Tuesday, 4 September

Today's program: Calorie Boost

Menu

- 1 Tbsp flax oil
- baked custard - 1/2 pkg lite silken tofu, 2 eggs, liquid SugarTwin, vanilla, nutmeg ... I'm getting to like this very much!
- grd sirloin patty, 2 c. mesclun greens, ranch drsg w. 1 Tbsp olive oil added
- other 1/2 pkg silken tofu made into dip w. 3 Tbsp mayonnaise, dill pickle juice, tsp grainy mustard
- 4 large stalks celery cut up, 2 oz bag pork rinds
- 5 oz mahi mahi fillet, sautéed in canola oil w. lemon wedge, 2 c. broccoli w. flax oil & lemon pepper
- 3 cups black coffee
- pot tea, 2.5 liters water

calories: 2245
Fat: 181g (73%)
Carbs: 26g (3%) / Fiber: 9g
Protein: 135g (24%)

cal. per lb = 12.92 (close enough!)

Activity: lifting and lugging boxes of junk & memorabilia, walked to library ~1 hr.

Thoughts: I set my alarm to get up an hour early today. Why??? So that I could start EATING earlier, so that I wouldn't be stuck late at night having to eat more food close to bedtime. Well, it worked, ate the rest of the pork rinds and tofu dip at 9 p.m. I'm still finding that I feel stuffed, uncomfortably full and unwell. Even with using fats for over 70% of the calories. Part of me is thinking though, I bet I could rack up the calories fast if I was having cheese or dairy fats.

Stillman/Lean Protein day tomorrow. I bought some Break-free egg substitute, so I can create an omelet of some kind. I was thinking maybe a taco omelet, using seasoned extra-lean grd beef. And I'll have mahi mahi for lunch. Yum, what a delicious fish ... and here I thought it was high-fat like salmon. Well, the pkg states there's only 0.9g fat in a whole 140g fillet!!

Doreen

Here comes the Queen of Nag again who is not sure if this is a naggable point, but I'll say it anyway...

Tofu has carbs! I know there is 1 gram per 100 grams too.

Karen

The lite silken tofu has lower carbs and fat than regular block tofu that floats in a tub of water. The whole 369g pkg has just over 2 carbs. And 22g protein, and 2g fat. The tofu and my coffee come to under the allowed 5 carb leeway.

So there. Pffflllttt!



Okay, just kidding ... BUT .. did you know that dried squid has 3 carbs per oz?? I wondered, it tastes kinda sweet, and in the back of my mind, squid was one of those carby seafoods I remembered. Sure enough, Fitday, Netzer and USDA ... 3g per 4 oz raw, 3g per 1 oz dried.

Do

I knew it had carbs, but I didn't know there was a listing anywhere for dried squid.

I served it before dinner last night, along with pork rinds. Some people will eat anything.

Bought a package of rather flexible tofu skin tonight and the counts check out. 5 grams per 100 grams, and thats a lot of skin! It may be good cooked in a Chinese style chicken soup, cut into thin strips like noodles.

Also bought dried cabbage - only cabbage and salt - and preserved Chinese cabbage - same ingredients as above. Looking forward to CALORIE BOOST tomorrow!

Karen

Wednesday, 5 September

Today's program: Lean Protein/Stillman

Menu

- 1 pkg diet Jello made w. water and 1 c. dry curd cottage cheese
- taco omelet, recipe is posted in Stillman (lean protein) recipes thread
- 5 oz. mahi mahi fillet, broiled w. lemon juice, grd fennel seed (yumm!)
- 6 oz bnless, bnlss, sklss chicken breast "poached" in 2 Tbsp broth
- 2 oz home-made beef jerky
- 2 mugs coffee, 1 cup decaf.
- pot green tea, 3 liters water

calories: 1004
Fat: 22g (21%)
Carbs: 9g (3%) / Fiber: 1g
Protein: 182g (76%)

Activity: hike 5 km ... perfectly beautiful day.

Thoughts: rambled away about Body Image in my Bootcamp journal. Today went ok. Not looking forward to Calorie Boost tomorrow.

Doreen

Thursday, 6 September

Today's program: Calorie Boost

Menu

- 1 Tbsp flax oil
- frittata - 8 Tbsp egg subst. + 1 whole egg, 4 slices salt-red. SF bacon, 1.5 c. broccoli, 1 green onion, cooked in 1 Tbsp ghee
- 8 oz salmon steak, topped w. 2 Tbsp herbed mayo, broiled, 1 c. mesclun greens salad, 1 Tbsp olive oil & dijon drsg
- 12 oz beef "stew" w. 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1.5 c. chopped cabbage, 1/2 sm green pepper .. garlic, bay leaf, pepper, (tasted ok, but really, really needed onions )
- another Tbsp flax oil
- 2 black coffees
- 2 liters water, pot mint tea at the moment to settle my upset stomach

calories: 2281
Fat: 169g (68%)
Carbs: 24g (3%) / Fiber: 7g
Protein: 163g (29%)

cal. per lb = 13.1

Activity: walked downtown, then had to hurry home because it was time to eat again

Thoughts: not suitable for family entertainment. Once again ... got up early to get the eating underway ... took ages to eat .. each bite was forced into an already full, bloated stomach.

Bit, I don't give up; I will see this through. In fact, I plan to continue on afterward .. modified of course. No torture aka Calorie Boost, and might do the Stillman day first, with the Fat fast day coming later in the week. It seems to have a positive effect on my system. And,

Looking forward to regular lowcarb tomorrow. Mostly because I won't have to eat so much.

Doreen

Friday, 7 September

Today's program: Regular LowCarb

Menu

- 2 Tbsp flax oil
- Mock Danish (w. goat cr. cheese), 0 carb SF syrup --- way too sweet
- 3.5 oz can tuna (oil-pack), 2 hb egg whites, mayo, dill pickle ... puréed as dip for celery sticks, red & green pepper strips
- 1 oz pork rinds
- pan-fried pork loin chop w. herbs, 1 c. sliced zucchini sautéed w. pork
- 3 coffees, w. cream ... man, did it taste GOOD
- 2 liters water, 1 L Apollinaris (water)

calories: 1779
Fat: 139g (71%)
Carbs: 24g (4%) / Fiber: 5g
Protein: 109g (25%)

cal. per lb = 10.2

Activity: hike, 4 km

Thoughts: It's turned really hot and humid again. Uggh. I'll take advantage though, and head out for another hike .. it's kinda nice this time of year .. no mosquitoes or blackflies. Lotsa snakes instead. As well, it's supposed to be thunderstorms etc tomorrow, so take advantage today.

I had cream in my coffee and it tasted so good. While I certainly will keep the appropriate days of the Study dairy-free ... I'm afraid I must indulge this one taste. I'm careful to measure exactly 1½ tsp per mugful, so I don't go overboard.

Saturday, 8 September

Today's program: Regular LC

Menu

- 2 Tbsp flax oil
- 2 big fat fresh SF bratwurst .. casings removed, meat cooked & crumbled (grease drained away), 2 c. kale, braised in butter & chicken broth, topped w. crumbled sausage & tsp crushed caraway ... Mmmmm....
- 1 oz pork rinds
- 4 oz each shrimp & scallops, sautéed in butter & garlic, squeeze of lemon jce, mixed green salad, cucumber, 1/2 small tomato, olive oil & dijon drsg
- 3 coffees w. cream
- 2 liters water, bottle mineral water w. lemon wedge

calories: 1733
Fat: 135g (71%)
Carbs: 28g (5%) / Fiber: 4g
Protein: 101g (24%)

cal per lb = 9.9

Activity: took air-conditioner out of window and put away (despite the mini "heat wave" we're having at the moment) ... washed and put window back together ... What a job! To put the a/c back in its spot in the storage closet ... I had to move my old relic rowing machine out of the way. I looked at that thing, then decided, hey .. I've got it, might as well use it. So, it's now taking up space in my living room ..

Thoughts: Well, I gained weight back over the Calorie Boost and high protein Stillman days this week, back up to 178.. .. It's not TOM nor am I constipated ... in fact the opposite. I'm beginning to think like Rachel, that there's a limit to how much fat & protein my digestive tract and system can handle in a day .... In striving to reach a calorie level of 13 times my weight ... to consume 70% of that as fat ... is overwhelming. And more than 150g protein in a day is also stressful. On the other hand, I'm finding that I feel well and may ultimately have the most weight loss success beyond this Study, by keeping my intake at 10 x my weight CONSISTENTLY ... and ensuring that 65 to 70% of that is from fats, especially oily fruits (avocados, olives), raw nuts and seeds ... and their unrefined oils.

Hopefully, the lbs gained are temporary .... certainly my abdomen is more bloated .. but I'm not experiencing swollen ankles as I did previously when I retained fluid.

Doreen

Sunday, 9 September

Today's program: Regular LC

Menu

- 1 Tbsp flax oil
- fritatta - 2 eggs + 2 whites, 2 oz chèvrette, 100g spinach, 1 c. sliced mushrooms, 1 green onion, cooked in 1 Tbsp ghee
- 2 oz home-made beef jerky
- 4 oz chicken breast stir-fry w. 150g eggplant strips, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 green onion, garlic, ginger, chilis, canola & toasted sesame oil
- 3 coffees w. cream
- 2.5 liters water, bottle mineral water

calories: 1487
Fat: 111g (68%)
Carbs: 32g (6%) / Fiber: 11g
Protein: 95g (26%)

cal per lb = 8.9

Activity: rower - 15 minutes + 10 minutes upper body work w. increased tension

Thoughts: Weight shot up to 181 .. .. abdomen is very unhappy. So am I. It's hard not to be discouraged.

Doreen

Doreen, sorry to read about your discouragement of your weight rebounding to 181.

Have you considered the possibility that the high calorie requirements of Calorie Boost days are helping create your problem?

Nowhere that I can find, do the books tell you to overeat your comfort level.

But as this is a Group Study, I guess we should follow the requirements of v.1.4.

Hope you find a solution soon in order to pick up your spirits.

Regards
Joe

If you abdomen is feeling bloated and unhappy, it's probably water weight you're retaining? I hope so, anyway. You can't possibly have gained five pounds of fat in a couple of days, especially given what you're (not) eating.

May the Whoosh Fairy fly in your general direction!

Hugs,
Rachel

The Calorie Boost

I've thought a lot about this today. I agree with the concept of keeping the caloric/energy value high to offset the reduced intake of the Fast days. I've looked at my menus over the last couple weeks .. and I see that a lot of the problem I'm having with feeling overstuffed and overfull ... is because I'm choosing the wrong foods. Yes, fats and oils will make up a good portion of the day's calorie intake .. but I see that I've been choosing very lean proteins .. egg whites, chicken breast, lean fish, seafood. Very low carb veggies .. spinach and salads .... these foods are great ... but ya have to eat a LOT of them to get the necessary calories. That's the problem ... it's not the higher calories, it's the VOLUME of food. If we choose high-calorie foods, we won't have to eat as much! .. .. A well-marbled steak has more calories than a large chicken breast ... Steamed green beans dribbled with clarified butter or olive oil have more calories than a big bulky salad. It can be done, just takes more planning.

I think the current bloat/fluid retention is that my Irritable Bowel is flared up. The large volume of bulky low-calorie, low-carb foods was an aggravating factor. By choosing denser, higher calorie foods, I won't have to eat such a huge amount ... and will give my poor tum a rest!! Some acidophilus and digestive enzymes might help too ... (and some Immodium )

Doreen

Doreen, I see that you have thought out the situation very thoroughly.

Will you continue to prove out your theory by continuing the Group Programme after the 4 weeks?

I am seriously considering to do it until I can establish exactly what makes my body "tick".

I am following Karen's advise and checking out all the Internet information on "basal metabolic rates". So far I have done three different assessments and the majority specify that with my weight, age, and lack of activity, that I am using between 900 to 1650 calories a day.

This works out to between 5 and 9 calories per pound of weight. Therefore 13 calories seems a might too much for my body.

But I have not finished my study on this. Every source has a slightly different formula to arrive at the results.

Meanwhile I wish you the best of luck in achieving your goal. I will be watching your postings with great anticipation.

Regards
Joe

Get thee to the supermarket! Thick juicy steaks .... pork ribs .... chicken with crispy skin .... lamb chops .... macs by the fistful .... .... I've been on Stillman too long!

Seriously, Doreen, I'm not happy that your IB is acting up, but I AM happy that you've figured out that's what it is and how to deal with it. Hope that fluid retention's gone soon so we can see the new svelte you!

Rachel

Well, the weight has come back down to 177 today, ankles a bit puffy, so definitely a fluid retention problem. My tummy is happier too after the Fat Fast yesterday .. I'll get around to posting the menu sooner or later. At the moment I'm afraid I haven't been keeping up with the requirements of the Calorie Boost. My appetite is turned right off, what with the horrors unfolding in the US today. I'm managed some eggs, added an extra yolk ... and sipped some flax oil .. so I might consider today as another Fat fast day .. and proceed tomorrow with the Calorie Boost .. and so on with the final week of the program.

That's my plan. My heart isn't really in it today.

Doreen