Back to Square One

We began the Brentwood Diet in April 2007. Phase One lasted for three months for both of us--and every moment felt like gastronomic boot camp. David lost 30 pounds and I lost 25. While our weight-loss stories didn't come with jaw-dropping before-and-after pictures, David's blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol numbers testify to the diet's life-changing effects.

The good news is that we've pretty much kept the weight off. I've strayed from the diet more than my husband and returned twice already to Phase One, each time for less than two weeks at a clip. Hey, it's a lot easer to take off five pounds than twenty. And certainly less painful to adhere to Phase One's hardcore restrictions for a short time.

Right now, we're going back to Phase One, again. For David, it's the first time since 2007. Which seems amazing to me, when you think about the yo-yo effects of most diets. For sure, it won't be as difficult as two years ago, because instead of giving up everything, we only have to close the eat-whatever-you-want-10%-of-the-time loophole and forgo a few Phase Two staples. For us, that means daily consumption of red wine, skim milk, low-fat yogurt and fruit. The fruit will be hardest for me. David only indulges in nightly blueberries with yogurt. (Blueberries being low in sugars and high in antioxidants and flavor.) Yesterday, we chowed down on Chinese food in a typical pre-diet binge. And today is sort of a transition day, because I didn't want to throw out a papaya and we're finishing off the remaining milk with our coffee. But, tomorrow it's back to square one.

Anyhow, we each want to lose five pounds. And there's no doubt that we will do it. The Brentwood Diet works. And once you've been on it, you have the confidence that you can control your weight for life--and that's quite powerful.

Travelers Tips

PHASE ONE:

Traveling during Phase 1 is tough. Your eating-out strategies come into play, but keep portability in mind. If traveling by car, keep water and your bag 'o vegetables near by. If you're staying at a motel without a fridge handy, buy Persian cucumbers and mini peppers for snacking. They don't need to be chopped, which is nice, too.

When you fly, plan ahead. My husband, David, was so militant during the first phase of the diet that he once travelled to Toronto without eating anything on the plane. A few weeks later, we made the same trip together. This time, we ate at home and each ordered a salad with chicken chunks on the plane (sans dressing, of course). I brought unsalted almonds to nibble inflight, too. (Yes, they're banned from the Brentwood Diet, but they were OK by Atkins. David didn't crack, though.) Upon arrival, we devoured a veggie omelette, which for some reason, required some negotiation at the coffee shop. Hard-boiled eggs and pre-packaged crudite trays from the grocery store helped a lot during our stay. We navigated shiva meals as best we could. For example, we both removed the bread from our tuna-salad sandwiches. David didn't realize that they contained mayo. I chose not to tell him. There are times when life calls for flexibility.

PHASE TWO:

People in the second phase of the Brentwood Diet can relax a bit. They also can prepare for the trip by going back to Phase 1 before they travel. The idea is to lose weight in anticipation of a slight gain. Of course, the Brentwood Diet lifestyle isn't just about watching weight. It's about keeping blood sugar, cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. in check. So, don't go hog wild on your vacation or business trip.

How To Avoid Becoming A Social Pariah

Unfortunately, the first phase of the Brentwood Diet can put a dent in your social life. The ninth commandment of the Brentwood Diet states: when going out, eat first. Heed it and you'll go a long way. Here are some more strategies you might consider to help you stick to the Brentwood Diet and avoid becoming a buzz kill.

BARS:

Mineral water, unsweetened iced-tea, black coffee. Needless to say, you will not be the life of the party.

RESTAURANTS:

Yes, you can order a salad with chicken chunks and oil and vinegar on the side. Grilled white fish and chicken breasts are a safe bet, too. But, most things on the menu come with salt. You'll need to consult with your food servers and have them check with the chefs to find if everything complies with the Brentwood Diet. Fortunately, for those living in the LA area, many restaurants are used to special orders. They don't upset us. Or at least, not too much. They can irritate your dining companions, though.

SOMEONE'S HOME:

This is much trickier than eating out. First, let your friends or family know that you have special needs. Your hosts may be happy to meet them. Of course your hosts can hear low-carb diet, whip you up something from the South Beach Diet Cookbook and be disappointed when you don't eat it. So, please be clear on things.

Offer to bring your own food. Your hosts may be OK and even relieved if you do. But, ASK first. Toting your own turkey meatballs might offend someone who's shopped and cooked something off-diet for you. And if you do bring your own food, don't just bring it for yourself: make enough to share. FYI: even non-Brentwood Dieters must deal with this. A friend's little boy is allergic to everything and she goes through this every time her son gets an invitation to a birthday party or play date.

Avoid talking about the Brentwood Diet at length. It's boring. Shortly after we went on the diet, a friend went on it, too. We went over to his house for a Super Bowl party. His wife not only added Brentwood-Diet-compliant food to the mix, she also made up signs for the buffet table forbidding guests to talk about the diet. Zealous converts to the Brentwood Diet, we'd also become pains in the ass.

FILL UP ON VEGETABLES:

Load your plate with them at every opportunity.

PHASE 2:

Remember the 90% on / 10 % off rule for Phase 2? Eating out and traveling are when it really comes into play. But, when you eat out and go off-diet, keep things in perspective. You might choose to have a beer, but forgo the Buffalo chicken wings dipped in blue cheese dressing.

Observations On Skinny People

I've made a lifelong study of skinny people. And not the kind who wage war on fat, no. I'm talking about the naturally thin, the effortlessly svelte, the slender types who've never dieted a day in their lives. Brentwood dieters may not be among their ranks, but they can learn something from the super slim. Here's what my unofficial research shows about them, including the different shades of skinny:

 

• Eat Anything Without Gaining An Ouncers: These folks lucked into revved-up metabolisms and can down strawberry milkshakes and gobble up large orders of chili-cheese fries without super-sizing their waistlines. They are the happy few. Although, a subset of this group actually struggles to keep weight on. Some underweight individuals even suffer health problems. Others must endure unwelcome advice or snarky remarks about their skeletal status. Also, food-related medical conditions like high cholesterol can plague the Eat Anything Without Gaining An Ouncers. However, they don't have much to teach Brentwood Dieters.

• Cruise Controllers: They possess built-in common sense or an internal regulator when it comes to healthy eating. They can limit themselves to three potato chips. They can keep a chocolate bar for a week and nibble a small piece of it every night. And it would never occur to Cruise Controllers to eat an entire package of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies in a single sitting. They don't need willpower. Occasionally, they may tabulate what they eat. For example, if they want dessert, they'll forgo the Margarita and appetizer. But mostly, moderation in all things edible is automatic for them. The good news: Brentwood Dieters can compensate for the lack of natural-born culinary cruise control. Phase 1 is no problem: it's so structured and restricted, you don't have to think; just endure. It's like boot camp. Follow orders and you'll do fine. But, Phase 2 Brentwood Dieters can cultivate balance and accountability with good food choices, portion-control awareness and by adding exercise into the equation. 

• Sloooooow Eaters: They don't wolf down their food. They tend to be mindful eaters, savoring every morsel. They relax and converse at the table, too. Incidentally, since these people linger over meals, their brains send satiety signals their bellies in time to stop them from overeating. That's internal portion control in action. Slow seems like a good way to go, all around. (Hmm. There may be an overlap between Cruise Controllers and Slow Eaters. More study is needed.)

• Anti-Foodies: These freaks of nature could care less about food. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh. Perhaps, they're simply cursed with palettes that don't respond to flavor. It could be that the aroma of freshly baked bread does not arouse their appetites. Quite possibly, they are immune to satisfying textures like the silky frothiness of a chocolate mousse. It's almost as if Anti-Foodies lack the gene that permits the sensual enjoyment of food. Which is kind of sad, if you think about it. Certainly, these folks don't live to eat. They eat to live. Interestingly enough, Dr. Mizrahi mentioned "eating to live" when we first went on the Brentwood Diet. That notion didn't inspire me at the time. But, there is something to learn from the idea, on a whole lot of levels. 

Eventually, Brentwood Dieters enter the ranks of the skinny. But, Brentwood Dieters are converts: those skinny by choice, not by chance. And that's a big difference. Each and everyday, Brentwood Dieters consciously choose a better, healthier life. 

Super Seasonings

Banish bland eats and enhance your health at the same time.  After the first two weeks of the Brentwood Diet, you can break out the seasonings and return flavor to your food. You'll also add some health benefits. Because, many of the items in your spice rack and pantry do double duty as "functional foods." That means they deliver health-promotion or disease-prevention in every sprinkle or dash. The following faves make the list of super seasonings: 

Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and lower both triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol 

Garlic: Boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and fights against cancer and heart disease among other things--garlic is the super hero of seasonings

Ginger: An anti-inflammatory high in antioxidants, it may also lower cholesterol  

Olive Oil: Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without lowering HDL (good) cholesterol

Parsley: Chuck full of cancer-fighting antioxidants

Turmeric: Fights inflammation, lowers cholesterol and may help prevent Alzheimer's disease

Cardboard Chicken

Biting into a piece of chicken with its crispy, golden-brown skin is one of life's simple pleasures. According to the Brentwood Diet though, only skinless, white-meat chicken is allowed. Unfortunately, this lacks the flavor punch  that a chicken roasted whole delivers.  

What's a Brentwood Dieter to do? Get used to it. Chicken skin for all its goodness, packs in a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol--all things to avoid on the Brentwood Diet.  And dark-meat lovers just have to wait for Phase Two for the occasional drumstick or thigh. 

Also, make the best of things. Although bland, the nude-looking lozenges of boneless, skinless chicken breasts are ultra convenient. First, they cook up in no time. It takes just 25 minutes at 400˚F and wham, they're out of the oven. Chopped up, they're a great addition to soups, stews and stir fries (Phase One folks: instead of using your tablespoon of olive oil for salad, use it to stir fry vegetables and chicken.) Why not cook up a bunch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and use them later? Chilled, they make great additions to salads. They're great to tote, too, because they're not messy and they're microwavable. 

CHICK TRICKS:

Chunky Chicken Salad:

• 2 or 3 bell peppers diced generously

• 1 small sweet onion finely chopped (Vidalia, etc.)

• 1 regular cucumber or 4 Persian cucumbers

• 2 to 3 skinless breasts, pre-cooked and chilled and chopped into chunks

• 2 tablespoons extra version olive oil

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Mix together. Feeds 2. 

Phase Two: Add chucks of avocado and tomato,  finely chopped cilantro, a pinch of cumin and the juice of 1/2 to 1 lime instead of the vinegar for a Southwestern twist. For a once-in-a-blue-moon option, throw in a few cooked low-salt black beans and kernels sheared from a fresh ear of corn. Know that in addition to added carbs, the canned black beans come with sodium, which is a Brentwood Diet no-no.

Roasted Chicken & Cauliflower

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 head of cauliflower chopped into little pieces 

• Olive oil--1 tablespoon Phase One, lots Phase Two

Preheat oven to 425˚ F.  Lightly grease a large roasting pan with olive oil. Rinse chicken breasts in water and pat dry. Place in pan. Add cauliflower, preferably not onto on the chicken breasts, but in between them. Sprinkle the olive oil on top of everything--1 tablespoon for Phase One people, more for Phase Two Brentwood Dieters. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken's golden brown. Test the chicken for doneness. You may have to remove the chicken breasts and let them rest and cook the cauliflower on its own for a while longer. The cauliflower should be toasty-looking and fork-tender. Feeds 3 to 4.

Alternative: 

Forgo the cauliflower but add other vegetables to the bottom of the greased pan: chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped celery root, chopped summer squash, mushrooms--whatever. Place chicken on top and cook at 400˚F for around 30 minutes. Check for doneness at about 20 minutes. 

Skillet Chicken & Veggies

• 3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts chopped into chunks

• 2 or more cups of salt-free, homemade chicken stock/broth (recipe on blog) 

• 1 16-oz. bag of frozen bell pepper strips or 4 or 5 diced fresh bell peppers

• 2 large onions diced finely

• Herbs of your choice: eg: herbs de Provence, cumin, cilantro, parsley, paprika, thyme, etc.

• If you have a huge skillet, add in celery. From a few stalks to a whole bunch. 

Throw the vegetables, seasonings and the chicken stock/broth and cook covered for 15 minutes or so. Then throw in the chunks of chicken and cook covered for about 15 more minutes. Make sure that the broth doesn't all evaporate. Feeds 2 to 4 in Phase One. 

The "E" Word

Exercise. It conjures up perky, fitter-than-thou folks who get excited about sweat, spin class and workout routines. Kill me, now. Just thinking about exercise makes this potato want to curl up on her Lazy Boy and take a nap. OK, it's not so bad as that. But for some reason, even activities that leave one with a feel-good-endorphin afterglow meet with massive mental resistance. 

And that's a shame. Because, diet and exercise are a perfect pairing, a dynamic duo and a one-two punch. In  combination, they  lower weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar more effectively than either would alone. 

So, the question is: how does one remove the "Eww" from exercise? Possibly, by taking the work out of workout. Playtime sounds a lot more fun, doesn't it? Think of activities that you want to do, instead of the exercises you feel you should do. Maybe walking on the beach, riding a bike or going on a hike. How about bringing along a buddy? Then you can socialize while getting into shape. 

My husband takes the one-step-at-a-time approach. He breaks the whole exercise event down into segments. First, get the gear ready. Next, get out the door. Drive to the gym or the pool. Once there, it's not so bad. Yet, he gives himself permission to quit. Does 15 minutes or so and then sees how he feels. It works for him. 

Of course, the more you exercise, the faster you reach your goal weight and the faster you get to Phase Two of the Brentwood Diet. That's a huge inducement. Fear of a heart attack and stroke works as motivation, too. Hey, whatever gets you moving is good. And that's the word on exercise.