Day 7-8 Cruise Phase
Saturday-Sunday

Stats:
Weight: 161.0
BMI: 21.8
Fat %:  24.1
Water %: 54.5
Total Lost: 4 lbs.

Gained a pound.  That was NOT encouraging.  Like my Hubby says, the veggie days are not my friend.  I am writing this on Sunday after dinner, so I'll sum up the last two days.

My mom has lost 9 lbs.  I am amazed.  She is 74 years old.  You can immediately tell by looking at her that she's lost weight.  Her pants are loose!  Her weight loss was mostly in her belly.  She's taking the 2/7 rhythm approach...2 days of pure proteins on Mondays and Thursdays and protein + veggies the remaining 5 days of the week.  She said she has not cheated on the diet since she started.  It's really working well for her.

Hubby has lost 8 lbs.  That was Saturday.  I have now lost 4 lbs.  I always thought Hubs would beat me on his total weight loss, that's a given.  But I was not expecting my mom to blow us both away.  My husband and I have gone with the 1/1 rhythm and I don't think it's been as effective for me.  I really don't know.  I have other aggravating factors to consider like hormones.  Lucky me.  I just don't want to go backward and lose the progress I've made so far.

On Saturday morning, I prepared the oat bran as directed on the box...combined the 2 TBL with milk and microwaved it on and off for about 2.5 mins.  I let it sit for a while and then it turned into a big bowl of cereal!  It was awesome, like eating Cream of Wheat.  I like it so much better this way than a pancake because I'm already an oatmeal fan and I miss eating oatmeal.  The galette is good for a change of pace but I think I'll be making the oat bran "cream of wheat style" most of the time.

So we went to the BBQ Saturday night.  I caved and had one light beer, lots of BBQ (brisket that appeared to be lean but probably not, ribs which we all know are fatty as hell, and chicken no skin) and topped it all off with a Jello shot (vodka and watermelon jello which I know wasn't sugar free!).  The sad thing is that I had that jello shot because I needed something sweet!  It had nothing to do with the alcohol.  So it wasn't a great night. 

I didn't weigh this morning.  Today is Mother's Day and I didn't want to start MY day off on a bad note!  I know I didn't lose any weight after last night's cheats.  Today I did ok until dinner...went to a Brazilian steak house and technically kept within the boundaries of the diet but I really feel like it was a cheat because it was SOOOO MUCH.  Ok...had a couple bites of a lamb chop and one bite of a rib in there...which was a cheat.  But really the rest was all within boundaries.  Afterward we went to a frozen yogurt shop and had fat free/sugar free chocolate yogurt that tasted so good we all felt like we were cheating!  But I guess we didn't.

It is hard not to cheat in restaurants because:

1. They usually don't have fat free dressing options
2. Foods are combined with several ingredients, many of which are not on "the list" (like vegetable soup)
3. Everyone around you is having cocktails/wine and that's a BUMMER
4. They automatically lay out delicious breads/chips/etc right in front of you and I'm not ballsy enough to tell them to take it away

I think the best way to succeed at this diet is NOT to eat out during Attack and Cruise phases.  When we are here at the house eating, I don't think about those temptations.  But eating at home every meal is not very practical I guess.

I also know that next weekend will involve some wine drinking, which I really hope does not undo my progress.

Also I plan NOT to weigh for the next two days.  I did some damage this weekend.  I can't believe how guilty I feel for having 1 beer, fatty meat and 1 Jello shot. 

One other note...all three of us have noticed an increase in headaches.  I don't know if this is from hunger or the lack of carbohydrates.  I certainly don't let myself go around hungry, so I guess my headaches have to do with missing nutrients or the adjustment to less carbohydrates.  I don't know.

Ok I lied, another note.  This is not a pretty one.  Remember my comment about #2 a few days ago?  Well let's just say things are NOT going smoothly in that area.  I think I'm gonna have to consult the book on the best ways to remedy this situation.  I"m eating my 2 TBL oat bran a day and plenty of water but I guess that's not enough.

I am thinking maybe i need to skip my next protein + veggie day and go all protein for three days.  I'm feeling a little defeated at the moment and disappointed that I am not making progress.  I'll report back in two days.