Indonesian Coconut Steak w/broccoli and kimchi

Howdy!  Since I last posted I've joined Curves (again!)  I signed up 3 weeks ago and was weighed and measured.  I had gained back the weight I had lost when I was a good girl and spent 2 weeks following EFLF to the letter.  So far I've dropped 3 pounds and my motivation is returning!  Currently at Curves the owner is doing the Weight Management program, which is quite a bit different than the EFLF program.  I think I'm going to meld the two a bit, by eating real food (instead of the WM suggestions of things like egg replacer and soy sausage- GAG!!) but restrict calories a little more than EFLF and go closer to the WM protein/carb/fat ratios.  I'm hoping this will make it a bit easier on me in terms of cost and time spent in the kitchen.

One change from the book I have been able to do a pretty good job of sticking with is carb reduction.  Used to be we ate a pretty typical meat/carb or starch/veggie at dinner, and I've found it very easy to do 2 veggies (usually one fermented) and a sald (plus a good sized portion of meat, of course) instead!  As a total carb addict, that's a pretty big step for me!  In the picture above I've got Indonesian Coconut Steak from the EFLF book (the book has you mix the coconut in, but then it gets like gray and icky looking- I find it more appealing garnished on top), some lightly cooked broccoli with a little pastured butter and salt, and some delicious fermented kimchi.  I also had a big salad with the Asian style dressing out of EFLF.  When I first started doing the curries and stir fries out of the book, I thought that I would really miss the rice that I would typically serve it on top of, but adding in the extra veggies and salads really fills us up!

2 weeks

Two weeks, and one more pound lost.  I was hoping for a couple of more, but I had a hard time staying on the diet this past week, so I'll take one :)

My averages for the last 2 weeks are 2,213 calories a day, with 60% fat, 23% carbs, and 17% protein. 

So, positives and negatives-

Positive

• It definitely works, when followed to the letter!
• Plenty of calories so you don't feel hungry, even with eating 3 meals and no snacks
• Good, nutrient dense food that's all homemade; no processed "health food"

Negative

• Cost!  It's inordinately expensive, at least for me.  I think I've spent like $500 on food in two weeks, and I just do not have that kind of money.
• Time intensive.  Even as a stay at home mom, the amount of time necessary to follow it perfectly is a little overwhelming.  I can't imagine how people who work full-time could do the diet perfectly without being exhausted.  And, anything shortcut that cuts down on time (like pre-made ferments, kombucha, etc) increases the cost.

So, where does this leave me?  Hmmm.  I certainly plan to continue, but I'm going to have to make adjustments.  I just can't spend $800+ a month on food.  Coconut oil (high quality!) alone is ridiculously expensive, and if my husband and I follow the guidelines, we're supposed to be consuming 12 tbsps between us, just before meals!  And, even though I SAHM, that doesn't mean I'm home all the time.  With 4 kids, we're usually pretty busy :)  So, I also need to find ways to make it a little easier on myself.

Cost wise, here's what I'm thinking-

• No organic produce, outside of the "dirty dozen" (when available)
• Pastured chicken and pork, but conventional beef and lamb
• Keep eating eggs from my chickens, but supplement with conventional eggs when it's not enough
• Learn to make kombucha and ferments (time consuming, but kombucha is $3 or more a bottle, and ferments are $13 a pint!!!  Big money suck)
• Regular cheese instead of raw milk cheese

I'm not sure how to work with the time issue without increasing cost, any tips?

So, I'm going to try to do that (though I'm not sure what the heck to do for the rest of the month, since my food money is pretty much gone!!)  I'll certainly need to step outside of the recipes in the book to work with what I've got, but I'm going to do my best to keep to the basics; 2500 calories a day, 60% fat, 1-2 tbsps of coconut oil before each meal, fermented cod liver oil each morning.  I have found that as a nursing mom, I usually need a light afternoon snack (I usually do a couple ounces of cheese and a piece of fruit).

I also really need to start working out!

Staying on the wagon

Oh yikes, has it really been 6 days since I posted last?  See, this is why I could never be one of those official type bloggers, I'm no good at it!

I've been working hard to stay on the straight and narrow!  Friday some friends invited us over for tacos, and who can turn down tacos, especially when someone else is cooking?  Not me, that's for sure!  But I managed to show some restraint and not gorge myself.  Realistically, tacos aren't too bad; the worst about them is that the corn for the shells hasn't been soaked.  I probably should have skipped the white chocolate macademia nut cookies, but I did only have one...there...and then two more at home...hmmm.  You know, it's difficult going from eating as much as you want of whatever you want to eating with restraint.  I ponder at the time if I should own up to it, because it's a bit embarrassing, but struggling is a part of dieting (even a wonderful, filling diet like EFLF!) so I figure it's best to be honest.

I did great yesterday!  So that's good.  I did break down today and have some coffee, which I haven't had in weeks.  Baby steps!

Tomorrow will mark 2 weeks!  I'll do a weigh in (hopefully my little "cheats" haven't done too much damage!) and I'll talk a little about what I see as the pros and cons of the EFLF diet.