Fruity Foodie

Toodie Fruity Foodie

Day 53

Cycle 1
 

 

Dear Diary,

Fruity Foodie Fruity because I love fruit, fresh, frozen, I love it! Of course, the best fruit is organic.

However, since I've become a JJ Virgin Diet Follower, I've discovered that the all fruit is not created equal. There are some fruits that should be avoided because they can affect blood sugar levels. 

The Virgin Diet is a basically a low glycemic (low sugar to no sugar derived from the fruit that I eat), high fiber carbs diet regimen. And so, in order to continue losing weight and feeling great, I'll have to stick with the low-moderate glycemic index fruits.
According to JJ Virgin, foods that are lower on the glycemic index are generally less refined and have more fiber, giving you a nice, slow release of energy. For example, processed fruits with added sugar in packages are more refined has little to no fiber at all. 
 Sooo, what's a glycemic index?  Oh, that's like a rating system used to measure how the food, in this case fruit, that I eat affects my blood sugars.

Blueberry Fruity

 

There are High-glycemic index fruit, Moderate glycemic index fruit, and Low glycemic index fruit. A good rule to remember is: 

Rule # 1

• Avoid high-glycemic fruits and moderate-glycemic fruit mainly during Cycle 1. Stick with the low-glycemic fruit!

So off the top of my head, I suppose high-glycemic index fruit is packed with sugar, not good for me and can make gain more weight. That's right!

Wherein low glycemic fruit is better because it keeps my blood sugar levels at bay and because of its fiber content, helps me lose weight.

Well now, just what are these low-glycemic fruits that I should eat?

Low-Glycemic Index Fruits are:

• Raspberries( my absolute favorite berry)
• Blueberries (I like this one too!)
• Strawberries (mmmm!)
• Loganberries (I don't know this one)
• Blackberries (Yummy!)
• Gooseberries (I don't know this one either)
• Boysenberries (I've never)

Moderate-Glycemic Index Fruit(Not too much of this)

• Limes(great on cilantro and avocado salad)
• Lemons(occasional lemonade very good)
• Cherries
• Pears
• Peaches
• Apples(makes a great snack, but not too much)
• Pomegranates (I like them, but, I'll stay away)

 

Before The Virgin Diet, I used to enjoy these high-glycemic index fruits. and had no idea how much they were affecting my weight.
Pineapple was my ultimate favorite, I actually carved and sliced it myself. Last summer, I would by and consume at least one pineapple per week. It's was a very hot summer and the Cool Pineapple made summers extra special. So, bye, bye Cool Pineapple! The low glycemic index fruit is the "New Kid" on the block.
Here are the ones to avoid:

High-Glycemic Index Fruit(Stay away from all of these)

• Bananas (No)
• Pineapple (No)
• Watermelon (No)
• Mango (No)
• Grapes (No)

 

Now a days, I only focus on the low-glycemic index fruits for healthier fruit selection. And, the best way for me to get my daily low-glycemic index fruit requirements is in my Breakfast Smoothies. Yep! that the best way to start my day or I say it's the best way in waking up is.... Breakfast Berry Smoothies! They are fresh, tasty, refreshing, nutritious, satisfyingly filling, and energizing.
I drink my Breakfast Smoothie within the first hour of getting up.

I love it!

Well Diary,

From the Fruit Foodie,

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Meatless Fridays

Lenten Choices

Cycle 1

Day 52

 

Dear Diary,

 

The first week of January 2016, I started following The Virgin Diet with hopes of losing weight and improving my overall health.  It was my 2016 New Years Resolution. Although, I was somewhat reluctant at first, I decided to take the plunge anyway. And, so far the journey has been wonderful! Really,... wonderful, I mean,  for the first time, ever, I have been able to see obvious signs of my health improvement and weight loss.  
Right now, I'm in Cycle 1 of The Virgin Diet, where I stopped eating the 7 foods: Soy, Corn, Gluten, Peanuts, Sugar and artificial sweeteners, Dairy, and Eggs(forbidden foods). The results have been quite beneficially astounding!  I've lost 23lbs, my sleeping has much improved, no need for daily power nap( usually after lunch), I'm feeling lighter, no more brain fog, smooth supple skin, more energy(I get more thing done doing the day), experience less cravings, and, I can go on forever, but... I won't.

Anyway, now that the season of Lent is here, I  initially wondered what would I eat on Fridays as I needed to abstain from meat. Oh boy!, I thought. No meat on Fridays...nooo,  problem.
Really,  no problem because with The Virgin Diet,  I can enjoy 2-3, 6oz. servings of low mercury seafood per week. Whoo Hoo!! That's like music to my ears.

Here are some amazing suggestions for my meatless Fridays:

1. Calamari/Squid ( I love Calamari, seasoned -salt and pepper, and almond milk, coated with almond flour, lightly fried in olive oil in skillet-Yummy! Add a salad and it's a meal
2.  Salmon (Baked with garlic and onions drizzled olive oil in cast iron skillet)
3. Shrimp (Coconut shrimp-5-6 medium shrimps, seasoned with Steitenbacher Herb Salt and coconut milk and coated with coconut flour and cook in coconut oil. Lovely!
4. Fresh flounder( Baked- lightly season and add some Ghee) Really good!
5. Seafood Medley(Scallops, calamari, shrimp, clam mix found in the frozen food section of Trader Joe's Market, fresh herbs, rosemary, basil, thyme, sea salt, fresh ground pepper. It makes a delicious Seafood Medley Soup. Soo good! Add an avocado salad and...,  Eureka! A meatless meal.

Seafood Medley/Brown Rice  Soup

For more about Low mercury seafood I read The Virgin Diet Book and  check out some of JJ Virgin's online resources. Great diet, good, what more!
 
Until later,
Goodbye Diary

 

Sweet X

 

Xylitol

The Sweetest X

Cycle 1

Day 51

Dear Diary,

Xylitol is another sweetener (a sugar alcohol) aside from Stevia that is allowed in The Virgin Diet.  It also helps with weight loss.
Everyday, is a challenge especially finding clean foods. Yesterday,

I bought a 1 lb. of Xylitol from the health food store.  On the front of the bag clearly stated 100% Xylitol. I turned the bag over and tried to find the ingredients on the back but the ingredients were not listed. I asked the store clerk to see if she would help me find the ingredients listed on the bag of Xylitol. She carefully looked at the bag with eyes moving from left to right, searching for a list of ingredients. Then said, "There nothing here, but on the front is Xylitol 100% Pure, so it must be Xylitol. 

I purchased it and bought it home. Reviewing the information on the back of the package again, I still did not find the product information or ingredients listed.

Finally, I noticed a toll-free number at the very bottom of the bag of  Xylitol. A note near the number instructed that I should call if there were any questions, so I did. After 4 or 5 tries,  I got  through and a human voice, a gentleman answered the phone. I proceeded to tell him about the Xylitol that I had purchased, and that I could not find the ingredients listed on the package. He was a pleasant man, "I'll be happy to help you" he said. Okay, I said, could you please tell me what your Xylitol is made from? He answered, "Our Xylitol is made from fine corn husk".  He started to continue, when stopped him, thanked him for the information and hung up the  phone. I thought,  Corn husk? Why, that's one of the 7 forbidden foods that I am not allowed to have with The Virgin Diet.

I 'll will try and get it online.

It's incredible!  Look..., even though I read the labels and searched the labels for a list of ingredients, I still ended up making a telephone call to find out what was in the Xylitol that I had purchased. I'll return it to the health food store on my next trip and exchange it for pure a Xylitol product.

My sister said that she has had issues too with hidden or non listed ingredients on some foods and had to called the manufacturer as well.  It's a challenge, but well worth it.

Sometimes, I feel like Sherlock Holmes when I'm searching for and reading product labels look for the list of 

I am taking a magnifying glass along and wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat(well, the hat might be a bit much) on my next health food visit.  
Anyway, it is sort of like being a detective.

Diary, it's been real.

Until later,

 

 

 



Fiber For Better Health

 Be a Fiber Eater

Cycle 1

Day 50

 

Hey Diary,

 

Can I ever get enough fiber in my diet? In a word. No... Fiber eater, that is what I am. Did I say that I am a fiber eater? Yes... I do eat fiber, but, not enough-I need more fiber.  According to JJ Virgin, the average American eats 5 to 14 grams of fiber per day, which is not nearly enough, it should be 50 grams of fiber per day.

Fiber is a key that unlocks the door to more favorable weight loss outcome. In addition to that, fiber has some amazing health benefits such as:

• Helps balance blood sugars
• Suppresses appetite
• Reduces the risk of colon cancer and other gastrointestinal diseases even diverticulitis
• Lowers the risk for heart disease
• Natural laxative

Fiber does all of that... Wow!! That's huge (yooog)! 
So now, exactly how am I suppose to get my fiber intake up to 50 grams. Hmmm... Well, JJ Virgin says that I should increase my fiber gradually over a one-two week( or more) period. Too quickly and I may experience some constipation. Go slow...with baby steps.
JJ Virgin has a list of high fiber food choices that I will help me better manage my fiber intake.
Using some of those high fiber foods, I created my own Fiber Score Card to help me monitor my fiber intake. Check it out:

                           My Virgin Diet Fiber Score Card

Fiber Score Card

 

 

Based on my Fiber Score Card, it looks like I have room for improvement. I have only 22½ grams of daily fiber intake according to my fiber score card.  That's very interesting!  I thought that I was eating lots of fiber, but obviously not enough because my fiber intake is at 50% of what it should be. I've  got to do better. But, remember, I must gradually increase the fiber-Gooo... slow.  So here's the plan, in the first two weeks, I will add an additional Tbsp. of flaxseed meal to my smoothies and that would be 2 Tbsp. daily( 5grams).  I will also add some raw nuts, some almonds (15 almonds), that's 5 more grams.

In addition to eating fiber, I have to make sure to  increase my water intake as well.. so, drink more water. Fiber  helps me have better poops, or as JJ Virgin says, poops we can be proud of.

The top 10 sources of "fabulous fiber" ( as JJ Virgin calls it) to load up on are:

1. Raspberries- my most favorite berry
2. Lentils( this makes a supreme soup)
3. Nuts-Walnut, Almond, are great!
4. Seeds, Chia and freshly ground flaxseeds
5. Kale-very good sautéed in garlic-mmmmm!
6. Quinoa-okay but not my favorite
7. Avocado-breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I love it!
8. Apples-red delicious
9. Winter squash-Roasted butternut squash is the best
10. Broccoli-steamed with little salt and pepper .

These are great fiber boosters and I'm going to eventually get my fiber up to 50 grams  or more. Striving for better health with fiber.

Keep on!

Well Diary,

 

Until later,



          

Poopitis

Poopitis

poop-i-tis

: the ability to have normal regular poops

Cycle 1

Day 49

 

 

Okay Diary,

 

On a more delicate note... It is a sensitive topic and frankly, difficult for me to talk about buuuttt,. I have made an amazing discovery about the importance of the ability to poop, not just poops, but good, healthy, normal an daily poops,  which I called, Poopitis. The subject of poops is huge and actually a crucial part of digestion, according to JJ Virgin.  She goes on to say that, either diarrhea or constipation can indicate that there is a problem digesting food, which could affect my ability to lose weight. My formula is bad digestion + bad poops = no weight loss. 

Before I started The Virgin Diet, I had some digestive symptoms  which included; sluggish digestion, bloating(oh yes, indeed, I was a bloater with that tightness in the midsection, especially after eating ), occasional poops-not necessarily daily either, but most of all, I felt fat, heavy, and uncomfortably weighted down. It was an on going constant feeling of discomfort which I thought was normal. However, I discovered that what I needed was to get myself a good doses of Poopitis. Yes, I said it! Poopitis!

First, I  took JJ's Poop Quiz and found that I had poop issues that needed immediate attention. 

JJ's Poop Quiz instructs me to answer yes to any of the questions  that I've had any issues with on an ongoing basis.

Here are a couple of the quiz questions that helped me identify areas that warranted  my attention:

 

N Are stools hard?

Y Do I have less than one bowel movement per day?

Y  Do stools resemble pellet?

Y  Do I feel gassy or bloated or have abdominal discomfort?

 

These are some of the questions that helped me do my own poop evaluation (the complete list of questions are found in The Virgin Diet book).
Since, I have been following The Virgin Diet, my Poopitis, ability to have normal, successful poops has much improved. It's incredible, by simply removing the 7 high -FI foods and adding the healing and low-FI foods, I've developed routine Poopitis timing, or rhythm in the morning, at mid-day and occasionally at night. For the first time, I am regular with 2 and 3 poops per day. I have never had that before.
Routine, regular poops are imperative because it gets rid of toxins in the body. They also increase my chances of normal weight loss success.
During the first 21 days of The Virgin Diet, every 2-4 weeks,  I took JJ's Poop Quiz to recheck for any signs and looked changes in my poop routine.
Now, at Day 49, still in Cycle 1, regular, routine poops.. and life is good.

Until the next time.
Soooo Diary,
I got through it!

 

 

 

Plan A Virgin Diet Plate Menu

Plan a Virgin Diet Plate Menu

Cycle 1

Day 48

 

 

Dear Diary,

Planning menus for the Virgin Diet are a lot more easier now than before. The Virgin Diet Plate (a template that shows appropriate food portions and contents) is my road map that guides me in selecting good healthy healing foods, spices and supplements for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Timing is everything, so, I make sure that I have a meal every 4-6 hours, three meals a day and a snack between meals. Drinking of plenty of water between meals helps curb my appetite.

Here is todays menu:

           Breakfast

Red Raspberry Smoothie

1 cup frozen red raspberries(raspberries have the highest fiber content)

1 cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon of flaxseeds(I alternate between flax and chia seeds)

1½ scoop of pea protein

1 sprinkle of Stevia 

Blend together until smooth and drink up

Drink smoothie/shake within 1 hour of waking up( if possible)

Red Raspberry Smoothie
Yummy Good!

 

 

                  Lunch

Roasted Free Rage Herbal Chicken(lip smackin' good)

Organic Avocado(slices) with Fresh Cilantro Lime Salad

Fresh squeezed lemonade

             Desert

 Fresh Strawberries with Coconut Milk(ooo...Delish!)

 

           Dinner

Grass-Fed Salisbury Beef Pattie with Roasted Mushrooms in Brown Gravy (gravy made from almond flour) Yummy meee!

Organic Green Beans

½ Organic Sweet Potato with dash of cinnamon (I'll eat the other half later)

Lemonade

 

Dinner

 

 

 

 

This may not seem like very much food, but its the quality of  the food not the quantity that matters. These meals are nutritiously satisfying and delicious too.

Before the Virgin Diet, I used to snack a lot during the evenings, (while chillaxing and watching my favorite TV series or reading one of the New York Best Seller books) but now its rare that I feel the urge to munch or snack.

However, if I do start to feel snacky, I'll have some Suzie Thin Brown Rice Cakes with Almond butter or Hummus( I love the Cilantro Garlic Hummus) . Yes, Yes, and Yes, these are awesome snacks. Oh, by the way,  I almost forgot to mention apple slices with almond butter dip- another snack favorite. They are so easy to throw together too!
If I need more help with some really great Virgin Diet style recipes,
I go to Skinnyum www.skinnyum.blogspot.com. That's where I found wonderful cooking ideas.

Yummy Days are here again!!

Until later,

Goodbye Diary,

 

 

 

 

 





 

Diet for Change

 

A Virgin Diet Follower's Reflection

Cycle 1

Day 47

Hey Diary,

It was more than 1½ months ago when I decided to do something... something new..., something different..., something that I would gain better health benefits from doing...

Over the years, my weight was creepy, I had the weight creeps, what I mean is.. my weight continued to creep and creep, creep up, and up.  My weight  gain was soooo  subtle that I hardly noticed it.  Until..., until I was unable to get into the clothes in my closet.  So, guess what I did?...  I went out shopping for that next larger size. What else?  Later on, I did the same thing again-bought a larger size.

Earlier last year,  when I needed an even larger pair of jean and decided to go to the mall to purchased them. As arrived at my favorite jean's store and excitingly looking around for that terrific pair of jean that would hopefully not exposed my subtle weight gain. I'd selected a really nice looking pair of jeans from the rack, took them to the dressing room and tried them on and... Lo and behold... I could not believe it! That size was too small. Double checking the size of the jeans, in continuous disbelief, I hurriedly left the store. Yeah, I left, and totally discussed with the entire ordeal.
The drive home was surreal (I took the long way home) and all I could think about was, How Did This Happen? When Did This Happen?
That's when I discovered that it was time for me to make a change. I'm talking about a real lifestyle change like The Virgin Diet. 
Aside for the weight gain issue, my health did not seem to be great either. There were signs like: bloating, puffiness, stomach rumbles, sore joints, poor sleep habits, dry skin, sinus congestion, lack of energy, urge to nap during the day, binge eating, food cravings, sweet tooth cravings and on and on.
Since my sister had been on The Virgin Diet for year and she lost 52 lbs., and needless to say looks incredible. She constantly told me about how great she felt since she had been on the diet, why,  I could even hear it in her voice over the telephone. The Virgin Diet had made her a believer and I wanted to be a believer too!
At first, I was afraid and remember thinking, What if I fail? What if I don't like the food, What if the food is not satisfying? What if?...What if?...What if?
There I was trying to talk myself out of starting The Virgin Diet with all of the What if's?
Finally, I made up my mind, started preparing myself for the journey of a lifetime and became a JJ Virgin Diet Follower.
So far, its been one of the greatest journeys that I have ever embarked.
I am in Cycle 1, the Elimination phase of the diet, lost 20lbs. and feeling fantastic.
Loving It!
Diary, until later

 

 



Virgin Diet's Spice of Life

Healing Spices

Cycle 1

Day 46

Hey  Diary,



Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.”, William Cowper

Basil, Lavender, Oregano,Rosemary
Garden

The healing spices of The Virgin Diet are just as important as healing foods because they too soothes my gastrointestinal tract, balance blood sugar, and help me obtain a healthy gut. as well as help with elimination 2-3 times a day(more about that later).

Here are some of those healing spices:

The Virgin Diet Healing Spices

1. Cumin( blood sugar balancer)
2. Red Chile
3. Oregano
4. Thyme ( great on vegetables)
5. Rosemary( fights inflammation)
6. Basil ( fights infection and boost immune system)
7. Herb de Provence (mixture of herbs, great on grilled foods and veggies) I love it!
8. Mexican spice blend
9. Black pepper corn
10. Sea Salt
11. Cinnamon ( helps balance blood sugar)
12. Ginger( aids in digestion)

With so many different healing spices/herbs for me to enjoy, foods are literally bursting with such delightful flavors... I mean flavors that I have never, ever experienced before. What a joy!! 

These healing spices not only enhance the flavor of the foods that I prepare and enjoy, but offers some extraordinary health benefits as well. What a plus!! I get two in one, yummy flavors and health benefits.

Healing spices can be used fresh, right from pesticide-free gardens or dried, absolutely organic and non irradiated. 

My cabinet is full of dried healing spices and I grow my own fresh herbs in the garden when I can. I also purchase these wonderful fresh herbs and spices at Fresh Market, Trader's Joe and Whole Foods Stores whenever I shop.  

Until tomorrow Diary,





Healing Foods For Better Health

Eat Healing Foods Daily

Cycle 1

 Day 45

Dear Diary,

Cycle 1, the Elimination Phase of The Virgin Diet has introduced me to some of the most amazing Healing Foods I've ever encountered. Foods that are healing my GI tract, reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar, support healthy gut bacteria, and help me have healthy poops 2 or 3 times a day.(Yep, poops are important too).

According to JJ Virgin, some of the most powerful healing foods are organic vegetables. Healing foods include organic fruits, vegetable, and spices. Here are a few of my favorites derived from JJ Virgin's list of healing foods:

Organic Carrots

• Beets: Beets are rich in betacyanin, which helps lower homocysteine, an amino acid that increases my risk for heart disease. and stroke. Beet also help cleanse your blood and are great for liver health.
• Avocado: (love avocados) Supports immune function and libido. It is a very healthy source of monounsaturated fats. Serving suggestion-sliced or mashed up with lime, cilantro, and  salsa. I also like an avocado salad with slices of avocado  sprinkle of  salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. Yumm, Yum.
• Blueberries: High in fiber and antioxidant, which help heal my digestive tract and keep it function in top condition. Help reverse the aging process
• Cilantro: (I love fresh cilantro-it's delicious) Helps pull killer metals, like lead and mercury from my blood and flush them out. It helps my immune system heal and allows my food intolerance to evaporate.
• Coconut: Known as an antiviral food which contain medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's) which are good for metabolism and circulation. It also stimulate metabolism to promote weight loss. It helps reduce microbial overgrowth, fungus, and intestinal yeast-its a high-antioxidant food. (Coconut is great!)
• Sweet potato: Rich in carotenoids antioxidants anticancer) and is a natural way to satisfy my sweet tooth. It doesn't spike my blood sugar and makes my feel full.
•  Sea Salt: I use this sparingly. It is rich in mineral. I avoid regular table salt because it can set my up for high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease.
• Seafood, especially salmon, sardines, sole, and scallops: These are gut healing foods and are full of omega -3s, the healing fats that fight inflammation and support metabolism.
• Xylitol: Natural sugar alcohol helps with acid-alkaline balance-very good for weight loss.

There are more healing food listed in The Virgin Diet book. These are just some of my favorites.
Since I have been following The Virgin Diet, healing foods have become a major part my diet.  And the extraordinary benefits of these healing foods are golden.
Perhaps, I am what I eat after all.
Until later,
Diary

What's This In My Food?

                            

What's This In My Food?

Read The Labels and  Find Out

Cycle 1

Day 44

Hello Diary,

 

Read, Read. Read. Reading the product labels are so important that I just cannot, cannot stress it enough. There are many by-products in various forms of the 7 foods that JJ Virgin says I should avoid. And these by-products are lurking in places where I least expect them trying to sabotage my weight loss progress. Really? Yes really!

Here is what happened when I didn't read the product label on my bottle of Liquid Stevia (the bottle has "Organic Liquid Stevia", 461 Servings, printed on the front label). Stevia is a sugar substitute made from the leaves of an herb plant from South America.

Look at the Labels
Find the Hidden Foods

 

What happened was....

Today, I used the last drop of Stevia for my morning coffee when I discovered something very interesting. Taking the new bottle of Stevia from the shelf of the cupboard, I noticed that the Stevia in the new bottle was different, the color was dark. I immediately read the product label to find that the only ingredient in the new bottle of Stevia is concentrated Stevia leaves in purified water.  Then I look at my old bottle of Stevia and here is what I found:

Ingredients:

• De-ionized water
• Certified Stevia extract
• Stevia Rebaudiana (Leaf) 
• Organic Alcohol (Unbelievable)

The ingredient, Organic Alcohol stood out like a sore thumb because I didn't know that alcohol could be organic.  So. I Googled-it, and found that organic alcohol is alcohol made from organically grown grains and grapes. Wow! Grains and grapes are two by-product on The Virgin Diet's 7 forbidden foods list. The deionized water is water with all the minerals distracted from it, I don't need that in my Stevia either. Honestly, I did not know that organic alcohol was in the Stevia until I actually looked. My bad. Even though the front of the Stevia bottles said Organic Liquid Stevia, I should have read the back of the bottle's product information too. (read the product label).

I went back to the health food store and got some Stevia Powder.

The ingredients are Stevia Leaves, and that's all.  Eureka!!

By my not reading the product label on my bottle of Stevia, might have caused me to prematurely plateau early on.( bringing my weight loss progress to a halt). 

Anyway, from now on,  I have got to Read, Read, Read, those product labels so that I can be certain that I am staying clear of the 7 forbidden foods of The Virgin Diets during Cycle 1.
RULE:  Look for clean products label which listed 3 ingredients or less.

Okay Diary ,

I going to become a BLR(Better Label Reader).

Goodbye

 

 



Waist Training While I Lose Weight

Waist Training

Day 43

Cycle 1

 

Hey Diary,

 

I have been following The Virgin Diet for 43 days, stopped the
7 forbidden NO NO foods- Eggs, Gluten, Dairy, Peanuts, Soy, Sugar and artificial sweetener, and Corn. The result are: I have lost 20 lbs., feel better,  have more energy, feeling lighter and food taste so much better...it's actually incredibly tasty! 
At this point, I have decided to incorporate waist training for better posture and sculpt my waistline while losing weight. I started with an inexpensive Gold's Gym Waist Trimmer Belt that I found at Walmart for about $9.99.  It comes in an adjustable size, and very easy to wear with Velcro attachment. I have been wearing it for 2 hours a day for 2 weeks. Then,  I recently added  a corset Waist Trainer that I now wear that for 2-3 hours a day. It works very well and the results are fantastic.

Waist Trimmer Belt

Everyday, my day begins with a luscious Breakfast Smoothies in the morning and have lunch and dinner from the acceptable food groups like: eating clean lean protein, healthy fats, high-fiber, low glycemic carbs, and nonstarchy vegetables. As part of my exercise program, I take short walks and now added waist training. 
Right now, my weight is still going down on the scales.  That's a great sign. It's actually awesome.
I am training my waist while I lose weight and it fantastic!
Diary you can see it for yourself.

Weigh Loss Progress



I'm excited about The Virgin Diet journey and the results so far. I just thank JJ Virgin for giving me an amazing opportunity to improve my health, feel better and lose weight all at the same time.
Okay Diary,
Later.


It"s Worst Than Sugar...

It's What's Worst Sugar?

Artificial Sweeteners

Cycle 1

Day 42

Hey Diary,

What's worst than sugar? According to The Virgin Diet, artificial sweeteners are worst than sugar and another one of the forbidden foods.

In the past, I, myself have had adverse experiences with artificial sweeteners in particular, Aspartame, and therefore I don't intentionally use them. Some of  those adverse effects were: 

1. Severe headaches
2. Nausea
3. Sleep problems
4. Joint pain
5. Stomach pain
6. Brain fog

Time and time again, I tried to use artificial sweeteners  to have the same affect over and over. The headaches and joint pain were the worst. I stopped the artificial sweeteners and the headaches and  joint pain as well as everything else went away. I repeated it-tried it again, headaches,joint pain , stomach pain, etc.. returned. Stopped, and it went away. hmmm. That's when I realized that I was unable to use Aspartame in diet. Period.

The Sweetness Trap chapter of The Virgin Diet book helped me to better identify where artificial sweeteners are hidden:

• Nutra Sweet                Acesulfame  potassium
• Saccharin                    Alitame
• Splenda                       Cyclmate
• Sucralose                   Aspartame

So what should I use for my sweetening option?  JJ Virgin's Sweetest Options states that if you must sweeten your food, she will allow the sugar alcohol-xylitol and the sweet herb stevia. She goes on to say that if you use straight stevia, it might cause something called calorie deregulation, and she likes to mix the two of them-xylitol and stevia.
It's amazing, that since I 've stopped sugar and artificial sweeteners, my taste buds have sharpened and food has never tasted to good.
Who knew that artificial sweeteners were worse than sugar?
I didn't until now.
Until Later,
Goodbye Diary,

The Sweet Tooth Blues

Singing the Sweet Tooth Blues

Cycle 1

Day 42

Dear Diary,

(Singing) ♪♪ ♫ ♪ ♫♪ ♫

 Today I woke up with the sweets on my mind

Without my sweet sweets it just didn't seem kind

But now that I'm on The Virgin Diet,  I've got to find another way

To curb my appetite and keep my sweet tooth at bay

I'm singing that Sweet Tooth Blues... bump, bump bump, bump

I'm singing that Sweet Tooth Blues... bump, bump bump,bump

Yeah, yeah.....Yeah, yeah

Just singing that Sweet Tooth Blues...bump, bump, bump

Just when those sneaky little cravings for sweets were trying to get the best of me, I discovered a new and better approach to satisfying my sweet tooth blues with The Virgin Diet. I was sing the blues until I read in The Virgin Diet book that it was okay to have a sweet tooth, but it doesn't give me a license to eat cookies or a thin(has ha) slice of Key Lime Pie(one of my former sweet tooth comrade). Anyway, according to JJ Virgin, it's okay to have a sweet tooth, but I must retrain my taste buds and develop an appreciation for berries like raspberries, blueberries, and vanilla, cinnamon, and almond because they can help me learn to savor their natural sweetness. Wow! That is awesome! I can even have dark chocolate too, but only 2 ounces, (sad face). There is so much more detailed information about this in The Virgin Diet book.

After singing the first verse of The Sweet Tooth Blues, I tried one of JJ Virgin's sweet tooth remedies:

I mixed a little bit of coconut milk with some chocolate protein powder together and made a nice chocolaty sauce, added berries and top it with chopped almonds. One word - Tasty! Now this... this, is really good!  It was so quick and easy to make and totally satisfied my sweet tooth blues.

Loving it! 

Okay Diary here's the rest of my song,

Verse 2 ♪♪ ♫ ♪♫

 Now that I've satisfied my sweet tooth

I no longer have the blues

In The Virgin Diet, I found the truth

And have nothing but weight to lose

Be gone sweet tooth blues.., bump, bump, bump, bump

Be gone Sweet Tooth Blues..,  bump, bump, bump, bump

 Lyric by Ecinja

2/17/2016
I also like the Mini Strawberry Sundae at www.skinnyum.blogspot.com

Later,

Goodbye Diary,

                                   

 



Get Hydration

Hydration

Drink Some Water

Day 41

Cycle 1

                       
Dear Diary,

Water... Good old H2o.
I know that staying hydrated by drinking water is key to my weight loss success. For me, drinking water helps curb my appetite and minimizes some of the cravings that I get between meals.
However, during the winter months, I seem to drink less water, primarily due to the cold weather conditions and prefer to have something hot to drink. I really have to force myself to stay on a regular hydration schedule. For healthy water intake, it's best to drink filtered water. Last summer, I purchased a Mavea filtration pitcher as my water filtering option for my tap water. It is made of BPA-free plastic, filters out 40 chemicals and minerals, and when full it supplies 9 glasses of water. The water taste great and coffee is amazingly good.  It works great!
Sometimes drinking water can be boring at times and so occasionally I'd squeeze a organic lemon and or lime into a glass of water add a drop or two of Stevia for a yummy lemonade and limeade. The taste is incredible. I also like drinking a nice hot cup of freshly brewed green tea as well-that's another option.  The other day I got real creative with my daily water intake mission and created what I call a Cranberry Cooler. It's very simple to make.
Here my recipe for:
         Cranberry Cooler

• 1/2-1 cup of frozen cranberries
• 16 ounces of coconut water

Place cranberries and coconut water in blender and mix together.
Pour into a glass and drink. It's very refreshing and a great way to satisfy your daily water intake requirements. Yummy good too!

Drink Water

For healthy water intake, I follow these Virgin Diet by JJ Virgin's guidelines

• Put a water filter on every tap in the house( I use a Mavea water filtration systems)
• Track your water intake in your food journal
• Water will curb your appetite , but if you want more help add 5-10 grams of fiber into some water and drink it 30 minute before meals

I found more information and resources at JJ Virgin's website.
Until Later,
Goodbye Diary,

After the Love

 

Back To Square One

After the Love 

Cycle 1

Day 40

 

Oh No Diary!

 

 

You are not going to believe what happened yesterday afternoon... after being so hyped up on my "Feel The Love" high.. 

I received an invitation to go to a restaurant for a Valentine's Day lunch.  I was so excited about the invite and wondered if the restaurant would have any of my Virgin Diet allowable foods on the menu. After looking long and hard at the menu....and without really thinking I ordered a Fresh Grouper Sandwich on a Chibata Bun, with lettuce and tomato and no mayonnaise. I also selected a baked sweet potato as a side instead of French fries.   

Bad idea! I got a quarter way through the sandwich before realizing that something was wrong: 1. For some reason, my favorite grouper sandwich did not taste as good as it used to(it was one of my favorite choices before The Virgin Diet) and 2. The bread was...you guessed it, dun,dun,duuun, gluten, gluten, gluten! Oops! 

Oh no, I just broke the Cycle 1 forbidden food rule. Now what do I do. This is really bad.  Cycle 1 is 21 of abstinence from the 7 foods, Gluten, Soy, Diary, Peanuts, Eggs, Sugar and artificial sweeteners, and Corn.  I've been really working hard not to touch any of those 7 forbidden food and in just one... one, afternoon on Valentines Day. I was taken down by the big "G", Gluten in the form of a beautiful Chibata Bun.

 

Afterwards, I didn't feel so good, rumbling stomach, puffy and a bit disappointed in myself.

Anyway, it was not the end of the world because JJ Virgin has thought of everything that could possibly happen with this diet regimen. Even if you accidently eat some of the NO NO foods during Cycle 1. She says, "If you make a mistake and don't discover it until later, you may not have to start the Virgin Diet over again". Just make sure you stay away from that food for 21 days. 

For instance, now that ate part of the Chibata bun(gluten), I have to wait 21 days before I can test gluten in my diet. So, when I reach my weight loss goal of 25-30 lbs., before the next 21 days, I should test one of the other foods, like eggs, or dairy.
That was like music to my ears...♪♪ ♫♪

Wow! I thought that I had screwed up the Virgin Diet.
So now, I can continue having my Breakfast Smoothie, stay away from gluten for 21 more days, and keep on working toward my weight loss goal. So far, I have lost 16 lbs. and 8 inches in my waist.
Its good to know that JJ Virgin has lots of information right at my fingertips in The Virgin Diet book and at www.jjvirgin.com .
In the future, I will be more careful and pay closer attention to the menu when eating out.
For great healthy recipes Virgin Diet style checkout www.skinnyum.blogspot.com 
 

Happy Ending!

Thanks Diary,

Until later
 

Feel The Love

Happy Valentines Day Feelings

Day 39

Cycle 1

 

 

Happy Valentine Day Diary,

 

I have been in Cycle 1 of  The Virgin Diet for more than a month and continue to feel great! Sleeping is so much better now, I have boundless energy, feel lighter, more focused, have deeper meditations, and best of all I've lost 16 lbs., I can go on and on....These are my Happy Valentine Day Feelings!

It is hard for me to fully explain such positive feelings because I have never, never, never experienced anything like it!

At first, I thought that The Virgin Diet would be complicated and that I would be unable to carry it out, but I was wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. For me, The Virgin Diet has become a way life and I have adopted it as a new lifestyle. Now granted, I am just in Cycle 1 phase of the diet, and from what I have seen so far, I can only expect that the best is yet to come.  More about that later.

 

Today I treated myself with a luscious, delectable, Strawberry Valentine Day Smoothie. Yummy Day! This is a healthy satisfying smoothie.



Strawberry Valentine

 

 

 

 



Red Strawberry Valentine Day Smoothie

1½ scoop of Chocolate Pea protein

1  cup Strawberries (frozen)

1-2 tablespoons Chia seeds

1  cup Coconut Milk unsweetened

2 sprinkles Stevia to taste

 

Mix well in the blender and drink up!

The results are amazing!

Feel The Love! 

Until Later Diary,

From a JJ Virgin Diary Follower

Good Fats To Lose Fat

Get Clean Healthy Fats

Day 38

Cycle 1

Dear Diary,

 

 

I always thought that fats were unhealthy. Some years back I went through the entire "Fat-Free Era", when everything, and I mean everything claimed to be "Fat-Free". There was fat-free butter, fat-free milk, fat-free cheese, fat-free chips, fat-free breads, fat-free cookies, fat-free chips and fat-free this and fat-free that- the fat-free labels was slapped on nearly every food product. I was not certain just what Fat-Free really meant. It seemed a bit confusing... and, back then, I remember thinking... that's ludicrous! There was no way that I could have total elimination from fats in my diet and be healthy.  I thought that I might need fats to sort of hold things inside my body to together, ahhh, kind of like the way glue holds things together. Well, anyway, that what I thought...  Now, I admit that I am no expert on these things, but from my understanding, fats have purpose... yes, indeed, fats have a purpose.  Reason being, I need fats in my diet in order to lose fat. Say What! Exactly!

Sounds strange to have fats in my diet to lose fat....Hmmm. But it's true only if its "Good Fats".

 

I now realize that fats are extremely important and I need them to sustain health. But, not just any fats, and  not bad unhealthy fats, but good clean healthy fats such as:

• Coconut oil/milk
• Raw nuts( almonds are good but walnuts are my favorite)
• Olive oil
• Wild salmon(wild cold water fish-I love salmon)
• Raw chia, flax or hemp seeds

Just to name a few... 

The Virgin Diet is practically centered around these clean healthy fats. There is no wonder why The Virgin Diet smoothies/ shakes  use Coconut milk, chia and flax seeds(clean healthy fats)  to make a complete nutritious meal.   The smoothies are delicious too!

From now on, I'm going to stick with the good, clean, healthy fats and stay away from the bad unhealthy fats.

That works for me!

 

For more details about Clean Healthy Fats get a copy of The Virgin Diet book by JJ Virgin.

 

Until next time, Diary,

From a JJ Virgin Diet Follower

Goodbye

 

 



Smoothie Lover

Fallen Madly In Love With A Smoothie

Cycle 1

Day 37

Dear Diary,

Since I have been following The Virgin Diet, I've fall head over heels with none other than my smoothies. I 'm a Smoothie Lover. Yes, I said it!  I am in love with my smoothies. Smoothies, also called Shakes are essential to the success of  The Virgin Diet regimen. They wonderfully satisfy my hunger, are delectably tasty and has greatly attributed to my weight loss. I love them,... I love them all.... Blueberry, Strawberry, Dark Cherry, Red Raspberry, Blackberry and Berry Mix. But, my absolute love is my Ruby Red Raspberry Smoothie.... yes, that's my most favorite smoothie of all times.  Why?  Well it has a smooth, rich red thick and creamy consistency, and yummy berry, berry flavor that dazzles the taste buds. It's soooo good!

And because it's Valentines Day, I'm making a Ruby Red Raspberry Valentine Smoothie.

Here's my recipe for my:

 Ruby Red  Raspberry Valentine Day Smoothie

1½ scoop of Pea protein

1  cup Red Raspberries (frozen)

1-2 tablespoons Chia seeds

1  cup Coconut Milk unsweetened

2 sprinkles Stevia  to taste

First, I place my pea protein in the Nutri-Bullet blender cup

then the Chia seeds, red raspberries, Coconut milk, and Stevia.

Blend until smooth and pour in it into my favorite glass and...

Drink up!!

Happy Valentine's Day Diary,

From a JJ Virgin Diet Follower