Cycle 1

OK... 17 days done. I was not as strict as I should have been and had a few cheats along the way. However I lost 6.2 pounds in a mere 17 days. I've also lost an inch off my waist! Hooray!

I am going to continue on to cycle 2 and try to keep this momentum going. I eating better, I FEEL better so it's all worth it!

Let's talk willpower

I have heard people say to me "Wow, you have amazing willpower, I wish I could do that"

You CAN do it! Willpower isn't something that's easy. It's something I struggle with on a DAILY basis. Some days are a lot easier than others and some days... all I want to do is hunker down with a king sized choclate bar, wine and maybe even pizza. While it gets easier to pass on the unhealthy foods.... it's NOT always easy and my willpower isn't something that's just there. I work on it, every day.

Some days I will have one hershey kiss to kill that craving for a king sized bar of yum. And, most times, that little taste of chocolate curbs the craving and I am fine. There are days I slip, or days I allow myself to eat whatever (read: last weekend) but on the day to day... I remind myself of one thing: how will I feel AFTER I eat that giant cheeseburger? Will I feel good? Will I feel good about myself, will I feel physically good? The answer, if you're honest with yourself, is probably not good. Reminding myself of that overly full, greasy, heavy feeling that comes AFTER the part when you're eating... ugh. Feels crappy doesn't it? And the emotional feeling after binging is not so hot either. That's how I keep my willpower when I am thinking about slipping.

The other motivator for me is my weight. Today I woke up at 166.6 and fit into some shorts I have not fit into in... well, I don't even know how long. And no muffin top either so I am not squeezing into them, they actually FIT. Let's face it, I was able to get into them before but if you've got some giant muffin top spilling over the top... just be real - they don't fit you. And it's really not so attractive either. Remember that no one knows that number on the tag except you so, get over it. Besides, those sizes are not standard. Depending on the store, I am anywhere between a 10 and a 14. Who cares? We all look better in clothes that fit.

Today is Day 12 of cycle 1 for me. I usually don't post progress pics until a cycle ends but... I like how I look and love how I feel today so, here it is:

Back in the 160's!

I am doing well, although it's hard sometimes, I am working hard at staying the course. It's been harder this time around and I've have cheated on occasion (although I have shared every cheat!) I am keeping myself accountable for everything I put in my mouth. If I were to hide something, the only person I am hurting is me and I don't want to do that.

I love how I FEEL being thinner. I love that I no longer need to take blood pressure medication. That's right... after years of needing it, I am DONE. My BP is back to a normal range and just keeps improving with every pound I lose. I love how I see photos of me now and while I still want to see myself shrink some more... I don't cringe or hide them. I don't hold the camera super high in the air to make myself look thinner because, I don't have to. I actually fit into t-shirts from Old Navy that are a size M! I don't even know when the last time was that I could say that. The way I feel is enough to keep me from ever seeing my weight start with a 2 again. I will never again even come close to that. My goal is getting closer... 24.8 pounds away. I really hope I can attain this goal sometime this summer. I think if I work hard, I can.

Here's my day today.

Day 10: 169.8 (-4.4)

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIII

B: black coffee, fruit salad, 2 eggs, green tea

S: green apple

L: leftover chicken tacos w/ ff cheddar, green tea

S: 2 mandarin oranges

D: buffalo chicken lettuce wraps with ff ranch, green tea

Lots of chicken I know (I do add a LOT of veggies to my cooking). The first 17 days are mostly chicken, turkey and fish for protein and as fish doesn't tend to fill me up... I go with chicken and turkey for the most part. If anyone has any good, on plan, filling fish recipes, let me know! Not sure I can take another whole week of chicken. haha

And the verdict is....

Homemade taco seasoning is about a million times better than the crap you buy in the store. And... I don't feel like I need to drink my weight in water when I am done eating :)

I really enjoyed my dinner. Chicken tacos with ff cheddar and a little fresh salsa. Mmmmm

Looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow. I did have a latte this morning but I did go for the skim milk. Not OP but it was not a very large coffee at all... probably smaller than a Starbucks tall. Otherwise, my day looked great!

Day 9: 170.6 (-3.6)

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIII

B: Honey Almond Latte w/skim milk

S: green tea, apple

L: salad with chicken & lite balsamic, green tea

D: chicken tacos in lettuce wraps w/ff cheddar & fresh salsa, green tea

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Tonight I am planning on making chicken tacos (using lettuce instead of tortillas) for dinner. Imagine my shock when I actually read one of those seasoning packets! A bunch of crazy ingredients: Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color (sulfites). What? Really? Oh and the 400+ mg of sodium PER SERVING - ew!

So, I decided to pass and as soon as the kids were upstairs for "quiet time" I googled home made taco seasoning. Spices are OK on the 17 day diet but I am pretty sure that the ingredients in the packet thing are NO GOOD, dieting or not.

Here's an awesome taco seasoning recipe that I will test out tonight but it sounds yummy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt (more or less to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

1. In small bowl, mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. (Or you can mix it together in the container you are going to store it in–just give it a shake!)

2. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture plus 1/2 cup of water to one pound of cooked meat (of your choice). Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until there is very little liquid left in the pan.

Good day yesterday

I stayed on track yesterday and am very proud of myself. And, the scale went back in the right direction today, hooray!

Yesterday:

Day 8: 172.4 (-1.8)

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIIIII

B: greek yogurt with peach, green tea

S: 2 mandarin oranges

L: Leftover ground chicken, green tea

D: 2 egg omelet with veggies, green tea

My weight this morning was: 170.6 (-3.6) so I am thinking... back in the 160's tomorrow. I kind of wish I hadn't screwed up my week but, really, I had a great time with a lot of awesome ladies. Life is always going to happen and you can't beat yourself up. One thing I have learned, an important thing, is that you can not let one instance be an excuse to then keep messing up your day. Enjoy your outing or your party or your dinner out with your spouse but do not use that as an excuse to then continue to eat horribly. Don't say "well, I already ate pizza and screwed up so... here, let's eat these chips, soda, candy now." Enjoy your day, your meal and then jump right back on the wagon. The key phrase, that we've ALL heard: everything in moderation! A diet or lifestyle change is never ever going to work if you don't allow yourself to enjoy things. It's not realistic that you'll never again have a slice of pizza or a scoop of ice cream.

Today is a new day and I have a good meal plan for the day. Let the 17 day diet commence - I love healthy eating! It's hard sometimes but I do love it. :)

Water weight is a *&^%$

OK so... got on the scale this morning and wanted to cry. 172.4 - FOUR pounds up in one day?!?! Well, I know I didn't consume 14,000 calories yesterday, not even close, so I am going with gas, bloating and water weight. I ate a lot of salty snacks in the limo yesterday and it is showing up on the scale today.

I'll be drinking more water today to try to flush everything out and staying 100% OP all week. NO CHEATS.

Disappointing morning but I know it'll be OK. 160's... I am coming back for you!

Wine tour

Today was great fun with a SUV stretch limo filled with a bunch of fun ladies touring the local wineries. I stayed completely on plan before and after the tour. I enjoyed myself on the tour without overindulging. I would not normally cheat on the 17 day diet and I do take this diet very seriously however... sometimes things come up and this weekend has been a weekend of cheating. The good thing about it is, I don't take the entire day as a loss. As soon as we were done and I got home, right back on plan. No if's and's or but's. The fact that I can do this and not make excuses to continue the bad eating is a win in my book. Not sure how this will effect my weight tomorrow but I am hoping I didn't do too much damage. I am staying accountable so.... here's my day.

Day 7: 168.4 (-5.8)

H2O: IIIIIIIII

B: woke up too late

L: Salad with chicken, ff ranch; green tea

S: crackers, pepperoni, pretzels, strawberries, wine (about 3-4 glasses)

D: ground chicken w/onion, bell pepper, garlic; green tea

And... here's a photo of our group today - it was a blast!

Week 1 weight loss

Got on the scale this morning and my first week weight loss is... 5.8 pounds!

Yesterday was not my best of days. I tried to stay strong at the party we went to. I found some pulled BBQ chicken to eat and ate that. I had one handful of pretzels and a bottle of water. I decided to have one drink of spiked lemonade and leave it at that. Was doing well too and then... my husband's best friend was like "C'moooonnnnnn, have a homemade margarita! I made them!" I would up having 2 and they were very, VERY strong. Let's just say... nothing I ate or drank stayed in my stomach. UGH.

So, yesterday looked like this:

Day 6: 170.4 (-3.8)
H2O: IIIIIII
B: greek yogurt, green tea
L: pulled BBQ chicken
S: handful rold gold pretzels, 2 margaritas, 1 spiked lemonade


Today is looking good so far! Woke up in the 160's which made me so happy. I am at 168.4!

I woke up too late for breakfast so made a nice lunch of salad with chicken and ff ranch (with my green tea of course) Now... I am headed to my wine tour soon. I will keep track of my eating and hopefully I won't be too bad. I am planning on making chicken lettuce wraps for dinner. YUM.

Happy this morning

Soooooo close to the 160's again. Woke up to 170.4 which makes my total weight loss since Monday 3.8. Hooray! :)

Just had to share before we're off for the day. Wish me luck with staying on track this afternoon!

My dinner was AMAZING

OMG, it was so good I can't even tell you. All I made was baked chicken but... it was baked chicken awesomeness.

1 lb chicken breast (I used the ones already cut into tenderloins)
1 16 oz can tomatoes
1/2 diced onion
1/2 diced bell pepper
1 T garlic
1T olive oil
1T Tastefully Simple Rustic Herb Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. In an 8x8 glass baking pan pour tomatoes. Lay chicken on top and cover with seasoning. Cut onion, pepper and garlic and put on top of chicken. Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through.

Delicious, filling and on plan :)

Today's Menu:

H2O: IIIIIIIIIII

B: scrambled eggs with scallions, ½ grapefruit, green tea

S: ½ grapefruit

L: Leftover turkey chili w/ ¼ cup ff cheddar, green tea

S: apple

D: baked chicken, broccoli, green tea

OK, so today I was down .2 to 171.6 (-2.6). I am slightly frustrated this time around. When I originally started the 17 day diet, when I was about 226 pounds, I lost 6 pounds in the first 2 days. I know it's because back then it was a drastic change in diet (and I am sure a lot of water weight) whereas this time, it's not a drastic change. This is basically how I usually eat (with non-plan things worked in). I've had a good week so far and 2.6 is a great week's weight loss. I was just hoping to see some of this weight go faster at first. My long term goal is now only 26.6 pounds away and that sounds so very doable. But I was hoping I'd get there fast like I did the last time I did this diet and... I don't think it will.

I will keep track this weekend and be in full disclosure. Tomorrow we're traveling out of state to a birthday party and I am going to bring my water, green tea and make the very best choices possible. It may not be 100% on plan but it will be as healthy a day as I can make it. NO cake, NO alcohol... ugh.

Sunday will be my cheat day. Normally, especially in the first 17 days, I would not have one of these. However, a bunch of the girls and I in town have rented a limo and are going on a local wine tour. This has been planned since before I even decided to restart the diet. There will be wine tasting and a bit of carb eating so I don't get drunk. I already know this day will be a day off plan. I am going to exercise as much will power as I can to not go crazy overboard. I do not want to see my 2-3 pound loss this week go poof. I'll do my tastings, eat a little bit and just enjoy my day without getting stuffed or drunk. At least... that's the plan. I will post how I did though and keep myself 100% accountable.

Good day!

I did well today and had no problem getting myself right back on track.

Day 4 Weight: 171.8 (-2.4)

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIII

B: greek yogurt, green tea

L: salad with chicken & ff ranch, green tea

S: 2 mandarin oranges

D: turkey chili with onions, peppers; green tea

Check out my salad! It was so yummy. I added a touch of hot sauce so it was like a buffalo chicken ranch salad. I forgot how much a serving of salad dressing actually was - it's a lot! It was such a beautiful day and I was thrilled to be able to sit on the porch and eat up while my son played on his swing set and in the sand box. Love enjoying the nice weather!

And then I made some awesome ground turkey chili for dinner. Ground turkey, tomatoes, onion, red bell pepper (would have liked green but only had a red), garlic and spices. I usually cut the veggies smaller but I was lazy tonight. 

A healthy eating day and I am full and satisfied. Bring on tomorrow with, hopefully, a little less of me!

Slight cheat yesterday

As can happen on any diet, sometimes life gets in the way. Last night a friend and I took our kids to Super Why Live and we had dinner beforehand. We went to a food court type area near the theater so there would be plenty of choices for the kids. Not ONE place had a salad option for me so... I went with the healthiest thing I could find, sushi. The only problem with it is the rice and avocado which is not on plan. When I got back to the table my friend had bought me a glass of white because she didn't want to drink alone (yes, very high class food court that had wine and beer - but no salad?! explain that one.)

So, here is yesterday's menu. Even with my cheat, I think I did well. I am also very proud of myself for not eating all the sushi or drinking all the wine. I stopped when I felt full.

Day 3: 171.4 (-2.8)

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIII

B: scrambled eggs with scallion & tomato, green tea

S: 1 grapefruit

L: Chicken lettuce wrap leftovers from yesterday, green tea

S: green tea

D: 1 ½ sushi rolls, ½ glass wine

Today's weight was 171.8 so I gained back .4 from yesterday's excursion but am still down 2.4 since Monday so I'll take it!

Night time is the hardest

I did really well today and didn't feel all that hungry or tempted... until after the kids were in bed, I had eaten dinner and cleaned. Then, I wanted something sweet. I struggled with this and then decided to have a hershey kiss. One kiss and voila - craving gone. I know this won't work all the time but it worked today so that's a good thing. Of course, the night isn't over yet...

Here is my menu from today:

Day 2 weight: 171.8

H2O: IIIIIIIIII

B: greek yogurt
green tea

L: chicken lettuce wraps w/onion, pepper
green tea

S: 2 cuties

D: omelet w/onion, pepper, tomato
green tea

S: ½ cucumber

hershey kiss

My omelet looked more like scrambled eggs with veggies. How on earth do you make the omelet look good without breaking it or burning it? I have no idea and I consider myself a good cook. It was still good just not the best looking.

Tomorrow I have to get coffee back in the mix. I have been dragging a bit in the afternoon the past 2 days. I feel better and more energetic overall from eating more protein, eating better and staying hydrated but I am missing my caffeine. It's a good thing coffee is allowed! :)

Love the start to this diet

Today I am down 2.4 pounds! I love the start of the 17 day diet and how fast you see results if you follow the plan. If this happens again tomorrow, like it did last time I did this diet, I'll be back in the 160's tomorrow! I haven't been in the 160's since my husband and I started dating back in 2006. I am so excited about that and very excited to be getting closer to my first mini goal of 165 pounds which is only 6.8 pounds away!

Now... off to make my lunch of ground chicken lettuce wraps - YUM!

Hard day but I did well!

It seemed harder this time or maybe I am just blocking out how hard it was 2 years ago. I ate enough and stayed on plan (aside form the 2 goldfish crackers and 1 hershey kiss I had) but still am having major junk food cravings today. Luckily we don't have much of anything in this house but it doesn't make things any easier.

I know I can do this, I did it 2 years ago and kept the weight off. I know it's possible and I know I do keep a lot of the eating habits as a part of my life (I did keep the weight off for 2 years) but damn. I've been in a horrible mood tonight because all I can think about is how much I want a beer and some cheese doritos.

On the plus side... it did feel good to go back to green tea with every meal and lots of water (12 glasses!) I did enjoy my meals and snacks. So.... to keep myself accountable, here is day 1:

Weight: 174.2

H2O: IIIIIIIIIIII

B: 2 eggs
green tea

S: apple

L: salad with ff ranch
green tea

S: 2 cuties
greek yogurt

S: cucumber and tomato salad (oil and vinegar)

D: Ground turkey with garlic, scallion & pepper
green tea

1 hershey kiss and 2 goldfish crackers

I made it through day 1 which always seems to be the hardest day of a new diet. Hopefully day 2 will be easier!

It begins again!

Took my official start weight for this go round and it was 174.2

As I sit here drinking my morning hot lemon water and getting ready to make breakfast (something I usually have a hard time with) I realize I am excited to start again. I am excited to lose more weight and get down to a healthy weight for me.

That's how you know you're ready - when you're excited :)

Restart on Monday 4/29/13

My baby girl is 10 months old now and I have finally decided to restart my weight loss journey. As of right now, my weight is 176.4 which makes my total weight loss to date 52.6 pounds! This is from my original start date in January 2011 so it seems like not that much weight right? But in that time, I had another child so... I think that's awesome!

My new goal is to get down to 145 which means my new goal weight is a mere 31.4 pounds away. I CAN do this. I WILL do this.

I am excited to restart my journey because this diet has truly worked for me. Why am I waiting until Monday you ask? Easy... I need to re-read the book :)

In the meantime, here is my new before photo: