After 3 months I’m still here! Still following the plan (though I’ve wobbled a bit in the last month – more on that in a moment), still with tons of energy and feeling much slimmer and healthier.
Here are my 3 month results:
May 24th, 2013
Weight: lost 20 lb in 3 months
Measurements:
Waist: stayed the same since last time, total 3 inches in 3 months
Hips: lost 1/4 inch more, total 2 inches in 3 months
Body fat: now in the healthy range for a woman of my age, around 32% (there’s a chart here)
My BMI is just under 24, well within the healthy range of 18-25.
My goal is in sight!
I just need to lose another 5 pounds to reach the 25 pound goal that I set in February.
When I reach my goal I’ll take another photo. Meanwhile you can see my Unleash Your Thin Before and After photos after 14 pounds lost here.
When the Going Gets Tough …
The third month has been more challenging for me. My weight loss has slowed down because I’m into the healthy BMI range and I had a couple of social events where I went off track. Both involved eating grains and sugar and all kinds of stuff in an uncontrolled way.
The first time I went out of control for a week or more afterwards and gained several pounds. Then I got back on the plan and lost them … but it took more than 2 weeks to lose what I’d gained in 1 week. So that was a good lesson!
The second time it was much better. I read the Cravings Crusher Manual before I went out so I was in the right mindset and although I did eat plenty of forbidden foods that day, I got straight back on the plan the next day. I didn’t gain at all that week.
The result is that in the 5 weeks since I last posted I’ve lost just 1 lb more. But this is okay!
When you are following any kind of diet there are bound to be moments when things go a little out of focus and you have a gain. This isn’t a catastrophe – it can even be a good thing because it’s an opportunity to observe and learn.
What’s important is what you do next.
You can either use it as an excuse to go right off the diet saying “It didn’t work”, or you can figure “This diet works, so I’m just going to get right back to it.” If you pick the second option, you are on track to keep losing and then maintain your lower weight too, because you’ve learned to handle whatever life throws at you.
It’s not “all or nothing”. We don’t have to be perfect. That perfectionism, as I think Jonny says in one of the manuals, has its uses at work but is one of the things that can shoot us in the foot when we’re dieting, because it pushes us to quit as soon as we fall down, instead of getting up and going right back to the plan.
“If you get up one more time than you fall you will make it.”
– Chinese Proverb
So let’s move on to reintroducing foods, which I’ve done much more slowly than the 6 weeks that Jonny recommends.
Meanwhile, if you are female, you might want to check out my review of Metabolic Renewal from Dr. Jade Teta.
Reintroducing Grains
The only grain that I’ve introduced in a controlled way so far is oats. I’ve had porridge twice and it seems fine. I don’t think I want to eat porridge every day like I used to, but it’s good to know that I can have it from time to time if I want.
It’s important to have some protein with every meal and snack so I either follow the porridge with a boiled egg or put nuts in it. The egg seems better for keeping me feeling full through the morning.
I’m planning to have a couple of meals with rice this week.
Reintroducing Dairy
I’ve always thought I was lactose intolerant and certainly when I tested live, organic natural yogurt I had an immediate sinus reaction.
But recently I’ve been reading online that a lot of people who don’t tolerate milk and its products don’t really have a problem with lactose (which is in all milk, including human milk) but with the proteins in cow’s milk.
So I tried goat’s milk yogurt yesterday and that seems fine! This is great news because live yogurt is so good for you and I adore cheese. I’m not fond of the goaty taste but it seems that sheep’s milk will probably be okay too and that’s much milder. Celebration time!
3 Month Verdict
I have to say that this diet has changed my life. As a chronic fatigue sufferer I used to work 4 hours on a good day and sometimes not at all for weeks or even months. But from just a few days into this diet I’ve been working full time with no trouble – and that’s now 3 months ago. I still get tired if I do too much physically or after social events, but not that much more than a normal person. Things don’t knock me out for weeks any more. I just need to factor in one rest day after an event. It’s been amazing.
I’ve also lost 20 pounds in those 3 months. I’m not overweight any more and I’m close to my goal weight.
Why not give a low carb diet plan a try and see if it works for you? I recommend Jonny Bowden’s new, updated plan: The Metabolic Factor. There’s a money-back guarantee so you don’t have anything to lose (except fat!)
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