Good Results for the First 11 Days

OK. I am surprised. I've been trying out the McDougall/Calorie Density ideas that I shared about in my last post and they seem to be working. No one is more surprised than I am based on the fact that it kind of goes against all the "low carbohydrate" ideas that I've been attempting to live by for the past few years. Unsuccessfully, I might add. That's why I tried out the new programs, I wanted something that worked and that I could stick to.

"So, what have you been eating?" I've been eating potatoes, rice, oat meal, vegetables and some fruit. I've been eating on the top side of the below chart (where the big red star is) and leaving out the things on the bottom (where the big red X is):

I've also been eating beans but the gas is monstrous and unwelcome so I'm not eating them as much as the other things.

"How do you know it is working?" I've been randomly checking my blood sugars and they are much lower than they were. In fact I've even had one fasting blood sugar reading of 86 -- which is smack dab in the middle of normal!! I've never had a  normal blood sugar reading before in my life!! This morning's reading was 96 after having eaten a whole cup of dry brown rice cooked up a couple of hours before going to bed. I had two small sweet potatoes before that, too.

"Are you losing weight?" Yep. For the first six days I did not lose any weight. I also did not gain any. I stayed at the weight I had been at a couple of weeks before.  Then on Wednesday I checked and suddenly, in one day, I had gone down 2.75 pounds. I weighed myself again this morning (three days later) and I've lost another 2.25 pounds for a total of 5 pounds in 11 days.

That is why I am posting today. It is so nice to finally have good news to share.

"What has the process been like?" If I compared what I am doing now to what I believed I should be doing before I heard about this method, I would have to say I fell off the deep end. It has been even a little scary to try out, because it goes so far against the low-carb directives.

Here is how my eating day goes: I now eat within an hour or two of rising because I am hungry. I used to wait as long as six to eight hours until I actually ate anything.

I eat whatever I feel like eating. I might choose to put some frozen hash brown potatoes (with no oil and as few additives as possible) into my steamer pan. On top of that I like to cut up an onion, because I like the mixture of flavors and the onion makes it easier to eat the potato with no butter or other oil or dairy toppings. On top of that I put on a layer of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, green beans), and fill up the rest of the steamer pan with shredded cabbage, right up to the rim. I salt and pepper the layers as I add them, and dump on some curry powder which is my favorite spice. I steam them for about 10-15 minutes and then fill up my deep cereal bowl with food. I eat that bowl and usually have another. I still seem to be attached to the "clean your plate club" and I eat whatever is in the pot, even though I often think I am over eating.

Another meal I like is to cook some Bob's Red Mill whole rolled oats. I like my oatmeal stiff and thick so I use slightly less water than is called for in the recipe on the bag. Sometimes I just eat the oatmeal. I do not put any sugar in it and I'm not doing dairy so I just eat it plain, right out of the pot. It is salted and is one of my favorite things. I often feel like I'm cheating when I have my oatmeal because I love it so much! If I eat any fruit in the day, this may be one place I add it. I just put some frozen blueberries, or strawberries right out of the freezer, right on top of my bowl. I stir them in and the hot oatmeal thaws them and they cool down the oatmeal to eating temperature. Mmmmm. Good.

I also love brown rice. I cook it in the bottom of my stove top steamer pan and near the end of the rice cooking time, before the water is no longer visible, I put some veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) in the steamer pot above the rice. Every thing gets cooked at the same time. I salt the rice and add some curry powder to the water. I salt and pepper the veggies and put some curry powder on them, too. When the rice is done, I ladle them into my deep cereal bowl in layers with the rice on the bottom and enjoy! I usually have two bowls of this, too. I do sometimes just eat plain brown rice.

I like my rice sticky so I use three cups of water for every cup of brown rice. It takes longer to cook, but I don't like the rice to be like soft rocks, so that is how I adjust it to my tastes.

I have been worried that I am eating too much. Turns out, I'm losing weight, so, I guess it is not a problem. I suppose a little lesser on the eating would put a little more in the weight loss camp, but I am so enjoying the eating. That may come along a little later as things progress. We'll see.

"So how is the plumbing department?" I'd like to cover this delicately so let me say that things are moving along nicely. Even surprisingly well. When I first started I was going up to four or five times in the day, but now it seems more like two or three.

I made the mistake of making my first meal on the program a pot of split peas with veggies and the plumbing really had a bit to deal with on that one. The gas and the go was almost overwhelming, but since I knew what caused it (my stupidity and the beans) I just weathered the storm and learned my lesson.

I did make another pot of beans (13 bean soup) which again caused gas, but I did not eat them alone, that time. I ate them with rice so the experience, while not perfect, was somewhat better than the split peas had been. I had used some Herdez salsa for flavor in my bowl and really liked the addition.

When I have plain potatoes (with onion) I sometimes put some Kroger Simple organic ketchup on it (lo sugar, no oil) and like the punch of sweet flavor.

I don't know if this had anything to do with not losing any weight in the first six days but I had originally purchased a bag of mixed unsweetened fruit (peaches, mango, grapes, blue berries, etc.) and was trying to stick to two servings of fruit per day. It made me feel guilty to be eating so much fruit so when the bag was empty I did not replace it. I'm thinking that was from the old mind set still holding on, so I might try another bag in the future, to see if the weight loss stops or continues.

One thing I've noticed is that I really gravitate towards the starches in the program and have to remember to include the veggies which are nutritious and low cal, and also add good flavor to the starches.

I've not been eating any bread (processed food) and am still leary of including it, because I can really get carried away with bread. It is less tempting, though, because of the lack of butter (high calorie density). For now, I am sticking to the whole grains (brown rice, whole rolled oats) which I am cooking myself, and white and sweet potatoes. Mostly white, some frozen, some fresh, always with onion.

"Did you notice anything that was not positive about this program?" Well, the first thing I noticed, after the split pea incident, was that I had gotten some very dark circles under my eyes. I've seen this before, and simply watched to see what happened there. They are no longer as dark, now, but are still there, just not as bad.

Also: the skin on my hands seems to be a bit dryer. In the past I chalked that up to the carbs stealing water from my tissues, which I suppose could be happening again. But I've also noticed I have to really pay attention to drink my water or I just drop it out.

The really odd thing is that I "feel" like I'm binge eating. I think I'm kind of "over eating" on quantity. But the blood sugar readings and the weight loss are evidence that I must be fine. I guess I'll have to just keep my eye on things and see how it goes.

So far, I am excited at the results, enjoying eating again, and hoping to leave my fears behind.

So. I'm off to have some oatmeal.

Have a good one!!

Be back soon,

Marcia