Another week on Ideal Protein has come and gone. I feel like we are starting to get into more of a groove. We have pretty much memorized what we can and cannot eat so making dinners has gotten a lot easier. One of my new favourite meals is beef and broccoli on a bed of cauliflower rice. It is amazing! You wouldn’t think it, but cauliflower rice is just as good as normal rice. Now, I’m not going to write you a full paragraph about cauliflower rice (I totally could), but I will say one more thing; I may never want normal rice again.

All the challenges we faced in the first week (exhaustion, nausea, and sugar withdrawal) did not follow us into this week (thank goodness). However, the second week presented some different challenges. Cravings and laziness have started to come up more often. I’m finding myself almost constantly thinking about burgers (the fast food kind) and Subway. It was always our go-to when we had a late day or really just didn’t feel like cooking. Still no cheating has happened, but I’ll be honest, I have had THREE dreams about bread.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend got into a fender bender (not his fault) in the middle of the week. After dealing with the police, insurance, the repair shop, and the walk-in clinic we REALLY didn’t want to go home to cook a full meal. Plus, we still had to walk our dog! Subway was really the easiest option and I wanted it so bad! It didn’t help that we passed many on the way home.

I have also developed a mantra that I repeat to myself in my head. Well…I don’t know if it’s really a mantra, but it’s helped me get through my cravings. My mantra is, “I’ve had so much ____ that I’ve gotten to this weight, I don’t NEED any more.” For example, if I’m craving a burger from Wendy’s, I would say, “I’ve had so many burgers from Wendy’s that I’ve gotten to this weight, I don’t NEED any more.” Same goes for bread, Subway, and anything else that comes up.

Another challenge that presented itself this week was having friends over to play some games. This usually happens every other weekend and when it does we always order pizza, Chinese food or something else that’s not healthy. When they came over this past weekend, we had to be strong and tell our friends that pizza was just not happening. Instead, I made a pot roast, steamed broccoli and green beans. I also made gravy (for them). Looking at that gravy and seeing them pour it on their meat was very difficult. This is where my mantra came in handy. To be honest, I think I enjoyed that meal over pizza. Why? Normally, we’d still be playing games while eating. This time we sat around the table and actually talked to one another.

I have noticed that I’m becoming more adventurous on this program when it comes to the foods I buy and make. For example, I cooked Bok Choy for the first time! It’s always been my favourite part of Chinese food, so I figured I’d try to make it at home and it turned out well! There are still some things that I’m scared of (like Zucchini noodles) but I feel like I’m constantly learning and broadening my horizons. I’m now down 11 lbs and I can’t wait to see what number I get to next week.