Holiday Preparation -- Activate Cycle Day 4/5/6/7

Day 4 (Thursday)
(Accelerate menu -- or, at least that's what I attempted...)

Weigh-in #1 -- 127 lbs.  Yay!  That puts me back to where I was at the end of Cycle 3 -- down 20!  Now, for a few more -- only two to go to get to my original goal and anything after that is gravy (oh, how I love gravy).

It felt SO GOOD to wear properly fitting pants to work today!  Oh, it was bliss not having to deal with safety pins to hold them up!  Finances aside (because it's really, really expensive to replace an entire wardrobe all at onces...lol!), why was I so reluctant to let the old pants go?  Why were those pants so important to me?  I just don't know -- maybe it was just laziness, but it's now time to move forward.  They have been washed one last time and are now awaiting transport to the clothing donation drop off bin, including the 2 pair I had held on to "just in case"...

If only the day had continued on the positive note it started on.  It was pretty much all downhill from when I got started on chores at home before heading out to work.   Then work was a nightmare as well -- super busy day because I was so far behind that I barely had time to catch up, let alone deal with today's stuff.  It didn't help that some family "crap" was thrown into the mix -- sent me right into a tailspin that I didn't get out of for the rest of the day...


Breakfast:  2 eggs scrambled with green pepper/mushroom/salsa, Granny Smith apple, green tea, probiotic supplement, vitamin pack
Morning Snack:  skipped it -- too busy & felt yucky anyway...
Lunch:  skipped it -- no time & felt like I was going to be sick at any moment...
Dinner:  pork chop, brown rice, steamed veggies (carrots, peas, corn) -- so much for my "no carb" day...


Yup -- you read that right -- vitamin pack -- purchased months ago at GNC and then sat for ages on the counter waiting for me to clue in.  Really, how hard is it to "remember" to take vitamins?  Anyway, each packet contains a multi-vitamin,a calcium capsule, an energy enhancer, and  CLA.  The energy enhancer is meant to boost metabolism (burn calories, that is) and energy levels.  I could definitely use more energy in my days.  The CLA is linoleic acid (gotta Google that...) which is a fatty acid derived from safflower seeds.


Day 5 (Friday)
Activate Menu:  pretty much didn't happen...

Today was a complete and utter fall off the wagon day.  I started out the day with a proper diet-friendly breakfast of vanilla yogurt/strawberries/granola & coffee.  We spent the major part of the rest of the day downtown for Remembrance Day services.  This included treating the kids to lunch out (which is something we do when I have Fridays off anyways...) at one of the food courts in a downtown shopping centre.  I opted for a wrap/salad combo -- turkey, brie, lettuce & tomato in a whole wheat wrap with a small beet salad & a tiny Caesar salad on the side -- very tasty.  We did a lot of walking which was a good thing for me, because I didn't make a single good choice about dinner, which consisted of our standard delivery pizza (which I ate entirely too much of) and a glass of red wine.

Skipped the supplements today, because I'm not entirely convinced that they didn't make me sick on Thursday.  Or maybe it was the apple -- sometimes apples don't agree with me.  The stress didn't help matters, either.  I will try the vitamins again next week once things settle down around home...


Day 6 (Saturday)
Accelerate Menu:  not even close...

Breakfast:  pretty sure I ate before work, just don't remember what I had...
Morning Snack:  super busy at work -- didn't have time for anything more than coffee...
Lunch:  Dr. Mike's chicken vegetable soup, water
Afternoon Snack:  2 gingerbread men -- I shouldn't shop when I'm hungry...
Dinner:  3 beef burritos (whole grain wraps) with refried beans/Spanish rice/lettuce/cheese/sour cream, citrus peach juice mixed with soda water, glass of red wine -- yup, all around bad but so very tasty...


Day 7 (Sunday)
Activate menu:  nope -- started out the day with toast and coffee and no protein whatsoever, so I just gave up, had an apple and a granola bar for lunch and will start the whole process over tomorrow because it's "date night" tonight and we're going out for nice food...

Weigh-in #2:  125 lbs!  I guess stress, extra walking and skipping meals contributes to weight loss.  However, the headaches, broken sleep and resultant fatigue are side-effects that I could live without.  Pretty sure the family can live without cranky mommy, too...

Holiday Preparation -- Activate Cycle Day 3

Good day today!

I was starving last night, and desperately craving chocolate (that is the first time that has happened since I started this project in June -- not bad...).  You would think that because Hallowe'en was just here that there would be some chocolate in the house.  Nope.  The kids didn't go out this year, so I had bought a couple of boxes of treats for the house -- and it's all gone.  Just a few packets of Reese's Pieces left.  Yuck...

Anyway, I settled for a Nutrigrain bar around 10:00 (Traci hangs her head in shame -- she should have just gone to bed...) -- tasty, but not satisfying when you want chocolate...

Did a little shopping before work and bought some new pants for work.  No more clown pants for me!!  So excited -- get to wear pretty new things tomorrow!


Today's Menu:
(Activate menu)

Breakfast:  peaches & cream oatmeal (yummy -- I will explain in a bit...), coffee
Morning Snack:  vanilla yogurt with red grapes, coffee
Lunch:  small bit of steak, 1/2 cup brown rice, steamed baby carrots/yellow beans/green beans (all leftovers from Monday), water
Dinner:  chicken breast stuffed with ham and swiss cheese, noodles, steamed peas/carrots, water
Evening Snack:  glass of red wine (it was a long day...)

1. Peaches and cream oatmeal.  This is so easy to do -- I cooked up 1/3 cup of quick cooking oats and mixed in a Del Monte Orchard Peach fruit bowl (packed in water, not light syrup) and a splash of milk (just enough to thin the mix a bit).  That fruit bowl is only 30 calories -- great -- but it's not the equivalent of a whole peach, so I probably should have had another fruit as well...
2. The chicken at dinner was NOT something that is "allowed" -- prepackaged and breaded -- but it was waiting for me and I couldn't face the salad that I had planned, so I ate it.  The noodles were bad, too. Not even going to talk about them...
3. Too much coffee again today, but at least I avoided the chocolate treats that are hiding in the white cupboard at work...
4. The wine?  It was a long day...

I managed most of the water I needed today.  I feel better this week than I have in the past few weeks, which I attribute more to the water than anything else, though I'm sure cutting the bread out has helped.  I was having toast or a sandwich every day for a while, and the weekly weekend pizza pigout probably wasn't a good idea, either.

Well, I get to weigh-in tomorrow morning.  Looking forward to it!

Holiday Preparation -- Activate Cycle Day 2

Back in the saddle...sort of...

Today was the low calorie day of the rotation -- no starch allowed -- this was a tough one because I really wanted toast with my breakfast.  Oh, well...

I didn't pack a big enough lunch so I was pretty ravenous by dinner time.  Gotta remember to stock up on some appropriate snacks and keep them in the fridge at work.  I did better with the water today, but still didn't quite get enough in to compensate for the extra coffee that a co-worker brought in -- a lovely treat on a day when it was sorely needed.


Today's Menu:
(Accelerate menu)

Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1 mandarin orange, green tea
Morning Snack -- vanilla yogurt with strawberries, water
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's amazing taco salad (oh, how I have missed that meal!)
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's chicken vegetable soup, small green salad with carrots, cabbage, dressing (balsamic vinegar/olive oil), water

Oops, just realized that I missed the second probiotic serving...

One pair of my dress pants that was fitting "just right" when I got to Cycle 4 is now so big that they look like clown pants -- all baggy and falling off if it weren't for the safety pins I used to hold them up.  It's gratifying -- this particular pair of pants used to be so tight that I had to leave the waistband button undone and they were super-uncomfortable to sit in -- really tight in the bum.  Not so much anymore!  Looks like I'll be doing a little shopping this week...

Holiday Preparation -- Activate Cycle Day 1

Well, looks like I'm starting this stage of my journey at 129 lbs -- not bad at all.  That's only 2 lbs up from where I ended and, truth be told, a mere 4 lbs from my initial goal weight.  All the more incentive to do this holiday season pre-diet -- get to that goal weight and maybe lose a little extra, "just in case" weight.

Dr. Mike offers some easy-to-follow holiday strategies for getting through the festive season.  He recommends pre-dieting by following Cycle 1 or 2 in order to shed some weight before the food craziness starts.  My plan is to spend the next 17 days on Cycle 2, which leaves time to do Cycle 3 before party season gets into full swing.  That season starts with our son's birthday in mid-December and doesn't let up until well after New Year's -- lots of birthdays mixed in amongst the standard office parties and general celebrating.

Why Cycle 2?  Simple.  I don't need to drop too much more weight, so there's no need to go for the dramatic results that you get with Cycle 1.  I've been slowly replacing my wardrobe with new bits that fit properly -- an enjoyable activity, yes, but I really don't want to start over again!  Based on my results from the first go-around, I should only lose about 4 or 5 lbs on Cycle 2 which will put me right where I want to be.

Some of the tips Dr. Mike offers for the pre-diet process:

• eat breakfast every day, eat dinner before you go to a party...
• keep healthy snacks with you at all times...
• bank your calories (I love this one) -- behave on non-party days and eat lightly on the day of a party, reserving those uneaten calories for the feast...
• make smart choices (ie. more vegetables & fruit than protein) at a buffet -- fill up on that fibre...
• watch your alcohol intake (dang, not so crazy about this one)...
• stick to your exercise routine -- it burns calories and holiday-related stress -- better yet, increase the fequency &/or duration of your workouts (good luck with that one, Traci)...
• set a regular bedtime and stick to it -- proper sleep is necessary for weight loss and stress management...

As always, he says to go ahead and indulge in the treats, just don't over-do it.  And don't beat yourself up if you do go overboard -- simply get back on the horse the next day.


Today's menu:
(Activate Menu -- sort of...)

Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, strawberries, green tea
Morning Snack -- vanilla yougurt with red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken vegetable soup, water
Dinner -- steak & mushrooms simmered in tomatoes, steamed mixed vegetables (yellow beans, green beans, baby carrots), water

Mistakes made today -- too much coffee, not enough water, no carb at lunch, no salad at dinner, only one probiotic.  Did I actually learn anything the first time?  Doesn't look like it...dummy...

Back on track tomorrow!  Weigh in on Thursday!

Arrive Cycle Update #4

It's amazing how life can get away on you -- I haven't posted in weeks -- where did the time go?  There hasn't been much to report.  Maintenance is quite easy and I've found that some of those old cravings just aren't there anymore.  Can I still polish off a large bag of Ruffles in two days?  You betcha!  Do I want to?  Nope!

Back-to-school can sure keep you busy.  We've had several parent information meetings in the evenings and running around getting new shoes, etc. on the weekends.  Kids sure keep you on your toes!

Made it through Thanksgiving without completely overdoing it and didn't gain (permanently) anything back.  We only had one big dinner (ham, mashed potatoes, gravy -- oh, my!), but it was a three day weekend for me, and I never do well in the eating department when I'm home for extended periods -- get so wrapped up in household projects that eating becomes secondary -- and I wonder why I get headaches.  We had pizza on Friday, burritos on Saturday -- both standard weekend fare around here, but I totally neglected lunch, snacks and water consumption -- and I will admit to consuming entirely too much coffee and alcohol through the course of the week.  Not good...

I have to admit that this has become typical weekend behaviour for me, so I obviously still have some bad habits to break.  In the last month I've been to a couple of social functions and have also met some friends for breakfast or dinner; for the most part I've made good choices.  But when you're at a baby shower and people show up with homemade samosas, deep fried wontons and cake, well -- you can hardly blame me for indulging...

When I got to Cycle 4, I thought I would stick to Cycle 1 through the week and then do the "strategic cheating" on the weekend.  Breakfasts have been easy to regulate, but it has been harder than I thought it would be to stay on top of lunch and dinner -- starchy foods are such a temptation for me.  I compromised and followed Cycle 3 as closely as possible and tried very hard to limit carb consumption to early in the day.  I haven't always been successful, but this new lifestyle is still a work in progress and is getting easier -- though I still struggle with choosing salad over starch...

For the most part, my bad behaviour hasn't really had much of an affect on me -- only a couple of pounds back and I've endured a few nights of really bad sleep, but those had as much to do with the boy's attitude and crap as any bad eating that went on.  Plus, I was sick for two weeks, so food wasn't really something I was interested in and sleep was elusive...

Here is a short article about how eating certain foods can improve your sleep -- very informative:  Eat to Sleep Well.  Some of the foods allowed in Cycle 1 are specifically mentioned as being good for promoting sleep.

This link will take you to a really yummy recipe for oatmeal -- it's going into my holiday repertoire of recipes and will be a standard for Thanksgiving breakfasts for years to come (though my boys didn't really care for it):  Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.  It's ideal for Cycle 2 breakfasts and reheats well...

I am a big slow cooker fan.  It's such a great way to have a delicious, hot meal waiting for you when you get home from the daily grind.  My work schedule isn't very convenient for cooking proper evening meals, so I am trying to make a point of using both of my larger crock pots every week so that we eat at a decent time through the week -- I'm not terribly consistent, but am getting better at planning.  My favourite cookbooks for this purpose are from the Company's Coming series and one of our favourite fall recipes is a squash soup.  This recipe came from their website and is very similar to the one I do -- also great for Cycle 2 meals:  Spiced Squash and Apple Soup.

These recipe links are also listed at the bottom under Recipes.

17 Day Diet News:

• My friend did amazing with her project!  She is getting more sleep in one night than she was getting in a week prior to starting the diet -- she is so excited and I'm so happy that she is getting the results she wanted.  She's lost enough inches that she needs to buy new clothes now -- happy, happy days for her!
• Another friend has read through the book and tried out Cycle 1 but just isn't ready to commit yet.  To her I say -- when you're ready, it will work for you!

Why am I back?  It's time to pre-diet!  Yes, Christmas is coming and that means lots of yummy temptations.  Thanksgiving was one thing -- just one day of delicious foods.  The Christmas season is something else altogether -- I have a weakness for shortbread and fruitcake and mashed potatoes or stuffing with gravy.  It's going to be everywhere -- including my house because it's my turn to host dinner.

Anyway, I'm back to Cycle 2 tomorrow.  There's enough time to get through Cycle 2 (and 3 if needed) before the holiday food madness starts.  My hope is to be better about fitting some exercise in this time around as well.  So, weigh-in #1 will be tomorrow morning and a little goal setting will happen in the evening.

Arrive Cycle Update #3

Well, it's been another couple of weeks and I'm pleased to report that I am holding steady at 18 to 20 pounds lost, depending on the day.  I'm calling it 20, because I like to work in multiples of 5...

The purging process continues and two more bags of clothes have been donated!  Some parts of my wardrobe are just too big now, but others have been turfed purely for psychological reasons.  Several relatively new things that still fit (some blouses and sweaters) are gone because they used to be paired with my "fat" clothes and also represent an unhappy period of my life.

I have gotten some really wonderful compliments lately -- this is definitely a motivating thing when you've fallen "off the wagon" a bit:

• "I love that outfit!  You're one hot mama!" -- from a coworker...
• "Why are you dressing so nice for work all of a sudden?" -- from my son...
• "What have you done?  You look fantastic!" -- from my cousin's wife, who I've not seen in 4 years -- then she took note of the name of the book...
• "Are those pants new?  They're really nice, but they're almost too big!" -- from my boss, commenting on dress pants I bought just 3 weeks ago...

I bought a couple of pairs of new jeans last week -- they are technically too big, but I have spent so many years in ones that were too tight, that I'm enjoying the comfort.  They fit in the waist well enough that I don't need a belt, but they are somewhat baggy in the bum -- and I'm OK with that...

Remember those incredibly supportive friends I talked about last time?  Several of them met up with me for dinner the other night -- what an amazing group of women!  Thank you all a thousand times over for being so supportive and non-judgemental.  Love you!!


Here's what I learned this week:

• I can enjoy Glee and Survivor without a half a bag of chips.  And, by half a bag, I'm talking about the BIG bag of plain Ruffles -- with Philly dill pickle dip.  I indulged in my "permitted" glass of wine both nights and found that I didn't even want the chips...
• I can go to a party with a buffet dinner and behave myself.  It is really easy to limit myself to a few pieces of cheese and some raw veggies (no dip) from the appetizer table and then one reasonably filled plate of dinner; I made a point of choosing lots of carrots and only a few potatoes, one small bun and small portions of the meat (chicken breast & prime rib).  It was awesome to be satisfied after only one helping (that I didn't even finish, by the way...).
• Breakfast out is easier now than Cycle 1 -- had a western omelette with whole-grain toast, fruit and tomatoes on the side (substitution for the potatoes -- are you proud of me?) the other day.  I couldn't finish...

Confession Time:

• I did make the taco salad topping -- and only had it twice in the last 2 weeks...
• Raw veggies for snacks really didn't happen all that often, either...
• Those 2 salads/day I was going to have?  Didn't happen.  I did have some salad through both weeks, but not every day.  Can I just say -- salad is yummy but it's not my favourite thing -- going to try to do better in this area...
• The plan to cut back on the coffee consumption went well, for about 4 days.  Now I'm right back where I was.  The good news is, that I've been better about the water -- definitely drinking more these past two weeks than I was, but still not enough...
• Bad things I ate (and I totally knew better):  Pumpkin Spice Latte (venti size -- hey, it only comes out in the fall...), fries with gravy & a beef dip, 5 slices of pizza on both Fridays (family movie night), Shake N Bake chicken (I know, I know...), Peking dumplings with plum sauce, pomegranite martini, bacon (of the pig variety -- turkey bacon, while "permitted", is gross)...

Results of my bad behaviour:

• My friend Scale and I have had a few major disagreements this week.  I think she's delirious, because some days she tells me I'm up 4 pounds and then another day, I'm back to my new normal.  Not sure where she's getting that nonsense...
• A few really bad nights of sleep...
• Headaches, afternoon fatigue, mental fog, a couple of really bad mornings where I had to go back to bed for an hour, general lack of energy/motivation...

17 Day Diet News:

• Remember my friend who is working on her own journey?  She is on Cycle 2 and is doing great!  She has lost inches more than pounds, but believes she is down a whole size now.  Her real motivation was not the weight loss but rather to get more/better sleep, and it is working for her -- not every night, but it's coming with more consistency every week.  I'm so proud of her!
• I hear that another friend has downloaded the book to her IPad and has read it "cover to cover", so to speak.  I am really looking forward to her updates!!
• One of my coworkers started recently and reported that she was down 5 lb in 6 days.  I expect that she will experience some serious results because she goes to a spin class regularly.
• There is a workbook now available -- companion piece to the main book that acts as a food journal/personal trainer so you can track the good and bad of the day/week.
• The cookbook should be available in March.

Here is a link to a live chat that Dr. Mike participated in early last week -- I was unable to be a part of it as it was happening while I was at work, but watched it over the weekend.  It takes about an hour to get through, but is very informative.  Just a few of points if you plan to take the time to sit through it:

1. There is a really irritating ad at the beginning and another at 26 min. in that you can't avoid.
2. He takes several 2 min. breaks (presumably to Tweet, but I'm not sure...) so you will have a chance to refill your coffee cup or unload the dishwasher -- whatever floats your boat...
3. The sound doesn't cut in until about 36 sec. in, so don't worry if you can't hear him.

He promises to do more of these chats in the future:  Dr. Mike Takes Your Questions

One of the things that I found most helpful was his discussion of the transition difficulties (plateaus) that some people experience when switching to a new cycle.  He cautions you to be patient because there are constants at play that can't be controlled (ie. genetics, body frame, metabolism), so individual results vary.  The "good luck" and "bad luck" cards that fate has dealt you will have an impact on how quickly the pounds melt away.  Focus on the variables that can be controlled (ie. exercise, water intake, etc.) and don't be discouraged if the number on the scale doesn't change for several days, because it eventually will.

I mention this because I know of a couple of ladies who had started a "project" for themselves and seem to have stopped -- not sure if this is the case, but I wanted to put something out there that might entice them to start up again.  It is hard some days, but I hope you consider trying again...

Arrive Cycle Update #2

Happy to report that the weight loss is holding steady at 19 lbs gone!

I've been fairly careless this past week.  Although I've been keeping a close watch on when I eat those carbs (and which ones), I'm finding it very challenging to forego rice or potatoes with dinner -- I also didn't see a salad all week (Traci hangs her head in shame...).  Those fantastic potato salad leftovers don't count as a proper salad, no matter how tasty -- I essentially ignored all "green food" all week...


Here's what I learned this week:

• Beef 4 evenings in a row is not a good thing -- in the TMI category of "not good"...
• When desperate, I will eat the yucky flavoured Ruffles...
• I have some incredibly supportive friends who I will be forever grateful to have in my life -- and some very self-absorbed, non-supportive "friends" whom I thought would understand why I needed to work on me -- and have proven otherwise (more on this later)...

Results of my bad behaviour:

• Little/no energy or motivation -- it has taken a very concentrated effort to get anything accomplished all week, and on a few of those days it was all I could do to get out of bed...
• I have been very, very tired all week, even though I am sleeping fairly well -- the super-hot weather hasn't helped, but once I'm asleep, I stay that way but it hasn't been particularly restful sleep...
• Most mornings upon waking I have felt ill, and then most afternoons come down with a headache around 2:30 -- not good when you are teaching small children how to read...
• Mental fog (is that like a "brain cloud"??) has returned with a vengeance -- also not good when you are teaching small children how to read...

Confession time:

• OK -- already admitted to not a single salad all week.  I did eat my usual veggies (cucumber, grape tomatoes) with my lunches, which were mostly sandwiches (with lettuce -- love, love, love lettuce on my sandwiches)...
• I drank LOTS of coffee every day -- yup, completely overdid the negative water and didn't drink any extra water to compensate for it.  To be honest, I didn't make my minimum water requirements on any one day last week -- which probably accounts for the hangover-like feeling every morning -- dehydration is a nasty thing...
• Pizza, burritos, TimBits, Ruffles, chai tea latte -- not every day, mind you, but often enough...

My plan going forward:

• Two salads a day -- not necessarily as the main meal, but definitely a proper side salad will be a part of lunch and dinner...
• Make a batch of turkey chili to have on the nights when beef or pork is on the menu, especially if we've had it in the past couple of days...
• Have some of Dr. Mike's freaking amazing Taco Salad fixings on hand in case I want to do a meal-sized salad (I probably should...)
• No more than two cups (and I mean "cups" -- not those monster latte mugs) of coffee each day, instead of the four or five that I did this week -- and yes, the extra-large Timmy's counts as two cups -- dummy...
• Get all that water in -- I learned that lesson back in cycle one -- and then again in cycle 2 -- and then again in cycle 3 -- slow learner...

One thing I learned years ago was to have meats on a rotation basis -- if you have beef on Monday, you shouldn't see it again until Thursday at the earliest.  A nutritionist cautioned me to put at least 3 days between eating "problem" foods if you are dealing with a food sensitivity.  I know that beef affects me that way, and it's looking like pork is going to be a problem, too.  Great...

17 Day Diet news:

• I am super-happy to report that one of my dear friends is enjoying fantastic success in her personal project -- she has lost some weight (more than she anticipated, I think!) in her first 10 days and is sleeping much better than before -- this was her reason for starting and I am so proud of her and excited for her!
• My boss fell "off the wagon" so to speak...lol!  She was away on business for a week, and she's not followed the program since she's been back.  We had a nice chat about it the other day -- she has noticed that she feels awful too and is getting back on the horse on Monday.  While she was away, she "recruited" two more people into the lifestyle -- and they are loving it!
• The cookbook is coming!  It will be a little on the late side for those of us who have already started, but I will be getting a copy anyway:  The 17 Day Diet Cookbook

There has always been more to "Project Traci" than this weight loss -- as I've said before, it was never about the number on the scale (that's just how I chose to measure my progress) or the size of my clothes.  It was about starting to feel better about myself -- who I am, what I believe in, the priorities I set -- and it was very hard to evaluate any of that when I felt like crap all the time and couldn't maintain concentration for more than 10 minutes.  I didn't like what I saw when I looked in the mirror and doubted my sanity some days -- my self-esteem was almost non-existent.  So a large part of my journey has been to sort all of that out; I'm still working on it and will be for a while -- some people are not going to be happy with the choices I make but to them I say, "People in glass houses...".  One thing that I realized this week was that some of those old doubts and feelings were coming back -- partly because I have some people in my life who have not been supportive at all of this process -- and partly because I wasn't following my new lifestyle properly.  Why the backslide???  It's a vicious circle -- people who should believe in me and support me weren't, so I started to question my motives because I was allowing these people to have power over me.  So, I made some very difficult decisions in the past couple of days -- I am taking my power back and forging ahead without them. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has believed in my journey and understood the "why" behind it -- I know who I can count on!

(((HUGS))) to you all!!!

Arrive Cycle Update #1

Well, here I am, nearly two weeks into Cycle 4 and am thrilled to report that I'm at 128 lbs and holding!  Yes, you read that correctly -- 128 lbs!  Somehow, I've managed to lose another two pounds, which is really, really encouraging.  I've been keeping a fairly close watch on the scale because some of my "cheating" hasn't been particularly "strategic" -- I will admit to some naughtiness in the evenings -- potatoes or rice with dinner, and we won't mention the fries (will discuss this in a bit...) -- though I'm very careful with what I'm eating during the day.  I had planned to follow Cycle 1 during the week but that hasn't really happened -- more like Cycle 3 because some days I really, really want a sandwich for lunch...


Dr. Mike gives some handy tips for success in this cycle:

• Observe the 5-pound stop signal -- when you see the scale register a 3 to 5 pound gain, stop what you're doing and get back on Cycle 1 until they're gone.
• Be a breakfast lover -- eat something for breakfast even if you're not hungry in order to avoid getting the munchies mid-morning and eating something you'll regret.
• Get on good terms with salad -- this is still a hard one for me...
• Make healthier substitutes -- reduced-fat, reduced sugar foods like mustard instead of mayo, skim milk, no butter, fat-free ice cream/sour cream/salad dressings.
• Exercise portion control -- no second helpings...
• Move it, keep it off -- bump up the time spent exercising/do extra chores.
• Avoid overboard syndrome -- no pig-outs -- make a list of trouble foods (can you say "butter tarts", Traci?) and avoid them -- plan your week's menus in advance.
• No more guilt trips -- you have permission to indulge as long as it's planned and limited to the weekend only -- don't beat yourself up if you have a mis-step, just get back on that horse on Monday morning.
• Stay focused -- make a list of reasons to stay slim and remind yourself every day of how great you look!

To that last point:  I'm keeping a ratty, old pair of track pants that I've practically lived in for the past 10 years -- they are practically falling off/apart, but that's what I'm wearing on the weekend while I clean house/do yardwork/watch TV -- to remind myself how far I've come, because they were so tight before...

Dr. Mike also recommends that you enjoy no more than three of your "favourite" meals between Friday and Sunday night (we'll see about that -- it's pizza night tonight, our wedding anniversary tomorrow and a long weekend to boot), as well as weighing only on the weekends (that's totally do-able)...

Here's what I know after two weeks of maintenance:

• French fries are evil and give you nightmares...
• Shake N Bake chicken, while tasty and seemed like a good idea at the time, resulted in hangover-like symptoms the next morning...
• I can't be trusted around potato chips, especially Spicy Ketchup Ruffles, even if they're on the other side of the room...
• Rogers makes a fabulous, low fat, 5-grain granola (try the Raspberry Almond one) that is great with milk as a cereal or mixed into your yogurt for breakfast...
• Renee's Gourmet Yogurt Dressing is a good alternative if you don't have time to make Dr. Mike's dip -- cucumber & dill is very tasty -- no sugar, but it is pretty high in sodium -- just stick to that 1 tbsp...

Another bag of clothes is nearly ready to go away -- the closet cleanout continues!  And, yes Mom, I've kept a couple of bigger things, just in case.  I'll hang onto them for a few months, but then they're outta here...

Wardrobe replacement has begun and the irony of this is not lost on me.  When I started this journey, I had a closet full of clothes that I couldn't wear because they didn't fit properly and I refused to go and buy new things.  Now, I have a closet full of clothes that I can't wear because they don't fit at all -- and I am excited to replace everything!  I am looking at those smaller sizes and learning to love shopping again!

True story: my hubby and I were at the outlet mall a couple of weeks ago.  I went into my favourite ladies' shop and tried on some pants that were just one size smaller than what I had at home.  Guess what??  Too big!!!  Oh, yes!  WAY too big!!  They were a clearance item, so a smaller size wasn't available -- I tried some skirts next and walked out of there with two tailored ones that are 2 -- 3 sizes smaller than anything I have owned in years!  Like my boss said to me one day, nothing tastes as great as thin feels!

Two dear friends are embarking on their own journeys this week -- one has chosen to try The 17 Day Diet, the other something very similar.  Good luck, girls!  You're going to rock it!

Day 58/59 (Arrive Cycle Day 1/2)

Welcome to the end!  Let the "strategic cheating" begin!!

This is where Dr. Mike breaks it to you -- you're going to be on some kind of diet forever.  Not like that's any kind of surprise -- anyone who's ever dieted knows that this is the case.  But let's not call this a "diet".  A friend of mine says she prefers to call it a change in lifestyle -- because that's really what it is -- a new way of living.


Day 58

The "official" number is 130!  Woot!  That's 17 lbs gone -- permanently.  I had hoped for 20, but when one doesn't do the exercise consistently, one has to accept the smaller number.  But I am thrilled to death with the results.

The plan going forward now is simple -- Cycle 4 for 17 days and then reevaluate.  If that number stays the same, then I will likely continue on the same path and then do the whole project again after Christmas because, let's face it, that is the most evil time of year for food/diets, and I have a particular weakness for the cookies and fruitcake and wine.  If the number goes up, well, I guess it's back to square one for a while...


Day 59

I celebrated my success today by putting two bags of baggy clothes in the donation bin after work -- so tired of holding my pants up with a saftey pin.  Now there's no turning back -- I have next to nothing to wear now so it's off to the mall with me this weekend.

Here's how the "strategic cheating" in Cycle 4 works.  You "behave" during the week but get to take the weekends off!  What???  Let me explain...

During the week (Monday through Friday lunchtime), you follow your favourite of the previous three cycles and then on the weekend (Friday dinner through Sunday dinner) you get to eat what you like -- within reason, of course -- really, there should be no excuse for lapsing back into your old, bad eating habits if you've followed the diet properly -- those bad habits are what got you in trouble in the first place, so be careful.  Dr. Mike recommends no more than three of your favourite meals over the weekend -- and NO BINGING!

I've decided that I have to follow Cycle 1 through the week since apparently I can't be trusted around carbs -- scientifically proven last night by my consumption of an entire box of KD all by my onesie.  I have paid for it all day.  Way to go, dummy...

More on Cycle 4 tomorrow...

Day 55/56/57 (Achieve Cycle Day 15/16/17)

Here is a great article that I came across the other day:
30 Habits That Will Change Your Life

The first 12 habits are all about healthy eating and simple lifestyle changes that easily fit within the guidelines of The 17 Day Diet -- as a matter of fact, every one of them is mentioned at some point in the book.

One of the other things that is mentioned is starting a personal blog.  This is not a bad idea.  I have really enjoyed blogging my experience with my weight loss project and found that having to write every day (or two) has helped keep me accountable -- because, apparently people are reading!  I have more readers than I realized!  Every now and then I find out that someone else has been following -- it's so exciting to hear the words, "I've been reading your blog...", and that statement is usually followed by a question about the program.  More than one person has expressed an interest in trying it out -- even my boss is giving it a whirl!  I truly encourage you to try if you have even just a few pounds to shed -- it's such a straightforward plan and so forgiving that everyone can be successful in that first 17 days -- you'll feel so much better for having done it.  Not preaching!  I promised no preaching -- I'm just so excited about how well this plan has worked for me!

I appreciate all of the support and encouragement from everyone that has commented, but at the same time am humbled to know that others are just "watching" but really, reallly paying attention.  Thank you, all!

Onward!

Day 55

129 lbs!  This is good, very good!  I know that's not down from the last weigh-in, but I've been a bit naughty with the family away.  I've not really stuck to the "no carbs after 2:00" rule very well and as a result, I'm feeling a bit bloated.  OK, a lot bloated...


Day 56

Here's a link to an article about how minimal exercise (ie. 15 min/day) has been shown to increase life expectancy and combat some serious diseases:
Benefits of Daily Exercise Are Comparable to Giving Up Smoking

I think Dr. Mike might be on to something...



Day 57

Wanna know what's super tasty?  Warm up some of Dr. Mike's freaking amazing Turkey Black Bean Chili, stick it in a Dempster's Ancient Grains tortilla with a little shredded lettuce and a teeny bit of sour cream.  That's what!!  Guess what I had for dinner -- OK, I had two of them...

I bought a new top on the way home from work today -- the first "small" that I've been able to buy in years -- it felt so good to put it on and not see any rolls through the fabric.  I know it's not about the size on the label, but just knowing that I am truly down that full size is so gratifying.  Now, I just have to pluck up the courage to try on some new dress pants...

I can't believe that tomorrow morning is the last "official" weigh-in of the project!  We shall see what the morrow brings -- there is a decision to be made...

Day 54 (Achieve Cycle Day 14)

Wow!  Only three more days until...

Until what?  Maintenance (proceeding with cycle 4 and the shopping trip)?  Going for more dramatic weight loss (back to cycle 2)?  Staying put (cycle 3) for 17 more days and shoot for 120 to 125 lbs?  So many decisions...

I know I said I was going to call it done at the end of Cycle 3.  I'm just not sure now...

While hanging out with my besties the other night, we got to talking about -- a lot of stuff, for sure -- sleep, of all things.  Some of the ladies have a terrible time sleeping through the night.  I mentioned that I am sleeping better than I used to (I didn't have as much trouble as they do, but it was there -- weeks on end of light, minimal sleep) and that I attribute my newfound sleep patterns in part to my new eating habits.  Seriously, once I started eating properly, the good sleep followed.  I still wake up in the night, but I blame the 64 oz of daily water for that, not the food I'm eating or not eating.  And I usually get right back to sleep afterwards.

Dr. Mike discusses the importance of sleep as a part of the whole weight loss plan; apparently you can burn as much as 200 calories in a 7 hour sleep shift.  If you don't get enough sleep, your appetite hormone levels willl be out of whack -- you won't be satisfied by what you eat during the day, so you're going to overeat or crave the bad stuff.  For me that was plain potato chips with dill pickle dip and/or butter tarts -- sometimes both -- daily.  Oh, yeah, I also indulged myself with Smirnoff Ice vodka coolers any chance I got -- not good for a whole host of reasons.

If you don't sleep well, Dr. Mike recommends power naps (if you can) to help get these hormones (cortisol specifically) back under control.  That's great news for people who like to nap!

I experimented one night last week.  Just before bedtime I weighed in at 134 lbs.  In the morning, I was back down to 131 lbs.  Now, I'm not sure what that proves, but it must prove something because in the past there would have been no change from night to morning...

Tomorrow morning is the penultimate weigh-in.  It should be an interesting one...

Day 51/52/53 (Achieve Cycle Day 11/12/13)

Day 51

My friend, Scale, told me something wonderful this morning!  129 lbs!  That means I am down 18 lbs in total!  Only two more to go...I think I'm going to make it...

Some of those clothes that have been fitting well for the first time in years are now on the big side.  The closet clean out continues this weekend -- I'm not sure there's going to be much left in there by the time I'm finished.  Oh, well -- that means more room for my crafting supplies, I guess...lol!



Day 52

Tonight was girls' night in!  How I've been looking forward to an evening with my besties!  So much fun, conversation, laughter and so much wonderful food!  Of course, I sampled everything (it would be horribly rude not to, dontcha think?), but only one serving of each (well, except for the spicy meatballs...those were just too amazing to limit myself to one helping...) -- my plate was full, but only the once, and I didn't feel the need to have seconds of anything.  In fact, I didn't want seconds, except for those little meatballs...

I may have had more wine than I should have.  OK, I know I had more than 5 oz of wine.  It was closer to 3/4 of a bottle.  That means extra water tomorrow...

It was a super-fun evening and I didn't feel bad about having anything that was on the table -- pasta salad, potato salad, pulled pork sandwich, spicy meatballs, chicken/broccoli/cheese casserole, chocolate puffed wheat squares (you know there had to be chocolate involved at some point -- it was ladies' night after all...) -- it was my reward for sticking to the project.  And I discovered a wonderful new salad in the process -- quinoa salad -- who knew that could be so tasty?  I'm going to have to try quinoa as a side dish one day...


Day 53

Feeling no ill effects for my over-indulgences of yesterday.  This is good -- very good!

I did sleep in this morning as I was up later than usual last night, so I made do with just breakfast (vanilla yogurt/blueberries/granola mixture -- yummmmmm) -- no morning snack.  Indulged in a little bit of potato salad for lunch -- leftover from the party, but still very tasty.  I figured I could have a small serving and it would count for the rest of my starch for the day.  A few raw veggies on the side -- nice cool lunch on a hot, busy day...

The family is away for the week, so there's lots going on here with organization projects.  This is going to keep me busy for days...

Day 46/47/48/49/50 (Achieve Cycle Day 6/7/8/9/10)

Day 46 (Saturday)

Something occurred to me as I was cleaning my kitchen today -- I have this amazing appliance that I clean around but rarely use.  It's a bread maker.  I could be making my own whole grain bread rather than spend over $4.00 for a loaf -- welcome to the party, dummy.  Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake...

Did I bother to get anything going in the amazing bread machine?  No.  Guess I'm a little lacking in the motivation department and slow on the uptake...


Day 47 (Sunday)

The closet cleanout started today -- I have 2 shopping bags full of clothes that are leaving and more to look at later in the week...

Day 48 (Monday)

It's official!  17 lbs completely gone!  There is a bit of up and down happening with that number right now but the trend seems to be back to 130 lb. as a final number.  This is good -- looking like the weight loss is permanent...

I discovered a yummy new tea -- Lipton Green Tea Superfruit (has wild cranberry and pomegranate) -- it has 100 mg of flavonoids per serving.  I really have no idea what that means, but according to the box it's a LOT more than orange juice or cranberry juice -- guess that means it's good for you.  It brews up red, which is a bit shocking the first time, but it is very tasty -- a good alternative if you don't like the taste of plain green tea.

Day 49 (Tuesday)

Complete dinner wash-out tonight -- it really shouldn't be so hard to eat properly on a weird night, but I completely failed.  Hubby and kids ate on the way home from camp, so when I got home from work, I was on my own.  Did I choose the super-awesome-amazing taco salad fixin's that were in the fridge.  No!  I opted for an oatmeal/raisin cookie, a slice of leftover Hawaiian pizza and a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.  Then I wound up being hungry at bedtime.  Nice going, dummy...

Day 50 (Wednesday)

I behaved myself better today, but I did have more carbs than I should have and not as much exercise as I could have.  On the plus side, my sewing project is finally finished so I should be able to fit a little extra exercise in after work from here on in.

The countdown is on -- only one more week left until I finish this cycle.  Remember, the plan is to call it done and move on to maintenance no matter what the scale says on that last day.  I may have to rethink that because I've been a bit naughty this week -- I'm not holding out a lot of hope for tomorrow's weigh-in -- crossing my fingers that I've managed to hold the line at 130 lbs.

I've been extremely careful with the fats through this cycle -- using the bare minimum of oils, mayo, salad dressing and cheeses because I don't buy the low-fat alternatives (you don't have to, though it is recommended).  That part has been easy.  It's the carbs that I still struggle with.  Although I haven't "pigged out" on anything, I have had some treats that aren't on the list: 2 slices of banana bread with Becel on Sunday morning for breakfast, an oatmeal/raisin cookie in the evening on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, a chocolate chip cookie tonight (all of these were homemade -- the daughter baked...so hard to refuse...) -- and not enough water on any of those days.

So much for really being on top of the plan this week...

Another weigh-in tomorrow morning...

Day 43/44/45 (Achieve Cycle Day 3/4/5 -- again)

Day 43

How sad...

Remember that one of my goals was to fit into the fabulous cream-coloured pant that have been hanging in my closet for 4 years??  I figured that, because my other clothes are falling off of me (hee, hee...) those pants must surely fit by now.  Nope.  But here's the strange bit -- they are HUGE in the waist but still tight in the bum -- what the heck?!  Obviously they are some sort of strange cut, because there is no way they will ever fit me properly.  Weird...

Looks like I'll be shopping this weekend for sure!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- Cream of Wheat with 1 Tbsp Smuckers Summer Fruit jam and chopped up strawberries mixed in (got the idea from the cereal box -- awfully yummy), 1/2 cup 1% milk, vanilla green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple, small vanilla-cinnamon yogurt, Kashi granola bar, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's taco salad, Babybel cheese
Dinner -- stir fry (chicken breast, cucumber, green pepper, onion, noodles, soy sauce -- another delicious creation courtesy of the hubby...)

Another pair of dress pants was on the baggy side today, but at least I didn't have to use a pin to hold these ones up...lol!  Now I wonder, how terrible did these clothes look on me 15 lbs ago?  I know I felt awful in them...and they must have looked that way, too.



Day 44

130 lbs!!!!!!!!!  I don't think there's anything more I need to say about that, except maybe WOOT!!!  This means I have 5 lbs to go before I reach my goal -- so exciting!  I would love to drop more than that, but I will be thrilled to make it to 125.

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, 3 oz raspberry flavoured yogurt, green tea
Morning Snack -- coffee (wasn't hungry...)
Lunch -- salmon sandwich, sliced cucumber/grape tomatoes/baby carrots, 3 oz peach yogurt Dinner -- roast beef, brown rice, mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots), red wine.

Twice over the last two days, I have received the best compliment! The weight loss is apparently very noticeable now & I've been told that if I keep going there will be nothing left of me!  I'm not about to stop now, so I'm planning to finish out this cycle and then I will call the project done.  I've decided that whatever the final number is at the end of Cycle 3, I will be happy, happy, happy!



Day 45

Nothing exciting to report today -- just one confession and one decision...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- Cream of Wheat with 1 Tbsp jam and diced strawberries mixed in
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes & strawberries, Kashi crunchy granola bar
Lunch -- 4 slices of turkey, 1 Babybel cheese, 100 g marinated vegetable salad (from the grocery store deli counter -- grape tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, red pepper, onion, carrot -- don't know what it's marniated in, but it's pretty tangy and very yummy)
Dinner -- pizza (pepperoni/mushroom, chicken, Hawaiian -- I sampled several slices...), red wine

OK -- I know I'm abusing the wine privelege.  No excuses, no apologies -- I've just been enjoying myself a little.  I have a housewarming party to attend next Friday where there will be all manner of things I shouldn't have (heck, it's potluck and I'll even be taking something bad for me...) so I will be very, very careful about what I consume next week -- sort of "save up" for the weekend -- kinda like Weight Watcher points, only, not...

Confession time:  If you poke around in the forums and discussion boards about this diet, you will find that a lot of people will have lost much more weight than I have by the time they get to day 45.  I've done minimal exercise which is definitely affecting the rate I lose at, but I'm OK with that.  I don't mind taking my time because this is more about learning about better eating habits along the way and getting the chance to practice them than anything else.  I just don't enjoy exercise, so I do the bare minimum.  That's just me -- if you enjoy exercise, you will most likely see faster or more dramatic results.

Decision made:  Nothing to earth-shattering!  I simply decided that the daily menus are tedious to type, therefore they must be equally tedious to read -- I'm not a very adventurous cook, so I tend to eat the same things day after day (if it ain't broke...).  Anyway, I will be discontinuing the menus, but if I find a really interesting recipe/dish/product that fits well with the diet, I will post a link to it and a description.  That way, none of us will be bored...

Day 42 (Achieve Cycle Day 2 -- again)

Today was an exciting day on the wardrobe front!  Because of the number of mosquito and noseeum bites on my legs, I decided to wear long pants for a few days.  I carefully ironed my favourite black dress pants and put them on.  They nearly fell off!  How exciting -- I think I may have dropped that dress size that I wasn't sure about!  What is a girl to do with a wardrobe malfunction like this?  Safety pin in the waistband!!!

Looks like that shopping trip may have to happen sooner than later!

A long while back, in Cycle 1, I was looking at a local shop and found a lovely pair of pants on a clearance rack -- exactly one size smaller than what I was wearing.  Sure hope they're still there...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, vanilla green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- my favourite 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- salmon sandwich (pink salmon mixed with onion and mayo), grape tomatoes, cucumber slices
Afternoon Snack -- no time for one, but should have planned for it...
Dinner -- vegetable based pasta with meat sauce (ground beef, Newman's Own Marinara, mushrooms) -- I overate because I was so hungry -- way to disregard the Hunger/Fullness Meter, dummy...

I made sure that I had my water requirements in for today -- that was a job!  Hard habit to get back into after being away for a week (I found it really difficult to get all the water in while we were on vacation), but I think I'm back on track.

Here's a way to make water more interesting.  Nestea has a product sweetened with Splenda that you can add to a 500 mL bottle of water to flavour it -- only 5 calories per bottle.  I tried the cranberry/grape (extremely yummy) and the lemon green tea (pretty good) while we were away and have the apple/goji flavour to try yet (it is "rich in naturally occurring polyphenol antioxidants" -- whatever that means...).  If you're not a big fan of plain water, this could be a good thing...

Another glass of red wine before bed.  We bought a 4L box (yeah, classy, I know...) for camping and now that it's open, I can't let it go bad...one glass a night until it's gone...besides, there's scientific proof showing that it's good for you in moderation, remember?!  Maybe it will offset my pasta oops from tonight...

Day 41 (Achieve Cycle Day 1 -- again)

My friend "scale" read 132 lbs today -- not sure how a 2 lb drop happened in just one day, but I'll take it!  This really helped me decide where to start back -- if it had still read 134 lbs I would be back to Cycle 1 for 17 days before starting Cycle 3 over again.  So, because for all intents and purposes, I'm right where I was heading into vacation, I've decided to simply start Cycle 3 over again -- I had only done five days before heading out, so it seems a good place to pick up.

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with strawberries & 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean mixed in, coffee
Morning Snack -- skipped it -- busy doing stuff around the house and missed my chance...lol!
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's taco salad with about 1 Tbsp of shredded cheddar (not low-fat, so I limit my quantities), probiotic supplement
Afternoon Snack -- frosted sugar cookie (it was the last one and nobody was eating it, so I put it out of my misery...)
Dinner -- BBQ pork/mushroom/green pepper/cucumber kebabs (created by hubby -- he has far more imagination than I do...), 1/4 cup brown rice with mushrooms & soy sauce, small green salad with 1 Tbsp salad dressing (not low fat)

I had the munchies later in the evening, after we got home from an early movie -- resisted the snacks at the theatre, but needed a little something when we got home. I treated myself to a Babybel cheese and a glass of red wine. Hit the spot! I'm back to Monday/Thursday weigh-ins and have vowed to make a more concentrated effort to get that exercise in.  I will also be as strict as possible about the "no carbs after 2:00" rule -- this is a tricky one sometimes with my work schedule (lunch often happens right around 2:00) but it's doable if I plan right.

I'm sad that my vacation is over, but glad to be back to "normal" routines again! Really looking forward to a walk tomorrow morning...

Vacation Update

Well we're back!  Our first vacation in over 2 years is done and was a success.  We saw some beautiful parts of our country, visited with family we seldom get to see (two thumbs up for a great BBQ supper that night!), and met some lovely people at the various campgrounds we stayed at.

"Project" news:  I started out at 131 lbs (somehow those two mystery pounds had disappeared by the time we left...) and came back at 134 lbs -- not too shabby!  I wasn't overly cautious about what I was doing, so I was expecting a bigger gain than that.  I did opt for the healthier choices whenever possible and we did a lot of walking some days.  Because we camped, it was fairly easy to make sure I had my raw veggies or fruit/yogurt snacks and whole grains.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of "carbs after 2:00" naughtiness happening...that's what I found the most difficult to manage...

Confession time.  We did eat out occasionally, so I treated myself to some "bad" stuff over the past week:
-- fries @ A&W (just once -- side dish to the grilled chicken sandwich...)
-- hot dog and baked beans...
-- potato salad with mayo/mustard dressing (at a family BBQ -- side dish to a really yummy rib steak and edamame...)
-- mini ravioli (yeah, gotta love that Chef Boyardee...)
-- sunflower/oatmeal/raisin cookie, lemon/poppyseed danish, strawberry/rhubarb turnover (we were at a historical village with a bakery on site so you can hardly blame me...)
-- Chinese food dinner (almond chicken, fried rice, chow mein, veggies, green tea) -- suffered terribly all evening (in the TMI category of distress -- 'nuff said...) but no regrets -- it was amazing food...
-- Kraft Dinner (side dish to a BBQ hamburger...)
-- 1/2 bag of plain Ruffles (managed to resist the dill pickle dip...) & a bottle of ginger ale -- there was absolutely no excuse for this -- I just wanted it...
-- clubhouse sandwich (God, this was amazing...)
-- Hamburger Helper (the fridge was empty when we got home...)
-- 4 Smirnoff Ice (regular -- 3 were consumed in the same evening...)
-- red wine (lost count of how many glasses, but it was significantly more than the 5 oz daily that Dr. Mike recommends...)

Going forward?  I'm going to behave myself for the next two days, and then my vacation is over and the "project" will be back on.  I have to decide which direction to go in as I hadn't spent much time in Cycle 3 and have some backtracking to do and 9 pounds to drop to reach my goal.  I have three options that I'll be weighing before I get the groceries for the week:

1. Cycle 1 for 17 days, Cycle 2 for 17 days, back into Cycle 3
2. Cycle 1 for 17 days, back into Cycle 3
3. Continue where I left off in Cycle 3

 Tomorrow's post will have the decision!

Day 39 & 40 (Achieve Cycle Day 4 & 5)

Day 39

133 lbs...

Well, that's mildly disappointing.  This have never been about the "number", but I was hoping to keep losing in small increments -- there's only 6 lbs to go to reach my goal weight.  OK, fine -- 8 lbs.  I know Dr. Mike says that the weight loss slows down now, but I didn't expect to backtrack, even a little.  Three days of having carbs (and minimal carbs at that...) and I'm going in the wrong direction?  Maybe it was last night's beef.  Maybe "cow" is the problem and this is just bloating.  I'll have to see about that...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with strawberries, green tea
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- mushroom Cup of Soup (yeah, real healthy, that...)
Afternoon Snack -- Kashi granola bar
Dinner -- BBQ chicken breast , steamed baby carrots, small green salad with tomatoes and fat-free Italian dressing

At least there has been no change in the way my clothes are fitting -- actually, another pair of capris are too big.  I was running errands earlier today and caught sight of myself in a mirror at Sears -- I looked riduculous in my baggy pants...lol!  That shopping trip might be happening sooner than I expected...



Day 40

Still feeling great!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice whole grain toast (no margarine), 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, 1/2 turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with cranberry mustard, mayo, lettuce (since I had toast with breakfast, I was only allowed one more starch for the day, hence the 1/2 sandwich...)
Dinner -- pizza (yeah, I know...)

This will be my last post for a while -- heading out for vacation tomorrow.  I will be as careful as possible while we're away -- I've already proven to myself that I can eat out responsibly, so now I will be putting myself to the test.  I'll be back in 10 days, hopefully without too much damage done.  Thank you for following me this far -- hope you will be here when I get back!

Day 38 (Achieve Cycle Day 3)

Not a terribly interesting day today.  Still feeling the effects of the milk from yesterday's breakfast when I got up, but other than that, it was another feel-good day!  I dug out a beautiful skirt that I purchased a couple of years ago but never wore because it was always a bit too tight, and guess what?!  It's a little on the big side now!  Hee, hee -- going to have to take it in a bit.  I wore it anyway, but it kept twisting around throughout the day -- by the time I got home from work it was completely backward...lol!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1 peach, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt, red grapes
Lunch -- grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, turkey sandwich (Dempster's Ancient Grains bread -- yum, yum) with mayo, cranberry mustard (yes, cranberry mustard -- most excellent), lettuce
Afternoon snack -- chocolate cupcake (couldn't help myself -- it was homemade and all -- and apparently chocolate is a stress-buster, so I figured I could use some of that tonight...)
Dinner -- steamed carrots, London broil

I came across this article today that talks about certain foods (nuts, chocolate, red wine) that can help fight stress and improve your mood.  There is some very interesting information about other foods (green tea and oatmeal are mood-boosters -- who knew??), some yummy-sounding recipes and a "stress-busting" meal plan at the end.  Follow the link to see for yourself (it's posted under Interesting Articles as well...):
http://www.parents.com/recipes/familyrecipes/quickandeasy/foods-that-fight-stress-and-boost-your-mood/

Hard to believe it, but tomorrow is another weigh-in.  I'm not expecting any huge reduction as I've been slack on the exercise again, but we'll see.  Another pound would be nice...

Day 37 (Achieve Cycle Day 2)

Another great day!  I love the variety in the food lists now; it's nice to have options other than salad and veggies, though I have to say, I've developed a new respect for greens -- they're tasty and versatile, but they get pretty boring when you see so much of them every day for a month.  I didn't mind having one for dinner today because I had "fun" food for lunch (really that was a salad, too -- it was just packaged in an interesting way...)

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch, strawberries, 1 cup 1% milk, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- whole wheat pita stuffed with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese (not a lot because it wasn't low-fat), low-fat Italian dressing, 100 g Silhouette 0+ strawberry yogurt
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's amazing taco salad, green tea

The milk on the cereal, while wonderful and tasty, caused me some distress later in the day.  Dairy and I have a love/hate relationship as it is, and after having none for over a month, well, there's a lot of "hate" going on now...

The daughter baked chocolate cupcakes today -- homemade frosting, too.  I've managed to resist them so far -- made it past the 9:30 munchies hour with no cravings whatsoever.  Let's hope that continues...

Day 36 ( Achieve Cycle Day 1)

131 lbs!

Let's recap.  I started this project tipping the scale at 147 lbs.  Cycle 1 promises a loss of 10 to 12 pounds at the end of 17 days (I lost 10...) and Cycle 2 promises a further 5 to 6 pound reduction (that's another 6 gone for me...).  Going into Cycle 3 a solid 16 pounds lighter!  Yeah, baby!!

This is where one is faced with a decision.  If you've reached your goal of losing 10 to 15 pounds, you can head straight into Cycle 4 and call it done.  I could be happy with the 16 pound loss, but my original goal was 22, so I'm going to keep going -- after all, it's just 17 more days...

At this stage, Dr. Mike provides a handy little progress check:

• I have lost a pleasing number of pounds -- yup!
  
• My clothes fit better -- double yup!
  
• I have dropped a dress size -- haven't checked this yet...
  
• I have more energy -- definitely!
  
• People have noticed my weight loss and complimented me -- yes, more than once!!!
  
• I feel more motivated to treat my body with respect -- I suppose so -- haven't really thought about that...
  
• I feel less hungry -- most days, as long as I pay attention...
  
• I am sleeping better -- absolutely!!
  
• My skin looks better -- not sure about this one...
  
• My elimination has improved -- it's definitely more efficient -- 'nuff said...
  
• My stomach is flatter -- maybe a bit...
  
• I feel lighter -- strangely, yes...
  
• I have fewer cravings -- yes -- can walk right past those Doritos without a second glance, but the butter tarts -- that's still a tough one...
  
• My mood is better -- and my family is very grateful!!
  

Cycle 3 is about establishing healthy eating habits and every food group is here, though the emphasis is still on non-starchy veggies and lean protiens.  Portion control comes into play now because there are way more food options to choose from, so meals will be more interesting and there will be the temptation to overdo it.   Remember the Hunger/Fullness Meter and drink ALL of the water every day and you'll be fine.

The speed of the weight loss is supposed to slow down now, but Dr. Mike lists a few "tricks" you can use to speed it up (or maintain the current level, I suppose...):

1. Ramp up your aerobic exercise -- aim for 45 to 60 min/weekday -- this could be a problem for me as I was barely managing the 17 minutes...
2. Continue not to eat carbs after 2:00 pm -- you can have carbs with dinner, but sticking to the 2 PM rule will keep the fat burning...
3. Pass on the alcohol -- you can have one drink* daily as moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol and may lower the risk of heart attack -- just remember that it is a "negative water" and you'll have to drink more real water to compensate...

 * 5 oz. wine/12 oz. beer/1.5 oz. hard liquor

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 100 g peach yogurt, coffee
Lunch -- tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread (3 oz tuna mixed with celery, onion and 1 Tbsp mayo), grape tomatoes
Dinner -- BBQ chicken breast, steamed broccoli, green salad with shredded carrot and low-fat Italian dressing

Can I just say how much I enjoyed that silly sandwich?  Oh, my, it was tasty!  I am looking forward to having some form of bread from now on (going to try Dempster's Ancient Grains bread as well as their whole wheat pita), but I will still be observing the 2 PM rule whenever possible (though I might treat myself to some late day carbs when we're on vacation...)

Just one more word on the alcohol question (because I'm super excited to get into that lovely bottle my boss gave me...).  Dr. Mike says, and I quote, "If you have to drink alcohol on your diet, drink red wine."  He talks about some scientific evidence that shows a compound in red wine is a fat-burner/fat-reducer -- and who am I to argue with science???

Day 35 (Activate Cycle Day 17)

Well, here I am!  The end of the second 17 day cycle -- hard to believe, but I made it and I'm so excited to be starting Cycle 3 tomorrow!  I will see toast and cheese again and be able to eat relatively normally while we're on our week-long camping vacation.  We're all really looking forward to leaving at the end of the week -- getting away will be awesome!  I love that I'll have my own little kitchen to work with, which will make sticking to my plan easier than if we were eating in restaurants the whole time...

As predicted, some of my muscles are protesting the workout they got yesterday, though it's not as bad as I thought it would be.  I guess that "minimal" exercise I've been doing has been helping.  What hurts right now is my knee -- where I whacked it on the step of the ladder -- twice.  We'll see what the rest of my body has to say to me tomorrow...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- Cream of Wheat, 1 peach, coffee, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 100 g Silhouette 0+ raspberry yogurt, red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- green salad with red pepper, celery, cucumber, tuna, balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, green tea
Dinner --small pork chop, steamed carrots, sliced tomato with salt & pepper

The Cream of Wheat, while I absolutely LOVE it, doesn't last nearly as long as the oatmeal does -- should have paired it with a protein, because I was hungry less than an hour after eating breakfast.  Then lunch was delayed because I was so wrapped up in the redecorating project that I lost track of time -- got a little light-headed, so I decided it might be a good idea to eat something.  Way to go, dummy...

Another weigh-in tomorrow morning and then the start of Cycle 3!  I already have breakfast planned.  So excited!!

Day 34 (Activate Cycle Day 16)

Yup -- 34 days on a diet!  I NEVER in a million years thought I would EVER stick to a diet for over a month -- because I'd never had to -- or wanted to.  If nothing else, I have proven to myself that I can sustain a "project" like this (that is, do something for myself) and not feel guilty about it.  That's a great feeling.  Pair that with being more alert during the day, sleeping better at night, having more patience and fitting my clothes better -- well, I'd say we have a success on our hands!

Of course, it helps that this diet delivers results quickly.  I have looked at other plans over the years, and they seemed so hard to follow and then maintain afterward.  I remember looking at Eat Right for Your Type years ago -- and then promptly writing it off because, as a Type A blood type, it looked like I was never going to see carbs or beef ever again and was doomed to having to become a vegetarian (at least that's how I read that chapter...) -- not bloody happening.  I guess I wasn't ready...

The 17 Day Diet makes it so easy to change your habits without making you feel guilty if you have a bad day -- it's OK to give in to that 9:30 PM carb craving or have that glass of wine once in a while, just get back on track the next day.  And drink ALL of the water, every day!!  Two things that I have loved about this plan:  1) it works, for the most part, with the foods you would usually eat and, 2) the fact that it's broken into those small cycles, and you are able to add foods back into your life every 17 days until you're back to eating "normally" again.  I say "normally" because I know that my eating habits have changed and though I'll be back to having more of my old favourites very soon, I'll be keeping some of my newfound favourites in my meal repertoire as well (can you say vanilla yogurt and Kashi cereal?!).  I haven't managed to establish the love affair with veggies that Dr. Mike talks about, but I have a new respect for them now, and will most likely continue to use certain ones as snack foods (grape tomatoes, cucumber, baby carrots) and I'll be more likely to order a meal sized salad at a restaurant instead of that huge slab of beef...

OK -- random rambling thoughts done for now.  There's nothing too earth-shattering in the changes department to report today.  My exercise came from something like 400 trips up and down a ladder and 100 or so up and down the stairs.  Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but redecorating a bedroom provides lots of activity that I wouldn't normally get in a day.  Moving furniture, carrying buckets of water up and down the stairs/ladder, climbing/descending said ladders and stairs umpteen times, sanding/washing walls -- it all worked lots of muscles that I know I've forgotten about.  They'll be talking to me about it in the morning, I'm sure...

During one of my numerous ladder trips, I realized that my shorts were falling down.  This isn't huge news, but when I realized that I needed to tighten up the drawstring in the waistband, I giggled out loud.  I haven't had to do that with these shorts in years!  Good feeling!!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee, probiotic supplement
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's fabulous taco salad
Dinner -- Friday night's leftover pepperoni/mushroom pizza (yup -- I cheated, sort of -- but I figured, I'm going to be washing walls until 10:00 PM, so those carbs weren't going to have a chance to turn into fat...)

One more quick note -- as this was Day 34, I should be starting the next cycle in the morning, but I had that one bad weekend back in Cycle 1, so I'm off by a day.  Cycle 3 will start on Monday, which is so exciting for me.  When I get groceries tomorrow, I will be buying some bread and little Babybels -- I'm planning a sandwich for lunch and those cute little cheese rounds with my morning snack!

Day 32 & 33 (Activate Cycle Day 14 & 15)

Day 32

132 lbs!  I have arrived at weighpoint of sorts.  I didn't mention this as a goal, but this is the weight I was going into pregnancy #2.  My ultimate goal is around 125 lb, the weight I was going into pregnancy #1.  Totally doable...

Todays menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt, red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's amazing taco salad with salsa topping
Dinner -- bowl of raw baby carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumber (too hot to eat...)
Evening Snack -- 4 Anna's orange flavoured cookies -- yes, I gave in to the 9:30 carb craving (Traci hangs her head in shame...)



Day 33

I took a chance on my cute denim dress today -- very form fitting, so I wasn't sure I could pull it off yet, but today was the last day I could trot it out for work, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Success!!  It looked great on, felt great to be in and I got loads of compliments on it!  What a boost for me!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 1 cup Kashi "Go Lean Crunch" mixed into 6 oz vanilla yogurt, coffee
Morning Snack -- Del Monte peaches (small fruit cup) packed in water, more coffee...
Lunch -- BBQ chicken breast, 100 g marinated vegetable salad (broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, grape tomatoes -- not sure what it was marinated in, but there was definitely garlic involved...)
Dinner -- leftover BBQ steak, steamed baby carrots, green tea

What I find interesting is how the first 17 day cycle seemed to take forever, and this one is almost over -- 2 more days and I'm on to Cycle 3.  I've peeked ahead at the food list.  Hello, bread and mayo!!  Can you say "sandwich" for lunch?

I have no musings on exercise for today -- got some extra walking in yesterday and today. Now I'm heading into a weekend of painting in the daughter's room -- I'm going to regret that on Monday morning...

Day 31 (Activate Cycle Day 13)

What did I learn today?  Kashi's "Go Lean Crunch" is freaking amazing!  Why didn't someone tell me this before?  It's yummy, filling, and fantastic mixed with yogurt.  I just might have found a new favourite for breakfast...

Went digging in the closet today and found a belt that will suffice for the next little while.  It's one that the hubby used to wear, though looking at the size of it, I really don't know how -- it's just the right size for me.  Ah, well -- it's going to be a useful addition to my wardrobe!

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz. strawberry yougurt, 1 cup Kashi "Go Lean Crunch" (mixed in), green tea
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple, coffee
Lunch -- chicken breast & mushrooms (stir fried), leftover green beans (from last night's can), grape tomatoes, baby carrots
Dinner -- green salad with cucumber, red pepper, onion, celery, tuna, balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing

That cup of the cereal counted for both of my carb servings today, and I thought that was pretty cheap, until I realized that I wasn't really hungry at snack time.  So my morning snack was actually eaten at noon and lunch was at 2:00 -- and then I didn't really want dinner.  Methinks Kashi is a good thing.  I wonder how it will taste mixed with vanilla yogurt?

Here's something interesting that I noticed today -- I start to crave carbs around 9:30 in the evening.  Really badly.  And there's no cookies left...

Day 30 (Activate Cycle Day 12)

Nothing too exciting to report today -- just another day of good eating and moderate exercise!  Started the day with crunches and squats (getting easier all the time...) and, while the walk in the park didn't happen, I did get to do some power walking in the 20 free minutes I had before I started work.  That's right, my walking was done in the parking lot between the grocery store, Wal-Mart and Tim's...I sure know how to make exercise glamorous...

Ah, well, it felt good anyway...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt, red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili (no beans -- not a carb day), green salad with mushrooms, red pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- Traci's own creation -- chicken breast stir fried with mushrooms and about 2 Tbsp of salsa (that's all that was left in the jar...), green beans (from a can...), water

No ill effects to report from last night's steak.  However, I drank too much coffee again today.  I'm going to learn one of these days...

Day 29 (Activate Cycle Day 11)

133 lbs!  Let me do the math -- that's 14 pounds gone in 28 days!  Woot!!!!

"Project Shrinkage" was mildy successful -- my favourite capris are actually snugger in the thighs than I would like and two of the other pairs are just right!  I'm thankful that this worked because, remember, the plan is to buy a new fall wardrobe, not replace the summer one...

The weekends have been tricky for me.  I find myself wrapped up in the project of the day, losing track of time and not eating properly.  And I also want to snack, craving cereal bars, pie, chips.  This is slowing my progress a bit, I'm sure.  I've said it before -- good thing I work full time...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 4 scrambled egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal, peach, coffee
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes, coffee
Lunch -- (Campbell's Healthy Request) Herbed Chicken and Brown Rice soup, baby carrots/celery/grape tomatoes with lite Ranch dip, coffee
Dinner -- BBQ'd round steak, steamed carrots, green salad with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing

The Campbell's soup was necessary because I didn't get around to making Dr. Mike's chicken soup on the weekend like I planned -- and it wasn't nearly as tasty or as filling.  Lesson learned there...

I was so happy that today was a carb day -- enjoyed that oatmeal as always.  I really missed having my carb day on Saturday.  OK, yes, I did eat pizza on Friday and 2 cookies yesterday, but what I really missed was having the potato or the rice with my lunch -- oh, yeah, I didn't eat lunch.  Never mind...

The steak for dinner was amazing as well -- time will tell if it's going to affect me or not.  Should be interesting given last week's adventure with the hamburger.  Let's just say that some symptoms are arising...TMI, I know...

I'm resolving right now to be more diligent about the exercise as I've been REALLY slack in that department this past week or so.  I need to get on top of that -- our summer getaway is coming up and I need to be more careful and a lot more faithful to the plan or some of this weight will be coming back.  I don't want to have to backtrack when we get home.  Anyway, tomorrow will be a fresh start -- another long walk in Glenmore Park in the morning!  Such a pretty way to get that exercise in...

Day 28 (Activate Cycle Day 10)

Not much to report today...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1 naval orange, coffee, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes
Lunch -- ooops, missed it (too busy sewing curtains for my trailer...)
Afternoon Snack -- 2 chocolate chip cookies (don't judge -- the daughter baked and someone had to do quality control...)
Dinner --grilled chicken salad with low-cal Italian dressing (from DQ)


No gardening for me today -- paid the boy to pull weeds so I could sew...


Some tips from Dr. Mike if you're wanting to start...
http://www.tipsonhealthyliving.com/diet-and-fitness/get-insider-tips-for-success-on-the-17-day-diet

Follow the diet on Twitter: @17DayDiet
And some recipes on Twitter: @17daydietrecipe

Here's a link to the Facebook page where people are posting all sorts of tips, recipes, encouragements, success stories:
http://www.facebook.com/17daydiet?sk=wall

Another weigh-in tomorrow morning -- and I'll be checking to see if "Project Shrinkage" worked on any of my capris...

Day 27 (Activate Cycle Day 9)

Well, today was supposed to be a carb day -- unfortunately, because of my bad behaviour with that pizza last night, I've decided to do two Accelerate days in a row to get back on track.  That'll learn me -- I really, really wanted a potato today...

But that pizza was really tasty, so no regrets...

Today was a beautiful day for two reasons.  Number One -- it was a gorgeous, sunny day with a nice breeze so it didn't feel too hot -- great day for a walk.  Number Two -- I have several days' worth of 24 hour Allegra in my system now, so I could actually go outside in the wind and not fear the pollen blowing around.  So, outside I went!!  I walked to the dentist's office (20 minutes) and then home again, coffee in hand.  A fantastic start to the day!

I spent the remainder of the day running errands and doing chores inside -- would have loved to be outside on this gorgeous day, but the laundry and vacuuming don't do themselves -- the kids did their part earlier in the day, so all that's left is up to me.  Maybe tomorrow...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz strawberry yogurt, strawberries, green tea
Morning Snack -- none (at the dentist with the kids...)
Lunch -- large Super Salad with tuna and balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing and that coffee I mentioned...
Afternoon Snack -- medium Timmy's coffee (black) and their vanilla yogurt/berries combo
Dinner -- Dr. Mikes' turkey chili, monster green salad with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing

Missing the morning snack wasn't a good idea, because I've had a hard time curbing the "hungries", but I'm pretty sure that 7-11 wouldn't have had anything permissible for a snack (and butter tarts live there -- just sayin...) so I didn't venture over there until I got that coffee for the walk home -- that way, I was heading to where the good stuff is, so it was easier to avoid the temptation.  I'm also making sure I get all my water in today, too.  I can't say how many times I've been to the washroom -- lost count...

Since it's laundry day, I decided my first course of action in altering the size of my wardrobe bits would be to see if I could shrink anything in the dryer.  So, I'm in the process of washing/drying the too-loose capris.  Of course, since this is my plan, I'm sure it won't be successful, but you never know until you try...

Day 25 & 26 (Activate Cycle Day 7 & 8)

Day 25

134 lbs!!!  This is so amazing!  The pants I wore on Monday are looser today -- can you believe it?!

I'm not kidding when I say that this book will change your life.  I have been skeptical of diets and eating this way for a lot of years -- it didn't seem like something I would be able to do, let alone stick with had I decided to try.  It's been so easy to follow the meal plans -- I know I will be able to maintain the changes to my eating habits...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, strawberries, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes (I think I might be addicted to this...)
Lunch -- 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup corn, grilled chicken, small green salad with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, green tea (working the late shift today, so I saved my carbs until mid-day...)
Dinner -- 4 pieces of whole wheat toast with Becel...oops...

Yep -- things fell apart at dinner time.  It was unfortunate, as I had some good momentum going there today -- wound up working late and not getting home until after 9:00 (plus I had run out of food at work...note to self, pack more snacks...) -- didn't seem like the time to break out a big meal, so I snacked.  And when Traci snacks, out come the carbs...

_________________________________________________________

Day 26

So, the skirt I wore to work on Tuesday was looser today!  Guess that toast didn't do much damage (no bloating that I can detect...good, good...) but I'm going to have to be very careful, because that toast last night was very yummy and tempting...

It's looking like I'm going to have to do some alterations on some of my clothes this weekend.  Not that I mind -- some of my stuff is in really good shape because I outgrew it not long after buying it, so the fact that it's a little loose now makes me very, very happy -- it will be like having a whole new wardrobe for a few weeks.  And then I'll get to go shopping for a new fall/winter wardrobe!!  That's the timeframe -- I should be well into Cycle 4 by back-to-school, so the kids and I can all shop together.  Yeah, they'll love that...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili (no beans -- not a carb day...), green salad with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing
Dinner -- chicken pizza (grilled chicken, feta cheese, parmesan, green onion with some type of "house" white sauce -- pretty sure the sauce isn't something I'd find on the list (and we're not going to talk about the crust, seeing as it's a no-carb day -- I know, I know, I promised no cheating today, but dammit -- this is what happens when all I have in the fridge is the makings of tuna salad...)

Tomorrow will be another big grocery shop and cooking day, so I won't be tempted to have things I'm not entitled to yet.  At least the lovely bottle of wine from the boss is stashed away in a safe place at work, patiently awaiting Cycle 3...

Day 24 (Activate Cycle Day 6)

Another quiet day on the "project"...

Didn't have time for the walk in the park this morning, but fit in quite a few crunches and squats before leaving the house.  We ran errands after dinner, so I'm counting running around Costco as my walking -- that counts, right??  It's a big warehouse...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes (my favourite!!), coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup
Dinner -- turkey chili (no black or kidney beans -- it's a no-carb day...), steamed carrots

One thing this diet is clearing out, besides my belly fat, is my rather extensive collection of green tea -- I don't know where it all came from, but I have about a half-dozen different brands in the pantry.  Some are better than others -- I find I prefer a regular green tea or one that's blended with fruit.  The jasmine green tea has a very strong flavour that tends to overpower what I'm eating.

Let's talk about fluids for a bit...

• Apparently drinking too much green tea can lead to constipation -- not good!  This could potentially explain some things (TMI perhaps...).  Dr. Mike says it's fine to back off of drinking it and use a green tea supplement (capsule/pill -- washed down with water, of course...) if this happens, but stresses that the green tea is important to the metabolic process and reducing inflammation, especially during the first cycle.  So make sure you have some laxatives around, just in case...

• Wine is good for you -- there's lots of research out there that supports moderate alcohol consumption as being good for the heart and circulation, preventing strokes and heart attacks.  But its carbs -- sugar and grapes -- so it slows your progress.  But this diet isn't about deprivation (because if you tell people they "can't", they're just going to find creative ways to ensure that they "can"), so Dr. Mike says go ahead and have some -- just be sure that you have a glass of water for every glass of wine.  This makes me very happy, but I'm waiting until Cycle 3 before I have some...

• Coffee, tea and alcohol are considered negative waters, so if you're having them, you have to up your water intake.  This I am not so good at.  I'm barely managing the 8 glasses of water each day, and Dr. Mike says it should be 8+, especially if there's a lot of caffeine happening in the day -- and my day just doesn't progress well without copious amounts of coffee, far more than the 2 maximum that the good doctor says is safe.  It's safe to say that besides carbohydrates, coffee is my other addiction.  I'll work on that...

So, while Dr. Mike recommends three cups of green tea each day to help the metabolic process, bear in mind that you should drink three more glasses of water to compensate for it.  It might be easier to find a capsule and take it with one of the 6 to 8...

There's some great video clips with this information, diet tips and answers to common questions to be found on the website -- check it out at http://www.the17daydiet.com/

Another weigh-in tomorrow!