In the final stretch.....

Wow, that was a quick 3 weeks.  1 more to go for this cycle.  I only lost 1 lb this week but I'm not complaining.  I also went off program a couple of times so my body is probably confused.  I am going to finish out this week and then take a little break while vacationing.  When I return from vacation I am starting the eating plan again for another 28 days.

I intend to continue applying the lessons that I learned while on vacation but without being quite as stringent.  My hope is that my weight stays the same while vacationing and then I can concentrate on losing again when I get home.

But that is still a week away so I don't know why I am boring you with my random thoughts LOL. Instead let me show you what I had for breakfast yesterday.

I am calling this my Phase 3 Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich.  I LOVE Phase 3.  When Phases 1 and 2 are getting tiresome, you take comfort in knowing that soon you will enjoy 3 whole days of Phase 3.  

In phase 3 you are allowed healthy fats, protein, grains, vegetables and fruit.  After concentrating on carbs in the way of fruit and grains in Phase 1 and protein in the way of meat and veggies in Phase 2, it feels like heaven to be able to fill your plate with everything.

This sandwich was a great way to start the day and the weekend.  Speaking of weekends, I hope you enjoy yours.  Get out and do something fun for yourself....you deserve it!

Phase 3 Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich

1 slice sprouted grain bread (I used Ezekiel)

1 hard boiled egg, sliced

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1/4 c. salsa (I used Garden Gourmet)

Toast the bread and lay on a plate.  Layer the avocado and egg on the toast and top with salsa. Print Recipe

Adapting the Eating Plan to Real Life

Last night we joined Frank's sister and her husband at a Jazz club for drinks and appetizers.  Knowing that I was not going to be able to resist a couple of bites of this and that and some cocktails, I decided to be proactive and prepared.

I made sure that I drank more water than required during the day.  I stuck closely to the eating plan for my three meals and two snacks during the day.  We had this wonderful Beef and Cabbage soup for dinner before leaving the house.

When we got to the bar, I ordered a vodka tonic and a large water.  I chose this over wine because wine seems to just evaporate from my glass and I end up drinking two glasses of wine in the time it takes me to drink one cocktail.  Frank's sister ordered up appetizers for the table.  We had an order of shrimp with spicy chile sauce and steak bites.  Both of these made it easy to include for my evening snack.  While the shrimp is not on the list for this phase, you are allowed shrimp on the eating plan. Another glass of water before ordering another cocktail followed by a last glass of water before heading home.  

It was a good evening.  The music was lovely, the company pleasant and the food was tasty. I awoke this morning feeling good and the scale is down another pound.  I hope your day is starting out as well. 

A Fruity Treat Perfect for Phases 1 and 3

I am sharing a wonderful recipe that I adapted from Haylie Pomroy, author of The Fast Metabolism Diet, over on my other blog today.  Please stop by there and get the recipe for this delicious Peachy Lemonade that is perfect during Phase 1 or Phase 3 of this eating plan.

I am midway through week 3 of this 4 week program.  The first week I lost weight like crazy, a pound a day.  The second week I lost 3 lbs. which is still pretty good.  I slipped off the diet a little this week but am disappointed that my wieght has not changed at this weigh in.  I am not discouraged because in the first week I didn't notice a weight change until the 3rd day.  I do notice that the bloat in my stomach is less and that my neck and throat area is back to having no fat gathered on it.  Just that alone makes me much more comfortable.

Today I enter into Phase 2 so I won't be enjoying this drink again until Friday.  Phase 2 is all about protein and veggies.  Tonight I am making a Southwestern Beef Soup to have for dinner before we go out with Frank's sister and her husband.  We are going to a jazz club so I am prepared to go off the eating plan for a drink or two tonight with plenty of water before, between and after those drinks.

Tomorrow we have friends coming for dinner.  This is the perfect eating plan for entertaining because you can easily adapt it for everybody to enjoy.  I am preparing a version of my Grilled Steakhouse Salad.  I am using the same marinade as in the original, changing up some of the salad ingredients and making a roasted red pepper vinaigrette for the dressing.  Stay tuned for that post and recipe coming soon to a blog near you.

At least it's not 1 step forward, 2 steps back....more like 2 steps forward, 1 step back

So Sunday, Frank and I drove up to the little town of Frankenmuth, where are daughter and sil had set up a booth at the craft fair.  Our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Pierre own a company called Petoskey and Pine.  Petoskey and Pine carries Artisinal Soaps and Bath Products, created by the owners, who maintain high standards and only use quality products that are vegan, organic and fair trade.

Sorry, I get off track sometimes.  Anyway, we were hanging around Frankenmuth waiting for the craft show to close so that we could take them to dinner.  I had planned my afternoon snack and was prepared.....or so I thought.  At one point in the afternoon, we stopped in the plaza where a German Band was playing.  We watched, we danced, we sang and then.....I had a beer.  It was a conscious decision and I thought "what harm can 1 beer do?".  

Monday morning the scale was up 1 lb.  I don't know if it was the beer or just a normal fluctuation of weight but it was ditressing none the less and worth taking note of.  The scale is back down today but I'm not showing any weight loss since Saturday.  My normal weigh days are Wednesday and Saturday so we will see what that brings this week.  Either way, I'm down 11 lbs from my start weight.

I guess my point is that life happens.  While trying to maintain this eating plan there are going to be times when you either can't or don't want to.  I am going to be kind to myself and figure if I can stay true to this plan 90% of the time, then that is okay.

Wednesday we have been invited to a jazz bar by Frank's sister and her husband.  They serve small plates and cocktails.  I will have already eaten dinner so I will have my snack while I am there and I will allow myself one or two cocktails, each preceded and followed by a large glass of water.

Then I will try to be very good because on the last Friday of this eating plan my friend, Renee, is having a Wine Tasting Party that she had won and asked if she could have at my house. This has been planned for months. There will be 4 of us and we are having a pajama party after the tasting so nobody needed to worry about driving.  The good thing about hosting it is that I am in charge of the food portion so I can at least stay on track with that aspect of the eating plan.

Lunch on a Phase 3 Day.

One of the things I like about this eating plan is that I can have a lot of my favorite foods.  Almost all protein sources are included in each phase.  Phase 1 lets me enjoy as much fruit as I can handle and grains along with my protein and veggies for dinner.  Phase 2 lets me eat beef.....I love beef....grilled steaks with a big salad makes my heart sing.  And Phase 3....well, phase 3 lets me eat almost anything except processed foods.

One of the things I don't like about this eating plan is that while I can have all the foods I love....I can't necessarily have them together.  No sweet potato with that steak in phase 2.  No grains with my lunch on phase 3.  Sandwiches are a thing of the past evidently, although I did make an open face beef sandwich for lunch one day using leftover Sirloin Tip Roast and smothered in True Made Foods ketchup.  It was delicious!

So mostly I don't struggle with what to eat but I struggle with when to eat it.  For lunch today I decided to make a Phase 3 friendly egg salad.  But I wanted to have a grain with my Pork Chop Suey tonight (allowed but with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce) so that meant no bread for my egg salad.  I decided to have it on mixed greens instead and it was delicious.....I can honestly say that I didn't miss the bread at all.  The recipe I am sharing is for those on Phase 3 with more than 20 lbs to lose.  If you have less than 20 lbs to lose you would use only 1 egg.

Phase 3 Egg Salad

1 1/2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 T. sweet onion, diced
2 garlic dill spears, diced
3 T. safflower oil mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Mixed Greens

Combine the eggs, celery, onion, pickle and mayonnaise. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serve on a bed of mixed greens.  Print Recipe

Almost halfway there.

I have nearly completed 2 full weeks of this eating plan.  It has been enlightening in many ways.

Here are the things I have noticed:

• I have not had heartburn, not one time, since I started this plan
• I had headaches the first week, but none the past week.
• It is a lot less expensive to eat out when you don't have drinks with dinner.
• You don't have to be hungry to eat. In fact, I think I have only been hungry 2 or 3 times this past 2 weeks.
• You don't have to have potatoes, pasta or rice with every meal.  Yes, it was a good way for our mothers to make a little meat and veggies go farther and feed a family but I am only feeding myself now.
• I don't miss coffee.  I miss alcohol a little.  I really, really, really miss pizza.  It is becoming an obsession.
• I can eat as soon as I awaken, regardless of how long I thought I couldn't.
• Rice milk is pretty good.
• The last fat stored appears to be the first to leave.  One of the reasons I started this eating plan was because I had gotten fat on my upper chest.  I would awaken during the night feeling like I couldn't breath because the fat was heavy on my neck.  It is gone.  I am sleeping much less fitfully now.  My fitbit shows much less restlessness and wakefulness during the night.
• You can still socialize without alcohol.
• Just because you stumble, doesn't mean you have to fall and stay down.

Monday will start my 3rd week.  Mondays and Tuesdays are hardest for me, but even they are not hard.  Last Saturday my weight was at 178 on Sunday it had dropped another 2 lbs.  Today, my weight is at 175.  My goal weight is 150 right now, then I will look at how I feel and decide if I should aim for less.  The premise of this eating plan is that if you maintain some of the habits: eating often, eating cleanly, limiting toxins such as caffeine, alcohol and processed sugars.  You will maintain your weight without thinking about it.

I am scheduled to go on vacation when this period is over.  I intend to enjoy my vacation while continuing with the habits I've learned and see how it goes.  When I am done with vacation, I will go back on the plan for another month to help me reach my final goal.  I hope you will continue with me on this journey.

Pure Food

I am reviewing this cookbook on my other blog, A Day in the Life on the Farm, today.  This book was provided by #Benbella books free of charge. Their only request was an honest opinion posted on my Life on the Farm blog.  

I provided that opinion there but I also wanted to share this with those who are following me on my Quest for Fitness because this is a wonderful and valuable asset for those who are trying to eat cleanly and healthfully.  

You can check it out at Benbella books.  It was released to the public earlier this month.

Ciao for now....hey....I'm a poet.