Weight Creep

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen my #cheatday posts. I'm living for Saturdays. (Just kidding… maybe.) Mr. Making It Bright and I have recently started the 4-Hour Body slow carb diet, as outlined in Tim Ferriss' book The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman. He's been on it for a little over a month, due to a recently diagnosed health condition, and he invited me to join him. He's already dropped 15 lbs. I don't expect the same rapid results because men and women lose differently, but I've already lost 3 lbs in two weeks. Woot!

I was the kid who said, "What's a diet?" and upon hearing the answer, replied that I never wanted to be on a diet, ever. My, how things change. Three pregnancies and two 9 lb plus babies later, I'm carrying some extra weight. The slowed down metabolism of my early/mid thirties is certainly not helping. (Or chocolate or beer or Doritos or all things tasty…)

I started feeling bad, lethargic, and I didn't like how I looked in pictures or how my clothes fit. Now's the time!

So, what can I eat on the slow carb diet? Meat and vegetables.

Lots of meat, lots of veggies, some eggs.

What can't I eat? Dairy, fruit, sugar, alcohol (except the driest of red wine), grains (rice, bread, crackers, tortilla chips).

So what about #cheatday? Oh, I love me some cheat day. Yes, yes, yes! We have cheat day on Saturdays. I've had two so far and they have been EPIC. Cheat days are built in to the plan to keep your body from going into starvation mode and eating muscle, and also to help you stay with the plan. It is much easier to stick with veggies and meat all week (and a single square of dark chocolate at the end of the day) knowing that I can have whatever I want on Saturday.

Cheat day #1: Donuts, eggs (to balance the insane amount of sugar in the donuts), a tiny 8 oz Mountain Dew, caprese-stuffed gnocchi with pesto alfredo and a breadstick, beer, Chuys for dinner -- all the cheese! Sour cream has never tasted so good.

Cheat day #2: Blueberry donut holes, beer (sense a theme?), potato skins, sliders, breadsticks with cheese dip, Reese's peanut butter cups, pizza, watermelon.

It's not just about losing weight, it's also about feeling better and more in control of my life. A little discipline in one area lends itself to discipline in other life areas.

Follow my journey (mostly my cheat day meals) on Instagram. I've already started a list for this upcoming Saturday: beer cheese and McDonald's fries. Not necessarily together, but maybe.