1 week in, comments

One week ago today, Mom and I began our two loading days. I gained 6 pounds and was a little concerned. Mom didn't gain anything (yae her!). To date, I've lost 17 pounds and Mom 8. I think that's pretty darn good for the first week and everything I was expecting when going on this protocol.

If I can keep it up, that means I'll be at -85 pounds (note to self: that's how much my niece weighs right now, for some perspective!) by the end of this process. Not bad for 40 days and 40 nights. And, really, it was only the first 2 days that were terrible. The time on the VLCD (very low calorie diet) part of this is, to be very truthful, easy. I recall one morning that I felt like I was famished, the third day into the VLCD, but other than that, I've been concerned that I'm not eating enough, as the meals are so large that I have trouble finishing them.

Coming up with recipes that are both tasty and satisfy the protocol outline is, to be honest, challenging. I was hoping to invite some other people who are great cooks to see what they could do with such a limited set of ingredients, but haven't heard back from any of them yet. Luckily, Mom & I are doing just fine with our creative cooking. I'm not-so-creative, but Mom's always been an Ace in the Kitchen. :) She really excells in baking, which is not something she can really use while we're on this protocol.

As for cravings, we've craved some things so far, but they're not the usual suspects. I wanted a banana two days in a row like you can't believe! I don't normally eat bananas, so it was an odd craving for me to have in the first place. Mom a piece of toast, but she really had to search her memory banks for that craving, so it must not have been a very strong craving. Hahahaha!

Today, we're planning to go to the movies. You know we're not supposed to take outside food into the theater, but we're going to sneak in an orange each for snacking on during the movie. The popcorn, I think, will be a test of wills, but, since we won't have real butter and parmesean, I think we'll pass the test. Movie popcorn smells better than it tastes - sort of like vanilla and some coffees.

For myself, I thought this was going to be hard, even though everyone I spoke to said it was easy-peasy. There's always the individual perspectives of what they think is easy and what I think is easy. I'm one of those who'd rather be like electricity and take the path of least resistance. This protocol, of all the diets that are out there, is the easiest thing I've ever done.

Cross my heart and hope to die if I'm telling a lie!