Making It

I've successfully made it to day five with no cheating except a bite of a piece of blue cheese the Boyfriend gave me when he wanted to discern whether or not it was a piece of cheese (he's lactose intolerant). I ate a small bite and set the rest of the piece aside. In the grand scheme it probably really wouldn't have mattered if I ate an entire crumble of cheese, but I needed to know for myself that I could stick this out.

I'll be honest, the knowledge that binge day is tomorrow has done a lot to help keep me on track. This is the longest I've made it on a low carb diet in years. I can't see doing strict low/no-carb for an extended period of time. I need a break.

AND OH, HOW I SHALL FEAST!! I went to the store today and bought bananas, cupcakes, brownie mix, caramel apples and canned frosting. And popcorn. And I'll probably have a pizza. AND NO MEAT. God, I am sick to death of meat.

I hope this binge thing works. I know it's not the best theory health-wise. For someone who already has binging problems, giving them the go-ahead to binge their heart out once a week? Not addressing any underlying issues that got me where I am. But I'm doing this now because I need a strict plan I can stick to in order to get this weight off. I've lost four pounds so far this week, and I'd love to drop another one or two.

We'll see how weigh-in goes on Monday! At the very least I'd love to see a change in my body fat percentage, because last Monday's was a huge eye-opener.

Progress

Hey, look at that! I've made it through two slow-carb days in a row! AND I've lost 4 pounds in two days! That's a pretty strong motivator to keep me going.

Yesterday afternoon I was definitely feeling the "too much protein gonna hurl need carbs/sugar NOW" shakes. Around 4pm I thought I was starving, but I couldn't face eating any on plan food. Even peanuts tasted bad. I wanted dinner RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I forced myself to wait until 5pm. By 5, I thought I could hold off until 5:30, and by 5:30 I was feeling pretty all right. I didn't start dinner until 6:15pm, which is a much more respectable time, and it shows that I can get through the cravings.

I did go to bed with a nasty carb/sugar withdrawal headache though. I'm not sure what this cheat day is going to do for that...I feel better about no carbs, I gorge on carbs, and then I'm right back to going through this withdrawal :-\

Today I'm going to try a Crossfit class this afternoon, since I have a Groupon and two of my friends have been doing really well with it. I feel better since getting over yesterday; I feel like I can make it to Saturday and beyond!

Just eggs and spinach -- out of turkey bacon.

It tastes better than it looks - slow cooked balsamic vinegar chicken with tomatoes, black beans and quinoa

Nothing thrilling - grilled chicken with spices and salad with EVOO and balsamic vinegar

Do You Like Beans?

Do you eat beans with George Wendt? (Animaniacs)

For the last few weeks, my eating has been out of control. I flew home to Cincinnati for 8 days for a wedding, and I ate everything in sight -- good, comfort Cincinnati foods like Skyline Chili and La Rosa's, but also crap foods like candy and Steak 'N Shake.

As a result, of course, my weight is now the highest it has been in years. I'm at a weight I swore I'd never go back to.

For the last few weeks I've also been reading The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. He promotes what he calls a "slow carb" diet that's stricter than any low-carb diet I've done (mostly South Beach). No dairy at all. No fruits, LOTS of beans. I hate beans. What's kind of selling me on this diet is that it's encouraged to take a cheat day. All you can eat of whatever you want one day a week.

Now, let me say that I know proper nutrition. I know fruits aren't the devil. I know it's better to eat whole, clean foods all the time, and not a good idea to gorge yourself on junk. But the book is very persuasive in its results. So I'm giving it a try.

Have I mentioned I hate beans? It's a texture thing, really. They're grainy and chewy and UGH.

The author recommends taking pictures of your meals to keep you honest. Yesterday I had scrambled eggs with spinach and turkey bacon for breakfast

NO BEANS

a salad with salmon, kalamata olives, black beans, egg and artichoke hearts for lunch, and a "fajita bowl" consisting of grilled chicken, pinto beans and guacamole for dinner.

It tastes worse than it looks.

No pictures of lunch, but trust me, it was delicious. Dinner not so much. Oh God, how I hate pinto beans. I ate a few good forkfuls and then just ate the chicken pieces.

Snacks included turkey jerky (but at $5 a bag, I'm trying to ration it), peanuts and almonds with cocoa powder and cinnamon.

I made it through day one. I'm really only sure I can do this at all because of the cheat day. The last few times I've tried South Beach, I get so nauseous from all the meat and protein by around day three or four, that I just give up. Ferriss states up front in his book that this is not a fun diet. I have a whole closet full of clothes I can't wear. I'm ready for less fun.

This Week's Diet

This week I'm following the "Eat everything in the fridge/freezer" diet. I'm trying to eat up all the perishables before I leave town for an 8-day visit to Ohio. Once I return, I'm going to try a new Way of Eating that doesn't allow dairy, so I'm trying to eat it all up. It's not very weight-loss effective, but it's nice on my wallet.

I know I'm not going to be counting Points while I'm in Ohio, because there are too many rare, tasty treats that I don't have access to here in Tucson. They taste better than losing weight, to be perfectly honest. UDF Cherry Cordial, Skyline Chili, LaRosa's pizza, Panera, Steak 'n Shake, Sake, First Watch....I'm just going to try and not go overboard like I've done the past few times I've been home. The plan is to try and limit myself to one Ohio treat a day.

Although Dad and I are going to a Red's game where I may have a Skyline coney and UDF ice cream in a Red's hat.

Is it wrong that I associate events with food like that? :-\

I am eating a baguette with warm brie and granny smith apples.

Don't judge me.