Week 2

Six pounds lost!  A proper six pounds.  I weighed in wearing similar clothes and I didn’t starve myself all day hoping for a better weight loss.  I deliberately did not weigh myself at home and so was slightly nervous getting on the scales.  I was hoping for a couple of pounds and if I hadn’t lost weight I would have used the excuse that I ate more carbohydrates this week than I can ever remember.  Having read, the Atkins Diet and the Idiot Proof Diet more than once, I programmed my brain into thinking that pasta, potatoes and rice were the enemy.  Not any more, my fear of carbohydrates are now out of the window. I guess this is what they call a balanced diet.  Mind you I have consumed more baked beans, pulses and vegetables than ever before and that, of course, has provided me with challenges of a different kind.

I was trying to think of words to describe my approach to this first week and I think they have to be ‘trust and honesty’. You almost have to take and leap of faith and trust the slimming world eating plan and all the advice given to you and not fall back into the mind set of ‘I know best’.  My ‘I know best’s have always ended in failure.  My second word,’honesty’ is simple.  Be honest to yourself with what you are eating.  There was almost a weak moment over the last couple of days when a rather delicious looking left over trifle was calling from the fridge.  It would have been so easy to have eaten it, washed up the dish and pretended it wasn’t there in the first place.

If you have been forever on a constant diet like me and are still overweight, I am sure that you will know where your weakness lies and what your sabotage, comfort, stress foods are.  After talking to a couple of my girlies, chocolate, cheese and alcohol seem to come top of the list either individually or if it is a really good night, all three together in whatever order they fall. My downfall is definitely wine.  Any colour really and any region and anytime.  The trouble is, as we all know, after consuming a few glasses, the willpower ceases and the non logic head steps in which leads to munching through all the naughty stuff as well.  The day after (normally without a good nights sleep) I used to feel just Yuk. My blood sugar was on the floor, I felt bloated and my body craved any form of sugar to get its engine running again.  And so the cycle began again.

I made a conscious decision not to drink during our village carnival night this Saturday. There were a number of friend’s not drinking alcohol due to being designated drivers so I certainly wasn’t alone in my decision. Not touching the wine helped me stay in complete control for the evening and undoubtedly enabled me to be a better hostess.  I certainly remembered a lot more than in previous years!  This then meant that it was easier for me to stay away from all of the snacks and desserts and cheeses.  Now I really do feel very grown up and righteous!

I didn’t spend the whole week alcohol free, however.  Oh no, I know me.  If I say no alcohol for 6 months until I lose the weight I will immediately run to the wine rack and open the first bottle I find.  I had a couple of glasses of red wine on Sunday with my Sunday lunch and I really, really enjoyed them. 

So week 1 is over.  Bring on week two.  Sixty four pounds and counting. Sx