Fandom and Fallbacks

So one of the things I like the most about Virta is that they really do get the concept of community. A lot of times when we make dietary changes, we think we only have ourselves to rely on, or that we are doing it for individual reasons, so usually there's no collective "we" in doing so.

I've mentioned before that one of the things that drew me to this program as the 24/7 health coach available to you to help encourage and guide you through the process.  And literally having that person in your pocket has been so valuable to me.

Going beyond the health coach as part of your community, Virta has set up multiple events for the Purdue participants to get together to get to know each other. So I finally went to one.

I have to say, recently I've noticed I have a bit of social anxiety that builds up in new situations. I suspect it's a result of lots of changes over the past couple years... friends moving away, new church, new job, etc. Or maybe I am at the end of my social graces entertaining students and parents so often. I don't know.  But friends, this was not an easy choice to go to this event. But I knew I had to. So I went.

The event was a dinner scheduled at Nine Irish Brothers. Dinner. At Nine Irish? Have you seen their menu? Irish food isn't exactly what I'd call low carb. Irish Soda BREAD. Pub CHIPS. Bangers and MASH. Fish (Breaded and Fried) and CHIPS. Shepherds PIE (Pie....ok not exactly what I'd label as pie... but still not low carb :) ) So I went in a skeptic thinking I'd just pick something up later if need be. But it was amazing! Many of the Virta staff were there to greet us and gave us a customized menu. They had highlighted things that were Virta friendly and gave suggested substitutions for things that were not. I ended up with the pan seared fish sandwich... minus the sandwich and subbed a side salad. Good sized portion of fish and a nice salad to round it out! Maybe that doesn't count as eating Irish food... but I survived a social and eating challenge.

Speaking of the social challenge, they had such an overwhelming response to the event, we were in two separate areas of the restaurant.  I was a few minutes late getting there and ended up in the area I called the kid section. :)  Overflow for sure... but it was nice. Smaller groups at the tables and gave you a chance to get to know people well.  I recognized one of the gentlemen at my table but could not place him. I finally asked him where I knew him from.... and turns out he was in the business office at my last job. Oops. How quickly we forget. :) (See ya later TLI!) There were about 8 of us at a table and conversation was easy. Virta staff would make their way around to mingle so that was nice too! And then, it happened.

A gentleman headed our way... and I immediately recognized him. Walter White in the flesh...

 my health coach Rich!!!!!!

Cmon.. they are the same guy, minus glasses added a smile. You see it right?

Anyway.. it was super amazing to get to meet him in the flesh! He's real! He's not just some contact on my phone anymore. And he's short. Didn't expect that. :) It was so great to connect with him and talk in person about my journey.

And then it happened again..... another gentleman walks in and I know him too. But cannot place him. And then I see his nametag. (Side note...do y'all know how much I despise name tags.... not a fan...but in this case... changed my tune. ) Dr. Jeff Stanley. Holy. Freaking. Crap. (sorry those are my cuss words, hopefully not offending anyone... ) He's my virtual doctor. In the flesh. You seriously would have thought Justin Timberlake just walked in the room and I turned into a blubbering idiot because I was so shell shocked to see my virtual doctor there. Serious fandom happening here.

Time out: Ok, you're probably like... what's the big deal? I occasionally run into my doctor while grocery shopping, etc.  Here's the big deal... Rich lives in Connecticut, Dr. Stanley lives in Oregon.  They flew in just to have an irish dinner with a bunch of Purdue employees. That's a big deal.

But the even bigger deal was that they had just made a decision to put me back on one of my meds. (sad face. ) No matter how vigilant I was in adhering to the program..my glucose numbers were going up. But here were these two dudes commenting on this change, without me prompting them, telling it would only be temporary, and being overly encouraging. In reality... I just met them.  Crazy stuff. So I'm back on a fallback med... it seems to be doing mostly what it's supposed to... controls things well during the day... my body has a mind of its own at night, so it's been a bit odd. But with their encouragement I'm still holding to the hope that it's just temporary!

A Star Spangled Cheat Day

 So cheat day #3.... 4th of July. I really didn't intend to... it just kind of happened.

Friends had a pool party/ cookout that day. I used my tools and tips they've given us which is to bring something with you that you know is Virta friendly so you have at least 1 thing you can eat. Well, knowing they were going to do a cookout, I figured the burgers would at least be something and that I would bring a Virta Friendly coleslaw to help round out the offering.

So upon arriving, it was pool time!  There was fruit out by the pool, which have learned from my first cheat is probably not a good idea, so I was actually able to not pay any attention to it and go about the day. Shortly after that came this traditional party corn dip that makes an appearance at most events with this crew. As it is a dip, chips are necessary also.  I considered having a bite... but then rethought that knowing we would soon eat dinner and I could hold out for my burger with cheese and coleslaw.

Victory!

And then came dinner.  I doubled up my burger, added cheese, a bit of mayo, and made a sandwich with two pieces of lettuce.  And then put a healthy helping of coleslaw on my plate and dinner was served.

Except it only took me about 3 minutes to finish my plate.  And my friends were still eating. And Eating. :)  It's really intriguing when you experience something actually in the moment that you've only had head knowledge about previously... but I am a social eater. I felt this internal pressure to continue to eat. NO fault of my friends.  No one said anything or did anything to make me feel that way... I just did. So... what did I do...I hit the dessert table.  Cookies and a brownie and a bit of dirt pudding - "just to try it".  And it was delicious.

But my numbers paid for it the next day. And the next day. And even the next. And I do what we all do... I get incredulous thinking ONE cookie couldn't possibly have that long of an effect. Justifying my actions by lessening the offense and not taking ownership of the results.

Why do we do that?

I don't know... but I do. But I value these events and opportunities because I'm learning so much about myself and having to face it. Like I previously said... I had the head knowledge of what I do, but was never fronted with it with some form of accountability. This is such a great growth experience!

Next time... my virtual world becomes a reality... stay tuned.

Berries.... The Gateway Carb

As promised, here is installment two of my struggles with staying on course...British Edition.

Months ago, a friend who is VERY into Jane Austen found this Jane Austen Regency Tea in Carmel, IN and asked if I wanted to go. If you've known me long enough, you know I don't really read, so can't say I had read any Jane Austen and my only movie memory of Jane Austen books made into movies is one that stars Kiera Knightly. And the only thing I remember thinking about that movie involved two male friends commenting on how long her neck was in a Pirates of the Carribean movie and me staring at said long neck. So... Brit Lit isn't really my thing. But... hanging out with friends for a fun experience.... THAT IS MY THING.

So we bought tickets in April, never imagining by June I'd be in a totally different meal plan world.  The event was at Tina's Tea House... this is a legit, owned by a Brit, tea house. She takes her tea seriously. Now, British tea is not just about the drink... there are traditional foods that come along with a tea. NONE of which were really Virta friendly. Finger sandwiches... cucumber and cream cheese, coronation chicken salad, and some cheddar with tomato jam.  Then there were sausage rolls. And then pastries. Cookies, Cakes, Tea Cakes, and scones. Lots of sugary coverings such as lavender jam. The only food 100% Virta friendly was clotted cream.  And boy did I like it. If you've never had it, it's sort of a middle ground between butter and cream cheese... super creamy, super smooth. And so good I brought a jar home with me.

So I tried to Virtafy my foods as much as possible, but have you ever tried to lick cream cheese off of white bread. It doesn't work. I had a bit of success with the chicken salad and pulled the cheese off the other ones. I released my sausage from its phyllo dough casing, and just tried to eat the sausage, but have you ever tried to get all the phyllo dough off of sausage? Not as easy as it sounds. When they came to collect my plate, it looked like I had massacred the pillsbury dough boy with high piles of discarded carbs. In retrospect (like 2 days later retrospecting, I probably could have asked them for sandwiches minus the bread... a few cucumbers with a dollop of cream cheese, a scoop of chicken salad, and a few slices of cheese....but hey..i'm really new at this. :) )

But then there was cake.  I love cake. They were small pieces of cake. Like 1inch by 1 inch. So that wasn't too bad. I only had two. And the cookies were small and only had 1.. but then there were the scones. I needed a carrier for the Clotted Cream... so I chose to just have half of a scone that someone had left behind. And it was all amazing.  For a night, I really didn't care how these choices might affect my numbers.

Virta tells you to expect lapses and relapses. I highly doubt they expect it to be planned.... but for the night that was preplanned, prepurchased, and full of fellowship I decided to put aside the meal plan for the night and play out our Jane Austen tea (sans costumes- some came dressed in full Regency garb, and to them I applaud your time and effort to leave the house wearing a bonnet! )

So I left the tea, happy and with no shame for making alternate choices... I want to live my life and realize I'm running a marathon and not a sprint... so this is all to be expected. The next day I was back on track.... well, until my next social scene... July 4th. Stay tuned for the Fireworks edition....

Cheating and Navigating the Social Scene

Well, we all knew it was bound to happen, right?  NO ONE maintains a diet to the 100th percentile, right? The word "Cheat Day" even appears as an entry in dictionary.com. It's there for a reason. We cheat.

But I thought I was going to be different. I get to eat foods I like, real foods, (not all the foods I like) so why would I ever need to cheat.

And then it happened.

We had an after work dinner outing one night.  Let me correct that. I was the one who planned the after work dinner outing one night. I chose the restaurant. I carefully combed the menu to find Virta-friendly meal options and ate a lighter lunch just in case there were hidden carbs*  in the foods at dinner.

*Let's take a moment to digress and talk about "hidden carbs." If I'm going to get to eat carbs, I want to choose what those are going to be! I don't want to go over on my carb count because that restaurant's version of ranch dressing had 3 carbs instead of 2! Or because they decided to dredge my meat in flour before they cooked it. If I'm going to eat carbs that throw me off, it better darn well be something I want to eat and am going to enjoy! Stupid Hidden Carbs!

OK- Back to the story.  So I have my meal well planned and I execute it well! Yay me!  Not even a crouton touches my lips!  Success! But then, one of my co-workers says, why don't we all go down the street for dessert!!!! Dessert! I love dessert! But... is there going to be anything on the menu I can actually eat? Will I look pitiful with my glass of water while they devour the Key Lime Pie or Sticky Toffee Carrot Cake? Maybe I can get a glass of hot tea and add some cream to satisfy? Sure.. I could just leave the group and go home, but I'm a joiner! I'm social! I don't want to miss the fun!  I'm going!

Upon scanning the dessert menu, I see an option for Fromage and Fruit! Fromage! Cheese! Fruit, not on the meal plan YET, so no fruit. But I can have cheese! I make the assumption that the "fruit" will be a bowl of like melon and oranges, etc. And, that I can just pass those off to someone at the table while I enjoy my Fromage. Bad assumption. The cheese comes out and it's a glorious wedge of cheese with fresh raspberries and blueberries piled high around it. It was almost as if I HAD to eat some of the berries to access the cheese! So I eat a few. And a few more. And you know, that cheese really tasted better when there was a bit of fruit in the same bite. So I eat a few more. Until all the cheese and berries are gone.

I cheated. I ate fruit.  Now, to many of you, you're like... um... there's a lot worse ways you could have cheated... you're probably ok... they are berries. The healthiest of the fruits.  And yes, I did feel a little ridiculous having to admit my first cheat was with berries... but at this point in the program, it's not about being able to eat 'healthy' foods... it's about the fact that we are trying to regulate blood sugars and to some extent, sugar is sugar. It created an insulin reaction in your body. So grrr....  I cheated with berries... the best tasting berries I've ever had. :)  But at least they weren't hidden carbs.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Cheating and Navigating the Social Scene Part 2... British Style.

But really?

Ok.. so you are wondering... can this really work? I know you're thinking, ok Mindy, you're eating BACON every day, cooking everything in BUTTER and adding extra butter just because you can...and your night cap is two spoonfuls of heavy whipping cream. Seriously? The fat will catch up with you soon, right?

The compelling part of this program was based on a 10 week study. 87% of people were off meds after 10 weeks.  Compelling. I decided to embark on the journey based on a 10 week study.  Figured I could do anything for 10 weeks... so why not give it a try, see how I skew their data, and if it doesn't work my beloved gummi bears will be there waiting to take me back in a heartbeat after 10 weeks.

So I've just ended week 4.  I see a trainer at the gym twice a week (something I've been doing long before this). On June 5th, I had him take baseline weight and measurements. Then on July 5th... I had him take them again.

Now, of course, part of the Virta program is a weigh-in every day and so I've seen the scale moving. There are days that you see the scale make big jumps to which my automatic reaction is "oh, I had a big poop last night, so some of that weight will be coming back" (TMI? Nah.. you've all been there... ) But it doesn't.

So what's happened in a month?

11 lbs have disappeared. Gone. They've landed somewhere else, but they aren't here.
BMI and Body Fat measurements are down 2 points each.
Chest, waist, and hips are all down 2 inches EACH.
Thighs down an inch each.
Arms and calves down around .5 inch each.

And, I'm totally off two of my meds. Crazy. Expensive meds. Gone.

I'm still in shock. It's all Just gone. Eating bacon. And butter. And a friendly reminder this is medically supervised (do not try this at home :) )

Why is it working? Because I'm not flooding my system with sugar everyday sending it into a tailspin trying to catch up. Kind of like insurance claims. You have some sort of intervention, it gets billed to insurance, you wait forever for it to clear through their desks and get processed, and then months later you pay a bill for a visit you have long forgotten about, but it's all still adding up. That's what I was doing with sugar in my system.

So no more sugar... body can heal and get caught up. It starts burning fat for energy (which there is plenty to burn) instead of trying to continually process those carbs.

So yeah.. really.

Bouillon? Bouill-off!

OK- so you want to know what I can eat?  Here it is...

30 grams of carbs. A day. 30. If you have no idea how to visualize that... just pick up any item that you normally eat and look at the nutritional information on the packaging. This plus this used to my my typical breakfast. OK... well we all know we don't actually follow the serving size on cereal boxes... so I probably had DOUBLE the total amount of carbs allowed on the new program in ONE MEAL prior to starting on the program.

So what carbs can I eat? Non-starchy vegetables. Pretty much if its green, its allowed. No grains. No fruit. No potatoes. No tomatoes. Did I mention no fruit?  We will come back to that. :) NUTS! I can have nuts.

So what else can I eat? ~15 OUNCES of protein. That's not as limiting as it may sound. You can eat a substantial amount at each meal - like you normally would- and it's not limiting.  I totally have bacon every day. Seems impossible and heart clogging... but they tell me its ok, so I'm going with it!

FAT- the rule with fat is to eat enough to satiate you. My fats of choice... butter... did I mention butter. And whipped cream. I bought one of the fancy whipped cream dispensers where you buy the heavy whipping cream and little cartridges that charge it to aerate the cream and then you magically have whipped cream. I've taken to doing that and adding a bit of water flavoring to it... and so then I have flavored whipped cream on tap! I eat a spoonful or two each evening and it tastes amazingly dessert-ish.

The final element is sodium. To get all science-y on you, there's something about when you cut carbs out of your diet, you need more sodium. Apparently, carbs normally hold the sodium in your system, but with low carbs.. your sodium can drop. So the Virta solution.... BOUILLON. Twice a day.  Like dissolve one cube in a cup of hot water and drink the resulting broth. Twice a day.  So right now there are two camps reading this- those of you that are like, OH, that's just like having a cup of soup each day. Awesome. I love brothy soups!  Easy peasy. And then the other half of you that are like What did you say? Drink some nasty hot bouillon? I don't get it. Why would you do that? And drink it?  No way, Jose.  Which am I, you wonder?

They tell you about this when onboarding and that you just bring it in a thermos and sip on it all morning, then do another one all afternoon.  OK, so I've never drunk broth before. Not a real fan of brothy soups.  But how bad could this be?

Enter Day 1: I bring my Mickey Mouse Tervis Tumbler with me to work... my Virta supplied bouillon cubes in hand (mine were all vegetable bouillion... they said they send a variety of chicken, beef, and veggie. I felt like Charlie Brown at Halloween unpacking my box... You know like where all the other kids are like, I got a lollipop, I got a chocolate bar, and good old Charlie... I got a rock. Three containers of veggie bouillon. Yum. ) But I'm full of hope and excited to get started.

I open a Bouillon cube and put it in the tumbler. Go to the work kitchen and start filling this cup with hot water at the Keurig. And here we go!  Upon taking the first sip... I swear I must have looked like I was being attacked by a roomful of spiders. My arms were flailing, total body shivers, stomping my feet.  That was the worst thing I've ever experience in my entire life. Veggie Bouillon is not really my type of drink.  But, the show must go on. So I get as straw. Maybe sucking it down through a straw the flavor will bypass my tongue and just get that sodium down. Nope. It was like drinking hot, salty celery water. (That actually sounds more appetizing than it was. )  So to finish off the day... I literally just started eating salt. Trust me, it was much more appetizing.

Day 2:  I add salt to everything (even my water.)  It quickly becomes evident that this isn't going to be sustainable (nor was the food enjoyable- just overly salty. )

Day 3: I put out a facebook SOS and hear from a friend who was in the pilot program for this and just went with Salt Tablets instead of the bouillon. Salt Tablets? Im gonna need to know more about those. They say you just ask your pharmacist about them and they will tell you where to find them. Field trip to CVS!!!!! They do indeed keep them behind the pharmacy counter (not sure how salt is contraband, but also not sure I want to know).

So now I'm officially bouill-off! And never been happier. Taking a pill of salt twice a day goes down much better than drinking the Virta kool-aid :)