Bounceback boo! And "Cheesy" pic

Week 2 of my 6-on-1-off sprint didn't go as well on the scale. Had a 1# bounceback from the previous week's loss. But I wasn't quite as rigorous with the tracking and I didn't get in all my workout days. So I won't bitch too much. The mirror IS showing a difference so I'm going to be extra good about tracking on all days. I think it will go the other direction again this week.

I'm pretty sure I went overboard on Friday, calorie-wise. And my "off" day can't be quite so off. I don't think that reflected on the scale so much as on my energy levels. Reintroducing complex carbs one day a week just means I'm groggy and dumb for the whole latter half of that day. So, this Sunday I'm going to minimize that, but say OK to some fruit and more veggies. Obviously this sprint needs some tweaking. heheheh

Here's a pic from a couple of weeks ago, taken at Austin's Grilled Cheese Invitational. Yeah, this banded girl went to a grilled cheese cookoff, hosted and organized by my best girl and fellow bandster, oddly enough. I ate some sammiches, more than I ought to have done, but far less than I would have in my pre-band days. :D

I wish I had gotten a pic without the apron... I think I was actually looking pretty good in my fitted tank top and tee that day! My "wings" are getting more noticeable, but they could be worse. ;)

Daily intake and psuedo-pouch-test-sprint

So, I had to go out and watch the Dr. Oz segment after hearing about it all over the place. So not representative of most bandsters, but I know there are a few who are so tight that this is close to how they eat.

I'm slogging along with week 2 of my 6 day "not quite the pouch test" sprint. Monday/Tuesday have been the hardest, both weeks, for obvious reasons. Liquids are so NOT satisfying, especially when you're at a low fill point. But the promise of solids has gotten me through, and then the promise of my "off" day is getting me through the rest of the week.

I am averageing about 1000 calories per day, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I try to get in at least 100g of protein, and minimize my net carbs.

This week, I did add more veggies starting Wed/Thurs, mostly because we do local farm delivery every two weeks and all four of us have to eat on it or it goes bad. My spouse won't eat cooked leafy greens, and this time of year that's a huge portion of the delivery. So yeah.... kale and chard got added to my intake this week.

I can SEE this working, which is so weird. I looked in the mirror today and saw a slightly older version of my 22-year-old self looking back at me. I haven't been this weight since my spouse and I were dating, back almost 15 years ago. I'm still above my lowest weight ever as an adult, but not far from it.

Anyways.... what I eat in a typical day (or Fri/Sat of this sprint) when I'm staying on-track and losing:

Breakfast
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg white
- .5 oz shredded fat-free cheddar, or 1/2 turkey sausage, or 1 oz meat
- 1 to 2 tbls salsa
(all in an omelette or scramble)

OR, if I'm feeling very tight
- 1 scoop Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Vanilla Ice Cream protein powder
- 1 cup Soy Slender Vanilla soy milk

Snack
- 4 to 6 oz plain greek yogurt, maybe with a tiny bit of flavor added or splenda/flavor extract
OR
- 20 almonds
OR
- light string cheese
OR
- Atkins bar or protein shake
OR
- .5 cup of lowfat cottage cheese
OR
- .5 cup of fruit (sometimes I just gotta!)

Lunch
- 3 to 4 oz meat or fish
- a little bit of some sort of veggie
- low-carb dressing or marinade, or more salsa, or some sort of healthy sauce (to make the meat less likely to get stuck),

Snack
- another selection from the above list, usually

Dinner
- very similar to lunch. Lunch is usually made with leftover dinner, so that makes sense. ;)


Sometimes I will have dessert
- sugar-free pudding made with greek yogurt, skim milk, and protein powder (if I'm hungrier)
OR
- sugar free popsicle

This breakdown results in an average 1.5 pound per week loss for me. My maintenance levels are not quite double this amount -- about 1800 calories and more balanced, including some whole grains. My final maintenance levels will probably be a little less than that, maybe 1500-1600 calories.

I can't wait to see how this week has treated me -- Sunday morning weigh-in, here I come!

I'm also looking forward to the Challenge results from last week being posted. I think there are several of us who kicked it into gear big time last week! :D

That seals the deal...

... I am definitely going to continue for a while with the SIX-day version of the pouch test, plus one day "off" weekly.

Today's weigh-in put me in at a whopping 5.5 pounds down, well into the 170s (FINALLY), and at 91 pounds down total. YAY!!!!!!

This week was hard, but not unmanageable. I need to adjust my timing with meals so I don't end up with one big stretch in the afternoon/evening when I'm freaking ravenous, or light-headed. I definitely feel banded again, even though my fill level is so minimal. Before seeing Sucker Punch last night, we stopped off at the BBQ place across the street. I couldn't measure it, of course, but I doubt I managed 5 ounces of meat off my plate. Yum, leftovers!

Today's day "off" includes Dim Sum brunch with friends and my kids, and maybe taking the girls for a small frozen yogurt. Then, on Monday, it's back to liquids for two days to start off week 2 of this sprint towards my Memorial Day/pre-bandiversary mini-goal.

I just realized yesterday that if this works, I am going to be up the proverbial creek for clothes for summer, and we have NO room in the budget for clothes shopping. Last night's dinner/movie was a real splurge for us. We almost never see first-run movies (Kick Ass was the last first-run film we saw), but it was at a theater on the UT campus, so I got a decent student discount.

I think I'm going to have to sort through both the stuff that came back from the consignment shop and the new bins that have been filled with too-big clothes and start listing them on Ebay. Then have a garage sale too. Bleh, the Ebay thing can be lucrative, but it's a lot of hours of work to put in, especially when my plate is so full of homework/work/kids. Ah well, it's that or wear huge Ts and jeans all summer, I guess. heheh