or slothy even when  i have stayed up way too late. i have noticed a considerable difference in my minor body aches and pains and some of my foot/leg pain has been alleviated.

i actually reached my 60 day mark while in colorado visiting my brother at college with my parents & grandmother. this was a real test for me since it's really the first time i have traveled out of the city since embarking on this undertaking. i actually flew in to albuqueruque and was met by my family at the airport and we drove from their 5 hours up to la junta where my brother is at school.

some of the trip was made super easy and comfortable by my wonderful mom & grandma who packed quinoa, berries, tomatoes & my favorite almond flour/dried cranberry cookies. this made the road trip (notorious for junk food from gas stations) up to la junta easy for me. then all the temptation began, for starters if you have ever stayed in a hotel that has breakfast included you are familiar with the most incredible invention of all time: automatic waffle makers. i was generally able to find some things i could eat, but even yogurts like "light and fit" and "activia" have a shit-ton of sugar in them it's incredible.

out in the real world (not the insulated bubble of nyc) it's hard to find good and healthy food. we spent a whole morning at a country fair where there were turkey legs, funnel cakes, super cheeseburgers, pies, cotton candy, chili cheese fries.... i tell you the only thing harder than not eating fresh waffles is smelling fresh funnel cake and not having some of that.

small town restaurants generally don't have a whole lot of options and i ended up having a couple of not so good salads (one which had a band-aid in it). and at one place i had a grilled chicken breast along with my salad.

i can't claim total victory:   the morning after the band-aid incident i was so hungry i ate 1/4 of a waffle with sugar fee syrup. additionally, on the flight home i had a layover in dallas and forced to select amongst the lesser of 100 evils i opted for a veggie wrap from blimpie.

so officially i have 30 days left on the strict version of the diet and i'm feeling good. i will have to re-evaluate how much longer, and at what capacity i will stay on the diet past the 30 days. we will see what the next month brings and then take it from there. every day at a time.

cheers!

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.