General Diet Plans and Questions - Fat Flush Plan~Week of 8/12

This is day #10 for me and so far, I'm doing great. I've maintained my 3# lose since starting but I can feel the effects of TOM coming, so I won't be too discouraged if I don't show much progress this week. That's life, I guess.

I hope that you are all doing well this week. I need to get caught up on posts from the weekend but I just wanted to start this weeks thread and say "HELLO" :wave:

~~~Sil :flow1:
137/123/120

Hi, SIL!

I weighed in on Saturday and am down 4 more pounds! Yea.

This is my last week on Phase 1. I have lost a total of 17.5 pounds in the first 3 weeks and am VERY satisfied with that. But i am so bored with chicken and vegetables I cannot take it anymore. I'm adding sweet potatoes back in this week. We'll see if it makes a big difference.

I'm also visiting gyms this week, I can't believe I'm thinking about joining a gym! But I've been slack about exercise, need a kick...


Well, I'm glad you are doing so well, did you take measurements? This plan seems to result in a lot of weight "shifting" lots of people lose inches even when they are staying stable weight wise.

Have a great day.
SunDrop

WAY TO GO, SUNDROP ! :cb: :cp:
Good for you for sticking with it another week. I agree with you, it does get boring the first 2 weeks and I am ready to add a slice of Ezekiel bread .

I track my food, weight and exercise at www.fitday.com and I have not been eating enough cals. Only once was it over 1000 cals. So, I need to add some more protein to my diet.

I have some wonderful low-carb (<1gm) protein fruit drinks that I buy from the Quick Weight Loss Center. It mixes in water and forms a fruit-flavored drink, not a shake, but it has aspartamine in it. I'm begining to think that , for me, aspartamine and a little caffeine is no big deal. I'm not one to eat alot of "sugar-free" foods, so I think an occassional sf jello or protein drink will help me.
The biggest and most important things to me are cutting out the trans-fats, sugar and processed foods such as cereals/crackers/breads/pasta, etc.
I will continue to take the LLC, lemon water, cranwater,flax seed oil, GLA/CLA and be watchful of my carb choices.

I'm so proud of you. You help to keep me motivated. Thanks!
~~~Sil :flow1:
137/123/120

I agree SIL- on the modifying to suit your needs...
I still use Splenda sometimes :o

For me not eating dairy and wheat has been revolutionary. It's hard to screw up as long as I keep faithful to avoiding those two.

I tried to make my own vegan Spelt bread in the breadmaker last night, ezekiel is good but expensive and my 5 yo has been eating it all.

It was strange, it rose really high but then deflated upon cooking, not very tasty without sugar either... I may add a Tbsp of molasses next time (high in iron too) I wish I could add some vital wheat gluten, but that's exactly what we are trying to avoid right??

I'll keep working on refining the recipe.

My Dh told me yesterday he wants to go vegetarian I said we could do it for our New Year's resolution, but that I needed animal protein to help me lose another 35 pounds first. I'm still chuckling a little as I was a veg when we first got together and he got me eating meat and now 10 years later he's worried about cholesterol and his health. I don't know if I'm ready to go back to a life without chicken. Maybe we could drop red meat as a phase 1, and that will satisfy him for a while.

I miss Diet Rite- I found a can in the back of the fridge and I drank it, first soda in 3 1/5 weeks- I think I'll add my 6 pack a week back in Phase 2, it's sodium/caffeine free and Splenda sweetened. If it slows me down I'll drop it.

So how is your energy level Sil???

I need to go drink my lemon water... so I'm off, have a great day.

SunDrop

Oh I forgot to add that I track at FitDay too (actually did the first week but have been kind of slack lately) . I seem to hit between 1100 and 1200 calories, are you adding your oils in that's about 200 calories right there....

Also I do 1/2 cup of brown rice or a slice of bread each day and that helps a bit.

Do you want to know what I think?? I think that it is a low calorie diet, and that's why it's so effective the first few weeks for most people. I think It's lower in cals than ALG suggests that it is. I eat an extra carb and add lactose free milk each day and still come in at under 1200.

I think it's detrimental to eat too little, under 1100 is going to put you into starvation mode after a few days, eat some extra veggies, add some bread,
I would just avoid extra fat as the EFA's are already plentiful along with the eggs.

I hit this plateau one time on a pretty calorie restricted regimen and I added 200 more cals a day and immediately started losing again.

Anyway, have an excellent day and feed your body good stuff.

No, I don't include my oils on Fitday. I think of those as supplements rather than food choices and that is what I need to keep track of.
And you're right about being careful to eat enough calories, to prevent the starvation-mode from setting in.

Well, I completly skipped breakfast. I started working in the flower beds and pretty soon it was12:30, time for lunch. I'm making some soup w/ veggies and chicken breasts in the crockpot for a snack later. Tonight will be shrimp,brocolli and a salad.
Have a great day and drink that cranwater :)
~~~Sil :flow:

Oh I forgot to add that I track at FitDay too (actually did the first week but have been kind of slack lately) . I seem to hit between 1100 and 1200 calories, are you adding your oils in that's about 200 calories right there....

Also I do 1/2 cup of brown rice or a slice of bread each day and that helps a bit.

Do you want to know what I think?? I think that it is a low calorie diet, and that's why it's so effective the first few weeks for most people. I think It's lower in cals than ALG suggests that it is. I eat an extra carb and add lactose free milk each day and still come in at under 1200.

I think it's detrimental to eat too little, under 1100 is going to put you into starvation mode after a few days, eat some extra veggies, add some bread,
I would just avoid extra fat as the EFA's are already plentiful along with the eggs.

I hit this plateau one time on a pretty calorie restricted regimen and I added 200 more cals a day and immediately started losing again.

Anyway, have an excellent day and feed your body good stuff.

Hi Linda :wave:
To answer your questions:
1)Does the cranwater cause carb cravings? Not for me it doesn't. I think that's because it is unsweetened and watered down and because it acts as a diuretic, you are actually flushing alot of it out of your body anyway.

2) No, I do not take the oil by the spoonful. I blend some of it with a touch of apple vinegar, lemon juice,parsley, seasonings (such as cumin, dry mustard, Mrs Dash) . This makes a great "honey mustard salad dressing " (Sundrop's recipe) that i not only use on salads but also on my cooked veggies like cauliflower or brocolli. Some people put it in their smoothies and blend it, but I prefer to use it as a dressing. I also like to sprinkle flax seeds on my salads and veggies.

3) I'm not sure about the ketosis issue. That would be an excellent question to ask over at iVillage. I will ask them and let you know what is said.
~~~Sil :flow1:

As best as I can recall, no where does ALG mention ketosis in her book, in fact she seems to keep the words low-carb out of there too.

This has been one of the best aspects of the plan for me. I was formally on a low carb plan and I spent a lot of time stressing about ketosis and not feeling very good.

Fat flush really emphasizes, detoxification, eating clean food, detecting food allergies and sensitivities.

Is it low carb? Yes. I eat an average of 50-75 grams of carbs a day on it, depending on what veggies and fruits I choose and how much of them I eat. That is not extremely low carb but deffinitely lower than the average intake.

You don't count calories or carb grams, you just stay away from the non-fat flush foods and limit your protein and fruits a bit, beyond that, you eat as you like.

So that said what about carb cravings? I am having less than I did when on a lower carb diet, I think for me it is the wheat elimination.
With it went all desire for sweets, it's almost miraculous. the cranberry water is very dilute and pretty sour, I don't really think of it as juice... Also you drink throughout the day and if my math is right it's 1.5 carbs in each 8 oz glass, which barely registers as worth an insulin response.

I also forgot to mention that i put Stevia in my cranwater and my salad dressing mix. :T

Thanks for all the info. I bought the book today and have begun reading it.
She talks a lot about the liver making bile to be stored in the gall bladder. Well, I've had my gall bladder removed. WIll that make a difference?
I think it will be quite easy for me to switch from Atkins to Fat Flush because I've already cut bread, potatoes, rice out of my diet. In fact, it will seem strange to eat fruit!
I still have to pick up the flax seed oil and then I should be ready to start.

I remember reading a thread over at Ivillage that asked about the gallbladder MIA.

The responses from veterans were that there were several gallbladerless fat flushers and that they were having no problem with the plan. You could go there and search the archives if you are still curious:)

Well everyone around here has sore throats, so I'm doling out hot tea and echinacea this morning, wow only 6 days of Kindergarten and we are all getting sick.

Now let's see if the rumors of enhanced immune function due to fat flush are true...

Hi Everyone
I happenned upon this site last night and found the Fat Flush diet intresting. I picked up some flax oil,primerose and psyllium today. I am just making the cranberry juice. I put the book on hold at the libary so I should have it in a few days.I am going to give it a try. I sure will miss the carbs though. Oh well just 14 days and then I will add a few back into my diet.

DEE

What a day today :dizzy:
I started out having pre-menstrual cramps and feeling sorry for myself because I take my Methotrexate treatment tomorrow and between that and TOM, I will be very tired. So, today is my day to get the yard mowed and the pool taken care of, so I can relax the rest of the week.
My neighbor came over this morning while I was having my breakfast and my alotted cup of coffee. My cramps were so bad, and she commented that i need chocolate to make me feel better. I just smiled.
About 4 hrs later, after I did my yard work, and had just come inside, the same neighbor stopped over and gave me a small piece of chocolate cheese cake from the bakery shop.
Well, I took it :devil: and ate the skinny half of it before I started feeling too guilty. So the rest is in the fridge for DH. But I called her on the phone and told her it tasted YUMMY :T and I really did enjoy it :smug: . And that ended my pity-party.

~~~Sil :flow1:

WELCOME DEE!!!!!!! :wave:
~~Sil :flow1:

Hi Everyone! I posted the other day, but have been missing in action. I have been kind of "easing into" the Fat Flush plan this last week. Today (so far) I have been totally Fat Flush (I think) I have been drinking my cranwater (I can't find the unsweetened or cranberries so I have been using the one that has Splenda in it. Do you think that will sabotage my efforts? I missed breakfast because I was so busy, but for lunch I had tuna, lettuce, onion and that flax/cider/seasonings dressing on it. Tonight we are having grilled chicken. I also got in one of my doses of Evening Primrose. I did my weights and cardio also. I don't know if it is because I was only partway on program until today, but I haven't noticed any difference. Okay, that's it for me. Let me know what you think about the cranwater if you have any clues. Thanks!

Dee, we will be starting at the same time. I still need a few items and should be ready to roll by Monday. Monday is always a good day to start a new diet.
Meanwhile I want to see if I lost anything this week doing modified fat fast on Atkins. If that hasn't worked, I'll definitely be ready for something a bit more radical.
Nice to see some familiar faces in here...AddoAnnie, Sil? Good to see ya.

Thanks Sil for the welcome.
Linda it is always good to have a partner in crime.
We will buddy it together.
DEE

Dee, Linda, Ado- welcome. welcome.

It's really good to see so many joining us. i'm off of phase 1 on Saturday, but I'll be around for sure.

Thanks for the support, Sundrop :cb:
~~~Sil :flow1:

ok, so do you guys like this fat flush better than just regular low carb? i"m doing atkins, but thinking about trying the flush. what do you think?

Way to go Sundrop you have done it.
How many weeks have you been on phase 1?
Can anyone tell me what the soup recipe is?
With the long life cocktail is that 4 oz of cran-juice and 4 oz of water? The total intake of cranberry juice is 8 oz a day,right? Or is it 16 with your cocktail? Thanks for your help?
DEE

I think I can fairly easily slip from Atkins modified fat fast to FFP. After all, I'm already doing without sugars and starches. It might even be a thrill to be allowed a couple of fruit a day for a change. T he only thing I might have a big problem with is eliminating salt. How do you deal with that? I'm afraid I have a bad salt addiction and, although I have really cut down on it over the past few years, I just can't imagine eating eggs or meat without any salt at all. Even with the addition of the recommended herbs and/or spices. Blechhhh! How blah is that? :p :p
I just bought and have taken for the past few days, Evening Primrose Oil in capsules. It wasn't until I read the FFP book that I realized there is too much in these capsules. They are 1000 mg each. Do you think that will be a problem for me?
Thanks for all the support and advice.
LindaBC

Dee~~~ Sundrop is in her 3rd week of Phase 1. She extended it alittle because she was haveing such good results. Many people seem to do that.
For Phase 1 (first 2 weeks) the cranwater mix is 8oz. of unsweetened cranberry juice in enough water to make a total of 64oz. This is what you drink in one day. After mixing it up, then you can pour 8oz of the mix in a glass to which you add your psyllium for the LLC. Drink the rest throughout the day, leaving 8oz for the evenings LLC.
I have a container that is approx 64oz. In the morning I mix 7-8 tsp of cranberry juice concentrate (which I get at the health food store)into my container, then add enough water to fill the container. I also add a few dropper fulls of Stevia to cut the tartness.
In phase 2 this will change alittle That is when you mix 4oz of cranberry juice to 4oz of water for your LLC. It's the same amount of cranberry juice except it isn't diluted throughout the day.
I'm not able to print the soup recipe due to copyright laws. But it is in the book.

Linda~~~I have been using Mrs.Dash Original Blend and the spicey blend for years instead of salt. I put it on everything:meats, chicken, eggs, sauces,salads, veggies, etc.

My biggest craving is for something crunchy like popcorn, peanuts, pretzels, crackers. I'm not a big sugar, wheat or dairy person but I will enjoy alittle cheese (cottage, cream,mozzarella) when I ease back into low-carb.

To anwser your ? about evening primrose (EPR).My bottle states that a serving is 2 caps, and it is a total of EPR 1000mg,GLA 90mg and Vit. E 30IU. I take 2 a day pluse my flax seed oil and flax seeds.
I also take magnesium to help prevent constipation, it really helps.

Ok, so I'm totally impressed. I am ordering the book off Ebay. just too expensive otherwise, but i would love to start this on monday! BUT. does anyone have a suggested shopping list of what i'll need? i am so impatient and would like to get going!! you are so inspiring!! FAT FLUSH HERE I COME!!!:dizzy:

Hi all! I hope you don't mind if I jump in here occasionally. I enjoy reading your posts.....they are so enthusiastic! I love this plan. It helped me shed 70 pounds in a year and I'm keeping it off. Even when I go up a few pounds, I just employ the methods I learned on this plan and the pounds melt away.
About the Evening Primrose Oil, I couldn't live without it! If you have any problems with brittle nails or slow hair growth, you will notice an amazing difference after a few weeks. I'm 42 and my skin looks better than it did at 35. I think you will all notice wonderful changes in your bodies as well......in addition to the weightloss.

Good luck to you all and keep up the good work!!!!!!

Ramona

WELCOME RAMONA :wave:
Congratulations on such a great weight loss!! :cp: Please come visit here often. I'm sure that we will be asking alot of questions, as we are all new to FF.

Jihan~~~Good for you! This may be that jump-start you have been looking for.It may get alittle boring in the first 2 weeks, but give it a try. Anything is worth giving a try!

Since this diet plays a heavy role in detoxifying your body, many people have complaints such as headaches, constipation the first week as they withdrawal from caffeine, sigar and wheat, etc. It has been suggested in her book that it helps to take a pre-FF week where you cut back on caffeine, dairy,wheat,sugar,splenda,aspartamine. At the same time start drinking the cranwater (remember that it unsweetened), taking the LLC twice a day,EPR oil capsules, magnesium caps, etc. Then your Phase 1 will be much easier to tolerate.

Some things you will need to start:(many can be found in health food stores (hfs)~
~unsweetened cranberry juice or concentrate
~psyllium husk powder
~lemon juice
~flax seed oil
~EPR oil caps
~magnesium caps (to aleviate constipation)
~a fat burner product(optional) that contains L-carnitine, chromium,choline
~the book lists numerous fat-burning minerals and spices

***Very important regarding flax seed oil. Even when you shake the bottle well, it will not disperse the sediment at the bottom of a new bottle. Stick a skewer stick down to the bottom of the bottle and dislodge the sediment (kinda brown-black). The resulting oil, once shook up will be a light brown color not yellowish. This is part of the flax seeds and gives it it's nutty taste.

This should get you started.
~~~Sil :flow1:

Another item that I forgot to mention is Stevia. AGL reccommends Stevia Plus but I'm not a real stickler on everything. It is an herbal sweetener. I get it in liquid form and add it to my cranwater, my hot lemon water and my flax oil salad dressing mix. A small bottle goes a long way.
Right now I'm drinking some ice-cold lemon water with a few drops of Stevia for a nice lemonade!
~~~Sil :flow1:

Yeah, it's Friday :cp: and time for FRIDAY CONFESSIONS :smug:

Yesterday was P1/D13 for me and I blew it. I only have 2 excusses (neither are very good, but it's all I have).
First, my DH and I always go out for dinner on Thursdays. For the past 2 years it has always been considered our FREE DAY from dieting and exercise.

Second,TOM has hit with a vengence and it was my day to take my Methotrexate.
So, by the time my DH came home I was craving Veggie Pizza at the Mellow Mushroom. I confess that I ate 2 pieces of veggie pizza :devil: and I enjoyed every bite of it.

So, I will stay on Phase 1 for another week.
I'll check in later and I hope you all have a great day :cool:
~~~Sil :flow1:

Thank you Sil!!! I dont know how soon I can get to the HFS, but I'll try ASAP.
thanks for the info!!!!

Well, Spurred on by all of your great success stories, I went out and bought the book. I read through it yesterday and am starting the plan tomorrow(Saturday). I have to do my shopping tonight and get what I dont already have. I'm very excited about this program. I used to do a regular juice fast for about 2 weeks to clean out my system. It was tough and this seems to give the same benefit without the denial of food.

I see too that I really need to finally give up smoking. So starting tomorrow. I'm starting both. I really wanna get this weight off for good and feel good too.

Question? Have any of you bought the mini trampoline and added that into your plan. Also, I try to get some regular weight training in and would like to continue doing so throught phase 1. Is this totally prohibited?

Keep up the good work. I'll let you all know how its going on my end.

Sarah

Sil thank you for the info. I am on the waiting list at the libary for the book. You are doing really great. Hang in there.
Well day one is over on to day two. This is quite the challenge. I am craving something but have no idea what.

DEE

WELCOME SARAH :wave: Come on and join us and we can learn together. Good for you on putting away those nasty cigarettes. That is the No.1 best thing that you can do for yourself :spin: , and this is coming from a cardiac intervention nurse. I know that it can be difficult but you can do it!!!

I have not bought the mini-trampoline yet. I have heard that a small rebounder works just as well. At iVillage someone said that www.walmart.com sells them for $20. I might check that out because I was doing jumping jacks and my joints don't like it. I also like to lift light weights and this should not be a problem. According to the book , she suggests against getting more than 2 hours of strenuous activity per day (pg,89). So I think that most of us will be OK in that regard ;)

I'm getting prepared for the weekend. I work every weekend and I take my food with me. So on Friday afternoons I like to get things ready: eggs are boiled, meatballs/salmon/chicken breasts are cooked, veggies cut and some are cooked. And everything has a DO NOT TOUCH post-it on my portions. There's nothing worse than working 13 hrs, drive home for 45 minutes and then open the fridge and DH has eaten all of your allowed food and left only the stuff that he can eat :eek: I think that he learned his lesson after last weekend. I was PMS'ing and it wasn't a pretty sight :nono:
~~~Sil :flow1:

Sil. that is just too funny.
Sarah. Definitely quit smoking .. i finally did it last ocotber, and dont miss it at all...it's a little hard at first, but SO WORTH IT

Sil, thanks for the tip about scraping the residue from the bottom of the flaxseed oil. I have to admit the yellow color kinda turned me off.
I have started FF today and so far I'm SLOSHING. I thought I drank a lot on Atkins but this is a DELUGE! I don't know if I can keep up.
I couldn't get Stevia Plus. Just not available here at all, so I got the regular kind in little packets.
I made a Blueberry Smoothie for my breakfast today and then a half grapefruit for mid-morning snack. That's more fruit than I've had in two months of Atkins and it has probably knocked me right out of ketosis. But, I guess I can't have everything.
I had my weigh-in this morning and was only down 1 lb, and that was on strict Atkins. I sure hope this FF gets me jump started.
Nice to read the encouraging post by Ramona. If I had results like that I think I could put up with just about anything.

BTW, there is no way I'm going to buy a mini trampoline. I just sold the one I had a couple of years ago. I've had bladder repair surgery and bouncing does not do it any good. I will stick with my water exercises and hopefully, I will soon have my recumbant bike up and running and I will try to get a regular routine going on it. Between those and regular gardening chores, I'm hoping that will do the trick.
Do you think the author of FFP has a share in the mini-trampoline company? :lol:
She's also dead set against pork of any kind. She talks about the disgusting parasites in the meat, etc, but I doubt if pork is any worse for that than any other meat. I think it's possibly just a personal prejudice on her part so I will not omit the occasional pork stir fry or chop from my menu.
Some of the menu suggestions seem a bit fussy for everyday. I seldom cook a lunch, for example. So, most likely I'll be sticking to meat and salad of some kind, just changing my salad dressing to include flax seed oil.
Well, I'm off to make some lunch now. I sure hope I'm doing this right.
I think it's great that everyone is so helpful. I need all the tips I can get.
BTW, I have the book but which soup recipe is the best?

Hey Linda glad that you started today.
Sil your so funy.
Gee I sure am missing my sweets....decafe coffee too.
I would like to make the protein and fruit shake,can anyone tell me what kind of protein powder I need? What does it taste like?
Thanks again.
DEE

Oh yes there is one more thing. i remember reading thet yo should be doing 20-30 minutes of exercise a day. I like to exercise 1-2 hours a day and don't want to give it up. I think I read on the board some where that you need to add something if you are doing more exercise.....anyone remember that?
DEE

Dee~~~I'm still experimenting with the low-carb protein powders myself. I used to use Myoplex Lite when I was doing Body For Life. So, this is still new to me. I also know that some of these products can be hard to find in Canada and shipping costa are expensive. You might ask these questions over at iVillage, on the FF message board.

OK, here are my thoughts on caffeine,aspartamine, etc. I know that the FFplan is to flush out the fat and toxins in our body. And as a nurse, I'm all for trying to have a healthier body. I have just recently started taking a medication that is very hard on the liver, so I'm doing this diet in the hopes of losing some fat and keeping my liver healthy.
That being said, I also do not believe that a little bit of caffeine or aspartamine put this fat on my body and I don't believe that having alittle will keep the fat from falling off.

In other words, I still have my cup (or 2) of coffee in the morning :eek: , then my hot lemon water. I only have a diet coke with my dinner on Thursdays (my free day). If I get a sweet craving once in awhile, I'll have a low-carb protein bar or some SF jello. As long as I stick to the basics of the FF and LC diets I think I'll be fine.
Now, if I can just find an acceptable substitute for popcorn and tortilla chips I'd be in heaven :spin:

And IMO, any exercise is better than no exercise.
Boy, I couldn't say these things over at iVillage. Thanks for leting me keep it real and honest. :cp:
~~~Sil :flow1:

Linda~~~What protein powder do you use and does it taste good? Also, don't forget that we only get 2 servings of fruit a day, so if you add fruit to your smoothie that counts as one serving.

Oh darn! So I've screwed up already and only in day one!! :?:
You know I totally forgot about the berries in the fruit smoothie and not only had the 1/2 grapefruit at mid-morning but a small apple in mid-afternoon. Oh well, back to the old drawing board.

Sil, I just got plain Whey Protein powder in a little plastic bag at my local health food store. It was near the bulk food section and I assumed the store packaged it themselves. I saw the HUGE tins (and I mean HUGE) of designer flavored protein powders but I thought I'd try the basics first and see if I could choke it down. Well, mixed with the frozen berries I could hardly tell there was anything in the shake except berries and liquid except there was a creamy texture that was rather pleasant and I'm assuming that was the whey. Certainly NOT like soy powder which, IMHO, is totally gross and disgusting.

Talking about things not available in Canada, I have to wonder whether the author of the book lives on another planet but I guess it's just the U.S.A. where everything is available. I was reading further in her book and notice that she has great long lists of recommended organic brand names. Well, sorry, but none of those brands is available in my part of the world so I guess I will just have to make do with normal, contaminated, impure products like the rest of the population. :lol:

OK ladies. This thread is closed. Please come and post on the new week's thread~Fat Flush Week of Aug.19.

See ya all there :wave:
~~~Sil :flow1: