Phase 3 – Day 20

Weight: 174

Well, I'm not sure if I am unhappy about being up a pound from yesterday or if I'm happy about simply weighing the same as I did a week ago.  I think I'll choose happy!

I only have one more day left on Phase 3, so Monday is the beginning of Phase 4…eating well, to fuel the rest of my life.

This past week has been a more interesting one, weight-wise, for me than the past two weeks because I have fluctuated the most this past week.  I suspect this is true because of cheating with carbs and sugars, like having the chocolate zucchini bread, when I have cheated.  This is also a week earlier than I should have eaten any of that, no matter how small the amount.  Since I can't take that back, the only thing to do is to move forward.

I really do like following a low-carb diet and will probably continue this way.  I think that if I start eating more bread and other sugars, especially still needing to get rid of another 15 pounds, I'll set myself back and possibly bring back the Candida.  It will be nice though, not having to worry so much about it if I do decide to have some carbs.

Phase 3 – Day 19

Weight: 173

Well, this is crazy, but, as my husband says, “I'm not going to complain about it, I'll take it!”

The 2 pound loss in one day indicates that it really was water weight, and, as I wrote yesterday, I woke up full.  I also was able to drink three bottles of water and I think that also made a difference.

Sunday is technically my last day of Phase 3, but I have to say that I have not been as strict as I thought I would be when I first read about this part of the protocol.  I was just so tired of being restricted, and I like eating low-carb anyway.  Or, maybe that’s because I know I’m going to do another round, so even if I gain 5 pounds, I will lose it again, which is not the best approach to take.

Phase 3 is for forming habits, as well as resetting my metabolism.  As I continue to read online postings about this phase and other people's experience with it, I keep seeing that this is a time to figure things out and see what works to maintain your weight, but I think that is more for real life eating, which is Phase 4.

I've been thinking about my upcoming vacation which starts in a couple of weeks and how I'm going to make good food choices.  I am very excited and interested in seeing how my weight fluctuates, or not.  Even so, in about a month I will start Round 2 in order to get rid of the last 15 to 20 pounds.

In a strange way I'm looking forward to starting the diet again because of the structured menu.  In some ways it's very easy to be on a diet because you have rules laid out for you, but when you don't have a list to follow, it's easy to lose your way and make exceptions and allowances.  Pretty soon, weight comes back.  I think this is a big key to a lot of people’s yo-yo dieting.

I keep thinking of my friend who is in excellent condition and works out for her health, as well as her profession,  and has never had a weight problem.  She is also a foodie.  I used to work out as much as she did, but I didn't look like her.  Genetics and good metabolism were not her only allies, I'm pretty sure that we were not making the same food choices, and that makes all the difference in the world.  Her approach and attitude are a great example for me to follow.

Phase 3 – Day 18

Weight: 175

I had fried shrimp for dinner last night, and I’m still full this morning, so I know at least one source of this .5 pound gain.  We use soy flour as the coating, a by-product of our former Atkins days.  I haven’t checked for any nutritional information lately on soy flour but I suspect it is lower carb than normal wheat flour just based on that.

I also found out that my husband substituted our normal mayonnaise with a different brand because we had run out, and it has high fructose corn syrup in it, and I didn’t know I had been eating that.

The big lesson here is to double check your labels, even if you haven't changed brands.  Sometimes, they change the way they make their product and don't necessarily announce it either.

Phase 3 – Day 18

Weight: 174.5

Well, I’m still within my 2 pound range, but my stomach feels bloated this morning.  I will probably jump on the exercise machine quite soon to get things moving and feel better.

I had a networking meeting last night and did pretty well with eating the protein options, however, I did eat watermelon which is probably a high sugar fruit.  I also had a small piece of homemade chocolate zucchini bread, which is definitely not on the list!  It was moist but not too sweet and I am going to be looking for a low-carb version to attack the zucchini that is coming out in the garden.

One thing I'm noticing is that my desire for food in the afternoon has waned considerably when I have a high-protein lunch.  Other than the zucchini bread last night, I have not wanted any of the offerings that have been brought into the office; they simply don't interest me.

Phase 3 – Day 17

Weight: 174

Well, I didn't expect a 2 pound jump in one day; at least it's still within the 2 pound range.

Even though I had my coconut milk breakfast shake this morning, I still was a bit hungrier than I have been.  I've been focusing on having two hard-boiled eggs in the morning for a snack and that really helps keep my hunger under control and not continually graze during the morning.  I think I'll try some tofu in my shake and see if that helps tomorrow.

I'm liking having a high-protein lunch because I’m not focusing on when I'm going to the next.

Phase 3 – Day 16

Weight: 172

I was actually a bit relieved when I saw that I had regained some weight; losing 3.5 pounds from food poisoning isn’t the way to lose it, and I am also concerned that I not mess up my metabolism with this sort of fluctuation.  My goal now is to stay at 172, instead of at 175.

Today I did pretty well on my low-carb choices and didn’t feel really hungry, especially in the afternoon, which is nice.  In the past, I have always looked for an afternoon snack.  This not being hungry is sort of like turning off a television that has been blaring too loudly, for too long, in the room you are trying to have a conversation in, and you realize when it’s turned off how annoying it really had been.

Phase 3 – Day 15

Weight: 170.5

Food poisoning is not how you want to get rid of 3.5 pounds.

We went to the Soul Food Extravaganza yesterday in Boise and had a monstrous grilled turkey leg.  The side dishes were macaroni and cheese and sweet potatoes which were mashed up sort of like pie without the crust.

We had discussed getting other side dishes at a different booth because one place had collard greens and coleslaw which were my choices.  I went to set up the chairs and pick our spots in the shade and my husband got the food.  He added the side dishes because they were $2 and most of the items we had seen listed on the menus on various booths were $3-$5.  I was very hungry, so I decided to eat  what I wanted of them and leave the rest.  I mean, really, this turkey leg probably weighed 5 pounds by itself!

After the festival we visited some friends who gave us some plums from their backyard plum tree.  They had already picked some plums and I grabbed one of those from a basket, not realizing that they were had not been washed.  It wasn't too long after that that we left their house.

By the time we got home my stomach was not feeling very good but I chalked it up to TOM and laid down.  About 10 minutes later I began my "cleansing"  journey, which lasted the rest of the night.

So, the question is where did I pick up the bug?  Was it from the plum or was it from contaminated food at the festival?  Too hard to say, but I'm going to be very careful with what I ate today.