I did it! I survived the 28 day Fast Metabolism Diet program, and guess what? It wasn't that bad. In fact, even though I am technically done, I am still eating most of the same foods (just not in the specific phase order). I feel good inside. The biggest difference I have felt is ENERGY. Ahhhh, sweet energy. As a mom raising two young boys, that word is usually nonexistent in my vocabulary, but on The Fast Metabolism Diet program I have felt physically energized the whole time. Mental energy...that's a whole other story. My hair isn't falling out as much, I sleep a lot better, and my digestive system is stellar. (Yeah, I said it.) But the biggest difference from my journey on The Fast Metabolism Diet has been WEIGHT LOSS. Oh, sweet weight loss. I have missed you so much. So, here are my totals by week from my first month on The Fast Metabolism Diet.
Week 1: -4 lbs
Week 2: -3 lbs
Week 3: -5 lbs
Week 4: -2 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -14 lbs
I couldn't be happier! That's 1/2 lb loss per day. This week I am taking a one week break-ish. I am pretty much following the diet still, but I am mixing up the phases and allowing myself a couple treats that are still within the FMD guidelines. The last thing I want to do this week is blow all my hard work away, so I am being extra careful to pay attention to everything I eat.
I love this diet. I actually don't like calling it a diet. It is more of a lifestyle change. I know, everyone says that, but it is so true. I also love that the FMD food is pretty basic and I don't even feel like I am dieting. Seriously though, what other diet allows pasta, fruit, and french toast? Well, this one does. The hardest adjustment for me was cheese. I didn't expect cheese to be hard to give up, but there are so many things that cheese goes in to make a meal complete. But, I survived and so will you if you're planning to start The Fast Metabolism Diet.
Getting started can be a little overwhelming to say the least. I remember thinking, "Where do I begin?" So, I am going to show you some of the things I did that really helped keep me on track.
First, I printed off the FMD rules, blank diet sheets, serving sizes, and phase specific foods, and put them on my fridge. It is important to be as organized as possible.
Next, I made a shopping list of all the soups I wanted to make and what ingredients I needed. I also added any other things I would need for week 1 of the diet. Then, I went out and loaded up on groceries. We usually eat semi-healthy, but our kitchen was lacking on a lot of the supplies I needed to make the soups I wanted to. I ended up buying a lot of fresh fruit, organic meat, veggies, sprouted grain bread, barley, and other grains we didn't usually use. I went to Sprout's for my first shopping trip, but later I realized Smith's has pretty much everything that Sprout's does in their organic/gluten free section for a lot cheaper, so now I just go there. The only things I still have to go to Good Earth or Sprouts for is xylitol, Ezekiel sprouted bread, and sprouted tortillas.
The first thing I did when I got home was portion out the perishable foods. Since each phase is only 2-3 days, you are switching things up a lot and the last thing you want is for your food to go bad before you get to eat it the next week when the phase comes around again. I decided to portion out the nitrate-free deli meat, bread, turkey bacon, and I even cooked some ground beef and portioned it out too for easy access. This step was critical to my success on the diet. It made things so simple, and the food I bought lasted a lot longer than if I were to just put it all in the fridge. Every night, I would look at my meal plan for the next day and take out what I would need out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. Then in the morning, it would be thawed and ready to go for my day.
In these pics I bought sprouted bread on the shelf since I couldn't find the freezer kind. Since then, I have been buying the Ezekiel sprouted bread found in the freezer. Even though it is frozen, I still like to portion it out into bags. It just makes it easier to take a bag out the night before and have it thawed the next morning to make french toast or whatever you are using it for.
Next, I started cooking. I spent the next two days cooking away. I ended up making the Phase 1 Chili, Phase 1 Chicken and Barley Soup, Phase 1 Turkey, Bean, and Kale Soup, and the Phase 1 Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. (In week 2 I also made the Phase 2 Chicken and Veggie Soup, which I talked about last week.) I scooped the correct portion sizes of each soup into a quart size ziplock bag, labeled them, and froze them flat in my freezer. I highly recommend doing this if you have a busy lifestyle and are going to start this diet. It was so easy for me to grab a soup and go when I was in a hurry. These soups saved me. Most of the recipes I cut in half and they still made a ton of soup. I have a few of them in my freezer still, and I will just use them when I start the diet again next week. My favorite is the Chicken and Barley. It reminds me of chicken noodle soup, but with barley instead of noodles. It was delish!
And there you have it folks. That is how I prepared to begin The Fast Metabolism Diet. Week 1 was still a little hard getting used to the food, when to eat, and what to eat, but it was a lot easier being prepared and having everything I needed ready to go. By week 2, you know the drill and it just gets easier from there.
My favorite phase is Phase 1. I love fruit and carbs grains, so this phase makes my stomach happy. My least favorite phase is no surprise- Phase 2. I will admit that I struggle a lot in Phase 2. I don't like seafood and I am a picky veggie eater, so that gives me limited options on what I can eat for Phase 2. Yes, there were times I had to literally gag down chicken and broccoli for the fifth time in a row, but it is only 2 days. You can do anything for 2 days. The lifesaver for me in Phase 2 is making lemon sorbet. I will be posting the recipe for that and a few of my other favorite sweets and treats from the diet next week, so stay tuned.
Overall, I love The Fast Metabolism Diet and it has genuinely changed my life. My outlook on food is totally different, and I feel so good inside. Who knew that a simple visit to a clinic to get my hormones checked would lead to me reading this book and finally losing the weight I have been carrying for far too long? I am sure the hormones have a lot to do with it too, but the diet is still awesome regardless. I have recommended this book to my friends and family, and it is so exciting seeing them become healthier too. My mom has lost 12 lbs, my dad lost 15 lbs, and my friend (who did it for health reasons besides weight loss) still lost 8 lbs and it made her insomnia she has had for years go away. Amazing!
Even though 14 lbs is something to be proud of, I still have a lot more to go until I hit my goal. For once, I have hope and feel like losing weight is possible. My clothes are fitting better, but it is the inside changes that have made the bigger difference. I smile more, and I am a better mom to my kids and wife to my husband. If you are struggling with weight or just want to get a little healthier, I seriously recommend reading The Fast Metabolism Diet. I am not getting paid to review this book or tell you how awesome it is. I promise you it works. If nothing else, you will learn so much about the science in your body. I don't even like to read, but I really enjoyed the book. I promise you will not regret it. I didn't.
