Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 1(W1) - P1

So it is day 1 and that too phase 1 so I am right on target, going strong, updating the app with all responses. Actually app is very helpful in terms of planning and remaining accountable.

Starting Weight – 140 pounds

Measurements -

Breakfast
1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup blueberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango  (Can we just have phase 1 forever)

Lunch
Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + sprouted grain tortilla + orange

Snack 2
1 small apple

Dinner

Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + sprouted grain tortilla

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 
T25 Core Cardio

Additional Notes -
So one of the things which I said in my earlier posts is that I need to work to follow two principles – eat within 30 min of waking up and do not go fast without breaking fast. Fact is I wake up at 5am and by 5:30 I start my workout for the day. I think I feel so much better if I workout before eating anything, my performance is better and also who can eat at 5:30! Nevertheless I ate few spoons of frozen blueberries before my workout. Finished rest with my breakfast of oatmeal. One other thing which I broke is had my shakeology; I thought I need some more nutrition and felt like having my shakeology. We are responsible for our results, so I know I am taking this deviation and am fully accepting the responsibility of the impact it might have on my results. I will though take only pea protein during phase 2. 

I think I should document this journey more in terms of pictures, may be on instagram(can post the same pictures on blog later). Only problem is my food is not pretty looking and I aint got time to make it look pretty for pictures)...I am scared that I might end up posting pictures that might actually disgust people rather than inspire them.

Day was marked with terrible headache and chills; I do not know what I am doing wrong! I wont say I was bloated but I had headache and I had to take tynenol at night to get a restful sleep. Was asleep by 9! I usually do not take caffeine and I am used to eating carbs, then what would have trigerred headache? One of the remedies mentioned on the Haylie's blog is to have coconut vinegar/apple cider vinegar. I will try that too.

I am happy that day 1 is down...27 more to go! There were times I was feeling why the hell am I doing something so restrictive but the fact is I have tried so many things in last few years, this is the only thing which has helped me in losing weight; so I better suck it up...I thought round 4 would be easier and that too phase 1 would be easier; but I am surprised it is not...I am so cranky and annoyed...Hope I will be able to get some motivation to thread along...

FMD Round 4 - Exercise Calendar

As this blog is one of the ways to keep me accountable during this FMD round, I am here publishing my workout calendar as well.

Workout Calendar for FMD(phase specific) and using Beachbody programs

So the workouts are phase specific and have planned it around five of beachbody programs - T25, 21DFX, Body beast, Ultimate reset and Piyo). I will see if I need Piyo workouts as I feel for that week. I might just add some dance workout as dancing is the best stress buster for me.

As to check the inventory I need to go ahead with the workouts -
1. Bench - I do not have this and I am still contemplating if I need this. As part of my minimalistic approach to things in my home, this is unnecessary as I can just buy a stability ball.
2. Stability Ball - I might just buy this one and skip on bench
3. Resistance Band - Got it
4. Dumbbells - I have following weights - 2, 8, 10, 12.5 and 25. I think I might need a pair of 20 or at least 15. Will decide based on my exercises from the week 1.

Hailey has mentioned in her book that only one day of phase specific exercise is sufficient for that phase, but I love working out and it is for my mental health(what can I say I am addicted to endorphins!!) But if there is a dearth of time and I have to chose between meal prep and exercise I should be choosing meal prep. I will try to buy as many frozen and cut vegetables as possible and will also include smoothie recipe.

Next round of FMD starts Monday 3/6

Help on Haylie Pomroy's website is very helpful

I recently realized that all my FMD emails are going in SPAM box, and I was wondering why I am not getting any more emails from FMD. Well it has been corrected so hopefully now I will be receiving emails.

I was just browsing through the help section and found some very useful tips(https://hayliepomroy.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212178466-HELP-I-m-not-losing-weight-)

Below are the tips which I think I will be using on my next round, which starts on 6th March.

1. Extend-a-phase

         Would be super tough to increase my phase 2 to three days, God the idea makes me dizzy, but you got to do what you got to do, so I will be incorporating this alternate week. Wish me luck !!

2. Shift your grains

         I can do that, so it would be more of sweet potato and quinoa as I have been eating more of grains in last few rounds.

3. Add veggies to your snacks

         I think i do slack on this one, especially during weekends. In my lessons learned I have mentioned this as one of the things I want to improve on. I think meal prep might be the key to implement it.

4 Puree some strategic vegetables

        I think I will add some green smoothies(Detox smoothie for phase 2). Will also add basil to the mix as it has been mentioned as a good plateau-buster. Kale shake !!

5. Pucker up

       Will try more lemon water. Half lemon in herbal tea after I wake up.

6. Belly Flat Salad

         I loved the recipe of this salad but getting organic Papaya is very tough, I have not found one in Trader's Joe or Whole Foods also. And 1/4 cup of lemon juice is a LOT of lemon juice, might be like 3 lemons. Anyways might try this salad anyways.

I am bit in a fix here, have been diligently following Dr Eric Berg on FB and really likes his point of view on diet and supporting important organs, got his book as well. Now I am in a fix should i try his 14 days liver enhancement diet and then move on to Fast Metabolism diet or first do one round of FMD and then try Liver Enhancement.

If I decide on next round of FMD, it would be from 6 March - 2 April. Pretty much my last chance to have a summer body before summer arrives. I know that if I do it diligently I will lose weight and will feel greater.

Looking back at Round 1, 2 and 3 and planning for Round 4, slip ups and areas of improvement

This is actually not an easy post for me to do; but I am sure it will be very beneficial for me. This is the post where I acknowledge the slips I had in the fast metabolism diet. I have done three rounds of it since September last year and not all these slips have happen all the time, but it is high time to access these so that I know what to watch out when I actually do the round 4 in March. I am planning to do a very rigorous round 4 with extra emphasis on following the book to the T.



1. Not eating within 30 minutes of waking up
Round 1 - no(but yes sometimes)  Round 2 - Yes Round 3 - yes

Yes I defy one of the main rules from the diet; it is very difficult for me to eat first thing in the morning. I will try to follow it diligently in round 4. Also, in round 3, one thing not allowed on FMD but I added here is chai with sugar. This was the only thing which kept me going. I have replace that with Herbal Tea and Phase specific snack. This will be tough to do though!

Change - YES

2. Portion Sizes
Round 1 - no(yes sometimes)  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
I was better with portion sizes in round 1 and round 2. Round three i mixed up portion sizes, i missed some food groups and missed meals as I was not feeling hungry(especially phase 2 where I was not ready to put any more egg white in my mouth. Portion sizes need special attention on phase 3 fat.

Change - YES

3. Protein powder
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no Round 3 - yes
I used to drink Shakeology, after starting FMD i stopped drinking Shakeology; but in round 3 I felt that I had to replace my snack 3 with protein powder in hot water. It made me feel good. Hailey does offer her own phase specific drinks so I think it is ok to drink protein powder, so i think I can take vegan vanilla Shakeology(or may be stick to Chocolate as Vanilla made me gag)

Change - PROBABLY NOT

4. Skip Meals -
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
Especially in phase 2 I skipped dinner; accepting that I cannot take another bite of egg white or broccoli I did prefer to drink chamomile tea and sleep at night.

Change - YES

5. Eating on time(3-4 hours between meals)
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
I will get caught in things and will not eat at the recommended time. Now I have app so it must be easier do will try to stick with it in round 4.

Change - YES

6. Phase 3 grain consumption is higher, sticking to plan on weekend had been impossible
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes

Keeping up with FMD is particularly tough on Saturday and Sunday. Even if I manage Friday the weekend is always tough. I never realized that grain was not allowed in Phase 3 lunch; also dinner grain is also optional; I used to eat at both. I do not remember a single day on weekend in phase 3(Saturday and Sunday) which has been impeccable; I will cave in or something will come up and I will eat outside the plan.

Change - YES

7. Supplements
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes
So I have been taking supplements for all the rounds. Supplements I am currently taking are -
 - Spirulina
 - Ashwagandha
 - Vitamin D
 - CLA

What I am contemplating to take - Whole food supplement(Dr Mercola), Adrenal formula by Dr Berg(contemplating) or supplement suggested by Haylie Pomroy herself. Now all these supplements are super expensive so I have to really think about this point. Here is the cost breakup(30 day supply)
Whole Food Supplement(Dr Mercola) - $48
Adrenal Formula(day and night) - 27$
Haylie Pomroy's(Metabolism Multi) - 58$
Haylie Pomroy's(Fat Blaster Bundle) - 130$ (I wish her stuff was less expensive!!!)

So as you can see lot of money is at stake; but then what is also at stake is mending my metabolism. If I am going all the way to make it impeccable then why be scared for 50$ more.


8. Meal Preparation
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes

Well I think this diet is impossible for a working person if they do not meal prep, so I did put yes on all the rounds; but it is listed as slips because I think all the slip ups above this point can be overcome if I prep my meals better. I should buy containers; prep for the phase, portion out and have the boxes ready.

This I think will be the game changer in round 4. If I am able to do that I wil be successful.

Things I need to make this work -
1. Meal prep using the Metabolism App - Need to do that because that governs the groceries I will buy.
2. Chopping and cutting(phew always tough and feels like a waste of time when you are in a hurry)
3. If anything can be pre-cooked and frozen
4. If boxes of prepared meals can be kept(phase 2 is tricky in this aspect, but the phase 2 lunch can be prepared)
5. Blogging; Yes I am going to blog my food again, this takes up time, but have good impact
6. Use the cookbook more; as the current recipe are getting boring.
7. Have to create some fun challenge for sticking to the plan for phase 3 over weekends, example can buy this or take this massage etc.


These are the things I could think of right now, I will add more to these if I can think about it. I am determined to make my Round 4 epic; something which is worth a case study for FMD.

Round 3 of Fast Metabolism Diet - Last week - Round up

So I documented my journey of round 1 and round 2 of fast metabolism diet; i captured what I ate every day. I must say it was a family wedding and though I didnt reach the size I wanted to be(how much is anyways possible and healthy in 2 months; I was pretty happy with the results. I did lose around 8 pounds which has never happened in last 5 years!

Then there was a break and I indulged in all Indian sweets and delicacies(do not regret even a single bite of those); the new year though started in a funk with me back to 146 pounds. Second week of Jan I decided to start FMD again. This is my third week into the diet. This time around I have not been capturing the details in blog; which is a bummer as nothing keeps you more accountable than writing what you ate.

So yes I have not been super diligent about my diet this time around. I will finish week 4 on Feb 4; will take a week or two off and do next round of FMD! But next time I am sure about -

1. Using Fast Metabolism Diet App to plan my meals; it is so convenient then why not use it to make things better. I actually got to know a mistake I have been making in Phase 3, I thought grains are a part of Phase 3 lunch; but guess what they are not! Helpful app!!

2. Using blog to capture what I actually ate; kind of different between what I planned and what I ate; I will also track what I felt different that day and what was most rewarding and challenging about the diet that day. Also I capture the exercise I did that day.

3. Need to read the book again and also refer to the cookbook again; need to find some more recipes for phases; kind of bored of the one's I have been eating.

4. Meal prepping - I know this can save my life and make things so much easier for me; but I confess I still lack at this. Sometimes I think what is the point of doing a half ass attempt on the diet but then I cave in to some temptations thinking if this little bit can help me get through the day without screwing everything then why not. Example Phase 2 this week, I had to put cracker pieces in my Broccoli and Soya Bean salad as there was no way I was able to eat it and I was hungry!! Well that half serving of crackers helped me get through day 3 and 4.

Any diet is a emotional ride; yesterday I was almost in tears as i ate one more piece of egg white; but at the end of the day it does make me feel so energetic and light that in the end it makes everything worth it. I am glad that I know about it; it is definitely easier now than it was when i did it first time back in 2013/2014.

My biggest take from this diet if not anything else is that eliminating Sugar and Caffeine from my diet does wonders for my energy and mood swings. I do not think I will ever go back to that crazy dessert eating maniac. Right now I do not crave sweets; but my craving for crackers and salty spicy food persists.

I will measure my weight tomorrow or Sunday morning, will report back!

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 2 Day 27 and Day 28(W4) - P3

I tried following the phase 3 diet plan, probably not very accurate as I was busy packing for the trip.

At the end of second round I did weigh in 138 pounds, which is a overall loss of 8 pounds. I didn't lose any more weight as I did in phase 1, but I was able to retain the weight loss and inches did go down.

At the marriage many people did note that I have lost weight and many people did compliment me on that.

I will be starting the round 3 of the diet starting Monday January 2nd. Planning to log the process and use the old blogs as my reference for next round. 

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 2 Day 26(W4) - P3

This marks the last week of round 2, cannot even believe that I am already through 2 rounds. I really love this way of eating, not that anything has got any easier for me in terms of food prep and dreaded Phase2; but how it makes me feel at the end of the day. I feel lighter, tighter and when I exercise I feel I have more energy and endurance. I have not lost crazy amount of weight(much to claim of lose 20 pounds in 28 days), but I have lost some and I am ready to celebrate and acknowledge that!!

Breakfast
Oatmeal + coconut+ cashews + baby carrots

Snack 1
Almond milk Golden milk

Lunch
Cauliflower + Sweet potato + chickpea backed in olive oil

Snack 2
Not Hungry

Dinner

Exercise 
T25 stretch

Additional Notes -
With this diet I have learned a lot about how our body reacts to what kind of food you eat. I am amazed at the way our body feels when we eat FAT. I feel so much more satiated. I feel I could skip snacks because I was so full. It makes one happier too!!