Fast Metabolism Diet Phase 3

January – Phase 3, Fast Metabolism
by

January – Phase 3, Fast Metabolism

This is the last day of week 3, only one more week to go. I missed posting about phase 2 this week. I find phase 2 the most challenging, and frankly boring. Eating just lean protein and greens is “ho hum”. Phase 3 food seems positively decadent after phase 2, allowing moderate amounts of  “healthy” fats such as avocado, nut butter, hummus,  and coconut milk.

In phase 2, I frankly don’t care much about food. I eat because I have to, not because I am interested in what is on my plate. In fact, one day last week I forgot to eat entirely. Not good actually according to the diet. But I was super busy and occupied, I forgot to take food with me, and eating never occurred to me. That is until it got to be dinner time and I was at a friend’s house. By then I was hungry, really hungry. I did ‘cheat’ and have some phase 3 salmon and raw almonds because that was what was there. Really, I had to eat something!

My new scale is supposed to arrive today. Because my old one was rusted and corroded, it was a victim of our downsizing. After my friend (who has lost over 9 pounds in three weeks and feels amazing) raved about her new digital scale, I broke down and ordered one from Amazon.

I am not going to be able to tell you how much weight I have lost because I didn’t weigh myself at the beginning. I will tell you that my clothes are loose and my stomach is flatter. For me the weight loss was secondary to the overall reset. It’s a reset of habits, of taste buds, and overall approach to food. After three weeks I can tell you that I consider that part of the diet a success, the next week will only cement it. My friends who joined me on this adventure say the same thing.

So, what does my last day in phase 3 for this week look like?

Breakfast – fresh raspberries, sprouted wheat toast with almond butter

Snack – raw almonds

Lunch – Buffalo Chicken Chowder from Dishing Up the Dirt, (modified by using coconut oil instead of ghee and a sweet potato instead of russet); with celery sticks on the side and a tangerine. You can follow the link to the recipe, I found it had good flavor but the sweet potato didn’t thicken the chowder the way a russet would have. IMG_7093

Much to my surprise, on doing some research on the wild wide web, I came across another recipe which is very close to how I modified it. They used rice flour to thicken it a little, a good idea. I may like this one better from the blog Easy and Delish, Buffalo Chicken Chowder. I will try it this week and let you know. Changing the chicken breast to thighs would add more flavor (unless cooked sous vide I find chicken breasts too dry). The Frank’s Hot Sauce in the Dishing Up the Dirt recipe was good, keep that if you like spicy things.

My husband wanted something a little more substantial and added a can of pinto beans and some baby spinach. That is also a good option but it is coming closer to something else (chili?) and further away from Buffalo Chicken. IMG_7095

Look for a post, later in the week. Sometime when I am closer to phase 3 again, I will combine the two into something I a bit more to my own taste.

Snack – raw walnuts

Dinner – Spicy Lamb Soup-Stew with Garbanzos 

Follow the link if you would like the recipe.

IMG_7105

 

January – Week 2 phase 3
by

January – Week 2 phase 3

I know, I skipped a post about Week 2, phase 2. That is because I have been consumed by getting the Oakland house ready to sell and haven’t had time to write a post. This is going to be a very short one.

The diet is going well and my friends and I are already seeing results. Clothes that haven’t fit in months now do, pounds have been lost, and our waists are whittled. There are complaints about grogginess in the morning without caffeine, I miss my morning cup of black tea as well. We are hopeful that will slowly disappear. The expanded menu in phase 3 makes it easier on the weekend, reason to start the Fast Metabolism Diet on a Monday.

Tomorrow is the Women’s March, it is predicted to be a big one in Oakland. Our temporary home is only a few blocks from the end of the march, which will be fun.

Menu for today:

Phase 3, week 2

Breakfast – sprouted wheat toast with almond butter and sliced tomato

Snack – I admit to going off diet here and going for the easy, handful of mixed nuts which is the snack from phase 2

Lunch –  roast chicken with greens (salad from down the street), apple

Snack – more nuts

Dinner – Salmon with mashed cauliflower and sweet potato, green beans

Have you tried the Trader Joe’s frozen sweet potato “pellets”, they also have frozen cauliflower. They are not bad. I combined the two together for a fast sweet potato and cauliflower mash. I found them in the frozen section. Let me know if you have tried them. I think either would be excellent combined with the frozen mashed potato “pellets”. I admit to using them for a quick mashed potato side (not on the diet) with cheese and butter.

I will stop by the store on the way home, tomorrow will be better.

This was the day 2 of phase 3 breakfast

egg, toast and tomato

January – Fast Metabolism – Phase 3
by

January – Fast Metabolism – Phase 3

It’s time for phase 3, three days of phase 3. After phase 1 and 2 this will feel like a banquet. Phase 3 is designed to be good for your heart, hormones and it generates heat to speed weight loss. It is a high healthy-fat, moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, and low-glycemic fruit phase. Frankly it is the way I could eat every day.

You can eat olives, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, hummus, almond butter, berries, wild rice, sprouted grain bread, salmon and sweet potatoes to name a few. Oh my!

Look for my phase 3 recipe for Coconut Curry with Chicken (I will post it on Saturday or Sunday morning). It is a perfect Sunday supper and can be made completely vegetarian if you leave off any meat and add chickpeas.

Winter Coconut Curry

What does a phase 3 day look like:

Breakfast – fruit, fat/protein, grain, veggie

Snack – healthy fat, veggie

Lunch – fat/protein, veggie, fruit

Snack – healthy fat, veggie

Dinner – fat/protein, veggie, grain/starch

It’s the weekend (Friday is the beginning of the weekend isn’t it) and many of you are eating out with friends. Before you go to the restaurant, take a look at the menu and plan your meal. I am eating out tonight and realize that the place chosen does not have a lot of healthy options, but there is a dinner salad and I can add a lean protein. Ask for the salad dressing on the side, olive oil and vinegar are allowed in phase 3. Ditto you can have tomatoes and avocado, a few chickpeas, and grated carrots. Sounds like the dinner salad at most restaurants, leave off the croutons.

One of the amazing things about the Fast Metabolism Diet is the reduction of cellulite and flab. Most diets leave you with excess skin and flab to deal with. This diet seems to tighten your skin as you loose weight. At the end of the diet last May I didn’t have those unsightly rolls which require Spanx to prevent roll over.

My day is going to look like this:

Breakfast – sprouted wheat toast, half an avocado, sliced tomato and red onion. Tomato counts as a fruit here. (You can tell I like onion. James Beard used to eat onion sandwiches, I’ve always thought that sounds delicious).

Phase 3 breakfast

Snack – hummus with cucumber sticks

Lunch – tuna salad with sliced cucumber, with 1/2 grapefruit

Tuna and 4 cooked shrimp, minced and mixed with 2 tablespoons of hummus, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped red onion, red chili flakes and a squeeze of lemon. Taste for seasoning and serve with sliced cucumber dippers.

Tuna/shrimp salad

Tuna/shrimp salad with cucumber slices as dippers

Snack – hummus with celery

Dinner – mixed salad with lean protein (I will let you know how I do at the restaurant). They turned out to have a wonderful steak salad on the menu. I only had to ask them to leave off the cheese and bring me plain vinegar and olive oil for a dressing. 

How are you doing? How are you feeling?