First week is over...how much did I lose?

Well, the first week of this new diet is over...and I'm feeling much better.  Here are some interesting things that I've noted:

First of all, I drank more water in the last week than I have in the entire previous year.  I have noticed a huge difference in my skin.  The dry areas around the 'mask' area of my face are much much less severe and I hardly notice the redness that used to be there most of the time.  A HUGE bonus from this.

I have lost a total of 5 pounds...which is pretty typical of my first phases of dieting.  I'll probably lose another 10 or 15 very quickly and then hit the plateau where it becomes harder to lose.  I'm prepared for that this time around.

I have documented every bite of food that I've even over the last week.  I took in approximately 5,000 calories less than I burned between Tuesday and Friday...so, the 5 pounds is a little surprising for me.  I expected about 2 to 3 pounds but I'm probably flushing a lot of toxins out of my body with the water right now.
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I also had a few headaches as I transitioned off of Diet Coke.  I'm limiting myself to 2 per day at the moment...so I figured I would have some issues with caffeine withdrawals.  But for the most part, my energy level has been much higher.

Not a lot of changes in blood sugar or blood pressure that I've noticed yet.  It seems they are fluctuating all over the place right now...but I will wait until I get about 10 to 15 more pounds off before I expect to see any significant change in either of those numbers.

I also took the dreaded "before" photos last week.  I'll have those posted shortly and will also be doing a video blog this week.

I've had an immense amount of support from folks on Facebook and Twitter as well as from the Lisa Williams family members!  Thank you all!