Today also marks 10 weeks on my protein-sparing modified fast. That puts me halfway to my goal from where I was when I started the fast. It took me some time to break through that plateau I had been stuck in for so long, but now it's coming off pretty steadily.
I'm thinking that I'm going to keep at this until I've gone 10-15 pounds below my goal of 200, so that when I get the inevitable bounce-back after I start eating again, I'll end up where I need to be. So probably somewhere between 10 and 16 more weeks.
This is based on what doctors give patients who are morbidly obese before bariatric surgery, and on the Cambridge Diet. My diet currently consists of:
Protein shakes: 3x/day
Super Greens 1x/day
Fiber 1x/day
Multi-Vitamin/Mineral supplement
Creatine powder--to maintain as much muscle mass as possible
Plus coffee, tea, herbal tea with stevia, and lots of water.
I started out around 2000 calories per day, then reduced it by 200-300 periodically when I stopped losing. Currently at around 1000, and seem to have hit the sweet spot. I'll reduce it again if I stall again--will probably be at around 300 per day at the very end.
Tricks to help stay on it: broth and gum. I make some broth once or twice a day, and add salt, pepper, garlic, sage, and tabasco, so I get the feeling of tasting something savory, which is very satisfying. And sugar-free gum helps curb the urge to chew on something, as well as soothing that metallic ketosis taste in my mouth with something fruity.
In addition to planning and preparing my garden, I've been refurnishing my kitchen. Not re-modelling--I'm not putting in new cabinets or major appliances--just getting new pots, pans, and utensils, and the rest of the dishes and glassware I needed: I started buying new dishes and things when I bought the house, but then never finished. The idea is that when I start eating again, everything is new and different, to help me start on a new and even better way of eating. I was already eating pretty healthy; but this is a way to help me psychologically completely break with the past. Like buying a new wardrobe after you've lost weight. Plus, it doesn't take a psychiatrist to figure out that my subconscious is currently preoccupied with food, and the garden and kitchen are ways to express it without breaking my diet.
I actually don't feel bad at all. I have to take a little fruit juice for a carb boost when I'm going to be doing heavy work outside, and I had a smoothie the day I helped my daughter move, but it's really surprisingly easy at this point. I find that it's far easier to deny the appetite altogether than to give it a little satisfaction by eating small amounts of diet food, then try to shut it off.
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