1 week down, 3 to go!

Yesterday I completed my first week on The Ultra Simple Diet.  It wasnt as hard as I initially expected, however, it is quite time consuming.  I literally spend all of my non-work/gym/sleep/RHOA time prepping and planing meals.  The first few days I was annoyed by this.  Having to wake up extra early to pack my lunch, make my morning shakes, drink water/green tea, etc., I thought was a bit of a drag.  But around the 4th day or so I began to enjoy it, strangely enough.  I greatly look forward to my morning shakes now (mainly because they are the only sweet thing I consume in the day), and I am finding new ways to spice up the lunches and dinners I am eating.  I have also been able to cut time down by prepping 2-3 meals all at once.  

The first few days of the minimal caffeine consumption were rough, I did get a headache or two.  However, that went away and now I am able to fully function on 1 cup of green tea in the morning, and nothing more.  I also found the first couple days not quite productive digestively.  Sparing any details on this blog, that quickly corrected itself.  The only non-Ultra Simple meal I consumed was dinner with T.N. on Saturday night.  We went to a vegetarian restaurant and I ordered a vegan meal which was quite good.  I did have a couple bites of things that were not on the diet, however, probably about 5 or 6 french fries and a 1 bite of T.N.'s gnocchi which was fabulous.  

Pros: I lost 4.5 lbs this week, which is great news considering I am never really hungry on this diet, and I never go to bed hungry (the dinners really fill me up).  I also didnt do all of the workouts I had planned for the week.  However, I forgot to take my waist measurements (I will do it for next week).  I noticed an improvement in my skin after the 4th or 5th day.  I do think my breakouts are directly related to dairy consumption, although I also think it may be a gluten issue.  Because I cut both of those foods out completely, I will not really know until I attempt to incorporate them back in (if I end up doing so at all) at the end of the 4 weeks.  I must admit, my weekends are so much more productive when I am alcohol free.  I am finding time to do projects that I had put off for months.

Cons: Boredom.  I do miss the foods I cut out.  I am only 1 week in and am already bored with what I bring for lunch and/or consume for dinner (again, love the morning shakes though).  I am constantly going to the bathroom due to the amount of water I am drinking.  I don't like the fact that I have been turning down invitations to do certain things due to my diet (bbq's, happy hours, etc.).  While it is true that I could still attend these functions, its kind of like walking in to a McDonalds hungry, and just smelling the fries.  Who wants to do that?  I'll just wait until my month is over.  If folks want to hang out with me, I am available for bike rides.  Shout out to A.B. and our ride last Saturday! 

Goals for the 2nd week:  I want to try and do all of the workouts I have planned for the week, without skipping any days.  I will focus on making sure I consume snacks.  While I am at work, it is hard for me to snack.  I need to make a point of doing so, or else I eat too much at lunch/dinner.  Even though when I do over-eat, it is on veggies and brown rice, its still over-eating.  I am going to watch my portion sizes as well this week.  Also, I probably wont go out to eat anywhere.  Even though my dinner with T.N. was great, I probably should have not nibbled on the non-sanctioned foods. 

Overall, good week, but glad its over.  3 weeks to go!