I have completed my journey with The Ultra Simple Diet, early. I made it 12 days. My goal was to go 30 days. The first thing I'd like to note is that The Ultra Simple Diet is designed to last 7 days. I was the crazy one who wanted to take the diet to the extreme. That being said, I am over it. For me, it was unsustainable because I became extremely bored, unhappy, and yearning for social interaction (I had been turning down invites and not planning other things due to the diet). I am now moving on to the next stage of my healthy eating journey.
Over the 12 days, I lost about 6 lbs overall (rounded down). I lost about 2 inches in my waist. I felt thoroughly cleansed. It's a great 7 day diet. Otherwise, it is just not practical any longer. I don't think I did it long enough to comment on any other effects.
I am going to keep a lot of the same principles of The Ultra Simple Diet, combine them with some principles from Ultra Metabolism (Dr. Hyman's bestselling book), a few other sources, and design my own program of healthy eating. These will be my general nutritional principles:
- 5-6 small meals/day
- 90-95% vegan diet (occasional fish, eggs, and/or dairy)
- Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 servings/week (mainly red wine)
- No white sugar, white flour, white rice/pasta, starch
- Gluten-free when possible
I think these principles will keep me healthy, cleansed, and most importantly, social. I will still bring my lunch to work daily, eat at home 95% of the time, and workout daily. My new program opens up a lot more food options for me (I know many people reading this don't think so, but it really does!), and I am excited to get started with it.
On a side note. I am seriously considering becoming a Vegan. I am going to blog about this later this week, however, this may change this blog and its focus entirely. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
1 week down, 3 to go!
Yesterday I completed my first week on The Ultra Simple Diet. It wasnt as hard as I initially expected, however, it is quite time consuming. I literally spend all of my non-work/gym/sleep/RHOA time prepping and planing meals. The first few days I was annoyed by this. Having to wake up extra early to pack my lunch, make my morning shakes, drink water/green tea, etc., I thought was a bit of a drag. But around the 4th day or so I began to enjoy it, strangely enough. I greatly look forward to my morning shakes now (mainly because they are the only sweet thing I consume in the day), and I am finding new ways to spice up the lunches and dinners I am eating. I have also been able to cut time down by prepping 2-3 meals all at once.
The first few days of the minimal caffeine consumption were rough, I did get a headache or two. However, that went away and now I am able to fully function on 1 cup of green tea in the morning, and nothing more. I also found the first couple days not quite productive digestively. Sparing any details on this blog, that quickly corrected itself. The only non-Ultra Simple meal I consumed was dinner with T.N. on Saturday night. We went to a vegetarian restaurant and I ordered a vegan meal which was quite good. I did have a couple bites of things that were not on the diet, however, probably about 5 or 6 french fries and a 1 bite of T.N.'s gnocchi which was fabulous.
Pros: I lost 4.5 lbs this week, which is great news considering I am never really hungry on this diet, and I never go to bed hungry (the dinners really fill me up). I also didnt do all of the workouts I had planned for the week. However, I forgot to take my waist measurements (I will do it for next week). I noticed an improvement in my skin after the 4th or 5th day. I do think my breakouts are directly related to dairy consumption, although I also think it may be a gluten issue. Because I cut both of those foods out completely, I will not really know until I attempt to incorporate them back in (if I end up doing so at all) at the end of the 4 weeks. I must admit, my weekends are so much more productive when I am alcohol free. I am finding time to do projects that I had put off for months.
Cons: Boredom. I do miss the foods I cut out. I am only 1 week in and am already bored with what I bring for lunch and/or consume for dinner (again, love the morning shakes though). I am constantly going to the bathroom due to the amount of water I am drinking. I don't like the fact that I have been turning down invitations to do certain things due to my diet (bbq's, happy hours, etc.). While it is true that I could still attend these functions, its kind of like walking in to a McDonalds hungry, and just smelling the fries. Who wants to do that? I'll just wait until my month is over. If folks want to hang out with me, I am available for bike rides. Shout out to A.B. and our ride last Saturday!
Goals for the 2nd week: I want to try and do all of the workouts I have planned for the week, without skipping any days. I will focus on making sure I consume snacks. While I am at work, it is hard for me to snack. I need to make a point of doing so, or else I eat too much at lunch/dinner. Even though when I do over-eat, it is on veggies and brown rice, its still over-eating. I am going to watch my portion sizes as well this week. Also, I probably wont go out to eat anywhere. Even though my dinner with T.N. was great, I probably should have not nibbled on the non-sanctioned foods.
Overall, good week, but glad its over. 3 weeks to go!
The first few days of the minimal caffeine consumption were rough, I did get a headache or two. However, that went away and now I am able to fully function on 1 cup of green tea in the morning, and nothing more. I also found the first couple days not quite productive digestively. Sparing any details on this blog, that quickly corrected itself. The only non-Ultra Simple meal I consumed was dinner with T.N. on Saturday night. We went to a vegetarian restaurant and I ordered a vegan meal which was quite good. I did have a couple bites of things that were not on the diet, however, probably about 5 or 6 french fries and a 1 bite of T.N.'s gnocchi which was fabulous.
Pros: I lost 4.5 lbs this week, which is great news considering I am never really hungry on this diet, and I never go to bed hungry (the dinners really fill me up). I also didnt do all of the workouts I had planned for the week. However, I forgot to take my waist measurements (I will do it for next week). I noticed an improvement in my skin after the 4th or 5th day. I do think my breakouts are directly related to dairy consumption, although I also think it may be a gluten issue. Because I cut both of those foods out completely, I will not really know until I attempt to incorporate them back in (if I end up doing so at all) at the end of the 4 weeks. I must admit, my weekends are so much more productive when I am alcohol free. I am finding time to do projects that I had put off for months.
Cons: Boredom. I do miss the foods I cut out. I am only 1 week in and am already bored with what I bring for lunch and/or consume for dinner (again, love the morning shakes though). I am constantly going to the bathroom due to the amount of water I am drinking. I don't like the fact that I have been turning down invitations to do certain things due to my diet (bbq's, happy hours, etc.). While it is true that I could still attend these functions, its kind of like walking in to a McDonalds hungry, and just smelling the fries. Who wants to do that? I'll just wait until my month is over. If folks want to hang out with me, I am available for bike rides. Shout out to A.B. and our ride last Saturday!
Goals for the 2nd week: I want to try and do all of the workouts I have planned for the week, without skipping any days. I will focus on making sure I consume snacks. While I am at work, it is hard for me to snack. I need to make a point of doing so, or else I eat too much at lunch/dinner. Even though when I do over-eat, it is on veggies and brown rice, its still over-eating. I am going to watch my portion sizes as well this week. Also, I probably wont go out to eat anywhere. Even though my dinner with T.N. was great, I probably should have not nibbled on the non-sanctioned foods.
Overall, good week, but glad its over. 3 weeks to go!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ultra Simple for a Month
Having traveled for nearly the entire month of August, and enjoyed many glutenous activities this summer overall, I think it all took a toll on my body, and specifically my liver. As I mentioned in the previous blog post, I have decided to follow and complete The Ultra Simple Diet, by Dr. Mark Hyman, for an entire month (9/15/09 - 10/13/09).
This diet is a simple one: It gets rid of bad foods which directly cause toxicity and inflammation (the two major causes of weight gain and disease) and adds good foods which detoxify and are anti-inflammatory. This is not a starvation diet, in fact, I'll be eating constantly throughout the day, turning my metabolism into an ever burning fire.
I took Dr. Hyman's toxicity and inflammation quiz which measures just how toxic and inflamed one is. I scored a 42 which = mild imbalance. This score isn't super high, but it is not what is considered "optimal health," which is a score of 10 or lower. My goal over the month is to decrease my score into the optimal health range. I will be taking my vitals before and after the program as well; weight, waist, hip, and BMI will all be measured.
I want to blog about this experience because even though this is a "simple" diet, it is also going to be very hard (and I believe, very rewarding). I need my friends and family to be supportive of it, as I may have to decline invitations to certain things. The diet can be summarized by the following:
Foods I will avoid:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine (except for green tea)
- Gluten
- Flour (white & wheat flour)
- Sugar (including artificial sweeteners)
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Corn (and the plethora of products containing corn)
- All meat except organic fish (easy part, go pescetarianism!)
- Any oil other than EVOO
- Citrus fruits and juices (except lemon juice)
- Fast food, junk food, any foods that are processed in anyway
- Peanuts
- Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers)
Foods I will enjoy:
- Water
- Fish
- Non-citrus fruits (berries)
- Fresh vegetables
- Fresh vegetable broth
- Legumes (lentils, beans, tofu, etc)
- Brown Rice
- Nuts & Seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Lemons
- Various seasonings
As you can see, it is a "simple," yet, complex diet. Bascially, all of the foods in the "do not eat" list are common triggers of inflammation and or toxicity in humans, and many of which have been found to have direct links to modern day diseases. Dr. Hyman recommends cutting them all out in order to reach your optimal health, and then slowly incorporating only some of them back in once you finish the cleansing stage of this diet (his second stage is called Ultra Metabolism, I will blog about that when my month of Ultra Simple is nearly up).
I plan to blog about the diet bi-weekly, and include any tasty recipes I come up with as well. I am also going to start going on longer weekend bike rides, now that I am back in the area for the weekends! Lots to stay tuned for! :)
This diet is a simple one: It gets rid of bad foods which directly cause toxicity and inflammation (the two major causes of weight gain and disease) and adds good foods which detoxify and are anti-inflammatory. This is not a starvation diet, in fact, I'll be eating constantly throughout the day, turning my metabolism into an ever burning fire.
I took Dr. Hyman's toxicity and inflammation quiz which measures just how toxic and inflamed one is. I scored a 42 which = mild imbalance. This score isn't super high, but it is not what is considered "optimal health," which is a score of 10 or lower. My goal over the month is to decrease my score into the optimal health range. I will be taking my vitals before and after the program as well; weight, waist, hip, and BMI will all be measured.
I want to blog about this experience because even though this is a "simple" diet, it is also going to be very hard (and I believe, very rewarding). I need my friends and family to be supportive of it, as I may have to decline invitations to certain things. The diet can be summarized by the following:
Foods I will avoid:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine (except for green tea)
- Gluten
- Flour (white & wheat flour)
- Sugar (including artificial sweeteners)
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Corn (and the plethora of products containing corn)
- All meat except organic fish (easy part, go pescetarianism!)
- Any oil other than EVOO
- Citrus fruits and juices (except lemon juice)
- Fast food, junk food, any foods that are processed in anyway
- Peanuts
- Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers)
Foods I will enjoy:
- Water
- Fish
- Non-citrus fruits (berries)
- Fresh vegetables
- Fresh vegetable broth
- Legumes (lentils, beans, tofu, etc)
- Brown Rice
- Nuts & Seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Lemons
- Various seasonings
As you can see, it is a "simple," yet, complex diet. Bascially, all of the foods in the "do not eat" list are common triggers of inflammation and or toxicity in humans, and many of which have been found to have direct links to modern day diseases. Dr. Hyman recommends cutting them all out in order to reach your optimal health, and then slowly incorporating only some of them back in once you finish the cleansing stage of this diet (his second stage is called Ultra Metabolism, I will blog about that when my month of Ultra Simple is nearly up).
I plan to blog about the diet bi-weekly, and include any tasty recipes I come up with as well. I am also going to start going on longer weekend bike rides, now that I am back in the area for the weekends! Lots to stay tuned for! :)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
1 Month Anniversary
Yesterday was my 1 month anniversary of my new "pescetarian way of life." Throughout the month of traveling non-stop (New York City twice, Los Angeles, Charlotte), I managed to keep up the diet (save the questionable lard in Los Angeles).
The most common question I get from people who ask me about my diet is why I eat fish. The answer to that is that I am doing this whole pescetarian diet for health reasons, and fish seems to be the most healthy and digestible of all animals. While I am concerned with the plight of animals and the conditions upon which they make it to the American plate, I am not yet in a position at this time to stop eating meat based for ethical reasons (maybe in the future?). One thing I have noticed, however, is that I don't eat that much fish. Most of the time, I eat like an evo-lacto vegetarian. There are so many great options for vegetarians, that I find the need for fish proteins not very necessary. I do like fish, but I think my overall consumption is very low. This is good for a couple reasons. First, the more I am learning about the human species, the more I am believing that we are naturally herbivores. Yes, we can digest meat, but many diseases are directly related to the consumption of it. So does that mean we are supposed to eat it? More on this in a future blog post.
This past month, I have definitely noticed an increase in my energy levels. I used to crash around 2pm daily, right after lunch. Now I seem to have pretty constant energy all day. I am not really sleeping any less, and still feel that 8 hours is just about right for me, but I do have more energy throughout the day.
My metabolism is faster than ever. I don't think I need to get descriptive with this one. But yeah, the human body knows how to digest a vegetarian diet well.
The most interesting thing I've noticed is how easy it has been to cut out meat. Whenever I go out to eat, I am able to find something to order. Friends and family have been supportive, and overall, I have found no other difficulties in giving up (or replacing) my old favorite meat dishes. In fact, my fridge doesnt look that much different than before.
As I noted above, I have been traveling for almost an entire month. I am glad to be back in D.C., but feel overall that I need a good internal cleanse (mainly due to the effects of sugar, white flour, dairy, and alcohol consumption). I have decided to do an entire month of The Ultra Simple Diet, beginning on September 15, 2009. I am going to post another entry tomorrow all about The Ultra Simple Diet, and blog about the experience along the way.
The most common question I get from people who ask me about my diet is why I eat fish. The answer to that is that I am doing this whole pescetarian diet for health reasons, and fish seems to be the most healthy and digestible of all animals. While I am concerned with the plight of animals and the conditions upon which they make it to the American plate, I am not yet in a position at this time to stop eating meat based for ethical reasons (maybe in the future?). One thing I have noticed, however, is that I don't eat that much fish. Most of the time, I eat like an evo-lacto vegetarian. There are so many great options for vegetarians, that I find the need for fish proteins not very necessary. I do like fish, but I think my overall consumption is very low. This is good for a couple reasons. First, the more I am learning about the human species, the more I am believing that we are naturally herbivores. Yes, we can digest meat, but many diseases are directly related to the consumption of it. So does that mean we are supposed to eat it? More on this in a future blog post.
This past month, I have definitely noticed an increase in my energy levels. I used to crash around 2pm daily, right after lunch. Now I seem to have pretty constant energy all day. I am not really sleeping any less, and still feel that 8 hours is just about right for me, but I do have more energy throughout the day.
My metabolism is faster than ever. I don't think I need to get descriptive with this one. But yeah, the human body knows how to digest a vegetarian diet well.
The most interesting thing I've noticed is how easy it has been to cut out meat. Whenever I go out to eat, I am able to find something to order. Friends and family have been supportive, and overall, I have found no other difficulties in giving up (or replacing) my old favorite meat dishes. In fact, my fridge doesnt look that much different than before.
As I noted above, I have been traveling for almost an entire month. I am glad to be back in D.C., but feel overall that I need a good internal cleanse (mainly due to the effects of sugar, white flour, dairy, and alcohol consumption). I have decided to do an entire month of The Ultra Simple Diet, beginning on September 15, 2009. I am going to post another entry tomorrow all about The Ultra Simple Diet, and blog about the experience along the way.
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