My Experience with the Fast Metabolism Diet

Have you heard of the Fast Metabolism Diet?

I hadn't either until last fall when some people on a message board I frequent were discussing it. I bought the book and started reading author Haylie Pomroy's plan for boosting a person's metabolism and kickstarting weight loss. It made a lot of sense to me.

This is not about depriving yourself, although you do avoid certain foods. I'll get to that later. You actually eat tons of food. Real, unprocessed food. So much that I almost couldn't eat all that I needed to eat every day. The book lays out portion size based on how much weight you want to lose. You eat at least 5 times a day. It's a lot of food! In fact, Haylie says that on her program, the word DIET means Did I Eat Today?

Okay, here's the gist of it. You stay on the program for 28 days or 4 weeks. Each week you divide up into 3 phases. This is a fantastic summary of what each phase is supposed to do:
The book provides a list of foods that are appropriate for each phase. You must stick to eating those foods on the right phases.

Phase One is the high-glycemic, moderate protein, low fat phase. You eat grains like brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal. Sprouted wheat breads are allowed, too. Fruits high in natural sugars like apples, strawberries and mangos are permitted. Moderate amounts of protein that are low in fat make up the rest of your menus. No oil is allowed on this phase. You also do one day of cardio exercise.

Phase Two is considered to be the hardest by a lot of people I've talked to. It is very high protein and high vegetable (though your choices are more limited than the other phases.) No grains or fruits except lemons and limes are allowed. Strength training is the exercise you complete on this phase.

Phase Three adds back in good grains and fruits, plus some healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and nuts. This was the easiest phase for me. Exercise for this phase is supposed to be a relaxing activity. I just took nice, meandering walks at a slow pace for mine.

You really have to get the book to understand the why's of this diet. There is a whole lot of chemistry involved. Plus, the book has some really good recipes to get you started. Once I understood the phases and what you could/couldn't eat on each one, I could adapt some of my own recipes to work on the plan.

Now here are some of the things you can't eat/drink on this diet:

No corn products
No wheat products, with the exception of sprouted bread like Ezekiel bread
No dairy - it was hard giving up cheese!
No caffeine - bye bye, morning coffee
No refined sugars - the only sweeteners you can use are stevia and xylitol
No soy - the exception is tamari sauce, a gluten free soy sauce
No alcohol - not a problem until I got sick and needed cough syrup
No dried fruit or juice
No artificial sweeteners
No fat free anything

I don't care for stevia, so I chose xylitol as my sweetener. It's pricy but I felt like it was worth the cost. It's imperative to get birch xylitol instead of something corn-based, though.

Even though I drank a cup of coffee each morning prior to starting the program, I only had one day of withdrawal headaches. Some people who drink a lot of coffee experience more serious withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and the shakes. Now that my 28 days are up, I really don't have a burning desire to go back to drinking coffee. That's not to say I'd turn down a coffee date with a friend. I just don't feel like a need java to start my day like I did before.

One of the rules on this plan is to drink lots of water. You're supposed to drink half your weight in ounces each day. That's a lot of water! You're also supposed to get adequate rest, like 8 hours of sleep each night. But I couldn't do that because I got up a few times to go potty after drinking all the water! LOL!

I'm going to tell you right now, the key to success on this nutritional plan is planning. I mapped out every meal and every snack and made sure I had the ingredients on hand. I cut up veggies ahead of time so I could grab them for a quick snack. Basically, veggies are unlimited so if you ever get hungry on this diet, just eat some celery or a salad to fill you up.

The only real drawback to this plan is the cost of food. Buying fresh produce and healthy food is expensive! I easily tacked on $50 each week to our regular grocery budget, buying tons of veggies and fruits, nitrate-free meats and sprouted bread products. Now that I don't have to eat as much for every meal, I can scale back the budget and still keep buying healthy.

One of the upsides to this program was that my family tried new dishes with me and even liked some of them! Neither child liked cabbage much before this, but now they love it. That's a win in my book!

Ok, so does this diet plan work?

My answer is yes, it worked for me. If you stick with it and eat the phase-appropriate foods, you'll lose weight. I started the plan on January 5 and ended on February 1. In that 4-week period, I lost 14 pounds. And I had a great deal of energy. Eating real foods keep you full and satisfied.

My best friend and her husband decided to follow the program with me. She also lost 14 pounds, and he lost 24! He did a bit more exercise than the program demanded, though. They've been so pleased that they're going to do one more 28-day cycle to see if they can lose some more.

Now, just a disclaimer. As with any diet program, you need to follow the advice of your doctor. If you have a metabolic disorder or a thyroid problem, you definitely want to get your doctor's input before starting this program. Since it's all about getting the most out of your metabolism, your doctor can tell you if this will help you lose weight.

If you want to try the Fast Metabolism Diet, here are my best tips for you before you get started:

1. Read the book. It really is the best way to understand this eating plan. And
    you will refer back to if often, especially during the first week when you're
    unsure if you're eating the right things on each phase. It's also a great way
    to remind yourself that this isn't just about losing weight. It's about waking up
    and repairing your metabolism so it will function as it should even when you
    are not following the diet.

2. Follow Haylie Pomroy's Pinterest boards. You can find them here. She       
    regularly pins new recipes and gives tips on how to make them appropriate
    for each phase. I found a number of yummy recipes that I'll continue to
    prepare even though I'm no longer following the plan.

3. Map out your menus for each day for one week. Don't do all 4 weeks at
    once. You might want to try one of the recipes in the book, so you put it down
    as a lunch or dinner for each week. Then you prepare it and find out you or
    your family don't like it. Now you've got to come up with a new plan and you
    get discouraged that all your hard planning work is for nought. 

4. Check to see if your local grocery stores carry nitrite-free lunchmeat.
    The only store around here that did was Publix. They had two kinds of nitrite-
    free turkey. I chose the smoked kind. It became my go-to snack for the protein
    heavy Phase 2. I could just grab a couple of slices and a handful of celery.
    Since it was free of added chemicals, it tasted very plain. But I liked it. It was
     clean and fresh-tasting to me.

And here are some tips once you've jumped on the bandwagon:

5. Fill a pitcher with the amount of water you need to drink each day.
    I kept mine in the fridge because I enjoy cold over room temperature water. I
    was surprised how much water I really needed to consume. Water is pretty
    much the only beverage I drink, so I thought I was getting enough. I wasn't
    coming close to the daily recommended amount for everyone, let alone the
    amount of water I needed on this plan.

6. Don't weigh yourself every day. There will be some fluctuation from day to
    day. If you weight yourself and find out you've gained a pound since the day
    before, how likely are you to get discouraged? Very likely! It's normal on this
    plan to see fluctuation, especially on protein-heavy Phase 2. Instead, weigh
    yourself once a week, right before you start next week's phases. It will be so
    much easier to stick with the program!

7. Prepare snacks ahead of time if you can. Having celery cut up, ready to
    eat, saved me from grabbing something I shouldn't. I generally don't keep junk
    food around anyway, but I do have dried fruit for snacks. On this plan, dried
    fruit is a no-no. Even though it would have been a healthy choice any other
    time, it would have thrown me off my eating plan. Why do all this hard work
    only to be done in by a couple of snacks I shouldn't have had? Preparation is
    the key.

Now is this eating plan for everyone? No. It does take a lot of time to plan and prepare the food. And you won't be eating out much, if at all. If you don't enjoy cooking, this diet could present a challenge to you. But you will be eating real, whole foods with no chemically stuff. The recipes on the book serve 4-6 people, so your family can enjoy the wholesome food with you.

My favorite new recipe is Haylie Pomroy's Italian Garden Meatballs. They are juicy and flavorful and don't need any sauce to make them delicious. I made double batches so I could freeze some for snacks, as well as meals. I will be making them often in the future, too.

My conclusion about the whole thing - this diet works if you stick with it. The results were well-worth the time and effort I put into it. I would not hesitate to go back on the plan if I needed to rev up my metabolism again.

The New York Baking Company Silicone Baking Buddies Product Review

I was recently contacted by The New York Baking Company and asked to try out their silicone baking cups in exchange for an honest review.

Oops! Is that a piece of shredded cheese stuck to the counter? Who wouldn't have wiped the counter before snapping pictures of it? Apparently me, that's who!

I thought, "Why not?" I've got plenty of muffin recipes to choose from to test these silicone baking cups out. Since I had strawberries on hand, I used my strawberry muffin recipe. Yummy!

I lined up the baking cups on a cookie sheet and filled them with the batter.

I baked the muffins at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes, checking for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the middle of a few muffins.

The silicone cups peeled off the muffins like a dream - no rips like when you use paper liners.

There was some juicy strawberry residue left on the inside of the baking cup. I was hoping there would be so I could test out how easily they cleaned up.

And I'm happy to report, they clean up easily and quickly! I simply ran the cups under warm water and used a little scrubbie to get off the residue. It was easiest to turn them inside out to scrub them. Then I let them air dry completely.

I even saved some muffins for the following day - no easy feat in my house, to be sure. Homemade treats go very quickly around here! But I wanted to see how the cups cleaned up after a day or two.

It was as easy to clean them the second day as it was the first!

I love that they take up so little storage room, too, as opposed to muffin tins. I just stacked them all neatly together and put them back in the package they came in. It slides very neatly into one of my kitchen drawers.

Not to mention that they're economical. If you bake a lot of cupcakes or muffins, buying paper liners can get pricy. These baking cups can be used again and again with minimal fuss and clean up.

The only drawback to the Baking Buddies that I could see is that they did not come with instructions, either for using or washing. As someone who hadn't used silicone baking cups before, I wasn't sure what kinds of temps these things could withstand. I googled it, but it would have been nice to have that info provided by the company.

That said, I recommend The New York Baking Company's Baking Buddies. I know I will be using them for years to come.

DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation for this review other than a sample of the product in exchange for my honest opinions. My opinions are my own and you might not have the same experience or opinions that I did.

Buck Denver asks...What's in the Bible? review

Phil Vischer of Veggie Tales fame has created a new set of characters to introduce children to the Bible and what it's all about. Listen to Phil explain.


This first DVD in the series tackles the questions of why the Bible is divided into testaments, why some books are included in the Apocrypha and Septuagint but not the Protestant Bible, and why we can trust the Bible.

As you can see, the characters aren't really like Veggie Tales characters, except for the voices. Still, we enjoyed watching them and learned a great deal. The DVD comes with a code for a digital copy so you can watch it on your tablet or phone. It also included a coloring page. Additional activities are available at the What's in the Bible website.

The DVD was funny with mostly a corny sense of humor similar to Veggie Tales. We liked the silly songs, too. They weren't as catchy as we were used to with Veggie Tales, but still I found myself humming a couple of them later. The characters were engaging, too. We especially liked Clive and Ian and the Sunday School Lady. But while the DVD was entertaining, some parts did drag on. Overall, though, we liked it.

My only beef with it deals with the part about Creation. I firmly believe in a literal, 6-day period of time when God created the Earth and everything else. One of the characters mentioned a big bang and Mr. Vischer explained that there is disagreement among Christians about how long it took God to create and there is no way to know for sure. I was disappointed by that comment. Even the Princess stated that we should just take God at His word. Six days is six days. It was a little ironic to me that a DVD whose purpose it is to get children to trust the Bible as God's Word wouldn't take a firm stance on Creation. Please note, I am not condemning or belittling anyone who holds a differing view on Creation than I do. I just feel very strongly that this an important issue regarding the authority of God's Word and wish Mr. Vischer had taken a stronger stand.

Does that mean I wouldn't recommend or purchase the other DVDs in this series? Absolutely not. I just wanted to caution other believers who might feel as strongly about a young creation position as I do. There are several more DVDs in the series, and my kids are looking forward to watching them.


I was selected for participation in this review and given the What's in the Bible DVD as a member of The Homeschool Lounge Review Team. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Your Grocery Toolbox e-book review

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite food bloggers, Anne over at Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy. And her website does just that - provides recipes that are simple to prepare while using healthy ingredients. She shares tips and hints to save money while keeping your family well-fed.

Anne has just published a wonderful e-book called Your Grocery Toolbox. It's a 150-page guidebook to saving money on your food bill and developing good spending habits that will serve you well in the future. I can tell you that after two and a half years of blogging, I've not seen a better e-book on the subject of saving grocery dollars. It's a great value at $4.99.

Here are some of the topics covered in this book: 

1. Budget (how to make one, what you can afford on your budget, a sample $250/month budget, and more)
2. Price List (what it is, how it helps, how to make one, how to maintain)
3. Sourcing (a comprehensive review of sources – online and brick-and-mortar – for inexpensive healthy food)
4. Once-a-Month Shopping (maximizing your budget by shopping once a month)
5. Price Caps (learn how to set limits for how much you will spend on different items)
6. Coupons (can coupons be effective when shopping for healthy foods?)
7. Do it Yourself Foods (foods you can make yourself and save money)
8. Take it to the Next Level (develop frugal habits that will save you LOTS)
9. Saving Money in the Internet Era (frugal hacks from the modern age of internet and social media)

Anne also includes tons of resources, websites and printables to make your efforts to save money even easier!

Each chapter contains several challenges, like determining your nutritional priorities or creating a price book. These challenges will help you take the book's useful tips and put them into practice. And in the process, you'll start to see how following Anne's advice can save you money while still allowing you to serve your family healthy meals!

So, what did I like most about Your Grocery Toolbox? Well, I really liked all of it! The chapters were well-written and conversational, like Anne was talking to her best friends. She makes the whole process of planning to save and shopping for deals easy and doable.

But I think I learned the most from the chapter on resources for healthy food at good prices. I had never really considered online shopping as a viable option. After reading Anne's recommendations, I went to Amazon.com and found some amazing prices on foods I've been wanting to try but was too expensive locally. I was even able to get some bulk items without leaving home. That's important to me because we have no large warehouse stores like Costco or Sam's near us.

I also got a much-needed reminder to update my price book. I started one in 2010 but haven't kept up with current food prices. I know prices have gone up in the past two years, so in an effort to find the cheapest prices on what I need, I'm going to follow Anne's advice to keep up with it.

So, would you like a copy of Your Grocery Toolbox? You can purchase one for $4.99 or here's how you can get one for FREE!

Simply leave a comment telling me how much you spend in groceries every month for your family and how large your family is. I'll randomly draw a winner on Sunday night, July 8.

Even if you don't win a free copy, Anne is offering my readers a 20% discount good through July 10. Click here to visit Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy.

Enter the discount code "tasteandsee" without the quotation marks to receive 20% off your copy of Your Grocery Toolbox. But if you purchase the book and then win the giveaway, Anne will refund you the purchase price!

If you're looking for ways to keep your grocery costs down, you will definitely want a copy of this book!

Disclosure: Anne gave me a free copy of her e-book to read and review. My opinions are strictly my own and I was not compensated for them.

Also,  I'm a Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy affiliate, so if you click on the link above and purchase Anne's book, I receive a commission.

CSN Stores Review - Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker

Last month, I told you I'd be doing a product review from CSN Stores. Their stores carry so many wonderful products that I had a hard time choosing just one to try out!

Eventually I settled on the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-quart Slow Cooker. There's nothing easier than putting a meal's ingredients in the crockpot and letting it do all the work instead of me!


I particularly like this model because of the locking lid. There is a rubber gasket around the top of the removable crock to seal it tightly when latched. I even put water in the crockpot and turned it upside down to see if it would leak. It didn't.

This is the perfect slow cooker for transporting food to a friend's house or church function. No more wrapping towels around the entire crockpot and hoping it doesn't tip over in the back of the van! The lid stays on tight the whole time, until you unlatch it.

I also like the spoon rest on top of the lid. No more searching for a suitable spoon, only to realize you've already put it in the dishwasher because you forgot you needed it later! Does that sound like the voice of experience speaking? Ha ha!

Over the years, I've tried out many slow cookers, but I have to say, this is one of my favorites. It cooks evenly and is easy to clean. The latching lid is the best, most practical feature in my book. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who regularly uses a slow cooker.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this review other than the product itself so I could conduct a review. My opinion is entirely my own.

CSN Stores Review coming up!

CSN Stores has once again asked me to try a product from their stores and share my review with y'all. If you've never heard of CSN Stores, you need to check them out. Seriously.

CSN Stores has over 200 online shops where you can purchase anything from beautiful wardrobes to chic lighting pieces to children's furniture.

But here's the dilemma. There are so many wonderful products to choose from that I'm having a hard time narrowing down my choice.

Should I try out a new crockpot? Cause I love cooking with a crockpot!



Or maybe some new mixing bowls with spouts for easy pouring?


Or a new kitchen clock?


CSN Stores truly has something for everyone!

By the way, Simply Stacie is hosting a CSN Stores giveaway, so head over there for a chance to win! You might be able to get some wonderful products for yourself!

CSN Stores Review

A while back I was contacted by CSN Stores to do a review of one of their products. If you've never checked out CSN Stores, you should. They have over 200 online shops with items from kitchen ware to dining room sets to doggie beds. I mean, they have everything!

I've been cooking for years and never have owned a wooden block set of knives. Can you believe it? So I chose to review the Ronco Six Star Cutlery Set with the Ronco Rocker Knife.


This set comes with 20 knives of varying sizes and uses. I love that the knives themselves are labeled with numbers and names that correspond to their slots in the wooden block. What a great idea! Perfect for someone like me who can't remember where anything goes!


The knife handles are made of plastic and are lightweight, which some people might find unusual. But they are very well made and triple-riveted to the blades for durability. I can't say enough about the blades! I spent the better part of the weekend chopping up vegetables and cheese, not to mention bread and chicken. Each knife I used was a dream! The steak knives cut through cooked meat like butter.

I've seen knives of this quality sell for tons of money, but I got the Ronco Six Star set with wooden block for only $44.95. I think I got my money's worth this weekend alone, as much as I used them!If you're looking for an affordable, durable set of knives, I highly recommend this product.

The CSN site was very easy to navigate and the checkout process was smooth and simple. I had my knives in less than a week after I ordered them, too. I can tell you, this won't be the last time I order from CSN Stores. Christmas is coming and I'm going to start shopping early this year!

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this review, other than a set of knives with which to conduct the review. All opinions are strictly my own and others may have different opinions about this product.

Product Review Coming Up!

If you live in a small town with limited shopping opportunities like I do, I've got the perfect online resource for you! CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can buy anything from cookware to cribs to specific needs likes dining room sets and dog bedding! Seriously, you can find any item you need in one of their stores.

The fabulous folks at CSN Stores have offered me the incredible opportunity to review one of their products. I've been wanting to try some new kitchen knives, so I've got my eye on a few sets in their cookware store. I can't wait to try them out and share with you what I think. And y'all know I have no problem telling you what I think!

So I have a question, friends. What brand of kitchen knives do you use? Is there one type of knife you just can't live without?

Check back soon to see which one I choose and my review of it!

SpellQuizzer Review and Giveaway!

If you were to ask my children what their least favorite subjects in school were, spelling would be one of them. Neither of them like to learn how to spell words. In fact, when they're writing, they'll often ask me how to spell a word they just learned LAST WEEK! Talk about frustrating!

Well, SpellQuizzer is here to help me and other parents out! This is an easy to use spelling software program designed to help children learn their spelling and vocabulary words while reducing tears and frustration. And it works with any spelling curriculum so you simply add it as a helpful tool to whatever you already have.

Here's how simple it is. You input your child's spelling words into the program. Using an inexpensive microphone, record a pronunciation of the word, along with a sample sentence. The child is then asked to type the word. If he does so correctly, he moves on to the next word. If he spells the word incorrectly, a box pops up with the correct spelling and then he moves on. He will have the opportunity to spell the word correctly at the end of the quiz. If he gets all of the words right the first time, a box will pop up and the crowds will cheer! Seriously, there's a cheering sound effect that my kids LOVED!

If you don't have a microphone, you can also type in a clue phrase so the child knows which word he is to spell. But as cheap as the microphones are, it's worth the investment. Plus, I like recording funny little sentences to make my kids laugh!

SpellQuizzer offers a video demo that can better show you how the program works. I'm a visual person, so this was extremely helpful to me. I think you'll find the video demo does a great job of walking you through the program instead of me typing out step-by-step instructions.

If you like what you see in the demo, SpellQuizzer offers a free 30-day trial. This will give you an opportunity to try it out with your kids and see how it works. Honestly, I think you'll be amazed at how much your child will benefit from this program. Mr. Lego declared it to be "Excellent, Mom!"

SpellQuizzer has several other helpful features, too. For instance, there are premade spelling lists you can download such as holiday words, commonly misspelled words and spelling bee practice words. You can import and export spelling lists to share with other users. And while your children are practicing their spelling, they're also learning computer and typing skills! Not only that, but they're able to do this independently and can practice whenever they want. If your kids are anything like mine, they want computer time OFTEN!

Thanks to the generosity of SpellQuizzer, I'm going to give away a copy of this program to one of my lucky readers! Remember, you don't have to be a homeschool parent to use this. Any child at any age can benefit from SpellQuizzer!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. The giveaway ends on Monday, May 10 at 11:59pm. I'll randomly draw a winner on Tuesday, May 11.

Good luck!