Day 11: Cruise Day 1 (PV)

CRUISE PHASE DAY 1

So... this morning I woke up at 7:30am, pumped up, full of energy. I checked the scale, and I had lost 1.4lbs since yesterday. So these are my stats...

Attack phase:

Days: 10

Weight Loss: -9.8 lbs

That's almost a pound a day. Not bad, if I do say so myself. The weight will start to come off slower now that I'm introducing vegetables every other day, but this is healthier, and a more realistic way to loose weight. The book says you should average about 2 lbs lost/week. I finished the book last night, and while on Phase II you need to increase your daily walks to 30'/day, it does NOT encourage any excessive exercising. The reason being is that, for people who need to loose a lot of weight, the cruise phase will last a loooong time (I think for me it will be until August ???), and at some point, depending on how many diets you've been on, you might start to plateau. Your body may begin to assimilate food differently, and extract more calories from the same food you've been eating. This is the time to pump up the exercise!!! Because while your input may become a problem (calories in) you can always alter your output (calories out).

Especially in a stagnation plateau, when the risk of giving up is high, the role that exercise plays becomes crucial. A body that has started to resist dieting cuts down its energy consumption and extracts every last calorie from its food intake, blocking weight loss long enough for the diet to fail. But when exercise is added to the equation, resistance gives way, weight drops, spirits rise, belief in the dieting program is reinforced, and the vicious circle becomes a virtuous one.

Dukan, Pierre (2011-04-19). The Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever (pp. 153-154). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I wanted to add this in because I think it's a really important thing to keep in mind. Also, it makes me feel a bit silly about my day7 post. I was trying to reach my goal by trying to push my exercise and ended up loosing the least. Oh well, live and learn. Just because you shouldn't do heavy exercise DOES NOT mean that you shouldn't be active. This is the important thing because what we want is a lifestyle change not just to fit into a size X pair of jeans. Therefore, we have to start thinking about all the technology that makes, and keeps, us LAZY (and fat). You know, before, when I was going to the gym- I, an overweight person, could not believe how many people- fat, fit, normal-- would circle the parking lot looking for a closer parking spot and would take the elevator to the third floor. All to go into a gym and walk on a treadmill and do the stair master. This blew my mind!!! It all adds up to make a difference, and all ways to burn calories without thinking, add 30' of moderate exercise (walking) and you got yourself a good foundation, and a plan that anyone should be able to follow.

Ok, enough lecturing! On to the good stuff...

My first cruise meal...Well, as I mentioned I wanted to make my greek omelette. I used 4 egg whites, 0.5 cups of spinach, 1 oz of fat-free feta, and I threw in a thin slice of 97% fat free ham to keep my protein ratio high, and so I wouldn't have to add salt. Also, I stuck my normal coffee in the blender with some ice to make a frappe. So, I had my breakfast ready to eat, I sit down at the table, I start to eat slow to enjoy my newly added greens and feta, and what happens?????

After about 4 bites, I was full!!! BEFORE- I would have finished it. Why? Because, I was raised to finish the food on my plate, because it was deeeelicious, and because god darn it...I deserved it!!! OH OH...RED FLAG!!!! Deserve? Deserve what exactly? Deserve to ruin my diet, just at the peak of my success? Deserve to feel full, bloated and sick? Deserve the guilt I would feel later on? BEFORE-- I would have rationalized it, "well before I was eating the same omelette, I just traded in all the ham for spinach, which is actually better for me. I worked hard for 10 days, I deserve my breakfast!!!"

What exactly was it that I thought I deserved? I realized at that moment that -maybe- what I thought I deserved was the short pleasure I would get from the taste of the food? But that is a really short pleasure in comparison to the pleasures of not eating it!!! All this happened in a flash (lightbulb). I stopped eating, as I was satisfied (pic on right) and put it away for later. I am confident that these are the little things that will continue to guarantee my success. Sorry to sound arrogant, but "yeaeh for me!!!!"