Week 3 (January 23-29) Summary

Week 3 started off well but ended as a total flop! Emotionally challenged and feeling the physical effects of anxiety for the first time in months was all it took. But Sunday being planning day, week 4 is destined to be recommitted. Although honestly I am playing in my mind with excuses not to exercise today already...

A summary of what I ate & excerise I did:
Note: 95% of the days include coffee with fat free french vanilla creamer.

- Saturday 23Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice sprout bread toast with Boursin Light and 2 rings of pineapple (in own juice)
Lunch = GC Day 8 bean burrito + 1.5 cups of cauliflower soup
Snack = 1/4 cup cinnamon roasted chickpeas
Dinner (night out on the town) = 1 slice margherita pizza (Upper Crust), side salad with balsamic
Alcohol = 1 cosmo and 2 sprite zero/vodkas
Exercise = dancing

- Sunday 24Jan10
Breakfast (Coolidge Corner) = smoked salmon cream cheese crepe
Lunch = ham and cheese on sprout wrap + broccoli
Snack = 1/2 cup Fiber One low-fat cottage cheese
Dinner = GC pasta (gluten-free) and chicken casserole with roasted red pepper puree + steamed carrots
Exercise (PM) = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step + 10-minute core

- Monday 25Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 13 GC nutty carrot raisin muffin (no butter), 1 hard-boiled egg, minneola orange
Lunch (work off-site meeting) = 2 tomato mozzarella caprese, 1/8 cup roasted soy nuts
Dessert = carrot cake whoopie pie :-(
Snack = 3/4 cup of Fiber One low-fat cottage cheese
Dinner = GC pasta (gluten-free) and chicken casserole with roasted red pepper puree + steamed carrots + roasted red pepper hommus

- Tuesday 26Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice of sprouted bread toast with Boursin Light + kiwi
Lunch = caesar salad with salmon + 1 slice sprout bread toast with garlic powder and butter
Dinner = GC parsley & nut-crusted baked sea bass (substituted halibut) + broccoli
Exercise (PM) = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step

- Wednesday 27Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice sprout bread toast with Boursin Light and 2 rings of pineapple (in own juice)
Lunch = ham and cheese on sprout wrap + broccoli
Snack = 1/8 cup of dry roasted edamame
Dinner = GC parsley & nut-crusted baked sea bass (substituted halibut) + mixed greens with GC apple vinaigrette
Snack = Roasted red pepper hommus :-(

- Thursday 28Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice of sprouted bread toast with Boursin Light + minneola orange
Snack = 1/4 cup cinnamon roasted chickpeas
Lunch = caesar salad with salmon + 1 slice margherita pizza (mtg leftovers) :-(
Dinner = mixed greens with GC apple vinaigrette
Snack = TMTC roasted red pepper hommus (OVERDOSE!) :-(
Exercise (PM) = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step

- Friday 29Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice of sprout bread with Boursin light + canteloupe
Lunch (The Friendly Toast) = cheeseburger + sweet potato fries :-(
Dinner = gluten-free Velveeta mac & cheese
Dessert = 1 milky way + 1 dove with peanut butter :-(

Week 2 (January 16-22) Summary

So, still not feeling weight loss per se but feel digestionally healthy, energy-level healthy, financially satisfied (little waste of fresh produce), and in better control overall. I didn't have to return to the grocery store to make it through another week! It has been tough to make good choices when presented options that aren't within the limits of GC. For example, I skipped the Friday Breakfast at work that is always loaded with dense white-flour-based carbs (muffins, bagels, pancakes, french toast, wraps, etc.) and hardly low-fat cheese, bacon, and sausage. It helps to have a new cube spot on a different floor than the cafe where it is served. The fumes don't make the distance! But, I gave in to chocolate cake at a baby shower, a cookie served at garden club, and a cupcake for a co-worker's bday. I didn't eat the whole piece of cake, only had one cookie, and chose the carrot-flavored cupcake. C'mon you could see the slivers of carrot!

A summary of what I ate & excerise I did:
Note: 95% of the days include coffee with fat free french vanilla creamer.

- Saturday 16Jan10
Breakfast = GC nutty carrot raisin muffin and 8oz. 1% milk
Lunch (friend's baby shower) = caprese skewers, smoked salmon egg salad (1/2 slice white bread), roast beef sandwich (1/2 slice marble rye bread), artichoke frittata
Snack = chocolate cake
Dinner = popcorn with butter


- Sunday 17Jan10
Breakfast = GC nutty carrot raisin muffin and 8oz. 1% milk
Snack = 1/4 cup cinnamon roasted chickpeas
Lunch = GC mixed salad greens with pear and feta cheese
Snack = 1/4 cup natural, sugar-free applesauce
Dinner = GC garlicky tomato shrimp


- Monday 18Jan10 (MLK Day - no work)
Breakfast = GC raspberries and cream soy smoothie
Snack = 1/4 cup cinnamon roasted chickpeas
Lunch = caprese salad
Dinner = gluten-free pasta with Lisa's fresh & sun-dried tomato sauce
Exercise = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step


- Tuesday 19Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice of sprouted bread toast with natural peanut butter and agave nectar
Snack = clementine
Lunch (new hire lunch) = fried cod with broccoli and carrots
Dinner (Tara's) = gluten-free pasta with roasted squash in cream sauce, 2 slices of bruschetta
Alcohol = 1 glass red wine
Dessert = 1 lime sugar cookie


- Wednesday 20Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 8 banana smoothie
Lunch = GC Day 8 bean burrito and 1/4 cup salsa with nut thins
Dinner = GC Day 12 garlicky tomato shrimp, 1 cup of broccoli, and 3/4 cup of cous cous
Exercise = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step (AM)


- Thursday 21Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 13 GC nutty carrot raisin muffin (no butter), 1 hard-boiled egg, clementine
Lunch = GC Day 2 ham and cheese on 1 slice of sprout bread (no tomato, spinach or mayo), 3/4 cup of broccoli
Snack = less than 1/4 cup of homemade trail mix (all natural, no salt, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, and raisins)

Dinner = 3/4 cup cous cous with Seeds of Change Korma sauce

- Friday 22Jan10
Breakfast = 1 slice of sprout bread with Boursin light and a clementine
Lunch = GC Day 8 bean burrito and 1-2 cups of Kirsten's sweet potato ginger soup

Snack (co-worker's bday) = carrot cupcake

Dinner = 3/4 cup cous cous with Seeds of Change Korma sauce

Exercise = 30-min GC level 1 with 4" step (AM)

Week 1 (January 9-17) Summary

For week 1, I think I did pretty well. I met the exercise goals even with a bump in the road and only fell off the wagon once (with good reason). On Wednesday, I blew it & I mean completely! I was doing so well but it was the ex's birthday which I was handling relatively well until the wine began to flow. The first serving was well beyond the 5-oz portion allowed per day in the GCC. And then suddenly there was a winefall blasting down my throat and not enough water or food or moral support to stop the madness! Oh well, 4 glasses of wine, a shot, and a mixed drink later, there are 364 days to go before the challenge presents itself again. I think I am all set for a while! Of course, my eating on the day after was far from the GCC meal plans. But I was back on track Friday including the make-up of the workout that was initially planned for Thursday AM.

Overall feeling: I don't feel that I have lost a single pound. I feel the diet is actually a lot of food but I am a little overwhelmed by thrying to achieve the balance of nutrients acclaimed to be so critical. So, so far I have consumed the elements and next week will adjust portions. I am also just getting the hang of how much to buy at the store and how much to make. I hate to waste good food, so I adjusted as the week progressed to utilize what I already had in stock and that would go bad or exxpire shortly. The good news is that I didn't have to go to the store for week 2! Most entree recipes I cut in half making only 2 servings and then eat the leftovers for a second dinner. Only twice, I don't get tired of it. I also made the muffins and prepared the turkey burger recipe in full but froze all that I didn't need for this week.

All of the GC recipes I have made have been surprisingly tasty! And I mean so good I want to make them for my friends!

Notes: 95% of the days include coffee with fat free french vanilla creamer.

A summary of what I ate & excerise I did:
- Saturday 09Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 8 banana smoothie
Lunch = GC Day 7 lox "bagel" but on a piece of sprouted bread toast instead of a bagel
Snack = Guacamole
Dinner (friend's 30th birthday party) = Hummus with corn chips (~7 chips), ~15 mini shrimp cocktail, spinach dip (two chips), ~6 cherry tomatoes
Dessert = skipped the bday cake, but had a rice krispy treat
Midnight snack = sprout bread toast with walnut butter & agave nectar

- Sunday 10Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 7 lox "bagel" but on a piece of sprouted bread toast instead of a bagel
Snack = tangelo
Lunch = GC Day 2 nutty carrot raisin muffin, 1/2 cup of sugar-free applesauce
Dinner = GC Day 7 scallops
Alcohol = 2 glasses of chardonnay
Exercise = 30-min Kim Kardashian DVD (PM)

- Monday 11Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 14 cottage cheese with wheat germ & vanilla (no splenda or cherries), 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries
Lunch = GC Day 14 caesar salad with 4oz. canned salmon and yogurt-based dressing + 7 fresh strawberries
Snack = 1/4 cup of cinnamon roasted chickpeas
Dinner (garden club)= 2" suare artichoke frittata, 3/4 cup orzo salad with scallions, dried apricot, and ginger, 2 oz. manchego cheese
Snack = 1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce

-Tuesday 12Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 7 lox "bagel" but on a piece of sprouted bread toast instead of a bagel + tangelo
Lunch = GC Day 7 caprese salad + 1 cup bean soup (Epicurious.com recipe)
Snack (happy hour with Liz & Rachel) = 1/8 cup of cinnamon roasted chickpeasDinner = GC Day 7 scallops (no salad, no barley)
Alcohol = 1 glass of riesling
Exercise = 30-min GC level 1 (AM)

- Wednesday 13Jan10 (the x-bday :-()
Breakfast = GC Day 14 cottage cheese with wheat germ & vanilla (no splenda or cherries), sprout bread toast with Smart Balance peanut butter & agave nectar
Lunch = GC Day 14 caesar salad with 4oz. canned salmon and yogurt-based dressing + 7 fresh strawberries
Snack = 1/4 cup paprika roasted chickpeas
Dinner = ALCOHOL = 4 glasses red wine, 1 shot (lemon drop), 1 raspberry vodka-soda + NO food + NOT enough sleep (~4 hours!)

- Thursday 14Jan10 (the hangover)
Breakfast = ham & cheese croissant (white flour from Beantowne Coffee House)
Lunch = nut thins with whipped cream cheese (and too much of it!)
Dinner = GC Day 11 curried apple-turkey burger (no tomato salad)

- Friday 15Jan10
Breakfast = GC Day 7 lox "bagel" but on a piece of sprouted bread toast instead of a bagel + 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
Snack = 1/4 cup paprika roasted chickpeas
Lunch = GC Day 14 caesar salad (no protein) and yogurt-based dressing + 7 fresh strawberries
Snack = 8 oz. fat free milk
Dinner (company holiday party) = frisee salad, pepper roasted cod, potato puree
Alcohol = 2 glasses cabernet
Dessert = ~two-bite-size minis: creme brulee, eclair, cream puff
Exercise = 30-min GC level 1 (PM)

January 6, 2010 Baseline

From a check-up with Dr. Ross on January 6th, 2010:
Weight = 152 pounds
Blood pressure = 113/78*

*Taking Avapro since September 26, 2009 and is first normal for both systolic and diastolic readings since June 6, 2008!

Starting Line Medications

The conventional medicines I am on at the starting point of attempting the GCC...
1) Anxiety: 40mg/day oral tablet of Citalopram (more commonly known as Celexa) = $10/month
2) High blood pressure: 150mg/day oral tablet of Avapro = $25/month
3) Swelling/water retention (side effect of HBP med): 25mg/day oral tablet of Chlorthalidone = $6.24/month
4) Multiple sclerosis: 20mg/mL/day self injection of Copaxone = $26/month
5) Multiple sclerosis: 50,000unit/week soft gel of Vitamin D = $6.77/month

Total = $74.01/month

Preparation

Drafted on January 9, 2010: I have taken the following actions since the week before Christmas:
1) Ordered and received The Gold Coast Cure and the supporting cookbook, Whole Foods Diet: 200 Recipes for Optimal Health also by the Larsons.
2) Scanned the books to pleasantly discover the foods included many things I already like to eat but just don't have the confidence or knowledge to turn them into a meal in 30-minutes or less.
Read the fitness routine and got the equipment requirements: purchased three pound wrist and ankle weights then ordered a 4-8" step and a stop watch due to arrive next week.
3) Spent a couple of hours personalizing my meal plan. I chose menus from the Gold Coast Cure diet plan and determined how and when to fit them into my schedule conveniently. Elements considered were use of leftovers, items to make in advance, meals realistic to have at work, etc. Then I created the grocery list for a 1-2 week's worth of meals.
4) Purged my cupboards, fridge, and freezer.
5) After reading the supplement section, made a shopping list with the specific brands I wanted on Vitamin Shoppe's website. Then I made the purchase on my commute home the next day.
6) Made a shopping spree last night with my neighbor to Whole Foods and replenished all of the above with $250-worth of stock. Keep in mind, this included all of the basic staples (e.g. flours, oils, flax, etc.) for the diet plan that are bought as rarely as every 3-6 months.
5) Had my first day of the diet today, starting with a quite tasty smoothie!

Who am I and why this blog? 10 motives.

I think I am just another person attempting to feel better, have more energy, and lose weight by instituting a healthier lifestyle to my standard routine. But am I?


Actually I am one lucky girl with a most caring and nurturing mom that is always on the lookout for my health, happiness, and protection from harm. Over the Christmas visit back home this year, she gave me a page ripped out of Spry Magazine's December 2009 issue with the article, "Bouncing Back" by Laurie Herr, that she had been saving for me. The article is about Dana LaMonica, a 39-year old Uniontown, OH woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), who lost 80 pounds and whose MRI showed clearance of previously existing lesions on her brain after only 6 months of following a diet outlined in the book, The Gold Coast Cure by Andrew Larson, M.D. and his wife, Ivy Ingram Larson (also a woman with MS).


Inspired by the article, I ordered and read The Gold Coast Cure. I also, purchased the supporting cookbook, Whole Foods Diet: 200 Recipes for Optimal Health also by the Larsons. I quickly and pleasantly discovered the foods included many things I already like to eat but just don't have the confidence or knowledge to turn them into a meal in 30-minutes or less.


However, my attempt to institute the Gold Coast Cure as my new healthier lifestyle in 2010 has less to do with the inevitable falling of the apple in Times Square or an obsession for falling of the numbers on the scale than that of most. So here are my motives:
1) I am tired of being tired.

2) I am on prescribed medications for high blood pressure and anxiety. I work in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry and spend every single minute of my work days ensuring safety and quality of medicine. I fully believe in and support use of conventional medicine however, I am fully against band-aid solutions if there is an alternative. I want to challenge the alternatives before accepting conventional medicine as truly necessary and my last resort.

3) I am 30 with the body of a 59-year old post-menopausal woman = my mother. (Love you, Mom, and your body but I want the body you were blessed to enjoy in your 30's during mine. I'll happily take your body with hopefully as much sustained elegance, grace, and beauty as you when my time is due in my 50's. Not now. SWAK!) I am 5'1" and weigh 150+ pounds. To describe my shape, let's just say my due date has been questioned however in reality I am in fact minus a true bun in the oven. At times I am physically uncomfortable bending over to tie my shoes. I am educated enough to know the long term risks and effects of excess abdominal fat.

4) I have no excuse. Having recently ended a 3-year relationship, I am alone. The general routine of what I eat and how I spend my time currently has no direct impact on anyone but me. I can live on trail mix and no wine without disappointing anybody. I can spend 4 hours scouting Whole Foods, Stop-N-Shop, and Russo's without sacrificing quality time with someone. Although I still am socially busy, it would be ridiculous and just plain lazy to not be able to find three 30-minute slots a day to attend to exercise.


5) My left leg went numb for about 6 weeks in October 2004 and I was officially diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in August 2005 following a second clinical episode (numb left toes) confirmed by a large lesion on my cervical MRI. I was 25. I began treatment with a daily self-injection of a conventional medicine, Copaxone, in September 2005 and have been on it ever since. So 4.5 years of compliance later, only missing a dose less than five times I can recall, I developed only 1 small lesion on the brain in the first year and have experienced minimal clinical symptoms overall. But the anxiety...another 20 bucks! It has taken me 5 years of no progression to finally believe that I actually may be lucky - lucky enough to have an extremely mild case or very effective medicine or both. (Note that I still say "may" because of my instinctual type-A skepticism. Why is it so hard to just have faith? Why do I attach ignorance to disappointment because I "should have known better" to set my expectations lower from the get-go? Food for thought for another post sometime...) So, although in the last 5 years I have intermittently been a yogi, a jogger, a Juice-Plus consumer, and a gluten-free advocate among other things, I am for the first time open to the possibility of "both." Both means after achieving positive results from this attempt, taking some time off Copaxone could reveal a mild case in fact or simply an alternative means of controlling progression. Time will tell.


6) I want the evidence documented because if this attempt works, I want a place to direct people to see exactly what I did for their reference. I may provide East Coast Evidence for the Gold Coast Cure.


7) The Gold Coast Cure includes nothing I didn't already know or want in my lifestyle. It is just a matter of making it happen.


8) Like many, I am not lazy but I like convenience and I am tired after work. Cooking a full out dinner is close to the last thing I want to have to do when I get home with the minimal energy I have left. I actually feel the Gold Coast Cure offers realistic eating habits with foods I already like. As a true lifestyle change, the only commitment required is learning new recipes and preparing some things in advance so that healthy is convenient.


9) Only I have the ability and responsibility to apply to my life Ivy Ingram Larson's statement, "You only have one life. Make it a good one."


10) I have nothing to lose but a belly. :-)