Chef Heather

I'm officially a chef. I mean, look at this glorious meal that I've created; it's truly something to marvel at. What you're looking at is pan seared tilapia topped with mango salsa that was sautéed in raspberry poppy seed vinaigrette, with a little bit of guacamole on the side. I know you're impressed with me. Hell, I'm actually more impressed with me than you ever could be. My creativity in the kitchen was nothing to sneeze at previously, but having such limited food options has opened my eyes to how I can make what I'm eating really enjoyable. I've officially evolved past eggs people, and I'm quite pleased with myself. It's safe to eat fish every day, right?

Granted, I haven't come up with anything as impressive as this yet, but just you wait. Currently, I'm dreaming of the day when I can eat cucumber slices with hummus dolloped on top. That day... will be a good day indeed. It's also bizarre that I don't desire food, specifically and I certainly don't experience hunger as my former self did. My body gets hungry when I physically need to eat. I'm assuming because I'm consuming so few calories per meal, I am experiencing the need to eat more frequently than I will further down the line. I officially know what it feels like to have low blood-sugar, and it's not a good feeling at all. With that said, my desire for cucumbers isn't due to a craving or anything like that - I would just like a bit of variety when I'm fueling my body with the energy and protein that it needs.

I'm also experiencing my first stall, which typically hits at about 3 to 4 weeks out, so I'm right on target. Instead of freaking the fuck out like so many of these bitches do (was that rude - my bad), I instead did my due diligence and read up on this phenomenon and found some pretty interesting info:

"A 'stall' a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why.
 
Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days."

So, with that said, I'm just going to keep and truckin' and keep in mind that where I am today is certainly not where I was a month ago, and that's quite alright with me.

Starting weight: 273.4

Last weight in: 245.7

Height: 5'7"

Surgeon's goal: 180

Personal goal: 160