Day Nineteen - Test New Vegetable

Yesterday I lost 1.7lbs bring my weight loss to 12.2lbs. 

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights of the day's plan:

• For breakfast (one of the below - not both)
• Flax granola and an approved fruit.
• Cereal with sunflower, chia seeds and fruit (1 cup cereal, 1/2 fruit for women, 1 1/2 cup cereal, whole fruit for men)
• For lunch (one of the below - not both)
• Vegetable Timbale, raw spinach and pumpkin seeds (1 cup timbale woman, 2 cups timbale men)
• Approved salad with a minimum of 15 grams of vegetarian protein and an approved soup
• Snack is (one of the below - not both)
• Rye crackers and 1-2 Tablespoons almond butter (1 cracker woman, 2 crackers men)
• Chocolate covered pear slice with a small handful of almonds
• Diner is any approved protein, add a new vegetable to vegetable saute, arugla with diced pear
• Dessert is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax granola with 1/2 apple

Lunch

• Mixed green salad with 1/2 cup sodium free chickpeas, 1/4 an avacado, sunflower seeds

Dinner

• Steak
• Snow peas, zucchini, winter squash, onions, and basil
• Arugula with diced pear
• Half a baked potato

Snack

• Rye cracker with 1 tablespoon of raw butter

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Eighteen: Test a New Restaurant

Yesterday I gained 3.3lbs bring my weight loss to 10.5lbs. I was expecting to gain weight but not that much. I've read that it takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose a pound, if that's true then I would of had to of consumed over 12,000 calories yesterday.  That didn't happen.  Most likely I had a reaction to one of the foods I had for dinner.  No worries, I'll lose the weight I gained by Wednesday.

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights of what I was suppose to have had:

• For breakfast one of the following:
• flax granola with approved fruit
• flax granola with approved cereal and approved fruit
• smoothie with chia seeds and rye cracker with nut butter (1 cracker women, 2 cracker men)
• For lunch spicy chickpea spinach salad and butternut squash soup.
• Snack is salt free potato chips and guacamole (1oz & 1/8 cup women, 1.5oz & 1/4 cup men)
• Diner is one of the following:
• Test a restaurant
• Any approved protein, any salad, test a new cooked vegetable
• Dessert is creme brulee, chocolate deserts, biscotti, or fruit with whipped cream shared with a dining companion.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Brown rice cereal with almonds, cranberries, and agave

Dinner 

• Two pieces of bread
• Veal Parmesan (half) and1/2 cup rigatoni noodles with meat sauce
• Arugula salad 

Snack

• 4 ounce of salt-free potato chips

Dessert

• Tiramisu (shared with three others)
  

Day Seventeen - No Test

Yesterday I lost 1.3lbs bring my weight loss to 13.8lbs.  I didn't finish all my water until midnight so the loss could be higher.

I ate dinner at my grandmothers and didn't follow the plan to the letter but I didn't eat any foods that I hadn't already tested and found no reaction to. 

In case you are wondering, the plan dinner is any approved protein on a bed of mixed green and Vegetable Timbale.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax Granola with 1/2 an apple

Lunch

• Spicy Chickpea Spinach Salad
• Butternut Squash Soup

Dinner

• Roasted chicken with garlic, lemon, and rosemary
• Boiled Carrots
• Half a potato

Snack

• Rye cracker with raw almond butter

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Sixteen - Two Proteins in One Day

Yesterday gained 1 lb bring my weight loss to 12.5lbs.  Looks like I can't eat animal protein for lunch and dinner and lose weight.  I'm curious what would happen if I had the protein for breakfast and dinner so I'll test that in Phase Three.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Rice Cereal with Blueberries and Pears

Lunch

• Sauteed kale and shitaki mushrooms
• 2 ounces of leftover grilled chicken from the night before
• Rye cracker with Manchego cheese

Dinner

• Roasted chicken 
• Baby romaine salad
• Steamed broccoli.

Snack

• Apple with a small handful of raw almonds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Avocado, Blueberry, and Pear Smoothie

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Avocado, Blueberry, and Pear Smoothie  (serves 1)

This is how I make my Plan smoothie and it's delicious.  When you don't have a pear double the blueberries and add 2 cups of spinach.  If you like very thick smoothie start with 1/2 cup coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup blueberries
1 ripe Pear
1-2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 of an avocado
1 teaspoons agave or honey
1/2 cup of ice

Method:

Combine blueberries, 1 cup coconut milk, pear, avocado, agave, ice in a blender and process until well-blended.  Add coconut milk 1/4 C at a time and blend again until it is the consistency you like.

Day Fifteen - No Test

Yesterday I lost 1.6 lb, bring my weight loss to 13.5lbs.

I woke up sick so after I weighed myself I went back to bed.  I woke up again at 3:30pm feeling great.  I drank a liter of water and then waited 30 minutes to eat something.  I had the plan breakfast, skipped lunch and ate a late dinner of plan approved ingredients.  I was so hungry at dinner so I had second piece of chicken.  I was out of chocolate so I walked to A&P and got a bag of Assorted Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles.  I had one of each flavor (dark, extra dark, and cafe.). YUM!

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights.

• For breakfast (one of the below - not both)
• Smoothie with chia seeds, rye cracker, and nut butter
• Flax granola and an approved fruit.
• For lunch (one of the below - not both)
• Slice of white bread with leftover zucchini, cheese, and sun flower seeds.  Mixed greens and an approved soup
• Approved salad with a minimum of 15 grams of vegetarian protein and an approved soup
• Carrots with 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter
• Diner is chicken with Indian spice rub, sauteed kale with vegetables, and steamed broccoli with lemon and lemon oil.
• Dessert as always is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Smoothie with  rye crackers, and roasted almond butter

Dinner

• 2 pan roasted chicken thighs
• Roasted Carrots
• Sauteed winter Squash, Zucchini, onions, garlic, and fresh basil

Dessert

• 1.3 ounces of Lindt dark chocolate truffles (3 balls)

Day Fourteen: Test New Breakfast Addition (or Milk)

Yesterday I lost .2 lb bring my weight loss to 12.1lbs.  The plan says anything less than half a pound is a reactivity, however, I not positive my reaction was to the egg or if it was due to one of the following:
- Eating eggs
- I have a cold
- I didn't eat enough calories yesterday, I'm sick and didn't feel well enough to eat or cook
- near a "set point", I'm a few pounds away from a weight I was for a long period of time

I'll put eggs on my test again list for Phase 3.  Next time I will test a single egg instead of two like I did yesterday.  Eggs are a hard thing for me to give up because they are included in so many recipes as a binder.  I choose an egg to test because its something I enjoy eating for breakfast or dinner and it was a way for me to test a breakfast item but also an animal protein. 

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights.

• For breakfast test a new breakfast item or whole or lactose-free milk.  
• For lunch Roasted Italian Winter Vegetables (1 cup women, 2-3 men) on a bed of spinach with goat cheese.  Rye cracker with Homemade Hummus (1 cracker for women and two for me).
• Snack is an approved fruit (1/2 for women and a whole for men) and a small hand full of raw almonds. 
• Diner is any approved protein,  leftover salad from dinner on Day 13, and sauteed zucchini with basil, lemon oil, 1 Tablespoon grated Manchego.  
• Dessert as always is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast

• Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote

Lunch

• Butternut squash soup with pumpkin seeds

Dinner

• Mixed green salad with cranberries, avocado and pumpkin seeds
• Two egg omelet with sauteed garlic, spinach, shitaki mushrooms, shallots, and Manchago cheese

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote

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Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote (serves 4)

I used black chia seeds because that's what I had on hand so the mixture came out look gray.  Next time I will use white chia seeds.  The full fat coconut milk makes this decadent and dessert worthy.  If you want to have this for breakfast use 1 1/2 cup of So Delicious Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
with Blueberry Pear Compote

Pudding:
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar  
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup Chia Seeds


Compote: 
1 cup blueberries
1 pear, peeled and diced
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon sugar
Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon juice or zest

Method:

On medium heat bring the coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a boil.  Lower the heat, add the chia seeds to the pot and stir constantly for 1 minute.  Let  mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup blueberries with the pear, sugar, water and lemon juice in a heavy small saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat until berries burst, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup berries. Cook until compote coats spoon, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

Serve warm  or cold

Day Thirteen: No Test

Yesterday I lost another 1.2 lbs bring my weight loss to 11.9lbs. On Day Thirteen of The Plan you are suppose to have a smoothie but I didn't have one of the main ingredients, blueberries, so I will try it in a few days.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax granola with half an apple

Lunch

• Mixed green salad with goat cheese and sunflower seeds
• Butternut squash soup

Dinner

• Grilled Chicken breast on Arugula
• Roasted vegetables with 1/2 a potato

Snack

• 1/2 a pear

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut Squash Soup (Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 zucchini, chopped, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon raw ginger, grated or chopped
4 cups water
Seasoning: cinnamon, black pepper, and onion powder to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in ginger, squash, zucchini, seasoning and remaining water and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In batches, carefully puree in a blender.  Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.