Forbidden Fruit!

I'm here to report on my first week on the diet train.  As previously reported, it was time to Get Serious and after some serious consideration, I selected The 17 Day Diet, which consists of four 17 day cycles.  Right now, I'm in the "Accelerate" cycle, which is fairly restricted.  However, I must say that this first week has gone better than expected.  While I may occasionally feel a twinge of "hey, I'd like to eat something," my plan allows me to munch away, so I never get to that crazy, shaky, "I'd eat the lid off the peanut jar and push my mama off a cliff to get to the jar" stage of hunger.

A few things to know:  Plenty of lean protein, but as I'm not a fish-eater, I've been getting creative with chicken, as two-plus weeks of grilled chicken salads would get me to clucking!  I'm still getting plenty of carbs, but it's all coming from fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy.  No bread, no potatoes, no rice, no pasta (yet).  No sugar and no artificial sweeteners, so no diet soda.  Some fruit is okay (not melon though, so the muskmelon sandals at the top of the post are merely decorative.  Then again, they probably should stay that way in any event), but fruit is to be consumed before 2 in the afternoon to give my body time to burn off the sugar.  That's actually turning out to be good for me.  I tend to get wound up at work and eat very, very late in the day.  This makes me go "Hmm.  If I want those blueberries, better find a stopping place."  I had a long drive on Friday and was snacking on fresh blueberries as I drove along the interstate.  Better than popping M&Ms.

I'm exercising more.  On top of my cheapo pedometer tracking my daily step count, I've hit the gym three times this week and done a "briskly paced" walking DVD at home two times.  (By the way - that phrase "briskly paced" should be read as "it's good for me, but it's also good that chirpy woman isn't in the room with me.  These hand weights could do some damage and, around Minute 22, it looks like maybe a good idea").

So what's the bottom line?  It's Day Seven and I'm down two kilos (4.4 pounds).  I've got more energy than I had last week and I'm willing to not throw it all away for a box of Red Hots.  Parts of this seem a little crazy to me - I'm guzzling water like a camel at an oasis, hot lemon water when I first get up, plenty of green tea every day - but I can't argue with results.  I'm eating foods I haven't tried before, getting experimental with spices, and actually liking going to the gym for circuit training.

Onward!