The diet is pretty brutal for a few days after the Very Low Calorie Diet starts.  During the first week I thought about food often, there were even a few nights it was easier to go to bed than think about food.  The Very Low Calorie diet part of the diet is 500 calories per day.   We measured and prepared most of our food in advance.   It seemed weird in the sense that we really do spend a lot of time preparing meals and eating.  This left an extra amount of time during the evening.  An example of a meal (250 calories) is a 3oz piece of chicken and 2 cups of spinach.

The HCG diet does require injections of the HCG hormone.  The HCG hormone helps unlock abnormal fat and burn it.  I have given many injections over the years but this was the first time I had ever given myself an injection.

The diet consists of three phases:

• Loading  – This phase is when you eat a lot of foods.  Focused on fatty food to help you make the transition to the very low calorie diet
• Very Low Calorie Diet – This is when you will lose weight.  Eating only 500 calories per day.
• Stabilization – You keep your body weight within a 4 pound window determined by the weight on the last day of the very low calorie Diet.

Here are my results

Since the January 26, I have been maintaining my weight within 2 pounds of 207.6 on just 2000 calories per day.   I have one more week of stabilization at 2000 calorie and then plan to decrease my calories and increase my exercise to finish up and get to my next goal weight of 190 lbs.  Since college I have not been able to get below 195 lbs but I am hopeful that I can get there.

 

Today I am camping in the desert.  Getting ready to fry a turkey (in peanut oil).

If you really think about it Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the ultimate self-reliant people.  They could not run down to the store to get some more food. They hunted and foraged for their feast.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for many things.  Today take a few minutes stop and think of things you are thankful  for!

 

The processing of food by the food industry allows food manufacturers to break down substances into simpler forms and then put them back together in an unnatural way.  The reason food manufacturers do this is if a particular ingredient gets more expensive they can substitute another.  If you look on a bag of potato chips, you will notice that the contents could have been fried in cottonseed, corn or sunflower seed oil.  Out of the three oils, cottonseed oil is the cheapest.  The many reasons you don’t want to eat cottonseed oil.  In the US cotton is a genetically modified crop.  Cotton is not a food crop therefore there are no regulations for pesticides like other food crops.  So are those potato chips something that my great grandfather could have eaten?  No!  My great grandfather would not have access to the genetically modified cotton for the cottonseed oil and therefore could not have fried the chips.  I don’t think my great grandfather would think of cottonseed oil as a food either.

The next thing you need to ask is:  Why are you eating?  If you are eating mindlessly to numb your emotions, eating cannot be good for you.  If you are eating because you genuinely need to eat to fuel your body, eating is healthy.

You should be putting good fuel in to your body.   Most people would not put bad gas into their car!  You should not put bad fuel in to your body!  There are five food substances that I generally avoid or consume in moderation:

• Gluten – We were never meant to consume large quantities of this protein found in the grains of Wheat, Barley, Rye and Oats.  In our food system today huge quantities of gluten are used in prepackaged food.
• Dairy – The protein casein and sugar lactose are what most people have trouble with in dairy products.  We are the only creature on the planet that consumes the milk of another creature.  Last time I checked I don’t have four stomachs and chew my cud.  So why would I want to consume the milk of a cow.  I do consume small amounts of butter since it is mostly the fat from the milk and contains little lactose or casein.
• Cottonseed Oil – This stuff may be natural but so is Lead and it is not very good for you.  Try to stay away from this stuff.  Almost all cottonseed oil produced in the US is from genetically modified cotton and has been treated with large amounts of pesticides.
• Soybean – Most cultures around the world only consume fermented soy.  Here in the US we consume a huge amount of it in the form of soybean oil.  Soybean oil may be natural but it doesn’t match the traditional use of soybean.  The tradition of fermenting soy changes it and reduces some of the known side effects.  The most significant known side effect of eating soy is its impact on the thyroid.
• Refined Sugar – Especially High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Refined sugar goes directly into the blood stream raising the blood sugar of the person consuming it.   This causes the body to release more insulin.  Insulin allows the body’s cells to use the sugar as energy, but if the body doesn’t need the energy now the insulin tells the body to store the sugar as fat to burn later when energy is needed.  Consuming too much sugar leads to excess body fat.  The reason why a lot of kids today seem overweight; is because the amount of soda and sugary snacks consumed is significantly higher than what I consumed when growing up.  Children today are much less active so that sugar stored as body fat doesn’t get burned.

In summary, remember to ask yourself would my grandfather be able to get this same food and recognized it as food.  Remember to not eat if you are eating to numb your emotions.  Also remember to avoid Gluten, Dairy, Cottonseed Oil, Soybean, and Sugar.  For the last two years avoiding these substances has left me with more energy, better sleep, better digestion and overall better health.

 

Would it be like this

Rob worked 60 hours a week, mowed his lawn every weekend and watched a couple hours of TV every night and played mindless online games most of the night

or would it be better if it said something like this

Rob was very conscious of the choices he made and focused on the things that made him happy, which helped him make the people around him happy.

Just before I wrote this post I removed my Cable TV box and have decided that I am only going to watch TV programs that I truly enjoy; which is about 2 hours per week this TV season. When I reflect on the amount of  lost time I have invested into various TV programs over the years.  Only to see them canceled and the story left dangling like a loose thread in my mind.   If all goes as planned the TV executives should have me down to 0 hours in a year or two.

I have recently started listening to Pandora in the evenings.  Pandora gives you ability to create your own channel and listen to the music you want.   I have 4 primary channels that I listen to (Hard Rock, Spa Channel, Jazz, Nature Sounds). I have been writing in a journal almost every evening with music playing rather than the TV.  I find the music is less distracting and much more enjoyable.  I have been journaling for a about 6 months consistently which I think it has made me more reflective.

One thing I reflected on the other day was I don’t place a lot of value on stuff compared to the value that I place on learning and experiences.   I was trying to think of where some of the toys from my childhood could be; they are all long gone. The experiences of my childhood remain with me.

When I was growing up, my family was very self-reliant. We raised our own vegetables, chickens, and pigs.   We made maple syrup one year with 6-8 maples on the property. We heated our house with wood and coal when oil was too expensive.   My children today are missing the experience of being self reliant.    They have come to view food as what the food industrial complex says food is. My wife and kids look at the vegetables I grow and they are not sure what do to with them!  This is because I’ve been growing desert adapted and heirloom varieties of vegetables. They don’t look as pretty as the ones in the store. What is wrong with an orange tomato? Especially if it tastes excellent. How about purple beans they sure tasted good but they were not a hit with the family.

In conclusion, I really don’t want to be the middle aged guy who comes home from work with most of my life force drained. After getting the kids to bed, sit in the glow of the TV and just barely absorb what little it has to offer. I want to get out and experience new things.   Try a new bottle of wine, try new food, hike a new trail, travel somewhere new and spend a week.   I want to connect with my roots, and grow at least some of my food and share that experience with my children. It is a great learning opportunity for the entire family and a step back to self-reliance.

 

There are seven major traits of an introvert that I could really identify with:

• I often find myself in meetings were I freeze up when put on the spot during meeting where I may be a subject matter expert, but for some reason cannot think fast on my feet.
• I often feel like a tortoise sounded by much faster and quicker people. My communications are often slow and deliberate.
• I am generally really annoyed with interruptions and constant shifts in our plans. I don’t like to interrupt others, I figure because I hate interruptions others probably do too.
• If I get over stimulated I often want to “Zone” out watching TV or surfing the web mindlessly.
• Last year after my wife read my performance review, she summed it up “sounds like you are an Introverted Genius”.  I thought the same thing could be said of the Unabomber.
• I suspect some people have a perception of me as being aloof and disconnected but with an incredible amount of knowledge.
• I absolutely hate the phone. When I was growing up my parents ran a business out of our house using our home phone. You just never knew who was going to call. I still have this loathing towards the phone.
• I often feel drained after social events and big crowds.  They do not energize me they leave me drained.  Most of the time I enjoyed these events but just felt drained afterward.

There were other traits that I do identify with but the eight of them above have been the ones that bother me the most.

In the past I have taken Myers-Briggs temperament tests before and always came up as an Introvert.  So I it is no surprise that that I recent took the test and got an ISJT as a result.

From the book here a few summarized points about the introvert’s brain:

• Introverts tend to use the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Sometimes it requires more effort to get motivated or moving
  • Sometimes react very slow when under stress
  • Enjoys more breaks and relaxation time to refresh
  • Generally have a calm or reserved manner and never panics
• Introverts have great memories but
  • Sometimes it takes longer to retrieve information
  • Often feels it is better to sleep on an idea
  • Often forgets things that they know well when put on the spot
• Introverts tend to
  • Shy away from too much attention
  • Zone out when over stimulated
  • Surprise others with a wealth of information that is stored in their brains

I have also noticed that my children seem to be introverted too. Sometimes they display some of the behaviors from the list above.  I suspect that they too may feel that being an introvert is difficult but I hope that see that is not a bad thing, it is just different from a lot of the population.

I look forward to exploring my introverted personality more and seeing how I can play with it as strength rather than as a weakness.

If you are an introvert, can you relate to any of the points above?

 

My symptoms were:

• Gas, Bloating when I woke up every morning
• Fatigue every day
• Heart burn
• Pretty much collapsing into bed every night exhausted
• Difficulty getting started in the morning
• Difficulty focusing on tasks and easily distracted

I already had determined that I have gluten sensitivity but have not been tested for Celiac Disease.   I have been gluten free for 10 years now. Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats.   (Oats may actually be gluten free but most people with Celiac will avoid them because Oats are in the same plant family as the other three grains)  Celiac is a condition in which the lining of the intestines get irritated because of the immune systems response to Gluten.    What happens is the body sees gluten as a dangerous invader, it then sends in the white blood cells that attack the gluten protein.   The actual damage comes from the immune system attacking the gluten, the damage to the intestines is like collateral damage.    The body’s immune system does not necessarily attack the small intestine but does release a lot of chemicals that signal the cells in the intestines to inflame themselves.   The villi become flattened and impaired. The villi are like little hairs in the intestines that help move food particles through the intestines and helps absorb food.  The flattened villi cannot absorb nutrients efficiently.   People with full blown Celiac disease are often suffering from malnutrition.

My Regular doctor had put my on maximum strength Zantac to treat Gastro Esophagus Reflux Disease (GERD).   I had tried to cut back a little because I knew from reading that GERD is not caused excessive acid but is caused by the valve at the top of the stomach leaking acid into the esophagus (the tube that leads from your mouth to the stomach).  It didn’t take me long to realize that you just cannot stop taking these medications.  Zantac and Pepcid are Histamine-2 blockers which reduce the amount of stomach acid.  The body has a huge rebound effect when this type of medication is stopped.  This seems to be in direct contradiction to what I need since I need to absorb my food better but my intestines are already impaired and now we are reducing the acid in my stomach.  This just didn’t seem right, since the stomach needs a fairly strong amount of acid to break down proteins.   (By the way if you look on the package of Zantac or Pepcid it is only recommended that you take it for two weeks at maximum)

I started looking for some new answers.  Fortunately my company sponsors a health coaching program every year.  I got the name of a local naturopathic doctor from my health coach.  So I made an appointment and got in for an office visit about one week later.

We started discussing my symptoms and she immediately recommended the following:

• 8 – 12 Grams of  L-Glutamine per day
• A super good multivitamin (6 capsule per day)
• Some herbs to support the Adrenal System
• Some Digestive enzymes to help my system process my food
• Stop eating all dairy products immediately

On this protocol I started to get a little more energy that I have been missing for quite some time.    After doing this for about 1 month I still was not where I wanted to be but I was on the correct track to getting where I wanted to go.

 

Last years:

Total Cholesterol - 243 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol   - 173 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol   - 40  mg/dL
Triglycerides     - 150 mg/dL

This Years Results:

Total Cholesterol - 190 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol   - 119 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol   - 44  mg/dL
Triglycerides     - 136 mg/dL

This the first time my cholesterol has every been below 200. My first cholesterol test in 1988 came back with 220 total cholesterol.
My strategy of eating a lot of vegetables and fruits has paid off.

 

• My exercise regimen is not working for weight loss.  Walking for 1 – 2 hours a day and yoga a couple times a week is great but it is not giving me weight loss.

• I need to compress my workout to a shorter amount of time.  I don’t have a lot of time but need a higher return on my investment.  I have worked out for up to two hours per day several days per week

• I still need to take the time to walk with Blaze, he will be 12 yrs old in April.  In January he had his annual check up and got a good bill of health.  I believe walking a mile every day has helped him avoid problems that a lot of older dogs have.

• I feel less effective than I could be at work.  I think some of this is caused by habits established when I was tired most of the time.

• My work / life balance seems a little out of balance at the current time.  Right now it feels like I have a lot of personal stuff on my to do list that is neglected.  My work to do list seems very lightweight right now; I need to plan out my work better so that I can get focus better on both issues.

• I have made great progress but need to get the next level of benefit. In 2007 I weighed 229lbs with 32% body fat. This means I had about 156lbs of lean muscle; I have increased my lean muscle to 168lbs in the last year.

To address the issues I identified above I will need to work on creating a few new habits and routines.

• I will start interval training to increase my metabolism. Interval training is a different way to workout. I will increase the intensity of my workout to the maximum I can output for a few minutes, continue with my workout at a much lower intensity.   I will repeat this for 4 – 10 reps to start with and see what feels right.  Several studies have shown interval training creates more muscle mass and improves metabolic function.  Since this workout will have a much higher intensity I will be able to work out less and achieve more.

• I will continue to monitor my weight and body fat and food intake.  I will also continue to take a snack everyday to work.

• I will need focus on getting my work tasks flushed out and getting into balance.  Looking for the best way to execute all my tasks.  My work will be changing a lot over the next few weeks.   So there will be new challenges in this area.

 

I did not loose or gain any weight while consuming more calories.  For most of the experiment, I think my hunger was under much better control than it has been in the past.   I would often find myself extremely hungry, craving carbohydrates in the afternoon.

Other accomplishments during the experiment

• I started tracking my food intake and exercise using BalanceLog.
• I purchased a new scale for measuring body fat and weight.
• I increased my exercise by doing Yoga and walking more.

Other than regular drops in my energy level in the afternoon I have been doing really well.

 

Here is a link and you be the judge –>  http://english.pravda.ru/science/earth/106922-0/