Today finds me right back on top of my maintenance range, smack dab at 176.8 again. This is very good and exactly where I want to remain. When fats, protein, and a little more variety and fruits and veggis get increased tomorrow, I will be watching each item and quantity carefully to establish what appropriate foods and quantities allow me to maintain in this range of two pounds up or down from my last dose weight, and adjust accordingly. It will be even more crucial in P4, three weeks from now, when I add some starch and tiny bits of sugar (like mango or a date, some extra dark chocolate... Oreos, sugary coffee drinks, doritos, and their ilk have been banished semi-permanently. They won't have anyplace in my house or daily diet, but I don't swear I won't have a bite at a Christmas party in three years ;).

Given that starch and sugar is where my cravings are, that transition will be the more challenging of the two. It annoys the calorie counter in me that I have to ban certain foods from my diet as much as possible, but those foods make me sick and fat and life isn't fair. There are so many wonderful things I CAN eat, that are nutritious and strengthening for me, focusing on the whole world of possibilities within that realm rather than the pitiful, flavorless, artificial junk works much better for me. At this point my palate is unaccustomed to normal sweetness and even rich food, in general. I plan on keeping my mouth delighted with rich, savory, healthful fare and keeping the sugar and sugar substitutes to an absolute minimum. If I don't start down that road, I can't fall down the rabbit hole, you know?

So this is my very last day of VLCD for six weeks (minimum), and while I can't say I am sad to see it go, I admit that food is very simple when my choices are so straightforward. I am keeping that mold as my path to success, in that I am building my maintenance diet around similar types of foods that are nutrient rich and nutrient dense, with fat, fiber, and protein to keep me sated. I'm also keeping a list of no-go foods to keep myself maintaining well, and the trick will be continuing to listen to my newly discovered hunger cues and not falling back into straight calorie counting (where I find myself eating food because I allotted for it, not because of real hunger). I'm going to watch myself like a hawk when using my logging app (Loseit!) that the quantities I am inputting is just for macronutrient accuracy and that I don't slip back into the log it/eat it all mentality that is easy to do.

Tomorrow is measurement day. I don't think I've lost anything significant in the last 3-4 pounds but it will give me a nice baseline to work from for the next round. I mentioned my maintenance goals of staying in my window and adding more exercise last post, and I'll add to that my desire to start the next round at my last dose weight from this one, and lose another 15-20 pounds to put me in the 160-165 range. I'd love to be lower, but that depends on my body and I can't control the scale. Knowing the protocol, a reasonable expectation to lose half a pound a day is about all I'll bet on ;)