28 Days Later

My last night on Phase One, and night before my bi-weekly weigh-in. We were up all night with Ruby, was fighting her stomach bug. No one in the family got a lot of sleep, and so my plans for lots of active activity with Ruby were smashed. In fact, I couldn't even get her to go outside today, though it was was the first really lovely weekend day since November. I think I have figured out my plan for the next 15 or so weeks on Phase Two (readers take a deep sigh—think you can stay with it that long?). I am going to add one carb to my diet—for breakfast, probably 3 or 4 days a week, and keep to Phase One for lunch and dinner. Though I might make an excepton here and there, I want to strenuously avoid both relaxing my zealotry and slipping too far too quickly. I could easily make a diet of all "allowed items" in Phase Two, but I'd never lose any weight that way. And I promise you, I need to lose weight through dieting, especially if 11 minute bike rides are going to be the norm.

Breakfast—Ol' Reliable
3 Slices TB
2 Eggs
Tea

Lunch
Greek Salad with Tuna

Snack
30 Cashews
1 Cheese Stick
15 Almonds
2 Slices Rolled Up Chicken Breast Cold Cut

Dinner
Hamburger with Carmelized Onions
Pickles and Pickled Okra

Dessert
Status: Refusenik

The thing that's always going to be challenging, I suppose for the rest of my life, is how to satisfy the need to 'graze.' It's hard when you're not on your next meal, but you're hungry. The world (I live in) is fully populated with quick, easy, high-carb snacks, sugar-loaded snacks everywhere I look. It's so easy to grab a bag of chips, or go to a McDonalds, or something, and I must now forswear the convenience for the higher goal of staying alive for myself and my family. But as I have discovered, sometimes that means spending $20 at a raw bar. The next stage is probably that I have to plan better. On the other hand, I am finding it satisfying and easy to give up dessert (so far, the summer will be challenging with its multiple family trips to the Big Dipper) and have switched to black coffee. We'll see how long that can last. The last development is my absolute slavish devotion to sugar free gum, which is a must if I am to avoid throwing the wrong stuff in said mouth. It will also be crucial to having friends, if I stay with the aforementioned black coffee.