BOLD-X Diet Study, Week One

Well, I'm finishing up my first week on the BOLD-X Diet Study. Yes, this is the study that John thought was interesting, and that we both "tried out" for. I barely met three of the risk factors, but with the guarantee of losing at least 15 pounds (and up to 50 pounds), who cares? Unfortunately (or fortunately) for John, he didn't qualify as well for this study as he did for the ALMOND study. Yes, John's cholesterol is super high, and they wanted him for a study on how (and if) almonds can lower his cholesterol. The people in charge will be maintaining his weight with LOTS of food, including almonds, but lucky me, I get to diet....

The official name of my study? BOLD (Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet) Effects on Metabolic Syndrome BOLD-X

So, I will be given every meal for the next three months. Each morning, I go onto campus, eat my almost-vomit-inducing breakfast and then take the other two meals home in a cooler. Remind me again WHY I signed up for this?

This past week (and for the next week), I am being given a "typical" American diet. In other words, the investigators are getting everybody on the same page as far as what they are eating when the actual study begins. Being a yogurt or fiber cereal person myself, eating three pancakes with a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of syrup AND half a bagel with 1/4 of cream cheese AND a glass of apple juice just for breakfast, I've had some rather interesting intestinal issues. Yesterday, it was the same bagel with the same cream cheese, apple juice again, AND two packets of Cream of Wheat (no sugar, honey or milk). I had to run to the bathroom in the middle of it all.

Can they be serious? It's no wonder that we are so fat as a country! John likes to point out though that most of the food they give me is much healthier than the actual "typical" alternative: the Big Mac, or Country Fried Steak, or large chocolate shake. Plus, my typical diet consists of lots of chocolate. Where the heck is the chocolate?


Here is a photo of the kitchen where all my yummy (?) food is prepared.

I say all of this is jest. I must admit that I love not having to think about food all day, and because of this diet, I realize that I typically think about food all day. I just eat what I'm given, and I don't have to prepare any of it. The kids have been eating the same taco meat for dinner for the last week and they think they are living in kid heaven. No chicken divan, no sage-crusted pork tenderloin.

Hold on a minute.... My salivary glands are going into overdrive....

The diet ends two days before we leave for Utah, and a week before we leave for Interlochen and it's three-times-a-day all-you-can-eat buffet. Oh man, I'm in trouble already.