Arrive Cycle Update #4

It's amazing how life can get away on you -- I haven't posted in weeks -- where did the time go?  There hasn't been much to report.  Maintenance is quite easy and I've found that some of those old cravings just aren't there anymore.  Can I still polish off a large bag of Ruffles in two days?  You betcha!  Do I want to?  Nope!

Back-to-school can sure keep you busy.  We've had several parent information meetings in the evenings and running around getting new shoes, etc. on the weekends.  Kids sure keep you on your toes!

Made it through Thanksgiving without completely overdoing it and didn't gain (permanently) anything back.  We only had one big dinner (ham, mashed potatoes, gravy -- oh, my!), but it was a three day weekend for me, and I never do well in the eating department when I'm home for extended periods -- get so wrapped up in household projects that eating becomes secondary -- and I wonder why I get headaches.  We had pizza on Friday, burritos on Saturday -- both standard weekend fare around here, but I totally neglected lunch, snacks and water consumption -- and I will admit to consuming entirely too much coffee and alcohol through the course of the week.  Not good...

I have to admit that this has become typical weekend behaviour for me, so I obviously still have some bad habits to break.  In the last month I've been to a couple of social functions and have also met some friends for breakfast or dinner; for the most part I've made good choices.  But when you're at a baby shower and people show up with homemade samosas, deep fried wontons and cake, well -- you can hardly blame me for indulging...

When I got to Cycle 4, I thought I would stick to Cycle 1 through the week and then do the "strategic cheating" on the weekend.  Breakfasts have been easy to regulate, but it has been harder than I thought it would be to stay on top of lunch and dinner -- starchy foods are such a temptation for me.  I compromised and followed Cycle 3 as closely as possible and tried very hard to limit carb consumption to early in the day.  I haven't always been successful, but this new lifestyle is still a work in progress and is getting easier -- though I still struggle with choosing salad over starch...

For the most part, my bad behaviour hasn't really had much of an affect on me -- only a couple of pounds back and I've endured a few nights of really bad sleep, but those had as much to do with the boy's attitude and crap as any bad eating that went on.  Plus, I was sick for two weeks, so food wasn't really something I was interested in and sleep was elusive...

Here is a short article about how eating certain foods can improve your sleep -- very informative:  Eat to Sleep Well.  Some of the foods allowed in Cycle 1 are specifically mentioned as being good for promoting sleep.

This link will take you to a really yummy recipe for oatmeal -- it's going into my holiday repertoire of recipes and will be a standard for Thanksgiving breakfasts for years to come (though my boys didn't really care for it):  Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.  It's ideal for Cycle 2 breakfasts and reheats well...

I am a big slow cooker fan.  It's such a great way to have a delicious, hot meal waiting for you when you get home from the daily grind.  My work schedule isn't very convenient for cooking proper evening meals, so I am trying to make a point of using both of my larger crock pots every week so that we eat at a decent time through the week -- I'm not terribly consistent, but am getting better at planning.  My favourite cookbooks for this purpose are from the Company's Coming series and one of our favourite fall recipes is a squash soup.  This recipe came from their website and is very similar to the one I do -- also great for Cycle 2 meals:  Spiced Squash and Apple Soup.

These recipe links are also listed at the bottom under Recipes.

17 Day Diet News:

• My friend did amazing with her project!  She is getting more sleep in one night than she was getting in a week prior to starting the diet -- she is so excited and I'm so happy that she is getting the results she wanted.  She's lost enough inches that she needs to buy new clothes now -- happy, happy days for her!
• Another friend has read through the book and tried out Cycle 1 but just isn't ready to commit yet.  To her I say -- when you're ready, it will work for you!

Why am I back?  It's time to pre-diet!  Yes, Christmas is coming and that means lots of yummy temptations.  Thanksgiving was one thing -- just one day of delicious foods.  The Christmas season is something else altogether -- I have a weakness for shortbread and fruitcake and mashed potatoes or stuffing with gravy.  It's going to be everywhere -- including my house because it's my turn to host dinner.

Anyway, I'm back to Cycle 2 tomorrow.  There's enough time to get through Cycle 2 (and 3 if needed) before the holiday food madness starts.  My hope is to be better about fitting some exercise in this time around as well.  So, weigh-in #1 will be tomorrow morning and a little goal setting will happen in the evening.

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...