Phil Harwell's Diet Blog http://www.philharwell.com/diet Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:33:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.6 en Closing Thoughts http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/closing-thoughts/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/closing-thoughts/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:33:37 +0000 phil Miscellaneous http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/closing-thoughts/ This has certainly been a challenging six weeks.  The question now is:  where to go from here?  Certainly I can’t go back to my old diet;  that will just lead back to more weight gain.  However, this diet, while effective, is very tough to maintain, and has a lot of what I feel are arbitrary restrictions.  Mr. Rubin nitpicks quite a bit in my opinion.

So, I’ve decided to keep this diet partially, while being reasonable and sensible about the rest.  I will have to watch myself carefully, and of course continue working out (though I haven’t been able to for a while due to sickness).

I’ve debated a little over whether or not to post any progress reports here, but I think I’ll just leave this be for now, as a record of this six-week “boot camp” of sorts.  I might check in from time to time, but I’m most likely not going to do that.  Honestly, keeping up the blog was one of the hardest parts of this diet, and it wasn’t even required!  But I committed myself to it because a) it keeps me accountable and b) it offers my friends and family an opportunity to check on my progress and encourage me.

I’ve got a long way to go before I get to my final weight goal, but I’ve got a great head start.  And with God’s help, I hope to reach it someday!

Thanks for reading!

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/closing-thoughts/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Final http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/weekly-weigh-in-final/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/weekly-weigh-in-final/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:24:43 +0000 phil Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/weekly-weigh-in-final/ The verdict is in: my end-of-diet weight is 244.8, which is a weight loss of roughly 28 pounds! This is the fastest weight loss I’ve ever had, and of course I’ll have to work to keep it off. But it will be worth it.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/19/weekly-weigh-in-final/feed/ Day 42 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/18/day-42/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/18/day-42/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 02:54:42 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/18/day-42/ Well, today is the last day of the six-week program. I am so thankful that God has helped me through a tough diet. Tomorrow I will have my final weigh-in, and I will post that along with some closing thoughts.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: one toasted sourdough english muffin (plain).

Lunch: hamburger patties (with onions), corn, green beans.

Supper: an english muffin with hamburger patty (and one additional half-patty).

Drinks: water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/18/day-42/feed/ Day 41 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-41/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-41/#comments Sun, 18 Feb 2007 05:39:04 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-41/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: did not have today (slept in).

Lunch: another BYB double burger (like usual).

Snack: did not have today.

Supper: had a little egg drop soup, and some pieces of chicken breast later in the evening.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-41/feed/ Day 40 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-40/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-40/#comments Sat, 17 Feb 2007 06:13:19 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-40/ Oops. I was going to get this one on time but it slipped my mind! Anyways, this is the last day according to the book, but I wanted to go ahead and go for six full weeks, so I still need to go until Sunday.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: english muffin with egg (see yesterday).

Lunch: ate out at the Cockeyed Camel again. Grilled chicken with hot sauce, creamed corn, and blackeyed peas (which had a bit of bacon in them but I tried to avoid eating that).

Snack: did not have one today.

Supper: hamburger steak in tomato sauce, corn.

Drinks: water, tea (both unsweetened and sweetened with Stevia), coffee (started to drink it black but wound up putting Stevia in it).

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/17/day-40/feed/ Day 39 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/16/day-39/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/16/day-39/#comments Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:08:04 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/16/day-39/ Sorry I missed my deadline again!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: one toasted sourdough english muffin with egg.

Lunch: chicken breast with buffalo sauce and corn.

Snack: did not have one.

Supper: ate out at Garibaldi’s. I had the grilled chicken salad with buffalo sauce (see previous entries).

Drinks: tea (sweetened with Stevia and unsweetened) and a little water I think.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/16/day-39/feed/ Day 38 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/15/day-38/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/15/day-38/#comments Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:37:50 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/15/day-38/ Another late post. At least, I don’t have very many more of these to do.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: two plain toasted sourdough English muffins.

Lunch: ate out at Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant. Had a grilled chicken salad (grilled chicken, lettuce, baby greens) with Tabasco sauce.

Supper: ate out at Rafferty’s. Had a steak au jus with steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower).

Drinks: water, tea (sweetened with Stevia, unsweetened - with and without lemon).

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/15/day-38/feed/ Day 37 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/13/day-37/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/13/day-37/#comments Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:36:27 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/13/day-37/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie.

Lunch: leftover chili and a carrot.

Snack: another carrot.

Supper: beef barley and vegetable soup (with some extra spices added)

Drinks: water, tea sweetened with Stevia.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/13/day-37/feed/ Day 36 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/day-36/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/day-36/#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:39:59 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/day-36/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: grapes.

Lunch: did not have today. I didn’t feel like making lunch due to being sick. Wasn’t that hungry anyways.

Snack: did not have today.

Supper: chili.

Drinks: water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/day-36/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 6 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/weekly-weigh-in-week-6/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/weekly-weigh-in-week-6/#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:37:55 +0000 phil Phase III Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/weekly-weigh-in-week-6/ A few more pounds lost: I’m down to 249!* I’ve crossed the 250 threshold! And only one more week to go.

* well, 249.4 to be exact, but I like to deal in round numbers. So let’s round!

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/12/weekly-weigh-in-week-6/feed/ Day 35 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-35/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-35/#comments Mon, 12 Feb 2007 04:33:02 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-35/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: grapes.

Lunch: Back Yard Burger (the usual).

Snack: almonds, grapes.

Supper: potluck at the church building tonight. I had roast beef, carrots, and a little bit of sourdough bread.

Drinks: water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-35/feed/ Day 34 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-34/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-34/#comments Sun, 11 Feb 2007 06:02:29 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-34/ Almost halfway through Phase III!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: did not have today (slept in).

Lunch: grilled chicken with hot sauce, corn, half of a sprouted-wheat bagel (toasted).

Snack: did not have today.

Supper: steak, sourdough roll with butter.

Drinks: water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/11/day-34/feed/ Day 33 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/10/day-33/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/10/day-33/#comments Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:12:35 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/10/day-33/ Another late post. Sorry!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: grapes, I think (oops, can’t quite remember!)

Lunch: ate out at Piccadilly Cafeteria with co-workers. Had chopped steak with onions, steamed broccoli, corn, and fruit (strawberries and grapes).

Snack: did not have one.

Supper: fish, onions, Ezekiel pasta.

Drinks: water, tea sweetened with Stevia, and unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/10/day-33/feed/ Day 32 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/08/day-32/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/08/day-32/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:40:27 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/08/day-32/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie.

Lunch: leftover steak and pasta from Tuesday.

Snack: did not have one.

Supper: grapes (appetizer), stew meat cooked in salsa and garlic, half of a sourdough roll. (BREAD!!!!!!!!!!)

Drinks: water, tea sweetened with honey.


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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/08/day-32/feed/ Day 31 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-31/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-31/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:00:14 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-31/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: grapes.

Lunch: did not have today. I called in sick to work today and slept until mid-afternoon.

Snack: did not have today.

Supper: grapes (appetizer), fried chicken breasts with hot sauce, corn.

Drinks:  water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-31/feed/ Day 30 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-30/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-30/#comments Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:23:00 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-30/ A month already! (Sorry this one is late).

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: pineapples.

Lunch: leftover chili.

Snack: did not have one.

Supper: pepper steak, corn, Ezekiel pasta.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/07/day-30/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 5 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/weekly-weigh-in-week-5/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/weekly-weigh-in-week-5/#comments Tue, 06 Feb 2007 04:29:31 +0000 phil Phase III Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/weekly-weigh-in-week-5/ I’m now down to 253! That’s about 20 pounds in only 4 weeks! I’m very excited. Also, I signed up today at the YMCA. Hopefully exercise will help this weight loss thing go even better!

Again, thanks for all the encouragement so far. I really praise God that I’ve been so successful thus far!

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/weekly-weigh-in-week-5/feed/ Day 29 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/day-29/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/day-29/#comments Tue, 06 Feb 2007 04:27:05 +0000 phil Phase III Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/day-29/ Day 1 of Phase III! More beans, nuts, some grains, etc. are now added in. This is, of course, the final phase!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie (the usual).

Lunch: steak chunks and corn.

Snack: did not have one.

Supper: the main course was chili, but the big deal was this: my first grain-type food in nearly a month! Of course, “normal” breads and pastas are not allowed in this diet. But the book does mention “Ezekiel-type” bread (see Ezekiel 4:9). While I couldn’t find a loaf of the bread, I found some pasta (which Mr. Rubin suggests to eat in small amounts) made by Food for Life that is made with the same ingredients (but not with the same cooking methods). So I had some “sprouted, whole grain” Penne noodles. They were actually pretty good to eat.

Drinks: tea sweetened with Stevia, water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/05/day-29/feed/ Day 28 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/04/day-28/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/04/day-28/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2007 05:12:22 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/04/day-28/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: pineapples and grapes.

Lunch: baked chicken (with Tabasco sauce), steamed broccoli and carrots, corn, green beans with olive oil.

Snack: a few grapes and some leftover chicken from lunch yesterday (with Tabasco sauce),.

Supper: another BYB double burger (we were on the road back to Memphis).

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea, coffee.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/04/day-28/feed/ Day 27 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-27/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-27/#comments Sun, 04 Feb 2007 05:42:01 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-27/ This actually, now that I think about it, is going pretty fast.  I’m almost at the end of Phase II!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast:  did not have today (slept really late).

Lunch:  hamburger steak (home cooked by Mom!), chicken salad (chicken, lettuce mix, green onions, onions)
Snack:  did not have one today.

Supper:  2 hamburger patties with mustard, steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

Drinks:  water, unsweetened tea.

]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-27/feed/ Day 26 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-26/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-26/#comments Sat, 03 Feb 2007 16:28:46 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-26/ Oops, another late one.  We’re visiting my Mom in Alabama this weekend.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast:  grapes.

Lunch:  Back Yard Burgers double low-carb burger.

Snack:  more grapes.

Supper:  ate out at Ruby Tuesday (passing through Corinth, MS).  Had a ribeye steak with “premium baby green beans” and steamed broccoli (and I think a little garnish or something).

Drinks:  coffee, water, unsweetened tea with lemon.

]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/03/day-26/feed/ Day 25 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/01/day-25/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/01/day-25/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2007 04:35:02 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/01/day-25/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie (similar to the last two days).

Lunch: ate out at Fox Ridge Pizza with a bunch of my co-workers. Had a hamburger steak (with onions, green peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms).

Snack: did not have one today.

Supper: steak with fried onions and green beans.

Drinks: water and unsweetened tea with lemon.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/02/01/day-25/feed/ Day 24 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-24/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-24/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:33:53 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-24/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie (like yesterday’s).

Lunch: chicken breast, fruit salad (apples, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries).

Snack: did not have one today.

Supper: we ate out at the Panda Garden (Chinese restaurant). I had curry chicken (stir-fried chicken, snow peas, bamboo shoots, carrots, red and green peppers, onions and curry sauce).

Drinks: water, tea sweetened with Stevia, unsweetened tea with lemon.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-24/feed/ Day 23 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-23/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-23/#comments Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:58:29 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-23/ Oops! This one is really late. Sorry, I forgot again.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: smoothie (yogurt, peaches, pineapples, grapes, strawberries).

Lunch: leftover chili from Monday.

Snack: 2 carrots (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). I also had an evening snack of fruit salad (blueberries, raspberries, apples, oranges, strawberries)

Supper: chicken wings with hot sauce, kidney beans.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/31/day-23/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 4 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/weekly-weigh-in-week-4/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/weekly-weigh-in-week-4/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:44:52 +0000 phil Phase II Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/weekly-weigh-in-week-4/ No gain or loss this past week. I’m still at 259.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/weekly-weigh-in-week-4/feed/ Day 22 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/day-22/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/day-22/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:43:37 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/day-22/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: apple slices, raspberries, blueberries, and a carrot.

Lunch: ate at the Cockeyed Camel again today. Had grilled chicken breast with hot sauce, cream corn, and green beans (which, I discovered too late, were cooked with bacon in them, so I may have ingested minute amounts of it).

Supper: chili (ground beef, salsa, onions, tomato sauce, kidney beans, garlic, paprika, chili pepper, red pepper)
Snack(s): almonds.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea with lemon, hot tea sweetened with Stevia.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/29/day-22/feed/ Day 21 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/28/day-21/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/28/day-21/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2007 05:10:51 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/28/day-21/ Today marks the end of the first half of the six-week program. Only 3 weeks left to go! Tomorrow, of course, is another weigh-in.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, red and green bell peppers).

Lunch: potluck today. I had roast beef, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.

Supper: fried chicken* with hot sauce, kidney beans, and (as an appetizer) blueberries and raspberries.

Snack: had canned pineapple as an evening snack.

Drinks: water.

* as always, fried in coconut oil, and not breaded.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/28/day-21/feed/ Day 20 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/27/day-20/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/27/day-20/#comments Sun, 28 Jan 2007 05:15:27 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/27/day-20/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: raspberries and blueberries.

Lunch: low-carb double burger from Back Yard Burgers (like before)

Snack: did not have one today.

Supper: we ate out at Ryan’s tonight, and we both got the Mega Buffet. I ate a salad (lettuce, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and cucumbers), corn, carrots cooked in honey, grapes (red and green), pineapples, green beans, tried one of Serena’s cooked mushrooms (didn’t really like it), briefly tried some broccoli that really tasted bad, and of course some steak!

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea with lemon, coffee.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/27/day-20/feed/ Day 19 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-19/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-19/#comments Sat, 27 Jan 2007 04:27:53 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-19/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: canned pineapples.

Snack: more canned pineapples.

Lunch: steak simmered in salsa, green beans.

Supper: Serena and some of her co-workers ate at Steak and Ale today. I got the leftover steak! Plus I had kidney beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-19/feed/ Day 18 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-18/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-18/#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2007 06:11:15 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-17/ Oops, this one is a little late! Didn’t quite get to writing before midnight.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: canned pineapple.

Lunch: steak chunks with red and green bell peppers, green onions and carrots.

Snack: 2 carrots (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).

Supper: a “shell-less” taco (basically just ground turkey, kidney beans and salsa).

Drinks: tea sweetened with Stevia, water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/26/day-18/feed/ Day 17 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/24/day-17/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/24/day-17/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2007 04:34:13 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/24/day-17/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: kefir smoothie, some grapes.

Lunch: an apple and a bottle of water.

Snack: grapes.

Supper: chicken caesar salad with buffalo sauce at Garibaldi’s (like last week).

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/24/day-17/feed/ Day 16 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/23/day-16/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/23/day-16/#comments Wed, 24 Jan 2007 03:40:44 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/23/day-16/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: kefir smoothie, grapes.

Lunch: steak, green beans.

Supper: kefir smoothie, chicken wings (with hot sauce).

Snack: grapes (throughout the day, and some in the evening).

Drinks: water, tea sweetened with Stevia.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/23/day-16/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 3 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/weekly-weigh-in-week-3/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/weekly-weigh-in-week-3/#comments Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:27:27 +0000 phil Phase II Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/weekly-weigh-in-week-3/ I weighed in this morning at 259! That makes about 14 pounds so far, approximately.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/weekly-weigh-in-week-3/feed/ Day 15 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/day-15/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/day-15/#comments Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:24:12 +0000 phil Phase II Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/day-15/ Phase II is finally here! Among the new things that I can have now are several fruits (oranges, apples, and so on), a few different kinds of beans, and more!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: mixed fruits (pineapples, red and green grapes, and strawberries).

Lunch: tuna, carrots, and some avacado slices that I briefly tried but didn’t like.

Snack: green grapes(!)

Supper: chili (ground beef, Ro-Tel, kidney beans, garlic, tomato sauce, and chili powder), to which I added more chili powder, paprika, red pepper, and hot sauce (I like my chili hot!).

Drinks: I’m finally allowed some sweeteners (more honey, as well as Stevia). So I had tea sweetened with Stevia, water, and a smoothie made from kefir, strawberries, honey, and red grapes. The kefir was surprisingly tasty when blended with fruit (not too appealing plain).

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/22/day-15/feed/ Day 14 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/21/day-14/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/21/day-14/#comments Mon, 22 Jan 2007 04:49:54 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/21/day-14/ It’s the end of Phase I! Yay!

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, stew meat, red and green bell peppers, mushroom, green onions).

Lunch: we had a potluck at church today, but I could hardly have any of the foods available, so Serena cooked up chunks of steak (sautéed with onions and simmered in Ro-Tel) for me. I did have some veggies and fruit, though (cherries, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower).

Supper: another double burger at Back Yard Burgers (we did not feel like cooking tonight). I did not order a drink or side items.

Snack: more strawberries.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/21/day-14/feed/ Day 13 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/20/day-13/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/20/day-13/#comments Sun, 21 Jan 2007 05:04:59 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/20/day-13/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (same as yesterday).

Lunch: baked chicken wings with poultry seasoning and hot sauce.

Supper: now here’s a funny story. Serena was not particularly hungry so she did not want to cook a meal. And I wasn’t really hungry either so I figured I’d just snack a bit. But, despite doing some grocery shopping tonight (including a trip to a health food store), there is still not terribly much that I can really snack on. So I got out some fresh cranberries (saw them at the store tonight and was curious to eat them — I don’t think I’d even seen fresh cranberries before; usually I get the ‘craisin’ kind) and strawberries and proceeded to snack. Well, those cranberries sure are bitter. So I wanted to find a way to make them more palatable. Serena suggested ’stir-frying’ them in honey (the only sweetener I can have right now). So I did. At first I wasn’t pleased, but I cooked them longer, and Serena put in some water in there too, and after some more cooking, I had… da da da da… homemade cranberry sauce. It wasn’t half-bad either. Could be a tad sweeter of course, but it turned out allright. Serena offered to cook some food for me since snacking just wasn’t panning out, so I asked her to grill a steak for me. So, steak with steak seasoning and sea salt and peppercorn medley was the main course.

Snack: in addition to the attempt at a ’snacking supper’ I did have a few additional strawberries later in the evening.

Drinks: water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/20/day-13/feed/ Day 12 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/19/day-12/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/19/day-12/#comments Sat, 20 Jan 2007 05:53:29 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/19/day-12/ First off, I just want to write some thanks. First of all, thanks to God for helping me through this. I could not have done this alone! Second, thanks to all the people who have been encouraging me along, and complimenting me on my progress. It feels good to know that it’s making a difference. It’s gratifying to know that I’ve been influencing others to diet as well, and I hope that they have the same success. It’s getting really hard these days, though. I’ve had a lot of temptation this week.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, red and green bell peppers, green onions).

Lunch: pepper steak, broccoli.

Snack: did not have one today.

Supper: went to Back Yard Burgers again. Got the same burger as before (see previous entry), but no salad.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/19/day-12/feed/ Day 11 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/18/day-11/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/18/day-11/#comments Fri, 19 Jan 2007 03:46:11 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/18/day-11/ The last three nights I’ve had bad heartburn and some chest pains. Went to the doctor today and he told me it was acid reflux. Got some medicine so hopefully this will go away quick.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, red bell peppers, green onions).

Lunch: tuna (with sea salt and peppercorn medley added).

Snack: carrots.

Supper: fried chicken, green beans, fried onions and squash.

Drinks: water and unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/18/day-11/feed/ Day 10 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/17/day-10/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/17/day-10/#comments Thu, 18 Jan 2007 05:23:55 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/17/day-10/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: just scrambled eggs.

Lunch. this was tough. At work today we hosted the first day of a developers’ conference, and we provided lunch — Corky’s barbecue. And of course, it wasn’t on my diet (the pork was out of the question, the chicken had barbecue sauce on it, and the salads had cheese in them). I was really very depressed about it. At least I had brought some chicken with me (just plain chicken, but I put sea salt and peppercorn medley).

Snack: did not have one today, although I could have — there were bagels and danishes available too. Again, they were not on the ol’ diet.

Supper: ate out at Garibaldi’s again (Go club meeting). Had a Grilled Chicken Ceasar salad that consisted of grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and buffalo sauce. Delicious!

Drinks: water and unsweetened tea (with lemon at Garibaldi’s).

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/17/day-10/feed/ Day 9 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/16/day-9/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/16/day-9/#comments Wed, 17 Jan 2007 04:56:41 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/16/day-9/ Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, green onions, leftover pepper steak from last night, and goat cheese).

Lunch: leftover roast from Sunday.

Snack: 2 whole carrots, snacked on throughout the day.

Supper: baked chicken wings (with seasoning and hot sauce), salad (lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, celery, also with hot sauce).

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/16/day-9/feed/ Day 8 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/day-8/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/day-8/#comments Tue, 16 Jan 2007 03:58:43 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/day-8/ Today was a little weird. I had the day off from work, and I just stayed at home most of the day.

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, green onions).

Lunch: I didn’t have lunch today. I slept from around noon to 2pm. When I got up, I figured that I shouldn’t have lunch that late. Besides, the author of my diet book recommends “partial fast-days” anyways (usually once a week).

Snack: ate strawberries when I got up this afternoon around 2. I figured that I should at least have something at that time.

Supper: pepper steak (see earlier entries), steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Drinks: just water.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/day-8/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 2 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/weekly-weigh-in-week-2/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/weekly-weigh-in-week-2/#comments Tue, 16 Jan 2007 03:53:11 +0000 phil Phase I Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/weekly-weigh-in-week-2/ My scale is really weird: I weighed myself multiple times and pretty much got a different weight every time, with a range of about 10 pounds from lowest to highest. We gotta get a new scale.

If the scale is correct (or in the ballpark at least), I’ve apparently lost between 10 and 15 pounds this week. So, I’ll put my estimated weight at 263 (a ten-pound loss). Needless to say, I’m pretty surprised but a little skeptical. But anyways, Week 2 is officially here. Same rules as last week.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/15/weekly-weigh-in-week-2/feed/ Day 7 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/14/day-7/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/14/day-7/#comments Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:41:04 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/14/day-7/ The cravings are continuing, but I have yet to give in. I have faith that God will see me through this.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: you guessed it, omelet (eggs, green onions).

Lunch: OK, I said that we needed to not eat out so much, but we went to Back Yard Burgers today. Serena’s original plan for lunch (which turned out to be supper) wasn’t ready yet and took a long time to cook. I had a double burger (two angus beef patties, mustard, onions, tomato) without the bun (instead it was wrapped in leaf lettuce), and I started on a side salad (lettuce, onions, carrots) but wasn’t really enjoying it so I took it home (to add sea salt and peppercorn medley to it).

Supper: Along with the aforementioned salad (even with the seasoning, it still did not taste good; I didn’t eat it all), I had what would have been lunch: a roast (beef, with sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, and tomato sauce).

Snack: did not have one today.

Drinks: water and unsweetened tea (with lemon). Can’t wait until I can have a bit more variety.

That is the end of week 1!

* NOTE: I hadn’t realized until this morning that Communion is not in my diet (grape juice and a matzo are both prohibited). I still took Communion anyways, as that’s more important than 100% adherence to this diet. So technically, that’s not cheating.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/14/day-7/feed/ Day 6 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/13/day-6/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/13/day-6/#comments Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:48:50 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/13/day-6/ Week 1 is almost over!

Tonight I felt a bit of weakness. This is starting to get tough. After not having any kind of sweets for several days, I was really wanting something sweet. Serena bought some strawberries (allowable on the diet) and that was a very welcome relief for my ‘unsweetened week’ of sorts.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, green onions).

Lunch: Serena did not eat all of her meal last night, so I ate it for lunch. I had part of a steak (maybe around 3 or 4 oz. of meat, and it had been seasoned and topped with steak butter and roasted herb jus, similar to the steak I had last night), and steamed broccoli.

Snack: ate 1 whole carrot this morning and another this afternoon. And I had the aforementioned strawberries in the evening.

Supper: beef chunks sautéed with mushrooms, squash, onions and garlic, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Drinks:  water, unsweetened tea (as usual)

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/13/day-6/feed/ Day 5 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/12/day-5/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/12/day-5/#comments Sat, 13 Jan 2007 05:16:35 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/12/day-5/ Not much to say about today. Pretty much just more of the same.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs, green onions).

Lunch: pepper steak (see yesterday’s supper entry), fried onions.

Snack: munched on carrot and celery sticks throughout the day.

Supper: ate out again (shouldn’t have done it but oh well. I really wanted a steak) We went to Chili’s. I had the Grilled Ribeye Steak (12oz, well done, topped with garlic butter and roasted herb jus) with steamed broccoli and sautéed onions/bellpeppers/mushrooms.

Drank plenty of unsweetened tea (with lemon when I was at Chili’s) and water.

We’re going to have to be really strict with ourselves next week; we ate out too much this week.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/12/day-5/feed/ Day 4 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/11/day-4/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/11/day-4/#comments Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:06:50 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/11/day-4/ Today was a little rough. I felt what I’m pretty sure is withdrawal due to lack of sugar and possibly the decrease in caffeine. I had a few dizzy spells and a general “yucky” feeling. It wasn’t too bad but it was unpleasant (as well as distracting at work).

Today’s meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs and green onions). Still tastes great even though I’ve had it all week. A little variety might be nice though.

Lunch: chicken, celery and carrot sticks (and of course, sea salt and peppercorn medley).

Supper: pepper steak (ground beef shaped in a patty, mixed with onions, green onions, and garlic, and simmered in tomato sauce) and salad (lettuce, celery, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli stems, green onions)

Snack: did not have one today.

Still drinking just unsweetened tea and water. I’m getting used to not having any sugar in my tea. I still would like it sweeter, but I let the tea bag sit in the mug for much longer than I usually do (up to around 20 minutes) and the flavor was much better and far more tolerable than before.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/11/day-4/feed/ Day 3 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/10/day-3/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/10/day-3/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:00:04 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/10/day-3/ I’m surprised by my own strictness with my diet. I don’t normally have very strong willpower, but I’ve been able to resist temptations, and have tried to be exact with the regulations of my diet. I’m convinced therefore that God is definitely working on my heart. And I am very thankful for His guidance.

Todays meals:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs and green onions only today)

Lunch: this meal provided quite a challenge today. Serena and I went for her ultrasound this morning, and ate out at the Cockeyed Camel (a restaurant less than a block from my office) for lunch. It was very tricky finding items on the menu that I could consume. I went with grilled chicken breast, green beans, and a small salad, which consisted of lettuce, a little bit of shredded carrots, egg and tomato (which I did not eat), a pepperoncini, and — to my chagrin — shredded cheese. I had to very carefully pick out pieces of lettuce and get the cheese off so I could eat them.

Supper: this also was a challenge, as we ate out at Garibaldi’s Pizza (a semi-regular outing). I had a buffalo chicken sandwich (consisting of grilled chicken, buffalo wing sauce, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato) without the bread.

Snack: did not have one today.

I drank only one bottle of water today, and plenty of unsweetened tea.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/10/day-3/feed/ Day 2 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/09/day-2/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/09/day-2/#comments Wed, 10 Jan 2007 05:23:01 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/09/day-2-2/ Well, dieting hasn’t been too hard thus far but I know it’ll get tough real quick. Today’s culinary selections are:

Breakfast: omelet (pretty much the same as yesterday’s)

Lunch: tuna (no mayonnaise), salad (cucumber, lettuce, carrots, celery), sea salt and peppercorn medley

Snack: steamed veggies (same as yesterday but with some onions in it)

Supper: steak, fried onions

The food is great so far! And I’m still drinking water, although I had a few cups of unsweetened herbal tea at work (and some slightly-sweet tea at home) as well.

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]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/09/day-2/feed/ Day 1 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/day-1/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/day-1/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2007 03:13:36 +0000 phil Phase I Meals and Menus http://www.philharwell.com/diet/?p=4 I’m still a bit nervous, even though I’m now a day into the diet. The temptation to cheat was not too strong, but I suspect that it’ll get worse over time. Having to live without my favorite foods is tough, but it’s even harder to live without sodas, which are one of my biggest weaknesses as far as unhealthy foods go. I drank a lot of bottled water today, which is also a tough thing for me (I don’t really like drinking water), but I had to do it. I went nearly all day without caffeine at all (I had a little tea in the morning). Staying away from caffeine is not a requirement of the diet, and I don’t plan on going cold turkey, but I do need to reduce my intake.

So, here’s what I ate today:

Breakfast: omelet (eggs fried with butter, sea salt, peppercorn medley (both crushed), green onions, yellow and orange bell peppers), tea slightly sweetened with honey.

Lunch: plain chicken, carrot sticks, celery sticks

Snack: steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, yellow bell peppers, green onions)

Supper: fried chicken*, fried onions*, steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, green onions)

* Both of these were fried in coconut oil, which is allowable in the diet.

All in all, it wasn’t bad today as far as food goes. Hope all of the diet goes this well.

]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/day-1/feed/ Weekly Weigh-in: Week 1 http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/weekly-weigh-in-week-1/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/weekly-weigh-in-week-1/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:59:37 +0000 phil Phase I Weekly Weigh-in http://www.philharwell.com/diet/?p=3 What diet program is complete without a “before” weight measurement?

As of this morning, I weigh 273 pounds.

]]> http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/weekly-weigh-in-week-1/feed/ Welcome to my diet blog http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/welcome-to-my-diet-blog/ http://www.philharwell.com/diet/2007/01/08/welcome-to-my-diet-blog/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:28:34 +0000 phil Miscellaneous OK, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever really do this, but…

I’m on a diet. Sure, I’ve been needing to lose weight for a long time now, and I’ve thought up some plans before, but I’m finally getting serious about it. Last year, my friend Paul went on this diet called the Maker’s Diet, which is based on the dietary laws in the Old Testament. I was probably a bit skeptical when he told me about it, but I saw the results and they were significant. So, I thought if I would ever go on a diet it would probably be that one.

Sure, the author, Jordan Rubin, has some pretty wacky ideas (such as eating SBO’s, or Soil-Borne Organisms), and I don’t agree with a lot of the logic and philosophy behind the plan (detailed in the book), but, at the core of the plan is a pretty good diet that I’ve seen work.

So, I’m going for it.

To describe the diet briefly, it is, as I’ve said, based on the Old Testament food laws. The diet is structured in three phases: the first is the most restrictive, and serves as a “detox” period. The second and third add more foods back to the diet, still remaining more restrictive than most American’s diets. The Maker’s Diet also stresses “organic” foods as well.

For more info, go to the Maker’s Diet website.

I ask that you please pray for, and encourage, me as I start on this arduous journey towards better health.

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