I went for my annual physical in September. The triage nurse took my height, weight and blood pressure then handed me a yellow sheet stating my BMI was way too high. After the exam itself my doctor told me my numbers were good except I needed to lose weight. Usually she suggests Weight Watchers. This year when I pushed for a suggestion she mentioned I try “The Fast Metabolism Diet” by Haylie Pomroy. My doctor is in really good shape, this is a diet she uses, the author is a nutritionist and the diet is based on science my doctor approves of. I wrote down the name of the book and bought it the next night.
I have no trouble fasting (Yom Kippur) or eliminating foods (Pesach) for religious reasons but I can't seem to do it just on my own. I told myself this diet was proscribed by my doctor and I must follow it. I knew I would need to find a latte replacement so I experimented with allowed foods (well except for the sweeteners) till I had something that would work. I ended up with half a cup of unsweetened almond milk, half a cup of unsweetened coconut milk, a teaspoon of carob powder, a tsp of either honey, molasses or maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It wasn't the same but good enough to work.
The diet lasts 28 days during which you give up wheat, corn, soy, liquor, caffeine, dairy, refined sugar, dried fruit or fruit juice, artificial sweeteners and fat-free diet foods. You eat five times a day with three meals and two snacks, eating every three to four hours. You must eat within 30 mins of waking. Your week is divided up into three phases with each phase lasting 2 or 3 days. I discovered the Phase 1 breakfast would allow me my oatmeal and apple but not Phase 2. Phase 3 would allow me the oatmeal but I would have to substitute berries for the apple. I would have to consume some vegetables in all three phases and in Phase 3 I could have the latte substitute.
You must stick to the foods on her phase lists for each of the phases. You must drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water each day. You should eat organic whenever possible. Your meat choices must be nitrate-free. You must exercise three times per week, according to the phase you are in. Although you can't technically can't have wheat the diet does allow an exception of sprouted wheat bread items. All of the sprouted wheat pre-made items I found had other ingredients such as corn I couldn't have. I googled sprouted wheat recipes, bought flour and baked up my own rolls. I also used the sprouted wheat flour to make challah and honey cake I could eat at school and friend's homes.
On Phase 2 days you only eat lean proteins and green vegetables. Your body then looks for fats in your body to burn. The first week for breakfast I had egg whites but later I became more creative with fish (halibut and salmon) and even chicken breast. I decided I would start the diet so the end date would be Yom Kippur, a day of fasting. I liked the idea of cleansing my body and working up to the day of atonement, in this case adding in an atonement for bad food choices. I reasoned after 28 days I would see how I felt and then I could then decide whether I wanted to continue, take a break or do a compromise diet. I would stick to Haylie’s rules except for on Shabbat when I would drink enough grape juice to make kiddish and eat a bite of challah to qualify for the blessing. I ended up breaking her rules as well with regards to sweeteners. While I never used refined sugar I did put a tsp of honey, molasses in my latte concoctions and in oatmeal.
So here I am at the end of the 28 days. The first week was hellish as I hadn’t really planned well for the phases plus I had a terrible caffeine headache. Trying to drink all of the water made me realize I don’t drink enough. I changed my traditional challah french toast Sunday lunch to salmon, egg, veggies and hummus. Otherwise I was surprised that I felt full and only had cravings one night when I let 8 hours go by without eating. I feel very “clean” inside and I lost a total of 15 pounds both of which are pretty exciting. Perhaps I would have lost even more if I had did all the exercising suggested. I did for the cardio and yoga days but I never did the strength training.
It isn't rocket science to realize I was eating less processed food. Another Phase 3 lunch was hard boiled eggs, veggies, homemade guacamole and plums and berries. Like in the ending of the “Wizard of Oz” movie I ask myself “What did you learn Dorothy (Menuhah)?
1. I can live without dairy.
2. I can live without refined sugar.
3. I can live without sodas.
4. I can live without much bread.
5. I need to increase the amount of water I drink.
This morning I made my Phase 3 breakfast of steel cut oatmeal with berries and a tsp of honey, a cup of sliced cucumbers and two glasses of water however I added a pot of green tea (which has caffeine) and instead of a cup of berries (allowed on Phase 3) I had an apple (not on Phase 3 list of allowed fruits). My plan is to deeply reflect on my food choices as I go back into the world. Haylie makes lots of suggestions in her book from the idea to continue the diet for another 28 days to having you see how you don’t really need many of the foods you thought you needed. I intend to reflect deeply on my food choices each day and write another blog piece at the end of the next 28 days. Let's see what happens!
