Um...WOW.

I've been trying to find something that is a bit of a treat. I actually think I found it yesterday...

1 C skim milk
1 scoop Chocolate protein powder
1 small handful ice
1 tsp creamy peanut butter

Blend.

I had a TON of calories left over yesterday, so I made a double batch. It was INCREDIBLE.

I'll be looking for more recipes in the coming days. Anyone have any good ones?

There is always a choice.

I have a party for work tonight. Dinner was a barbecue. I was rather worried about finding something I can eat. Next month I'd eat the burger. But today, so soon after restricting? Not yet. 

So here is what I found:

That works for me. 

Struggling. But not how you'd think.

OK - full disclosure - I am struggling not to eat any carbs. But I'm winning that struggle. That one I can live with.

The struggle that is causing problems right now is internal.

I've lost a lot of weight, and been down to goal. Twice now.

There was a day, after losing all of the weight the first time, that a friend came up to me and asked how I did it. (He's a Physical Therapist, and very much into health). When I told him it was a combination of eating less and moving more, he told me that he wished everyone would do that, instead of <insert anything here>. Then he told me about his wife's comment - that she had noticed how much weight I had lost. It made me feel good.

During the second weight loss, after about 40 pounds, another friend came up to me and asked if I had lost weight. It was rather gratifying. I told him that yes, and that I had joined a weight loss competition. It was another good moment, made me realized that I was getting results.

It's remembering times like those that make me not want to be around those people anymore. Whether or not it's true, I feel as if they are judging me. They noticed the weight loss, what makes me think that they won't notice the weight gain? It's not like it was a subtle gain.

I have to keep reminding myself that I am where I am - and I can do absolutely nothing more than to make today a good day. All I can do is right now. I can choose what I eat. I can choose to move. I can make the correct choices. Eventually all of the other stuff (the actual numbers) will sort itself out.

Still...there's always the voice in the back of my mind...

Shut up voice. I'm busy living right now.

Slogging through the first week.

Good news is that I new it would be hard. More good news is that I've done it before, I'll do it again.

Bad news is that anyone reading this gets to hear me whining...this is still hard stuff.

But so far so good. Nothing passing my lips that shouldn't.

MyFitnessPal is telling me good news - if I stuck with this, in 5 weeks I'd be down about 11-12 pounds. To be honest, I hope to lose more than that. But I'd take it for sure.

Be back later today...

Getting rid of addiction SUCKS.

Yesterday I had headaches and dizziness. Refined carb detox really does suck. But it is really making me realize how severely I have become dependent on sugar (and everything that instantly metabolizes to sugar).

I have also been chuckling at how many crap carbs come up all the time. From the first day...

Day 1 - Cake
Day 3 - Cake
Day 4 - Bagels

I've passed on all of it. I'm taking this detox seriously.

And the results are already on their way. Since Saturday I'm down about 6 pounds. Of course, a lot of that is certainly going to be water weight, but I know that some of it isn't.

The hardest thing is, really, finding stuff to eat. So much of what most people consume has bread in it. Or rice. Or potatoes.

Lean protein and fruits and vegetables. That's my mantra for the next while.

Time to get back to work...

Slow start, but WORKING.

My last post was about joining a 6-month DietBet. The first 5 days were trying one thing after another to get food under control. It didn't work too well.

It took until day 6 - FINALLY. I have decided to go drastic for the next month or so. I have cut out ALL refined carbohydrates. Bread, rice, sugar, flour, all of it gone for the next while. So far, it has been great.

I'm on day 3 of this. I did it in the past - back when I joined the weight-loss competition, this is something that my trainer had me do for a month. It is hard. I know for a fact that I have addiction issues with food, specifically sugar. Well, the withdrawals have kicked in - I have had some serious headaches since Saturday.

But I have so far been able to stick with it. If I am not eating too many simple carbs, I'm not craving as much.

AS MUCH, that is. I'm still hungry. But it is easier.

Once the next few weeks pass, it is going to get significantly easier. At least, that is what happened last time.

So things are good. I went the wrong way for the first 5 days, and I'm going the right way now.

Day 3 is fine. It's going to take 6 months to see how it truly works.

DietBet anyone?

It's funny - I know what to do, I know how to do it, but without correct motivation, I don't. I have to find a way to be motivated for the long term. But at the moment, I need a kick in the rear. 

So I've joined a DietBet. I've done some in the past, and it has worked. I've done the 4 week ones where you have to lose 4%. But this time I joined the one that lasts 6 months. I have to lose a total of 10% over 5 months and then maintain for the 6th. 

The deal is that as little me as I follow my other plan, this is guaranteed to work. 

Weigh-in was this morning. I was distressed. But I am moving forward. 

More to come...