Just thought that I would give a little update on this whole 17 Day Diet my wife and I have been doing. I feel like if I write about the struggles and successes that it will help me (and maybe others) get through it and we can actually finish this and get to the goal we’re all dreaming of, perfect beach bodies, right?
We have been doing this for over a week now and let me just say, for me, the struggle is real. Why do I love sweets so much? All I ever think about are donuts, cookies, treats, candy, everything! I guess going on Pinterest doesn’t help either. I pin too many tasty looking treats that I want to make all the time and I think that could be something that is making this a little bit harder for me.
Also, I have a major issue with eating the same things over and over. With some things I love repetition, but when it comes to what I am eating I can’t stand it.
Here are some ways I have found to overcome these obstacles:
- Kill the Crave: When ever I want something sweet I have to think to myself, “Do I have time to work all that off if I were to eat it?” I am so busy that the only time I have to go to the gym is super early in the morning. And if I want to eat something bad then I need to wake up even earlier and workout even harder to burn it off. Is it really worth it to me? Naahh!!! I also LOVE grapefruit, which has helped when I want something sweet. I just imagine that it’s that sour grapefruit candy that I love and enjoy each and every juicy bite. My wife has her 44oz of ice water that kills her cravings.
- Hard Work Gets Results: I hate weighing myself everyday because when I do, if the scale doesn’t change I get a little depressed and try to think about what more I could be doing. Then the stress doesn’t help with my wanting to lose weight and I probably am making it even harder for myself. If you weigh yourself every few days, or once a week you’ll see a change and it might even be more than you thought it would be.
- Reward Yourself: I love to set goals. Normally I think, “If I can lose this much weight I can eat this certain thing.” Ummmm clearly this isn’t working because I never lose anything and I don’t just eat a little of that treat, I purge the crap out of it. So now what I do is if I get to a certain goal then I can buy a new article of clothing. Whatever it is that gets you motivated set that as your treat, but try to keep food out of the mix. This week we treated ourselves to Cafe Rio- I mean tostada minus everything but extra chicken, but it was worth it!
- Beat the Boring: I may only be eating fish, chicken, and veggies all the time, but there are really so many ways to prepare them it’s ridiculous. This diet lets you use spices and there are so many out there, why not try some new things? I honestly will try anything because I have to have something new so I love to go on Pinterest and look for healthy recipes and maybe twerk them a little. Not like Miley Cyrus status, but just enough that the food is still enjoyable.
- Keep it Up: Nothing gets me more excited than when I lose some weight or my clothes start to fit better. I have so many clothes that I would love to fit back into and that is motivation enough, but just thinking to myself that this is only 17 days, I can do it, helps so much. You can do this!!! It really is only 17 days, then you get to reintroduce lots of new foods and start experimenting again. Make it fun and make this a lifestyle. Before you know it, the cravings will be gone and you’ll want fruits as treats instead of sweets.
There you have it. Five simple things that will help you get through this with me. We are going to conquer our cravings and look so amazing that people won’t even recognize us. If you can, get your spouse, friends, coworkers, anyone around you to help support you through this. It’ll make this so much easier. And if you have any tips or tricks on how to get through this, help a brotha OUT because it ain’t easy, but it’s gonna be so worth it.
