Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wowza

Today I weigh exactly what I did pre-Tulum trip last year. This means that I have reached my goal for pre-Virgin Islands trip...in less than 4 weeks! I am over 15 lbs. down. If I can maintain this (and even, gasp!, maybe go lower) I will be one happy girl. :-)

The weight fluctuations on this program are, as Vickie mentioned in one of her last comments, weird. Almost 3 pounds between yesterday and today, for example. I am happy that I am keeping track of weight every day even though it goes up some days (yesterday). The one trend I see is that I definitely LOSE the day after a "carb-up" night (last night). The theory in the book is that you are letting your body know that there will be carbs and, therefore, it can let go of fat. Who knows, but it seems to work.

I have had a few drinks this week (yesterday was allowed, Tuesday night not...and I gained after Tuesday, but not after last night...hmmm). That is the only cheat I have done. And I've stayed very low on carbs otherwise to try to make up for this social drinking while my friend is here.

We are all headed to Santa Barbara (Nearby Town) tomorrow for a couple of days for a DB family reunion -- one of his nephews is back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan so this seems a good time to celebrate that he is home safe. We will be staying in a hotel again due to the 40 people/3 bathrooms problem when the whole family shows up. ;-) I don't mind this because the hotel has a nice pool and jacuzzi and it very close to the house.

I've been enjoying California non-gym exercise this week. Sunday I boogie-boarded with my friend for probably 2 hours. Tuesday, he and I spent over an hour at sunset boogie-boarding in the ocean in our wetsuits. It is wonderful to be able to do this and it is really great exercise. Invigorating! Tonight we will bike a few miles down the beach for a free concert/picnic. Over the weekend, DB and I are planning a hike in the canyons around the family house (which, you may remember, were all burned out in the recent fires). Planning ahead for exercise and food is important.

For those of you who are tempted to try the "Macro" plan that Vickie, DB and I are on, please be aware that results may vary. Among other things, our start weights are all very different and I'm sure that matters. And we each do the Macro our own way...that's really the beauty of it. Having said that, I really really am happy with it so far...I am not craving the bad carbs...feel hungry rarely...am enjoying the results.

Hope you all have a very happy 4th!

16 comments:

Vickie said...

my biggest caution would be really understanding what your mind and body are going to do. I did week one when I did not have my hardest exercise class (on hiatus for the rest of the summer) - I could not have done that class with no carbs - would have passed out.

any my husband could not do it any time - his body is not built to handle that low of blood sugar (don't know if that is accurate, but that is how I think of it).

I also am finding it to be renewal and recommitment. I think that it is reinforcing in my mind - why I eat the way that I do - portions, meal time, food groups, formula. It is sort of like a food retreat in my mind.

Helen said...

I agree. This plan is working for me because of how I am...I don't like fruit or sweets very much so I'm not feeling deprived really at all. And I'm not being too challenged with too much social non-controlled food in my face. I am feeling CLEAN.

I also don't think someone who is vegetarian could do this for any long-term...the choices would just be too limited.

Vickie said...

I AM noticing differences in my body - and this is so interesting - truly like a real life science experiment.

I never did get the thirsties and the hots seem to be gone - I have been asking for the fan to be turned on immediately (when we start lunges or something else that I know is going to build heat quickly).

I think it is coming off/out of the ucky places - so that really gives me hope that I am right - that if I get down to the lower end of normal - that the (few remaining) ucky places will be gone.

Vickie said...

And I have to say it is very fun to be doing this at the same time with you - fun to chit chat And your getting a head start really helps me!
thanks!

Helen said...

It IS fun to do together! :-) Yay for us!

And I think the fat is coming off the ucky areas too. I think there really is something to the chemistry of all this. At the moment it feels like of like and "aha! finally something that really works and I just MIGHT be able to use to maintain". I haven't had that kind of a program since before I quit smoking...

Vickie said...

I think that for many people it is being in the right mind set - and then being open to reality. But for both of us - I think it has a LOT to do with the chemistry of this particular plan.

I am SO looking forward to my oatmeal on Saturday morning. Missing it more than my fruit (which I think is still several more weeks away).

one good thing is that I won't be thinking about dessert type things or bread type things (and wanting them) - all I am thinking about is oatmeal and fruit!

Helen said...

Well, you can have oatmeal pretty much every morning from now on! DB loves oatmeal, me not so much. I have Ezekiel bread in the morning instead....with a little light butter. Yummy. :-)

DB started fruit as early as the first week, I think. He added some blueberries to cottage cheese (we eat cottage cheese sparingly as she suggests, but a few times a week, and I use it for a snack with lettuce when it's a long day and I need a 6th meal before bed). The full fat cottage cheese feels so decadent. ;-)

Also decadent is the half & half I put in my coffee on weekend mornings...either 0 or less than 1g of carb for each 2T. Love that! ;-)

Helen said...

Oops, I meant second week for fruit!

I think he saw it on her meal plans. Her meal plans, by the way, totally contradict the text. On carb-up days, for example, it says to eat starch the last two meals, but on one of the "D" meal plans it has a bagel for breakfast! This drives me crazy, but for now I have decided on my D days to not eat the starches until night like the text says. DB eats 'em all day...but he's a guy. ;-)

Vickie said...

On the schedule fruit is printed as week 3.

and I am a little nervous about adding it back in week 2 as it is a carb and that would actually be adding back too many carbs - or did he count it as one of his carbs?

I will just be glad to have my oatmeal back.

I have stopped looking at the menu suggestions and am just looking at the little charts with all the initials - to stay simple.

Vickie said...

And I totally agree with the taste of the full fat cottage cheese - it is amazing how much it tastes like a dessert! I have been having that as meal #2 right when I walk in the door from exercise - one day I took it to exercise and ate it between two cardio classes - whether it was physical or psychological - felt like it gave me more energy.

I think it is back to lowfat now (week 2 and beyond) - the full fat was just for the first week when there were no carbs.

Vickie said...

and think how good this plan/book would be with really good editing. I wonder if there are corrections out there for the edition in print - ?

I am off to bed now.

Vickie said...

6/27/09
(start weight, week One) 153 lbs

7/4/09
(first day of Week Two) 148.5 lbs

Vickie said...

both middle of the day after a couple meals and a lot of water weigh ins - so they are apples to apples.

Vickie said...

and DB was right - there IS fruit in week 2 - when I looked further I saw it.

Just sent you an email with what I figured out for week two - there is just one question mark.

and I am interested to know if this is what you two mostly did.

Cindy said...

I think it is great that you have reached a goal. It is so motivating!! I bet you feel fabulous. I hope you are having a fun holiday!

Vickie said...

good weekend?