I am hoping to do the FMD method of eating again. As I get older, I realize I need more motivation to take charge and get my weight to a healthy level. I recently shared a post about my efforts to improve my health called Improving My Health One Day At A Time. FMD is a proven method of eating that still falls in line with the principals I shared that were important to me.
However, I haven’t used FMD for a couple of years. It has been on my mind to start again. It is a wonderful way of eating and rotating the main sources of energy: carbs, proteins, and fats during the week for a total of 4 weeks or 30 days. However, I struggled the last time I did the program. I had challenged myself to do 90 Days, but I was going through some health challenges that I couldn’t figure out, I struggled to eat as planned 5 times a day, afford the amount of protein, and I desired my favorite comfort “foods” which are sweet creamy coffee, honey, and dairy.
I first used FMD in 2013 and had lost 18 lbs in 30 days on it. I saw several improvements in my health from the nutrition program and fuel source rotation. Besides the rotation of fuels (carbs, proteins, and fats) each week, there are a few foods (corn, wheat, white potatoes, sugar, honey, dairy, and coffee are the main ones) that are completely eliminated for 30 days to help give the thyroid and adrenal glands a rest, remove candida overgrowth, and rev up the thyroid which increases the metabolism. Hence the acronym FMD stands for Fast Metabolism Diet.
At one point while trying to figure out what was going on with my health, and desiring more sweets and comfort foods, I tried a different meal program called THM that is similar to FMD, but it includes cycles through the carbs and fats more often as long as they are spaced at least 3 hours apart. THM also includes more food varieties including lots of deserts, comfort foods, and ice cream, and only eliminates sugar, wheat (unless it is sprouted first), and white potatoes, but still includes lots of dairy (cheese, butter, yogurt, etc) and creamy coffee. It really is a terrific program and I was able to loose some weight (at about 1/2 the rate of FMD but more satisfying) but my my health issues, hives, continued and I suspected I was also allergic or intolerant of the main sweeter used in that diet called Stevia and a Stevia Erithrytal Blend. I also tried the Low Carb plan that so many folks have been able to loose lots of weight on and is similar to Phase 2 of FMD for a little bit that keeps carb intake below 20g a day, and again it brought my weight down a few more pounds. But on Low Carb (LC) it was really hard to go with only 20 carbs per day, all week, with no treats, and my allergy to something I was eating continued. So I gave up trying the different diets / meal plans for a while.
FMD focuses on eating 5 times a day, with a focus on protein. It divides a week into 3 Phases alternating pairing proteins with the other fuels of fats and carbs. It is generally considered a 4 week plan to help you rev up your metabolism but can be a forever plan if you desire. I’ve listed out what is in each Phase below under the heading “Meal Plan For 1 Week”.
Below is also a food journal entry I made last time I followed FMD in 2015, and I thought I would share it online today to help motivate myself (and anyone else who might need a little push) to get started again and make health a priority. Sometimes just putting something in front of your view is enough motivation to move forward. I used to record my foods, supplements, and how I felt about the day in my food journal. Sometimes I also noted how much water or exercise I had. I should have been more diligent to record more details at that time because it helped me succeed back in 2013. As you can see from the meals I ate, if I repeat a meal plan like this, I will need to make adjustments for the elimination of eggs when I make the new meal plan. You can see more food journal entries and goals from that season of my life the post meal planning strategy and my 15 Goals for 2015. You can see lots of food photos of what I am ate on my Instagram account if you are interested.
When I journaled this particular week back in 2015, I had joined an online challenge group for FMD and was really excited about it. However, I failed at getting through the full 90 day challenge (three sets of 30 days). 30 days is the normal length of the program, and I struggled to make it an ongoing lifestyle vs. just a 30 day or 90 day plan.
The main problem I was having doing FMD (and THM and LC too) at the time was an allergy to eggs that I didn’t realize I had developed. You can use several different sources of proteins on FMD, but sometimes you need a protein with a fat such as whole eggs, and sometimes just a lean protein such as egg whites. I was relying on eggs for protein as they are inexpensive and I had my own flock of chickens that gave us fresh eggs daily. However, without realizing the cause of my health issue, I believe I made it worse. I was having hives on my hands and fingers that worsened every time I put them in water. Doing dishes literally made them crack and bleed as well as itch like crazy. It took me a long time to solve the riddle of what was happening. After a couple of years of trying to figure it out, and having given up following any specific diet plans, the last thing I eliminated from my meals was eggs and that finally stopped the hives.
I would have never guessed that could happen to me. I loved eggs. I loved having my chickens. The irony of being back on the homestead, with my beautiful chickens producing wonderful eggs, and I couldn’t have them. It truly was bitter sweet. I suspect the egg allergy is related to a flu shot I received while pregnant. I learned through doing research into various medical studies that people can develop allergies to proteins that have been injected into the blood stream. When the blood comes in contact with a foreign protein in the blood stream, the body creates antibodies to attack those proteins and increases the histamine and inflammation response. So every time I ate eggs, my histamine went into overdrive.
It has been a huge adjustment in my life to cut eggs out of my diet for the past year and a half. I wasn’t sure I could ever do FMD or any meal program again as I didn’t know how to substitute the eggs and not violate the rules of when to eat proteins with fats and just egg white protein. The main egg substitutes I found that actually work for use in baking are flax seeds (fat), or bean water (carbs) and neither of these meets the requirement on Phase 2 for lean protein only, and flax could only be used on Phase 3. So right there I could not longer use boiled eggs on days for protein in my snacks and whole eggs for protein and fat, or any baking, or even using egg whites in tuna salad. So I couldn’t quite figure out how to solve this dilemma.
Because I really want to do FMD again, and repeat the success I once had, I recently wrote to FMD and asked them what they would recommend. Their simple answer was to eliminate eggs and find some other source of allowed protein. Simple solution. I just need to accept my limitations with the diet and try again and use only recipes that don’t need eggs or if a substitute for eggs works during that phase without working against it, then go ahead and use the recipe and sub the eggs. Frustrating to have to make these changes, but doable if I put my mind to it.
One other thing about FMD is to include some exercises. During phase 1 it is cardio focus, Phase 2 is weight resistance focus, and Phase 3 is a stretching focus. Once again, I felt like I had a roadblock to using this part of the program. I have a foot injury and haven’t been able to walk long on my foot. It has made getting any amount of exercise that involves walking difficult. When I did the program before, I was able to take lots of walks, and also went to YMCA. But that is not an option now. I think combining the low impact program called Ttapp for regular exercise will meet this need.
Meal Plan for 1 Week:
Here is one of my journal entries on FMD from 2015.
Phase 1 (Monday & Tuesday)
Breakfast:
Fruit
Grain/Bean
Snack:
Fruit
Lunch:
Fruit
Protein
Veggie
Grain/Bean
Snack:
Fruit
Supper:
Protein
Veggie
Grain/Bean
Phase 2 (Wednesday & Thursday)
Breakfast:
Protein
Veggie
Snack:
Protein
Lunch:
Protein
Veggie
Snack:
Protein
Supper:
Protein
Veggie
Phase 3 (Friday & Saturday & Sunday)
Breakfast:
Fruit
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Grain/Bean
Snack:
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Lunch:
Fruit
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Snack:
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Supper:
Grain/Bean
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Monday:
Phase 1 Day 1 (FMD)
B- Rainbow Turkey Chili
S- Clementine
L- Tuna and Green Apple Salad, Sweet Potato
S- 1/2 Serving Strawberry GGMS (2 strawberries, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 Tbls Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp ginger, 2 cups water, stevia to taste)
D- Red Onion Spinach Sage Burger with Tomato Romane Lettuce on 1 slice of Sprouted Bread, cucumbers, radishes
S- 1/2 Serving Strawberry GGMS (2 strawberries, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 Tbls Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp ginger, 2 cups water, stevia to taste)
Supplements: 2 tablets Kelp, 3 tablets Spirulina, 2000mg Vitamin C, and 500 mg Vit D
I was so hungry at breakfast, I decided to eat the chili for breakfast that I had planned to serve for lunch, and then I had to make something else at lunch. I know it wasn’t exactly correct to eat for my breakfast that was supposed to be a grain, protein, veggie and fruit. It was legumes instead of grains. But it was so delicious and nutritious!
I put the recipes and everything I ate into My Fitness Pal to help me keep track of my progress. I love this app. It calculates so many great things for me and lets me know if I am under or over my goals.
Also I know I am not going to bed early enough, and I am also not drinking enough water so these are things I need to change this week.
Here are pictures of my main meals today, but not the snacks. Recipes coming soon!
Rainbow Turkey Chili
Tuna and Green Apple Salad seved with a sweet potato.
Red Onion, Spinach, and Sage Turkey Burger
Served with lettuce and tomato on sprouted Ezekiel bread, and a side of cucumbers and radishes.
Tuesday:
Phase 1 Day 2 (FMD)
Repeat meals from Monday
Wednesday:
Phase 2 Day 1 (FMD)
B- Mini Frittatas, cucumbers, and bell peppers
S- 0
L- Grilled Chicken and Turkey Bacon on Salad.
S- Lemon Lime GGMS (lemon and lime juice, water, raw vinegar, ginger, on plan sweetner to taste) basically a fancy lemonade.
D- Sirloin Steak and Egg White on Salad
S- Off plan: Tiny bite of son’s 10th birthday cake and ice cream.
Supplements: Spirulina, Kelp, Vit. C, Vit. D
Good day. I drank 64 ounces of liquid plus the GGMS.
Still need to increase it more, but I am pleased with the progress.
I did have a bite off of son’s cake and icecream that was not on plan,
but it was important to him that I share a bite, so I am just going to trust
that it will not throw off my progress. He wanted me to eat a bite with him, but I did not have a plate or bowl, I just took a bite with my finger and then took a bite of his icecream from the scooping tool. He was satisfied with that. First thing this moring, I created a Phase 2 Mini Frittata recipe that I was happy with too and have extras in the fridge for tomorrow. But I ended up eating breakfast later than I should have and didn’t feel up to eating a snack before lunch. I had so many veggies in my meals today that I could not get down snacks in between the meals. My stomach is so full, even now at bed time.
Thursday:
Phase 2 Day 2 (FMD)
B- 2-Mini Frittatas, cucumbers,
S- 1-Mini Frittatas
L- Stuffed Mushrooms (from the FMD book)
S- Lemon Lime GGMS (lemon and lime juice, water, raw vinegar, ginger, on plan sweetner to taste) basically a fancy lemonade.
D- Groundbeef with veggies
S- O
Supplements: Vit. C,
I felt very tired today. This always seems to happen to me when I eat meals on Phase 2 which are low-carb and low-fat on the same day. I find Phase 2 the hardest of the three Phases. I had hoped to create a great breakfast and make homemade chicken sausage, but I was too tired. I did not want to cook. So I just ate leftover frittatas from yesterday, and I was really glad to have them on hand or I may have skipped eating altogether.
I did make one easy recipe called stuffed mushrooms, that I had prepped the day before so the only thing I had to do was remove it from the fridge and bake it. I was so glad I did because the flavors are so wonderful.
I drank 80 ounces of liquids, a lot better than I have been drinking for a long time. Still need to increase more fluid, but I am pleased with the progress.
Here are a few pictures of my food today.
Mini fritatas
Stuffed Mushrooms
Lemon Lime GGMS
Friday:
Phase 3 Day 1 (FMD)
B- Chicken sausage patty, eggs, zucchini and mushroom saute, sprouted toast, blueberries
S- 0
L- Coconut Chicken Curry (from the FMD book)
S- Greek Chicken Garden Meatball
D- Grilled Chicken Breast on sprouted bread with bacon, lettuce, and tomato
S- GGMS (sugarfree lemonade with ginger and raw vinegar)
Supplements: Vit. D, Vit. C, Kelp, Spirulina, Redwine Extract, Bilbery Extract, Coconut Oil, Accidophilis, Enzyme blend.
So excited today to get back to fats, fruits, and sprouted BREAD!
I ate breakfast late and skipped the morning snack and went right into lunch. Somtimes it is hard for me to work in a morning snack in the winter if I ate a big breakfast. I am just not hungry inbetween breakfast and lunch.
I drank 48 ounces of liquids, and I need to do better.
Here are a few pictures of my food today.
Chicken Sausage, Overeasy Eggs, Sprouted Toast, Zucchini Mushroom Saute, Blueberries
Coconut Chicken Curry
Greek Chicken Garden Meatballs
Grilled Chicken & Sprouted Bread Sandwhich
Saturday:
Phase 3 Day 2 (FMD)
B- Berry Green Smoothie, egg salad, turkey bacon, sprouted toast, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery, carrots
S- 0
L- Pizza on sprouted tortilla (beef, mushrooms, pepper, onions, pepperoni)
S- Bulletproof Coffee (black coffee, butter, coconut oil, truvia, vanilla) This is my cheat food today and is not FMD approved)
D-
S- 1/4 cup roasted cashews, Lemon Lime GGMS
Supplements: Vit. D, Vit. C, Kelp, Spirulina, Red Wine / Grape Extract, Bilbery Extract, Coconut Oil, Accidophilis, Enzyme blend. Missing all this week was my calcium supplement and liquid herbal iron supplement. I should have taken them, even though I don’t like the taste. I want to add in cod liver oil during phase 3, but I forgot to do it. I normally would take CLO every few days or so, but since I am on this plan I would like to be sure and include it during Phase 3 when fats are encouraged.
Sunday:
Phase 3 Day 3 (FMD)
Repeated leftover meals from Saturday.
Phase 3 is my favorite phase. I love the comforting feeling of healthy fats, nuts, seeds, fruits, and sprouted BREAD! I Love Phase 3!