Here we go!

It's been nearly a week on the VLCD. The first day was really rough. I was hungry pretty much the whole day and by the time I came home from work, I had a bad headache. The second day wasn't as bad, but still had a nagging ache in my head.

Planning my meals isn't hard to do, since I have a good template for what I should be eating when. Breakfast is a packet of powder that when mixed with water and cooked in a small frying pan, can be either an omelet or scrambled eggs. It isn't horrible, but does taste...well...powdered! Mid morning snack is a protein drink of some kind. There are several to choose from. I've tried hot cocoa, strawberry smoothie, choc. shake, and a lemon raspberry flavored drink. I liked them all. Lunch is vegetarian chicken fajita soup. Mid afternoon snack is again, some type of protein drink and dinner is a little microwave meal. I even get an after dinner snack - a caramel chocolate protein bar or one that tastes (kind of) like strawberry cheesecake. I have a sweet tooth at night so that works out good.

I've been pretty good about staying between 800 and 900 calories. I haven't gone over so far. Also have to drink 64 oz of water each day. That can sometimes be a struggle, but I've done good this week and got them all in. I'm trying to experiment with different snacks and discovered I didn't like the pretzels or the so-called "cookies". Also, there are a couple of different options for breakfast instead of the "omelet". There are little bags of cereal which taste almost like Cheerios. I can have that with 1/2 cup of skim milk and it's pretty good.

There have been plenty of temptations! Especially this past couple of days. I cooked Easter dinner for my extended family last night and we had Honeybaked ham, vegetable risotto, rolls and my sister-in-law brought over a yummy (or smelled that way anyway!) broccoli slaw salad. My mom brought pies and I had bowls of Hershey kisses all over the house. I was a good girl and didn't eat a bite.

Today, we took my mother-in-law out to Olive Garden. Everything on their menu is soooo gooood! I didn't even look at a menu. I brought my little microwave meal and the waiter was nice enough to microwave it for me! After I put it on a fancy plate, it almost looked as good as the stuff everyone else was getting!

My husband has been really good. He did the grocery shopping for the week and made dinners most of the nights. I'm proud of him and grateful that he is stepping up and helping me avoid temptation.

I've been getting some exercise too. Went to the YMCA twice this week and did 1/2 hour on the bike which turns out to be 5 miles, and did 1/2 hour on the weight equipment. My hubby took me on an hour bike ride through our little town today. On the way back home, it was all uphill - and it about killed me, but I made it! I'm committed to continue the exercise and just keep reminding myself that it will eventually get easier.

One bump in the road: I saw a podiatrist about my plantar fasciitis and he showed me the x-rays of my feet. Not pretty. I have two bone spurs on both of my heels. He told me I can't go for walks anymore. I need to stick to bike riding, swimming or the elliptical for cardio. It's a hurdle, but one I can manage.

The diet works. I've been weighing myself on my crappy scale at home and so far, I've lost 6 lbs. We'll see if that's accurate after tomorrow's weigh in at the clinic. To be honest, I'm not hungry all the time anymore and I have more energy. I get up in the morning and I don't feel like a slug. And, of all miracles, I'm not cranky. Definitely a plus for my family!

I hope the next coming weeks are as easy or easier. I'm looking forward to falling into a routine and eventually not thinking about food all the time. I'm going to make this work one way or another.