My Week In Review: Week 11

Total pounds lost: 46
Total inches lost: 36.3

Pounds lost this week: 2.1

Inches lost this week: 5.8

Pounds lost since highest weight: 74.4

Mommy's Shrinking!

So I've come to the conclusion that, at least for me, my weight loss alternates between pounds and inches. If I have a great poundage loss week, the inches lost is small. But, the next week I have a low poundage loss, but high inches lost. As long as something on me is shrinking, I'm happy!

My 3 year old said the sweetest thing to me the other day, completely out of the blue. I haven't really discussed my weight loss in front of them, so to have her say it just floored me. She said "Mommy, you're shrinking!" Out of the mouth of babes....

So I finally figured out how to make a photo collage. lol. Here's a before and "during" picture. The first was at my highest weight, the second was of me 75lbs down (46 down and counting thanks to Medifast). It's just crazy to see the side-by-side, and actually makes me a little sick to my stomach. I didn't realize until seeing them side-by-side just how much I've changed, because when I look in the mirror I still see the same person as the before picture.

Two Wheeled Fun

For Mother's day, my lovely family bought me my first bike in over 15 years! I was always too scared of popping the tires/bending the wheels to ever sit my fat butt on a bike. But after dropping nearly fifty pounds, I decided to give it a go, and discovered that not only do they make bikes to fit large riders, but that I fit just fine within the weight limits of regular bikes!

I've been on two bike rides (around the park) and LOVE my new bike! It's such a nice feeling knowing I'm doing something that not only counts as exercise, but is FUN while doing it! Woot!

Recipes 

With the school year coming to an end, I'm finding myself strapped for time. So, I've been making my standard recipes (the ones on the blog so far) for most of my lean & greens. I did, however, come up with two new recipes over the past two weeks, I just haven't had time to blog them! Those are for Chile Rellenos and Big Macs! The Chile Relleno recipe has been approved by Nutrition Support and will be posted soon. The next time I make the Big Mac recipe I'll remember to take a picture and will post when I do! Keep checking back because I will be posting the Chile Relleno recipe soon!

Product Reviews

I've worked up a couple product reviews that will be posted soon. They are for the Medifast Southwest Eggs, Sloppy Joe Mix, and Lemon Meringue bars. All of them = YUM! :) Again, stay tuned, because I haven't posted them yet (I've been SOOOO busy!) but plan to soon!

My Week In Review: Week 10

Total pounds lost: 44
Total inches lost: 30.5

Pounds lost this week: 5.1

Inches lost this week: 2.5

Pounds lost since highest weight: 72.4

Sorry I didn't update for week 10 - life has been crazy around here! 

My Week In Review: Week 9

Total pounds lost: 38.9
Total inches lost: 28

Pounds lost this week: 3.1 

Inches lost this week: 1.5
(I changed what I was tracking for inches lost this week - adding in an area that I knew the initial measurement for - that's why you see a HUGE inches lost # this week. For the usual tracking, I lost 1.5 inches this week and 20 inches overall :) )

Time Flies When You're.... Losing Weight???

I'm thrilled with my weight loss this week. After last week's stall, anything I lost that is more than 0 is a good week! I still need to wean myself off of weighing daily, since sometimes it will go UP or not budge for a few days. That's SO depressing when that happens! (But I know it will go down so long as I'm staying 100% on-plan

I'm absolutely floored at the fact that I've just finished up week 9 on Medifast. I can't believe how much I've lost, and how much my body, energy, mood, and everything else has changed in such a short amount of time!

I really didn't expect to be here at just nine weeks on the program. I had this unrealistic goal of being at my goal weight by the end of the year. While I can't guarantee it'll happen, it's looking more realistic now!

Change Your Perspective by Changing Your Perspective

I'm not sure if it's because of how easy I've found its been for me to stick with my Medifast plan, or the support I've received on the Medifast boards, or watching SO many other people on the boards losing hundreds of pounds and hitting their goal weight (and STAYING there), but I feel my perspective on weight loss changing.

Prior to starting Medifast, I felt like losing weight was an impossible dream. I'd done Atkins. I'd done Weight Watchers. I'd done the Mayo Clinic diet. I'd tried the prescribed pills (ewwwww by the way). Every time, I'd lose about 30 lbs, hit a plateau, then gain it all back (plus some). This is the first time that I've been on a plan and thought "This is EASY. I can DO this." I don't see that goal as a far-off unattainable number. I know that if I stick with the plan, and don't cheat, the weight will continue to melt off until I'm at that magical number that seemed more like travelling to Mars than an attainable goal.

Maybe that's why this plan is working for me. Because I know it WILL work for me, as long as I do my part. And that's adhering to the plan, 100%, no excuses, no cheating. I've done it for two and a half months. I can do it until I hit my goal. And when that happens, oh, baby, will I have a party! (Complete with a watermelon cake like this one, lol)

If you've tried everything else and have found it hasn't worked for you, I'd suggest ordering a two-week supply of Medifast and going balls-to-the-wall for two weeks. See how much weight you can lose in two weeks. See if you like/can stand the food. See how great you feel after you're a few pounds lighter. See if that donut tastes as amazing as your body being healthier feels.

That's what I did. Nine weeks later, I'm 40 lbs. thinner. I'm a million times healthier. I'm off my medications. I'm exercising every. single. day. I'm in the best shape I've been since high school. I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world, especially not some greasy fat-laden cheeseburger. Nothing tastes as great as skinny feels. And I'm not skinny yet, but I'm working on it! :)

Recipes

I've gotten a little lax this week in terms of developing new recipes. I've had a lot going on with my internship and in my writing career and haven't had much time to devote to trying new things. I did make a Pesto Salad Pizza that was TO DIE FOR, but I need to correct the recipe, now that I've gotten Nutrition Support's feedback on my original crust recipe. (If you want to try it in the meantime, just reduce the cheese in the crust from 1/2 cup to 3/8 cup).

I also started a page with general "FAQ" type stuff about Medifast, more for my own reference than for anyone else's. It's that parking spot for all the stuff I've had to google, found the answer for, didn't bookmark, and had to google all over again. Stuff like where Laughing Cow Cheese fits into the plan, etc. If you have anything to add, just comment and I'll add it to the list!

My Week In Review: Week 8

Total pounds lost: 35.5
Total inches lost: 18.5

Pounds lost this week: 0.6

Inches lost this week: 1.5

Weight Loss Stall

I went into a stall this week. From Friday of last week on, I didn't lose an ounce. In fact, I gained a pound! I racked my brain trying to figure out where I'd screwed up. Yeah, we'd eaten out a couple times, but I'd tried my hardest to select items on-plan (salads with grilled chicken, no cheese, sauce on the side). Other than that, I know I was on plan 100%. 

The big difference was that I'd increased my exercise routine. I'd been doing 15-20 minutes of walking, every day since week 3, increasing the mph I was walking. This week I'd bumped it up to 30 minutes per day.

After searching the Medifast discussion boards, it appeared that the exercise might be the culprit. The Medifast Nutrition Support/Personal Trainers said that you can over-exercise and send yourself into conservation/starvation mode. Symptoms include being hungry, tired, irritable. 

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. I decided to cut back on the exercise (doing it every other day vs every day) and bumped up my water intake from 64 oz to 128 oz/day to try and help break the stall. Thursday morning, a two pound loss on the scale.

*Queue angels singing*

I still find it hard to believe that I was over-exercising. I felt great, in fact, working out daily. I was just depressed with the scale not budging/going in the wrong direction. But when you think about it, Medifast keeps you at about 800 calories. My workout was burning 200, leaving my body just 600 calories to work with. Thinking about it that way, it makes total sense that my body was in starvation mode.

Going forward, I'll be working out just every other day until the weight loss tapers down, then I'll bump it up slowly.

(I worked out Thursday evening, apparently still too much, because I was up this morning a bit. ) :(

Making Mistakes

I learned something this week: don't ever, EVER, EVER trust that something on a menu is healthy unless you check the nutrition guidelines. Yeah, this seems like common sense. This hit home for me when I ate out with my kids for lunch yesterday. I ordered my usual, steamed veggies with a double order of teriyaki chicken, sauce on the side (my kids love the sauce, so I give it to them to put on their rice), and pick out the carrots from the veggies (for some reason my kids won't eat these... o.O) 

I have ordered this meal from Panda Express probably once or twice a month since starting Medifast. I was tentative the first time I ordered it, but my scale moved in the right direction the next day, so I figured it was fine. I weighed out the chicken the first time to see how much it was - nearly 9 oz of chicken! I gave 3 oz to the kids. Never once did I think to check the nutrition facts. I knew the sauce they marinated it in probably was a little off-plan, but how bad could it possibly be? it's not like it's swimming in sauce.

So yesterday after devouring my lunch, I decided to check the nutrition facts. *Queue horrified scream here*

The veggies were 70 calories, with over half of that from fat. The chicken? 250 calories a portion (and I had a double portion - 3oz)! Granted, I'm guessing that was including the sauce they drench the chicken in, but still. Holy. Moly. 

I totally screwed myself. I was in a stall as it was, and now I had completely blown it. After breathing into a paper bag for a while, I jumped on the Medifast message boards and posted my screw up. Within minutes I had a bunch of people just like me telling me not to skip my meals and that I would be okay. Forgive myself for making the mistake, chalk it up to a learning experience and move on.  If you're doing Medifast and haven't found the boards yet, DO. They are AMAZING!

I had already vowed not to let it derail me from my plan (although PE is dead to me now. lol). But it was so reassuring to know I wasn't alone and that I'd survive and it was okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from it. 

My big lesson? ALWAYS check the nutrition facts for restaurants before eating there.

Doctor's Like To See You Succeed Too! 

I had my 3 month follow up last night. As a diabetic, you have to see your doctor every 3 months to ensure that your treatment plan is working and your diabetes is in check. I knew when my doctor nearly bulldozed my nurse to get into the room that he'd just looked at my test results. 

He literally was dancing in the office, he was so happy about my progress. When I first went to see him, in January of 2012, I wasn't taking care of my diabetes. I was in denial that I had it, and my A1C of 8.0 showed that. My A1C this time around was 5.7. When I informed him that I'd stopped taking ALL of my medications 2 weeks into the program, which was 6 weeks prior to the blood test, he literally fell out of his chair. My blood pressure is normal. My A1C was at non-diabetic levels. 

We parted ways with a plan to follow up in 3 months, and if my progress continues to improve (which it will - I'm not stopping until I'm at my goal weight, and even then I'm in this for life!), we can extend the frequency in which I see him. 

*Happy dance*

Wrap Up and Recipes

So that's it. Sorry about the long post, but I had a lot to say this week! ;)

I've developed some new recipes, including a Broccoli and Cheese Grilled Cheese and a Breakfast Sandwich . I also developed some recipes but didn't take pictures of them. They include a Cobb Salad, Shrimp with Garlic sauce, and a Greek Salad. I'll post those recipes next time I make the dish (and I'll take pictures too! Hehe!) 

Sometimes it's not about what the scale says, but the test results and the tape measure that really makes your day. If you're going through a stall on the scale, see what other ways you can measure your success. Don't let it get you down! 

Until next week, Onward and Downward! ;)

My Week in Review: Week 7

Total pounds lost: 34.9
Total inches lost: 17

Pounds lost this week: 4.5

Inches lost this week: 4

I've been glued to the news and wondering what the world has come to, that so much bad can happen in one week.  So with that, I'm not going to talk about my week, because in perspective, it really doesn't matter. My heart goes out to the people in Boston, MA and West, TX. I hope that you can begin to heal. 

My Week In Review: Week 6

Total pounds lost: 30.3
Total inches lost: 13

Pounds lost this week: 2.8

Inches lost this week: 0 :(

This was a great week, weight-loss wise. Definitely not my biggest weight loss week, but as you ladies know, some weeks you even expect a gain, if you know what I mean. ;)

My fitness level has increased, and I'm walking a full mph faster for the duration of my work-out! This mph would have been "jogging" at my heaviest, and I'd only sustain it for a few minutes. Pretty proud about that. And somehow I've started LIKING exercise. I'm actually looking forward to my workout tonight, because I feel my body changing as a result. It's an amazing motivator.

I developed a few new recipes this week, including Medifast Peanut Butter Cups/Buckeyes, Crab stuffed mushrooms, etc. Check out all the new yumminess here.

I also tried a few recipes, including Medifast broccoli soup grilled cheese and the Medifast breakfast sandwich, of course tweaked to make them my own. Both were delicious and a nice change from the usual fare. I'll post those recipes soon.

I also tried Pure Silk Almond Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla) on my Medifast cereal this morning. It was SOOO good. I've come to the conclusion that the best thing Medifast has done for me is how it has changed how I look at food. The smallest things are amazing, and completely filling now. It would have been two bites before. I'm learning to savor the food instead of wolfing it down just because I could.

I'm not letting the lack of inches lost get me down. I had an amazing total lost last week, so I figure my body is just trying to catch up. :)

My new motto is "Drink till you slosh". It's absolutely true. I have this Rubbermaid 64 oz jug that I fill up in the morning and it's my new sidekick. If I go somewhere, so does my jug. :) I definitely see my water-intake efforts reflected in the scale the next day. If I don't get my water in, no loss!

My Week In Review: Week 5

Total pounds lost: 27.5
Total inches lost: 13

Pounds lost this week: 6.7

Inches lost this week: 6

I wasn't thrilled with my 1.7 lb loss last week, but it was a loss so I was happy. I figured my weight loss had slowed to the "average loss of 1-2 lbs per week" Medifast advertises. So I was absolutely THRILLED when my weight loss kicked up this week! Looking at the pattern, I'm going to guess next week might be a slower loss week as my body tries to catch up. It seems to go big loss, small loss, big loss. Which, as long as the number on that scale is going in the right direction, I'm fine with :)

My big accomplishment this week was posting a "before and after" picture from my heaviest weight to current. No full-body pictures until I'm closer to my goal. But just looking at the side-by-side pictures of my face, I can't believe I was ever that big. I'm sure as I move forward, I'll look back on my picture from yesterday and go "I can't believe I was ever that big".

I developed some new recipes, including bunless burgers with green bean fries and Asian chicken lettuce wraps. You can find all my recipes here. The chicken lettuce wrap recipe has not been posted yet, but will be soon!

I got my new shipment of Medifast this week, and everything new I ordered is fantastic. I'll be posting reviews as I have time. A few new items this week were: Spiced Pancakes, Beef Vegetable Soup, Caramel Crunch Bar, Strawberry Crunch Bar, Fruit and Nut Crunch Bar, Apple Cinnamon Soy crisps. They were all delicious!

One aspect of my weight loss journey I really need to work on is getting in the habit of exercising. I have TONS of energy, and I've been using that to clean, garden, go on outings, etc. By the time it's time for me to exercise, I'm exhausted. But my goal for next week is to hit the treadmill at least every other day. Slow and steady wins the race.

Someone posted a meme on my FB feed the other day, with an inspirational message that really struck me. "No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch." There was no author listed, but I wish I could hug them. Even tiny steps are better than no steps at all.

Thank you all for coming with me on this journey!

My Week in Review : Week 4

Total pounds lost: 20.8

Pounds lost this week: 1.7

Inches lost this week: 0 :(

I feel fantastic. It's crazy how in just four weeks, I've lost over 20 lbs. My energy is through the roof. My clothes are falling off. My husband can see a difference (even though I don't think I can). 

But the best part is my other numbers. The ones the scale doesn't see. My blood pressure and my glucose levels have been exceptional even after stopping my medications two weeks ago. This, alone, was my first goal when I started this weight loss journey. 

But I'm not done. I have a LONG way to go. I'll post a "before" picture soon, but it's a "before" picture from my heaviest weight, when I got married in 2003. Yeah, I was a fat bride. It didn't phase me then, but looking back (which was FIFTY pounds ago) I am horrified at what I did to my body, simply with poor food choices and being too busy to exercise. 

I started incorporating exercise back into my routine this week. Starting slow to make sure I don't burn myself out too fast or go into starvation mode. I'm guessing that's why I didn't see a big loss this week, because my body is freaking out going "NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" LOL.

Thank you all for following along with me as I continue this journey to being healthy. 

**(Teensy update 3/31/13: I'm two days into week five, and I've already lost 3 lbs. bringing my total to 23.8 down!! But you'll see that update on my week 5 post. ;) )**