My Medifast Diet - Day 20

I didn't realize I had let myself go so long without an update. Goodness, I've been busy. Nevertheless, I have made it through some really tough days. Day 18 was Saturday, July 4th and it was the first day I wanted to chunk my family's eating habits and maybe my family, too. I have tried diligently to stay on schedule with my meals, but this day I was at the total mercy of my family. They had decided to travel south to lovely Galveston Island for the fireworks display. I remember telling my husband what time I needed to eat dinner. I guess he didn't understand I meant that exact time, he thought I probably meant about that time or some time later, or whenever. What's more, being a special event, I wanted to eat somewhere nice, he suggested Golden Corral on the Seawall. Talk about a communication problem. Fortunately, I had brought my last meal replacement of the day, a packet of Cream of Broccoli Soup. Thirty minutes after I was scheduled to eat and only 20 minutes before the start of the anticipated event, we stopped at Kroger for snacks. My beautiful husband found a Starbucks inside. I love Starbucks, they are always so accommodating. When I made it up to the counter, and ordered a Tall Hot Water, the young man gave it to me at no charge. But here's a tip if you ever try the soups. Don't just dump them in water and stir, because they don't mix easily. The only way I have found to make the soups is to slowly add the hot water to the powder while mixing with a mini-whisk or fork. It works perfectly.

So, I spent Saturday evening sitting on the seawall sipping clumps of Cream of Broccoli Soup as it floated in hot water. The sky was filled with bright colors and loud sounds. Soon the cup was discarded and I joined my husband, grandson and daughter (the baby's aunt) in the oohing and ahing. What became my final meal was 7 out of 8 ounces of delicious grilled Mahi Mahi with steamed broccoli and a dry salad instead of the rice. Everyone at our table requested their vegetables dry and my husband and I had a side of Cocktail Sauce for Salad Dressing. A giant thank you to Landry's on the Seawall in Galveston, Texas for a meal not only prepared as requested but flavorful as well. And a very big thank you to our waitress, Tatiana from Romania, for all her efforts to make our dining experience so wonderful.

Sunday, day 19, was another difficult day for two reasons. While I had regained control of my eating schedule, I found myself hungry during the middle of the day. This was becoming a regular thing and it didn't matter what I had eaten or how long ago. Reading some of the materials Janie gave me when I signed up for Medifast, I found it was OK to eat your vegetables at different times of the day. And at our last meeting, Janie had suggested adding real broccoli to the Cream of Broccoli Soup. So I ate a serving of leftover broccoli and it helped to curb my appetite until my next meal. Later that evening I found myself suffering the kind of hungry that isn't caused by the 'rumbly in the tumbly'. It began as moments of pacing past the refrigerator. I had already eaten my one extra optional snack but I had visions of chips and dip or soft, sweet, delicate cupcakes running through my head. I wanted to try some of the snacks my daughter was eating, but they WEREN'T ON MY LIST!!!!

. . .ummm . . . . . . sorry. . . . . . .

So I paced and I prayed and I stuck my head in the frig and stared at its contents. Directly in front of me was a sugar free strawberry jello cup. It was on my list but not really what I wanted. I spied the can of whipped cream in the door and acquiesced. I heard a small still voice in my head, "If you give in this once it may be too difficult to go back." Acknowledging and ignoring the voice, I reached for the jello and whipped cream can. I peeled back the foil from the cup and looked at the front of the can as I picked it up. It didn't say 'lite' but then I knew that already. I tipped the can over and, beginning my circles along the outer edge, covered the jello cup with the white fluff, then, shoved the spout into the middle of the cloud on top of the jello and pressed the trigger again. The mound doubled in size. I lifted the can out of the pile on top of the jello and rinsed it under the tap (ri_i_i_ight). Thank you, Lord! That little guilty sin was all I needed to satisfy my rebellious nature and continue on the diet with renewed resolve.

The other problem that developed Sunday was a sense of all-over ill-feeling, probably why I so desperately needed the indulgence mentioned earlier. I was not only tired but also felt dizzy and lightheaded. It also marked the third day of irregularity. . . and a condition my southern ancestors would have referred to as '"tha' vapoa's". Actually, I didn't come from any kind of high society families so my ancestors would have called it what it is, but I will refrain from using that language personally, thank you very much.

Day 20, today, has been much better. I have begun to split my vegetables servings on a daily basis. I couldn't eat all those veggies in one sitting anyway. And thanks to Over the Counter Drugs, other things are better, too. I have had more energy, much needed since I have spent some of my time chasing my two and a half year old grandson. And I have not been as hungry.

I have added a few tips of my own to the advice of Miss Janie at the Webster Medifast Center.
The first is to make positive affirmations regarding God's assistance with my weight loss. For instance, I believe that God is rewarding my efforts toward self-discipline causing the fat stores in my body to melt away. I say this repeatedly through out the day and praise God for his faithfulness. You may think this doesn't have anything to do with my weight loss, but you have to understand I have done all this before and I couldn't do it on my own. Besides, I makes me feel better to believe He's rooting for me.

Tomorrow I go into see Janie and will report on my progress. I can't wait to tell you how it went.
God Bless You.