A Ten-Day Challenge

I was talking with my coworker today and lamenting about how I need to buckle down and lose another 5-10 pounds before my wedding. I mean, it is seriously go time for a number of reasons, the most important being the fact that I had my first dress fitting last Friday, and the dress is just a smidge snug on the hips. According to the seamstress, it is nothing that a few more pounds won't fix, but if I can't fix it, I am going to be stuck adding boning to the dress to make the fabric lie flat, and that's more money out of my pocket that I REALLY don't want to spend. So, a week (and several alcoholic beverages and tootsie roll minis) later, I was really getting frustruated with myself.

I re-joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of August. I have shed about 10-12 pounds so far, depending on the time of day weighed ;-) It is an accomplishment, but I haven't been super strict save for a few weeks out of that time...if I had, I would have lost more. I know that. I was using my extra weekly points, not getting a lot of exercise outside of work, and just taking the slow and lazy route. I'm proud of myself, but I could be more proud. The past month has been a particular fail...between my shower, Halloween, social stuff, I've stalled. Haven't gained, but I can feel myself sliding back into my bad old habits. So, as I said, I needed a boost, and was talking to my coworker.

She was diagnosed as being borderline diabetic last year, and her doctor put her on a diet. Since then, she's lost 30 pounds, and she says that the "cleanse" that you do for 10 days at the beginning of the plan really gives you a weight loss boost. I put cleanse in quotation marks because it seems like the most forgiving cleanse I've ever seen, and I actually began to think I could do it. She offered to do the ten-day boost with me, to provide moral support. So, here I am, putting this in writing for, basically, no one to see, because I feel that if I write it down, I will own it more. I hope. So, tomorrow begins Day 1. Here's the outline of what's allowed and not allowed in the ten day period (*for more information, consult http://gauravtandon.wikispaces.com/file/view/Diabities.pdf)

• No bread or grains of any kind for the ten days. This will be one of the hardest parts, but the main purpose of this cleanse is to rid your body of its sugar habit. And boy, do I need that. 
• No fruit. Found that weird, but again, sugars. This may also be hard.
• Clearly, no sugar. But, Stevia is allowed, so I'm going to be eating lots of plain yogurt with Stevia, and green tea with it as well. 
• Focus on eating lean proteins and veggies. Any veggies. And olive oil is allowed, as are seasonings (except for sugar, and any seasonings with sugar) so I don't have to eat bland veggies. If I were a hummus person, and I'm not, that'd be allowed, too. Eggs, cheese, beans, nuts, chicken, turkey, lunch meats, are all ok. Organics are encouraged. The fact that I can have lunch meat, cheese, and nuts makes this totally bearable. Picked up some wasabi almonds today, and am excited to not have to think about fat grams. Ditto, avocados! 
• Coffee and tea are also ok, which saves me. I think you can have a bit of milk in your coffee and tea, waiting to hear for sure    Tomorrow's menu looks like this: 

Breakfast: Plain nonfat greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia and garnished with cinnamon. 

Lunch: Bento style box containing three roast beef and provolone rolls, baby carrots with a drizzle of olive oil and greek seasoning, and sliced tomatoes. I think tomatoes are ok, even though they are a "fruit."

Dinner: Turkey and bean chili with salsa...and hey, I'm allowed shredded cheese on that if I want! 

Seems bearable! For snacks, I can have veggies (carrots and peanut butter sound good here), my almonds or other nuts, more yogurt, etc. Once the ten days are up, things get more lenient. You can incorporate whole grains back into your diet. Or, maybe I'll switch back over to the WW plan, having gotten the boost I needed. 

Wish me luck, invisible audience!