Four Weeks Later

Despite the dates of these blogs, they are both written four weeks after the diet started. I have lost a little over ten pounds in this time. Bill and I are the only ones still in the race. Well, I don't want to call it a race, because it's not a competition. At least, I do not look at it that way, but tomorrow is Bill's Super Bowl party, and the two guys that have not committed to this are either not showing up or have not mentioned coming. I told Bill, "These guys should do this now, while they have the support and education on their side. Next time they will want to try, me and Bill will not be in their club, and they will not be in ours."

When I started off, I was losing three pounds a week. (I mentioned before that two pounds per week is a strong, safe pace to be at.) I am not doing anything drastic. I just changed almost everything a little bit.

*I stopped drinking *COmostlyUGH*. (I have discovered that your body uses a different method of processing alcohol calories, and while it does this, it does not utilize what goes into it. The alcohol becomes heat and everything is sent to fat. It basically prevents your body from processing fat. Alcohol is like the cockblocker of dieters.)
*I made sure that my fridge had healthy food stocked and handy. (Whole wheat snacks, pasta and bread. Fruit. Baked chicken. (Pounds of it, so it could be used in a sandwich, or tossed into a soup to satisfy the appetite.)
*I have a friend that is a trainer that sends me awesome information about health, diet and exercise. It was one of those papers that explained why some cheese and peanut butter is good for you.
*Sometimes, I need a meal, so I have it. It's a healthy meal, but it's more. Sometimes, it's just like that.
*Snacks. They are muy importante. Eat three light meals, then have three snack throughout the day. This has kept me from pulling over to 7/11 or attacking my fridge when I get home. I keep almonds handy, because they are great for suppressing an appetite. (I hear grapefruit does, also. Too bad it's grapefruit.) Health food bars and apples. I keep lots of celery around, and have a couple of sticks before dinner. It helps me fill up with no calorie food, and celery is a negative calorie food. This means that your body uses more calories to process it than it takes in by eating it.
*I weigh myself after a good dump. (I look at that dump, guess the number of pounds it is, and then go to the scale to see if I am correct.)
*Whey protein powder. (I heard that this was good for muscle development. What it is is something that you can add to milk, cereal or other foods that gives a protein boost, and once again, suppresses the appetite.)
*Working out (I wish I could say that I've been hitting the gym, but I've had a cold all month. Yep, I've lost a good chunk of weight with only occasional walks and infrequent weight lifting.)
*Portion control. (All of the above plus salads contribute to this.)

My point is that you do not have to kill yourself in any category. You just have to do everything better. In fact, killing yourself in any one area is what makes you quit a diet in the first place. Starving yourself, wearing yourself out, neither are good or good for you.
At our rate, me and Bill might be done in only two months time. At the end of the one-month point, the other guys could still get on board, only having to lose 1.2 pounds per week. What can you do? I think I have realized that a diet isn't temporary. What I was doing got me to this point. Any changes that I make have to be permenant. That means good with some bad. Just not bad all of the time.