My Typical Diet – After Atkins

My typical diet includes olive oil and vinegar homemade salad dressing, as I have many food sensitivities, bordering on allergies.  Canola oil, the protein in milk,  as opposed to the sugar (lactose) in milk, and yeast are my primary food foes.  Of course, I LOVE bread! 

My husband is the cook in the family, and he primarily grills everything on a charcoal grill and it is so wonderful!  We regularly eat grilled, marinated chicken, lean ground beef, bison, and turkey.  Occasionally we have steak, ham and bacon, although my husband eats more of those than I do.  He makes a mean pot of 3 day beans, and we make a rice cooker full of brown and wild rice mix that we can re-heat during the week.  Fresh romaine lettuce, zucchini and Roma tomatoes are also on the menu.  I detest fish and my husband is allergic, so there are no conflicts there.

We started eating this way about 6 years ago, when I went on the Atkins diet.  In total, I lost 15 pounds in 6 months, being extremely diligent in my approach.  It was discouraging in the sense that other people reported more rapid weight loss, but at least I was losing!  I usually can’t lose much, even with a lot of effort.  By “a lot” of effort, I mean 4 days in the gym, approximately 45 minutes on the elliptical, stretching and abdominal work,  and at least an hour of weight training each session.  I am no stranger to the gym!

Overall I felt better on the Atkins diet, and I mean the approach that Dr. Atkins had of eating lean meats, low carb fruits and veggies.  Don’t get me started on those people who only ate bacon and cheese and then complained that their health was ruined by the Atkins diet!  My naturopath wanted me to get a blood test for food sensitivities and allergies, and I then went on a month long cleanse, which I dubbed “getting to have water with my water”.  It was a gluten free diet, and I lost 10 pounds in that month!

Eventually, I got my thyroid medicine adjusted to a higher dose, and that helped my efforts.  In 2005 I switched to Armour thyroid medicine.  I’m on a very high dose and would really like to see if i can do anything to help myself get on a lower dose.

Why I am Considering Such a Radical Approach – HCG Diet Protocol

My educational background is in Exercise Science.  By nature I am very opposed to “diets” in the sense that if you go “on” a diet you eventually come “off” a diet.  Radical diet approaches are completely against my nature.

I have setup exercise routines for clients and advised them on how best to lose weight in a structured, scientifically designed approach, something they can actually maintain if they give it conscious thought and effort.  I have been a nationally ranked power lifter, putting my philosophy into action.  So, why would I consider this very radical approach to weight loss?

My eastern European background has blessed me with a larger frame, heavy bones and thicker muscles than most women.  I have since come to terms with being a larger individual, in fact I relish being able to do things that most women wouldn’t even consider.  This also means, at least for me, that I have had trouble with my weight since puberty, especially in my belly, causing concern for my health, especially since there is a history of heart disease and diabetes in my immediate family.

I exercised voraciously, with what seemed like little success in reaching my goal weight.  In retrospect, I achieved a great deal.  Not only did I build a tremendous amount of calorie burning muscle mass, I built up my bone density, which will help me prevent osteoporosis later in life.  What I didn’t know at the time, though, is that I was working against a developing thyroid problem.  In 1999, an alert physician diagnosed the issue and I started taking Synthroid.

In 2004 I was motivated to lose weight when my younger brother was diagnosed with diabetes, and I was determined that I was not going to develop the disease too.  I successfully used the Atkins diet, which started me on a new awareness of my body and the changes that were taking place.  Since then, I’ve radically changed the way I eat.

In mid-April 2010 I started a Candida control regimen prescribed by my doctor.  In conjunction with the prescriptions, I was to eat a gluten free diet.  By the time I finished the regimen, I had lost 10 pounds and my belly wasn’t sticking out like an alien entity attachment quite so badly.  Although I was still not entirely happy with my appearance, and obvious lack of optimum health, I felt better and was very much encouraged that this wasn’t all in my head, and that I might actually be able to feel better.

Apparently, Candida, being true to its yeasty, fungi-self, creates a craving for sugar in your body.  Bread, candy, donuts, and any of those other treats that are often brought into the office are its food source.  I gladly, unknowingly, fed the Candida.

Considering my success with the Candida protocol, my doctor said he had another approach to try in getting my weight under control and feeling my best.  He gave me a copy of Dr. Simeon’s HCG diet protocol and said to research it and think about whether or not I’d be willing to undergo such a drastic approach.
My body had responded very well to the Candida and gluten free approach and it seemed to want to continue on this path of weight loss and improved health.  My doctor and his Physician’s Assistant had also just completed the protocol and each had lost 30 pounds.  Combining the fact that I would be supervised by a physician’s team I trust completely, who knows my medical history, my previous experience of not getting very far with traditional methods, and some online research I decided to give it a try.  It just seems to be the right time for me.