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| Not of an actual dish I ate |
For the last three days, I have been following this "chemical diet" that my friend Tim told me about. The plan promises to help me lose 6 lbs a week while detoxing my body for its need of carbs and sweets. At first glance of the recommended menu, which I have to follow for a month, I thought, there is no way in hell that I can even do this. But, I pressed on and set my mind to it and I just keep telling myself I am doing it to go from FLABulous to FABulous!
Let me share with you on what I have been indulging in on this journey to wellness. Here's my menu for the last three days.
Breakfast: 1/2 glass of orange juice and black coffee - no creamer no sugars...JUST BLACK!
Okay I am not a coffee drinker by any means. My usual order at Starbucks, when I do order a coffee beverage, consists of some sort of Frappucinno with whipped cream, though lately, Ross has turned me on to Venti Iced Americanos with half and half, a squirt of sugar-free hazelnut or vanilla, and Splenda. So the thought of BLACK coffee was not at all appealing. How did I get over it? Well let's just say iced black coffee is much better than hot, since the ice cubes water the taste down....it's quite pleasant to drink actually.
Lunch: Unlimited Amounts of Chicken (broiled, baked, grilled, or boiled) and 1...yes ONE Tomato!
So this isn't actually all that bad...though Kentucky Fried Chicken sounds pretty scrumptious at the moment. For my lunch, which I bring to work now, which is an amazing change on it's own, I have been eating sliced roast chicken that I bought from the deli counter of our local Ralphs matched with a whole tomato that I slice up and sprinkle a little bit of salt to give it some taste. This actually has not been bad since it's quick and easy to prepare at my desk. What's been hard is replacing my cravings for sweets and snacks with drinking water. You can't snack on anything! I am suppose to drink 10 glasses of water a day, so I have been substituting sweets with water - which doesn't eliminate the cravings but, for some reason, after drinking a bottle the cravings do subside. Trust me I literally go to the bathroom every 10 minutes - VERY INCONVENIENT but I see it as the bad stuff being rinsed away from my body.
Dinner: Unlimited Amounts of Chicken (broiled, baked, grilled, or boiled) and a Tomato!
You got it I get to eat the same thing for dinner that I had for lunch. Though I have fancier chicken meals for dinner. The nice thing about this diet is that I can season the chicken with what ever spices I want as long as it does not add any calories to it or add any sugar as well. So sadly, being Filipino, I can't add soy sauce or oyster sauce to my chicken meals. The first evening I made a great Indian inspired grilled chicken that was seasoned with Indian spices, salt, and pepper, quite tasty, and mixed it with the ONE tomato...it was fabulous. Last night, I had a roasted chicken that my hubby made in the crockpot which was awesome served with the tomato as well. This evening I will probably just eat the leftovers from the past two nights. So in retrospect this diet, so far, has not been so bad - at least I am eating food. Surprisingly I have not been overeating either - it's been quite filling.
What has been hard is not being able to have a soda or iced tea or fruits to satisfy my need for something sweet. I literally smell cake and ice cream as I sit at home...thinking, mmm that sounds really good at the moment. So I just walk to the fridge and grab a water and just pretend it's a martini or a soda or whatever I may be craving at the moment. The sad part is that I can't even grab a banana to eat during this phase of the diet. I think this phase is suppose to discipline my way of eating or at least teach me how to eat healthier choices. We shall see.
ANXIETY
I have some anxiety going into the weekend. Why you may ask? You all know I am a wedding planner and let's just say that I have a tasting with a couple for their wedding cake as well as their dinner. It's going to be hard to just sit at a cake tasting without tasting the cake! WTF! I am going to be surrounded by cake and sweets and cupcakes and scumptiousness and not be able to even have a sliver of any of it on my lips! This is one of my favorite parts of my job and I can't even indulge in it. I've already warned my vendors and my couple that I won't be able to taste anything, because of the diet that I am on and they totally understand and supportive. Even for their dinner choice tasting I won't be able to try anything unless it's on my diet plan and even then, it's probably safer to just not eat during this time just so I don't get tempted by anything.
Additionally, a friend of mine is celebrating his 40th birthday this coming Saturday and I know there will be tons of good Filipino food and other stuff to tempt me! Geez...could I have planned this any better! How in the heck am I suppose to celebrate someone turning "four oh" without being able to drink or eat! I guess I will be the one in the corner having water! FML! I keep thinking why would I plan this knowing that all these events were coming up...probably the same reason why I decided to quit smoking on a Christmas Eve...to test myself and see if I can actually make it through the fire. GIVE ME STRENGTH THIS WEEKEND!
If those two events aren't enough we are suppose to meet my brother and his family and some other friends at Disneyland on Sunday to celebrate his and my nephews birthday! DISNEYLAND with it's awesome whipped pineapple and all the other unhealthy yummies that's there to partake in. I get to pack a couple hard boiled eggs and some cottage cheese to munch on since that is on my diet plan for Sunday. REALLY am I just torturing myself...should I reset and start again next Monday? I know stay strong...STAY STRONG FLABULOSA! That's what I keep telling myself. It's much easier to stay to a diet plan when I am in my own cocoon, but getting out in the real world and being able to just say no is probably a bigger test for me.
So, as you can see, I have a little bit of anxiety for the approaching weekend. There's just too many temptations to turn my wellness plan to a total wreck. Luckily, I have a supportive husband, family, friends, vendors, and couples who will keep me on task, the support has been very nice! It's nice to know that people are genuinely concerned for my well being also.
Looking at the here and now, today is my last day for the chicken and tomato round for this week. Tomorrow and for the next three days, I get to change up the menu and eat beef, spinach, and a salad with olive oil and lemon juice. I am looking forward to steak and to my quest for a better and healthier body.
REFLECTION
What I have noticed in the last three days is that I do feel better. I have been sleeping better, I don't get as tired during the day, as I have been and I am standing more upright (shoulders back, head up). I was starting to hunch over which I think was also affecting my lower back, which by the way has felt fine for the last couple of days. Though I do have cravings for sweets and other things (thanks to the person who brought in the chocolate covered macadamia nuts from their vacation in Hawaii today), water has really helped curb those cravings - amazing right. I don't know if this mental change or if the diet had something to do with it, but I do attest that something is different. Maybe the biggest change has been my attitude.
Food intake from 1/17/11 to 1/19/11:
Orange Juice: 1 and 1/2 glasses
Black Coffee: 3 cups, maybe a little more because of the glass sizes.
Tomatoes: 5 Medium sized tomatoes (I have another to eat tonight)
Chicken: Enough to satisfy my hunger
Exercise: I'm moving my body - I need to increase this!
BTW I took the Real Age Test that someone suggested and my Real Age was 40.3. Not bad.
Thanks for indulging in my ramblings, I really appreciate the support!
-Percy
Awesome Job Percy! I'm totally down to have a steak and spinach party this week with you at work :)
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