Whole food diet update - two weeks in

Hello All. So it's the 15th of the month and I figured that was as good a time as any for an update.

It's been a lot easier than I was expecting! I eat the same breakfast everyday, my granola. A cup of that lasts me well until lunchtime. My lunches tend to be salad, only because it's really easy. It's a big salad with anything in my fridge. Dried fruit or chopped up apple, nuts and seeds and some cheese. I buy a variety of cheeses to change up the flavour as well. Not bored yet! I have a snack of nuts and fruit at some point as well. I eat all of this on my own so my family is not really affected at all.

Supper is when we eat as a family as much as possible. I am trying out new recipes but am aware that I have to introduce things slowly. I figure that Brendan can try out one new thing per week. So that leaves the rest of the week as meat, rice or potato, and veggies (which is what we ate most of the time before anyway!). Could be BBQ, could be stir fry, braised meat is a one-pot wonder...lots of variety.

My energy is amazing! I'm never hungry - in fact today I had to remember to eat lunch. And, I've lost 2 lbs. Not bad!!

The challenges are keeping good food on hand, and preparing as much as possible beforehand. If I'm making one salad, I might as well make three. I put 1/4 cup of nuts into snack ziplock's and keep them in the freezer so that they are easy to grab as I run out. And of course, dealing with the sad eyes of my husband when he says "man I could really go for pizza tonight!".
Anyway, I'd say that so far, so good.

I signed up for a Running Room program today. I used to run but since I got pregnant (two and a half years ago!) I've been unable to get back to it with any consisitency. Figured that I would start at the beginning again and do the Learn to run program on Monday nights. It will be so nice to get back into the groove again. Can't wait until August 2nd!

Yours in health,

Kerri Fullerton ND

Why a whole food diet?

I decided to start practicing what I preach (where nutrition is concerned) last October. After having my son a year earlier, I decided that it was time to stop having so many excuses. I wanted more energy, I wanted to sleep better, I wanted clearer thoughts again, and I wanted to be a healthy size.


I started with some simple changes (note that I said simple, not easy). As a general rule, I eat only three meals per day. I've never been comfortable with the 'eat every three hours' thing. If you're eating fibre rich foods, it's not necessary and snacking is where people tend to eat the most packaged foods. This is where blood sugar imbalances occur. I am not willing to go hungry though, so I allow myself one snack per day if necessary and I try to make it a handful of nuts and some fruit.


The other change that I made was that I stopped eating anything that I couldn't stop at one. For me, that means all sweets and some crackers (I can eat a portion of Triscuits but could easily eat the box of wheat thins!). For a friend of mine, it's bacon and chips. It's an evolving list as I go along. I've added a few things back in and taken a few more things out.


Since the end of October I've lost 24lbs, 3 inches off my chest, 4 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, and 3.5 inches off my thighs.


Not bad considering that I've never gone hungry or eaten a bar or drank a shake.


Now, in the past, this weight loss would have been unnacceptable - taking 8 months to lose 24 lbs would have been too slow. I would have given up and decided that it wasn't working. Thank goodness that I had a new attitude this time.

Last week I did my monthly weight and body measurements so that I would have an accurate starting point for the whole food diet that I am embarking on for the summer. I will share with you what kind of changes happen with my body, my sleep, my energy, and my mood.


The first week (last week) of my whole food diet was a little rough. With the long weekend at the cottage and friends over for the week before, I was not prepared at all! No groceries, no meal plan for the week. This is key folks - planning makes healthy eating possible. So, I ate granola (recipe in this month's newsletter!) for breakfast, salad for lunch, and meat, rice and veggies for supper. Not exciting, but it worked.

Friday night we headed to my in-laws for the weekend. I learned another lesson - don't expect your husband to tell anyone about your new diet adventures! We arrived to pizza. Oops. Now they know what I'm not eating. I did eat the pizza since it was already ordered, payed for, and sitting there. Had it not been, I would have made myself something else.

What I will do differently next time is this - I will pack more of my own foods. I did pack my granola for breakfast, fruit and some nuts for snacks. Next time I will bring some salads too.

Already in a week, I have more energy and my bowels are very happy. Can't wait to see what this week brings!

Off to do some meal planning for this week. I've pulled a few recipes off of vegetariantimes.com to try. Stuffed tomatoes for tonight!

Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton, ND

Gallstones and cleanses

I have recently had two women in my office who have been experiencing gallstone attacks. Upon further investigation, I found out that both women had been doing a cleanse.
Although cleanses are an important part of a healthy lifestyle, there are times when they need to be done with extreme caution, and preferably under the care of a qualified professional. Gallstones are one of these cases.
If you have gallstones you need to be aware that a sudden decrease in caloric intake or a drop of dietary fat under 10g per day can lead to severe attacks. This is scary, as a stone could get lodged in the duct and lead to emergency surgery.
If you or someone you know has a family history of gallstones, or a personal history of gallstones, please see you Naturopathic Doctor before starting a cleanse or weight loss program.

Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton