Prepping for The Plan

kayceeme
kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
Hi all,

I discovered The Plan while watching Dr. Oz. In reading many online reviews it appears that many people have had success following its recommendations. I purchased the Kindle version last week and have read it through. What resonated with me was the idea that sensitivities to certain foods could be behind my difficulty keeping weight off.

I am 55 and have a stubborn 25lbs or so that has settled around my mid-section. With a calorie-restrictive diet coupled with exercise, I am able to lose some of this but find it impossible to maintain for long.

Currently, I am doing the self-tests for yeast and thyroid that are recommended before starting the cleanse that is the first phase of the program.

Are you following The Plan? Has it worked for you? Let's share our successes, questions and challenges here!

Replies

  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I purchased the Nook version of the plan last night so I haven't had a chance to read it through. What I have read resonates with me also.

    I am 56 with about 32 pounds to lose. Like Kayceeme most of it's settled around the mid-section. I've been following a low carb 1400 calorie a day diet. I try and get my 10000 steps in daily but only seem to get 8000 most days. I do strength training two or three times each week. I've been doing this since the 1st of the year and have only lost 3 pounds. It's leaving in ounces and coming back in pounds.

    I'm looking forward to finishing the book and getting on with the tests, etc, that I haven't even read about yet.

    Jocy
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi Jocymc,

    Thanks for your post and welcome to the group!

    Your situation sounds very similar to my own. I never realized how difficult it is to get in 10,000 steps/day until I tried to do it! I have been trying to keep to about 1,200 calories per day which, for me, is very difficult to maintain.

    I have the Kindle version of the book and have read most of it, but I think it will all fit together better once I actually start.

    I tested positive for yeast, so am doing the 7-day course of probiotics that is recommended before starting the program. I found the brand the author recommends at my local Whole Foods. I noticed they also carry the other supplements as well as whole flax seed for making the granola.

    I expect to be shopping for the foods on the diet and doing the food prep this weekend. Looking forward to getting started!
  • Have any of you found Rye crackers in the store? I tried to make my own, but they didn't come out quite right. Would love to know what store you found the crackers in... my local HEB and Walmart stores where a bust.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi montemobil,

    Welcome to the group!

    I'm impressed at you trying to make your own rye crackers! Have you tried making the flax granola?

    I have not yet begun shopping yet but will be doing so this weekend. I feel like I have seen the Wasa brand of rye crackers in my local market in the past. Lyn-Genet also recommends a brand called Ryvit, but that one isn't familiar to me. I do see both brands are available on Amazon, if you want to go that route.

    Will let you know if I am able to find them.
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    Hey montemobile,
    I just use rye crisp, I think the Ryevita brand light rye crisp is what she recommends. Any supermarket will have it in the cracker aisle.
    kayceme, I'm on my second batch of homemade flax granola. My supermarket just added a bulk station where I can get the dark flax seeds pretty cheaply. I also found the light flax over in the specialty baking section where they stock brands like Bob's Red Mill, though his flax seed was a little more than the brand I bought. It's an interesting process to make the granola but not hard. It kind of takes a long time so I soak the seeds on Saturday overnight, then do the slow baking and turning of the granola on Sunday. I make a double batch with 2 cups flax at a time. I add some craisins and sunflower seeds right at the end so they don't roast much.


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  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi bry8lyze,

    Thanks for the prep tips on the granola. I have a nearby grocery store with a good bulk section and will check it out to see if they have the ingredients. How many servings do you get out of the double batch?
  • No, I haven't made the granola. Our stores carry a boxed granola with flax that also has pumpkin seeds. I figured since they are in almost every meal anyway, that variation won't hurt. The brand is Nature's Path, both HEB and Walmart have it here.

    No Rye crisps here either. I've searched the cracker isles, health, foreign foods, deli and end caps. When I ask, every says "Well, we used to carry them. They were right here." The only thing I have been able to find in the store is rye bread. :( Ive given thought to toasting that! The recipe was pretty simple actually, just wish I had rolled them more thin.

    Plan to try fish tonight... wish me luck!
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    It makes about 8 servings, though I don't really measure each serving! But I find it lasts a little over a week. The website at that Columbia County Bread company also give a recipe for their flax granola. It's a little more involved than the one in the book, but it's an interesting read.
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    About the Nature's path flax pumpkin seed granola. I checked that out before starting the 3 day cleanse. Like every brand of granola I've found, it is based on oats, which you should only use after testing because they are high reactive foods. Cereals and granolas often have oats, corn, and other grains that you haven't had time to test when you're first starting out on the Plan. Eating them before you know they're safe foods for you will totally derail your results and invalidate your tests of other foods! That's why I made my own flax granola according to the book's recipe. You just have to get used to reading labels for ingredients!
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    Also if you can't find plan ingredients in your local store, try vitacost.com. They have the flax seeds, get whole raw, not ground meal! They also have the raw almond butter which, is very hard to find! Their prices are good too.
  • scubagal71
    scubagal71 Posts: 14 Member
    I don't think you will find the granola anywhere but the one guy who makes it! All granola has oats in it which is a huge no for detox! I made Lyn's version myself and it is ok, but it is better if you follow the recipe from the guy who sells it- but it makes a ton! It took me 2 days to bake it all!

    The granola is basically flaxseed and water- if you make the book version. If you don't read labels carefully, you will sabotage yourself! So be careful. I will dig up the links for the recipe for the "Columbia" one she recommends, he had it on a blog but removed it when he revamped his site- it is expensive and takes weeks to ship- so I recommend making it yourself.

    I am on day 17, menu day 11 after a setback on Superbowl and having to have several friendly days to get back down- So far I only failed Bread, passed almonds, chickpeas, steak and goat cheese. I tested egg today!
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    Right-on scubagirl! I passed bread but failed steak miserably! I was so happy to have passed the cow mozzarella! I also did fine on rice rye and wheat weight-wise but I find they are responsible for my heartburn! So I limit the grains anyway. I did fine on eggs, goat and sheep cheese and lamb. Tonight I'm testing buffalo! Hope it works because it tastes the same as beef to me, whereas I'm not so fond of lamb. I really want to test fish as well. Everything is a revelation though so I am enjoying the process.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    Thanks so much for all the information. I was going to try and make the granola this weekend.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Note to montemobile,

    I was able to find the rye crackers in my local market. My only problem was there were so many varieties. I chose the Wasa wholegrain.

    These seem to be categorized as an ethnic food--Swedish, I think.
  • Well dang on the cereal... worked for me though. Read the box, but since even the plain granola in store had the oats, just figured it was an "ok" oat. I just don't have the time to make so much stuff. (Got really desperate on the rye crackers.)
  • scubagal71
    scubagal71 Posts: 14 Member
    you got lucky, oats is like 85% reactive, you dodged a bullet, I hope I am so lucky!

    On the "wholegrain" rye is there any other wheat in there? I failed wheat flour (aka Bread) but passed Rye. I used Wasa Lite Rye crackers and my bread for test day was from WF and only had 3 ingredients in it- wheat flour, salt, yeast- so why I didn't care one way or the other about rye, now Rye is all I have until I test other flours (spelt, kamut)- so make sure with whole grain, you don't have wheat or your test might be wonky!
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    Yeah, I'm still waiting on testing oats, and hoping to pass because it would add so much variety to breakfast! But there're so many other foods I want to test before I get to oats. I am finding just about every grain I eat promotes heartburn even if it's ok on the scale so I figure my body doesn't like digesting grains. I think I'll test tomatoes next. It would be great to have them back in my diet but I have been perfecting a fake 'tomatoless' sauce as a substitute. It's made from one butternut squash, steamed or baked and 2-3 small beets, steamed or baked. Mash the squash and beets. If using baked, let cool, peel and scoop flesh into a bowl and mash. Add 1/2 tsp ea. onion powder, italian herbs, basil, and kelp (or 1/8 tsp. sea salt). Add 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 1 T. olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, and 1/2 c. veg or beef broth (homemade broths only, or use water). With a food processor or blender stick, puree until fairly smooth. It will look just like tomato paste at this point! To make a pasta sauce, saute onions and ****ake mushrooms (optional) in a little olive oil with 1 clove garlic and more basil and italian herbs. For chunky sauce, after onions wilt, add 1/2 a summer squash or zucchini, diced. Sautee untill soft then add 2 c. of "tomatoless" paste and 1/4 c red wine to thin. Add 1/4-1/2c more broth to desired consistency. This makes a nice sauce over pasta. You could also saute a tested meat with the onion/squash mixture to make a marinara sauce. Last nite I already had made buffalo meatballs (made with the Plan lamb burger recipe). I served this sauce with meatballs over spaghetti squash. Delicious! You can tell it's not tomato but it sure looks like it and with plenty of garlic and italian herbs it really satisfies that pasta urge! Another super helpful use for this tomatoless paste is to make ketchup! After pureeing the squash and beets but before adding spices, garlic and broth, mix in the lemon juice and take about 3/4 c of paste and set it aside. Add 1 T. red wine vinegar, 1. tsp olive oil, 1/2. tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. cloves and 1/8 t sea salt. Puree again until very smooth. This can be used just like ketchup and tastes surprisingly like it! It will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi scubagal,

    There isn't wheat in the Wholegrain Wasa, except trace amounts and that is in the Lite version as well. Seems like the ingredients are identical. Thanks for the warning though. It's so important to read the labels!
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi bry8lyze,

    Thank you for sharing your pasta sauce recipe. It does sound delicious! You are quite a cook--I would never have thought to do that! Good luck with your tomato test.

    I also would love to add some variety to breakfast. Flax gets old pretty quickly!
  • I just started adding the Chia Power Pudding into my breakfast rotation-wow, yummy, easy and filling. If you haven't downloaded her cookbook off website, I highly recommend it-as well as the seasonal eating plans.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I have trouble with some of the ingredients she suggests. Chia seeds is the main one. I can't afford to pay $12.00 a pound for seeds! I checked on-line and ground flax seed seems to be a good substitute, and it's a lot less expensive.
  • scubagal71
    scubagal71 Posts: 14 Member
    Ground Flax is a big no-no!

    I already learned my lesson not realizing that 2+ weeks in and still eating the flax granola was a mistake, too much flax can upset your estrogen balance, she talks about this in the book. I got stuck on day 5 or 6 (doing w/ my husband so if he failed, I had a rest day too)- and my period started 17 days the last one... and I am convinced it was 14+ days of eating flax.

    So stay away from the ground, it is considered even more problematic! It won't give you the same results as Chia anyway, Chia gels up into little bubbles, flax doesn't.
  • Chia seeds are expensive, however you only need 2 tablespoons for the chia pudding recipes that serves two (you won't believe how much they gel up) so you don't need alot for those.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    Thanks for the advice. I made the Blueberry Pear Compote on a rest day. Only lost .1 pound. The next day I made it but added sunflower seeds for the protein. It didn't gel up but I did lose .6 pounds. No more flax seed for me!
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I broke down and bought some chia seeds. I found them at GNC Nutrition. Nobody else in town had them except Walmart and that was in a 3 lb bag ($36.00). I haven't tried them yet but hope they live up to their hype - and cost.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Yikes! $36!!!!??? That's a of chia seeds! If you have a Trader Joe's, I found a small bag there for $5. I've been adding them to rice cereals to get some of the benefits of flax. They remind me a bit of poppy seeds in size and texture, but then they kind of gel when wet.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    No Trader Joe's in my town. I'm waiting for the new Winco to open next week. It's supposed to have a huge bulk food section and stock many of the things that the current one does not. Hopefully Chia Seeds will be something that they add to their shelves.

    I tried the Pumpkin Pie Pudding for breakfast today. It was super tasty but I was hungry before lunch. Still, I'm going to keep it on my breakfast rotation.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    I haven't tried the pudding or the blueberry pear compote. Those sound good but more cooking than I want to do at breakfast time. But it's easy to throw some chia seeds into my cereal, soups or salads. I kind of like them. Not as

    Hope your Winco store comes through!