The 17 Day Diet July 4, 2011

I survived Cycle 1 of The 17 Day Diet.  It proved to be easier than I expected it to be and taught me a lot about the way that I was eating.  I knew that my binging was out of control and that it was rotting my system but I just kept doing it.  I was wearing a fleece all day every day because I was disgusted by the size my bloated belly had become.  When I realised that I had grown into my fat jeans I knew something had to be done but before I get into that let me take you back –

In the 15 months between April 2010 & mid June 2011 & gained 50lbs.  On March 26^th 2010 I hit my goal weight in Weight Watchers and all was good.  Then I sold my house, moved house, returned to work after being off for almost 2 years, designed a house, applied for planning permission, realised that my draughty rental was going to be impossible to heat over the Winter, J broke his arm, got frozen out of my rental (first the internal water system, then the mains water froze) over Christmas, got swine flu (along with my husband & both of my kids), built our home, dealt with MIL breaking her hip & being in hospital 30 minutes away for a month, MIL died & we moved again.  All of these can be used in defence of my weight gain but at some point a line has to be drawn and the defence has to rest.

I was online late one night 3 weeks ago and saw a link to a discussion about The 17 Day Diet and decided to check it out.  Having tried, unsuccessfully to restart Weight Watchers several times in the last 15 months I knew I needed something different and this looked like it could be it.  I was having a house guest during the week and planned to start on the Saturday but then realised that he would be gone by Friday at 10am so Friday became the start day.

To go from baking every day and eating whatever I want to eating 1200 calories a day with NO sugar or refined carbs is a huge leap.  But I knew something major had to be done.

I weighed in on Day 1 at 210.2lbs.  I was horrified.  I had stopped weighing myself altogether and I knew I had gained weight because none of my jeans fit me but I didn’t think I had put on a total of 50lbs. 

The 17DD “promises” 10 – 12lbs loss in the first cycle and I was aiming for 10lbs.  The available foods is a list of 45 things.  The first few days were rough.  I had a headache and eating soya yogurt was not something I was enjoying but the results were almost immediate and I knew I was working towards something.  I was sure I was never going to get to the end of the 17 days but I did.  I have eaten more fish in the last 17 days then I ate in the last year and that includes cod & chips from the chipper J  I can do more things now with chicken & fish than I ever imagined.  Because of being dairy free and simply disliking turkey I cut the list of available food down to 30!  I can make so many different dishes with those 30 foods now.

Midway through the 17 days I restarted the Fit Yummy Mummy program of in home resistance work because not only do I need to lose weight I need to shape up what is underneath that fat.

All that time I told myself that if I made it to the end I could have day 17 off.  Day 17 was yesterday and I had bacon with my breakfast – it was altogether too salty.  Then, midmorning, I decided to have some of the jam sponge that I had made the day before.  I cut myself the smallest slice of cake that I have ever served to myself and I have never eaten cake so slowly.  I had to convince myself to swallow every bite.  I knew at that point that not only was I not going to eat any more of the cake but I was finished having the day off.

Now I am the Queen of binge eating.  I can eat a 600g box of Cheerios in a day without bringing the box in out of the car.  I can bake a cake and have the dishes (including the plate the cake was on) washed and back in the cupboard when M gets home.  Not only am I a binger, I am a secret eater.  Dashboard dining is one of my (many) downfalls.  So to not want to eat cake that was sitting there waiting to be eaten is a completely new concept for me.

Today I start cycle 2 which involves the introduction of red meat & natural starches on alternate days.  I have also committed to myself to restart the Couch 2 5k program on alternate days to the FYM resistance work.

For the first time in a long time I feel like I am doing something just for me and it feels good.