More details to follow, but the diet is over. I did my blood test and the BIA, this morning. More details of the BIA are forthcoming, as well as my blood test results in the coming days!

I lost: 12 lbs, 6.3% body fat,13.3 lbs of fat! That is beyond my wildest dreams. I know that if you want to lose fat, you can, as well.

Thank you for supporting my 30 day journey!

Dennis Godby

10.5 pounds gone – so far – three days to go!

I have to admit, I had a few minor concerns about diet restrictions during the Super Bowl (just knowing I would have to pass up the normal food and libations of Super Bowl Sunday). Although I have missed many Super Bowls, I don’t miss a 49er Super Bowl. Except the final score, all went well. Fun can be had without all the trimmings.

As of this writing on Monday afternoon, February 4, if I was asked to rate how the diet has gone and how effective it has been so far – on a 1-10 scale – I would give it a 10, on a 1-10 scale. I will wait, however, until the final results are in from the last BIA and blood chemistry results,  to give the diet a final score.

At this point, what I have learned and experienced, has been 100% positive.

The diet journey for the last 25 days has been wonderful! I would highly recommend it for people who need to lose a few or a lot of pounds, or for people that just need to reinvigorate themselves!

After three and a half weeks on the diet, I decided to stop writing down the food I am eating, as the habits have been so ingrained in my memory, that I feel like I have gone to a different level and it was no longer necessary. I have stuck to the diet, through thick and thin, except a few vegetable additions noted below.

I began adding a few different vegetables in the last few days, mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers, just to have some variety, but mostly, because they were lying around the fridge and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I prepared a salad with, besides greens, avocado, and tomato; I sautéed onions, mushrooms, and lots of garlic in extra virgin olive oil, and added that mixture to the salad. Also, I added a few drops of sesame oil, and a little apple cider vinegar. It was wonderful! While I am confessing, I also had, on several occasions in the last week, ½ teaspoon or so of the natural sugar, xylitol, for my coffee.

I hope you can make it to the fun and hopefully memorable evening talk on February 12 at 6 pm, on my experiences, reflections, and lessons learned, in a talk entitled, “12 Secrets to Fat Loss Revealed.” As of Wednesday, the 23^rd day, I had lost 9.5 pounds, and my prediction is that when all is said and done, at the end of the thirty days, on Thursday morning, February 7, I will have lost about 10-12 pounds. The awesome thing according the BIA from last week is that 100% of those pounds lost have been fat, not lean tissue!

Do you know of “Murphy’s Law?” My 30 day diet was to start exactly 32 days before our 25^th wedding anniversary. The diet was to end, the day before we took off for a three day weekend to Carmel. While planning for the coming month on the diet, and trying to prepare myself, psychologically, I was trying to plan the month to be “relaxing,” with as few curve ball as possible! But what happened was anything but relaxing.

Several days after I began the diet, my wife says she wants to have some dear friends over for dinner on January 27. I reminded her I would still be of my diet, but I told her it was OK with me; it didn’t seem like a big deal – at the time. But then the invitation list grew, eventually reaching 15 people, and the menu grew, as well! Not only was I not going to be imbibing in the spirits at the party, but I wouldn’t be eating from the extensive menu, either. And then, two days before the dinner, I end up being recruited to being the primary person shopping for food – that I wasn’t even going to be eating – and then to make matters worse, after shopping, the delicious looking foods were all over the kitchen, refrigerator, dining room, etc., within clear view, for the whole 48 hours, prior to the party, tempting my resolve!

But I survived – and not any worse for it. I only ate what was on my menu! Everyone seemed to have a great time at the dinner, including me! It was definitely a memorable occasion, in more ways than one!

Now, this coming Sunday, the last weekend before the diet ends, is, something called the…..Super Bowl! And not just any Super Bowl, but one with our local team called the 49ers, making it impossible for me to not be watching. I don’t have plans yet, but I am sure wherever I end up, it will be a lot of fun, and it will provide another opportunity to build character, working to avoid the “landmines” of Super Bowl Sunday!

The point is – when you are on a mission – to get healthier or lose fat or overcome diabetes, or whatever, there will be obstacles, but if I can do it, you can as well!

Days 19-20 Confessions of an ND: Don’t exercise if under severe caloric restriction

As of Friday afternoon (Day 18), I had lost 8 pounds, and according to the BIA, my body fat had been reduced by 5.4% body fat since the diet begin on January 8. It is very interesting that all the markers on the BIA went in the right direction. The body fat % was reduced from 27.9% to 22.5%; actual fat from 47.8 to 36.8 pounds (11 pound fat loss). The metabolic rate (how many calories are burned if merely resting for a 24 hour period) increased from 1,750 to 1,791 calories. The intracellular water (the higher the better) went from 57.4% to 59%.

I weighed myself, again, on Saturday morning (19^th day), and I was down another ½ pound to 163, from the original 171.5 lbs.

Now that I have done the BIA, I will begin exercising and continue until the end of diet and see what changes are apparent on the BIA and blood work. Yesterday, I started riding my bicycle, and rode 5 miles on my loop that I used to run in preparation for the run across the USA. It was a beautiful day in Davis; the streets were lined with an amazing number of residents and UCD students. I was also able to squeeze in some sit-ups and push-ups while watching my Portland Blazers basketball game, which felt wonderful!

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be psychologically and materially prepared for a change in diet. I will be discussing in the coming days and weeks what I believe to be critical factors in dramatically increasing the chances of being successful using nutrition for weight (fat) loss and getting healthier. I want you to be successful – not disappointed and feel like you have failed.

Yesterday was definitely a more active day than my normal Monday-Friday “desk job,” and with bicycling, I had to eat more than any other day since I started the diet. I felt hungrier and more low energy until I ate my 4:00 pm and after meals: 2 soft-boiled eggs, 4 oz wild caught Alaskan salmon, broccoli/onion/garlic mixture sautéed in olive oil, smoothie with blueberries, ground flax seeds, and two tablespoons coconut oil, and, of course, 2 little sections of a 86% cocoa dark chocolate/low sugar bar.

Take a look at the bolded line of % body fat change!

Avoiding the landmines: Anticipating Murphy’s Law

Reporting in on the morning of the 16^th day – weight loss is now at 7¾ pounds. I have two weeks to go, and if you don’t mind me saying this, the program has gone extremely well! I don’t know how my blood test results will look, but I feel energetic, hopeful, and I don’t even feel like I can’t wait until I am finished with the diet. I will end the diet at 30 days, but, of course, depending on my next and final BIA (Body Impedance Analysis which measures % body fat, etc.) will probably continue the diet in a modified form.

Throughout this last week or so I have thought quite a bit about our Center weight (loss) program, that has been so successful among staff and patients, and the reasons it may be working so well.

The Center weight loss program is highly structured, even more than mine. As a person who is actually dieting, and actually losing weight, my reflections thus far is that a weight loss program, or any nutritional program, will, in all likelihood will be successful if the following principles are understood and applied: If the dieter knows exactly what and how much to eat, enjoys the food on the plan, knows how to prepare it, has the food when and where the dieter needs it, the dieter understands that Murphy’s Law is always present, and if there is plenty of fats (lipids) in the diet to stabilize blood sugar. If the dieter feels hungry, the program will not be successful.

Day 15

Today marks the 15^th day, and the one halfway point of the diet. What I have noticed in the last 14 nights is that I am more rested from sleeping because I am no longer routinely waking up in the middle of the night. I am actually sleeping through the night! Many people “my age” wake up in the middle of the night to pee. That has not been my reason.

While attending medical school, from 1999-2004, I delivered newspapers for five years on the streets of Portland, from 2:30 am – 5:30 am, 7 days a week. But even after I quit delivering newspapers, which meant not waking up in the middle of the night with an alarm clock – until this diet – I would wake up, on average, 4 out of every 5 nights. And it became a joke with my children and wife about me ALWAYS having to have a “midnight snack” when I did wake up.

It’s probably too early to tell – just two weeks into the diet – what would have to my waking up in the middle of the night if I continued on this same path. Would it lead to permanent change in not waking up at night (obviously I have to soon start eating as many calories as I am burning, eventually, or I won’t be waking up at all)? I am contemplating what change in the diet has made the difference. Am I not sleeping through the night because of: no gluten? no alcohol?, more fat, and no hypoglycemia? Better adrenal gland function?

I weighed in yesterday morning, on the beginning of day 12, weighing exactly six and a half pounds less than the first day of the diet, January 8! This coming Wednesday, exactly halfway through my 30 day diet, I will do a BIA (Body Impedance Analysis) at the office to determine my percent body fat, basal metabolic rate, etc. Also, I will do a blood test, called the fructosamine, which for people familiar with the hemoglobin A1C, is similar to the A1C. While the A1C expresses how the blood sugar has been for the last 2-3 months, the fructosamine shows how the blood sugar has been for the last 2-3 weeks. I like the fructosamine for situations, such as my diet, because a patient can measure how effective their new lifestyle, much more quickly than the A1C; if adjustments are necessary, to achieve the desired results, they can be made. An improving fructosamine can also inspire patients to continue their program with more and more conviction because of the success already measured.

Yesterday, I had three fairly big landmines (challenges) I had to avoid, and another will be all day today. Yesterday began by taking my brother, David, out to eat for his birthday. My other brother, Tim, was also able to be there. We went to Café Bernardo, and because I was prepared for what I was going to eat, way before I got there (2 soft boiled eggs as a side, and not the full breakfast with potatoes and toast), it was not too difficult because my mind was more occupied with conversing with my two wonderful brothers, instead of what I was not eating. They didn’t say anything about my breakfast choice, which was probably helpful.

The next landmine, came in the form of pizza. My wife and I drove to Brentwood, to the home of my the sister-in-law, and brother-in-law/friend, Guy, (yes, the pizza doctor mentioned in a previous blog), and after the very warm greeting from family members, the first thing that came out of Myrian’s mouth was, would you like some pizza? So, again, because I was prepared psychologically, I was able to resist. Even though I saw the box, and was able to smell the aroma steaming from the oven, and feeling the Pavlovian response, I just ate my beans and avocado.

Guy was working, as he always does on Saturdays, so I decided to go to the local watering hole (sports bar) to watch my Portland Trailblazers game. When I arrived at the bar, I briefly explained my diet situation to the waitress, and she and other wait staff were extremely gracious to me, even changing one of the big screen TVs to my game without ordering anything. My eyes would occasionally fixate on the frosty mugs of handicrafted IPA beers and the hot, piled high food passing by me, but I just distracted myself with the game and my I-phone, and all was mostly good. Thankfully, I ate my dinner before I went to the bar.

Regarding the diet, these are the food choice conclusions so far:

1. I don’t like raw sunflower seeds, and I won’t eat them again after the diet is done
2. Breaking up the dark chocolate into little pieces and then putting it into the ½ cup per day of the nut/seed mixture has been a wonderful way to eat the raw nuts
3. Eating non-heated coconut oil in the winter (because it is solid at winter room temperature, at least in my house) is harder than looks and what I have been telling my patients. On the diet, I have been putting the entire glass container of coconut oil into running hot water from the faucet, and that has melted enough oil to squeeze out two tablespoons to put into a smoothie. But, if the berries are completely frozen, the liquid coconut oil will still not melt well – even with blending. It has worked better for me to not blend the oil into the smoothie, but mix it into the smoothie by stirring it in by hand – post-smoothie. Also, if the berries are less than frozen, the oil blends better.
4. I have added avocado, ½ per day, and I feel more full, and it leaves me with more food preparation options. I can eat them in salads, with the beans, etc.

Many more conclusions are on the way!

I had a wonderful evening last night speaking to the Greenhaven Mother’s Club about naturopathic medicine, and answering their questions.  Of course, whenever people gather, there is always food and drink. This evening was no different.  When I arrived for the gathering, Koy, the hostess for the evening, welcomed me and invited me to partake in the vast array of snacks and drinks. Normally I would have dived into the food, but on this the 10^th day, I requested merely water, and put my attention elsewhere, instead of the food, distracting myself from the temptations by talking with some very nice women.

This, the morning of the 11^th day, it’s important to emphasize that success on my diet has come from not only having an organized plan of what food I am going to eat each day, but having the food where I am when I need it. In my case, since I’m at the office from 7am to 6 or 7pm each day, I have to have quite a bit of my food at work, but also have to have the right food at home. If I wasn’t on a special diet and I got hungry at the office, I could always find food somewhere in the neighborhood. After hearing thousands of stories from patients about what they eat on a daily basis, I have come to the conclusion that many patients make unhealthier food choices because of the lack of planning, not because they don’t want to eat healthier. Until the diet, I was definitely guilty of that, as well.