My first week on the 30 Days to Healthy Living plan is over! I do consider it a success so far, but I am looking forward to tweaking some things in this next week to try to make it more effective.
The positives:
- I lost 4.2 lbs! I’m sure it will be tough to keep up that rate, but I’m on track to hit my goal of losing 45 lbs by the end of the summer. Actually, at this rate, I’d get there in mid July!
- I feel better. I haven’t had many digestive issues and…
- …those times that I did “cheat” a little, I really noticed it in my body. I had a little bit of dairy (seriously, Lauren, a bag of cheese curds for the 7 year-old?!) and my body immediately reminded me that dairy is a no-no.
- The meals are delicious and we are tasting new things through new recipes. Lauren and I are both adventurous eaters, so we need a plan that allows us some diversity in diet. This does just that.
The negatives:
- Deprivation, even imagined, is hard to overcome. We eat well on this plan. I’m never very hungry, but my mind still has a way of making me believe that I need something that I have eliminated. Yesterday, we participated in the MS Walk to support a friend who is affected by Multiple Sclerosis. After the event, the team had a cookout with the requisite burgers and hot dogs and tasty sides. I would have been fine with my banana and a few gluten free pretzels, until Lauren and I decided to share the rest of our 7 year-old’s hot dog. That was the gateway. Overcome by our hunger and the visual of friends enjoying unapproved food, we indulged and split a burger (with bun!).
- We tend to eat more meat on this plan. I know there is a vegan alternative plan, but we’re not ready for that drastic of a change. I have toyed with vegetarianism several times in my life, and in general, Lauren and I try to find a good balance between our carnivorous sides and our desire to be more animal friendly. This is much easier to attain when not dealing with restrictions on gluten, starches, and sugary foods. So, our overall meat intake seems to have risen during this plan.
- It’s expensive! I should say it’s expensive the way we have approached it. In order to allow us a variety of cuisines, we have searched for some ingredients that we would not normally buy. Maybe it’s gluten free pasta, or liquid aminos in place of soy sauce, or some relatively unusual ingredient. And the Arbonne products are not cheap, either. Although, you get what you pay for there. They are tremendous products, and I would not trade the protein powder or fizz sticks for any other brand.
The positives certainly outweigh the negatives. Essentially, the negatives are complaints about the plan being hard, which could apply to any change in diet that one might make.
For week two, I want to focus on continuing the momentum from week one and work on some of these other improvements:
- More exercise. Last week, I only ran once and that was on Friday. I did run this morning and plan to do a short run every day after dropping my son off at school.
- Portion size! The food was good and since I was eating healthier I felt I could go back for seconds (or thirds). I want to limit myself to reasonable portions. I’m considering tracking on Myfitnesspal to help with this, although I’ve tried that in the past and haven’t been able to keep up with it.
- Be more prepared. This is especially important with snacks. Instead of just grabbing handfuls of almonds (my go-to) when I suddenly feel hungry in between meals, I want to take time to plan out my snacks. It will also help with portion control (I’m looking at you, almonds!).
That’s it for now. A successful first week is in the books and I’ll keep updating as I progress through the next few weeks.
