In 2 years.

Today I turned 38 29.

I’d like to believe that like wine, we get better with age.

When I was in New Orleans at Bloggers on Bourbon, I had a palm reading done in Jackson Square.  In front of the Cathedral.  Yeah.  Kind of odd but I went for it anyway.

I honestly could have listened to this guy talk about me all day.  He hit some of it right on, other stuff was just sort of a shot in the dark, but it was fun.  He told me that I’m very intuitive and that I am going to be wealthy.  Very wealthy.  I really, really liked that guy.

So, as I get another year closer to 40, I’m just gonna sit here quietly and wait for the money to roll in…that’s how it works right?

Seriously though, I don’t feel 2 years away from 40.  I remember teasing my friend Lori to NO END when she turned 30, now I’m almost 40.  At least she’ll always be older than me.

And when anyone asks, regardless of what the toothless old guy said, I’ll forever be 29. I think my “iceman” shades from Sunglass Warehouse help me pull it off too!

I spent some time yesterday uploading my photos from Bloggers On Bourbon, putting up my first post about the event and looking at other people’s photos.  At one point I ended up looking at the Flickr Photostream from last year at this time at Blogher.  I knew I had lost a lot of weight since then, but I didn’t realize the physical difference.

I mean, I knew I had dropped 3-4 clothing sizes so far.  I knew I had lost weight.  But I hadn’t looked at my “before” picture in a long time.

I’ve still got a little ways to go, but this has totally inspired me to get to my goal.

We live in a semi-rural area and I like it that way.  Yes, you see some ODD things that in many ways would be considered backwards, tacky or just plain hillbilly.   But I’ll take a hillbilly over a gang-banger any day of the week.

Since our little town is surrounded by farms, we have some local farmers that have stands where they sell fruits and vegetables, and we have one that we love particularly because of their corn on the cob.

So.

Usually my husband goes there, but yesterday I went because he was making dinner and the corn we had gotten from the grocery store was rotten.  I took my daughter with me and we braved the heat to go buy corn.

Sitting under the shade of the make-shift shelter, I spotted an old dude sitting in a chair next to a playpen with a baby in it, and two other people puttering around.  As we made our way to the corn, “old dude” started talking to Abby and she went over to look at the baby.  He asked her what her name was and then started to tell us a story about his “best girlfriend” who was 8 years named Abigail who left him and moved to Florida.

There were some serious Forrest Gump moments for a few seconds as he talked.

Then I noticed it.

One tooth.

This guy appeared to have no teeth except for ONE on the bottom.

So I’m sure that even though I tried as hard as I could NOT to stare, I was staring right at it while he talked.

I managed to start working my way out of the place (I had managed to pay while he was talking), and then he said something that  explained why he had no teeth.  Because some woman had clearly knocked them all out.

He said “she’s so cute, you are lucky, is she your grand-daughter?”

Huh, hey what?

GRAND-DAUGHTER?

Seriously?

That dude is lucky I didn’t knock out that last tooth.

One week ago, Trisha and I began an experiment.  We both wanted to lose a little bit of weight and decided to try the Cabbage Soup Diet that promises up to 10 lbs of weight lost in 7 days.

The menu was no fun.  You can eat unlimited cabbage soup and each day had a different set of foods you could eat, mostly containing fruits and veggies and a few protein items, and on the last day some brown rice.  You can eat as much as you want on most days, but it certainly wasn’t the most interesting week I’ve had as far as food choices are concerned.

I started this journey at 167 after having lost almost 40 lbs on my own on the Weight Watchers program.  I had been carrying that weight around since my daughter was born 2 1/2 years ago, and in the last few weeks I had plateaued so I was looking for a (re) kick-start to get to my pre-pregnancy weight of 159.

For 7 days I stayed on plan.  I had minor deviations such as dipping green beans in ketchup and using a little bit of Italian dressing to dip some veggies in.  I also had 1 bite of a breaded chicken patty.  Otherwise I did not deviate from the plan.

It wasn’t easy.

But it wasn’t hard either.

When I did the Atkins plan, within the first week I was craving carbs so bad I felt sick.  That didn’t happen to me on the Cabbage Soup Diet.  I was hungry sometimes but mostly because I just didn’t want anymore soup.  I don’t have a problem with willpower.  If I have a goal in mind I can stick to it, but I wonder if maybe I didn’t eat enough during the week.  I will not eat anything before I will eat something I don’t want.

So I bet you want to know how I did?

Did I lose weight?

Enough to make the 7 days of eating cabbage soup worth it?

Well….

My current weight is (drumroll please…..):

159.2

I lost 7.8 lbs.  I am extremely excited to have reached my pre-pregnancy weight.  A major milestone has been met for me and I am ecstatic!  Now the hard part….keeping it going.  145 – 150 is my ultimate goal.

A few things I’ve learned:

• Cabbage soup does not taste or smell like cabbage.  With some seasonings, it was actually good.  Even my kids ate it.
• You can do anything you set your mind to if you set small goals.
• Having a “diet buddy” helps ten-fold.  Without Trisha to talk to every day, I might have given up.  The support she offered because she understood was priceless.
• Kids imitate their parents.  Don’t use “my kids won’t eat it” as an excuse.  If you are eating it, and it’s all that is in the house, they will eat it to.  And probably like it.  If not, tell them they can’t have any – they’ll be begging for it.

Priorities and reality are important to consider when starting a weight loss plan.  I don’t want to have to exercise every day, nor do I want to deprive myself of some of my favorite foods.  But I have learned that there are ways to make some of my favorite foods with more REAL and healthy ingredients and not sacrifice flavor.  If cabbage soup can taste that good (it really did – just season it up), a homemade pizza with whole wheat flour, less cheese and fresh homemade sauce can taste just as good (if not better) as a store bought frozen pizza and not contain anything FAKE.

I will continue on with my weight loss journey, back on Weight Watchers and take baby steps.  It may take me longer to lose the last 14 lbs but as I do, I will not be making drastic changes like eating cabbage soup for a week because I want to make changes that I can not only stick with but that will also provide me with satisfaction and happiness for the rest of my life.  The reality of it is, I can’t always find time to exercise every day.  Sometimes I want to eat a taco or ice cream or chocolate.   I want to live a life where I am conscious of what I put into my body, and how I take care of myself but not where I am constantly craving stuff I can’t have because I have established a few months of eating and exercise that helped me lose weight but I can’t maintain the lifestyle and still be happy.

They say slow and steady wins the race and I believe that.  I hope to maintain the 7.8 lbs I lost this week, add a few ounces of loss for next week and keep coasting down the hill knowing that I can enjoy food and still be healthy.   And hopefully, set good examples for my kids.

As for Trisha, I know she was hoping for a little bit better results, but honestly for her size, I think she did amazing.  I simply have more weight to lose than she does, and we all know that those lost 5 lbs are the hardest.  Check out her results for yourself.

In the end, if you are looking to lose a fast 5-10 lbs in a week, I suppose this is a realistic option for someone provided they check with their doctor first.  I do believe this diet is designed to try and make sure you have all the nutrients your body needs.  It has fresh fruits and veggies but also calcium, vitamin D, protein, fiber and whole grain.  I wasn’t physically (which is way different from mentally) craving anything the whole week, and while I did lack some energy for heavy exercise, I actually felt really good.

BUT.

There is always a but.  Or a butt…

Anyway..

I think that if you commit to a weight loss plan and walk into it with negativity, you will fail.  No matter what it is.

I also think that similar results can be achieved in other ways.  Imagine for one week you ate fruits and veggies for breakfast and lunch.  Only fruits and veggies.  No soda.  No high calorie beverages.  Then for dinner you ate a small piece of lean meat, more veggies and a small portion of wild rice or whole wheat pasta.  I bet there would be similar results to what I achieved eating cabbage soup.

What I’m saying is this:

We have the power to change our lives.  But we have to commit to it heart and mind and just do it.

If you say you can’t, I don’t believe you.

You can.

(and don’t worry, I’ll be checking on to let you know in the coming weeks if the weight stayed off)

…well, I did.  Total.  In the last year.

My scale tells me 3 things each day, my current weight, the amount I’ve lost since I last weighed myself AND my total weight loss since I began my weight loss journey.

I often forget about that big number in the corner – and today I noticed that it said -41.6 lbs!!!

On top of that, I showed a 1.2 lb loss this morning.

Here is a breakdown:

• Starting weight: 167 lbs
• Day 2: 164.6 lbs (-2.4 lbs)
• Day 3: 165.2 lbs (+.8 lbs)
• Day 4: 163.2 (-2 lbs)
• Day 5: 162 (-1.2 lbs)

Total loss so far: 4.8 lbs after 4 days on the Cabbage Soup Diet.

Yesterday we got to eat bananas (up to 8 of them), skim milk and of course, cabbage soup.

I had:

• A total of 4 1/2 bananas & 4 1/2 cups of skim milk in the form of a smoothie with some ice and a little bit of cinnamon and Splenda.
• 80 oz of water
• 10 oz hot tea
• 1 bowl of cabbage soup
• 1 fork-sized bite of my son’s breaded chicken patty

It wasn’t a bad day overall.  I wasn’t hungry and while I did have moments where I wanted to break down and eat something NOT on the diet, I persevered.  Whenever I get a craving I make myself a HUGE glass of ice water and make myself drink the whole thing.  It usually kills the craving and keeps me in and out of the bathroom for the next hour.

I had a headache yesterday for awhile but I really think that was because I didn’t have a cup of tea in the morning to replace my coffee like I had been the other days.

Today we get to eat up to 20 oz of beef, fish or chicken, up to 6 tomatoes and we must drink 6-8 glasses of water, plus our soup.

Trisha said that her husband has noticed her weight loss!

If you want to read about my previous days on the Cabbage Soup Diet:

• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1 observations
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1, more observations
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 2: 2.4 lbs lighter
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 3: setback
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 4: ketchup is like candy

I don’t have much to say about day 3 yesterday.  I walked through much of it cranky and sort of out of it.  I really think most of it had to do with the extreme discomfort of my 30 or so mosquito bites that continue to be persistently itchy.

I didn’t eat much, I mostly scratched.  I did sort of cheat because I dipped my green beans in ketchup (don’t knock it til you tried it).  I decided #1 that ketchup was a veggie and #2 that 2 tbsp of ketchup wouldn’t kill me.  And it tasted like candy.

I had:

• About 50 oz of water total
• 20 oz of tea with cranberry juice
• 10 oz hot tea (to trick myself because I miss my coffee)
• 1/2 a watermelon
• 2 cups of blueberry applesauce (no sugar added)
• a few baby carrots
• 1 bowl of cabbage soup
• 1 cup of green beans dipped in ketchup
• A lick of frosting from a cupcake – just a tiny bit that got on my finger when I gave the cupcake to my son

I’ve been trying to workout but seriously, it’s very hard to do when your feet and ankles itch.

Overall willpower isn’t a problem for me.   Because of Weight Watchers, I’m used to eating mass quantities of fruits and vegetables during the day in order to allow myself some splurging for dinner.  With this plan, there isn’t as much splurging (unless you are a rabbit and think cabbage soup is better than cake) but overall I’m not having problems sticking with it.  I am not used to having things completely raw or without added stuff like the ketchup, that is probably my biggest problem.  And I’m certainly not skilled enough in the kitchen to improvise.

I have noticed a few things that are kind of interesting.  My kids want to eat whatever I am eating.  I can serve them cabbage soup and they eat it, especially when they think it’s “mommy’s soup”.

Like I said, yesterday was kind of a blur, but today will hopefully be a little better.  I am a bit run down because of the lack of carbs I think, but maybe the bananas and milk (and soup) that I get to eat today will give me some energy!

Weight:

This morning I weighed in at 163.2 which is 2 lbs less than yesterday.  Combined with the 2.4 loss from day 1, and the .8 lb gain from day 2, I have lost a total of 3.6 lbs in 3 days.  What I find annoying interesting is that Trisha has lost the exact same amount.

If you want to read about my previous days on the Cabbage Soup Diet:

• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1 observations
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 1, more observations
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 2: 2.4 lbs lighter
• Cabbage Soup Diet – day 3: setback

Day 2 was not as successful for me as day1 was.  In fact, my weight was 165.2 so I gained .8 lbs.  I did not cheat but I have over 30 bug bites from being outside the other night.  I totally blame them.

Yesterday was veggie and baked potato day.  Along with my soup, I was allowed to eat veggies and one baked potato with butter.

Here’s what I ate and drank yesterday sort of in order of having it throughout the day:

• 20 oz water
• 10 oz hot tea
• 20 oz iced tea mixed w/ cranberry juice
• cucumbers & tomatoes dipped in a mixture of salt/pepper/water & 1 tbsp =Italian Dressing
• 20 oz water
• 20 oz iced tea mixed w/ cranberry juice
• 20 oz water
• medium bowl of cabbage soup
• 1/2 bag of baby carrots (I found some spray butter in the fridge – not sure what it is made of but I did put some on the carrots – I needed flavor)
• medium bowl of cabbage soup
• 20 oz water
• 1 baked potato with butter
• 20 oz water

I was pretty full most of the day.  The veggies were good and I felt satisfied.

Since I started at 167, I am down in total 1.8 lbs.  Not earth-shattering but again I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the daily weights because they fluctuate for me.  Plus, there are the bug bites….

Trisha has continued to lose weight and has lost a total of 2.6 lbs in 2 days.  (rude)

Today is simply a mixture of fruits and veggies along with the soup.  I am going to make a conscious effort to drink a bit more water today, although yesterday I spent so much time peeing I was afraid to leave the house.  I’ve been trying to workout but frankly every time I try, my itchies flare up.  My feet, ankles and calves are covered in bites.

Another blogger who is local to me (and a friend of a friend – we actually once met BEFORE we were bloggers and recently reconnected) is in the running to be the next Mamavation Mom, and I am throwing my support her way!

About Mamavation:

Mamavation™ is a social experiment and weight loss campaign in social media with the goals of teaching moms healthy living lifestyle choices so they can share with their family. Mamavation™ is a two part campaign: (1) a virtual healthy living boot camp for two moms and (2) the home of the first virtual healthy living sorority in social media, the Sistahood™ .

Jennifer Gniadecki is @jennydecki on Twitter and she campaigned and was selected as one of the 5 6 finalists for the next round of Mamavation!

But she needs VOTES to be selected, and it’s soooo easy to do.  You don’t need to register for anything, just select her name and click vote – and you can vote daily.

In her own words, here’s why you should vote for her:

Weighing over 300lbs. sucks. I hate that when people look at me they automatically assume things about my diet, my activity level, and how I feed and parent my children. Since I can’t change society, I’m going to change myself in order to give my kids a better life. They shouldn’t have to have the “fat mom” going through school and I sure don’t want them to be the “fat kids getting picked on” either. Help me make a change so that I can be a better mother for my children, and a wife that’s not afraid to get on an airplane for fear of having to buy two seats or be looked at like I’m the problem with the world today. The best part about Mamavation is that it’s not just for fat girls, but for everyone who just wants to be healthier and more fit…so I don’t feel like I’m at fat camp. With your help they will give me a treadmill, access to a nutritionist and guidance to get the fat offa my ass and healthy food into my belly. Thank you so much! You can vote once a day between now and 7/12 at 8pm CST. The winner will be announced during the Twitter party 7/12. Again, THANK YOU!

And below is her application video that got her selected as a finalist:

To vote for Jenny, simply head over to Mamavation and on the right side underneath the Earth Footwear ad is a voting poll.  Select @jennydecki at then hit the vote button.  You can do it every day.

Go vote to help her change her life!

So I survived day 1 on the Cabbage Soup Diet.

I think.

Am I hungry?

Totally.

More hungry than any other morning?

I don’t think so.

Aside from being annoyed that my kids got up early, I feel pretty good.

I do miss my coffee.

Yesterday I had:

• 1 big bowl of cabbage soup (it really wasn’t ready until almost dinner time)
• 1 grapefruit
• half a watermelon
• 1 big can of pineapple in its own juice
• 1 apple
• 5 big glasses of ice water
• 20 oz unsweetened tea

I was sort of constantly hungry yesterday (not starving, but sort of nagging…) and I think that is where the soup comes in.  In between fruit I should have eaten more soup and I probably would have stayed comfortable throughout the day.

Day One Results:

Yesterday I weighed in at 167 lbs.

Today, 164.6 lbs

Loss = 2.4 lbs

I don’t trust daily weights.  They fluctuate a lot for me.  I usually do weight myself every morning but I only put stock in and record my weight on Saturday mornings.  I have lost as much as 1.5 lbs in a day in any given week, but at the end of the week I have never lost more than 2-3 lbs.   And for this diet, I think the true test will be whether the weight comes right back or not.  I have no doubt I can lose a decent amount of weight on this plan (assuming I survive all 7 days), but will it stay off once I return to my Weight Watchers plan?

Trisha also had an amazing loss yesterday.  1.8 lbs.  Kinda makes me mad.  Cause she ate cheese and Tic Tacs.

Today is looking good.  I have a bunch of fresh veggies ready and I CAN’T WAIT for dinner…a baked potato with butter.

Cabbage Soup Diet Day Two:

Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.

That 2.4 lb loss is totally enough to keep me motivated today too!

Looks can be deceiving.

Especially when you have a husband who knows how to work magic with seasonings.

I admit that I picked the mushrooms and green peppers out of my bowl (I draw the line at fungus and I HATE green peppers), but honestly the flavor wasn’t bad when he added some garlic, mustard seed and a few other things.

I seriously ate it without looking at it and tasted like a spicy taco soup instead of a stinky cabbage soup.  And the smell – basically the house smells like vegetable soup, NOT feet anymore.

It’s only day one, and I’ve only had 1 bowl of soup, but I’m eating fruit like there is no tomorrow – well tomorrow is all veggies.  The one thing that is carrying me through right now is the thought of a baked potato and butter tomorrow night.