Day 10 - meal day

I told my husband that while I'm on this program, what I prepare I don't consider cooking. to me, cooking is more than just shaking some seasoning on a bit of protein and searing/grilling/baking/roasting it. I miss my routine of doing food prep - chopping onions, mincing garlic, slicing veggies, measuring out spices - that will all come together into some kind of amazing sauce or be cooked into a stew, soup, or braise.

late afternoon i met with a client to go over some details of a dinner party I am catering in a couple of weeks. so nice to plan a "real" meal. i am going to relish every detail of planning this! the menu:

• hors d'oeuvres - a platter of assorted marinated olives, marcona almonds, manchego and quince, torta espanola with sofrito sauce, chilled gazpacho, piquillo peppers stuffed with a tuna confit salad
•  main - paella valenciana (with shellfish, chicken and veggies) and a second paella (fish, chicken and veggies)
• a mixed green salad of organic greens, cucumber, tomato, toasted almonds, shaved manchego cheese with a sherry or port vinaigrette
• dessert - mini pecan pies and mini berry tarts filled with mascarpone and seasonal berries.

After my meeting i stopped at the market and bought a couple of flat iron steaks. I nearly bought 2-3 lbs of grassfed oxtails so i could do a southern or carribean braise, but i need to calculate the nutritional value of all the ingredients so i can keep it all within my food regime. I should do that anyway, so I can maintain the practice after my 30 day transformation period is complete.

morning shake

mid-morning snack - two large hard cooked eggs sans yolks

lunch - pan seared chicken breast, steamed green beans, brown rice, salad. this was all quite filling. My husband said it was delicious. whatever.

mid-afternoon snack - flat iron steak, steamed green beans and zucchini. it was late when we ate (7pm) so I adjusted and didn't get to bed until after midnight.

dinner shake at 10pm

it is going to be a bit of a challenge trying to maintain my schedule while we're all converging in LV. luckily, my cousin is also on the yoli plan, so we can at least support each other. we're staying in a timeshare condo and have access to a full kitchen, so we can cook!

Day 9

Still sorting out the details of the drive to LV. Another one of my cousins sorted out the details for a place to stay that's settled. One of my Auntie's is flying out from Minnesota. My cousin, her mom and kids (4 and 2 yo) are flying out from the Bay Area, and my sister and I are driving down. I'm going to take all the stuff that can't be carried on so they don't have to check anything in.

made a costco run after lunch to pick up some organic chicken, ground bison, wild sockeye salmon and other incidentals. i need some variety in my proteins because i'm only cooking all of them one way - pan seared in my cast iron pan.

breakfast shake

morning snack - pork and beef patty. still hungry so i had a small salad with oil and vinegar dressing.

lunch - finished off the rest of the cottage cheese

mid-late afternoon snack - pan seared wild sockeye salmon.

dinner shake

i read the yoli material every day, re-reading again and again only to find more information i missed when i read through previously. for starters, i found that if i'm still hungry on a protein day i am allowed to eat certain low carb veggies such as lettuce and bell peppers. YES! sometimes i'm feeling hungry after my protein portion and i want to eat something else. i've been really strict and not succumbing to my weakness of portion size. but if i can eat a salad with a splash of EVO and vinegar i am much more sated.

my first "cheat day" won't be for another 1-1/2 weeks, at which time i'm not sure what i'll want to have. one of my cravings is a good masala or vindaloo with lots of rice to absorb the sauce. and garlic and butter naan. ummmm ...

oh well, will think on it.

Day 8

Well, I'm not consistently making daily entries. In fact, I'm writing this three days after the fact - oh well ...

Today was one of distractions. Went with one of my cousins to her doctor appointment. She was getting the results of her blood test and asked if I'd accompany her in case it was bad news (her hubby couldn't go). Thankfully all was well and she has a follow up next November. So we can breathe easy until then.

My uncle has cancer in his jaw/mouth and is starting both chemo and radiation treatment this week. He's going the full course - every day for seven weeks. If they can shrink the tumor in his mouth (the size of an orange) they can operate to remove it and rebuild his jaw by taking a bone graft from his leg. **Sigh**

morning shake

morning snack - almonds, to tide me through my cousin's doctor appointment.

lunch - she treated me at a nearby greek restaurant. i ate my skewer of chicken souvlaki, occasionally dipping into the yogurt sauce. the veggies and pita i brought home for my hubby to devour.

mid-late afternoon - i'd been nibbling at almonds throughout the day so i had a portion of cottage cheese

evening shake

Spent the evening sorting out travel plans to visit my uncle. Flying is prohibitively costly for me 'n' my sis, so we're driving down. Will be a 10+ hour drive down the valley and into the desert. LV, we'll be there soon.

Day 7 - meal day

so nice to wake up without a hangover or feeling bloated! hung out at home and waded through some paperwork. after an hour of that i played with the dogs, watered the front and side gardens and chatted with my neighbor. i'm done with all my meals for the day except for my dinner shake - about time for that now.

morning shake

mid-morning snack - 4 oz chicken breast. i still felt a little peckish so i had 2 oz of organic, raw coconut water (my fruit allotment)

lunch - 4 oz of wild sockeye salmon, 3 oz of steamed green beans, 1/4 cup brown rice

mid-afternoon snack - mindlessly ate 3 oz of almonds while i watched an episode of  "Cranford". i have to STOP nibbling because of the fat content.


i think it's been a good start. spent the first week getting into a groove. i tell you, it's not easy when you're retired and don't have a set schedule. sometimes i wish i were working a conventional 9-5 just to give me some structure. but no, every day is different. i might go for a walk one day, have a lunch date the next, run someone to their medical appointments, etc.

i should mention that my husband has been humoring me and letting me set the food pace. when i cook a protein for myself i'll cook something for him as well. usually i'll fix a larger portion of whatever it is i'm cooking. if it's not enough he'll supplement with something - chips and salsa, salad, or cereal. and since i'm not cooking dinner he might fix a salad or something else light. i'm trying not to eat our mid-afternoon meal so late because i'm taking the passion at the same time and the caffeine will keep me up late into the night.

i would really like a glass of wine, or at least a 2 oz serving, but i know it turns straight into sugar and i don't know if it's allowed. someone said they've done it but then load up on the alkelete. i'm not willing to undo my progress so i compromised - i pretended it was sacramental wine and had an appropriate sip, just for the taste.

well, it's getting on to 7:30pm. time for my dinner shake that i should have had 30 minutes ago :)

Day 6

what a challenge - it was a protein day and i had a couple of social obligations. because i'm in my first week, i didn't was to fudge the schedule so i stayed with it as much as possible.

morning shake

mid morning -one hard cooked egg sans yolk, 1 oz of cooked chicken breast (last night's leftovers)

lunch -i was out shopping with a friend and afterward we stopped for a quick bite. the broth from my bowl of posole. i ate what little there was of the meat and cabbage and managed to avoid the posole (hominy). brought the goodies home for my hubby who enjoyed every bite :) i was still hungry at 4pm, so i cooked a pork 'n' beef patty, had an ounce of almonds and my passion drink.

mid-afternoon snack - so, out with another friend to listen to her husband sing in the band he's in. avoided cocktails and drank lemon water as we sat through two sets of music. afterward, everyone was hungry. we made our way to a nearby restaurant and i ordered a grilled shrimp/prawn cocktail appetizer with a citrus salsa, and a cup of cream of broccoli soup. i ate the prawns (6 of 'em), left the salsa which was mostly citrus and pineapple. in the soup i left the croutons.

for dessert my girlfriend and my husband shared a chocolate mousse, while her husband and i watched them enjoy their little treat. since i've never really had sugar cravings i had no problem watching them eat it, thoroughly enjoying each bite. if it were allowed, i would have been satisfied with just one bite. at least that's one struggle i don't have to combat!


because it was after 10pm when we got home i passed on the shake and stayed up until midnight so i wouldn't sleep on a full stomach. i wasn't full so i think i'm okay, even if i was on an oddball time schedule.

Day 5 - meal day

i measured myself this morning and found i had lost an inch from my bra strap, waist and hips. visual progress. my "normal" jeans fit without being too snug. yeah, i still have a muffin top, but i was comfortable wearing my jeans all day. they usually come off mid-day because they'll feel too tight and pinchy.

morning shake

mid-morning - one hard cooked egg with a spot of sriracha

lunch - a 3 oz chicken breast with a generous 50/50 salad and snap peas, 1/2 tablespoon each of olive oil and port vinegar, 0.25 oz gruyere cheese, 1 tblsp pumpkin seeds

mid-late afternoon - 2oz pan-seared chicken breast with some casa sanchez salsa and 2 oz raw almonds.

dinner shake

Day 4

i should be journaling daily instead of trying to recall what happened on a particular day and jot my notes after the fact. i can't even remember what i did this day. but i'm maintaining a food diary and i can look back at my text messages between me and my sponsor and check my food journal.

so it looks like i woke up that morning with a stuffy head from the shakes. it contains whey-based protein and i am allergic to dairy protein which results in clogged sinuses, but it clears up once i get up and start moving around. i'm still stuffy but at least i can breathe and don't have any sinus pressure.

from what i can remember of my day:

wake up - passion 8ish

breakfast shake - 9ish

mid-morning snack - 11ish. tuna spiked with sriracha sauce, an ounce of avocado.

lunch - 2ish. pumpkin seeds and a sausage-beef patty.

mid-afternoon snack - a hard-cooked egg.

dinner - shake-y shake-a-roo.

Day 3 - meal day

slept okay last night, woke up this morning between 6-6:30ish. the dogs always get me up before i'm ready to want to wake up. i had an errand today, take my sister up to get her rental car from the dealer she is buying a vehicle from. they're giving her the rental until her car shows up (long story). because i didn't plan ahead, i ended up skipping my mid-morning snack. but today was a meal day! on the way home from the dealer, i stopped at United market and bought some ready-cooked foods and went straight into lunch. i pretty much missed on the "complex" aspect of the carb. i tried to convince myself that because it had cheese in the dish, it would be complex enough ... ;p. i texted my sponsor explaining my rationale and his response was "hahaha - nice try".

wake up - passion, 8:30

meal replacement shake - 9am

mid-morning snack - missed

lunch - 1:30. two small baby-back ribs with bbq sauce, 1/4 cup macaroni 'n' cheese. i was still hungry so i nibbled on a tagblespoon of raw pumpkin seeds, 1/2 ounce of tortilla chips dipped in salsa.

mid-late afternoon snack - 4pm. passion, and 5 oz boneless, skinless organic chicken breast (mary's air chilled), a cup of mixed salad greens with an olive oil and port vinaigrette, and 6 oz of zucchini, sliced and steamed.

dinner shake - 7pm

bedtime- forgot to take my pure and alkalete caps. oops.

Day 2

Woke up at 6:42am after less than four hours of sleep. Ugggghhh. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I took my Passion drink and promptly fell back asleep so I missed drinking my shake within 30 minutes from taking the Passion drink - oops. Because I didn't get much sleep, I spent most of the day snoozing between snacks and meal times. Sooo nice to be sooo lazy ... My schedule today was better:

Meal replacement shake (vanilla flavor) - 8am. This time I mixed the packet with just plain cold water add it wasn't too bad. Made my husband taste this version. After yesterday morning's shake he wasn't sure he could trust me but he tried it and agreed it was much better. Even though I can't have too much dairy (it clogs up my sinuses) I might consider adding a splash to give the shake a little more creaminess.

Mid-morning snack - 10:30. One hard-cooked egg and 3oz of cottage cheese with fresh cracked pepper. I was still hungry so I had a spoonful of tuna.

Lunch - 1:30. Another egg, another 3 oz cottage cheese sprinkled with a tablespoon of raw pumpkin seeds and a spoonful of tuna. I also added a squirt of sriracha to liven it up but I'm not sure if that's actually allowed. Will have to look that up.

Mid-late afternoon at 4:30. Pan seared pork loin chops, 4oz.

I'll have my dinner shake around 7:30-8pm. Hoping I'll be able to fall asleep closer to 9-10pm.

Day 1

Woke up late, which kind of messed up my starting time. Hadn't gone shopping over the weekend so I just went with what was in the pantry.

The first two days are called Protein Days. You are allowed three "snacks" that consist of 2-4 ounces of protein. It is essential that you don't eat carbs for the first two days. You are trying to deplete the carbs in your system and redirect your metabolism so your body will burn your stored fat. Interesting concept, eh.

You are also supposed to drink water - lots and lots of it. They suggest drinking half your weight in ounces. So, if you are 180lbs, you would drink 90 ounces of water. Your Passion drinks count toward your water intake.Not sure about the shakes, unless you are thinning it out with a lot of water.

Passion drink - 9:30. Do yourself a favor - mix it with more water than it calls for and make sure it is well CHILLED because it has a really artificial flavor at the end. I might by a supply of straws so I can bypass my tongue and tastebuds altogether. My husband and I didn't care for it.

Meal replacement shake (vanilla flavor) - 10am. They suggest mixing this with milk or water. I cannot take milk but I thought the additional calcium was necessary, so I bought some plain keifer which I can tolerate and like to drink. I mixed a couple of ounces of this and some water with the shake packet. Again, I wish I'd had a straw - it was absolutely VILE. It was so bad that I forced my husband take a sip - sort of like forcing someone to smell the sour milk after having verified that it was sour. I said that if this is what it takes to get my numbers down and shed a few pounds, it was going to be a very difficult and trying 30 days. I thought it was the product and wanted to exchange it for the chocolate flavor. As it turned out, Xylitol and stevia, which are used to sweeten this product does not go well with keifer.

mid-morning snack - 1pm. opened a can of tuna, ate half. husband ate the other half. Took me 15 minutes to get this down. Plain, drained tuna. If you can help it, don't do this to yourself.

lunch -  4pm. opened another can of tuna and choked down half. at this point I told my husband that we had to go to the market because I couldn't eat another bite of canned tuna the same day. So we picked up some suitable proteins to get me through Day 2.

mid-late afternoon and Passion drink - 7pm. Pan seared a 4oz grass-fed, flat iron steak sprinkled with a sweet mesquite seasoning. I felt soooo much better having actually cooking something.

 Meal replacement shake (chocolate flavor) - 9pm. I was so afraid this would be horrible so I mixed it with ice chilled water. I was pleasantly surprised - it wasn't as gross as I thought it would be even though it had that weird aftertaste but I managed to drink it down. Again, I made my husband taste this and he said it was much better than the vanilla shake.

Note to self: mid-late afternoon MEANS between 3-5pm. Having the Passion drink at 7pm resulted my being wide awake at 3am. Ugggghhh ...

observations: i think the products address issues for people with sweet cravings, something i don't have. to me, the drinks are insanely sweet. stevia and xylitol have a very weird aftertaste.

indoctrination

I am not a fast food person. I rarely eat already prepared food. I cook 98% of our meals at home. I'm into organic produce, fruit, humanely raised, organic meats, pastured eggs, wild caught seafood, non-GMO foods - I think you get the idea. I'll have the occasional binge of Kettle brand potato chips. No sodas, artificial sweeteners or HFCS. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I'll generally pass on dessert unless we share one for the table, then I'll have a taste.

My cousin talked me into attending a presentation of the Yoli Better Body System. She was so excited about the program because her hubby had lost 15 lbs in three weeks - a "side effect" of trying to lower his numbers - BP, sugar, cholesterol. I did some research and even though they said it was all about getting healthy, most of the testimonials and comments seemed to be about having lost tons of weight. So, which is it? I guess it's both. At the presentation I watched the videos and listened to everyone's testimonials. Our host had prepared a sample of the Passion drinks - melon flavor and berry flavor. I preferred the former. She also had some snacks - Aidell's chicken meatballs, almonds, mini mozzerella balls dressed with balsamic vinegar, hummus, red bell pepper slices, salami, showing that you could eat a variety of different foods while on this program, so you weren't depriving yourself of the foods you love the most.


Okay, it was family ... I went ahead and bought the Yoli Transformation Kit, a 30 day supply of shakes, drinks, vitamin and mineral supplements. I also signed up for an auto shipment of one of the Alkelete product which is supposed to help remove acid waste and balance the alkalinity levels in your body. I was told I could change this at any time.

That was last Thursday evening. I spent the weekend researching what the products were about before starting on Monday. The cost is dear, but how do you put a price on your health? What do I have to lose?

Time to drink the Kool-Aid.