What a way to end Week 1

Today I concluded the first week on my weight loss plan. I won't kid anyone. It wasn't easy. The first three days really tested my committment. I wasn't sure that I would actually be able to avoid indulging in things that were not on my plan. I can honestly say that I wasn't hungry, but I also wasn't satisfied. I needed some time to get all of those cravings out of my system. I did it though. I hung in there and made it through one day and then two, and finally my first week. I know I can do it now if I choose to. I'm choosing to.

In the past, my weigh in day would be my indulgence day. I'd tell myself that all I had to do was make it to weigh in and then I could have whatever I wanted for the rest of the day. There wasn't anything off limits. I justified this by noting that a) It was for one day only and b) I'd have an entire week to work off what little bit (yeah right) of weight I'd put back on in that single day. Some people might think this is acceptable and for quite a few I'm sure it's a tactic that lets you reward yourself for a job well done. For me it seems to be an excuse to give up. You see, once I would start down that road it was very hard for me to get back on track. All of my hard work the previous week, gone. The days I spent conquering my cravings would be for nothing. Once I had that first bite it was practically all down hill from there. I decided that this time would be different. I didn't realize how hard it would be for me to break such a bad habit. Perhaps it's because I had time on my hands as it was my day off, perhaps not, whatever the reason I found myself thinking of food today. All day. The entire day. Several times I went back and forth on whether to have something not on my plan. I almost did twice. Instead I made myself sit where I was and not get up until the thought passed. I spent a lot of time sitting at the table today. You know what though? I stayed on plan. I was able to wait out my desire to indulge in food that I wouldn't be using for energy. I was able to control my actions. I WAS in control. Wow. I'm pretty proud of myself.

This morning I met with my doctor for my first weigh-in. I'm excited to report that I weigh 196.4 pounds. That's a decrease from yesterday of 1.8 lbs and overall 9.6 pounds. Holy Cow!! I also lost two inches off of my waist. Really?! I know I said this yesterday, but I've never lost this much in a single week. It's hard not to be motivated by that.

Yesterday I wrote out a list of questions for my doctor. I let her know that the bouillon contained MSG and was triggering headaches/migraines and asked if there was anything else I could take instead. She suggested I try therma-tabs. Apparently they are over the counter (you just have to ask the pharmacist for them) and three tabs will replace one bouillon. Since my pharmacy had to order them and won't get them until tomorrow, I chose to skip both servings of boullion today. I'll be okay without it for one day and I can use the break from a headache as well. I also mentioned that I noticed on the days when my carbs were lower my next weigh in was much more significant. According to my doctor you could actually have no carbs throughout the day and be just fine. In fact, you'll tend to lose more weight the lower your carb intake. It's quite difficult to do though. I'm not sure how my body will react, but I thought I might try allowing myself only 15 carbs one day. I'd like to know how I'll feel and if it's possible for me to be successful if I cut my carb intake in half. We talked at length about how ketosis works, and the benefits of it. I'm now starting to understand the science behind it. We talked about the importance of potassium and sodium as well as Vitamin D. I discovered that most people are able to stay on this full ketosis plan for 6-12 weeks and continue to average approximately 3-4 lbs loss every week. She did tell me that she had a patient that was able to stay on this plan for a full six months. I'm not sure I'd like to be on it that long, but it's nice to know that it is an option.

The end of week one has arrived and I feel brilliant. I was able to stay on plan for the entire week and lose an impressive amount of weight. I'm looking forward to next week but I know already that I have a challenge to overcome. Sunday is football and football means nachos. My husband has already made it well known that he plans on making them. I really love nachos. I hope to have a plan of action to deal with it within the next day or two. I'll keep you posted. Here's to another great week ahead!