Cruising Feb 2014 - losing 100 pounds in the next 13 months!!

[nyfarmgirl]

LanaLou,

 

Thank you. You can do it! I have faith that you will be comfortable in a bathing suit and your cute sundresses.

 

One thing that is really helping me is to not think of this as a diet but a new plan for my life. I am sick of the yo-yo gain & loss of diets and splurging when I am not on one. I want something that works for ALL of the time. I love that there is nothing that is off limits. If you love it, you can test it. :)

 

Carla

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: -1.0

Total weight change: - 9.5

 

Awesome weight loss today. Makes me feel so good to finally be back to the point where I was on Super Bowl Sunday. Also makes me less likely to indulge like that again anytime soon.

 

Yesterdays menu

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Chia Hemp Power Pudding

 

Snack:

1 toasted corn tortilla

3 tbsp guacamole

1 small blood orange

 

Lunch:

Salad greens w/cucumbers, mushrooms, goat cheese & pumpkin seeds, 1/2 pear & Basalmic vinegar

Cream of broccoli soup

 

Dinner:

Pork loin chop

Saute'd kale w/wild mushrooms & onions

1 dark chocolate covered orange rind & 1 dark chocolate sea salt caramel

 

Extras:

14 glasses of water, 2 cups dandelion root tea, 2 cups coffee

[nyfarmgirl]

There was an error in the previous message.

 

Dinner:

Lamb burger w/basalmic reduction (no bun)

Kale chips

steamed broccoli

 

Everything else was correct. This day was a test for the blood orange. I had tested lamb last week so that wasn't a test. However the burger recipe was new. Totally awesome!! My 21 yr old son swears it is the best burger he has ever had. Shredded zucchini and mushrooms keep it super moist and make the expensive meat go further. I got 6 nice sized burgers from 1 lb of ground lamb.

[Buckeye328]

Hi Carla, I just started Medifast for a November cruise. It sounds like you are doing a good job and are willing to do the work to follow your plan. You're doing great, keep it up!

[wests5]

NYfarmgirl...... just caught your thread. You must be feeling great... do you have more energy, etc. eating "good" for the body foods? Keep up the good work! You can do it. I have a couple cruises planned this year.... trying to lose 30-40lbs..... but not trying hard enough. Looking at the great foods you are eating is inspiring.... the coconut water/milk, hemp, chia, flax seed etc. is it new to you? I need to incorporate more healthy foods into my daily diet. Thanks!

[EmmasNana]

Thanks so much for posting this and I do enjoy your daily posts with what you ate and what your loss/gain was. I have the book and will be starting my day 1 on Monday, maybe Sunday if I get my granola made. I love the theory behind this and am hoping it works. You are getting great results and learning about your bodies likes and dislikes. This sort of speaks to me. Are you on any of the fb groups?

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: -.5

Total weight change: - 10.0

 

WOO HOO!! -10# is 18 days, yes I counted. Totally awesome! This is so exciting, I really feel like I am going to make to 100. Extra incentive, my daughter works at a nationwide clothing store (great discount) and she has promised to "hook me up with a cute cruise wardrobe".

 

Yesterdays menu

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Chia Hemp Power Pudding

 

Snack:

1/2 banana

 

 

Lunch:

Salad greens w/cucumbers, mushrooms, 1/4 of avocado & pumpkin seeds, olive oil & Basalmic vinegar

Cream of broccoli soup

 

Dinner:

Lamb Burger w/1 oz goat cheese

1/2 whole wheat pita

Saute'd zucchini & carrots w/cinnamon & cumin

 

1 dark chocolate covered orange rind & 1 dark chocolate sea salt caramel

 

Extras:

14 glasses of water, 1 cup dandelion root tea, 1 1/2 cups coffee, 1 cup lemon peel black tea

 

This day was a test for wheat so I ate 1/2 of a pita pocket. Happy to report that I passed.

[nyfarmgirl]

Buckeye,

 

Good for you! My daughter went on Medifast and lost 35# before her wedding. Keep me posted on your progress.

 

Carla

[nyfarmgirl]

Wests5,

 

I know exactly what you mean. I was in a biggest loser type contest last year and only lost about 7 or 8#. I was constantly going up and down but just couldn't get in a good groove. All of the foods you mentioned are new to me and most of them I really love. I do feel better and the MSM 1000 that was recommended for those with allergies (to keep inflammation down) has cured my ankle that has hurt like the devil since I sprained it at the end of May. I had decided I was going to have to live with the pain forever, but I woke up about 2 weeks after starting the MSM and realized that it hadn't hurt in a few days.

 

I have always been eager to try new foods but the Silk Coconut Vanilla, hemp & chia seeds were definitely a new experience. I am really lucky that I have a small health food store nearby and can easily find these items. I love the lamb so much that I have told my husband we have to start raising sheep :)

 

If you don't download the book - at least go to the website and get the cookbook and meal plans (they are free and help so much!!). Please let me know if I can help in any way.

 

Carla

[nyfarmgirl]

EmmasNana,

I know exactly what you mean. I just couldn't get over how this book made so much more sense, when I think about all of the times I have gained weight and been so perfect on other plans and just couldn't lose anything. It also had never dawned on me how many illnesses are related to inflammation in one way or another. I love the way that it is only real food and the only things that aren't allowed are the "diet, fat free, artificially sweetened, lowfat and chemically altered" things we shouldn't be having anyway.

 

I thought this was the easiest cleanse I have ever done. I had a terrible headache all 3 days because I was used to drinking 1-2 POTS of coffee per day. I got through those days with an excedrine and a cup of Chai tea w/my coconut vanilla Silk in it. I was a little tired but other than that I didn't have any side effects. Knowing that I got to have cheese, coffee, wine & chocolate on day 4 made it much easier. I also feel really good about the fact that I am only drinking between 1 & 2 cups of coffee in the morning now (only after I have my dandelion root tea) instead of all day long. I know it is better for me and I actually take the time to savor it.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions. I will be happy to help, we can figure it out together. I am not in any fb groups other than the ones I have for my MBA - hoping to finish that by early fall.

 

Carla

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: + .5

Total weight change: - 9.5

 

A bit of a disappointment this morning. I knew salmon was a risk because it is highly reactive in the majority of people. I admit I was really hoping that I wouldn't be one who has to avoid salmon - it is one of my favorites :(

 

Yesterday's menu:

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Flaxseed granola

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup vanilla coconut Silk

 

Snack:

1/2 banana

 

Lunch:

Salad greens w/cucumber, mushrooms, goat chees, cranberries, avocado, pumpkin seeds, olive oil & basalmic vinegar

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1/2 Asiago cheese bagel

 

Dinner:

Salmon w/garlic, brown sugar & rum glaze

Creamed spinach

1 dark chocolate sea salt caramel & 1 dark chocolate orange rind

 

Since yesterday was a reactive day, I will go to one of my resting day menus that will not have any new items.

[nyfarmgirl]

oops, almost posted x2

[Anita Latte]

Hey Carla...

 

I'm a lurker on your thread. It's interesting to read. DH and I are in the process of doing an eating plan with a similar premise of creating a baseline body where inflammation is reduced, maintaining that, detoxing it, maintaining that, then slowly reintroducing food and monitoring the effect of food to see if it causing an inflammatory response.

 

Salmon would be disappointing for me as well...

 

How are you pin pointing salmon after such a day?

 

I do wonder if the brown sugar and rum glaze was the cause? I would recommend retesting salmon with a simpler seasoning. Also...did you eat Wild Caught or Farm Raised? This makes a huge difference in the quality of the fish...I would EXPECT a reaction to farm raised. Was the rum real rum? Or was it an extract? Have you tested alcohol? Both the extract and the real deal would have hard alcohol? Do you have to test that? And having straight up sugar? Do you have to test that?

 

What about the bagel? And the asiago cheese on the bagel? Did you test that already? And was that bagel WHOLE wheat? And was it GMO-free wheat? And had you tested yeast before? Pita bread is yeast free right? Yeast is highly reactionary for many people.

 

It feels like you introduced several new items to your diet on this one day...

 

Not trying to pick on you...I'm doing a similar process and for my process, I couldn't have done a testing day like you did. Not enough controls and too many variables to really pinpoint WHAT caused the reaction in my plan.

[Kristinemomof3]

Congrats on your dedication to this. I love myfitnesspal.com to track calories. If you get to a point that you stall, it will be because you aren't eating enough. Our bodies can be very weird when it comes to weight loss and retaining fluids.

 

Kristine

[nyfarmgirl]

Anita,

 

I appreciate the feedback and suggestions so no worries about me being offended by your comments.

 

I had passed the test for wheat with a pita so you are right about yeast being new in the bagel (asiago cheese was not new). There is also a much higher amount of gluten in bagels which is why it wasn't my first test for wheat. It might not have been the best choice for a follow up wheat product. However, since I didn't really think about it, I had the other half yesterday with no weight gain, so I doubt that was it.

 

Now for the salmon, you are dead on about wild vs farm raised, mine was wild. The glaze was made for 4 pieces of salmon with 2 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 tbsp of real rum. Alcohol is allowed and although rum wasn't specifically tested, there was such a small amount (divided by 4 servings) that it is highly unlikely to have caused a reaction. Sugar, honey, agave, maple syrup and brown sugar are also allowed and basically are non reactive - I have used all of them numerous times. Lyn-Genet says that salmon is one of the most reactive fish varieties out there but to retest it with sushi because sometimes the chemical changes that occur during cooking can exacerbate a reaction. Since I love sushi, I will be happy to retest it later.

 

I completely agree about the controls and the variables. When I am on a testing day I try extra hard to use only pre-approved foods, quantities and even combinations that have already been tested. The salmon and now I realize the bagel were the only variables on this day. I also am much more diligent about drinking the exact amount of water, limiting salt, not drinking or eating after 7 pm and only having my coffee in the AM. Any variation on these things can contribute to water retention and mimic an inflammatory response.

[nyfarmgirl]

Kristine,

 

Thanks for the support and encouragement. It seems so weird not tracking and counting calories, I have been doing it all of my life. I admit sometimes when I look at my journal I think that maybe there aren't enough calories but there are quite a few hidden ones.

 

I have to incorporate 6 tbsp of olive oil (or butter) daily. Apparently not enough fat will inhibit weight loss. I know it's a tough job but someone has to do it.:rolleyes:

 

Because I haven't made it to the point of having 2 animal proteins in one day, there are lots of nuts and seeds that have been added to increase protein levels. I have tried so many new ones since starting this plan and I am very lucky to have an awesome health food store in my little one horse town.

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: -.5

Total weight change: -10.0

 

This was an easy resting day to try to reset my body after the previous inflammatory response.

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Flaxseed granola

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup vanilla coconut Silk

 

Snack:

1 apple

 

Lunch:

Carrot ginger soup

Salad greens w/cucumbers, mushrooms, goat cheese, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, olive oil & basalmic vinegar

1/2 Asiago cheese bagel

 

Dinner:

Baked chicken w/spicy apricot glaze over mixed salad greens

Roasted broccoli

3 dark chocolate orange rinds

 

Extras:

116 oz water, 1 1/2 cups of coffee, 2 cups dandelion root tea

[EmmasNana]

I think you are doing great! I hope I get the results you are.

 

This is day 1 for me and I'm sipping my dandelion tea as I type. I spent yesterday afternoon in the kitchen trying to get things ready for the next three days. This is going to be more kitchen time then I am used to lately, but I think it will be worth it.

 

So, how many days have you been on the plan?

[nyfarmgirl]

I started the plan on 1/21/13 (this is day 21). I completed the first 6 days of the menu plans as written & suggested. After that I started adding my own test items trying to cover all of the ingredients for my Super Bowl menu. As you know by now, I decided that wasn't really worth it. I really want some more variety in my meals but I am a little torn between consistent loss and variety. I hate seeing the scale go up, even by .5.

 

I thought that I was really going to be spending alot more time in the kitchen than usual too but it really didn't work out that way. So much of the plan foods have leftovers and the soups make several servings that I find myself doing alot of reheating. I buy the individual bags of frozen chicken breasts and that helps too because you can cook several (most are 2 servings each) and just put the appropriate sauce on it before eating.

 

I love the flaxseed granola, coconut vanilla silk & chia hemp power pudding, they are all so filling for breakfast that I really have to remind myself to eat lunch.

 

My best friend in GA started the plan on Sat and she texted me that she was down 2.7# on Sunday morning. Some people have actually lost nearly 10# during the 3 day cleanse.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions or issues. You can also email me @ csbrooks@my.wgu.edu

 

Carla

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: +.5

Overall weight change: -9.5

 

Today marks week 3 on the plan. I am a little aggravated with this .5 # that I am playing with, I was at a 10# loss twice now and I want to go over that point. I didn't get enough water in before 7:30pm. I really have to be more diligent!!

 

Yesterdays menu

 

Breakfast:

1 cup chia hemp power pudding

 

Snack:

apple

 

Lunch:

Carrot ginger soup

Mixed greens w/cucumber, 1/2 pear, goat cheese, sunflower seeds, olive oil & basalmic vinegar

1/2 cheese bagel

 

Dinner:

Chicken w/spicy apricot glaze

snow peas & celery

3 chocolate covered orange rinds

 

Extras:

96 oz water, 1 dandelion root tea, 1 cup coffee

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: -1.0

Total weight change: -10.5

 

Yipeee!!! Finally cracked the yo yo changes that have taken place over the last 5 days. I am 10% toward my goal in only 22 days - sounds pretty good when I put it that way.

 

Yesterdays menu:

 

Breakfast:

Chia hemp power pudding

1/2 cup dried fruit

 

Lunch:

Carrot ginger soup

Cheese bagel - a whole one :)

 

Snack:

1 oz Salt free potato chips

 

Dinner:

Grilled pork loin

Saute'd kale, zucchini, onion & wild mushrooms

Carrot & beet salad

2 mini dark chocolate peppermint patties

 

Extras:

 

14 glasses water, 2 cups dandelion root tea, 2 cups coffee

[nyfarmgirl]

I have always been a self professed salt-a-holic so it was really an awesome moment when I realized yesterday that I was truly enjoying salt free potato chips. The first time I tried them, all I could think about was that they tasted flat and really needed salt. Yesterday, I only tasted yummy crunchy potato chips and it was afterwards that I realized I didn't miss the salt.

 

I am allowed to use sea salt and do so sparingly. I only add it to food after preparing and tasting it. A little seems to do the trick now.

[nyfarmgirl]

I think you are doing great! I hope I get the results you are.

 

This is day 1 for me and I'm sipping my dandelion tea as I type. I spent yesterday afternoon in the kitchen trying to get things ready for the next three days. This is going to be more kitchen time then I am used to lately, but I think it will be worth it.

 

So, how many days have you been on the plan?

 

I haven't heard from you, you should have finished day 1 and day 2 by now. How is it going? Do you like the food? Only 1 more day until you can have coffee, red wine, chocolate and cheese. :):)

[EmmasNana]

I haven't heard from you, you should have finished day 1 and day 2 by now. How is it going? Do you like the food? Only 1 more day until you can have coffee, red wine, chocolate and cheese. :):)

 

You are really doing great!

I am down 2.4 and today is day 3. The food...not so much but it looks like the future food will be better. I hate the spicy carrot soup and the flax granola is not too great. In a couple days I will try the blueberry pair compote for breakfast. It sounds pretty good. I will be trying the cream of broccoli soup today and have my first chicken. Fortunately I had no reaction from the raw almonds. I think once I can add small amounts of sea salt it will help with the flavor.

Are you going to her fb page and web site? She changes and adjust things frequently. I am following the thyroid menu. If you haven't already, you should check out the below site of hers. She has different cookbooks and menus and other tips.

 

http://lyngenet.com/tips-for-book-readers/

There is also a fb page someone started that is very helpful. I just end up reading so much that is consumes my day.

 

I have my chocolate and wine purchased and am anticipating the day. It is not long now. I can have the wine and coffee on day 4 but the chocolate has to wait until day 5.

 

I definitely plan on going through the whole 20 days even if it takes 40.

[nyfarmgirl]

Daily weight change: 0

Total weight change: -10.5

 

No change today, :( I had beef for the first time last night on my salad. I sliced some london broil into thin strips, seasoned with my usual combo of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper & sea salt, saute'd in olive oil. Since I sliced it so thinly, it went from raw to well done very quickly. I may try beef again later as medium or med rare since it is rumored to be more reactive the more you cook it.

 

I am going to try not to test any new items for at least a week because I am tired of the yo-yo scale. The good news is that there are some additional recipes in the plan cookbook that use previously tested ingredients.

 

Yesterday's menu

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Flax granola

1/2 cup Vanilla Coconut Silk

 

Lunch:

Mixed baby greens w/cucumbers, mushrooms, celery, bleu cheese, 1/2 pear, 1/4 cup hemp seeds. Basalmic vinegar and EVOO

Spicy vegetable soup

 

Snack:

6 oz pineapple Greek yogurt

 

Dinner:

Mixed baby greens w/cucumbers, mushrooms, 1/2 apple, 3 oz of beef london broil strips, basalmic vinegar & EVOO

2 oz dark chocolate

 

Extras:

116 oz water, 1 cup dandelion root tea, 2 cups coffee