Day 94: It's been relatively dry today, although it's still cloudy and unsettled outside. The temp is warm--65 degrees, but definitely fall-like.
Slept in again this morning; I feel so run down by week's end (nothing to do with the diet--I felt this way almost all last school year too), that I feel the need to just sleep as long as possible on Saturdays and Sundays. Last year, by Wednesday or Thursday, I would just come home and collaspe and nap. I'm not quite to that point yet, but I find myself looking towards Thanksgiving break with greediness that I will get to sleep in four days in a row instead of 2.
Steph: I have about 40 more to go--I'm only 5'3.5" and need to be under 140 for a healthy BMI, but my goal is 128 (that would be 90 lbs total loss). To tell the truth, it's not that difficult to eat this way and honestly, I'm never hungry until late afternoon (and that is probably more psychological--frustration-driven want of something crunchy (like popcorn) or sweet (like candy) and that's why I reach for the macadamia nuts and dried fruit. Both should be once in awhile, and not everyday. (Before I went on this plan, afternoon snack was a bag of microwave popcorn and a handful of Swedish fish.) If we put off dinner until after 7pm, I get hungry then too. I do find myself thinking about comfort foods, like chili or beef stew with potatoes this time of year; pasta sounds good too, but I can't give in to any of it right now. I do wish that the weight would continue to come off like it did in the first month on this plan (if that were the case, I'd be near to done by now.) Still, this is the most success I've ever had on any plan and getting this much off in a relatively short amount of time keeps me motivated to continue. More importantly than the actually pounds gone, is the way I'm getting back into clothes that I wore when I weighed 15-20 lbs less that I do now and they are more comfortable than when I was at 150. I'm not sure how all that works and why, but my body looks much leaner than it should at this weight.
Stabilization, from what I understand is 3 to 6 weeks (depending upon if the person can maintain the losses) and it looks very much like the weightloss plan with a little more veggies in the portion size and the addition of healthy fats like avacados and olive oil, but staying away from the starchy veggies and definitely no refined carbs. Maintenance looks a lot like South Beach-style eating introducing some beans, brown rice, and whole wheat breads and pastas in extreme moderation. I plan to put into place what I've learned from reading Jillian Michaels' book and not eat refined or starchy carbs after 4pm--I know that I'm senstive to those and despite what looks like low-calorie eating, it definitely causes me to eat more than I should.
Mel: Once you've been on plan for 3 weeks, your hypothalmus is supposidely re-set and you can safely use the new list of foods. Additional proteins: whole egg, turkey bacon/chicken sausage (watch the sodium levels), low fat cheese (organic if at all possible--1 oz), low-fat greek yogurt (I love to use with a little with vinegar and dried mustard to make creamy salad dressing), low-fat cottage cheese (I buy the trim and not the non-fat--there are more carbs in the non-fat). New veggies--anything that is not a starch (no carrots, beets, peas, artichokes, etc.) bell peppers and hot peppers are OK as are muchrooms and califlower. Fruit still needs to be eaten with a protein, but you can have blueberries, raspberries, black berries (about 1/2 cup is the same as 1 med. apple or 5 large-tp-medium strawberries) or 1/8 slice of cantaloupe. 6-8 oz of red wine is OK to sub for a fruit portion at dinner.
All these new foods should be added one at a time and see how you do. Some people report that broccoli and califlower will make them stall, I find anything with too much sodium impacts me. BTW, I eat the macadamia nuts on the advise of my personal doctor who is worried about gallbladder issues with so little fat being consumed, but I'm really only suppose to have 2 portions a week--and I do more. I also eat dried plums for my afternoon sweet and they are not supposed to be eaten either. I hope this helps.
Last night, DH made filets and lobster tail for dinner. He did use some artichoke hearts as a topping for the lobster tail under the broiler and didn't realize that I shouldn't have it. I ate it anyway; didn't lose anything today, but didn't gain either. I also had two glasses of wine and half an orange, so I was well over my fruit limit.
Meals today: breakfast--16 oz breve with 2 packets of stevia (half and half doesn't seem to be too terrible for me), snack after walking and prior to mowing lawn--10 macademia nuts, late lunch--2 egg, 1 egg white omellete with 2 slices of lean ham and low-fat mozarella (ham is not on the list either, but I don't seem to have an issue with it or a lean porkchop) and 10 raspberries, snack--1 oz low-fat havarti, dinner--scallops, spinach salad, berries.
Exercise: 50 minute walk (didn't do the big hill--I've got some asthma issues with the cold still hanging on), 40 minutes mowing the lawn. DH agrees we need to walk more during the week even if it is raining. We both felt low energy on the walk and it took much too long to warm up legs.
Need to get to my grading. DH is still working on some yard and gutter clean up. Sasha is enjoying some outside time on the patio and behaving (for now).
Tomorrow is my first bi-yearly observation during 1st period with the honors class and also a late night with pro-cert after school until 7pm. I still need to track down judges for Daffodil selection and order the tiarra. It will be a stressful day, let alone a long, stressful week this week.
but glad that you got your cabin taken care of. And you took your kitties with you, how good you are. We leave ours home and have our petsitter come to take care of them and the dog.
even when its not fun!
