For those of you still using cream in your coffee, you might want to try the Paleo creamer I'm using:

1 Can of coconut cream
Whipped with 1-2 raw eggs
Optional: Stevia or SF syrup

It gives the same sort of body and mouthfeel to coffee as cream does. I really love it.

One caveat: Don't put it in a cuppa that is too hot, the egg will cook.

I'm back for my 16 week report. I lost 2 pounds over the past 4 weeks, for a total of 22 pounds over the entire 16 weeks.

I've continued with my dairy-free, wheat-free diet. I'm still eating grass fed beef, but I stopped having my chia seed pudding at bedtime about 3 and a 1/2 weeks ago (although I still use it throughout the day). I was suffering from insomnia and it seemed to be connected with the pudding. I don't know why chia seeds would cause insomnia; it may have been the chocolate almond milk I was using to make it. My FBG rose again when I stopped eating the chia seed pudding at bedtime. I intend to begin eating a chia seed pudding nightly starting tonight, but using a different liquid - coconut milk tonight.

Congratulations! That's a good amount of weight for 16 weeks - and you've met GOAL. It's time to bring out the cheerleading squad:

Thanks, but my real goal is maybe 60 pounds lighter than I have listed here. I just got so depressed looking at the huge gap between where I was and where I wanted to be that I moved my goal within reach. The cool thing is that I can celebrate 'meeting my goal' every 5 pounds.

Should I move my goal down to 210 yet? Or should I leave it alone for a while longer?

You could always add a note about your final goal in your signature, so it is clear to anyone responding to your posts that your stats are not for your final goal.

Here to make my fifth four-week report. I've lost two more pounds over the last month for a total of 24 pounds since I started the experiment.

I've maintained the dairy-free (and wheat/gluten-free) diet. I'm eating more carb than I have in the past when I was losing weight on a low carb diet. It's still definitely low carb but not as extreme as former times when I was losing (or former experiments when I failed to lose). The additional carb is mostly from kidney beans, tomatoes, fruit, rice, almond flour, and quinoa - and even some sugar*. We're not talking huge amounts but quite definitely more than I'm used to while losing weight (I've gone through periods of time when I wasn't losing - even gaining - when I was eating more carb, but to lose while eating that way is new for me.)

Last time I mentioned that I suspected the chia seed pudding of causing insomnia. I was going to switch from chocolate almond milk to coconut milk in the pudding, thinking the cocoa might be causing the insomnia. In the end I found the pudding made with coconut milk was bland and slimy. I managed to choke it down the first few nights but after that I stopped eating it. For most of the month I didn't eat much chia at all. The last few days I've been making a pudding with 1 c coconut milk, 1/4 c chia seeds, and a peach. I eat it earlier in the day instead of at bedtime. It does seem to have lowered my fasting blood glucose a bit, but the insomnia is also back. It's very frustrating.

My general energy level is only fair but that's typical for me.

My mood has been a bit brighter than is normal for me.

My blood pressure is maintaining in the normal range.

My temperature is still in the 96 degree range.

My plan is to continue the experiment for another 4 weeks. Also, I'm going to try to continue having that chia pudding every day - probably substituting berries for the peaches.

* Re the sugar: I've had a few flourless peanut butter cookies over the month (I can't remember, but not more than four). Also, I've had some of this coconut milk ice cream made with agave as the sweetener. Weirdly I don't find myself craving them even though I do enjoy them and find them tasty. I bought a pint of the ice cream on Sunday and put it in the freezer. Yesterday I opened the freezer and saw it there. I'd forgotten I bought it! That would never have happened in the old days with Ben & Jerry.

Glad you found something that works!

Keep in mind that agave is higher in fructose than HFCS and it has been found to contain mercury at times.

Yes, I'm happy for now. We're coming to the true test here. I'm within 10 pounds of the place where my weight loss stopped the last time. I saw 201 one day, then it headed slowly back up.



Yes, I know it's high in fructose and not the best choice. I suspect that coconut milk ice cream has an interesting effect on me. It seems to make my blood pressure drop. One morning after I had it, it was as low as 110/69. Another time it was 100/76. Remarkably low for me.

The sixth four-week period for this experiment ended Wednesday. I'm down another 4 pounds for a total of 28 pounds.

Congratulations!
Steady, sustainable weight loss. Time to change you goal to 200 and breaks through that 201 barrier you saw last time..for good this time. Entering Onederland is even more exciting. Keep up the good work.

Awesome progress! Good job!

I tried to read this entire thread but its too long for me, sorry!
I just want to tell you how fabulous I think that you are for being willing to let go of dairy this way.

On that link to the maintenance thread where many of us have not given up dairy, I find that I have to greatly limit my dairy intake. 2 ozs max a day of cheese, a little yogurt, a little cottage cheese and never on the same day. I use H&H in my coffee.

Freckles was over consuming cheese basically because it was low in carbs and she loved it. It took us a long while to convince her to let it go to get off a long stall. At one point I asked her, "have some chicken with your cheese?" So, adding it back in after she reached her goal, I know that she doesn't eat it the way that she used to eat it. I think that she did learn to not overuse simply because its low in carbs. It is still calorie dense, mostly high in salt...and can be constipating.

Very impressive, Costello!! It looks like you've solved a riddle to your own body.

I've lost another 6 pounds over the last 4 weeks - weighing in at 202.6 this morning. On three mornings over the last month I was actually under 200 lbs. - something I never thought I'd achieve. Now I think I may actually sustain a weight below 200 at some point (hopefully in the near future!).



Thanks, Judy. Giving up dairy wasn't as hard as I initially feared. I may eventually experiment with adding it back very, very gradually starting with small amounts of butter. For now, though, I don't want to do anything that might foul up the weight loss.

Congratulations on breaking that previous barrier! Good plan not to re-introduce dairy yet..see how far this goes.

Yeah. It feels so agonizingly slow as it happens day to day, but really it's not. To lose 6 pounds in 4 weeks 7 months into the loss is really phenomenal when I stop to think about it. I tend to lose with lots of bouncing up and down and periods of weeks at a time when I think I've reached the bottom. Then suddenly I'll see another drop.

I do hope I'll be able to report next time that I'm firmly below 200. It's kind of a mental block for me. Last time I lost on low carb, I saw 201 one day, 201.8 the next, then the numbers headed back up and I never got anywhere near that again.

Yup! It is phenomenal! Good for you!
I hope and wish for you to keep this great trend going. Your current average loss, 1.5 lbs a week, is exactly what mine was.