Done shaking

Now we're bacon!

Yes, with a sigh and a heavy heart, on Saturday morning we pretty much ran out of the protein shake mix, and decided that rather than dashing out to buy a couple of days supply, we'd get a head-start on the 'meat weeks' instead. I was rather excited, as 'meat week' also means coffee is back. And the occasional glass of wine too! I did celebrate this news with a nice hot cup of coffee, my first in a dozen days, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm only allowed 2 a day, but I'm going to enjoy them both, that's for sure.

Exercise wise, we did a freezing cold session on Friday. While it wasn't as wet as the Tuesday or Wednesday sessions (nothing could have been as wet as Wednesday was!) it was very cold and windy. It was just a hard-core couple of us there braving the environment and Tracey kept us moving the whole time, mostly off the ground but focussing on keeping us warm while she barked orders. My hands almost froze off within 5 minutes, but were actually quite warm when we finished. Again, no excuses for not going out. You might regret going out and getting cold or wet for a wee while, but when summer rolls around again and you find that you've spent winter at your desk because you were too scared to go outdoors, you'll regret it. I'll have a head-start on the hibernators!

Back to the food! 'Meat week' is not just meat, but is a focus on protein and fat with low carbs and little dairy. So, we popped out to the Riccarton Markets on Sunday and grabbed a couple of trays of eggs and some fresh veges and planned a few days meals. Easy choices for lunches are cold roast chicken and boiled eggs (yum) which of course can be last nights dinner :)  Breakfasts are going to be egg based as they are quick and light and easy - omelettes, poached, scrambled, fried - and dinners nice and warming on these colder evenings. There's a nice meaty soup I want to make for lunches as well. Plus, still having plenty of veg to balance it all out (we're loving the mushroom & leeks at the moment) and plenty of dark greens sneaking in as well.

One other advantage of 'meat week' is that my energy seems to have improved. I had noticed in the last couple of weeks that I was not performing at 100%. I wasn't tired or lacklustre, just lagging behind what I thought I should be performing at. This was kind of to be expected, but was annoying. However, my energy levels are back now. I went for a jog around the block last night (2.3km) and this morning was riding hard, back to my previous speeds and fitness. I feel energised again, only downside is the sore throat I seem to be developing :( Damn bugs.

As the 20 week challenge has a 'sprint to the finish' challenge tossed in to the mix, I'm keeping a food diary, along with my insulin use and blood glucose readings. This will make for interesting reading by my doc and the diabetes centre next time. The diabetes centre will freak at my lack of carbohydrates, but be amazed at my decrease in insulin and of course, my control will be near-perfect as usual. With the amount of energy I have now, I'm almost convinced I convert fats to energy better than carbs. I even woke with a low score on my meter this morning, something that hasn't happened for a very  long time. Too early to celebrate, but fingers crossed for a fitter and leaner future with low insulin use and stable blood sugars!

Weight? Well, for the past week it has been stable. And by stable I mean I have ranged in weight from 100.0 to 100.6 kilos. Yup, Chris does it again, diets don't make me lose weight, and I'm not concerned about that in the least. Part of the move from shakes to 'meat week' was doing some measurements and that's where the real story is being told. Lots of decreases there and I can see my shape changing. I first noticed it a few days ago while brushing my teeth - shoulders more defined, ribs visible, spare tyre greatly reduced giving more straight lines down my sides, and the hanging over tummy is melting away. It's nice when you see the changes in yourself.

And the madness seems to be increasing. I'm about to head off and go for another jog in the park, about 3.8km. If I can do 3 sessions like this a day (commute + run or PT session + commute) then it's bound to do me some good. I want to build my running distance up substantially, but need to take it easy so as not to damage my shins, so will add a few hundred meters on each time, and stop when the pain starts, not when it reaches critical levels. Must remember to buy some new shoes too...