Week 4

Week 4

Day 17 (Monday):

Breakfast: cereal, coconut milk, acai smoothie

Snack: date bread

Lunch: salad w/vinegar, grains w/veggies, potato hash, grapes

Dinner: broccoli, cereal w/coconut milk, lentil soup

Snack: pear

Day 18 (Tuesday):

Breakfast: cereal, coconut milk, soybeans

Lunch: Lentil stew, rice, pears

Dinner: chips w/salsa, guacamole

>> Today I had a super busy day. From singing at two places, picking out a dress for winter banquet, and a kickback, I had no time to eat! I managed to eat three decent meals, and that was totally fine for me. I haven’t been eating too much salt, so when I ate those chips, OH MY, they were salty! Oh, and I forgot to mention. I am allowing myself to drink coconut milk (which is not normally “allowed”) because it hasn’t caused any weight problems for me, and it satisfies my fat cravings well in a healthy way.

Day 19 (Wednesday):

Breakfast: coconut milk, cereal

Lunch: lentil stew, pears

Snack: half sweet potato, cereal, coconut milk

Dinner: salad w/cheesecake factory dressing (I think it was a house dressing), veggie burger

Snack: pumpkin carob cake, 2 acai packets

>> The best thing about the Mcdougall program is that I can go out and eat pretty much everywhere. Every restaurant has something I can eat, so in a social sense, I am more than happy.

Day 20 (Thursday):

Thanksgiving day (I can’t remember all of the random things I ate today).

Day 21 (Friday):

Breakfast: cereal w/coconut milk

Snack: pumpkin carob cake

Linner: veggie rice, pumpkin carob cake, stuffing

Day 22 (Saturday):

Breakfast: cereal, coconut milk, carob chips

Snack: roasted corn w/chili powder

Lunch: curry, peach cobbler, grilled veggies with pesto

Snack: coconut milk eggnog, pear

Dinner: taquitos, veggie chile

Snack: egg nog, few bites of pineapple

Day 23 (Sunday):

Breakfast: cereal, coconut milk, eggnog

Lunch: fried veggie rice, tofu w/soy sauce

Dinner: taquitos, pita bread w/hummus

Snack: 2 acai packets

This week I realized that it's okay if I don't eat perfectly every single day, because it's fine to eat what I want when I want it. Maybe it's not the best idea to eat until I feel like throwing up, but I can eat things in moderation, of course I will only eat vegan, but oils and fats can sometimes be allowed. Despite all this, I still managed to break my weight loss plateau that I could never break before!


Recipe of the week: Random Veggie Fried Rice
2 c. brown rice, cooked
1 c. frozen veggies
1 c. fresh veggies (ex. onions, zucchini)
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. diced ginger

Week 3

Week 3

Day 10 (Monday):

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/banana, sweet potato, carob chips, grapes

Snack: pomegranate, corn-bean salad

Lunch: brown rice, white bean soup, cornbread

Snack: cornbread, cereal, coconut milk, apple crisp

Dinner: strawberries, coconut sugar, naan bread, hummus, potato fries

>> Today I was very tired. I stayed up an hour too late last night so I only got 7 hours of sleep. I know that makes me sound like a spoiled baby that sleeps more than 8 hours a night. I am. But that is not the reason why I mention this. I am actually worried about my habits being this because I probably will run into a problem when I go to college at Whitworth. I don’t know how I am going to concentrate the next day because I won’t be able to stay up late even though I’ll probably have to. So this deeply worries me. Food today was pretty good. I do like the white bean soup, although I got too full to finish it with the rice. I prefer the lentil stew but the bean soup was still amazing.

Day 11 (Tuesday):

Breakfast: pomegranate,  potato (2), jalapeno, tomato, pepper, onion, corn, spinach

Snack: grapes

Lunch: brown rice, white bean soup

Snack: cereal, coconut milk, hummus, naan bread

Dinner: honeydew melon, rice cake, naan bread, hummus

Snack: chocolate

Day 12 (Wednesday):

Breakfast: oatmeal, Apple, coconut sugar, cereal, coconut milk

Snack: grapes

Lunch: white bean soup, brown rice

Snack: 4 rice cakes

Dinner: naan bread, hummus

Snack: chocolate

Day 13 (Thursday):

Breakfast: sweet potato, cereal, coconut milk

Snack: grapes

Lunch: white bean soup, brown rice, Apple

Snack: pistachio clusters

Dinner: curried kale and chickpeas, rice

Snack: chocolate, rice cakes

Day 14 (Friday):

Breakfast: sweet potato, cereal, coconut milk, grapes

Lunch: brown rice, curried kale and chickpeas

Dinner: brown rice, white bean soup, apple

Snack: Rice cakes, chocolate

Day 15 (Saturday):

Breakfast: sweet potato, cereal, coconut milk, grapes

Lunch: peanut butter sandwich, apple, mango chips

Snack: energy bar, udon, gobo

Dinner: broccoli, potato fries w/ketchup

Snack: mochi

>> Today was the end of Senior camp, which is one of the grade level camps my school has each year. I had more discipline since I was in the middle of nowhere and packed the exact amount of intended food to be consumed. I was not hungry at all during camp, and was not even hungry for meals at times. I had more energy than I expected considering the time I went to sleep each night. I was so proud of my curried kale and chickpeas dish too!

Day 16 (Sunday):

Breakfast: cereal, coconut milk, pear, mochi

Dinner: corn chips w/corn guacamole, veggie pizza (no cheese)

Snack: acai packet

>> I did lose some weight throughout the week and I was very surprised because this week was very undisciplined for me, as can be implied by looking at what I ate this week. I did not have a lot of self control, but I am still working on that. I think next week I will try to focus less on my food and more on just living my life. I think I am obsessing a little too much about what I am eating and what I should be eating; I am going to think more about how I’m feeling and that will help me decide what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat.

Recipe of the week: 

Week 2

Week 2

This week is the second week of Mcdougall plan, and I am feeling great about it. Again, I did not lose weight since last week, but I’m surprised that at the amount of food I’m eating (compared to Eat to Live) I am not gaining any weight. I am determined now to continue the Mcdougall plan!

Day 5 (Monday):

Breakfast: ½ c. oats w/apple, cinnamon, dates, coconut sugar

Snack: few pieces of pear, 2 pistachio nuts (if I’m completely honest about everything I’ve eaten)

Lunch: Chili w/brown rice, salad w/tahini dressing and sprouts

Snack: rice puff

Dinner: ½ c. lentil stew, 1 potato (wedges) w/organic ketchup, broccoli

>> Today I feel great! Was a little disappointed that my quinoa salad was spoiled (that’s why I ate pears for snack), but I wasn’t super hungry anyways. I love my chili and lentil soup so all my meals are wonderful. Potato wedges are also the cherry on top, so I feel like every meal is a treat! My single rice puff tithed me over for my insanity workout, and I feel completely satisfied. [Incase you’ve noticed, I have shifted the focus of this blog from Insanity to nutrition, just because I feel more passionate about my diet and could also use this as a source of accountability. I will, however, try to recap my insanity “feelings” at the end of each week.]

Day 6 (Tuesday):

Breakfast: 2 rice puffs, 1 microwaved potato, 1 apple

Snack: 1 mini sweet potato

Lunch: Lentil stew, salad w/sprouts and soy sauce-vinegar-garlic-ginger dressing

Snack: sprouted grain cereal, coconut milk

Dinner: broccoli, potato

Snack: acai bowl - coconut milk, strawberries, acai packets (2), granola

>> Again, today I loved my food! I built a cardboard boat for my physics project and had so much fun! Only problem with today was my snacking. I ate about four servings of fruit, probably too much sugar, coconut milk (has a lot of fat), and pumpkin-flax granola (also has tons of fat). I haven’t been craving them, but I am having a hard time controlling myself so I am going to really work on this!

Day 6 (Wednesday):

Breakfast: Granola, coconut milk, oatmeal w/banana, coconut sugar, cinnamon, some banana w/cacao powder

Snack: mochi, granola w/coconut milk

Lunch: Lentil stew, salad w/salsa

Snack: potato wedges w/ketchup, cacao-banana

Dinner: broccoli, potato wedges w/ketchup

Snack: Apple w/cinnamon

>> I started off today pretty bad by eating the fattening granola and coconut milk right when I woke up. I might need to give that granola away just so I won’t eat it! Today I was not very disciplined when it came to “cheating” so tomorrow I need to start fresh. Didn’t necessarily feel hungry, just temptation (and I gave in). These past two days have been very different. Building a boat and a day off from school to watch youtube videos and netflix gave me a pathway to eating unhealthily.

I did, however, have time to watch “Earthlings,” which made me sad, grossed out, and a little disturbed (not with the gore, but with humans). I don’t want to become a preacher for veganism, because I’d much rather be preachy for Jesus not animals, but I am so disappointed in humans at the moment that it’s hard to keep it inside. I do not think eating meat is a sin, but I do think that the way that we, as Americans, capture, breed, treat, cage, slaughter, and then eat meat is just wrong. During biblical times, people did eat meat, yes, but they did not make killing institutions for their animals the way we do now. They killed animals for sacrifices to God (which is fine to me), and thereafter ate the meat. Then for long after,  animals were killed and eaten for special occasions and it was a special privilege to eat the meat. Today, those who eat meat think of it as a “normal” meal...to eat another once-living being is normal. Nobody is thankful that a cow was killed to be our beef jerky snack. No one cares that these animals spend their short-lived time only to be later slit in the throat alive and hung upside down so blood can drain out (while they’re still alive), and then sent to be butchered. No one seems to even know where their leather comes from is not from a cow that was eaten, but an indian cow that is killed merely for our clothing, even though we have other material to use as clothing… I am not saying that eating meat is a sin, because it most certainly is not. I am saying that I choose not to promote the unethical killing of billions of animals so I can have a (not needed) piece of dead flesh on my plate. I am not going to eat animal products ever, but for someone who has not made that decision, I do think that there is nothing wrong with eating turkey on thanksgiving or drinking milk with cookies on Christmas. There is no reason why we have to force animals to be birthed to die for a meal. I don’t want to sound preachy, and other vegans would understand, but it would be impossible for me to keep it all in. (Once vegan, always a vegan)

Day 6 (Thursday):

Breakfast: oatmeal w/banana, coconut sugar

Snack: apple w/cinnamon

Lunch: Lentil stew, brown rice, salad w/peppers and oil-free, tahini-free hummus

Snack: a few multi-grain crackers, date-walnut bread, 2 rice puffs

Dinner: broccoli, baked potato, cacao-banana

>> When I woke up this morning I noticed that my stomach is more bloated than normal. Normally in the beginning of the day, before I eat anything, my stomach is pretty flat, then throughout the day, after my meals usually my stomach begins to expand a little. I went on google and looked for people who have experienced the same bloating as me and turns out there are a lot. The difference is that some people choose to give up at this point, but I won’t. I’m going to stick it out at least for a few months and then see how my body is adjusting to the cooked foods I’m eating. Honestly though, I don’t want to go back to low-calorie leafy foods, bloat or not. Ugh and I’m still having trouble controlling my want for bad food. I’ll work on it though. There’s always a new day tomorrow.

Day 7 (Friday):

Breakfast: oatmeal w/banana, coconut sugar, cacao powder

Snack: apple w/cinnamon

Lunch: Lentil stew, brown rice, salad w/peppers and oil-free, tahini-free hummus

Snack: Potato Chips

Dinner: Broccoli, potato fries w/ketchup, Banana-Oat-Carob cookies

>> Oh my, I am so full! I haven’t been this full since I can remember. Good or bad, I don’t know, but I did learn that I can make healthy baked potato chips! (pic below). I’m excited to make curry or something for next week, and I am excited for my last week of the first thirty days of insanity. Now for some bad...as you know, this week I’ve felt a little (no more than a little) bloated, and I still don’t know what that’s from. I’ve been drinking 3-5 liters of water a day, and I’ve eaten more potatoes this week than I have ever eaten in my life! I know my body still has to get used to eating high carb meals, so I’m giving myself more time to adjust. I tend to get hungry halfway from breakfast to lunch, so I’m still trying to come up with some nice healthy snack to take to school with me rather than a fruit (may be a cause of my tiredness in the middle of the day). I am able to concentrate pretty well, but I feel tired a lot when I get home around 3:30, not sure why that is either. But I’m hoping that throughout the next week or so, I’ll be able to find the instigator of my symptoms. I still love the foods, and I am excited for my grocery run tomorrow!!!

Day 8 (Saturday):

Breakfast: ½ c. oats, apple, banana, cinnamon, coconut sugar

Snack: roasted corn w/salt, pepper, chilli powder

Lunch: brown rice, lentils, tomato paste, mixed greens (corn, edamame, green beans, carrots, peas)

Dinner: brown rice, lentils, potato (2), jalapeno, tomato, spinach, onion, pomegranate

>> I have found a new love in pomegranates! (I do think they are expensive though). I think today went very well and I feel completely satisfied by all of the food I ate today.

Day 9 (Sunday):

Breakfast: potato (2), jalapeno, tomato, pepper, onion, corn

Snack: pomegranate

Lunch: (continuation of breakfast since I had a concert)

Snack: white and red bean mochi (4)

Dinner: rice, chili, potato fries w/ketchup, butternut squash soup, cornbread, apple

>> I found the cause of my bloating! It was not the amount of potatoes I’ve been eating; it was pms. I got my period today and I am so happy to know that I was not getting fat, I was just bloating. I felt pretty good today considering what a rough week I’ve had so far. I think next week will be a lot better just because I won’t be on my period, and I am more familiar with the foods I need to eat.

Recipe of the week #1: Banana-Oat Cookies

2 bananas (overripe)

1 c. oats

Toppings: carob chips, cinnamon, fruit, nuts, cacao powder

1. Mix bananas and oats until “cookie-dough consistency”
2. Fold in toppings
3. Bake on 400 degrees for 10 minutes

Recipe of the week #2: Potato Chips

1 Russet potato (or however much you want to make)

Pepper, salt, herbs

1. Slice potato thinly (with slicer or knife)
2. Place slices on parchment paper
3. Add pepper, salt, and herbs
4. Bake on 400 for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for 5 more minutes (make sure to check every once in awhile - everyone slices their potatoes differently)
5. Let cool and enjoy!

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

Week 2 & The Switch

Something amazing happened this week: on Wednesday night, I received a book in the mail. I forgot I had ordered "McDougall Diet Maximum Weight loss." When I got it, I never thought I would actually do it, because Eat to Live had so much information about why eating mainly green and yellow vegetables are much better for me. But in the beginning of the week I started feeling very tired and hungry. I wasn't hungry to the point where I needed food now, but I was hungry enough to realize that it was hunger. Not toxic hunger. When I opened Dr. McDougall's book I noticed that the information inside was quite similar to Dr. Fuhrman's research. In fact, almost the whole book was the same! The only main differences are involving starches, salt, and nuts. Fuhrman does not encourage partaking in starches (he says to limit it to one serving a day), or salt (which I really do believe isn't the best think for the body). I believed him the first time around, and I still do believe that starches can make a person fat, but that has to do with what people put on the starches. Nuts and seeds are a healthy fat, and because these doctors somewhat disagree, my opinion is that for maximum weight loss, nuts and seeds should be eliminated. But because our bodies do need a small amount of fat, nuts, seeds, and avocado are ways one should attain that fat (when they are maintaining their weight). I'm not a nutritionist or a weight loss specialist, but I don't think anyone could go wrong by eating whole foods. Mcdougall, on the other hand, encourages us not to put salt in our cooking, but to leave it on the table for surface use; that way, if we do want to flavor our meals with salt, we can taste it more since it's right on the food, rather than inside. His also stands by starches as a life necessity. When I was reading Eat to Live, I would come across youtube videos about the starch solution and I thought that was crazy! But in Mcdougall's book he shows how whole grain and starchy vegetables cannot make a person fat. (I mean, if you only eat starches, you may gain a little). My mom once told me, "any diet that eliminates a food group is unhealthy," and now I truly believe her. Starches are essential to a weight loss diet; most diet plans discourage starches, but when starches are thrown out, like my experience with Eat to Live, a person will get hungry, making it more likely for them to "fall off the wagon" and eat anykine food they find in the kitchen. That leads to discouragement and disappointment, and therefore will go full circle and end in a failed diet and likely more weight gain. What Dr. Mcdougall said about diets was certainly true for me. So I am willing to give this lifestyle a try. Now, with Eat to Live, I know I said the same thing, but Mcdougall's program is a lot easier to follow, and a lot more sustainable.

Guidelines for the Mcdougall Maximum Weight Loss Program:

1. No animal products
2. No oils
3. No high fat plant foods (avocados, soy, olives, coconut)
4. No flour products (no refined products)
5. Eat whole grain foods (rice, potatoes, oats)
6. Eat legumes (chickpeas, lentils, peas, beans)
7. Eat more greens
8. Eat uncooked foods
9. No more than two servings of fruit daily
10. Use simple sugars sparingly

Tips from Mcdougall:

• eat large amounts of vegetables
• make the last of your meal starch based (fill you up)
• make half of your meal starch, and the other half vegetables (then add your curry, fruit, or seasoning)
• snack on starches or vegetables and dip (ex. raw peppers w/lentil dip, rice cakes, quinoa salad)
• you're allowance of fruit

Here is what I ate this week. I'm going to keep track of at least 21 days, and see how it goes from there...

Day 1 (Thursday):

Breakfast: multigrain oatmeal - banana, oats, barley, rye, coconut sugar, cinnamon

Snack: carrot sticks

Lunch: salad (w/soy-lemon juice dressing), brown rice and squash soup

Snack: quinoa salad - quinoa, pinto beans, peppers, corn, basil, chili powder, lemon juice, seasoning,

Dinner: broccoli, sweet potato, apple

>> I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was not as hungry today. It wasn't until three hours after my breakfast when I felt a little pang of hunger in my belly. I was far less hungry than when I drank my green smoothie for breakfast. The rest of the day I didn't feel the need to snack of "cheat," and I felt completely satisfied after my meals.

picture of my food on day 1

Day 2 (Friday):

Breakfast: multigrain oatmeal - w/banana, coconut sugar, and cinnamon

Snack: quinoa salad

Lunch: salad and peppers (w/salsa), brown rice and sweet chili*

Dinner: Sweet potato, broccoli

Snack: Apple w/cinnamon

(I counted my calories just because I was curious to how many more calories I will be eating compared to Fuhrman's plan - which was about 800 cal.)-----1,186 cal-----

>> Today I felt amazing; I was not hungry at all the whole entire day. I feel like I was constantly eating (a good thing) and the meals I ate filled me up for hours. The only meal I get hungry after is breakfast, and it works out perfectly because I get a snack a just few hours after. I do, however, miss my fruit smoothies and banana nicecream, but the satisfaction I get from this food is greater than the desire to go back, although I know if I wanted it, I could have it guilt-free. I love the feeling of fulness and satisfaction. One thing that I did notice, though, is that my stomach looks a little puffy (not so much bloated, but just a little added fat). I don't know what it's from or if my body is reacting to the starches, but I'm going to move past it and keep persisting.

Day 3 (Saturday):

Breakfast: Coach's oats w/banana, coconut sugar, cinnamon

Snack: 15 rice puffs (Korean), (2 tbs.) kalo (pic below)

Lunch: Chili, potato, salad w/balsamic glaze

Dinner: Sweet potato, broccoli, apple w/cinnamon
Snack: rice puffs (a lot...)

>> Wow! Not only did I have the power to decline food left and right at the craft show I went to this morning, but I didn't feel hungry AT ALL. Not one moment did I ever feel that pang in my stomach; it was amazing. There was one time when I ate all those rice puffs (serving size: 5), but I didn't feel too guilty or sluggish after. I got a huge bag of potatoes today and learned how to heat them close-to-perfectly in the microwave - cut about half an inch down around the outside of the potato, wrap in wet paper towel, heat for 7 minutes. After lunch I was pretty much stuffed! Took dinner on the go, and just felt great about all that I ate today. Sometimes this food tastes so good that it makes me think it's unhealthy.

After I wrote all of the above ^, I brushed my teeth and got ready to go to sleep, but for some reason, I opened the rice puff bag and somehow managed to eat all of them. I don't think theres anything wrong with that since each rice puff has less than 20 calories, but this is something (binging) that I am working on now. This is not even close to how bad I was before though. I don't think this will happen again; I just love those Korean puffs.

Kalo: traditional Hawaiian staple 

aka Taro (like a sweet potato), pounded into Pa'i'ai 

---looks gross but tastes amazing---

Day 4 (Sunday):

Breakfast: Coach's oats w/banana, coconut sugar, cinnamon

Lunch: potato, chili, salad w/tahini-miso dressing and sprouts

Snack: 5 rice puffs (Korean)

Dinner: lentil stew, rice, potatoes w/ketchup
>> Oh my goodness, I feel so good today. Thinking back over the week I realize that I felt so satisfied by all the starches and foods I was eating. Seriously the opposite of what I felt on Eat to Live. I don't feel like I lost any weight, but I do feel so happy that I get to eat all the food groups (unlike Raw Till 4 or Eat to Live). Honestly, I feel like I'm eating everything and I can't even think of one thing I want to eat that I can't. Also, a plus: my shopping list shrunk, the price dropped [potatoes are pretty cheap.]

Homemade baked oil-free fries w/organic ketchup

---oh, and I had a late-night (not really...its 8) snack of sprouted wheat cereal with a splash of coconut milk---

***This week was honestly AMAZING! I never felt ravenous like I did on Eat to Live. My body inherently craves starches, and I didn't realize that until I completely eliminated the group from my diet. It feels so great to not restrict myself from anything my body craves! I am allowed to eat from every food group except fats, but fats can be found in other things I eat (I think). But overall, I feel wonderful.

Recipe of the week: Sweet Chili (by ME)
1 c. onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 c. pepper, diced
2 c. beans, (if dry, soaked overnight) pinto
1.5 c. tomato sauce
1 c. water
2 tbs. chili powder
dash of cumin, paprika, oregano, parsley

1. Heat a large saucepan and pour tomato sauce and water in. Add chopped vegetables and let sit for 10 min.
2. Add beans and cook for another 10 min on medium heat.
3. Mix in spices and chili powder.
4. Keep on low until celery is completely cooked.

“The will must be stronger than the skill.”