Cycle 1 (Accelerate) -- Day 9/10/11/12

Well, that's a string of busy days!  Heading into the weekend with a positive mindset...

Despite the crazy-busy of Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, I still managed to eat properly for the most part.  Didn't manage all of the water on any of those days and I got run over by the coffee-train on Wednesday, but I'm still feeling great and have so much more energy than a month ago.  The 6 hour sleeps are fantastic, too!

Tuesday:  Hmmm, that seems so long ago, but it's only been two days.  It was a quieter day at work, so I was able to keep to better meal times.  Breakfast and morning snack were standard fare and lunch was my favourite -- the freaking amazing taco salad from the original book.  I left early to get my boy to his Cadets group and there was a parent meeting happening at the same time, so dinner (unfortunately) was a gong-show.  I wound up at Tim Horton's (closest option to the school, and they just don't do salads) -- two chicken ceasar wraps and a medium decaf. to go.  I rolled up a free coffee.  Yay, me...
Dr. Mike's food tip for Day 9:  Experiment with seasonings -- no reason for the food to be bland.  Good advice if you're going to try that green bean casserole...
Dr. Mike's exercise tip for Day 9:  Vary your exercise routine.  Really?  What if you don't have one?  Oh, right.  Start one -- dummy...

Wednesday:  Again, quiet at work which was great.  I was up an hour early to see my girl off on her school ski-trip and was so exhausted by the afternoon -- probably should have backed off on the coffee, but that's hindsight.  Anyway, I got lots done and ate well (was really hungry all day...wonder what that's all about...perhaps because of getting up so early?).  Again, standard breakfast and snack with chicken-vegetable soup for dinner.  I met up with my coworkers after instruction was done and treated myself to a glass of red wine and a yummy dip that was loaded with cheese and a lot of "legal" items (tomatoes, onion, red pepper, artichoke).  It came with flat bread (baked) and nacho chips, but it was a smallish appetizer so I will be considering that my "cheat" for the week.  No pizza pig-out this weekend for me!
Dr. Mike's food tip for Day 10:  Plan ahead.  Stock up on healthy foods and always keep some proper snacks with you so you won't be tempted by something quick -- like the Timmy's drive thru...
Dr. Mike's exercise tip for Day 10:  "Listen" to your body.  Pay attention to sharp pain and sudden fatigue -- don't overdo it!

Thursday:  Well, back on the wagon today!  Nothing of note to report -- great sleep, more energy, productive day at work.  Breakfast was scrambled eggs/grapefruit/coffee, lunch was a huge salad with tuna and green tea, but when dinner time rolled around, I found I couldn't face another tomato-based concoction (as much as I love the turkey chili and chicken soup), so a quick stop at the grocery store fixed that.  I grabbed a couple of frozen salmon fillets (yes, I chose fish -- twice today -- this is new territory for me...) and cooked them up with a little lemon juice and dill -- paired with the green bean casserole (lots of salt and pepper to give that any flavour -- thanks for the tip, Doc!), it was a fantastic meal!
Dr. Mike's food tip for Day 11:  Condiments are OK as long as you choose the low calorie/ low carb/fat and sugar free varieties.  I don't usually like the taste that goes with these choices, so have opted to cut them out completely for now.  I make my own salad dressing (most days) from olive oil/balsamic vinegar.  If I absolutely have to have cheese or bottled dressing or soy sauce, I use a bare minimum.
Dr. Mike's exercise tip for Day 11:  Fitness takes time, so don't get discouraged if you've been a lazy-butt for years and aren't seeing immediate results.  Keep a fitness log and keep going!  Maybe I should get started...

Friday:  Another day of good food behaviour while at work -- yougurt/strawberries/coffee for breakfast, turkey chili and green tea for lunch.  Lots of water in-between.  Then I came home, where there was shepherd's pie cooking.  Yep -- the wagon ran me over again!  I will admit to having 2 dinner rolls AND a piece of apple pie AND a glass of wine afterward -- apparently I can't be trusted to make good choices when I'm really hungry.  I hadn't taken enough food to work with me for snacking (hello, food tip #10 -- dummy...) and was ravenous when I got home.  My plan had been taco salad and tomato-leek soup.  Guess I'll have that tomorrow instead of pizza...
Dr. Mike's food tip for Day 12:  Probiotic supplements are a great substitute for the probiotic foods (yogurt, etc.) -- the supplement needs to contain 10 to 20 billion CFU's.
Dr. Mike's exercise tip for Day 12:  Exercise is a great remedy for stress.  Regular exercise causes the brain to release more serotonin which is a natural mood elevator -- great for warding off depression.

Weekends are usually awful for me.  I get so busy with my household "projects" that I forget to eat.  Hopefully I can stay on top of things and not fall into the trap I did tonight.

Cycle 1 (Accelerate) -- Day 8

Well!  Colour me surprised!  Weigh-in #1 this morning has me down 5 lbs -- registering 124 lbs before breakfast.  That's awesome news, because it all seems to be falling into place -- sleep is better, more energy, less brain fog and now some bloat/fat has left me.  There's the motivation to keep going!

Dr. Mike's food tip for today:  Some fats are "friendly" -- Omega 3's boost your metabolism, so choose salmon or tuna whenever you can and use olive or flaxseed oil for cooking.  I love the olive oil in my salad dressing with the balsamic vinegar -- so tasty and apparently really good for you!
Dr. Mike's exercise tip for today:  Safety first, folks!  Wear brightly coloured clothing when out walking or biking and remember to wear that helmet when you're out on your bike!

Today's Menu
Breakfast:  2 large eggs (scrambled), 1/2 grapefruit, coffee, multivitamin/Omega 3/probiotic capsules
Morning Snack:  vanilla yogurt with chopped Granny Smith apple and cinnamon, mandarin-orange green tea
Lunch:  Dr. Mike's tomato-leek soup, water
Dinner:  baked salmon, green salad (with tomato, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, olive oil/balsamic vinegar), water

Great day at work, too!  The boss was in to help with prep for tonight's instruction and that allowed me to find the time to eat on time.  That certainly helps keep things on track, although it was almost too late by the time I managed to fit in a lunch break -- started to get dizzy and develop a headache, but managed to get past it just in time.  The tomato-leek soup was pretty good, but not terribly filling.  Note to self -- remember to pack a salad for next time...

Here's an article from Dr. Mike regarding hydration tips where he clarifies the why/why not of coffee and black tea vs. green tea consumption:  Hydration Tips: What You Need To Drink, When and Why.  I have posted the link under "Useful Links" below as well.