Today was eventful with a lot of changes to my planned meals for the day. I made up chicken sausage fuisili for our lunches and dinners for today, however I forgot I had a new hire lunch today! So I hurried online to look at the restaurants menu to see what my options were. The choices were very limited, so I ended up having grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach. It was originally served on a bun and smothered with cheese, but I made modifications and I think I did a pretty good job. We then got tickets to the unveiling of the new MN Vikings stadium which meant we werent making it home to have dinner. We opted for Chipotle which is always good, especially since we could have brown rice on it, instead of just a salad.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 153.2 lbs
Anthony: 245.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Steel cut oats with blueberries
Snack @ 9:45am:
Orange
Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach; pineapple and strawberries
Snack @ 3pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 6pm:
Chipotle bowl with brown rice, lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and salsa
Workout:
None - I was supposed to do cardio but ended up with a huge headache after the unveiling and went straight to bed when I got home. Super bummed!
Notes on Food:
I made steel cut oats this morning - it took longer than I expected but I liked it - more texture than normal oats, but not a big change in taste in my opinion. My husband thought they were ok - he didnt mind the texture but thought they had a blander taste.
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Well today was the big dance competition day. We were away from home for over 15 hours, we relied on the foods I brought from home and maintained extra willpower to stay away from those giant cookies and maui wowi smoothies they were selling at the concession stand! There were a couple of changes in the lunch and dinner plans today, but we made it work and stuck as close as we could to the plan. Although it was a crazy busy day, we got through it and Im proud of me and my husband. Its been a long time since we havent binged on a Saturday evening.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 156.0 lbs
Anthony: 252.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, scrambled egg with red, green and yellow peppers
Snack @ 9:15am:
Cauliflower with hummus
Lunch @ 12:00pm:
Chipotle Chicken Salad (romaine lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and medium salsa)
Snack @ 3:30pm:
Cauliflower with hummus
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Sirloin steak, 3 broiled shrimp, garden salad with Italian vinaigrette and vegetable medley
Workout:
Several walks and up/down stairs throughout the day
Notes on Food:
Eggs and peppers = yum! I used the Target Archer Farms brand frozen red, green and yellow peppers, sauteed them in olive oil for a few minutes then added in the scrambled egg and sprinkled with sea salt - delicious! Im not looking forward to going back to only egg whites on Wednesday - loving the whole egg right now!
Yes, we went to Chipotle! I had a salad with no cheese - it was flavorful, because its Chipotle, but I did miss the cheese a little bit. We can have healthy fats today, so I debated on getting guac, but figured the chicken was probably prepared with some sort of fat, so I was getting enough of it in the chicken and opted for just that instead.
Dinner - we went to Jensens Cafe (near the event center) to eat and kill time before awards. They had a an egg white omelet that sounded good, but I went for the steak and shrimp (my husband ate part of my steak). I had salad with Italian vinaigrette, however it seemed like it was cream-based, instead of oil based, so I only ate a tad - maybe just a teaspoon. The meal also came with a veggie medley and a dinner roll - the roll went to my carb loving daughter! I will say, that I need to do a better job of asking the waitress questions about the food and how they prepare it - I should have asked about the dressing prior to selecting it, instead of assuming.
Also, I should have ate a snack since I was up until 11, but did not - oops!
Preparation:
I prepped the veggies and nuts a couple of days ago, so those were easy to grab and through into the cooler. I put together some containers of hummus and blueberries in the morning along with several bottles and a pitcher full of water. Between my husband and I, we need to drink at least 200 oz of water and figured why have to go up to the concession stand to buy water? Avoid temptation and bring as much as I could with.
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Well, its day 49 and Ive been neglecting my blog a little the last couple of weeks because Ive been so busy between work and things going on at home that I really havent been able to find much time to devote to writing. Hopefully I can be better about it in the week 8. This marks my last day of week 7 and my weigh-in is on Saturday morning (as usual). Im hoping to lose at least another 2lbs this week but Im not feeling overly confident. Ive been having trouble staying in ketosis lately so I know thats got to be affecting my overall weight loss and total percentage of body fat. Its been difficult to find time to workout too. Ive been feeling drained when I get home from work because its been an incredibly busy week so there hasnt been much in the way of activity at night. Im hoping to change that this weekend with some shopping on Saturday and maybe hiking some trails with the hubby and dog if the weather gets a little better. Its been cold & rainy the last few days.
I also wonder sometimes if my body is simply rejecting the idea of staying in ketosis for so long. It can conceivably cause adverse side effects but it shouldnt at the low levels I would normally be at for Medi-Weightloss. Id be more concerned if I were doing the Atkins diet again, which doesnt monitor the level of ketones.
I also wonder if my body needs to be shocked back into ketosis by actually ingesting carbs for a meal or two and then going back to the low carb diet. Id pretty much try any excuse to validate eating a piece of pizza this weekend but will probably continue to abstain anyway.
Its so difficult because Rhode Island is FULL of great food; from authentic Italian to incredible Indian curries and mom & pop bakeries... it is a foodies paradise here.
Im almost ashamed to admit it but I had a sort of temper tantrum about food last Sunday. I spent the majority of my weekend last week at baby and bridal showers where there was an amazing assortment of food, most of which I could not eat. After getting home and trying to relax Sunday afternoon, I had a meltdown. I was crying, screaming, and pounding my fists on my husbands chest while he hugged me... all because I felt so incredibly deprived. I honestly think it was because there were brownies involved. If theres anything that could cause me to have a meltdown about food, its unobtainable brownies! Oh! And eggs. I think if I eat one more scrambled egg, Ill vomit. I LOATHE eggs. Have never been a big fan of them and typically would only eat them on occasion if I were out to breakfast and they came with my meal or if I was using up leftover pieces of veggies on the weekend to make an omelet. So this diet (along with all of the other low carb diets Ive tried) really tests my patience with eggs. Each morning I pretty much have two options for breakfast: eggs or a protein shake. And theres no option when the blender is dirty because a protein shake without ice is not something Im willing to try out of desperation... yet. Part of this lack of variety is because I really only like my eggs scrambled. I refuse to eat eggs where the yolk & whites are separate. It grosses me out. So, eggs are currently my nemesis and I truly have a hard time choking down even one of them for breakfast on weekday mornings when the blender has yet to run through the dishwasher.
(end egg rant lol)
Hopefully after today Ill have some better options, since Im going grocery shopping tonight after work. Another thing thats been holding me back from following my plan 100%? My local super market had a sale on microwave pre-cooked bacon... so they stocked up their shelves with the sale product and my microwave pre-cooked turkey bacon has been nowhere to be found for the past two weeks! So annoying.
Im really hoping that after my 8th week (approx. 2 months) I will have lost a total of 30 lbs. Thats only another 3.7 lbs over the course of 2 weigh-ins but it would be nice to say that I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. I think thats an incredible achievement... one that Id love to see repeated every 2 months until goal but thats not very realistic. I think 10 lbs or more every 2 months from this point forward would be a good realistic expectation. At that rate, it would probably take around 2 years to lose all of the weight (in total) but thats 2 years of sacrifice after 30 years of eating badly (for the most part) to have a lifetime of being healthier. I think its probably worth it.
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Yesterday was our first day on The Fast Metabolism Diet. Although I wasnt feeling the best all day (my stomach hurt from the moment I woke up and I got a headache around 4pm), I still ate all of the food on the meal plan and did my cardio for the day.
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Strawberry French Toast
Snack @ 9:30am:
Pineapples and Strawberries
Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich
Strawberries
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl
Workout:
Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning DVD
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 163.2 lbs
Tone: 261 lbs
Overall, I felt like I ate a LOT on Monday. Eating every 3-4 hours is an adjustment for me - Im used to eating 2-3 times a day and I definitely do not eat this much fruit in a day. So far, yesterday was a good start to the diet. I cant wait to see how the rest of the week turns out.
Quick note on the foods:
Strawberry French Toast was made with Sprouted Grain bread - a very nutty/wholesome taste. It was different and not my favorite dish, but I ate it!
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich - again, sprouted grain bread, so not my favorite and I was glad there was only one slice of the bread!
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - this turned out pretty good and the kids had some too. They kept asking "what smells so good?!" while it was cooking. I made a double batch for lunch leftovers and since Tuesday night is dance night and Im busy with running my daughter back and forth from the studio, we decided well have it for dinner Tuesday night as well.
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Nearly 4 months on Medi-Weightloss and I have finally started to break into those totes in my basement. You know, the ones full of size 18 clothing? Thats right! Today Im wearing a pair of size 18 jeans and a size 1x top - two things I was convinced would never fit again after ballooning up to over 260 lbs.
The rest of my size 18 jeans that are in that tote are still a bit snug (or dont fit at all yet) but Ill take whatever small victory I can get. Its just a matter of time before the rest fit and then eventually become too big.
To go from a size 26 to a size 18 in 4 months is no small potatoes. This is hands down the fastest Ive ever lost weight on any program and I dont necessarily feel like Im doing much differently than I ever have following other low-carb diets... Im just being held accountable for my choices every week and that has been a BIG motivator.
I may seem like Im upbeat, motivated and have great willpower here in my blog BUT the reality is that every day is a struggle to fight my addiction to sugary/starchy foods. I may like that everything is getting smaller when I turn sideways in the mirror but that doesnt stop my mouth from watering when a co-worker puts their leftover pizza in the toaster oven. It doesnt stop me from somehow magically TASTING sugar wafer cookies while drinking Crystal Light iced tea (that actually happened to me last night). And it doesnt mean that Im immune to the temptation of secret trips to the drive-thru (which I am very proud I have not done yet). My willpower and motivation is firmly planted in my own self-confidence. Im not exactly a cheery girl. I have many body image issues and plenty of self-doubt when it comes to my appearance BUT I have faith that I can lose however much weight I want because Ive been successful (to some extent) before. I know Im strong enough to make this a lifestyle change if I really put my mind to it. The problem is... not losing my mind on the way there! Some days the smell coming from inside the coffee shop while waiting for a black iced coffee with Splenda at the drive-thru is enough to make me batty. The smell of fresh muffins is the absolute worst.
But, Im gearing up for my week 17 weigh-in and hoping to drop at least another 1.5 lbs so I can officially say that Ive lost 50 lbs in 4 months. Wish me luck... and courage! Ive still got a long way to go.
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Today feels surreal - I cant believe we made it a week! I feel more prepared for the upcoming week, or I guess, I feel like I know what to expect. Today was a prep day. I went shopping for the things weve come to like and hopefully did a better job at getting enough veggies - although I did stock up on lots of frozen veggies to make it easier.
Weigh in today was great and surprising for me, considering we ate out twice yesterday. My husband was not too thrilled, he only lost 0.2 lbs. We plan to assess his portions a little better this week to ensure hes having the right amount. He was extremely hungry in the first few days last week, so we upped the protein, but I think he needs to increase the veggies instead.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 155.2 lbs
Anthony: 252.0 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 8am:
Scrambled egg and peppers, Oatmeal with blueberries
Snack @ 11:30am:
Scrambled egg and peppers
Lunch @ 3:00pm:
Subway salad with chicken breast
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Grilled chicken, frozen veggie mix and quinoa
Workout:
P90X Yoga DVD (just 30 mins)
Notes on Food:
We woke up later than normal (8am), so our day was a little off with timing of food. We opted to take out the second snack and only ate 4 meals. We tried out subways salad for lunch. It was pretty good and the Italian dressing was oil based!
Preparation:
I didnt really plan out this day too well, we pretty much winged it, but it turned out pretty well. I made sure that I prepared lunch for Monday and Tuesday. Back to complex carbs and fruit!
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I was very interested in seeing the number on the scale this morning - I know, I know, its only been 1 day! But, with all the food I ate yesterday and how full I felt, I thought FOR SURE I would be at the same weight or have gained a pound. But magically, Im down 2 lbs and my husband is down 4 lbs! Again, I know its just been a day, but checking the scale every morning is helping to motivate me to keep going and a daily reminder that I can do this!
Some key items that I also want to mention are the water intake and energy levels. I am particularly interested in having increased energy on this diet plan. I feel that for many years, I am always tired and often take naps on the weekend or in the evening. Im hoping that with the clean eating, I will see some improvements.
Water: You must drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Not as big of a deal for me since its only 80 oz, but the hubby is adjusting to drinking 130 oz of water a day.
Energy: Im not seeing a drastic improvement in my energy yet. I can say that I didnt yawn a million times on the way into work today but I dont feel like I can jump up and go run a 1/2 marathon. I plan to monitor this throughout the 28 days and will keep you posted.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 161.0 lbs
Tone: 257.0 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Oatmeal with blueberries
Snack @ 10:30am:
Apple
Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Pineapple
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Notes on Food:
Oatmeal with blueberries - It was actually pretty good and I sprinkled some Stevia on it as well. I normally eat oatmeal with a TON of brown sugar and raisins, so this is a big change, but one that I can easily adapt to.
All other foods were either leftovers or fruit, so nothing else to add. I still felt full throughout the day, which makes it difficult to eat the snacks.
Preparation:
Im definitely a newbie on buying vegetables and planning accordingly for the menu items. I realized at 7:30pm that I needed to make soup for tomorrows lunch and that I didnt have enough veggies for it. So, I ran to the store and started the soup around 9:30pm (after dance). Not the best planning in the world since the soup needed to simmer for an hour than cool down to de-bone the chicken. After I turned off the stove, I went to bed and woke up a couple of hours later (1:30am) to de-bone the chicken and got everything ready for lunches. If this soup is any good, Ill be sure to plan my Tuesday nights a little better!
Workout:
None (only because of the crazy Tuesday dance schedule)
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Well, we do it to ourselves - we went the movies AGAIN! This time, however, I didnt have as big of an urge as the last 2 times to have popcorn. Im more concerned about next weekend - there are 2 or 3 movies we want to see over memorial weekend. Im hoping we can just go watch them all on Monday!
Its getting hard with the weather getting nicer and the kids wanting to go out for ice cream or fro-yo. Im excited to bring them there, but while we cant have dairy right now, its tough. My daughter (who is a very picky eater) is asking more questions about the diet, which has opened up a nice opportunity to educate her on healthy foods and what it means to make our bodies healthy - not just skinny. I explained how we all need to eat fruits and veggies and to eat grass-fed organic meats and dairy. Shes starting to understand and I believe as we continue to bring more diverse foods into the house, she will learn to love eating healthy as well.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.4 lbs
Anthony: 244.6 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, egg with peppers
Snack @ 9:30am:
Cauliflower and raw sunflower seeds
Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Filet mignon and vegetable medley
Snack @ 4:30pm:
Nitrate free chicken deli meat and carrots
Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla
Workout:
None
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Day 75 and sore as can be... from working out last night! Finally I got the motivation to try a new workout and get back on my treadmill.
Last night I had an extra half hour to myself so I decided to check out Netflix for any instant streaming exercise videos that I might like. I found a bunch of "10 Minute" videos and added them all to my queue, figuring just about anyone can get through 10 minutes of exercise, even me!
Last night I tried 10 Minute Solution Target Toning with Cindy Whitmarsh and did the "Legs" segment ("Arms" are next on the same title) and then I did an additional 10 minutes of walking at 3mph on my treadmill immediately following. Ill be honest, I wasnt expecting much in the way of aftershocks from 10 minutes of toning and 10 minutes of walking but today I can honestly say that my thighs and butt can really feel that workout! Im rather surprised at how effective just a few minutes of fast paced toning can be.
It wasnt all easy in those 10 minutes. I learned that while socks & sneakers seem like a good idea, theyre really not. I should have done this barefoot on a sticky mat because my feet kept sliding inside my shoes and making it difficult to keep pace with the video. And its not as if I was wearing clown shoes, my sneakers are actually 1/2 size smaller than the girl at Lady Foot Locker suggested they should be based on my measurement... and I bought them that way because I know how I like my shoes to fit and that 1/2 size makes the difference between shoes staying on my feet and falling off my heels.
Anyway, Im glad for the burny feeling in my muscles today... it lets me know I actually accomplished something good for myself last night. I ate a little bit extra in protein to help compensate for the calorie burn (as was suggested by the staff at Medi-Weightloss) so Im not drained today. Im planning on trying the arms & more treadmill time tonight. Now I just have to find my 2 lb hand weights when I get home!
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Day 5 means a new phase for the next 3 days! We get to introduce healthy fats and bring back in some grains and fruit - yeah oatmeal and blueberries! And carrots that I can dip into hummus. I truly cant believe Im actually excited to eat oatmeal!
Big challenge for the day was going to the movie theater! Ugh the popcorn smell was amazing! But I had my water and veggies, I stayed focused and made it through successfully!
My husband is having a harder time with cravings than me, especially as the weekend approaches. We are used to going out, eating popcorn, chips, cookies, ice cream and cheeseburgers all weekend. But at this point, I think weve done so well this week that Im not interested in cheating - nor do I feel its an option. I want to get my metabolism up so I dont have to continue to struggle with my weight. We are 5 days down - only 23 more to go! Its really not that long, so MIND OVER MATTER!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 157.6 lbs
Anthony: 253.6 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Scrambled egg, oatmeal with blueberries, celery
Snack @ 10:00am:
Carrots and hummus
Lunch @ 1:00pm:
Leftover steak, cauliflower and a pear
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Celery and almond butter
Dinner @ 7:00pm:
Steak, zucchini and quinoa
Workout:
None
Notes on Food:
Quinoa - this was new for the hubby and something Ive had before but had never made it myself. I used chicken broth instead of water and I think it turned out really good. Next time, I think Ill add some veggies into it instead of on the side.
Preparation:
Again, Im still getting the hang of this diet as it switches gears a little bit. Although fruit and grains are added back in, there are some limitations - no apples in phase 3 :-(! Im making minor adjustments and had a pear for lunch instead. Tomorrow is the big dance day, so Ill be spending some time packing and prepping tonight or in the morning to ensure we have all the snacks we need to make it through the day successfully.
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Day 27 and Im starting to get anxious about my weigh-in on Saturday morning. Im really hoping to drop that next 2.5 lbs to be down a total of 20 lbs in my first month. I havent gone off the diet or given myself any reason to believe that my weight loss would slow down but the human body is a funny thing. Ive been on other diets where they start off strong and then I end up in a plateau for weeks at a time... so I guess Im just hoping that doesnt happen yet.
I forgot to go to the Medi-Weightloss Clinic last night for my B12 injection so Ill be going tonight after work. Last night I just got all turned around because I took a side trip to WalMart to buy nicotine patches (Ive been using them to try to quit smoking since January 2nd) and the WalMart didnt have the ones I needed so then I had to go to the nearest Walgreens instead. Youd think that their prices would be similar, considering they have the same parent company, but theyre MUCH more expensive at the pharmacy (like $10+ more).
But I did get my patches and I had a good breakfast today (a scrambled egg, 2 slices of turkey bacon & half a grapefruit) so I have a good start to the day. Now if I could only clone myself to get some help with my projects at work, Id be all set!
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