Progress

It's been 6 1/2 weeks since I started my diet. As of last Tuesday I was already down 22.5 pounds. Yay! I was walking 5-6 nights a week, but since Tuesday the wind has been so bad that I haven't been able to get out. It's caused my asthma to flare up, and Trevor, Natalie and Drew's allergies to act up. We've had lots of coughs and sniffles going around.
I've been diligent in eating better, eating the foods that my dietitian has instructed me to eat, and I'm doing fairly well. I started my third phase last Monday, and this is the one that I was the most worried about. I'm not having the protein shakes anymore, but real food. Argh! Stress. I've been eating either eggs (for the protein) or Cream of Wheat (for the taste). I used to put 1 T. of brown sugar, but now I put on some cinnamon and 1/2 t. of sugar. Sometimes I have a plain piece of toast too. Lunchtime is no longer a sandwich. I usually cook up chicken one night early in the week, and use that for my lunches for the rest of the week. Usually it's half a chicken breast and some fruits or veggies. I've tried to substitute for the chips that my kids eat for something more healthy. I found a solution in the baby food aisle of all places. Gerber makes these cheese crisps that taste better than Cheetos. Best part about it is that I can eat 18 of them and only consume 35 calories. I still totally crave and miss my daily caffeinated beverage, but I have found the Fuze drinks have either 10-20 calories per bottle are good in a pinch. I drink tons of water still, but sometimes I need some flavor. My dietitian pointed out that drinking a ton of water with my dinner was actually not a good idea for me. She said that it's flushing the food out before my brain got the signal that I was full. So she suggested that if I absolutely have to have a drink with dinner that I have only a few sips. Then 30-45 minutes later I can go back to drinking as much water as I want. It has been helping me eat less, which surprised me.
Natalie has reversed her previous decision. She initially said that she wouldn't like me anymore if I got skinny. She has now decided that it's okay if I lose weight, but she doesn't want me to look "disgusting." Wow, what support and love I feel knowing that.