You thought I forgot about this, didn't you? I'm still here! And here we are, more than 6 months later. I have cut back on the maintenance things, since there has been quite a bit of travel and such lately. Generally I'm getting in a tea day about once every 2 to 3 weeks and a milk day about as frequently (in fact, today I am doing a milk day - I got inspired this morning to make a lassi for the day). However, I am pleased to say that despite all the traveling I've been doing (including having some fast food - gasp), and despite the holidays and the parties entailed by such, I have thus far managed to maintain the weight loss! Maintain, mind you - not lose any more, which is fine. I have about a 5-pound "bounce" that I allow myself to have as an acceptable gain/loss range. I think you need to have something like that so you don't drive yourself nuts if one week you find yourself up a few pounds. It's going to happen, just be extra good the next week, have some extra water, and watch it fall off again.
I have also been getting to the gym on a semi-regular basis - at least once a week, but often twice. Have not yet been able to get myself there three times a week, since something always seems to come up. But I am not going to make some silly resolution to make it happen. That's just asking for trouble.
Come mid-February or so, I think I am going to get back on the program for a single cycle (44 days - 3 10-days and the 14-day maintenance) to see about dropping those final 10 pounds or so and to get another round of detox in. I was looking today through the recipes I'd posted in here, and realized I had forgotten how much I enjoyed coming up with those crazy things, and how good they were. Especially that Ratatouille - I'm going to need to make that again soon!
Cheers to the New Year!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Update
I returned to the Sadkhin Complex this week for my 1-month follow-up visit. I have successfully maintained the weight, despite a trip to Las Vegas two weeks ago and a party this past weekend. I'm trying to stick to the recommendations for maintenance, but it's difficult these days - it feels like I'm not getting the support from others now that I'm "done" with the program as I was while I was on it. Everyone seems to expect me to just fall right back into old habits and stuff, so impressing on people that I still wish to make an attempt at following the guidelines just earns me funny looks and comments of "But I thought you were done."
You're never really done. The only way for any "diet" to work is to have an actual lifestyle change. So if that means I don't want to eat after 6pm (7pm at the LATEST), or if I want to have a tea fast day or a milk day, or if I want to just do veggies for a couple of days - don't look at me funny. Show the same support as while I was actively on the program. If I allow myself a cheat for each friend, just to avoid the funny looks, I'm going to end up gaining all the weight back. So stop it.
Andre was very proud of me for keeping the weight off so far and that I've done pretty well with the recommendations. I'm proud of me, too. And people keep telling me that they can really notice the difference and are impressed by it. If I want to keep it off, I have to keep it up. Which means I might be funny some days for eating.
You're never really done. The only way for any "diet" to work is to have an actual lifestyle change. So if that means I don't want to eat after 6pm (7pm at the LATEST), or if I want to have a tea fast day or a milk day, or if I want to just do veggies for a couple of days - don't look at me funny. Show the same support as while I was actively on the program. If I allow myself a cheat for each friend, just to avoid the funny looks, I'm going to end up gaining all the weight back. So stop it.
Andre was very proud of me for keeping the weight off so far and that I've done pretty well with the recommendations. I'm proud of me, too. And people keep telling me that they can really notice the difference and are impressed by it. If I want to keep it off, I have to keep it up. Which means I might be funny some days for eating.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Maintenance: Week 2
3 more pounds down! And I'm officially now done with the whole thing and am on my own. I'm being good so far about getting to the gym or going for a good long walk at least 3 times a week. Hopefully I'll keep that up. I'm still getting full from the smaller quantities of food, so I might just be able to keep this going for a while, and finish losing the weight I want to shed. Now where did I put that card... ah, here it is. So these are the "recommended rules" to help keep the weight off:
1. Follow the 5 Ps:
P-1: Portion control - watch the quantity of the food you eat (ok, no brainer)
P-2: Property of the food - choose high quality foods with good nutritional values (duh)
P-3: Proper time of consumption - continue to eat between 12pm and 6pm (I think I can do this - at least during the week, I've gotten used to it)
P-4: Preparation of food - stick to raw, steamed, grilled or baked, don't do fried (again, duh)
P-5: Physical activity - do at least 30 to 40 minutes of exercise a day (I see more walks in my future)
2. Make Thursdays a milk day (I can do that)
3. Make Mondays a fasting day (We'll see)
4. Choose in-season fruits and vegetables (makes sense - fewer preservatives that way)
5. Continue to take the vitamin and herb supplements (I'll probably switch to a generic multivitamin instead of their expensive stuff)
And they suggest repeating the program every 8 to 12 months as a booster. There's more tips and stuff on their website.
1. Follow the 5 Ps:
P-1: Portion control - watch the quantity of the food you eat (ok, no brainer)
P-2: Property of the food - choose high quality foods with good nutritional values (duh)
P-3: Proper time of consumption - continue to eat between 12pm and 6pm (I think I can do this - at least during the week, I've gotten used to it)
P-4: Preparation of food - stick to raw, steamed, grilled or baked, don't do fried (again, duh)
P-5: Physical activity - do at least 30 to 40 minutes of exercise a day (I see more walks in my future)
2. Make Thursdays a milk day (I can do that)
3. Make Mondays a fasting day (We'll see)
4. Choose in-season fruits and vegetables (makes sense - fewer preservatives that way)
5. Continue to take the vitamin and herb supplements (I'll probably switch to a generic multivitamin instead of their expensive stuff)
And they suggest repeating the program every 8 to 12 months as a booster. There's more tips and stuff on their website.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Maintenance: Week 1
It was very difficult to stay completely strict to the maintenance cycle plan this week. With Sunday being Easter, my friends and I went to the Easter Brunch at the Claddagh, and later on was Easter dinner with a friend's family. Dinner was pretty well on-key (shrimp with broccoli, carrots, and cabbage), except that I'd eaten quite a bit off for brunch (sausage, ham, omelette, sweets). Plus there was the little sliver of cheesecake and 2... no, 3 chocolate chip cookies. Oops. Saturday, I had done pretty well though. I ate the leftovers of my crab from Friday, then boiled up the shells to make a seafood stock.
Always keep the shells. Always!
The stock was used later on during my Wednesday milk day to create a creamy onion soup that had just a hint of crab flavoring to it. Monday, I had salmon, broccoli, carrots, and a fizzy mango drink. I discovered this carbonated beverage thing that uses mango puree and sparkling water and that's it - no added anything - so it made a really refreshing fizzy drink. I'd been craving a soda for a little while, so this is a great and healthy alternative! I'm also drinking sparkling water more often than still water this week.
I don't remember Tuesday. What did I have on Tuesday? Was there a Tuesday? Yeah, total blank. Wednesday, as mentioned, was a milk day. I bought some Kefir to try. I couldn't figure out anything to do with it to make it tastier than the standard lassi, or throw it in soup. And it wasn't cooperating - I couldn't get the right mix of anything to make it a tasty drink, so it became the onion soup, which was awesome. Using my Creamy Onion Soup variation, I put the Kefir in place of the yogurt, 1/2 cup crab stock and 1/2 cup Herbal Soup in place of the plain water. I didn't put the herbs in with the onion since I used them for the herbal soup, and I didn't use any honey with it. I'm finding now that if you dice up the onions really finely, they produce enough of their own liquid that the honey isn't required.
Thursday was also a milk day, but I was just not feeling up to babysitting a vat of milk to turn it into yogurt. We went out for Indian food for lunch and I ate it, darn it. I had some chai tea latte later on, but lunch was delicious - just a mix of the vegetarian options from the buffet.
I weighed myself this morning - no change! So I'm holding steady, which is awesome. Last night I cooked up some ratatouille (why didn't I think of THIS one before??) and shrimp in beurre blanc for today. The only way this could have been better is if I had a glass of the white wine I used for cooking to sip with it. It was so delicious! Yes, there was butter involved with cooking the shrimp. No, I didn't consume the butter. At least, if I did consume some butter, it was just droplets.
Recipewill be available on the recipes page later this evening now available! In the meantime, drool over this!
Always keep the shells. Always!
The stock was used later on during my Wednesday milk day to create a creamy onion soup that had just a hint of crab flavoring to it. Monday, I had salmon, broccoli, carrots, and a fizzy mango drink. I discovered this carbonated beverage thing that uses mango puree and sparkling water and that's it - no added anything - so it made a really refreshing fizzy drink. I'd been craving a soda for a little while, so this is a great and healthy alternative! I'm also drinking sparkling water more often than still water this week.
I don't remember Tuesday. What did I have on Tuesday? Was there a Tuesday? Yeah, total blank. Wednesday, as mentioned, was a milk day. I bought some Kefir to try. I couldn't figure out anything to do with it to make it tastier than the standard lassi, or throw it in soup. And it wasn't cooperating - I couldn't get the right mix of anything to make it a tasty drink, so it became the onion soup, which was awesome. Using my Creamy Onion Soup variation, I put the Kefir in place of the yogurt, 1/2 cup crab stock and 1/2 cup Herbal Soup in place of the plain water. I didn't put the herbs in with the onion since I used them for the herbal soup, and I didn't use any honey with it. I'm finding now that if you dice up the onions really finely, they produce enough of their own liquid that the honey isn't required.
Thursday was also a milk day, but I was just not feeling up to babysitting a vat of milk to turn it into yogurt. We went out for Indian food for lunch and I ate it, darn it. I had some chai tea latte later on, but lunch was delicious - just a mix of the vegetarian options from the buffet.
I weighed myself this morning - no change! So I'm holding steady, which is awesome. Last night I cooked up some ratatouille (why didn't I think of THIS one before??) and shrimp in beurre blanc for today. The only way this could have been better is if I had a glass of the white wine I used for cooking to sip with it. It was so delicious! Yes, there was butter involved with cooking the shrimp. No, I didn't consume the butter. At least, if I did consume some butter, it was just droplets.Recipe
Friday, April 22, 2011
Day 51
Fruit/Veggie Day. Technically. But I had some crab at lunch and it was DELICIOUS. I got the Dungeness crab, and substituted the potatoes and corn for broccoli and onion straws (yes, fried, bad me, I know, blah). And I stole some crab dip and chips. I ate one of the knuckles, and took the other two home, so I have it for the weekend. Tomorrow I will begin counting the maintenance days. I went back in for my final visit. I now have a ball taped to the front of each ear - each in a different location on their respective ears. There is no rotating required for these (yay!), they just kind of sit there. Perma-pressure. My maintenance phase has begun. 14 days of maintenance, then I remove the balls and I'm done! I go back in a month for a check up (and to return the balls, I guess... they didn't really say what to do with them other than to take them off) to see how I'm doing. That will be JUST after my Vegas trip, so um, that'll be... interesting...
I only lost 2 pounds this cycle. Which is only 1 pound more than the last time the balls were in this location, and the last time, I majorly cheated. I didn't cheat nearly so much this time, I don't think, so I think perhaps my body just doesn't react to that location like others. But, remember, the second location (intestines) I had a really good loss, which was unusual - so, I'm weird, apparently. Unfortunately, this means I didn't break the 180 mark before maintenance, which is kind of sad. But overall, I'm down 27 pounds, and that is CERTAINLY an accomplishment to be proud of!
So what's the plan now?
Well, a ball on each ear. Still need to eat between noon and 6pm. Wednesdays and Thursdays are to be milk days - so no more 2-day rotations. The rest of the days is more of the same - 1.5lbs of 3 types of fruits and veggies, with the addition of 4-6oz of seafood (any kind of seafood) for the day. And I keep taking the vitamin and herbal supplements. I should also definitely ramp up the exercise to three days a week - no more slacking off in that regard.
My new little card also tells me what to do AFTER maintenance to help keep the weight off. Nothing really surprising about it - eat healthy, don't fry things, make most of your meals be veggies with about 4-5oz of protein on the plate (Andre explained it as "fill half the plate with veggies, a quarter of the plate with protein - be it meat, beans, etc - and a quarter with good carbs - and don't plunge straight into a baked potato, work your way up to it with rice, whole grain pasta..."). Try to eat between noon and 6pm. One day a week as a milk day, one day a week as a tea fasting day, and keep taking vitamins.
I'll be weighing myself once a week from here on out - once I'm off maintenance, I'll likely scale back the blog to be a once weekly check-in, so I can continue to have the accountability of you all, and to keep track of my weight.
I only lost 2 pounds this cycle. Which is only 1 pound more than the last time the balls were in this location, and the last time, I majorly cheated. I didn't cheat nearly so much this time, I don't think, so I think perhaps my body just doesn't react to that location like others. But, remember, the second location (intestines) I had a really good loss, which was unusual - so, I'm weird, apparently. Unfortunately, this means I didn't break the 180 mark before maintenance, which is kind of sad. But overall, I'm down 27 pounds, and that is CERTAINLY an accomplishment to be proud of!
So what's the plan now?
Well, a ball on each ear. Still need to eat between noon and 6pm. Wednesdays and Thursdays are to be milk days - so no more 2-day rotations. The rest of the days is more of the same - 1.5lbs of 3 types of fruits and veggies, with the addition of 4-6oz of seafood (any kind of seafood) for the day. And I keep taking the vitamin and herbal supplements. I should also definitely ramp up the exercise to three days a week - no more slacking off in that regard.
My new little card also tells me what to do AFTER maintenance to help keep the weight off. Nothing really surprising about it - eat healthy, don't fry things, make most of your meals be veggies with about 4-5oz of protein on the plate (Andre explained it as "fill half the plate with veggies, a quarter of the plate with protein - be it meat, beans, etc - and a quarter with good carbs - and don't plunge straight into a baked potato, work your way up to it with rice, whole grain pasta..."). Try to eat between noon and 6pm. One day a week as a milk day, one day a week as a tea fasting day, and keep taking vitamins.
I'll be weighing myself once a week from here on out - once I'm off maintenance, I'll likely scale back the blog to be a once weekly check-in, so I can continue to have the accountability of you all, and to keep track of my weight.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Day 50
Fruit/Veggie day. Wow, I made it to day 50! Tomorrow I go back in for a weigh-in and start my maintenance phase. I probably will not be technically allowed to have fish tomorrow - technically I should probably finish up my fruit/veggie 2-day and have my first fish on Saturday. However, I am heading out for lunch to Joe's Crab Shack with some friends, and there will be fish! I'm so excited!!
Two weeks of maintenance, and then, I'm done! I'm pretty confident I lost more weight this cycle - each time I step on the scale, it goes down a little. Oh yes, I bought a scale for myself for home. About time, huh? Really it's more for when I'm not going down to Sadkhin every 10 days, so I can keep myself on track at home. The gym will have to become a regular part of life, instead of this random, every-now-and-then thing that I've been pulling.
Yay fish!!
Two weeks of maintenance, and then, I'm done! I'm pretty confident I lost more weight this cycle - each time I step on the scale, it goes down a little. Oh yes, I bought a scale for myself for home. About time, huh? Really it's more for when I'm not going down to Sadkhin every 10 days, so I can keep myself on track at home. The gym will have to become a regular part of life, instead of this random, every-now-and-then thing that I've been pulling.
Yay fish!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Day 49
Milk day. I think I hit burnout at work. Yesterday's extreme grouchiness and lethargy coupled with the annoyances of the day just really did me in. When I woke up this morning, I just couldn't get myself up. Lots of aches all over, pounding headache, and light was evil. So I took the day off, and I'm feeling immensely better after sleeping half the day away. I managed to drag myself downstairs to get my vitamins in the morning and have some tea before going back to sleep, and I think I hit about every OTHER rotation (missed the 2pm one though - slept through it) between sleeping. Clearly, I needed it.
I only had the remnants of the store-bought yogurt left from the container I bought to make my first batch of yogurt - I was in no mood to go out, buy milk, and make more of my own last night. Especially since I won't be having another milk day until next Wednesday, if I'm reading the maintenance literature correctly. I'm pretty sure I didn't get up to the 20oz for the day, but whatever. Half cup of yogurt around noon, and another cup combined with a little cheese (tiny bit) for bolstering, cooked up with onion for a creamy onion soup about an hour ago.
My cat has been curled up on top of or next to me all day. I think she's just happy to have me home all day. Back to work tomorrow with fruit/veggie day - having cabbage salad again. Because it is that good. Don't judge me. And then it's a three day weekend, with maintenance beginning! I have a salmon fillet all ready to go, and I intend to have shrimp, scallops, tilapia, and maybe even some crab over the next week. Mmmm fish!
I only had the remnants of the store-bought yogurt left from the container I bought to make my first batch of yogurt - I was in no mood to go out, buy milk, and make more of my own last night. Especially since I won't be having another milk day until next Wednesday, if I'm reading the maintenance literature correctly. I'm pretty sure I didn't get up to the 20oz for the day, but whatever. Half cup of yogurt around noon, and another cup combined with a little cheese (tiny bit) for bolstering, cooked up with onion for a creamy onion soup about an hour ago.
My cat has been curled up on top of or next to me all day. I think she's just happy to have me home all day. Back to work tomorrow with fruit/veggie day - having cabbage salad again. Because it is that good. Don't judge me. And then it's a three day weekend, with maintenance beginning! I have a salmon fillet all ready to go, and I intend to have shrimp, scallops, tilapia, and maybe even some crab over the next week. Mmmm fish!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Day 48
Milk day. We went out for lunch to an Indian restaurant. So I could get a lassi! Whoo! And then the day spiraled downhill, FAST. Really awful afternoon, made me want to cheat and have a big bowl of spaghetti or something. With lots of cheese. AFTER 6pm (gasp).
But I didn't. Sort of. A little cheat, perhaps, but not horrible. I made a cheesy onion soup - finely chopped up onion, with garlic. Added in my "cream cheese" and let it melt, then tossed in the whey that I had... and then added a little bit of shredded every-cheese-in-my-fridge. And topped it off with some Bacon Salt. Oh it was delicious. And I am much calmer now.
Later tonight I'm heading to Kohls to return some capris I decided not to keep, and then spend my Kohls cash from last week. This should do the trick nicely, methinks!
But I didn't. Sort of. A little cheat, perhaps, but not horrible. I made a cheesy onion soup - finely chopped up onion, with garlic. Added in my "cream cheese" and let it melt, then tossed in the whey that I had... and then added a little bit of shredded every-cheese-in-my-fridge. And topped it off with some Bacon Salt. Oh it was delicious. And I am much calmer now.
Later tonight I'm heading to Kohls to return some capris I decided not to keep, and then spend my Kohls cash from last week. This should do the trick nicely, methinks!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Day 45-47
Milk day, then fruit/veggie days. I was traveling in Canada over the weekend, and was without internet, so sorry about the lack of updates! Saturday was filled with winery tastings - yes, you can still do that, you just have to master the art off swish-and-spit. Nothing was actually consumed - well, maybe one or two sips that were just too smooth or too good to spit. I brought along my yogurt and an assortment of stir-ins for it, as well as my "cream cheese" stuff. There was also some excellent cheese. We ended up at a nice restaurant for dinner, where I had a lovely cheese plate, with a fun coffee for dessert.
Sunday was the trip home, and I had put together more of the cabbage salad for the trip since it travels pretty well. I left the dressing off until I was ready to eat it, which seems to extend the life of it. Stir in the dressing and grind a little sea salt on top, and it was once again the awesome salad. I am also loving the POM stuff, so that was my fruit for the day. I did cheat a little in the evening and had a bit of chocolate. Lindt truffles... who can resist?
The remainder of the salad was for today, as well as the POM. There wasn't quite enough salad left, so I steamed up some carrots for my final meal.
I'm finding that I'm being more tempted by regular food the past few days. Possibly because I know this is almost over now, and I'm just so looking forward to being able to have some of these things. Pizza, mac 'n cheese... yeah. I'm really starting to wonder now what the maintenance phase includes. I know fish gets brought into it, but what other restrictions are lifted? Do I get to start cooking with olive oil again? Or maybe vinegar? Can I start mixing fruit into my yogurt? I'll find out on Friday!
Sunday was the trip home, and I had put together more of the cabbage salad for the trip since it travels pretty well. I left the dressing off until I was ready to eat it, which seems to extend the life of it. Stir in the dressing and grind a little sea salt on top, and it was once again the awesome salad. I am also loving the POM stuff, so that was my fruit for the day. I did cheat a little in the evening and had a bit of chocolate. Lindt truffles... who can resist?
The remainder of the salad was for today, as well as the POM. There wasn't quite enough salad left, so I steamed up some carrots for my final meal.
I'm finding that I'm being more tempted by regular food the past few days. Possibly because I know this is almost over now, and I'm just so looking forward to being able to have some of these things. Pizza, mac 'n cheese... yeah. I'm really starting to wonder now what the maintenance phase includes. I know fish gets brought into it, but what other restrictions are lifted? Do I get to start cooking with olive oil again? Or maybe vinegar? Can I start mixing fruit into my yogurt? I'll find out on Friday!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Day 44
Milk day. Experimented with yogurt flavors today. I picked up some single-serve instant decaf coffee packs yesterday. One of them makes a perfect cappucino-flavor 1/2 cup of yogurt. A heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder makes a good chocolate yogurt that is almost, but not quite, pudding-like. 2 teaspoons of honey is about the right amount of sweetening for 1/2 cup of yogurt and is required for all sweet applications of yogurt. If you want a savory yogurt (cardamom, cinnamon, dill), 1 teaspoon will do. 1 teaspoon of vanilla added to the yogurt adds a nice flavor. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt enhances everything. I'm still trying to find the right combination to make it taste like cheesecake. I know it's possible, because completely plain, unsweetened yogurt tastes like cream cheese. By extension, finding the right combination of honey and vanilla should make it cheesecake-like. I just ran out of yogurt allotment for the day to make it happen.
Back up. Dill? Yes! If you strain the yogurt and make it more like a greek yogurt, dill is awesome. Dill is also awesome when folded into extremely strained yogurt (so much so that it becomes a softened cream cheese consistency).
I keep joking that I'm soon going to have a whole line of yogurt products to sell. If I was ambitious enough to figure out packaging and stuff, perhaps that would happen. But I'm not, so it's not. I am more than happy to share these recipes though!
I tried to make a new onion soup today using the whey from my cream cheese, but it was just all wrong. I ended up just dumping it. Which makes me sad, because it was a decent amount of whey. I'm hoping that I'll end up with enough at some point to attempt making ricotta. It's one thing to have to start over when you consume it, it's quite another when you end up just wasting it.
Back up. Dill? Yes! If you strain the yogurt and make it more like a greek yogurt, dill is awesome. Dill is also awesome when folded into extremely strained yogurt (so much so that it becomes a softened cream cheese consistency).
I keep joking that I'm soon going to have a whole line of yogurt products to sell. If I was ambitious enough to figure out packaging and stuff, perhaps that would happen. But I'm not, so it's not. I am more than happy to share these recipes though!
I tried to make a new onion soup today using the whey from my cream cheese, but it was just all wrong. I ended up just dumping it. Which makes me sad, because it was a decent amount of whey. I'm hoping that I'll end up with enough at some point to attempt making ricotta. It's one thing to have to start over when you consume it, it's quite another when you end up just wasting it.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Day 42-43
Fruit/Veggie Days. I'm off to a good start this cycle. Nothing cooked so far - all raw, which is infinitely better for you. I ate the cabbage salad yesterday (by the way, it's much better fresh), with some extra carrots on the side. I also had some POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. MMMmmmm... Today was a parsley salad - shredded bell pepper and carrots and onion mixed in with parsley and tossed with the sesame dressing. Needed a little more lemon, but was tasty. Finished off the POM, too, and had some carrot juice at the end of the day.
I went clothing shopping today. It's kind of sad to realize that the only reason the jeans "fit" before the weight loss was because they stretched out. The new stuff is the same size as the old stuff, it just fits me now. Hmph. But I am down a dress size, which is awesome. I decided I didn't need new tops - the ones I have simply fit better now. Pants were becoming an issue. So I got new jeans, new trousers, new capris, new swimsuit... and since I got it all from Kohls, with their current promotions running, I will be able to return on Monday and get new sneakers for free. It was definitely nice to be able to go shopping and actually FIT the stuff they had.
I am currently in the process of making a fresh batch of yogurt. It will be going with me on my trip to Canada on Saturday so my friends can try it (plus I'll need it for the day for consumption). Expect no post on Saturday evening - I don't intend to have a data connection.
Yay new clothes!
I went clothing shopping today. It's kind of sad to realize that the only reason the jeans "fit" before the weight loss was because they stretched out. The new stuff is the same size as the old stuff, it just fits me now. Hmph. But I am down a dress size, which is awesome. I decided I didn't need new tops - the ones I have simply fit better now. Pants were becoming an issue. So I got new jeans, new trousers, new capris, new swimsuit... and since I got it all from Kohls, with their current promotions running, I will be able to return on Monday and get new sneakers for free. It was definitely nice to be able to go shopping and actually FIT the stuff they had.
I am currently in the process of making a fresh batch of yogurt. It will be going with me on my trip to Canada on Saturday so my friends can try it (plus I'll need it for the day for consumption). Expect no post on Saturday evening - I don't intend to have a data connection.
Yay new clothes!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Day 41
Tea Fast day. I went in, and I'm another 7lbs down, bringing my total to 25lbs down in 40 days! I let Andre know that the next time I come in, I'm going on maintenance, and that I knew it meant I wouldn't hit all the way down to the target, and he understood, with the vacation plans and all. He said I could come back in whenever if I wanted to, even if it's just for the one 10-day, just to finish it off. I may - that would be pretty easy to do. Then again, I still think I can finish it off on my own and I'll be good.
Tomorrow will officially start the next 10-day cycle, apparently. He placed the spheres on the third position - gall bladder/spleen (so, skipping the intestines this time). Because today is a split/transition day, he recommends just taking the day as a tea fasting day, and then starting fresh with veggies tomorrow. So I will - I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to treat myself to one of the good Tazo teas. I was going to hit the gym this evening, but will not, since there will be no food consumption for the day.
He's pretty confident that if I stay very strict this time, that I should see another good drop by the time I go back in next Friday. You know, unlike LAST time, where I totally blew it for the week. If I can do another 7 lbs this week, that would only leave 11 lbs for me to deal with on my own. Doable. Completely.
And yes, all you worriers out there - if I start feeling weird today from having no food, I will drink a glass of milk, since it would be a milk day in a normal rotation. Thank you all for caring and for your support!!
Tomorrow will officially start the next 10-day cycle, apparently. He placed the spheres on the third position - gall bladder/spleen (so, skipping the intestines this time). Because today is a split/transition day, he recommends just taking the day as a tea fasting day, and then starting fresh with veggies tomorrow. So I will - I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to treat myself to one of the good Tazo teas. I was going to hit the gym this evening, but will not, since there will be no food consumption for the day.
He's pretty confident that if I stay very strict this time, that I should see another good drop by the time I go back in next Friday. You know, unlike LAST time, where I totally blew it for the week. If I can do another 7 lbs this week, that would only leave 11 lbs for me to deal with on my own. Doable. Completely.
And yes, all you worriers out there - if I start feeling weird today from having no food, I will drink a glass of milk, since it would be a milk day in a normal rotation. Thank you all for caring and for your support!!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Day 40
Fruit/Veggie day. The end of another cycle. I go back in tomorrow for a new position and the weigh in. I ate more of my cabbage deliciousness today, and had an apple in the afternoon. Still don't care for green apples, but oh well. It was really tart. There's more salad leftover for tomorrow, but then I'll have to come up with something else for Wednesday.
I'm pretty certain at this point I won't hit the target I had set because of that awful week last time, and I am bound and determined to be able to eat for my trip in May, which means tomorrow MUST start the final 10-day cycle, regardless of how much I end up losing over the next 10 days. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) for an 7lb loss from this week, which I don't think is unreasonable given: 1) The last time I went through this particular cycle was a 10lb loss with 3 inches from my waist, and 2) I lost another 2 inches on my waist this week!
If I have lost more than 5lbs this week, that will put me at the slimmest and lightest I have been in 10 years, which is accomplishment enough for me. I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to knock off the last bits of what I want to lose on my own.
I'm pretty certain at this point I won't hit the target I had set because of that awful week last time, and I am bound and determined to be able to eat for my trip in May, which means tomorrow MUST start the final 10-day cycle, regardless of how much I end up losing over the next 10 days. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) for an 7lb loss from this week, which I don't think is unreasonable given: 1) The last time I went through this particular cycle was a 10lb loss with 3 inches from my waist, and 2) I lost another 2 inches on my waist this week!
If I have lost more than 5lbs this week, that will put me at the slimmest and lightest I have been in 10 years, which is accomplishment enough for me. I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to knock off the last bits of what I want to lose on my own.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Day 39
Fruit/Veggie day. Oh my. I may have invented my new favorite salad, like ever. This is amazing. Yes, I'm posting really early because it's JUST THAT GOOD and you must all know about this like NOW and go make it NOW and have it today while it's a gorgeous warm sunny day. Oh this is good. First you will want to find a mediterranean or Indian grocer from which you can buy a jar of tahini. Do it now. Then head out and get the rest of this all, and make it. Because it is delicious and this is my most successful experiment of the whole program so far and I wish I had discovered this way back at the beginning because I think I could live off of this for a while.
Cabbage Salad with Italian Tahini Dressing
For the salad:
1/4 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 green onions, chopped into 1/4" rounds
For the dressing:
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 packet Italian dressing mix
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Combine all dressing ingredients in a shaker and mix well. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad and stir to mix. Save the rest of the dressing in the fridge, because you will want it for other applications. Like to marinate chicken. Or to toss with stir fry. Or for everything.
Have with a large glass of iced tea with a squeeze of lemon in it. This is summer.
If you like, you may shred an apple and mix that in, too, but it's awesome without. Have an apple for dessert or something. Om nom nom.
For the salad:
1/4 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 green onions, chopped into 1/4" rounds
For the dressing:
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 packet Italian dressing mix
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Combine all dressing ingredients in a shaker and mix well. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad and stir to mix. Save the rest of the dressing in the fridge, because you will want it for other applications. Like to marinate chicken. Or to toss with stir fry. Or for everything.
Have with a large glass of iced tea with a squeeze of lemon in it. This is summer.
If you like, you may shred an apple and mix that in, too, but it's awesome without. Have an apple for dessert or something. Om nom nom.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Day 38
Milk day. Yay for Variations on Onion Soup! I think? I made a similar creamy onion soup with just milk ... oh, way back during the second cycle. That seems so long ago... Anyway, this time I used the thinner yogurt instead of milk, which yielded a thicker, creamier, tangier onion soup. It needed more honey, and I went a little overboard on the white pepper, so at first it just kind of burned up my throat until I tempered it with more yogurt. I'm not totally pleased with the combination of spices I used in it - I think I just used too much and simpler is better when it comes to onion soup. It's exceptionally filling though - of the two cups of yogurt I ended up using to make the soup, between two "meals" of it, I only ended up eating about 2/3 of the yield. Which means I didn't end up getting the full 20oz of yogurt for the day. On the plus side, I'm totally not feeling hungry today.
I also made up a dish of yogurt to snack on (since 16oz went into the soup, I made up a 4oz bowl of yogurt). Added honey and vanilla to it, and it was really tasty. I really wanted to add a little cocoa powder to it. Cocoa powder is a spice, right? Right?? I'll have to ask Andre about that. I know "chocolate" is a no-go, but what about cocoa powder? Hmm... Anyway, my cat sat watching me eat the yogurt with her "I'm cute, feed me some of what you're eating" face on, one paw raised in curiosity. I kept telling her that it wasn't what she thought it was (I usually let her lick up the leftovers of ice cream, so I can only guess she thought that was what I was eating), but she kept begging. So when I was done, I let her lick the bowl. She took a couple of licks, made a face, and walked away. And I said, "See, I told you." She's a fiend for milk and ice cream, but not so much for cheese, and apparently not so much for yogurt. I'm sure she'll still beg for the next bowl and I'll have to teach her again. Hmm... I wonder if I do that enough with yogurt, if she'll just decide eventually that she hates it all and stops begging when I have ice cream...
A girl can dream, right?
Oh, I almost forgot - the strained yogurt now strongly resembles cream cheese. Now if only I could have a bagel to put it on... or crackers... There's a good amount of whey left too. I still haven't decided what to do with it. Maybe I'll try making ricotta with it... or maybe I'll just save it to use in place of water sometime. Maybe the next onion soup variant trial. But that will be at the earliest 4 days from now. Two veggie days to go, and then it's back to a weigh-in, back to the 2nd sphere location (intestines) with the 1.5-hr rotations, and a new round of veggie/milk days! And this will be the LAST ONE! That's right. I am currently sitting 12 days away from being able to have FISH introduced to my diet. Woo hoo! And then two weeks, and then... I'm totally done!
Wait, that means there's still 26 days to go... yeah that doesn't sound as exciting.
I need to go buy belts. Now.
I also made up a dish of yogurt to snack on (since 16oz went into the soup, I made up a 4oz bowl of yogurt). Added honey and vanilla to it, and it was really tasty. I really wanted to add a little cocoa powder to it. Cocoa powder is a spice, right? Right?? I'll have to ask Andre about that. I know "chocolate" is a no-go, but what about cocoa powder? Hmm... Anyway, my cat sat watching me eat the yogurt with her "I'm cute, feed me some of what you're eating" face on, one paw raised in curiosity. I kept telling her that it wasn't what she thought it was (I usually let her lick up the leftovers of ice cream, so I can only guess she thought that was what I was eating), but she kept begging. So when I was done, I let her lick the bowl. She took a couple of licks, made a face, and walked away. And I said, "See, I told you." She's a fiend for milk and ice cream, but not so much for cheese, and apparently not so much for yogurt. I'm sure she'll still beg for the next bowl and I'll have to teach her again. Hmm... I wonder if I do that enough with yogurt, if she'll just decide eventually that she hates it all and stops begging when I have ice cream...
A girl can dream, right?
Oh, I almost forgot - the strained yogurt now strongly resembles cream cheese. Now if only I could have a bagel to put it on... or crackers... There's a good amount of whey left too. I still haven't decided what to do with it. Maybe I'll try making ricotta with it... or maybe I'll just save it to use in place of water sometime. Maybe the next onion soup variant trial. But that will be at the earliest 4 days from now. Two veggie days to go, and then it's back to a weigh-in, back to the 2nd sphere location (intestines) with the 1.5-hr rotations, and a new round of veggie/milk days! And this will be the LAST ONE! That's right. I am currently sitting 12 days away from being able to have FISH introduced to my diet. Woo hoo! And then two weeks, and then... I'm totally done!
Wait, that means there's still 26 days to go... yeah that doesn't sound as exciting.
I need to go buy belts. Now.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Day 37
Milk day. I went with lassis again today just because I was in a rush this morning to get out the door and couldn't think of anything more creative. I put in a little extra honey and cardamom and only did one mint leaf. That seemed to be a really good balance. I'm finding, however, that I don't feel quite as full throughout the day when I make the lassis as opposed to the lattes, but I can't mix yogurt and milk in a day. Why? I don't know, it's just one of the rules. I also can't have yogurt one day and milk the next. That's one of the weirder restrictions that I just don't get, but rules are rules.
I strained some of the yogurt before using it (since I had to get up at 3am to finish making the yogurt, I let some of it cool as-is, and some of it strain while cooling). That helped with the texture of the lassi, I think - it made it thicker, for sure. I'm keeping the leftover whey for an as-yet-undecided new adventure. I'm also going to strain some more yogurt and just let it sit overnight and get really thick and see what happens to it.
Tomorrow, being Saturday, means I will have more time to be adventurous with the yogurt and try new things with it! Which probably means "Variations on Onion Soup" day. Are you excited yet?
I strained some of the yogurt before using it (since I had to get up at 3am to finish making the yogurt, I let some of it cool as-is, and some of it strain while cooling). That helped with the texture of the lassi, I think - it made it thicker, for sure. I'm keeping the leftover whey for an as-yet-undecided new adventure. I'm also going to strain some more yogurt and just let it sit overnight and get really thick and see what happens to it.
Tomorrow, being Saturday, means I will have more time to be adventurous with the yogurt and try new things with it! Which probably means "Variations on Onion Soup" day. Are you excited yet?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Day 36
Fruit/Veggie day. We ended up at Pei Wei for lunch. I got the spring rolls and edamame, and just ate the insides of the rolls - not ideal, but not terrible. Edamame is the perfect diet food, by the way. It's a complete protein all by itself (unlike most veggies that require a mix with something like rice or another vegetable to make a complete protein), high in fiber, high in protein, and has good fats. They're awesome. I am now having some salted brown tomato. I don't particularly care for the flavor of raw tomato, but I'm getting through it... I needed a fruit for the day.
Tonight I intend to make another batch of yogurt. I have enough for tomorrow, but not for Saturday. I'm going to thicken up some of the yogurt, too, by straining it, to see how it does.
Tonight I intend to make another batch of yogurt. I have enough for tomorrow, but not for Saturday. I'm going to thicken up some of the yogurt, too, by straining it, to see how it does.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 35
Fruit/Veggie day. 35 days already, wow. So how do I feel? I feel great. My hair doesn't shed as much, and it's much less oily in the mornings than it used to be. It's also grown about an inch and a half in the past month. My face is clearer - still a couple of little pimples that pop up occasionally, but the ones on my chin have been gone and stayed gone for a couple of weeks, which is great. And the new ones don't stick around as long. The psoriasis is meh. Not as itchy, scaly and gross as it was, but it's still red - I'm sure the redness will just take some time to clear up. These things don't just disappear overnight. My fingernails are less brittle, and shinier - almost like I've got a clear coat of polish on. The nasty morning breath isn't there anymore. I find myself wearing my glasses less often - it seems my eyesight has gotten a little bit better - not enough that I'll go driving without them, but I don't need them for the TV to be watchable anymore. I'll probably need to get a new prescription later this year. I'm sleeping better at night - I don't toss and turn as much, and I fall asleep faster. Getting up in the morning is still rough.
I had the eggplant thing today. It was quite good! Needed some salt, and it could REALLY use cheese. I wish I had made the sauce be just a tomato sauce - the carrots definitely made it too thick. I steamed up some more carrots for a mid-day snack between the two servings of eggplant. I forgot how much I enjoy plain steamed carrots with a little salt on them. They're not as good as mom's buttered carrots, but they come close!
Baked Eggplant with Brown Tomato Sauce
2 baby eggplants (or 1 large eggplant) cut lengthwise into 1/4" slices
1/2 lb brown tomatoes, cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
carrot greens, coarsely chopped (buy the carrots with the greens attached)
handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
water
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 cloves garlic plus a few tablespoons of water, until it is all bubbling and the garlic starts to become pasty. Add a half cup of water. Spread out eggplant slices (only cook in single layer - you may have to do multiple batches) and cook until it starts to become tender and has absorbed the garlic-water.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine garlic, shallot, and salt with a few tablespoons of water, and cook until shallot has become translucent. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and dried basil. When carrots have become softened, add the cilantro and greens, with about a half cup of water. Allow to cook until greens are wilted. Pour all into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.
In an 8x8 glass dish (or personal pan pizza plates, if you have them), alternate layers of sauce and eggplant (begin with sauce on the bottom) until you run out. Top with green onions, then place into the oven and allow to cook for about a half hour.
I had the eggplant thing today. It was quite good! Needed some salt, and it could REALLY use cheese. I wish I had made the sauce be just a tomato sauce - the carrots definitely made it too thick. I steamed up some more carrots for a mid-day snack between the two servings of eggplant. I forgot how much I enjoy plain steamed carrots with a little salt on them. They're not as good as mom's buttered carrots, but they come close!
Baked Eggplant with Brown Tomato Sauce
1/2 lb brown tomatoes, cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
carrot greens, coarsely chopped (buy the carrots with the greens attached)
handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
water
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 cloves garlic plus a few tablespoons of water, until it is all bubbling and the garlic starts to become pasty. Add a half cup of water. Spread out eggplant slices (only cook in single layer - you may have to do multiple batches) and cook until it starts to become tender and has absorbed the garlic-water.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine garlic, shallot, and salt with a few tablespoons of water, and cook until shallot has become translucent. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and dried basil. When carrots have become softened, add the cilantro and greens, with about a half cup of water. Allow to cook until greens are wilted. Pour all into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.
In an 8x8 glass dish (or personal pan pizza plates, if you have them), alternate layers of sauce and eggplant (begin with sauce on the bottom) until you run out. Top with green onions, then place into the oven and allow to cook for about a half hour.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 34
Milk day. Made honey vanilla yogurt smoothie for today. I received a tip on how to make the yogurt thicker without compromising the flavor - strain out some of the liquid. So I think I'll give that a go for the next batch, which will likely be made Thursday evening - strain out half of it for eating and leave the other half liquidy for drinking. Not much left of the first batch since I had less than half a gallon of milk left, but there's certainly enough there to get a new batch started. Will have to buy more milk.
I stepped on the scale at work today and was encouraged - it read 3 lbs down from its reading on Friday, so that's good! Working from home tomorrow, so I won't have a chance to do a mid-week weigh. Maybe Thursday when I'm in the office again. Muscles are sore from hitting the gym yesterday, but it's a good sore.
I cooked up some eggplant in a tomato-carrot sauce tonight for tomorrow. What's that? Tomato? Yes! I found brown tomatoes at the grocery store. Yes, they're supposed to be brown. And since brown is not red, I can use them, right? I hope? Well, I am. The sauce came out really thick, so I think no carrots next time. Just tomatoes. It looks good - we'll see how it tastes tomorrow!
I stepped on the scale at work today and was encouraged - it read 3 lbs down from its reading on Friday, so that's good! Working from home tomorrow, so I won't have a chance to do a mid-week weigh. Maybe Thursday when I'm in the office again. Muscles are sore from hitting the gym yesterday, but it's a good sore.
I cooked up some eggplant in a tomato-carrot sauce tonight for tomorrow. What's that? Tomato? Yes! I found brown tomatoes at the grocery store. Yes, they're supposed to be brown. And since brown is not red, I can use them, right? I hope? Well, I am. The sauce came out really thick, so I think no carrots next time. Just tomatoes. It looks good - we'll see how it tastes tomorrow!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 33
Milk day. Or as I like to call today... Lassi day! The yogurt turned out AWESOME. It's thinner than your typical store-bought yogurt, but that's only because I didn't add any thickeners like the brands do. I made up a large vat of cardamom-mint lassi, and saved a little of my 20oz to have as yogurt, with honey and vanilla.
This is so much more filling than my regular milk day lattes. I used a little too much mint, I think. One fewer leaf would have been more than sufficient. So in the recipe, I will give what I SHOULD have done, rather than what I did. I'm just sad I can't add fruit to it, because that is the only way this could be better. So tasty!!!
To make the yogurt, I followed the instructions at http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/. It was easy, you just have to be patient. It's a really great way to save the remains of any milk you have that is approaching its sell-by date (or is already a day or two past).
Lassi
1 3/4 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water, chilled
6 ice cubes
pinch salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve as-is or over ice. This is your standard salted lassi base. To this, you may add spices, herbs, or fruit for variations. For today, I added
1/2 tsp rose water, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and 3 mint leaves.
This batch will yield approx. six servings - so spread it out over the day!
This is so much more filling than my regular milk day lattes. I used a little too much mint, I think. One fewer leaf would have been more than sufficient. So in the recipe, I will give what I SHOULD have done, rather than what I did. I'm just sad I can't add fruit to it, because that is the only way this could be better. So tasty!!!
To make the yogurt, I followed the instructions at http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/. It was easy, you just have to be patient. It's a really great way to save the remains of any milk you have that is approaching its sell-by date (or is already a day or two past).
Lassi
1 3/4 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water, chilled
6 ice cubes
pinch salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve as-is or over ice. This is your standard salted lassi base. To this, you may add spices, herbs, or fruit for variations. For today, I added
1/2 tsp rose water, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and 3 mint leaves.
This batch will yield approx. six servings - so spread it out over the day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)