SOUTH.BEACH.

I've decided to make my diet updates into a page because I don't want the blog itself to become all about the diet.

So, here's my briefing on Day 1.  It was supposed to be yesterday but my cousin had a candle party and the chips and the dip and the desserts and there's really no excuse.  My mom and I did really well all day long and then it kind of fell apart because it was a special occasion and we were weak.  On the ride home we physically regretted it, we felt sick and yucky.  And getting up this morning wasn't easy either.  Oh well, today was a new day.

Real Day 1: Tuesday 11/9/2010
We did it!  It's 10:37 right now and I made it through the day without and carbs or sugars!!!!  WOOHOO!!  I'm craving chocolate right now like you wouldn't believe and I have a bit of a headache, but that could be from any number of things.  My stomach didn't growl all day but there were times when I was convinced I was hungry.  I ate my dinner too fast and I immediately wanted a snack.  I tried to put ground cinnamon on walnuts but there was zero sweetness to that and it tasted like crap honestly.  My dinner had a lot of components - salad, soup, vegetables and some steak.  I do have a question though, I LOVE salt and I'm wondering how much I can use.  I know I shouldn't have a lot anyway, but none of the books give me an amount.

I'm expecting this journey to get progressively harder (especially tomorrow as I have another party to attend in the evening) but I'm still thinking positively and that's really my biggest obstacle.  I managed to do an interval walk for about a half hour today also, but it took a lot of mental effort to get me off that couch.
So, goodnight for now, and wish me luck for tomorrow's challenge!

Real Day 2: Thursday 11/11/10
I want something sweeeeeeeetttttt.  But, I'm going to write to you instead.  I cheated again.  Last night was my cousin Christopher's Confirmation party.  I'm too weak but I can't have chicken francaise in front of me and not cave to my knees.  I had to have it - and some chicken parm, and some bruschetta, and some cookie cake.  However, despite these setbacks, I have not lost faith.  I was able to be on target all day today, as I was all day yesterday (until around 7pm).  I don't think there are anymore special occasions coming up between now and Thanksgiving so I should be in the clear in terms of excessive temptation.  My sister took care of all the leftovers we had in the fridge so I wouldn't have to look at them and now I'm re-focused on the goal.  I'm a little bit hungry right now, but I'm not giving in.  I exercised a lot today so that's what I'm blaming my hunger on.

In other news, I was expecting a little bit more support from my family.  My mom is "on" the diet with my but she moans and groans about it all the time.  I fully understand that she might be having a hard time with it but it just seems like extra pressure on my already fragile determination.  No one is showing any enthusiasm or pride in my decision and they all probably think I won't be able to do it.  I know it boils down to myself and my determination, motivation, and effort, but given my failed attempts in the past, some support would be helpful.  Everyone has commented on the fact that I've failed twice already but no one seems to agree that it doesn't mean my diet is OVER.  I guess I just didn't think I'd have to be shouldering negative pressure as well as the positive.

Real Day: 11/13/10
bumming.  I don't feel creative enough with these tools and I miss being able to just pick something up to munch on.  The hard part is that I weighed myself and there's no change.  I also know that no matter what, I'm giving myself Thanksgiving to eat what I want.  Last night, the family I was babysitting for had fresh brownies out and a bucket full of Halloween candy.  I didn't even sneak a crumb from the brownies.  I don't feel good about it, I feel deprived.  I woke up late today and my first meal was at around 1:30.  I made tomato soup and added a few extra tomatoes but they didn't really do anything for me.  I made cauliflower "mashed potatoes" and they're not terrible, just a little watery.  I added cheese and bacon and I may try and drain them a little bit.

Need to restart positive attitude!!!

Real Day: 11/15/10
This is getting tougher everyday.  I woke up this morning feeling defeated.  I don't think I look like I've lost anything, nor do I feel like it.  I tried on my last pair of fat jeans and they still don't fit.  So, before breakfast I weighed myself on the scale and it said I was 3-4 pounds lighter than I was yesterday.  It totally didn't affect me.  The book said, "expect to lose 7-13 pounds in the first 2 weeks, regardless of exercise level."  I know I had a rocky start but you could count it as 1 full week, or 5 full days.  Either way that's a long time to not eat any carbs.  I expected to see or feel something by now, especially because I have been exercising much more than I used to.  That's not saying a lot but I went on 45 minute walks 4 days last week and in between I did the Total Body Workout which is 20 minutes of core exercises.   
Also, not helping, all of the delicious commercials for holiday food that I know I can't resist.  I also woke up with a really bad sore throat on Saturday morning and I've been fighting it ever since.  This makes it a little harder to think positively and feel good about the changes.  Hopefully tomorrow morning will hold better results for my relationship with the scale.

PS: The cauliflower "mashed potatoes" actually suck :(

Last Real Day of Phase 1

It's been too long since I've posted but I felt like I would have been saying the same things over and over again.  It's hard, I feel good, I feel like crap, this sucks etc.  I've slacked lately with the exercise but I wasn't just sitting on the couch, I was up moving around, doing other things.  When I checked the scale yesterday it said I'd lost about 6 pounds.  Nothing to scoff at, but all I really think is "NO CARBS OR SUGAR FOR 2 WEEKS AND THIS IS ALL I GET?????  What happened to the 13 pounds the book said I'd lose?"

No really, I said that more than once to a lot of different people.  My last weigh in will be tomorrow morning when I wake up.  Hopefully there will have been some changes overnight that I won't discuss here in order to maintain some dignity.  As for the Thanksgiving feast, I'm giving myself free reign.  It is a day to be happy and thankful and I intend to experience both.  Whatever I need to do after the holiday weekend is over I'll take care of but tomorrow there will be no limit to the cookies, mashed potatoes, or chili dip I'll eat and I just can't wait!

In all honesty, something I'm very thankful for this year is the fact that I was able to put myself on a diet for 2 weeks and stick to it.  I've never been able to do that before and I'm proud that I had the determination and dedication to stick it out even though I knew I'd have a hell of a day on Thanksgiving.  I'm also grateful for my faith because I honestly asked God to help me be strong through these 2 weeks and I was, I did it, I'm proud.  The results are not nearly what I wanted but I proved, to myself, that I was capable of some discipline. 

ENJOY your food tomorrow friends.  Thanksgiving is a holiday!  Gobble Gobble! xo