It’s Limbo Time!

Right now I’m stuck in a sort of Limbo – I’m not fully committed to Medifast anymore, but I’m not quite on the HCG protocol either.  Until those drops arrive I’m sort of in this strange in-between place where I feel sort of free and lost, all at the same time.

I can eat whatever I want, which is very freeing, but when I try to meal plan, I’m drawing a blank.  I feel like every choice is “cheating,” and even though I know that’s not true, it’s strange.  After following Medifast strictly for 3 1/2 months, it’s sort of hard to think that it’s ok to have fruit and some carbs again. And then there’s the other side of my brain telling me that I “deserve to live a little” and I should have pizza and fast food, since it’s been so long.  I just keep telling that fat girl side that the loading days are coming, and until then, I’m sticking to healthy choices.

And that’s just it.  I’m going to look at this little Limbo period as a dress rehearsal for the rest of my life.  Sure, once I have the LapBand surgery, I’ll be eating much smaller portions, but I can still pretend that I’m at my goal weight and now that I’m just living life.  I’m going to buy the healthy foods that I love that I haven’t been allowed in a while, like berries and brown rice.  And I think I may even get a bottle of SkinnyGirl Margarita, which I’ve been dying to try,  because it’s the weekend and the weather is gorgeous and it’s time to relax and enjoy.

And Limbo isn’t going to be just about the food choices I make – I’m going to make sure to get in the activities I love, too.  I want to take some long walks outside in the fresh air, a bike ride on the beach cruiser, and also a class at the gym or two.  I enjoy being active, and since I know HCG, like Medifast, doesn’t recommend “high-intensity” workouts (anything over long walks), I’m going to take advantage of this time to get in some satisfying, calorie-burning workouts.

So really, this Limbo time is something that I’m going to take full advantage of.   I’m going to make great choices, live life, and just enjoy each moment.  I’m really looking forward to it!

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Weigh-In Wednesday: Pre-Op, Week 14

It’s good to be back this week. As you guys remember, last week I didn’t write a weigh-in post because I was having issues and the scale was way, way up. Looking back, I sort of wish I would’ve just snapped a quick photo, so that I had an official record of it. I will tell you that the scale was up to 289.8 last week, so I’d “gained” almost 9 pounds because of the situation.

Tina, new mauve toes, just for you. 🙂

Which means I lost 6 lbs this week, for a total loss of 27.2 pounds in 14 weeks.  Now normally I’d be jumping for joy with a 6 pound loss, but due to the circumstances, I’m sort of bummed because in actuality, I’m up 2 pounds.  I know that it wasn’t really under my control, but damn if it isn’t frustrating to spin my wheels like this.  I know that this is another week and another opportunity for success, so my outlook is positive, but I have decided that it’s time for a few changes.

One thing I’ve learned in this weight loss journey is that I need to shake things up from time to time.  It helps me, mentally and physically if I don’t get too complacent or to “used to” doing something.  You’ll notice in the title of this blog post that I’ve removed the “Medifast” from it.  That’s because I’m going to try something new in about a week or so.

I’ve said this a million times before, but my main mini goal right now is to lose ~50 lbs so that I can meet the requirements Kaiser’s bariatric surgery team has set forth for me.  I’m single-minded in this goal.  I’ve sacrificed and restricted my diet in order to reach this goal.  And I’m a little over halfway there.  In 3 1/2 months.  And I don’t want it to take another 3 1/2 months to lose the other 25 pounds.  Time is of the essence because I want to make sure I have the surgery in the summer, to avoid missing time from work.

So, I’m going to begin a somewhat controversial method of quick weight loss.  I’ve done a ton of research about it, and while it may or not work for long term success, I’m willing to give it a try in the short term to reach the mini goal.  Ends justify the means, and all of that.

I’ve decided to begin HCG drops.  If all goes as it should, I will be able to lose around 25-30 pounds in a month. I’ve come to this decision for a variety of reasons:

1. I’m getting burnt out on Medifast.  I’m just tired of the food, tired of the routine, tired of it altogether.
2. Medifast costs about $300/month, plus the cost of the food I’m eating for my Lean & Green meal.  It’s expensive.  HCG costs $60 for a 30-40 day supply.  The only other costs will be the food, which can be done inexpensively.  Chicken, beef, apples, and spinach aren’t wildly expensive.
3. It’s faster.  I can lose the 25-30 pounds in 30 days as opposed to 105 days on Medifast.
4. Variety is the spice of life and it’s time to switch things up.

The diet is very simple and very restrictive, but I’m used to restrictive.  Basically, I begin Phase 1 by taking 10 drops of HCG a day and having two “loading” days where I eat as much fattening food as possible without getting ill.  The whole point of the HCG protocol is to reset the metabolism. It sounds strange, but apparently the body needs a major calorie boost in order to feel the “shock” of the next part of the diet and then reset itself.  Phase 2, aka VeryLowCalorieDays (VLCD), is where I take 10 drops of HCG, drink a ton of water, and eat 500 calories of very specific foods for 21-40 days.  Here’s how the Phase 2 meal plan works:

Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Only Saccharin (Sweet ‘n’ Low) or stevia may be used for sweetener.

Lunch:(choose one item from each of the following categories)

• 3.5 oz (or 100 grams) of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat (no butter or oil). Salmon, eel, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be off the bone.
  
• One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.
• One grissini breadstick, one Melba toast, or 2 Melba “snacks” (original, garlic, whole grain, or sesame flavored)
  
• An apple or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit or one orange.
  

Dinner: The same four choices as lunch. (for best results choose a different food item for lunch and dinner, ex: if you had chicken for lunch, choose fish or steak for dinner. If you had an apple for lunch choose strawberries or an orange for dinner, same for the veg.)

Is it something that I could do for a long period of time?  No, probably not.  Is it something I can do for 30 days?  Absolutely.  The risks outweigh the rewards, in my opinion.

Phase 3 is considered a “maintenance” phase where you eat “anything you’d like except starches and sugars, but the amount that is eaten is controlled by your morning weight” for about 6 weeks.  In other words, it’s low carb.  The calories per day increase to about 1500, and you begin eating 3 meals a day.  All of which would work for me in the 6-week period I have to wait between qualifying for surgery and actually having it done.

I’ve followed several people on YouTube who have been using the HHCG (Homeopathic HCG, as opposed to the injection of HCG), and they have been successful.  They followed it EXACTLY, and that’s what I will do, too.  In a lot of ways this is going to be easier than Medifast because instead of eating 5 meal replacements, I’ll be eating real food.  Not a ton of it, but still, real food as opposed to puffs and pretzels and bars.  I’m actually looking forward to it.

Some people feel that the HHCG is pure placebo and that anyone would lose weight eating only 500 calories a day.  And that’s may be true.  But it’s still worth a shot.  And if it is real and it does work in the short term (because that’s all I need it for), perfect.  And if it doesn’t work, then I go back to Medifast.

I ordered the drops today, and once they arrive I’ll begin.  And of course I’ll keep you updated on my progress along the way.

Read Full Post »

Success! + Positive Self Talk + Scrumptious Sunday Meal Plans

I just wanted to pop online and write a post updating you guys about how I’m feeling.

Success!  Things are moving along nicely, and I’m feeling much better.  I’ve lost 5 of the 10 pounds that I’d “gained” since the problem started, and I’m hoping that once my body is more completely back to normal, I’ll drop the remaining 5.

Don’t Quit Now! I’m finding that following Medifast is taking a lot more positive self talk lately.  I think I’m just getting burnt out on eating 5 meal replacements and only 1 true meal.  It’s been 3 months, and it’s getting tiresome.  I’m missing foods like rice, pasta, and fruit.  But I’m going to hang in there and keep up the good work and all of that because I know that it’s the best option I have to lose the weight I need to quickly and effectively.  I need to be more diligent than ever so that I can make it to the “finish line” and get ready for the biggest journey of my life.

Meal Plans. The weather is weird around here lately.  Early last week we had temps in the high 80s, and last night and today, it’s been cold and rainy.  It’s definitely not typical to have such huge shifts in the weather around here, but it has kept things interesting, I guess. So because of the cooler temps that are predicted for the week, I decided to cook some cooler weather favorites.

I haven’t actually cooked anything yet today, but I have my meals planned out, which is something.  I just have to head to the grocery store, which I’ll do as soon as I finish this post.

• First up is my curry chicken, which I love.  I’m going to pair it with asparagus and it will be delicious.  I’m going to make enough for at least 3 meals, so I’ll put one of the servings in the freezer for another week.

• Next I thought I’d make a variation of my take on Italian wedding soup.  Instead of chicken sausage, I think I’m going to use turkey meatballs.  Either way, it’s delicious, fast, and it warms the soul. Again, some of this will go into the freezer for a meal later in the month.

• And then I thought I’d make a frittatta.  I’m going to use eggbeaters, gouda, asparagus, and sliced crimini mushrooms.  I’ll post the recipe later, once I make it. I should have plenty of leftovers to freeze with this one instead. I’ll pair this with a simple mixed greens salad, because even though it has a few veggies in it, I like having some variety for dinner, and I love salads.

Ok, enough talking about it; now it’s time to head to the store so that I can make the food.

I hope your weekend is going well.

Read Full Post »

Weigh-In Wednesday: Medifast, Week 12

Three months on Medifast! In some ways this has become such a part of my life that it’s second nature, and in other ways it seems like just yesterday that I was struggling with losing weight, even with my best efforts. All I know is that I’m glad I made the decision to use Medifast to quickly and effectively lose the 45 pounds needed for LB surgery, because I KNOW I would have never gotten this far, or felt this good, in this amount of time if I hadn’t.

I don’t know exactly what was going on this week. It might have been the conviction in my writing (and my attitude) from last week’s weigh-in post when I stated, “I know that I don’t want to begin the familiar path of yo-yoing back and forth between losing and regaining weight. I don’t want to go on that weight loss roller coaster again; I’ve been on that ride way too many times in this lifetime.” It might have been my “experiment” with increasing my water intake. No matter what it was, I had a phenomenal week. All week. I just saw the pounds melting off each day when I got on the scale.

Which means I lost 7.4 lbs this week, for a total loss of 29.4 pounds in 12 weeks. This is fantastic!!! The only time I had a bigger weight loss was my very first week on Medifast, and that was a HUGE week.

Sooooo close to being at my 10%, but since it’s 1.6 pounds away from 31 lost, I’m going to wait until (hopefully) next week to wear my bracelet.  I’m really looking forward to it.

The nice thing about having lost almost 30 pounds is that people are finally starting to notice.  Lots of my students  and a few colleagues have been telling me that I look nice, which is their way of noticing, I think.  It has to be awkward for some of them to think that I’ve lost weight but not to know if they should mention weight at all.  Those students and teachers whom I’m closer with and who know about my efforts, have begun complimenting me on the weight loss, which feels nice.  I must confess that I really want to knock their socks off when I come back to school at the end of August after having 2+ months to work on my weight loss.

Things have been a bit frustrating at work this week because California, like so many other states, is in a “state of emergency” in terms of education and the budget cuts.  So many people are being laid off and the morale is becoming an issue.  Luckily my job is safe, but the entire environment at my school is going to be dramatically changed and not for the better.  It’s difficult, but knowing that things are going so well in my personal life makes it more bearable.  I’m glad now more than ever that I have designed my life so that work is just a part of it and not everything, like it used to be.  I have so much more going on in my life these days, and work is just a way for me to be able to do more of the things I want to do to enjoy life.  I do get a lot out of my career, but it doesn’t define me as it used to. I feel like I’m in a much healthier place in my life right now, in all aspects.

Looking ahead to Mother’s Day this weekend, I’m having everyone over to my house and we’ve decided to barbecue fluff steak and shrimp, with sides of asparagus and a green salad.  My mom requested sweet potato fries, and I think those will look beautiful on the plate, although I’ll be admiring them from afar and not indulging in them.  Everyone else will also be enjoying blood orange and/or blackberry cabernet sorbet from Ciao Bella.

In terms of weight loss for the coming week, I’m just going to keep on keeping on and know that I’ll be able to wear my bracelet (and be that much closer to my mini goal) next week.

Read Full Post »

Weigh-In Wednesday: Medifast, Week 11

Eleven weeks is a long time to follow any sort of diet, especially one as restrictive in calories and food as Medifast.  Which means that this week’s results on the scale come as no surprise, for many reasons.

Which means I gained 3.8 lbs this week, for a total loss of 22 pounds in 11 weeks.  Yes I’m disappointed that I’ve put myself behind in my progress, but there were a number of factors, including:

• my choice to eat carb-laden foods at Easter brunch.
• my body reacting to working out on Monday afternoon.
• TOM. Enough said.

I’m not happy with these results, but they do serve as a major wake up call to me.  Today, in this moment, I know that I don’t want to begin the familiar path of yo-yoing back and forth between losing and regaining weight.  I don’t want to go on that weight loss roller coaster again; I’ve been on that ride way too many times in this lifetime.  One of the main reasons I chose to follow such a restricted diet is so that I was almost guaranteed of quick success.

Which leads me to the following statement: there will be no more deviations from the Medifast plan until I lose the remaining weight (23 lbs + 5 or so to account for scale fluctuations and clothes at the official weigh in).  Period.

Taking Control of Challenging Food Situations
I don’t think it will be that difficult, really.  May has a couple of holidays – Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, but both of those can be celebrated following the Lean & Green plan.  In fact, I think I’m going to offer to have Mother’s Day at my house just to make sure.  Plus, since both my sister and my mom are mothers, it’s only right that they don’t have to lift a finger on that day.  I’d love to hear any ideas that you might have for Mother’s Day meals.  I’m thinking of grilling salmon  with side dishes of asparagus, a green salad and then maybe a rice pilaf or wild rice for everyone else.  But it seems like that might be too simple for such a special day.  So, if you have any recommendations, please let me know.

I Still am Proud of Myself
Even though the weigh in today and two weeks ago were negative, I’m not in a negative frame of mind at all. In fact, it’s like the gauntlet has been thrown down.  By me.  I’m challenging myself to move past the 25 pounds lost mark and make it to 30 pounds (my 10%) and then to 40 and then to 45 and even to 50.  I know I can do it.  I have the wherewithal within me.

And on that positive note, I am still very proud of my progress to date.  I’m feeling more like the me I remember.  The girl who looks nice despite her size and who takes pride in her appearance.  I’ve been enjoying putting “new” outfits together by wearing clothes that haven’t fit me for a while.  It’s also nice that spring is here and skirts and dresses can now be factored into the wardrobe.  Case in point, today’s outfit:

Sorry that the lighting isn’t great in the photo; I forgot to open the blinds in my room before taking the photo, and I was already running late, so I didn’t want to stop and take another one.  And yes, that is a huge crack in the mirror, but since it’s behind my door and out of sight most of the time I haven’t bothered to buy a new mirror yet.  That’s on the to-do list.

I really like the way this outfit shows off my curves, and I can see my waist coming back.  I’ve already received 3 compliments today, 2 of which were from my students, which is always nice.  The outfit makes me feel happy and light.  And it’s wonderful to feel good about myself when I see this photo and look in the mirror. That’s a feeling I haven’t had in a long time, so it’s very welcome.

Read Full Post »

HYC Update: Ah Ha! Just as I thought

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

You know how they say that no one knows your body better than you do?  It’s so true! At least, that’s become the case for me, now that I’ve been dieting for years and know what works for me and my own unique  body chemistry. This fact has been proven time and again to me over the past few weeks.
.

You may have noticed a lack of posts about my “adventures in fitness” lately.  Some of you may have figured that I’ve just been doing the same old routines, so there was nothing new to report.  Others of you might have guessed that I was focusing on food.  The truth is, I haven’t been doing any activity for the past 9 weeks, other than walking my sister’s dog.

Now before you get up in arms and tell me the importance of exercise in combination with a sensible food plan, let me explain.  There is most definitely a method to my madness.  You see, before I started Medifast I was really on a roll with working out, and especially going to the group exercises classes, although I’d throw in a bit of weight training into the routine, too.  I enjoy those activities, especially if I have the time for them.  I know all about how important it is to make this a lifestyle and not just a “diet.”

Then I decided to start Medifast as a means to an end; the end being that I need to get to a certain weight in order to qualify for Lap Band surgery.  Medifast is a diet, pure and simple.  It is not (for me) a lifestyle.  I’ve done it before and gained all the weight I lost back and then some. But I know that if I follow it strictly and only eat the 5 meal replacements and the 1 Lean & Green meal, I will lose weight.

What I have also learned over the past 11 weeks is that when I exercise, my body holds onto the weight.  As counter-intuitive as that may sound, it’s true.  For me.  At least in the short term, and that’s what I’m focusing on right now – getting those 45 pounds off.

When I started Medifast 11 weeks ago, I was going to the gym and working out in addition to taking Lulu (at the time) and Minnie on walks.  I wasn’t working out excessively, but I was active.  And after the first week (when I dropped 10 lbs!) I didn’t lose as much weight as I could have, due in part to my body holding on to the weight.

In all the years that I’ve been trying to lose weight, I’ve noticed the distinct pattern that I don’t lose as much when I work out.  At least at first.  When I was working with a trainer it was even more true.  I wouldn’t lose very much, if any, weight when I worked out hard.  It was like my body was holding it for some reason. And perhaps eventually I would lose the weight once my body regulated, but by that time I would become so frustrated that I would go off my meal plan and then have to start over again.

And so I have stopped working out at the gym.  For now.  And it’s working for me, in the short term. But I do miss exercising at the gym.  I loved taking those group exercise classes, and I’m looking forward to continuing them.  My plan is that once I get the Lap Band in, I’ll start working out again.  At that point there won’t be the same sense of urgency to lose weight that I feel right now.  The Lap Band will be in place and that will be my life.  For the rest of my life.  And at that point I won’t care if it takes me 2 years to lose the rest of the weight, because I know that it will come off and stay off.  (The staying off part is why I’m getting the Lap Band.  I can lose weight, but I have never, ever been able to keep it off.  The Lab Band is the tool for me to finally be able to do that).

I was talking to my mom about all of this the other day and she reminded me of something that I’d forgotten.  In 6th grade I went on my first diet, Diet Center.  In addition to following their meal plan (which included snacks that looked more like rabbit poop), they told us we should exercise.  And so my parents bought a mini trampoline for us to jump on, thinking it would be more fun than just doing jumping jacks.  I spent lots of time that summer using the trampoline and riding my bike.  And then we’d go to the center and weigh in and I would hardly lose any weight and I’d be so frustrated that I would start crying.  My mom said that she knew I had followed everything to a T because she was home and knew what I was eating. So even back then it was difficult for me to lose weight, especially with exercise. I had completely forgotten about the trampoline and the crying until my mom reminded me of it.  It offers me some comfort to know that this has always been the way my body operates.

This point was driven home even more this morning.  As you know, I decided to eat in moderation at my family’s Easter brunch on Sunday.  I didn’t eat large portions, but I did have a bit of everything, including carb-heavy potatoes and fruit.  And just as I thought it would, the scale showed it the next day when I was “up” several pounds.  So in an effort to curb the effects of the carbs, yesterday afternoon I went to the gym and worked out on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes.  And as if I had written the script myself, this morning the scale was up even more than it was on Monday.  Because I had worked out.

So while I know that exercise is important, and I plan to eventually get back to exercising, for now I need to do what works. Which also means no more straying from the Medifast plan, no matter what holiday there is.  It’s just not worth it, because going off the plan puts me behind.

And I just don’t have time to wait for my body  to accept the workouts.  I want to get the Lap Band done and begin the rest of my life.  To some of you that my be faulty thinking, but for me it makes sense.  And since this is my journey, it’s my choice.  For now.

I have a feeling there are going to be plenty of opinions/comments on today’s post, but I’m ready for ’em.  😉

Read Full Post »

Weigh-In Wednesday: Medifast, Week 10

This past week I decided to go strict with Medifast in an effort to get to my mini goal that much more quickly and also so that I could make up  for the mishap on the scale last week.  Eating only the 5 meal replacements and the Lean & Green meal wasn’t too bad while I was on  vacation, but once Monday rolled around, I was getting hungry.  When I’m following Medifast strictly, my calorie totals each day hover somewhere between 850-1000 calories.  But I was undeterred.  I just told myself that a few hunger pangs weren’t going to kill me, and I drank extra water to fill up.  And it worked.  I was able to stay on plan all week.  I think checking in on the scale every day this week  and seeing positive news helped to steel my resolve.  Speaking of which…

Which means I lost 4.4 lbs this week, for a total loss of 25.8 pounds in 10 weeks.  I am thrilled with a 4.4 pound loss this week.  I’m even happier that it falls right in line with Medifast’s claim that clients can lose “up to 3-5 lbs per week” on their plan.

Which, according my my calculations, means that I should have no problem reaching my mini goal by the time that school ends in 7 weeks.  In fact, that’s a conservative number (3 lbs/week).  I’ll be finished sooner than that if I can keep up my current pace.  I just need to be patient and enjoy the journey, because otherwise, I’m going to start acting like a kid on Christmas Eve.  My goal is so close that I can almost reach right out and grab it.

So for these next 7 weeks, while I’m focused on staying steadfast in my resolve of following my weight loss plan, I’m also going to make sure I take some time to appreciate the accomplishments I’m making.  Each week I want to celebrate something about that current moment so that I’m enjoying the here and now and not just looking ahead.

For this week, I am happy that my weight is lower than it has been in the last year.  I looked back on my weigh-in records and realized that it has been over a year since I’ve weighed this “little.”  It feels good have all of those starts and stops behind me and to realize that I am moving steadily in one direction – down the scale.  I’m not going to regret any of the ups and downs that I’ve gone through these past 12 months because I know that I had to go through those to get to where I am today.  I wasn’t ready to lose the weight before, but I am now.

Many of you have commented recently about my change in attitude or determination or whatever you want to call it.  I’m noticing it too.  Because I’m not allowing myself to use any of the excuses I have in the past.  In fact, I don’t even think about making excuses.  I don’t need them because I am strong and focused on my goal.  I’m not going to do anything that is going to jeopardize it.  Period.  There is simply no other option but success.

Read Full Post »

HYC Update: Easter Eating

Happy Tuesday (evening), Everyone!

A quick note before I get to the main topic: I always try to have my posts up in the morning so that more of you get a chance to read them, but I’m sorry to say that for the next 7 weeks or so I’m not going to be able to do that.  On the days that I don’t have a prep period AND I’m teaching the extra class after school from 3-5pm, I won’t be able to get a post up until the late afternoon early evening.  (Unless I’m really on top of things and write the post on Monday evening, but I have a feeling THAT won’t happen too often).  It’s not a big deal, but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew why my posts were a bit later than normal.

So I thought a timely topic for today (like that alliteration?  That happened without even trying!) would be how I’m planning to handle eating on Easter.  Easter isn’t one of the food holidays that I really worry about, unlike say Christmas, but it is a holiday that my family and I gather around a table for, so it does bring up some concern, especially in terms of weight loss.

For the last several years my family and I have been having an Easter brunch at my parents’ house.  Usually we have some sort of egg, sausage, cheese, & potato casserole along with a baked ham, a fruit salad, and french toast.  My mom’s holiday menus are always packed with food, that’s for sure.

The other day my mom asked me how I was going to handle all the food on Easter since I was doing Medifast.  I thought it was really supportive of her to ask, and I appreciated the fact that she wanted to make sure I had some sort of plan in place.

I figured I could  go one of two ways:

1. Make myself a green salad or some other veggie and eat it along with the ham.        OR…
2. Enjoy small portions of most of the food without guilt.

I’m planning on option #2, which may surprise some of you.  But here’s my thought process:

• I’ve been sticking to “strict Medifast” for almost a week, seeing great success.  There’s no way that I’m going to let one day of eating anything throw me off my game.
• Easter is the only holiday from now through the beginning of July where eating will be an issue.  If I am invited to a bbq for Memorial Day, that’s an easy one to work into my Lean &  Green plan.
• Because of this, I want to enjoy the food for this holiday; I’m not going to be distracted by anything else in the next 2-3 months.
• We’re not talking about any overly caloric food here:
• I’m going to avoid the french toast, because that doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value.
• I’m going to eat the fruit salad even though it has carbs because I’ve been craving fruit.  In fact, I told my mom I’d make it.  I’m planning on doing all berries – strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.  Nothing else on it but a bit of Truvia.
• The egg, sausage, potato, and cheese casserole might be a bit heavier than I would normally eat (because of the potatoes), but it’s all good food.  My mom doesn’t use a lot of fat when she cooks anyway, so I know she won’t be using tons of oil/butter to prepare it.
• Ham is perfectly lean and acceptable.
• I can control my portions.  As I saw when I had my mishap last week, my stomach has shrunk in the last 10 weeks – both in terms of the way my clothes fit and in the amount of food I can comfortably consume.
• I will eat Medifast meals the rest of the day, as needed.  And come Monday morning, I’ll be right back on to my normal 5 and 1 plan.

I’m comfortable with this decision because it makes sense to me.  I’m not worried about going overboard and overeating because I know I won’t.  I’ll just enjoy a lovely brunch with my family and have a good time eating “normally” for the day.

In many ways I’m going to approach Sunday as if I already have the Lap Band in – protein first, small portions and small bites, and stop before I feel full. I think the key is moderation and being a bit stricter the rest of the week.  Treating the day as just that – one day, and in fact ONE MEAL – and not an excuse to go completely off plan.

What’s your plan for Easter Eating?  Will you give yourself the day off or will you be following your weight loss plan?

Read Full Post »

I know I was at Whole Paycheck, but this is RIDICULOUS!

Since I’ve decided to follow Medifast strictly (no more string cheese, Greek yogurt, or almonds as snacks), I figured that I owed it to myself to make my Lean & Green meals really delicious.  And as this idea struck me yesterday, I found myself near Whole Foods.

Now I know that Whole Foods is expensive, but I figured that since was going to buy, well, whole foods – only meat, fish, and veggies – that it wouldn’t be too bad.  I told myself that it was specialty items and packaged foods that were the most expensive there, but that some veggies and protein couldn’t possibly be that much.

Oh how wrong I am sometimes.

Here’s exactly what I bought:

• 1 bunch of dino kale
• 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
• 2 bunches of asparagus
• 1 container of sugar plum tomatoes
• 6 east coast sea scallops
• 6 oz salmon
• 2 small lamb chops
• 1/3 lb imported prosciutto
• Rachel Ray magazine

And the total for this very reasonable list?  Go ahead, guess…. I’ll wait.

.

.

.

.

$75.34!!!!!!

What?  The scallops alone were $22; the salmon $10; the prosciutto $9; the tomatoes $5.  Wow!!!!

I had the lamb chops and asparagus last night, and both were delicious, but not $75 worth of delicious.

So the lesson I’ve taken away from all of this is that I will never, EVER, shop at Whole Food$ again.  Ever.

Instead, I’m going to frequent the farmers markets that are prevalent on the weekends here.  And if I want to treat myself to really good meat, I’m going to go to the local Italian grocery store that’s known for having quality food, and although expensive, it’s not OUTRAGEOUS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, I’ve been doing very well with just having the 5 Medifast meal replacements and the 1 Lean & Green meal with no snacking in between.  And the scale is rewarding me in a big way.  That’s all I’m going to say for now, so if you want to see the details, make sure to check back in on Wednesday for my weigh-in post.

Read Full Post »

Weigh-In Wednesday: Medifast, Week 9

If you read yesterday’s post, you know that today’s news from the scale wasn’t going to be pretty.  Originally I was going to give myself a pass from the scale.  Then I decided (after a great comment from Tina) that I would weigh myself and make a post, but keep it private (only viewable by me).  And then this morning I asked myself, why in the world don’t I want to publicize today’s weigh in?  What am I afraid of?  My readers are some of the most supportive, well-intentioned people I know, and I know they won’t ridicule me.  Plus, it’s no secret that I’m going to have a gain, so, what’s with the mystery?

So, loyal readers and bloggy friends, here is this morning’s scale shot…

Which means I gained 3.6 lbs this week, for a total weight loss of 21.4 pounds in 9 weeks. This isn’t the direction that I want the scale to move in, but it is what it is.  It kills me that I derailed a week and a half worth of weight loss in one evening.  But it is a good warning and reminder to me that this is what can happen when I make the wrong choices or allow myself to get out of control with eating.  It is a significant gain in one week, but it’s not catastrophic.  I can come back from this.

And with hard work this week and some extra time at the gym/being active outside I can turn it around and see a loss.  So the plan for this week, beginning today is no “extra” protein.  I’ve said before that I have customized the Medifast plan so that instead of eating 6-7 oz of protein at the main meal, I eat 4 oz of protein then and then have string cheese, Greek yogurt, and/or almonds as part of my snack to keep me going throughout the day.  Not this week.

This week I’m going to follow the plan the way it was meant to be followed.  Which means only the 5 meal replacements and then 1 lean and green meal (6 oz of protein and 2 cups of veggies, with a bit of healthy oil).  It will be difficult, but since I’m home for the next 5 days (still on Spring Break), I can manage it.  I don’t get as hungry when I’m at home because I’m not up and about as much.  Or I eat later in the morning because I sleep in.  You get the picture.  I can do it.

And when I do it, I should see a bigger loss on the scale next week.  Because Medifast says that the average weight loss is 3-5 pounds a week.  I haven’t been seeing numbers like that (mine are more like 2-3 lbs/week) because of my customization.  Up to this point I’ve been ok with that because I’ve felt like without the extra snacks I wouldn’t have been able to last this long on the program.  But I’m at the point in the journey now that I need to ramp things up a bit.  I know I can manage it, and I also know from past experience that any hunger I feel at first will go away as my body gets used to eating fewer calories.

Moving forward (beyond just this week), I’m going to stick to strict Medifast (no snacks) and see if I can reach my mini goal that much faster. It’s worth a shot, right?  I feel like if I could do a total liquid diet of only 500 calories a day, I can do this.

Read Full Post »