This past week was a good week! I can feel my body changing, my palate is changing, and I successfully got both workouts in without cramming them in at the last second. Plus, I’m dragging my family in with me a little bit.
How I Changed
I’m glad that Jonathan reminded me to take body measurements before I started my challenge because the scale didn’t budge this week. But I lost 1.25″ total, the same as in week one. I’m now down a total of three pounds and three inches. The three pounds isn’t that impressive sounding, but three inches in three weeks is. So I’m happy.
If you’re going to do the Bailor Challenge from “The Smarter Science of Slim“, remember: the scale isn’t the be-all, end-all (and it never was anyway).
Veggies Working Great
Here’s the part that makes me giggle: I’ve been cooking dinner for two weeks now and I’m doing a double veggie instead of a veggie and a starch. Neither my son or my husband even noticed. I pointed it out to them and they both just shrugged. Heh. I’m noticing my husband eating less carbs too. We work together and eat quite a few meals together. He’s been looking a little leaner too.
Starches Are Hitting My System Differently
We had a dinner meltdown at one point during the week and ordered pizza. Before you totally gasp in horror, it’s actually healthy from Naked Pizza; thin crust, ancient grains, tons of veggies, and I had mine without cheese and didn’t eat the crust (which is probably technically just bruschetta …).
The funny thing is I could feel the starches hitting my system. Felt kinda bloaty after 30 minutes and my stomach felt heavy right after the meal. No I’m not diagnosing myself with gluten issues, because it was just a minor discomfort, but it was interesting noticing that my body has adjusted to all the veggies and seems to prefer them over the starches. Progress, right?
Protein Is Getting Hard
The nine servings of veggies and four servings of fruit is crowding out the protein for me. I’m struggling a bit to get it all in. I had bought some whey protein powder for smoothies, but it wasn’t working well. I just discovered some powdered, flavored protein that you can mix with water, so I’ll give that a go and report back next week. I’m nowhere near where I’m supposed to be, although I am getting protein “doses” four times a day pretty consistently. (It’s supposed to be five on the “look hot” stage of the diet.)
Oranges for Dessert
I do crave sweets, especially at night, but I’ve finally found a great solution. Oranges! They work great; they’re juicy, sweet, and on the Smarter Science of Slim plan! Sometimes I even have two.
Exercise is Working Well
I can’t say I’m enjoying the 10-minute workouts twice a week. I schedule them with dread knowing it’s going to be strenuous. I huff and puff like crazy and, when I’m on the bike, always hit at least one 30-second burst where it feels like I’m going to toss my cookies. But, I have a true sense of accomplishment when it’s over and I can always feel it the next day or two.
That said, I’m still not in the deep muscle soreness that Bailor describes in the book. Am I still not working hard enough? Is it the Pilates instructor body used to all the strength work over the years? Not sure; I keep pushing as hard as I can and we’ll see.
I am doing other workouts too. A little hooping (I’m a hoop girl), a lot of walking, and Pilates twice a week. I enjoy exercise and see no reason to stop. Bailor includes the two short, intense workouts specifically to increase metabolism, but still recommends walking 10,000 steps a day. He doesn’t believe in a sedentary lifestyle! For me, Pilates keeps my back strong and is a huge stress reliever; without it, I get cranky. So I’m still doing my usual thing.
So that’s it for week three. I’m happy with the progress I’m making, my palate is changing, and despite the fact that I’m not perfect on this diet, I am seeing changes and moving in the right direction. Onward to week four, which is another week at the “hot” level and then onto “fitness model” for the final two weeks.
You can catch up on week one and week two if you’d like to see all my progress.
Cheers,
Lisa