A Tribute to Staying On Plan 100%

So I'm in the final leg of my weight loss journey, with just six pounds to my goal now. I've been a bit lax lately with the condiments and measuring my lean and green meal, and my scale was getting pretty comfortable where it was.

I was sick of seeing that number and decided to reassess my goals and focus on the plan mechanics so I can get to goal and go on transition and maintenance. Within 24 hours of getting back on plan 100%, I'm down almost five pounds, which is testament to how well the plan works, IF YOU FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER!

Now I'm at 128 pounds down (and a BMI of 23.9!), and still can't believe how close I am to goal. I put a copy of my before and "almost" after on my fridge to remind myself of how far I've come and how close I am to getting to where I want to be. It's a great reminder when I'm tempted to have that extra optional snack. You might've seen this pic before, but I just can't stop staring. Seeing it in full color instead of just "knowing" I've lost almost 130 pounds is such a powerful motivator to keep going and never go back to the before picture!

I had discovered a trigger food in peanut butter powder and almonds and had completely eliminated them for a while. This week I decided to give them another go with the mindset that I DO want these things when I get to maintenance, and I HAVE to learn to control myself. If I can't control myself, I won't be allowed to have them. And guess what? I've had NO problem with having them in the house. I've been able to have my allotted amount for the day without having to go back for thirds, and fourths. Just having the mindset that I KNOW they are there, but I WILL NOT let them control me seems to have helped.

Being so close to Maintenace, I've started studying the T&M guides and have figured out my caloric intake for once I get there. I'm pretty confident that I will ALWAYS track my calories, because being aware of what I'm putting in my body will help keep me on track and not put the weight back on, which is SO important. Reading through the Medifast message boards, there are lots of people who were successful on Medifast/TSFL but put the weight back on and are back for a second round. What did they attribute their "failure" to? NOT doing transition and maintenance and going back to their old eating habits.

I know that this is a lifestyle change and I can't go back to how I was eating before starting this process. I will eat whole foods. Nothing processed, no white flour or sugar. I envision Maintenance, at least for me, as lots of fruits and veggies, lean meat and low fat dairy and only whole grains. Being on Medifast this long has completely re-booted my system. This is my chance to start fresh. Truth be told, I'm scared. Medifast is comfortable. Medifast is easy. And it WORKS. Once I'm on maintenance, now I have to be the one making the calorie decisions. But I'm confident that I've been taught the tools I need to be successful.

Here's to the next 6 pounds! I'll post another "after" pic when I get there!

85 lbs down!

If you follow my writing, you'll already know that I've signed a book deal for my romantic suspense, BURN ME, which will be out in January, 2014 from Swoon Romance!

Anyway, I had to take some author photos for the publisher/etc and thought I should share them here, because I STILL can't believe how much different I look! 

Photo copyright 2013 Shelley Watters.
Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Celebrating 80 Pounds Down

This post is a little late, since I hit 80 lbs down on Sunday, but better late than never, right?

(For the record, it's 107 lbs down since my highest weight, with 80 lbs down since March 4th with Take Shape For Life!)

Anyway, I thought I'd mark this momentous occasion with some pictures to commemorate how far I've come. For those of you who know me from my online communities, you'll know that this is a HUGE deal for me to post something other than just a artfully cropped head shot. You're about to see why...

Ready?

2004 - at my highest weight

July 30th, 2013 - 107 lbs down from my heaviest, 80 lbs down thanks to TSFL!

On March 4th, 2013 I never expected to be where I am today. I never expected to be fitting into the size that I am in, let alone posting a full-body picture of myself willingly. I still have about 50 lbs to go, but that unattainable goal is suddenly attainable! 

As my weight melted off, people started asking me what I was doing. At 50 lbs down, I started to consider becoming a health coach for Take Shape For Life. When I hit 80 lbs down, I decided I couldn't wait any longer. My entire journey I've been kicking myself that I didn't know about this plan YEARS ago. I spent my entire adult life obese. Had I known about TFSL back then, I could have experienced my pregnancies at a healthy weight rather than being high risk and diabetic. So I made a vow to help others discover this fantastic plan.

Anyway, this isn't a sales pitch for TSFL. I would be promoting it regardless of whether or not I became a health coach because it's the first program that has WORKED for me. The other plans I tried worked for about 30 lbs, and that's when I'd start finding ways to cheat. There's no way to cheat on this plan. And as long as you stick to it, it'll work. 

So there's my big announcement, with some long-awaited full-body pictures. Now you can understand why I only posted artfully cropped pictures of my face. It was the only part of my body I wasn't ashamed of. Now I'm proud of the entire package, even with the weight I still have to lose!

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!

What Fifty Pounds Looks Like

This entry is hard to write. I want to throw up when I look at the "before" picture. The only reason I'm posting is so whenever I'm feeling discouraged, or tempted to cheat, I can go back and see them side-by-side to see how far I've come. And I've still got a long way to go.

On that note, I think I lost all fifty pounds in my face (or chin(s)?)...  LOL The black and white photo was taken in 2006, at my heaviest. The color picture was taken today, April 4th, 2013, fifty-six pounds lighter. Did I mention I still have a long way to go? (Hence the face-shot only hehe)