Back To Normal...But So Quickly!

Well, something interesting has happened. Three days have passed and I have shed the 5 lbs. I gained. How did I do it, you ask? It wasn't that complicated. I followed this plan:

Day One, I used leftover products and did a full fast of 3 Optifast 70s and 2 Optifast 800s.

Day Two, I had two Optifast 70s; 1 Optifast 800; a dinner of 4 oz. salmon served with a salad with Bermuda onion, capers, cucumber and 1 tbsp. 25 calorie Bolthouse Farms Honey Mustard yogurt dressing; a yogurt concoction of 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (not Greek yogurt), almonds, crushed Fiber One chocolate cereal and Splenda; a part-skim, low moisture mozzarella cheese stick; and 11 baby carrots with 1 tbsp. of the honey mustard dressing.

Day Three, I had two Optifast 70s; 1 Optifast 800; 4 oz. grilled chicken with a salad with Bermuda onion, cucumber, sundried tomatoes, and 1 tbsp. of Lite Greek Vinaigrette (25 calories); a yogurt concoction of 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup plain Fiber One cereal; sunflower seeds; almonds, raisins and Splenda; and two cheese sticks.

Now, my dietitian told me earlier in the week that my weight gain was most likely extra sodium, and to give it 4-5 days and I would most likely shed it. So I am not entirely sure that my eating routine was responsible for the loss. But needless to say, I feel much better and "cleansed" (if that makes any sense). I think the protein-based diet -- where protein is for the most part balancing out the carbs -- works well for me.

The downside is I have been feeling weak, tired and hungry during the day -- reminds me of the first few days when I started Optifast. I don't like that at all. I also just started following this plan without fully consulting with the clinic, so I emailed my dietitian last night to notify her what I am doing and how I feel physically. Some may find this not needed, and if in my situation, just use the products on your own. But I tend to lean towards the side of caution. That's just me.

I'm also not sure if I go back to my transition/maintenance schedule now. Honestly, something is tugging at me, telling me, "Oh, just keep going and try to lose as much as you can with what you have." I like that scale going down, down, down. But I have a healthy weight range and I like my new, healthy diet. So I'm trying to ignore this little voice and focus on easing off of the products and resuming my "real" food diet.

So this is where I am today. It's very early in the morning and I am hungry, so I am thinking about having one scrambled egg and 1 Eggo whole grain waffle with a scant amount of sugar-free strawberry jam. Sure, I could hold off and have that Opti 70 in three hours, but my body is telling me it needs something more. So I think I will listen to it. I'll keep you apprised of my weight over the next few days. Hopefully, this "back to normal" is here to stay!