Diet Day 1.5

I joined the Six Week Solution, Curves' diet class. We had our first meeting last week, but the guide books and diet plan didn't arrive until Monday. My whole family is doing the diet (daughter not so much since she's at her ideal weight, but she has to eat what I make for husband and me for family meals) and that will make it easier. We started the diet last night with dinner, because I'd not had a chance to buy the food for any other meals. The diet looks easy enough on paper. There is a test that you take in the book that tells you whether you are better suited to be on the higher protein diet or the higher carb diet. Husband and I tested to favor the higher protein diet.

This diet plan is more a learning to eat healthfully for life plan. We learned that when you don't eat enough, your body goes into survival mode and actually conserves calories making it more difficult to lose weight. Also, constant yo-yo dieting will actually screw up your metabolism. The plan is supposed to "jump start" your metabolism. We started out on 1200 calories with a certain break down of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. This is Phase I. Next week, we move on to Phase II which actually increases calories slightly while still maintaining the same ratios of protein, carbs, and fat. I'm learning a lot about portion sizes because foods need to be weighed and measured.

We did our grocery shopping last night for the diet. It really is costly to eat healthy foods. We spent almost $200 on lean meats, whole grains, and fresh veggies and fruits. The good thing about this plan vs. something like Nutrisystem is that the foods are all common items you can find at your grocery store. You don't have to order pre-packaged foods although you can opt to have Lean Cuisine for lunch once or twice a week.

Last night's dinner was a 6 ounce chicken breast (boneless and skinless) broiled with lemon pepper, a cup of fresh green beans, and a medium sized apple. It was yummy! Breakfast this morning was 3/4 cup of egg substitute scrambled, a slice of whole wheat toast, and 3 ounces of Candian bacon. That is a much larger breakfast than I usually eat, and I wasn't able to eat all my Canadian bacon. I'll probably have it for a snack when I get back from exercising this morning.

There are also requirements for drinking 64 ounces of water a day, taking a multi-vitamin, and drinking a "delicious" protein shake every day if you want to. The protein shake is anything but delicious, but it is filling. I had hardly eaten yesterday for breakfast and lunch, so I did indulge in a shake last night.