28 Days Later - that's the name of a scary movie, right... Well, I'm still going strong with the Optavia program and it has NOT been scary! I probably should have taken a before picture but I felt I had enough of those up on Facebook somewhere anyway. I really just wanted to get going without all of the hubbub and stuff.
So, after 28 days, I'm down 20.8 pounds! Crazy! And this is over the holidays! I'm not going to lie, I did have a couple of cheat days, specifically the 25th-27th and the 31st, but got right back on it. I gained a couple over the 25th-27th mainly because I really ate well and including sugars (prime rib, potato, shrimp, mom's blueberry pie, cheesy potatoes, dips, appetizers, cookies, etc). But the gain was erased in two days!
The hardest part was a short two-day getaway we took as a family to Mackinaw City. Because of COVID-19, the majority of restaurants were closed or take out only. I was still able to stay on my plan by eating protein and salads, but it was definitely modified. The real temptations were going through a McDonald's drive-thru or getting cheeseburgers to go for the family - and I was either eating some bars or crunchers while drinking water and black iced coffee. McDonald's fries never smelled so good - but I was in a zone!
So far, I've only had one instance where hunger was killing me - and that was just a planning error on my part. I left a bar in the car thinking we'd be back in time plenty of time, but overshot by an hour. I was ready for some calorie intake! My energy levels have also been great. We hiked a couple times on our day trip to the Upper Peninsula, I did lots of shoveling and snow-blowing, took down Christmas decorations, and cleaned the basement. Feel great.
The number one benefit has been my sleeping patterns. Although, because of water intake, I do have to get up to use the bathroom at least once, sometimes twice during the night, I have been sleeping great. My wife said my snoring has disappeared! I also have had acid reflex issues - they have disappeared! I (and my wife) am very happy!
I am drinking about 110-130 ounces of water a day! I go to the bathroom a lot! I imagine that I am passing out all those fat cells - which I may actually be doing, I mean they're going somewhere, right?
My goal is to get down another 40 pounds. I'm 1/3 of the way there! I'm ready to get back to a running health-style. I've ran two marathons (26.2 miles) in my life - Chicago 2008 and Bayshore Traverse City in 2012. I'd like to run another next year when I turn 50. Then add two more - so I have one for each of my kids!
