When I started this diet a week ago I had very little confidence that this was really going to make a difference. After all, based on my rather sedentary job coupled with a lack of a formal exercise program and add to that the years of poor food choices I was almost positive that I was a lost cause. There is no magic formula that could possibly make a difference and reverse what I had been doing most of my life.
I had further wondered whether I would even have the willpower to continue a fairly regimented program that told me when and what I could eat. I was warned that the first three or four days would be brutal. I would be tired, hungry, and have headaches as my body tried to adjust to this new eating system.
I also knew that if I didn’t see some sort of improvement I would likely be disappointed and therefore find myself wanting to throw in the towel and go back to the habits I had taken years to perfect.
Before stepping on the scale to signify the end-of-week weight for the first week I felt a sense of nervousness and foreboding. What if I had only lost one or two pounds this first week. I know that is normal but I really felt like I had been working hard putting my life in order and making drastic changes to my eating and sleeping habits.
Obviously I had set myself up with very unrealistic notions thinking the pounds would just melt off in a few days. All the books and information I had read said that weight loss programs that are successful allow for 1-2 pound loss per week. Why did I think this would be any different?
So as I stood there staring at the bathroom scale I wondered why such an innocent appliance held such feelings of fear for people? I mean after all it’s not like the scale was going to scream, “OH YOU BIG HUNK OF LARD GET OFF OF ME, YOU’RE STRETCHING MY SPRINGS!” Well at least I was hoping that was not going to be the case.
Despite what the scale was going to say I was convincing myself that the first week had been a success. I had cut down my red meat consumption to one small serving and that was buffalo so it was even healthy for me. And hey, if it weren’t for this diet I would have never even tried buffalo so that was a positive.
I had also already learned how to cook chicken several ways and also ate sea scallops. My vegetable intake has increased and I ate asparagus twice and didn’t even throw up so that in itself was a win.
After a pep talk like that I convinced myself to step on the scale and weigh in to record my end-of-week weight. Seven days ago I weighed more than I had in my entire life at 210 pounds. I stepped up with my eyes closed but finally opened them to look at the dial. It read 201 pounds. I had lost 9 pounds for the first week.
I let out a sigh of relief. The hard work and dedication was starting to pay off. I am on my way towards my goal and I have seen progress from a weight and from a perspective of making healthy choices. I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal but this is a great first step.
And if the weight loss was not amazing enough, I took my blood pressure to see if I was starting to see a change. Just a few short weeks ago my blood pressure read 146/90 and that while taking high blood pressure medicine. Today I saw a drop to 121/84. While I am still taking the medication, a few more weeks of reduction in those numbers and I will be paying a visit to the doctor to see about eliminating the need for that medication. I would say it has been a great first week.
0 Comments