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C9 – The Journey
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-2 vc_col-lg-8″][vc_single_image image=”362″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border_circle_2″ css=”.vc_custom_1469041026955{margin-top: -20px !important;padding-bottom: -20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Day 0
Tonight’s dinner felt like the “last supper”, so we made it a good one and ate a ma-hoosive quantity of carbs!
Then we prepared ourselves for tomorrow; tablets, gel, shake and a little pot of fruit & veg to keep us going for the day (we’d been to the farm shop earlier in the day to stock up on some healthy & tasty fresh produce).
And then we both looked at each other with an expression of “what are we doing to ourselves?”
So, here goes, this is our C9 journey …
Day 1
Amazingly today has been really easy. I think it’s been a “mind-set” today – we were focused on achieving it, and therefore we have. Let’s hope every day will be like today!
OK, so the menu isn’t quite to my liking; a lot of gel, ugly looking tablets, non-appetising shake, and just a little fruit & veg to keep the taste buds alive. But, most importantly, we haven’t been hungry, and we both feel absolutely fine.
Let’s see if tomorrow is a good day too!
Day 2
This morning started a little negatively, as the thought of a repeat of yesterday didn’t seem very exciting, but knowing that tomorrow will be a little different (with the introduction of an evening meal) has kept us going.
To be fair, although my stomach is rumbling, and I do feel hungry, I don’t have any other negative feelings or thoughts that are associated with being hungry. For example, I would expect to feel tired & lethargic, have difficulty concentrating, perhaps feel a little sick and generally be a little grumpy (or grumpier than normal!), but that’s not the case. I actually feel quite satisfied, and I’m already starting to feel good about this programme, like my body is already benefitting from the discipline.
If you’ve ever tried the 5:2 diet then you’ll know this feeling; the one the next day where you feel really good about your body, and a little smug that you’ve done something good for yourself! But this is going to be a whole 9 days of feeling good – can’t beat that!
We did spend the whole journey home from work discussing food though, and laughed when we got home and realised what we’d done, so clearly it’s on our mind!
Happy C9!
Day 3
We were told that this might be our most challenging day, but fortunately that hasn’t actually materialised to be that way for either of us – phew!
And I was dreading my morning work meeting where I had to sit and watch a room full of people eat a delicious breakfast, whilst I “enjoyed” my shake, but actually it was fine, and I felt really good about myself afterwards!
This evening has fully replenished our empty stomachs too – as we were allowed our first 600 calorie meal and so had a very large salad with chicken – which was delicious. It was nice to enjoy a full plate of really tasty food and I’m sure we’ll sleep well now!
Whilst the daytime feels a little boring, the evenings are the most challenging, as this is when we would normally not be able to resist snacking, so as long as we can be disciplined in the evening I think we might be ok … Day 3 done, and still feeling very optimistic.
Oh, and a little weight loss already … that’s motivating!
Day 4
This programme is getting easier and easier. We’re totally used to the day time routine now, and it’s absolutely fine. It’s such a well-planned & balanced programme, and my hunger has even gone … helped by having a small meal yesterday evening, and another one tonight.
I thought I’d find this really hard and I wanted to do a blog to chart my turbulent journey, but because I feel so good about it, it’s making this blog a little boring! Oops!!
Mind you, we’re not quite half way yet … there’s still time for turbulence!!
Day 5
If there’s one thing the C9 programme teaches you, it’s that you probably over-eat! And you eat out of habit rather than necessity. Having a slightly empty stomach doesn’t mean you need to eat … which is my default response!
Tony found it a little harder today, and suspects it’s because it’s Friday and therefore the weekend tomorrow; time when he would indulge in a coffee and a biscuit or we’d go out for dinner. So he’s wondering: How will we survive the weekend?
Day 6
The weekend; Saturday today, and who’d have thought we could contemplate getting through a family get-together without a cuppa and a slice of cake? Not us, that’s for sure, but we did, and it wasn’t at all awful. We’re feeling so healthy and really good about the C9 that we weren’t even tempted to throw the towel in and give up. So we watched everyone else enjoy their coffee and cake … and weren’t at all jealous … not at all … really … well, maybe a little!
We did things a little differently today and had our meal at lunchtime, which I actually preferred. It’s not possible to do that during the week, but I think it’s a good idea if you can do that. Although it’s a catch-22 situation as it made our evening shake a little understated!
Day 7
Again, being the weekend we found today slightly harder than the week-days, but we went out for a nice long walk and praised ourselves for our achievements and motivated each other to carry on to the end. We reflected on how much the Clean-9 has made us think about our habits, and how we can use this as a spring-board to bit a little healthier (although we weren’t really that bad before!)
Does this call for the F.I.T 1?!
Day 8
Back to work and a really busy day meant it was easy to follow the plan today. In fact, on a busy work day it’s actually easier to follow the C9 plan than to not follow it! It’s all set out for you; calorie controlled, easy to prepare and you feel nourished, so it’s perfect in many ways. In fact, it’s not a bad habit to continue with mid-week!
And then chicken & salad for tea, again, perfectly adequate, filling and easy to prepare. There are significant advantages to this programme!
Although, if I’m honest, I’m quite looking forward to having food for lunch tomorrow rather than a shake, just for a change. I’ll get back to a shake on Wednesday!
Day 9
Although today is the last day and we could technically have a small lunch instead of a shake, we both decided that it was easier to take a shake to work today … perhaps this is the start of some good habits?!
Tomorrow morning I’m back at my networking meeting though, where a Full English breakfast awaits, I wonder how I’ll feel about that in the morning?
Anyway, fantastic news, we’ve both lost a little weight, but more importantly we’ve both lost inches off our waistline – and those trousers that I wore on Day 1 that were a little tight felt perfect today!
I think we’ll be doing the C9 again … perhaps in the New Year after the Xmas binge?![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
