DOWN & BFC ?s

So I weighed today as it is the "official" weigh-in day and it is the lowest yet! 153 even.
This is after 3 gin and diet tonics (and yes, it had bad sweetener in it), 3 slices of supreme pizza, slivers of pumpkin pie and rum cake, spoonfuls of potatoes and sweet potato souffle. Needless to say, I'm quite pleased and the "critical voice" never entered my head.
I am about to leave for work but I did check the boards on the BFC website and people still have questions about portions. I'm surprised by this because I'm sure Jorge has addressed this in one of the earlier videos. Just on the chance that someone reads this, here goes-

meats should be the size of a deck of cards or roughly the size of the palm of your hand

nuts 1/4 c-get health benefits and helps to curb hunger

cheese 1 oz (yes, it costs more but the prepackaged ones really are convenient and travel well)

In the afternoons, I eat a cheese stick and a small palmful of walnuts and drink (2) 16.9 oz bottles of water. If I run out of cheese sticks I make a Jay Robb protein shake with water or "milk alternative" and eat a palmful of walnuts.

Then for dinner I usually eat a wrap or two with a protein, light sprinkle of finely shredded cheese, 1/2 c. spinach and maybe tzatziki or spicy mustard.

The key take away here is nothing is "free", "zero" or "all you can eat" because eventually it all adds up. Too much of anything isn't always good....well, except for peace and love maybe :-)

Survived Thanksgiving

Well, I survived Thanksgiving-that's because we didn't actually celebrate Thanksgiving until today (my husband's family couldn't come until last night) :-) I did all the cooking and prepared everyone's favorites. Did I do BFC? No I didn't and I don't feel bad about it at all. I was so busy on Thursday and Friday that I hardly ate so my spoonful of everything that I made today isn't a concern for me. I am even going to indulge in a sliver of rum cake and pumpkin pie. I weighed earlier in the week and saw my lowest yet....153.4! I also got out the tape measure and I've lost an inch at my belly button.
I am concerned that I've run out of probiotics and will order the ones Jorge recommends after I post this. I also plan to "accelerate" things by up-ing the dose since it is okay.
Since I had to get the house together and presentable for family, I've not done my product reviews. I am really planning and hoping to do this on Sunday after company has left. I have beverages, chocolate, protein, Amazing Grass, etc. to share.
I hope fellow BFCers had a good holiday on the plan or not :-)

Crying at the drop of a hat

Yes, that is what I am doing. I am crying at commercials, during TV shows, songs on the radio, posts on the BFC boards and Face Book. This time of year is very emotional for me. I am sad, wistful for the romanticism of the season, excited about treats that are only made during this time of year and I look forward to my Mom tucking me into bed on Christmas Eve.
I am like this EVERY year. I guess the sentimentality of everything gets to me. I have to admit it is going to be very difficult for me to avoid the sweets. I can do okay with carbs during the holidays-it is sugar that is my nemesis during this time of year. I love eggnog, bourbon/rum balls, my Dad's fruit cake, my Grandmother's homemade candies and cakes.....perhaps you see my dilemma!

Any way, I've been saying that I was going to post product reviews and I will do so tomorrow as well as address reading labels and ingredients on packaging.

Thank you for listening :-)

Jorge's Preview

So I read Jorge's preview on Google courtesy of Joanna's posting on the general board page at the BFC website. It was interesting to see the menu options and choices...unfortunately, you don't get to see the recipes for them. There is a lot of variety but breakfast and eggs are the stars. I suppose this is to really "hit home" that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually eat Uncle Sam for breakfast and then sometimes for lunch or dinner, I'll eat the egg and bacon/sausage breakfast on a wrap...that is VERY filling and I get GREAT fiber counts!
Was out shopping today for birthdays and discovered a new flavored water at World Market/Cost Plus and I will do a product review later in the week. Got on the scale again today (I know it is a no-no) and was up slightly from yesterday...it is really amazing how much our weight fluctuates in a day and with very little food involved!
I hope you all have had a nice weekend :-)

Is it possible????

Even though I know I shouldn't do it, I got on the scale this afternoon. All I'd had for the day was a cup of coffee and my Uncle Sam cereal. I had actually gone up on the scale on Thursday but today.....DOWN and I broke 155 :) So, I went to that scary place, my closet where I keep my "regular" clothes. I pulled down a pair of size 10 jeans (admittedly with stretch) and put them on.....they FIT. The jeans actually touched me and the "muffin" at the waistband was minimal. People, I've gone from size 14 pants to size 10....the size I wore 2 years ago! Now, I'm not letting this get to my head too much because as we know, not all pants & sizes are created equal, but it feels good to start a clothes donation box for The Salvation Army.
I've struggled emotionally this week. Last night I allowed myself to acknowledge the fact that I am not happy. I've got a lot of stresses in a lot of areas and my relationships aren't what I'd like them to be. It was Thursday night I believe and I ate 3 servings of Joseph's cookies. I had that little voice in my head saying "you aren't hungry" and I rationalized it by saying that my body will have the adverse reaction to eating that much Maltitol and I'd lose weight. Can you believe this?
I'm an introvert. I don't like meeting new people and I really don't like small talk. I enjoy silence and very deep and meaningful relationships with a few people. I don't have that in my life right now. My BFF moved away in May of 2007. We have a lot in common and did everything together...we met on the job and it just took off. Her move was completely unexpected and happened in one week. I love her a lot and miss her terribly. I went to visit her in October of 2007 and haven't been back. She doesn't call me and occasionally emails me. We used to IM but she had a baby in August and we've not been in touch really since. So that makes me very sad, lonely, hurt and I don't want to trust or love someone that much again. We were going to grow old together.......
Well, "the best laid plans of mice and men."

Okay, so later today I plan to post some product reviews.

Yesterday wasn't the best day. I went over a carb serving because my eating schedule was off and I didn't get enough protein/good fat in early in the day. I woke up late because I've returned to a bad practice of staying up until 1-2am. I am also completely wrapped up in the boards on Jorge's site. I spend HOURS on them-checking to see if someone has posted anything new, recipes, web sites and yes, what they are saying about the program and Jorge.

I am sticking with the program and making sure I get good fats in every day to deal with visceral fat which Jorge has not addressed. Prior to the BFC I did the Flat Belly Diet by Prevention magazine and prior to that I did the South Beach Diet. I did well on both programs but they support using sucralose/Splenda which I now know is BAD. The Flat Belly Diet was really informative regarding visceral fat which is the fat that accumulates and surrounds your organs. Eating the proper fats and sticking to a 1600 calorie diet (4 400 cal. meals) they said you would lose belly fat and inches. I did just that and never felt hungry. However, the only thing that stuck from that diet was MUFA-the good fat your body needs to be healthy and get rid of visceral fat. Which brings me back to "tweaking" BFC and the tracker.

My tracker (another fellow BFCer, Lucie, sent me one she had made and I've since created my own to add other items to track) lists meals, snacks, liquid intake, carbs, sugars, fiber and MUFAs. If I go another week without losing weight, I'll start tracking calories too. I do not currently exercise and do not plan to as I do not want to overwhelm myself with change. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I am still getting used to how/what to eat and until it becomes second nature and "automatic" I am not going to go over board with stuff. I think that has been a problem for me in the past. All or nothing thinking. I have to change EVERYTHING right now and commit 100% in order to get it right....and it proves to be too much for me. My husband and kids are eating whatever they want (still healthy food but some hidden sugars) because I'm not at a place where I can incorporate what I've learned into cooking for them every day. I am focusing on me first.

So, today I plan to eat at reasonable and regular intervals to keep the blood sugar levels satisfied. I already have my walnuts packed for work so I just need to get my protein powder in a shaker and I'll be good for the afternoon. Breakfast was the usual Uncle Sam cereal, lunch will be a wrap of some kind with spinach and dinner well, I might play that one by ear.

Today has been a good BFC day. I think I've settled into a rhythm and pattern. I have to agree with what others have said...keep it simple. Automate it as much as you can. I've never eaten so much "bread" before. Honestly, I've never craved bread or HAD to have it. I live for the wrap/tortilla now :-)
Fiber, fiber, fiber is the third key element of this lifestyle. Gotta get at least 30 grams in per day. I have found that the best way for me to achieve this is to have Uncle Sam cereal 10 grams of fiber at a 0/2 value with 1/2 to 3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk. Lunch and dinner consist of a protein in a wrap for 12 grams of fiber per wrap and a value of 1/1. I get all my food based carbs in and feel full and have one or two left over so now I don't feel stupid drinking one of my carbs. Tonight I had a wrap with 2 eggs, a sprinkle of finely shredded cheese and 3 strips of turkey bacon and an orange Zevia. I LOVE Zevia. I have a carb left before bed so I am thinking of having a hot chocolate!

Last night there were technical difficulties so class was very late starting. The boards were full of very negative comments. I think if everyone just stepped back and asked, "Is it Jorge's intent to frustrate us and not follow through on the program promises?" they would have answered "No". If they had been in Jorge's shoes, what would be their expectation of us and our behavior?
Where is the patience, compassion and understanding? Isn't that what we desire from others?

Here goes!

Hi-

This is something new for me so I'm in a learning curve...please be gentle :) Today is the start of my 4th week on Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure (BFC). I have to say I really, really, really like this lifestyle. I like the science behind it and I like that I don't feel deprived or hungry. Yes, it took a week to get over the horrible sugar withdrawal headache but I feel good and better yet, I'm sleeping better. I've only lost 5 pounds but I have reclaimed 2 pair of jeans that didn't fit a month ago. I put the weight on over the course of 2 years so it will take some time to lose it....so begins the journey.

As it is now 1am eastern, I'll say good morning and try my hand at this again later. Thanks!