7-Day Clean Eating/Living Challenge.

Weigh-in this morning was 220.0lbs. That's a 1.8lb loss since last week. Not bad at all, considering that I only exercised 2 days and was not watching what I ate.

But that begs the question - why am I not watching what I eat or exercising purposefully? I go through periods of a surge in activity and renewed energy and commitment to healthy living, fitness and weight loss. When I hit 237lbs and started this blog, when I gained some more weight and got to my 240s, when someone said I looked like my sister's mother (she is only 4.5 years younger), at the start of the year, when I found out I had diabetes, etc...

I go through a cycle - I get excited about health and weight-loss. Then for a few weeks that is all I can think about to the exclusion of other things. I will put off work and browse health and fitness websites at my workplace. I will read about a hundred weight-loss blogs and get inspired, take pictures of everything I eat, I will go diligently to the gym for about a week and a half, I will meal plan and buy ingredients to make healthy meals, my kitchen will look like a bomb hit it and I will daydream about new healthy foods and exercise while doing the dishes. Then about 2-3 weeks in, I will lose motivation, I will forget to take pictures, start eating out more frequently, forget about portion control, will not log food, will make excuses to not go to the gym and fall off the wagon! I've been off the wagon for about a month now.

I need something to look forward to - not something big or something that will take too long. It needs to be reasonable and focused on health not weight-loss. I've mentioned a week of clean eating to D. and he is all for it. (Of course he would be because all he has to do is sit back and eat - I'm the one who has to do the prep and cooking because he is rubbish at making food.) But he is very supportive, and won't groan if I make healthy meals. So, here is what I am thinking of doing for the next one week starting tomorrow:

- Only home-cooked meals (with the exception of one dinner out on Tuesday that's already scheduled)
- Will eat breakfast every day
- Will regularly monitor my blood sugar and take my metformin and multivitamins
- Only fruits, veggies or nuts for snacks and dessert
- Will exercise 4x
- Will take pictures and post every day
- Go to sleep by 11pm each night
- Do one thing to pamper myself each night (because it's not just about the body)

And there you have it. I am going to do my darndest to stick with that plan. But I won't be perfect and I won't sweat it. For instance - I will limit how much processed food I use in my home-cooked meals. I mostly cook from scratch anyway, but I might end up using store-bought tortillas or canned beans even though they are likely to be processed. This isn't about completely rejecting any processed food - it's about enjoying the process of cooking and knowing (mostly) what I am putting into my body. Also, if I end up eating out or forget to bring my lunch or something, I won't declare this week to be a failure. I'll order a salad and move on. Any comments are welcome. I need all the help and feedback I can get.