Two week retrospective

I tried to write a wrap up of the first week, but couldn't really think of anything good, and having a nearly week long trip ahead of me was a more pressing concern. At this point, with two weeks in, I feel it's time to really assess my status.

At this point, I feel confident and relaxed in my routine. I eat three meals a day. I weigh my food. I eat slowly. I stick with my allowed foods. I drink plenty of water. I record everything, both here and in a more formal record. I walk 30 minutes nearly every day. I am, quite simply, sticking with it.

Not that I don't have some areas to improve. I think I need to work harder at exercising. Using a treadmill seemed to be much more demanding than a simple walk, but paying to join the Y seems silly when I can walk on my own. Still, I think I'll pay a visit and get a feel for how it will fit my needs, and how accepted I'll feel.

Another problem area for me is nutrasweet consumption. I'm supposed to be under 32 ounces a day of diet beverages, and, well... I'm probably over that. I don't know why, and it's not a major tenant of the program, but if I'm not hitting targets I may have to cut way back on my beloved diet soda.

The negative side effects are noticeable, as well. The diet is wrecking havoc on my digestive system, and the results are awful. I'm sleeping more at night, and having far more dreams. On recurring nightmare is repeatedly realizing that I'm eating something bad for me. One night it was a bowl of cereal, last night it was a Dairy Queen Blizzard.

I still crave foods. I'm finding myself craving highly specific things, and not junk food in general. When I was home, I wanted Lona's pizza - a family favorite. I wanted Del Taco tacos. What's interesting is that, so far, those cravings are more attached to the habit (being at my parents, visiting my brother) than they are to location or proximity. I walked past the costco food court five times while I was in Detroit, and never had a strong craving for something. Likewise, while driving home I thought about getting chinese, but while on I-90, not while passing the place.

In the positive areas, I have more energy. I walk up rested and refreshed, and generally have no trouble staying up and alert through the day. I can drag if I eat too small a lunch and then wait too long for dinner, but I think that occurs to, well, every person. I just can't grab a KitKat or snickers.

My mental attitude is mostly improved, unless it's been too long since I ate, when I revert to my six year old level of crabbiness. I'm full after most meals, and I simply don't get hungry outside of meal times. People say that I've lost weight, and while I'm waiting for something more tangible like looser clothes, I feel thinner in a few places. Once I drop into range of a decent scale, I can weight myself every week. As of now, even after two weeks I have no evidence of weight loss. I may mail order the following:
http://www.bathroomscales4less.com/acatalog/Bathroom_Scales_Over_400_lbs.html
Which is apparently available at many webstores but not in stock anywhere. It's frustrating to spend so much, but my other option is to wait until I fit on the scales that go to 350, which frankly is going to be a while.

All in all, I consider the first two weeks to be an unqualified success. There is room for improvement, but I'm pretty proud of what I've done so far.