I've been trying to get this whole 5BiteDiet thing down to a science. What's been frustrating me the last few days is that I've been losing at a slower rate than normal.

I decided to try and trouble shoot / hack the situation so that I can continue losing at the rate of 1lb a day for as long as possible.

Looking at my diet: I did eat hot food,  I had exactly 5 Table spoons of egg fried rice from the Chinese Food Store, and a PowerBar, I noticed on both of those days, I only lost .8lbs. I noticed the same thing happened when I had Sushi the day before.

So where I was once losing at the rate of 1lb or more, I've recently been loosing .8lbs a day or less. Troubling to me because I am still over 300lbs and I am able to drop a lb a day with a normal diet and exercise. At some point I do expect that I will not necessarily be able to drop a lb a day as easily, but this is not something that I am ready to accept just yet.

I got rid of the rice and will probably lay off Sushi for the next few weeks. Another thing, I can't help but to give some attention to is, the protein bar I recently incorporated into my diet.

Since I'm weight lifting, I knew I needed to increase my protein, so I got a new bar:

PowerBar 30g Protein Plus Bars

This bar is much larger than the snickers bar I usually ate twice a day. Each one of these bars is 3.28oz and my Snickers Bars are 1.86 oz. So in one Power Bar I've basically consumed the volume equivalent of 2 Snickers minus a bite.

I'm beginning to wonder if the Protein Bars may also have something to do with my weight loss slow down as I do recall on Day 6 I decided to Blend 1 Snickers Bar, with 2 Scoops of whey protein, with water, ice, and Irish Sea Moss and I only lost .2lbs the next day. (I chalked it up to it going into my system in liquid form and being more readily for my system to use for energy right away. I never repeated this although it was very tasty.)

Also, I've been on this diet for 25 Days, well really 18 if you scrap my horrible week 2, where I fumbled all over the place and gained 1.2lbs albeit still managing to lose 7.11 inches. While my 18 Day weight loss was 21.4lbs , which is very good; I began wondering if my body has quite simply become too used to the diet…? I have a ton of energy, I'm never hungry, not even at meal time and I'm losing less and less.

I somehow managed to gain .2lbs after only eating half of my protein bar and 8hrs passing since weigh in and no water. (WHAT?!?!?!)

I decided to shake things up!

On other diets, like Body For Life or The Skinny Switch, you have a Cheat/Free Day, this day. This day tricks your body into believing that it's taking in more than it really is and it begins to give up the fat at a higher rate again. It's a way of staying away from hitting a plateau. I would have incorporated an apple day, had I had any around. An Apple & Steak day is what is recommended on the HCG diet when you hit a plateau.

So after a .2lb gain after only eating half a protein bar for the whole day (FYI, I only ate half because I was full, it wasn't an attempt by me to lose more weight faster, I just literally couldn't eat the rest unless I forced it down) I concluded I needed a good cheat.

What I decided to do was get some of the food, which had been dancing around in my head. I got an order of Cheese Fries from White Castle's (Approx 7oz) and 2 Mc Double's (5.3 oz) with Big Mac Sauce from McDonald's and it was hard to eat it all, I won't lie. I was stuffed halfway through. However, I chewed on, desperate to up my calorie count and shake things up. Although it's a grand total of 1,380 calories, which isn't very much in the grand scheme of things. I've been consuming around 500 calories a day / 3-5oz of food for weeks now and this was almost 3x that number of calories and volume, so it should have an impact on my system. I think…

I have also taken into consideration that in week 3, I did walk 30+ miles and that that activity may have had something to do with my losses being so high and that switching to a predominantly weightlifting program I may see slower losses on the scale and more inches lost on my body as muscle is heavier but more compact in size.

Switching to mainly weight lifting was to ensure, I would retain my overall glorious shape (I like my hour glass figure, nope, I absolutely love it! And I want to ensure it doesn't turn into a sour glass figure!).

Lots of cardio burns fat, but does little for ones underlying shape and I'm aiming to avoid some of the pitfalls, of being thinner but everything on me drooping and falling. #SkinnyFat

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I am FASTING all day today, nothing but water and workouts!

I will probably resume snickers or protein bars on Saturday & Sunday, I am however contemplating fasting through Monday morning. Nevertheless, we'll see, if after all of this that, come next week I manage to resume losing at the rate of 1lb a day. I sure hope so.

I'm sure my neuroticism will die down, once I am safely under the 300lb mark; but with my fumble of  week two, I want to get there ASAP! Full steam ahead! Wish me a breakthrough! 

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SO THE CHEAT IS IN!

– Thursday Morning I was 317.6lbs
– Thursday Evening at 11:00pm I was 317.8lbs
I ATE:
– After Eating Cheese Fries
– 2 Mc Doubles w/ Big Mac Sauce
– A total of  1,380  Calories and 17.6 oz
+ a 24oz Glass of Water.
– I weighed 321.4lbs right after eating.
– 5:50am I've tinkled already and 5 and a half hours have passed as of right now so, I'm back down to 320lbs.

UPDATE!

8/18/16 – 5:23pm I am 317.6lbs (I'll check in again at midnight)
8/19/16 – 12:00pm I am 317.4bs (I'll check in again at 7:30am)
8/20/16 – 7:30am I am 317.2bs (I'll check in again at 12:30pm)
8/20/16 – 12:30pm I am 316.8bs (I'll check in again at 8:00pm)
I ATE:
-Water 24oz @ 1:00pm
-Vitamins
-Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Juice in 4oz of Water
-4 Sushi with Spicy Mayo Sauce
-6 Fried Shrimp
-5 Almond Cookies
8/20/16 – 8:00pm I am 318.2bs after eating food listed above (I'll check in tomorrow)
8/21/16 – 12:42pm I am 312.2bs

I HAVE SUCCESS!!!

From my start weight on 8/18/16 317.6lbs I am down 5.4lbs as of 8/21/16 312.2bs

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I will update the results of my experiment in this post above!
STAY TUNED!

(The Updates are all in! Thanks for reading!)

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here => for my Current Weight & Measurements

Some Interesting Reading:
5 Ways Cheat Meals Can Improve Your Body
Making Your Free Day Work For You
Skinny Switch Secret 

I 100% agree with this. With Bars, and Sushi, I drop lbs no problem.

Every time I eat hot food. It causes me to lose a half of lb or .8 a lb. I had this very issue for the last 2 days. .8lb losses for eating 5 table spoons of plain fried rice. And my spoons are perfectly measured.

I suspect that food takes longer to metabolize in our system and becomes a longer source of fuel than the cold bars or sushi which seem to work.

It's crazy how this video is so my experience RIGHT NOW!

I was thinking about taking a fiber supplement to help the food which is hot pass through sooner and I definitely feel like. Sticking to bars whenever possible is ideal to stay on a 1lb loss a day trajectory.

I like to be accurate whenever possible and after concluding that:
– 1 bite is approximately a table spoon
– 5 Table Spoons are 2.5 oz

I went on a quest to find some containers which I could put regular food in after I finished cooking it and I struck gold!

I hate having to over think, I love tools which make sticking to this diet easy and convenient and in my opinion, this certainly is one.

Be sure to pick some up for yourself, take your food with you or a container with you when you're out and never worry again about whether or not you've exceeded your 5 Bites! Unless you're eating something that doesn't fit in the container lol! 🙂

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements

One thing I've known from day one, is that any diet I do. I will be exercising and most importantly weight lifting. I've been working on getting myself active again, slowly increasing my activity levels etc.

Week 3 which just passed I walked 30 miles (and no it wasn't easy, I was just determined), so I knew it was time for me to take the leap and begin a regular and rigorous work out schedule.

I want phenomenal results and I'm willing to work for them. 

I completed my workout schedule for the next 84 days and to be consistent, I would definitely have to increase my protein intake. I'm currently on snickers and the 8 grams a day I would get from eating my 2 bars just doesn't suffice. Hence, I began looking around for bars with a minimum of 30 grams of protein and I found some which I ordered immediately!

If you guys are weight lifting or interested in, increasing your protein intake, you may want to give these a try.

I would love to find a Bar with 30+ Grams of Protein which does not contain soy, if you guys know of any, please leave the info in the comments.

PowerBar 30g Protein Plus Bars
By the Way
THESE TASTE GREAT!

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements

WEEK 2 was an EPIC fail, in terms of weight loss, after a strong week 1 where I lost 11.4lbs

I was all over the Map with food and I had a few cheats. I ended the week 1.2lbs up and it would have been far worst had I not reigned myself in on from Friday to Sunday.

Never the less in spite of the weight gain, I was still triumphant in terms of still managing to melt away a few inches. One can't be unhappy when they've managed to reduce in size, regardless of what the scale reflects.

Muscle is heavier than fat and with my increased activity and exercise during week 2 perhaps, I actually gained a wee bit of muscle.

 

Seeing that I was 1.2lbs up was annoying, I know I could have had another stellar week if I put in the effort but I didn't. However this was a wonderful lesson learned because I have that feeling of disappointing myself fresh on my mind and I'll be reluctant to repeat that mistake. Also It was a good reminder that more so than weight, this is about the reduction of fat and if I'm able to do that, I'm still WINNING! 

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements

I wanted to wait until I was sure about this, but now that it's happened a few times. I figured I would share. If any of you have had similar experiences, please share that here.

WARNING! I weight daily, sometimes multiple times daily and this mat not be advisable, because it can drive you a little crazy because you will be hyper aware of your results. You end up knowing how much more you'll weigh after a bottle of water, or after taking a #1 or #2 and it can help you guesstimate your next day but it's a little bit obsessive.

Water	08/04/2016 3:10 PM | I'm generally a big water drinker, anywhere from 60-90oz a day and on a day when I've been drinking a lot of water the next day when I get on the scale. I'm not as low as I am on days when I'm not drinking as much water.
Vitamins	08/04/2016 3:10 PM | I take a bunch of different vitamins, not just a multi vitamin, I take some for skin which contain protein, I take other vitamins as well and I notice that when I take them, that the scale doesn't move that much. Having tested taking them on one day, then not for another day. A day after I've stopped taking them, the scale has a huge downward jump.
Whey Protein Powder	08/04/2016 3:10 PM | Knowing that I would be weight lifting while on this diet, I wanted to ensure that I wouldn't end up feeling too sore to continue. So I used some whey protein powder and the next day I was only down .2lbs.  The day after I used the protein I lost 2 lbs. So maybe it delays the scale results.
Exercise	08/04/2016 3:10 PM | I've heard that some people say that after you exercise you won't see as big a drop in lbs, but based on my daily stats I can't attest to this as of yet, but I will continue to monitor this and update this post should I notice any differences.
Hot Food -vs- Bars	08/04/2016 3:10 PM | You definitely lose more weight on bars than you do on hot food. Well I guess random hot food. Not the super healthy kind. I haven't eaten super healthy per say, maybe with the exception of when I have opted to eat sushi, on the day when I only ate sushi though I did drop 2lbs the next day. But so far my other food undertakings have not produced the same level of success. (Relatively clean eating is probably best when you do hot food.)

On the HCG Diet when you have a stall, they tell you to have an apple and steak day, I'll give that a go if that truly becomes the case for me. I can't say I'm far enough into the 5BiteDiet for that to be the case.

I'll continue to experiment and post any new observations here

If the results are cumulative, then so be it. I will continue to weight daily and just look forward to the days when my efforts show up on the scale.

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements

I go do #2 normally twice a day minimally and I've been this way since I was a kid, I am now 37 years old. Usually within 20-30 minutes of eating a meal I'm making my way to the bathroom. They say that as one meal goes its supposed to trigger the last meal you had, to exit.

However Since July 25th 2016 when I started this diet, my body hadn't been triggering an evacuation and I didn't freak out because:
A. I am the proud owner of lots of senna tea should it ever come to that
B. I've done all kinds of research about number 2 and I know my body pretty well
C. Lastly since I feel no bloating or feelings of constipation etc, it's no big deal.

I'm not taking in as much food as I would normally consume hence the reduction in doing #2. My plentiful bowel movements are not of major importance at the moment.

I will however drink some senna tea should the need arise, but I honestly feel light and airy, no bloating no awkward feelings at all.

Since I'm a #2 activist and I'm sure that regular evacuations are as important to you as they are to me (since death begins in the colon and all), I wanted to share my experience with you guys so you can compare it with your own or just have it under your hat as food for thought.

SAME DAY UPDATE:
Part 1. When I had my snickers bar for lunch 30 minutes later; it was time to go!
Part 2. When I had my dinner…30 minutes later; it was time to go!
So it looks like everything is getting back to normal!

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements

Here's how the 5 Bite Diet works.

You don't eat before 10am
– – Breakfast is a No Milk / Non Sweetened  Coffee or Tea with a Multi Vitamin
– – Lunch is 5 Bites of whatever you want (A Bite is approximately a table spoon)
– – Dinner is 5 Bites of whatever you want (A Bite is approximately a table spoon)
You stop eating by 6pm

And you watch the lbs melt off!
This is the morning of my fourth day on this diet and I am officially down 7lbs.

I wrote three other posts you my find of immediate interest.
* I Found the Perfect Bite Sized Measuring Tool
* How I set up my Iphone Alarms for the 5BiteDiet
* Apps for Tracking your Bites and weight

These posts will provide you with information that should help you do this diet with ease! You bringing the willpower to the table of course.

Lastly, while I honestly didn't need to buy the book from the originator of this diet to do the diet I did and I wasn't disappointed.

It's a quick informative read (I read it, in a few hours), it provides some useful background information which can help you to understand the methodology behind what the 5BiteDiet is, how it works and why it may be a good option for you.

I bought the book: Why Weight Around? Changing The Weight Loss Strategy by MD MPH Alwin C. Lewis

Connect with Dr. Alwin Lewis, MD on Twitter (@FiveBiteDiet)

Dr. Alwin Lewis's Website: TheSlimmingStation.com 

 

xoxo, –Focused WLWB
P.S. If you want to review my progress thus far, Click Here for my Current Weight & Measurements 

I just stocked up on a 6 day supply of Snickers Bars, I asked a friend to get it for me and they were horrified they probably thought I planned to eat myself into diabetic shock (FYI I am not a diabetic)! I'm sure a month from now, when the weight loss is visible, they'll be more open to hearing the why's and the hows but for now, I get to enjoy the inside joke all by my lonesome!

Whilst I know snickers bars are not the healthiest choice per say, I do love them dearly, and since they're an option; I've opted to use them. Snickers bars are also, easy to get just about everywhere and that meets my convenience quotient.

I may switch to protein bars at some point but…I've chosen to do bars for the first 14-21 days because, quite frankly, my life is quite busy and I barely had time to cook before. One of the major factors which made this diet make sense for me; is that I wouldn't have to be in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

I did the HCG Diet and lost about 33lbs in my first 3 weeks, however cooking was time consuming (not that the food wasn't good it was). Also remembering to take my drops was a hassle, so I ended up deciding I would resume again at a later date when I could focus on doing the diet wholeheartedly. The HCG Diet definitely does work, I had no side effects, other than I suffered from a severe case of laziness, hence me not continuing with the HCG Diet.

However, with the 5Bite Diet, you actually consume approximately the same number of calories as you do on the HCG Diet (about 500 calories) but there are no drops to remember or specialized foods to prepare or hunt down in the market or online.

COMING SOON!!! More on why I decided to do the 5BiteDiet, I'll make a new post for it!

Until then If you want to review my progress thus far, Current Weight & Measurements and feel free to click around I'll be back!

xoxo,
-Focused WLWB

P.S. You may want to read my post on a very affordable, bite size measuring spoon set I found. When I come off the bars; I'll be using this spoon to keep my bite sizes uniform and in check.