And this is why I decided, when I was designing my special weight-loss plan, that I would be very strict for the first six weeks of my diet and wait until April 1st before I re-introduced any foods that are not completely whole grains and vegetables. After April 1st, this would include certain foods such as those made with processed whole grains (ground flour, rolled flakes, polenta, etc.) and pleasure foods like pizza.
It turns out that I have been completely and utterly satisfied with eating only whole grains and vegetables so far and I think that I want to continue with this!
I can't tell you how great this is making me feel. My body has been healing itself and discharging the toxins and excesses that it doesn't need. At about Week #3 or so, I had all the symptoms of a head cold except my energy levels were still high and my appetite was great! I still jumped out of bed every morning, blew my nose, drank some special tea, maybe chewed some gomasio for a headache to go quickly away, and then continued on with my day!
These days, I love planning what I'm going to eat, cooking it, photographing it, and most of all, eating it! And yet, after I've eaten a meal, I don't feel the need to keep thinking about it — nothing was missing, and I was completely satisfied, and now I have lots of energy to do something else! Each meal has been lasting me until the next meal, four or five hours later. I haven't felt hungry or had any cravings or urges to binge on foods that are off my diet. (I think that chewing more than 100 times is contributing to this feeling of satiation and satisfaction.)
I love the challenge of becoming more efficient in my meal planning and kitchen cleanup, and of making sure that I have plenty of variety. I've even had some successful meals out and about on picnics and in restaurants. Every day, I look forward to trying something new — new grains and vegetables, new recipes, and new artistic ways to plate my food. This is so much fun!
Here's a list of what I've eaten so far and loved it all:
Whole grains:
amaranth (Breakfast on Day #41)
barley, purple prairie
brown rice, medium grain (Lundberg Golden Rose)
brown rice, long grain
brown rice, short grain
brown rice, Brown Thai Jasmine (Day #16)
brown rice, wild rice, Lundberg "Jubilee" rice blend
millet
oat groats
quinoa, traditional yellow
quinoa, Inca Red
teff
wheat berries, red hard winter
wild rice
Processed whole grains:
cornmeal (Dinner on Day #63, Day #64, Day #65)
old fashioned oatmeal (Breakfast on Day #61)
polenta, corn (Dinner on Day #61)
rye, Farmer's Market rye bread with cranberries (Lunch on Day #52)
veggie burger on whole wheat bread (no lettuce, tomato, onion, or cheese) (Lunch on Day #36)
veggie patty, house-made on whole wheat bun (Dinner on Day #55)
veggie patty, made with leftovers and crushed cornflakes (Dinner on Day #62)
whole grain crust (wheat, rye, oat), homemade pizza (Dinner on Day #66)
whole-wheat, Ak Mak Organic Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers (Breakfast on Day #54, Day #64)
whole-wheat 4-seed bagel with butter (Dessert on Day #55)
whole-wheat sesame millet bread, Vital Vittles (Lunch on Day #59)
Processed partial grains:
Plain fettucini pasta (Dinner on Day #56)
Vegetables:
avocado, guacamole (Dinner on Day #64)
baby bok choy
broccoli
broccolini (baby broccoli)
brussels sprouts
burdock root
cabbage
carrot
carrot top greens
cauliflower
celery
collard greens (first time, Dinner on Day #63, Day #64, Day #65)
daikon radish
dandelion greens from our garden
garlic
green onions
green pimento-stuffed olives (Day #10)
kale, lacinato (dinosaur)
kale, red
lettuce, butter
lettuce, iceberg
Lettuce tofu veggie wraps (Lunch on Day #43)
mushrooms, homemade pizza (Dinner on Day #66)
olives, homemade pizza (Dinner on Day #66)
onion
onion, Beer battered Crispy Onion Rings (Lunch on Day #36)
peas, yellow split
pumpkin, Kabocha
shallots
Squashes with Garlic and Olive Oil (Day #16)
sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) from the garden
sweet potato fries (Dinner on Day #55)
sweet potato, Japanese
sweet potato, jewel yam
turnip, from the garden
Vegetarian spring rolls, "skinned" (cabbage, shiitake mushroom, carrot with breading removed) (Lunch on Day #43)
Sea Vegetables, Beans, Nuts, and Seeds:
almonds
cashews
hazelnuts (filberts)
kombu seaweed
lentil vegetable soup (Dinner on Day #37)
lentils, black beluga
miso, brown rice
miso, country barley
miso, mellow white
peanuts
pumpkin seeds
refried beans (Lunch on Day #37)
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds
wakame seaweed
Processed partial beans:
tofu, Wildwood's Savory Sprou-Tofu (Lunch on Day #58)
Tofu Broccoli (Dinner on Day #30)
Special sauces, seasonings, cooking oils, and condiments:
basil, fresh
cheese, homemade pizza (Dinner on Day #66)
coconut oil
lemon garlic tahini dressing
lemon miso olive oil sauce, Julia's (Day #68)
lemon tahini sauce
olive oil
peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce (Dinners on Day #48, Day #57)
seaweed gomasio (daily)
sesame seed oil
soy sauce, Ohsawa (daily)
tomato sauce, from the garden, frozen (Day #10)
tomato sauce, homemade pizza (Dinner on Day #66)
umeboshi plums
ume plum vinegar
Yamazaki California Dried Umeboshi Salt Plum, 2004 (Day #16)
Beverages:
bancha tea
Bigelow's Mint Medley tea (spearmint, peppermint, rose hips, lemon peel, hibiscus) (Dinner on Day #56)
Bi Lo Chun Green Tea — "Green curls of Spring" light green tea (Day #16)
chamomile tea
coffee latte with whole milk (Dessert on Day #55)
Ginger Tea (ginger, lemongrass, licorice, fennel) (Breakfast on Day #61)
green tea
kukicha tea (daily)
Kuzu Drink, Zen Macrobiotics, by George Ohsawa (Day #23)
lemon juice and hot water
Oolong tea (Dinner on Day #30)
Organic Echinacea Plus tea (Day #20)
peppermint and white-sage tea (Lunch on Day #14)
Ume-Sho-Kuzu Drink No. 325, on page 95, Zen Macrobiotics, by George Ohsawa (Days #19, #20, #21, #24, #25)
Oh, and by the way, I've lost ten pounds. This diet is the BEST!
Related Blog Articles:
Day #1 Of My Weight-Loss Diet
Happy New Year Of The Snake — Finally Letting Go Of 22 Pounds Of Excess Weight
My Own Fat Camp
My Special Weight-Loss Diet Plan For 18 Months Started On Valentine's Day, 4-14-2013
My Daily Diet Report
