loaded with infectious goobers...

Holy crap. I've been a sick mess. And totally MIA (you could have found me at any given time in a five day period in my bed watching a ton of Dexter). Hope all has been well and you haven't given up on me.

I initially googled some tips & advice for first-time blogging and read that for the first month you should blog every single day, even if the content is small and just a simple paragraph. I really sunk the ship on that one, didn't I? Mighty big time. I have had a few questions and I am GOING to answer them. I also want to share these spices with you so I'm trying to play catch-up. And I promise to do that. But first I need to focus on, you know, work. Oh, work...

food, glorious food...

The list is short and definitely not sweet. You will not find cupcakes, granola bars (apart from the occasional protein bar that I introduced later on into my transition), or even apples on this list. I watch my sodium BIG time and a close second is sugar. My carbs consumed are only complex ones and even that list is small.

Again, I am not a skilled or certified nutritionist. This is just what worked for me. I came to my own conclusion that gluten is not my friend. It was the breads, the pastas, and crackers that kept the weight dangling from my body. There are a few exceptions to my rule, of course, but for the most part I had to kick gluten-packed foods. Here is my list.

Proteins (I serving size):

Egg Whites 4-5 per serving

Chicken Breast 4-5oz

Turkey Breast  4-5 oz

Tuna Fish (LOW SODIUM) 4-5 oz (keep in mind, most cans list a 2 serving recommendation)

Fresh Fish 5-6 oz

Red Meat 4-5oz

Ground Meat: 4-5oz (always as LEAN as possible!)

Carbs (I serving size):

White Potato 4oz

Sweet Potato 5oz

Rice (brown or white) (cooked) ½-3/4 cup

Oatmeal (dry weight) ½ cup

Cream of White (PLAIN) 1-2oz

Cream of Rice 1-2oz

Vegetables:

All fresh green veggies may be added to any/all meals. Avoid canned and frozen veggies due to excessive sodium content. Although now it’s pretty easy to find veggies that have been flash-frozen and contain no sodium.

Fruits:

During breakfast only. Initially fruits should be limited to 1 cup of either strawberries or cantaloupe due to high sugar contents. Avoid canned fruit…too much sodium and syrup.

Beverages:

Water, low-cal Powdered Beverage Mix (absorbs as water does), decaffeinated tea/coffee*, limited non-fat milk (morning only), and no-salt seltzer.

*I’m going to be honest. I NEVER gave up coffee. I couldn’t deprive myself of everything that I love. And besides, I only have about 2 cups anyways.

Condiments/Dressings/Seasonings:

Olive of Canola Oil (I like Safflower in my stir-fry)

Balsamic Vinegar

White Wine/Rice Vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

Lemon Juice

No-Salt Ketchup (it’s actually pretty good!)

Low Sodium Salsa (less than 100mg – delicious on rice & ground turkey!)

Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (goes great with Cream of Wheat!)

Any Salt Free Herbs/Spices**

**I will soon take inventory of my 3-tier Lazy Susan spice pantry and make suggestions. I am certain I have the best spice recommendations pretty much EVER. I will later discuss my three favorite places to get these spices!

No-No List (it’s longer than the All-Systems-Go list):

Salt

Sugar

Breads

Fried Foods (duh, right?)

Dairy Products (except for non-fat milk)

Cheese

Yogurt

Deli Meats

Fruit Juices

Fruit (except strawberries & cantaloupe)

Canned Fruit

Canned/Frozen Veggies

Avocados (high fat content)

Corn or Peas (too starchy and no nutritional value anyways…)

Limit Tomatoes and Carrots – high in sugar

Salty Sauces/Dressings

Sodas

Sports Drinks

Alcohol (riiiiigggght…)

Processed Foods (another obvi, but they are high in sodium and degraded protein/carb values)

Ephedra, Ephedrine, Maun Huang, Caffeine, Green Tea, or any other stumlant based products.

I also added almonds, and a teaspoon of hummus (lowest sodium I could find) to various veggies for snacks. My list has had a few things re/introduced to it these days. In moderation I eat small(er than the recommended) servings for 0% Greek Yogurt with a handful of blueberries and every now and again, sprinkles of gluten-free granola. I eat a few bananas a week and I do eat various protein bars a few times a week for my 4:30 snack at the end of my work day before heading to the gym. And once again, hello to avocados. Again, in moderation.

For the first year I did this pretty much exactly how it’s listed. I cheated once or twice – around month five or six. I was very serious and very committed to my change. The first week I started this, I drank an entire gallon of water a day to flush my system. Sure, I waddled around like a bloated pig and had to pee every eight minutes, but in the first 14 days I lost 12 pounds. Then I believe the next few weeks were at around three pounds per week and then tapered off to two, and then down to a pound a week for the last couple of weeks until my body hit plateaus that I had to push through.

Any questions? Ask away!

Happy Wednesday :)

HB