Maybe Hard Work Pays Off

So right after I quit Eggs I jumped right into another food for two weeks that did the exact same thing as Eggs. I was thinking I might try to go more plant based and eat less meat.  When I was convinced that I had a thyroid disorder I read that a plant based diet was the way to go for weight loss.  When I found out my blood sugar was high, I read that plant based diets have been known to help reverse diabetes.  I kept coming across HCLF (high carb low fat), I was seriously burnt out on meat and I've been reading all this stuff about how we don't really need all that protein because our bodies aren't designed to digest animal products.  Lentils are high in protein so I figured I could start building meals around legumes instead of meat.  Well, not so fast.  After week one of eating lentils I started getting that bloated filled up feeling again and my weight went back up.  I didn't even realize it was happening until one day my belly was so distended that I decided on the spot that I would never eat lentils again.  Sure enough, my weight dropped down as soon as I stopped eating them and held steady mostly at 137-138 after that.  Apparently, lentils can be very hard to digest and is on that list of possibly inflammatory foods.  Thank god it was just the lentils.  Now, I'm nervous about regular beans and will have to test those out.

Daily Summary
	Budget	Food	Exercise	Net	+/-	Weight (lbs)
6/15/15	1,787	1,471	250	1,221	-566	140.6
6/16/15	1,780	1,361	233	1,129	-651	139.6
6/17/15	1,779	1,573	155	1,418	-360	139.4
6/18/15	1,773	1,688	260	1,428	-345	138.6
6/19/15	1,766	1,701	0	1,701	-65	137.4
6/20/15	1,764	1,776	308	1,468	-297	137.2
6/21/15	1,752	1,356	300	1,056	-696	135.4
2,981 calories under budget for the week
Lost 4.2 pounds this week as measured from a starting weight of 139.6 on June 14th.

I weighed in at 133.8 this morning.  What?? I haven't seen a number this low since August 2014; almost a year ago.

A month ago I did a happy dance when I stepped off the scale one day because I hadn't seen 136 since that initial dip when I originally quit eggs.  Then just recently it went up and and up and up all the way to 140 which freaked me out a little bit.  I hadn't gone that high since quitting eggs.  I don't get a real period anymore since my hysterectomy.  I just get some spotting sometimes, but what I've noticed is that I still get bloating and water retention as if I'm having a regular period and it takes a good solid week to go away.  I think part of the weight gain was from that, but I have no explanation for the dip that has occurred since.  I'm used to gaining 2 lbs over night not losing it, so I have been thrilled over my last few days on the scale, yet only cautiously so because I know how quickly it can all turn around.  Maybe my body is finally healing and normalizing.  Maybe it's just water and I'll wake up tomorrow back at square one or Maybe all my hard work is finally paying off.  I hope so and if that's the case the timing could not be better with vacation around the corner. That was my plan all along but it seemed so hopeless and impossible 12 weeks ago when I started the Bikini Body Guide.  My body has been so, so stubborn.  Over the last few weeks I haven't even been cooking.  I quit obsessing over getting a lot of protein and have been doing Subway a few nights a week.  I even ate left over pizza from my party and from when my parents were here two weeks in a row.  All of this in moderation though.  Two slices of Pizza is not bad-it's when you can't stop yourself from eating 4 even though you are full is when it's a bad thing.  My protein count has gone way down, but the carbs have been really satisfying and I'm never hungry even on the days I don't quite hit 1,500. Saturday I had 2 pieces of ezekial toast with peanut butter on top for breakfast, french toast for lunch out at brunch with a friend and Carne Asada tacos for dinner.  I wanted a beer but I skipped it in favor of strawberries to get in some extra fiber.  Sunday I ate three pieces of ezekial with peanut butter on top for breakfast, shopped through lunch and then had Carne Asada Tacos with beer for dinner. I was starving.  I wasn't that hungry afterwards but threw in string cheese and some strawberries for a snack because I was under calories and didn't eat all the food I had planned.  I am eating real meals.  Regulary.  If I am planning to go out to dinner I still eat a normal breakfast and lunch.  That used to be a big no no for me.  That I can do that and be okay with it is still very new to me even though I've been eating pretty good for a year now.  In fact, it was exactly one year ago that I bought that food plan and started out tentatively with 1,500 consistently.  I've come a long way.

I am on my last week of Bikini Body Guide.  Two more circuits to go and then I'm DONE! I can't believe it.  These workouts are killer.  I am a soggy, sweaty with sweat dripping into my eyes almost every work out.  It has been so hard and such a long haul but I am so glad I stuck with it even when it felt hopeless.  I've actually gotten used to working out 6 days a week.  I never thought I'd say that.  I also haven't stressed over NOT getting in all the workouts either.  If something came up and I could only get in 5 days I've been fine with it as long as I get in the three circuits per week (but I always get in more).  I feel stronger, more toned and so much leaner.  My thighs are thinning out.

My energy is good.  I'm taking vitamins and fish oil daily.  The sleeping pills I was taking Sun-Thurs finally stopped working.  My body finally adjusted.  The first week was hard.  Non drug induced sleep felt different.  The sleeping pills knocked me out cold but without them I was actually aware of laying in bed for 8 hours at a time; which is a really long time.  It's like, I wasn't getting into a deep enough sleep so I was sleeping but it didn't feel like like it.  I just felt like I was laying in bed for hours.  It's gotten better. 

Oh, and it appears my skin has FINALLY cleared up.  For real this time, after a year of cystic acne.  It was so bad, but this is what my skin does.  Perfectly fine for years and then 1 year out of the blue where all hell breaks lose.  This is the 4th time so I supposed it will happen again some day.

I went bikini shopping yesterday.  It sucked.  My most hated body part has always been my low back, butt and the thigh area just below the butt.  It's never been tight enough for me even at my slimmest so it may not be something I can change.  I'm still not happy with my body and who knows if I ever will be, but I am so glad to be making progress.  I'm packing for vacation so I was trying on my shorts and they fit noticeably looser than they did when I tried them on 6 weeks ago to see if everything fit.  I'm planning to not track calories at all on my vacation and leaving the HRM at home.  I can't weigh in, so it would be the perfect time to give it a shot and see what it's like.  I've literally tracked every single day since I got my iPhone.  That's like five years, and I was tracking before that on paper.  I think I deserve a break.  I'm very nervous, but I'm pretty sure I need to give it a rest and just be normal and see what happens.