Today is the eighth day…

…and counting.

We survived our first carb-free week and I am so excited about the results!  We did our official weigh-ins this morning.  And though we both know our bathroom scale is wacked-out, here are the totals from there:

Matt: 14 pounds

Debbi: 5 pounds

But wait!  There’s more!  Because we know that our bathroom scale is seriously wacked-out, I also supplement with the scale at the gym.  According to that scale, I have dropped 7 pounds in the past 7 days!  Woot!  Matt does his official weigh-in at work this afternoon, so we’ll see how that lines up with the results at home.

Despite my complaining this morning, there have been positives about this plan.  Both of us are starting to notice the difference in our bodies…trimmer waistlines, clothes that fit once again, and generally feeling more healthy.  Though we do seriously miss fruit and bread, we know that in a week we will start to add those items back into our diets in a more healthy manner.  And though there have been recipe disasters – most notably the South Beach Salad with Tuna – there have been some pleasant surprises – the South Beach Surprise Mashed “Potatoes” being the reigning favorite.  Our kids have played gamely along with us, though we haven’t made them eat the salads.  They’ve tried salmon, eaten mashed caulflower and liked it, and not complained about mom and dad hoarding the sugar free fudge pops.

I think the thing that has surprised us the most, however, has been the strength of our willpower.  Call it what you will – competition, accountability, one-upsmanship, whatever – we have absolutely not deviated from the diet plan at all.  We have eaten the prescribed meals at the appropriate times, dutifully eaten our snacks as directed, logged our water consumption of a minimum 64 ounces, and kept our caffeine consumption at or below the recommended 2 servings per day.  We have not indulged in any additional treats, though sometimes we have had to supplement our snacks with an extra serving of cheese or nuts (or, as a special treat, a sugar-free fudge pop) to help us make it to our next meal.

And on that note, I’m going to brag on us a little.  We deserve it!  It’s not like we haven’t had the opportunity – or even the desire – to cheat.  We’ve had both: the opportunity and the desire.  But we’ve managed to remain faithful to our diets, even to the point of me not licking my fingers when I sprinkle sugar over the kids’ strawberries in the morning.  I’m very proud of us, and am so pleased with how this is working for us.  I can only hope for more positive results in the week ahead.  And knowing that we are more than halfway through this difficult phase makes it easier to hang in there.

It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.  And I intend to finish strong!