Low-Carb Dairy-Free

The other night, I forgot that the green sauce at a favorite Mexican restaurant has sour cream in it and ate some. Later that evening, I had nausea and stabbing pains in my stomach :(. I really cannot tolerate any form of dairy, can't digest the proteins.

Sharron Long has a cookbook that is candida-friendly, which means no dairy, and it is very low in carbohydrates, emphasizing almonds, soy protein and other great ingredients, lots of veggies. It is called Low carb cooking and Sharron's place: Sugar free recipes featuring SteviaPlus, and I find it a great resource for my VERY restricted diet.

Core Just Gets Better!

At first I was not very comfortable with the "Core" version of Weight Watchers, but recently I have been more and more able to follow it correctly. I still have to be careful to have starches only one meal a day (plus whole grain cereal), but otherwise I am adjusting to the style of cooking it requires.

I use cooking spray a lot, and now Crisco has one out that is even easier to use than the rest (no cap to remove), and the spray is quite fine and dispersed, better than the other cooking sprays.

I have lost almost ten pounds since I went on WW this time around. It just keeps getting easier, especially now that I eat only whole grains, lean meats and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a healthy diet I can stay on the rest of my life. In the past I was on diets that would require a gradual change back to balance in order to do maintenance, and I was thrown off by that transition, over and over again. This one will be virtually the same diet.

www.sparkpeople.com

this is my newest diet inspiration. Alls I gotta do is be conscious of my eating, drinking, and exercising.

Doin the Core Calypso

What an adventure it was switching from Weight Watchers' "Flex" Plan to the "Core" Plan!

I think I did it all wrong, but I still lost 0.4 lbs., so not too bad. I did not follow one of the main rules, because I somehow did not grasp all the rules. That is, whole grains are part of the Core Plan, but only at one meal per day. I was eating cereal in the morning (yes, with fat-free milk -- Dad would be proud), then having whole wheat pasta at night. I am continuing on the Core Plan this week, to try to do it correctly and see what happens.

My other big departure from the plan was last night when we took our grandchildren Kirk and Valari out to a hamburger joint. I had already used up most or all of my points, and I had a "Squealer" burger, which has pork in it, cheese on top, a whole wheat bun (you know the kind, just brown balloon bread), and I had 1 1/2 HUGE onion rings, and a bunch of fries.

Imagine what I would have lost had I done the plan correctly! Anyway I am giving it anoth chance this week, but then I am switching to Flex for our vacation next week.

Believe It ... Or NOT!

I am back on Weight Watchers, because my personal plan, low-carbohydrate dieting, was not working. I think I was eating more than I should, and was not keeping track.

Using the Flex Plan again, which worked last time. I lost one pound the first week. I have about 30 pounds to lose, which will take more than six months. I joined online and these days that does not include going to meetings; it is separate, so you weigh yourself, and it is less expensive.

Walking is my main exercise. 30 minutes a day ... with the Bear. My legs are much stronger than they were when we got him.

Poet how are you doing?

Do you have any online places I could read?

I found this intresting online connection:

Food Addiction, Food Cravings

online conference transcript

Our guest, Debbie Danowski, has battled with an eating disorder formost of her life. She is addicted to food. Debbie tried many different ways to lose weight. She hid food, tried diet pills and diets, but couldn't stick to a diet. Finally, Debbie faced her food addiction and the feelings of being ashamed and lonely. At one point in her life, she says: "I hated myself. I had no self -esteem. I was ashamed of myself for having no willpower." To ease the pain, Debbie says "I even thought about killing myself."

Today, she weighs 150 pounds, down from over 300, and has maintained that weight for over ten years. Read about her addiction to sugar and flour (her trigger foods), and how her attraction to food, coupled with low self-esteem and depression, led to her life as a food addict. Then Debbie outlines the steps that brought her to overcoming food addiction and recovery from food addiction.

David Roberts is the HealthyPlace.com moderator.

RFA and what it takes to lose

As you might already know, I have been attending RFA meetings for six months and have lost slightly over 40 pounds. At first the dietary guidelines were difficult for me but I'm glad to say that now it is much simpler for me to do. We eat no sugar, flour or wheat. We also abstain from caffeine, cheese, nuts and avocadoes.

Sample:

Breakfast -- "pancakes" 1/2 cup of dry oats, 3 egg whites, cinnamon to taste, a pinch of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt. Mix well. Use non caloric cooking spray on fry pan; heat up (not to the point of burning) and place the mixture into 3 "patties". Once cooked on one side, turn and cook on the other side. Place pancakes into a dish and top with 1 fruit portion. (some heat the fruit before serving it). A fruit portion is as follows: 1 chopped medium apple or 1 large orange broken into segments or 1 small can of pineapple (in its own juice) slices.

For lunch: 4 ounces of protein such as chicken, 2 hard boiled eggs, tuna, or salmon. One cup of cooked vegetables such as green beans or cooked zucchini. A second cup of raw vegetables is the final lunch component such as raw carrots, raw celery or sliced (1 cup) tomatoes.

Each day we have one tablespoon of mayonnaise (no sugar -- I use XXX from Whole Foods) or 1 tablespoon of margarine, or 1 tablespoon of Newman's Own vinegar and oil dressing (I use the no sugar one). This can be in lunch or dinner but must not be forgotten.

For dinner, 4 ounces of protein: such as beef, lamb, chicken, tuna or salmon. We must keep in mind that we can only have beef (or lamb or pork) three times a week. The second food is a starchy vegetable such as yams or baked potato, or mashed potato. In each of these cases, we are either the cook or have asked about the preparation, to eliminate sugar, flour or wheat.

We also eat 2 vegetables: 1 cooked and 1 raw or 2 raw.

Whoops I forgot that the dinner meal (supper?) can include 1 cup cooked brown rice in place of baked potato or yam.

Robyn asked that I post this sample day's food. Don't be overwhelmed, as I said before it gets easier and easier. I have not had any acid reflux or digestion problems on this regime; I do sometimes have a belch after a meal.

Let me know your reactions.

Poet

Back to Low Carbohydrates!

Using theCarbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program, I will make it through the holidays at least maintaining my weight, if not losing more.

I have lost about 6 lbs. in two weeks, which is simply water plus one pound of fat gone from my body. I have a long way to go, but I feel good and look a little better.

At first I had low energy, but I had that before I started. Now I am rarin' to go.

The clock looked like meats to me, so I added it, I hope that is ok, Rob. It is set to Eastern Time.

I celebrate Poet and her marvelous new body

Poet is a good friend and I am inspired by her strength
~~~
I have nothing to add to the artificial sweetner info. However, by attending RFA (Recovery from Food Addiction) and eating on the food program in Kaye Sheppard's book subtitled The Body Knows, I have lost 28 pounds in 3 1/2 months. And I have not had any indigestion or whatever it is when you'e sleeping and your food comes up. I am praying for the ability to continue this program -- no sugar, no flour, no wheat. (Also, no cheese, no caffeine, no carmel coloring and no alcohol.) I admit it is a challenge but there are so many good reasons to follow it.
Poet

~~~~
if you're interested
http://www.amazon.ca/Food-Addiction-Revised-Expanded-Sheppard/dp/155874276X

Artificial sweeteners

Even though there is very little public information on this, we have a theory that artificial sweeteners like Aspartame & Sucralose lower the body's immunity to viruses VERY QUICKLY. We've also had reports that artificial sweeteners can trigger a herpes breakout (both genital and oral) within 10 minutes of consumption. At first we thought it was only aspartame causing these outbreaks, but apparently artificial sweeteners such as Splenda (Sucralose) can have similar effects.