The results are in!

After a tough week of sticking to the Cinch! Fast Forward 5 Day Plan, I'm pleased to announce that I lost...........

6 pounds!!!!!

I'm stunned and amazed.  I'm definitely feeling lighter in the thighs and hips (and you know, the hips don't lie). 

The plan has you eating 5 foods in different combinations for 4 well-timed meals. I had to make an immediate substitution as one of the foods was almonds.  Being allergic to tree nuts I figured it would be better to eat sunflower seeds rather than strictly follow the plan  :-P

The first day I was fine.  The breakfast was so filling that I wasn't feeling hungry by the time I ate lunch 5 hours later.  I'm ALWAYS hungry well before lunchtime!  Teaching means that I do not get to choose when I eat my lunch, so I have to time my breakfast based on when I can eat my lunch.  (The plan calls for meals to be eaten every 3 - 5 hours).  Finding a filling breakfast was just a small miracle in my book!

The second day and third days, I found myself getting anxious after my snack.  I was wanting to eat, but not really hungry.  I just thought I was hungry.  Emotional eating monster rearing its ugly head? 

On the fourth day, I realized I was feeling really FULL after each meal.  I figured out how to season things so the meals tasted really good rather than something to endure to get the desired results.

By the fifth day I knew I could finish because it was the last day.  Let's face it, eating only 5 foods for 5 days is challenging, especially when you are used to eating a wide variety of foods.

Things I learned:

• I'm not brimming with energy, but I wasn't exhausted by the end of the day.  In fact, I felt pretty good after work.  I never once felt weak from lack of food.
• I actually LIKE balsamic vinegar
• I can eat plain yogurt (without adding honey or other sweeteners)
• I can eat copious amounts of spinach without once belting out "I'm strong to the finish coz I eats my spinach"
• vanilla is my friend
• I'm really ready to move on to the next 25 days of eating. Let me eat grains again!

Reasons why I would recommend this plan to others:

• It isn't an extreme plan (except for the Fast Forward which you don't have to do)
• It is well balanced (each meal contains a lean protein, fruit or vegetable, plant based fat, whole grain and seasonings) 
• There are no calories to count
• It will work if you are vegetarian or vegan
• There are lots of recipes included, but there is also information on how to build your own meals
• There are no special products or equipment you have to buy
• You are required to eat dark chocolate EVERY DAY

Check out the author's website for more information.  You can also get some recipes from the book in the January issue of Shape magazine.  Turtle and I had chocolate oatmeal and minted blueberry yogurt for breakfast today :)

So what do you think, am I completely nuts or do you think you will give it a try?

I know it added extra ounces when I weighed in, but with legs like that you gotta wear heels ALL THE TIME