It took me five days to realize that living on potatoes alone was not going to last very long. I understand entirely the reasoning behind it, and the idea of "resetting your taste buds". But I think the real lesson is learning to live on a low calorie diet.
So it is time to shift gears. I'm going to be looking at three meals a day of 300 calories or less. Starting Tuesday (one week from starting the potatoes) here is what my menu will consist of.
Breakfast
2 packets instant oatmeal (240 calories)
Lunch
Home made Chicken Vegetable Soup (285 Calories)
My version may actually come in under 285 calories, I will not be using the egg noodles as pictured. I'll likely throw some rice in instead of noodles to stick to "whole foods".
Dinner
Chicken Caesar Salad (300 Calories)
I like finishing the day with the salad because I can eat basically as much lettuce as it takes to fill me up without adding too many calories. The biggest detriment to this meal is the dressing. There are a lot of calories that can come out of that tiny bottle. I have to make sure I keep the portion size correct.
Really, the lesson I have learned so far is that living on 1000 calories a day is doable. I can manage to have the self discipline to stay away from the extra calories. No candy bars, no cookies, no ice cream, no stops at Dairy Queen for a blizzard.
According to livestrong.com
If you are approximately 6 feet tall, you should consume about 2,100 to 2,450 calories each day to maintain a weight of 160 lbs.
So 1000 calories a day is less than half of what I COULD consume if I was at a healthy weight right now. Therefor, if I can maintain the 1000 calorie diet for the next few months, the weight should continue to fall off.
The idea is mind over matter. The will to stick to 1000 calories a day to reach the ultimate goal. We'll see how it goes!