Day 19

I hope everyone is holding up okay, keeping safe, healthy and sane during this surreal time of the COVID-19 virus!

I won’t lie…. I have my good days and my bad days. I feel okay, even happy some days, and other days, I’m pretty down and discouraged. I’m often tired.

Working from home is challenging. Things are just slower – we can’t have those quick conversations over the cubicle walls. I miss people a lot! I don’t print very much here….and I am a print-er! I love looking at paper; I just can’t see details as well on the screen. So I am adapting to only printing what is absolutely necessary, because our printer is testy and doesn’t always work plus it uses soo much ink. Just not worth the hassle! So I am forced to re-evaluate my needs every time I have the urge to hit “print.”

My kids are doing their schoolwork online. That, my friends, is a post for another day!

As for my physical health, today marks Day 19 on my eating plan. And as of this morning, I’ve lost 10 lbs! Woot Woot! Weighing in now at 212.4 lbs, and feeling less bloated. My yoga pants are not squeezing me quite so much. I’m on my way!

I have several milestones in my mind:

First, weighing less than 209 lbs, the weight I was at my hubby’s awards gala last November. I’m almost there!

Second, getting under 200 lbs of course!

Next, less than 197 lbs – which was my starting weight 8 years ago when I did this exact same eating plan.

And then under 190, under 180, and if I’m lucky, under 170 lbs.

I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I know that it will be healthier than where I am now.

Now, let’s talk about Crushing Carb Cravings! Wanna know what I’m eating?

· Eggs (scrambled is my fav)

· meat (just spices, no sauce or breading)

· roasted veggies and raw veggies

· nuts and nut butters

· homemade flax muffins

I am drinking low carb protein shakes, plain water, flavoured water, tea (1 regular and 1 decaf per day), and one diet Pepsi or diet Gingerale per day (I know, I know, diet pop is not great for me, but let me have this one, okay?).

I take a multivitamin, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium and B-50. I also take 1 tsp of inulin in flavoured water mid-day (it can’t be taken near any other vitamin or medication). This has two purposes – one is that it’s extra fibre, and secondly, it acts as a prebiotic to increase healthy gut bacteria.

So the million dollar question is: do I have any carb cravings, or am I CRUSHING ‘em? To be honest, I do have some minor carb carvings. Not often, maybe a couple of times a week. Like I will see one of the kids grab some Oreos and I think, mmm….Oreos….. but then it passes. Seriously. When I was eating carbs, I craved them ALL.THE.TIME. So this is a welcome change for me!

And now let’s talk about Crushing Cardio Classes….

Obviously I’m not going to the gym right now, so I’m not taking classes in person. I did do a Zumba Youtube video a few weeks ago. It was okay, but not the energy I feel in an actual class of course. One of my Zumba instructors is offering classes on Zoom, but I’m not feeling it. I’m not sure why. So I’ve been walking just over 4 kms on most days, often outside if the weather is nice, but also on the treadmill in our basement. Exercise helps a lot! My mood lifts, I feel good in the fresh air and I feel like a part of the community. All so important during this pandemic.

This is week 6 of being isolated at home. And while I miss my “old” life so much, there’s a big part of me right now that feels like cocooning. I’m working so hard on my health and if I get “released” back into the world too soon, I’m afraid I will resort to my old eating habits. In a weird way, I’m very grateful for this time to be home, to be “refreshing” my way of eating. I need time for these new habits to really STICK. Not that I have a choice right now, but I’m not ready to go back to LIFE. I’m good right here, for now, appreciating this silver lining I’ve got. And during all the times I do feel sad and frustrated and scared, I need to count my blessings and hold onto that silver lining.

#weightlossjourney

#lowcarbdiet

#healthyliving

#cravings

#exercise