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144 Responses to “First Look – The Belly Fat Cure Book By Jorge Cruise Out In December”

1. Carrie Says:
   September 30th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

   I’d like to start this program now, but I was hoping to get some ideas for meals and snacks. Also, are there any good fast food options?

   Thanks

2. Ryan Cameron Says:
   September 30th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

   Hi Carrie,

   The basis of the program is not doing more than 15 grams of sugar and 6 carb servings in a day. So this roughly means you don’t want to do more than 5 grams of sugar and 2 carb servings per meal. The way to figure the sugar is easy, just check sugar grams on the nutrition label. Carb servings are a little trickier in that you have to do a little converting. 0-5 grams of carbs count as a zero serving in the program, 6-20 is 1 carb serving, and 21-40 is 2 carb servings. So you want to avoid anything with more than 40 grams of carbs in a single serving. Jorge Cruise recommends that you get all the carb servings in a day and it’s okay to do less sugar and ideally you want carbs that have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving (which is not always the easiest to achieve, especially with fast foods). Take for example, I like to use Mission Carb Balance tortillas as they’re loaded in fiber.

   As for meals and snacks, proteins usually have no sugar or carbs so you can have what you want there. Pick the carbs you want to eat with them, and go from there. Avoid fruits at least until you reach your goal weight just because they’re loaded in sugar. You can even do potato chips as a carb if you choose, just keep in mind they’re not high on the fiber content.

   For fast food options, it’s definitely possible to do this program with fast food. I actually do that quite often because I don’t cook. I like to get burgers and get them wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. You also replace any sauces with either Mayo or Mustard or both as those are about the only sugar free choices. Ditch ketchup completely as it’s got too much sugar in it. For once the lack of nutritional value in iceberg lettuce is actually of benefit. What this does is allow me to save my carb options for something else, such as the occasional order of French Fries or just have some better carb choices at home. Grilled chicken is a good option, and if you’re in a pinch and don’t have many available choices, then chicken nuggets can work. Use a ranch dipping sauce as its one of the least sugar filled choices available.

   Hope this helps,

   Ryan

3. Juliee Says:
   October 1st, 2009 at 11:14 pm

   Hey there Ryan. :]

   I just read your entry and the reply to Carrie’s comment and it really helped me a lot. I personally love this program after only two days because it doesn’t make me eat less; just more of what’s healthy. For me I tend to eat what I call a “normal” amount of food a day.

   The question I have is that is it okay to have not meet up to the 15/6? I ate my regular serving sizes the other day, and it all added up to only reach about 3/4 before dinner came. I don’t know if it’s possible, but it seems the foods I tend to have started buy had little to no sugar at all, yet still delicious of course, with a number of carbs that don’t even reach up to 6 servings. Is it okay to be under or do I have to reach the 15/6 mark?

4. Ryan Cameron Says:
   October 2nd, 2009 at 11:12 am

   Hi Juliee,

   I’m glad to hear my blog entry as well as Carrie’s Question helped you out. The Belly Fat Cure program is wonderful and work without a lot of effort (unless you count checking nutrition labels as a lot of effort). Actually, the program will actually help curb your appetite. I noticed within the first couple of weeks on the program, that my appetite dropped considerably, so not only was I not wanting to eat more, I was feeling full for longer periods of time. I had no idea sugar just makes you want to eat constantly. And if you’re replacing what you were eating before with more healthy options, all the better.

   In answer to your question, no, you do not have to meet the 15/6 Sugar/Carb ratio. In fact, it’s better if you don’t meet the 15 sugar grams. Very rarely do I ever get close to hitting the 15 grams of sugar. I tend to hit the 6-10 grams of sugar range for the day typically. About the only time I get close to the 15 is if I choose to indulge, but I usually only do that if I feel like I want a treat. One of the treats I like to indulge in are the Halloween sized Aero chocolate bars I’ve imported from Canada. One of them has 4 grams of sugar so I just have one every one in a while. I bought a supply of some snack sized Canadian treats (that I can’t get here in the US) in early July and even I’m surprised I still have about 3/4 of that supply still left. So if you’re only hitting 3 sugar grams by dinner time, you’re doing fine. That gives you a little bit of room to indulge if you want to.

   The carbs half of the 15/6 ration are a little bit more important to try and meet, especially if they’re high fiber carbs, because they help cleanse your digestive tract. This is especially important in the early part of the program as you have more built up waste for the fiber to help remove and this is where the bulk of your weight loss in the early stage of the program will come from.

   Another good suggestion to help aid the process is to take Psyllium Husks or some Benefiber and a Probiotic supplement. (Make sure to get the unflavored kind of Benefiber to ensure it’s not adding sugar to your program, check the label to be sure before buying). I have bought some Benefiber but haven’t tried it yet as I’m still using up my supply of Psyllium Husks first. I’m told the Benefiber is a lot easier to use than the Psyllium Husks in terms of taste because it can be added to beverages and isn’t noticeable. I don’t particularly like the taste of Psyllium Husks, but I find when I add some ground cinnamon to it, it becomes a lot more tolerable when you mix it with water. It’s very important to remember to drink lots of water with Psyllium Husks as it bulks up considerably when it absorbs water. If you’re starting from a low fiber diet, you want to gradually step up to doing 30 grams a day by starting at 10 grams for a couple of days, increasing to 20 grams for a couple of days before stepping up to 30 grams. This helps avoid bloating caused by going from no fiber to lots of fiber, your body needs to get used to more fiber so it can effectively do its job.

   By adding a probiotic supplement to the process helps replace good bacteria to your intestinal tract that helps break down the matter in your intestines. Industrial food processes like Pasteurization while good at killing bad bacteria also tend to kill the good bacteria along with the bad and as a result much of today’s food isn’t providing the help our intestines need to run at optimal efficiency. So it’s a good idea to take a probiotic to aid in the process. In a round about way this helps curb appetite. More effectively broken down food means the body can extract far more nutrients out of what we eat, less of it will become waste, the body gets what it needs from less food and tells the brain to stop eating sooner and the fiber is more able to effectively keep the path clean because there’s less in the system to clog it.

   I hope this helps Julie, sounds like you’re on the right path by keeping the sugar low and getting good amounts of carbs. I would definitely like to hear your progress along the way. So please do feel free to send in a comment periodically to keep me updated on your progress.

   Ryan

5. Juliee Says:
   October 2nd, 2009 at 9:04 pm

   Thank you, Ryan. That truly helped me. I might try Benefiber because I read some rave reviews about it over the internet.

   My last question is that is it okay to go over 15 grams sometimes? Just today, I had a very sudden and unavoidable urge for something sweet. I didn’t want to eat anything too sweeting so I had a cup of yogurt with a small spoon of ice cream. I believed the yogurt had very little sugar in it, but it all backfired because I ended up passing the 15g line by about 12g. So basically, is it okay if I overindulge in sugar for just one or two days because it happened on the first day I tried it? Other than those two days, I’ve been meeting the 15/6 line.

6. Ryan Cameron Says:
   October 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 pm

   Hello again Juliee,

   The 15 grams is a guideline, you don’t get shot if you go over it, but it doesn’t help your program on the times you do. It’s up to you to police yourself as to how religiously you follow the program. When you end up making a mistake and going over, the best thing to do is learn what it was that you did wrong, in this case the yogurt and use it as an lesson on what to avoid for the next time. (I cringed the moment I read the word yogurt because I know how much sugar is in those containers and it’s a lot.) If its a mistake made early in the day and you still have other meals for the rest of the day, all you can do is minimize the damage done by just not having any more sugar during the day, so stick to proteins and 0/0 items like string cheese for the rest of the day. It’s not going to kill you every once in a while, but you don’t want to allow that to happen often.

   Since April 20th there have only been 4 days where I’ve had more than 15 grams of sugar, 2 of which were with Jorge Cruise for some experiments in his upcoming documentary about sugar (The trailer I’m in doesn’t seem to be available at the moment, I can’t link to that, but you can still view the videos recorded on the day by clicking here) and I detail what all I had those days (and it was a LOT of sugar). One of the other days was due an accidental day, much like your yogurt day, except in my case it was BBQ sauce that did me in. And the other day I went over was due to some mixed alcohol drinks, so that day I made a conscious decision I was going over. So just learn from the mistake and continue forth with 15/6 as your guideline. So an occasional overboard day will happen, just don’t allow them to become a regular thing and you’ll be fine.

7. Lisa Says:
   October 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 pm

   I have a very important question, if this diet is based on keeping insulin levels low, then why does he sell maltitol on his web site and use it in his brownie recipe and recommend it (like in Clemmy’s ice cream)? If you look up the glycemic index for it, it is as high as sugar, considering you need to use more of it to equal sugar in recipes??? Basically just like the Atkins diet bottom line is your going to end up eating less and so in turn consuming less calories, hence and other low cal diet!
   It always goes back to consuming less calories. Keeping insulin levels low is a low glycemic diet which has been around forver, it’s no new thing! AND like I mentioned maltitol is NOT low glycemic, so what’s the deal?

8. Lisa Says:
   October 4th, 2009 at 8:26 am

   So you don’t allow any negative comments, only positive?
   Why is my comment still in moderation??? You must be on the payroll? Don’t you want ppl to know the truth and not lies, or does your web site propagate lies, I have a web site too and there is a great web site called ripoffreports.com it’s for consumers so they do not get ripped off by web sites like yours or like diets like the belly fat cure, which is just another low carb diet, I can’t say low gylcemic since it’s not, even though it is made out to me falsely! You have 24 hours to post my comment or I make my own on my web site and on ripoffreports.com, do you know when you go to google and type in belly fat cure rip off reports pops up on the first page, maybe you want that for your web site too!!!

9. Ryan Cameron Says:
   October 6th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

   Hi Lisa,

   Thank you for your comment. When I first started the program, the whole bit about it being about keeping insulin levels low wasn’t part of it. It was all about leptin levels and it seems after the sugar experiments I did with Jorge where we examined my blood before and after 200 grams of sugar in July the emphasis changed to insulin. You can still find PDF’s on the net of Jorge’s free report that you can read to verify it, I found one copy of it here and you’ll see that while insulin is mentioned just a couple of times in it, it’s not the major focus as it has become in the materials now.

   I was not aware of the high glycemic index of Maltitol. To be honest, I’m not a fan of it because the only thing I’ve ever made with it is homemade ice cream from a recipe I got from Jorge Cruise. I find it gives me gas and I don’t particularly care for that side effect. I have not attempted the Brownie recipe that Jorge has made available mainly due to the use of Maltitol. I’m just not interested in tooting up a storm as the homemade ice cream has caused me to do. But I don’t get that effect from Clemmy’s Ice Cream. So I don’t know. In the upcoming book the only recipe I know of in it that features Maltitol is the homemade ice cream and I would imagine the newer brownie recipe may have made its way in there as well. Its not a product that’s highly promoted in the book.

   When I started the program in April, I had tried a Brownie recipe from Jorge, but the recipe is not the same as the one that’s now being offered on his website. The original recipe I tried called for Xylitol, and when I was looking for ingredients to make it, I ended up with a bag of zSweet. I thought those brownies were just okay, nothing to write home about. The next time I made brownies, I used a recipe I got off the container of Cocoa Powder I bought from Fresh & Easy. That recipe called for using the cocoa powder instead of melting down unsweetened chocolate squares and I used Xylitol for that one as well and I found it to be a much better recipe. But I much prefer making the Canadian Nanaimo Bars that I developed a sugar free version for. It’s my favorite thing to make and I use Xylitol for it.

   It may be that less calories will end up being consumed as a result of being on the program, but the emphasis is not calorie counting. The important thing here is that by cutting down the sugar, is that you’re not consuming empty calories that your body is just not getting any nutritional value out of. With sugar, your body knows it’s not getting what it needs so it keeps you feeling hungry so that you’ll keep eating until it gets what it needs. So by eliminating the sugar, and eating better foods, your body gets what it needs and tells your brain, “Okay, I’m good, I don’t need more.” and so your appetite will drop. I was really amazed at how much my appetite dropped in the first couple of weeks on the program so I’m definitely not eating as much as I used to, but I am feeling full and that feeling lasts a lot longer than it used to.

   But what Jorge is out to say with this program is that the whole idea of counting calories, and exercising like crazy is not the only way to lose weight. Fat has for too long been given such a bad rap as the culprit of the obesity found in America, and yet, with all the fat free products out there people aren’t getting skinnier, they’re getting fatter. All those “fat free” products are loaded with sugar. I started a running program the last week of November in 2008 and had built up my endurance but wasn’t losing the weight. When I started the Belly Fat Cure in April, I dropped nearly twenty pounds in my first two weeks, and eventually, I got so burnt out on the running program that I stopped it by July and have continued to lose weight despite stopping the exercise. And I’m still losing even though I haven’t gotten back on the treadmill.

   It doesn’t really matter that a low glycemic diet is not really a new concept, it’s just the food industry isn’t doing people any favors by promoting low fat lifestyles with products loaded with tons of sugar. I had not heard about low glycemic diets prior to learning about the Belly Fat Cure, but it’s the first program that has worked really well for me, that I have adopted it as a lifestyle because it works and it is easy. I don’t really have to think about it. And even though Maltitol isn’t as low glycemic as other sugar substitutes, I don’t get headaches from consuming it, like I do now if I eat something with lots of sugar like I used to do. I was out of town for the last few days and I decided to try a piece of regular cheesecake at a restaurant and I had the worst headache for the entire day following having it.

   I hope this helps you out Lisa, thanks again for the comment.

10. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 6th, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    Hello again Lisa,

    Your comment remained in moderation because I manually approve all comments. It doesn’t matter who makes the comments, it could me my best friends or complete strangers, but all comments are moderated because I like to respond to each comment made. They don’t have to be positive, but I reserve the right to delete them if I find them abusive. Also, I only approve and reply to comments when I have time to do so and not a moment sooner. I do work and sometimes fill my free time with other activities. I do try to keep my blog up to date as much as possible and try to keep it timely but I don’t get paid to do it, so it gets filled in when I have time. And when I get asked questions in the comments, I am more than happy to respond to them when I have time to do so.

    In the case of your original comment, I don’t view it as negative, I think it was a valid question that I am more than happy to answer to the best of my ability, and I hope my answer to the original comment helped. However, I am not particularly thrilled with the threatening nature of your follow up comment. I can appreciate your desire for an answer and wanting it as quickly as possible, but I think there are better ways of getting questions answered than demanding the publishing of a comment within 24 hours.

    For the record, no, I am not on the payroll for the Belly Fat Cure. I saw an article in Costco’s “Costco Connection” magazine, went to Jorge Cruise’s website to download the free report and sent in an application to join his Costco 100 testimonial case study group. I got selected, and was given additional program information for free, and completed the 10 week program. We were given the opportunity to purchase a draft copy of the book, which I did, but that cost me money (almost double what the price of the final version of the book has on Amazon currently) and it’s printed in black and white while the final version will be full color. I had success with the program and in July, I was invited by Jorge to take part in a sugar experiment for his documentary. and that is the extent of my involvement with the official program. I was not selected as one of the testimonial cases that will appear in the finished book, but photos of my blood before and after sugar will be in the book. I am continuing with the program and sending in periodic updates to the coordinator that’s been in charge of the Costco group because the program has worked really well for me. It’s been very easy to follow and the weight literally has just fallen off of me and continues to do so. I’m hoping by the end of the year when the book gets released to be below 200 pounds for the first time in fifteen years. As it stands, I know I’ve been the person who’s lost the most weight with the program so far, but I had more to lose than most of the people who’ve been on it and featured in the testimonials.

    Also, I think it’s good there are sites that exist for the purpose of helping people steer clear of true ripoffs, however, I do not feel the Belly Fat Cure by any stretch of the imagination is a rip off. The program works and it works well. I have had success with this where I have not had success with other programs. Also your claim about it not being low glycemic is based on the fact in Jorge Cruise’s online store he offers links to purchase Maltitol, and provides a free recipe for brownies that has Maltitol in the ingredients, which you’ve pointed out to be not as low glycemic as other sugar alcohol options. You have not seen the whole program, so it’s not fair to claim the program is being falsely described as low glycemic when you haven’t seen the full information in the book. What you’ve seen are brownies, the Maltitol Syrup, and Clemmy’s ice cream, which are items used in making desserts. The book actually is very lacking in the desserts department as far as I’m concerned. There are over 100 recipes in the book and the nearly all of them are breakfast, lunch, or dinner entrees. The way it’s set up is that a popular commercial or restaurant meal is featured and then a Belly Fat Cure compliant recipe for recreating that item is offered next to it.

    The book is available at a very cheap price through Amazon, and it’s really all anyone needs to follow the program. The free report which you have to get through secondary sources now since it’s no longer offered on Jorge’s website (Click here to get it). The report offers the core info that is essentially all you need, except you have to connect the dots a little more on your own because it doesn’t come with the recipe ideas and handy food list chart that’s in the book, but it has the essential information and can be done at no cost. And if you want a bit more personal attention, Jorge is currently offering a 12 week program for $399 that includes personal coaching. I think it’s a good value, but its not something I am taking part in because I don’t have that kind of money to spend at the moment.

    I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to write in with a question, and I hope I have given you a satisfactory answer. Please feel free to submit more questions and know I will be more than happy to answer them but know it may take me a day or two to get to your question because I have obligations outside of this site. All I can say is that I am offering on this site is my account of things as I encounter them, and for me the Belly Fat Cure works and I have been very please with the weight loss success I’ve had on it. If you choose to feel it’s still a rip off, that is your option. I am not out to change your mind, just share my accounts of my success with it. I don’t expect everyone to agree with it.

11. David Thomas Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    Ryan,

    I found your blog today and it sounds like Jorge Cruise’s “Belly Fat Cure” worked and continues to work for you. Your blog is very motivating and I congratulate you on your weight loss. As is turns out, today is my first day on the “Belly Fat Cure” and I’m really looking forward to the program. My goal is to lose 47 pounds and I know this diet will do that for me.

    As I read the comments on your blog, I was really bowled over by Lisa’s negative comments about Jorge’s program. With regard to her remarks about maltitol, it’s not the only sweetener he recommends. Maltitol is still in the lower level of the glycemic index and the powdered form is even lower. But with that said, its still close to sugar’s glycemic index. Also, Jorge may sell maltitol syrup on his website, but he’s not forcing anyone to buy it. There are many alternatives that are within the glycemic index and glycemic load. For alternative sweeteners there are xylitol (which you use) and erythritol (brand name Netrition) that can be bought on line or at some health food stores. Xylitol has a glycemic index of 13 and erythritol’s index is 0.

    Also there is an Anonymous posting on ripoffreport.com about Jorge Cruise and the “Belly Fat Cure”. I believe Lisa posted her threat and if she did, she could at least include her name. The comments are quite nasty and negative in content. I don’t believe she has a clue of what she is talking about. She sounds like a very self-centered and bitter person to me. Keep up the good work on your blog and I look forward to hearing more about your weight loss progress.

    Regards,
    David

12. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Hi David,

    Yes, the Belly Fat Cure program has worked and continues to work for me. I am very pleased with the program. Thank you very much for the kind comment about finding my blog to be motivating. I am guessing by your statement that today is your first day on the Belly Fat Cure program that you have joined Jorge’s 12 week program. Congratulations if that is the case, I am sure you will find the program to be quite enjoyable. I have no doubt you’ll achieve your goal of losing 47 pounds using the program.

    In regards to the Maltitol, you are correct that it is not the only recommended sweetener. Technically, Jorge’s site does not actually sell the Maltitol, it’s an Amazon store (much like my own Ryan’s Incredible Store). I don’t operate the store, Amazon handles all the orders and process it all for me. I just pick the items that appear in my “mini-store.” Because Jorge considers the Maltitol to be an acceptable product, he’s chosen to make it available in his store and as you say David, you don’t have to buy it. I have bought and used some in the past for a recipe for homemade ice cream that Jorge provided when I was on the program. I found the Maltitol to cause me to have too much gas, and also caused me to get what call the “gurgles” (strange noises coming from my abdomen) which I don’t especially like.

    I tend to use Xylitol more often than any of the other sugar substitutes. It seems to be the most reasonably priced of the available sugar substitutes that aren’t toxic chemicals like the saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose. Granted, I still think Xylitol is a bit on the expensive side, but not as bad as some of the Erythritol sweeteners. I have tried a couple like zSweet and while they worked fine and tasted good, I just felt they were too expensive to use. I’m sure as the Belly Fat Cure program launches to the public with the book launch in December and Jorge’s sugar movie comes out, more attention will be paid to sugar and as people turn to more natural sugar substitutes their costs will come down.

    I primarily buy XyloSweet as my Xylitol as it offers the best price especially at the 5 pound bag size. However one of my complaints with the product is that I’ve not successfully been able to grind it with cornstarch successfully in a food processor to make a powdered sugar version of it. I contacted the manufacturer of XyloSweet and the recommended I try grinding it in a blender instead and I don’t actually own a blender. I borrowed my roommate’s “Magic Bullet” and was able to make a better version of powdered sugar for my Nanaimo Bar recipe but it wasn’t perfect. The manufacturer also were kind enough to send me a sample bag of their powdered sugar version which they said they haven’t decided yet if they intend to make that commercially available. I haven’t yet tried any of their powdered sugar version in my recipe yet.

    One of the Xylitol sugars I do buy that does work really well for making a powdered sugar version (and does it well in an ordinary food processor) is called Ideal. I’ve only ever seen it in my local Vons (one of the Safeway brands of stores). My only complaint is that they do use a tiny bit of sucralose (Splenda) in the making of it. If I remember correctly it’s 0.3 percent sucralose. I don’t like sucralose but considering 99.7% of it is not sucralose, I think the negative effects of it are minimal. And it does work really well in my Nanaimo bar recipe. And it’s reasonably priced, it comes in handy when I need more sugar substitute that I can just run out and by since I get my XyloSweet online.

    I did check out the negative review you mentioned at Ripoffreport.com and it’s quite possible that it was written by Lisa. It does seem to resemble what she wrote here. I don’t usually pay much attention to sites like Ripoffreport.com because as you stated, reviews on sites like that tend to be nasty and negative. I don’t believe the comment made there in regards to the Belly Fat Cure is any better or worse than any other review you’d likely find anywhere on that site. In a way, I actually find it beneficial to see negative reviews of things because I find the lack of any negative reviews of anything to be a bit suspect. I know when I see at least one negative review it usually means the positive reviews are more likely to be accurate.

    As for Lisa, I don’t think it’s fair to call her self-centered and bitter, as I can understand being frustrated with feeling like things are not being as exactly advertised. She was frustrated with finding Maltitol as a recommended sugar substitute when such emphasis is being placed on insulin reduction in the latest marketing materials for the program. If that’s something she wants to discount the merits of the whole program on, then that is her choice. I have no intentions of changing her mind. There are hundreds of thousands of ways to lose weight, and if Lisa is not feeling the Belly Fat Cure is right for her, then that’s perfectly fine. The Belly Fat Cure works for me, and it’s the one that resonates with how I live my life. Lisa is free to find a weight loss program that resonates with how she lives her life and I wish her all the success in her weight loss goal.

    In fact, I’ve been in e-mail contact with Lisa several times since her initial comment and we’ve kind of become weight loss buddies. She is going to do her program that she selects and I am going to stick with the Belly Fat Cure program for mine. Even though she feels the Belly Fat Cure is just another fad diet program, I basically said, every program is pretty much the same information just with a slight twist on the theme. That’s nothing new. That’s been the basis of every religion out there since the dawn of time, same bullshit told in slightly different way. It’s no different in the self-help industry. The information is basically the same, you just have to find the version that tells it to you the way you comprehend it best.

    In any case, welcome to the Belly Fat Cure David, I would love to hear how you enjoy the program. Please do leave additional comments either here on this blog entry or others. I am not taking part in this 12 week program. I want to but it’s not in my budget. But who knows maybe Jorge may have me on as a special guest in one of the training videos. I would love to come in and share some ideas with the folks on the program. Do take advantage of the email help with his staff as they are wonderful people and will help you with any questions you have. They were invaluable to me when I had questions during my 10 week program that I was part of.

    Ryan

13. Amber Abbott Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Hi Ryan,
    Congratulations on your success with the BFC! I just started on Monday 10/19. And I really want to make the brownie recipe…but I can’t find the Joseph’s maltitol syrup anywhere! Unfortunately it seems that a lot of the sweets that are mentioned on this program aren’t carried at any stores in Central Oregon…the Clemmy’s Ice Cream is no where to be found here, and same with all of the Joseph’s products. I don’t want to order anything over the internet either, so this is making it very upsetting for me! Do you know if there is another option to use for sweetener for the Brownies? Do I just substitute the liquid sweetener with Stevia/Xylitol? How about the amount that I should use if I am substituting? Any help with this would be much appreciated Also, at any point are you going to be posting different ideas as far as recipes for meals and snacks go? Obviously, I don’t have the money to join his 12 week program (although I would love to!), and his book doesn’t come out until the end of December…so I’m just winging it, and I’ve only seen 3 recipes from him on YouTube…but those can get very old if you’re doing them everyday If you have any recommendations or recipes please let me know! Thank you so much!

14. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am

    Hi Amber,

    Congratulations on joining the Belly Fat Cure. I can understand the frustration not being able to find the Joseph’s products and the Clemmy’s Ice Cream. I can also understand not wanting to order online, however in the case of the Joseph’s products, it’s actually the best option price wise. The Maltitol Syrup is only $2.99 a bottle online and the cookies are $3.99. They only ask for a minimum order of $20 but they ship everything for free. When I ordered I bought several bottles of the Maltitol Syrup and one of the regular syrup and well as a few varieties of the cookies. It was a good deal.

    If you really absolutely don’t want to order online, then you may want to check and see if you have a “Whole Foods Market” in your area. I’ve seen the Josephs products at the Whole Foods Markets here in San Diego, and they even had them at the one I visited in New York last month too. However, you will end up paying closer to $5 a bottle and slightly more for a bag of cookies there. And my local Whole Foods Market stores carry the Nature’s Hollow products as well, such as the sugar free ketchup and fruit spread preserves. You may want to ask the manager there to carry any products you’re having difficulty finding there, including Clemmy’s. Or you might also want to ask at your local natural foods stores to see if they can start carrying the products for you.

    As for Clemmy’s I was going to recommend using their website to use their product locator but I haven’t had any luck find any cities in Oregon that bring up results. You may have a hard time finding it there and might have to resort to asking stores to carry it or consider ordering it online.

    As for the brownies, of course there are plenty of other options. I have made a few batches of brownies since joining the program, but the recipe Jorge is currently offering that has Maltitol Syrup in the ingredients list is not a recipe I have tried. I had gotten a different recipe from him initially, but I didn’t really like that recipe at all. One I happened to like was a recipe I got off a canister of Cocoa Powder and it worked well. Basically I just substituted Xylitol in favor of sugar in the recipe and the brownies came out fine. You may want to find a brownie recipe you like and just substitute Xylitol in place of the sugar.

    In regards to recipes for meals, I will probably not be doing too many of those as I tend to eat out more often than I attempt to cook. I don’t enjoy cooking and I find it easier for me to just buy a meal that works on the program than to experiment with cooking. And as for snacks I tend to buy those too. I usually buy a Costco sized box of 50 bags of 1 oz. size potato chips. It’s the perfect size and those are handy. Again, because I find it easier to just buy something that works as a snack than to make something, I don’t bother. The reason I tend to do more dessert recipes is because that’s harder to just buy something in the store. I may occasionally post the odd recipe if I try something that I like and want to share but most of what I eat are restaurant meals.

    I can appreciate that you’ve not joined the 12 week program due to lack of funds. I didn’t join it either. I know it’s still a long ways off before the book becomes available and you’re getting bored with the three meal recipes you’ve seen online. Mostly all you need to do is think creatively. You want to replace known sugar sources and/or high carbs with no sugar items and/or low carb items. Such as replacing buns or bread with tortillas or lettuce wraps. Also you can make your own personal sized pizzas using pita bread as your crust. If you’re into Pasta meals, replace the pasta you’re buying with the Barilla pasta in the Yellow boxes (it has lower carbs per serving that only count as 2 carbs on the program, many others you’d have to treat a serving as 3 carbs.) Alfredo sauces are low in sugar, also I look for sauces by a brand called Seeds of Change as they have some low sugar and no sugar pasta sauces.

    I hope this helps you out.

    Ryan

15. David Thomas Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    Thanks for answering my note to you. So far the diet is going great and I’m really enjoying the foods I can eat. It’s going to take awhile for me to get my head around not worrying about my calorie and fat intake. We’ve been taught all our lives that too many calories and too much fat are bad for us.

    I went shopping at Costco yesterday to buy food for the diet. I was amazed at how many products I purchased that have an S/C of 0/0. I’ve had Jorge’s three eggs and toast breakfast twice and love it. I’m also looking forward to the bacon and green onion pizza. This diet is going to be great for me because I love eggs, bacon and sausage. I tried the savory breakfast sandwich this morning and it was delicious.

    So far I’ve been able to stay below the 15 grams of sugar and 6 servings of crabs. Although keeping the crabs at 6 and below is a little harder than the sugar. I also enjoy a glass of wine now and then and I do love my vodka Martini’s. I’ve done other diets and drinking spirits and wine is discouraged. But with the BFC, it’s allowed.

    All in all, this diet fits right into my life style and it’s going to be a great diet for me to reach my weight goal. By the way, I watched the blood sugar video of you and Jorge. I was blown away. I had no idea of the affect sugar has on our blood and insulin. That was a real eye opener and a very important bit of information everyone should know. The “Sugar” and “Processed” food industries are going to have a fit when Jorge’s book and movie come out. I’m sure they’ll be heading up a big campaign against him and the science behind his findings.

    Take care,
    David

16. Antionette Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    Thank you for taking the time to post what you’ve learned, gained, and of course LOST on the BFC. I started the BFC about a month ago. I do feel better that’s for sure and have learned so much about the hidden sugars I was eating.

    I’m mostly seeing results in loose clothing more so than on the scale. I tad disappointing but I’ll still take it. I need to really stay focused on the exact ratios 15/6. Some days are harder than others. I struggle with a sugar problem LOL, seriously. But I’m finding that I’m craving it a little less than I used to. So yes, another good sign that BFC is working. The problem with the weight not coming off faster is me, I need to really cut the sugar out more than I am. Have gotten down to now 2 tsp. in my coffee as opposed to the 2 Tbl. I was having. Baby steps ha!!!!
    I use Truvia but can’t quite get used to it in my coffee yet.

    This plan has been a little difficult for me mainly because I run out of ideas for meals/snacks. Feel like I’m eating the same stuff all of the time. Eggs, chicken, turkey, tuna, nuts, avocado, cheese. In reading your blog I know you eat out mostly but have you run into any quick snack ideas that have seemed to work well for you homemade or store bought?

    My favorite snacks were yogurt (I know, I know) fruit bars, granola bars, Fiber One bars, Wheat Thins and protein bars. All the things that I thought were good for you. I never realized how much sugar I was consuming on a daily basis.

    My concept of sugar was more like cake, cookies, etc.. When I ate those things I was conscious of the sugar I was eating but I never really thought about all of the other things I was eating and their sugar content. The more I’m learning the more I’m convinced that it’s quite possible that this is the main reason I haven’t been able to lose weight. By the way I saw your video and it was VERY interesting. As scary as it was interesting!!

    Please keep us informed along your journey and thanks for sharing. I appreciate it.

17. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Hi Dave,

    My pleasure to respond to your comments. I’m glad to hear that the program is working well for you so far. Yes, there is a great deal of food options out there that are 0/0 on the S/C value. I had to laugh at being told in the past to avoid iceberg lettuce because it lacks any nutritional value and ironically enough, that is a benefit to me on this program. It makes a great stand in for bread allowing me to eliminate a lot of sugar and carbs that way.

    I’m glad you found Jorge’s 3 Egg and Toast breakfast appetizing. I don’t personally like eggs so that breakfast option is completely revolting to me and one I will not try, I don’t care how good it is for me. But that’s just me. I haven’t really tried any of the pizza recipes from the book because I can’t get the ingredients in small enough quantities for what I would use (as I’m just making meals for myself.) I would be getting bored making the same thing several meals in a row in an effort to use up all the ingredients before they go bad. I do tend to pick up the California Pizza Kitchen Thin Crust Sicilian Pizza that Jorge recommended in his original free report about the program (and I think it’s in one of the old YouTube videos as well) when I’m in the mood for a pizza and it makes three servings.

    I agree keeping to the six carb servings are a little bit more of a challenge than cutting down the sugar. I do like the fact alcohol is allowed on the program as well, even though I don’t partake in much alcohol consumption.

    Thanks for checking out the video, yes, I was quite shocked as well to see the difference between both the before and after plus I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Bajon who did the analysis too. If you’d like a more detailed description of the experiment as well as one other experiment I did for Jorge click here to read my blog entry for the experiments. An interesting bit of trivia is that prior to that experiment, Jorge was promoting the importance of leptin as the key factor instead of insulin.

    Yes,

18. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 21st, 2009 at 5:26 pm

    Hi Antionette,

    Thank you for leaving a comment, I really appreciate your checking out my blog and taking the time to write. I am glad to hear you’ve been on the program for a month and have seen some positive results. Don’t feel too bad about the results that you feel disappointed about. So long as you’re feeling better and notice loose clothing, you’re on the right track and just need to stick with it. I’ve plateaued a couple of times as well, but it just takes sticking too it and it eventually starts shedding again. Just stick to the 15/6 ratio and you should be fine.

    I am glad to see that you’ve managed to drop the sugar in your coffee down to 2 tsp from 2 Tbsp, it’s definitely progress. Have you switched to “Sugar In The Raw”? Jorge has recommended that if you still want some real sugar in your diet if you aren’t able to cut it out completely.

    I can understand the feeling like you’re eating the same thing all the time because I tend to, but to be honest, I was doing that before I ever started on the program. On work nights (I work from 1 am to 9 am) and since I’ve never been a fan of eggs and it’s late night when I am ready for “breakfast” I usually just get a plain hamburger patty and cover it in mustard. Sometimes I will add cheese, but this is my usual first meal of my day. As my work morning progresses and I get hungry a few hours later, I usually just get a few strips of bacon as a snack. That way when I get home from work, I know that my day so far has been a 0/0 and I have an easier time keeping track of the 15 grams of sugar and 6 carbs.

    Some of the snacks I use are 1 oz. size bags of chips that I get in a box of 50 from Costco. Also string cheese, and sometimes handfuls of nuts. I also enjoy some peanut butter filled pretzels from time to time. And I also make my own sugar free cookies and other desserts which help. One of the meals I like to do at home is boil up a couple of hot dog wieners and wrap the wieners in Mission Carb Balance tortillas so that I have a high fiber tortilla that is a 0/1 on the program.

    I can relate with the Yogurt, fruit bars, granola bars, crackers and protein bars from my pre-Belly Fat Cure days because I thought they were healthy. I even was doing fruit smoothies for a while too.

    Yes, it is really an eye opening experience to start paying attention to the sugar content on the labels. Its amazing how much sugar is in everything. I agree that it’s a big reason why I was never really able to lose weight before because it seems the fat free versions of food are loaded with way more sugar than the real thing.

    Thanks again for checking out my blog and the interesting video about the sugar experiments. I’m glad both the video and my blog have inspired you to write in.

    Ryan

19. Antionette Says:
    October 22nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    How are you? Thank you for your reply and for some snack ideas. Just wanted to say that when I read the part when you said that in your pre-Belly Fat Cure days you would do smoothies. I had to laugh because at one point I basically lived on them. I totally could relate. I would have one in the morning with a ton of fruit, flax seed, and protein powder. Then as my afternoon snack too. BUT, in addition to that I also juiced. I was juicing everything I could. I even grew my own wheat grass to put in juicer. I did this for probably a year. I didn’t lose a single pound and I felt bloated all of the time. It never, never occured to me about the sugar/carb content at all. I was programmed to believe that if it was fruit, dairy, and protein, I was good to go.

    Well, it’s definitely taken me some time to finally get it all together but I guess you never really are done. It’s a fine-tuning process all of the time.

    Thanks again Ryan for sharing and inspiring! Love reading the posts!!!

20. Cheryl Says:
    October 22nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm

    Hi Ryan, just a couple of questions. Can you give some examples of what free foods are beside greens like spinach and lettuce? Is cheese considered free because it has no carbs or sugar?

21. Peter Nickson Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 am

    Hi Ryan

    Thank you so much for your blog.I am trying to cut down on my sugar and carbs from today because I have 30 lbs to lose.Can you please tell me if vegetables are free to eat or do they have sugar and carbs in them.

    Thanks

    Peter

22. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 8:49 am

    Hi Antionette,

    I am good, thank you for asking.

    Actually it was my roommates that introduced me to homemade smoothies, so they basically consisted of yogurt, a banana, and other fruits and some fruit juice and thrown into a Magic Bullet blender and voila, instant smoothie. Boy were they ever good. They were about the only thing I could stand bananas in. (Bananas are one of my least favorite fruits.) I’m sure they were still probably way healthier than anything from Jamba Juice, but like yours weren’t helping my waist line any.

    I know it’s a big shift in thinking to focus on the sugar content and think of a fruit smoothie as being worse than a Milkshake made with Clemmy’s Vanilla Ice Cream, Unsweetened Almond Milk, and some Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup. Granted the Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup isn’t the best (it’s made with sucralose) but its a great milkshake. And I also like to take some Clemmy’s ice cream and make floats with Zevia soda. The Root Beer and Orange flavors work best for floats.

    Thanks again for writing in.

    Ryan

23. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 am

    Hi Cheryl,

    Welcome to my blog!

    Sure thing. Spinach in a 1 cup serving is a (0/0) and lettuce is also a (0/0). Most cheeses are considered free because most of them are sugar free and anything with 5 grams or less of total carbs is considered a 0. You just have to watch that because if it’s 6 grams of carbs you have to count it as a 1 on the carb servings and by the same token 21 grams also bumps that item up to 2 carb servings on the program. It’s all about being honest about the counting.

    Ryan

24. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 am

    Hi Peter,

    Thanks so much for writing in. Congratulations on your decision to cut down on sugar and carbs. Your best bet to figure out which vegetables are best are to head to the frozen food section and look at the nutrition labels. You may ultimately head back over to the fresh section to get fresh, but the labels in the frozen section will help you out in learning which vegetables are better than others. You just have to watch out for some like Onions in a 1/2 cup serving pack a whopping 4 grams of sugar and one carb serving so essentially a (4/1) on the program. Corn also tends to be high with a (3/1) for a 1/2 cup serving or a 6 inch ear. Websites like TheDailyPlate.com are also a good resource to check.

    Ryan

25. Cheryl Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    What about something like sugar free salsa, is that considered a free food?

26. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    Hi Cheryl,

    It depends entirely on how many grams of carbs the sugar free salsa has. If it’s 5 grams of carbs or less, then yes, it’s a free food. If it has 6 to 20 grams of carbs, it counts as a 1 on the carb count.

    Ryan

27. Cheryl Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    Hey Ryan, me again….I saw Jorge talking about red wine being OK. One 5 ounce glass has 0 sugar and 3.5 grams of carbs. Does that mean that wine is actually free ( not that I want to get drunk every night) but can I have 2-3 glasses guilt free??? Thanks

28. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    Hi Cheryl,

    If the red wine you enjoy does have 0 sugar grams and 3.5 grams of carbs, then yes, you can treat it as a 0/0. Having a quick glance at the food list from the draft copy I have of the Belly Fat Cure book, all the red wines listed have a 0/1 where as the white wines seem to be 0/0. It’s up to you how you choose to follow it but I personally wouldn’t recommend more than one glass a day, maybe the occasional second. Although I don’t choose to use alcohol all that often, myself.

    Ryan

29. Cheryl Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 7:20 am

    What happens when you choose a food that has say 15 grams of carbs with 1 gram sugar, could you then choose something else that has 5 grams of carbs and 1 gram of sugar making that 1 serving of carbs because in total it equals 20?

30. Ben Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 7:48 am

    Ryan, This is just to say the Clemmy’s ice cream can only be found where its made and that’s southern California. Not all stores carry it, just two the I know of Albertsons and Stater Bros. You can go to the Clemmy’s site and check on it. Also I would like to say that when I checked out BFC I didn’t get the impression Jose was trying to sell me certain products or push certain places on to me. I think he was being informative offering what he uses and where you can find them. I think if your a responsible adult you need to think for yourself. I started the BFC this past week. Although I don’t agree with all his food choices, I still use his method. I weighed 320 pounds 2 years ago and now weigh 210. Been at 210 for a while now and decided to try his way to see if i can loose the last 20 lbs. I don’t know why peeps get so negative about things, if you don’t agree with something don’t do it simple as that. Good luck with your weight loss Ryan.

31. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 9:31 am

    Hi Cheryl,

    Technically, no. Jorge doesn’t recommend doing that combining food items for the sake of using less carb points. You can get away with it if they’re ingredients, say all the components to make a sandwich. You can treat the sandwich as one item and the carbs from the bread, and whatever you choose to put on it can be combined. But if you’re trying to say a burger and french fries (as an example) because they aren’t one item, treat the burger as one carb count and the fries as another.

    But since it’s up to you to police yourself on this program, you can choose to do it however you like, but what Jorge is trying to achieve by having you not combine items is to force you to pay attention to the carbs in such a way that you will more actively evaluate if there are better options for minimizing carbs. You may not be so willing to have an item that just barely pushes itself into being treated as one more carb serving.

    Ryan

32. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Hi Ben,

    Yes, Clemmy’s can be found in Stater Bros. & Albertsons stores. Here in San Diego, it is also carried by Henry’s Marketplace stores as well. And yes, their website is a great resource for locating stores that carry it.

    You definitely hit the nail on the head. I agree Jorge is just providing options and not forcing anyone to buy anything in particular. Like you I don’t agree with all the food choices either. Jorge highly recommends three eggs and toast as the perfect breakfast. Well it’s not so perfect for me because I can’t stand eggs. I won’t eat them. I don’t mind food items which use eggs as an ingredient, but eggs on their own, no can do for me. I can still do the program, even though I will never choose to have an egg meal to start my day.

    Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Dropping 110 pounds in two years is a quite an accomplishment. Keep up the great work and best wishes for the last 20 pounds you want to lose.

    Ryan

33. Lynne Martin Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 9:47 am

    Hi Ryan,

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for your blog – I spent a long time trying to find out if BFC coaching was a ripoff or if it would be worth the money I paid last week to join the 12 week coaching program. All of the information you have taken the time to share with us is /very/ much appreciated. I think J.Cruise should let you take his coaching class FOR FREE. AS OFTEN AS YOU WOULD LIKE to take it. I think you should invite him to look at your blog and ask him if he would be willing to offer you a scholarship to the class….(just because of this blog, and the fact that you literally gave your blood to contribute to the success of his book.) In fact, I was ready to ask for my money back today until I came upon your blog.

    Here’s my quandry. I have been trying to eat vegetarian – actually vegan – since last November (2008). I have never gotten it down totally – so I am lacking in protein (eating mainly beans and rice when I’m actually doing it). Recently I have started eating some chicken. However most of the recipes I have seen from him – I could not even start to eat, and don’t think it’s healthy to eat what I see him fixing – or recommending as snacks. I went to Costco yesterday – all set to purchase that big box of bags of chips, and I read the ingredients on the back of the box, and found things I just don’t want to put in my body – (chemicals) so I put the box back. And eating chocolate candy with all kinds of chemicals in it as a snack – I don’t get it. I guess if someone is used to eating hoards of that stuff – getting a bit of it keeps it from being a deal breaker for the whole diet. I got the recipes from the first show – and I can’t eat any of them. I don’t eat sausage. Don’t eat hamburgers, etc.

    I /do/ use xylitol and highly recommend it. Not only for the taste, but also for the health benefits they have seen in studies done in Sweden and other countries re: preventing dental decay and keeping you from getting ear infections and/or other types of sickenss if you use it in the nasal spray form (Xlear) as well. I chew the gum (brand name Spry) after I eat lunch every day for about 5 minutes – just to get it on my teeth – it prevents bacteria from attaching to your teeth or throat (or nasal cavities – if you use Xlear – pronounced “clear”) And in the video – he never even metioned Xylitol – though I know I heard him say or read in an article that that was one of his /favorite/ sweeteners… Anyway, I digress.

    The 5 menu’s you mention – none of them are vegetarian. It also kind of seems like he endorses junk food – as long as it has the acceptable amount of sugar and carbs in it… I’m not trying to insult anyone. I need to loose probably 45-50 lbs. But I don’t eat sugar. I did used to juice vegetables and felt very good when I was doing that. Also seems like he drinks a lot of wine, and to be honest -even though he is thin – his body does not feel that healthy to me (I do energy work and can feel things just by looking at people or pictures of people – don’t ask me how – can’t explain it but it’s true) Also, if you eat a lot of cheese – what happens to your cholesterol and triglycerides? How is your blood work – do you eat a lot of cheese?

    The other thing that bugs me is that he advertised this as him being live with us and letting us asking questions live, etc. Obviously he was not live as he made a comment that they were up late (as he was gulping red wine) – and that we had no idea how late it was, and we did not want to know…. The class is at 4:30 Pacific time on Mondays… now how could he make that comment if he was doing it live. Also, he needed one of his staff’s help to figure out (more than once) how many carb portions a certain (easy to figure) amount of carbs was in a food. That’s when he said, as he drank more wine, something to the effect of “don’t mind me – it’s really late here now – you don’t want to know…how late it is” That /really/ bothers me.

    Any comments on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks again for your time, information presented, and awesome way of staying clear and level when you respond to people. (I think he really does need you to be part of the part of his team.)

    Thanks very much,
    Lynne

34. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    Hi Lynne,

    I want to thank you very much for the kind compliments about my blog and how you’ve found my responses to people’s questions to be helpful. I really appreciate that. I had a good experience being on the Belly Fat Cure and want to share not only my enthusiasm for the program, but also provide helpful feedback as someone who’s been on the program and been successful with it.

    I really appreciate your thoughts that Jorge should invite me to be part of the classes and be part of his team. Your comments certainly make me feel appreciated, and I just want to thank you with a great big virtual hug. I would probably say yes to the opportunity if I were invited to join the class and/or join Jorge’s team in the hopes that I could contribute as a member of the group. You and others on the 12 week program are certainly welcome to drop some hints to Jorge and his staff that you like to see me as part of the program or support staff. Who knows, maybe they’d be interested in me coming in to record a video to show how to make my Sugar Free Nanaimo bar recipe.

    Even if I’m not asked, I did benefit from free access to the materials (albeit in ever changing draft form) well in advance of the book’s release. I also had the opportunity to help provide feedback and help contribute to the editing of the book. And yes, as you did point out, I did give my blood too. I’m also about 20 percent smaller than I was when I started the program, so I can’t complain, I did get what was promised to me as a participant of the program and a little more. I would love a chance to help out more as my way of showing my gratitude for what I have been taught.

    I commend you on your efforts to be vegetarian and vegan whenever possible. Just being on the Belly Fat Cure program and having to be as vigilant about sugar content I can appreciate the extra efforts vegans have to go through to practice their lifestyles. It’s certainly not the easiest thing to do when it seems like almost all the easily available food options thwart your efforts to be vegan or eliminate sugar.

    I can certainly appreciate the choosing not to purchase the big box of bags of chips from Costco and some of the chocolate products due to the ingredient lists containing chemicals you don’t want to consume. I understand how frustrating it can be. You did hit the nail on the head with the comment that being able to eat some these things would help those who are used to consuming mass quantities of these types of foods to be able to find the Belly Fat Cure more accommodating to getting used to lower sugar. Jorge does advocate making better choices such as organic foods and less processed foods as the preferred options but sometimes that can be a barrier to those completely unfamiliar. I tend to use chicken nuggets as an example, if you end up at a fast food place, and sometimes the only no sugar option on the menu is something like chicken nuggets. Even though they’re fried and really not a great choice, if you’re in a bind and need to eat, they can work as a meal that will be compliant with the program but shouldn’t ever be your first choice. Potato chips are not really featured as an acceptable item in the upcoming book for the Belly Fat Cure, but they were mentioned in the free report that used to be available. So even though they are “acceptable” on the program, they aren’t really a preferred option, much like the chicken nuggets I mentioned.

    I’m not sure which recipes were included in the first program as I’m not part of the 12 week program, but would the Veggie Burger and Morningstar Farms meat substitutes be something you could eat? They do seem to be able to get you some protein but it looks like from the couple of products I’ve found the nutritional information I’ve found online, they seem to be a bit high in sodium. (Although I’m sure it’s probably no better or worse than what I tend to eat on a regular basis.) I wish I had better options to help offer you at this point, but the version of the Belly Fat Cure program book I have a printed copy of is one of the early drafts where the only comments about being vegan or vegetarian in the FAQ secton of the book just say that the program may be possible but you would have less available options to pick from. Later drafts had better information and actual product suggestions but I don’t have access to the information currently.

    Xylitol is definitely one of Jorge’s preferred sugar substitutes, and it was definitely promoted considerably in the program I was on. Jorge even did promote the Xlear in one of the video classes during the program I was in. He mentioned having used it on a flight to New York for an appearance on one of the morning programs to promote his then current book, “Body At Home.” I have not personally tried the product because I thought it was a bit pricey, but I definitely wasn’t aware of it’s ability to help avoid ear infections. I did know about it’s usage similar to what people use Airborne for. I did try a pack of Spry gum, but didn’t really like it much because the flavor didn’t last very long. But I guess if all you use it for is five minutes, it would certainly last long enough for that.

    You are correct, the five menu plans mentioned in the book are not vegetarian. The final book draft I saw only offered tips and suggestions on how to use vegetarian options in place of meals on these five plans, as opposed to any dedicated vegetarian menu plan. If I remember correctly from the information about the 12 week plan one of the materials listed as being part of the first week was a guide for vegetarian meals. Did you not receive that information? If not, you may want to send an e-mail to Jorge’s email concierges to request it stating the sales letter for the program stated it as one of the week one materials.

    I can see where you would get the impression that Jorge is endorsing junk food. I think a reason for that is that most people joining the program will be coming from diets loaded with junk food and to get them to see the value of the program, and start seeing that it’s possible to lose weight without a drastic makeover of their diets, helps make it accessible. Let’s face it, the first time a person steps into a natural food store, after having only ever shopped in major supermarkets can be a traumatic experience. It’s seems like a completely foreign world where you recognize none of the brands and just don’t know what to do. Yes, not everyone starts from diets that bad, such as yourself, where you’re more familiar with better food choices, so I can see where you’d be frustrated with some of the early information. I know it’s being delivered piecemeal as opposed to just having the book and being able to skip ahead to the sections you want. Nearly all of the recipes in the book itself are homemade variations of restaurant and pre-packaged meals. In a lot of cases it’s using better choices such as unsweetened almond milk for milk, organic soy flour for flour and breads that don’t use high fructose corn syrup in their ingredient list.

    To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jorge drink wine. He didn’t do that in any of the video sessions of the program I was in. It was certainly mentioned briefly that wine is okay, but that was the extent of it. I certainly enjoy a glass periodically, but for me it’s usually I’ll enjoy a bottle over three or four days and then not open another one for several months. I don’t particularly like red wines. I find them too dry and I feel like I have to chase them down with water or something else, which to me defeats the purpose of calling the wine a drink. If I’m going to do wine it’s usually a white wine.

    From my understanding of the sales letter for the program it looked most of the videos were going to be pre-recorded and that a live question and answer session would be done weekly. In a way I think that should be a bit better because the video service was a bit problematic at least as far as the recording process was the group I was in had our weekly meetings, which were also on Mondays at 4:30pm. A number of classes didn’t end up recorded due to some error, which was a little disappointing when wanting to see those meetings again. but I wasn’t in a paid program, so I can’t complain. I’d be a bit less tolerant of videos not being available due to recording errors if I had been a participant who paid for the classes. So if he’s providing the core information in pre-recorded videos you’re at least guaranteed to get the information. I could be mistaken on how the information is being presented, like I said, I’m not in the 12 week program and don’t have access to the see the video in question that you’ve detailed here.

    I am definitely interested in your comment about being able to read energy from people and photos of people. I would certainly love to hear what you think of my energy levels from photos (perhaps if you’re on facebook, you can find me there and check out my photos there.) I do not feel like I’m a big consumer of cheese. I do eat it but usually on a burger patty. I also occasionally purchase some string cheese, but only in the last week did I purchase my second package of it from Costco since starting the program in mid April. So even with the 48 sticks of it in the package, I don’t eat it often. I’m not sure what happens to cholesterol or triglyceride levels from eating lots of cheese. I did have some blood work done at Jorge’s request before starting the program but never did a follow up visit to have my blood levels checked again following the ten week program I was part of because Jorge never requested a follow up blood test. My blood was pretty much normal before starting the program, the only issue the doctor found with my blood at the time was a little deficiency in Vitamin-D levels.

    I hope my response here helps Lynne. I think you will find the program of value, and I’m sure it will help you lose the weight you are looking to lose. If I can be of further assistance, please do leave another comment. I will certainly do my best to answer your questions. Definitely do take advantage of the email support within Jorge’s program. If it’s Kim in charge of responding, she will definitely get back to you with answers as well. She was invaluable to me when I was on the program. Please do say hello for me and let them know you appreciate my blog too. Thanks again for the feedback on my blog, I really appreciate it.

    Ryan

35. Lynne Martin Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    Thank you for your thorough and considerate response to all of my questions and concerns. I do feel that staying with the class now will help me to loose weight, and I can find alternatives that will work for me with a little work in the beginning. Once I find items I like, I will probably, like you and another person whose comment I read, eat pretty much the same thing a lot of the time. I could use a portobello mushroom cap in place of the burger for example, and have a protein drink with it for the protein part. Not totally vegan – but certainly good enough for me for now. I think it’s important for me to loose the weight now.

    I will definitely put in a good word with Jorge’s people to take a look at and have him take a look at your blog. I also encourage anyone else reading this blog that may be in the current class to do the same. I’d love to be able to have you see exactly what we are seeing and then be able to have conversations with you for added clarity. I think you would be an asset to his classes and his whole program as well.

    I have never gone on Facebook – but I will try, and will look for you… thanks for the invite.

    About your vitamin D levels – they are doing a lot of research now about the flu and all – and what they are discovering is that the people with good vitamin D levels are much more less likely to catch the flu – even when exposed (somewhere between 30% and 50% less likely to catch it) (can’t remember exact number – but it’s big) than people with lower levels. These studies were done on thousands of people. I /believe/ one of the studies was done in a hospital. You can safely take 5000 i.u’s of vitamin D daily according to this research, and it will make your immune system much more effective. (I know about this from a news letter I receive every month in the mail from Dr. David Williams,… it’s called “Alternatives”). It’s incredible, and I have subscribed to it for years. He talks about all of the research they are doing on all kinds of health matters, a lot of which are not covered in the mainstream media – a homemade drink you can take to help you fall asleep at night and stay asleep without taking pills, how to cure diabetes, etc. (He says there is a huge Diabetic Epidemic out there right now – (all the more reason to give the Belly Fat Cure a chance) He also says that if a person does ever get catch the flu (swine flu or otherwise) – you can take 1000 iu’s of vitamin D3 per /pound/ of your body weight every day for 1 week to get better again quickly. Just make sure it’s vitamin D3. I take a 5000 iu capsule every morning with breakfast. (It’s a little capsule – smaller than most of the other vitamins I take) Anyway, I just had my bloodwork done about a month ago – and the Dr said, “Oh – your vitamin D levels are very good!” So I know I’m not getting too much.

    If you want more info – just google “Dr. David Williams and Alternatives” He travels all over the world getting and/ or coming up with new alternative supplements to help people in all kinds of ways. His newsletter is approximately $89/year. I told my chiropractor about him, and she subscribed to the newsletter and tried the product I was recommending during one of our sessions – (Probiotic Advantage) – and she swears by it now. The way he writes and the info he gives, and the products he has are remarkable. Very worth checking out for anyone who wants to get healthy and stay healthy. He writes from his heart – not just like a Dr. presenting info. He makes you feel like he’s just like you and me. And he has a 100% money back guarantee on /every/ item he offers – it’s either for 90 days or forever, can’t remember. In any case even if you order something, and use /all/ of it – then decide you don’t really like it – his team (Mountain Home Essentials) will give you all of your money back. – no questions asked.

    Probiotic Advantage is this little beadlet that you take with water on an empty stomach once a day. He designed it with some researchers in Japan – so that when it goes thru your stomach and intestines, all of the bacteria does not get destroyed before it ends up going where it is supposed to end up – in your intestines. Most other probiotics get destroyed with the stomach acid once they hit your stomach.

    Until I looked at my container of Horizon non-fat plain yogurt today and saw that it had 19 grams of sugar in it (plain – no fruit) – YIKES – I won’t be eating that again any time soon. But that little beadlet (about the size of a bebe) is a 0/0 on the Belly Fat Cure. And, (pardon my French please) – wait until you see what comes out the other end when you take one of these a day… – picture perfect.. – I /highly/ recommend that product. I take it, both of my sisters take it, and my Chiropractor and her family now take it. By the way, my chiropractor is a master at what she does, and her practice is closed – not accepting any new patients (will call that her credentials) – however – she’s very particular about what she takes and she “loves Probiotics, and loves Dr. David” She’s said (about his newsletter) – “I just llllove him”.

    Thanks again for your blog Ryan – Hope Jorge will do the right thing and let you contribute to his team by being part of the course somehow.

    Lynne

36. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Hi Lynne,

    Yes, once you find vegetarian options you enjoy, they will most likely become the staples of your diet just like I tend to have several items that I tend to go back to more often for the simple reason I know what their S/C value are and I don’t have to think about it. When I stick with my usuals I know my day uses far less than the full 15/6 and if I choose I can experiment on a meal as I have some leeway to do so. Portabello Mushroom caps will probably work for you (I don’t know what their S/C count as I’m not a fan of mushrooms period so I’ve never bothered to look up what I won’t use myself.)

    I thank you for your kind words sent into Jorge’s group, I got a phone call this morning from Kim telling me that Jorge had agreed with you that I should be a part of the program and was invited to participate. That was very nice of you to write in to them and suggest that I should be part of the program. Perhaps once I make my Nanaimo Bars video, I’ll send it in to them and offer it to them as something they can give to the paid members as an unadvertised bonus along with the recipe. One never knows. I feel like I want to contribute something to exchange for the opportunity to participate.

    Thank you for the info on the importance of Vitamin D. I think I may have to call up the doctor’s office to buy some more of the Vitamin D tablets they prescribed and sold me in the office. I had bought some additional ones once that supply ran out at a local health foods store but found those tablets very hard to swallow. When I was given the initial recommendation of needing more Vitamin D I laughed because I work nights and sleep during the day, and since some Vitamin D comes from the sun, and I spend very little time outside, I found it amusing that my vampire work schedule was contributing to some of my deficiency of Vitamin D.

    Thank you also for the information on Dr. Williams and Alternatives. It sounds like an interesting publication. I will definitely look into the Probiotic Advantage as I have been taking Probiotics as part of my regimen for the Belly Fat Cure. If they’re more effective than the ones I’m currently taking then I think they will make a great addition to my program. I thank you for passing on the information. It may be something Jorge might be interested in too since he highly recommends probiotics with either psyllium husks or Benefiber. Although I’ve been using probiotics almost daily, I would certainly be interested in seeing if the Probiotic Advantage is able to force out some more of the crud that the current probiotics are able to remove.

    Thanks again for the recommendations and also for suggesting Jorge’s group include me in the 12 week program. I will now be able to see the videos and compare notes with you.

    Ryan

37. Cheryl Says:
    October 26th, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Hey Ryan, OK the last question I asked was about splitting up your carbs, ie: if I had a half ezekiel english muffin ( 15 grams carbs ) then I could put 2 tablepoons of almond butter on it ( 2 grams carbs ) and that would = 17 counting as one serving??? I am a little confused here, because if I choose something that even has 6 grams of carbs and LOVE it and count that as 1 serving and anything above and beyond that is counted as two ( even if the other thing only had 6 grams of carbs as well) then I would only be getting a mere 36 grams of carbs per day? Does that make sense? I just want to clarify that it is OK or not OK to take something with relatively low carbs, but above five grams and than add something with it making sure not to go to 20 grams to stay in the one serving range? I hope your not to confused, sorry!!

38. Ryan Cameron Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    Hi Cheryl,

    In the case of your Ezekiel English muffin and the Almond Butter, I would say that would be okay to combine, if you want to as a buttered bread is pretty much “one thing” . But, you don’t have to actually count the almond butter because it counts as a 0 due to the less than 5 grams of carbs.

    Technically yes, if you pick 6 items that only have 6 grams of carbs each, then it’s true that would consume your six carb servings for the day. But in my experience, that’s not going to happen. You’ll mostly find things around the 15-40 grams of carb range. The goal is that you never want to exceed 120 grams of carbs in a day, and by giving up the “excess” grams you ensure you’re not hitting the maximum.

    My suggestion for items that are just 1 or 2 grams of carbs past the the cut off point for a serving, (say you have an item that has 21 or 22 (or even 41 or 42) grams of carbs per serving), I would just measure out 1 serving of it, then cut off a large enough section of it so that you’re actually having less than the full serving so you can count it as the 1 or 2 carb servings. If it’s any more than 1 or 2 grams, just take the loss on the carbs for that carb serving (Treat 23 as 2 carb servings and just forget about the 17 grams you’re losing out on). Part of the reason why you want to just not worry about those carbs grams you’re losing out is that they help balance out all the “free carb” items below 5 grams of carbs you don’t count. All combing does is make the program more difficult than it needs to be.

    Ryan

39. Beth Says:
    November 16th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Hi Ryan,
    I have a question along the line of Lynne’s. I have been vegetarian for over 20 years (and my weight is actually on the lower side of height/weight proportional), but Jorge’s videos about the effect of sugars did impress me and so I began to try to limit myself to 15 grams of sugar a day. My problem is I like Morningstar Burgers fine (the black bean ones) but I dislike the flavor of meat and meat substitutes. My diet is heavy in beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. I do eat some dairy. If I continued to eat my five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables it would be impossible to stay under 15 grams. One apple goes over an entire day’s limit at 18.9 grams of sugar (though its glaecemic load is only 6). A carrot has 5 grams of sugar (GL only 2). Ten grapes come in at nearly 8 grams of sugar, and a grapefruit close to 9. Jorge’s friend Dr. Oz recommends eating three apples a day, increasing our consumption of lycopene rich tomatoes and tomato sauce, and advocates many other fresh fruits and vegetables. If the concern is the food’s effect on insulin levels–why are grams of sugar more important than the glycaemic index? I prefer to get my vitamins from whole natural foods, not supplements. Is there really no difference between a gram of sugar in a doughnut and a gram of sugar in a carrot?

    Thanks,
    Beth

40. Ryan Cameron Says:
    November 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    Hi Beth,

    I’m not sure if you mean by “lower side of height/weight proportional” that you’re at or very close to the ideal weight for your height. If that is the case, that I would imagine it’s probably fine to have more than 15 grams of sugar per day. Jorge’s program initially cuts out a lot of the fruit as they are high in sugar to help drop the pounds quickly and easily. I know he advocates adding more fruits back into your diet once you reach your goal weight, but I’m not yet near that point in my own program that I’m really not sure how the best way to reincorporate the fruits are. For the intents and purposes of losing weight on the Belly Fat Cure, then yes, a gram of sugar from a donut is no different than a carrot. But, ultimately in the larger scheme of life, we both know that given the choice of choosing the donut or the carrot, the natural sugar of the carrot is far better than the processed sugar in the donut.

    I would think that in your case of being a vegetarian for over 20 years, you’ve been more actively involved with knowing what food goes into your body than I was and most of America currently is. The way I see Doctor Oz’s recommendations as you’ve stated them here, they’re more ideally suited to people at or near their goal weight and are already making better eating choices such as yourself. However, in the upcoming Belly Fat Cure book, Jorge Cruise states that in the book “YOU: On A Diet” by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz, they recommend foods that have no more than four grams of simple sugar per serving. I went to Amazon and did a search within the book to find passages stating 4 grams (as I don’t own the book myself) and apparently this is stated on Page 244 and again on 262 (of the blue cover version) where it also states to avoid foods with more than 4 grams of sugar or saturated fat and any trans fat. So it seems Doctor Oz is actually advocating a maximum per serving that’s 20% less sugar than Jorge Cruise is recommending, at least according to the “YOU: On A Diet” book. Is the information you have about Doctor Oz recommending 3 apples a day from something more recently published than the original 2006 release of “YOU: On A Diet”? (I see from Amazon that the “YOU: On A Diet” book has a new revised edition coming out on the same day as Jorge’s “Belly Fat Cure” book.) Perhaps a whole apple is more than a single serving according to Dr. Oz. I don’t know.

    Jorge’s methodology is aimed more at the people like I was who were eating diets heavily loaded with processed sugars and having a lot of weight to lose. The Belly Fat Cure effectively helps people like me to become aware that sugar is such a danger, and that by greatly limiting the amount of sugar consumed down to 15 grams or less per day, the weight is going to drop off quickly and easily. Plus it will help detox the body from the sugar so that by the time the ideal goal weight is reached and sugars can be added back into the diet, the natural sugars are going to be sufficiently sweet enough to satiate the body such as that hypothetical carrot as opposed to the hypothetical donut.

    I can certainly speak from the experience that if I try anything with too much processed sugar now, I have suffered massive headache from excessive processed sugar, and that’s a levels still considerably lower than I used to eat before employing the Belly Fat Cure in my life. I haven’t tried any of the higher sugar fruits since being on the program so I don’t know if I would get a headache or not if I were to try having three apples in one day, but it seems to me that at least as far as the “YOU: On A Diet” book is concerned, even Doctor Oz is not recommending that much sugar per serving.

    I, unfortunately, do not have an answer in regards to the question about grams of sugar being more important than glycemic index in terms of the food’s effect on insulin levels. In my best guess, the program when it was originally presented to me, made absolutely no mention of insulin levels. The focus was on cutting down sugar so that the body can produce higher leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that the body produces that controls your body’s ability to tell the brain it’s full and have you stop eating. The insulin focus wasn’t introduced until the draft of the book that came immediately following the sugar experiments I did with Jorge that visually showed us what the sugar did to my blood cells. The program certainly works at dropping weight when focusing on 15 grams of sugar and six carb servings, and I would imagine by focusing on the lower glycemic indexed sugars within that 15 grams of sugar or less per day helps turbo charge the weight loss compared to the 15 grams of sugar coming from higher glycemic indexed sugars. I think that would just make the program too much work. This at least keeps the program simple enough for people to follow easily.

    In any case, I hope this has helped answer your questions. Thanks so much for submitting your comment and if I can be of further assistance or discuss further any of this, please write in again. I really appreciate questions like this as I want to answer them to the best of my ability.

    Ryan

41. Beth Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Thanks for responding, Ryan. I’m 5’7 and 125 pounds, so weight loss was not my goal. After three children and hitting forty five, it was more of the “flat belly” aspect. Cutting out refined sugars is an excellent choice for everyone, but takes a concerted struggle in our world of processed foods. My thanks to Jorge (and you–was it you in the blood test video?) for helping me kick the last of my refined sugar habit. By the way, cutting out sugar did take over two inches off my waist,and I didn’t miss the sugar at all for the first month. I think it was when my weight started to dip under 125 that I began to really crave more fruit again.

    Getting people away from refined flours and sugars is so good for our health, (and the general cost of health care), as well as for the environment. Your own weight loss should be a great motivator to others. Keep fighting the good fight!

    Beth

42. Beth Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Oh, the three apples a day advise was in one of Dr. Oz’s daily Real Age e-mails about a month ago. You might be able to find it on the Real Age website. I think his message was that apples are a healthy food that should be in your diet. To take all of Dr. Oz’s advise would involve spending your entire day eating fruits, vegeatbles, nuts and spices between walking and getting facials and applying five various (rather expensive) creams to your face, while maintaining a full social network. So,needless to say,one has to pick and choose.

43. Ryan Cameron Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    Hi Beth,

    Hello again, My pleasure to respond to your comments.

    I’m happy to hear you’ve found the program despite not needing it for weight loss reasons. If what you’re after is the flat belly, then it’s possible you may have a bit of a build up of the false belly fat (aka fecal material) stuck in your intestinal tract. Cutting the refined sugars definitely helps but you may also want to find ways to increase additional fiber in your diet. I usually do a mixture of Psyllium husks with water and some probiotics to help add beneficial bacteria to my intestinal tract. When I started the Belly Fat Cure program I was doing this three times a day but found the cost of the probiotics to make that a bit more expensive a habit to maintain, I’ve since dropped it down to once a day and am still losing weight albeit at a little slower pace.

    The psyllium definitely helps make sure I get sufficient fiber in the day to keep my insides clean. I know some people don’t particularly like Psyllium husks (my mother and a former roommate of mine hated it and gave me their supplies of psyllium husks) so Benefiber can be used too. It apparently mixes really well with any drink is not noticeable that it’s even there. I have bought some but have yet to try it because I’m still using up open psyllium husk packs I’ve inherited. LOL!

    Congratulations on the 2 inches lost around your waist, it’s definitely a good feeling to see that come off. I know I feel better every time I’ve been able to put on some clothes that I had previously tucked away in the closet because I didn’t like how it felt on me at the time but now feels comfortable enough to wear.

    Yes, that was me in the sugar video with Jorge, and I’m glad it helped you kick the refined sugar habit. In fact, I was thinking of you and your previous question yesterday at work, I had been invited by the food and beverage staff to take part in a sampling of the new menu for the new restaurant in the building. Unfortunately they didn’t allow us to pick what we wanted from the full menu, just a small selection of four choices and none of them were ones I could eat. A couple of choices were egg based breakfast meals, which could be okay on the Belly Fat Cure program, but I hate eggs so they weren’t even an option to me. The other choices were a BBQ Pork sandwich and blueberry pancakes with bacon. As someone else in our group elected to try the BBQ sandwich (which is fine by me, BBQ sauce has too much sugar anyway) I ended up with the Blueberry Pancakes. I literally scrapped off all the blueberries they topped it with, and there were still a lot inside the pancakes too. I know I blew my sugar count for the day with the meal, but had the worst headache after the meal. so it seems even natural sugar in excess of the 15 grams gives me the same monster headache refined sugar gives me too.

    Thanks again for writing in and enjoy the 2 inches less around your waist.

    Ryan

44. Ryan Cameron Says:
    November 18th, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Hello again Beth,

    I did see on Amazon, there is a book about three apples a day but it doesn’t seem to be authored by Dr. Oz. I would agree that natural foods should be part of our diets, it seems the more simple and raw you can get it is more ideal than any processed foods. And again after my experience yesterday with the Blueberry pancakes made with all fresh blueberries and the monster headache I got after it, I think I’m going to stick to limiting my fruits to within the 15 grams of sugar Jorge Cruise recommends. As much as I like apples (apples and grapes are my favorite fruits, but surprisingly was never a big fan of apple pie, always preferred cherry pies) , I just don’t want the sugar headache. And I’m not a big fan of facial creams either. LOL!

    Thanks for letting me know where you heard his recommendation for the three apples a day. I can definitely see the benefits of eating meals less based on meats and lower on the food chain for both health and ecological reasons, but like you said, it’s all about picking and choosing what works for you.

    Ryan

45. Mya Says:
    December 6th, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Thank You so much for your blog and posting on The Belly Fat Cure! Today is the fist day for me and Im looking forward to updating my results to you and Jorge Cruise on his website! I just joined the fan page on facebook. Your blog and watching Dr.Oz ON Jorge’s Website have really inspired me to give it a try. Plus as I attempted to follow a low GI diet I notices the headache I was getting from the YELLOW SUGAR SUBSTITUTE PACKETS, and sugar in genral. So after doing my own homework, reading your blog and researching Jorge’s Website, I figured I d jumpstart before the new year! Thanks again for you r blog and I look forward to coming back to report my success!! Im off to make my whey shake!!

    Take Care

    Myisna

46. Ryan Cameron Says:
    December 6th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    Hi Myisna,

    Thank you for finding my blog and leaving a comment. Congratulations for taking on the Belly Fat Cure program. I’m glad to hear you were inspired to adopt a low sugar lifestyle. You definitely want to avoid those Yellow Sucralose Packets (Splenda) it’s really bad for you. You definitely want to avoid those Yellow Sucralose Packets (Splenda). Now is definitely the best time to start, if you can make it through the holidays in a low sugar manner, you’ll have no problem once new year begins to keep the momentum going.

    Again congratulations on your decision to do the Belly Fat Cure program and I look forward to hearing about your success.

    Ryan

47. Amber Says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 11:28 am

    Hi Ryan,
    With Christmas being only 4 days away, I was curious if you had any ideas for making sugar free Hot Toddy drinks? THis is a favorite pastime for my mother-in-law and myself but obviously I am not using the hot buttered rum mix anymore, and I will use vodka instead of rum for liquor. Do you have any ideas? Also, my family makes this fabulous chex mix covered in the powdered sugar…do you know of a way I can make a sweet (sugar free) version of chex mix and still have it taste good? I am trying to make snack items for christmas day with my family that are low carb and sugar free, but I’m not much of a baker so I can’t seem to think of anything. DO you have any (simple) recommendations? Thank you and Merry Christmas!

48. Ryan Cameron Says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Hi Amber,

    Thanks for writing in. I’ve never had a hot toddy so I’m not entirely sure what goes in one. When I looked up the recipe online it seems it varies on choice of alcohol added. The only ingredient it seems you need to worry about is the honey. A product brand called “Nature’s Hollow” makes a honey substitute that’s made with Xylitol. I have seen it on sale at Whole Foods Market stores, so you may want to try your local one if you have one near you and see if they carry it. Click here if you want to see info on it at the manufacturer’s website.

    As for Chex mix. Accord to the recipe for it from the Chex website (Click here to see the recipe), the recipe is already low sugar. You don’t have to substitute anything on the recipe. According to the nutrition info listed, as it’s made the recipe is 2 grams of sugar and 16 grams of carbs which for fellow Belly Fat Cure people makes the recipe a 2/1 on the S/C Value chart. A perfectly acceptable treat. My only recommendation for it is make sure you use real butter and not margarine as butter is a good fat and margarine is chemically very close to plastic and just not a good thing for you.

    I hope this helps, and thanks again for stopping by and writing in.

    Ryan

49. Heidi Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Hi Ryan! I read about BFC in Costco magazine and when I Googled it, I found you. What a great site you have set up. I haven’t even bought the book yet, but have already lost 6 lbs. this week just by following what you have posted. I know you have spent many hours doing this, and I just wanted to say thank you. Keep up the good work! (p.s. don’t get discouraged by haters like lisa…WTF??)

50. Amy Says:
    December 29th, 2009 at 7:02 pm

    Ryan,

    When I count carbs am I allowed to deduct the fiber to get a net carb count? I used to follow Atkins and that was how many carb counts were determined. Thanks

51. Margaret Says:
    December 31st, 2009 at 5:07 am

    Is there a book that has counts for carbs and sugars?

52. Gail Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 8:13 am

    Hi Ryan-

    Happy New Year! I have enjoyed reading your entries and advice. My question is regarding breakfast. Since I am not a big egg eater, do you have any ideas for breakfast?

    I usually eat plain oatmeal with berries (1/4 cup) and a sprinkling of walnuts. This would be about 5 grams of sugar for the berries and 35 carbs for the oatmeal and berries – 2 carb servings. Is this acceptable?

    Any other ideas?

53. Sherri Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 11:41 am

    Hi Ryan,

    I haven’t officially begun the Belly Cure Diet as I am still in the research phase, but I must say that you give an inspiring ring to the whole concept. I like the grounded nature of your writing. You don’t appear to be selling yourself, but simply offering your experience of the plan which is refreshing. As you’ve mentioned in a previous post, there are many paths to weight loss. The secret to success is finding one that you can gain sure footing on as you travel your road to wellness. It seems that you’ve found yours. The best of luck to you in 2010!

    Regards,
    Sherri

54. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 am

    Hi Heidi,

    The Costco magazine is how I discovered the Belly Fat Cure too. Thank you for checking out my blog site. I’m glad to hear what I’ve written has helped you lose 6 pounds already. I would definitely love to hear how you like the book once you get it and periodic updates on your weight loss.

    No worries, I don’t get discouraged by comments by people who poo-poo the program. I know it works, and it’s done well for me. All I can do is share my results and continue on my path to a skinnier me. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. And thank you for finding my blog and taking the time to write in, it is appreciated.

    Ryan

55. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 11:53 am

    Hi Amy,

    No, you don’t deduct the fiber for net carbs when you count carbs on the Belly Fat Cure program. That just makes everything too complicated to follow. The fact of the matter is you’re still consuming those carbs and even if the body isn’t absorbing those carbs, they’re still going through your body’s digestive system.

    For the Belly Fat Cure program, you’re using the TOTAL Carbs figure to determine your carb intake. It keeps the program simple and keeps you from overeating carbohydrates. While the high fiber carbs are definitely more desirable for their ability to help clear out your colon and will help get rid of the built up matter in your intestinal tract, playing the net carbs thing just is too much of a hassle to keep track of. You want the program to be as simple as possible so that you’ll stick with it.

    Ryan

    Ryan

56. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Hi Margaret,

    Yes, Chapter 6 in the Belly Fat Cure book, beginning on Page 301 contains a food list featuring the Sugar/Carb counts for tons of different foods items. It’s a great list to have as a resource for the Belly Fat Cure program.

    Ryan

57. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    Hi Gail,

    Happy New Year to you as well.

    I’m with you on not really liking eggs much. I can’t stand them. I like things eggs are in, but eggs themselves, not at all.

    Your usual breakfast of oatmeal with berries and walnuts is perfect. The guideline on the Belly Fat Cure program for meals is to generally not exceed 5 grams of sugar and 2 carb servings per meal and you’re hitting it right on there. It’s perfectly acceptable.

    As for other suggestions, I’m not typically a breakfast food eater, so I tend to do a “lunch” for breakfast and another “lunch” for lunch because I find more meal variety available for me that way. As most breakfast type meals involve eggs, I just say forget it and just do a lettuce wrapped burger instead of a breakfast meal. The Belly Fat Cure book does have a number of breakfast menus inside it that hopefully can give you some ideas of things you can mix and match to eat for breakfast.

    I’m sorry I can’t be of more help suggesting great breakfast ideas for you, but it’s the one meal type I typically don’t bother with at all.

    I hope this helps somewhat. Thanks again for writing in.

    Ryan

58. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    Hi Sherri,

    Thank you for writing and sharing your kind words about my blog. I really appreciate it.

    I really like the Belly Fat Cure program and it’s worked very well for me. I find it pretty easy to follow and manage, which is the key thing you want in any program you follow. If it’s too complicated, you’re not going to follow it for long periods of time. I am not looking to sell the program just share how its worked for me.

    In fact, my good friend Caroline and I have both been losing weight this year, she’s following a different program and we’re both finding great success. There are photos of the two of us together at various points showcasing our weight loss elsewhere on my blog. We joked the last time we were out together that between us, we’d lost the equivalent weight of teenager and we couldn’t be happier with our respective progress on our different programs. They work for us and we’re both reaping the benefits of being a fraction of the size our former selves. She hates when I show a photo of the two of us together in September 2008 as we were both heavy then, but it’s quite a dramatic difference to people we see now when we’re together. I don’t like the picture either, but it helps others see the dramatic changes we’ve both gone through.

    If you do decide to try the Belly Fat Cure and have any questions, please do feel free to stop in here again and write a comment, I’m more than happy to help you out. And do feel free to write in if you need any help with some questions about the program in your research phase. I wish you luck on your weight loss goals no matter what program you decide is right for you.

    Ryan

59. Duane Says:
    January 5th, 2010 at 4:41 am

    Hi Ryan,
    I have a question about how you count total carbs and sugar carbs. I saw one video where Jorge said there were 5 sugar grams and 2 carbs, but I noticed when you research that, it lists a total of 7 carbs with 5 being sugar. Do you count the sugar carbs in a food as sugar and then the remaining carbs as your total carbs counted in you daily carb intake? (example) 1 slice of bread 13 carbs total, 1 gram sugar, is this counted as 12 grams carbs with 1 gram sugar? this point has always confused me. I count all the carbs listed as carbohydrates, then all the sugar, am I counting the sugar carbs twice?
    Also, some sugar free chocolates are listed as having sugar alcohol, such as maltitol, sorbitol, and erithritol, and thes are some of the ingredients mentioned by Jorge as sugar substitutes, but since they are listed as “sugar”, albeit alcohol, are they counted as sugar or as zero grams sugar? A little clarification might allow me a little more enjoyment of this lifestyle change.
    I to want to add my comment on the value or your site, it is a great compliment to the BFC program, and your contribution to BFC is priceless and I hope you can keep up the great job, you deserve to be rewarded for your part in advocating the benefits of the program.
    Duane

60. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 6th, 2010 at 11:15 am

    Hi Duane,

    Thanks so much for finding my blog and writing in. I appreciate your comment about how this site compliments the Belly Fat Cure program. It means a lot to hear that kind of feedback.

    You have an excellent questions that I’m more than happy to help clarify for you.

    The important distinction to make in regards to the recommendation about the sugar verses carbs is that the sugar you are looking at the grams. The carbs are a little different, here you’re looking at “SERVINGS” as opposed to grams. To figure out the servings, you have to remember 0-5 grams is considered zero servings, 6-20 grams are considered one serving, and 21-40 grams are considered 2 servings. That’s the only part that’s a little tricky to remember when you start the program. It gets easy to remember once you’re in the habit.

    Using the slice of bread that you gave as an example, if it has 1 gram of sugar and 13 grams of total carbs, that slice of bread is a 1 for the sugar, and because the total carbs are 13 grams, that falls within our 6-20 gram range so it counts as 1 carb serving. So that slice of bread would be a 1/1.

    In regards to the question of does this mean the sugar carbs are being counted twice, you’re correct they are. They are being singled out for the sugar count, but also are included in the Total Carbs figure. When you realize the sugar counts twice, it makes you want to minimize how much you have as much as possible. Sugar Alcohols count towards the Total Carb figure as they are included in the total carbs figure, but you do NOT count then towards your 15 grams of sugar per day.

    I hope this helps clarify the Belly Fat Cure program for you. Thanks again for writing in and please do keep me updated in your success with the program or if you have any other questions I can help with.

    Ryan

61. Duane L Simpson Says:
    January 8th, 2010 at 12:49 am

    Hi Ryan,
    Thank you so very much for the information, it is pretty much the way that I have beend dividing up my totals for the day, but the information on the sugar alcohols was very helpful, since I like a piece of chocolate once in a while, every couple of weeks or so. I was on for 2 months and went from 198 to 172 but have been taking time away from watching my diet and have gained weight back, I am now at 180 and going back on to start the new year and get to my ideal weight. Oh, the reason I lost so much in such a short span is I run about 50 miles a week so that helps, but I found that alone won’t keep the weight off, so I am back to the diet plan to meet my goals. I am 63 years of age and after 40 the pounds just seemed to creep up on me, but now my mind is in it for the long run. Thanks for your encouraging story, keep up the good work. Duane

62. Dawn Says:
    January 9th, 2010 at 11:58 am

    Ryan,

    I found your blog while googling info about the BFC. Thanks for sharing your tips and advice.

    I’m just getting started, and just found out that my family wants to go out to dinner tonight. I’m on day 3, and I don’t want to blow it! Any advice for dining out in restaurants? I can find lots of advice in the book and your blog for fast foods, but I don’t know what to do in a sit-down restaurant. I’m not sure where we’re headed, but I may be able to persuade them to go one place or another. I’ve looked at a few menus online, and can find carb, calorie, and fat info for some dishes, but no sugar info. This is frustrating to me. Any tips?

    Thanks!
    Dawn

63. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 9th, 2010 at 3:10 pm

    Hi Duane,

    My pleasure to help out. Wow, 50 miles a week is definitely a testament to your endurance level. I am very impressed.

    Thank you for sharing that. If I can be of further assistance, with Belly Fat Cure questions, just write in your questions as comments to my blog and I will be more than happy to help out.

    Ryan
    Ryan

64. Dawn Says:
    January 9th, 2010 at 3:17 pm

    Oh, and one more question: when you did the psyllium husks and probiotic pills, did you use particular brands?

65. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 9th, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    Hi Dawn,

    I’m happy to hear you’ve found my blog during your search for information on Google.

    In answer to your question, my best advice for dining out in sit-down restaurants is to check that restaurant’s website before you go for a Nutritional Information chart that way you can get accurate information for that restaurant. I do realize not every restaurant is web-savvy, so there may no be a website or for that matter any nutritional information if they have a website at all. If I end up at a sit down restaurant and have no way to refer to a chart of their nutrition information is the following:

    1. Pick a protein such as a steak, a bunless hamburger, or a chicken breast. (Most proteins are 0/0)
    2. If the protein comes in a bun, I usually ask not to have the bun. (never know if bun is loaded in sugar or not)
    3. If the protein comes in any sauces, I usually ask for that to be left out as well. That way it’s just the protein.
    4. Then I’ll add either a vegetable or salad, again being careful of sauces.
    5. I’ll do either a vegetable or the salad just to minimize the chance I might go over the 2 carb servings per meal.
    6. That should at least help you get through the meal.
    7. A salad, you just have to watch out for hidden carbs (croutons) and sugars, (most dressings, tomatoes, & onions, etc.)
    8. This at least helps minimize your chances of blowing it on a meal with unknown variables.

    I know some restaurants will give you a wealth of nutritional info but some seem to leave out the sugar content information. In these cases the best you can do is guess. A way to minimize how much you have to guess is take elements of the meal you can get rough figures for. Take for example salad dressings. Spend some time in the supermarket and check out the sugar content of the flavors you like, you’ll quickly see which ones are okay to use and which ones you want to avoid. The restaurant’s dressings you can guess will be similar to the information you saw in the store and that’s one less component of the meal you have to take a wild guess on it’s sugar content. I happen to like Ranch so it’s usually the standard dressing I will ask for because I know it’s low in sugar. Sure I might like other flavors but if I’m somewhere where I can’t check nutrition info, I’ll get the Ranch dressing.

    I would also recommend memorize or write down and carry with you the S/C values for the veggies you like most so that you have a rough idea of how many sugar grams and carb servings are in what most to approximate a value. That way you know approximately where you’re meal is at. The trick is customizing and approximating S/C values for the items you know to to minimize the items so that there’s less you worry about when dining out.

    I hope this helps.

    Ryan

66. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 9th, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    Hi Dawn,

    That’s a great question. The answer is no, I varied both psyllium husks and probiotics. With the Psyllium husks I tried the NOW brand, Vitamin Shoppe’s private label brand, Trader Joe’s brand, and some generic brands. It’s all the same there. Probiotics, I varied as well, you may want to ask for assistance at your local health foods store or where ever you chose to shop for probiotics to see if they have any recommendations of certain brands over others. I’ll even go so far as to admit sometimes I let whichever brand was on sale dictate which bottle went home with me from the store. So it’s up to you.

    Ryan

67. Michelle Says:
    January 10th, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Hi Ryan -

    I found your blog and read it in the attempt to stay motivated by Jorges’s plan. I am a 53 old women with 15 plus pounds of belly fat to loose. After two weeks of following the program faithfully I have only had a .5 pound lost and the tape measure shows no progress either. Before I started this my diet was good and I exercised regularly, however not at the 15/6 ratio Jorge suggests. Can you share any advise for me?! I have searched the web for people in my circumstance, however I have come up empty. You sound very well informed. I believe this program is good but I am confused about my lack of progress. I am frustrated. Thank you, I find your blog very helpful.

68. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 10th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    I’m honored that you found my blog and thanks for writing in.

    I’m sorry to hear you’re not seeing any significant results after two weeks. I’m curious if you’re getting enough fiber and if you’re taking any probiotics?

    You generally want to get about 20-30 grams of fiber a day and a lot of foods here in the US lack dietary fiber to help clean out the build-up in our intestines. I generally try to get as much fiber in my carbohydrates as possible, aiming for about 5 grams of fiber for each carb serving, but that’s not always the case, where sometimes what’s handy is some crackers and they’re typically not loaded with much fiber. Probiotics are supplements to restore the good bacteria to your intestinal tract so they can help better break down what you eat. Combining probiotics with additional fiber is kind of like “liquid plumber” for your insides. The probiotics help make sure you get the most out of what you eat and the fiber scrubs the walls of the intestines to push it along and get it out. This may be the problem for you.

    When I was really losing rapidly with the Belly Fat Cure program I was mixing about 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks with water and shaking it up in a mixer bottle and then drinking it with probiotic suppliments three times a day. This was a bit expensive to maintain, but it was certainly working for me. However, a number of people I’ve introduced the program to, have drawn the line at psyllium husks, because, they do taste rather nasty and not the most fun thing to take.

    Fortunately, another option is Benefiber, which works like the Psyllium Husks but doesn’t have any taste and you can mix it into your food and beverages, so you don’t have to take it like a gritty shake. They sell a huge container of it at Costco for about $20, and if you aren’t a Costco member, most stores carry it as well, however they also charge about $20 for a smaller sized container than Costco sells. I personally haven’t tried the Benefiber yet because I’ve inherited the Psyllium Husks supplies from friends and family that didn’t like the Psyllium husks and haven’t yet had a chance to open the Benefiber bottle I bought at Costco.

    As for probiotics you can find that in your local health food stores. Although one of commenters here on my blog, Lynne Martin, recommended a probiotic called “Probiotic Advantage” that when I’m ready to buy my next batch of probiotics, I think I’m going to give it a try. You can ready Lynne’s description of it in comment #35 here on this page or click here to read about it on the site to buy it. I still have a supply of probiotics I want to use up before I order some myself but I definitely intend to try it and see if its more effective than the stuff I’ve been taking so far.

    I hope this helps Michelle and I would love to hear a future update on your progress. I would really like to hear how the increase in fiber and probiotics works for you. And if that doesn’t start helping, I’ll be happy to continue working with you to figure out why you’re not losing. You may want to keep a record of what you’re eating so that if we need to figure it out, I can see a record of what you’ve been doing food wise.

    Ryan

    Ryan

69. Michelle Says:
    January 11th, 2010 at 11:14 am

    Thank you for your response. I will chart my foods, fibers and start the probiotic I will keep you posted on my progress. Again, thank you for your advise.

70. Elaine Says:
    January 12th, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Hi Ryan

    I’m hoping you can help me figure out the sugar thing. Counting 15 grams of sugar sounds easy enough but I’ve been shocked to see what has sugar in it. An egg has 2 grams of sugar? A tomato has 4 grams of sugar?

    How is it possible for everyone to get by so comfortably without hitting the 15 grams? Am I misunderstanding something?

    Elaine
    — and thanks for the blog! Great supplement to Jorge’s book!

71. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 12th, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    You are most welcome for the tips. I definitely want to hear how you’re doing and anytime you have any questions, feel free to leave another comment and I will be happy to help.

    Ryan

72. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 12th, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Hi Elaine,

    Yes, I know what you mean. You think cutting out sugar is going to be easy, then you start looking at labels and finding it’s in just about everything. Half the battle with the Belly Fat Cure is learning to look for the sugars so you can avoid them. Once you’ve got that down, the program is very easy to follow. Where are you getting your info on an egg having 2 grams of sugar? Most of the online sources I’ve seen for egg nutrition information only indicate between 0.2 and 0.3 grams of sugar in an egg, which in the Belly Fat Cure is treated as a 0 for sugar.

    Yes, tomatoes have sugar in them, which is one of the reasons why I don’t do them very often, and if I do, it’s usually as a slice of tomato to go onto a lettuce wrapped burger. The sugar in tomatoes is also a reason why you also want to avoid most ketchup products, as they also have too because they contain too much sugar. You can have those ketchup products, but you have to really monitor the serving size and they use up so many of the alloted sugar grams that I’m simply not willing to waste 4 grams of sugar for one serving of Heinz Ketchup. I buy Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Ketchup (sweetened with Xylitol) or I just use mustard or mayonnaise instead (as both are sugar free).

    It’s quite possible to get comfortable with the 15 grams of sugar daily maximum. A lot of the time I use between 4-8 grams a day so I don’t often hit my 15 gram maximum. It’s just a matter of stocking your kitchen with low to no sugar foods and even replacing snack foods with healthy, no to low-sugar snacks and then it becomes easy. Instead of grabbing a cookie, you can grab a handful of nuts (take your pick as to which ones you like, peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts) or even a small 1 oz bag of Dorito’s or Cheetos. When you go to the movies, you’ll find popcorn is sugar free and actually you can even have butter on it and it’s still sugar free (and about the only thing you can eat there.).

    The best way to make it easy at home is stock up at the store on sugar-free items, such as the ones featured in Chapter 5 of the Belly Fat Cure book. That chapter is loaded with the types of products you can find in most food stores that you can replace for your high sugar items that you’ve used in the past. All you have to do is read the labels. Don’t worry if your local stores don’t carry the same exact brands as in the book, you can find acceptable items just by reading the nutrition labels no matter where you are. You just want to be sure that what you buy isn’t sweetened with the bad artificial sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose. Once you surround yourself with acceptable low sugar products, it becomes easy and you don’t have to worry. It sort of goes on autopilot.

    I hope this helps.

    Ryan

73. Sherri Says:
    January 13th, 2010 at 7:51 am

    Hi Ryan,

    I wrote to you a while back saying that I was still in the research phase and wasn’t sure if the BFC was the plan for me, but can happily say that it is! I’ve discovered a few nice alternatives to what I was eating, such as using non-sweetened almond milk ( 0 sugar/2carbs)per cup and mixing in Truvia and a scoop of baking cocoa for the most amazing hot cocoa! It is wildly delicious and only 2 carbs! However, I did “slip” and eat an almond poppyseed muffin last night. I have no idea of the sugar grams as it was a bakery product. My question is this…after going over a week of eating less than 15gm of sugar and then eating this giant sugary muffin, could that actually have been the reason that I felt so queasy after eating it? I felt bloated and “yucky” for the next few hours and then it seemed to fade away. It was enough for me to learn my lesson if that is what caused it. My body definitely didn’t like it. I notice also that I am drinking way less coffee than before. I used to drink almost a pot a day and am down to one and a half cups. I just don’t need it anymore like I used to. Maybe because I am just not feeling so sluggish anymore? Anyway, thanks for your input! I hope that you are feeling well

    Sherri

74. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 14th, 2010 at 8:20 am

    Hi Sherri,

    I remember your comment about evaluating the plans out there. I’m very happy to hear you’ve decided to try the Belly Fat Cure.

    The unsweetened almond milk with a packet of Truvia is a great substitute for milk. That hot cocoa sounds delicious, I’m going to have to try it myself.

    As for the poppyseed muffin, the important thing to remember if and when you slip, is to not beat yourself up over it, you just formulate a plan, such as carrying an emergency snack (maybe a small 1 oz. bag of chips or a handful of nuts in a ziplock bag) that way you’ll be able to resist the temptation of a muffin and stay on program. It’s probably a good thing that after you had the muffin you didn’t feel good, as extra incentive to not make that choice again. I know these days that I can’t handle too much sugar any more because I get a massive headache if I have too much. Take for example, I do like to have an occasional donut, but now I have to cut it up into four pieces and only have one section at a time, so what I end up doing is having it as 4 little desserts over the course of 4 meals. A far cry from the 2 donuts I used to be able to eat at once before I was on the program.

    It’s also a positive sign to see your reduction in the amount of coffee you drink a day. It’s nice to see you’re getting a natural boost in your energy. It’s nice to see you’re having such positive results so early into the program.

    Ryan

75. Susan Says:
    January 17th, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    Thanks for all the information. I ordered my book and can’t wait to receive it! With your help and all the info. I can begin today and just wait to read the book.

76. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 17th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Hi Susan,

    You’re most welcome for the information. I’m glad to hear you ordered the book and I’m looking forward to hearing about your success with the program. Please do keep me updated.

    Ryan

77. Tiffany Says:
    January 18th, 2010 at 9:31 am

    I saw in your earlier posts that you had a recipe for nainamo bars that were sugar free along with a brownie recipe. Is it possible to get those? We don’t have Clemmy’s ice cream available anywhere in New Mexico and I’ve just read too many bad side effects of the Maltitol to try the homemade ice cream he suggests – but we would love something sweet as a treat once in a while. We have the powdered Xylitol and have used it for a few things with great results. My husband and I are just starting week #2 and I have lost 9 lbs and my husband lost 7 lbs so far. Great program and can’t wait to see continued results!

78. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 18th, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    Hi Tiffany,

    My recipe for sugar free Nanaimo Bars can be found by clicking here. There is a brownie recipe in the Belly Fat Cure book on page 213, however that recipe calls for the Maltitol Syrup. I haven’t personally tried this recipe yet, but I’m told it’s really good. I have only tried two brownie recipes since starting on the Belly Fat Cure, the first one did come from Jorge, but I didn’t like it much. The second one I tried was the one printed on the label of unsweetened cocoa powder, all I did to modify it was substitute xylitol for sugar and I liked it better than the first recipe, but I’ve only made it the one time. I don’t have the recipe handy to give that to you.

    If you already have a favorite brownie recipe, then you can use it and just replace the sugar with xylitol. Personally I was more a fan of making some sugar free chocolate chip cookies using Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips and there’s a great recipe on the back of the bag. If you have a Wal-Mart Supercenter near you, they sell the Sugar Free chocolate chips. The only thing I do different from the recipe is that I use 2/3 cup of xylitol and a little bit of sugar free maple syrup instead of 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute and 1/3 cup granulated brown sugar substitute. The little bit of syrup helps replace some of that flavoring from the brown sugar, and the cookies come out great.

    I hope this helps,

    Ryan

79. Tiffany Says:
    January 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Great, Ryan. Thanks! Last question (for now) since both recipes are sugar free, I know they will be a 0 sugar, but what do you rate the carbs on them? I’m headed to walmart after work for those sugar free chocolate chips…sounds like exactly what I need!

80. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 19th, 2010 at 2:51 pm

    Hi Tiffany,

    Great question. On the Namaimo Bars, I used the website, recipes.sparkpeople.com to figure out the nutritional information for it, and keep in mind that I cut an 8×8 pan of the bars into 36 squares (6 rows x 6 columns), which does make for very small pieces, but the dessert tastes very sweet so I find that small size is more than enough. And it is a 0/1. And even if you cut the pan into 30 pieces (5 rows x 5 columns) it still is a 0/1. (As it goes from 14 grams of carbs to 20 grams of carbs), to go any larger, would take counting it as a 0/2. For more information on the process I used to find out the nutritional information and a link to the nutrition information for the Nanaimo Bars, click here.

    As for the other recipes, I’ve never gotten around to figuring out the nutrition info for the recipes. In regards to the cookies, I just went with the information Hershey’s provides with the recipe. They estimate that it’s 0/1 for 2 cookies but my cookies were about twice the size of theirs (as my batch yielded half the amount of cookies their recipe claims) so I just treated each cookie as 0/1. When it comes to homemade it’s not an exact science, but it can be if you have the patience to enter a whole recipe on a site like the recipes.sparkpeople.com. I say just track it as what you feel is about right

    Ryan

81. Linda Says:
    January 21st, 2010 at 10:53 am

    Hi Ryan, really enjoy your blog and thankyou for your time and work you put into it. Here’s my question: In the book on page 91 it has a recipe for “Perky blended coffee shake” and the s/c value is 0/1. I would like to know where the 1 carb is coming from. The whey protein says it has 1 carb per scoop which in turn then does not get counted…it is literally just a 1. And the rest which is ice, coffee, cream and truvia do not contain carbs. If you put on the whipped topping or a pinch of cocoa powder that does not have carbs either…so could you enlighten me please as to how this one gets figured….seems it is not the only one in the book like this..others seem to be a 0 too. Thankyou for your feedback ahead of time. Linda

82. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 21st, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    Hi Linda,

    I’ve looked up the recipe on Page 91, and as printed, I haven’t the slightest idea where the 1 carb serving would be coming from. My best guess is that the combination of the cream, with the whey powder, and the whipped cream topping just barely pushes it past the ignore point. I’m sure if you want to treat the drink as a 0/0, it would be fine to do so. I’m not a fan of coffee myself so I’ve never tried this recipe nor really paid attention to it. I looked it up in my older draft copy of the book and it was given a 0/2 originally, but obviously it was revised before the final publishing.

    Ryan

83. Hanna Says:
    January 24th, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    I have been on the BFC for 3 weeks. The first two weeks I was losing. But this third week I have lost nothing. Any ideas why? And I workout this week too. Any suggestions about what I may be doing wrong?

    Thanks,
    hanna

84. Linda Says:
    January 25th, 2010 at 11:07 am

    Hi Ryan, there are so many probiotics out there which one would you recomend. I have been taking Flax seed (ground up) every day 2-3 tbs. But it doesn’t to be working as well as it should. Thankyou

85. stacey Says:
    January 25th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    Hi,

    If you are allowed six servings of carbs a day, up to how many grams does this equal. My calculation is no more than 120 grams. Is this correct. For me, counting the grams is easier than the serving(s). Also, I am soooo bloated. I drink at least 10-

86. Brian Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    I just started the BFC with my wife and enjoy the recipes. I notice though sometimes I have headaches that I usually never got. Wondering if maybe the sugar substitutes are affecting me – like the Truvia or Xylitol? Also, some have said that I need to drink much more water too because of the low sugar/carb diet involved.

    Thanks

87. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    Hi Hanna,

    Thanks for writing. I’m glad to hear you’ve been losing weight with the Belly Fat Cure. It’s possible that you may have just hit a temporary plateau. So long as you’re sticking the program and just stick with it, you’ll soon find yourself losing again. In my experience, I lost quite a bit my first couple of weeks, then once I hit a plateau, it stuck for a couple of weeks, but I stuck with it and it started dropping again. I don’t know why, but I don’t find it that unusual in my experience.

    Although there could be other causes as well, you may also want to take some probiotics if you aren’t already. You could also increase your fiber intake, and one of Jorge Cruise’s recent theories is emotional eating can also be a factor. You may want to check this blog entry I wrote about Jorge’s comments on emotional eating.

    Ryan

88. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    Hi Linda,

    I don’t have any particular brand I recommend. One of the store clerks at the Health Food Store I’ve bought all my probiotics from recommends changing brands to get a different mix of bacteria and as such I’ve done that. However, one of my other readers recommended a probiotic called “Probiotic Advantage” from a Dr. David Williams. I haven’t yet tried it, but as soon as I use up my current supply of probiotics, I am going to give Probiotic Advantage a try. Apparently it’s shell is specially designed to survive the acids of the stomach and deliver more live bacteria to your intestinal tract than traditional probiotics. More information it can be found here. But like I said, I haven’t yet tried it so I don’t know if it’ll have any difference over the ones I’m currently taking.

    Ryan

89. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    Hi Stacey,

    Thanks for finding my blog and writing in.

    You are correct, the six carb servings at their maximum total up to 120 grams of carbohydrates. It may be easier to count the total grams but its not recommended because even though your maximum is 120, you really don’t want to have that many. That is the reason for doing the carb servings. You just have to write off the non-used carbs in your servings. I liken this to how I handle my checkbook, no matter what my purchase is, I round up to the next dollar, I don’t worry about those extra cents, because they ultimately add up to added money in my account that’s essentially creates an out of sight, out of mind buffer in your account. In the case of the carbohydrates, you’re not saving these non used carbs for savings, you’re just preventing them from entering your body.

    As for the bloating you may want to take a probiotic and extra fiber if you aren’t already doing so. This will help flush your system for false belly fat. And water is very good for you, drinking as much as possible is very beneficial to you beyond the scope of the belly fat cure because you stay hydrated and it helps keep your body closer to a more alkaline state.

    Ryan

90. Ryan Cameron Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 4:57 pm

    Hi Brian,

    Thanks for writing in. It may be possible that your body is getting the headaches as part of your detoxing from sugar. If you believe it’s the sugar substitutes that are causing it you may want to try and eliminate them as well for a couple of days and then reintroduce only one of them and see your reaction to it, then try it again with the other to help identify where the problem is coming from.

    With any program you do want to stay as hydrated as possible as it helps the body work at it’s best. It’s much easier for the body to transport and remove cellular waste and toxins when the body is properly hydrated. Some people I know have suggested staying properly hydrated helps make you more resistant to diseases but I have never bothered to look that up to see how accurate that statement is. In any case, I go with the rule of thumb that the more opportunities the body has to expel waste, the less time the waste matter spends in the body the less chance it has of rotting inside of you before it gets expelled, so ultimately you’re looking for high fiber and proper hydration to maintain ideal body waste management.

    Ryan

91. stacey Says:
    January 26th, 2010 at 5:42 pm

    Hi Ryan, Thanks for responding back to me. I have been taking a probiotic for two weeks; taking 3 tsps. of benefiber a day, and drinking 8 to 10 8oz. glasses of water. I have been doing this program for two straight weeks and if anything, I feel I have gained weight. I can’t even zip three of my skirts. I have averaged 50 to 60 grams of carbs a day and have not even come close to 15 grams of sugar a day. I have not weighed myself since my clothes are the true test. I’d like to lose between 10 and 15 lbs. and have all the time in the world to do so, but I am getting discouraged. I also workout 3-5 days for no more than one hour. I thought after two weeks I would feel lighter not heavier. Any thoughts as to why this is happening to me and do you know of anyone with a similar situation and how they handled it?

92. Beth Says:
    January 31st, 2010 at 2:32 am

    Is it true that white wine is 0/0 and red wine 0/1? I always thought wine was full of sugar? Thanks for your blog. Wish there was more info out there.

93. Linda Says:
    February 2nd, 2010 at 5:10 am

    Hi Ryan…was wondering if there has been any feedback or suggestions in regards to the people who have been on the BFC and for whatever reasons don’t seem to be dropping the weight. My friend and I have been on a month now and have each dropped 4 pounds. We are pretty meticulous on tracking and measuring our intake, writing down each meal and so on. I have read quite a few blogs on various sites that make this same address to Jorge but I don’t seem to find any response….perhaps there are folks that this is just not condusive to? We are bewildered but still hopeful, anything you could give us insight on would be so appreciated. We do take a probiotic and also flax seed as well. Thankyou for the time you take on this site, particularly since it is in the form of good will.

94. Muna Says:
    February 2nd, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    Thank you for all the info and details, I am glad you explained the carb 6 servings and 120 grams issues, because I lost 9 pounds in the first week and nothing in the second week just because in the 2nd week I started to count carb grams instead of servings… which confused me so much and got me off track….when I saw that I did not lose any weight the second week I got so depressed and started to really mess up and now I am back where I started….any tips on how to get motivated again…how do you do the 6 serving without being concerned with the carb gram count??

95. Anne Nounou Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    I’ve been on the Belly Fat Cure since January 7th and have followed it closely and tracked my daily servings of sugar and carbs. I feel better, have more energy, don’t have any food cravings and my clothes appear to fit more loosely but I’ve only lost 1 pound!!! What am I doing wrong??? I did Atkins 7 years ago and got to my goal weight easily (and kept it off for 4 years) but it is really hard to stick to. I was so excited to read Jorge’s book and thought I had found a completely “do-able” way of eating but now I’m getting discouraged. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you

96. Ryan Cameron Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    Hi Stacey,

    My apologies on the delay on response as I’ve had to look up a couple of things to be able to help answer your question. It seems you’re doing everything you’re supposed to and I can understand the frustration you’re experiencing. One of the things Jorge Cruise has suggested to some of his clients that were having similar experiences was that your body may be shocked by the sudden drop in sodium from the change in foods you’ve been eating. What he’s suggested to help the body transition to the newer diet is to drink some chicken broth. This will help add some sodium back into your diet until the probiotics and fiber are able to do their work.

    I did not encounter this problem myself when I started the program, but I did have periods of plateaus and I just simply maintained what I was doing and eventually I started losing again. When I started the program, Jorge wasn’t yet aware of Benefiber and he was recommending psyllium husks instead. He recommended taking 30 grams of psyllium husks a day, ideally done as 10 grams done three times daily. And he also recommended building up to the 30 grams by starting with 10 grams for a couple of days, increasing to 20 for a couple of days before finally reaching 30 grams. This stepping up was recommended because it could cause constipation if done too quickly. You may want to consider tapering off your taking of the benefiber and then stepping it up gradually.

    I hope this helps. I would like to hear what you’ve done and how it’s worked.

    Ryan

97. Ryan Cameron Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    Hi Beth,

    You may want to check the wine information at CalorieKing.com, you can click here to access a search for wine. It seems that most of the Whites are below 4 grams of carbs for 5 oz. and the reds are slightly more than 4 grams making them (0/0) for white and (0/0) for reds. You may want to consult CalorieKing.com for your specific wine to make sure since they seem to get so close to the point you have to track them.

    It seems that wines aren’t loaded with sugar, but they do contain sugar. Some of which can be converted to sugar by the body, but according to this site which explains how the body metabolizes alcohol, very little of it converts to sugar. According to the article, a well nourished diabetic who does not chronically consume alcohol can drink alcohol without it raising their blood sugar, but a well nourished diabetic who’s more prone to alcoholism will reach a state of hyperglycemia and a undernourished person will reach a state of hypoglycemia. It just seems to depend on the state of the body to determine how the alcohol is going to affect it.

    Thanks for your question, because I didn’t know the answer to it until I researched it a little. Of course, it would be so much easier if alcohol manufacturers had to print nutritional information labels on their bottles like every other food product.

    Ryan

98. Ryan Cameron Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Hi Linda,

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    I am sorry to hear you and your friend have not been able to drop more than 4 pounds in a month’s time on the program. Have you tried any of the menu plans in the book? Short of being able to look at your logs of what you’ve been eating, I’m not sure where you’d be hitting a wall. I see you said you’re taking probiotics, are you also taking something like benefiber or psyllium husks to increase the fiber you’re getting?

    Some of the other suggestions I’ve seen made to people not losing is to consume your carbs before 3pm, make sure you’re drinking lots of water to stay hydrated, and drink chicken broth if your change in diet has drastically dropped the amount of sodium you’ve been consuming since changing over to the BFC plan. But given it’s been a month, that last suggestion may not be helpful.

    My usual routine for my day is that I have only protein for my breakfast, and then protein again for a mid morning snack, I don’t actually introduce carbs into my day until my lunch and dinner meals. So sometimes I don’t get my full 6 carb servings in. And I rarely have my full amount of sugar in a day, in fact, most days I do six grams or less.

    I hope this helps, and please let me know if I can be of help. If you want me to review your logs, I would be happy to do so, just let me know in another comment and I’ll email you an address you can send the log to.

    Ryan

99. Ryan Cameron Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    Hi Muna,

    You should just get back to the basics and start fresh. Stick to the 15 grams of sugar or less and do the six carb servings. You may need to add on a probiotic and psyllium husks or benefiber. Just try to keep it as simple as possible.

    Ryan

100. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 4th, 2010 at 4:45 pm

     Hi Anne,

     It’s possible you’re not doing anything wrong. If you’re feeling better, have more energy, no cravings, and your clothes fit better, then you’re definitely on the right track. Have you measured your waist circumference with a tape measure? It’s possible you’ve lost inches but not much in terms of weight. If you aren’t doing a probiotic and either Benefiber or Psyllium Husks, then you may want to consider trying that.

     However to me, it does sound like you’re on the right track and should be losing weight if you just keep doing what you’re doing.

     Ryan

101. Beth Says:
     February 5th, 2010 at 5:08 am

     Thanks for your response, but i thought anything under 5gms of carbs was 0, so red wine would be 0 also? Do I have that wrong?

102. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 5th, 2010 at 8:20 am

     Hi Beth,

     You are correct! My apologies, I have corrected the response. As it seems red wines are closer to the point of being tracked you may want to consult CalorieKing.com or another website to confirm the specific brands of red wines you’re getting don’t push over the 5 gram mark and need to be tracked.

     Sorry for the confusion.

     Ryan

103. sarah Says:
     February 14th, 2010 at 7:27 pm

     Hi Ryan, I am getting ready to begin the BFC lifestyle change. My only concern….of all things…is vegetables. I am a vegetarian so obviously veggies are a big part of my diet, and my family’s diet. Using past weight loss programs like South Beach and Weight Watchers I’ve been able to eat unlimited amounts of veggies. But after reading the BFC book and seeing that veggies have some sugar, I feel a little overwhelmed about having to count sugars and carbs for everything I want to put in a salad. Do you find you are able to eat a decent amount of fresh vegetables without going crazy counting sugars per veggie??? I really want to give this approach a try, but don’t want to make myself nuts. Any insight would be appreciated!!

104. Rose Says:
     February 15th, 2010 at 7:59 pm

     If a serving of something is 1 cup, 8grams of carbs, and 2 sugars. If I ate only half the serving, could I also cut the grams of carbs and sugars in half? giving me 1/2 Cup, 4 grams of carbs, and 1 sugar? What would I count it as?

105. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 16th, 2010 at 4:37 pm

     Hi Sarah,

     I want to thank you for finding my blog and asking your question.

     I know it seems a bit overwhelming at first to be calculating and keeping track of all the sugar and carb counts for what you want to put into a salad. I can definitely relate as it was certainly a learning curve for me as well when I first started. I found once I’ve been through the process a few times I’ve settled into a usual routine of foods that I’ve already calculated and am just able to track the overall result for that meal instead of the individual ingredients because it’s a recipe I’ve made before, so I don’t need to do the work again.

     Because your diet is vegetarian and I would imagine you probably like to incorporate more variety with your vegetables than I do, what I would do, is track the info for a “core” recipe of veggies that serves as the base for your salads (the ingredients you use all the time), and then the vegetables that you like to rotate in and out due to the seasons and variety reasons you can track those separately, that way most of the core work is something you can automate for yourself. You may even find it of value to create handy lists for your kitchen that organize your favorite veggies into ones you can have unlimited servings of, ones you can only use very small amounts of, and ones that you have to track, but not be as focused on how much of it you have.

     You definitely don’t want the lifestyle to be a chore every time you make a meal or you’re not going to want to stick with it, so hopefully those suggestions help automate some of the calculating process for you.

     Ryan

106. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 16th, 2010 at 4:46 pm

     Hi Rose,

     I don’t see a problem of tracking the half sized serving as a 1/0 for the S/C value because it has the 1 gram of sugar and 4 grams of carbs for 1/2 cup. You just have to note that if you have 2 half servings in a day, you should track the two as a 2/1 because you’re ultimately having one full serving and there are enough carbs in the full serving to be tracked as a carb serving, even though you might be splitting it up over a couple of meals. I’m certainly all for using half servings if that’s all you want to eat, but if you’re only looking to make the half servings as a way to not track a carb serving by splitting the serving into two portions and having them separately, that’s cheating.

     Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I will take some foods that have 21 grams of carbs which is officially 2 carb servings and cut a portion of the serving off and throw it away so I can count it as a single carb serving. Maybe that’s cheating also but ultimately I’m throwing away the portion I cut off and not consuming it so I’m definitely not getting the full serving.

     That’s a great question Rose, thanks for asking it.

     Ryan

107. Cathy Says:
     February 18th, 2010 at 10:12 am

     Hi Ryan -

     Great information – thank you! I have a question. I love the diet and have been able to do OK except for my morning coffee. I usually add Stevia and then milk but I know milk (regardless of %) is not allowed on the diet. I looked at Almond Milk and it looks like the sugar content is also high. What are acceptable additions to coffee in place of milk?

     Thanks,
     Cathy

108. Malusak Says:
     February 18th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

     Hi Ryan,
     I have just recently started the BFC and so far love it!
     My question to you is… regarding the supplements…
     I just got the Psyllium Husk in capsule format (500mg per capsule) what is your suggestion as for how many capsules a day i should eat and when is the best time to eat them? before meals or after? or with? I want to be able to get 30grams of fiber a day. Is that too much to begin with?
     look forward to hearing back from you…love your blog.
     Cheers!

109. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 19th, 2010 at 3:30 pm

     Hi Cathy,

     You may want to try Truvia or PureVia as a replacement for the Stevia, as they’re a Stevia based sweetener, but they also contain Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. The Erythritol helps counter the bitterness of the Stevia and makes it as close to sugar like as possible. I find Truvia and Pure Via to be great alternatives to sugar and the various colored “packets” of artificial sweeteners. Both products are virtually identical except made by two different companies. The companies behind them are each backed by Coke and Pepsi which is why you’ll find both easily in the supermarkets. Coke backs Truvia and Pepsi the Pure Via.

     As for almond milk, you want the unsweetened kind to be sugar free. I find it tastes better when used with a packet of Truvia or Pure Via which enables me to use it as milk for my cereal and if I ever just want a glass of milk, then I’ll add a packet to the unsweetened almond milk.

     Ryan

110. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

     Hi Malusak,

     I’ve never used the capsule form of psyllium husks, just the husks themselves mixed with water. I have no idea how effective the capsule form is. I would suggest that if you’re looking to do 30 grams of fiber with the psyllium that you should start off with 10 grams for a couple of days, then bump it up to 20 grams for a couple more days then up to the full 30 grams, so that you don’t overload your system with an abundance of fiber all at once. A dramatic shift in fiber all at once has caused a number of people to be constipated and the gradual approach helps your body adjust to it more easily.

     I hope this helps. Thanks so much for checking out my blog and writing in.

     Ryan

111. Genevieve Says:
     February 19th, 2010 at 10:31 pm

     Hi Ryan,

     I have been following your blog and the comments for a while now. I am so impressed with your thoughtful responses to everyone’s questions. The info you provide has been very helpful. I have been following the plan since late December and have lost 9.5 pounds and an inch of waist. 20 pounds and 5 inches to go! I have yet to try a probiotic – any brand reccomendations? I live in LA so I have access to anything. I have been a bit frustrated that my weight loss has not matched what the book suggests – the 4-9 pounds a week. (I’m at 7 weeks and about 10 pounds)I think I was already getting a lot of fiber so maybe I didn’t have a lot of false belly fat to start with. Also on the plan I usually get 25-30 grams of fiber a day, so are the psyllium husks really necessary on top of that? I bought some (In dry form) but am squeamish about drinking it with water. Any suggestions for breaking into a brisker weight loss pace? Also, I find that because of having to count 21+ grams as 2 carb servings, I often get only about 80-95 grams of carbs a day. Is that too little? Thanks to carb balance tortillas and avocados, the fiber still gets to at least 25 grams. Also, I am exercising quite a bit and limiting calories even though Jorge says this is not necessary. Just can’t bring myself to eat as much bacon and cheese as I would like to and still believe I can lose weight. Finally, I tend to use the daily plate to track nutrition rather than use Jorge’s recipes which feel a bit too fatty for me, at least until I get closer to my goal. I’d love your thoughts on what I may be doing right/wrong. Thanks so much! Genevieve

112. Tiffany R Says:
     February 22nd, 2010 at 10:53 pm

     Hi Ryan,

     My husband and I have been doing the diet for 3 weeks. I love the recipes and have found it very easy to stay to the 15/6 sc count. We both lost 6lbs the first week but have been flucuating up and down by 1 lb the last 2 weeks. I just added the probiotics 2 days ago and my energy level has gone through the roof. I can’t find the psyllium husks so I am going to get benefiber tomorrow. Hopefully this will help move the weight loss along. I am starting to get a little discouraged. We are still drinking about 1 dt.coke a day which is a huge cutback from our regular intake. We are slowly working towards eliminating it all together. Is this the reason we are not losing? Are there any other suggestions you can give? Are we missing anything else that we should be doing?

     Thanks,
     Tiffany R

113. Keri Says:
     February 23rd, 2010 at 9:43 am

     hey ryan!

     excited to find this site… saw your blood video… it was interesting, despite a bit overdramatic on the doc’s part..haha!

     i bought the book last week and i’m really into it..posted a few questions on FB but still looking for answers. perhaps, you can shed some light!

     do you know why the half and half is not counted in the S/C value in the “First Class French Toast” recipe? shouldn’t it be about 2/2 for one serving of the recipe? i have a thing about a 1% milk latte on the weekends..it’s my ritual and i’ve been looking for a substitution. hate almond, hemp, soy..all of it! half and half is often used in the recipes (and testimonials), but it seems like no one is talking about the fact that the 1 gram of sugar is for only 2 Tbls! if it were used like milk (in a latte), you’re looking at 5+ grams easily. am i missing something or is it some sort of oversight in the book?

     thanks much,
     keri

114. La Says:
     February 25th, 2010 at 9:38 am

     Hi Ryan,
     My boyfriend have been on this plan for a week now and have both lost about 5 lbs each. He thinks we are eating too much calories, beacuase we go through a pack of bacon pretty easy and that is why havent really lost as much as weight. I told him that as long as it has no carbs or sugars we can eat as much as we want. Can you tell me is there amount to how much non carb and non sugar items we are allowed to eat?

115. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 25th, 2010 at 4:13 pm

     Hi Genevieve,

     Thanks so much for visiting and writing in. It’s a pleasure to answer questions for those that have written in their questions.

     I don’t have any specific brands of probiotics to recommend. I’ve pretty much been trying a different brand every time I’ve bought a new supply. One sales clerk at one of the shops recommended getting different brands every time to help vary the strains of beneficial bacteria you’re getting. I forget all his reasons why, but essentially getting a variety helps. Although with the various brands claiming to have millions of strains of bacteria in a single pill, I don’t know how much variety it gets.

     I can understand your frustration with the Psyllium Husks as they aren’t the easiest to take. You may want to try Benefiber instead, it’s allegedly tasteless (haven’t tried it yet so I don’t know for sure or not) but it says you can mix it into any beverage such as your morning coffee or tea, and it’s far easier to take than Psyllium. As for whether or not to add the extra fiber, that’s entirely up to you. You may want to give the Benefiber a shot and if it helps, use it, otherwise, just track what fiber you’re eating and just make sure to get enough per day.

     As for a brisker wight loss pace, you may want to consider a walking program or something like that. I was doing that in the early days of the program and had my most rapid weight loss when I coupled the program with walking but I really hated the walking, perhaps because it was on a treadmill and I just had about all I could stand of it in July and haven’t been back on it since.

     If you’re concerned about bacon, it’s actually one of the few things I have done almost daily as what I would do at work is get a hamburger patty and sometimes with cheese at the start of my shift, and then when I got hungry again, just got a side of bacon to tide me over until the end of my shift. It’s worked fine for me. At that hour of the day choices at work are limited on what to have and I just choose to not have anything I have to track while there.

     It’s not so much the fat of the food you need to worry about, the sugar and carbs are the real culprit for weight gain. Eating some fat helps your body feel full and stop eating sooner, so you may want to give some of the recipes a try that you’ve been shying against and see if that helps accelerate or slow down your weight loss. Maybe do a week of the recipes to get a better gauge.

     In regards to your question about the carbs, yes, actually 80-95 grams per day is actually pretty good. If you feel like you want to get in a few more, the trick I do with the items that are the 21 and 22 grams that I have to count as 2, just part of that food item off and throw it out. Cut enough of it out to eliminate what you think will get rid of those carbs that push it over into a two and then count it as a one. I don’t do this often, but if I know it’s going to be a more carb heavy day, this is a trick I do use.

     In any case, I commend you on your weight loss so far. The hardest part is starting and I think you’ve done well so far. I hope my thoughts can help speed up the weight loss for you.

     Thanks for writing in and if I can be of help again, please write in.

     Ryan

116. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 26th, 2010 at 9:14 am

     Hi Tiffany,

     Congratulations on your weight loss so far, and finding increased energy level once using the probiotics. I also commend you on your reduction of Diet Coke drinking. You’re gradually weening yourself off it, and I think that’s fantastic.

     In my experience with the Belly Fat Cure, the weight loss would happen then plateau for a week or two then continue losing weight again, you may simply be experiencing that. I wouldn’t attribute the plateauing to the not yet fully cutting out Diet Coke. I have one every once in a while when I’m out, so I haven’t totally eliminated it either. The good news is there are more and more alternatives becoming available that are great for the Belly Fat Cure program, so it’s only going to get easier to find great replacements.

     Only suggestion I can add, is that if you haven’t tried adding a little bit of walking to your program, you may want to give it a try. I had my most rapid weight loss when I was walking or running three miles a day for four or five days a week on a treadmill. But I reached a point where I couldn’t stand to be on the treadmill any longer and just quit the walking altogether. The weight loss slowed after that point but I continued to lose weight. So you may or may not want to give some walking a try.

     Ryan

117. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 26th, 2010 at 9:40 am

     Hi Keri,

     Thank you for finding my site and writing in. I’m glad you had a chance to see the blood video. I can assure you Dr. Bajon’s over dramatic enthusiasm is genuine. After meeting him on the blood test he invited me to attend a group function that he’s a part of and he was just as enthusiastic there. He’s really a neat guy to meet.

     For the half & half, what brand are you looking at? Perhaps you’re picking a brand that’s higher in sugar and carbs. I don’t know, I never use half and half so I don’t know how the various brands differ. However, going by the recipe in the book on Pg. 51, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of half & half. Using Calorie King.com I looked up a full cup of half and half and the S/C value for that was only a 0/1. That’s 0.4 grams of sugar and 10.6 grams of carbs. So I would estimate that the 3/4 cup info would be approximately 0.3 g of sugar and maybe 8 g of total carbs. Keep in mind in the recipe the 3/4 cup is part of 4 servings, making it approximately a 0.1 g of sugar and 2 g of carbs per serving, which would make the contribution of the half and half to the recipe a 0/0 on the S/C value on a per serving basis.

     It seems to be to me that the half and half isn’t as much of a problem and you can use it. Again, you may want to check out which brand you’re buying to see if its abnormally high in sugar. If that’s the case, I would switch to a different brand that’s closer to the generic values I was able to find for half & half on Calorie King’s website. Based on what I saw, you’d have to have maybe 2 & 1/2 cups of half & half to get a single gram of sugar, you may want to check what you’re using again as it seems grossly out of proportion from the info on half & half I found.

     I can definitely understand not liking the almond, hemp, and soy milks out there. I personally don’t like eggs, and avoid using them on this program even though Jorge highly recommends eggs. But it does seem that half & half is a great alternative to milk that’s a better match for the S/C requirements than milk and if it works for you as a milk substitute, I would use it.

     Ryan

118. Ryan Cameron Says:
     February 26th, 2010 at 10:19 am

     Hello La,

     So long as you’re tracking sugar and carbs you don’t have to worry about calorie counting. When you consume sugar, it’s like trying to power an electronic device that takes 9 volt batteries and trying to power it with AA batteries. Assume for the moment that a 9 volt battery and 2 AA batteries were the same size and connected the same. Two AA batteries generates only 3 volts of power and your device needs 9 volts, so putting in the AA batteries would mean the device would need more batteries sooner, so you’d end up having to use 6 AA batteries to equal the power of the single 9 volt battery. Well sugar is kind of like that lower voltage, your body is craving particular types of energy, but people keep feeding their bodies sugar.

     The sugar isn’t meeting the needs so the body is hungry again sooner. So as a result, you’re constantly hungry and the body keeps telling you to eat because it’s not gotten what it needs. Cutting sugar and eating the right things means your body gets the fuel it needs, and it tells you it’s full a lot sooner because it got what it wanted. So that’s why you don’t have to count calories.

     That being said, no technically it’s not eat as much bacon as you want. Your protein per meal should be about the size of the palm of your hand (not counting the fingers) and you can have that amount. You’ll most likely feel fuller sooner and not be wanting other foods. Just make sure to have some smart carbohydrates with it and you’ll be all set to go.

     Congratulations on the weight loss so far.

     Ryan

119. STACEY Says:
     March 10th, 2010 at 6:10 am

     I started this about 5 days ago and am so excited with the results I am getting already! I find it so easy, but I do have a question. When eating the 0/0 foods, if I eat more or drink more than the portion size recommended, do I need to count that toward anything? Thanks so much and I have found this site inspiring!

120. Ryan Cameron Says:
     March 19th, 2010 at 4:39 pm

     Hi Stacey,

     It depends on the item in question and by how much you’re exceeding the serving size. As the nutrition information will say 0 for the sugar, it’s the carbs you need to look at and if it’s closer to 5 grams then you may need to count it if you have more than the serving size. If it’s closer to 1 or 2 grams of carbs then I wouldn’t worry too much about exceeding the serving size a little bit.

     Thanks so much for finding my site, and my apologies I haven’t had time to update it lately with more new content to keep you and all my other readers coming back. It’s been very busy for me as of late and I hope to have some new stuff up soon.

     Ryan

121. Marie Says:
     April 25th, 2010 at 10:19 am

     Hi Ryan,
     I was thrilled to find your sight. I have been doing the BFC with very low weight loss (5 pounds/2weeks) and you have answered so many questions that it eases my frustrations. I see that I need to add exercise so hopefully things will pick up.
     Thank you!

122. Ryan Cameron Says:
     April 25th, 2010 at 3:07 pm

     Hi Marie,

     I’m glad to hear you’ve been trying the BFC and seeing some results. While exercise is not required to do the program, I certainly have found it to be more effective when exercise is done in conjunction with the program.

     Ryan

123. John Says:
     May 16th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

     I just found the BFC book on Friday and have started the eating plan…I just found this blog today and I’m encouraged that it has worked for you.. I’m hoping it works as well for me. I’ve only been doing it two days and haven’t noticed any weight loss…hopefully by the end of the week, that will change.

124. Ryan Cameron Says:
     May 21st, 2010 at 7:48 pm

     Hi John,

     Thank you for finding my blog and taking the time to comment. Just stick to the program and you should see results. for best benefit, I highly recommend taking a probiotic supplement and adding additional fiber to your diet whether its in the form of Psyllium Husks or Benefiber. I would love to hear how you do with the program and if I can help you with any questions, please write in again.

     Ryan

125. kellgy Says:
     June 16th, 2010 at 9:05 pm

     Great blog! I started the Belly Fat Cure after hearing how Jorge discussed all the issues around metabolic syndrome. Being 46 and having a target weight 105 pounds less than my current weight, you could see how this is a concern. After three weeks I have lost over 15 pounds following the recommendations closely. Being in this for the long haul, I am looking forward to the results and have already noticed a difference in my vision, mental clarity and tendency to be more active. Thank you for your efforts with this blog and of course I am grateful to Jorge for his tireless effort making a positive change in the world. Stay healthy!

126. Judy Says:
     July 5th, 2010 at 4:26 pm

     Hi Ryan…I have a zillion questions, but will start with the main ones. I just found the BFC book at Costco last week and have been reading it a lot. It makes so much sense. My husband and I want to try it out. HOWEVER…I don’t want to start until I can find these products Jorge recommends. I have been reading most of the previous questions and your answers, but haven’t seen any questions pertaining to WHERE to find them. Does everyone live in a big city where there are lots of big grocery stores? I live in a very small town. I did find a few things at Fresh and Easy, but not much. You mentioned to someone to try a whole foods store. I live 30 miles from a larger city. I will try to find some items tomorrow when I go. I’ve never seen products with the brand name Ezekiel 4:9, or Nature’s Hollow, or Josephs. Where do I find them.

     Also, there is no mention of FLOUR in the BFC book. Can I use regular white flour or should it be whole wheat. The s/c numbers are not that much different.

     Enough questions for now. I will wait for your reply. Thanks so much. Judy

127. Shawna Says:
     July 5th, 2010 at 8:48 pm

     Hi, Ryan. Congratulations on your achievement of good health and thanks for sharing your insight with all of us. Your responses to questions are so impressive because you seem sincere about encouraging and helping others.

     I just finished my first day on the BFC. I’m shocked at how much sugar I ate. While I’ve been losing weight on 1300 calories, high protein and lower carbs, I never paid attention to actual sugar content. It’s been enlightening.

     My question for you is how you use the psyllium and probiotics. Do you take them in the evening or in the morning? I’ve used psyllium before, but it was part of a detox regimen throughout the day that included 3 shakes with bentonite clay. Yuck. So if I can get results from one shake a day, all the better.

     Be blessed and be of good health,

     Shawna

128. Jamilah Says:
     July 15th, 2010 at 6:47 pm

     Ok, First I wanna say, I thought this was going to awesome for me due to the fact that he showed you how to turn a sloppy food into a healthy meal and that’s just what caught my eye. And I also love how he educates us all on how to stay away from hidden sugars which is in all our everyday foods and beverages, I also love the idea of sticking to 15g of sugar or less daily with the 6 servings of carbs.

     My only problem is it is now my week one today Tues Jul 13th 2010 LOL. And my scale has gone up by two lbs from 202lbs to 204lbs. And hearing all the good results from everyone else on just about any site it’s shocking & upsetting!! But I’ve been picking three meals from the book daily one breakfast, one lunch, and a dinner.

     Can Anyone Help Me Figure Out What Could Be Going Wrong?? I am only drinking Zevia Soda (Which Jorge Recommended) & Water, And A Occasional Arizona Diet Tea Which I have a ton of unfortunately being it has Splenda in it which is bad for you. But I had ordered alot of the tea from my Arrowhead Delivery Service Prior to going on this diet, but I either need some awesome advice from someone regarding this or I am going to be forced to find another diet, being I am scared to continue to see my scale go up.

     Maybe Should I do his no excuses meal planner but then I am afraid to be hungry, Or should I just stick to one of his plans he has in the book instead of picking any three of his meals as I’ve been doing.

     Thanks
     Jamilah
     lilweezycarter82

129. Katherine Says:
     July 19th, 2010 at 7:11 pm

     Is the S/C food list available as electronic document? I would love to have it on my computer and phone to have it with me as I am eating out and/or shopping. Has anyone thought about making it avaiable as an iphone or android app?

130. Linda Says:
     September 23rd, 2010 at 8:13 am

     Hi Just got the book today. Some frinds have been on it and doing great. I have to lose more than 150 pounds so I was reading your blog and was hoping you were still there. I could use a friend through this weight lose program. I really need to find out how to make it home made to dave money so would love you take on recipes you used. I hope you have been still doing great on weight lose. I hope to hear fromm you soon. Thanks

131. parker Says:
     October 8th, 2010 at 3:11 pm

     hi, i am about to start the program and i noticed that it’s really not a lot of food during the day. i want to incorporate exercise into the program and i feel that this amount isn’t going to give me the amount of energy i need to sustain a good workout. my question is, can you eat more than what’s recommended as long as you don’t go over 15/6?

132. Roberta Says:
     October 12th, 2010 at 8:22 am

     Hi Ryan, just wondering if you have any suggestions on snacks for the program. We have a group of ladies and gents doing the program since the end of February. Everyone is doing great with the ones on it the longest going from say size 14/16 down to a size 6/8. My one buddy is so excited. Her most recent doc appointment had her blood pressure in the range she had pre baby and preeclampsia. Her kid is 2 years old and ever since she was hospitalized before he was delivered, her bp shot up and wouldn’t come down to the normal range. I have personally lost 35 pounds but I’m a bigger woman than my friends so I still have a way to go. To make it easier, we preplan and premake our meals for the week. 7 days of meals and snacks makes it really convenient and much easier to get an idead of different itmes to choose and combine. I am running short of ideas on the snacks though…Nuts, eggs, and cheese are getting pretty boring for everyone. Have any suggestions or tips? We have also had the sensible solutions bagged snacks if we have a sandwich option. Thanks for the site and of course, any tips!

133. kib Says:
     November 10th, 2010 at 10:02 pm

     your blog is great.

     i am about to embark on the plan, but have a big worry … i read: “You may want to try Truvia or PureVia as a replacement for the Stevia, as they’re a Stevia based sweetener, but they also contain Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol.”

     but i have read: “wheat dextrin”…a sugar alcohol…which includes Erythritol…”can interfere with the absorption of calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12; and may also affect anticoagulants, antidepressants, anti-gout agents, anti-inflammatory agents, diuretics, salicylates, tetracyclines, nitrofurantoin, insulin, lithium, and digoxin. I suggest taking medication or vitamins one hour before, or a few hours after, wheat dextrin to help prevent interactions.”

     being arthritic, anemic and suffering from ptsd, i need to know if you know (or know of anyone who knows) of any good sweetener that does not contain sugar alcohol. i don’t want to risk using any.

     i hope your blog is still running.

     thank you

134. Tori Says:
     November 21st, 2010 at 12:27 pm

     Hi Ryan,
     I’ve been following BFC since last November 2009 and I have lost 40 pounds. I have my favorite snacks, mostly from Trader Joe’s like Think Thin bars and their mini kettle chip bags. I also love Uncle Sam’s cereal with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and Truvia. I drink coffee with Truvia to suppress my sweet tooth. The one thing I missed the most is yogurt, so your discussion about probiotics was very helpful. I recently discovered Ralph’s Carbsmart yogurt. I love the peach and vanilla flavors, I add cinnamon (heart healthy) and some walnuts. Check it out the entire container has 4 carbs and 3 grams of sugar, so with the walnuts it is a great snack or breakfast with S/C breakdown of 1/3, that is unheard of for yogurt consider nonfat varieties have so much sugar. Thanks…

135. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 7:25 am

     Hi Kellgy,

     Apologies on the long delay in response. Congratulations on the success you’ve had with the Belly Fat Cure. I hope that you’ve continued to have tremendous success with it and are closer to if not yet already your goal weight. It’s definitely a great feeling when you’re finding other benefits such as the differences in your vision, mental clarity, and a tendency to be more active. Stay on track and enjoy the benefits of your success in weight loss.

     Ryan

136. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 8:32 am

     Hi Judy,

     I apologize for the long delay in my response. The key to the Belly Fat Cure program is making sure you know how to read the labels. The products identified in the book are not required, they are just to give you ideas on what to look for. You just have to go with what you can find in the stores in your area and just make the best choices possible. You can if you like order specialty products online if you choose, but it gets costly when you add time to find, shipping and handling charges, and some online sites charge outrageous prices for some of these products. Personally I find the Ezekiel products disgusting, Nature’s Hollow are really good, and Joseph’s are actually quite reasonably when ordered online directly from Joseph’s.

     Ultimately the BFC is trying to minimize your intake of grains and other carbohydrates. You can use regular flour or whole wheat, but I generally try to use the least processed flours out there. So I would choose the whole wheat over the regular flour personally.

     Ryan

137. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 8:38 am

     Hi Shawna,

     My apologies on the long delay and thank you very much for the kind comments about the blog.

     In regards to your question about the probiotics and psyllium husks, during my initial time on the Belly Fat Cure program I was taking the probiotics and Psyllium three times a day. I tapered off from that schedule because I was finding it to be too expensive to maintain that level so I dropped down to once a day for both. My results slowed a bit, but it was also at that time I was cutting down on the running I was doing at the time because I was burned out on running.

     Your best bet is to experiment with cutting down and see how it affects your progress, and if that’s something that continues to deliver the desired weight loss results with less of the shakes then you can definitely cut them down to something more tolerable for you.

     Again, thanks for visiting and commenting here on my blog. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you.

     Ryan

138. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 8:59 am

     Hello Jamilah,

     My apologies I was unable to get to your question in a more timely manner.

     Sometimes the transition to the low sugar program is a bit of a shock to the system, especially if what you used to eat was high in salt content. If that’s the case, you’re body is then retaining as much salt from your food and drinks as possible which can result in a weight gain. You’re best bet to combat this is to drink some chicken broth to help add additional salt to your program without damaging your program. Also combining this with a probiotic and additional fiber (such as psyllium husks or Benefiber) helps quickly restore good bacteria levels to your intestinal track so that your digestive system is able to maximize it’s ability to extract the nutrients from the food you eat.

     You shouldn’t worry about feeling hungry because once your body is able to better extract the nutrients from your food and you’re eating better foods that give the body what it needs, you’ll find your appetite will drop. It’s also handy to make sure that you have some foods that are a 0/0 impact available as snacks so that if you do get hungry you have something to supplement your meals that won’t count against your program. Also you may also want to try drinking water, as sometimes people misread their body’s need for water as signal to eat. Try water first and if that doesn’t satiate you at that moment, then grab an approved snack.

     Ryan

139. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 9:46 am

     Hi Katherine,

     By itself, the S/C food list is not available as an electronic document, however, the entire Belly Fat Cure book is available as a Kindle book on Amazon, which makes the food list available electronically. I have a copy of it stored on my iPhone and often use it in the supermarket to look at for recipes while I’m out to make sure I’ve got the right ingredients. The food list is able to be viewed and if you want to pick up the Belly Fat Cure for Kindle, just click here to get to Amazon. And just get the Kindle reader for your type of phone in your phone’s app store or marketplace and for your computer from Amazon.

     Ryan

140. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 10:35 am

     Hi Linda,

     Congratulations on getting the Belly Fat Cure book and I hope that you’ve found success following the program. I can appreciate the challenge of how to make the program work on a more limited budget. Some of the better for you products are expensive and not always able to be a viable choice on a budget. So you have to do what you can. For example, the Seeds of Change pasta sauces are great and some are completely sugar free but at $7.00 a jar, a little too expensive. I usually opt for the house brand pasta sauces as Fresh & Easy which have 2-3 grams of sugar per serving, but at less than $2 a jar for the sauce I’ll make that trade and just have less sugar points available for other things. I usually use less than the daily allowance of 15 grams anyway.

     You’re best bet to just be really observant of labels so that you can make the best choices available on the budget that you have to work with. Don’t view the products in the book as the only way you can succeed they are there to just give you ideas of what to look for where you live. Just make the best choices you can.

     Ryan

     Ryan

141. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 10:40 am

     Hi Parker,

     You’ll find on the program that your appetite will decrease on the program. I was personally shocked by how much mine dropped as I got used to the program. Keep in mind that the goal of the program is not to starve yourself. If you’re hungry, eat. There are many good options that have 0/0 S/C Values that you can use to fill your time between meals when you’re hungry. So long as your total for the day doesn’t exceed 15/6, you’ll be fine.

     Ryan

142. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 11:15 am

     Hi Roberta,

     For snacks for the Belly Fat Cure program I would recommend the “Carb Swap Products” chapter of the Belly Fat Cure section of the book for variety, but essentially you’d do well with some nuts like peanuts, almonds, walnuts, etc. Popcorn works well as well as snack. I can understand getting bored with some of the options, but essentially snacking period is just to take the edge off between meals. Feel free to change it up whenever you want with other items that have 0/0, but just do what you can.

     Congratulations on your 35 pounds lost and I hope that in my absence from this blog you’ve continued to have success on your journey through weight loss. I’m really happy to hear about your success and that you have a support group of people to keep each other on track. Keep up the good work.

     Ryan

143. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 12:20 pm

     Hi Kib,

     Thanks for your comment. I know you can get pure stevia without any sugar alcohol additives as a possible sweetener for you. However, what I hear from people who try it by itself is that they aren’t too fond of the bitter aftertaste of pure stevia and the longer they use it the less they like it. I’m not entirely sure what to suggest for you as you definitely have some special circumstances that I am certainly not qualified to give you the best medically sound advice.

     I’ve heard from a number of folks who’ve found that by reducing their sugar intake to 15 grams or less per day have seen a reduction in the effects of arthritis, so you may see a lessoning of the affects of your afflictions. You may also want to try Jorge’s fast track program which further eliminates grains and a lot of carbohydrates. It’s very similar to Dr. Mercola’s No Grain Diet program and the premise of its program is that grains are the cause of a lot of ailments in life because people were not designed to handle, so the ailments are an allergic reaction to the grains that people are not designed to eat. If you’re interested in Dr. Mercola’s book, it can be found here.

     Thanks again for your comment and question and best of luck to you in your weight loss goals.

     Ryan

144. Ryan Cameron Says:
     November 22nd, 2010 at 12:26 pm

     Hi Tori,

     Congratulations on your success at losing 40 pounds with the Belly Fat Cure. That is a great achievement and I am really proud of you. I appreciate your suggestion about the Ralph’s Carbsmart yogurt and I will have to check it out the next time I’m in a Ralph’s store. Thank you so much for the suggestion.

     Ryan

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