Week 2
8/21/14 3:00 pm – 3:15pm // 3:45 – 4:00
8/28/14 3:30 – 3:37
8/29/14 9:45 – 10:30
Well, I didn’t really think week two (my week as a vegetarian) was any harder than week one. I drank three shakes a day, eliminated all meat, and limited my fish intake. Dr. D. said that the shakes provide enough nutrients that I didn’t need to eat anything else if I wasn’t hungry. He said to follow what my body was telling me. Sometimes my body said, “Who are you kidding? Give me food!” but often it was quiet, and I felt satisfied.
Challenge 1: I don’t like to cook
Probably the most difficult part of this week for me is the fact that I don’t enjoy cooking. I can cook, and occasionally I get into it, but generally speaking, cooking is not my forte. I found a bunch of great vegetarian recipes and didn’t try a single one. I just ate lots of fruit and salads, and the three shakes a day helped.
One night I did try eggplant pizzas (something I remembered seeing on Pinterest). I sliced an eggplant from our garden, put some foil sprayed with non-stick spray on the grill, and grilled the eggplant for a few minutes on each side. Then I added some Natures Promise™ organic pizza sauce (available at Giant), cheese and black olives. I left them on the grill (with the lid closed) until the cheese melted. They were delicious. Even my husband – a meat-and-potatoes guy – liked them. He put one on his hamburger.
Anyway, I also took the time to boil some eggs and found that to be a nice, quick, satisfying snack. Also, I was jonesing for some iced tea (before I started this program I drank 1-3 gallons of Clover Farms Diet ICY TEA every week). So, I got some Yogi® herbal tea – Ginkgo Clarity™ – a packet of the Better Stevia™ that Dr. D. gave me after the free weight-loss seminar, and a lemon, and I made iced tea. It was actually pretty good. I think it’s whatever you get used to. Right now, I’m used to the ICY TEA; eventually, I’ll get used to herbal iced tea.
Challenge 2: the weekend
My other challenge this week (and I suspect will be every week) was the weekend. My husband and I and another couple went to the last Reading FightinPhils baseball game of the season. It was fan appreciation day, and they had $1 hotdogs. As my husband and friends sat around a table eating hotdogs and French fries, I drank a humungous bottle of water (that cost $4.95 by-the-way). I didn’t mind passing on the hot dogs, but I couldn’t resist the French fries – especially my husband’s crabby fries. I stole a few. I savored each one. I took little bites and really tasted them. Then, during the game I got bored, so my girlfriend and I went down for a Rita’s Italian Ice. We both got mango gelatis. It was a hot day and the cold Italian ice was bellissimo!
Results:
So how did I do this week? I lost another 3 pounds. My muscle percentage stayed the same and my fat percentage went down. Dr. D. said that’s good, but I need to increase my muscle. I had to confess that I only lifted some weights a few times that week. I will do better this week!
Water:
Dr. D. suggests drinking 64 ounces of water a day. I’ve found a few tricks to help me accomplish that
I bought a water bottle with a filter and a straw. Now, I can get water from just about anywhere and not worry too much about the quality of the water. I find that I drink more with the straw. As silly as it sounds, I think it’s because I don’t have to move my head. Even at the computer, when I’m using the mouse, I can sip some water. In the car, I can sip some water and not take my eyes off the road. I bought a Brita® 22 oz. plastic bottle. I know I need to drink three bottles a day.
I also started making flavored water. First, I tried it in just a regular pitcher. I put some blueberries and mint into the water and waited a few hours. It didn’t have much flavor, and I ended up throwing most of it away. Then I bought an infuser pitcher at FiveBelow® for – you guessed it – $5. I put some frozen strawberries and mint in the infuser, and it was delicious. I don’t know if it’s the infuser or the choice of fruit, but I think it was worth the $5.
Do you have any great vegetarian recipes you’d like to share or any secrets for drinking more water? I’d love to hear them.
For Your Health,
Dr. Leo McCormick, Dr. Darryl Hajduczek, and Dr. Leslie Freeman