The Bodice Challenge: Days 16 and 17

Saturday: 

Breakfast: Two slices of Asiago Foccacia bread from Pasta's Daily Bread, spread with homemade yogurt cheese and a drizzle of EVOO.

Lunch: More homemade yogurt cheese, two brown rice cakes, one spread with natural peanut butter, and three little almond rice crackers.

Dinner: Birthday dinner for my uncle at my grandmother's house. Three triscuits dipped in homemade crab dip. One dish of salad (no cheese, just lettuce and other veggies) with oil and vinegar dressing. ONE dish of pasta with homemade meat sauce and ONE slice of bread (yes, ONE, you ave no idea the self-control it took, but I escaped a pasta dinner with my huge Italian family with only dish pasta of pasta and one slice of bread, can I get a high-five???) 

Dessert: One small slice of birthday cake, no seconds.

Forgot blood pressure today, I apologize.

Creativity: Tested another recipe and took photographs. Also, went to a production meeting for my Summer K.I.D.S. Shakespeare Workshop : ) Whee :)

Exercise:  Washed my father's car and my car, and did more hedge trimming and cleaning up brush. Also, went swimming in my pool, some some just general swimming and floating, but I water-jogged 15 laps around my pool , ten laps with the current, five laps against the current :)



Sunday:
Blood Pressure: 114/77 :)


Breakfast: Raisin Bran with skim milk

Lunch: Almond-Rice Crackers (Gluten-Free and pretty tasty!) with yogurt cheese and blueberries

Dinner: Cookout for Father's Day and my parent's 35th Wedding Anniversary :) Appetizer: 3 small slices of pepperoni and three small slices of cheddar cheese. One glass of lemonade. Two ears of corn with salt but no butter. Three salt potatoes with about a teaspoon of melted butter, two sweet italian sausage patties, no bun, grilled asparagus, tossed salad with oil and vinegar, and chickpea salad. I made a deal with myself that if I refrained from bread during dinner, I could have dessert. I went the entire meal and did not cosnume one single piece of bread, and rewarded myself with one small slice of strawberry pie and one sliver of ice cream cake.

Creativity:  More productive than creative, helped with the cooking and and cleaned off the porch and set up chairs in the backyard for the BBQ.

Exercise: Nothing structured, but lots of walking around, lifting and carrying and cleaning.

Now that I have passed the two week mark, I am simultaneously very excited and very frustrated. Without doubt, I feel better. I have more energy, I can walk farther, swim laps longer, etc. Also, my blood pressure is improving. And for these things alone this challenge is ultimately worth it and I'm very glad I undertook it. Mysteriously though, this new energy and lower blood pressure has not manifested in measurable loss of weight or inches. My clothes fit about the same. I am in the same three-pound window I was in when I started the challenge, and those mystery five pounds that appeared around the time I started the challenge are still here. My % body fat is still about the same and I have not lost any inches around my hips or waist. I have to admit, this is upsetting me. I'm working very hard, and, like I said, although I feel much better, judging by the various *numbers* (weight, body fat, etc) I haven't really shown any progress, and that's very frustrating. Any advice or words or encouragement? Please?

Love,
Lynn