Still Maintaining

Well I'm still maintaining my weight which is great! I'm done really well on my maintenance plan so far and have really impressed myself! I've been doing the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred DVD I have at home and have been doing that every day for the past 6 days. I also did some pilates and went for a 1 1/2 hour walk last week too.  I've been solely focusing on my DVD though b/c I'm seeing the best and fastest results from it.  My husband says I look thinner since stopping the diet so that is definitely motivating!  He thinks that since I've been working out that I've toned up quite a bit and burned more fat!

I added in a 1 1/2 bagel last Wed to my diet and it feels good to have that extra bit of carbs!  I now eat my Breton mini crackers (18 of them) and 1/2 bagel a day.  That's pretty much the extent to my carbs but that's okay b/c carbs are evil!!! I have allowed a little treat here and there for myself but nothing major and my portions are very small (my hubby has been ensuring that I get some enjoyment but within reason).  This is also allowing me to maintain my weight but still have some enjoyment as well.  This wednesday I maintain my current diet and do not add in any additional foods.  The following Wednesday is when I can add my starchy veggies back in.  I'm looking forward to eating carrots, potatoes and rice again!

that's about it for me! I've been using the same motivation I had when I was on the strict diet to keep motivated with my workout program. It really seems to be helping...I basically just keep thinking that I'm on the strict program and that if I don't workout I will gain weight!  It really helps!

This weekend is my sister's wedding reception! I'm soooooooooooo looking forward to that! I bought the most amazing dress the other day (a style that would not look good on me before the diet).  I can't believe how good and confident I feel in it! I will be off my plan a little this weekend but I plan to try to make wise food choices and do the best I can.  I do plan to allow myself some enjoyment since I've been eating nothing for the past 6 months and haven't done much of anything in 6 months! 

I will write again next week when I add in some more foods and let you know how that goes!

Maintaining

Well, I haven't forgotten to write.  I've just been saving it up for when I had something useful to write!

I've been on the maintenance plan 1 week tomorrow and am so far maintaining my weight.  It goes up 1 lb then down 1 lb, then up, then down.  I think my body is in a bit of shock mode right now since I can eat quite a bit more.  I have to admit though...having that bit of extra freedom makes it even harder to stay on track and to avoid temptation!  I'm trying to keep my goal in mind though and am working hard on trying to stay motivated, even when my loving husband eats junkfood around me!  I realized I can't stop the world from eating badly or eating foods I cannot have so I am learning to focus on other things when these situations arise.

This week I have started exercising again.  We have been taking our dog out and we did a 1 1/2 hour walk yesterday and even did hills! I cannot believe how much easier it is to exercise being 63 lbs lighter! Normally I would be gasping for air when I got to the top of a hill but this time I was like, "that was it? That's all you got? I need more hills!".  So there you go. A proven fact that weight causes exercise to be much more difficult!  And losing weight makes it much more enjoyable!

So far I've been allowed to eat unlimited vegetables (with the exception of peas, carrots, corn, potatoes, and rice which come in week 4).  I've added avocado to my diet which I am really enjoying.  I put it in my salads and in my new dip that I make with fat-free plain yogurt and Epicure spices.  Believe it or not, I love eating veggies! My new favourite lunch is cut up peppers, celery and cucumbers with 4 oz of fat-free plain yogurt and some herb/garlic Epicure seasoning with a tiny bit of avocado mixed in (I'm not indulging much with the avocado since it has quite a bit of fat in it).    For dinner I have a Compliments turkey burger or chicken breast (3.5 oz or 6 .5 oz depending on my lunch) with 1 oz of part-skim mozzerella cheese and more vegetables (lately my husband, the cook in the household, has been doing my vegetables on the bbq which make them taste so much better).  For breakfast I'm still having my yummy egg white omelete. 

Tomorrow I can add in 2 additional slices of wholewheat bread or 1/2 wholewheat bagel.  However, I'm not sure if I need to go back to eating bread again. I have a feeling that my system doesn't do well with bread and a lot of carbs. If I can avoid bread I will.  However, knowing that I can have it if I want is always nice.  I haven't had a sandwich in a very long time so it might be nice for a change here and there.

My mom gave me a great idea for a workout to do at home.  She said to buy a pilates DVD and do it at home.  B/c I still have to get weighed once/week, I don't want to start lifting weights right away b/c I build muscle so fast and lots of it (unfortunately, that's my build and is caused by the excess tetosterone from my PCOS).  As I will start to gain a bit of weight from the increased muscle, the clinic will think I've gained weight from eating too much and will not be very happy with me!  So if I can get some toning in without gaining weight, which I really need at the moment, then I'm going to stick with that...along with my 1 1/2 hour walks with my husband daily!  Just getting outside and moving around again feels wonderful!  Hopefully we can get to 2 hour walks daily!  That is my goal since walking is so good for you!

Well, not much else to report.  I will report back in a weeks time with some updates on the addition of more food and how much weight is doing.  I'm just hoping I can keep it steady and that it doesn't go up!  I'm pretty scared about all that since I've worked so hard to lose it. 

On Maintenance

Well today is my first day on Educational Maintenance (yes I decided to go on it afterall).  I did not get an injection today but go in for now on once per week until my 8 weeks is over with.  My weight just isn't moving much so I've decided to give my body a break and follow the principles of the Educational Maintenance diet. I can only go on this once so once I'm through I will most likely go back on the strict diet to finish the rest up. 

I now get unlimited vegetables (except for the starchy ones like peas, corn, carrots, potatoes and rice ---those come later), I decrease my fruit to 1 per day and I can now have all fruits, I can now eat 8-10 oz of protein/day (right now I only eat 70z/day), I can now have 2 0z of low-fat brick cheese/day, fat-free plain yogurt (1 cup), etc.  The nurse said that 99% of people that go on this gain weight but only b/c they eat more than the maintenance program tells you to eat.  I went and bought groceries yesterday to coincide with the new amounts I can now have so I do not plan on gaining any weight. It would be retarded of me to start eating outside of the allowance after all of the money I spent losing 63 lbs!  I don't feel like I will go crazy or lose my motivation at all.  The Nurse said that as long as I follow the serving amounts on maintenance, I can even still lose weight.  I'm not worried b/c if something happens and I start to gain, I will just go back on the strict program.  I can tell you that I'm sure looking forward to having different foods in my diet and unlimited vegetables now! 

Today for lunch I have a garden salad with 3 oz of chicken breast, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and 2 tbsp of fat-free italian dressing.  For breakfast I had my usual egg white omelette and for dinner I will be having 3 oz of chicken breast or extra lean ground beef with brocolli, cauliflower, peppers and onions and I will still have my 1 cup of no sugar jello for dessert.  I also have my usual 18 breton mini garden veggie crackers and my 1 apple that I normally have.  I do not add in more carbs until week 2 (next Wednesday).

I am planning on starting my running program come Monday (I am thinking that running will be much easier with 63lbs less body weight!)  I am still going to update this blog...maybe not as much but I will still continue so that you all can see my progress with maintenance.

Here's my weight results for today:

Current weight as of June 9/10: 155.0
starting weight as of Jan 5/10: 218.4
Total weight loss to date: 63.4 lbs
Weight loss to go: 25 lbs
Goal Weight until maintenance: 130

Slow, slow, slow

Well today I weighed in and I only lost 0.6 lbs since Friday and 0.4 lbs since last Monday.  This is the slowest my weight loss has been so far throughout this whole diet and no cheating has been going on at all.  The nurse told me today that as you get closer to your goal, your weight loss slows down.  If it's going to keep up like this, I might as well just not pay for them to help me and finish the rest myself! This is ridiculous! I'm almost wondering if my body is trying to tell me something ---STOP!  I have to pay again so I will pay again for only a week and then if nothing is budging by the middle of next week, I'm definitely going on the maintenance plan and finishing up the rest myself.  No sense on staying on the strict diet if my body is telling me to stop.  So let's hope it starts to speed up soon!

Here's my update:

Current weight as of June 7/10: 156.2
Starting weight as of Jan 5th/10: 218.4
Total Weight loss to date: 62.2 lbs
Weight loss to go: 26.2 lbs
Goal Weight: 130 lbs

So wish me body luck b/c it needs something to give it a push!

Until Wednesday...

Change of Heart

Hello again!

So I did some more thinking today and I realized that if I quit now that I will never know if I could actually reach my target weight!!  I am thinking that I am crazy for going on the maintanence plan now.  So I have decided to stay on this plan at least until the end of June and possibly complete the program (I hope) by the end of July.  It seems as though I probably won't reach my goal weight until August now for some reason so my short-term goal is jsut to get into the 140's.  A weight I haven't been at since I was a teenager!

So that's what I'm doing for June. I'm going to continue with the program and hopefully make it into the 140's by the end of this month! Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do to speed up the weight loss so I'm just going to do the same things I've been doing.  However, at the end of June when I'm in the 140's, I will have less than 20 lbs to go and I can complete the rest myself with exercise and following the maintanence plan. 

Sorry for all my mind changes! It's just so hard to keep going on this strict diet---especially in the summer time when all I want to do is drink cool beverages (a.k.a. corona's and slurpees) and have summer bbq's! I guess these things will have to wait and I unfortunately, when I get into the 140's, I still won't be able to have these things...at least for quite awhile!

Thanks for being supportive and rooting me on!!!

Also, I forgot to mention that I bought a dress for my sister's wedding this month!  I cannot wait to wear it!  I bought it snug fitting so it should be perfect by the 26th of this month!

Update

Well, I went down a little bit today and lost a total of 2.4 lbs since last Friday. The nurse said that I'm losing the average amount of weight that I'm supposed to be losing on this diet so she isn't sure why I'm concerned.   

I have decided to do maintanence for 8 weeks to give my body a break and so I can start exercising and toning up.  I am pretty sure that I can finish the rest myself.  I've always had fairly good eating habits and exercise habits so following the maintenance plan won't be hard. This will also give me a chance to save up my money so that if I feel the need to, I can do another month or 2 on the program to lose a bit more (should the maintanence and the exercise not help me get to my goal weight of 130 lbs faster).  It really is time for a break for me. I've been doing this diet for over 5 months now and although I've been very successful so far, my weight loss has slowed down and I just don't feel as good as I did before. All the signs are pointing to a "break" for me. 

I am still going to be blogging my experience on the maintenance plan and exercise program I'm creating for myself. 

My weight update is below.

Current weight as of June 4/10: 156.8
Starting weight as of Jan 5/10: 218.4
Total weight loss to date: 61.6 lbs

So what is going to happen on Monday for me?  I pay a small fee for the vitamin b-injections 1 X per week and still come in once/week to get weighed and keep track of my progress. I will start adding in some different foods. For instance, I can now eat extra lean ground beef (in a small quantity of course), I can add in 2 oz of hard low fat cheese, 1 cup of now fat plain yogurt, 1 cup of milk, 4 whole eggs per week (although I'm just going to stick to my egg whites as I love my egg white omelettes for breakfast), I go down to only 1 fruit a day (right now I have 2 fruits/day), I can now have low-fat dressings not allowed on the strict diet, margarine or butter (1 tbsp/day), almost all kinds of seafood (except for oysters, clams, mussels, and pickled fish), all forms of chicken and turkey.  In week 2, I introduce some more carbs back into the diet so I will keep you posted on that.  I am still taking my potassium 3 times per day and my multivitamin 1 time per day.  as well, I will increase my protein intake from 7 oz/day to 8-10 oz/day and can now have unlimited vegetables.

On Monday I also start my exercise regime. I am starting my running program again (on my own) and will be starting out slow (run 2min, walk 1min) and will hopefully be adding in some weight training a little ways down the road.  I think being 62 lbs lighter will make it much easier for me to run now (I'm hoping anyways!).

Frustrated!!!!

Well I went up by 0.4 lbs today and still have not reached my 2-week goal from last week.  This is the slowest my weightloss has been so far on this diet and it's really frustrating!  I haven't changed a thing so not sure what is going on.  The clinic told me it might be time to take a break.  I"m considering finishing up this week on the diet and then going on the maintanence program (without the clinic) starting next week and getting back into exercise.  I do not want to pay if I'm going to be in a plateau for the rest of my diet.  Not sure what I should do about this diet. I'm getting really sick of being on it and am tired of the slow weight loss.  I guess I have some thinking to do!  They said that as long as I follow the principles of the maintenance plan that I will not gain my weight back but I know that I will need to exercise quite a bit and be very cautious about what I eat.

On a positive note, I lost another inch off my waist and another inch off my hips since 3 weeks ago.  My measurements and current weight are below.

Here's my measurements:

Current weight as of June 2/10: 157
Starting weight as of Jan 5/10: 218.4
Total weight loss to date: 61.4
Waist as of June 2/10: 33 inches
Waist on Jan 5/10: 45 inches
Hips on June 2/10: 42 inches
Hips on Jan 5/10: 51 inches