Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Let’s call this a chef salad (or is it chef’s salad?)

Click to learn what I’m doing.

My wife made nearly all of the salads. I have a few days off from my 12-hour shifts and will try to put at least one new super-salad together.

This is a taco salad. You can’t see much of the spicy hamburger meat under the quacamole. Somewhat time-consuming to make, but delicious.

My initial weight was 175.5 lb (79.8 kg). A week later I’m down to 171.6 lb (78 kg). Rounding off, that’s down 4 lb (1.8 kg). (See postscripts below!)

That 4 pounds can’t all be fat. Most of it must be water loss, lowered intestinal content, and perhaps lowered stores of glycogen in muscle and liver. I doubt any of it is muscle loss because I’m careful to eat adequate protein and am working out with weights twice weekly. From here on out the weight loss will slow dramatically if not stall completely.

Chicken salad with tomatoes and almond slivers

I like the simplicity of eating two large salads a day, and nothing else. In the event I get hungry between meals, I’m allowing another salad or a protein food (meat, eggs, fish, chicken, etc). But I haven’t done that yet. I eat before and after my shifts at the hospital. I’ve successfully fought off the temptations in the Doctor’s Lounge, my employer’s office, and invitations to the nurses’ potluck dinners.

That’s spiralized raw zucchini on top, canned beets on the sides

My wife has been in contact with 30+ folks online about the potential of this type of weight-loss program. Nearly all say “Yeah, I could see this happening, but only if I could have just one regular meal a day.” OK…but if it’s the wrong meal, you ain’t gonna lose weight. And does that meal start you down the slippery slope of noncompliance that ends in failure?

No name

I haven’t done any nutritional analysis yet. Maybe in the coming month.

Fajita salad?

I saw an ad on TV for Jenny Craig yesterday. They promised weight loss “up to 16 pounds in four weeks.” I have a powerful word to describe my opinion on that claim, but in the interest of decorum I’ll just say I’m skeptical. On the other hand, they could have said “up to 160 pound in four weeks” and both claims technically would be accurate. The key is “up to….” Up to includes both zero pounds lost and even weight gain. The average TV viewer is going to hear “up to 16 pounds in four weeks”and think, “Man, that sounds like a great program and I’m really going to lose a lot of weight quick!” But that’s not Jenny Craig’s fault.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The day after I wrote this, my weight was 173.6 lb. So up from 171.6 That’s not an unusual fluctuation for someone my size. Assuming my scale is accurate, the change reflects hydration status, intestinal contents, and recent food intake.

PPS: Weight two days after original post was 173 lb (78.6 kg). The 171.6 above seems to have been a fluke. I’ll revise my first-week weight loss to 2.5 lb (1.1 kg).

This is one I made in a rush just before going to the hospital. I’d never tried canned makerel before – not bad. The red container holds commercial balsamic vinaigrette.

I could stand to lose about 10 pounds of excess fat. I’m sure my 20-year-old suits would fit better around the waist. Not that I’m overweight or fat. My BMI is 24.4 (weight 175.5 lb and height 5 feet and 11.25 inches. (Damn. I’m only 63 and already have some age-related shrinkage.)

So what I’m going to do for the next 30 days is eat only salads and see what happens. Not bland iceberg lettuce salads with a few tomato wedges drizzled with ranch dressing. No, these will be super-salads, meaning they provide an adequate amount of the myriad nutrients necessary for health. Right now I can tell you this will require variety and supplemental protein compared to the salads most folks visualize.

Salads have a long history of being “diet food.” Yet I can’t think of an extant popular diet based on them.

Any thoughts or predictions?

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: How could a “nuttin’ but salads” diet lead to weight loss? I’m thinking there are certain foods that make people get fat, and avoiding them may lead to weight loss or prevent excessive weight gain. Certainly there are exceptions, but I’ve noticed the following items make people fat and keep them fat:

• sugars, particularly if refined and concentrated
• starches, particularly if refined and concentrated
• soda pop, pastries, bread in all forms, pizza, candy, chips, cookies, cake, ice cream, pie, pasta, etc.
• foods that taste too good, leading to over-consumption
• excessive calories (from any source?)

I’m not sure about potatoes, beans, nuts, cheeses, and rice.

I also wonder if excessive variety may be a problem for many trying to lose weight, leading to too much temptation and experimentation. Maybe it’s good to get sick and tired of always eating the same thing. Maybe all you need is 3–4 different kinds of salads, plus protein food, and 1–2 fruits a day. Add more only when (if ever?) down to goal weight. Make a huge bowl of salad in the AM and eat it at mealtimes 2–3 times a day; make a different salad tomorrow?