28 Days Later - Thoughts on the Fast Metabolism Diet

Well, my first 30 Day Challenge of 2014 is behind me.  Since I was having a hard time getting my pants buttoned after the holidays, I knew I needed to shed some weight.  Going on a diet is not something I look forward to, and believe me,  I've had some experience with it over the years.  A person like me, who loves food, I mean, really, loves food, often struggles with keeping a proper balance.  And because of that struggle, there are times when you just have to do what you gotta do, mainly stop eating so much of the wrong things.  

I chose the Fast Metabolism Diet because I had watched friends successfully lose weight by following it, and because I liked the methods the author uses to help reset a sluggish metabolism, which I was quite sure I had.  All natural, whole foods make up the diet.  No weird overly processed diet foods, liquid shakes or bars.   No drops under the tongue or pills.  No counting calories or points.  Just lots of eating good, healthy food.

I bought the book and read it cover to cover, studying and preparing for a new way of eating.  There are a number of recipes in the book, but you know me, I wanted the additional cookbook, with more recipes.  People who love food, also love cookbooks.  Between the two books, I had more than enough new dishes to try and ended up enjoying every one of them.

The first week was the hardest.  I felt as though I was reading or thinking about food, shopping for food, prepping food, cooking food or eating food, nonstop, every waking moment.  By the end of the week, it was making even me, the food lover that I am, a little crazy.  To say the first week is intense might be an understatement.

I was never hungry, because you have to eat every three to four hours.  I loved that about the diet, but after a while I was tired of eating.  Imagine that.  I found it was imperative to be very organized and plan all of my meals and snacks in advance.  At the beginning of the week, I would take out all the vegetables, prep them and put them in bags.  This was a convenience that was worth the effort.  

On this diet, you focus on eating fruit and whole grain carbs (like oatmeal and brown rice), along with lean protein on Monday and Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday is heavy on lean protein and low glycemic vegetables (no carbs or fruit), and was the most challenging phase of the diet for me.  But it only lasted two days each week.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I could eat some foods from Phase 1 and 2 (Monday- Thursday), but also add in healthy fats, like olive oil, hummus, salmon, avocados.  I lived for the weekends. Then it started all over again with Phase 1 on Monday.  Twenty eight days of following this eating plan and your body begins to reset how it metabolizes food for fuel.   According to the author, it begins to believe you will feed it regularly and well, therefore, it doesn't need to hold onto the food your giving it, for fear it might not get any again for a while.  The extra weight starts to come off.  It amazes me that you can eat this much food, and still lose weight.

After the first week, I got into a little groove with my meal plans and things became easier.  I could remember the foods that were allowed each day and didn't have to rely on the book so much.  I made hummus for the weekends, boiled eggs to have for snacks, kept veggies and fruits prepped and ready to go, cooked a big pot of steel cut oats and divided them into single servings, oven roasted sweet potatoes and used them in all kinds of ways.  I bought the family size container of spinach and fresh salsa from Sam's. I also discovered that I liked sprouted grain bread and tortillas, brown rice pasta, quinoa, chicken sausage, cashew butter and kale chips.  I quickly found out that I did not like turkey bacon, at all.  I used lots of peppers in every shade, along with onions.  Oh, and mushrooms.  I ate a lot of mushrooms.  My husband wasn't a fan of some of the things I was eating, but he loves baked potatoes and would happily eat one for dinner every night.  No, I didn't feed him a baked potato for dinner every night, but no matter what I prepared for him, he never complained.  He's as low maintenance when it comes to food, as I am high maintenance. 

 I tried to focus on all the delicious foods I could have, rather than the things I could not, like sugar, wheat, corn, white potatoes, rice and pasta and dairy.  No diet foods or sodas were allowed either.   Strangely, I missed my milk, yogurt and cheeses the most and that was the first thing I went to the store to buy when my twenty eight days were up.  As hard as it is to fast from those foods, I know that my body needed to give them up completely in order to break its dependance on them.  The entire first week I had a headache and I totally believe I was going through withdrawal from sugar and carbs.  After the first week, I felt fine.  In fact, I felt better than fine, I felt great!   That great feeling is what kept me motivated to stay committed to my goal. 

Having a few friends who were also on the diet helped.  I think I needed that support system.  When I was wanting chocolate, all I had to do was let them know and they gave me ideas to help with that craving.  We shared recipes and cooking tips with each other.  It made the project more enjoyable to have others along on the journey with me.  

When I started the diet, I told myself that I didn't care so much about the numbers on the scale, that I just wanted to cleanse my body from the indulgences of the holidays, lower my blood sugar and feel in control of my eating choices.  Those were my goals.  Now if a woman tells you she doesn't care about the numbers on a scale, she's probably not being honest with you.  I weighed myself every day.  And the number jumped up and down.  I have to admit it was frustrating to lose one day and gain the next.  But in the course of the month, I lost nine pounds,  my clothes are now looser and my blood sugar is in a good space.  My doctor is going to be happy when I go in for my next blood tests.  What I love the most, is that I am in control of my food and not the other way around.  Sugar and carbs are addicting, and it takes time to get those out of your system.  But I know if you stick with it long enough, you really do lose the cravings for those things.  I was at a church dinner this week and everyone at the table had dessert.  I didn't even want any.  And I didn't feel like I was being deprived in any way. I honestly didn't want it.  And if you know me well, you know that is a miracle.  

I've found that when you give your body healthy, unprocessed foods, your taste buds become reacquainted with the way food should taste.  An apple or orange can be incredibly sweet.  Brown rice has a nutty sweetness to it that's very satisfying.  A green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing tastes clean and fresh.  Nut butters on sprouted grain toast is delightful.  Eating real food becomes exciting and nourishes the body the way it is intended to nourish.  This new way of eating has been a great learning experience for me.

Interestingly enough, the first day I was "off the diet", I got up and found myself thinking, "I can eat whatever I want now."  And I chose the same foods I had eaten on the diet.  Turns out, I like this food and want to keep eating it.   I also plan to continue to:

* Eat three meals a day and two snacks. 

* Plan ahead and keep prepping foods, so I'll always have the healthy stuff on hand.

* Drink lots of water.

* Eat bread and pasta sparingly. And only when it's really good.  I don't have to eat bread just because it's on the table.  But if it's really good bread, I'm going to have some and enjoy every bite. 

* Stay away from any food that is fake.  Eat whole, natural foods.

* Think before eating.  Is this something that I really want?  Is it a special occasion or celebration and worthy of indulgence?  I will definitely be baking again and making wonderful treats, just not nearly as often.  

* Eat seasonal foods that taste delicious.

* Continue making the recipes from the plan that I loved, like the spicy chipotle chicken sausage bowl, meaty spaghetti sauce and stuffed mushrooms.  Make big pots of chili and soup and keep some in the freezer for days when I'm too busy to cook.  Brown rice, quinoa and cooked beans freeze beautifully.  

* Stay active.

So, I'm a big fan of the Fast Metabolism Diet.  I think it's a healthy way to lose weight and I would recommend it, not only as a way to take off some pounds, but as a sustainable lifestyle.  I'm going to try very hard to maintain the new habits I've formed, and if in the future, I find myself in an unhealthy relationship with food, I know I need to get right back on this plan for another 28 days and get straightened out.