Week 2 and 3 No Gluten or Carbs

Getting sick allowed me more time for research and I kept finding more and more information that validated much of what I already knew, but amazed me on how far the movement for eliminating carbs from a person's diet had come. Seemed like a far cry from 1999 when I started the research on low carb eating; let alone the 1970s when Dr Atkins popularized the high protein, low carb diet.

I knew the only way I was going to be able to give up the gluten was to eliminate most carbs from my diet too.  I also know me and had to create a menu and spend a day prepping for some of what I would need to make it through the first few days without falling off the wagon. (Same way I had to quit smoking 21 months ago). I still had my book Dr Atkins wrote in 1970 something, because I still make some of the recipes out of there (healthy and delicious). I also through my research came across a website that provides additional low carb and gluten free recipes. I will list the links and a few of the recipes below.

After the first week the day before I completely transitioned into no gluten and no carbs I did a mini-fast. I only had water and for dinner I only had the veggie broth.  Amazingly, I was not hungry. I don't know if it was the return to work after being out of the office and I walked about 4 miles. (I was still working somewhat from home, but its never quite the same thing. Although if I could telework 100% of the time I would. I get soooo much more done at home than I do at the office).

Let me explain my commute. I generally take the train to work. I live 63 miles from the office, and while an hour drive isn't bad, in the California Bay Area, 10 miles is 35 minutes. So after a few years of driving to work, losing 4-6 hours a day behind the wheel, wasting hundreds on gas, and getting angrier every time I got behind the wheel I knew it was time for a change. I used the fact that my second car needed the plates renewed and that my Son needed a car to get to and from school in a town north of me to force myself to take the train. Its wonderful, I knock out a couple hours of work on the train most mornings and I get needed exercise walking from the station to the office. I make my son take me to the station in the morning (depending on the train, 430 or 530 is way too early to be walking to the station let alone if I must be honest to be awake). My day usually consists of walking anywhere from 4-8 miles a day carrying my 25 pound back pack on my back. (You would think I would lose weight with just that, but not since I turned 42 forget about it)

Week 1 Menu

Week 2 Menu

Sadly, my week 2 menu is a bit blank, I got side tracked when creating it and did not finish it. However, I basically stuck to the basics. I had a chicken ranch salad for dinner one night.  And one day I had breakfast for dinner.

To get over my cravings for sweet stuff I made sugar free jello and would have a bowl of that with ready whip, whip cream on top. (You have to by the extra creamy, it is not made with corn syrup and only has 1 or 2 grams of carbs per serving.) My other sweet tooth fix is a cup of coffee with heavy whipping cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Oh yeah, which leads me to the warning - read your labels. Compare the low fat version to the regular version of something. The low fat usually has twice as many carbs and sodium in it than the regular.  They removed the fat which removes the flavor, well the only way to add flavor is sugar and salt.  Not healthy for you at all.  

So now we get to the research and the links I've been pouring over.  It makes perfect sense that we've been doing this all wrong. I wonder if we had stayed with the food pyramid we had when I was growing up if we would be a less obese and healthier people today. Obviously what works for me isn't going to work for someone else and I always encourage an individual to see their doctor to discuss any changes to their diets. I can only speak to what is working for me.  I've seen a real difference in my energy, weight, sleep, body since undertaking the changes I've taken. 

Recipes: (From Dr Atkins book 1972)

Chicken Dijon (this is super delicious)

2 tablespoons butter

1 3 pound broiler cut up

1/2 cup chablis

1/4 teaspoon taragon

Pinch of Thyme

1 small bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons sour cream

3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

pinch of cayenne pepper

Melt butter in pan, add chicken, and cook until browned on both sides, turning once

Add wine, tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes

Discard bay leaf, remove meat and keep warm

Beat egg yolks into sauce with egg beater, then add sour cream, mustard, and cayenne

Heat, stirring constantly, but don't boil

Put meat in sauce, simmer for 5 minutes and serve hot

Total Grams: 3.2, per serving .8

Pan Fried Cod (My recipe)

1/2  cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

Pinch of Salt and White Pepper taste

1 egg beaten

Dredge thawed Cod fish filet in egg and then put in "breading" mix until filet is completely covered.

In a frying pan heat up olive oil.  When hot drop Fish into pan, brown on both sides (cook for about 12 minutes total)

Rolls (There are two recipes, I use the cottage cheese version from Dr Atkins. There is another recipe that uses cream cheese) I have not tried it yet, but plan on it.  I use these rolls as my bread for sandwiches.  A couple times during week one I had fried egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast, this is what I used for the sandwich part. I made open face tuna sandwiches putting the tuna on one of these rolls. They are tasty and help you if you like sandwiches like I do.

Diet Revolution Rolls ( I usually double this recipe)

Pam Spray

3 eggs separated

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 tablespoons cottage cheese

1 package (I use Stevia, the recipe calls for sugar twin I don't know if that even exists anymore)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Separate eggs very carefully (make sure none of the yolk gets into the whites)

Spray Pam on teflon cookie sheet 

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until whites are stiff but not dry

Mix the egg yolks, cottage cheese and sweetner together, fold in egg whites (Mix for no more than a  minute)

Place the mixture carefully on the teflon cookie sheet, gently putting one tablespoon full on top of another until each "roll" is about 2 inches high. Repeat this until you have 6 piles (if you double it will be 12)

Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. Rolls will look like delicatessen rolls.

There are variations - you can add caraway seeds into mixture when other ingredients are added or you can add 1 tablespoon butter and saute 2 tablespoons of minced onions (dry them very well as there should not be any grease left on them before you add to the mixture).

Links to research and more recipes

Sugar is Toxic 

Eggs Don't Cause Heart Attacks 

Men's Health and Keto Diet Information 

Keto Diet for Beginners (This has some great research, videos, discussions on intermittent fasting, and awesome recipes) I made the low carb pizza tonight and it was delicious and filling.

The Diet Improvements My First Week

The Changes

Week one I did a mini detox and tried to increase the goodness you receive from berries and veggies. I was super sick and I wanted to knock out the infection as quickly as I could. It helped that I was working from home (no one wanted me in the office to infect them trust me). But it is still easy for those who don't have the horrific commute that I have. I don't know that I lost much weight this first week, but I did lose the bloated feeling I experienced after I ate every day. I also could tell my need for sweets decreased.

Everyday - I try to do this everyday. It is so refreshing. It has become my favorite part of my morning. I start the day with a cup of hot water with a lemon wedge in it. (I brush my teeth first, upon advice of others the acidity of the lemon can be hard on the enamel so its best to brush first) From what I've researched, the hot lemon water is great for your digestive system and has so many other beneficial properties (According to foodmatter.com some of the benefits are: It is a rich source of nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin C and pectin fibre)  Here is another article that provides more information. 10 Benefits to Drinking Warm Lemon Water

Week One:

 Cheat Sheet for Week One

Breakfast:Breakfast Smoothie

From Dr Oz Website:

2 tablespoons rice protein powder (I eliminated this as I could not get out to find it)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1/2 cup frozen berries (I used a blueberry/cranberry mix)

1/2 banana

1 Cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I am allergic to nuts so I used vanilla flaxseed milk - surprisingly good)

Lunch - salad and a cup of vegetable broth (the broth is delicious, I've frozen some of it to use in soups and other dishes that call for broths)

From Dr Oz Website:
 3 quarts of water
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots sliced (the second time I made it I just cut them in half and threw it in the pot)
1 cup chopped winter squash
1 cup of root vegetables one of the following for sweetness (turnips, parsnips, or rutabaga) I used the rutabaga.
2 cups chopped greens. (the first time I used kale, the second time I used spinach(I liked the spinach better)
2 celery stalks
1/2 cup cabbage (I used red because the store did not have any green cabbage
4 - 1/2 inch slices of fresh ginger, I used ground since I forgot to buy it, I totally forgot to add the ginger the second time I made this
2 cloves garlic not chopped or crushed
sea salt to taste

Add all the ingredients at once to the pot of water and bring to a low boil for about 60 minutes

Cool, strain (throw out the cooked vegetables) and store in tightly sealed glass container in the fridge Reheat gently and drink up to 3-4 cups a day. (I think I had 2 coffee cups total a day)

Dinner- a Cup of broth, salmon and a salad, 1/2 cup brown rice

Breakfast and Lunch stayed the same for the first week. Dinner for my protein I would change out the salmon with cod one night and I had chicken. A couple of nights because I was so miserable I just had the broth and a cup of hot tea.

Every night I would take a hot bath - I stopped doing this, but think I need to start doing it again. It was so relaxing! However, it was not just any bath. I added 2 cups of Epsom Salts and 1 cup of baking soda to the bath. Epsom Salt Bath Benefits; WebMD Epsom Salt Bath

Snacks a couple times of day: 1 Cup Greek Yogurt or Cucumbers, Celery, Tomatoes with hummus

Health and Lifestyle Changes

 My Struggles

I am 3 months away from turning 46. I look forward to my birthday as I don't cringe at getting old. I embrace it. What I do cringe at is the fact that my body has decided to revolt against me. I would say it all started when I had my hysterectomy 8 years ago, but it really began when I turned 42. My metabolism sucks, I can't keep weight off like I used to and well I was just always exhausted. I was telling my story to someone the other day and it was nice to know that I am not the only one suffering.  Warning, today's post is going to be kind of long.

So what is my story: I quit smoking 21 months ago because it was killing me, I could no longer breathe without an inhaler ALL the time; I always felt fat and bloated; always tired because of the insomnia, etc. It was awful. I complained every time I went to the Dr. He tested my thyroid, my blood sugar, you name it. Other than it looking like I maybe pre-diabetic nothing could explain the weight gain or inability no matter what I did to lose weight. I would lose a few pounds and then put it back on the next week (a serious yoyo situation occurring). I was so frustrated! 

At my last wellness appointment he suggested I give up gluten for 2 weeks and then start adding it back in to my diet. If it started causing issues then we would know the possible cause of my problems. (I was also suffering from stomach issues and horrific heartburn-I ate tums like it was candy to not deal with acid reflux while I slept). 

I tried to give up the gluten I really did, but... it was more like - I tried a week here and a week there and would feel better, but then I would go out of town or something else would occur and I would resort back to the easy fix of a bowl of cereal or a sandwich when I needed a quick bite to eat. I wasn't really doing myself any favors to determine how I could fix myself.  (I should stop here and say that I am a firm believer that what we eat and what is in our gut is a cause of many of our problems, the mind just adds to it, but more on that later)

So finally 3 weeks ago I decided to follow his advice. We also discussed I needed more fiber and I needed to lower my cholesterol (my good is really good, but my bad is REALLY bad).  What better timing than when you are sick to start a new life, right? So after talking to him I started doing more research. Some I already knew and could testify to as really working, some I didn't and was happy to see all the new research available today.  I imagine Dr Atkins is in heaven looking down saying, "I told you so".  15 years ago I gave up all carbs and remember how amazing I felt, plus I lost all my post baby weight within 4 months and I was back into the clothes I work in college. (Bought a new wardrobe and 2 weeks later got pregnant with my third, lol) But because of the changes I made then I was able to drop the baby weight within 6 weeks back then. Hence my frustration that I can't do that anymore.

I was like hmmm maybe my Dr is right maybe I have an intolerance to the gluten and well I do need to reduce my sugar intake to prevent getting diabetes so lets give it a shot. I decided to do a mini detox which helped me get over the hump of no sugar then I rolled into the first week of no carbs.

The Test

Christmas morning. It was 2 weeks since I gave up carbs and I had a few pieces of the monkey bread I fixed for my kids and I felt horrible the rest of the day, I swear I went into a diabetic coma for a couple hours, no energy, sluggish, just blech. So Monday I did a mini fast and I felt so much better by Tuesday. I admit my Dr was correct and when I see him again I cannot wait to tell him, what I am hoping though is my blood work will really tell the story. (I hope he is correct)

Progress

As of today 3 weeks later, I am sleeping better than I have in years, and that is not a small feat with other stress going on in my life right now. I've lost 11 pounds, 1.5 inches in my hips, and 2 inches in my waist.  My stomach no longer protrudes like I am pregnant. The results thus far mean gluten and I are going to be on a love hate relationship from here on out.

What has worked for me will not necessarily work for everyone else, we are all different. Some need more carbs than others (there are good carbs and bad carbs, unfortunately for me the bad carbs also tend to have gluten (means no beer for me right now).

The diet changes don't replace my need to go to the gym, but I don't have to feel like I need to spend 3 hours a day in the gym (happened rarely because who has the time), but in my research I've found that if you do at least 45 minutes of cardio a day you can further hit your fat burning levels.  In addition to cardio we as women should really add free weights to our exercise routine. This helps build muscle and keep our bones strong.

To keep the post from being too long, I am ending this here and will create a new post with my first couple of weeks menu, links, and recipes.

Thanks for being curious and sharing my adventures with me. 

Updates

Its been a long time since I've posted here. I really wish I continued while I was deployed. So many great experiences and adventures that my memory will slowly forget.  So let's see what has happened since I last posted here. I found my one. Bought my house in the complete opposite direction from where I was originally looking. I lucked out and have a few wonderful neighbors, and a couple I wish would move away.  I've deployed, redeployed, taken a few wonderful trips, been overseas a few more times, bought a new car, started making energy efficient changes to my house - solar is next I can't wait; and changed jobs (same job different boss).  All in all the past 3 years have flown by.
Today is the last day of 2016 and I cannot wait for this horrible year to be over. (Its not been all bad, but its definitely one that I care to forget about).

Anyways, here is to hopes for a good 2017. As part of my life changes in 2017 I am going to do a better job of recording my next adventure.  My life is ever-changing and always boring. 

Happy New YEAR!