Week Four

   I don't know why, but this is a hard week for me. I want junk food SO bad. Since I can go shopping tomorrow for ingredients, I have found recipes that give me healthy, chocolate flavored, foods. I am learning about alternatives for higher calorie or fat foods.
   It is hard, too, with how expensive this can run. I recently completed a couple of paintings, that helped.

 

 I'm willing to paint for funds for food...I color too...

So, wish me luck, as I experiment with new recipes. I'm starting to have more courage in the kitchen. I'm ready to try almond flour, and agave nectar.

The Purple Dress

 

   This is my inspiration dress. You can't really tell from my pic, but it is a dark purple, size 18. I saw it at the store last year, and said, I want to be able to wear that someday! So we got it. This was when I had been trying to loose weight last year. Now, I still hangs on the wall, beckoning to me. So, I am renewing my goal for it. I will wear this dress this year. Right now, I can barely squeeze into a size 24. But I have been loosing inches. That size 24 isn't too snug anymore. So, here it is, on the hanger. Hopefully soon, I will be posting a picture of it not on the hanger, but on me!

End Week Three

   This really felt like a rough week for me. I was craving junk food and chocolate like nobody's business! Luckily, I was able to distract myself, working on a painting for a friend. There were times I wanted to cry though, because I wanted junk food. I told myself to just hold out until Sunday, when I would weigh myself again. Then hopefully that would help recharge my resolve.
   Well, I lost another 2.6 pounds! So, in 3 weeks, I have lost 15 pounds. I'm now at 278.6. I gotta tell you, that feels good. I had so much energy today too, feeling so good, knowing that I can do this. Now, I know there will be other rough days. I'm hoping I can keep going though!
   So, here are my most recent pics. I can actually see a difference! Purple shirt is 3 weeks ago, before I started. Blue shirt is today.

 

   Now, I gotta say, when I look at myself in the mirror, I don't look like this. I feel prettier. I don't like how the camera flattens me out. On a good note, those pants? 3 weeks ago, I hated wearing them. They were uncomfortable, and I felt like I was being smothered. Today, they were still just a little snug, but felt so much better! It's getting to where they actually fit. Just in time for when it is 90 degrees plus out here. So now I need to get Capri's?

Favorite Meals Part 1 - Turkey Burgers

   It's starting to feel like my body is adjusting to being off of soy. I feel SO much better. I am so thankful that I was able to swap food with someone a few nights ago, so that I can still be on Medifast until my next order comes.
   Now, I normally do not cook, as I have said. But now I have had a new drive. And there are some foods out there that are a must! So, I am going to talk about the first one I tried. The "My Big Skinny Greek Turkey Burger. I was a little apprehensive to try it. I've had turkey burgers before, and they were kind of bland. This recipe made two, thick, burgers. And, I was in love with just one bite. It was full of flavor, and even juicy! I knew right away it was something I'd make over and over. It was 277 calories, 1 carb, 3 grams fat, 59 grams protein, and 408 mg sodium-as told by MyFittnessPal app. Yes, it really filled me up, and this was on my second day of the diet. So it was so wonderful to me!
Another turkey burger thing I went with was the All American A1 Stuffed Turkey Burger. My first try on this didn't go so well. I don't think I cooked it long enough. And I know that next time, I may go with less cheese in the middle. That kind of overwhelmed me. It was good though. I haven't made it again, but I'm thinking that I know now what I am going to have for dinner tonight! And, I have it as 414 calories, 3 carbs, 19 grams fat, 46 grams protein, and 24 mg sodium. So, much higher in calories and fat, but good on the sodium.
   See, I'm one of those people that I learn by doing. When I make a mistake, then I know what NOT to do next time. So, I kind of expect my first go to be not perfect.
 

Week Three

   Week three is almost over. I left off my last post saying how I had a decision to make. Luckily, my Health Coach was there for me.
   So, on Sunday, I tested it out, to see if I was allergic to soy. I ate very healthily, but didn't have soy. I felt fantastic! No pain, I held onto my food, and my legs didn't bother me as I fell asleep. So now I wondered, could I do just 3 Medifast meals. I really didn't want to give them up. I knew I'd have a tough time getting all of my vitamins and such otherwise. Monday morning, I had a Medifast oatmeal. Right away, I was in pain, and my body got rid of the food. That sealed it for me.
   As I said though, Candy was there for me. She had been talking to other coaches and such, working at finding alternatives for me. She found a list, albeit a small one, of Medifast meals that are soy free, or only contain a trace. See, when you look at the ingredients, look for "soy protein isolate." That is what I was having a reaction too. Now, there are some foods that don't have that, but have "soy lecithin." Candy learned that, people who had a reaction to soy, didn't have a reaction to that. So of course, I gave it a test. I had some eggs for lunch, then a dark chocolate shake for snack. Guess what? I was fine! And quite happy. And I filled out my next months order.
   I have been doing the "three x three" thing this week. It means I have been consuming more calories and such. I make sure to use the MyFittnessPal app on my phone to keep track of everything!

Week Two

   So, Sunday I was in high spirits. I had lost 9.6 pounds. Oh, one of the tools I use to help me is the MyFitnessPal app. It is so wonderful!
   At church, I couldn't wait to tell everyone. And, I had energy? Where did that come from? Could it be true? Eating healthy DOES help you feel better? I mean, I am consuming less than 700 calories a day on average. Before, I used to have WAY more calories. I felt like dancing!
   In this second week, I had a lot more energy, and was very happy. I was learning to cook more things, and experiment.
   Greg and I even got back to the gym. Now, when you start Medifast, the first 2-3 weeks, you need to not exercise, or really limit it. So, instead of doing 40 minutes on the elliptical, I did 20. We wend every weekday.
   I realized I was still having some health problems though. I'd have some stomach pain, sometimes severe enough that I couldn't stand up. And I started to notice that, I still had very loose bowls. My food would be gone almost immediately after eating it. Now, loose bowls can be a norm in the first week. In the second, it could be a problem. I also had times of dizziness. A couple of times, it made it to where I couldn't move. Plus, my legs were bothering me. Like they need to move. I made sure to drink lots and lots of water, but it didn't help.
   I began to do research, as well as seek help from my Health Coach, Candy. I saw that there was a chance I was allergic, or sensitive, to Soy. Most Medifast meals are made with soy. I decided to do an experiment, which I started at the beginning of my third week.
   When I weighed myself on Sunday, I was so disappointed too see I had only lost 1.8 pounds. I lost a couple of inches though. But I figured, I probably didn't loose much because I hadn't been able to absorb any of the nutrients. So, my body was holding onto what it could.
  Now I had some choices to make. I could stop Medifast, but I didn't want to. I was getting all of my vitamins, lots of protein and iron, and staying low on my carbs and sodium. I wondered if I could do 3 Medifast meals, and 3 of my own. I liked that idea. But, first I needed to do my test...

Week One

   The first week on Medifast. Whew was that hard! I knew I needed to stick to it. All the food was powdered, and I needed to mix them with water. On Medifast, you have 5 of their meals a day, plus one Lean and Green that you make yourself. Now, I am not a cook. At all. I burn water. So, I figured, Salad it is! Salad get boring though.
   I thought the food tasted okay. I wanted to cry at how tiny the portions were. How was such a small amount of food supposed to sustain me? In the first few days of Medifast, your body goes into a "What Is Going On?!?" faze, and so you become tired and weak. Greg said it was like I had the flu. In fact, I would sleep in-between meals, just so that I could make it.
   Oh, and now I was drinking between 10-14 cups of water a day! I am so glad the bathroom was near by.
   On Wednesday, I had my first real test. The women's group at church, called the Relief Society, had a Fondue and game night. We have special activities once a month. I had been looking forward to this for months! Why didn't I start my diet until afterwards?!? It smelled sooooo good. So, I made myself busy holding a newborn, then singing Karaoke.  And I was so amazed that I made it!
   By Saturday, my strength was picking up a little. But, then we had a birthday party for my niece, where there were doughnuts. One of my major weaknesses.  I wanted one soooo bad. Couldn't I just lick it? I just sat there and pouted. Lucky for me, though, my husband is a Celiac, and couldn't have any doughnuts either. So he felt my pain.
   So, in conclusion of this week, I felt I had done really well. I looked forward to when this supposed energy was to come. I had started searching the 'net, and found wonderful recipes for Lean and Green meals. I even started a Pinterest board to help document my meals. I learned wonderful tips on how to make the Medifast foods taste better. Like, soaking them for a few hours before cooking or blending them. WHAT a difference.
   And, when I weighed myself on Sunday, I was down to 283.0! I realized, this is SO worth it! I had lost an inch too.

Welcome to my journey!

So, as of today, I have been on my "diet" for almost 3 weeks. I started Sunday, April 7th, 2013. I weighed 292.6. Last year I had actually been successful at loosing 21 pounds, with the help of my friend Tina. But that was it. I then gained most of it back. A couple of years before that, I did a weight-loss class through Kaiser, and lost 20 pounds. I gained it all back, plus more.
Now, in high school and before, I was a thin little thing. I could wear size 5. But then depression came along, and I became addicted to food.
So, about a month or so ago, a friend told me about a friend who had become a health coach for Medifast. I had thought about it before, but knew it cost a lot. I started talking to the health coach (who funnily enough, goes by Candy), as well as praying and discussing things with my husband, Greg. I got the answer that I should do it.