Hooray! The weight is back on its way down! I'm down two pounds since my weigh in last Wednesday, making a grand total of 117 lbs. dropped!! I have a good friend who weighs 118 lbs. and when I look at her, I am shocked to realize that I've removed the equivalent of a full-grown (skinny) woman from my body.
My fat ratio is still higher than it should be and the acne on my forehead is another blazing reminder of what a weekend food free-for-all will do to my body. Lesson learned! I think it will take me a while to completely recover from the unhealthy food fest!
Considering the number of times I've fudged a bit and have been able to recover fairly quickly, I think it's good that I'm having to work harder this time around to undo the damage. It is really sinking in how important it is for me to learn a new way of eating instead of returning to the old habits once I am off this diet.
I was at the grocery store yesterday after weigh in and saw two people who haven't seen me since last summer. One was a former volunteer of the center who I worked with closely and he did not recognize me at all!! The other lady, a woman I've known since high school, also didn't recognize me and never did figure out who I was, even after I addressed her by name. I feel like I'm pulling a practical joke on people.
Because of my success with Ideal Protein, many people in my family and circle of friends have also tried the diet (or other programs) to improve their quality of life and it makes me feel good to know I've been an inspiration to people I care about.
No matter who you are and what your current circumstances are, you have within you the ability to change your life. We all do! Believe in yourself, in your own power and miracles can happen! You are worth the effort!
Don't think about a diet as a form of torture or a deprivation that's keeping you from enjoying life. Think of it as a tool, or a job you have to complete. It is a means to an end and an opportunity to improve your life. See yourself as worth the effort.
And when you do deviate from the task at hand, don't beat yourself up. The past cannot be undone but you can get right back on the program and recover lost ground fairly easily. I think this mindset is what has made the difference from previous attempts at weight reduction and this time.
I may have been off diet last weekend - it was a conscious choice I made and I learned some valuable lessons as a result. I learned that while vigorous exercise does help to undo the effects caused by excessive, unhealthy eating - there are still consequences I have to face.
Today I am a successful dieter who is stronger and wiser from the lessons I learned. When I decide to treat myself in the future to something fatty or sugary, I need to limit the amount I consume. Instead of eating a huge hamburger with all the fixings, including bacon and cheese with a pasta salad on the side and following it up with smores and a few glasses of wine, I need to select ONE of those treats and pick something healthier to go along with it.
I also need to keep the "treats" to one meal, every once in a while, instead of three solid days of eating whatever appeals to me. And to be honest, some of the stuff I chose to eat wasn't as good as I remember it being. Somewhere along the way my palate has changed! I would have been just as happy eating a salad loaded with fresh produce as I was eating that hamburger. I'm really starting to fall in love with veggies!
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