Judgement Day: Day 21 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 21:  I made it! Total weight loss was 15 lbs in 21 days.  I think that is a great accomplishment. I never expected to loose 25 or 30 pounds as I was not interested in dehydrating 10 lbs off - what was the point I am not getting in the octagon.  So 15 lbs was exactly where I wanted to be. 

 

I had a tough start dealing with the emotional aspect of letting go of some crutches.  But once I was through that things got a lot easier.  I made a few other mistakes along the way that hindered my ability to loose weight.  One was not adjusting the portions fast enough to account for my size and activity level.  Clearly I am not a 200 lbs professional fighter that works out 30 hours a week and therefore I should not have been eating like one.  I also had a slip up whereby I consumed a large amount of alcohol one weekend.  I also made the mistake of skipping snacks in week two, which I thought would help me loose more weight, but all that did was slow down my metabolism.  All in all, not horrible mistakes, but definitely costly ones.  However, at least I learned from the experience and after a few weeks rest I will try the diet again.  I think I will do much better the second time around.

 

I learned a lot of great lessons about diet, nutrition, body chemistry and myself while on this program.  They were all valuable lessons and ones I won't soon forget.  I also discovered a few foods that I never really ate before, which are now some of my favorites.  I also found that some of my old time favorites are now gone out of my life.  Food shopping for me and my family is a whole new experience.  There are things I will eat fewer of going forward such as egg yolks and red meat.  There are things I will probably never eat again such as white bread and bacon.  And there are things that I will continue eating forever such as raw spinach, whole grain breads & pastas, dried cranberries and green tea. 

 

A lot of people watched me take this journey; family, friends, co-workers, strangers and even Mike Dolce himself checked in on me a few times.  I received words of encouragement from all over the world, and strangely enough most of the encouragement came from complete strangers.  I used everything I could to make the best of this experience and appreciate every one's kind words.  I tried to be completely honest about my experience so that if you are like me and are wondering if this Diet could work for you, then at least this documentary will give you an idea of how the Diet works, as well as the obstacles I encountered as a 30-something, working, mother of three children.  These were real results which included mistakes, cheating and regrets.  It also included great results, improved energy levels, more efficient training sessions and clearer thinking. 

 

I am proud of myself for sticking to it (mostly) and for getting the results that I expected.  I would encourage anyone even slightly interested in the Dolce Diet to try it.  It is not nearly as hard as you may think and you certainly learn a lot, especially about yourself.  Plus you actually loose some real weight without feeling hungry.  Mike Dolce has changed the way I approach diet and exercise.  I was active before, but now I know how to fuel my body correctly to get the maximum calorie burn and muscle build during my training sessions.  I will certainly purchase his new book in the spring in the hopes that it will continue to help me learn little ways to take better care of myself and my family.

 

Thanks again to everyone that encouraged me and especially to Mike Dolce for making permanent positive changes to my life.  I will be watching the weigh-ins for UFC 126 on Friday and will certainly raise my glass to him in a toast.  I wish him continued success in his life and career and wish everyone else good luck and good health!

 

Best Regards,

Fightergirl53

 

Day 20 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 20 went routinely although I missed my workout tonight.  Kickboxing was cancelled due to the East Coast ice storm and then I couldn't even work out at home as my youngest child decided to get an ear infection.  So off I went to the doctors with her in the middle of the ice storm.  I am home now, but too exhausted from the stressful drive to workout.  I am holding at 14 pounds total weight loss with one day to go.

With one day to go I would have expected myself to be excited that it is almost over, but I am not.  Tomorrow will be just another day.  The day after will be weird as I stop following the specific plan.  But I don't envision abandoning everything I was doing for the past three weeks.  Sure, I will begin to have dinner with the family again, but my choices will be smarter.  What I have discovered is that the Dolce Diet is not really a "diet".  It is not a temporary torture period whereby you deprive your body of foods, loose some weight, then stop and gain it back.  I believe that this weight loss is permanent, as I have been given the tools to maintain it.  I have learned things and developed good habits that I will not stop despite the 21 days being over.  For this I am grateful.  Tomorrow will be my last day on the diet, but at the same time it won't really be over.     

Lesson learned on Day 20:  The Dolce Diet is not a diet.  It is a way of life.

Day 19 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 19 was uneventful.  Total weight loss is holding at 13 pounds.  I will check again in the morning, but I don't expect much movement.  I was super tired today.  I was up all night with one child with a stomach virus and the other with a head cold.  Didn't get much sleep, so it was extra hard to run on a calorie deficiency today.  The last week of the Diet is tough as portions are cut down further to maximize the weight loss.  I didn't have it in me to maintain the cuts of week three.  So I went back to week two's menu.  In addition, I cheated a bit this afternoon and had some popcorn.  I needed it at the time, but it made me more tired and slowed my workout down this evening.  Its okay, I don't feel bad.  I learned awhile back that it is OK to slow down once in awhile - so I did.  I've got two more days to go and plan to resume the week three portions tomorrow after I get some much needed sleep tonight (I hope).

Despite being tired and slow today, I did feel different.  I know I look different.  Everyone can see it, my clothes are loose, but today I felt it.  I felt more solid and strong.  Everyone wants to be thin.  Me included.  However, what I learned is that there is a difference between thin and lean.  I am starting to feel comfortable in my own skin now.  This is how you are suppose to feel.  I want to maintain this feeling.  For this reason, I am really looking forward to Mike's new book Living Lean.   

Lesson learned on Day 19:  There is a difference between thin and lean.

Days 16-18 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Well last Thursday I left off preparing myself to stray from the Diet, as a family emergency forced me to go out of town.  I was sad because I was doing relatively well and knew that I could have made it to the end.  But in light of a long round-trip car ride, hospital visits and the care of five children, I came to grips with the fact that the weekend meals would probably consist mostly of fast food.  Shortly after my last post on Thursday night, I received a message from Mike Dolce  He told me to rise to the challenge and find a way to stay on track by using strength from within.  First and foremost, I was incredibly flattered that he took the time out of his busy day to contact me.  Secondly and most importantly, in the short time it took him to send me a message,  he restored my faith and confidence that I could follow this through despite a challenging circumstance.

I knew I was not going to be able to food shop and prepare a lot of special meals for myself while taking care of the kids and making my way back and forth to the hospital.  So in the morning, as I was packing the kids some snacks for the ride up to Boston, I looked around the kitchen and grabbed what I could to help me stay on track.  I got a bag, emptied the fruit bowl, grabbed my multi grain bread, a bag of spinach, a large handful of green tea bags, my package of cranberries and threw a case of water into the car.  I was packing stuff for the kids, why couldn't I do the same for myself?  We made the trip in record time and arrived at my sister's house without having stopped at a McDonald's or a Dunkin Donuts.  The kids ran wild for a few hours and then dinner was upon us.  How do you feed five children quickly?  Pizza.  However, I only ordered enough pizza to feed the kids and ordered a salad with grilled chicken for myself.  When it arrive I started making plans for the morning.  I grabbed a Ziploc bag and removed the raw onions and green peppers from the salad.  My plan was to save them for the morning, as this would keep me from having to stop at the supermarket.  Everyone had dinner, luckily there was no left over pizza to even tempt me and everyone was off to bed.

I managed to get through dinner and off to the hospital without a break in the Diet.  The next morning I woke up early and got through my breakfast before the kids got up.  My parents had eggs and dried spices in the house, so with that, plus the veggies I saved from the night before, I was able to make a Dolce breakfast.  By the time the kids got up I had already eaten and was not hungry when the pancakes and sausage hit the table.  I took the opportunity to go shower while the grandparents supervised breakfast.  The day went on much the same and dinner consisted of a spinach salad with tuna.  Tuna was not ideal, as I needed some mayo to eat it, but I swear I only used a little, plus it was the only fish available in my parents house.  I had to improvise.  Later that evening, after everyone was asleep and hospital visits were over, I settled down to watch Strikeforce.  Normally this type of event would be watched with friends, beer and junk foods.  But since I was in a house full of children and geriatrics, it was just me, showtime, a cup of green tea and some dried cranberries.  Not the same, but at least I was relaxing and didn't miss Strikeforce.  This morning Dunkin Donuts was on the menu for breakfast as we had to get on the road early to get back to NJ.  It was not problem, as I already figured out how to avoid breakfast with the kids the day before. 

I did not manage to fit in any exercise while in Boston - how could I?  But I did workout this evening now that I am home.  No exercise, but also no happy meals, no pizza, no donuts, no chicken nuggets and no Chinese food.  Not bad.  I didn't have any major weight loss, as exercise is key, but I am down 1 more pound.  That totals 13 lbs in 18 days.  Three days left and my plan is to see it to the end.

Thank you Mike Dolce for keeping me on tract.  I have been critical of the plan for average people due to my assumption of professional athletes being supported by trainers and chefs.  Whereas I am left on my own to make it through.  I was wrong.  I found support where I never expected to find it.  It came in the form of a tweet.  It was short and to the point, but it carried the strength of Mike Dolce with it, which was exactly the motivation I needed to make it work.

Lesson learned Days 16-18:  The Diet can work despite a changing environment.  If your situation changes - change with it.  Use what you have learned about portion size and nutrition and adjust your course.  Don't make excuses to fail!

Day 15 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 15, down 12 lbs.  Feeling good, but disappointed at the same time.  Unfortunately, an unexpected family emergency has created the need for me to go out of town.  I will be spending the next three days back and forth to the hospital and caring for five children.  This will make it very difficult to maintain the Diet.  I will do my best to make good choices, but this will be a challenge to cook for myself or make time to exercise.   

I have spent the last 15 days taking care of myself, but now it is time for me to take care of others, which by default puts me last.  Familiar territory.  I have spent the past decade taking a back seat to everyone and everything else.  It felt good to take care of myself for a change and I will miss the internal happiness it gave me, but changes present themselves and we no choice but to face them

Hopefully I will be able to resume the Diet when I get back and finish the last few days strong.  Not sure what effect this will have on the results, but that was the point of this whole experiment.  How a regular everyday person fared on the Dolce Diet.  I person not surrounded by chefs, nutritionists and trainers.  A person with an everyday life.  A life that presents us with changes.  How we deal with those changes are what's important.  What we say is one thing, what we do is another.  Our actions are what defines us. 

Lesson learned on Day 15:  Think carefully about your choices amidst a challenge.

Day 14 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 14 was uneventful.  I have formed some good habits and they are now part of everyday.  At breakfast this morning, I realized after 2 weeks free of sweets, fats and chemicals, I no longer crave them and I have a new appreciation for the foods I do eat.  I never realized how good a glass of orange juice could taste.  Either I retrained my taste buds or I've gone nuts, but my juice was delicious this morning.  Now this was not fresh squeezed OJ just picked from a Florida grove - it was Tropicana from the supermarket. The natural sugars of the juice are really much better than any high fructose drink I can think of.  Versus white bread, whole grain breads have great textures especially when they are baked this flax seeds or oatmeal.  And who new I would love raw spinach so much.  I have eaten more spinach in these past two weeks than I have my entire life.  That is sad.  These are some of my new favorite things. 

Everywhere I go, I now notice the food choices of other people.  I noticed at work that one of the people that made fun of the Diet was eating a Lean Cuisine meal.  Honestly, it was a tiny portion, smelled gross and came packaged with a million preservatives - not to mention it was run through the microwave.  She looked miserable eating it, but I didn't say a word.  My lunch, which comprised of a spinach salad with chicken grilled with onions and a few hot cherry peppers, was about triple the amount of food and tasted fantastic.  I actually got compliments from people when they smelled the chicken being heated and when they saw the vibrant colors of my lunch.  The person that mocked me seems to have gained the 10 lbs that I lost and is tyring to lose the weight with silly prepackaged diet meals.  The best part was that 30 minutes later when I walked by I saw that Lean Cuisine meal being chase with TWO pieces of pizza.  That was awesome!  Not only was that crap consumed in an effort to loose weight, but it was so unsatisfying she ended up eating two slices of pizza anyway.  So all that diet meal did was add to her calorie intake.

Mike Dolce has made me realize that for true permanent weight loss there are no secret pills, or meal replacements shake or pre-package home delivered dinners than can compare to the results of balanced nutrition.  Really it is common sense. Unprocessed, raw wholesome foods free of chemicals and preservatives are the way to go.  Couple that with just a little physical activity and Voila.  That's the magic people are look for - but it has been there in front of them all along.

Less learned on Day 14:  Common Sense: Nothing compares to balanced nutrition for good health and weight management.

Day 13 of the Dolce Diet Experiment

Day 13: Total weight loss - 10 lbs. I messed up in the beginnning of the Diet by not adjusting the food level fast enough for my size and activity level.  I also had a small mishap on the weekend when I veered off the Diet and caved to some weaknesses.  I think if I had not done those things, my weight loss would have been greater.  With only 8 days left I really have to stay on schedule now.  I suppose I could stay on the plan longer, but that would defeat the point of my 21 day experiment.  Anyway, thus far, despite my set backs I am please with my results and people are starting to really take notice.  Today especially, I got a lot of comments that I was looking good, I was looking strong and several people told me that there was something different about my face and eyes.  Of course my face looks different - it is thinner.  But I think the change in my eyes is satisfaction.  Satisfaction that the Diet works, satisfaction that I am sticking with it and satisfaction that all the people that told me I was being ridiculous are eating their words now!  That feels good.

Being down 10 lbs means I succeed in jump starting my metabolism, as I moved off the 9 lb plateau on which I was stuck  However, it was not without pain.  I spent most of today hungry.  I had to cut my calorie intake, which made me hungry faster.  However, I manage to fight of the hunger with small snacks every 3 to 4 hours.  Every time I felt real hunger I had something to eat.  By the time dinner came around I was OK and my body was adjusting to the new schedule.  I also had a long day at work and was feeling tired so I only worked out for 45 minutes tonight.  I am going to try to go to bed early tonight and just recover.  I have worked myself hard over the past 13 days and it is wearing on me.  I know I could have pushed through the pain tonight and exercised longer or ate every 5 hours instead of 3, but I have learned to listen to my body.  If it is telling you that it is hungry; feed it (something good of course).  If your muscles are weak (as opposed to sore); let them rest.  If you are thirsty; by all means drink something - as the feeling of thirst means you are already too late and are probably dehydrating.  If you are slepy, go to bed early.  There is no shame is getting some rest.  The recovery does much more for me that completely draining and exhausting myself, as the problems will only compound the next day. 

Lesson learned on Day 13: Listen to your body.