Monday, January 31, 2011

Postpartum Shape-Up Week 2: My First Sweet in Two Weeks

It. Is. Working!

I've lost another pound of baby weight this week thanks to my own little spin on the No S Diet. Sure, the results aren't as dramatic as they were in week 1, but I couldn't really expect to continue losing 6 pounds per week. (Although that would be nice!) Losing about 1 pound per week is what most experts (whoever they are) say is realistic and healthy.

The biggest challenge in changing my eating habits has been taking the time to shop/prep/cook in a way that supports my goals. Eating healthy takes time. Lots of time. Especially if - like me - you're not a Lean Cuisine kind of girl. Here's what works for me:
  • Pre-chopping veggies. For my salads, I buy two heads of organic romain each week at the co-op. I chop one head right away, rinse it, run it through the salad spinner and then keep it in a Tupperware bowl. That lasts me about half the week, and then I do the same thing with the second head. (Or you can spend more money and buy bagged lettuce.)
  • Prepping the night before. I mix up my scrambled egg mixture (eggs, a little cream, goat cheese, a little water and salt) in the evening for breakfast the next morning. Maybe that seems silly, but I need every minute I can get in the morning. I also put lunch items for the next day (usually yogurt with mix-ins, some kind of protein, and whole grain crackers) into individual-sized containers.
  • Making my own convenience foods. For example, I flatten chicken breasts and then freeze them in various marinades. Then it's easy to thaw them out quickly for a meal. I also sometimes roast a chicken on the weekend and then take all of the meat off the bird for various uses during the week. (Bags of the pulled chicken also freeze just fine for soups, etc.)

So far, I've been able to avoid junk-food eating simply by being prepared. In the past, this was my biggest weakness. (It's easy soooo to call Jimmy Johns when you don't pack a lunch for work.)

After two weeks of being pretty strict with myself, I enjoyed my first sweet this past weekend: a slice of Cafe Latte's famous turtle cake. It was delicious! I enjoyed every bite!

From what I understand (keep in mind I only recently discovered that I was following an actual diet) that's the whole point behind the No S Diet. You overcome gluttony and put sweets/snacks/seconds back into the position of being a rare treat. And rare treats supposedly taste better.

In my experience so far, this is true. Enjoying a truly delicious piece of cake on Sunday night with your hubby is WAY more enjoyable than eating a handful of packaged cookies at work just because they're there.

This week, I'm adding some exercise into the mix. I began Cool Running's Couch to 5K program today. More on that next week...

Current Weight (taken morning of 1/31/11):

148.2

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