Day 13/14 - I think we'll have to put the experiment on hold.

I have been so ill that the food I could eat has mostly ended up in the toilet anyway, so the experiment has to be put on hold.  There is no way that these numbers are accurate.  My weight is currently 244.6lbs.  That's down 8lbs. in one week!  Losing too quickly to be very healthy.  And I want the experiment to be untainted by illness.  No one could, or should, survive on the very few calories I have managed to keep down in the last 2 days.

The Corn Effect will have to start back up in the New Year.  Don't want to read labels over Christmas.  :o)  I'll do my best to continue to post here.  I still have to keep a food journal for my Doctor.

November 14, 2011
11am) 1 pkg. cream of wheat cereal, juice from 2 oranges, water
2pm) 2 macaroons, water
430pm) diet gingerale
730pm) 1c. prepared oatmeal, 1tbs. brown sugar
830pm) 1/2c. mashed potatoes, 1/4c. stuffing, 3tbs. turkey gravy, 4oz. turkey dark meat, 2tbs. cranberry sauce (manage to keep down about half of the amounts listed)
10pm) 1c. chocolate milk
11pm) 1/2c. hot chocolate
1am) 1/2tsp. baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in 1/2c. water (to ease tummy upset)

November 15, 2011
145pm) 6 mini Cheemo perogies, 2tbs. plain greek yoghurt, water
615pm) 2oz. roast beef, 1 1/2c. broccoli/cauliflower mix cooked, tea
(mostly tea and water all day - I simply can't keep anything down)

Day 11 and 12 - I am sooooooo sick!

Friday night my throat started to hurt.  Not bad, but it was burning.  By Saturday morning I was aching all over and  it hurt every time I swallowed.  I barely ate, and I slept most of the day away, which was really good because I didn't sleep a wink last night.  I would fall asleep for a few minutes and then would swallow and wake myself up.  I did this all night.  Finally at 7am I decided to go to the hospital.  I spent the next 3 hours there.  Strep throat was the diagnosis.  I have had Strep before, but this was worse than ever.  I have to take 8 antibiotics a day for the first 2 day and then 4 per day after that.  It's starting to feel a bit better already and I managed a little nap this afternoon.  And I'm eating now too.  Though still not a lot.

November 12, 2011
10am) 1 orange, 1c. sunny boy, 1c. fat free vanilla yoghurt, 1tsp. flax
4pm) diet gingerale
530pm) 1c. broccoli/cauliflower mix cooked, 2 small buns, 4oz. white chicken, mandarine orange, water
(that's all I had - and it was tough to get that swallowed down)

November 13, 2011
8am) tea, mandarine orange
1030am) 1/2c. orange juice
330pm) 1/2c. orange juice
430pm) 1/3c. pasta, 1/2c. cooked tomatoes, 2oz. chicken breast, 1/2c. fresh pineapple, water
7pm) 1c. fat free vanilla yoghurt, 1c. fresh raspberries, tea, stevia
930pm) 1/2c. pasta, 3/4c. cooked tomatoes, water

Day 9 and 10 - Sorry I'm late...

Went out with the girls last night and didn't get home until 130am.  Had a full day today, so this will be 2 days in one blog.  :o)

I thought it would be harder.  I thought I would be hungrier.  Don't get me wrong - watching my husband chow down on pasta with a cream sauce was making me salivate, but I kept to my plan and had an amazing Apricot Chicken that I would have never tried otherwise.  No pasta in the dish, but because of that I was able to have 2 breadsticks.  If anyone has ever had the Olive Garden "fresh out of the oven" breadsticks, you'd be willing to give up pasta for sure!

Watching my friends order Strawberry Waffles and Empanadas was REALLY hard.  I ate a poached egg and fruit cup.  But it was filling and I didn't feel the least bit guilty when we left the coffee shop.  Plus I put on a pair of pants that I haven't worn since last winter and they were too big for me.  My jeans are feeling loose too.  *grin*

November 10, 2011
1045am) macaroon (slept in and grabbed the first thing I saw)
1115am) 1c. Sunny boy, 1 orange, 1c. skim milk, 1pkt stevia (note to self - stevia and sunny boy DON'T mix!), water
2pm) 1c. carrots, 1c. celery, water
4pm) (pear cobbler) 1 pear, 1/2c. cooked oats, cinnamon & cloves, 2tbs. brown sugar, 1c. fat free vanilla yoghurt
6pm) 2c. lettuce, 1 red pepper, 4 stalks celery, 5oz. roast beef, 1 small roll, water
1230am) *Humpty's*1 poached egg, 1 assorted fruit cup, coffee

November 11, 2011
930am) 1 slice harvest grain bread toasted, 1 poached egg, ketchup, banana, water
2pm) diet Pepsi lime
330pm) *Olive Garden* Apricot Citrus Chicken; 5oz. grilled chicken, apricot compote, 4 stems broccoli, 6 stems asparagus, 1/2 tomato, 2 breadsticks, 2c. salad w/dressing, water
8pm) pear cobbler with yoghurt
1145pm) 6 stalks celery, 1/2c. raspberries, water

Doctor's Orders...

Thought I would post separately what the doctor wants me to do in order to lose weight.  A lifestyle change... duh!  But I suppose when you've tried everything, doesn't hurt to try again.  My only concern is that I won't have enough energy to get off the couch if I follow her approximately 1400 calorie per day "lifestyle change".  It's based on the Canada Food Guide and has sound reasoning; doesn't every diet?  And I have attempted to follow the Food Guide before with no results.  One good tip was that whenever you eat a grain, you should also have a dairy or protein with it to keep your insulin levels low.  I'll have to research that, but it's what she told me.

Daily Total Food Intake;
3-4 fruits
4-6 vegetables
4-5 breads
3 fats
7 protein
2 milk

Fruit serving - 60 calories 
small apple
1/2c. apple sauce
1/2 banana
1/4 cantaloupe
1c. berries
17 small grapes
1 orange
1/2c. chopped pineapple
2 plums
2tbs. raisins
(just to give you an idea)

Vegetable serving - 40 calories (1c. raw or 1/2c. cooked)
This includes most vegetables unless they are high in starch (potatoes, peas, corn)

Free Vegetables (eat as much as you want to)
Celery
Cucumber
Greens (chard, beet, endive, turnip etc.)
Lettuce (all)
Radishes
Sprouts

Other Free Foods
Seasonings, spices, artificial sweeteners, unsweetened jello (jello light).

Bread servings - 80 calories
Bread (white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, french) 1 slice
Bagel 1/3
Biscuit or roll 1 small
Buns (hamberger/hotdog) 1/2 bun
Cereal cooked 1/2c.
Cereal flakes 1/2c.
Cereal puffed 1c.
Corn 1/3c. or small cob
Crackers;
-graham 3 squares
-saltines 5
-soda 3
Muffin (fat free) 1 small
Muffin English 1/2 plain
Pasta 1/2c.
Peas 1/2c. (yup, these are considered a bread)
Pita bread 1 small
Popcorn 3c. air popped
Potato white 1 small
-sweet potato 1/2c.
Pretzels 3/4oz. (need a kitchen scale for this one)
Rice 1/3c.
Rice cakes 2 plain
Tortilla (low fat) 1 small

Milk serving - 90 calories
Skim or 1% milk 1c.
Yoghurt
-plain no/low fat 1c.
-greek no/low fat 1/2c.
Pudding light sweetened with Splenda or Aspartame 1/2c.
Light hot chocolate 1c.

Protein serving - 45 calories
Pork lean 1oz.
Beef lean 1oz.
Poultry (white meat, no skin) 1oz.
Fish 1oz.
Shellfish 1oz.
Cheese 1oz.
Cottage Cheese 1/2c. (yup, it's in the right spot)
Egg with yolk (count as 1 fat and 1 protein)
Egg whites 2
Egg substitute 1/4c.
Hot dog (fat free) 1
Lunch meat 1oz.
Tofu 3oz.
Cooked beans, peas or lentils 1/2c. (count as 1 protein, 1 bread)

Fat servings - 45 calories
Avocado 1/8
Butter or margarine 1tsp.
Bacon 1 slice
Cream 1tbs.
Cream cheese 1tbs.
Salad dressing 1tbs. (low fat 2tbs.)
Mayonnaise (low fat) 1tbs.
Nuts 6
Olives 5
Peanut butter 2tsp.
Sour cream (reduced fat) 3tbs.
Vegetable/olive oil 1tsp.
Egg yolk 1

Any questions?  :o)

Day 8 - And ate and ate and ate... I wish!

It was a tough day for me.  I had an appointment with a Doctor who specializes in Obese persons.  She has a PhD, but also a degree as a nutritionalist.  I had to do a bunch of tests and had to starve for them.  I barely ate anything today.  Though, according to her, I need to eat barely anything on a regular basis.  Hmmmmm, we'll see how that goes!

November 9, 2011
830am) 1 package cream of wheat, 1/4c. raisins, banana, water
1030am) 1/2c. brown rice, 1/4c. raisins, 1tsp. cinnamon, 1/4c. skim milk, 1tbs. brown sugar, water
3pm) apple
440pm) 1c. turkey chili, diet pepsi lime, 1 piece pineapple
715pm) 2 macaroons
8pm) banana, water

Day 7 - Am I surprised???

One week into the experiment and I jumped on the scale.  Shock and amazement - I lost almost 3 1/2 lbs.  From 256 to 252.6.  I can't say that it'll stay off, but it's promising.  I think one of the main things is that I can't eat out.  In a normal week I would eat out at least 3 times.  Lunches, suppers, even just going for coffee would be an excuse to eat garbage.  Not eating glucose, fructose, and all the other by-products means that unless I cook it myself, I don't eat it.  I am not sure I could keep this up after I return to work next month, but I still have another 3 weeks to keep the experiment going.

November 8, 2011

830am) 1 slice harvest grain bread, 1tbs. natural peanut butter, 30 green grapes, water
1145am) 1/2 small homemade plain cheese pizza, 1/2 (50g) Zero chocolate bar
130pm) banana, water
330pm) banana, 25 grapes, 2 macaroons
5pm) 5oz. roast beef, 1 med. potato, 2tbs. plain greek yoghurt, 1 dinner roll, 1c. romaine lettuce, 1/4 tomato, 1tbs. oil & vinegar dressing
8pm) 10 frozen strawberries, 1/2c. probiotic fat-free vanilla yoghurt, 1/2c. skim milk, 1/4c. semi-sweet baking chips
10pm) water
1115pm) 15 grapes

Day 6 - You learn something new everyday!

My usual chocolate craving hit me after supper.  I was desperate for some smooth, creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate.  I was on the hunt for something, anything to satisfy the craving.  And guess what I found?  Chocolate!  As long as it's pure and doesn't have candy, cookies, caramel or nuts added, most chocolate bars are corn-free!  Many use lecithin as an emulsifier, but I have yet to come across anything but soy lecithin.  So grab an Aero bar, or even Dairy Milk, it's all good!  Though moderation is key, of course.

November 7, 2011

830am) banana
(then I had a 5 hour rest - still recovering from surgery last month)
3pm) 3oz. chicken breast baked with hot sauce, 2c. romaine lettuce, 1tbs. oil and vinegar mix
4pm) 2 macaroons, water
515pm) 100g brown rice, 250g chicken stir fry made with Thai chili sauce, frozen cauliflower and broccoli
8pm) 1/2 50g Zero chocolate bar
10pm) 1/2c. brown rice, 1/4c. raisins, 1/4c. skim milk, 1/2tsp. cinnamon, 1tbs. brown sugar
1230am) 2 dinner rolls, 2tbs. natural peanut butter

Day 5

Had a pretty quiet Sunday a home.  The kids were a bit loud, but what can you do?  And now the baby just woke up.  She wants me to rock her to sleep, so I suppose this will be a quick post.

November 6, 2011

830am) 2 large pancakes, 3tbs. strawberry jam, 2tbs. honey
1pm) 6 1/2 oz steak, Montreal steak spice, 1 med. potato, 2 tbs plain greek yoghurt, 12 asparagus stems, pat of butter
315pm) banana, water
530pm) 5oz. chicken breast with hot sauce, 100g. baked french fries, 1/4c. frozen peas and carrots, diet gingerale, 3 macaroons
845pm) 1 1/2c. green grapes
1030pm) 1c. oatmeal, 1/4c. raisins, 1/2c. skim milk

Day 4

I was too sleepy to write last night.  It was a good day though.  I am finding more substitutions for corn laden items and will share a few;

Instead of this... Substitute this!
Margarine... Butter! (keep 1/2 a brick on the counter in a covered container for spreadability)

Frozen corn... Frozen Peas and Carrot mix! (these frozen items have NO additives and are a great quick add to meals)

BBQ sauce... Montreal Steak Spice! (we had steak for supper and I wasn't sure how I would stomach a sauceless steak, but the steak spice - found at Costco - was Amazing!)

Corn Syrup... Golden Syrup! (made from sugar cane, this is a great alternative and can be substituted for dark or light corn syrup in recipes)

Pancake Syrup... Honey! (put it in the microwave for 20 seconds and it drizzled onto my pancakes perfectly)

Processed Peanut Butter... Pure Peanut Butter! (read the labels - there are pb's that are made from the peanut only)

Salad Dressing... Oil and Vinegar! (there are literally hundreds of recipes online to choose from)

White Bread... Whole Grain Breads! (be sure to read the labels, but the whole grain breads are less likely to contain additives)

Processed Sandwich Meats... Kirkland Sliced Roast! (found at Costco, this lightly spiced roast beef is perfect for sandwiches)

Ice Cream... Strawberry Smoothie! (I make mine with frozen strawberries and greek yogurt - YUM!)

November 5, 2011
845am) 1c. Sunny Boy hot cereal (as prepared), 2tsp. brown sugar, water
1045am) 1 macaroon
215pm) 2 slices harvest grain bread, 3 slices roast beef, 1tbs. mustard, pat of butter, 3 macroons
545pm) 6 1/2oz. steak with Montreal Steak Spice, 1 medium potato baked with butter, 2tbs. plain greek yogurt, 12 stings of asparagus, water
8pm) 10 frozen strawberries, 1/2c. fat free vanilla greek yogurt, 3/4c. skim milk, 1/3c. slivered almonds

Day 3 - What to do if all you want is Chocolate!

It's only a few days since the girls went trick-or-treating.  There is a cupboard full of mini chocolate bars, chips and various other sweets.  All these things are off limits.  Full of glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, corn syrup etc. etc.  If I'm going to curb this craving I have to start with reading labels.

Off to the baking cupboard to see what we can use;
-sugar
-flour
-baking soda (but not baking powder)
-vanilla
-coconut
-cocoa
-bakers chocolate
-butter
-eggs

And then what to cook.  I really wanted chocolate and can't just toss a few Chipits into my mouth. (*edit* Oh yes I can! Chipits, like other plain chocolate are actually ok!)  With the ingredients I was able to come up with Chocolate Macaroons!  Here's the recipe;

4oz. bittersweet bakers chocolate (4 squares)
2 1/2c. coconut (any type, sweetened or not - based on preference)
3 large egg whites
1/4c. cocoa (sifted)
3/4c. granulated sugar
1/4tsp. salt
1tsp. vanilla extract

Melt baker's chocolate on double boiler or in microwave (follow instructions on box).  Remove from heat.  Add coconut to melted chocolate.
In separate large bowl whip egg whites, cocoa, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Blend in chocolate coconut mixture.  Mix well.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (165C).  Roll cooled mixture into balls (or drop in clumps) and place onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your preferred texture (chewy to crispy).

Ahhhhhhhh!  Craving satisfied!

November 4, 2011
720am) oatmeal (1c. as prepared), 40g. raisins, splash of skim milk
12pm) 600g (2c.) turkey chili with brown rice, diet pepsi lime
330pm) handful homemade pumpkin seeds, diet pepsi lime
5pm) 1/2 small homemade pizza (light marble cheddar, spaghetti sauce)
8pm) 7 premium plus crackers, 2tbs. red pepper jelly, water
1130pm) 4 chocolate macaroons, water
1230pm) 3 chocolate macaroons

Day 2 - Corn, corn everywhere!

Today was a little harder.  I had to take my little girl to the hospital and we were there for 4 hours, then had to go back for another 2 hours.  I had brought a couple of granola bars (but couldn't have one myself) and a banana.  So glad I had that banana in my purse!  Of course I shared it with Jessa.  She ate both granola bars too.  For the afternoon appointment I was better prepared with oranges for me and crackers for the baby.

November 3, 2011

7am) oatmeal (1c. as prepared), 1tbs. brown sugar, splash of milk
8am) peppermint tea, stevia sweetener
10am) banana, diet ginger ale
12pm) 4 slices harvest grain bread, 3oz. light marble cheese, 2tbs. butter, water
445pm) 1 1/2 oranges, mint tea, stevia
6pm) 1 large pancake (Sunny boy made with skim milk and an egg), 3tbs. honey, pat of butter
8pm) 1 large pancake (same as above), 3tbs. strawberry preserves
12pm) 4oz. roast beef, 1/2c. skim milk

Day 1 of 30

First things first.  Stepped on the scale this morning and it read 256 lbs.
What?  Did you think I would do this if I were thin?  Hahahaha.

Shopping last night was interesting to say the least.  I found alternatives to almost all of my favourite things.  Before I left for the store I did a little re-con work.  Some things surprised me and some didn't.

10 things in the cupboard;

1) Oreo's - contain dextrose, cornstarch and glucose
2) Triscuits - corn maltodextrin, corn starch
3) Premium Plus Crackers - I was shocked to find that these are on the "safe" list!!!
4) Crispy Mini's - corn (with germ removed), fructose, corn syrup, maltodextrin
5) Ketchup - white vinegar (can be made from corn ethanol, tho for cost effectiveness is more likely made from barley)  I call this an ok (in moderation) item.  But read the label!
6) Thai Chili Sauce - Yipee!  Something to use with chicken and rice, since teriyaki and soy are both no-no's.
7) Pasta - Again, this surprised me.  It's a very happy surprise though!
8) BBQ Sauce - modified starch, corn syrup (sadness, may have to learn to make my own)
9) Quick Oats - Great for breakfast; filling and corn-free!
10) Baked Beans - I had read that baked beans may contain corn by-products, but the Safeway brand I checked was just fine.  Got to read the labels!

Food Diary November 2, 2011
7am) 1c. Sunny Boy cereal, 2 tbs. brown sugar, 1 orange
1045am) 3/4c. fat free greek yoghurt, 1tbs. maple flax
1pm) 2tbs. Sunbutter (natural made with sunflower seeds), 1tbs. strawberry jam, 2 slices 12 grain bread, 10 baby carrots, 1/4c. garlic hummus, water
310pm) 1c. homemade garlic salted pumpkin seeds
430pm) diet coke
530pm) shepherd's pie (1c. gound beef, 1/4c. frozen peas and carrots, 3/4c. potatoes from flakes)
645pm) diet pepsi lime
8pm) 25 seedless green grapes
10pm) banana, water
1245am) 1 pouch (28g) cream of wheat, 40g. raisins (aprox. 1/4c.)

The Corn Effect

I have been contemplating the effects of corn on the human body.  Many people think we can't digest corn and therefore would make an excellent diet food.  Not entirely correct.  It is true that we cannot digest the outer shell which is comprised of cellulose.  This material requires more enzymes to break it down than our bodies produce.  However, the inside of the kernel is mostly starch which our body turns into glucose.  This is why many health professionals suggest a low carbohydrate diet if you want to lose weight.  Carbohydrates are simply carbon with water (carbo-hydrate).  And our Western diet is loaded with them!

Corn has many uses both for food production and manufacturing.  Amazing the things that are made from corn and corn by-products.  Toothpaste, Aspirin, varnish, cosmetics, carbonated beverages and even instant coffee; to name a few.  What I am interested in is what effects the starches are having on our bodies?  And what would happen if you eliminated only corn and corn by-products from your diet?

So I propose a 30 day experiment.  I will weigh myself tomorrow morning upon waking and begin a corn-free 30 days.  I will post my daily meals and also any information I collect along the way.  I will not be eliminating all starches or carbohydrates, just those containing corn and it's by-products.

Here is a list of things to look for on grocery store labels;
-Dextrose
-Glucose
-Dextrin
-Maltodextrin
-Lecithin
-Fructose
-High Fructose (or HFCS)
-Vegetable Starch
-"thickeners"
-"sweeteners"
-Corn Syrup
-Vegetable Oil
-Maize
-Sorbitol

Long list.  Now comes the hard part... finding food to eat for the next 30 days.  Time to go shopping!

Wow! It has been a while!

I last posted in January.  Not that I last worked out in January, just last posted then.

I was doing Insanity 3 times a week for several months.  As well as doing Turbo Jam another 2 days a week.  But, for the last month I had a gift certificate to use at a Bootcamp.  It was 403fitness near Chinook. I went every day for the entire month.  It was fun.  A great workout and some great people to workout with!  I wish I could afford to keep going, but at $97 a month, it just isn't possible.  I've been looking into other bootcamps and have found a couple more I can try.

Even tho I went every day, I still didn't see the weight come off.  I lost a total of 2lbs. in the 4 weeks.  Nothing to write home about.  And you can't say I gained muscle since my pants still fit the same.  Such is the life of the big belly babe.

I must say though, I do FEEL better.  I can run up the stairs (2 flights) after a long day driving, and I was pushing myself to jog a little every day on my way to the train station.  It wasn't much, but a heck of a lot more than I was doing.

I am seeing a doctor next month.  A specialist who will maybe give me some solutions.  Or at least some options.  I don't want to rule out surgery, but it is a last resort.

The other issue is my breasts.  I had reconstructive surgery last week.  I have done nothing but sit (and sleep) on my lazy-boy for the past 6 days.  I did manage a short walk Sunday and another Monday.  But it still hurts like heck.  It may be a while before I'm ready to take on Shawn T. again.

Hopefully not too long.

Like the Energizer Bunny, I'm still going...

I've been working very hard the last 2 weeks.  Working out 3x per week, tho I'd like to get up to 5x.  And seeing how quickly people have lost weight following a low-carb diet, I have been doing just that.

The Dr. Oz Shake is really high in carbs, so I have to really cut for the rest of the day.  I'm not counting yet, just keeping it in mind when making choices.  Like tonight when everyone was having pasta, and I had some spaghetti squash.  It was really good, actually.  Had the squash with sauce on top.  Yummy.

We also made banana ice cream in out Cuisinart.  Used whey protein and Sugar Twin to lower the carbs, and skim milk to lower the fat.  Again, quite yummy.

3 months gone?!?!?!?!

Wow!  I can't believe I wasted the last 3 months.  I was doing Turbo Jam for a bit, but fell off that wagon as well.  So, back to listening to Shaun T. screaming "let's go" and "dig deeper"!!!

I have also started drinking the Dr. Oz Fat Burning Shake every morning for breakfast.  My Aunt has lost a ton of weight and she looks amazing!  So, what the heck, might as well give it a go.  I've been having one every morning since around Jan 3rd.  I haven't had any major losses, but it's nice and filling, so I don't snack all morning.  Too bad I can't just drink 3 of those a day.  I'm still very snacky in the afternoon and evening.  Hence getting back into working out.

My goal for 2011 is to lose 60lbs.  I want to accomplish this by December.  If I do, then I get to go to Palm Springs for a week of shopping at Cabazon!