Saturday, February 26, 2011

Fifty Pounds Down the Week After Baconfest!

Whew! By the skin of my teeth, I was able to claim a fifty pound loss from November 21, 2010 to February 25, 2011. THIS IS AFTER EATING MY WEIGHT IN BACON ON SATURDAY! Ok, so that was super hyperbolic... I did not actually eat my weight in bacon, but I had several slices of chocolate covered bacon, three peanut butter bacon cookies, less than one ounce of double smoked bacon that was so delicious I wanted to cry, and even bacon-flavored popcorn. I ate a few chips with dip after my resolve was down from eating all that sugar (and likely awakening my then-resting pancreas). I ate vegetables before I went to Baconfest (it was at my dear friend's house) and more when I got there before I ate the sugary and fatty foods. After a few chips with a bit of dip, I moved myself into a different room and focused on my friends and their conversations. It was a strategy that worked well.

I knew that I was going to be indulging, so I planned for it. I had eaten one less Ideal Protein food the day of and the day before Baconfest, and I ate one less the day after, too. I ate the bare minimum - three foods. The week before that I had four foods most days because when it's really cold out, like it's been here, I get a lot hungrier. I have even split up a chocolate drink packet over two or three days by putting a third or half in with my coffee at work. It's less sweet that way, and it's just enough to stave off hunger if I don't have a long break. (it's not uncommon for me to get hungry while I massage folks, and I don't usually work very long shifts so I don't really need a break )

So... fifty pounds. I'm wearing the skinniest jeans I've ever worn as an adult.... and I must wear a belt with them! My uniform, black scrubs, which are actually more cute than you might imagine, is hanging loosely on me. My shorts, which I had stopped wearing because they were getting too tight, all need belts now. My husband told me to go get some pants! In 18 years of marriage, my husband has never told me to go buy clothes! Whoa!

Hubby (Rob) totally gets it. The other morning he got himself a breakfast sandwich at Subway, and he brought me home a salad! He even had them put just two tomato slices on it because he didn't know if I could have them (I can eat tomatoes once a week on the program). He knew not to get dressing on it because I make my own, too. Lean meats made it a great breakfast!!  Rob is amazed at my body changing, even down to how I move. I'm officially skinnier than I was on the day I got married in 1992. I was 20 years old, and definitely chubby. I still feel chubby around my midsection (visceral fat) but when I look at those old pictures, I know my dress fit more snugly than when I put it on two days ago. Yep, that's right, I can zip up my wedding dress more easily than I could the day I first wore it! (thankfully, it was not tight, just form-fitting)

In my next post, I will talk about how my cooking has been changed in a few ways. I'll give some tips to my Ideal Protein program participants, too - there are ways to make this lifestyle a lot more palatable than folks think!

Be well - Namaste!
Sunflower