Back to Square One

Well, obviously, my little effort at the beginning of the year didn't pay off like I'd hoped.  Two weeks of working on the weight loss, got about eight pounds down.....and proceeded to jump right back into bad habits and gain the weight back.  That seems to happen to me a lot - the two week dedication, and then done.  I keep thinking that if I can get past that first two weeks, maybe I'll finally make some progress.

I have started a weight loss trial with Metagenics, a company based in Gig Harbor that makes supplements for naturopaths and medically supervised weight loss programs.  They are doing a clinical trial of a compound derived from hops to gauge the benefit during a weight loss program.  I'll be on a specific diet and exercise program for three months, taking the supplement (or placebo), then continue to be monitored for the next twelve months while taking the supplement to see if it will continue to help me lose weight.  This diet is similar to one I've tried before - lots of greens and veggies, little fruit, lots of lean protein, healthy fats.  No sugar, potatoes, rice or grains of any kind for the first three months.  I expect to have some serious rough patches, but I intend to post my progress on Facebook on a regular basis for encouragement and accountability.  I also have appointments with the doctor monitoring my program every two weeks, and group sessions every two weeks as well, which I think will help a lot - doing it alone always gets me in trouble.  Besides the weight loss and improvement in health, this program definitely has other benefits.  I get all my supplements and meal replacements at no charge (you should see all the vitamins and supplements I have to take every day), and they're going to pay me to be in the study.  How can I beat that?  To be able to stay in the study, I have to lose 15 pounds in the first three months.  I intend to lose more than that - I'd like to drop 20.  We'll see how it goes.  First day was yesterday - not bad.  Big salad with tuna for lunch, lean steak with mashed cauliflower and big salad for dinner.  I think the trick will be finding more recipes to work with this diet.  They've also got a pedometer for me to wear daily.  The goal is 10,000 steps a day.  Yesterday was 1782 - obviously, I need to move more, which I already knew, but seeing it spelled out digitally every day really brings it home.

This is a new beginning - let's hope I can get past that two week mark.