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!