So what am I actually doing?

I spent two weeks alternately wandering around in a daze, trying to get my head around the enormity of the change I was going to need to make, and diving into reading. My doctor had recommended a book called The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. I have since become a devotee and highly recommended him to anyone with an interest in weight, type 2 diabetes, or fasting! I asked my doctor for his personal advice on diets (a word I generally prefer to avoid, for the record!). He was hesitant to give a firm opinion, but referenced Dr. Fung's work and said that evidence seemed to show the greatest benefits from a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein eating plan. I researched and read sample eating plans for two weeks, night and day, and came up with my own plan.

Here, in no particular order, are the things I decided to incorporate:

Food-related:

• a maximum calorie intake of 1,200 calories/day
• very few refined carbs* and cautious amounts of carbs such as root vegetables
• cautious amounts of unrefined carbs, including fruits and vegetables
• no sugar or sugar substitutes of any kind (including honey, maple syrup, agave, stevia, aspartame, sucralose, malitol, and all of the other 60 legal names for sugar and sugar alcohols)
• that includes alcohol, except for very rare exceptions! 
• more healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, fatty fat (salmon, tuna), avocado, etc)
• more fibre (ground flaxseed, chia seeds, etc)
• more green tea
• more water

*all foods are divided into 3 macronutrient categories and several micronutrient categories (think vitamins and minerals). The 3 macros are: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. I still eat vegetables (and fruit!)! Refined carbs are generally grains which have had their fibre stripped off, including whole wheat and multigrain flours.

Lifestyle-related:

• more sleep
• an aim of at least 5-10 minutes of meditation per day
• more exercise

I also planned then that I would attempt to bypass the standard weight loss plateau around the three-month mark by introducing intermittent fasting. I'll say more about that later.

Bottom line: is it working?

The answer is, a resounding YES! In about 16 weeks, I've now lost (as of today), 54 lbs. That works out to around 3.4 lbs/week, which is about the rate of loss I was aiming for. More than 4 lbs/week is generally considered unsafe, though we'll talk more about that in future posts, too. In my next post, I'll talk about what I've noticed so far. Meanwhile, if you have questions or comments, go right ahead!