Schmoosing with Dr. P, M and J

What fun this whole experience was. It went so fast though–our segment got shortened much to our dismay. Dr.Perricone and I had rehearsed some Q & A to help viewers understand not only why I was eating what I ate but if there were any substitutions folks could make.

While not something I’d do forever, this 3 day Face Lift diet is a great idea before a big event like a wedding, do I hear high school reunion, or when having a new head shot done.

It’s been easy for me to not add salt to foods, not add sugar to my tea or coffee, and completely ignore bread, crackers, and sweets of any kind. Maybe losing 4 pounds in 6 days

helped. It feels great to feel so good.

Now remember, I’m a foodie first and I wager to say there will be hot, crusty bread in my future as well as chocolate, triscuits and the occasional chicken wing. I’m not dead yet and life is for the living but in the interest of doing all I can to stay vibrant and healthy in midlife and beyond I’m going to stick with these simple modifications. I’m doing my insides a world of good by reducing inflammation–the single best predictor of the diseases of aging.

Take a look at Dr. Perricone’s Anti-Inflammation food

s. This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about making different choices, some substitutes, and having the curiosity to see just how good you can feel.

What do you do when you want to feel or look better?

Well I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not going to be sad to see this self enforced eating plan go except for one thing– I look great. I look younger, my marianette lines are less deep. My upper eye lids are less heavy looking.

My husband told me that when I first woke up this morning I looked like I’d been up for an hour. Damn I didn’t think he noticed the slight puffiness I’ve come to experience in the am this year. There’s no where to hide is there?

And I feel great. I’m not hungry except at meal or snack time and the caffeine withdrawal headaches haven’t been too bad as long as I have a cup of green tea.

Let’s get real here though, I miss the food groups I’ve given up–salt, sugar, dairy, a grain that isn’t oatmeal, and wine. And I expect I’ll have a Starbucks right after the show is over. But I won’t make these old friends such major players in my eating program going forward.

 I don’t need all the salt I use, food tastes pretty good with less and I’d forgotten. And salad with lemon juice–fresh only please–and extra virgin olive oil is delicious and satisfying so I’ll skip the bottled dressings. They are by the way full of sugar and that’s the next thing on the list to have less of.  Sugar is an super-ager, making all of us older not just our skin. But it’s everywhere and it takes some work to change the eating habits we fall into. 

This has been a great experience and I’m sure that tomorrow’s TV interview will be fun. With the small exception of the split screen of the before and after photos. Yes that’s right, my face,  up close and as personal as it gets will be on the show’s Jumbo screen TV for all to see.

But hey, I always say I’ll be the guinea pig if it’s recommended and it’s something that can help us feel and look better at midlife. So bring it on, this is midlife with a vengeance and meeting Dr. Perricone, being reminded of his anti-inflammation way of eating, and sharing it all with my readers, feels like a good life to me.

PS–I will not be eating salmon tomorrow at all! 

Last night I slept really well and woke up really hungry. A sign I think that this way of eating must be good for me. Of course it’s not just what I’m eating but what I’m not eating or drinking that I think is having the biggest impact. No sugar, no caffeine–yes I know I’m having Green Tea but it’s a different caffeine effect, more on that later–no dairy, no wheat, no alcohol, no starches period, all add up to pretty clean eating.

My cravings seem to be mostly in the sugar and salt category. I can live without the dairy for a bit but the Manchego cheese in my fridge called siren like when I fished for the salmon for last night’s dinner.

Yes I’m an admitted salt-a-holic. Thank god for the 4 olives I’m allowed to have each day, or is it 8? Well I had 8 yesterday and if that makes me a bad person well then fine. 

Do I sound cranky?

Could be the no coffee, I’ll admit. I love my morning joe and I love it dark, thick, and strong. I miss him. I wonder, does he miss me too? Ok I’m off my rocker now.

The diet includes a few snacks and I turned my half a pear, 4 hazelnuts and some low fat plain yogurt into a parfait sort of thing. I chopped the pear and crushed the nuts. Each bite was creamy and crunchy, sweet and tangy. Part of our feeling satisfied when we eat is to combine textures and sensations and this hit all of those points. So delicious and I didn’t miss the honey, agave syrup or molasses I usually drizzle in.

After two meals of some not great salmon from my local mega grocery store–my local fish guys were snowed out of business yesterday after the east end got about 12″–I’m hoping they’ll open today so I can get some wild pacific coast salmon. The deeper and colder the waters our fish lives in the fattier, more tasty, more Omega 3′s their flesh contains. Not to mention the texture is sublime if you don’t over cook it.

Portions of food are ample though I think I went over the suggested menu with that second 4 olives and some extra steamed veggies with dinner. One has to be smart about this stuff. I spent 2 hours of intense outdoor exercise shoveling snow and digging out the feral cat colonies I tend to on Mondays. I knew I needed some more calories to fuel my body for the mental work I was doing so I simply added within the diets guidelines.

All in all I feel great, my energy is very even, and chocolate cravings aside this is a great jump start to a more like me eating plan. I’ve been a bit lazy over the past year or so I’ll admit. And that’s ok but it’s time for me at least to recommit to eating the way I know we must eat to feel and look our best. Midlife with a vengeance is about now, and about doing what’s uncomfortable sometimes because we can feel how good it’s going to feel when we’re through to the other side. And because we want to age with ease and vitality right?

Dr. Perricone’s approach to beautiful skin has the added benefit of improving all the markers of aging along the way. Maybe midlife wrinkles aren’t such a bad thing if they get us to take notice and do something to minimize them.

I may be growing a fin and feeling scaly from all the salmon but by golly my skin looks better already and it’s comforting to know that my whole system is benefitting.

We’ll see about that now won’t we. Well, yes, we will because I’m currently taking the 3 Day Face Lift Diet challenge. Not familiar with this idea? Surely you must know of the dermatologist to the rich and famous, Dr. Nic Perricone,  he of the divine skin care products that really do work to sooth, smooth, and generally improve boomer-aged skin? (His product line works for others as well but he has a targeted line just for us) And he’s big on eating to prevent inflammation–the source he believes of much of what ails us and our wrinkled, tired looking skin.

How did I come upon this idea? I answered a query for “a woman with wrinkles who will agree to eat a certain diet for 3 days created by a doctor who says it’s like a non-surgical facelift.” How could I resist being the guinea pig for all things natural and boomer-women-helpful? Not to mention I would like to do all I can to avoid the knife for as long as possible.

Here’s the fun part. I’m going to be on TV as a part of this promotion for Dr. Perricone’s diet! It’s a syndicated show that runs on Fox 5 called The Morning Show with Mike and Juliette

Most of the foods for my Face Lift Diet

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The diet is pretty limited and the photo shows some of the ingredients I’ll be living on for 3 days. What’s missing from the picture is salmon–twice per day minimum and turkey or chicken breast for snacks.

Dr. Perricone’s website has plenty of great skin care information as well as the 3 Day Diet plan if you want to know more. Freshly brewed coffee is not on the plan. My husband may want to leave the country til this is over. Green tea is allowed so I’m sipping that but it’s like drinking club soda when what you really want is a Champagne as far as I’m concerned. But it’s only 3 days. 

Dr. Perricone’s book, The Perricone Prescription has a number of before and after the 3 Day Diet photos. The women really do look better. I hope I can deliver for them, if not there is always the make up artist.

Have you ever tried this plan?