The Big 15

Yep – you guessed it! I’ve officially lost OVER 15 pounds. IN THREE WEEKS.

Before you go all “two pounds a week is the maximum amount to lose safely” on me, I can assure you, this is safe.

Since excercise wasn’t involved (um, what IS that anyway), this is all food related. Since I became jobless over nine months ago, I never realized how much I grazed. I knew I had a problem when I was buying a tub of frosting a week. No cake mix, just frosting. That was all I needed. Oh, and a spoon too. Add to that, eating out in drive throughs and pasta places and you’ve got a fat ass that’s growing.

I’ve written a bit about this diet when I first started. Unlike Weight Watchers (which I’ve done multiple times), I’m not COMPLETELY food obsessed. Just kind of. Because this program is all fresh and organic, and eliminated dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and anything “GMO”, it’s been a challenge to find all the necessary ingredients. It’s enlightening to realize how much of our food is genetically altered and how random things can contain other random ingredients. Yellow mustard often contains gluten, as does some vinegars (red wine/balsamic).

So anyway, hubby has lost five pounds. He has not been strict on this diet (he eats whatever he wants for lunch and if we are out). And I can’t believe it, but I lost 15 FREAKING POUNDS. My energy is up, my skin looks good (thanks to this and Proactiv), my nails are growing like mad, and I’m not bloated or gassy. (You’d think gas would be an issue with all the beans and veggies, but it’s not!) We eat smoothies for breakfast (sometimes lunch too) and “square” meals for lunch & dinner. We have a “lean, clean protein”, a starch like brown rice, quinoa, lentils, etc. and tons of veggies. Thank GOD wine is allowed! The “rule” is 4 oz. per day. I call bullshit and drink what I want. It’s my only treat.

I think the lesson is moderation. That and to not use meat and starch as the main ingredient in meals. Oh, and the limits on wine – probably mostly to do with the carefree nature that comes along with drinking. I can’t believe my willpower – I haven’t cheated even ONCE. And I’ve had some of my favorite things (home-made from scratch chocolate cake, breakfast – french toast, pancakes, eggs, etc., peaches with brown sugar just asking to turn into cobbler, ice cream, freshly baked bread, and more) all tempting me – mostly from within my own kitchen.

The point of this whole excercise is not to lose weight, but that is a happy side effect. The point is to detox from the forbidden items, and then gauge reactions when they are added back in (one at a time, over the course of a week each). I’ve had some sinus/congestion issues that have been bad, along with a lack of energy and poor mood. It will be interesting to see if any of these are to blame!

We’ve eaten out a few times – especially since my kitchen was out of commission much of the holiday weekend. From Del Taco, I got three burger patties (they aren’t that big) and threw veggies on them. From Subway I got a salad. From CoCo’s I got a steak and a ton of veggies. I was the dork that brought her own dressing in her purse. I learned the importance when I was stuck in L.A. and had to use only lemons to “dress” my salad. Everything else was contraband.  While the burger patties were probably not a good choice (fried I’m sure, and too much meat) I did the best I could with the options at hand. And that’s all I can ask of myself, right?