Day 43: Halfway Point

Today represents the half-way point in the introductory period of my "lifestyle change."  As you can see to the little box to the right, I haven't done too bad.  This week I lost 0.5 pounds, which is the smallest amount I have lost in any week of the diet.  I really haven't lost any inches in the last three weeks, which is a bit perplexing to me.

With birthday week gone, I feel like I have overcome probably the hardest eating week of the year for me, and I feel like I really didn't do to bad.  I ate one piece of cake and the top of a cup cake.  Apparently, some readers thought that I had a Hebrew National Hot Dog (the Manassas Costco remains one of the few Costcos serving the Hebrew National) and a Coke, but I did not.  No, friends, that was just a distant memory of days gone by.  I ate my regular gruel, etc. on my birthday, but did have some tortilla chips and salsa.  Otherwise, I maintained dietary reasonability throughout the week.  The remaining challenges (Thanksgiving and Christmas), will be hard, but they won't be the day-after-day temptation I have suffered this week.

Perhaps the biggest insight from this week is that I was able (thankfully) to disprove the "slippery slope" theory concerning sugar.  I had the piece of cake, but I did not fall into old habits of eating lots of it and being unable to stop.  I admit, though, it was really, really hard not to do it.  Sugar really did tempt me a lot this week.  Yesterday alone I was offered a piece of apple cake with caramel on top (it looked so good), some fudge cake with some kind of whipped cream topping and toffee (I have never been able to resist toffee, which is by far my favorite candy), and a smorgasbord of muffins, cookies, and this amazing cream cheese/raspberry/sweet roll thing (see picture).  This last temptation was presented to me at a church meeting by none other than Paul, whom I have mentioned before and who claims to be my friend.  I asked him where the carrot sticks were, and he, feigning ignorance, said "I had no idea you were coming."  Sure, Paul, a likely story.  No worries though, the Bishop's daughter Sydney saved the day and pulled out some carrot sticks from the refrigerator.  Paul, you owe Sydney big time.



Look at that thing to the right.  I have been wanting one of those
ever since I first saw one at Costco three months ago. 



Anyway, with almost 17 pounds gone, things really aren't looking too bad, are they?  As I re-read my first blog entry, I was reminded that my initial goal was to lose 24 pounds in 12 weeks.  I only have 7.2 pounds to go.  If I am fortunate to get there for the end of the 12 weeks--which I have no doubt I will--I am going to have to revise the goal.