What it's not about

Day 6 of Phase 1 has been survived. Still not sure if I will prolong Phase 1 beyond 2 weeks. I have definitely been thinking about it. I won't make a firm decision until Day 14, but I think discovering a few more recipes has helped a lot. You can't eat the same thing every day for breakfast or dinner and not get burned out. I really haven't missed pigging out on fruit as much as I thought I would. Nor have I missed sweets and pastries like I thought I would. You can have desserts but they aren't sugar or white flour based. What has tempted me most is breakfast. I still sometimes look longingly at the instant oatmeal and the cereal collection. To solve that problem, I am not eating eggs and turkey bacon everyday. I have found recipes for smoothies and shakes that have helped bust the boredom.

I got a dressing down from a friend on Friday who was like, "I can't believe you're doing this. You are already tiny. What is wrong with you?" And I said, "It's not about being on a 'diet.' It's about breaking my junk food and crap carbs habit. It's been a goal to get more real food and get away from prepackaged, processed, convenience crap. This is a means to do that in a structured, easy way." I have never wanted to be skinny-fat. I see people like that struggling to lift something that only weighs 5 pounds or huffing after climbing stairs. I don't want that to be me. Skinny and looking good in clothes does not = healthy. I've seen some hefty women in the gym who could outdo the skinny minis. After you read books like Food Rules and In Defense of Food, you want to clean up your diet and get rid of as much processed junk as you can. But that is easier said than done, I think, when it is tough to tell. Some of the things that seem healthy and are marketed as health foods or whole foods are really junk in fancy wrapping. When you are eating more fresh vegetables and quality meats, it makes a difference. In this short time, I have felt so good. My body feels like it is firing on all cylinders and my exercise abilities are better. I did a tabata workout today and felt like I had more energy and more to contribute to it. When I get hungry, I am hungry but not in an oppressive, urgent, "feed the beast" kind of way. I feel like I am off that hamster wheel of "OMG, my blood sugar is in the toilet and if I don't eat a big meal in the next 5 minutes, I am going to lose my mind." Something else I have noticed is that I feel full in a way that seems more normal and natural to me. I don't feel like I need to undo my pants due to fullness or immediately go to bed to sleep off the overindulgence. Doing that on Thanksgiving Day is OK. Doing that frequently is a bad idea!!

I'm down 3.5 lbs and my clothes are already looser. Some of my muscles are already more visible and certain wobbly places are getting firmer. (As a matter of vanity, if you're gonna build up the muscles, you want them to show. Just sayin'.) I've noticed that I am drinking a boatload of water each day, which is good. I think the combo of consuming more protein and my body flushing out some garbage has caused the need for water. That is one piece of advice I would give to anyone considering Phase 1: carry water with you and be sure you have bathroom access. You may feel like you have performed a kidney flush.