Week 3, Phase 2 - Crash

I hit the wall yesterday. I forgot to mix my tuna up the night before and after a few bites I couldn't eat it. So I went hungry, which is a no-no because it sets your metabolism back to starvation/storage mode. I'm going to have to figure out something so that doesn't happen again.

I only have one more set of Phase 2 days. Only two more days of Phase 2... I can do it. I can do anything for two days.

My friend, Mary, who started a week before me will finish this weekend. Mary has said she will make some permanent changes in how she eats, including keeping the sprouted grain bread. (I remember when you had to go to the health food store to get it and now it's available at most grocery stores.)

I considered skipping Phase 2 next week and just going straight to Phase 3, which is the most like maintenance. Since starving does not help, it is more important to eat and keep eating to keep my metabolism from switching, right? As Haylie says "Diet = Did I Eat Today."

Week 3, Phase 2, Day 1

Down 15 pounds since I started!!!

I've got the rhythm now. I know when I can eat which fruits (and on Phase 2 only lemons and limes). I know which two days I dread (Phase 2) and how to keep eating the tuna. (I gave up on the egg whites.) The hemp protein for breakkie is tolerable if a bit gritty. And my hubby makes a delicious soup from pea protein we will have for dinner. So we are making it work.

My friend, Mary, who started a week before I did pointed out that the app highlights the days you did everything right. So far, I haven't got a single day when I did *everything* right. I missed a snack. I ate outside of the window. I didn't drink enough water. The list is endless and IT'S STILL WORKING!!! :-)

I doctored my tuna last night (enough for lunch and two snacks) with green onions, dill pickle relish, Bragg's aminos, and Emeril's (red and green). I brought celery sticks and red pepper slices and lemon slices for my water. I can face the day and tomorrow. It's only two days...

Week 2, Phase 2

Phase 1 is so easy compared to Phase 2. And Phase 3 is a breeze - I can eat that way most of the time.

Phase 2 is a killer. I keep telling myself, "It's only two days. I can do anything for two days."

I'm sure it's easier if you eat a lot of meat and fish, and we don't. So after nearly vomiting egg whites and gagging on tuna on Week 1, Day 3/Phase 2, Day 1, my hubby brought home hemp protein powder and pea protein powder. There is no word on the websites or from the founder on whether these two options can be used on the diet, and we are doing them anyway.

I had a hemp protein shake for breakfast. Not exactly tasty, although much easier to get down than egg whites. Some people would blend with veggies, although "green" shakes are not my thing. They are almost as gagalicious as eggwhites. My tuna is heavily doctored with onions and hot sauce and lettuce and peppers. And I think we are trying tempeh for dinner. Or a soup with pea protein. (Depends on what inspires my hubby today.)

Thanks to my friend Mary, who started a week before I did, I have switched my tuna to Wild Planet brand. The others (Starkist, Chicken-of-the-Sea, Archer Farms) all use "vegetable broth" instead of water for their water packed tuna. And the broth contains soy. For the record, the oil-packed tuna also uses soy, so the only brand I could find without soy is Wild Planet.

Now, power through tomorrow and arrive in Phase 3 on Friday, happy again.

Week 1 Day 3 - Phase 2, Day 1

Epic Fail. My hubby bailed. He managed to choke down an egg white omelet for breakfast and a single packet of tuna for a snack. Then he tried to eat tuna for lunch and failed. He got home tired, cranky and with a headache at 2:30 and told me he couldn't do it. He couldn't eat tuna. He couldn't eat egg whites. He wanted hummus and Syrian bread. Hummus is back on the menu on Friday, although they don't have a sprouted pocket bread that I know of, so he'd have to eat it with sprouted grain tortillas or rice crackers.

I understand why. Phase 2 is hard if you don't eat meat. And harder still when the choices are so limited. Egg whites need fat to reduce the ick factor. Tuna needs mayonnaise. I had hoped I could do an egg salad with mustard, but I don't like the organic stone ground mustard we bought. I choked it down. And I won't do it again.

I am going to keep going without soy, wheat, corn and dairy. If I can get through today and tomorrow, my choices will expand, because I am willing to eat shellfish (crab, shrimp and lobster) and regular salmon. Smoked salmon is too fishy for me and makes me gag. Since I can have olive oil on Phase 3, it's easier to cook everything, too.