Friday, June 19, 2009

Hare then turtle

To say the weight loss has slowed this week is an understatement. I have gone from hare to turtle in speed. I am down a pound from last Friday, but up a pound from Monday this week (when I was at my lowest...9.5 pounds down from the beginning). I am trying to focus on the "pound down from last week" and over 8 pounds down since June 8. That, under any circumstances really, is a great loss. And I'm trying to remember that this week, adding back in a FEW higher carb foods, is just consolidating that huge loss from last week and making it real and maintainable when higher carb foods are in my diet.

I have followed this plan perfectly (and I mean PERFECTLY...NO cheats) for almost 2 weeks. I am loving it a lot less when the scale is bouncing up a few 10ths and down a few than when it was in free-fall. But I do think (intellectually) that this lower-carb diet is a better one for long-term than what I had been eating -- like Bea said in her comment on yesterday's post, it is becoming clear to me that eating "bad" carbs just makes me crave more "bad" carbs. It's a lot harder to maintain this program though when not getting lots of positive scale feedback.

I am thinking (looking for the bright side) that I am losing inches maybe this week and not so much lbs. My belly feels and looks a lot flatter and my "skinnier" pants that I put on this morning went on without any gut suckage required.

DB said that he maintained for the beginning of his second week and then started to go down again but, unlike me, he does not weigh at the same time and in the same conditions every day. I think he's looking great. He stills says he's fat. And, of course, what he thinks is what counts. I have friends who I would call very skinny who think they are fat. It's what's in the head of the person whose body it is that matters, not what other people see. Except, of course, when other people see "fat". :-( But that's a whole other blog subject for another day...

Tonight we hope to go see a movie, then tomorrow a bike ride before a BBQ up in the hills (yes, I have bought stuff for us to take for ourselves so we can stay on plan!). Sunday, Father's Day, DB's girls usually spend with the fathers of their kids. It's possible that we'll see them, but looking unlikely since we saw them last weekend and will see them again next weekend. So I will do something special for DB on that day to celebrate his fatherness. And I will also garden for exercise. :-)

5 comments:

Vickie said...

NOT suggesting you do this - just thinking outloud.

I am wondering if there are people that do the 'first week' every so many weeks and if they loose weight when they do so. Like a first week - every 6 weeks.

I know people that do this to go back to the bottom of their maintenance range (like if they have a 5 pound UP leeway - when they hit the high mark - they have a low food week until they slide back down to the bottom of their range).

So, I guess I am wondering how many weeks must go by for this 'week one' to be new again.

I guess this is a body chemistry question.

Helen said...

Believe me, I have thought of that. In the book, she suggests you don't do the "carb deplete" (first week) again. But the first cycle of this program is 8 weeks so maybe at that point the body chemistry would allow that to work again. I will see. With the exception of the time Gordon is here (June 26-July 6) when I know I won't be perfect (and I plan to really deplete SOMEthing to make up for that), I plan to stay on this plan until vacation (July 18). After that week, I will come back all fat and post-vacation happy and will do carb deplete again and stay on the program until Burning Man (end of August). By then I should definitely be somewhere near where "done" is...although I have no firm plan where that might be...maybe I need to...

Laura and Cindy have done this program so maybe they can chime in with their experience...

Cindy said...

Hey, if you can just maintain that ginormous loss you are doing great. I think sometimes when a big hunk comes off we get let down when things stabilize but it is real important that you are staying close to that. Hat's off with you for doing so well.. Amazing and Fantastic!!! I can't recall how many weeks I actually stayed on it, maybe just two at a time. I did not do so well on it, the depletion seemed to bring on some depressive mood swings that my daughter did not appreicate...

Cindy said...

I like the idea of a carb deplete week every so often like a detox of sorts.

Hanlie said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! My weight loss always grinds to a halt the minute I add exercise to the equation... It is so frustrating when you're eating well and working hard and the scale is not moving. But this time I'm not letting it derail me... My body will catch up, and so will yours! Good luck!