On what was a long drive this week, I spent some time listening to my first audiobook. The book I chose was Katie Couric's 'The Best Advice I Ever Got' and there were several parts of that book that resonated with me. Here is the link if anyone is interested in learning more about the book: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/arts/television/24couric.html
To me, it spoke of goals, ambitions, successes & failures, joy and sadness and so many other things.
So what does that book have to do with the title of this blog, or the subject matter of this blog, you might ask? Well, one of the contributors described herself as a failed perfectionist in her segment of the book and that is one of the things that truly hit home with me when I heard it. Today, once again, I am just that.
I am a failed perfectionist. As much as I want everything in my life to be perfect and my 'control factor' allow me to have it that way, it just isn't. I'm not sure there is anything, yes, ANYTHING that is perfect in my life. The one big thing that isn't perfect is my success along this journey through this blog. Once again, I find myself (sooner rather than later) writing to you all (if anyone is even still reading this) and admitting that I need to restart my lifestyle program.
I am not perfect, even when I am at goal I am not perfect. My "full" button is broke! That button most people have that says to them, hey, quit eating, you're full....ya know, the button....mine is either missing or broke! I'm flat out broken! I realize this as days go by and I seem to find that I always have room for food, good food, bad food, anything...I always have room, cuz my ding-dang button is broke and I hate that. I give in to the broken button and I really hate that! I wish I knew what to do to fix my button! I don't want to live the rest of my days with a broken button!
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being a failed perfectionist at some things, I mean nobody is perfect! My house will never be clean enough, my job perfect enough, my relationships without drama, but if that were the case, it would make my Facebook page quite boring! I do, however, wish I had better control over the choices I make where my health and weight come in to play. I have done it before but I have relied on the medication and that temporarily fixes my button, but I would like to find a way to control all of that post-meds.
So, I'm human, not perfect and struggling really badly right now. I'm very unhappy with me these days which makes me feel like I make everyone around me unhappy and that certainly isn't fair to the people I love. It is a struggle for me and especially during the holiday season. I try to cover over my funk, but I'm not sure how good I'm doing at that either!
So today has so far been a better day, I've stayed on plan, without meds no taking things almost hour by hour....there are people out there who never have to worry about this topic and man, I wish I was one of them! Alas, I'm not and I know it's a day by day struggle.
I hope all of you still involved in your journey are more successful than I have been in the last few months! I sure hope to be writing to you next time under a little more control!
Merry Christmas!
December 13, 2011
November 21, 2011
One more thing
Two posts in one day!
So, thanks...to all of you who read this, who live this journey with me, day in and day out. Whether you want to be or not, you're in this with me and I appreciate all of your support, your comments and your dedication to keep coming back and reading all this!
A question for you...what do you do to overcome your biggest obstacles??
So, thanks...to all of you who read this, who live this journey with me, day in and day out. Whether you want to be or not, you're in this with me and I appreciate all of your support, your comments and your dedication to keep coming back and reading all this!
A question for you...what do you do to overcome your biggest obstacles??
It's been a long time..and I can tell
I have to tell you, there is a part of doing this blog that keeps me "honest", especially to myself.
Tonight I write to you, feeling a little down in the dumps because I had a bad couple of months and have let it linger to no fault of anyone but myself and here I find myself at the holidays, disgusted because I gained outside of my "comfort zone" and while not needing to officially "restart" I need to get my ass back on track. Sorry for that, but it is what it is.
When I lost my job this summer, I joined myself in a pity party. I was stressed and down and unfortunately I'm one of those down in the dumps people who turns to food. "Lucky" for Todd, my better half, that he doesn't. I wish I was strong enough to turn another way when I get to feeling like that.
I hate the fact that I turn to food to find comfort, it's stupid but it is something that I have to make a conscious decision about every day. I haven't been doing that and it's time I remember that this is something that needs to be in the forefront of my mind each and every day. I wish it didn't have to be, but sometimes people have things they just have to learn to deal with, like diabetes or alcoholism or something that forces you to control what you do for a reason.
I don't have "all that much" to get back to where I want to be. I mean, I've started this journey and restarted this journey at much heavier than today, but today THIS is no longer acceptable to me.
I canceled my gym membership, but tomorrow I'll be restarting somewhere else. I had canceled because I was having a hard time finding time to fit that into my new and busier schedule, but I know now that I need to make the time to do the things that work for me. If that means being at the gym at 5:00 a.m., that's what I'm going to do. It's just that simple.
SO here I am, three days before Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year, and looking forward to making the right choices from here on out.
Wish me luck...once again!
Tonight I write to you, feeling a little down in the dumps because I had a bad couple of months and have let it linger to no fault of anyone but myself and here I find myself at the holidays, disgusted because I gained outside of my "comfort zone" and while not needing to officially "restart" I need to get my ass back on track. Sorry for that, but it is what it is.
When I lost my job this summer, I joined myself in a pity party. I was stressed and down and unfortunately I'm one of those down in the dumps people who turns to food. "Lucky" for Todd, my better half, that he doesn't. I wish I was strong enough to turn another way when I get to feeling like that.
I hate the fact that I turn to food to find comfort, it's stupid but it is something that I have to make a conscious decision about every day. I haven't been doing that and it's time I remember that this is something that needs to be in the forefront of my mind each and every day. I wish it didn't have to be, but sometimes people have things they just have to learn to deal with, like diabetes or alcoholism or something that forces you to control what you do for a reason.
I don't have "all that much" to get back to where I want to be. I mean, I've started this journey and restarted this journey at much heavier than today, but today THIS is no longer acceptable to me.
I canceled my gym membership, but tomorrow I'll be restarting somewhere else. I had canceled because I was having a hard time finding time to fit that into my new and busier schedule, but I know now that I need to make the time to do the things that work for me. If that means being at the gym at 5:00 a.m., that's what I'm going to do. It's just that simple.
SO here I am, three days before Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year, and looking forward to making the right choices from here on out.
Wish me luck...once again!
August 8, 2011
Jobless & Stressed
What a way to start really getting into maintenance. It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged, but the title of this post pretty much sums it up.
After my last blog post, Todd, Elise & I took a road-trip to Wisconsin. Yes, three of us, in a car for 2850 miles, for a week! Actually, we had a blast. We broke the trip up on the way up there, stopped in Atlanta, spent the night and went to the Aquarium, went to Chicago and did a lot of sight-seeing. We were able to spend some time with Todd's family and just really get away from things. It was nice.
However, I came home and went back to work, only to be let go from my position. As a lot of you know, there was a tremendous amount of stress working with the new management changes since February and apparently everything had tested it's limits to the breaking point. I was let go on 7/27 after 5 1/2 years there. That's all I'm going to say about that.
However, it's been incredibly stressful here considering neither of us are working, the economy totally bites and jobs are those things that require transportation. I had a company car, so I am transportation-less now as well. It's difficult to go out and buy a car when you have no income, so we're relying on Todd's car as our one vehicle at this point.
I'm sure glad the decision for he and Elise to move in here was made prior to my current employment status, otherwise I'd be a little concerned he just felt sorry for me! LOL
Needless to say, when I'm frustrated or stressed or upset...I don't care so much about what I eat. The past couple of weeks haven't been overly horrible, nor have they been overly successful. I'm still watching what I do, but by no means have I done what I need to every day. I'm definitely meal by meal, snack by snack at this point. On top of that, my gym schedule is all screwed up...ARGH!
I need a normal routine! Starting tomorrow, it's got to happen, at least the food and water....I'm promising myself that is going to start!! In the interim, I continue to job search...not a fun thing to do!
I just need to remember, choices & consequences....every day brings another choice and another consequence. Once this week is over, with moving things from the apartment to the house, Elise being away for a week, etc...things will start to settle into a more normal routine. I'm looking forward to "normal"...I'm not sure what that is or if I'll know when I find it...but I'm looking forward to it, none the less!
I hope all of you are hanging on better than I am!
~Michelle
After my last blog post, Todd, Elise & I took a road-trip to Wisconsin. Yes, three of us, in a car for 2850 miles, for a week! Actually, we had a blast. We broke the trip up on the way up there, stopped in Atlanta, spent the night and went to the Aquarium, went to Chicago and did a lot of sight-seeing. We were able to spend some time with Todd's family and just really get away from things. It was nice.
However, I came home and went back to work, only to be let go from my position. As a lot of you know, there was a tremendous amount of stress working with the new management changes since February and apparently everything had tested it's limits to the breaking point. I was let go on 7/27 after 5 1/2 years there. That's all I'm going to say about that.
However, it's been incredibly stressful here considering neither of us are working, the economy totally bites and jobs are those things that require transportation. I had a company car, so I am transportation-less now as well. It's difficult to go out and buy a car when you have no income, so we're relying on Todd's car as our one vehicle at this point.
I'm sure glad the decision for he and Elise to move in here was made prior to my current employment status, otherwise I'd be a little concerned he just felt sorry for me! LOL
Needless to say, when I'm frustrated or stressed or upset...I don't care so much about what I eat. The past couple of weeks haven't been overly horrible, nor have they been overly successful. I'm still watching what I do, but by no means have I done what I need to every day. I'm definitely meal by meal, snack by snack at this point. On top of that, my gym schedule is all screwed up...ARGH!
I need a normal routine! Starting tomorrow, it's got to happen, at least the food and water....I'm promising myself that is going to start!! In the interim, I continue to job search...not a fun thing to do!
I just need to remember, choices & consequences....every day brings another choice and another consequence. Once this week is over, with moving things from the apartment to the house, Elise being away for a week, etc...things will start to settle into a more normal routine. I'm looking forward to "normal"...I'm not sure what that is or if I'll know when I find it...but I'm looking forward to it, none the less!
I hope all of you are hanging on better than I am!
~Michelle
July 9, 2011
Maintaining on Maintenance
Hello! It's been a while since I've blogged but honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot to tell these days.
I have officially started maintenance and no more meds (still injections for energy every week right now, but not taking anything else). Things are going well. Although I am at the point where I can add in "starch" and other things, mentally I'm not there yet. I still pretty much follow the same food program, but I will add other things here and there. I'd say about 90% of what I eat is still right from the original plan.
Some of the things I learned at my maintenance transition appointment I found rather interesting. One of them was about drinking the water. It was told to me that if you take your weight and divide by 2, that's how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. Okay, luckily, that's less than a gallon, so it's been a little easier to handle that! :-)
Also, when we discussed adding starches and all, we discussed potatoes. It makes sense, but never really dawned on me before. Lori advised that if I choose to eat potatoes, I should boil them first. Boiling them removes a lot of the starch (think about the inside of the pan after you boil a potato)...therefore helping reduce the amount of carbs you consume in eating that potato! Makes perfect sense, NOW!
I did also learn that I'm definitely not eating enough or often enough. I need to focus more on eating breakfast. I hate breakfast...it's annoying! I don't get up early enough to eat breakfast, really. I did eat breakfast during the losing part of the program, but it's easy for me to get out of the habit of doing so. I don't do a great job of snacking either. I am, however, getting better at that. It's easier to snack in the summer with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables I buy. So many great choices during the summer months.
One of the pages in the Zone Wellness packet I received that discusses maintenance, mentions this..."Simply fill your plate with a combination of vegetables and fruits. Use breads, grains and starches as condiments." That's pretty much what I've been doing. I made a shrimp pasta dish last night for Todd and I...I ate mostly shrimp and maybe three fork fulls of pasta. It really was just enough of it for me.
Another page indicates the combination for a zone-perfect balanced meal: 1/3 low fat protein, 2/3 vegetables & fruits and a 'dash' of good fat. What is a "good fat" you ask? Keep reading!
Let's talk about fats for a minute...there are some "good fats" that you should incorporate into your diet. There are also some things you should avoid and things you should definitely limit. I've listed them for you below:
Good Fats: Omega 3 oils, foods such as Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Flax Seed and things with Omega 9 oils such as Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Avocado (yum), Almonds, Cashews & Macadamia Nuts.
Bad Fats: Limit these: Saturated fats, Animal fats/Dairy, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Avoid these: Trans fatty acids (found in processed foods!), margarine, fried foods, shortening.
The last of the "rules" for staying in the Zone Wellness was the best one. If you make a mistake, don't worry. No guilt, just get back in the zone with your next meal.
I certainly don't claim to have all the right things to do or say, but I can tell you all that I'm still giving 100% to maintaining the work I put into getting back to where I wanted to be. I'm thrilled to be at goal, and working toward some toning and ultimately living a healthier lifestyle. Is that to say I'm never going to eat another bad thing? No, but I'm not going to freak out when I don't have a choice somewhere, I'm going to make the best choice when given options that are different than what I would do at home, and return to my normal routine as quickly as I can. It's pretty simple in my mind...now to just do it!
Next time, I'll update you on the rest of the Zone Wellness information that I have!
I have officially started maintenance and no more meds (still injections for energy every week right now, but not taking anything else). Things are going well. Although I am at the point where I can add in "starch" and other things, mentally I'm not there yet. I still pretty much follow the same food program, but I will add other things here and there. I'd say about 90% of what I eat is still right from the original plan.
Some of the things I learned at my maintenance transition appointment I found rather interesting. One of them was about drinking the water. It was told to me that if you take your weight and divide by 2, that's how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. Okay, luckily, that's less than a gallon, so it's been a little easier to handle that! :-)
Also, when we discussed adding starches and all, we discussed potatoes. It makes sense, but never really dawned on me before. Lori advised that if I choose to eat potatoes, I should boil them first. Boiling them removes a lot of the starch (think about the inside of the pan after you boil a potato)...therefore helping reduce the amount of carbs you consume in eating that potato! Makes perfect sense, NOW!
I did also learn that I'm definitely not eating enough or often enough. I need to focus more on eating breakfast. I hate breakfast...it's annoying! I don't get up early enough to eat breakfast, really. I did eat breakfast during the losing part of the program, but it's easy for me to get out of the habit of doing so. I don't do a great job of snacking either. I am, however, getting better at that. It's easier to snack in the summer with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables I buy. So many great choices during the summer months.
One of the pages in the Zone Wellness packet I received that discusses maintenance, mentions this..."Simply fill your plate with a combination of vegetables and fruits. Use breads, grains and starches as condiments." That's pretty much what I've been doing. I made a shrimp pasta dish last night for Todd and I...I ate mostly shrimp and maybe three fork fulls of pasta. It really was just enough of it for me.
Another page indicates the combination for a zone-perfect balanced meal: 1/3 low fat protein, 2/3 vegetables & fruits and a 'dash' of good fat. What is a "good fat" you ask? Keep reading!
Let's talk about fats for a minute...there are some "good fats" that you should incorporate into your diet. There are also some things you should avoid and things you should definitely limit. I've listed them for you below:
Good Fats: Omega 3 oils, foods such as Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Flax Seed and things with Omega 9 oils such as Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Avocado (yum), Almonds, Cashews & Macadamia Nuts.
Bad Fats: Limit these: Saturated fats, Animal fats/Dairy, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Avoid these: Trans fatty acids (found in processed foods!), margarine, fried foods, shortening.
The last of the "rules" for staying in the Zone Wellness was the best one. If you make a mistake, don't worry. No guilt, just get back in the zone with your next meal.
I certainly don't claim to have all the right things to do or say, but I can tell you all that I'm still giving 100% to maintaining the work I put into getting back to where I wanted to be. I'm thrilled to be at goal, and working toward some toning and ultimately living a healthier lifestyle. Is that to say I'm never going to eat another bad thing? No, but I'm not going to freak out when I don't have a choice somewhere, I'm going to make the best choice when given options that are different than what I would do at home, and return to my normal routine as quickly as I can. It's pretty simple in my mind...now to just do it!
Next time, I'll update you on the rest of the Zone Wellness information that I have!
June 13, 2011
Week 15...And so, it starts...
My apologies! It's been a long and busy couple of weeks and there hasn't been all that much to post here in regards to the day to day life on the program.
Things are going so well at this point in the program. Today marks 15 weeks and things have gone great. As of today I've lost 42.6 pounds and even though I'm not quite to where I want to be, I've officially started the transition to maintenance. What does that mean, you ask? Well, this is my last week of medicine. I was taking 3 doses a day of the appetite suppressant and today we cut that down to 1 dose a day for a week, then no more appetite suppressant. I've not really taken that regularly for the last couple of weeks, so I feel confident that I can still make the right choices even without it. I confirmed with Dr. Armstrong today, it's nothing more than to control hunger and I don't feel like that's an issue for me now. Just imagine it definitely wouldn't if I were truly drinking the entire gallon of liquid a day! :-)
The transition to maintenance, while I am certain I am ready, is freaking me out a little bit. As most of you know, this isn't the first time I've done this but I am greatly convinced it's different this time and that I can do it. Funny, there was just a Facebook post on the Garcia Weight Loss page that asked what the most difficult to avoid thing is during maintenance. My post back was something to the effect of thinking that the first time I just was going to "know" what to do and it would just take that to maintain. This time, I KNOW that it takes daily conscious effort to make the right decisions. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that this is something I am going to have to live with every day of life.
This week I have challenged myself to at least double the water I have been drinking lately, it hasn't been enough! I'm technically 5.6 pounds from where I thought I wanted goal to be. I think we are close enough to start the transition while 100% remaining on the program. I am determined to be done with the medication before the 23rd of June. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about why yet, but you never know when a post might shown up here. :-)
I can't begin to tell you how much happier of a person I am now. I feel confident and fun and a little sexy even, sometimes. Although I'm pretty sure my boyfriend just chuckled at that comment! Haha! I think feeling like this is totally worth having to make conscious decisions about staying this way. This time, I'm not willing to give that feeling up!
So, maintenance begins...although at this point, the only change is coming off of meds. Next week, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens during maintenance...I have to save something for you to read next time! Just know that servings change, food choices are expanded and there's a little different weigh in/visit schedule.
Have a fantastic week....I'm very much looking forward to mine!!
Things are going so well at this point in the program. Today marks 15 weeks and things have gone great. As of today I've lost 42.6 pounds and even though I'm not quite to where I want to be, I've officially started the transition to maintenance. What does that mean, you ask? Well, this is my last week of medicine. I was taking 3 doses a day of the appetite suppressant and today we cut that down to 1 dose a day for a week, then no more appetite suppressant. I've not really taken that regularly for the last couple of weeks, so I feel confident that I can still make the right choices even without it. I confirmed with Dr. Armstrong today, it's nothing more than to control hunger and I don't feel like that's an issue for me now. Just imagine it definitely wouldn't if I were truly drinking the entire gallon of liquid a day! :-)
The transition to maintenance, while I am certain I am ready, is freaking me out a little bit. As most of you know, this isn't the first time I've done this but I am greatly convinced it's different this time and that I can do it. Funny, there was just a Facebook post on the Garcia Weight Loss page that asked what the most difficult to avoid thing is during maintenance. My post back was something to the effect of thinking that the first time I just was going to "know" what to do and it would just take that to maintain. This time, I KNOW that it takes daily conscious effort to make the right decisions. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that this is something I am going to have to live with every day of life.
This week I have challenged myself to at least double the water I have been drinking lately, it hasn't been enough! I'm technically 5.6 pounds from where I thought I wanted goal to be. I think we are close enough to start the transition while 100% remaining on the program. I am determined to be done with the medication before the 23rd of June. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about why yet, but you never know when a post might shown up here. :-)
I can't begin to tell you how much happier of a person I am now. I feel confident and fun and a little sexy even, sometimes. Although I'm pretty sure my boyfriend just chuckled at that comment! Haha! I think feeling like this is totally worth having to make conscious decisions about staying this way. This time, I'm not willing to give that feeling up!
So, maintenance begins...although at this point, the only change is coming off of meds. Next week, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens during maintenance...I have to save something for you to read next time! Just know that servings change, food choices are expanded and there's a little different weigh in/visit schedule.
Have a fantastic week....I'm very much looking forward to mine!!
May 31, 2011
Week 13...Back On Track
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! A holiday weekend, the kick-off to summer and what a great weekend I had!
The past week was definitely a little hectic. Work has been crazy busy and I've been driving around all over the place in my territory to visit with agents. That part of my job definitely takes some prior planning as far as staying on the program is concerned! It is difficult to drive to the outlying places I've been and drink a gallon of water during the day! Meal planning is the easier part, but it definitely takes "planning".
This week on my long days on the road I was able to plan my meals, pack a cooler bag and have become a fan of some of the local parks in and around the areas where my sales calls were located. It's great to just sit in the park, eat lunch, maybe make a phone call or two and just have some quiet time for a short break. That being said, there are also those days when I'm driving down the road and eating between calls because there just wasn't time to stop! Ahhh, life as a sales & marketing person and being on the road!
I suppose all of the planning and preparations for a busy week paid off, though. This week was an excellent week at weigh in. I weighed in today with a loss of 6.6 pounds and am 9 pounds away from goal! I can't believe in a quarter of a year, I've come within 10 pounds of goal with a total of 39 pounds lost. I know that the commitment to maintain is there without question. It's been very rare that I've even wanted anything that wasn't on the program. It's just easy to follow when you commit to following!
I'm hoping to start maintenance in the next couple weeks, a decrease of the meds, adding in other things, all great stuff...as always, I'll keep you posted!
Have a fabulous week!
The past week was definitely a little hectic. Work has been crazy busy and I've been driving around all over the place in my territory to visit with agents. That part of my job definitely takes some prior planning as far as staying on the program is concerned! It is difficult to drive to the outlying places I've been and drink a gallon of water during the day! Meal planning is the easier part, but it definitely takes "planning".
This week on my long days on the road I was able to plan my meals, pack a cooler bag and have become a fan of some of the local parks in and around the areas where my sales calls were located. It's great to just sit in the park, eat lunch, maybe make a phone call or two and just have some quiet time for a short break. That being said, there are also those days when I'm driving down the road and eating between calls because there just wasn't time to stop! Ahhh, life as a sales & marketing person and being on the road!
I suppose all of the planning and preparations for a busy week paid off, though. This week was an excellent week at weigh in. I weighed in today with a loss of 6.6 pounds and am 9 pounds away from goal! I can't believe in a quarter of a year, I've come within 10 pounds of goal with a total of 39 pounds lost. I know that the commitment to maintain is there without question. It's been very rare that I've even wanted anything that wasn't on the program. It's just easy to follow when you commit to following!
I'm hoping to start maintenance in the next couple weeks, a decrease of the meds, adding in other things, all great stuff...as always, I'll keep you posted!
Have a fabulous week!
May 24, 2011
Week 12--Where do we go from here?
Gosh, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted a blog update for you all. It's been absolutely crazy, dealing with some issues at work and traveling for work and now my grandmother needing some prayers that she will recover nicely from a fall resulting in a broken hip and lots of rehab time to come. She's 92...and up until last week was planning a move to my parents house, just to be near where she spends most of her time. Here's to hoping this is just a minor set-back for her!
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks in so many ways. Life sometimes just gets overwhelmingly busy. I can't remember the last time I just had a quiet day or night to do "nothing" or whatever I want! I do have a vacation day on Friday and I think I'm looking forward to just getting things done that I want to do! I think when you work over a weekend it throws off all of the "things" that you plan to do, even if you don't actually "do" them! That makes sense in my head...but I'm not positive it did there! :-)
So, the reason you all read this blog is not to really see what I am stressing about or what things keep me from doing laundry or watering plants (dang it, forgot again!) or all of those things, but how the journey is progressing.
We left off on Week 9 with a total loss of 31.4 pounds and an update on losing inches and reflecting on the important things. Gosh, maybe I should read my blog once in a while!!
Well, Week 10 from what I remember, was a lot of work stress, more than I would ever even care to think about during the time when I am not working, so I'll spare you the boring details. However, the weigh in did produce a "no loss/no gain"...and a total of 31.4 pounds lost...frustrating, but completely deserved, considering the weekend that was just prior to weigh in was one with visiting work people and lots of "entertaining"! Yes, entertaining is what we'll call that. Granted, I don't deviate from the food plan, but I think someone turned my water into Vodka once or twice. Conscious decisions, I'm just going to keep repeating that to myself!
Week 11 was a much more "normal" week, if you can define "normal" these days. Work, a beach visit, just a regular week in Florida. Week 11 produced a 3.2 pound loss! Whatever I did that week, I'd like to put on "Replay" for a few more weeks!!
So now we make it to Week 12 and while I could tell you that I traveled for work for a good portion of the week and I could only control a portion of what I ate, and that I weighed in on Monday in the afternoon, rather than in the morning, and that I ate breakfast AND lunch before my weigh in...I'm not going to focus on that. The part that is the focus this week is that for the first time in the "history" of being on program with Garcia, I posted a GAIN. Granted, there was that time when I was "off" the program, I gained more than I care to admit then, but, that's a blog post from the past! OUCH! Yes, 2.2 pounds of "life got in the way" is now sitting right on my....well, I'm not exactly sure, but it's there!
When I check out of Dr. Garcia's office, the girls in there know me well, some of them are on my Facebook, some of them see me every week, same time, same place! We had a great conversation yesterday regarding my annoyance (that's the nice word) over the gain. The things listed above are true, I did only have control over a portion of what I ate last week, I did weigh in after my normal time, and after two meals but the fact of the matter is I had a gain. While there are factors that presented themselves, ultimately, I gained. So, there you have it...I'm completely human now! The conversation with the office yesterday was great though. The topic was not about the gain, but about the choices and decisions you make from this point on. I have options. I could decide to be annoyed about a 2.2 pound gain and let it become a factor in two ways. I could decide that I'm over it and just forget about reaching my goal, which is now 15.6 pounds away (and I have a time frame in mind for something to happen when I hit goal) OR I could decide that I'm over it and that's the last time I'll post a gain or give up the lack of control over what circumstances are placed in front of me.
I'm thinking you all have a pretty clear understanding of what direction I chose to go. I'm full force back on program, drinking every drop of water, taking meds on time and tonight, finished my 2nd workout of the week. There's no question, even with a holiday weekend coming up that on Tuesday night, I'll be posting a blog showing a loss. I just hope it's more than the 2.2 pounds! :-)
I suppose we could label this a little setback. Seems I have had a few of those lately in lots of aspects of my life. For the most part, all but one of those setbacks have been overcome. I see no reason why returning to my "I am going to do this and nobody is going to stop me" mindset can't just stick around at this point.
Ultimately, I have something I am so looking forward to doing, but I have to have hit goal and be off the Phendimetrazine for a period of time first....so there's a mission! Not that there hasn't been a mission all along, but now it's more of a time sensitive one ;-) That's all I'm sharing about that for now. Maybe some more another day...maybe not!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Can you believe it's summer already??? (Well, for those of us in Florida, it's been summer for weeks!) HeeHee :)
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks in so many ways. Life sometimes just gets overwhelmingly busy. I can't remember the last time I just had a quiet day or night to do "nothing" or whatever I want! I do have a vacation day on Friday and I think I'm looking forward to just getting things done that I want to do! I think when you work over a weekend it throws off all of the "things" that you plan to do, even if you don't actually "do" them! That makes sense in my head...but I'm not positive it did there! :-)
So, the reason you all read this blog is not to really see what I am stressing about or what things keep me from doing laundry or watering plants (dang it, forgot again!) or all of those things, but how the journey is progressing.
We left off on Week 9 with a total loss of 31.4 pounds and an update on losing inches and reflecting on the important things. Gosh, maybe I should read my blog once in a while!!
Well, Week 10 from what I remember, was a lot of work stress, more than I would ever even care to think about during the time when I am not working, so I'll spare you the boring details. However, the weigh in did produce a "no loss/no gain"...and a total of 31.4 pounds lost...frustrating, but completely deserved, considering the weekend that was just prior to weigh in was one with visiting work people and lots of "entertaining"! Yes, entertaining is what we'll call that. Granted, I don't deviate from the food plan, but I think someone turned my water into Vodka once or twice. Conscious decisions, I'm just going to keep repeating that to myself!
Week 11 was a much more "normal" week, if you can define "normal" these days. Work, a beach visit, just a regular week in Florida. Week 11 produced a 3.2 pound loss! Whatever I did that week, I'd like to put on "Replay" for a few more weeks!!
So now we make it to Week 12 and while I could tell you that I traveled for work for a good portion of the week and I could only control a portion of what I ate, and that I weighed in on Monday in the afternoon, rather than in the morning, and that I ate breakfast AND lunch before my weigh in...I'm not going to focus on that. The part that is the focus this week is that for the first time in the "history" of being on program with Garcia, I posted a GAIN. Granted, there was that time when I was "off" the program, I gained more than I care to admit then, but, that's a blog post from the past! OUCH! Yes, 2.2 pounds of "life got in the way" is now sitting right on my....well, I'm not exactly sure, but it's there!
When I check out of Dr. Garcia's office, the girls in there know me well, some of them are on my Facebook, some of them see me every week, same time, same place! We had a great conversation yesterday regarding my annoyance (that's the nice word) over the gain. The things listed above are true, I did only have control over a portion of what I ate last week, I did weigh in after my normal time, and after two meals but the fact of the matter is I had a gain. While there are factors that presented themselves, ultimately, I gained. So, there you have it...I'm completely human now! The conversation with the office yesterday was great though. The topic was not about the gain, but about the choices and decisions you make from this point on. I have options. I could decide to be annoyed about a 2.2 pound gain and let it become a factor in two ways. I could decide that I'm over it and just forget about reaching my goal, which is now 15.6 pounds away (and I have a time frame in mind for something to happen when I hit goal) OR I could decide that I'm over it and that's the last time I'll post a gain or give up the lack of control over what circumstances are placed in front of me.
I'm thinking you all have a pretty clear understanding of what direction I chose to go. I'm full force back on program, drinking every drop of water, taking meds on time and tonight, finished my 2nd workout of the week. There's no question, even with a holiday weekend coming up that on Tuesday night, I'll be posting a blog showing a loss. I just hope it's more than the 2.2 pounds! :-)
I suppose we could label this a little setback. Seems I have had a few of those lately in lots of aspects of my life. For the most part, all but one of those setbacks have been overcome. I see no reason why returning to my "I am going to do this and nobody is going to stop me" mindset can't just stick around at this point.
Ultimately, I have something I am so looking forward to doing, but I have to have hit goal and be off the Phendimetrazine for a period of time first....so there's a mission! Not that there hasn't been a mission all along, but now it's more of a time sensitive one ;-) That's all I'm sharing about that for now. Maybe some more another day...maybe not!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Can you believe it's summer already??? (Well, for those of us in Florida, it's been summer for weeks!) HeeHee :)
May 2, 2011
Reflections & Inches-Week 9 Round 2
Last week I posted a link to Dr. Garcia's website and my video on there. What I had forgotten, until yesterday was that I also wrote a 'story' for their page, and it's also still on the website.
What a reflection and a look back at 'Round 1', as I've apparently dubbed it. This is the paragraph that struck me as I read this again after so long.
This is flat-out absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I know, and I’ve told others, until you’re ready to make the lifestyle change it will never, ever be successful. I was ready, I committed to the change in my lifestyle. I didn’t do this as a diet program; I did this as a lifestyle change. I did this to lose weight, look and feel fabulous and continue on living a completely different lifestyle than what my body has become used to for the past 23 years. I live my life today, completely different than I have any day in the last 23 years. First off, I live life for ME today, but what that means, is I do the things I need to do to take care of myself. Realizing, finally, that if I don’t take care of me, I’m no good to others! Today, I make sure I have time to eat properly. I plan my day and my meals, I work out or plan not to, but I am making conscious decisions.
That pretty much sums it up. It's my reason for wanting to do "Round 2" and my reason for making a commitment this time to pay attention, EVERY day!
This past week was a great week. Food wise, there were no struggles, unless you count watermelon, dang fruit gets me every time. But, it's not like I ate a bag of Skittles! Medication wise, I think I took every dose, pretty close to on time! Water-was much better than other weeks, for sure!
I also did some measurements on Saturday morning and what a great feeling that was! I rejoined the gym in October and my 'free trainer session' included measurements that day and then a month later. However, that was of course, before the restart.
Dr. Garcia's office also does a waist measurement at your first visit now, so I had that as well, but I'm happy to say, that since October 27 I have lost a total of 23.75" total, from shoulders, bust, waist, biceps, hips, thighs & calves. I'm pretty darn happy with that!
Sometimes I can't tell a difference when I look in the mirror as far as a pound here and a pound there, but I do know I'm wearing clothes that I have had that my boyfriend hasn't seen yet, which tells me that it's been at least 9 months since some of those things have fit. Knowing I can fit into my closet FULL of clothes, slowly but surely has been very gratifying. I don't feel like I'm losing sizes as quickly this time around, but I guess in Round 1, I for sure, started much heavier so the sizes seemed to drop pretty quickly to start with. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy...very happy, it's just different.
Today's weigh in appointment was a little hectic. I double (er, triple) booked myself with that appointment, a conference call and an appointment with an agency, so I was running like crazy, but managed to get in and see how the week went as far as the "numbers" go. It's all about the numbers in the long run, I suppose.
I'm happy to report that I reached a milestone today! Today's loss total was 3.4 pounds for a nine-week total of 31.4 and because of going over the 30-pound benchmark, there's a bonus!! Well, I consider it a bonus! This week I can start adding some other foods in. Mainly, tomatoes are now on the list, as well as Almond Milk (which makes great protein shakes and lasts longer than regular milk) and Sea Bass, Turnip Greens, although I wasn't losing sleep over those! I can also add in apricots and plums.
I couldn't be happier with the progress and the direction things are going. It's been super hot outside, so that makes it easier to drink the water and don't you know the first thing I ate at lunch today was a chicken salad with tomatoes in it! Dang it was good!!
I continue on...another 16 or so pounds, with a target date in my mind of when I should be there...we'll see if I can make it!
Here's hoping you all have a fabulous week, mine is shaping up to be fantastic!
What a reflection and a look back at 'Round 1', as I've apparently dubbed it. This is the paragraph that struck me as I read this again after so long.
This is flat-out absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I know, and I’ve told others, until you’re ready to make the lifestyle change it will never, ever be successful. I was ready, I committed to the change in my lifestyle. I didn’t do this as a diet program; I did this as a lifestyle change. I did this to lose weight, look and feel fabulous and continue on living a completely different lifestyle than what my body has become used to for the past 23 years. I live my life today, completely different than I have any day in the last 23 years. First off, I live life for ME today, but what that means, is I do the things I need to do to take care of myself. Realizing, finally, that if I don’t take care of me, I’m no good to others! Today, I make sure I have time to eat properly. I plan my day and my meals, I work out or plan not to, but I am making conscious decisions.
That pretty much sums it up. It's my reason for wanting to do "Round 2" and my reason for making a commitment this time to pay attention, EVERY day!
This past week was a great week. Food wise, there were no struggles, unless you count watermelon, dang fruit gets me every time. But, it's not like I ate a bag of Skittles! Medication wise, I think I took every dose, pretty close to on time! Water-was much better than other weeks, for sure!
I also did some measurements on Saturday morning and what a great feeling that was! I rejoined the gym in October and my 'free trainer session' included measurements that day and then a month later. However, that was of course, before the restart.
Dr. Garcia's office also does a waist measurement at your first visit now, so I had that as well, but I'm happy to say, that since October 27 I have lost a total of 23.75" total, from shoulders, bust, waist, biceps, hips, thighs & calves. I'm pretty darn happy with that!
Sometimes I can't tell a difference when I look in the mirror as far as a pound here and a pound there, but I do know I'm wearing clothes that I have had that my boyfriend hasn't seen yet, which tells me that it's been at least 9 months since some of those things have fit. Knowing I can fit into my closet FULL of clothes, slowly but surely has been very gratifying. I don't feel like I'm losing sizes as quickly this time around, but I guess in Round 1, I for sure, started much heavier so the sizes seemed to drop pretty quickly to start with. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy...very happy, it's just different.
Today's weigh in appointment was a little hectic. I double (er, triple) booked myself with that appointment, a conference call and an appointment with an agency, so I was running like crazy, but managed to get in and see how the week went as far as the "numbers" go. It's all about the numbers in the long run, I suppose.
I'm happy to report that I reached a milestone today! Today's loss total was 3.4 pounds for a nine-week total of 31.4 and because of going over the 30-pound benchmark, there's a bonus!! Well, I consider it a bonus! This week I can start adding some other foods in. Mainly, tomatoes are now on the list, as well as Almond Milk (which makes great protein shakes and lasts longer than regular milk) and Sea Bass, Turnip Greens, although I wasn't losing sleep over those! I can also add in apricots and plums.
I couldn't be happier with the progress and the direction things are going. It's been super hot outside, so that makes it easier to drink the water and don't you know the first thing I ate at lunch today was a chicken salad with tomatoes in it! Dang it was good!!
I continue on...another 16 or so pounds, with a target date in my mind of when I should be there...we'll see if I can make it!
Here's hoping you all have a fabulous week, mine is shaping up to be fantastic!
April 26, 2011
Week 8 - Late Thinking & "Celebrity" Status
What a week...as I reflect back on all this past week brought it was incredibly busy but all in good ways...mostly! I realized though, busy means I don't always give myself enough time to think about ME and what I should be doing, when I should be doing it.
I can count more than a few times this week when I was a 'late thinker' when it came to the program and what I was doing, what I was accomplishing, or not! I mean, I essentially don't deviate from protein, 'healthy' carbs and water, with the occasional cocktail. Yes, to those of you who know me well that are reading this, everyone has a different definition of 'occasional'!
However, this week...as I reflected back, after weigh in, I realized there was more than one occasion that I thought "after the fact" about what I did. The first one was on Tuesday night when I had a work dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. First of all, fabulous! Second of all, I also ate lunch out that day. Lunch I had salmon and steamed veggies, all good stuff, no problems, no issues...on target all the way. Dinner I had filet medallions with shrimp, no butter, asparagus and a Caesar salad (no dressing, no croutons, lemon wedge on the side). I also had a couple of cocktails. That dinner was amazing. However it wasn't until I started typing this blog that I thought back to that entire days and said, UM...duh! Out of the 16 servings of protein I can have in a day, only four of them come from "lean" proteins and the other 12 are considered "very lean". Not typically an issue, except when you eat steak and salmon for your only proteins of the day (other than breakfast) and there was more than four ounces! OOOPS! That's oops # 1.
Alas, we didn't stop there...the next day Todd cooked dinner for he, Elise & I and we had steak and veggies and salad and I stopped during our salad making and picked out my salad before I ever finished making theirs...way to go, me! Dinner was excellent and we then started coloring Easter eggs, while snacking on the fresh fruit Todd had cut up. I absolutely love fresh fruit this time of year. Strawberries just at the peak of freshness and pineapple, chilled and sweet...YUM! So we all went to town on our healthy dessert. I got home, and don't you know...pineapple is not on the list! Eight weeks on this program (the 2nd time around) and you'd think I could know that...but I never even thought about it, until it was too late.
So, you're thinking now, well, that's got to be it, what else could she have done?! Ahhh, along comes Friday night. We went out to see a friend who is starting to play with a new band, we had a cocktail or two and by the end of the night we were chatting with all the people left in the bar and all the band people. In case you didn't know, I talk to everyone! :)
We were hanging out with some people I knew from a year or two ago and they decided we should do a shot...with Red Bull...something I swore off, a long time ago. That is, until Friday night, apparently. When did it dawn on me, you ask? Oh, I believe it was Sunday, as I was downing a gallon of water and trying to think of how I had done this week, since my weigh in was Tuesday instead of Monday. That's when some of these things hit me in the head.
I really need to pay attention to what I'm doing a little closer. I have the food list, shoot, I know the food list. I just flat out didn't think. Of course, last night I was stressing out over it, but really, at that point my fate was pretty much sealed for weigh in today.
Let's chat about weigh-in today...If nothing else, this brought a smile to my face while I was there this morning.
When I signed in, there was a few new people in the front, and when the medical assistant came to bring me back, she was new too. She mentioned her name (and I feel awful that I forgot it) and that she was filling in from the Sarasota branch. She then proceeded to tell me that I looked very much like the "lady on the website" to her, and she wanted to know if that was me. I said yes, unwillingly, since that "lady on the website" is still 20 pounds away from goal, but...I said yes.
She was thrilled, she thought that it was awesome that I was there and that she got to meet me. She called me a celebrity and said she was excited she'd gotten to meet "a celebrity". I reminded her that while I thought that was sweet, I was so NOT a celebrity! She was very sweet and she made my visit a bit brighter for sure. I sometimes run into people who mention to me that they saw an ad with me on it. Dr. Garcia's office still has my video on their website (insert shamless plug hyperlink here: http://garciaweightloss.com/t-videos.aspx) :-)
As well, the office has used my photos for mailings and advertising around the Tampa Bay area. I remember once a guy I work with told me he saw me in his mailbox. That was before restart, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't fitting in his mailbox, but the Val-Pak ad was there. He thought that was pretty cool.
Anyway, all that being said, you'd think I had a horrible week, and now that you've been patiently reading, I'll let you know how it was.
This week I ended up with a loss of 0.8 pounds and 1.5% body fat. Nothing to shake a stick at after the week of late thinking that I had, for sure. For those of you keeping track, that brings the 8-week total to 28 pounds.
That's about equivalent to four newborn babies, 112 sticks of butter, 5.5 bags of sugar, the weight of a car tire and then some...I went back and looked at "Round 1-Week 8"...I wish I would stop doing that, because I was further along in my progress then, but...I wasn't anywhere near as comfortable with the belief that I can do the maintenance and will not have to do this for a "Round 3"...I need to stop looking though! It is ... what it is ... my lifestyle is much different now, I exercise better, I'm losing inches...maybe next week I'll post those, some of them are dramatic to me, yet I've not even told anyone! :)
This week I also decided to purchase some of the protein/carb supplements. Sometimes I have a hard time getting all of my servings in, so the shakes/puddings and the snack bars might help with that. I definitely need to pay attention there, though, and plan my days out. Those are equivalent to the "lean" protein, and we know what happens to me there!
For now, I keep chugging (water) along, on to the next week and those results. This week I'm hoping to hit at least 2 pounds of a loss. I have a 30-pound goal treat in mind and I can't wait for tomatoes to be added to the list!
Once again, to those of you who put up with me through the day to day, meal to meal aspect of this program and have yet to give up on me...thank you! I couldn't do it without the support of my friends, family and Garcia-Carrollwood office staff! You all are the best! Have a fabulous week, I know I will!
I can count more than a few times this week when I was a 'late thinker' when it came to the program and what I was doing, what I was accomplishing, or not! I mean, I essentially don't deviate from protein, 'healthy' carbs and water, with the occasional cocktail. Yes, to those of you who know me well that are reading this, everyone has a different definition of 'occasional'!
However, this week...as I reflected back, after weigh in, I realized there was more than one occasion that I thought "after the fact" about what I did. The first one was on Tuesday night when I had a work dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. First of all, fabulous! Second of all, I also ate lunch out that day. Lunch I had salmon and steamed veggies, all good stuff, no problems, no issues...on target all the way. Dinner I had filet medallions with shrimp, no butter, asparagus and a Caesar salad (no dressing, no croutons, lemon wedge on the side). I also had a couple of cocktails. That dinner was amazing. However it wasn't until I started typing this blog that I thought back to that entire days and said, UM...duh! Out of the 16 servings of protein I can have in a day, only four of them come from "lean" proteins and the other 12 are considered "very lean". Not typically an issue, except when you eat steak and salmon for your only proteins of the day (other than breakfast) and there was more than four ounces! OOOPS! That's oops # 1.
Alas, we didn't stop there...the next day Todd cooked dinner for he, Elise & I and we had steak and veggies and salad and I stopped during our salad making and picked out my salad before I ever finished making theirs...way to go, me! Dinner was excellent and we then started coloring Easter eggs, while snacking on the fresh fruit Todd had cut up. I absolutely love fresh fruit this time of year. Strawberries just at the peak of freshness and pineapple, chilled and sweet...YUM! So we all went to town on our healthy dessert. I got home, and don't you know...pineapple is not on the list! Eight weeks on this program (the 2nd time around) and you'd think I could know that...but I never even thought about it, until it was too late.
So, you're thinking now, well, that's got to be it, what else could she have done?! Ahhh, along comes Friday night. We went out to see a friend who is starting to play with a new band, we had a cocktail or two and by the end of the night we were chatting with all the people left in the bar and all the band people. In case you didn't know, I talk to everyone! :)
We were hanging out with some people I knew from a year or two ago and they decided we should do a shot...with Red Bull...something I swore off, a long time ago. That is, until Friday night, apparently. When did it dawn on me, you ask? Oh, I believe it was Sunday, as I was downing a gallon of water and trying to think of how I had done this week, since my weigh in was Tuesday instead of Monday. That's when some of these things hit me in the head.
I really need to pay attention to what I'm doing a little closer. I have the food list, shoot, I know the food list. I just flat out didn't think. Of course, last night I was stressing out over it, but really, at that point my fate was pretty much sealed for weigh in today.
Let's chat about weigh-in today...If nothing else, this brought a smile to my face while I was there this morning.
When I signed in, there was a few new people in the front, and when the medical assistant came to bring me back, she was new too. She mentioned her name (and I feel awful that I forgot it) and that she was filling in from the Sarasota branch. She then proceeded to tell me that I looked very much like the "lady on the website" to her, and she wanted to know if that was me. I said yes, unwillingly, since that "lady on the website" is still 20 pounds away from goal, but...I said yes.
She was thrilled, she thought that it was awesome that I was there and that she got to meet me. She called me a celebrity and said she was excited she'd gotten to meet "a celebrity". I reminded her that while I thought that was sweet, I was so NOT a celebrity! She was very sweet and she made my visit a bit brighter for sure. I sometimes run into people who mention to me that they saw an ad with me on it. Dr. Garcia's office still has my video on their website (insert shamless plug hyperlink here: http://garciaweightloss.com/t-videos.aspx) :-)
As well, the office has used my photos for mailings and advertising around the Tampa Bay area. I remember once a guy I work with told me he saw me in his mailbox. That was before restart, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't fitting in his mailbox, but the Val-Pak ad was there. He thought that was pretty cool.
Anyway, all that being said, you'd think I had a horrible week, and now that you've been patiently reading, I'll let you know how it was.
This week I ended up with a loss of 0.8 pounds and 1.5% body fat. Nothing to shake a stick at after the week of late thinking that I had, for sure. For those of you keeping track, that brings the 8-week total to 28 pounds.
That's about equivalent to four newborn babies, 112 sticks of butter, 5.5 bags of sugar, the weight of a car tire and then some...I went back and looked at "Round 1-Week 8"...I wish I would stop doing that, because I was further along in my progress then, but...I wasn't anywhere near as comfortable with the belief that I can do the maintenance and will not have to do this for a "Round 3"...I need to stop looking though! It is ... what it is ... my lifestyle is much different now, I exercise better, I'm losing inches...maybe next week I'll post those, some of them are dramatic to me, yet I've not even told anyone! :)
This week I also decided to purchase some of the protein/carb supplements. Sometimes I have a hard time getting all of my servings in, so the shakes/puddings and the snack bars might help with that. I definitely need to pay attention there, though, and plan my days out. Those are equivalent to the "lean" protein, and we know what happens to me there!
For now, I keep chugging (water) along, on to the next week and those results. This week I'm hoping to hit at least 2 pounds of a loss. I have a 30-pound goal treat in mind and I can't wait for tomatoes to be added to the list!
Once again, to those of you who put up with me through the day to day, meal to meal aspect of this program and have yet to give up on me...thank you! I couldn't do it without the support of my friends, family and Garcia-Carrollwood office staff! You all are the best! Have a fabulous week, I know I will!
April 20, 2011
A little behind...Weeks 6 & 7
My apologies to everyone! Work has been crazy and I just haven't had a lot of time to think about my blog posts.
I try to post something meaningful and an accurate depiction of my week (or weeks in this case), along with realizations, struggles, challenges, successes or whatever the case might be. Sometimes I know days in advance what I want to blog about after my weigh in result and other times my creativity just hides and I can't think of anything meaningful.
A few weeks ago I was going to post in regards to being someone who likes to maintain control over every aspect of my life, yet, apparently my weight issues/struggles are something I can't 'control' unless I pay full-on attention and use the resources from Dr. Garcia's office to help me hold myself accountable. It just sounds funny to me that someone who is a control freak needs accountability!
Live and learn I guess, because during Round 1 as I was closing in on my goal, I didn't think I'd need the accountability that standing on the scale gives me on a weekly basis. I think I thought I was successful, I learned what I needed to do, so I could just "do it"...but when I wasn't checking in, I quickly learned it was easy to not do it and not have to think much about it.
This time...no doubt about it, maintenance is mandatory! I have an incredibly supportive circle though and they encourage me to do the right things, remind me to drink the water and assist me in every aspect of the program.
SO over the last two weeks, and if you've made it this far in this blog post, you should know, I wrote this post last night, while coloring Easter eggs with Todd & Elise and I posted it...however, just found out it only posted a portion of it...so if the thoughts seem a little scattered it's because I just emailed all of you and told you it was done...then it wasn't!
So...the last two weeks. The end of week six proved to be a successful week with a 2.8 pound loss for a total of 25.4 and week seven ended with a 1.8 pound loss for a grand total to date of 27.2 and I really couldn't be happier. Well, I could...it's prime time for tomatoes here in Florida and I can't have them until I hit 30 pounds...then I'll be really happy!
I have also made the decision that I am going to continue for another 20 pounds. If I do that, I'll be 5 pounds more than when I hit goal last time. I heard from several people last time that I went too far and so maybe 5 pounds will be ok. I've asked Jen and Todd, the people who see me the most, to keep this all in check with me though. Last time I didn't necessarily think I had gone too far down in weight but other people thought I did. This time I've reached out and asked them to let me know when enough is enough if they think so before I do.
To all of my support system though, thank you so much. Without you all, I wouldn't be able to continue this through the daily struggles of "life" getting in the way. Sometimes it's easy to just run into somewhere with a drive-thru and make a quick, non-healthy choice, but even when we are sometimes in a hurry to get home from what we've been out doing or we need a quicker lunch than normal, my friends, boyfriend and family all make that sacrifice for me to be able to find something I can eat other than fast food. You guys all deserve an award for putting up with me as well!
Thanks, again...now I'm off to have lunch and drink another liter of water or two, before 3:30 this afternoon...today's water goal!
I try to post something meaningful and an accurate depiction of my week (or weeks in this case), along with realizations, struggles, challenges, successes or whatever the case might be. Sometimes I know days in advance what I want to blog about after my weigh in result and other times my creativity just hides and I can't think of anything meaningful.
A few weeks ago I was going to post in regards to being someone who likes to maintain control over every aspect of my life, yet, apparently my weight issues/struggles are something I can't 'control' unless I pay full-on attention and use the resources from Dr. Garcia's office to help me hold myself accountable. It just sounds funny to me that someone who is a control freak needs accountability!
Live and learn I guess, because during Round 1 as I was closing in on my goal, I didn't think I'd need the accountability that standing on the scale gives me on a weekly basis. I think I thought I was successful, I learned what I needed to do, so I could just "do it"...but when I wasn't checking in, I quickly learned it was easy to not do it and not have to think much about it.
This time...no doubt about it, maintenance is mandatory! I have an incredibly supportive circle though and they encourage me to do the right things, remind me to drink the water and assist me in every aspect of the program.
SO over the last two weeks, and if you've made it this far in this blog post, you should know, I wrote this post last night, while coloring Easter eggs with Todd & Elise and I posted it...however, just found out it only posted a portion of it...so if the thoughts seem a little scattered it's because I just emailed all of you and told you it was done...then it wasn't!
So...the last two weeks. The end of week six proved to be a successful week with a 2.8 pound loss for a total of 25.4 and week seven ended with a 1.8 pound loss for a grand total to date of 27.2 and I really couldn't be happier. Well, I could...it's prime time for tomatoes here in Florida and I can't have them until I hit 30 pounds...then I'll be really happy!
I have also made the decision that I am going to continue for another 20 pounds. If I do that, I'll be 5 pounds more than when I hit goal last time. I heard from several people last time that I went too far and so maybe 5 pounds will be ok. I've asked Jen and Todd, the people who see me the most, to keep this all in check with me though. Last time I didn't necessarily think I had gone too far down in weight but other people thought I did. This time I've reached out and asked them to let me know when enough is enough if they think so before I do.
To all of my support system though, thank you so much. Without you all, I wouldn't be able to continue this through the daily struggles of "life" getting in the way. Sometimes it's easy to just run into somewhere with a drive-thru and make a quick, non-healthy choice, but even when we are sometimes in a hurry to get home from what we've been out doing or we need a quicker lunch than normal, my friends, boyfriend and family all make that sacrifice for me to be able to find something I can eat other than fast food. You guys all deserve an award for putting up with me as well!
Thanks, again...now I'm off to have lunch and drink another liter of water or two, before 3:30 this afternoon...today's water goal!
April 4, 2011
Completion of Week 5....And a busy week it was!
Another week down! Week 5 seemed to be an incredibly busy week for me. I traveled for work to Sarasota on Monday/Tuesday for agency meetings and then Wednesday through Friday to Orlando for a convention and then had a pretty busy weekend as well. We had a few days of really crappy Florida weather as well this week.
When we arrived in Orlando, there were tornadoes, super high winds, chairs on the pool deck blown over on top of each other, just a big mess...and don't you know it was as soon as we got out of the car to get into our room!
I don't think I ate more than two meals at home last week, including breakfasts. Dinner out each night, lunch as well. That used to be enough to freak me out regarding having to stand on a scale on Monday mornings, but really, while at times the choices were a little boring, it was easy to stay on track with the food plan this week.
My struggle this week with the travel and work commitments was more on exercise and drinking the water. I didn't make it to the gym all week, didn't do anything while traveling, the weather was awful until our last day in Orlando, and then the weekend was full of beautiful weather and lots of time outside enjoying it, but no exercise...ooops!
It's difficult to drink the water when I am working some days. Sometimes it's super easy and I'm thirsty all day and that makes it easy to drink but sometimes I just kind of forget to drink it. I know that probably doesn't make sense but I get busy doing other things and forget about the water. I've never been good at just drinking water. I'm not a big fan of water, it's rather boring. I know it has a ton of benefits, but it's just blah! I'm on a mission this week to finish the water every day, though! We'll see how that works!
I'm happy to say that even eating out every meal for the week, this morning's weigh in showed a 2.8 pound loss, for a total of 22.6 in the five weeks. I also managed a body fat loss of 1.2%. Completely not sure how that happened, but I'll take it!
I'm happy with the progress, and know that "round 2" has been so different than the first time through the program. I'm committed to keeping up with maintenance one I hit the goal this time and I know my support system will help me to make that happen!
So, off to drink the last of the water for today...have a great week, everyone!
When we arrived in Orlando, there were tornadoes, super high winds, chairs on the pool deck blown over on top of each other, just a big mess...and don't you know it was as soon as we got out of the car to get into our room!
I don't think I ate more than two meals at home last week, including breakfasts. Dinner out each night, lunch as well. That used to be enough to freak me out regarding having to stand on a scale on Monday mornings, but really, while at times the choices were a little boring, it was easy to stay on track with the food plan this week.
My struggle this week with the travel and work commitments was more on exercise and drinking the water. I didn't make it to the gym all week, didn't do anything while traveling, the weather was awful until our last day in Orlando, and then the weekend was full of beautiful weather and lots of time outside enjoying it, but no exercise...ooops!
It's difficult to drink the water when I am working some days. Sometimes it's super easy and I'm thirsty all day and that makes it easy to drink but sometimes I just kind of forget to drink it. I know that probably doesn't make sense but I get busy doing other things and forget about the water. I've never been good at just drinking water. I'm not a big fan of water, it's rather boring. I know it has a ton of benefits, but it's just blah! I'm on a mission this week to finish the water every day, though! We'll see how that works!
I'm happy to say that even eating out every meal for the week, this morning's weigh in showed a 2.8 pound loss, for a total of 22.6 in the five weeks. I also managed a body fat loss of 1.2%. Completely not sure how that happened, but I'll take it!
I'm happy with the progress, and know that "round 2" has been so different than the first time through the program. I'm committed to keeping up with maintenance one I hit the goal this time and I know my support system will help me to make that happen!
So, off to drink the last of the water for today...have a great week, everyone!
March 29, 2011
It's the end of Month 1---Week 4---Round 2!
I know, the titles are boring...feel free to suggest something a little more exciting!
Another day late on blogging, but I'm traveling for work this week and sometimes I just can't fit one more thing into my day. I got to my hotel room last night at midnight-not about to start then!
Work is crazy when we have Agency Expo weeks, a few different cities, a lot of agents and the same message over and over and over again...wait...that sounds like a complaint...Always good stuff, but lots of moving parts to setting up an agency meeting and working with hotel catering staff. Which brings me to a great point...(see, this was going somewhere)....
Did you all know...The hotel catering staff is happy to accommodate special orders for food for your guests (or yourself if you are the guest) attending a meeting? All you have to do is ASK! Why do you care? Well, you are reading my blog, either because you are part of Dr. Garcia's program, staff, stumbled upon it because you were bored and clicked that "next blog" button, or you are my friends and family who I shamelessly send an email to every week, encouraging you all to read this because it's about ME! LOL
Anyway...why do we care? Well, because typically our lunches for agents are comprised of chicken (mass amounts of people, chicken is relatively safe)and some sort of a STARCH (BAD!) and then some sort of a SAUCE (really BAD!) and maybe, maybe some veggies and we can't forget the decadent desserts. I've so far, attended two events in the past week...two special order lunches for Michelle to stay on program. Chicken (no real option there) and steamed/grilled veggies of my choice typically, with my ever so famous "Ceasar Salad w/ no dressing, no croutons & slices of lemon wedges" (I think my boyfriend could order my salad in his sleep he's heard it so much!) Y'all should try it, it's really tasty!!
I'm just super happy to say that really, there isn't anywhere that I've been in the last month that I've had to say "yeah, there's nothing here I can eat". I'm still eating out, I still very much live my normal week, whether it's eating lunch in my car on a drive from agency to agency, out to lunch with friends, out with an agent or whatever. The only time the choice started to become difficult was at a hockey game last week. I was desperately searching for something from a concession stand that I could eat...Thanks, Outback Steakhouse for providing me with Steak tips and mushrooms, and by the way...those fries you put in my basket, ya know, the item that there was the most of in my $9.50 supper...yeah, those...I didn't eat a single one of them...HAH!
So today, I want to really remind you all that in everything that we do, whether it is diet, health, job, family etc... we have choices. Our choices, of course, have consequences. As long as you are informed of your options and clearly understand the consequences, the choice is yours to make.
I've consciously made choices every day, several times a day, to stay on program, to do what I am doing because it's the right thing for me...and have really brought back my whole feeling of it doesn't matter what's on my plate as compared to yours. It's the exact same premise I used in "Round 1" of the program, and it works. However, it only works when you consciously make an effort to choose the path that you know to be the right one for you. I choose to stick directly to the program, some people may deviate and not "give up" things they feel they don't want to go without. I know what I'm doing works for me and I hope you are all making the decisions that work for you.
It doesn't bother me in the least to sit in a movie theater, holding a bag of popcorn and not eating any (I was sitting in the middle of the popcorn eaters!!) Don't get me wrong, I stuck my head in the bag and smelled and smelled and smelled that popcorn...but that was it. Smelling has no residual effect on the size of my ______ you can complete that sentence however you see fit!
So all of this crazy talk about choices and consequences and meetings and stuff, all good things, so it must have been a good week, right? Well....
To close out the first month, week # 4 produced a 4.4# loss for a total of 19.8 pounds for the month. I just looked back at Round 1-Week 4 completion and I was at 22.2...well, I have nothing to say on that. This time is different and maybe I should stop comparing where I was to where I am. The one thing that isn't in that post though is a few measurements. They now do waist measurements at the beginning of the program and then at each monthly interval. I lost 4.5" in my waist this month...My clothes are too big, kinda frumpy looking...but I have a closet full of things I can switch to, and gladly!!
So, things are going well. Choices are being made and I couldn't be happier with the progress. As for now, it's time for more water...more and more and more!
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, comments you leave here, emails you send. It's encouraging to me and it makes it so easy to write this every week!
Remember to make the best choice for you, every day, in whatever it is you do!!
Until next week....Happy Spring!!! (And for those of you still in snow and ice...uh, sorry....my pool is ready for visitors!!) xoxo
Another day late on blogging, but I'm traveling for work this week and sometimes I just can't fit one more thing into my day. I got to my hotel room last night at midnight-not about to start then!
Work is crazy when we have Agency Expo weeks, a few different cities, a lot of agents and the same message over and over and over again...wait...that sounds like a complaint...Always good stuff, but lots of moving parts to setting up an agency meeting and working with hotel catering staff. Which brings me to a great point...(see, this was going somewhere)....
Did you all know...The hotel catering staff is happy to accommodate special orders for food for your guests (or yourself if you are the guest) attending a meeting? All you have to do is ASK! Why do you care? Well, you are reading my blog, either because you are part of Dr. Garcia's program, staff, stumbled upon it because you were bored and clicked that "next blog" button, or you are my friends and family who I shamelessly send an email to every week, encouraging you all to read this because it's about ME! LOL
Anyway...why do we care? Well, because typically our lunches for agents are comprised of chicken (mass amounts of people, chicken is relatively safe)and some sort of a STARCH (BAD!) and then some sort of a SAUCE (really BAD!) and maybe, maybe some veggies and we can't forget the decadent desserts. I've so far, attended two events in the past week...two special order lunches for Michelle to stay on program. Chicken (no real option there) and steamed/grilled veggies of my choice typically, with my ever so famous "Ceasar Salad w/ no dressing, no croutons & slices of lemon wedges" (I think my boyfriend could order my salad in his sleep he's heard it so much!) Y'all should try it, it's really tasty!!
I'm just super happy to say that really, there isn't anywhere that I've been in the last month that I've had to say "yeah, there's nothing here I can eat". I'm still eating out, I still very much live my normal week, whether it's eating lunch in my car on a drive from agency to agency, out to lunch with friends, out with an agent or whatever. The only time the choice started to become difficult was at a hockey game last week. I was desperately searching for something from a concession stand that I could eat...Thanks, Outback Steakhouse for providing me with Steak tips and mushrooms, and by the way...those fries you put in my basket, ya know, the item that there was the most of in my $9.50 supper...yeah, those...I didn't eat a single one of them...HAH!
So today, I want to really remind you all that in everything that we do, whether it is diet, health, job, family etc... we have choices. Our choices, of course, have consequences. As long as you are informed of your options and clearly understand the consequences, the choice is yours to make.
I've consciously made choices every day, several times a day, to stay on program, to do what I am doing because it's the right thing for me...and have really brought back my whole feeling of it doesn't matter what's on my plate as compared to yours. It's the exact same premise I used in "Round 1" of the program, and it works. However, it only works when you consciously make an effort to choose the path that you know to be the right one for you. I choose to stick directly to the program, some people may deviate and not "give up" things they feel they don't want to go without. I know what I'm doing works for me and I hope you are all making the decisions that work for you.
It doesn't bother me in the least to sit in a movie theater, holding a bag of popcorn and not eating any (I was sitting in the middle of the popcorn eaters!!) Don't get me wrong, I stuck my head in the bag and smelled and smelled and smelled that popcorn...but that was it. Smelling has no residual effect on the size of my ______ you can complete that sentence however you see fit!
So all of this crazy talk about choices and consequences and meetings and stuff, all good things, so it must have been a good week, right? Well....
To close out the first month, week # 4 produced a 4.4# loss for a total of 19.8 pounds for the month. I just looked back at Round 1-Week 4 completion and I was at 22.2...well, I have nothing to say on that. This time is different and maybe I should stop comparing where I was to where I am. The one thing that isn't in that post though is a few measurements. They now do waist measurements at the beginning of the program and then at each monthly interval. I lost 4.5" in my waist this month...My clothes are too big, kinda frumpy looking...but I have a closet full of things I can switch to, and gladly!!
So, things are going well. Choices are being made and I couldn't be happier with the progress. As for now, it's time for more water...more and more and more!
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, comments you leave here, emails you send. It's encouraging to me and it makes it so easy to write this every week!
Remember to make the best choice for you, every day, in whatever it is you do!!
Until next week....Happy Spring!!! (And for those of you still in snow and ice...uh, sorry....my pool is ready for visitors!!) xoxo
March 25, 2011
The Completion of Week 3
It has taken me all day to decide what I want to write on here tonight. I truly am not up to talking about my week and the result of the weigh in today. That being said, with me you get the good or the bad, it is what it is.
I'm incredibly disappointed in the result of today, yet I can't wrap my head around why. Usually you don't read the result until near the end of the post for the week, but I'm just going to spill it. This week I stayed the same. I know, I didn't gain, and actually lost body fat, but I'm incredibly annoyed by having "maintained" a weight I despise for another week. So, why did I stay the same...well, I think there are a few answers to that question. All of which I have spent the day beating myself up about.
First and foremost, I am not eating all of my "allowable" servings of food in a day. I track on the BalanceMD program everything I eat, and there are several days a week when I have servings left over as I'm crawling into bed.
Wow, it's taken me the entire week to get back to this...I started writing on Monday night and the days and nights have been crazy this week! So...where were we...
Not eating all of the food servings is not something under the guidelines of the program. It's important to eat everything allowable. I have a hard time with that when I'm not feeling hungry, but I suppose at least what I am eating is healthy stuff!
The other issue with the "stay the same" I believe, were the choices I made on Saturday night. We went to dinner with friends on the beach and I made the decision to have a drink. Then, another, then...anyway... I drank Margaritas, with salt...and mentioned to Todd that I was really, really going to need to drink A LOT of water on Sunday to offset this...well...Maybe I should have indulged in something different, maybe I should have had one or two drinks...but it was a choice I made with each round. It's clearly my own fault.
That being said, it's days later, and I've accepted the "stay the same" and have been giving my all this week to make sure I eat the right amounts of food, to drink the water and do what I need to do, other than exercise...but that's going to be in next week's (Monday night's) post. I wouldn't want to ruin all the fun for you now! LOL
Here's to remembering choices have consequences, some good...some bad...some relatively insignificant...but always a consequence.
Better weeks ahead!
I'm incredibly disappointed in the result of today, yet I can't wrap my head around why. Usually you don't read the result until near the end of the post for the week, but I'm just going to spill it. This week I stayed the same. I know, I didn't gain, and actually lost body fat, but I'm incredibly annoyed by having "maintained" a weight I despise for another week. So, why did I stay the same...well, I think there are a few answers to that question. All of which I have spent the day beating myself up about.
First and foremost, I am not eating all of my "allowable" servings of food in a day. I track on the BalanceMD program everything I eat, and there are several days a week when I have servings left over as I'm crawling into bed.
Wow, it's taken me the entire week to get back to this...I started writing on Monday night and the days and nights have been crazy this week! So...where were we...
Not eating all of the food servings is not something under the guidelines of the program. It's important to eat everything allowable. I have a hard time with that when I'm not feeling hungry, but I suppose at least what I am eating is healthy stuff!
The other issue with the "stay the same" I believe, were the choices I made on Saturday night. We went to dinner with friends on the beach and I made the decision to have a drink. Then, another, then...anyway... I drank Margaritas, with salt...and mentioned to Todd that I was really, really going to need to drink A LOT of water on Sunday to offset this...well...Maybe I should have indulged in something different, maybe I should have had one or two drinks...but it was a choice I made with each round. It's clearly my own fault.
That being said, it's days later, and I've accepted the "stay the same" and have been giving my all this week to make sure I eat the right amounts of food, to drink the water and do what I need to do, other than exercise...but that's going to be in next week's (Monday night's) post. I wouldn't want to ruin all the fun for you now! LOL
Here's to remembering choices have consequences, some good...some bad...some relatively insignificant...but always a consequence.
Better weeks ahead!
March 14, 2011
The Completion of Week 2
I hope you all had a great week! Today ended week # 2 of the restart and I honestly couldn't ask for things to be going better in every aspect of my life right now.
As you know from last week's post, at the end of the week last week, phase 2 of the program started and the addition of 'healthy' carbs were introduced in the form of fruits and vegetables. There couldn't be a better time for fruit and vegetables to be a big part of my menu plan every day. It's peak strawberry season here in Florida and they have been wonderful! I love the availability of all of the fresh fruits & vegetables we have access too, makes it easy to plan meals for sure!
While things are going well, there were a few little challenges over the last week. I was on the phone with a couple of people through the week this week who don't understand when I say that this really has been easy. I know I just said there were a few little challenges, but 99% of the time, the program is easy. I honestly don't even have a desire to do something that's not on the program. The challenges come in where it is occasionally (one day this past week) incredibly difficult to drink all of the water. The other challenge is in finishing all of the protein servings allowable/recommended in a particular day. I wrote a bit about this last week but it seemed to be a bit of a challenge every day this week. I know I need to eat a larger breakfast and that would help that a lot, but it's difficult to get up early and cook breakfast for myself!
As far as sticking to the program and not having a desire to deviate, for whatever reason, it honestly doesn't phase me a bit. Yesterday I spent the day at the Strawberry Festival with Todd & Elise and wandered through the entire day with bottles of water, stops at the restroom (endless!) and when we stopped for Elise to have Strawberry Shortcake it didn't even look appealing to me. It's got to be the meds! :)
Speaking of the medication, that's something I am doing better with this time around as well. I seem to remember last time on the program I frequently forgot to take the meds, and when I remembered, it wasn't always on time! This time, Todd has a reminder alarm set to remind me when it's 4:00, just an odd time of my day for me to stop and take meds, but a text...I seem to always be able to read and respond to, so that has worked great...Thanks, Todd! The appetite suppressant medication honestly makes the hunger 'feeling' really non-existent. I can't remember a time so far since the restart that I could say I was "hungry". It was close yesterday, we had a late supper, but even at that, it was fine. They really do curb cravings.
The other medication is Calcium Pyruvate. For those of you who might not be familiar with what exactly that is, I found a pretty informative article and have copy pasted some of it here:
Calcium pyruvate is a nutritional supplement that combines naturally occurring pyruvic acid with calcium. While pyruvate is produced in the body and aids in the conversion of sugar and starches into energy, calcium pyruvate can help enhance the metabolism and speed up the creation of energy. Along with helping people feel more energized, using the supplement can also aid in weight loss when used in conjunction with a sensible diet and regular exercise.
Because calcium pyruvate helps in burning fat to create more fuel for the body to use, the supplement helps to reduce fat that is retained in the body. Thus, the supplement can minimize the amount of excess fat that is stored around the abdomen and other parts of the body. The additional energy that is generated helps the body to function more efficiently and comes in handy when exercising as part of an overall health improvement regimen. In an indirect manner, this also means that calcium pyruvate aids in mental as well as physical health, since emotional issues often have a physical origin.
Combining pyruvate with calcium creates supplements that will not interfere with any body function, nor will using calcium pyruvate cause the body to produce less pyruvate in the system. Instead, the supplements will enhance the effectiveness of the pyruvate already present in the body and increase the ability to maintain energy for the day and prevent the accumulation of extra pounds. However, calcium pyruvate should not be viewed as a way to eat and drink anything and still lose weight. The product works best when used along with eating lean meats, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, choosing complex carbohydrates over simple carbs, and getting at least thirty minutes of exercise each day.
As far as the exercise routine goes, after Week 1 I was able to start back with my exercise routine. Dr. Garcia's office did, however, recommend that most of the exercise be cario and not much on the weight lifting type things since muscle weighs more than fat and that can throw off the goal at this point in the program. I've modified my schedule to add a couple more cardio classes to take place of the weight training classes that I had started previously. Now I have between three & four classes a week that are predominately cardio based and it seems to be working out well.
So, as a recap, food program is going great. I just need to find a way to have a larger breakfast and get all of the servings in during a day. The medication is working how it's supposed to, especially when I take it on time and the exercise program has been adjusted and working well. Things are good....(and you've been waiting, I know...) SO good, that today's weigh in showed a 5.8 pound loss during week 2 and a total over the two weeks of.... 15.4 pounds. It's really hard to complain about that!!
On we go to Week 3...no expected challenges or anything particular that sticks out as a stumbling block at this point. One day at a time, one glass of water at a time, keeps the program moving in the right direction!
To end tonight, a quote that shows the progress, even during a 'restart', by C.S. Lewis
“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
And finally, a thank you to those of you who live through this every day with me, listening to me talk about what I ate, what I can have, what I can't, encouraging me to move forward...your support means so much to me, as do each of you! Thank you, again!
As you know from last week's post, at the end of the week last week, phase 2 of the program started and the addition of 'healthy' carbs were introduced in the form of fruits and vegetables. There couldn't be a better time for fruit and vegetables to be a big part of my menu plan every day. It's peak strawberry season here in Florida and they have been wonderful! I love the availability of all of the fresh fruits & vegetables we have access too, makes it easy to plan meals for sure!
While things are going well, there were a few little challenges over the last week. I was on the phone with a couple of people through the week this week who don't understand when I say that this really has been easy. I know I just said there were a few little challenges, but 99% of the time, the program is easy. I honestly don't even have a desire to do something that's not on the program. The challenges come in where it is occasionally (one day this past week) incredibly difficult to drink all of the water. The other challenge is in finishing all of the protein servings allowable/recommended in a particular day. I wrote a bit about this last week but it seemed to be a bit of a challenge every day this week. I know I need to eat a larger breakfast and that would help that a lot, but it's difficult to get up early and cook breakfast for myself!
As far as sticking to the program and not having a desire to deviate, for whatever reason, it honestly doesn't phase me a bit. Yesterday I spent the day at the Strawberry Festival with Todd & Elise and wandered through the entire day with bottles of water, stops at the restroom (endless!) and when we stopped for Elise to have Strawberry Shortcake it didn't even look appealing to me. It's got to be the meds! :)
Speaking of the medication, that's something I am doing better with this time around as well. I seem to remember last time on the program I frequently forgot to take the meds, and when I remembered, it wasn't always on time! This time, Todd has a reminder alarm set to remind me when it's 4:00, just an odd time of my day for me to stop and take meds, but a text...I seem to always be able to read and respond to, so that has worked great...Thanks, Todd! The appetite suppressant medication honestly makes the hunger 'feeling' really non-existent. I can't remember a time so far since the restart that I could say I was "hungry". It was close yesterday, we had a late supper, but even at that, it was fine. They really do curb cravings.
The other medication is Calcium Pyruvate. For those of you who might not be familiar with what exactly that is, I found a pretty informative article and have copy pasted some of it here:
Calcium pyruvate is a nutritional supplement that combines naturally occurring pyruvic acid with calcium. While pyruvate is produced in the body and aids in the conversion of sugar and starches into energy, calcium pyruvate can help enhance the metabolism and speed up the creation of energy. Along with helping people feel more energized, using the supplement can also aid in weight loss when used in conjunction with a sensible diet and regular exercise.
Because calcium pyruvate helps in burning fat to create more fuel for the body to use, the supplement helps to reduce fat that is retained in the body. Thus, the supplement can minimize the amount of excess fat that is stored around the abdomen and other parts of the body. The additional energy that is generated helps the body to function more efficiently and comes in handy when exercising as part of an overall health improvement regimen. In an indirect manner, this also means that calcium pyruvate aids in mental as well as physical health, since emotional issues often have a physical origin.
Combining pyruvate with calcium creates supplements that will not interfere with any body function, nor will using calcium pyruvate cause the body to produce less pyruvate in the system. Instead, the supplements will enhance the effectiveness of the pyruvate already present in the body and increase the ability to maintain energy for the day and prevent the accumulation of extra pounds. However, calcium pyruvate should not be viewed as a way to eat and drink anything and still lose weight. The product works best when used along with eating lean meats, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, choosing complex carbohydrates over simple carbs, and getting at least thirty minutes of exercise each day.
As far as the exercise routine goes, after Week 1 I was able to start back with my exercise routine. Dr. Garcia's office did, however, recommend that most of the exercise be cario and not much on the weight lifting type things since muscle weighs more than fat and that can throw off the goal at this point in the program. I've modified my schedule to add a couple more cardio classes to take place of the weight training classes that I had started previously. Now I have between three & four classes a week that are predominately cardio based and it seems to be working out well.
So, as a recap, food program is going great. I just need to find a way to have a larger breakfast and get all of the servings in during a day. The medication is working how it's supposed to, especially when I take it on time and the exercise program has been adjusted and working well. Things are good....(and you've been waiting, I know...) SO good, that today's weigh in showed a 5.8 pound loss during week 2 and a total over the two weeks of.... 15.4 pounds. It's really hard to complain about that!!
On we go to Week 3...no expected challenges or anything particular that sticks out as a stumbling block at this point. One day at a time, one glass of water at a time, keeps the program moving in the right direction!
To end tonight, a quote that shows the progress, even during a 'restart', by C.S. Lewis
“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
And finally, a thank you to those of you who live through this every day with me, listening to me talk about what I ate, what I can have, what I can't, encouraging me to move forward...your support means so much to me, as do each of you! Thank you, again!
March 7, 2011
Completion of Week 1-
Once again, I am writing to you all about the completion of the first week of the Garcia program. I certainly hope that this is the last time you ever see a Week 1 post from me! Things are different in my life now, so I'm confident that it will be the last "Week 1" you'll see :)
Just like the first time around, this week was fairly easy to stick to the protein only. Rather boring the first few days, but it's over quickly and then you move on to much more normal meals. The water was something I know is a great thing, but I hadn't really missed all that. Some days it was definitely a struggle to finish it all. I work in sales and when I'm in and out of the car all day it makes it a little tough to focus on drinking all that water. That being said, there wasn't a day that I didn't get through it all, and then some, when you add coffee or maybe a glass of water at a restaurant.
As far as the water is concerned, the two people who are around me the most deserve a big thanks this week. My boyfriend and my best friend both challenged themselves to one day of drinking a gallon of water to experience what I was going through. Needless to say, they understand my need to always be looking for a bathroom now!
There wasn't anything I really struggled with on the program this week, I stayed on track, even through some work stresses and am keeping my end goal in mind. For the most part I remembered to take all of the medication on time, even through a busy week and an incredibly busy weekend landscaping the front of my house. I'd say the only thing at times that might have been a little difficult was actually finishing the 16oz of protein each day. Sometimes I was forcing myself to eat even if I wasn't overly hungry, that's something that I'm not overly fond of, but not sure how to get around it. Breakfast might be a little of a struggle during the week, since most of the protein things need to be cooked. I'm not necessarily a morning person...even though I get up, I'm lazy in the mornings and cooking isn't necessarily something that works into my "get ready for work" routine. Weekends is completely different.
I know, you've been reading and reading and wondering is she ever going to tell us how she did for goodness sake? Well, here you have it. I lost 9.6 pounds this week. I followed along all week with my own scale and a new part of the program this time is an online tracker for everything, so it's easy to track weight, water, food, etc...
I was thrilled with the loss, as you can imagine and with the ease of transitioning back into the program. It's been easy to do with the support I have from my friends and family.
So on to week two, and looking forward to seeing the results little by little.
Just like the first time around, this week was fairly easy to stick to the protein only. Rather boring the first few days, but it's over quickly and then you move on to much more normal meals. The water was something I know is a great thing, but I hadn't really missed all that. Some days it was definitely a struggle to finish it all. I work in sales and when I'm in and out of the car all day it makes it a little tough to focus on drinking all that water. That being said, there wasn't a day that I didn't get through it all, and then some, when you add coffee or maybe a glass of water at a restaurant.
As far as the water is concerned, the two people who are around me the most deserve a big thanks this week. My boyfriend and my best friend both challenged themselves to one day of drinking a gallon of water to experience what I was going through. Needless to say, they understand my need to always be looking for a bathroom now!
There wasn't anything I really struggled with on the program this week, I stayed on track, even through some work stresses and am keeping my end goal in mind. For the most part I remembered to take all of the medication on time, even through a busy week and an incredibly busy weekend landscaping the front of my house. I'd say the only thing at times that might have been a little difficult was actually finishing the 16oz of protein each day. Sometimes I was forcing myself to eat even if I wasn't overly hungry, that's something that I'm not overly fond of, but not sure how to get around it. Breakfast might be a little of a struggle during the week, since most of the protein things need to be cooked. I'm not necessarily a morning person...even though I get up, I'm lazy in the mornings and cooking isn't necessarily something that works into my "get ready for work" routine. Weekends is completely different.
I know, you've been reading and reading and wondering is she ever going to tell us how she did for goodness sake? Well, here you have it. I lost 9.6 pounds this week. I followed along all week with my own scale and a new part of the program this time is an online tracker for everything, so it's easy to track weight, water, food, etc...
I was thrilled with the loss, as you can imagine and with the ease of transitioning back into the program. It's been easy to do with the support I have from my friends and family.
So on to week two, and looking forward to seeing the results little by little.
February 28, 2011
I Never Wanted To Be "That" Person
....But, I Am....
Yes, that is right...for those of you who have been reading all along, welcome back. It's the new edition of The Journey, Round 2. Although as I logged on to this site to post for the first time in a LONG time, I realize I said I was starting back a year ago...not sure exactly what happened to that!!
Over the past couple of weeks I have given some serious thought to restarting the Garcia program. It took a couple of weeks to admit that I needed to. Then a week or so of playing phone tag to figure out if I could arrange something to fit in my budget. I was surprised to find out through a couple of sources that the office is still using my prior promotion information on their website and in mailings...ahh, those were the days! :)
In speaking with the office we made an arrangement and low and behold...the program officially restarts tomorrow...I've gone to the restart appointment, I have the medication, I got the injection, I donated my Girl Scout Cookies back to the troop without so much as picking them up...the food & gallon of water portion begins at 6:30 when I get up.
Needless to say the fact that I have to even restart makes me sad, but it certainly is not the fault of anyone but myself and my choices. Kind of funny since I just took a class at work on accountability...hmmm, ironic?
I had a great conversation with Dr. Armstrong this afternoon. As he "welcomed me back" I could not help but laugh because "I never wanted to be that person". He reminded me of a few important lessons
1. Surprise, Surprise...I'm human :)
2. At some point in our lives we all fall off the wagon.
It's not the issue of falling off, it's what you do once
you realize you fell off. Do you do something to get
back on or do you wallow in the dirt and feel sorry for
yourself because of it?
Two great points, even though I'm incredibly frustrated with myself. Let's just say February has not been the month that I wanted it to be from start to finish! However I know the rest of 2011 is going to be spectacular!
So, what happened? Well, quite honestly, I thought and as I write that, that was the issue. I thought, I didn't act. I thought I could handle maintenance by myself. I know what to do and what not to do, I know what to eat and what not to eat, I know how much of it to eat and I know I need to exercise. So, you ask, what happened? Knowing and doing are sometimes two different things. This thing we call "life" got in the way and it was easy to get off track. I will say, my exercise routine has never been more on track, but I think ...no, I know...I used that in my head as a thought of, well..I can eat that because I'm going to the gym. It doesn't necessarily work that way for my metabolism I suppose.
So, now what? Well, restart is tomorrow, and the first few days are the worst. Pure protein, no carbs, no fruit, no vegetables, but a lot of protein and A LOT of water. One day at a time, shoot, sometimes even one meal at a time, controlling the decisions I make will let me reach my goal, again. After that, the accountability of maintenance is not an option for me. The maintenance is necessary. I learned that the hard way!
My mom asked me tonight when I told her about the restart what my "goal" was. At this point, I don't have a "number" goal. I know where I was comfortable...it's definitely not where I am now. When I get there, or get close, I think I'll know. Last time I got a lot of push back on having lost what some people thought was "too much". I don't think at this point I want to go quite that far, but again, as it gets closer, I think I'll figure it out. In the meantime....I'm going to work every day to be a better me.
I have an absolutely INCREDIBLE support system in my family, boyfriend and friends and I know with their help and the support and guidance of the staff at Garcia Weight Loss, I will reach and continue to maintain my goal. In the meantime, look for a new blog post weekly as I'll be keeping this updated. It helps me to track what I'm doing on a weekly basis and how "life" affects my journey.
To those of you who play an active, daily role in my life...thank you. Without your love and support I would never be able to do this. Each of you mean so much to me and I thank you for everything that you do for me, each and every day.
"Thinking well is wise; planning well, wiser; doing well, wisest and best of all."
- Persian Proverb
Yes, that is right...for those of you who have been reading all along, welcome back. It's the new edition of The Journey, Round 2. Although as I logged on to this site to post for the first time in a LONG time, I realize I said I was starting back a year ago...not sure exactly what happened to that!!
Over the past couple of weeks I have given some serious thought to restarting the Garcia program. It took a couple of weeks to admit that I needed to. Then a week or so of playing phone tag to figure out if I could arrange something to fit in my budget. I was surprised to find out through a couple of sources that the office is still using my prior promotion information on their website and in mailings...ahh, those were the days! :)
In speaking with the office we made an arrangement and low and behold...the program officially restarts tomorrow...I've gone to the restart appointment, I have the medication, I got the injection, I donated my Girl Scout Cookies back to the troop without so much as picking them up...the food & gallon of water portion begins at 6:30 when I get up.
Needless to say the fact that I have to even restart makes me sad, but it certainly is not the fault of anyone but myself and my choices. Kind of funny since I just took a class at work on accountability...hmmm, ironic?
I had a great conversation with Dr. Armstrong this afternoon. As he "welcomed me back" I could not help but laugh because "I never wanted to be that person". He reminded me of a few important lessons
1. Surprise, Surprise...I'm human :)
2. At some point in our lives we all fall off the wagon.
It's not the issue of falling off, it's what you do once
you realize you fell off. Do you do something to get
back on or do you wallow in the dirt and feel sorry for
yourself because of it?
Two great points, even though I'm incredibly frustrated with myself. Let's just say February has not been the month that I wanted it to be from start to finish! However I know the rest of 2011 is going to be spectacular!
So, what happened? Well, quite honestly, I thought and as I write that, that was the issue. I thought, I didn't act. I thought I could handle maintenance by myself. I know what to do and what not to do, I know what to eat and what not to eat, I know how much of it to eat and I know I need to exercise. So, you ask, what happened? Knowing and doing are sometimes two different things. This thing we call "life" got in the way and it was easy to get off track. I will say, my exercise routine has never been more on track, but I think ...no, I know...I used that in my head as a thought of, well..I can eat that because I'm going to the gym. It doesn't necessarily work that way for my metabolism I suppose.
So, now what? Well, restart is tomorrow, and the first few days are the worst. Pure protein, no carbs, no fruit, no vegetables, but a lot of protein and A LOT of water. One day at a time, shoot, sometimes even one meal at a time, controlling the decisions I make will let me reach my goal, again. After that, the accountability of maintenance is not an option for me. The maintenance is necessary. I learned that the hard way!
My mom asked me tonight when I told her about the restart what my "goal" was. At this point, I don't have a "number" goal. I know where I was comfortable...it's definitely not where I am now. When I get there, or get close, I think I'll know. Last time I got a lot of push back on having lost what some people thought was "too much". I don't think at this point I want to go quite that far, but again, as it gets closer, I think I'll figure it out. In the meantime....I'm going to work every day to be a better me.
I have an absolutely INCREDIBLE support system in my family, boyfriend and friends and I know with their help and the support and guidance of the staff at Garcia Weight Loss, I will reach and continue to maintain my goal. In the meantime, look for a new blog post weekly as I'll be keeping this updated. It helps me to track what I'm doing on a weekly basis and how "life" affects my journey.
To those of you who play an active, daily role in my life...thank you. Without your love and support I would never be able to do this. Each of you mean so much to me and I thank you for everything that you do for me, each and every day.
"Thinking well is wise; planning well, wiser; doing well, wisest and best of all."
- Persian Proverb
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