The results

I just realized that I hadn't documented the results of our 30 day food experiment from September.

First off, the bottom line.

I lost 10 lbs and went down a full size (maybe a size and a half).

The Ear doctor lost 15 lbs and felt like he broke through a plateau he had been riding at the gym. He also has decreased his insulin usage by about half...which is amazing for a type 1 diabetic.Oh, and none of his clothes fit anymore because he is getting so stinkin lean and cut!



Our experience really wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it  might be. The only times I found it difficult was the trip we took to the zoo (no options anywhere in the entire property to grab something to eat) and when we went to a fantastic restaurant for a friend's birthday and couldn't eat hardly anything. During the month I was never hungry...in fact it was just the opposite..I felt like I was eating a TON of food...all the time.

To those of you who say that it is expensive...yes, I have to agree with you there. I did a quick spending analysis and compared the month of September to August and saw that our grocery bill increased 40%! Yikes! However, since we did not go out to eat hardly at all, that expense was offset in the overall budget. Between August and September the difference in our food spending was only $63. If I were a family (like my sister) who were disciplined from the beginning and didn't habitually eat out (like we tended to) I think the difference in expenses to eat this way would probably be staggering.

So what now? You're supposed to slowly reintroduce old foods back into your diet. And so far that's what we're doing. I waited almost a whole week to have a diet coke and the ear doctor had a small bag of chips the other day. I made some homemade noodles for chicken noodles soup and last night I made a batch of snickerdoodles.

Here is the going forward plan that I have devised...I call it the rule of 1's.

Each week I am limiting myself to the following:

1: dinner I eat out during which I will order whatever on the menu sounds the best
1: diet coke "experience"...meaning it can either be a can of soda, or a mega huge gut buster at a movie theater
1: totally indulgent treat

Other nuances:

• We probably won't buy bread for the house anymore...I just didn't miss it. If we do have bread I'll either make it, or get it from Denver Bread Company. Bread really is a treat and, accordingly, I intend to eat it sparingly
• I don't really need rice in my life at all...except for risotto...I love risotto...
• Standard potatoes are being switched out for yams. Costco just started carrying 25 lb bags of yams...glorious!
• Plates will be filled with veggies because over the last month I have really learned fast and easy ways to make them DELICIOUS. 
• Baked goods at the house will be occasionally present...and only homemade...there just seems to be something about making a baked good that makes it OK to eat...if I put in the effort to bake it I can appreciate it more...or something like that.
• No vending machines...duh
• Applegate hot dogs are the BEST. Try them...they're worth the extra $$$

The only thing I'm not really clear on is how I'm going to handle vacations and holidays. Should I make them a free for all? Should I cut myself just a little slack? Should I stick to my guns? I'll have to think about that...