My 'drop the coffee project'

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to completely cut off caffeine.I am an official coffee addict.
In the past,I quit coffee two times.I had super energy after the initial blah feeling.But then I would drink a cup of coffee at a friend's house or give company to hubby on a lazy Saturday afternoon by making tea and snacks,and then I would fall all over again to the caffeine addiction world.

On day one,I would need only 1 cup,but then on day 2,I feel like I need them stronger and so on,until I am drinking super strong coffee and/or tea several times a day.

In case you are wondering why I am bothering with giving up coffee,here are just a few of my reasons:

1.My teeth is staining really bad.
2.I have restless sleepless nights.
3.Sometimes I wake up from sleep midnight and can't go back to sleep again.Then I am so tired in the morning,I drink even more extra coffee.That starts a vicious cycle.
4.Coffee gives you false energy only to crash again later.
5.In her book,The Diet Cure,Julia Ross says that any addiction(smoking,alcohol,drugs,caffeine-yes coffee) are all results of a depleted brain chemical.Supplementing with the right amino acids for the brain can effectively stop the addiction.
6.I have also read in Dr Atkins DANDR book, about how some people have trouble losing weight because they are so sensitive to caffeine,their insulin levels rise and they stall.
7.I drank about two cups of Starbucks coffee  the other day and it gave me serious palpitations all night,it was so scary.
8.I always end up drinking very strong coffee  and it has no effect on me,so I drink more cups and I am still tired and groggy all day.
9.If I don't get my coffee fix,I get jittery and foggy,and the withdrawal symptoms really scare me.

I am sure there are more reasons to quit coffee.

Here is my 10 step process

In Dr Hymans book,he talks about a gradual cutting of caffeine over a few days,which minimizes the withdrawal symptoms.Dr Hyman is a Functional medicine doctor who specializes in detoxing the body and eating whole natural foods.

Step 1:Cut caffeine into half.Drink them earlier in the day.
So for example,if you drink 4 cups,you cut them to two,and drink those two earlier in the day.
Step 2.Keep cutting caffeine,until you are down to 1 cup,only in the morning.
3.Gradually reduce the strength of coffee-I use instant coffee,so I started at 2 teaspoons and reduced them to 1/2 teaspoon in a few days.
4.Replace coffee with strong tea.I started out with 3 bags of tea.
5.Cut tea bags until down to 1.
6.Replace 1 tea bag with green tea or yerba mate
7.Replace that with decaf herbal tea.
8.At this point,to be sure,cut out all cocoa powder,chocolates and any other caffeine source to be sure you are completely free off coffee.You can add cocoa and chocolate in moderation later on if needed.
9.Drink lots of herbal tea without sweeteners.
10.Do not casually drink coffee/tea because it just starts another chain of addiction.

Be prepared to drink lots of water to flush out toxins and get lots of extra sleep.Take Advil if you get splitting headaches.

I found that I had no headaches this time.Everything was smooth except a little foggy for the last few days.
I know that will pass and I will have more energy next week.But I did have uncontrollable cravings for sweets and chocolate in the afternoon ,probably due to blood sugar drops without the caffeine.That will stabilize too in the next few days.

I am looking for that fresh energetic feeling I will have when i am not a slave to caffeine anymore.

Mushrooms and coconut milk fish curry

This is a picture of the mushrooms recipe I made from Dana Carpenders Fat Fast Cookbook

And the above is a recipe for coconut fish curry which I will post soon.

Fat Bombs

White Chocolate and dark candy bar fat bombs

Fat bombs are very high fat and are used to increase the fat on a HFLC diet.

Here are the recipes:
Dark candy

1/2 cup of virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
sweetener to taste(I used chocolate stevia drops)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt coconut oil and mix everything together.Pour into molds and freeze for setting.

White chocolate fat bombs
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup Heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup butter

sweetener(I used french vanilla stevia drops)

Melt butter,mix everything together and pour into molds.freeze until set.

Make sure to place the mold on a cookie sheet to prevent overflowing of contents when handling.

High Fat Coffee Latte

High Fat Coffee Latte

1/4 cup Heavy whipping cream
6 oz freshly brewed coffee
sweetener to taste

Blend together in a blender for a frothy latte.I heat it up in the microwave for extra piping hot.
Top with homemade sugar free whipped cream if desired.

Homemade Sugarfree Whipped Cream

I make the most awesome homemade whipped cream in my Magic Bullet .


Pour desired amount of Heavy Whipping Cream into the blender.Make sure to leave some room for expansion.Add sweetener and a drop of vanilla extract.Use the flat blade and lock the blender for about a minute or so until you hear a weird sound.That tells you it is done.

It couldn't get any easier.My kids love love love this and I am happy because I can give them a healthy treat they will actually eat.

You can watch the video here:
Heavy Whipping Cream in seconds

The various health benefits of a Ketogenic Diet

I plan to blog about what a Ketogenic Diet is,but right now I wanted to put together the health benefits that I have noted personally for me ever since I started on this.

1.My moods have stabilized.
2.Hypoglycemia-completely gone.
3.Faint dizzy feeling after eating is gone.
4.Food allergies under control.
5.PMS symptoms all gone without a trace.
6.Improved skin tone
7.Puffiness and bloating on face gone.
8.Bloated protruding tummy reduced.
9.Indigestion and heartburn cured.
10.My fungal nail infection on my toe that was there for 15 years disappeared completely without a trace.
11.I do not have to take OTC painkillers for PMS cramps.
12.My sweet cravings are under control.
13.I do not experience the afternoon slump anymore.
14.I am satisfied with just a little amount of food.
15.I have lost inches off my tummy that never seemed to go away no matter what I did(of course I also have a Diastasis,still working on it)

I am sure there are plenty more,but I love the way I feel when on this diet.

Starting Measurements

OK here are my stats:
Starting weight : 185.6
Goal Weight :150
Height : 5'6"

Body Measurements
arms :12"
neck :14"
chest(under arms):37"
bust:40.5"
waist:33"
tummy:36-39"
hips:39"
butt:42"
thighs:22"
calves:14"
(to be done)
BodyFat:
BMI:
Muscle Mass:

Size Large,12/14 mostly

That is all I can think of.

I plan to update here every month or so.