Day Seventeen - Cycle One

DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

     Last Day before weigh in!  It seems like it has been a loooonnngg 17 days, even taking one day at a time.  It's probably just that I want to see what the progress is.  Some people doing this diet weigh every weekend, but I have committed t every 17 days, so I will stick with that no matter how hard it is to wait.
     Feeling good today, but I am sure its just the excitement of making it through 17 whole days and nights without eating anything I am not supposed to.  I got to tell you, I have had a few times where I wanted to just grab something quick to eat at a store that was not permissible.  It's hard to always make the right choices.  I remind myself that it won't be forever, but it must be this way for now because I have made a mess out of my body,and I need to repair it with the good stuff it needs and none of the bad stuff it doesn't need, but that I want.  It's not that I crave or want something, it's just that it's there and already prepared for you.  That is how 70% of America has gotten so big - we want everything to be available to us quickly, and then the portion sizes have increased about 50% too!  Just what we need.  Impulse control is not a touted issues these days, what with the internet and being able to find things and get things quickly, including sending mail (which is putting the US Postal Service out of business).
     Anyone out there reading this that is doing this diet who find themselves struggling with craving or wanting something, just keep in mind what your goal is, and know that even when you don't feel like you are making progress, you really are.  Even if you get on the scale and it doesn't give you the numbers you were expecting or hoping for, remember what you put into your body over the last cycle and KNOW that if nothing else, you have improved your health (cholesterol, blood sugars, etc.)!  That alone makes me feel good.  If that still doesn't work to keep you from buying that sticky bu or reaching for the cake, get on your computer and post about it, here or on facebook,and hopefully, I or someone else will be there and able to engage with you to stop you.  Just DON"T do it to yourself.  You are worth the fight, struggle, and time it's going to take to get you back out of that fat suit. 
    

Day Sixteen - Cycle One

TODAY'S POSTING    

     Only today and tomorrow left before I get to weigh myself and see how much I have lost.  Normally, I would have anchored that sentence with, "if anything," however, I am a new me since beginning this diet, and I am trying to take certain self defeating saying, words, and terms out of my vocabulary.  I am trying to get my mental awareness into a positive outlook, so that I can succeed.  So if you hear me saying something negative, call me on it, so I can correct myself and not do it again.
     As we all found out the other day, sometimes I do things without thinking about them. I have bad habits ingrained so deeply inside of me, that sometimes I act unconsciously in ways that negatively impact me.  Talking bad about myself or putting myself down are a couple of them, eating things without thinking about it first is another.  These are a few of the things I am trying to break myself of.  I may not see it or catch it myself, but if you do, please call me to task over it.
    

Day Fifteen - Cycle One

TODAY'S POSTING

     So here we are, day 15.  I am still going strong.  Two days until weigh in.  I found out yesterday that there is this whole 17 Day Diet community on Dr. Phil.com and The Doctors.  Thousands of people!  It was a trip to see them - overwhelming, but nice.  I found out there are quite a few of us out there that have more than 150 pounds to lose.  It's nice to have company in that struggle, but I really don't wish this on anybody.  I joined a 100+ group.  I also emailed Dr. Phil before I found the community.  Just to say thanks for show casing Dr. Mike's book and diet plan.
    Feeling kinda poorly today, runny nose, slight cough.  I have been much colder than I usually get these past few days.  It is supposed to snow out here, but my hands are impossible to keep warm.  Dr. Mike said that would happen as we lose weight because we are losing some of our insulation.  Who knew it would work so fast?
     Got up around 10:30.  Little bit made my lemon water for me, and then prepared my tea too.  She also brought me a yogurt and an apple at the same time. The water was kind of too cool, but I forced it down.  Even though I use the same cup everyday, it seems like the cup of water gets bigger every day.  Had a pear for snack.  Made grilled chicken breast for lunch with steamed carrots and cauliflower.  I really don't like cooked carrots, but I need a change and the vitamins they offer, so I ate plenty of them today (and last night).
    

Day Fourteen - Cycle One

THE FEELING OF SUCCESS!

     Woo Hoo!  I made it through the first two weeks people!  I can hardly believe it.  I have never come this far before.  It's a great feeling.  Whoa! 14 whole days of eating healthy and nothing else?  Who would have thought it would be possible.  I am sooo thankful for Dr.Mike's book, The 17 Day Diet .  It really works people.  I feel great, and I am looking smaller in some key areas.  I really am the Incredible Shrinking Woman.  Most of all is the sense of pride I feel for this accomplishment.  It is similar to graduating from law school, maybe even better.  You feel like nothing can stop you and success will be yours.!  I am starting to rekindle that feeling.  Wow!  Let me just sit here and marvel at the greatness of this feat........

     OK, I have pondered it, accepted it and now I own it. It's mine, never to be taken from me again.  How many of you can say you haven't eaten any sugar or sweetener of any kind in 14 days straight?  What about bread?  Flour?  It really makes your body feel good to detox it from all those poisons.  I have heard that so often in my life, but I have never been able to accomplish it.  Whew!  They were all right, and I didn't die and I didn't feel deprived.  I have so much more energy!  Now I just have to wait for my body to catch up with everything my mind thinks my body should be able to do.

Day Thirteen - Cycle One

Good Morning Everyone!

THANK YOU!
     First of all, I want to thank everyone who is chiming in and letting me know you are out there supporting me.  It really means a lot after a day like yesterday.  This is war, and I need allies in order to surround the enemy fat and annihilate them!  I'm taking back possession of my body!  There will be NO prisoners!  It's not even an option.  So you faint of heart, better close your eyes ad plug your ears.  This is really happening!  I can handle the days hunkered down in the trenches.  It's the days out on foot patrol in front of window reflections that are the hot zones.  Stay with me on those patrols, will ya?

TODAY'S POSTING
      Secondly, I want to let everyone know that I am back to feeling better today.  I feel and see my progress.  I know that I have a lot to lose (I wonder of the animal activists are going to rally and protest  the slaying of the baby elephant in my stomach?), however, I am re-focused on achieving small successes until I reach my goal.  BTW, for those paying attention, after a conversation with my beautiful older daughter, I re-calculated my goal weigh loss.  It's even worse than first suspected!  I want to lose 197 pounds.  I will disclose later the reasons for that, but I can't right now for two reasons.  One is I don't want to, and the other is it will give something away that I am not ready to let go yet.  Hang with me and you will be around for the revelation later on.

     I got up at 7:30, after my son took baby girl to school and went off to college himself.  I made my lemon water.  CAN ANYONE SAY THERAFLU?  Yuck!  That water really needs to be at the correct temperature to get down. Otherwise, it's worse than medicine.  Nonetheless, I got it down for the 13th day in a row.  I made my green tea (which I am running low on now.  I have 1 and 1/4 packets left.  What is a girl to do?) and I drank that while checking emails, blog, facebook, and farming my land on farmville.  Plus, I ate my ritual yogurt and apple this morning.
    

Day Twelve - Cycle One

     I am up early so I can walk baby girl to school.  On my way home, I was passing by a store front window, when I caught sight of my reflection.  My spirits took a plummet to the ground!  I had been feeling really great, and seeing and feeling results.  However, when I saw my image in that window, I was shocked and dismayed.  I look like I am carrying a baby elephant in my stomach!  Man, it's so depressing how much weight I actually have to lose.  I have been trying real hard to stay strong and focus on every day small successes to lead me to a bigger loss.  It was working until this morning.  On day ten, when I saw myself in the mirror after my shower, I was surprised to see that my hips were smaller on the sides.  Then, today it looks like all the weight just shifted to the front.  Maybe that is what is happening.  A shift in weight??  Is that possible?  I don't know, but it really makes me want to eat a couple of donuts!  It is devastating.  Instead, I ate a light lemon cream pie yogurt.  It was nice and sweet, and was my second probiotic for the day.  I still have not cheated with so much as a crumb or a lick or a taste of anything not sanctioned on Cycle one of Dr. Mike's 17 Day Diet.  At least I can be proud of that!  This is why fat people give up dieting after a short time, because the results are slow in coming and it gets discouraging.

Day Eleven - Cycle One

    Well, six more day to go.  Day eleven did not see too much happening.  Son took baby girl to school.  I made my lemon water and drank it.  Made my tea and drank it.  Ate my yogurt and my fruit (7 strawbabies today - that's what baby girl used to call them) smile. 
      Wen to the car lot with my son to see if he could get himself into a used Mercedes.  They wouldn't even give him a chance.  He doesn't have any credit showing up on their reports even though he has student loans in good standing.  They actually told us that bad credit is better than no credit.  He is upset and so am I I was really hoping he would be driving us home in his new hoopty.  We are going to work on establishing his credit and see if the car waits for him.  If not, he will have to fall in love with another one.

TODAY'S DIET
    
     Stat's look like this today:  Green Tea = 4 (plus 3 cups of regular tea); Water = 3 (Yikes I REALLY have to work on the liquids!); Probiotics = 2; Proteins = Chicken breast and Turkey breast chunks; Veggies = Salad, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes,; Exercise = 30+ minutes.

     After the car deal fell through, I took kids to dinner at Chili's.  I ordered the chicken breast and broccoli kids meal (2) again.  I asked them to include a ton of grilled onions and mushrooms, and boy did they.  I ate up all of those veggies with so much pleasure and gusto you would have thought it was chocolate cake!  Wow was it Fabulous!  I am going to see if I can get my onions and mushrooms to taste so delicious at home because I could eat those all the time and they go well with other vegetables and meat or all alone.  Dr. Mike said onions are really good for us!  He said we should eat as many as we can in all varieties, so I may take him up on that if I can fix them like Chili's.
    I haven't heard from anyone in days... if anyone is still out there I hope you are Blessed in your endeavors..

Day Ten - Cycle One

     INSPIRATION
     
       Not so long ago, I felt I had hit rock bottom in my life, and that I couldn't make a much worse mess out of my life than it was in.  I felt like my life was in RUINS.  I was not thinking very positively, and not feeling great about future prospects.  Then I saw the movie EAT, PRAY, LOVE ,with Julia Roberts, and there was something she said that really spoke to me and inspired me.  I want to share it with everyone because if you weren't paying attention, you probably missed it, and it's got to be the greatest thing I have heard in a really long time.  When she was breaking up with her boyfriend, who knew it was over, but wanted them to stay together and be miserable, as long as they were together and it didn't have to end.  He was afraid of change, and to be alone, and to say goodbye.  Julia said to him, after visiting the ruins in Rome that she realizes that:

                                                                       RUIN IS A GIFT
                                              RUIN IS THE ROAD TO TRANSFORMATION
                                     WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR ENDLESS WAVES OF
                                                                    TRANSFORMATION

     It was then that I realized things have to end in order for the next stage of our life to begin.  I had been waiting for a long time for the next stage to come, but it didn't come in my time, it came only when the previous stage of my life was in ruins, and providing me with time to prepare for the upcoming transformation.  It's here, and I am ready. 
     I couldn't have been ready for this journey until the last one ended, and I was fully prepared to move forward.  Sometimes that means you have to say goodbye to other things that are familiar and comfortable in your life, in order to move on and grow.  That can be an arduous process to navigate, but if you realize that GOD is with you  every step of the way, you know that you can get through anything with HIS assistance.
  .  After hearing Julia say that, I wrote it down on a bright yellow index card, and I keep it handy and read it often because it continues to remind me that however bad life seems, things are as they are supposed to be to prepare me for change.   A lot of people are afraid of change, I am not one of them.  I embrace change and welcome it.  Its just that sometimes change is not on my schedule, but follows its own whims and dictates.  Remember after pain, comes ease...
      I cannot recall a single time in my life where things stayed bad forever.  We constantly make it through the worst days of our lives, and look back on them later and laugh about it.  I am ready for that laughter stage now...

                                        I hope this can inspire someone like it did me.

     Hang in there, change is happening all around you, preparing you for your next transformation.  If you are in the midst of your transformation, stay focused on your goals. It's only a matter of time before you achieve them, and are enjoying your new success and happiness

Day Nine - Cycle One

     Day Nine started with a phone call from my dad.  He forgot to come get me yesterday, and my niece had too many visitors again, and she wanted him to throw them all out, so he did.  He said he would get me today early so I could see her.  I got up and asked little bit to fix my tea for me while I hopped in the shower.  When I got out, I prepared and drank my lemon water - it was about 11 am.  I then ate my yogurt and apple.  I drank 1/4 of my tea and finished getting ready.  Dad arrived and I was grabbing snacks to take with us on the way out the door      He asked me to stay no more than 20 minutes so we could take turns and get out so they could get home early today.  The live in Tehachapi, but have spent a significant amount of time down here with Automn.  I went up to her room and just before going through her door I suddenly started crying.  I stopped to try and get myself together.  I don't want her to see me crying.  At this point we are not even sure if she understands how very sick she really is.  A nurse kept coming by talking to me and sympathizing with me, which only made it worse.  I know she was trying to be nice and that is appreciated, however, whenever you see someone crying, don't try to be nice and tell them its OK - it just makes them cry harder!  Tip to the unhip.
    After a few minutes i pulled it together and went inside.  She was alone except for her "bodyguard" - a lady that she lives with who hasn't left her side as far as I know.  She hadn't eaten or drank anything all day because they were supposed to take her for a tap procedure.  She was hunger, but mostly wanted to crunch some ice chips.  I hugged and kissed her.  Talked to her about her life in Kentucky, and my life in Washington.  I lost track of time and probably stayed 30 minutes instead of 20.  Mom came in and sent me down to dad so he could come up and I could stay with the little one.They stayed about a half an hour.  Came back and brought me home.  I ate my second fruit - an apple at 1:18, while Rebekhah had peanut butter Ritz crackers.  I drank 2 waters there waiting in the truck listening to music.
    

Day Eight - Cycle One

     Hello everyone.  Today being Saturday, I slept in late, particularly since I had so little sleep last night.  I got up around 12:30.  I made my lemon water and tea.  My darling daughter did not want to do it for me today.  I guess the glitz has warn off for her.  I ate my yogurt and an apple - which thankfully was crisp and cold! 
     I spent the day sitting around waiting for my dad to come take me to the hospital to visit Automn, and I wrote letters and blogged while waiting.  He never showed up. I called him around 6 to see what happened, and found out that Automn had a lot of visitors again, and she had asked him to get them all out, so he forgot about me, but said he would come tomorrow.  I just hope it won't be too late.  He made funeral arrangements for her today already.  It's just breaking my heart.  Did I mention that she has three children five and under?  Whew!  It's tough not to just sit and cry.  I love you girl!
  

Day Seven - Cycle One

        Well, I made it through the first week, without cheating, starving, or craving!  This is a first for me.  I feel super proud of myself.  Losing this much weight is akin to kicking some other kind of addiction, only harder because when you kick drugs or alcohol you walk away, and try to stay away.  With food, you need it to survive and it's everywhere you go. You have to eat it, but you have to learn to eat right.   Having so much weight to lose is very daunting at times.  It really feels like I could never possibly make it  However, I do feel like I am making progress, which is more than I can say for every other diet that I never finished or succeeded at.
     I had a sleepless night.  I fell asleep after 3:49 a.m. and woke up at 6:45 a.m to get the little one to school and me to the doctor.  It takes me all day to take the bus out to Palmdale for my doctor visit and come back - I leave after dropping off the little bit, and I get back in time to pick her up from school.  Today, I managed to stop by Winco to pick up more salad and veggies and turkey.  I forgot the water! but I still have a case and a half.
   

Day Six - Cycle One

     Today started out as any other school day.  Up at 7 to get daughter off to school.  My handsome son took my darling daughter to school for me today on his way to college.  I got up and drank my lemon water.  Prepared my tea and an omelet made from two whole eggs and two egg whites, plus mushrooms and seasoning.  It was a good change.  I enjoyed it with some fresh raspberries.  I had strawberries for snack before 2, with tea.  I was planning on having grilled chicken breast and parmesan eggplant again for lunch, but I found out my oldest niece is in the hospital - probably dying.  She has congestive heart failure, which makes her the third woman in my family to have it.  My mother was the first, and she died from it in 1996.  My sister Debbie has it, and now her daughter Automn..  Automn is much further along in her disease, with only 10% of her heart working and now she is in kidney failure.  After leaning she was in the hospital, I changed my plans so I could go see her.
   

Day Five - Cycle One

     Good Morning America!  How are you?  I am feeling great and looking better every day!  I am even waking up earlier everyday/  I have been up since 7.  I usually get baby girl off to school, and then go back t sleep (usually because I have insomnia and don't go to bed until late)  However, I am finding that I am feeling much better.  Sleeping much better.  I stopped taking my medications for depression, anxiety, and my water pills because I haven't needed them.  All of the food I eat is designed to get rid of excess water in my system, and believe me it does!  I am in the restroom more than ever!  Movies that only last week would have me bawling are barely registering moist eyes - like the lake house or the one that used to always get me - A Time to Kill where the little black girl gets beaten, raped, urinated o, hung, and dumped in the river!  Its a tear- jerker, and I only welded up some moisture for it, a little tear fell during the trial summations - you know where Matthew McCaughnahey tells her story.  I have to say, I have never felt better. 
     You know, while I was eating all that bad food that tasted so good, I didn't realize how much harm it was doing to me physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I feel like I have  new lease on life!  I'm gonna wear it out!  I decided that I am going to add stories, details, and incidentals to my blog so that it doesn't become a boring hum drum of statistics for the day.  The first thing I wanted to tell everyone who is wondering how much, if anything I have lost to date, that I am only weighing myself every 17 days!  My first weigh date will be  Tuesday, March 1, 2011.  That will be the first day of cycle two for me, where my diet will change.  I may even get bold enough to post a picture of myself.  Thus far, I am too embarrassed for the people who have not seen me in years to see me like this.  I literally feel like I have been swallowed up in a fat suit!
   

Day Four - Cycle One

     OK!  I got up a whole two hours earlier.  I drank my ritual lemon water.  Prepared my own tea because my darling daughter had to go to school today.  I got my yogurt and apple and sat down in front of a movie and consumed it all, plus a bottle of water!  Full again.  I watch the clock to make sure I have my snack before 2 because I usually eat my second fruit then, along with tea.  However, I had to go pick up my daughter from school, and had to leave at 1:30, so I took an apple, water, and bag of salad with me.  I ate my apple upon my arrival at her school while waiting for her bell to ring.  Then we walked over to JIB again, where I again ordered two grilled chicken breasts to eat with my salad.  Thank you JACK!  The little darling had a steak and egg burrito and onion rings.  I drank my water and got another one and finished that off!  Are you keeping track?  That's 5 so far!  I am doing good, but it is a forced thing - hoping to hit at least 7 today.
     Last night I took out 4 chicken breasts for tonight's dinner.  I cut them up into chunks and stir fried them with a ton of veggies in a bag.  I sprayed the pan and then used a tablespoon of olive oil and permissible soy sauce.  It was so delicious!  I will absolutely buy those bags of veggies again!  I got them in the fresh produce section - not the frozen section.  The freshness really made a difference in flavor for me.  The family ate theirs with white sticky rice and yakisoba noodles, plus teriyaki sauce.  Everyone loved it!  I liked that it was a meal everyone could eat and enjoy, but that it was healthy and edible by me.  Normally I prepare our stir fry with teriyaki and regular soy sauce.  I cut that out this time.  I was going to boil some cabbage to go with it, but I am glad I did not because we had plenty and everyone filled up!  Save the cabbage for tomorrow?
    

Day Three - Cycle One

     Good Afternoon!  Yes, it was another luxury sleep in morning because it was a president holiday for the kid.  Upon waking I drank my required lemon water, cup of green tea, ate yogurt and an apple.  Again, I felt full, but I tried drinking water too.  I had strawberries for snack (yup- before 2:00!)  I had a great salad with hearts of romaine, fresh mushrooms, and chunks of turkey.  I found this Kefir Yogurt salad dressing in bleu cheese and ranch, so I tried the ranch.  It was fabulous.  The brand name is LiteHouse Kefir Yogurt Dressing!  I got mine at Walmart Super Store.  Buy and Try it - it tastes just like the regular house with only 50 calories instead of 140 per serving!  Of course, I kept my usage down still.  I don't want to overdress them.  I enjoy the vegetables and meat in the salad - the dressing is to enhance slightly, not cover the flavor   I also steamed some brussels sprouts to go with it.  I was filled and fulfilled!.      All day I thought about what I was going to do for dinner and I thought about the dinners I had already made and loved and was going to repeat one of them, however, I did not want to get stuck in a rut and get tired of this diet.  Therefore, I went with another salad because I did not take anything out of the freezer (although I could have cooked some fish or chicken anyway).  I ate my second yogurt!
   

Day One - Cycle One

     The ugly truth is that currently I am overweight by 180 pounds! (Yes, hat means I have lose 180 pounds!)  If that is hard to think about, imagine having to carry all of that weight around with you everywhere you go. Imagine having to be the one who has to find a way to fight your way back to life!   I literally weigh the equivalent of three times my older sister!  That means if I were her weight, I would also be carrying two more of her around.  That seems almost unfathomable.  I don't want to believe it myself, but the ugly truth stares me in the face everyday.  Even when I don't look in the mirror, I see it on the faces of strangers when their eyes widen just before they look away in embarrassment (for me or them?  I am not sure) or their lips contort in disgust (? ) as they take all of me in or as  they give me an extra wide berth of room to navigate a hallway or narrow aisle.  I also get a lot of young children who,  in their naive honesty, are astonished at how big I am, and are not ashamed or embarrassed to point and tell their mommies or daddies to look at the big woman.
     I have had a life time of excuses and denials.  I have tried every new trendy and not so trendy diets.  I am no different than most overweight people who will try anything not to be fat anymore.  Something has to be done.  Something has to work!  A friend told me about this book that she saw on Dr. Phil and we decided we were going to try it.  The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno is our new friend in the fight against fat!  With Dr. Phil extolling its virtues, we figure it must really be something!  So that brings me to the first day of my journey (my friend doesn't start until next week - so I am on my own for now).
     Sooo, I got up late due to over-exhaustion yesterday, and (of course) I had a brief moment where I thought I should wait until tomorrow to get started with this new life change because I was already behind..  BUT... I have done that so many times, and disappointed myself enough by continuously finding reasons not to start "today, that  I made up my mind I am determined to make this work this time, even with a late start (Hey sometimes the late starters end up winning the race because they paced themselves!).  I started The 17 Day Diet at noon today, which isn't optimal for a fresh start, but I figured it was better than another excuse to put it off indefinitely.  I hope Dr. Mike will forgive my embellishment of his program.  I am actually proud of myself for going forward instead of staying stagnant. 
      I began with my glass of warn lemon water, as required.  My seven year-old darling daughter, eager to help, brought me my lemon and warm water. Them, she eagerly stuffed my green tea into the infuser (that was the part she was waiting to do), and she dropped the little metal ball containing the miraculous tea leaves  into the hot cup of water.  I quickly downed  my cup of green tea.  By the way, I am using Wu-Long Tea that comes from China.  This tea has been the object of scientific research, which concluded that Wu-Long tea is "The world's most powerful fat burner."    According to the packaging, independent research studies find that Wu-Long may:

• Burn significantly more calories than authentic green tea
• Help block the fattening effects of carbohydrates
• Support a clear, radiant complexion
• Help reverse signs of aging
• Promote strong healthy teeth
• Invigorate your immune system
• Support optimal cognitive functioning, and
• Enhance mind-body wellness

     I wouldn't use anything else.  You can get Wu-Long Premium Chinese Slimming Tea at http://www.wulongforlife.com/.  It's kind of pricey, but look at all the benefits!  I was referred to this tea by Kevin Trudeau's - Weight Loss Cures (in preparation for his diet cure - which I could not locate a doctor willing to prescribe me the HcG)!
     I then started on my second cup of water (the lemon water counts as one cup of water), but I did not quite make it through that since I had already downed the lemon water and the green tea, along with a piece of fruit and a yogurt.  I am so full, I am uncomfortable. 
     Let me explain.  I do not usually eat breakfast, and sometimes I don' even eat lunch.  Many days I only have one meal, but its usually large and late in the day - which obviously contributes to my weight issues.
     During the process of setting up this blog and writing it, I have had to drink a second cup of tea, and eat my second fruit of the day because you are not supposed to eat any fruit after 2 pm because its a carb and it slows the metabolism down.  Well, once again, I was 18 minutes late with that, but I had to get it in.  So, breakfast - DONE!  First Snack - DONE!  Lunch is coming up.
     By the Way, I decided to write this blog to force myself to finish this diet and finally lose this weight. It is my way of being accountable for my actions.  Although the diet is called the 17 day diet, it doesn't end after 17 days, it changes every 17 days until you lose all the weight you want/need to.  The premise is that the changes keep your body guessing and speeds up metabolism, gets you detoxed from sugars and sodas and such.  I am feeling motivated and excited to see the results.  Usually, after 17 days your body adjusts to your diet and you plateau.  This diet is created to try to keep you losing and motivated.  The guy that Dr. Phil recruited to do this diet lost 34 pounds in 17 days!  That alone motivates me like nothing else can.  I will blog and keep it real for anybody out there who sees this.  I could use some inspiration if anyone has any to give... Until later...

Day Two - Cycle One

     Dinner last night was fabulous.  My family loves fish and most vegetables, so we all enjoyed dinner together.  I placed the fish on tin foil, seasoned it, squeezed lemon over it, cut up broccoli and cauliflower over it seasoned the veggies and placed them in the center of the over for about 45 minutes.  The fish was perfect, the veggies steamed but still crunchy. Delicious.  I ate my second probiotic (yogurtt) and got through all five glasses of green tea for the day.  I only made it through 6-1/2 glasses of water - I just couldn't hold any more.  I did get hungry around ten, but I figured that was because I usually eat late and snack late too.  So I drank a bottle of water, which equals 2 waters, and had a green tea.  No longer hungry.  Day one Finished successfully!  Good Job Rebe - pat on the back)
    Day Two began like day one, late because it was Sunday.  However, it started with my darling daughter bringing me warm water and a lemon.  Then she repeated her routine with the green tea - also handing me a yogurt and an apple.  All of which was delicious, ad all of which made me full again.  I had 6 strawberries for snack with a green tea.  Then we went out to go to the movies and pick up lunch.  We went to Jack in the Box where I ordered 2 grilled chicken breast patties, and pulled out my bag of salad and fat free dressing (go ahead and stare people - I am on a mission and nothing is going to stop me - especially a little embarrassment over bringing my own food out - I've been more embarrassed than that before -trust).  While the children indulged in tacos, steak burritos, and curly fries, I munched on my delicious salad.  I barely used any dressing at all.  I ate the whole bag of lettuce with my chicken.  I did not even want any of the food at JIB - but I give them props for having a grilled chicken option for me, and I will be back to enjoy some more next time we get out and about.  I was extremely proud of myself for pre-thinking about my food before going out and going through with my plan instead of giving in to temptation.  That is a very difficult thing to do usually - but I did not find it so this time.  I was completely full and satisfied.
      Then, we were off to the movies!  I bought the popcorn and Slurpee's for the kids, while not getting anything for me.  I brought a bottle of water with me, fully intending to drink it during the movie, but I never got hungry or thirsty, so I forgot to drink it.  I have o say, water was the nemesis for me on this second day.  I kept reminding myself I had to drink so I don't get dehydrated because Dr. Mike says dehydration slows the fat burning process.  Can't have that.  With much force and regret, I only made it through 5 waters.  I did have my second probiotics, but only 3 green teas for the day too. I will improve on the liquids!
     For dinner, I made eggplant Parmesan (without marinara sauce).  I just ate it with grilled chicken breast and a bowl of Brussels sprouts!  Yum Yum!  I was so full and the food was delicious!  (Thanks for the eggplant recipe Dr. Mike!)  So, tabulations for day two look like this:  Water = 5; Probiotics = 2; Green Tea= 3; Successfully eating healthy at a fast food restaurant = YES!  Eating proteins and lots of vegetables = YES!  Not a perfect record, but another day for me to be proud of myself! 
    I do not feel deprived or like I am on a diet at all.  I have not had any cravings.  I think its because I stay so full of food and water that there is nothing left to want.  No room to put anything else.  I am really loving the 17 day die so far.  Oh yea, by the way, I am supposed to be exercising 17 minutes per day too.  I did not do too much of that on day one. But day two had me walking it out for the required amount of time.

End of Day One - Has it really only just begun?

     Wow!  Lunch was looking and smelling good.  I wen to the deli and had them cut me a chunk of turkey breast that I sliced off about 1/4 of it and diced into chunks for my salad.  I had a bowl of hearts of romaine lettuce, fresh mushrooms, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh spinach.  It was smelling and looking good and I felt excited.  I used a balsamic vinaigrette spritzer and wah wah wah.  I was disappointed.  Then I switched to a fat free Italian, which was better, but something still wasn't quite right - the spinach always tastes dirty to me and that ruined my lunch.  However, I recommend that everyone try the Honeysuckle White Turkey Breast sliced into thick chunks so you can dice them into your salad or heat them up and eat it as your protein!  I got down another green tea and am finished with my third water for the day.
   The hardest part of this diet is drinking so much liquid all day long because it keeps you full and running to the restroom.  I also find it difficult to eat so many times a day, since I am not used to it. It feels like I will gain weight eating so much....but I am smart enough to know that the opposite is true - pushing forward...
     I am off to make dinner now and looking forward to it.  Fresh Cat Fish with Steamed Veggies....  yummy for real people!