After returning from vacation, I had a few weeks where the weight loss was not that great. I really wanted to lose alot more than I had at this point, yet I was starting to see a difference in how I saw was looking in the mirror. I had dreaded the mirror for so many years, that for the first few weeks, I still didn't really see change. I guess it also had alot to do with the fact that there was alot to lose.
As I have said in past posts, I try to set mini goals along the way to give me something to work for in between the big goal I am working towards. My next goal was to set a 50 pound loss, which is halfway for the 100 pound loss I set in the beginning of all this...Well I made it! People are starting to ask me now what I am doing. I find it hilarious to see how someone asks you what you have done, without implying you were fat before this. They sort of tip-toe around it with lines like "You look so healthy, what are you doing?", and "Wow, your pants look a little loose,are you losing some weight?". At that moment, I just want to say Thanks for noticing and yes my once fat behind is shrinking. LOL.
I knew if I could get to my halfway point it would be an amazing feeling. I am not quite sure how I got here really. Can someone PLEASE pinch me. Is this for real? It has all happened really fast. The food has been so good and the entire program has been so basic and easy to follow. It all seems too good to be true. I have started trying alot of the recipes I'm finding out there for Medifast clients. I even decided to create this Blog after being into reading other blogs, and I also have created a Group on Facebook called Medifast Buddies. I found that there were lots of little tidbits that I had to find out on my own and was constantly seeing posts and questions come up...I wanted to help. I am so very passionate about the Medifast way of life, and no other diet has gotten me to this level. I celebrate in the little things that others may find funny. I have accomplished alot, and I am only halfway done. Of course, after losing the weight, I have the task of keeping it off once and for all.
I no longer lose my breath when I go up a small flight of stairs. My thighs don't rub together when I walk. I am wearing clothes that I hadn't worn in a very long time. I don't snore and stop breathing when I sleep. And the biggest thing, is that I am no longer in an area of concern of being Type 2 Diabetic. What was I thinking all those years? And why was I never able to get there until now. I think it was mostly because I didn't want to be there. I didn't really commit to diets before, like I am now, and I wasn't on a program that worked.
Medifast is a science from what I can tell. A plan that is based on 5 Medifast Packaged Meals that you mix and match from and 1 Lean Protein Low Carb (Lean and Green) Meal each day. You buy the food thru Medifast or a Health Coach and away you go. At the end of the this post, I have lost a total of 54 pounds. I am still going strong and still learning new things about eating healthy along the way. I am playing basketball with my kids.
What has hit home the hardest for me was when my son gave me a hug and without words I could feel him wrap his arms around me and grab his other hand and say "hmmm, that's cool". I ask him what he meant and he said I can reach all the way around you now and give you a real hug. I can touch my other hand. I felt sad and happy all in the same moment. Sad because I had allowed myself to get to that badly overweight point in my life, where a smile was fake, and happiness was superficial. I was happy now, because people were taking notice of my efforts. I was accomplishing something I had not been able to accomplish up till now. I could never lose 5 pounds and now I had lost 54 pounds. I feel incredible and I am only halfway thru the program! I feel like I can fly.
I am happy inside and out for the first time in a long time. My husband thinks it's funny that I want my picture taken all the time when I used to get mad if someone got my picture.
Click My Heals...I Wanna Go Home!
Ok, so as I have said...so far so good on the Medifast plan. My family and I planned a fun vacation in March. It was a Texas Road Trip consisting of many stops in and around the beautiful Hill Country. I can tell you that I was really nervous and feeling anxious about doing well during the trip. I took the time to plan far ahead and figure my meals. I had my pre-mixed drinks in the cooler, and all my own dry goods packed and ready for the trip...I was as prepared as I think I could have been being fairly new to this program.
From the very first day, I felt off my game. I wasn't as confident as I had been in weeks past. I just wanted to succeed and stay on plan the entire trip..It is a bit scary when you get into a zone and everything is clicking along and then it changes up on you. I figured I had to learn sooner or later so why not now. We headed out on the trip and the drive up went well..Our first stop was to a Dude Ranch..What fun that was! A really neat experience. Of course part of our package included a Chuck Wagon Meal. Right off the bat, I had to figure out how to eat dinner and stay OP. I was hungry because it was my normal eating time..they took us on this cool wagon ride to the riverside where we had a BBQ meal prepared for us...It was BBQ Beef, Chicken, Sausage, and Ribs plus Beans, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, and Corn on the Cob...oh and did I mention Cornbread too!? They had pretty much nothing I could eat..so here is what I did...I ate some Chicken and some dill pickle slices and one bite of coleslaw. I don't know if that was close to be good, but I needed to eat something..It would be hours before they took us back to the camp..Again, I could have carried a bar or something with me..but I though they would have Salad and a Lean Meat...I did have my Salad Spritzer in my backpack..The next night on the Ranch was not much better other than I was more prepared with an extra MF Meal. Again no fresh veggies or salad was served. Breakfast offerings were not much better...but I was able to get a small egg white omelet made..I almost forgot about the campfire sing-a-long each night. There was of course Smores being made that I had to miss out on...That was a tough one...not even a single marshmellow. After two days on the dude ranch, we got back on the road. I had put stuff within reach to get me thru the next few pitstops. All in all it was going well, but as the week progressed, dinners got harder and harder. I felt out of control and had no idea how on plan I really was. We had planned to eat Lunch and Dinner on our own. Breakfast had been pre-planned to have free at every hotel. The guys could eat and I could have a shake. This way I would just have one of my meals to worry about. Each evening, I would prepare food that could be put in the cooler for the guys..like sandwiches.
When I would get to each restaurant, I got the menu in my hands and would start to look..left, right, up, and down..I would examine the entire menu trying to figure out what I could have or how I could put together a LG Meal....ya know what I found? There are very little LG options in the restaurants today. Everything I found required modification. No wonder America is fighting with an Obesity issue. Local eats serve what sells rather than what is good for ya. I was so angry. I got so flustered the first evening that I ordered a basic dinner salad thinking I could not go wrong w/a grilled chicken breast ...When it got to the table, the chicken looked like it had some kind of grease all over it...not typical for grilled food...and the salad came swimming in cheese and croutons.. I never thought to ask what was on the dinner salad because usually a basic is just lettuce. I spent the next 10 minutes picking everything off. Back in the day I would have asked for extra of it. My dinner was not going well and my stomach was in such knots. I was not a happy camper. Reality Check...Meltdown...My first chance to proove I could do this and was failing. I ate the food, but in my gut I knew it had not been prepared the way I needed it to be. I should have asked for something else or said something, but I felt uncomfortable about being a burden and just ate it. I had no idea how much the piece of meat weighed, no idea how much veggies I had eating....and to top it all off, I had to do this for 6 more nights. No telling what was gonna happen with the scale after this trip. I almost wanted to head home at that very moment.
They say at the end of every storm there is a rainbow. My week was pretty much the same all the way threw..stormy. The snacks and Lunch parts went pretty well...but dinner time was rough for me...It was as if the Menu was heavier than I was! Maybe there were healthy choices and I didn't want to see them deep down inside...but I swear everytime we sat at the table the Menu was horrible and the choices were equally as bad. I walked out of many of those eating establishments thinking I was never gonna get to eat out again. My social life had just ended. But as I said, there is a rainbow...I did things on this vacation that I have never done before and even my kids and hubby got a kick out of seeing a me with tons of energy and ready to go! We had went and played Tennis, Basketball, walks, rode horses, and more....heck I even got on the exercise equipment at the hotels...I never knew they existed before now...but I knew where the free food was! LOL...My biggest accomplishment was when we went on a 3 mile hike to go see these falls in Colorado Bend State Park...called the Gorman Falls...I would have never walked that far...heck I was climbing rocks to get to the falls...I DID IT! and it was well worth it because the falls were simply breathtaking...see what I would have missed. Another rainbow!
In the end the hardest thing I did was eating out...I will have those days where I can do that again, but for now I need to avoid eating out. It is safer that way. I will get to do that again..just not now. Overall, it was one of our best vacations ever and I survived it being OP, or at least attempting to be OP.. You just don't know how the food is prepared, and what they cook things in. But I was able to counter that by getting in alot of exercise which is what saved me that week... I did lose weight that week...but very little.
My favorite movie growing up was the Wizard of Oz...Growing up after losing my Mom, I felt alone alot even when I was surrounded by alot of people who loved me...The movie always reminded me that no matter how bad things got, there was no place like home...I wanted to click by ruby slippers together so many times on that trip and just be home, but I toughed it out and I learned what I need to avoid for right now. Next trip, I think I will hit a local grocery store and just buy things...or pre-make some turkey burgers or something like that...I won't make the same mistakes twice. This entire journey is a learning process.
On my next blog, I am gonna take you all the way up to my latest milestone...Wait till you hear where I am at now in my journey...I know it wont all be perfect, but for now, I am having the time of my life and enjoying getting the weight off. I will be current after the next post and all caught up..I can't wait to be up to speed in my blog...Thanks for reading!
From the very first day, I felt off my game. I wasn't as confident as I had been in weeks past. I just wanted to succeed and stay on plan the entire trip..It is a bit scary when you get into a zone and everything is clicking along and then it changes up on you. I figured I had to learn sooner or later so why not now. We headed out on the trip and the drive up went well..Our first stop was to a Dude Ranch..What fun that was! A really neat experience. Of course part of our package included a Chuck Wagon Meal. Right off the bat, I had to figure out how to eat dinner and stay OP. I was hungry because it was my normal eating time..they took us on this cool wagon ride to the riverside where we had a BBQ meal prepared for us...It was BBQ Beef, Chicken, Sausage, and Ribs plus Beans, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, and Corn on the Cob...oh and did I mention Cornbread too!? They had pretty much nothing I could eat..so here is what I did...I ate some Chicken and some dill pickle slices and one bite of coleslaw. I don't know if that was close to be good, but I needed to eat something..It would be hours before they took us back to the camp..Again, I could have carried a bar or something with me..but I though they would have Salad and a Lean Meat...I did have my Salad Spritzer in my backpack..The next night on the Ranch was not much better other than I was more prepared with an extra MF Meal. Again no fresh veggies or salad was served. Breakfast offerings were not much better...but I was able to get a small egg white omelet made..I almost forgot about the campfire sing-a-long each night. There was of course Smores being made that I had to miss out on...That was a tough one...not even a single marshmellow. After two days on the dude ranch, we got back on the road. I had put stuff within reach to get me thru the next few pitstops. All in all it was going well, but as the week progressed, dinners got harder and harder. I felt out of control and had no idea how on plan I really was. We had planned to eat Lunch and Dinner on our own. Breakfast had been pre-planned to have free at every hotel. The guys could eat and I could have a shake. This way I would just have one of my meals to worry about. Each evening, I would prepare food that could be put in the cooler for the guys..like sandwiches.
When I would get to each restaurant, I got the menu in my hands and would start to look..left, right, up, and down..I would examine the entire menu trying to figure out what I could have or how I could put together a LG Meal....ya know what I found? There are very little LG options in the restaurants today. Everything I found required modification. No wonder America is fighting with an Obesity issue. Local eats serve what sells rather than what is good for ya. I was so angry. I got so flustered the first evening that I ordered a basic dinner salad thinking I could not go wrong w/a grilled chicken breast ...When it got to the table, the chicken looked like it had some kind of grease all over it...not typical for grilled food...and the salad came swimming in cheese and croutons.. I never thought to ask what was on the dinner salad because usually a basic is just lettuce. I spent the next 10 minutes picking everything off. Back in the day I would have asked for extra of it. My dinner was not going well and my stomach was in such knots. I was not a happy camper. Reality Check...Meltdown...My first chance to proove I could do this and was failing. I ate the food, but in my gut I knew it had not been prepared the way I needed it to be. I should have asked for something else or said something, but I felt uncomfortable about being a burden and just ate it. I had no idea how much the piece of meat weighed, no idea how much veggies I had eating....and to top it all off, I had to do this for 6 more nights. No telling what was gonna happen with the scale after this trip. I almost wanted to head home at that very moment.
They say at the end of every storm there is a rainbow. My week was pretty much the same all the way threw..stormy. The snacks and Lunch parts went pretty well...but dinner time was rough for me...It was as if the Menu was heavier than I was! Maybe there were healthy choices and I didn't want to see them deep down inside...but I swear everytime we sat at the table the Menu was horrible and the choices were equally as bad. I walked out of many of those eating establishments thinking I was never gonna get to eat out again. My social life had just ended. But as I said, there is a rainbow...I did things on this vacation that I have never done before and even my kids and hubby got a kick out of seeing a me with tons of energy and ready to go! We had went and played Tennis, Basketball, walks, rode horses, and more....heck I even got on the exercise equipment at the hotels...I never knew they existed before now...but I knew where the free food was! LOL...My biggest accomplishment was when we went on a 3 mile hike to go see these falls in Colorado Bend State Park...called the Gorman Falls...I would have never walked that far...heck I was climbing rocks to get to the falls...I DID IT! and it was well worth it because the falls were simply breathtaking...see what I would have missed. Another rainbow!
In the end the hardest thing I did was eating out...I will have those days where I can do that again, but for now I need to avoid eating out. It is safer that way. I will get to do that again..just not now. Overall, it was one of our best vacations ever and I survived it being OP, or at least attempting to be OP.. You just don't know how the food is prepared, and what they cook things in. But I was able to counter that by getting in alot of exercise which is what saved me that week... I did lose weight that week...but very little.
My favorite movie growing up was the Wizard of Oz...Growing up after losing my Mom, I felt alone alot even when I was surrounded by alot of people who loved me...The movie always reminded me that no matter how bad things got, there was no place like home...I wanted to click by ruby slippers together so many times on that trip and just be home, but I toughed it out and I learned what I need to avoid for right now. Next trip, I think I will hit a local grocery store and just buy things...or pre-make some turkey burgers or something like that...I won't make the same mistakes twice. This entire journey is a learning process.
On my next blog, I am gonna take you all the way up to my latest milestone...Wait till you hear where I am at now in my journey...I know it wont all be perfect, but for now, I am having the time of my life and enjoying getting the weight off. I will be current after the next post and all caught up..I can't wait to be up to speed in my blog...Thanks for reading!
50? Where Did The Years Go?
I guess I should start by mentioning that I never thought I would even see this day. When you lose a parent at the age of 12, and they die at the very young age of 45, you tend to wonder if you yourself will see beyond that age. I will never forget waking up on my 45th birthday with the sinking feeling that my life was over and my end days were very near. Combine that with the fact that I too was overweight like my Mom. It was a very tough time in my life. As each year has past, I wondered if it was my time. I have spent most of my entire life (since my Mom died) living each moment like it was my last, trying to get an entire life crowded into to 45 years. What is funny is that I was so worried about dying young, yet I wasn't taking care of my health. Go figure.
I am not sure if I am what they call an emotional eater. Since I started the Medifast diet, I find myself trying to figure how I managed to get where I did. Knowing that my weight issues could only hurt me...why? I am still searching for that answer, but I guess if we knew the answer to being overweight, we would not have the problems in our country that we do. For now, I am just feeling extremely blessed that I have woke up and found a program that actually is working for me. Medifast has been crazy easy and the results have been quick.
I can't believe that I turned 50 this year. Where did the years go? While I have suffered incredible loss at a young age, I have also been blessed beyond measure over my adult years.. An incredible husband, 2 awesome boys, loving family, a great job, beautiful home, and some of the best friendships ever. For the last 20 something years, I have really only lacked one thing.....being happy with how I looked and felt about weight. I now realize that I am not gonna die at the same age as my Mom..I don't know when that day will be. Only God knows my days, but I plan to live out the remaining years differently, starting with my weight. I created this blog to inspire others to make a change like I am doing, and to say to those who think they are too old to change their weight issues....it is NEVER TOO LATE!
You know from the earlier post that I made it thru my first month on the Medifast program. I am happy to report that Month two and three were more of the same success story..Thanks to the Medifast program I am losing weight at a steady pace and people are now starting to take notice..so am I. I re-set my goal to lose 40 pounds by my Vacation/Birthday week....I DID IT! I made it just in time for our Vacation...I'm feeling the best I have felt in years. I actually made my goal and I can't tell you how great that felt for me. When you lose enough that people start to really notice the difference, and your clothes start falling off...that drives you to a whole new level..I was on my game and things were going great...until vacation. I will tell you in my next post what happened while on my Birthday vacation week... Happy Birthday to me..I'm 50!? OMG, Where did the years go?
I am not sure if I am what they call an emotional eater. Since I started the Medifast diet, I find myself trying to figure how I managed to get where I did. Knowing that my weight issues could only hurt me...why? I am still searching for that answer, but I guess if we knew the answer to being overweight, we would not have the problems in our country that we do. For now, I am just feeling extremely blessed that I have woke up and found a program that actually is working for me. Medifast has been crazy easy and the results have been quick.
I can't believe that I turned 50 this year. Where did the years go? While I have suffered incredible loss at a young age, I have also been blessed beyond measure over my adult years.. An incredible husband, 2 awesome boys, loving family, a great job, beautiful home, and some of the best friendships ever. For the last 20 something years, I have really only lacked one thing.....being happy with how I looked and felt about weight. I now realize that I am not gonna die at the same age as my Mom..I don't know when that day will be. Only God knows my days, but I plan to live out the remaining years differently, starting with my weight. I created this blog to inspire others to make a change like I am doing, and to say to those who think they are too old to change their weight issues....it is NEVER TOO LATE!
You know from the earlier post that I made it thru my first month on the Medifast program. I am happy to report that Month two and three were more of the same success story..Thanks to the Medifast program I am losing weight at a steady pace and people are now starting to take notice..so am I. I re-set my goal to lose 40 pounds by my Vacation/Birthday week....I DID IT! I made it just in time for our Vacation...I'm feeling the best I have felt in years. I actually made my goal and I can't tell you how great that felt for me. When you lose enough that people start to really notice the difference, and your clothes start falling off...that drives you to a whole new level..I was on my game and things were going great...until vacation. I will tell you in my next post what happened while on my Birthday vacation week... Happy Birthday to me..I'm 50!? OMG, Where did the years go?
Moving Forward..Picking Up Speed!
You know how you always start out with such gusto? I made it thru day 1 without a hitch. I had read where lots of Medifasters were feeling bad for the first few days, but I can honestly say my body was really liking this and I was heading into this with a very positive outlook. I know it sounds strange to say at this point in the game, but I really felt different about losing weight this time. Maybe because I really need to succeed more than ever. I need this...
I can tell you that about a week into this I got an incredible energy boost. They call that Ketosis, or the fat-burning state... It is the best place to be in this program and the place the program is designed to get you to if you follow the exact plan. It is in this state that the pounds fly off like crazy. In my case, 100 pounds could be gone in a matter of months and the thought of that just blew my mind. Ketosis was for sure a feeling as much as a state of being.... I was running around the house cleaning everything, and even had a bit of a spring in my step. It was really nice to have some energy again.
I will say the majority of my first week was spent just trying to get myself used to the program. I was never much of a breakfast person, and I rarely drank plain water prior to the program. Plain water actually makes me sick. I now had to balance eating 6 times a day, plus an optional snack AND get in 64oz of water every day... See, the first week you spend trying out alot of the food and figuring out what your taste buds will handle... I read somewhere on the Medifast site where you can actually order samples of everything. Wish I would have known that... There was alot I didn't like and alot I was scared to try. The Oatmeal and Soup was a bit strange and I still haven't got used to it... I started my first week on mostly shakes, because I wanted to do everything right. I slowly added in more MF options as the week progressed....my favorites at this point are Choco Shakes, Choco Pudding, Peanut Butter Bars...and Puffs.... I am doing ok and the weight is flying off...
I set myself some mini goals in the beginning at the suggestion of the coaching staff at the Medifast Clinic. My first goal was to lose 30 pounds by my birthday....and be halfway to my goal (50 pounds) by the middle of April...I was doing really great and while there was a bit of struggle to get it all in each day, I was doing it and quite proud of myself. I am surrounded by an awesome support team...my husband, and 2 sons, but the best possible thing I did was friend with Medifast on Facebook. I have made the most incredible friendships with people that post there (Kathy, Cheryl, Melissa, Kimberly, Geri, Jessica, Ally, and the list goes on....) there one of the main reasons that I think will far exceed this journey... They understand what I'm going thru and the support they give is above the rest! They will be there for you to give you kudos when you do well, share the good and bad, and keep you right on your path... I have no doubt that I will cross the finish line with all of them...
I am proud to tell you that by the end of my first month, I had already lost something like 26.5 pounds. And I still had like 30 days till my Birthday. My first goal was like 4 pounds away and I was well on my way to reaching it and exceeding it... You know what that means? Time to increase the goal! At this point, I had decided to increase the mini goal to 40 pounds by my 50th Birthday on March 16th.... On my next post, I will take you on my 50th Birthday Spring Break Road Trip, and tell you all about life on the plan while traveling....Its been pretty easy to keep my willpower in check up to this point.. But traveling gives it a bit of a twist. The loss has given me some momentum... I have started doing some mild forms of exercise, but nothing crazy. It's about to get interesting and challenging. Stick with me and see what happens next on my Medifast Journey to lose the weight once and for all....
See ya soon! :)
I can tell you that about a week into this I got an incredible energy boost. They call that Ketosis, or the fat-burning state... It is the best place to be in this program and the place the program is designed to get you to if you follow the exact plan. It is in this state that the pounds fly off like crazy. In my case, 100 pounds could be gone in a matter of months and the thought of that just blew my mind. Ketosis was for sure a feeling as much as a state of being.... I was running around the house cleaning everything, and even had a bit of a spring in my step. It was really nice to have some energy again.
I will say the majority of my first week was spent just trying to get myself used to the program. I was never much of a breakfast person, and I rarely drank plain water prior to the program. Plain water actually makes me sick. I now had to balance eating 6 times a day, plus an optional snack AND get in 64oz of water every day... See, the first week you spend trying out alot of the food and figuring out what your taste buds will handle... I read somewhere on the Medifast site where you can actually order samples of everything. Wish I would have known that... There was alot I didn't like and alot I was scared to try. The Oatmeal and Soup was a bit strange and I still haven't got used to it... I started my first week on mostly shakes, because I wanted to do everything right. I slowly added in more MF options as the week progressed....my favorites at this point are Choco Shakes, Choco Pudding, Peanut Butter Bars...and Puffs.... I am doing ok and the weight is flying off...
I set myself some mini goals in the beginning at the suggestion of the coaching staff at the Medifast Clinic. My first goal was to lose 30 pounds by my birthday....and be halfway to my goal (50 pounds) by the middle of April...I was doing really great and while there was a bit of struggle to get it all in each day, I was doing it and quite proud of myself. I am surrounded by an awesome support team...my husband, and 2 sons, but the best possible thing I did was friend with Medifast on Facebook. I have made the most incredible friendships with people that post there (Kathy, Cheryl, Melissa, Kimberly, Geri, Jessica, Ally, and the list goes on....) there one of the main reasons that I think will far exceed this journey... They understand what I'm going thru and the support they give is above the rest! They will be there for you to give you kudos when you do well, share the good and bad, and keep you right on your path... I have no doubt that I will cross the finish line with all of them...
I am proud to tell you that by the end of my first month, I had already lost something like 26.5 pounds. And I still had like 30 days till my Birthday. My first goal was like 4 pounds away and I was well on my way to reaching it and exceeding it... You know what that means? Time to increase the goal! At this point, I had decided to increase the mini goal to 40 pounds by my 50th Birthday on March 16th.... On my next post, I will take you on my 50th Birthday Spring Break Road Trip, and tell you all about life on the plan while traveling....Its been pretty easy to keep my willpower in check up to this point.. But traveling gives it a bit of a twist. The loss has given me some momentum... I have started doing some mild forms of exercise, but nothing crazy. It's about to get interesting and challenging. Stick with me and see what happens next on my Medifast Journey to lose the weight once and for all....
See ya soon! :)
A New Beginning....To Be Fabulous At Fifty!
January 12, 2010....The official "First day" with Medifast. I actually had started to watch what I was eating on January 1st as part of my New Year's Resolution, but by the time I met with the Medifast folks and got all my stuff together, got my food, books, journals, etc and did all the research on the program...I had set up my beginning weigh-in on January 12th. which gave me the weekend to get prepared. After meeting with the Clinic, it was determined that I needed to lose 150 pounds to obtain a healthy weight based on my height and current weight...I thought the weight they suggested would be hard for me to stay at once I completed the program because it was my weight during high school. I was 49 at the time I was starting this and thought there was no way a 50 year old could be at that weight again and stay there. I wanted to be realistic with myself and not set too high a goal. I agreed to set my goal at 100 pounds with the understanding that I would extend the program to lose more weight if I saw it differently once I got further along in this. So for now, I was working to lose 100 pounds.
See, I'm the type of person that has to have a full understanding of what I am doing before I start. I actually went the Medifast Weight Control Clinic and got signed up, got my food and my books a few days prior on the Friday before and crammed like someone getting ready for an exam. I spent hours reading over everything, checking posts on the web, reading blogs, etc. I even had went to the store to get everything I needed before hand. I cleaned out the fridge, removed all the bad stuff that we wouldn't be eating anymore, and had the house all "fail proofed" before the big day.
I believe that behind every success story, there is someone else who was instrumental in helping that person reach their mark. In my case, I enlisted the help of my husband, and our two boys (ages 9 & 11). It was important that they knew how serious I was about wanting to beat this weight issue, because they (like many others) have watched me speak the words with no actions to back it. I sat down with the entire family and we talked about how this would work. I knew it would be hard to work long hours and ask my husband (yes, he's the chef in our house) to prepare 2 different meals every evening. My husband had just found out a few days earlier that he was pre-diabetic. We already knew he was gonna be eating differently now. We just had to figure out how to mesh all of us together now. It was a time for BIG changes in the Nehring house. This was a lifestyle change. If you could see how skinny my husband is, you would never believe it. He is active in Karate too. I was shocked and thought to myself, if he is having a health issue looking like he does, imagine what I am doing to myself being overweight. That made this journey more of a necessity for my health than just a desire to look better. I needed this bad...we all did.
So anyway, we explained to the boys that Mommy and Daddy needed their help and that our family was not eating right. We allowed this in our home for many years which has greatly affected us...but could not allow it anymore or we would put their health in danger too. I must say thankfully none of my kids have weight issues and we don't want poor habits has kids to shape them as adults. The buck has to stop here and we know we are doing the right thing for them. We explained that as a I start this plan, we would start to change our entire household because being healthy needed to take priority. I wasn't gonna make them all diet at the pace I am doing, but we explained that we would start making healthier modifications for them as well doing it more gradually as to not shock them. Pizza, hamburgers, Fried Chicken , etc was normal eating in our home... Pastas, Beans, and Potatoes were pretty much at the meal table too.. Not alot of salad or veggies unless in was dripping in sauce, cheese, butter, or fatty dressings. We were to start the change at the dinner table to help me with my lean and green...The plan was to prepare a protein that we could all eat, but give them some of the adds-ons they were used to eating for right now incorperating healthy veggies too. The kids agreed and with everything in place, we were now all ready to go on Monday morning. Everyone was ready to help make this work, my mind was in the right place, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was scared to death of failing again. I just knew this would be hard even with all the preparing. Only time will tell, but I felt better about it this time....I think I really wanted it more this time.
Day 1: January 12th. 2010
I got up in the morning to go off to working...I had an early morning appointment at the Medifast Clinic to weigh-in....I had prepared the night before and had my food journal, shaker, food, and my vitamins (B-12, B-6, Omega 3, and Digestive Health) ready to go. I headed off to work. For those of you who are not familiar with Medifast, we have 5 Medifast meals that we can interchange.. Soups, puddings, bars, shakes and Brownies to name a few. We also have one meal we prepare ourself called a Lean and Green. It consisted of a Lean Protein and Low Carb vegetables following a food list provided by Medifast. You are also allowed some healthy fats based on your protein choice, and a snack you can choose from a list. That's what is referred to as the 5 & 1 Plan. It is really nice because it is flexible to your schedule. You can mix and match your meals, and eat your LG Meal when you choose. You can even split it up and make 2 meals out of the LG. It makes it more your program because you have flexibility. My starting weight was now in the books and I was ready to go...no looking back.
I had tried the Medifast shakes before but not for very long. It was suggested to me at the clinic, that I start out with mostly shakes at first and then slowly substitute other items as I feel comfortable... Doing mostly shakes the first week would give me a great jump start at the beginning they said or whenever I needed a boost in loss. So, that's what I did for days 1-3, along with my LG (Lean and Green). I can say that the first few days for me were a little confusing. Figuring out what time to start eating, what to eat, keeping everything logged, etc...I wanted to do everything right. I had never been a breakfast person, I always ate a huge lunch and huge late dinner. Never snacked much in between unless it was something bad they were passing around at work like cakes, cookies and such. The program wants you to eat every 2-3 hours once you begin your first meal. I knew that would be tough for me. I was never a big sweets eater, my problem was quantity of food, kind of food, and what time I was eating it. Everything the book said that we could NOT have, was everything I ate every day of my life. What did I just enlist myself in?! No wonder I was overweight..I ate everything bad and nothing that was good for me. This was sure to be the challenge of my life. Oh, and I did I forget to mention that I don't drink water...well, not much anyway...not until now. I now needed to drink 64 ozs. of water a day. OMG, I am gonna drown(or puke)! Well, as the day went on, I was right on time with all my meals. I struggled with the water, but other than that I was doing this day like I knew what I was doing. I was managing ok. Of course, the normal donuts and cakes were all over the place at work, but I was determine to be focused and decided I would just take each day and work for victory one day at a time. My work day was almost done and I was very close to my first day victory.
I did get thru the first work day ok and it really went pretty good. I had no issues with hunger other than because I had drank shakes and water all day, I swore I could hear myself sloshing about!:)....I was so full, I really didn't want my meal but went home to prepare it anyway. I won't forget the first MF meal...I had planned it out for days so I would not screw up and went over my checklist to be sure I was OP (On plan). It looked like alot of food. I had Eggbeaters, and a salad with Shrimp, cucumbers,and grape tomatoes. It was alot of food and quite yummy. Funny, how I was eating a meal larger than what I normally ate, but it was all healthy and good for me. I finished my evening using my snack allowance of a 1/2c. of sugar-free Jello. I was very content and not looking for anything else to eat. Before I knew it, day one was on the books as OP. I had finish my first day water and all. You would have thought I was Rocky Balboa doing the dance at the top in Philly. I felt I had conquered the world!
The next blog will hopefully move a little faster to get me caught up since I starting my blogging adventure late into the program. Right now I am just trying to get this up to speed. I will try to get thru the entire first month. What I felt like...my victories, and my challenges....all part of My Journey to get healthy once and for all. so far so good....I'll keep ya posted :) Oh yeah, and my first Meltdown! You'll wanna read that one..it will make you laugh.
See ya soon!
See, I'm the type of person that has to have a full understanding of what I am doing before I start. I actually went the Medifast Weight Control Clinic and got signed up, got my food and my books a few days prior on the Friday before and crammed like someone getting ready for an exam. I spent hours reading over everything, checking posts on the web, reading blogs, etc. I even had went to the store to get everything I needed before hand. I cleaned out the fridge, removed all the bad stuff that we wouldn't be eating anymore, and had the house all "fail proofed" before the big day.
I believe that behind every success story, there is someone else who was instrumental in helping that person reach their mark. In my case, I enlisted the help of my husband, and our two boys (ages 9 & 11). It was important that they knew how serious I was about wanting to beat this weight issue, because they (like many others) have watched me speak the words with no actions to back it. I sat down with the entire family and we talked about how this would work. I knew it would be hard to work long hours and ask my husband (yes, he's the chef in our house) to prepare 2 different meals every evening. My husband had just found out a few days earlier that he was pre-diabetic. We already knew he was gonna be eating differently now. We just had to figure out how to mesh all of us together now. It was a time for BIG changes in the Nehring house. This was a lifestyle change. If you could see how skinny my husband is, you would never believe it. He is active in Karate too. I was shocked and thought to myself, if he is having a health issue looking like he does, imagine what I am doing to myself being overweight. That made this journey more of a necessity for my health than just a desire to look better. I needed this bad...we all did.
So anyway, we explained to the boys that Mommy and Daddy needed their help and that our family was not eating right. We allowed this in our home for many years which has greatly affected us...but could not allow it anymore or we would put their health in danger too. I must say thankfully none of my kids have weight issues and we don't want poor habits has kids to shape them as adults. The buck has to stop here and we know we are doing the right thing for them. We explained that as a I start this plan, we would start to change our entire household because being healthy needed to take priority. I wasn't gonna make them all diet at the pace I am doing, but we explained that we would start making healthier modifications for them as well doing it more gradually as to not shock them. Pizza, hamburgers, Fried Chicken , etc was normal eating in our home... Pastas, Beans, and Potatoes were pretty much at the meal table too.. Not alot of salad or veggies unless in was dripping in sauce, cheese, butter, or fatty dressings. We were to start the change at the dinner table to help me with my lean and green...The plan was to prepare a protein that we could all eat, but give them some of the adds-ons they were used to eating for right now incorperating healthy veggies too. The kids agreed and with everything in place, we were now all ready to go on Monday morning. Everyone was ready to help make this work, my mind was in the right place, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was scared to death of failing again. I just knew this would be hard even with all the preparing. Only time will tell, but I felt better about it this time....I think I really wanted it more this time.
Day 1: January 12th. 2010
I got up in the morning to go off to working...I had an early morning appointment at the Medifast Clinic to weigh-in....I had prepared the night before and had my food journal, shaker, food, and my vitamins (B-12, B-6, Omega 3, and Digestive Health) ready to go. I headed off to work. For those of you who are not familiar with Medifast, we have 5 Medifast meals that we can interchange.. Soups, puddings, bars, shakes and Brownies to name a few. We also have one meal we prepare ourself called a Lean and Green. It consisted of a Lean Protein and Low Carb vegetables following a food list provided by Medifast. You are also allowed some healthy fats based on your protein choice, and a snack you can choose from a list. That's what is referred to as the 5 & 1 Plan. It is really nice because it is flexible to your schedule. You can mix and match your meals, and eat your LG Meal when you choose. You can even split it up and make 2 meals out of the LG. It makes it more your program because you have flexibility. My starting weight was now in the books and I was ready to go...no looking back.
I had tried the Medifast shakes before but not for very long. It was suggested to me at the clinic, that I start out with mostly shakes at first and then slowly substitute other items as I feel comfortable... Doing mostly shakes the first week would give me a great jump start at the beginning they said or whenever I needed a boost in loss. So, that's what I did for days 1-3, along with my LG (Lean and Green). I can say that the first few days for me were a little confusing. Figuring out what time to start eating, what to eat, keeping everything logged, etc...I wanted to do everything right. I had never been a breakfast person, I always ate a huge lunch and huge late dinner. Never snacked much in between unless it was something bad they were passing around at work like cakes, cookies and such. The program wants you to eat every 2-3 hours once you begin your first meal. I knew that would be tough for me. I was never a big sweets eater, my problem was quantity of food, kind of food, and what time I was eating it. Everything the book said that we could NOT have, was everything I ate every day of my life. What did I just enlist myself in?! No wonder I was overweight..I ate everything bad and nothing that was good for me. This was sure to be the challenge of my life. Oh, and I did I forget to mention that I don't drink water...well, not much anyway...not until now. I now needed to drink 64 ozs. of water a day. OMG, I am gonna drown(or puke)! Well, as the day went on, I was right on time with all my meals. I struggled with the water, but other than that I was doing this day like I knew what I was doing. I was managing ok. Of course, the normal donuts and cakes were all over the place at work, but I was determine to be focused and decided I would just take each day and work for victory one day at a time. My work day was almost done and I was very close to my first day victory.
I did get thru the first work day ok and it really went pretty good. I had no issues with hunger other than because I had drank shakes and water all day, I swore I could hear myself sloshing about!:)....I was so full, I really didn't want my meal but went home to prepare it anyway. I won't forget the first MF meal...I had planned it out for days so I would not screw up and went over my checklist to be sure I was OP (On plan). It looked like alot of food. I had Eggbeaters, and a salad with Shrimp, cucumbers,and grape tomatoes. It was alot of food and quite yummy. Funny, how I was eating a meal larger than what I normally ate, but it was all healthy and good for me. I finished my evening using my snack allowance of a 1/2c. of sugar-free Jello. I was very content and not looking for anything else to eat. Before I knew it, day one was on the books as OP. I had finish my first day water and all. You would have thought I was Rocky Balboa doing the dance at the top in Philly. I felt I had conquered the world!
The next blog will hopefully move a little faster to get me caught up since I starting my blogging adventure late into the program. Right now I am just trying to get this up to speed. I will try to get thru the entire first month. What I felt like...my victories, and my challenges....all part of My Journey to get healthy once and for all. so far so good....I'll keep ya posted :) Oh yeah, and my first Meltdown! You'll wanna read that one..it will make you laugh.
See ya soon!
Time to Turn A Corner
On January of this year (2010), I made the same New Years resolution I always make.... to lose weight. But this year was different for me, because I knew I needed to do something or subject myself to health issues. I don't wanna die young... So why was this still a hard decision?
I didn't have faith in myself to do any program on my own. I had failed so many times before. I knew that if I went to my husband and asked to join another program, he would just tell me that I was gonna waste more money..I just needed to stop eating so much and everything would be fine. I can't tell you how sick I was of hearing someone tell me how to lose the weight. How could they understand when they didn't have a weight issue! If it was that easy, why I was I still dealing with weight problems? I don't think anyone plans to be fat unless of course you are trying to go for a Guiness World Record.
I decided I would check into a few things on my own without anyone knowing. This way I could prepare my sales pitch to my husband if I decided to go the route. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I would just fail again like in the past. I could hear the I told you so. Everyone is a diet "expert" and can tell you exactly what to do. The bottom line and realization I came too is that in reality this was my journey. There was noone that could do it for me....the only way I could succeed was with my own committment. There were no past, present, or future issues that was picking up the food for me, holding me down, and forcing it into me. I did this to myself... And I was the only person that could get ME out.
I never said a word to anyone about my plan to lose weight this year. I just kept it to myself. I had gone to lunch several times and saw the Medifast Clinic that was in my area. I had tried Medifast years ago but didn't give it any time to work. I wasn't willIng at that time, to step away from my old ways and give it a real effort. The weeks I did it, I remember that I did lose weight. Fed up and ready to do this, I made an appointment with Medifast for a free evaluation. I never told anyone. I was prepared to start the program and get going. The day I went in, I was actually excited. After talking with staff, It was determined that I had around 150 pounds to lose. Then they hit me with the cost for the program....I have to be perfectly honest, I think my heart skipped a beat.. I immediately told the lady there was no way that my husband would say we could afford it...and that didn't cover food! I was practically in tears and thought what have I done! I just wasted these nice folks time.....what if I failed...
The lady saw that I was clearly upset and tried to get me to look at the big picture...To see how it could work...but I was too busy thinking about how big my butt was still gonna be tomorrow. I took all the info, thanked them and left. I was so depressed because I just thought the program would help me. Over the next couple of days, I did more research on the web and looked over the program and all the comments. I didn't see anything negative, and there was a great record of success. I had yet to mention my considering the program with my husband out of fear, not wanting the verbal comments, and not wanting to hear him say no. My husband and I got into a conversation on evening. I'll never forget the moment...sitting on the sofa, watching Biggest Loser eating a bowl of Ice Cream and crying for the folks on TV as if I wasn't one of them. It was pretty pathetic. I felt for them. I understood all the emotions. My husband commented, and I lashed back at him. In the conversation, I mentioned my hush hush visit to Medifast and totally lost it. I was very surprised to hear my husband say he would help me any way he could, and would support me in whatever decission I made. He told me if I really thought this program would help to go for it! I made the return call the next day. I was about to begin again, but I had alot riding on it this time, most importantly my health.
I got my food and everything and was ready to go... I'm not looking back this time...full speed ahead!
Tomorrow, I will share with you about starting the program, how it's been working for me, my thoughts, feelings, etc.
I didn't have faith in myself to do any program on my own. I had failed so many times before. I knew that if I went to my husband and asked to join another program, he would just tell me that I was gonna waste more money..I just needed to stop eating so much and everything would be fine. I can't tell you how sick I was of hearing someone tell me how to lose the weight. How could they understand when they didn't have a weight issue! If it was that easy, why I was I still dealing with weight problems? I don't think anyone plans to be fat unless of course you are trying to go for a Guiness World Record.
I decided I would check into a few things on my own without anyone knowing. This way I could prepare my sales pitch to my husband if I decided to go the route. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I would just fail again like in the past. I could hear the I told you so. Everyone is a diet "expert" and can tell you exactly what to do. The bottom line and realization I came too is that in reality this was my journey. There was noone that could do it for me....the only way I could succeed was with my own committment. There were no past, present, or future issues that was picking up the food for me, holding me down, and forcing it into me. I did this to myself... And I was the only person that could get ME out.
I never said a word to anyone about my plan to lose weight this year. I just kept it to myself. I had gone to lunch several times and saw the Medifast Clinic that was in my area. I had tried Medifast years ago but didn't give it any time to work. I wasn't willIng at that time, to step away from my old ways and give it a real effort. The weeks I did it, I remember that I did lose weight. Fed up and ready to do this, I made an appointment with Medifast for a free evaluation. I never told anyone. I was prepared to start the program and get going. The day I went in, I was actually excited. After talking with staff, It was determined that I had around 150 pounds to lose. Then they hit me with the cost for the program....I have to be perfectly honest, I think my heart skipped a beat.. I immediately told the lady there was no way that my husband would say we could afford it...and that didn't cover food! I was practically in tears and thought what have I done! I just wasted these nice folks time.....what if I failed...
The lady saw that I was clearly upset and tried to get me to look at the big picture...To see how it could work...but I was too busy thinking about how big my butt was still gonna be tomorrow. I took all the info, thanked them and left. I was so depressed because I just thought the program would help me. Over the next couple of days, I did more research on the web and looked over the program and all the comments. I didn't see anything negative, and there was a great record of success. I had yet to mention my considering the program with my husband out of fear, not wanting the verbal comments, and not wanting to hear him say no. My husband and I got into a conversation on evening. I'll never forget the moment...sitting on the sofa, watching Biggest Loser eating a bowl of Ice Cream and crying for the folks on TV as if I wasn't one of them. It was pretty pathetic. I felt for them. I understood all the emotions. My husband commented, and I lashed back at him. In the conversation, I mentioned my hush hush visit to Medifast and totally lost it. I was very surprised to hear my husband say he would help me any way he could, and would support me in whatever decission I made. He told me if I really thought this program would help to go for it! I made the return call the next day. I was about to begin again, but I had alot riding on it this time, most importantly my health.
I got my food and everything and was ready to go... I'm not looking back this time...full speed ahead!
Tomorrow, I will share with you about starting the program, how it's been working for me, my thoughts, feelings, etc.
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