Week 7: Just say no!

Things I have learned on my first week of freedom:

1.  I am growing weary of protein...protein..protein.  Towards the end of the week, I shifted my thinking to making sure I keep my carbs low and getting the protein in came pretty naturally.  I still drink Syntrax Nectar every morning to get 22 grams of good protein in as a little insurance for the rest of the day.  This protein powder is amazing..it tastes like juice,mixes with water, and since I dont like to eat until later in the morning, this is perfect.  I love these flavors right now:

 Grapefruit is my very favorite.  I love bitter since having surgery and this tastes like a fresh piece of fruit!

I dig the cherry also.  It reminds me of Crystal Light.  Mix with water and lots of ice.  How easy is that! (In my best Barefoot Contessa voice)




2.  Most of the things I ate this week did not stay in very well..meaning instant bathroom trips.  I didn't do too much this week for this very reason.   I have learned that things that are a little higher in fat are what bother me the most.  I don't eat low fat, but try to use less butter to cook my eggs and ground beef with a little less fat.  I tolerate things well as of the last couple of days so some small amount of fine-tuning is all that I needed!

3.  I LOVE the taste of vegetables.  Once I get the meat in, there is only room for a few pieces of veggies, but they  taste amazing.  They taste sweet due to the natural sugars.  Even lettuce tastes sweet, and the tomatoes from the garden are heavenly.  Once you get the junk out of your life,your taste buds come alive!  I have not had any sort of veggie in the last 8 weeks and I never thought I would miss them so much.  It is amazing to have my crunchy friends back in my life!

My amazing little lunch!  Tomatoes from the garden,fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of italian dressing.

4.  I still battle food demons every.single.day.  Multiple times a day.  Every thing I put in my mouth is a decision I have to make for the good.  My kids know that I can eat now and they think I might like to sample everything they are having.  Just say no takes on a whole new meaning!   I can't have certain things in the house at all-especially now that I am able to eat whatever I want.  A few times this week I had to talk myself out of ice cream.  Cold,creamy ice cream.  I wanted some sooo bad.  I could probably eat twice as much of that than I could of a solid, which means double the calories, and not much nutrition to boot.  Ice cream is what many surgical patients call a "slider" food.  Same goes for chips,popcorn and things of that nature.  They break down so finely and it is easy to mindlessly munch.

5.  I really CAN eat out and still get what I need!   I am not one to make a fuss in a restaurant--I dont like to be a pain.  When I went to Applebees on Tuesday with my cousin, I had no clue what to order or what I could even tolerate.  I got a fiesta lime chicken meal and managed to eat 1/3 of the chicken breast with cheese on top.  It was awesome, but I felt guilty for wasting it.  I could have made  3  MEALS out of that one meal.  I stayed longer than planned and was not going to take a chance with leftovers, so they went in the trash.  But I did ask for a to- go container right away and it felt good to be a tiny bit assertive.  Next time I will do soup and be a cheap date!

I am pretty happy with the way things went this week,despite the temptations and time spent in the bathroom.  I lost 1.8 pounds but also lost inches.  Maybe this week will be my pounds lost week.  I tend to alternate.  I am not discouraged about the scale like I normally would be.  I know it will happen!

Looking forward, I am really going to make it my goal to get to the gym.  The first step is always the hardest!  I am looking forward to being stronger!

I have 7 weeks of this journey under my belt, wearing an old favorite shirt and feeling fantastic!