So, what are you eating?

That's what most people ask when they realize I've lost weight. Having tried so many times to lose with no success, it would be my question, too.

I read the book 20/20- Lifestyles; Metabolic Cure by Mark Dedomenico. Dr. Dedomenico works at a local gym, offering the book along with a full program of exercise, nutrional support, and counseling. I just read the book. I ordered it from my all-time favorite used book shop, www.betterworldbooks.org. I actually scoffed at the plan at first. A friend was trying it and I thought it looked like just another route to the usual diet catch-22. Starve myself, lose no weight, then gain some more once I eat heartily. No thanks.

But then she lost two clothing sizes and I thought I'd better read the book all the way through.

The book suggests following several stages in your eating. I was already eating a very low carb diet, so I chose to begin at the stage just below what I was accustomed to.

For breakfast, I have a protein smoothie, made with plain Jarrow whey protein (from Amazon), frozen bananas, other fruits or flavors, and skim milk. The program recommends using berries only, which is what I did at the outset. For variety, I have tried frozen mangoes (especially good with raspberries, which tend to have the worst seeds) as well as a tropical fruit medley my grocery store offers. I've tried the chocolate flavor, which is especially good with decaffeinated coffee ice cubes and low-fat cottage cheese. I occasionally make a vanilla smoothie with vanilla-flavored powder I found locally. I use an extra half-banana and plain ice in that one.

Lunch is almost always a mixed-greens salad with homemade dressing (balsamic vinegar, evoo, garlic, and a smidge of honey and mustard which helps it emulsify). I add 4 to 6 ounces of very lean protein--usually steak tenderloin--and a few other veggies, such as grape tomatoes, cucumber chunks, chopped peppers, olives, and so on. Dessert is a cup of fresh raspberries.

Most dinners consist of a grilled meat and steamed vegetable. Occasionally I'll make a recipe like Beef Stroganoff without the usual noodles. If I choose a dish that involves more than simply grilling some meat, I try to choose low-fat ingredients, but for the most part I strive for portion control. No more than 6 ounces of very lean protein, lots of vegetables.

And I always have about an ounce of dark chocolate afterwards.

About once a week, when I'm either really hungry or low on supplies, I'll eat some cheese (Beecher's Flagship) and water crackers, which satisfies that need for crunch and cream that is so missing in the world of dieting. Another snack I enjoy from time to time is a Honeycrisp apple with a tablespoon or two of chunky Adams peanut butter.

And of course, I occasionally fall off the wagon. Yesterday we were invited to lunch with Dave's parents. I happily enjoyed a bowl of cream of potato soup and half of a ham sandwich and half of a turkey sandwich. I didn't turn down the delicious dessert. I find I can do that now and then with no consequences. But I suppose doing it daily would be a problem, especially with the dessert.

The other big change to my diet is that I can drink an adult beverage from time to time. Ten years ago I was sure I'd tasted alcohol for the last time. Today I can drink a glass of wine with dinner or have a cocktail (gin and vodka still the safest) with friends. I think the meds make it possible, and that the mouth-guard also makes a difference. I still try to have as much water as alcohol shortly afterwards.

Wellbutrin Update

It's been a week, and I'm now officially off of Nortriptyline and taking only Wellbutrin for the migraines, the ADHD, and the SAD.

And I feel great.  I've kept a daily diary of, well, anything I notice, and it seems to me that I'm not suffering any strange side effects.

I have woken with headaches a couple of times, but I think they were both due to the fact that I'd gone to bed and woken up later than usual. 

I've also stuck with the swimming.  I got started at Intrawest in Palm Desert and have joined the YMCA to keep it up.  I like going on weekdays at three, because that's when they begin pumping in cold water in preparation for swim team practice.  I have the lap lanes to myself.  Today I completed 10 laps, a new personal best.

Tonight I'm trying something very interesting out:  I'm having a vodka tonic.  Dave and I cleaned out our sad little liquor cabinet and had to throw away bottles and bottles (smallish ones) of alcohol that had gone bad.  The Bailey's expired in 1995, and was so thick it couldn't be poured down the sink.  There were black things in the bottom of the gin.  It was yucky!  It will be interesting to find out if I can have a drink and not suffer a migraine.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I had no trouble sticking to my diet, except for one meal.  Omi had made her potato salad so naturally I had to have some of that.  I also ate a piece of "nice cake." I think an occasional indulgence is perfectly acceptable.

My weight is pretty much unchanged.

Can you really live without carbs?

I think many people avoid this diet because it's so hard to imagine life without that familiar bowl of cereal for breakfast.  It's hard to think of a lunch sans sandwich.  And so many wonderful dinner entrees sit on a bed of pasta or rice.  Finally, there's that dessert.  We love our desserts.  Giving all this up sounds hard.

But you know what's hard?  Giving up alcohol was hard.  It's a social activity.  Whenever I got together with co-workers after work, they sneered when I didn't order wine.  They'd ask why I was drinking water or juice.  It feels weird.  But I learned to be brief.  "I have migraines," I'd say.  Then, they'd ask about the headaches instead of my weird beverage choices.

When I confirmed that soy sauce and processed meats really do give me headaches, I thought it would be hard to give them up.  I live in the Pacific Northwest, where we love our teriyaki chicken.  Our family probably got some form of teriyaki take-out three times a month.  Or more.  And giving up processed meats meant giving up those healthy Subway sandwiches that my children loved.  Well, guess what?  Not having headaches is pretty fun, too.

Having my period without the associated migraine is also fun.  And that's what I get from eating no-carb.  Virtually no headaches.

Sure, I miss sugar.  I mainlined hot tea with sugar for years.  But I can drink it without.  I miss my square of dark chocolate after meals.  But I can live without it.  And I really miss fruit juice.  That's going to be the first thing I add back in once I have lost some weight.  But I'm full after each meal.  And if I'm not, I eat a piece of cheese.

I'm not getting headaches.  I can live without the carbs.

So had I known then what I know now.....

Ah, yes....the Monday-morning quarterback. The second-guesser. The guy who says, "I told you so." That's me. I'm very smart about three days after the fact.

So here's what I wish I'd known last week, last month, and last year.

While I'm sitting there digesting the idea of avoiding Aleve for a month (ohmigod, a month; that means I'll have cramps!) the doctor told me a bunch of other stuff to avoid. Instead of sitting there like the RCA Victor dog, I could have gotten head start on some of this.

Alcohol - luckily I did get a head start on this one. It was the second thing the doctor mentioned. Glad I don't have to fight this fight.

Stress - with a stern face, she said, "You know, stress can make this worse." Because that's such a stress-reliever. Lucky again here - I'm a happy stay-at-home mom. But if I had a stressful job, I'd be in big trouble.

Smoking - another lucky strike (sorry, couldn't resist that one). Not a smoker. But if I had to give it up while giving up Aleve, I think I'd die. Seriously.

Caffiene - this one is trickier, as I often medicate with caffiene in one form or another. One strong coffee in the morning, an occasional Diet Coke for lunch, and a strong cup of Earl Grey once or twice a day isn't much caffiene - but it's hard to give up. Especially when I can't have Aleve. So now I look like a really mad RCA Victor dog.

Carbonation - what? No Sprite? No ginger-ale? That's right - no bubbles. No matter how soothing that sounds, no matter what remedy your parents used for tummy troubles. No bubbles.

I think every migraine sufferer uses both Aleve and caffiene in some combination or another. Giving both up - while suffering! - isn't fun. In fact, it's enough to make me want to give up caffiene in my regular life. But I'm gonna need the Aleve.