Ideal Protein, Week Eleven

I started to panic mid-week as the numbers on my scale started to creep upward. The gals at BACK on TRACK with BARB had warned me that there would be a slight weight increase in the fourth, or maintenance phase of the Ideal Protein program but that didn't lessen the anxiety.


Each morning I was getting heavier, sometimes as much as a half-pound jump over the previous day.  Was I really cheating that much?

Did I have an honest to goodness out-an-out "Cheat Day" as recommended by the program?  I'm not sure. I had some cheese, a few extra servings of bread, and some other things but I still stayed clear of deep fried and processed food.  And outside of a single sip of champagne I have not touched alcohol since late August.

Feeling like things were heading in the wrong direction I decided to return to my Phase 1 menu for a day.  I wrote on the program's Facebook page that it was like returning to a familiar friend.  By the next morning I had dropped two full pounds and was feeling way better.  Whew!

I was still a little up when I went for my weekly weigh-in this morning but I'm OK with that because I feel great.  Heather and Ben had cooked up quite a decadent meal last night and if my comeuppance is only a pound or two, I'm pleased as punch.  I didn't go up in inches - stayed the same in that regard - and my metabolic age dropped a couple of points as my muscle mass went up.  So, all things considered, it was a great week.

Ideal Protein's Caramel Crunch Bar
I'm still enjoying two protein snacks per day, a bar mid-afternoon (caramel crunch) and a crunchy snack (BBQ chips are my favourite) while we watch our evening offering on television.  I started the week by trying to reduce my dependence on bars by cutting them up and mixing in some nuts, raisins and the like.  That lasted about three days.  I guess I missed my full protein injection.  I sound like an addict.

When I started this Ideal Protein journey I had two very personal objectives.  The first was to be able to wear my white sleeveless muscle shirts without looking like a fat old man.  The second was to buy non-baggy swimming trunks and wear them without embarrassment when we're walking on the beaches of Melaque, Mexico this February.  I'm on a good path to achieve both.

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