Day 17 (Accelerate Cycle)

Well, here I am...

Today is the last day of Cycle 1.  What have I learned so far?

1. Eating at regular time is very, very, very important.
2. I was, like so many people, addicted to carbohydrates.  I miss them terribly, but I know I'm going to have to be careful about them from here on in. The real test for me will be when Survivor is back on the air -- my traditional Survivor snack has been chips with dip and a Smirnoff Ice on the side -- years of bad habit to break there...
3. Yogurt is yummy!!!!
4. Fruit is not evil...
5. Exercise isn't a bad thing, and you don't have to spend hours on it every day -- some people do and that's fine for them, but half an hour is easy enough for the rest of us to do.
6. I have more energy and seem to have more patience -- others might argue the patience thing, but I'm noticing that I have more tolerance lately.
7. I'm more alert during the day and am sleeping better at night.
8. My tummy isn't getting in the way as much when I bend over!!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit
Morning Snack -- 6 oz peach yogurt with 1 peach diced and mixed in
Lunch -- Dr. Mikes' taco salad (did I mention that this is amazing?!)
Dinner -- Greek Salad (leftover from the family's dinner -- I picked out the olives because they're not on the list of allowed foods and I don't really like them...) -- dinner was quite late because I didn't get home from work until after 9:00 -- probably not the best thing.

Cycle 2 (Activate) starts tomorrow morning.  Yes, I'm going to keep going.  I've decided that I will lose as much as possible and deal with the wardrobe issues later.  I was shopping earlier today and came across a fantastic pair of dress pants, but they are one size smaller than what I can pull off right now.  I am very, very tempted to go back to the store and buy them -- turn them into my "goal pants".  I might just do that tomorrow...

There isn't much more to say about the end of this cycle except -- weigh-in #5 is tomorrow morning!  Will I be rewarding myself by wearing the adorable white shorts, the awesome cream pants or the cute olive coloured capris (these weren't a part of the original plan, but they were hiding in the back of the closet...)?  Tune in to see...

Day 16 (Accelerate Cycle)

Sooooo.......

Way back on Day 2, I postponed breakfast because the boy had an appointment and I figured eating afterward would be OK -- I was wrong...very, wrong...hungry all day wrong...

Today the daughter had an early appointment, so I made a point of eating right away -- yup, breakfast at 7:00 in the morning.  I have never been able to eat as soon as I get up, so it was a job getting that food in.  And it was all for nothing because I was ravenous when I got to work and I didn't have enough food with me.  I've been hungry all day...again...

Guess I need to start packing some additional snacks, just in case I need to graze on days like today.

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz peach yogurt with 1 peach diced up and mixed in
Morning Snack -- 1 Granny Smith apple, lots of red grapes, half of a navel orange, coffee
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- barbequed chicken breast, steamed baby carrots

I skipped the green tea today -- wonder if that is going to affect anything...

Day 15 (Accelerate Cycle)

136 lbs!

I was fully expecting that number to have gone up a bit, considering my misbehaviour over the weekend.  So to say I'm thrilled with a small decrease is a bit of an understatement -- I'm ecstatic!

I'm back on track now -- with the food anyway.  Didn't fit in any exercise today, but will manage extra tomorrow and the rest of the week.  In case you're wondering, I don't exercise after 8:00 at night as I find that I can't fall asleep later on -- my energy burst lasts a long time.  Years ago, I used to walk with a group of neighbours, which went really well until our start time was pushed back to 8:30 and then 9:00 and then almost 9:30 -- I found I was still awake at 2:00 in the morning after one of those walks.  So, there you have my personal exercise "rule of thumb" -- I really enjoy sleep, so I'm not going to do anything to jeapordize a full night...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt with red grapes mixed in (this has officially replaced the peach-on-peach combination as my favourite...)
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup
Dinner -- Traci's tuna salad, green tea

I found that I was needing the afternoon snack today, but all I had with me was some apple -- no fruit allowed after 2:00 pm -- so I made do with a lot of water.  That works really well...

Counting down to Thursday, the next weigh-in and the oatmeal for breakfast!  Did I mention that I can have a potato that day, too?!

Thanks for reading!

Day 14 (Accelerate Cycle)

A good friend asked me last week if I was sick of chicken/fish/vegetables yet.  My response was, not yet...

What a difference a week makes.  I'm glad the cycles are only 17 days long -- if I had to live like this for the rest of my life, I'd be stopping this project right now.  I can't believe how much I've missed toast.  Cycle 2 allows some grains and starches and it starts for me on Thursday -- I'm already planning oatmeal with breakfast and a small potato with dinner.  I'm ridiculously excited because I'm really tired of salad -- no matter how you dress it up, it's rabbit food...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 (extra large equivalent) egg whites* topped with 1 Tbsp salsa (yummmm...), 1/2 grapefruit, coffee, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- nothing...
Lunch -- nada...
Afternoon Snack -- zip...
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's taco salad (this was freaking fantastic!), green tea, probiotic supplement

* Free Run Simply Egg Whites from Naturegg


Well, you'd think I would learn, wouldn't you.  By the time dinner rolled around I was hungry enough to eat my shoes.  It's a good thing I work full-time -- the staff room seems to be the only place I eat a proper meal.  When I'm at home all day there always seems to be something that takes precedence over eating.  Of course, you can't eat if there's no food in the house, so that was my excuse today -- can't eat until I buy groceries.  I'm a fantastic procrastinator...

I had a really nice visit with my sister and her husband today and found out some interesting information about the caramel colouring that's found in dark soft drinks -- apparently there is quite a bit of research to prove that it is a carcinogen.  I know, if you look long and hard enough you can find research to prove any point of view, but I have posted a link under "Interesting Articles" in case you're interested in finding out more.

Then I remembered about some information my mom sent me regarding Aspartame poisoning.  We're not artificial sweetener consumers at my house because I really don't like the taste, so we're not consciously exposing ourselves to this stuff.  However, I thought it was very interesting that the symptoms of some serious illnesses and conditions (like MS, fibromyalgia, depression and ADHD) are often misdiagnosed and can actually be attributed to aspartame poisoning.  That's not to say that these conditions aren't real -- they absolutely are, and I know people who live with them every day.  I've posted a link under "Useful Links"  that will take you to a website for more information.  And, just for the record, I'm sticking to real sugar...

Weigh-in #4 is tomorrow!  It will be interesting to see how/if my missteps this weekend will have any impact on what my friend Scale has to say to me...

Day 13 (Accelerate Cycle)

Busy, busy day today.  First, I was up an hour early to get preparations for the daughter's birthday finished -- balloons and streamers up before breakfast.  Then a full day of work where it was really, really busy and then home for the celebrations...

And chocolate cake...

Yes, I ate a small piece of birthday cake tonight and now I have a headache.  Is that from the sugar?  Or the fact that my system hasn't seen any carbs that aren't fruit for nearly 2 weeks and doesn't know what to do with them?  Or maybe I'm just overly tired.  Not sure -- all I know is, I need a Motrin and my pillow...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- 6 oz peach yogurt with 1 peach diced up and mixed in (this is quickly becoming my snack of choice -- never thought I'd enjoy yogurt this much...)
Lunch -- skipped it (bad, very bad, but I was so busy I couldn't get to it...) -- drank LOTS of water instead
Dinner -- restaurant meal!!  Went to Tony Roma's -- ordered one of their new grilled chicken dishes (came with a very small serving of pineapple salsa and lots of broccoli) -- avoided the bruschetta appetizer that everyone else was sharing & ate the tomatoes from my son's burger as "dessert"

Eating out isn't forbidden, but Dr. Mike cautions you to be careful.  Since restaurants tend to serve overly big portions, don't feel obligated to finish everything in front of you -- follow the Hunger/Fullness Meter.  Also, keep in mind the cycle that you're on and order accordingly -- no starches for me yet, so instead of the rice that would normally come with the dish, I ordered double veggies (as recommended by Dr. Mike) and the meal was fantastic!  Restaurants are very aware of dietary restrictions and most will have side dishes that fit what you're allowed to have.

My parents joined us for the evening and my mom noticed right away that I've lost weight!  I didn't think it was that noticeable yet, but I guess it is to someone who doesn't see me every day.  That gives me even more incentive to keep going, because I want to be able to see the difference.  I still see chubby when I look in the mirror (or at the photos taken tonight).  I know the clothes are fitting differently, but I don't "see" the change yet.  But that will come!

Day 12 (Accelerate Cycle)

It was my Friday off, but no walk or workout for me today.  Instead, I spent half an hour working on the mess in my backyard -- lots of bending, stretching -- and then off to run errands for the afternoon with the kids.  Not the best exercise, but at least I was moving...

Today's menu:
Breakfast --2 poached eggs, 1 naval orange, green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- skipped it -- too busy working in the yard -- drank LOTS of water while driving around to get the kids from school...
Lunch -- restaurant salad (mostly iceberg lettuce, with shredded carrot & cabbage, cucumber, tomato, grilled chicken, tangerine balsamic dressing), green tea
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili, green salad with tomatoes, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, black olive, olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing

Not a very interesting day on the diet front -- no revelations today.  Tomorrow will be more interesting.  It's the daughter's birthday and we'll be going out for a nice family supper -- my first willpower "test"...

Day 11 (Accelerate Cycle)

137 lbs!

10 pounds gone in 10 days -- wow!  I never thought I would get to this point, but here I am!  No wonder my capris were too big in the waist yesterday!  And another pair was baggy all over today!!!  This is awesome -- but I might have to get some new pants sooner than I thought...

I love the Jenny Craig commercial where Carrie Fisher talks about her "friend" the scale -- how they're getting along better.  That's how I feel about my wardrobe right now -- we're not exactly friends, but we're getting along.  I pulled one of my favourite tops out of "storage" and wore that to work today -- it hasn't seen the light of day in almost 3 years because it showed off the muffin-top too much.  It felt sooooooo good to put it on -- and keep it on...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz peach yogurt, 1 peach, diced up & mixed in, green tea
Morning Snack -- 6 oz vanilla yogurt, red grapes mixed in
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup (this soup is very tasty and really filling...)
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili (treated myself to a very small amount of shredded cheese on top -- it was a long day and that was my reward for getting through it...)

I love that I don't find myself needing the afternoon/evening snack -- water is getting me through any minor munchies that I experience.  And, can you believe, I'm starting to enjoy all that water.  Not that I'll be giving up coffee any time soon, but the water is OK...

I fit in a 30 minute walk this morning plus a few minutes of crunches and squats -- those are getting less painful every day.  Good thing -- because I'm aiming to buy a proper swimsuit in August, one that doesn't cover my midsection and thighs like a tarp.  Speaking of thighs -- the pants that I did wear to work today weren't tight through there like they have been for a long time now.  Small victory, but I'll take it!

Tomorrow is another lunch date with my kids -- I see a rather large restaurant salad in my future!  And maybe shopping for some new summer pants...

Day 10 (Accelerate Cycle)

Quiet day on the diet front...

Went for an extra-long walk to make up for my laziness over the rainy days -- what a gorgeous morning it was for a stroll!  It was warm, sunny and it was so nice to be outside -- looking forward to doing it again tomorrow.  Once at home, I spent some time doing my workout -- the crunches are killing me...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, green tea, probiotic supplement
Snack -- Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup, green tea, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili (I wasn't very hungry and I couldn't face another salad, so I skipped that and drank a lot of water...)

I had a really hard time keeping my eyes open, so was in bed by 9:30 -- no chance to get the munchies!

Weigh-in #3 tomorrow morning!  Can't wait to "chat" with my friend the scale -- my favourite capris were baggy today, so I'm pretty sure she has something positive to tell me...

Day 9 (Accelerate Cycle)

Nothing big to report today.  Everything meal-wise fell into place easily -- guess this means I'm starting to break my bad eating habits -- and diets are all about adopting better eating habits.

Unfortunately, the "wanting" has started -- it's not out of control enough to call it "craving" just yet.  It was all I could do to walk away from the bag of buns that was on the counter this morning -- they smelled so good. Then I was picking up a few things at the grocery store on my way home from work and the little bag of Doritos at the check-out sure was calling to me.  I resisted -- this time -- but it was hard, because I absolutely LOVE Doritos. And I don't want to talk about the little chocolate bunny that I have stashed away so the kids don't get it...


Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 extra-large egg whites (scrambled), 1/2 grapefruit, coffee
Morning Snack -- 6 oz. strawberry yogurt with red grapes & strawberries mixed in
Lunch -- green salad with chicken, cucumber, mushroom, tomato, balsamic vinegar/olive oil, green tea
Dinner -- baked salmon, steamed broccoli, green salad with low-fat Italian dressing (didn't enjoy the taste of the dressing at all...), probiotic supplement

Now it's time for a little gardening...

Day 8 (Accelerate Cycle)

139 lbs...

That's 8 pounds gone in 7 days!!  I'm pretty excited about this!  Certain clothing items are fitting more comfortably these past few days, which is thrilling for me.  I constantly complain that I hate my wardrobe, but the truth is, there are several pieces that just haven't fit properly in a long time, so I have been avoiding them, leaving me with very few options.  This was never about getting a new wardrobe (though I will be going shopping at the end -- a girl's gotta reward herself...) -- it's about fitting what I already own.

Nor is this about the number showing on the scale.  Or the size that I'm buying.  Those are just numbers.  This is about feeling better in my skin, and so far it's working out nicely.

Now, I just need to make a point of getting a bit more exercise in.  This is where I admit that I'm still being very slack in the exercise department.  I knew that was going to be the hardest part for me --  I'm working on it...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz peach yogurt, 1 peach diced up and mixed in, green tea
Morning Snack -- strawberries, red grapes -- munched on this all morning...
Lunch -- green salad with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, red pepper, onion, balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili, green salad with carrot, cabbage, radish, balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, green tea
Evening Snack -- LOTS of water...


What did I learn today?  DRINK THE WATER!  All of it.  Every day.  Get some extra in if you can.  This diet is very high in fiber and comes with a stern warning -- drink all of the water or you'll be needing a laxative, badly.  So if you don't want to live in discomfort waiting for things to "work out", DRINK THE WATER!  Trust me -- I know what I'm talking about...

Day 7 (Accelerate Cycle)

Question of the day:  Did Traci learn her lesson on Day 2?

Answer:  Nope...

This is the first day I've been home all day since the start of the project -- you'd think that eating properly would be easy since this is where the food is -- apparently not.  I should know better -- but noooooooo.  I've been so busy trying to get through chores and shopping and kid's homework that I didn't eat breakfast until almost noon, lunch at nearly 4:00 and no snacks in between.  And since the coffee was already made, I didn't start the day off with the hot water/lemon juice drink.  So now I'm hungry.  Good job, dummy...

I did get some menu planning done for next week, though -- made a batch of the chicken soup which really more resembles a stew than soup.  There's some leftover chicken, so I'll be having that on my salads and in lettuce wraps (I'm really excited about those!).  It's amazing how far a package of chicken breasts will go -- the family will even be able to have chicken in their spaghetti sauce sometime this week.  Cooked up another batch of turkey chili and now I have dinners for the whole week; bought some low-fat Italian dressing so I can try the marinated vegetables, too.

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 6 oz strawberry yogurt with 6 large strawberries diced up and mixed in, cup of green tea
Lunch -- green salad with chicken breast, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, red pepper, onion, olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's chicken soup, small green salad, green tea

Weigh-in #2 is tomorrow morning!  I'm hoping for another one or two pounds gone -- something is happening because my jeans are waaaaaay more comfortable than they have been in a long time...

Day 6 (Accelerate Cycle)

Took the plunge today and ate a proper serving of yogurt.  Yes, yogurt -- try not to faint from the shock -- those who know me well, know that I avoid it like the plague.  Anyway, I tried a small one the other day with my snack, just to test the waters, and didn't have any problems, so I figured I'd go bigger today.  Usually I suffer terrible indigestion if I have dairy products (oh, how I miss a large, cold glass of milk every now and then...), but I was pleasantly surprised that the yogurt didn't bother me.  Thank goodness -- a little variety in my breakfasts is going to make me happy, happy, happy!

No walk around the 'hood today -- slept in a bit, and then was off to work for 9:00 -- then the rain set in, so I won't be going after dinner.  A few "laps" up and down the stairs tonight ought to suffice...

Todays menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1 navel orange, coffee
Morning snack -- 6 oz peach yogurt, 1 diced peach (mixed in -- yum, yum!), a few grapes & strawberries, 1/2 Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- green salad with tuna, tomato, red pepper, onion, cucumber and balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, green tea, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- oven barbequed chicken breast, steamed baby carrots & green beans


We got a great deal on Silhouette 0+ Yogurt yesterday, so the daughter and I are set for a bit.  It was hard to find an unsweetened yogurt -- this one is sweetened with sucralose.

Again, no afternoon snack -- this is awesome!  You don't have to eat all of the food laid out in each day's menu -- just follow the Hunger/Fullness Meters and eat appropriately when hungry.  The water definitely helps -- takes the edge off for a bit if it's close to meal time or I can't drop what I'm doing to eat.

The BBQ sauce for the chicken is very good -- don't know what agave nectar is, let alone where to buy it, so that's been left out.  The recipe makes A LOT, so I now have a jar of it set aside for next week's cooking.  I'm thinking that when I'm allowed pork chops again, it's going to be darn tasty on those, too...

Day 5 (Accelerate Cycle)

Quiet day today.  I had the day off and the house to myself, so I went for an extended walk this morning and got in some time with my workout.  The workout isn't anything too spectacular yet -- I added some bicep curls to the mix today -- using a 2 lb weight right now because, well, I'm a wimp...

Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee
Lunch -- large green salad (mostly iceberg lettuce) with tomato, cucumber, shredded carrots, grilled chicken, tangerine balsamic dressing (took the kids out for lunch, so another restaurant salad for me!), jasmine green tea
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili, small green salad with tomatoes, onion, red pepper, cucumber, olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing, mint green tea

For salads Dr. Mike recommends choosing darker shades of green when buying lettuce as they have more B-vitamins than the lighter varieties like the iceberg lettuce that seems to make up the bulk of restaurant salads.  The lettuce I'm using for my "at home" salads is a mix of darker greens (Baby Romaine, Tango & Radicchio) that came already prepared in a large container -- I just add the bits I want to it, which is nice because I'm a lazy cook, so anything pre-done that I can get my hands on is a good thing...

No snacks today -- I was out and about running errands and didn't even think about taking along some veggies to munch -- had a bottle of water with me at all times, though.  I'm learning to like water (this is a stretch for me...).  The kids and I did a little grocery shopping on the way home and were super excited to see the big pile of peaches in the produce section -- yum!!  That's what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow!!

So, all in all, it's not been a very interesting day, but I can report that I feel pretty good so far -- no cravings yet.  But the pizzas I made the family for dinner do smell pretty good...

Day 4 (Accelerate Cycle)

141 lbs...

Seriously?!  I was expecting to have dropped 2 or 3 pounds for this first weigh in, but 6??!!  That is beyond my wildest expectations, especially since I've been really slack on the exercise side of things.  Wow!  Now I'm excited!!

It makes me wonder, though, just how much of what I'm carrying is actual fat as opposed to bloating due to food sensitivities.  No question, I know that there is fat involved, but it may be less than I originally thought.  One thing I have noticed -- I haven't had gas since Monday -- TMI perhaps, but it's the truth...

No walk today -- cold and rainy all day and I'm just not as dedicated to my walking as those crazy runners who go out no matter what the weather -- I like being warm and dry.  Broke out the workout my friend designed for me and did some of the exercises from it instead -- crunches (THAT was a fiasco -- gonna take a lot of work to be able to sit all the way up even once...), squats and some tricep curls.  And yes, my legs are sore, thanks...


Today's Menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, mint green tea*, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- red grapes, 1/2 Granny Smith apple, strawberries
Lunch -- green salad with tuna, red pepper, onion, tomato, cucumber, dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, green tea**
Dinner (part 1) -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili, probiotic supplement
Dinner (part 2) -- green salad (mostly iceberg lettuce) with grilled chicken, shredded cabbage, carrot, tomato, lite Italian dressing

*Stash Tea's Organic Merry Mint blend (green tea, peppermint, spearmint, ginger root, lemongrass, wintergreen oil)
**Lipton's Green Tea with Peach -- smells amazing, terribly yummy...


Why was dinner in 2 parts?  I ate the turkey chili quickly when I got home from work so the boys and I could go shopping for my daughter's birthday -- took the edge off, because I was comfortably at #1 on the Hunger Meter (never going to ignore that again if I can help it).  After a successful shopping trip, the boys decided they wanted DQ burgers for supper, but my hubby was a bit concerned about eating that in front of me (bless him...) -- off to the Grill 'N Chill we go and to my delight there's a salad on the menu!  Yay!!  Problem solved!!!  And I won't be needing a snack again tonight...

Happy day!

Day 3 (Accelerate Cycle)

Got that first 17 minute walk in today!  It was a beautiful morning for it and I managed to get it in before the rain started.  I love the pathways in my neighbourhood -- lots of green space and ponds to look at, songbirds singing, friendly people out walking their dogs.  I think I'll do it again tomorrow...

It was a learning experience, too.  I learned that most of my neighbours have beautifully cared for back yards -- mine is a disgrace -- tons of weeds and winter-kill.  Guess where some of my exercise is going to be coming from for the next couple of months?  That is, if the rain ever stops.  Ugh...

Tomorrow, I will be breaking out an exercise plan that was designed for me by a good friend who is very clever about these things.  If the rain continues, I'll be using the elliptical trainer instead of walking -- this is not my favourite piece of exercise equipment but I guess I'll have to deal with it.  I can watch the boy play his X-Box games while I "walk" -- he'll LOVE that...

I've decided to post links to interesting health-related articles at the bottom of the page -- today I "borrowed" a link from a friend's Facebook page about how even mild exercise can prevent "silent strokes".  I also found one on Twitter about how olive oil can reduce the chances of stroke -- check them out...

Definitely back on track with the food -- ate before desperation set in and all is well!


Today's Menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1 navel orange, cup of Jasmine green tea, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- small strawberry yogurt, sliced strawberries, red grapes
Lunch -- baked chicken breast, steamed baby carrots, small salad with tomatoes & cucumber (olive oil & balsamic vinegar), cup of green tea
Dinner -- Dr. Mike's turkey chili, green salad (mostly iceberg & Romaine lettuce) with carrot, cabbage & dressing
Evening Snack -- 2 LARGE glasses of water

It was a quiet day after all is said and done -- first weigh-in is tomorrow morning -- oooohhhh, the anticipation...

Day 2 (Accelerate Cycle)

I've been hungry all day...

Why??  Because I'm a big dummy and made 2 big mistakes today, that's why...

The day started off promisingly enough -- had the hot water/lemon combo right away, packed a great lunch and snacks for while I was at work (late shift today), saw my daughter off to school -- and then I made a BAD decision.  My son had a doctor's appointment first thing and I wasn't really hungry yet, so I put off eating breakfast until after I had dropped him at school -- drank a large, black Timmy's in the meantime and didn't eat anything until 10:30 -- mistake #1.  By then I was totally screwed.

So, when Dr. Mike says to eat your meals at roughly the same time every day, he's serious people!  You won't be able to catch up!!

Pay attention to the Fullness/Hunger Meter, too -- don't let yourself get to #2 on either scale, ever.  Once you notice you're at #1, deal with it, fast!

Hunger Meter 
1.  I'm a little hungry; my stomach feels as hollow as the promises of a politician.
2.  I'm so hungry I could eat the lining of an empty Spam can.  My stomach is growling so loud it scared off a junkyard dog.  I've got to get something to eat, and fast.

Fullness Meter 
1.  I'm starting to feel full.  I will stop now so that I can save on my grocery bill.
2.  I'm so stuffed I'll have to waddle over to the couch to collapse.


Today's menu:
Breakfast -- 2 poached eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, cup of green tea*, probiotic supplement
Morning Snack -- Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- turkey chili, raw veggies (baby carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumber), probiotic supplement
Afternoon Snack -- remainder of the raw veggies
Dinner -- large green salad with tuna, mushrooms, broccoli and dressing of olive oil and wine vinegar

* My green tea of choice:  Lipton's Green Tea/Mandarin Orange -- it has small bits of dried apricot, peach and mango in the teabag -- contains 24 mg of caffeine per serving and 55 mg natural flavonoid antioxidants (I have no idea what this means, but it sounds good, doesn't it?)

Now that I see the menu "on paper" it appears I didn't plan enough food, but it sure looked like a lot at the time -- I'll be taking extra fruit & veggies with me tomorrow, just in case.  Also, I eliminated most of the green tea today because of the extra coffee I had when I got to work.  That last coffee was probably a mistake -- more green tea is in the plan for tomorrow.  Coffee is allowed (max. 2 cups/day -- I had 3...) but Dr. Mike recommends 3 cups of green tea a day because the chemicals in it have been shown to increase fat burning and stimulate digestion -- so 3 cups of tea it will be...

Mistake #2 -- didn't manage to fit in the exercise today, either -- I'm a pro at avoiding physical activity -- not good, I know...

Back on track tomorrow!

Day 1 (Accelerate Cycle)

147...

That's what the scale said this morning.  Normally I would NOT be pleased to see that number, but today is the last time she's going to say that to me.  Supposedly I will drop between 10 and 12 lbs in the first 17 days.  That would be lovely...


Goal-setting time!


Number One: fit into the awesome white shorts and cream-coloured pants that I bought several years ago that are just that little bit too tight right now.  Hopefully this will happen at the end of Cycle 1...
Number Two: buy a new swimsuit that doesn't include a tank-style top and baggy swim-short bottoms.  Hopefully by the end of Cycle 2...
Number Three: the scale should read between 120 and 125 lbs.  Hopefully I will be here by the end of Cycle 3...


Dr. Mike encourages you to weigh yourself several times during each cycle, so I've decided that every 3 days I will check in with my friend the scale -- I will update as I go along as to whether or not we are still speaking to each other.  Unfortunately, I didn't fit in my two 17 minute workouts today -- will have to get on top of that tomorrow.  This is going to be the hardest part for me -- remember the part where I'm lazy??


People who have been interviewed about their experiences on this diet report that they never felt deprived of food.  I didn't believe that could be possible -- it's mostly salad and veggies right now.  However, I'm happy to report that, at the conclusion of Day 1, I have definitely had enough to eat -- I still got to have my morning coffee at work and I didn't miss my morning bagel with cream cheese all that much...

Today's menu:

Breakfast -- 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit, cup of green tea, probiotic supplement
Mid Day Snack -- Granny Smith apple
Lunch -- large green salad with mushrooms, red pepper, onion, tomatoes, cucumber and tuna topped with dressing made with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar, cup of green tea, probiotic supplement
Dinner -- baked chicken breast (cooked with lemon slice and poultry seasoning), steamed broccoli
Evening Snack -- nothing -- I'm still full!!

Oh, yeah -- 64 oz of water is A LOT of liquid...

Getting ready...

T-minus 18 hours...

Did I mention that I hate cooking?  And I'm not overly adventurous when it comes to trying new things?  This should be interesting...

Looking through the list of permitted foods for Cycle 1 was fine -- lots of things on there that I like.  There's more salad meals than I'm used to, but whatever -- it's for a good cause!  Then I got to the part about the probiotics.  Good grief!  What the heck is all this stuff -- Kefir, Yakult, Tempeh, Miso??  Acidophilus milk??  Kimchi and sauerkraut??  Not going to happen.  Yogurt??  That's not going to happen either -- pregnancy #2 took care of all things dairy for me.  Where does that leave me?

Thank goodness for the little box on the next page that says sure, go ahead, buy a supplement & use that instead.  Being a literal thinker, I was confused because the breakfast menu says to have protein OR a probiotic for breakfast and I was thinking that I was going to be pretty hungry if all I was having for breakfast was a piece of fruit, a pill and some green tea.  So I ran it past my sister, who is so much more clever about this healthy-eating thing than I am.  Her advice -- take the pill WITH the protein, not instead of it -- dummy.  Oooohhhh...   Problem solved.

Next hurdle -- menus and how to manage my irregular work shifts.  Sample shift menus are provided but the solution is quite simple:  plan ahead and eat your dinner at lunchtime -- dummy.  OK -- another problem solved.

So, now I'm off to prepare my veggies and make a batch of the turkey chili (minus the beans -- not sure how it qualifies as chili with no beans, but whatever...) that should last for a few meals...

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This...

People who know me probably can't believe their eyes.  I was one of those lucky girls who never had to worry about what she ate or doing any type of exercise.  I could buy the small sizes right off the rack and never have to alter anything but the length.

Then along came the kids.  I could never seem to shake the last 15 pounds of the pregnancy weight.  And now I'm 45 years old and 25 pounds heavier than I should be without the foggiest clue of where to start.  The answer came from Dr. Phil (just for the record, I LOVE that man!) and Dr. Mike Moreno.  They asked a simple question.  Can you commit to something for 17 days?

My biggest problem?  I'm lazy.  Yup -- I'm lazy -- there, I've admitted it.  I hate exercise, which comes as no surprise if you know me well -- I'd rather sit and read a book than go for a walk.  And I'm apparently addicted to carbohydrates.  I look in the fridge and if there's no bread, in my view, there's no food -- there could be a pile of fruit and veggies, but I see nothing worth eating.

So, I figured fine, Dr. Phil -- I'll give you 17 days -- let's see what happens.  I'd love to buy some new clothes and feel good in a pair of shorts again.  I picked the book up at Wal-Mart, looked at the lists of food I can have and went shopping.

The diet starts Monday...