Just one week on the no-grains lower-carb plan, and we're already getting results. The scale is moving downward again and I'm excited to think that I am back in control. This really does feel like the right way for me to eat (duh, it's what my surgeon told me to do all along). The longer I eat this way, the less hungry I feel. I have to remind myself to eat, or I won't get all my protein in. I'm trying for 100 gms a day and it's not easy! Tom is doing so well-already I can see that his face is thinner. Weekends are harder, because we like to go out with friends, but we know that we can't have that all-or-nothing mentality or we won't be able to stick with this. We are trying to be as compliant as possible, with a bit of room for going off the plan now and then, without giving up altogether when we do. We're eating basically meat, vegetables, fruit, and dairy, and that's it. I am spending a lot of time cooking and planning or meals, and I'm having to shop more often than usual because of the perishability of everything, but I've accepted that it's how it needs to be if we're going to eat as healthily as possible. Whenever I'm craving something in particular, I make a dish with the same flavor profile, but with low carb substitutes. For example, instead of spaghetti carbonara, I made a chicken/bacon/cream sauce with cabbage. It was surprising how delicious it was. One thing that helps us is to have a green salad as a snack right before dinner-it really helps cut down the hunger and I noticed Tom eats a lot less after that.

Tom and I have completely revamped our eating plan and gotten rid of all the bad carbs in the house. This time I also ditched the "healthy" pastas, because I'm pretty sure I need to quit grains altogether. My weight loss hasn't budged in so long, and if I am to get to goal I've got to low carb it, and that's that. We're not quite doing Atkins-it's more of a modified South Beach, because we are also eating fruit each day. I'm so excited that Tom is on board-he needs to lose 100 lbs, and I've been very worried about him. He has hypertension, sleep apnea, fatty liver, and a vascular issue in his legs, not to mention a family history of heart disease. He told me he feels like he's run out of options, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get healthy. If I prepare his meals he'll just go along with it. I feel so relieved-it's hard to stick to my surgeon's plan when I'm also preparing things for Tom that I can't have. I've been having a  lot of fun with making delicious low-carb food, and here's a very flavorful soup I made yesterday:
Chicken coconut curry soup
Saute 1 minced onion with 1 or 2 chopped carrots and a couple handfuls of chopped tomato in a little oil (I used coconut oil)
Add: 1 Tbl curry powder, 1 tsp chili paste (to taste), 1 Tbl peanut butter, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger and saute for 1 minute
Add: 2 cups of any vegetable-I used 2 chopped zucchini. I think a bit of sweet potato would be good in it, or any type of squash, or green beans, etc.
Add: enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables. Cook until soft.
Add: As much chopped-up meat as you like from a store-bought roast chicken. I used almost a whole chicken. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low.
Add 1 can coconut milk. Bring to a near, but not quite, boil. Turn off soup. Add lemon or lime juice to taste, and a handful of chopped cilantro.

Tom and I just got back from a trip to Rochester for a family wedding. I was so thankful to not be trapped by the prison of obesity any more! I love traveling now that I am a normal size! The heat and humidity didn't bother me, there was plenty of room for me on the plane-my tray went down and there was room to spare with my seatbelt. At the wedding I danced for hours and never got winded. I sleep well and wake up refreshed, thanks to not having OSA any more. I had plenty of energy and didn't need to take naps. The bad news is, from a week of overindulging-not following the rules, drinking too much alcohol, eating candy, not exercising, etc., I gained 3 lbs. I'm forcing myself to put my real weight on my ticker because I need that accountability.  I know that if I want to lose the rest of the weight I need to stick to the rules and exercise. I am ready!

I'm back on thedailyplate.com tracking my intake. My weight loss hasn't budged in months and I'm sure it's becuase of the carb situation. The first thing I realized is that my protein intake had slipped down way too far, so I've decided to shoot for 100 grams every day no matter what, in hopes that I won't have enough room or desire to eat junky carbs after that. I snacked all day today, and having a big bowl of fresh blackberries on my desk really helped with the munchies. I am craving berries like crazy right now. Today's calories: 1370, protein: 101g, fiber: 22g, carbs: 163g. My carbs are way too high and I will do better planning for tomorrow.