Consolidation - Day 1

I had a sandwich today.After over a month without bread, I'm not going to lie... that sandwich was sort of epic. Granted, it could've been greatly improved by some mayo.... but at this point, I'm not going to be nitpicky.

One thing I'm noticing is that foods like bread, cheese, and fruit that I've not eaten in quite a while have A LOT more flavor to me now than they did before. Or, maybe, I'm just savoring things more ... in any case, I never previously noticed how sweet strawberries were, or how salty cheese is. It's sort of like experiencing it for the first time... very surreal.

I think the first day of consolidation went well. I ate all the elements I was supposed to have. Dr. Pierre says that the "new additions" are not OPTIONS - they are commands. You HAVE TO eat all the foods you've been eating on Cruise (meat, fat-free/ low-fat dairy, veggies, oat bran) AND add the 2 slices whole grain bread, 1 serving of cheese, 1 serving of fruit. All in all, it makes for quite a bit of food throughout the day.

I have to remind myself that this phase is not about weight LOSS - it's about maintaining. I'm trusting the program. I'm nervous about it, but I'm doing it anyway. I haven't yet taken advantage of one of my two starchy foods or my celebration meal - I'm saving the celebration meal for when BF comes home. T-minus 3 days!! :)

Menu: 
Breakfast: 
Oat Bran Porridge with 1 strawberry (chopped) stirred in.
Coffee w/ fixins

Lunch: 
Turkey Sandwich w/ mustard and hardboiled egg
Romaine and artisan lettuce salad w/ Dukan Balsamic Vinaigrette (small)
Banana Creme non-fat yogurt

Dinner: 
Salmon Burger Pattie
low-fat Cottage Cheese
Sauteed Kale (from my garden!!!!) and Spinach
1 lowfat string cheese
1 serving sliced strawberries


WOW - that looks like a ton of food - to give you some perspective - I ate my dinner off of a dessert plate. So it's not really as much food as it sounds like. I promise!!

I'm contemplating some fat-free ice cream as a night cap - haven't quite decided whether I want it or not! :)

Oh, btw - the book says that the length of the consolidation phase depends on how much weight lost. 5 days for every pound lost. I lost 11 pounds x 5 days = 55 days. :)