Day Four: One-Week Challenge aka "Sugar Awareness Week"

"Challenge" is a good word.  When four spears of asparagus (yes, that is FOUR SPEARS) count for two of your daily SIX allotted Carb servings, and 1 of your 15 Sugars, then that's a serious challenge.  

As Richard and I walked this morning, we agreed that after this "Challenge" week is over, that we needn't count any of our vegetables as Carb servings.  He is really feeling the lack of carbs, as he has always had a fast metabolism, and naturally needs more food.  I keep offering for him to increase his carbs, but he insists he's going to complete the challenge "as is".  I even just offered him my last Carb, and he rejected it.  

I made a visit to a new (to me) acupuncturist, who, after a thorough intake and constitutional assessment, highly suggested that I eat grass-fed, hormone-free red meat (which will work well with this Belly Fat Diet, thankfully), but she also recommended greatly restricting the gluten-free breads and processed foods (which we've also been doing anyway due to the carb and sugar content of all breads, we clearly have to make every carb count with this).  She suggests following more of a "paleo" type diet, restricting refined carbs and keeping fat intake moderate.   Obviously that is going to take a bit more research and planning.  She was very much "for" my becoming sugar-aware, and was in agreement with the craziness of the nitpicky details of the Belly Fat Cure.  

Having said all that, we trudge ahead, even with our lower energy levels.  We like the protein shakes and reducing our sugar intake, and will likely take those two aspects with us into our future plan.  The acupuncturist also encouraged strength training, which we have introduced into our daily life through the Belly Fat Cure, so will likely move that forward and increase it with our new plan as well.  She is very much for our starting up tai chi and/or yoga again to help with daily life balance and keeping our energy flowing.

We are past the half-way point, just days 5, 6, and 7 to go.  We will see what results come from this week.  As of today I'd lost 0.8 pounds, so I have a way to go to the 4-9 pounds in one week "promised" with the Belly Fat Cure.  Perhaps if my diet was completely horrible and I didn't move regularly, this 4-9 pound loss would be attainable in one week.  But a big part of me is thinking that rate of weight loss is simply unhealthy.