Chugging right along on Day 6. Six pounds in six days. I'm pretty proud of that. I've been following the plan exactly and it's awesome to see the results. Today I want to share some of the Q&A I've had with Geraldine over the past couple of days.
Stephanie:
One thing I wanted to ask you about is the rapid weight loss that I’m seeing with this challenge which is awesome, but it does concern me. Four days into it and I’m down four pounds. I thought 1-2 pounds lost per week was what was recommended. I understand this is a challenge and it may be ok to have a large loss after 10-days but what if I continue with this program after the 10-days – I won’t still see those big numbers will I? I worry about losing to fast and then putting it back on.
Geraldine:
Hey, 4 pounds so far is great! But I will tell you that the weight loss will slow down as you get used to this kind of eating. You are absolutely right, 1-3 pounds is a good rate of weight loss, but even though it is coming off quick right now, you can keep this off, it is just the initial phase of your body detoxing and getting used to your new, healthier way of eating. It’s just that you are starting to take away some things that have been holding you back, and some of the weight loss will be water as well, that’s just natural. The Shakeology really helps too, but like I said, this initial weight loss is great but the rapid pace will definitely slow down, trust me I’m living proof of that, but it is a much healthier way to eat, so you will still see results, just not this much once your body gets regulated, so no worries! SO, just celebrate those 4 pounds and be excited for more results to come, but don’t worry, you won’t put it back on if you keep up with this healthy lifestyle!
Stephanie:
I would like to know more about the food guidelines. Specifically, I’d like to understand why we eat certain types of food at certain times of the day and why we avoid others at other times of the day.
Geraldine:
Basically, with regards to the food guidelines…most people do not get enough protein in their diets. Protein, as I am sure you know, is the building block of muscle tissue and the more muscle tissue you have, you are not only leaner, but your metabolism is higher even at rest, meaning you burn more calories ALL the time! Besides that, eating a protein at every meal also keeps you satisfied and full longer which keeps you from over-eating. Finally, the reason I say to eat protein in the evening is again, two-fold: any unused protein WILL NOT turn into fat (UNLIKE natural starchy carbs which are grains, etc. and simple carbs which are fruit) and secondly, at night when we sleep is when our body repairs the damage done to muscles which lead to gains in strength and growth, and so having protein in the body in the evening helps with that process.
As I references in the previous paragraph, that is why we time the nutrients: to optimize fat loss … I am not a low-carb fan – your body needs carbs, especially you brain! But I know that the time of day does matter when it comes to losing fat! SO, eating simple carbs and natural starchy carbs earlier in the day allows you to use their calories for energy and to metabolize them properly so you don’t store any of it as fat … whereas fibrous cabrs, aka veggies, do not do that because they are lower on the glycemic index and they will not cause fat loss if unused, therefore making them the prime source of carbs to eat later in the evening. I am also not a fan of low-fat diets as that tends to keep people away from the healthy fat that your body needs … and what most people don’t realize is that your body needs to consume healthy fat to lose body fat! Also, people who are on low fat diets tend to find themselves eating a lot of processed foods labeled low-fat in hopes that they are sticking to their diet, so instead of getting fat they are getting a ton of other chemicals, sugar and other artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup to make up for the loss of fat … not to mention that they tend to be hungrier as well, as fat is another macronutrient that creates the feeling of satiety and fullness … thereby warding off eating too much! A small amount of healthy fat with every meal also helps your body metabolize the other macronutrients, specifically, the carbs, so again, helping your body make better use of the food you’ve eaten!
The eating 5-6 times a day also has a purpose … to rev your metabolism! Your body can better break down the food you’ve eaten if it is in smaller quantities … just like a fire. In order to have a hotter fire, it is necessary to start small and to continue to add kindling (small sticks to get it going). Once you get it going with kindling, the hotter it gets and whatever fuel you add to it will get burned up and used for energy. If you were to just put a huge log on a pretty small flame, it would put it out and you would never get it burned – same goes with our bodies!
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All very interesting, don't you think? I'll need a few days to let all this sink in. I'm not opposed to change, I just need time for the adjustment.
Guess what I made for the first time in my life yesterday? MEATBALLS! Yeah, I've always been too scared to make them but they were super easy. My little Gracie LOVES meatballs so I knew she'd be happy. I wish I would have gotten a photo of her eating them.
Here's what they look liked.
They are a weight watcher recipe - the web site says it's 4 pts. for 6 small meatballs but I uped the number a bit in my food log just in case.
It's been extra hard to get to Zumba this week. Jim has been working every night (I'm not complaining, it's a good thing) and I just have a hard time dragging the kids to child watch when they've been at camp all day long and I feel like they should at least get to see one of their parents for more than an hour a day, right? So, I've been going to a lot of the 8 p.m. Zumba classes since the kids are already in bed by then. So anyway, I went to Lindsay's class last night and it was a lot of fun. All the front row spots were taken by the time I got in the room so I was back in the third or fourth row - which is always nice to switch it up. I like to look around the class and see all the ladies smiling faces, it's really motivating.
Day 6 - Zumba
Here's my Day 6 log:
My daily Weight Watchers PointPlus target is 30 pts. I used all 30 pts. today.
I earned 8 Activity Points today and used 3 pts.
(33 pts. total used today)
Water intake – 96 oz.
Exercise – Lindsay’s 8 p.m. Zumba class
Tuesday, June 7
Breakfast 6 a.m.
• Chocolate Shakeology (4 pts.)
• w/ strawberries (0 pts.) simple carb
• w/ 1 tsp. Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s (1 pt.) fat
• w/ 1 cup skim milk (2 pts.) protein
Morning snack 9:30 a.m.
• ¼ cup Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt Vanilla (1pt.) protein
• w/ 1/8 cup Kaski Go Lean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble (1 pt.) starchy carb
• w/ Banana (0 pts.) simple carb
• 1 tsp. Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s (1 pt.) fat
Lunch 11:30 a.m.
• Apple (0 pts.) simple carb
• 1 cup Seeds of Change Organic Whole Grain Brown Basmati Rice (6 pts.) starchy carb
• w/ 1/8 cup cheese (1 pt.) protein
• 1 tsp. Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s (1 pt.) fat
Afternoon snack 2:30 p.m.
• ½ Orange pepper (0 pts.) fibrous carb
• 1 Tbsp. Geraldine’s Dressing (1 pt.) fat
• Organic Valley Stringles (String Cheese) (2 pt.) protein
Dinner 6 p.m. (before Zumba)
• ½ cup Trader Joe’s Three Cheese Pasta Sauce (2 pts.)
• 6 oz. Trader Joe’s Spaghetti (6 pts.) starchy carb
• 3 Weight Watcher recipe meatballs made with lean ground beef, olive oil, chicken broth, onions and spices and 1 egg. (4 pts.) protein fat
