| thewalrus
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Thanks, Griffin!
Update for Days 6 and 7...
I was super-good yesterday- perfect with food, took a long walk, and did yoga and weights. Today hasn't been so good. It's the kind of day where everything goes wrong- nothing drastic, just minor things that add up and throw my whole day out of whack. I haven't eaten anything illegal, but I definitely have eaten too much cheese and not enough veggies. I'll take some time tonight to prepare food so I can rededicate myself for the second half of Phase 1.
I may be offline for a few days until tech support fixes my laptop, but I'll be sticking to the program. |
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Fri May 09, 2008 9:50 pm |
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| thewalrus
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I'm on Day 10 now! Yay! Just four more days to go in Phase 1.
Yesterday I was just sick to death of the diet, and the vending machines were calling to me. It was hard to stick with the program. I only ate legal foods, but I definitely ate more than I should have. I was kind of bummed, but binges in the old days would have been twice the amount of what I ate, easily. So I'm just forgetting the slip up and moving on.
My problem was that I really wasn't getting enough variety. I think I'll have a lot more wiggle room for making varied "vegetarian" (quotes because I do eat tuna now, so I'm technically not veggie anymore) dishes in Phase 2, so I just need to get through this week.
Today was a great day- I got an apartment in the town where I'll be working for the summer. It's an old, historic town and I'll have so much fun wandering around and exploring. I'll be totally on my own and I'm only working 40 hours/week- so I'll have a ton of "me time" - long walks, cooking, painting, reading, or whatever I feel like doing. This will almost be a mini retreat from the craziness of my grad program- and I'm sure it will help with healthy changes. :) |
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Mon May 12, 2008 8:10 pm |
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| thewalrus
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Well, I finished P1 and my new weight is 172. I'll take it! I'm slightly bummed that I didn't lose more, but I didn't skimp on food at all and it was definitely the most enjoyable 2 weeks of dieting I've ever had. I also did somewhat minimal exercise- I'll have a lot more time to exercise this summer, so I can kick it up a notch.
I'm really happy with this way of eating, and don't crave carbs anymore. I went two whole weeks without buying any candy or baked goods, and it was easy. I could have lost 0 pounds and still been happy with the diet due to that change alone.
If I can keep losing at this rate (about 2 pounds per week) I'll be at goal by the end of summer (and will never have to starve myself to do it!).
Mini-Goals:
170 - by May 24
164 (BMI in "normal" range) - by June 14
155 - by July 26
150 - by August 18
I've been thinking a lot about how I can make SB a real way of life. I did have to skip out on some things during P1 (restaurants, etc), and I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want following SB to be a major inconvenience, because I'll be less likely to stick with it. I have several potential diet-breakers coming up: birthdays, family parties, and job training where all meals are provided. I've decided I will not stress about my diet at times like these. I'll always keep my string cheese, sugar snap peas, and nuts on hand, and I'll fill up on salad as much as possible - but I WILL eat what is being served. I'll eat the pasta, or a sandwich, or have a slice of cake (but just one!).
When I'm on my own, just living my daily life, I am going to be VERY good about watching my carbs and making sure most of what I eat is protein and veggies. I'm not the most social critter, so it's not like my diet will constantly be thrown off by parties or restaurants. I think this arrangement will be fine for me, and something I can stick to for the rest of my life. |
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Sat May 17, 2008 5:22 pm |
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| thewalrus
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Backing Up.
I didn't want to say "starting over" because that's not exactly it. Since I last posted, some of the SB principles have stuck. Bread, pasta, etc. are basically out of my diet, and I don't miss them. I'm eating a lot more protein and feeling a LOT more healthy. I've also been taking walks regularly.
However... I went back to my sugar binges. Old habits are hard to break. It's an emotional thing, and NOT a cravings thing- and it's not as bad as it used to be. However, the past month or so when I had a stressful day I'd trot over to the convenience store and pick up a piece of cake. Bad, bad, bad. I just got overconfident after Phase 1, and stopped posting or making my diet a priority. Even though I don't have crazy cravings anymore since adopting SB principles, I still have 10+ years of bad eating habits to turn around, and it doesn't happen overnight. So I need to get back to posting DAILY, and remind myself that fixing my eating habits is going to take WORK.
I haven't gained back the 5 pounds I lost, but I haven't lost any more either. Time to change that!
I'm sticking with Phase 1 until I lose these 22 pounds. I'm going to work on finding new outlets- crafty projects, letters to friends, posting online, whatever- just something to turn to instead of food. Then when I try to transition to a more lenient diet I won't go berserk.
Since my old mini-goals are obviously unattainable now, here are the new ones:
164 (BMI in "normal" range) - by August 1
155 - by August 20
150 - by September
It's painful to see that I would probably have been 10 pounds lighter right now had I been better about following SB. Oh well, lessons learned. I'm going to go back to posting daily and taking this one day at a time. |
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Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:59 pm |
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| elleelise
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Love your journal! Just read through the whole thing. :]
We sound a LOT a like. I was vegan for a while, and am planning to transition back during Phase II; SWEET BINGES ARE MY DEATH; I've re-started countless times.
I think a big thing is accountability. I'm going to start posting on here like a madwoman, until I'm into the "flow." I really wish they had SB diet meetings like WW, because it would be such a great way for people to come together and be held accountable each week.
Keep it up though, and in all honesty, don't set time-frames for yourself. Look at it in the bigger picture of months and years.
I HATE doing this, and I too set countless dates for weight-loss goals, but doing it is better than anything, and if you don't stress, and just DO, you will lose the weight. :) |
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Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:58 am |
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| thewalrus
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Elle- thanks for the advice. I guess part of me just sets timeframes to remind myself that results are possible in the not-so-distant future. It's hard to conceptualize when I've been overweight for so long. I think you're right, though- timeframes probably do more harm than good.
DAY 1 (the 2nd time) UPDATE:
I effing love SB. Once the carbs are out, dieting is so easy. I thought my first day back on Phase 1 would be killer, but that's not the case at all. I'm reminded why I had such a high when I was on Phase 1 the first time.
My new project is making myself over. I'm sick and tired of being frumpy. I've never had a cute, stylish wardrobe, never spent the time to style my hair or do makeup properly. I just lived in whatever my mother happened to give me or what I could pick up at a thrift store for $2 (and not the stylish sort of thrift store look). I think my looks just fed into my dumpy self-image, which fed into my convenience store cake trips, which fed into... my mouth. Enough! I think I was always waiting to do it when I lost weight, but I'm sick of waiting. |
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:23 am |
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| elleelise
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haha, you sound JUST like me. Today I thought, "I'm going to makeover everything about myself that I don't like-- first get rid of the acne on my chin, then teeth-whitening, then get my nails to grow out, buy new clothes when I lose weight, etc...
I've never been the "pretty girl" either, and while I hold my own and try to feign self-confidence as much as I can, I so desperately want to be the playboy bunny type. It's odd, because I have so much going for me-- and yet I just want to be a sex icon.
It's so retarded, I know and deep down, I realize the emptiness of that thinking. I think it's from sitting on my ass watching TV this summer (I usually NEVER watch TV and am thus, less exposed to all the sex symbols and mantras being spoon-fed to me).
And RE: not being able to visualize being thinner, I'm TOTALLY with you! I weighed 140lbs in 4th grade, and in 9th grade was up to 240. I got down to being 195 throughout high school, but the lowest weight I've ever been was 179 for one day, haha. :lol: Then I gained weight and have been 205-210lbs for about two years.
So, I'm with you. Though, lately I've been seeing myself leaner in my mind and it's the first time where I sort of feel like, "okay... it's time to be a 170lb Danielle." It's difficult to describe. |
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Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:55 am |
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| thewalrus
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DAY TWO UPDATE:
I have one heck of a headache right now (not SB related), so this is just my mandatory "yep, still going" daily post. I'll get back to my compulsive posting habits later. :) |
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Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:08 am |
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| thewalrus
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Danielle- yeah, I know what you mean. I feel so shallow sometimes, focusing on weight and looks so much lately. It kinda goes deeper though- at this point my weight is a personal battle. I honestly feel like if I could conquer my weight demons I could do anything.
I definitely wanted to be "hot" when I was in college... now I just want to look put-together and professional, which fortunately is more lenient standard. :)
Days 3/4 Update:
Day 3 was fine. I haven't been exercising this week at all, however. I've just been too busy/sick. Things aren't really going to calm down until Monday, too. Oy.
Day 4 so far: I broke Phase 1 a bit this morning- ate some oatmeal (non-instant). I've been staying with my boyfriend so I can work at the branch office in his town. The place is nearly vegetable-free. I picked up a few things but didn't know I'd be here all week, so there's almost no SB-safe foods here at this point. Anyway, I'm getting right back to P1 for the rest of the day. |
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Thu Jul 10, 2008 12:39 pm |
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