Billster,

Good luck tomorrow!

Thanks Dee! Hope you all had a great day ~Billie~

Well the dye results are back- structure looks great, right tub is clear, left is blocked! However this test has been known to clear out blocked tubes so fingers crossed for a future positive!

Hi, all!

My weight is stuck once again, but unfortunately this is normal for me. I had hoped taking the sea-iodine would make a difference, but so far nothing. In the meantime my hubby has been eating more to maintain his weight, and he's just lost another 4 pounds.

I tried yoga yesterday for the first time since I finished college, (which was forever ago), and this afternoon I am definitely feeling the sore muscles. I probably should have tried something at home before taking a class.

Billster, my mom was pregnant one month after having her tubes blown, (they didn't use dye back then just air.) Here's hoping!

Thanks Dee for all your support and sharing, it means a lot to me! So here is to hoping! If not i start Clomid next month!

So i have changed my diet a fair amount in the last week and down 3lbs! 80% of my food is raw and 20% cooked. I have a shake in the morning with coconut oil, almond butter, almond milk or coconut milk, some berries and spinich or kale blend it all up- there is breakfast and im good till at least 1pm and i have that at 8am. Lunch is a small salad or chopped raw veggies or 1/2 an apple and 1-2 oz of cheese. Dinner is about 6oz of cooked meat and again some raw veg in a salad or chopped up. Lots of water through out the day, tried coconut water for the first time was too full to eat dinner! If you look for coconut water get the organic stuff there is no added sugar!

Billster, THANKS so much for responding to my question and sorry it took so long to respond. I took a girls trip to NYC and as my usual trend I gained 5 pounds so I'm back to square 1 - sigh! I've got to stop that cycle.

As far as TOM I don't have those any more and I do take frequent bathroom breaks. My niece was on the NYC trip and she's been eating this way for a long time and she shared lots of useful information.

Billster, when you mentioned the carbs in nuts and went to look at the 100 calories packs and I was shocked with the amount of carbs. I'll be doing the same as you now -- about 15 almonds a day.

I'm throwing out the cheese too and going to try to do as little dairy as possible. My splurge will be splash of milk in 1 cup of coffee a day and I may still cook dishes with it but not have it as a snack. I'm going to make the ranch dressing that's in the WB book and have it with vegetables, as you suggested.

Billister, congratulations on the 3lb loss. I think I will try the 80% raw and 20% cooked. Can you PLEASE share your shake recipe - approximately how much of each item you put in it? Will a regular bullet chop up the spinach/kale? Does the shake taste like spinach/kale? I might make a really aweful face drinking a green shake LOL

Have you still been trying the coconut water? That's amazing to think that it might keep me full.

I am doing this plan for improved health but I sure hope I lose weight too! I think it's wonderful that you are losing inches although we are all want to see that scale move. I have to keep telling myself, it doesn't matter how much I weigh as long as I'm in ___ size. And yes, everyone in the book does seem like they are losing and I appreciate your honesty!!!

DEE, keep up the good eating habits and I'm sure that you will lose some weight. I know how discouraging it is for our men to lose more than us!

Lately, it seems like the two of you are the only ones that comment on this board and I appreciate you comments! Billster, can you recommend other boards that may be more active?

And last, Billster, I hope we'll be hearing real soon that a little bambino is on its way!

Have a great day!

Hi, all!

Like you Tonz, I should try to limit my nuts and cheese to see how much difference that makes.

Congrats on the loss, Billster. I may have to try to eat more like you do.

I was reading an article recently that said that some of us need our "cells to be bathed" in micro-nutrients in order to lose weight. That we need to get lots of veg and some fruit and one of the best ways is through green shakes. On another thread I met someone who said she had lost about 14 pounds(?) the previous summer by juicing, but was stuck in plateau-land with me on Belly Fat Cure for months on end. She disappeared from BFC shortly after she mentioned her success on juicing. I always wondered if she went back to juicing after her post.

I bought some coconut water but haven't tried it yet. Hopefully, I will find it as filling as you do, Billster.

Tonz- My shakes well I don’t really measure to be honest! I use approx ½ cup of fruit- normally frozen berries, around a cup of kale or spinach, ¾ c of almond milk, and 2 tbs coconut oil and 2 tbs chia seeds. If you are not use to having raw coconut oil I would suggest using a small amount and work your way up as some people get very nauseous when they have too much for the first time. A magic bullet would mix it up well, I just use a normal blender. As for tasting the veggies the berries cut out the taste of them. My co workers think my shake is gross and have no clue how I could drink something of that colour, but it works for me! Yes still drinking coconut water, I work for the Canadian lottery corp and talk on the phone all day long dealing with people so I find the coconut water keeps me more hydrated then normal water and it keeps me from snacking in the morning. As for other groups… there was one on Facebook however that one has had zero activity the past month. My personal option on that is everyone started this diet in January (new years resolutions) and has since gone back to old habits. I do this for health no weight loss, however weight loss is an added bonus!

Dee- I don’t think juicing is the best to be honest, as when you juice your lose all the pulp of the fruit and veg which is where all the good stuff is! Better off blending the crap out of it and drink the pulp.

So here is some back ground info on me- My parents raised us as vegetarians as they felt meat was full of hormones and just not good for us. In our teens they let us eat meat if we choose to. I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in it or fast foods etc. 8 years ago when I was 21 I moved half way across Canada to Calgary Alberta for an excellent social worker job, well I learned that Alberta is beef capital of Canada- it was so hard to find and not eat meat! Plus I worked long high stress hours and found the joys of takeout food! Gained 100lbs within months! Got married a few years back and came to the issue of infertility and hormone imbalance. So I did a number of diets as my main focus was to lose the weight, mind set has changed to be healthy. My mom is still very much a health freak, she is now a raw food vegan and has been for about 2 years. She just had a checkup done and is in excellent shape (blood work etc). I do not want to go to that extreme but want to incorporate some of her diet into mine. So that’s where the 80/20 has come from. My main goal is to have breakfast/lunch/ snack raw fruits and veggies and dinner cooked, I’m going to try this for a full 30 days and see how my body adapts to that. In the past 5 days of doing this I have not felt deprived, ate more fruit then WB suggests and have slept less and not felt tired for the first time in a long time…. And as of this morning down 4lbs. The only dairy I have had is cream in my coffee, that’s the next thing I would like to knock out is the coffee altogether! I’ll keep you posted on my experiment

Also I'm making raw food bars this weekend- lemon coconut! We will see how they turn out as they are WB friendly!.
Have a great week-end everyone!
~Billie~

Billie, Thanks for the guesses on the recipe. I think I'll at least try it and I can tweak. I've heard chia seeds is a must have item.

That makes sense with people starting diet at the first of the year and not sticking. So Dee and I are counting on you to stick to this board :-) I haven't been with WB long, but to me the concept just makes sense. I'm not saying it's easy -- cause darn it's not -- but I'm hoping for a lifestyle change not a just another diet. And I hope to lose weight AND inches on it.

The people that I know that have adopted WB and/or Paleo (which is somewhat similiar) as a lifestyle are slim and health in excellent medical shape. I want to be one of them! And again, the concept just makes sense to me.

I'd love to hear about your bars but I'm afraid I'll like them so much that I'll eat the entire recipe.

I'm going to a wedding this afternoon. I sure hope I'll find things I can eat. I'm going to limit myself to 1 glass of wine!

Have a great day Billie and Dee.

Here I am already breaking my rule :-)

So I just scrambled some eggs with salsa, coconut oil and spinach. I'm trying to not do dairy except a splash in coffee. On WB would eggs be considered a dairy or a protein?

Thanks, Billster. Glad to hear it is working so well for you!!

If they turn out well, please let us know how you make the lemon coconut raw food bars.

Hi, Tonz!

Sorry! I missed seeing your posts, must not have refreshed the site before posting, and it doesn't refresh itself automatically with my browser.

To me eggs are protein not dairy. Dairy consists of anything milk based (milk, butter, cheese, cream), whether from cows, goats or sheep. Can't imagine that WB rules are different.

Thanks for your response Dee. I was hoping it would be protein.

Now I have another silly question. Today for lunch I decided to do a little coconut oil and balsalmic vinegar for a salad dressing. Well in case y'all haven't experienced this yet, learn from my mistake LOL. Do not put coconut oil in the microwave! It super explodes! I put about a tablespoon in a small pyrex dish for 45 seconds at 10% power and it exploded after a very short time.

So, how do you melt your coconut oil?

Boy is this a learning experience! I usually just open a store bought dressing but Billie told me to toss all that!

Hi,

At least one of Dr. D's recipes is made with sour cream and mayo, plus herbs. Since that sounded more like a veggie dip to me than a dressing, I substituted a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for the mayo. (But, unfortunately sour cream is dairy.)

The reason for avoiding bottled stuff is that it is often made with soybean oil, and over 90% of the soybeans in this country are GMO (genetically modified organisms) and contain pesticides and other junk, (along with sugar or corn syrup).

I haven't tried to melt coconut oil other than when cooking. You might be able to put it in a small cup, then put the cup into a bowl containing water that has just been boiled, then let it sit. (Make sure both items are able to take heat.) That's how I would attempt it.

Chia seeds are a must have! They are awesome lil super foods! When the get wet the form a gel around them and are known for pulling the sludge out of your intestines and bowel. My husband loves 3 tbs soaked in 1c almond milk overnight, turns into a tapioca pudding.

Coconut oil i eat it in its solid raw state or cook with it, never melted it. Maybe use a larger dish and microwave it 5 seconds at a time.

As for salad dressing- bottle stuff is pure crap! Full of chemicals! Better to make your own. Always have a bottle of olive oil on hand to do so! I had some leftover guacamole this week (use it for a veg dip) and put about 4tbs in a large bowl with 1/4c oil olive an mixed it like crazy to thin it out- best salad dressing ever! Another one is olive oil, dijon mustard, parsley, basil, pepper and sea salt. I dont know measurements as i taste and add as i go along!

I have tried Dr.D salad dressing with sour cream a few months back and hated it! It was a veggie dip not a dressing. Avocado oil makes a wonderful dressing as well but i dont buy it often as its pretty costly (500ml for 18$). There is also a wonderful roasted garlic organic olive oil i found to and its sooo good but dont eat that one at work as i'd knock over my co-workers with my breath lol

Making spaghetti squash and meat balls for dinner tonight! Have not made my raw bars yet as I'm snowed in with 35 cms of snow and need a lemon to make them and the closest grocery store is 35kms away!

Lemon coconut bars are amazing! Super easy too!

In a food processor add-
1 1/2c soft pitted dates
1c unsweetened coconut
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1c raw almonds or 1 c pre ground almonds
Lemon zest and juice from lemon

Dump mixture into pan lined with wax paper. With ur hands pat down and put in fridge for at least an hour. Mmmmm!

As of monday and one complete week of eating like this i have lost 6.0lbs.

Congrats, Billie! Six pounds in a week, that's awesome!

Also, thanks for the new recipe.

I tried the shake recipe for 2 days but went back to the flaxseed cereal when I ran out of kale this morning. With results like yours, I'll have to make sure I keep the house stocked.

I also tried the chia pudding. It worked pretty well.

My stomach seems slightly flatter, maybe.

How are you doing, Tonz?

OK Billie, you rock!!!! 6 lbs in 1 week is awesome. Looks like you definitely found something that works for you! After reading this awesome news, I definitely need to go to the grocery store and try that smoothie and stock refrigerator for the 80/20 rule. I've been doing somewhat OK. I've lost 3 of the 5 lbs I gained while on the NYC trip.

It seems like my husband (or just me) has been traveling a lot lately. We have another trip planned for next week. We are doing an Amtrak trip to the Grand Canyon for our 33rd anniversary. We fly to Los Angeles and stay 1 night and next day tour the stars home and then that evening board the Amtrak for overnight stay. Then we're at the Grand Canyon for 2 nights (3 days) and board Amtrak for return to Los Angeles. We've never traveled with Amtrak and are exciting, however, vacations play **** on - can I say it - no, not diets, lifestyle changes!

So I would appreciate any travel advice you experts have! I know I can order burgers w/o buns and request no bread, etc. but would love some other tips.

Dee - 'slightly' flatter stomach = AWESOME!!

Ladies, thanks for checking in on me!

P.S. Would also love to hear tips on quick to go foods. Yesterday I ended up being out running errands longer than I intended. Ended up having a greek chicken swarma salad which I'm sure there was something in there that wasn't exactly appropriate. But then, better than french fries from one of those chains>

Have an awesome day ladies.

Dee, I know Billie lives in Canada how about you?

I'm in New Hampshire.

The Grand Canyon is on my "bucket list", though I haven't figured out when we'll get there. Have a great vacation! Celebrating your 33rd is awesome.

Thanks ladies! I was pretty shocked at my first week results as well. DH is eating more 60/40 and lost another 5 lbs.... Ugh MEN! Lol

I travel to the city 1 hour each way for groceries (or most of them anyways) as the closest town has very limited selections. So when i head in its an easy 4-6 hours.... I always have a zip lock bag of raw seeds and nuts with me and i cut up a cucumber to take with me. Traveling i would suggest going to grocery stores- up here most have a deli that has fresh salads, always ask for the gluten free menu as most restaurants carry them now. At the very least continue gluten free and worry about following WB when you get back!

I finally broke down and bought a food processor this week! Have wanted one for a long time and was at Walmart yesterday on my lunch break and found one on clearance and an amazing deal so i had to test it out and made guacamole last night! DH had his with rice crackers and i was stumped what to use for myself- cucumber! Who knew they would be such a great replacement for crackers!

Its a VERY happy day in our household today (no- not expecting yet...) But my dear sweet wonderful mother sent me a package... Well it was something i have wanted for 15 years since i was 14! A vita mix blender! I am so darn excited! If you dont know what they are google it! Throw all ur veggies in an 6 mins last warm raw soup!

Isn't it aggreviating how men can lose so quickly? My husband has lost 30 pounds since February 1 and he only needed to lose about 25. That's my dream!

Billie, you will be expecting before you know it! I've heard a vita mix blender is the premier of blenders. I know you will enjoy it. And how thoughtful of your mom because I know they are very pricey!

Billie, I looked at your weight thingy and you're almost half way to your goal weight. Way to go!

I tried your shake recipe this morning and it was OK and I will try it again. I added a teaspoon of Truvia as I wasn't sure it would be sweet enough. My, my it is not a shake that you can make and drink/eat on the run. Those little darn chia seeds found every little crevis in my mouth. You definitely need a toothbrush after consuming that. LOL

Both of you probably are still having cold weather. I know Billie said it recently snowed. It's hot, hot, hot and very, very humid here in Louisiana. THanks the good Lord for air conditioner! I couldn't live without it.

Well y'all (a truly southern word) have a great day!

We've just had 2 days of 60 degree weather, and the daffodils are starting to bloom. This is a very late spring for us this year. My magnolia buds went from barely there to lots of pink showing all within those 2 days.

My hubby had a vita mixer from before we were married. Know it worked well for frozen drinks back then. May have to rescue it from the farm and see how it fares with veggie grinding. What a great gift from your Mom, Billie!

I wish our bodies lost weight the way our men's do.

Well im VERY jealous of the nice weather both of you are having! Its railing here today when i took the dogs out- i was dancing in the rain i was so happy it wasnt snow! Fyi i think my dogs think im nuts lol

I had about a dozen jalapeños i needed to use up again... So i made DH GF jalapeño poppers, stuffed them with cream cheese and wrapped them in bacon- in the oven till the bacon was crisp- i had two they were so darn good! Next time ill remember to put parchment paper down as it was not easy to clean the pan!

Tonz- as for the shakes if you dont find them sweet enough cut back on the kale and work your way into more, i started with very little then worked my way up. As for chia seeds i dont find they get stuck in my teeth, again i make a shake before i leave for work and drink it at my desk so almost an hour an a half after i made it and the have gelled up by that time.

This morning was the first time in a long time my iron pills made me feel nauseous ! I normally take it with a huge glass of water in the morning an wait about an hour before i put anything else into my system and i have never had an issue- today i had to eat an apple about 20 mins later as i felt like i was going to vomit!

Dee if you have a vita mix use it! I made an amazing mushroom soup in 5 mins last night! Im in complete love with it! However my only dog fall is Harley our 5 year old boarder collie is scared of the thing and barked the whole time it was on!

Just went on Amazon to see what a vitamix goes for, and I'm floored. I knew they were expensive but didn't realize just how outrageous they are. Wow! (Can tell my hubby bought that back in his bachelor days, these days I don't think he'd spring for one.) Too bad Harley is not a fan. My dog used to hate the vacuum cleaner. And my last dog used to bark when Thriller came on. Hopefully Harley will get used to it.

The GF jalapeno poppers sound good.

Down another pound as of yesterday. Yeah!!!

Way to go Dee on another pound down!!! The shocking part is Vita Mixes have come down in price!!!! The one i have was 950$ canadian plus shipping about 3 years ago! My next kitchen goodie i was is a food dehydrator!

Billie, I am starting a juicing experiment this week. I just thought I'd mention I am using some juicing recipes that takes the pulp from the juiced veggies for soup. That way you get the pulp and there is no waste.

Patns- i have nothing against juicing- so please dont get me wrong! I have found that a lot of people waste the good stuff (pulp) which is where all the fiber is! I would love to hear what pulp you are using in soups! I have made so really bad ones this week!!!!!

Made more raw bars this week!! Added some raw hemp seeds to them and they were so good! Down another three this week! Hoping this will help me NOT gain week as i start my first cycle of Clomid next week... Lets hope im not too much of a nut job when im on it!!!!!

Patns- were you not on the 3FC IP form for a long time?

Hi, all!

Welcome, patns!

Congrats on the additional 3 lbs., Billie!!!

I've been away. Have been afraid to check the scale, since we returned home last night. My hubby who had been eating to maintain because he had been losing so much, was up 10 lbs. in the week we were gone. Scary!

Thanks Dee!

Still just eating cooking meats at dinner time, everything else is raw. Down to only some cream in my coffee- have not been able to kick that just yet! I have been hooked on jicama salads! I love that stuff! Wit avocado dressing! Mmmm

Day 3 of clomid and so far still feel fine. Mornings im a bit more crabby then normal but that could be due to work too as its VERY stressful right now! No weight gain!

Hi!

Billie, besides the 2 pound a month weight gain if I didn't exercise a lot while on clomid, I also found that I was more emotional and had to make sure I had enough B vitamins. The good side effect from the hormonal impact of clomid was that it made "trying" even more fun.

I have to get back on track diet-wise. Still haven't checked the scale. My husband seemed surprised that I didn't want to know the impact of our vacation, but I don't. I'll check soon, once I'm eating slightly better. I never ate bread or anything like that, but there may have been soy containing gluten in one or two things I had, or in things that I didn't suspect contained it. It is much harder eating gluten free when travelling in a foreign country, where English is not the primary language. That and the place we stayed was an all inclusive including drinks, and I mixed a little rum with my coconut. That may have had a bigger impact on my weight. Though we were doing stairs a lot. The resort was set on a hillside, and the main dining room was down one flight and up four flights from our room. No elevator. And we could either go up and down a hill to get to and from the beach or climb up and down more stairs, we usually opted for the hill.

Yes Billie I was on IP and lost 39 pounds. I had actually lost 40 before that over several years by cutting out wheat long before wheat belly was all the rage. I gained back 5 pounds instantly on phase 3 of IP then 5 over Christmas and have been fighting that 10 pounds all winter.
IP just didn't seem to kick in second time around. It seems my body had adjusted to it. Plus I don't like the artificial ingredients in it. I did it with alternatives I didn't go to a clinic.

So I am trying with juicing for breakfast and for snack plus two Paleo type meals a day.

As for the pulp I am not creative; I just throw some of it in the Paleo broth I make from soup bones. I actually throw quite a bit of it into the juice itself too.

There are lots more recipes for soups etc in the book I am reading. I will share any that I try and think are not bad.

But I'm thinking some are likely going to turn out like the ones you weren't pleased with.

There are some great suggestions on the net about adding the pulp to bread and muffin recipes. With wheat not an option for me that is not going to happen but they look yummy.
Glad to hear from a fellow Albertan!

Guess what I got at a yard sale yesterday? Wheat Belly and the Wheat Belly Cookbook, for $1 each. :D I've been eating wheat free since the first of the year, but I'm definitely interested in reading the author's insights into the importance of a wheat free diet.

Hi, all!

Welcome, Novus! What great finds!

I finally braved the scale and was relieved to discover that it is unchanged from before vacation. Yeah!!! Though I think some of my weight must have shifted slightly. I think I have a little bit more muffin, though my hubby says it's a little more belly, both of which should be remedied by eating cleaner.

patns, I had the same experience with Atkins. I lost 20 pounds more than 15 years ago on Atkins and gained it all back and more. (When I went to reintroduce wheat, because I had cut it out almost completely because of its carb count, I discovered that I have a wheat intolerance.) When I went on Atkins a second time, my body refused. My sister had the same experience with Atkins that I did.

(Yes, to any Atkiners who see this, Atkins has become healthier in the meantime and I know it isn't that far off from this, but I think I may have reacted to some of the artificial ingredients that used to be (or still are?) in some of the foods. Anyway, for whatever reason it didn't work at all for me the second time around.)

Hey there. I was reading an article in Prevention about how gluten could explain brain fog, psoriasis, and some other things that ail me. So I checked out Wheat Belly from the library. I'm slowly reading it at work and it's really interesting. I think after a camping trip, I may try going gluten free to see if it might help. I don't like bread. My only "big" carb (that's not junk food) is pasta and couscous. I work nights and sometimes I'm so tired no matter how much sleep I get. If it's been the gluten all this time making me so tired no matter what, it'd be great.

Patz- i did IP in a clinic and solo! I was able to lose 60lbs on it on a short time, found out i was pregnant and quit. Ate the same way but with whole foods (long story short, loss the pregnancy) and gained all the weight i lost plus an extra 20 within 4 months. Went on it again lost 20 but had tests run and my hormones were so out of balance my doctor contacted the IP clinic and found out what was in the food etc and told me told me to stop ASAP. He was not impressed with the diet at all. So here i am on WB but have change my diet a bit more and eat 80% raw food diet 20% cooked which is normally some meat at dinner. Never felt better!

Dee- i think my emotions have finally balanced out! It was a roller-coaster for a few days! Happy news to stay the same after a vacation!!

I sprouted some quinoa this weekend! I had no idea it could be done! Added 3 tbs to a salad last night! It was SO good! Made a raw chili yesterday (bean and meat free) for lunch this week as my salad are starting to get boring!!!! Scale has stayed the same since mid week but im guessing its the clomid!

Daimere and novis- welcome!

You are doing great!