Staying Steady

So I'm happy at my 153 pounds, though I go up and down by 2 pounds depending on what i'm eating. Maintenance is possible.

I have been doing a clean eat from Mondays to Fridays. I discovered an amazing low carb bakery that makes flax power cookies that really get me through the afternoon hump!

When I go out on weekends, I eat what I want. Hell I've eaten bad! But I know it's okay because come Monday, I'll be eating clean again.

I'm not eating as clean as when I was doing Bernstein. I do have more protein that I'm allowed, I have low carb foods (e.g. atkins bars, but be careful they are high in fat!), and I definitely indulge in a dry wine (it has no carbs!).

This is the best thing I've ever done. No more yo-yoing, no more worrying about whether I will balloon up, no more guilt when I have a bad meal. Who knew sugar was such a bugger?

Cookies and Haters 

Current weight: 155.0
Total weight loss: 35.6 lbs

I've been travelling a lot, so going on and off the injections. I have two weeks left. It has been totally possible to travel, go to work, be busy, and still be healthy. You just need to focus on the goal. I am getting love from some, hate from others. This weight loss has made me realize there are people who cannot see others succeed. I think most of them want to criticize because they do not want to acknowledge the will power it takes to be healthy because that would require recognizing that they lack the determination they see in me. My work place serves freshly made pastries daily. I don't eat any and I hear comments from my colleagues. "Oh you and your healthy eating!". I feel like turning around and saying, "Oh you and your unhealthy eating!". Of course, my comment would be insulting, even though theirs is equally insulting. Another friend messaged me on Facebook and said, "stop losing weight, are you trying to become sexy?". I responded and said, "first of all, I already was sexy, second of all, if i'm getting sexy, why would I stop?". In a way, this diet has been a great learning lesson. It helps you identify which people are actually supportive and happy to see you happy, and which ones do not want to see you look like a million bucks. I think I need to go on a social circle diet and shave off the excess "friends".

Back on Track

I had a two week break. By break, I mean I made wise decisions on a day to day basis and ate clean, but did go out on three separate nights where I ate (non carb) foods that are no-no's and socially drank on those three nights too (5 glasses of white wine in total over 3 nights). Mentally, I was exhausted of peeing in a cup and getting weighed. I didn't gorge or feel guilty that I wasn't strict. Weighed in 2 weeks later and had even lost 0.4 lbs. It's not much, but it shows that I have morphed into the lifestyle where I can maintain, while being able to have some normalcy in my social life. Back to Bernstein now. I want to get down to the 155 which they recommended and keep it there!

Current weight: 160.8
Total lost: 29.8 lbs (almost 30!)

Plateau

So my weight loss has been slowing down. I'm 161.2, very close to my initial goal of 160. I still want to lose more weight, 150 eventually. I have 2 weeks left of Bernstein and don't think I will make it to my Dr. B "goal weight" of 155 by then. I'm losing about 1-2 pounds a week, which is healthy, and makes sense, as I have a lot less fat to lose. Thing is, you don't qualify for their "4 weeks of maintenance" unless you hit your goal weight. It doesn't make financial sense for me to keep paying for full strict weeks to get the free 4 maintenance weeks, as 1 full week = 6 weeks of maintenance. Kinda stuck now. Will post again!

Unrobed

Weight today: 162.2

Total weight loss: 28.4 pounds

Oh yes and I've decided that my original plan of 160 is not good enough as I still have abdominal fat (the main culprit behind diabetes!). I'm going to abide by the guidelines based on my height (recommended 145-155 lbs). I will aim for smack in the middle at 150. 

My clothes all hang off of me. I cannot believe that I used to fill out all that space!!! I have gone from a tight 12 to a loose 10. I'm down a bra size (not cup, just circumference!). Most tops I used to wear were always size Large, sometimes XL, mayyyyybe mediums. Now, I mostly wear SMALLS!!! SMALL! I don't think i've worn a small since I was 13. It's an amazing feeling. I didn't even think I could fit in a small based on my frame! Everytime I get mopey from eating the same boring foods everyday, I go clothe trying. It definitely puts things back into perspective for me. 

Ketosis Blues

For one whole week, I wasn't showing on the sticks. It was becoming very frustrating. I was doing everything right, but no show. The nurse mentioned that I should monitor myself through different parts of the day as some people burn during the day. I was horrified since I had learned online that morning is the time you're most likely to spill ketones into your urine.

Whaddya know? Mornings I show nothing, evenings i'm burning! Turns out my body is just different. Now I take two samples, one evening and one morning so that they stop taking my bloody fruit away. It's nice to know that my body is actually burning fat. Tracing is also a great place to be. As I mentioned before, you don't want to go for dark shades as it indicates dehyrdation. Ketosis is a state, it has no degrees.

WATER WATER WATER

I had a stunted week where I only lost one pound. I was 169.0, and one week later, at 168.0.

Very frustrated, I racked my brain to see what it was that was interfering with my weight loss. The nurses insisted it was water. Yes, I wasn't drinking as much (due to a new job that I had just started), but really? Water?

I put it to the test. I went back to drinking like a fish and dropped 2 pounds fast. Apparently ketosis needs water to flush fat out of the body. I guess all that gunk does accumulate and needs somewhere to go. If you ain't peein on the hour, drink more. Aim for at least 2.5 litres of fresh, cold water a day.

Someone told me once that our bodies need "showers" on the inside too. Our internal organs are all made of epithelial cells, what the skin is made of. Just how our external skin gets gross without a good bath, our internal skin gets gunkified without a good flush too. Put your shower caps on people!

Holidaze and Alcohol

I took a week off when family was here. I was very nervous because I thought without the shots and thrice a week clinic visit, I'd be in for temptation and disaster...

Boy did I prove myself wrong. I still lost 3 pounds that week, and all on my own! How did I do it? Just ate healthy. I took my low carb/high protein bread with me on holidays, made my own breakfasts, ate fruit, and ordered clean salads, protein/veggie dishes with dressings on the side during the multiple food outings.

I even drank!! I know! I had red wine (one glass a night). Apparently red wine doesn't have any carbs. I think the reason why alcohol is a no-no on Dr. B is because people usually don't have a good idea of where to draw the line. I used to be a huge social drinker. Loved martinis, margaritas, lime gimlets, the works! I've found that vodka with soda/diet coke, red wine, and gin with diet tonic are actual drinks to be drank without any guilt. Now be careful, alcohol does mess with the liver's insulin release functions and can affect ketosis so I will still advise sobriety DURING Dr. B, but there are options for "healthy" drinking once weight loss has been achieved.

HALLELUJAH!

Tips a Nurse Gave me to burn fast

- add lemon to your water
- have your fruit and tomatoes before 4 p.m.
- don't only eat chicken, get some white fish and tofu in your diet at least thrice a week
- go easy on the protein bars, they're high in saturated fat and will slow down weight loss
- if you pee in the middle of the night and need an am sample, take the middle of the night sample (if it's less than 4 hours before you're due to wake up)
- wear the same clothes when you weigh in
- weigh in around the same time/conditions to establish a baseline

Gaining all the weight back?

Another theme I came upon in the my internet search of Dr. Bernstein Diet reviews was how it doesn't work because you gain allllll the weight back and then some. I don't think it's a representation of the Bernstein cohort because chances are, the people who've maintained the weight loss aren't bragging about it online, and the ones who gained it all back are bitter and making it known.

Here's the thing, I can't speak for myself as i'm still in the process, but just by using logic alone, I can safely say that if you do not do the maintenance program and truly change your lifestyle, it is more than obvious you'll balloon back up.

The old lifestyle is what got us to be overweight in the first place. This diet is a jump start to a low-carb lifestyle.

I have decided that once I reach my goal weight and am done with the maintenance program, I will eat super clean for the most part, and treat myself to the occasional yummy meal. I will not go back to drinking margaritas full of sugar, chocolate cake, and rich foods weekly. Exercise will be a must, and I will monitor my weight diligently.

Going back to old eating habits is not an option. You need to commit to a lifetime of change. I look at women with great figures around me, and they all eat like I do on this diet. Proteins, greens, etc. A few very lucky individuals get to eat what they want and stay thin, but let's face it, that's not us, and we need to accept the fact that sacrifices need to be made in the name of health. I'm not saying totally deprive yourself, but don't indulge either. Having a totally crazy delicious meal once in a while is completely fine, so long as it's balanced out with eating well and exercising before and after.

I plan on blogging about maintenance once I get there! Stay tuned! :)

Menstruation on this diet

Your body has gone into shock with such extreme changes to your eating, and your period may go out of whack.

My first period on this diet was a week late, and hurt like a mother. The good thing is that you get a special "B Complex" injection that really helps with bloating, cramping, and pain.

Don't freak out if your weight is off before/during menstruation. It is normal to 2-5 pounds during your cycle. Let the nurses know when your period starts.

Also, blood might screw with ketones, so if you're out of ketosis all of a sudden, fret not.

The staff: evil? Not really.

I read a lot of online commentaries about how the nurses working at Dr. Bernstein's are mean, bitter, and nasty. I've yet to experience such a nurse.

For the most part, they've been nice, some more than others. Some inject and you feel no pain, others will make you cry in pain and will leave you with a nasty bruise.

Mind you, most of them are Licensed Practical Nurses, which is not the same as a Registered Nurse, so don't expect a medical specialist. 

A few have been a little daft. One nurse once told me that my urine was not showing ketosis because I hadn't had enough water, therefore the ketostix showed a darker colour. She basically could not have been more inaccurate. Yes, if you don't drink enough water, your pee stick turns darker...but dark ketostix = high levels of ketones = ketosis. I had no color on my stick = no ketosis. I was momentarily confused and just decided that she was too. They took my fruit away, I cried on the inside.

They always say my name wrong which drives me insane. That's just me.

Ketosis - The key to the Diet! 

Ketosis is a process where your body starts eating its own fat. Its wonderful. Don't freak out and mistake it with ketoacidosis which is a dangerous condition faced by diabetics.

How it works: The body's main source of fuel is glycogen, which is what carbs are converted to in our body. When the body is depleted of glycogen, it turns to its own fat reserves (as muscle is "precioussss" and not touched) for fuel. The process of breaking down fat releases ketones in the body that find their way out through urine and the breath. You will definitely feel your mouth "tastes" different.

Water - ketosis is tough on the kidneys. DRINK WATER. You will seriously damage your organs if you do not. Some people think it's better to not drink water because their urine will have higher concentrations of ketones....WRONG. The most efficient "burners" will only show trace or +1 ketone levels in their urine. If your pee testing stick is turning dark purple, it means your body is lacking precious water.

Ketostix - Instead of getting stressed about what your stick will show thrice a week at the clinic, monitor your own pee at home. Drugstores sell ketostix (you have to ask the pharmacist). You can test your own sample at home in the a.m. Make sure you follow the instructions properly and do not let your sticks be exposed to air, they won't work. Many days, my ketostix at home show me in ketosis, but the same sample doesn't register at the Dr. Bernstein clinic because some nurses leave the ketostix jar open and fudge up the readings.

There's no such thing as burning more or less.  Being in ketosis is like being pregnant or dead. You either are or you're not. So if you're showing trace, you're doing perfect. Don't aim for higher "burn" levels, you're just damaging yourself through dehydration.

What happens if you're not in ketosis? THEY TAKE YOUR FRUIT AWAY (as it's the highest in carbs in the allowable eats). It's awful, but it works. Try not to cheat so you can stay in ketosis and keep your fruit! Monitoring your own pee at home is a good way to know how much fruit you should be eating.

The Skinny on the Dr. Bernstein Diet

The diet is pretty simple. You can't eat much, and three times a week they poke you with a Vitamin B injection, and test your pee to see if you're in ketosis (more on that later).

What can you eat? Daily, you're allowed 2 portions of: meat (100 g = 1 portion, with red meat (salmon/steak) only allowed in 7 day intervals); veggies (230 g = 1 portion, not allowed: peas, carrots, corn - all my favourites); bread substitutes (high fibre/protein low carb bread - remember to subtract fibre from total carbs to get net carbs. Aim at around 6 gram net carbs a day in bread); and fruit (low glycemic ones so no pineapples, mangos, bananas, etc.). There are some "miscellaneous" foods you can have like 1 tbs low fat cream cheese, shirataki noodles (amazing for stirfrying), no sugar added jam (1 tbs/day), etc.

The really painful part: no alcohol, one caffeinated drink a day, methodically jotting down every morsel that goes in your mouth on a diet sheet.

The good part: Jello! Weight dropping like dead flies.

You weigh in thrice a week: M, W, and F where they check your urine sample (excreted by you in the am, in a preprovided pee cup, hustled in a nifty not so discrete green Dr. Bernstein pouch).

Supplements: they ask you to take 1 multivitamin/day, 4 Cal-K supplements/day (these are a lifesaver). Buy these from the clinic itself, I tried to be a money ninja and get my own from Wal-mart only to not be providing my body with enough minerals. I also recommend taking Omega 3 (not 3-6-9 as it's useless - google to find out why) supplements to prevent brittle hair and skin. Make sure it's processed from small fish as big fish are mercury monsters.

You get your waist/butt measured once every three weeks, and meet with the Doctor every 2 or 4 weeks (patient specific), and have to do complete blood work to test anything and everything that is testable. Drink water before you go for the blood test as the diet drops BP and it may be hard to find a vein first thing in the morning and you end up drooling and passing out like me.

Exercise is encouraged but not necessary, and it definitely helps prevent sagging skin. Tip: don't work-out in the first week. Afterwards, do low key "fat-burn" aerobic exercise a few times a week with resistance band muscle toning. It's boring as hell, but cardio won't get you results until after you've reached your goal weight. The good thing is you can eat an extra portion of protein on the days you work out!

They guarantee 10 pounds weight loss in the first month if you follow everything to a tee. Usually women lose about 15 pounds a month, men 20. I'm nearing 4 weeks and i've lost 16!

My Dr. Bernstein Diet Blog

I started the Dr. Bernstein diet 3.5 weeks ago after eating relatively well and working out daily kept me at a "healthy" weight that I was not happy with. I have tried oodles of crash diets and only ever found them to be temporary fixes. I am active and do watch what I eat for the most part (more on that later). I'm very food literate and really know my shi* when it comes to healthy lifestyling. I just needed a disciplinarian program that would put me on a path to a serious lifestyle change so I could get to my ideal weight and bloody stay there.

My weight has oscillated between 174-202 lbs over the past 6 years, averaging at around 188-192 for the better part of the past year. I'm a tall woman with great muscle tone, but with plenty fat that I can get rid of. Most people would never know I weigh as much as I do as I carry it well. Visually, I don't look over 165-170 lbs. At a tight size 12, the thought of getting into a bikini has been a long dream. A dream that I am determined to fulfill this year.

Food is my passion. I'm a quintessential live-to-eater. Even still, my passion knows boundaries and I don't gorge. I'm pretty healthy monday-friday; the weekends do me in. I have an intimate relationship with wine, chocolate, cheese, and ethnic foods (pad thai, dim sum, butter chicken, etc.). I've never been a junk food person, but my weekend indulgences in rich foods are what stand between me and my Victoria's Secret modelling contract.

A friend who successfully shed 50 lbs over 6 months with Bernstein suggested I give it a try as they were on a "free consult" + "buy 8 weeks get 2 free" deal. I thought, it can't hurt, plus I have a partner in crime who's been a tremendous support.

After getting started on the diet, I started mad researching. I found plenty Atkins and other diet blogs, but very little Bernstein Journeys. I had a lot of questions/confusion but could not find unbiased support. I've decided to start blogging about my journey, so if anyone else is out there, looking to see how fellow Bernsteiners are doing, they can at least hear my two cents.

I weighed 190.6 pounds on my first day. They determined my ideal weight to be between 145-155 lbs. I want to be 160. The bikini will determine what my ideal weight is. As of today, I'm 174.6 pounds. 16 pounds thinner, 1 dress size smaller, and SO close to weighing less to what i've been in years, I think I need to blog my thoughts down on this boundless medium.

I hope I can shed some light on what it's like to be on this diet objectively and with minimal BS. Please comment and share any tips/questions/stories you have! Would love to hear from fellow dieters.