Experimenting

Things have been pretty stressful for me lately- there's too much going on that I would rather not get into detail about, but I can say that it has affected my "diet" significantly.

And there's part of me that just doesn't care enough to buckle down and start tracking again... though, I MAY decide to start up with writing down foods (not necessarily amounts or calories- just that I ate, say, "Kodiak Cake Flapjacks with butter and syrup" for breakfast).

Instead, to keep myself from going too far overboard, I've been doing an experiment.

I went out to PA on Saturday and bought 2 gallons of raw milk. Since Sunday, I've been filling a 12 oz Thermos (that I store in the freezer) with milk and drinking it with each meal. Even meals out of my house... if I know I may be out for a while, I'll fill all 3 Thermoses with milk and pack it with an ice pack JUST for added security.

That's it. No other major changes... aside from bringing my own smaller, divided plate to Wednesday night pot-luck style dinners at church (but, while that does get me into eating half a plate of produce, the main reason is to keep certain foods from touching since we're not allowed to serve ourselves.

I'm finding that without trying to change my eating habits, I'm eating less food even if I start out feeling just as hungry. Before, I'd eat two slices of whole grain toast with half an avocado, 2 eggs, and arugula (plus a side of fruit- maybe an orange). Now, I think I'd actually be ok with half the amount of avocado toast... well, physically. Mentally, a quarter of an avocado makes me a little sad).

Yes, I'm aware that there are risks with drinking raw milk (but there are also risks with eating spinach, tomatoes, and cantaloupe). I am also aware that a cup of whole milk has around 150 calories (and I'm drinking closer to 10-11 ounces since I only fill the thermos up to where I can put the lid on- 12 oz is up to the rim). However, if my next step is to start adding in more fruits and veggies, then maybe I'm onto something here. After all, if by drinking under 200 calories of milk, I can cut 232 calories of something else from my avocado toast breakfast, then maybe I'm onto something. The savings right now aren't significant, but it does add up, and if I start replacing more high calorie foods with more vegetables, this could at LEAST help keep me from going insane while I try to sort through things on a personal level.
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Replies

  • I'm unsure of what your trying to accomplish by this experiment.

    That makes two of us :neutral:

    Are you trying to make yourself feel fuller by having milk with your meals?
  • JeanLaw131
    JeanLaw131 Posts: 78 Member
    edited August 2016
    Huh?
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
    Maybe it would help us understand if you explained more about what your hoping to accomplish by adding in extra servings of milk?
  • MagicalGiraffe
    MagicalGiraffe Posts: 102 Member
    Wow, someone said if we said your name 3 times in a row you would appear. I shouldnt have doubted them!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    I'm a little confused too?

    But in general, a typical strategy for eating less calories is to fill up on lower cal items that replace calorie dense stuff. Like increase the amount of veggies in your dinner while decreasing the amount of heavier stuff.

    Having said that, drinking 10 oz of whole milk a day would make me nauseous. And I don't understand why you would replace the avocado part of your breakfast with milk? Nothing wrong with avocado.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm a little confused too?

    But in general, a typical strategy for eating less calories is to fill up on lower cal items that replace calorie dense stuff. Like increase the amount of veggies in your dinner while decreasing the amount of heavier stuff.

    Having said that, drinking 10 oz of whole milk a day would make me nauseous. And I don't understand why you would replace the avocado part of your breakfast with milk? Nothing wrong with avocado.

    And it sounds like they are drinking 30oz per day... That's a lot of milk.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm a little confused too?

    But in general, a typical strategy for eating less calories is to fill up on lower cal items that replace calorie dense stuff. Like increase the amount of veggies in your dinner while decreasing the amount of heavier stuff.

    Having said that, drinking 10 oz of whole milk a day would make me nauseous. And I don't understand why you would replace the avocado part of your breakfast with milk? Nothing wrong with avocado.

    And it sounds like they are drinking 30oz per day... That's a lot of milk.

    Oh man, yeah.
    OP, that's like 400 calories of milk! I can't imagine you will be able to keep doing that for very long without getting sick of it.
    If you don't want to log, focus on eating more of higher volume, low cal options like veggies, and eating reasonable portions of everything. But restricting yourself too much, either by eating too little or trying to eat a lot of one specific item, is a recipe for burnout IMHO.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    mark me down as someone who is also massively confused by this "experiment"....

    OP - do you think that drinking raw milk is somehow going to speed up fat loss????
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    my take on this is that she is suggesting that all the milk drinking has caused her to cut down on actual food, because the milk fills her up, and she hopes to lose weight like this - well of course milk will fill her up as it has calories too!! I choose not to drink my calories - I would prefer a bowl of cracker chips to a glass of milk any day.

    And BTW, my dad told the brown cow/chocolate milk thing to me and my sister too!!
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    ftsolk wrote: »
    Things have been pretty stressful for me lately- there's too much going on that I would rather not get into detail about, but I can say that it has affected my "diet" significantly.

    And there's part of me that just doesn't care enough to buckle down and start tracking again... though, I MAY decide to start up with writing down foods (not necessarily amounts or calories- just that I ate, say, "Kodiak Cake Flapjacks with butter and syrup" for breakfast).

    Instead, to keep myself from going too far overboard, I've been doing an experiment.

    I went out to PA on Saturday and bought 2 gallons of raw milk. Since Sunday, I've been filling a 12 oz Thermos (that I store in the freezer) with milk and drinking it with each meal. Even meals out of my house... if I know I may be out for a while, I'll fill all 3 Thermoses with milk and pack it with an ice pack JUST for added security.

    That's it. No other major changes... aside from bringing my own smaller, divided plate to Wednesday night pot-luck style dinners at church (but, while that does get me into eating half a plate of produce, the main reason is to keep certain foods from touching since we're not allowed to serve ourselves.

    I'm finding that without trying to change my eating habits, I'm eating less food even if I start out feeling just as hungry. Before, I'd eat two slices of whole grain toast with half an avocado, 2 eggs, and arugula (plus a side of fruit- maybe an orange). Now, I think I'd actually be ok with half the amount of avocado toast... well, physically. Mentally, a quarter of an avocado makes me a little sad).

    Yes, I'm aware that there are risks with drinking raw milk (but there are also risks with eating spinach, tomatoes, and cantaloupe). I am also aware that a cup of whole milk has around 150 calories (and I'm drinking closer to 10-11 ounces since I only fill the thermos up to where I can put the lid on- 12 oz is up to the rim). However, if my next step is to start adding in more fruits and veggies, then maybe I'm onto something here. After all, if by drinking under 200 calories of milk, I can cut 232 calories of something else from my avocado toast breakfast, then maybe I'm onto something. The savings right now aren't significant, but it does add up, and if I start replacing more high calorie foods with more vegetables, this could at LEAST help keep me from going insane while I try to sort through things on a personal level.

    First off, let me say I wish I could easily get my hands on some raw milk! We used to get a coupld of gallons every week when I was a girl and my mom made the most wonderful yogurt, Kefir, and pot cheese from it. Of course, she ended up pasteurising it by baking it in the oven before letting it cool to the correct temp to start the ferment. However, the only one in the family who drank milk raw was my dad, and he didn't get much opportunity for that cause my mom would use it right away to make her dairy dishes. I have tasted it, and like it's flavor, but it's color put me off it (I was a picky eater child).

    Secondly, many, if not most, of us who have been on the 'losing train' for a long time have had periods where we slacked off and done experiements as a means of fostering some interest is our food intake or activity; if that works for you, then no one else's opinion except perhaps your doctors should matter. Although, many might not call their new plans as experiements.

    The only concern for your health that I have from your drinking so much milk in a day is the amount of calcium you are getting. An 8-ounce glass of milk has about 300 mg of calcium, and someone between 19 and 59 needs to get between 1000 and 2000 mg a day ... but, don't forget that calcium also exists in other foods besides just milk. Too much calcium can be problematic down the road for you, as you age. Also, your raw milk is not fortified with Vitamin-D, like processed milk is, so you might not be getting enough of that element.

    Otherwise, good luck and I hope you get your groove on soon so you can continue feeling successful in your weight-loss journey.


  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    "Getting sick from raw milk can mean many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Less commonly, it can mean kidney failure, paralysis, chronic disorders, and even death."
    http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html#risks

    Pasteurization is definitely a good idea when milk comes from unsanitary dairies. But in our n=5 for 10 years, none of us got sick from raw milk.

    I grew up drinking unpasteurized milk from a nearby farm too. It was delicious, and back then, when my siblings and I were skinny twigs, we would fight for the cream that rose to the top. Yum. I remember feeling indignant when I heard they were shut down for selling raw milk. But how would we really know how sanitary their operation was? That same CDC website I quoted also says that raw milk is the riskiest of all foods. Why take a chance?

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Why take a chance? Cause it's yummy :)

    Seriously though, I drink raw milk all the time. I know the farmer, see the operations, no what the cows see fed and not fed, so it doesn't seem all that risky to me. YRMV