1 Week In - Transition

I  think one of the biggest reasons diets fail is that we try to change too much at one time.  After years of eating what we wanted, when we wanted it, we suddenly stop eating (fill in the blank) and figure that our bodies are going to rejoice in our newfound emphasis on healthy eating.  We may start the diet full of energy and enthusiasm, but after about 3 days of no (alcohol, caffeine, carbs, red meat, wheat gluten, sugar - again, fill in the blank) our bodies usually revolt.  We feel like crap, the cravings are unbearable.  I once tried a detox program that was suppose to last 21 days.  I somehow made it to Day 12 before the total melt down.  Even though I had lost about 8 pounds in a short period of time,  my body, mind and spirit went on strike.  The binging that occurred afterwards was not pretty. 

This time though, we are not talking about losing weight to fit in a bathing suit or for the high school reunion.  We are talking about my liver - and my heart - which is along for the joy ride.  It is a necessary change, so I need to focus on the day to day aspects of a healthy lifestyle - and what changes I can live with that will take for the long term.  So I picked just one small thing to totally focus on, and see how the rest went. 

This week's change was WATER.  I tried to drink water - and ONLY water - all week long.  (And yes, coffee in moderation and tea counted as water in my book.)  No soda (not even diet - I'm pretty sure artificial sweeteners are not good for us anyway, and I've heard that diet soda is high in sodium), no fruit juice, no alcohol.  Not only that, but I aimed for 6 to 8 cups of water a day.  So how did I do?  I had 1 oz of butterscotch schnapps sipped lovingly by the campfire one evening.  Schnapps is only 17% alcohol - and I couldn't bear to throw it out.  The one time I really craved soda, I had club soda with a slice of lemon.  It was delicious.  The tea I drank was either decaf or herbal.  The coffee also had reduced caffeine.  . 

I learned that by focusing on water as the change, it was actually easier to make better food choices because I didn't feel like I had to eat a certain way.  I wasn't perfect, but I felt pretty gosh darn good about what I ate.

Reward?  I lost 3.4 lbs this week.