Back on board

Off I went to Idaho for my high school reunion. It was an enjoyable time that I won't soon forget. I didn't pack up a bunch of OptiFast to take with me on the airplane. My shoe collection already pushes the luggage weight limit, no room for cartons of shakes.

I gave myself a free license to eat whatever I wanted. It was only a weekend, no big deal. Aside from a night of embarrassing binge drinking, things stayed pretty mild. I wasn't out every 3 hours looking for a snack. Besides a veggie tray and some raspberries my friend bought for me, I didn't really snack at all. That urge just wasn't there. I impressed myself.

We ate out daily. Both of us are light eaters, so sharing a burger was perfect. Half a burger, a few fries. Not exactly diet food since I was told to avoid high-energy carbs, but we were eating only one or two meals per day.

After I returned home to Los Angeles, I came down with a sinus infection. Ideally, I would have had enough shakes to just get back on the diet right away. Being sick is a perfect time to start a liquid diet, but I was out and didn't have the energy to drive to the valley to pick up supplies. I put it off until the next Tuesday when I was all better and ready to recommit. I didn't worry too much about what I ate during that week off. I was sick and didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

When I did make it back to the weight loss clinic, I prepared myself for a 3 pound weight gain. I could handle that. Instead, I had lost 6 lbs of fat and gained 6 lbs in muscle. I weighed exactly the same as I did before my week and a half cheating on OptiFast with carbs. I take that as good news.

I restarted the program last Wednesday. That first day was harder than I expected it to be. I felt shaky and light headed, even after the shakes. At night I had an overwhelming desire to snack like I was on death row and had nothing else to live for.

Luckily, that passed after a couple days. I'm doing about 3 shakes per day and a meal. I should probably be doing 4 or 5 shakes and the meal, but that's just too much. I found some pasteurized liquid egg whites that are safe to consume raw. Gross, but they add protein without a bunch of chemicals, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners to my shakes. After I blend them with the OptiFast and ice, I don't taste them.

My exercise routine is non-existent. I don't like physical activity and it doesn't like me. I'll work on it. For now, I'll just be pleased that I got back to what I was doing and didn't just give up out of boredom and convenience.