Weighing In and Changing My Mind

Last week I mentioned that I was going to be following the 3 week diet plan. Today is supposed to be day 8, I've managed a full week on this plan and as proud as I am of myself for sticking with it, I have to admit it's not been easy going.

For the past 7 days I've had no carbs, no fruit, no junk food, no alcohol and no caffeine. My will power has been really tested. Just vegetables and meat/fish and even then only certain ones of these were allowed and they could only be cooked in a certain way.

My meal times have been shifted around, a lot of fasting which has left me feeling hungry more often than not and there was quite a few moments where I considered stopping, as really why I am putting myself through this, to lose a couple of lbs?

There have been plus sides to it. I was left feeling slightly less energetic but this meant that I was actually sleeping at night rather than getting my usual 4-5 hours sleep and despite the hunger pains, I haven't had the horrible belly pains from eating something that doesn't agree with me, if anything it has got me reevaluting my diet in the future, I think I might stick to a lower carb diet.

I managed to carry on exercising, following the bikini guide, this was made hard because I was low on energy but I'm glad I persisted. Even if I can't make my body how I want it to look in my head I actually feel better after working out, it isn't all about the weight loss for this part.

I bartered with myself, especially in the first couple of days and decided to get through atleast the first week to see if it actually made any difference to my weight, both on the scales and in my physical appearance. I've been stuck in a rut for so long and no matter how much I tell myself it doesn't really matter, I can't let go of that feeling that I don't look good enough. (I know, I know, I really need to have a strong word with myself)

So the question is after all the effort, did I lose any weight? The answer is yes, I lost 3.5lbs putting me at 7 stone 5lbs  however I honestly couldn't tell you where from as my measurements haven't really changed and to me I look no different but from a weight point of view I'm now going the wrong way, sliding closer to being underweight which is not what I want to be, I don't want this to be what my kids see. I'd set my target weight as 7 stone 2lbs but having really got scales that also tell me my BMI I'm starting to change my mind.

It is so hard getting the balance right and having read Katie's post last week I'm kind of glad to see that I am not the only one struggling with this. There is just so much conflicting advice out there not only about diets but about a person shape and size too. I want to be comfortable in my own skin, I'm just finding it hard to discover where my comfort zone is.

I don't think I want to carry on with the rest of this diet plan because my rational side is saying it is just like any other fad diet even if my competitive side likes to follow things through. It may be good for a quick fix or a good start for someone that has lots of lbs to shift but as I don't really need to lose an awful lot more weight I don't think it is the long term solution that I'm after.

There is one thing I'm certain of though, having drunk nothing but water this week, I'm looking forward to a massive cup of steaming coffee, caffeine is something I've decided I can't live without!!

xxxx