If I hadn’t made this 93-day thing public, I’d have a mouth full of muffin right now and then tomorrow I’d spend the day with an aching stomach. 

So, thank you for being here. As it is, I have lentil breath and my guts are…calm. 

Yesterday I met with my chiropractor Dr. Mark Lucas, and he set up a month-long eating plan. It’s called Moderation. It’s pretty basic—I’m on it to 1. Get my blood sugar balanced so I’m less moody, less prone to depression, less angling for carbs, and 2. Get my poops to go in the toilet and not in my pants. (There’s no big mystery as to why I’m single.)

Just to be up front. I’m a cheater. I started this yesterday morning, and I had coffee. I also had coffee today. I’m hoping Dr. Mark doesn’t read this because I’ll give up the morning glory muffins and the half pound burgers with bacon and cheese, but I start fantasizing about my Bulletproof coffee right about now, early evening. It’s a reason to go to bed—so I can wake up and have my cup a joe.

Maybe the coffee is why sometimes I have poop issues. If I follow this plan and I still am running home saying the f word then I’ll drop the coffee. But for now, it stays.

 So. One more thing. I used to have an eating disorder a long time ago when I was in my twenties. I love that I don’t worry about food anymore and that I eat what I want. I am proud of that, in fact. So I head towards any talk of diet modification carefully. I am not trying to get skinny so that you will like me or so that I will feel beyond reproach or so that I will take up less space. I’m doing this eating plan because I want to be a pirate or a bank robber or Captain Fantastic, and to be any of those folks, I need to feel solid in my shoes and to have a stomach that is telling my brain that all is good in the world.

Not everyone reading this is adopted, but for those who were, I think interesting things happens to many infants’ guts when they are relinquished by their mothers. I think I have been living with a stressed digestive system my whole life, and I just keep stressing it by asking it to digest things it just doesn’t like (dairy, gluten, sugar, huge portions). However, you don’t have to be relinquished or adopted to have gastrointestinal disorders. You can just live in this world, so welcome to the club.

With all that said, I want to eat in a way that will give my guts a break. I want to treat myself like a high-performance athlete, and eat to win. And by win I mean I want to feel really good in my skin. It’s not about the number on the scale. It’s not about whether I have a belly or I don’t have a belly. It’s about whether I wake up in the morning feeling good. It’s about whether late in the afternoon I feel like a human or a hungry, crashing monster who will kill someone if she doesn’t have a scone or some caffeine. 

I recorded my conversation with Dr. Mark and tomorrow I'll type it up so you can read it. In this post, I’ll copy the first page of the paperwork he gave me. He consults with people about nutrition for a living, so I can’t give away all the paperwork he provided, but you can always schedule a visit or a phone appointment with him if you want to go into more depth. This guy knows his stuff. He works with all sorts of people, including members of the San Jose Sharks hockey team. He has been generous with his time with me so I can share it with you, and it’s really not all that complicated.

 

Dr. Mark’s Fundamental Food Plan:

Proteins: 

Eat small amounts of proteins frequently. Have protein at the very least as your three main course meals daily. It’s okay to eat 5-6 small meals daily. Never eat more than 4 ounces of proteins in a sitting. Best sources are eggs, beef, chicken, fish. Pork is okay when it is well-done and served in small portions. Grilled, broiled, steamed, soft boiled, poached are all okay. Don’t fry in oil.

Vegetables:

The more the better. Use green leafy types in your smoothies. Eating vegetables raw is best, but you can also steam or saute. Saute only in butter or olive oil. In salads you can use raw nuts as your croutons. Don’t juice. Blending is preferred. You want all the fiber and plant cellulose. This regulates the blood sugar impact and aids digestions. Use greens in small amounts as you are not a cow. Your gut in not designed to digest large quantities of leafy greens on a continuous basis. 

Fruits and Berries:

Follow the cart for low-glycemic fruits and berries. Once again, do not juice: blend instead.

Carbs and grains:

Avoid grains as much as possible. Your vegetables and fruits will make up your carbohydrates. 

Fats: 

Good fats are good food. Butter, olive oil, flax oil, black current seed, wheat germ oil, primrose oil, walnut oil, and fish oils are all good. Try and have a serving of fat with each meal. Avocados are popular, but don’t go hog wild and eat one with every meal. Be smart about it.

Dairy:

Butter…yes and yes. Yogurts are fine as long as they have single-digit carbohydrates, which typically means plain yogurt, but (and this pertains to everything) you can sweeten it up with ½ teaspoon of locally grown honey, fresh herbs or spices.

Macro diet:

Carbs, proteins, and fats are your three macro categories of food. A balanced diet is best: your macro count should like this: 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat.

No no’s:

Sodas, coffee (except if your name is Anne or whatever your name is), juices (unless unsweetened) and only 4 ounces at a time. (This is where I start to rebel. I love Dr. Mark but I sneeze four ounces at a time. In my head I’m replacing “4 ounces” with “moderation.”)

Teas are okay, especially green and herbal. Drink filtered water. Love it. 

 

That was how I ate today. I feel good. I’m tired, but it’s a clean tired. I’m a little angry I can’t have tequila or chocolate cake (neither thing is part of my regular diet—it’s wild what you crave when you ease off the sugar), but when I think about how I want to feel at the end of 93 days, like a kid who's excited to spend the whole day running around, thinking only of what she will do next instead of, What can I eat next so my head will feel clearer? Or I hope there’s a toilet nearby, etc etc. 

I am not doing this to be good. I’ve had it with good. I’m doing this to have fun. 

Just to be clear. 

Xoxo

 

 

Mark Lucas. Proactive Healthcare. San Jose, CA