Week Two Status Update

Week 1: –3 lbs.

Week 2: –2.2 lbs.

Total: – 5.2 lbs

So, I’ve made it through week two, and despite falling off of the wagon on Mother’s Day, and a bit yesterday, I’m happy that I’m still seeing the numbers go down. Physically I haven’t noticed a visible change, but it’s only been two weeks. At the same time, it’s been two weeks! Show me results! (Instant gratification and dieting don’t go hand in hand as it turns out.) The big change this week was that I am no longer hungry all of the time. This was such a drastic change that I would stop and make sure that I had entered everything into the My Fitness Pal app, because surely I’ve gone overboard. I still think about food and want food pretty much all the time. Some things never change.

I pulled a muscle in my neck doing the 30 Day Shred over the weekend. (My husband walked into the room for the last 30 seconds of abs and I think I was trying to pretend like I’m super awesome at bicycle crunches, which I most definitely am NOT.)  I was planning to switch to swimming this week anyway because the Shred is killing my knees what with the high impact cardio and the squats and lunges, but I have to turn my head to breathe while swimming, so I’m scaling all the way back to walking for a few days. Am old.

Things that are saving me this week:

• Bagel Thins: Are these as good as a goooood bagel? Nope, but they’re a nice substitute for bread on an otherwise boring sandwich, and a GREAT substitute for a hamburger bun. (We made amazing turkey burgers over the weekend and I nearly cried when I looked at the nutrition info for the buns we had on hand. Bagel thin to the rescue!)
• Popsicles: Clocking it at 35-40 calories these are the perfect night time sweet treat. Unfortunately they’re also full of HFCS, so I need to find another option that’s not slowly poisoning me.
• Trader Joe’s salads: My Trader Joe’s has a really nice selection of pre-made salads packing a ton of flavor at around 200 calories, making them a totally brainless option for lunch or dinner.

As for what I’m eating, here’s a basic rundown:

Breakfast Most days it’s a smoothie. For the first week this wasn’t enough, so I was making a smaller smoothie and having a piece of toast or a little oatmeal. My body felt like I needed to chew something in order for the meal to count. However, now my smoothie is more than sufficient and keeps me full until lunch most days. (Some days I have a small snack in between.) I use whatever fruit we have in the house, in whatever combination sounds good, but my smoothies all contain: 1 tbsp. chia seeds, 1 tbsp. protein powder, 1/2 cup green tea, and 1 cup of ice. Sometimes I add spinach, but mostly my smoothies are fruity. I’m going to venture into the world of the green smoothie this week.

Lunch Usually a turkey sandwich or a salad.

Dinner I eat whatever everyone else is eating, for the most part. We already use a lot of chicken breast and ground turkey. I made the switch to whole wheat pasta and no one has noticed.  If I’ve made rice or potatoes or bread for everyone else, I’ve been skipping that. I give myself more vegetables or a bigger salad and less of whatever will put me over the caloric edge, but I’m not serving myself a separate meal.

Snacks Fruit, carrot sticks – sometimes with hummus, Trader Joe’s pretzel thins, Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Popcorn, popsicles. (Not all in the same day.)

There are six and a half weeks left in the competition AND until we head to leave on vacation. Any and all advice for staying motivated going forward is appreciated!