17-day diet: today is #17 and I've done pretty damn good :)

Today is #17. I've made it. I've eaten fruits and vegetables and yogurt. I've drank green tea and survived. 

3 weeks ago I would have told you you're crazy if you said I'd be eating healthier today. 

I have tried every diet out there from Weight Watchers to Jenny Craig to Atkins to South Beach and every little one in between. I've cut calories. I've walked thousands of steps a day. Have I done it all at the same time - well duh...no. That would have been somewhat intelligent - and there is no intelligence when it comes to a fat person trying to lose weight. 

Even when I thought my heart was in it - my stomach wasn't. 

And today - while my muscles still aren't in the game - things have changed. 

I feel lighter. I feel as if my stomach is flatter. OMG - I feel thinner. 

In 17 days. 

Tomorrow, I'll be back home with my scale and my measuring tape to mark my true change. I know there is a loss of weight - a bout 8.5 pounds. There has to be a loss of inches. Even if it's only a 1/2 inch here or there...there's a difference. 

Tomorrow I start cycle 2. I get to start reintroducing carbs into my diet plan. Potatoes? yum. But this morning it was if I didn't really care. How strange. I was almost sad to think a carb was coming back. That's not necessarily good thinking. I have to recognize that reality says carbs exist and will, therefore, appear on my plate periodically. 

It's okay to eat them in moderation. It's okay to eat them if they are healthy. It's not okay to make an entire meal of them. It's not okay to neglect probiotics and veggies and fruit. 

The 17DD is a plan that teaches us how to eat again. The right way. The healthy way. It's carried me well in the past 17 days. I expect it will do the same for the next 17. 

I'm encouraged by the others in the 17DD group on SP. They are women - just like me - who are at various stages in the plan. All of them lose weight. All of them. All of them have issues, concerns, stress, humor and milestones. All of them are still living their lives and sticking to the plan. 

There's no counting, no weighing...just mindful eating. It's so simple. And it works. 

I need to count today as a success - because today I weigh at least 8 pounds less than I did 17 days ago. Tomorrow starts another cycle of 17 days and at the end of it - June 16 - I will weigh less than I do today. Even if it's only 3 or 4 pounds...it's less than before and less is always good. 

I've off to eat an orange...maybe grab a little protein and yogurt to start my day. Then ... 

WATCH OUT WORLD! HERE I COME!  

Day 2 of Starting all over (again) - 17 day diet C1D1 update

Stress.

It has destroyed more than one good intention in my life.

This time, I was so frustrated, I allowed myself to stop looking at weight loss as a positive thing and gave into the demons that keep me fat.  As if being fat was a gift of rebellion - a gift of pride.

Screw that.

I'm back.

Again.

And this time the frustration has led to anger then to determination.  This is where I should be.  Always.  Determined to win.  And winning is losing and getting "me" back.

Yesterday I started the "17-day Diet" after much, much, research.  I don't expect miracles, but it all makes sense that you are eating healthier and therefore will lose weight.  I didn't get hungry yesterday, though I did have cravings.

Yesterday was also a high stress day out of the blue.  And by high stress, I mean the type that sucker punches you in the gut when you least expect it.  The kind that comes out of thin air with a surprise you never saw coming.  The left field kind of shock.  Yet, when it was all said and done - it only made me wiser and realize that I really am on the right path - for me.  The hurt and shock I experienced yesterday is done.  It can't happen again, because now I've experienced it - learned from it - and am now in the moving on stage.  All in a matter of hours.

That never happens.

And through it all, I grabbed a glass of water, or a cup of green tea instead of a beer or a glass of wine.  I ate a slab of chicken instead of a hunk of bread.  I snacked on veggies instead of potato chips.  And I went to bed satisfied.

C1D1 of 17-day diet.  I weighed myself this past friday - started the diet yesterday - weighed in this morning.  Down 4.2 pounds.  Is this realistic?  Obviously it's a lot of water...no possible way to lose 4 pounds of fat in one day...but I like the number.  The scale is moving in the right direction and I have 16 more days to go on cycle one.  I'll be thrilled to move it down another 3.8 pounds.  But I promise not to complain if it goes lower.

If it goes higher then all bets are off. :)

I'll try to keep everyone posted by blogging my daily adventure.  I can't promise excitement and daily gems of wisdom, but I can give up a realistic account of an overweight, post-menopausal woman who needs to realistically lose about 80 pounds.

Join me on this adventure?