Day 17
This was a travel day. My morning weight was up a full pound! Yikes! But I figured it was the effects of eating a pork steak so late. However, this news kept me on track through a long day of having to eat in the air and at a conference. I began with a couple of Veggie Quiche Cups and packed one with me as a snack. On the plane, I used a coupon to upgrade to First Class and so I got a turnover and fruit as my morning snack. The fruit was OK for Phase 2, although it should be eaten with some protein. My last Veggie Quiche Cup was trapped in the overhead bin and I was in the window seat, with the stranger in the aisle seat fast asleep. I also ate the turnover. I really felt no ill effects, although by the end of the flight my bladder was about to burst as I was trapped in the window seat. I ate the Veggie Quiche Cup as soon as we deplaned - it was a short flight.Conference Eating: We had an About.com Guide Conference and lunch was easy to navigate - a tray of sandwich makings, a lovely salad, a relish tray, and big honking cookies. I chose turkey and made a big salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and went back for seconds. I didn't miss the bread. The cookies kept calling to me, but none looked oatmeal-enough, and I had a conference to get through without falling asleep. For the snack later, they brought in candy bars, more cookies, brownies, and chocolate dipped oreos. I chose the oreo and just nibbled the chocolate off the edges, which was enough to satisfy my chocolate tooth.
Dinner on the Run: I didn't know if I could get dinner before boarding my plane, so I had a Think Thin Low Carb Diet bar on the train to the airport. At the airport, I had time to get a salad with grilled chicken. On the plane I got almonds as the snack.
Day 18
Weigh-in: I was back down to a new low, a full pound less than my last low weight on Thursday!Walking Day: For breakfast I had two Veggie Quiche Cups and a small handful of baked pita chips to add some easy carbohydrate for walking. We first enjoyed a local Highlander Festival six-mile walk. Then we went to an Indian buffet for lunch. I selected a samosa - although filled with non-recommended potato and peas, it has a garbanzo-flour crust. I had a chicken dish, a lamb dish, vegetables, and some yogurt raita. That was filling and I left out any rice or bread. I had three glasses of water with the meal. We then went on our second six-mile walk of the day. I got pretty thirsty, draining my 20-ounce water bottle and being very thirsty by the end. When on any diet, it is very important to have enough water. With high protein/low carbohydrate diets, it is even more important because water is needed to flush out the toxic byproducts of protein digestion.
Dinner: I was tired by the time I arrived home and I looked longingly at the beer in the refrigerator. But I resisted. For dinner I grilled chicken breasts, made a lovely salad with romaine, avocado, tomato, and a lemon juice-olive oil dressing. I grilled red peppers and mushrooms. With dinner I now had the allowed small glass of cabernet sauvignon.
Next Morning Weigh-in: Down a few ounces from yesterday, I am very happy to have maintained that drop rather than discover it was spurious. I should weigh in less often, but I find the daily weigh-ins, personally, to be the best feedback to keep me on course. The danger of daily weigh-ins is that you can get discouraged and give up, or have unreasonable expectations. For example, I know my monthly bloat will begin soon. If I were new to weigh-ins, I might despair over putting back on a couple of pounds of temporary water weight and give up. Or I might restrict my eating severely. No need for that if you understand your body cycles. I also notice that after long walking days the weight stays up. This is due to the muscles absorbing water and swelling as they build and repair, and it is temporary.
Next Page: Days 19 - 20 - 21
