Week 21 Update

So I lost 4.2 pounds this week. Sweet. Especially considering I have been on real food. I am very excited. I am at 164 pounds even. This eating food thing is actually working out well so far as long as I monitor my portion sizes. Now of course I have my high school reunion as well as thanksgiving in the same week. My mom has been super supportive by doing things like using low fat cheese and making sure there is no ice cream or things I totally cannot have. Even though I am eating smaller portions of food I find it holds me just fine thru the day as long as I eat on regular intervals. Sweet. 

Binge

So I just finished eating way more than I was supposed to. Not good. And now my stomach is in knots and I don't feel any better now than I did before. I think I may be trying to sabotage myself. I was doing so well. I am two weeks into having real food again and I am trying to mess myself up. Yes, I had fruit and egg beaters. But I was not really hungry. I was eating to be eating which is not good. And with thanksgiving a few days away I am worried that this is a bad omen for me coping on turkey day. I need to refocus myself and get back on track. I have spent a lot of time and money and effort to get where I am now and I do not want to go back.

Week 20 Update

Voila - I have lost 51 pounds in 5 months! The verdict was 168.2 pounds today. I was very happy because this was my first weigh in after starting the adapting phase of the diet. Hopefully this is sign of more good things to come. I had my first meeting with the rest of the Adapting and Outlook people tonight as well. They are not as lively as the other group, but then we had some real characters in the other group. I found out the other young person who was doing this at the same time I was has decided to quit and go on maintenance. She had started adapting and was only adapting for 2 or 3 weeks before just giving up. Which really sucks for her She said she was having difficulty making good food choices. Of course I am thinking to myself, then this is not the time for you to quit. But then I don't know what is going on in her head or her life. I know I have a wonderful support system and I have really enjoyed working out more. Plus as long as I plan ahead it has not been a big deal. I usually have to plan ahead anyway because I like to sleep late. So I know if I pack my lunch the night before I get to sleep in. That totally works for me. Plus I got a food scale which has made it a lot easier to keep track of my protein. I just put my meat on the plate first to weigh it, then fill the rest of the plate with veggies. Its a no brainer. Plus this week I get to have some fat and fruit so I have rediscovered my fav snacks of prunes as well as raisins and walnuts. I just have to measure it out first instead of just filling up a bag like I used too. And other than the prunes I found the measured portion is enough as long as I don;t go too long in between eating. I still have a weakness of prunes and will sit and eat a whole entire box if left to my own devices. But I digress. I am very excited to be in the 160's. I also made the wonderful discovery that I can fit into size 6 pants at the Gap. So next week I get to add carbs into the mix. I can't wait but I am also a little nervous. We shall see. Now that my hubby is back and I have finished working on his basement I am back into my regular work out routine. Wish me luck. 

A Few Days In. . .

Well it has only been a few days but boy is it good to eat real food. I found the most beautiful glass and stainless steel food scale at Williams and Sonoma to help me make sure I am having the right amount of food. The nutritionist said I do not have to be as exact when measuring out veggies. She called them my free-be's. So If I have more than I am supposed too its no big deal, which is nice because I like veggies. Plus measuring veggies can be a pain. So I mainly use the scale to measure out my meat. I am allowed to have 4 ounces per day. So today I just made a whole lot of chicken and just put 4 ounces worth on my plate. The rest I will measure out tomorrow for dinner. It was actually enough when I had that a half a plate full of broccoli. The weird thing for me know is getting back into the swing of cooking again. I have to remember to take out something to cook in the morning so that it is defrosted that night. Plus the dishes, yuck. But boy is food good. And the weird part is that I seem to be eating about the same or less calories as when I was on the shakes but I don't feel it. It must be the psychological aspect of having a plate full of food vs a drink. 

Week 19 Update

So today I start the Adapting Phase. I met with Lynn  the nutritionist to go over the requirements for the next phase. For the first week I do 3 beverages, 4 oz protein, 2 servings veggies, and 1 fiber supplement. It switches up a little every week. She gave me a really good outline of the progression from hear on out as well as a list of what counts as what. So I had my first dinner tonight - 4 oz steamed shrimp, and 2 servings of green beans. It was fabulous. I am going to miss my group members since I will now be attending a later group with the other people doing adapting. This week I lost another 2.2 pounds so I am now at 170.4 pounds. Although I think I am a little less than that. I had all my winter clothing on today for my check in which I swear at least counts for the 0.4. Anyway, I am going it alone this week since my dearest husband is in England without me. I stopped at the market on the way home to pick up some fresh veggies. I plan on having the beverages during the day as usual and then making myself dinner at night. I have decided my next goal is 160 pounds by the end of the year. Wish me luck. 

Fitness Assessment

Well I went and had a body composition analysis and fitness assessment done today at the hospital. I was very pleased with how I did. My vital signs were within normal limits and my VO2max was exceptional on the treadmill test. BTW- VO2max looks at your cardiovascular fitness. My flexibility was fair, which I already knew. I was fair on the sit up test and average on the bench press. So all in all I did pretty okay. The good part came with the body composition analysis. I am officially 5'9" and I weighed in at 171 pounds today (1.8 less than Tues I might add). My percent body fat was 25.3% (recommended is 18-25%). My lean body mass to fat ratio was 3:1 (recommended is 3.2:1). My recommended body weight range in 156 to 170 pounds. So according to this I need to lose 1 pound! Sweet. According to the tests he did he was able to tell me how much was water, how much was lean body mass (muscle, bones, connective tissue), and how much was fat. He was also able to roughly calculate how many calories I need per day to stay at the weight I am at. Also, based on how much exercise I do on average (30 min cardio 5x/wk and 30 min weight training 3x/wk), he was able to estimate my total calorie requirements. So currently I am almost 1600 calories under what I need to maintain my weight. Because I am pretty much at where I need to be as far as amount of fat is concerned, and considering the amount of calories under my requirement I am, he highly recommended that I start the adapting phase of the program. He was able to show me the research that shows once you drop 1000 calories below what you need to maintain weight, your body will start using muscle for fuel, even if you weight train. I currently need about 2560 calories to maintain weight at my current activity level and amount of lean tissue. In the adapting phase I will be taking in around 1500 calories to start which is still enough for me to lose weight, but do a better job of maintaining my muscle. I may actually be able to gain some muscle since I will be taking in more food. So, since I have already met my clothing goal (hello size 8 and 10), I set up an appointment for next Tues to start the adapting phase of the program. I had been waffling about when to make the switch but this just solidified it for me. Plus I will prob have lost the 1 pound I needed to be in my recommended weight range by then anyway. So I meet with the nutritionist first, then go to group, then get my checkup and weigh in. Can't wait. I am very proud of myself for making it this far. I also ran into a former patient of mine at the hospital and they almost didn't recognize me. My surgery wound is healing up. I get to go back to work on Monday. Life is good.

Week 18 Update

Another successful week clocked. I lost another 2.2 pounds. Which is pretty good considering my period was on most of the week. And considering I am still going stir crazy at home. I made my lemon meringue dessert and took it in tonight. Not a good night to do so considering no one was there. But the couple of people that did show up though it was very good, so that's a plus. I go to see the surgeon tomorrow so hopefully he will let me go back to work. I also set up an appointment with the exercise physiologist to do a body composition analysis. Part of me is very happy with where I am. I can fit into size 8 and 10 depending on the cut. I exercise almost every day, and I enjoy it. I got a wonderful compliment from one of my mom's coworkers who has not seen me since high school. He noticed my hair cut. And just to spell it out - The only difference he noticed was my HAIRCUT! But I am not where I need to be as far as BMI is concerned. And yes I know BMI is not perfect but its a starting point. Which is why I am doing the body composition analysis. It will give me a better idea of what is fat and what is not. As well as give me a rough guess on how bad a hit my metabolism has taken from doing this program. Plus there is nothing to say I still can't lose weight while in the Adapting phase of the diet. Plus it would be a lot easier on my wallet. So decisions decisions decisions. I also talked to the nutritionist and she said I just need to make an appointment with her when I am ready to take the next step. I guess I will be more able to make that call after the body analysis on Friday. The other part I need to acknowledge is the fact that being home all day makes this so much harder to hande. So who know, maybe when I go back to work I will be able to stick it out better until I get the last pounds off. We shall see. 160's here I come.