160.

I’m ready to head into the second phase - weeks three and four - of my “Six Weeks Cure For The Middle-Aged Middle” diet and I’m pleased to report I’ve already achieved my goal of losing ten pounds to start off the New Year. As by design, weeks one and two were like a boot camp for my body (my liver especially), and I can see the weight loss, strangely enough, in my face and neck more than anywhere else. I wish I had taken a measurement of my midsection before starting the diet, but I figured my clothes would tell me if I’ve lost circumference there more than anything, and it feels like I’ve lost an inch or two - enough to make a couple of my previous snug-fitting clothes fit a whole lot better.

So all is good in diet-land. Now onto the next two weeks of the Eades’ plan: the so-called “meat weeks”.

For the first two weeks it was three “Power Up!” protein whey powder shakes a day plus one low-carb regular meal. No alcohol. No caffeine. Some dairy. For weeks three and four, I can go back to my two cups of half-regular / half-decaf coffee a day (boy, does that taste good!), and am even allowed two glasses of wine or two 12 oz. beers every week for the next four weeks of the diet (yeah!). But the emphasis will be on meat meals - three 3-4 oz. portions of meat per day, absolutely no carbs at all, and no dairy, grains, beans, or sugar-heavy fruits and vegetables for the next two weeks. The only things left over from the first two weeks are the exercises eight times a day and the vitamin supplements, including a leucine supplement to replace the awful-tasting powder I added to my shakes twice a day.

I’m guessing that, because I wasn’t starting from a point that required a lot of weight loss to begin with, my weight will probably stabilize from here on out, but the diet ensures that there will still be a lot of inner-body recomposition going on as midsection fat is turned into muscle - at least that’s what the Eades say is supposed to happen. Just being off the shakes and making it through the first phase is a great accomplishment, and I feel good about having the self-discipline the first two weeks required. I’m learning to eat better, moderate my lifestyle choices, and make better decisions regarding what goes into my mouth. It’s been a great learning experience - who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? - and I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks bring.

Stay tuned…