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...
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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...
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...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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...
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...
Saturday, August 13, 2011
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...
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...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
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...
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...
Friday, August 05, 2011
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...
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...
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
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...
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...
Monday, August 01, 2011
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...
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...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)