So, I have been on my diet for three weeks now. I am happy to report that I lost some more weight but not as much as I had hoped. However, I know exactly what went wrong and why I did not make as much progress as in the past. My little weekend getaway threw a bit of a wrench in the diet. Although I was much more conscious of what I was eating, it was harder to track calories when eating in small bistros or restaurants where nutritional information was not available and, sometimes, I just wanted to splurge as I was on vacation! I have no regrets as I did not go too overboard.
Half way to my weight loss goal in three weeks! Hopefully it will only take three more.
So lessons learned include: 1). No need to eat the whole dish at the restaurant! One breakfast included a big serving of heuvos rancheros which no one wanted to share with me. I could have left some instead of cleaning my plate (but it is my favourite!). 2). Roadtrips mean that travelling companions may want fast or convenient food at times so make sure I know what my options are at such places OR find a healthy fast place like Subway. 3). Getting to the hotel late at night and tired makes it tempting to order pizza. This is fine BUT just have one or two slices or make sure to eat earlier! 4). When you just HAVE to visit a famous doughnut shop, only buy one doughnut as tempting as the others are. Besides, you want to eat them fresh the same day and not stale the next day. 5). Bring along some healthy snacks as there can be long periods of driving. 6). This is really not a diet but a lifestyle change…or expect the weight to come right back.
Yup, those were my lessons learned. Overall, I did pretty good though. Normally I would have eaten much more and made way worse choices in terms of the meals I could have selected. However, this diet has made me aware of how unhealthy some foods are for you, what portion sizes should look like, and that moderation and awareness is key. This past week I only lost 0.5 lbs but I will take it! It takes me to the halfway mark of my goal and is still a move in the right direction so I cannot complain.
Look forward to seeing what the scale says next Friday!
I am 39 now 