26 pounds down!!

I haven't posted here in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been making progress! 26 pounds down since I started getting serious about weight loss on Feb. 4th! I'm super proud of myself, but I still have a long ways to go. So I need to stay focused and on-task.

I am no longer doing the Medifast plan. That was WONDERFUL for me to get started and get a boost early on, but the plan doesn't match my core values of eating healthy, REAL food from nature and exercising to create the body I want. But it did give me a huge boost at the beginning and it got me going. So it was very, very useful for that. If I hit a plateau along the way, I am keeping that open as an option to do for a week here and there to get me going again--it's basically like going on a fast.

After doing Medifast for a week back in February, I have been eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and really watching my portion sizes. I have been eating smaller meals, more frequently, which is really working for me. When I get hungry, I eat something small and continue to do that throughout the day.

I've also really started exercising in the last month--doing Zumba twice a week and going to the gym 3-4 mornings per week to do cardio and strength exercises. That has made me feel so much stronger. I just feel really great and my endurance is MUCH improved.

Now that I've lost 26 pounds, I feel like I'm kind of in my "crunch time". It has always been relatively easy for me to lose 20-30 pounds. Honestly, it doesn't seem like I've had to work that hard for it. I have soooo much extra weight, that 20-30 pounds isn't that much for me.

But in the last few years of trying to lose weight, I haven't been able to get past the 30 pound mark. Once I hit the 30-pound loss, I plateau there for a while, get frustrated, then give up and go back to old eating and non-exercise habits. Therefore, the weight comes back.

So this is a very critical time. I need to get past the 30 pound mark. My next goal is to hit the 40 pound mark. If I can do that, there will be a huge celebration!!!

February was a GREAT start!

It's been exactly four weeks since I really started losing weight and I've lost 18 pounds in 4 weeks! Most of that was in the first week and I am amazed that I was able to not only lose a few more pounds, but keep that weight off from the first week even though I wasn't nearly as strict!

But I'm definitely eating better overall. Major difference in how I'm eating.

I don't do fast food or eat out nearly as often--only 1-2 times a week. That's still not ideal, but it's a HUGE difference from what I've been doing.

I've been making it a point to cook and take time to prepare healthy meals, rather than just eating whatever is convenient at the time. My "sweet tooth" has also been tamed. I'm not really sure how that happened, but it's not as strong as it used to be at all.

My goal for March---Lose 15 pounds. I know we're only supposed to try to lose 1-2 pounds a week, but I need to shoot for more so I will work harder. I want to also incorporate exercise this month---something I didn't do at all in February.

So 15 pounds by April 1st. I can do it.

1 full week

As of today, I've been on the Medifast plan one full week. Officially, during the first week, I've lost 13.2 pounds and 4 inches off my waist size.

Wow. Definitely surpassed my expectations.

I know the weight loss will slow down now, but I hope to hit the 20 pound mark by the end of the month. That would be incredible to lose 20 pounds in one month. I'm 6.8 pounds away.

Day 7

Today is the 7th day I've been on the Medifast plan. I know I shouldn't weigh every morning and I will stop that after this week. But my clothes were fitting more loosely, etc. so I just wanted to see that daily progress for the first week!!

In the first 6 days, I've lost 12.2 pounds and 3 inches off my waist size.

That is pretty darn amazing. And I haven't even followed the plan perfectly. I've had extra Medifast meals here and there (plans says do 5--I've had up to 8 in a day to help deal with hunger) and I've also had 2 "lean protein and lots of vegetables" meals some days, when according to the plan I'm supposed to only have one.

The biggest part for me, is that I have not eaten ANYTHING bad for me at all in 6 days. That is so incredible. I've been around bad food. I've gone thru the drive-thru window to pick up food for my son. I even have a carton of Blue Bell Cookies & Cream ice cream (my favorite!!) in my freezer right now, and haven't touched it.

That is HUGE for me!!!

Another thing---my skin breaks out really regularly and today I noticed a huge difference in my skin. It looks so much clearer. I've also noticed much more energy!! That did NOT happen until around Day 4-5. But it's definitely there now. I've also noticed being able to focus better the last couple of days.

I guess that's what happens when you don't eat any fast food, red meat, sugar, dairy or any of the other terrible things I've been feeding my body for so long.

What a huge change. I'm so thankful.

Just gotta keep it up. I'm very, very aware that I could go back to old ways at anytime. I just need to focus on moving forward and not ever going backwards.

Day 5

Still going well. My body is adjusting. I'm definitely not getting as hungry now.

My favorite Medifast meals so far are: French Vanilla shake, Dutch Chocolate shake, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Smores granola bar and Cappuccino drink.

Ones I liked, but not my favorites: Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Strawberry granola bar

Ones I didn't really like: Chili, Vanilla pudding.

Tomorrow my 5-week "variety pack" arrives. It has enough Medifast meals for 5 weeks and it includes all the flavors of everything Medifast offers so I have a chance to try everything and see what I really like.

So far, so good.

Day 4

Today my hunger is definitely easing up. The light-headedness and dizziness are still there, but the hunger isn't as bad at all. It's weird almost. Our bodies adjust so quickly to new things.

But I am still hungry. I had more social events today. Two of them were at coffee shops and one was at a restaurant. Again---surrounded by tons of calories!! But I had another victory today and I didn't succumb to temptation. It was hard, though. I even left the restaurant early.

No headache today, though. That was good.

The biggest thing--I haven't had any fast food, fattening food, sweets or anything bad for me AT ALL---not even a BITE--in FOUR days!!!! I have tried to just do ONE day of that for so long, and couldn't do it.

So I really feel like I'm turning a corner here and I'm sooooo thankful.

Day 3

Day 3 was tough because of my social events and being out most of the day.

The first social event was at Starbucks---I got a bottled water. But a white chocolate mocha sounded sooooo good!!! It was hard to sit there with my water, while smelling the sweet aroma of all the wonderful coffee drinks Starbucks has. Not to mention the pastries.

Second social event was at a friend's house. She was so sweet to make sure there were healthy things I could eat there. That was awesome. The other friends there ordered pizza, breadsticks and there were also sugar cookies there, which I love. So that was really tough. Really, really tough. I had to just not look at it at all.

But I have to be able to be around food and not let it control me. I can't just sit around my house all day in a bubble. There will always be food around that is bad for me. Not that I will never eat anything bad ever again---because I will. But I want to save it for special occasions--and just because it's there does not make it a special occasion.

Great news though---I conquered all my challenges for the day and stuck with it!! It feels good.

Day 2

Yesterday was my second day of Medifast and it was definitely easier. I was still hungry, but it wasn't as debilitating as Day 1. The headache was way worse though. But I'm sure that's my body saying, "Hey! What happened to all that crap you've been feeding me!!!"

So I stepped on to the scale this morning---after TWO days of Medifast---and I have lost 10.2 pounds. Now I know that is water weight. But I will take it. It's very encouraging and motivating to keep going.

This weekend will be quite the test. I have a lot of social events planned, which I'm so thankful for and I'm really looking forward to them!! But it will be harder food-wise.

The 10.2 pound loss definitely helps keep me focused though!

Day 1

I got thru my first day of Medifast!

While I did not follow everything perfectly, I'm quite sure today I took in less calories than I have in many years. I was sooooooo hungry, dizzy and light-headed that I ended up eating more of the mini-meals that I was allowed---2 more---they are all around 90-110 calories each.

But that is ok for my first day. I know this sounds stupid, but I feel thinner already!

Seriously, though, it does feel really good to be DOING something about this and finally taking charge. Today I definitely felt like I was in control of food, instead of food being in control of me. I haven't felt like that in a long time.

Drastic Measures

I researched and considered all the different supervised and very specific weight loss plans such as Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Weight Watchers---which I've done before. After lots of research, learning pros and cons and talking to people who've done it, I decided to try Medifast. Here are the reasons I chose Medifast:

1. It's very, very simple.
2. There is virtually no preparation involved.
3. It's very easy to take the meals and eat them wherever I am.
4. No supplements or any other hassle involved. All the vitamins and nutrients are made into the foods.
5. The meals are designed to keep you full longer.
6. Results should come quickly, which will give me momentum and inspiration to keep going.
7. Supervised by medical professionals
8. The program has been studied by Johns Hopkins University and deemed safe and effective

I picked up my Medifast meals today, which are a combination of soups, oatmeal, shakes, nutrition bars and drinks. You take one of the meals every 2-3 hours---any one of the meals you want---you just have to eat FIVE of those meals a day.

Then I also add one "lean and green" meal per day, which consists of a lean protein (chicken, turkey, etc.) and a pile of non-starchy vegetables. This is also a plus, because I can eat my "lean and green" meal anytime I go out to eat with friends or for business. Every restaurant has some form of a "lean and green" meal---will just have to modify it to take out all the cheese, dressing, etc.

So I ordered five weeks of food. Yikes! It is very difficult to commit to this drastic of a change in my eating all at one time.

Will I be perfect on the plan? Probably not.

But I am committed and I'm ready for a change. I think I may be hitting the bottom of this whole "being fat" thing. I knew as soon as the misery of being this fat outweighed my love of food and putting everything else first, I would finally be committed enough to really make a change. I'm feeling that change now.

I'm just done with this horrible relationship I've had with food. It has not been my friend. It has been so hurtful. And it will kill me if I don't do something.

I need to completely change my entire relationship with food. And I'm hoping this will do it.

My weight loss coach told me the first three days will be very hard. So that will be tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. After that, your body adjusts to the lower number of calories. I was also advised not to exercise for 3 weeks because my calorie count will be so much lower than what it's used to. That will just be a relief. haha! No more guilt when I don't exercise and I know I should!

I will try to post more regularly as I start this new journey. I'm very nervous about tomorrow. If I can make it thru the first day, it will be really huge! I feel like I'm going into battle.

Doing something different

I've decided to take more drastic measures in my health and fitness journey. Trying to take "small steps" and focus on overall health and going easy on myself is not working. I think I'm so strong. I think I can do everything by myself. The reality is, I'm not. I'm not strong when it comes to weight loss. I'm very, very weak.

I have a drastic amount of weight to lose. So I need to do something drastic to get it off.

I'm not at the surgery point yet---but the main reason I haven't seriously considered that is that I don't have health insurance that covers it or the money to have it done. But I do want to try every option before I work to make surgery doable.

So I'm researching ways to get this weight off using prepackaged meals and counseling/coaching, such as NutriSystem, Medifast, Jenny Craig or one of those kinds of programs.

I am realizing I can't do this alone. I'm so far gone, I need professional help to get out of it. I can't get control of this myself for whatever reason. So I need to figure out how to come up with the resources to get professional and medical help.

Trying not to let it get me down, but it's tough. I hate being this huge. It effects me every minute of every day. People judge me. I haven't had a date in years. I'm lonely. I can't even walk a block without being winded and needing to sit down.

It's just miserable. I have to take drastic measures to save my life. I have to take drastic measures to fully LIVE my life.

Calories in soup

So I just calculated all the calories in the Vegetable Soup I make that I love so much and feels like comfort food, but is actually a pot of vegetables. (See recipe below.) It keeps me full for hours.

The total calorie count in the huge pot is 2,700 calories. The pot is at least 8 huge servings ---probably more like 10-12. So divide 2,700 calories by 8 (the lowest number) and that is 338 calories per serving. For this pot of soup, I will count how many servings we go through, so I'll have a more accurate serving number.

I also did a "fat gram" count and the whole pot of soup has 14 grams of fat. So, assuming 8 servings (when it's probably more like 10-12 servings), that is only 1.75 grams of fat per serving.

The key for me is going to be finding meals like this. This meal:

1. Doesn't feel like diet food at all
2. I love the taste
3. Keeps me full for several hours (why I add the black beans)
4. Very little preparation work needed---I throw a bunch of stuff in a pot one day, refrigerate and then just reheat for several days
5. Low calorie and low fat
6. Very cheap to make

Posting

I don't really have anything new or interesting to say. Just want to be committed to this blog, so I'm trying to post something.

Hmmm...just heard the newscaster in the background say, "Get ready for the coldest winds we've had in a decade!" I knew I should have bought that majorly discounted coat I liked so much at Ross a month ago. But then I thought, "You know, Texas never really has cold enough winters for a coat."

Guess I was wrong.

As far as my weight loss journey goes, I'm making progress. I need to get myself a scale that I have here at home. That's on my list to buy with my next paycheck. A scale and measuring tape.

Last year, I was all about "oh, I just need to focus on making healthier choices and the weight will come off eventually." Uhmmm....no. That is a load of crap. I really did make a lot of progress in creating habits that were more healthy, but the scale did not reflect that.

So this year----it's about the numbers. Get that weight OFF (in a healthy way). If the numbers aren't going down, then I need to work harder and do more. Period. It's about the numbers.

No matter how many fruits, vegetables and water I'm taking in, I will never be healthy until I lose this weight.

Making my favorite huge pot of vegetable soup again now (see post below)! It will last me the rest of the week!

Stop the EXCUSES

Wow...another year. Another decade.

My life is far from perfect, but every other area of my life is on a good course. I'm making progress and growing everyday. Every area---but one.

Again, the area that needs the most work (by far) is my health. I am severely overweight and it will kill me if I don't do something about it now. I am 37 years old and need to lose 140 pounds to be at a healthy weight for me. That is a whole other person.

I've been carrying all this extra weight for 7-8 years now.

What is so frustrating is that I KNOW what to do to get it off. I need to get off my ass and MOVE and I need to eat healthy foods in moderation.

Instead of doing what I need to do, you know what I do? I *talk* about making changes (like I'm doing now--I'm very good at that) and I MAKE EXCUSES.

I am the QUEEN OF EXCUSES.

I can't work out today, I'm too busy. I'll workout tomorrow. It's too early. I'm just too tired. I need to spend time with my son. I'll start Monday. I'll go thru the drive-thru one last time. Just one more bite. My work consumes me. I have no clean workout clothes. None of my workout clothes fit. My workout shoes make my feet hurt. It's raining. It might rain today. It's too hot. It's too cold. I will be embarrassed. My favorite show is on TV. I have too much work to catch up on. Once I get caught up at work, I'll start working out. I don't have time to eat healthy. I hate cooking. Eating healthy is too expensive. I'll make my next meal a healthy one.

The list goes on.

Excuses paralyze me. Excuses keep me locked in this prison.

So my 2010 New Year's Resolution: STOP THE EXCUSES.