THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - THE END OF THE DAIRY CHALLENGE AND THE DIET

Yesterday, I ended the dairy challenge portion of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

And because I have no intention of challenging peanuts, soy, corn, gluten or sugar/artificial sweeteners, this is the end of The Virgin Diet.  Starting today, I am back to eating the regular way, with a few modifications based on what I learned doing The Virgin Diet.

MY SYMPTOMS OVERALL

• Acne - I still get an occasional outbreak.  Stopping all of the FI foods did not change that.
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Every now and then, I still have both problems, but I can see it is direct response to eating certain things which I will now be more careful with
• Fatigue - I still get fatigued in the afternoons on the days that I have to get up at 4 am to work.
• Food cravings - If I track my food, I do not want to overeat.  On the days that I do not track my food, I usually overeat.  I guess I need to keep tracking.
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 with 37.7% body fat - Current weight 142.6 with 36% body fat - Goal weight 136 with 30% body fat - To reach my goal, I need to lose 10.5 pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.9 pounds of lean mass.
• Insomnia - Yes, rarely
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Sometimes I wake in the morning with a little bit of swelling, but I have not been able to link it to anything I am eating.

DAIRY CHALLENGE RESULTS

In case you are just tuning in, I spent the first four weeks of this diet eliminated all of the following:  eggs, dairy, soy, gluten, peanuts, corn and sugar, including artificial sweeteners.  To be more exact, the only things I actually gave up were eggs and dairy, because the other things have not been a normal part of my diet for years.

I tracked my symptoms during that four week period.  I started out having to write "Yes" next to each of the symptoms I listed above.  As you can see, they now mostly say "No".  For week five, I ate eggs for four days in a row and then got back off them for the next three days, and during the next week, I ate dairy for four days in a row and then got back off of them.  During the time I was challenging dairy, I was not eating eggs.

Basically, I don't think that I have a big problem with dairy, based on my symptoms.  But something is a problem, because giving everything up improved my symptoms of inflammation.


MY CONCLUSIONS

My first conclusion is that I am going to eat eggs no more often than every two days, because eating them every day may cause me to build up an intolerance to them.

My second and last conclusion is that I am going to eat dairy no more often than every four days.  At around the third or fourth day of the dairy challenge, I had a little constipation, but it was not an immediate response - it took a few days for that symptom to show up, so holding off on dairy for three out of four days should take care of the problem, according to what I read in the book.  


NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS

I am going to test my blood ketones and blood glucose once per week.  I tested my blood for both ketones and glucose.  My blood glucose this morning was 94 an hour after eating, which is only a tiny bit high, 83 being my goal.  My ketones were 1.6, which not bad, but I would like it to be higher.  The last time I was doing this, my average was 1.8 and I was losing weight.  My protein level right now is around 55-57 grams per day and my carbs are 24 grams or less.  I was hoping that the ketones would be high enough so that I could increase protein a little bit.  This coming week, I am going to reduce carbs by a few grams and replace that with protein, and I'll see how my ketones look next week.


MY CHARTS

I updated my charts and decided to post them here, in case anyone likes to look at charts.  You will notice that my weight and measurements went down last summer when I was seriously tracking my food.  Then, in mid-November 2012, I stopped tracking and tried to "eat when I was hungry and stop when I was full."  This was a epic fail, as you can see by looking at my charts.  It was not that I stopped eating high fat, moderate protein and very low carb - it is that I obviously just ate too much of the foods that are good for me.

There were a few reasons why I did not get back on track until several weeks ago, and they all caused me so much stress that my weight was the last thing on my mind:

1. I was having financial problems
2. I was packing and moving my household
3. A family member was seriously ill
4. I started a new job that was going badly

Anyway, most of those problems have settled down a little bit, and I was motivated to start tracking again.  Here are my charts:

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - THE END OF THE EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday, I ended the egg challenge portion of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 142.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 6.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 5.4 pounds in 28 days.  That's an average of 1.4 pounds per week.
• Insomnia - Yes, sometimes
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

EGG CHALLENGE RESULTS

In case you are just tuning in, I spent the first four weeks of this diet eliminated all of the following:  eggs, dairy, soy, gluten, peanuts, corn and sugar, including artificial sweeteners.  To be more exact, the only things I actually gave up were eggs and dairy, because the other things have not been a normal part of my diet for years.

I tracked my symptoms during that four week period.  I started out having to write "Yes" next to each of the symptoms I listed above.  As you can see, they now mostly say "No".  For week five, I ate eggs for four days in a row and then got back off them for the next three days, and during this week, I have been paying attention to my symptoms.

Basically, I don't think that I have a problem with eggs, based on my symptoms.  But something is a problem, because giving everything up improved my symptoms of inflammation.

For this coming week, I am back off of eggs and I will be challenging dairy.  I will eat dairy every day for the next four days, then stop for the three days after that, and I will be paying attention to my sypmtoms.


MY EXERCISE

 I got no exercise in the past two days.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.4%.  That means that I have lost 5.2 pounds of body fat and 0.2 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 9.6 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.2 pounds of lean mass.


NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS

This morning, I received my blood ketone test strips, and I tested my blood for both ketones and glucose.  My blood glucose was 89 an hour after eating, which is only a tiny bit high, 83 being my goal.  My ketones were only 0.5, which is a little disappointing.  The last time I was doing this, my average was 1.8 and I was losing weight.  So, for today, I am lowering my protein by a couple of grams to see if that will help.  If it doesn't, I will lower it a little bit more each day until I get my ketone level back up.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - EGG CHALLENGE DAY 5

Yesterday, I stopped eating eggs for the first of three days in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 142.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 6.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 5.4 pounds in 26 days.  That's an average of 1.5 pounds per week.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday,  I ate this:

124g fat (75%)
73g protein
21g carbs

For breakfast, I ate bacon and my Sunrise Cocktail.

For lunch, I ate homemade beef bone broth with gelatin and a protein shake with strawberries.  I thought I would try using some of that pea protein powder that I thought was giving me diarrhea.  It did not bother me, so I think it must have been the coconut milk all along.

For dinner, I had a ground beef patty and roasted kale.

For a snack later (I had company), I had a fat bomb and celery with cream cheese, and right before bed, I had one very small square of 70% dark chocolate.

By the way, my company was all eating ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and I did not have one.  So very proud of myself.  And since consequently losing a pound yesterday, I'm really glad that I did not succumb.


EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday was my first day of no eggs.  Two more days of this, and I start challenging dairy.


MY EXERCISE

 I took a one mile walk.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.4%.  That means that I have lost 5.2 pounds of body fat and 0.2 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 9.6 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.2 pounds of lean mass.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - EGG CHALLENGE DAY 4

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the fourth day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, in response to coconut oil (I think)
• Fatigue -No
• Food cravings -Yes
• Gas and bloating - Yes, coconut oil (I think) and eating out
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0 pounds yesterday for a total of 4.4 pounds in 25 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea -No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast.  I cooked the eggs in a tablespoon of coconut oil, and within 30 minutes, I was in the bathroom with bad diarrhea.  I would love to think it was not because of the eggs, but because of the coconut oil, in light of the fact that I got sick the day before right after eating coconut milk for breakfast.

I went out to eat at a family party yesterday, so I did not track my food.  The meal was chips and salsa, then tacos, then cake, cookies and brownies for dessert. 

Here is what I ate: 2 servings of taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and guacamole. One large serving of mixed fruit with no sauce. A little bit more guacamole and a little bit of hummus. Water to drink. I did not eat bad carbs, but what I did eat, I ate a little too much of, and spent several minutes in the bathroom with horrible diarrhea. There must have been something in one of the foods that I am sensitive to. All in all, aside from eating the fruit, I think I did pretty well.

Here is what I did not eat: Hard taco shells, soft taco shells, refried beans, Spanish rice, chips and salsa, canned soda, cake, cookies and brownies.

Here is why I am still disappointed with my choices yesterday: I ate too much taco salad. I am on an elimination diet and I am not supposed to be eating ANY dairy, and I had sour cream and cheese. I am also eating very low carb, and I'm sure the fruit, even though it had no sauce, probably tripled the amount of carbs I was supposed to eat today. Also, I do not eat legumes at all, and I had hummus.

I noticed that what I did eat made me crave overeating in general. After eating the first serving of taco salad, I went for more, realized as I sat down that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, I was already full, but I ate it anyway, because I felt like a binge was coming on. After eating that, I kept drifting back to the buffet to get a little bit of this and a little bit of that, even though I was uncomfortably full already. I really found it hard to just stop eating. What made me finally stop was that we left the party. And now I am home, I feel sick and full, my stomach is bloated, and all I can think about is finding something to eat. Sigh.   


EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday was my last day of eating eggs.  For the next three days, I am back to my total elimination diet as it was in the first three weeks.


MY EXERCISE

 None.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.9%.  That means that I have lost 4.1 pounds of body fat and 0.3 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 10.7 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.3 pounds of lean mass.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - EGG CHALLENGE DAY 3

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the third day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, in response to coconut milk
• Fatigue -Yes, in the middle of the day, because I had to get up for work at 4 am
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - Yes, due to coconut milk
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 4.4 pounds in 24 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  -Yes, because I went for miles-long walks two days in a row and hurt my calf
• Nausea -Yes, due to coconut milk
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

117g fat (74%)
73g protein
20g carbs

For breakfast yesterday at 5 am, I decided to have some coconut milk with cocoa, cinnamon and Stevia.  I had not taken more than two sips and I started feeling really sick to my stomach.  I spent the next couple of hours belching a lot (this is unusual for me) and then had diarrhea.

I have had coconut milk in the past and did not remember ever having this happen before.  Then, I thought about it...  When I first started The Virgin Diet, I saw that the shakes were giving me really bad diarrhea.  I blamed the protein mix and stopped having the shakes.  Now I am wondering if it was the 1/2 cup of coconut milk that I was having as part of the shake.  I might have a little bit of shake some time today and see if it upsets my stomach.  It's not that I want to go back to shakes, but I would like to see if I should be avoiding coconut milk.


EGG CHALLENGE

For lunch yesterday, I ate three eggs again.  I did have a little insomnia last night, but I think it was due to the "warm flushes" I have been having lately.  I will have eggs again today, and then not have them for the next three days after that, and track any symptoms that I might have.


MY EXERCISE

None.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - EGG CHALLENGE DAY 2

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the second day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -Yes, very slight
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue -Yes, in the middle of the day, because I had to get up for work at 4 am
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0.4 pounds yesterday for a total of 3.4 pounds in 23 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  -Yes, because I went for miles-long walks two days in a row and hurt my calf
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

121g fat (76%)
70g protein
17g carbs

I did lose weight yesterday even though I increased protein by about 12%, so I am going to keep my macronutrient level where it is now.  My ketone strips should arrive in about a week.


EGG CHALLENGE

For lunch yesterday, I ate three eggs again.  Yummy!  So far, the only thing I notice is that I got a zit and a little bit of a stuffy nose.  Does this mean that I'm intolerant of eggs?  I'm not sure if what is happening shows a slight intolerance or not.  I did have a little insomnia last night, but I think it was due to the "warm flushes" I have been having lately.  I will have eggs again today and tomorrow, and then not have them for the next three days after that, and track any symptoms that I might have.


MY EXERCISE

None.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - EGG CHALLENGE DAY 1

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the first time on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - Yes, in response to protein powder
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 3 pounds in 22 days.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  -Yes, because I went for miles-long walks two days in a row and hurt my calf
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

120g fat (75%)
72g protein
18g carbs

I'm trying something a little different with my macronutrient breakdown.  I looked back at my menus for the summer of 2009, when I first started to lose weight.  At that time, I was eating more like this:

108g fat (67%)
90g protein
27g carbs

I ordered some more blood ketone testing strips, and I want to see if I can eat a little bit more protein and still stay in ketosis.  Although I have not been testing, I'm sure that I have been in ketosis this past three weeks, but it's hard (as I have whined about before) to eat so little protein that I can only eat two meals a day to avoid getting only a few bites with each of three meals.

Anyway, until the strips arrive in the next 7-10 days, I am going to increase the protein a little bit and reduce the fat and carbs a little bit and see if I continue to lose weight.


EGG CHALLENGE

For lunch yesterday, I ate three scrambled eggs with onions and coconut oil.  What a delight to get to eat eggs again!  The challenge is to eat eggs once a day for four days in a row and track my symptoms.  So how did I do?

I really enjoyed my eggs and I did not notice any symptoms of intolerance.  However, after dinner, I was short just a little bit of protein, so I had 7 teaspoons of protein powder mixed with a little water.  Within 20-30 minutes, I experienced very sharp stomach pain for several minutes, and then it stopped.  I had forgotten that I used to have these pains on a regular basis.  The pain was so bad that I was a little doubled over!  I will stay away from that protein powder from now on.


MY EXERCISE

None.


BODY COMPOSITION

When I started this experiment, I weighed 147.8 pounds with 37.6% body fat, which comes out to 55.6 pounds of body fat and 92.2 pounds of lean mass.  This morning, I weighed 144.8 with 36% body fat, which comes out to 52.1 pounds of body fat and 92.7 pounds of lean mass. 

So, even though I have only lost 3 pounds according to the scale, I have actually lost 3.5 pounds of body fat and gained 0.5 pounds of lean mass.

To reach my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose another 11.3 pounds of body fat and gain another 2.5 pounds of lean mass.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 21

Yesterday, I completed Day 21 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, not since stopping the shakes
• Fatigue - Yes - In the afternoons on the days I work
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Weight stayed the same yesterday for a total of 3 pounds in 21 days.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

129g fat (77%)
66g protein
21g carbs


MY EXERCISE

I took a 2-mile walk after dinner.


THREE WEEK SUMMARY

Yesterday was the last of the 21 days of elimination.  My symptoms are improved, as you can see above.  I have lost a total of 3 pounds this past 3 weeks.  It would be fun if it was more, but I'll take it.  Today I start a week of eating eggs for four days in a row.  I have really missed eggs.  I am hoping that I don't have a resurgence of symptoms, because that will mean that I am intolerant of eggs and will only get to eat them occasionally or not at all, heaven forbid!


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN - DAY 18

Yesterday, I completed Day 18 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, not since stopping the shakes
• Fatigue - Yes - In the afternoons on the days I work
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Weight stayed the same yesterday for a total of 4 pounds in 18 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Did not sleep very well last night.  Kept waking up.
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

140g fat (80%)
58g protein
23g carbs

I ate breakfast at 5:00 am.  I had a cup of my homemade beef bone broth with sea salt and gelatin.

I ate a snack at 10:00 am.  I had  my special Sunrise Cocktail made of olive oil, MCT oil, cod liver oil, lemon juice and Stevia.

I ate lunch at 2:30 pm.  I had a can of wild-caught sardines in olive oil and lemon, and canned pumpkin with coconut mild, cinnamon, nutmeg and Stevia.

I had dinner at 7:00 pm. I had 3 thick slices of bacon, and a salad made of grape tomatoes, avocado, my homemade mayo and sea salt.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.


MY EXERCISE

I took a 2-mile walk after dinner.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 17

Yesterday, I completed Day 17 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, not since stopping the shakes
• Fatigue - Yes - In the afternoons on the days I work
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Weight stayed the same yesterday for a total of 4 pounds in 17 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Did not sleep very well last night.  Kept waking up.
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

159g fat (80%)
59g protein
33g carbs

I ate breakfast at 5:00 am.  I had a cup of my homemade beef bone broth with sea salt and gelatin.

I ate a snack at 10:00 am.  I had  my special Sunrise Cocktail made of olive oil, MCT oil, cod liver oil, lemon juice and Stevia.

I ate lunch at 2:30 pm.  I had 2 queen-size green olives, three thick slices of bacon, and a salad made with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, MCT oil, olive oil, crushed garlic, lime juice, Stevia and onion powder.  I also had three frozen strawberries.

I had dinner at 6:30 pm. I had ground beef, turnips, onions, garlic and sea salt cooked in coconut oil and bacon grease.  For dessert, I had 1/2 cup of coconut milk with cocoa powder and Stevia.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.


MY EXERCISE

I took a long walk after dinner.  A mile or two - not sure.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 16

Yesterday, I completed Day 16 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, not since stopping the shakes
• Fatigue - Yes - In the afternoons on the days I work
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 4 pounds in 15 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Did not sleep at all last night.  Literally was watching the clock all night
• Joint pain - Yes - Slight
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

136g fat (78%)
56g protein
28g carbs

I ate breakfast at 9:00 am.  I had a cup of my homemade beef bone broth with sea salt and gelatin.

I ate lunch at 12:00 pm.  I had some beef hash made with slow-cooked beef shank, coconut oil, carrots, onions, sea salt and garlic powder, and my special Sunrise Cocktail made of olive oil, MCT oil, cod liver oil, lemon juice and Stevia.

I had a snack at 4:00 pm.  I had a half container of fermented coconut milk (coconut yogurt).  Too sweet, and I won't buy it again.

I had dinner at 7:00 pm. I had a can of wild caught sardines in olive oil and lemon with some of my homemade mayo, and sauteed kale and garlic in coconut oil with sea salt.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.


MY EXERCISE

After not doing any exercising or even walking for the past several months, I have suddenly been getting the urge to go for walks.  Maybe it is because I am in nutritional ketosis again.  Maybe it is because I just moved and my new neighborhood is beautiful and I want to look at it.  Whatever the reason is, I'm happy to say I have been taking a 1-2 mile walk for the past few days, and really enjoying it and not feeling so much like a slug. 

I've even been thinking about started my weight lifting again.  I stopped that in early 2011 due to a torn rotator cuff.  The only reason I hesitate is because I am off my testosterone implant, and I know that it will be impossible to build any muscle if I am not producing any testosterone.  I'm thinking that I want to call my bioidentical hormone replacement doctor and see if I can get back on, and then I can start lifting again.  I need to work on my body composition.

I did some measurements the other day just to be able to check on my body fat, and it's not good - back up to 37.2% body fat.  So, even though I have less than 8 pounds to lose on the scale, I probably have twice that amount of body fat to lose and several pounds of muscle to put back on.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 15

Yesterday, I completed Day 15 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, not since stopping the shakes
• Fatigue - Yes - In the afternoons on the days I work
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1.2 pounds yesterday for a total of 3 pounds in 15 days.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off in the morning

WHAT I AM EATING 

Yesterday, I ate this:

140g fat (79%)
57g protein
28g carbs

I ate breakfast at 9:00 am.  I had a cup of my homemade chicken bone broth with sea salt and gelatin, a couple of ounces of cooked pork chop with coconut oil, sea salt and garlic powder, a raw carrot and my special Sunrise Cocktail made of olive oil, MCT oil, cod liver oil, lemon juice and Stevia.

I ate lunch at 1:00 pm.  I had some more pork chop and a bowl of homemade guacamole.

I had a snack at 4:00 pm.  It was a new recipe for a Fat Bomb.  It was really good!

I had dinner at 7:00 pm.  I finished the last of the pork chop with olive oil, sea salt and garlic powder, and some roasted asparagus with my homemade mayo and sea salt, and some Bubbie's sauerkraut.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 12

Yesterday, I completed Day 12 of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No - No new zits
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -Yes - More than usual
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes - The latter, thrice yesterday
• Fatigue -No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Weight stayed the same yesterday for a total of 3 pounds in 12 days.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off in the morning

WHAT I AM EATING

Yesterday,  I ate  normal breakfast and lunch, as was tracking everything, and then found out at the last minute that we were going out to a pizza place after our son's college graduation.  I did not know ahead of time that this was happening, and it kind of threw me for a loop.  Even though I am off dairy for this three weeks, I went ahead and ate just the cheese, pepperoni and pizza sauce off of the pizza crust.  I did not eat the crust.

I had carefully planned this diet to take place when there were no family parties or holidays, but this took me by surprise, and if I had not eaten the cheese, I would have been sitting in the restaurant not eating while everyone else ate and my son would have been angry/hurt.

Anyway, I expected to gain weight, but I did not, and I am back on plan this morning.  I did notice that I have a stuffy nose this morning, worse than usual.  Is this a symptom that I have an intolerance to dairy?  I guess I'll find out soon when I do my actual test of dairy in a couple of weeks.

Also, my blood glucose this morning was a little higher than normal at 91.  I like it to be in the low to mid 80s.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS - MONTH 11 RESULTS

On July 9, 2012, I started eating in such a way as to be fueled by Nutritional Ketosis.  If you are new here and do not know what that means, look at the links at the bottom of this post to read more about it in detail.  The short version is this:  I am eating very high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  For the first several weeks, I was testing my blood ketone levels with a hand held monitor.  I have stopped doing this because the strips are very expensive and I know that I am in the "zone" that I want to be.  Because I have not changed the way I am eating, and I continue to lose body fat, it is reasonable to assume that I am still in Nutritional Ketosis.  If I start to gain body fat or change the way I am eating, I will do more testing.

In the past seven months, I stopped weighing and measuring and tried to eat instinctively.  That worked for a few months, but around the holidays at the end of 2012, I started gaining weight again, and when I went on vacation in February 2013, I really lost control and gained.  From the 2012 holidays until May 26, 2013, here is what happened:

Gained 11.1 pounds of body fat
Lost 1.5 pounds of lean body mass

Gained 1/4" around my neck
Gained 1" around my bust
Gained 2-3/4" around my waist
Gained 2-1/8" around my belly
Gained 2" around my hips
Gained 3/4" around each of my thighs
Gained 1-4" around each of my calves

Gained 5.4 percentage points onto my body fat
Lost 5.4 percentage points off my lean body mass

So, I started careful tracking my food, my weight and measurements again on May 26, 2013, and I am going to try to post a report once per month.

As you can see from my charts, there is a large blank between November 2012 and May 2013, when I was not weighing and measuring, and you can see how I am starting off heavier and larger than when I started NK back in July 2012.

The darker lines are my actual numbers, taken each Sunday morning before eating and the lighter lines are the average of the prior eight weeks, so I can see the trend without all the bouncing around.

These charts show the average of the macro nutrient breakdown for the days that I tracked in these past two weeks. (Click on any chart to enlarge it.)

Here is my "body goal":

136 pounds scale weight

40.9 pounds body fat (30%)

95.1 pounds lean mass (70%)

11-3/4" neck

28-3/8" waist

38-1/2" hips

To get there, I need to lose 14 pounds of body fat, gain 3.8 pounds of lean mass and lose 1/8" around my neck, 4" around my waist and 2-1/4" around my hips.

At the end of May, I started The Virgin Diet to try to isolate some food intolerances I thought I might have.  It was definitely a higher carb diet than I was used to, and I immediately started gaining weight and, on June 6, I modified it so that I could continue doing it low carb.  To read about that, click here.

RELATED POST:  NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS RESULTS BY WEEK AND MONTH

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 11

Yesterday, I completed Day 11 my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No - No new zits
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes - The latter, twice yesterday
• Fatigue -Yes - Had to take an afternoon nap after getting up for work at 4:15 am
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No - 90 after dinner - A little higher than I like, but still OK
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.8 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0.4 pounds yesterday for a total of 3 pounds in 11 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the night one time and had trouble going back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off in the morning

WHAT I AM EATING

Yesterday, I ate like this, which was right on target:

136g fat (78%)
61g protein
28g carbs

For breakfast at 5:00 am, I had a shake that was comprised of coconut milk, water, non-dairy protein powder, frozen berries, a few drops of Stevia and 2 tsp. of cod liver oil.

For snack at 11:30 am, I had my Sunrise Cocktail, which was comprised of MCT oil, olive oil, lemon juice and a few drops of Stevia.

For lunch at 2:00 pm, I had a couple of thick slices of cooked bacon, a bit of Bubbie's sauerkraut and a cup of the homemade chicken bone broth that I started the day before in the slow cooker.

For dinner at 6:00 pm, I had a half of a can of wild caught sardines in lemon oil, half of a large, sweet red bell pepper and a cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate from the Fat Fast Cookbook (shameless plug).

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE (MODIFIED) VIRGIN DIET - DAY 10

Yesterday, I completed Day 10 of The Virgin Diet.  Or is it really The Virgin Diet?  Read on...

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - Yes, but improving
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, but only right after my breakfast shake
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No - In the low to mid 80s all day, even after eating
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 145.2 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 9.2 more pounds.  Can still button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0.6 pounds yesterday for a total of 2.6 pounds in 10 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the night one time and had trouble going back to sleep
• Joint pain - Yes, but somewhat improved
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off in the morning

WHAT I AM EATING

Yesterday, I ate like this, which was right on target:

133g fat (78%)
57g protein
28g carbs

For breakfast at 5:00 am, I had a shake that was comprised of coconut milk, water, non-dairy protein powder, raw greens, frozen berries, a few drops of Stevia and 2 tsp. of cod liver oil.  I cut out the flax seed.

For lunch at 11:30 am, I had my Sunrise Cocktail, which was comprised of MCT oil, olive oil, lemon juice and a few drops of Stevia.

For afternoon snack at 4:00 pm, I had a couple of thick slices of cooked bacon and a bit of Bubbie's sauerkraut.

For dinner at 7:00 pm, I had pan-crumbled-fried lean ground beef, mushrooms and onions with coconut oil, bacon grease and sea salt.  For dessert, I had a little bit of canned pumpkin with cinnamon and Stevia.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

IS IT STILL THE VIRGIN DIET IF I DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES?

I started out wanting to do the diet exactly as written, but a couple of things made me change my mind.

The first thing is that the shakes were giving me diarrhea.  Within a few minutes of drinking a shake in the morning and at midday, I would be running to the bathroom.  And even though I ate a "real food" dinner, I would still be in trouble after that, multiple times per day.  Cutting down to only one shake per day helped, but I was still having an attack every morning.

One of the things that The Virgin Diet is supposed to do is to get you back to normal so that you can tell if you start having symptoms again after trying the foods that you had eliminated for three weeks.  Well, it's been ten days, and I am still running to the bathroom.  How will I know if eggs, for instance, are giving me the trots if I already have them from the shakes?

This morning, I tried a shake without the greens to see if it made a difference.  It did not.  Within 30 minutes of eating, I made my usual dash to the can.

The second thing that made me change my mind about doing the plan to the letter was the fact that the amount of protein and carbs I was eating was elevating my blood glucose.  My normal BG, fasting or postprandial, is in the low to mid 80s.  Not too long after starting The Virgin Diet as written, with higher protein and carbs than I am used to, it started creeping up until it was in the high 90s.  There was one time it was in the low 100s, if memory serves.

So I decided to continue the elimination part of the diet, but changed my fat, protein and carbs back to the way I was eating when I was in Nutritional Ketosis.

One of the reasons I wanted to try it as written was that the book says that the real reason people can't lose weight is food intolerences.  I thought it might be possible that, if I got rid of any intolerences I had, I might be able to eat a little more protein and carbs without gaining weight again.  Eating more is always good, in my book!  But I stopped eating the high FI foods, and still did not really lose weight until I cut back on the protein and carbs.  In all fairness, I did lose the first couple if days, but it came right back a few days later.

MY MODIFICATIONS TO THE VIRGIN DIET

1. I am going to ditch the shakes altogether.  I am going to JERF (Just Eat Real Food) for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Yes, it will be more labor intensive than throwing together a shake, but I will make up for it by not spending a good portion of my time each day in the bathroom.  The downside of this decision is that I spent around $30 for the protein powder and only used half of it.  Sigh.

2. I am going to eat for Nutritional Ketosis, just like I used to the last time I was doing well and maintaining my goal weight.  I will eat high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.

I think that by making these two modifications, I will still be following the "spirit" of the diet and find out if I have any food intolerances.  So, off I go.  Tomorrow morning, I will not be having a shake.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE VIRGIN DIET - DAY 9

Yesterday, I completed Day 9 of The Virgin Diet.

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - Yes, but improving
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, but only right after my breakfast shake.  Hmmm...
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - Almost 100 at the beginning of the day, but back below 90 by the end of the day, after decreasing protein and carbs and increasing fat.
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 145.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 9.8 more pounds.  Can still button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 2 pounds in 9 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the night one time and had trouble going back to sleep
• Joint pain - Yes, but somewhat improved
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - Yes, but improving
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off in the morning

WHAT I AM EATING

I normally eat like this:

135g fat (78%)
57g protein
28g carbs

Yesterday, I ate like this:

146g fat (75%)
68g protein
42g carbs

I had a shake for breakfast that was comprised of coconut milk, water, non-dairy protein powder, ground flax seed, raw greens, frozen berries, a few drops of Stevia and 2 tsp. of cod liver oil.

I worked all day yesterday and skipped lunch.  For dinner, I had pan-crumbled-fried lean ground beef with coconut oil, seasoned with sea salt, garlic powder and onion powder, cabbage and onion pan fried in coconut oil and bacon grease with sea salt, half of a medium avocado and half of a small, raw carrot.

I ate breakfast at 7:30 am and dinner at 7 pm.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

 GOING BACK TO HIGH FAT, MODERATE PROTEIN AND VERY LOW CARB

After breakfast yesterday, I decided to go back to the way I was eating before while still staying away from eggs, dairy, grains, peanuts, soy, corn and sugar, including artificial sweeteners.  I was a little over my goal food for the day, but I still lost one pound, and my blood sugar returned to the 80s by the end of the day, even two hours after eating dinner.  This morning, it was 82.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

THE VIRGIN DIET - DAY 8

Yesterday, I completed Day 8 of The Virgin Diet.  I was traveling yesterday, so there is no Day 7 post.

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose - Yes, but improving
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No, for the past two days, seriously approaching normal
• Fatigue - Yes, especially in the afternoon
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - A little bit - This morning was 90 before eating
• Inability to lose weight - Yes - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 146.8 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 11 more pounds.  Can still button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Gained 1.2 pounds in the past few days.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - Yes, but somewhat improved
• Limp, lackluster hair - Yes
• Muscle pain  - Yes, but improving
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - Yes - Having trouble getting my rings off

WHAT I AM EATING

I normally eat like this:

135g fat (78%)
57g protein
28g carbs

Yesterday, I ate like this:

137g fat (63%)
123g protein
58g carbs

I had a shake for breakfast that was comprised of coconut milk, water, non-dairy protein powder, ground flax seed, raw greens, frozen berries and a few drops of Stevia.  I also had 2 tsp. of cod liver oil in the breakfast shake.

I had the same thing for lunch and dinner:  Skinless chicken breast with olive oil and sea salt, coleslaw made with cabbage, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, lime juice, raw garlic, onion powder and Stevia, and canned pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg and Stevia.

I ate breakfast at 6:30 am, lunch at 12 pm and dinner at 7 pm.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

 TOO MUCH PROTEIN AND CARBS?

When I started this last week, I said that if my blood sugar went up, I would stop.  And, sure enough, my blood sugar is sneaking up again and I am slowly gaining weight, and I know it is because of the extra protein and carbs I have been eating.  I am still interested in seeing if I have food intolerances, so I am going to continue with the plan making a few modifications instead of stopping the plan outright.  I figured it was worth a try to see if I could take the higher protein and carbs, but I guess my question has been answered.  Oh, well...

I will do the plan except for limiting my protein and carbs to my previous amounts.  I may take out the flax altogether.  Not sure about that one.  Limiting my protein and carbs should bring my blood glucose back down again.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.