FIRST ROUND COMPLETE!

WOOT! I made it through the first round! 42 days down, FOURTEEN POUNDS GONE! (See the progress tab to see all the stats).

I finally had some drinky drink and wheat this weekend and it made me feel bloaty and sad. Soooo... I'm back on the plan! I think I may allow for a glass of wine now and then, though! :)

Here's our Round 1 chart:

Going to print out a Round 2 chart later today and get my first Round 2 workout done!

I'm so damn proud. :)

Day 37 - On Cravings

First, some random Day 37 tidbits that may or may not interest you:

I slept too late and missed my workout this morning. I feel weird and sort of uncomfortable/stiff without it. I am both exhausted and exhilarated.

Even after a full, active weekend, it’s a Monday and I have energy. This is a new feeling for me.

 After my experimental week with only tea, my one cup of coffee this morning made me jittery, tense, and a bit queasy. I may cut back to half-caf or switch back to tea entirely.

My appetite has severely decreased to what is probably a normal healthy-person level. My three-quarter cup of steel-cut oats with raisins, honey, and milk was almost too much, and was certainly too sweet* (a sensation I’ve almost never experienced). I’m actually looking forward to a light, crispy salad for lunch. Weird.

ON CRAVINGS
I used to crave various foods virtually all day, every day. I constantly thought about ice cream, buttery popcorn, pizza, cheeseburgers, chips, chocolate, etc., and felt near powerless to resist their call. My thought process would simply go: “I want ___.” And I’d get. And eat it. All.

I’ve read that certain foods - like sugar (especially processed sugar like high fructose corn syrup), fake sweeteners, fried food, processed grains, and salt – trigger your body to both shut off the “fullness” response and to crave more sweet/rich/salty foods. Vicious cycle much?

Aaaaaanyway... after cutting out a great deal of that kind of food for a few weeks, I think I’ve broken the cycle! I’m feeling very few cravings, and actually desire to eat more produce and leaner meats. I now better understand how people can eat healthy, how people can think of something greasy or sweet or rich as “too much.” I can even see how people can have treats in their desk without scarfing them all down in one sitting. This is a bit of a personal revelation. :)

A Brief History

I'm starting this blog on the 33rd day of my 42 day plan for several reasons:

1) Between a husband and three kids, a full time job, a couple of crafty businesses and other life challenges, I'm one damn busy mama.

 2) While I've been seeing success from the beginning of this adventure, I'm just now realizing how I'd like to share it with others.

3) My husband made me promise to not reveal our results until after the 42 days. (if you've happened upon this site before 4/28/2012, you'll just have to wait until then to see the numbers. :P)

4) I think I'm going to continue past the 42 days and continue to share my experiences.

A BRIEF DISCLAIMER: As I will repeat several times throughout this site, nothing posted here is to be taken as medical advice. I am not a professionally trained physician, nutritionist, nor any other type of medical professional. I am merely imparting the experiences I have had and sharing what has worked for me. As with any change in diet and exercise, it is recommended to talk to your health care provider prior to making that change. 

THE BRIEF HISTORY
Firstly, I'd like to blame thank my lovely husband for hounding me with his relentless logic for three days in mid-March to convince me to try this plan.

To address several health concerns, his nutritionist had recommended several changes to his diet and exercise plan, which would undoubtedly be more successful had I agreed to make the same changes. Indeed, while I had no health issues at the time, my weight of 229 pounds on my 5'7” frame would likely lead to problems as I got older.

This brought me to a very real motivation: my children.

As I believe most parents do, I live for my children. I want them to grow up happy, creative, physically active, and healthy. But it was difficult to sustain activity with them; I tired quickly and often ended up resorting to sedentary play. My eating habits were not something I wanted to pass down to them.

Potential health concerns down the road, and possibly missing out on my kids' and grandkids' lives frightened me, but not as much as the thought of how they'd feel upon losing their mother due to a preventable weight-related issue.

And so, with my husband's health and my children's happiness in mind, I agreed to the 42-day plan. I did not anticipate that I would learn so much about myself in those first couple of weeks.