When I went on the Auto-Immune diet earlier this year, the diet was so limited that I went down to 109 lbs. That was way too skinny for me, in fact I moved into scrawny and didn’t like it a bit. Now I have found out which foods are not good for me and added the rest back.
Most women scoff when you say you need to gain weight because they have a problem losing it but it is just as much a problem. I have tried everything to get some pounds back and now I think I have it licked. I’m up to 114 lbs and seem to be gaining steadily.
The trick is to use Cronometer.com to log everything that goes into my mouth. That way I have clear targets and don’t go to bed until they are met. It’s a free program and I highly recommend it. You fill in your profile first with your stats. Then I chose the weight goal of gaining two pounds a week. I didn’t actually gain that quickly but the one pound a week setting didn’t seem to make any difference.
Then you decide on your macronutrient target ratio – protein/carbs/fats. So the Zone Diet is 30/30/40, the Paleo Diet is 15/25/60 etc. You can also do a custom ratio – mine is 15/20/65.
That means I am eating a lot of fat – a LOT! But I have done a lot of research, starting with Dr Rosedale years ago, and I think that good fats are totally safe. I may not stay on this diet for ever but it’s working for me right now.
The good thing about adding lots of fat is that it’s easy. I can have strawberries with coconut cream twice a day, put avocado oil or coconut oil on everything, eat tons of macademia nuts and I make my quota. The carbs are all fruits and veggies. No sugar, no starches, no grains, no dairy, few to none processed foods.
So for people who want to lose weight you use the same program and enter every food that goes in your mouth so you actually start to realize how much you are eating. Yes, I know it’s work to cook and prepare your own food and to enter it in. But it works!! And I’m feeling so healthy! And it seems to keep me aware on other levels as well. I monitor my energy level better, my insulin levels have gone down, my mood is up.
I’m actually planning some house improvements that I had been too tired to even think of doing for ages. So my world is looking rosy. I have finally finished the transition from an English garden to all succulents because of our record drought and that was a LOT of work! And I loved it!!
So I bet I don’t get many women even opening this newsletter but it might help a few skinnies to gain some weight and that all helps with the bone strengthening.
Update 2015:
I am up to 120 lbs now, right where I want to stay and what did it was rice pudding! I make it with cooked brown rice and coconut cream and a little stevia. I love it! In fact I have to cut back now I’ve achieved my weight goal or I’ll blow right past it. I had given up grains with the auto-immune diet but brown rice is the grain least likely to be an allergen so I gave it a try.
Blessings,