About four weeks ago the Cap’n and I started talking about making a serious change in our life. We already knew the benefits of eating local, eating fresh, but a good solid year of cavorting, eating high on the hog – and by that we mean eating a lot of bacon – ended up gaining us a lot. About 35 lbs each to be exact.
So, we decided to do something – and it needed to be a bit drastic. We had some friends that had tried a somewhat controversial diet, the HcG diet and lost an amazing amount of weight. We wanted the same results, but I also wanted to ensure that we did it in a healthful manner. For me it really had to be focused on nutrition and health – and after much internet searching I found Dr. Nicole Pierce, a local naturopathic physician.
Through her adaptation of the HcG diet, Dr. Pierce’s Healthy Body Reset Program has helped us not only lose weight (the Cap’n has lost 25 lbs and I have lost 15 lbs) but also cleansed our palates and reconfigured our relationship with food.
We started the program by purging our pantry of all refined sugars, all flour and yes – all alcohol. Well, we didn’t really purge but simply relocated all the foods. The most difficult part was the regimented eating schedule, the weighing of food, and not being able to eat favorite foods like cheese or cupcakes. However, something really interesting started to happen beyond the weight loss.
Now, we eat fresh – or “Eat Real” as some folks would say almost all the time. We are currently in what is known as Phase 3 of the program and are slowly reintroducing foods that cause common allergies, or inflammation as Dr. Pierce says. Now we really have purged our pantry. And I have re-established my love for cooking wholesome, nourishing meals. I’ll even post soon about making homemade mayonnaise!
It is this act of coming clean – with our dietary systems, our relationship with food and the reality of how we had been overconsuming and overindulging – that has allowed us to really taste our food and appreciate the people that work so hard to ensure we eat real.
