Author Archives: Shelli

Coasting at Day 7

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It’s been a few days since I last checked in, and I got through the weekend fairly well.

I decided to modify my cleanse on Saturday and Sunday to include one sensible meal (dinner).  This was for two reasons, primarily because I was out on Saturday (not home to make the power shake) and Sunday I was feeling a little nauseated and run down.  I wanted lean meat and a vegetable so that was my dinner on both evenings in place of the shake (no carbs, no dairy, no sugar).  The rest of the days I stuck with the plan, and amazingly I felt much better with the additional food beyond the flex options.

So, the one thing that surprises me about this plan is I really feel less hungry as the days go on.  I also noticed that my intense need for bread(carbs) and sugar has decreased A LOT.   I’m not sure if it’s a mind over matter thing, or my body is now breaking the cycle of addiction?  This is the first time in my life I have been successfully able to cut carbs out totally.  I really never could do it because the craving was so overwhelming before.  What will happen when I slowly introduce carbs again (albeit in careful moderation)?  I am going to try to be very mindful of this.

So, it’s Day 7 and I am three days to the end of my 10-Day Transformation.  I am thinking about what I will do going forward but have not made any decisions yet.  Since I skipped some shakes in the last week, I will have extra…  so I think I will finish it out in the same fashion as I did this past weekend.  Shakes for breakfast/lunch, and a sensible dinner.  Speaking of the power shakes…  I’m really starting to not like the taste.  I KNOW, it’s an awful thing to say.  When I started this plan, I was mixing them with almond milk and fruit to “hide” the taste but now I have gone the way of preparing with water and guzzling them.  They are not awful, but it’s just getting easier to think of them as “nutrition” ….just down them and move on.

The one major thing I have also learned?  I could never be 100% vegan.  Sorry folks, my preference is protein from lean meat.  While I will never be a poster child for this program, it so far has been a great experience.

Onward!  Looking forward to the next check in.

Climbing the Wall

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Day 3… and it’s way better than Day 2. I still have a mild headache, but it’s tolerable. I normally weigh myself once a week, but I’ve been doing it daily just to document the highs and lows for the 10 days. I am down 4.7 pounds so far.

Last night was really hard. I drank all of my shakes and followed the plan to a “T”, but I was STARVING. The flex foods weren’t enough either. I was ready to chuck everything out of the window and have some pasta. I really think that I am being slammed with a double whammy of caffeine and carb withdrawal. I felt sick, and figured maybe a few nuts would get me back in my right mind. I had a small handful of almonds, and it made a world of difference. I am thinking that since I am very overweight, the drastic cut in caloric intake is rebooting my insides and creating a tug-of-war!

Yesterday, I spoke about the fiber blend- and just to mention… I mixed it with a small amount of organic pineapple juice, water, ice, and a dash of unsweetened coconut. That made it MUCH more palatable…..

It’s a great feeling that I am sticking with this. I am hoping to have more good news to share tomorrow!

Hunger Games

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I’m hungry.  Worse than that, I am having a bit of caffeine withdrawal, so my head is pounding.  Maybe I’m not hungry as much as I am headachey!  Hard to tell…  but I know this is temporary so not ready to throw in the towel yet.

On the upside, I made it through Day 1.  Today, I am going to try to space out my flex foods and get a little creative with preparation.  Searching the Internet, I found a lot of great ideas on how to pump up the shakes so that there is variety in taste.  I can see that this might get old real quick without thinking outside the box.

Another note to self (and whomever might read this), the Daily Fiber Blend mixed with room temp water?  Yeah, that was a no go.  I heard that mixing it with something else might make it a little more palatable. So, I’ll try that tonight, and report back with my thoughts.

I hear the first four days are the hardest.  I’m going to take it hour by hour for now!

Wagon Meets Road

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Happy almost summer!

Nothing like the warm breeze of summer and an ill-fitting wardrobe to stimulate feelings of panic and dismay.  Another year, another %$#@!! YEAR! of disappointing myself with regards to my health.  Seriously, I cannot fathom why this is so difficult for me.     I’m really tired of rehashing the “whys”, because, I know WHY.  I love food, and I love my iPad.   Ridiculous portion size of food + little activity = FAT

There, that’s the mystery solved.

So, rather than micromanage my self-image and lack of control, I’ve decided to just hop back on that wagon.  Today.  Not next Monday, or after the next holiday.  Today.

Now, anyone that knows me IRL knows I am a lover of simplicity.  I am not a fad dieter- I gave that up in my twenties.  I’ve been a life-long member of the WW plan, because, well, it makes sense.  And it’s the only lifestyle that keeps a lid on my bad habits.  But… just like it takes x number of days to lose a bad habit, it really only takes me one day to reach critical mass when I blow it.  So there’s the problem.  The cycle that needs to be broken.

I stopped being a friend to myself.

So, last week.   I woke up and did a terrifying thing.  I stood in front of my full length mirror in minimal attire and RECOGNIZED that I have not been the best me as of late.  I took two photographs, one front and one from the side.  Then I cried (just a little).  Then I enacted a plan.

Now, usually, I just trot off to WW and solemnly hand over my weekly pass and fess up.  But the state of my being is different this time.

I am tired. Really, really dog tired.

I have no energy. I can’t sleep.

I am not sharp at work like I want to be.

I have no desire to do anything.

Is my mid-40’s catching up to me?  Have I finally reached that wall that all the older ladies at WW lamented about?  What is wrong with me (other than the fibromyalgia which is an entirely different conversation) and how did I let myself get back to THIS place?  is there something else going on? So many questions.

The reality is I really can’t get to the bottom of my health until I put myself into a healthy state.  I mean, imagine asking someone eating a donut about their health?  Wrong setting, wrong time!

So I needed a jumpstart.  I needed a way to clean my mind and body of the CRAP that has been festering.  I googled, and googled some more.  Then the Internet fairy (waat? sure there is one!) landed on a blog that discussed a cleanse.  I was suspicious (naturally), but checked it out anyway.  Then I happened on a friend- of a friend of a friend.  She had completed said cleanse and reported that it was a great experience, and had a positive impact on her energy level and propelled her to continue her new dietary lifestyle.  Huzzah!  I’m interested.

I researched and decided this could be a great jumping-off point to get back to neutral and evaluate what I need to do going forward.   For those of you interested to know, it’s the Purium 10-Day Transformation, and no, they are not paying me a dime.  I am hoping it was just kismet that brought me to them.

I started today.

Will I make it the 10 days with no carbs, no sugar, no meat, no cheese, NO COFFEEEE?  We’ll see.  I made it to noon!

I’m going to try to journal my thoughts along the way.  This a radical thing for me, but something I think is needed.

No time like the present to hitch the wagon!