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

Day 25

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

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

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

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

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Day 26

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

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

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

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

Day 24 (Activate Cycle Day 6)

Another quiet day on the "project"...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another weigh-in tomorrow!