The first week of any diet is proof of nothing. It's when you get beyond Week 1 that you start to see whether your program is producing any results. For this reason, I'm very interested to see what happens to me during Week 2.
But now, a confession: I went over the 800-calorie limit on a couple days, probably getting close to 1000 calories on some. I did this by, on one day, eating a whole avocado instead of a half-avocado. (Avocados, being fatty, are keto-friendly but packed with calories.) On other days, I used nothing but whole milk in my morning diet shake. I also have some Dream Cacao chocolate candies that I generally don't touch, but on one or two days I've eaten some. These chocolates are at 72% concentration, so they're considered keto-safe when eaten in moderation, but the point is that they're calorific, which means eating them puts me over the Newcastle Diet's 800-calorie limit. I've used up my milk, though, and I'll be buying nothing but almond milk from now on, and if I eat Dream Cacao, it'll be only on Saturdays when I do my 18-kilometer jaunt (as you know, walks keep the blood sugar down). In the larger scheme of things, these sins aren't huge, but they do take me over that prescribed limit, which is why I'm bothering to issue a mea culpa.
Our staff is going to have a lunchtime meeting this week, and we're going to a local Chinese restaurant. I'll be eating vegetarian, but the dish is still going to be slathered in a carby sauce that will set me back in terms of blood sugar and other numbers. The Newcastle Diet is supposed to go on for eight weeks, but my calendar has me down for ten. I'm going to need that extra time to reset my numbers after the staff-meeting meal.
As I've said in other contexts, it sucks to have to think this way—counting calories, worrying about numbers. I'd rather just enjoy my food instead of constantly weighing, measuring, and pre-planning. But this is life, and even after I'm done with the austerity, it's very likely the calorie-counting will continue. It has to. As I now know, it's a matter of life and death for me. I can't afford a second stroke, and that's what motivates me to behave. And believe me, I've never behaved this well before. Meanwhile, the intensity of my exercise continues to slowly ratchet up, so this hopefully means I'll continue to lose weight.
Wish me luck as I move into Week 2.
Forgive yourself those trespasses and continue on with your journey! You are doing great at an incredibly difficult lifestyle change. I'd hate the whole calorie counting routine too, but before much longer it will become almost natural I'd wager. And you can look forward to a future that eventually includes cheat days--it will feel like Christmas!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and keep on keepin' on...
I think you should be applauded for being on the right track and forgiven when you stray. Take it one day and one meal at a time!
ReplyDelete