Day 34: Dietary Adjustments

April 1, 2008 — lvaldes

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April 1, 2008

Here is what information I have used to tweak my diet thus far:

  • Eat as little sugar as possible
  • Eat only 72 g of carbohydrates/day
  • Have a tsp of cod-liver oil before breakfast
  • Have a 1- 1 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil 20 min before eating every meal
  • Only eat 3 meals/day
  • Eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime
  • Eat organic produce
  • Eat only pasture-fed meats, pork, and poultry that have not been given hormones or anti-biotics
  • Avoid foods with preservatives or additives
  • Drink kombucha
  • Consume raw dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
  • Reduce consumption of wine, beer, and spirits
  • Diet that is 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carb (or 72g)

I spoke with Davidson about my feeling under the weather yesterday and explained what I had eaten the 2 days before- the only days of a truly high-fat, low-carb diet.  He told me that I should EASE into the diet instead of changing from a diet consisting of 40-60% carbs to one of 60% fat. 

According to Davidson, my body has to adjust to eating all this fat, and change from burning carbs to burning fats.  Since I am carrying some extra fat around my midsection, I am willing to stick this out, even if I feel a little weird for a couple days.

Until then, I am going to change a few items from this list to make it a more sustainable and enjoyable diet for me.  This is what I plan to adhere to:

  • Eating as little sugar as possible (which still means eating cookies for me, I’ll just cut down)
  • Eating only 72 carbs a day
  • Having a tsp of cod-liver oil before breakfast
  • Having 1 tbsp of coconut oil/day (that’s it)
  • Eating only 3 times a day
  • Eating 2 hours before bedtime
  • All organic, pasture-fed meats and poultry
  • Avoiding foods with additives and preservatives
  • Drink kombucha in moderation (2 bottles a week- that’s it)
  • Consume raw dairy products whenever possible
  • Drink un-pasteurized beer whenever possible- it’s unlikely I will reduce consumption

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I have a beer and cookie problem.  However, if I drink unpasteurized beer, and eat only homemade cookies (see recipe) it’s better than drinking cooked beer or prepackaged cookies.  At least I’m moving in the right direction.

Weight: 135.2

What I ate today:
2 Hard-boiled Eggs
Raw Almonds
Cod Liver Oil
Boston Market Dark Meat
Creamed Spinach
Green Beans
Cornbread
Cookie
Miller High Life (2)
Total Calories: 1,847

  Fat - 49.5% (102 grams)
Protein - 17.5% (81 grams)
Carbohydrates - 24.5% (113 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 8.6%Daily Sodium Intake - 2,232 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 30 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 831 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 43 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 12 grams

Always with the cookies and the beer.  I really wouldn’t be a happy person if I couldn’t have cookies and beer, so I have to find an exercise regimen and diet that allows for it.  P.S. Other in this pie-chart is alcohol.

Weight: 135.2 - I’m losing again!

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Pilates: Session 15

March 31, 2008 — lvaldes

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Day 34: March 31, 2008                                                      

Today marks the halfway point of the Joseph Pilates 30-session Challenge.  I did some exercises using the Magic Circle for the first time.  The Magic Circle is a circle that is placed between my ankles during some of my exercises.  When working with this device you have to squeeze your legs together while doing the exercises, working you out in an additional way.  I also learned how to bring some of the usual exercises up a notch.

I am a bit fatigued, which is always a great feeling.  It’s always nice to know you got a good workout.

Food:
It’s day 2 of the high-fat diet.  I have no problems taking the cod liver oil in the morning, but I sometimes forget to eat coconut oil 2o minutes before meals.  I am also not so keen on the coconut oil.  I have been just eating it off the spoon, but I think that it’s time to get more creative with how I take it. 

Eating a high fat diet means breakfasts of bacon (organic, nitrate-free, preservative-free) and eggs fried in the leftover bacon grease.  It’s strange eating such fatty foods, especially since I’ve trained myself to avoid them.

Update: 
Around 6:30 today, I started feeling weird.  I felt a little nauseous and had a burst of energy even though I hadn’t eaten since 12:30.  The energy burst felt like I had just drank a cup of coffee or Coke- not the good kind.  According to the books I’ve been reading, going from a low-fat diet to a high-fat diet can be unpleasant at first.  Your body needs a chance to adjust. 

The nausea could be from the kombucha I drank.  Kombucha is a beverage that is made from fermenting SCOBIA.  It is chock full of probiotics that assist in digestion and weight control, boosts metabolism and immune system, among other things.  It takes kind of yeasty, like beer, so I can drink it by the barrels, like beer.  It also has a bit of a vinegary taste, and I love vinegar.  And it is naturally effervescent, so it reminds me of that Diet Coke I miss so much.

What I ate today:
2 slices Bacon
2 Fried Eggs
Coconut Oil
Cod Liver Oil
Meatballs in Marinara
Coconut Oil
Avocado with Oil and Vinegar
Coconut Oil
Total Calories: 1,6o2

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  Fat - 80.7% (146 grams)
Protein - 11.5% (47 grams)
Carbohydrates - 7.8% (32 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,425 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 7 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 559 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 65 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 14 grams
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Raw Milk and the Traditional Diet

March 30, 2008 — lvaldes

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Day 34: March 30, 2008

As I mentioned before, I recently read Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon.  The authors stress the importance of drinking raw milk and eating raw cheeses and yoghurt.  Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized.  Raw cheeses and yoghurt are made from raw milk.  In the U.S. it is illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption so you will not find it in any grocery stores, even specialty stores.  In order to purchase raw milk, you have to find a nearby farm that sells you milk under the guise of purchasing for animal consumption. 

Milk that has been pasteurized and homogenized is robbed of its nutrients and the milk that remains is actually harmful to your body.  The authors state that if you are unable to find raw milk, to not drink milk at all.  That’s a pretty bold statement.  My boyfriend goes through a gallon of milk by himself every 5 or so days, so it’s about time to get some of the real thing.

I went to www.westonaprice.org to see what raw milk providers were nearby.  This website, started by SallyFallon, contains information about health and diet following a Traditional Diet, and information to help people obtain raw milk.  I found a farm in Tennesse that is on my route to Huntsville, Alabama.  I travel to Huntsville often to visit my boyfriend’s parents, so this was perfect.  The farm also makes a trip to Atlanta once a month to sell pre-ordered animal products.  The next scheduled trip isn’t until April 19th, so I will most likely make a trip to Huntsville before that time and pick up some milk (and a couple steaks) on my way home.

What I ate today:
Lasagna
Cod Liver Oil
Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Capers, and onions
Tomato with oil and vinegar
Coconut Flakes
Meatballs (purchased from TJ)
Organic Marinara
Coconut Oil
Mozzarella Cheese
Beer
Total Calories: 1,729

  Fat - 59.7% (115 grams)
Protein - 19.7% (86 grams)
Carbohydrates - 14.9% (65 grams)
Alcohol - 5.6% (14 grams)
Other - 0.0%Daily Sodium Intake - 2,596 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 19 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 354 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 56 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 5 grams

Additional Exercise: I spent some time walking around downtown today searching for a governmental building.  3o minutes total, brisk walking, up and down hills.

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Day 33: Clarification of the Traditional Diet

March 30, 2008 — lvaldes

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Day 33: March 29, 2008

There is no doubt that I am stronger and more flexible due to my Pilates regimen.  Unfortunately I can’t see my new abs of steel through the layer of fat that clings to them.  I haven’t been walking like I had originally planned, so I need stricter eating habits to expedite my fat loss.  Dieting is difficult for me since I love food.  The moment you tell me I can’t have something (like cheese), it is all that I can think of and I’m miserable until I have it. 

I have been trying to eat a Traditional Diet, but have been confused as to what it is I can, and can not have.  Danielle, the owner of Studio Lotus, lent me some books so that I could have a better understanding of the Traditional Diet.

Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon is the first book I picked up.  It states that a diet high in saturated fat is the healthiest and most sensible diet for a human being.  This goes against everything I have ever heard in the past, but after reading the book, I am convinced that the rise in heart disease and obesity in America is the result of low-fat, processed, genetically altered foods.  The book recommends a traditional diet that consists of animal products and organic produce.  In a nutshell it is what you would eat if you lived on a farm- beef from pasture-fed cows, eggs and poultry from pasture-fed chickens, pork from pasture-fed pigs, raw whole milk, raw whole cheese, raw whole butter, lard, etc.

Eat Fat, Lose Fat strongly suggests taking cod liver oil supplements every morning and 1 tbsp of coconut oil 20 minutes before eating.  I found the cod liver oil and coconut oil at Whole Foods.  Trader Joes generally carries coconut oil, but my local TJ does not.  Cod liver oil supposedly boosts your metabolism.  Fine by me.  The coconut oil is another fat that, when eaten throughout the day, tells your body that it doesn’t have to store fat since its getting plenty.  Over time, my body will begin to shed the fat it has been storing, provided I do not overload myself with carbs that would be burned off first. 

I just had my first tsp of cod liver oil and it wasn’t bad at all.  I was expecting a very fishy tasting oil, but instead it had a mild fishy aftertaste.  No biggie.  I also ate a tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil straight off the spoon- yum.  I love coconut, so this was no problem at all.

Life Without Bread by Christian B. Allan, Ph.D. and Wolfgang Lutz, M.D. gives scientific backing to the low-carb diet.  This is a great read for anyone who needs solid evidence before changing their eating habits.  The authors discuss many modern ailments, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, and how a high-carb diet like the FDA’s recommended daily intake, is the reason so many people suffer from these diseases.  This book is more technical, discussing how the human body creates and uses energy, and why certain food products are better suited then others to faciliatate this creation and use.  The provided research and technical aspect of the book was refreshing after reading Skinny Bitch by Rory Friedman and Kim Barbouin.  I would recomment this book to none.

Life Without Bread recommends eating 72 grams or less of carbohydrates daily.  So, now I will be paying close attention to my total daily carb intake as well as total daily sugar intake. 

I will be eating a low-carb, high-fat diet, which is exactly the opposite of the FDA’s food pyramid, which says to consume 8-11 servings of Carbs a day and to use fat sparingly.  Interesting…

What I’ve been eating:
Day 31: March 27, 2008
2 Hard-Boiled Eggs
Carrot
Grapes
Burger with Muenster Cheese (no bun) garlic and onions
Tomato with oil and vinegar
Beer
Fried Plantains
Chili Cheese Tater Tots (just a couple)
Meatball Sliders (Pint and Plate)
More Beers
Total Calories: 3,231

  Fat - 38.7% (147 grams)
Protein - 18.0% (154 grams)
Carbohydrates - 29.1% (249 grams)
Alcohol - 14.2% (69 grams)
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 3,755 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 62 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 844 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 58 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 13 grams

Day 32: March 28, 2008
Hard-boiled Egg
Carrot
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Burger with Muenster Cheese on spelt bread, with garlic, onions
Sauteed Spinach
Cranberry Juice
Tomato with Oil and Vinegar
Avocado with oil and vinegar
Spelt bread with hummus, roasted red peppers and olives
Total Calories: 1,840

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  Fat - 50.6% (106 grams)
Protein - 17.0% (80 grams)
Carbohydrates - 32.4% (153 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,573 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 58 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 415 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 36 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 34 grams

Day 33: March 29, 2008
Cod Liver Oil
Coconut Oil
Hard-boiled Egg
Bacon
Fried Eggs
Buffalo Jerky
Lasagna (recipe)
Coconut Oil
Total Calories: 1,235

  Fat - 60.6% (83 grams)
Protein - 24.6% (76 grams)
Carbohydrates - 13.6% (42 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 1.2%

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,675 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 18 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 843 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 43 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 4 grams
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