Well, I've lost 43 pounds so far, and am within 10 or 12 pounds of my goal. Even though I'm not a big believer in the BMI measurement, I'm pretty excited, since I'm no longer considered "overweight" by BMI standards, but on the high end of "normal." I can get the rooster pants and my skinny jeans on, but I can't close them quite yet.
I am at the home stretch…on Tuesday we start transition.
The first stage of transition is taking away one product and replacing it with "real food", which consists of 220 calories' worth of lean protein and 1/2 cup cooked veggies. We can have that meal any time of the day. I have decided on a veggie omelet, eaten at dinner time, since that is the time I can really relax and enjoy it.
Some of my cohort mates started planning elaborate menus consisting of something different every day; our lovely facilitator, N, suggests that we "keep it simple" for the first week at least, and have the same thing (or close to it) every day. So I bought a dozen eggs, some broccoli, a bag of spinach, and some mushrooms. I'll be making a veggie omelet every night and alternate the broccoli and the spinach so it doesn't get boring.
I have a little gadget called a "Stone Wave Cooker" (you might have seen it on late night TV commercials) which cooks up a yummy little omelet in the microwave, using no fat or oils, and it doesn't stick to the pan. I can go to the gym after work, come home, and have dinner ready in a couple of minutes.
Last blog post I mentioned that I joined a gym. I've been going almost every day and I really do love it. It feels so good to move! I've taken a couple of days off here and there, and when I do, I miss it. It is part of a chain that is establishing itself in my area, and I found out yesterday that they acquired another gym that is within walking distance of my home. I will have two gyms to choose from and take Zumba and yoga classes, etc.
Now that I am 43 pounds lighter, it is much more fun to walk and move around.
N has told us that the "product only" phase is the easiest part of the whole journey, and the challenges begin during transition. I believe her! Just walking through the market, looking at all the food, I can really understand why people get fat. From now on, I can only make good choices and watch everything I eat – weighing, measuring and tracking – if I want to keep this weight from piling back on
I was worried about having the food in my fridge until Tuesday, when I am finally allowed to eat it. Now it doesn't phase me; I know I can hold my horses until then. Eating product only is so simple! I am looking for ways to simplify my eating habits during transition and maintenance, and make sure I always have healthful food on hand.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Week 14, Day 7: My cheat day and working out
I'm now down 37 pounds, and have two more weeks of full product to go before heading into transition. My fear of food has abated and now I've been thinking of new ways to eat, and healthier modifications of favorite recipes.
On Thursday, April 17, I cheated. So far I've been able to resist the cakes, cookies, fudge and bagels. However, on Thursday one of my co-workers brought a platter of baby carrot and celery sticks. This event coincided with my forgetting to pack my nutrition bar in my purse, which gave me the perfect excuse to cheat. :)
I picked up one celery stick (about 2" long) and a baby carrot, and brought them to my desk. When it was time for lunch I munched on them slowly, with itty bitty bites. They tasted good! I was surprised by the strings in the celery, because those had not been in my veggie fantasies. But it was great to have a bit of raw veggie after abstaining all this time.
I'm not a bit remorseful. And that one little cheat was enough for me; no big bags of raw veggies are in my refrigerator to snack on. (Or Oreo cookies, for that matter.)
The other big news is…I joined a gym! A gym near my home is under new ownership and they are running a new member special through the end of April. The monthly rates are very reasonable and there is no contract. For the special they reduced their sign-up fee to $1. I paid a prorated amount for the rest of April, and my full membership will kick in on May 1.
It's a nice gym, large and clean, with lots of machines and equipment. The treadmill I used today was huge, with a secure place for me to put my e-book reader. (Yes, I'm one of those weirdos who reads on the treadmill.) There are also classes available, such as yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, cycling, etc.
I decided to join this gym rather than the yoga studio due to cost; also, there is more variety at the gym and there are several types of exercise I would like to try.
As today is Easter Sunday, the classes were canceled, but I'm going back tomorrow night to try Zumba.:) It's amazing how much easier it is to move around with 37 pounds gone! I feel energized, not exhausted.
The staff member who signed me up at the gym had to fill out a registration form with several questions, one of which was, "How much do you weigh?" Back in January I would have been embarrassed to answer (and would probably have lied). Today I had no problem answering truthfully. He asked me what my goal weight was, and I said, "I weighed 120 in high school, but I don't know if that's achievable at my age." He said, "Sure it is!"
How things have changed in three short months!!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate; and to those who do not, have a great Sunday evening! Here are some of my knitted creations, pattern design by Susan B. Anderson:
On Thursday, April 17, I cheated. So far I've been able to resist the cakes, cookies, fudge and bagels. However, on Thursday one of my co-workers brought a platter of baby carrot and celery sticks. This event coincided with my forgetting to pack my nutrition bar in my purse, which gave me the perfect excuse to cheat. :)
I picked up one celery stick (about 2" long) and a baby carrot, and brought them to my desk. When it was time for lunch I munched on them slowly, with itty bitty bites. They tasted good! I was surprised by the strings in the celery, because those had not been in my veggie fantasies. But it was great to have a bit of raw veggie after abstaining all this time.
I'm not a bit remorseful. And that one little cheat was enough for me; no big bags of raw veggies are in my refrigerator to snack on. (Or Oreo cookies, for that matter.)
The other big news is…I joined a gym! A gym near my home is under new ownership and they are running a new member special through the end of April. The monthly rates are very reasonable and there is no contract. For the special they reduced their sign-up fee to $1. I paid a prorated amount for the rest of April, and my full membership will kick in on May 1.
It's a nice gym, large and clean, with lots of machines and equipment. The treadmill I used today was huge, with a secure place for me to put my e-book reader. (Yes, I'm one of those weirdos who reads on the treadmill.) There are also classes available, such as yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, cycling, etc.
I decided to join this gym rather than the yoga studio due to cost; also, there is more variety at the gym and there are several types of exercise I would like to try.
As today is Easter Sunday, the classes were canceled, but I'm going back tomorrow night to try Zumba.:) It's amazing how much easier it is to move around with 37 pounds gone! I feel energized, not exhausted.
The staff member who signed me up at the gym had to fill out a registration form with several questions, one of which was, "How much do you weigh?" Back in January I would have been embarrassed to answer (and would probably have lied). Today I had no problem answering truthfully. He asked me what my goal weight was, and I said, "I weighed 120 in high school, but I don't know if that's achievable at my age." He said, "Sure it is!"
How things have changed in three short months!!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate; and to those who do not, have a great Sunday evening! Here are some of my knitted creations, pattern design by Susan B. Anderson:
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Week 11, Day 3: Personal Responsibility, or I'm The Boss Of Me
The past two cohort meetings have centered around personal responsibility; both admitting why we got fat and dealing with the times that we slip (and we all will, sooner or later). Someday, something will weaken my resolve and I'll have to work that out when the time comes.
I made myself fat. No one held me down and stuffed food down my throat. If someone made me feel bad, and I reacted by eating a bag of cookies to make myself feel better, that's on me. The other person didn't do it TO me.
That being said, our facilitator, J (our regular leader, N, was absent that night) talked about the Failure Cycle and the Success Cycle. If I'm on the Failure Cycle, I think negative thoughts, don't track my calories, don't exercise, eat too much and gain weight. On the Success Cycle I pick myself up, I acknowledge that I slipped, write it down in my food journal, then keep on tracking and exercising and making good choices.
The emotions on the Failure Cycle are depression, anger, frustration and powerlessness.
The emotions on the Success Cycle are awareness, commitment and self-forgiveness.
But the trick with self-forgiveness is not to make excuses for myself, or justify my actions. It is to acknowledge my mistake, write it down so I don't forget, and move on.
J also talked with us about "black and white thinking", or extremism, where things are good or bad, on or off. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. I am in control; I choose what to eat or not eat.
When I was growing up, wasting food was tantamount to sinning. My parents were born during the Great Depression; then when they were children, World War II broke out. My father lived in England and my mother in Scotland, and food was rationed (when it was even available).
In our house, we didn't throw food away. My mother cooked healthy and balanced meals, and my parents never got fat (my father is 82 and has always been thin). My brothers and I were on the slim-to-average side because we ran around a lot and didn't get much candy, or any fast food to speak of.
One time, when my brother and I were teenagers, we threw a few eggs at another kid's house. We were found out, of course, and my father was more upset about the wasted eggs than he was about the vandalism.
I gained weight later, much later, after I was older and had been out of the family home for many years. I visited my father the other day, and he told me that he no longer worries about throwing excess food away. He said, "I used to think it was terrible to do that. But it will do no harm to the garbage can, and it might do some real harm to me."
Truer words were never spoken.
Someone brought some Marini's walnut fudge to the office the other day. There was one little piece left, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Of course I didn't eat it! You guys know me better than that! :)
But...boy, for a minute I sure thought about it!
I'm in control. I'm in charge here. I'm the boss of me.
It has occurred to me that it's time for me to go out into the world and look for activity partners who want to live in a positive, life-affirming, healthy way. There is a yoga studio about a mile from my home, and I haven't been to a yoga class in about three years. Maybe it's time to try again.
I love this blog because I can share my ideas. I'd love to talk with you about yours! Please share, either by PM or in comments.
I made myself fat. No one held me down and stuffed food down my throat. If someone made me feel bad, and I reacted by eating a bag of cookies to make myself feel better, that's on me. The other person didn't do it TO me.
That being said, our facilitator, J (our regular leader, N, was absent that night) talked about the Failure Cycle and the Success Cycle. If I'm on the Failure Cycle, I think negative thoughts, don't track my calories, don't exercise, eat too much and gain weight. On the Success Cycle I pick myself up, I acknowledge that I slipped, write it down in my food journal, then keep on tracking and exercising and making good choices.
The emotions on the Failure Cycle are depression, anger, frustration and powerlessness.
The emotions on the Success Cycle are awareness, commitment and self-forgiveness.
But the trick with self-forgiveness is not to make excuses for myself, or justify my actions. It is to acknowledge my mistake, write it down so I don't forget, and move on.
J also talked with us about "black and white thinking", or extremism, where things are good or bad, on or off. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. I am in control; I choose what to eat or not eat.
When I was growing up, wasting food was tantamount to sinning. My parents were born during the Great Depression; then when they were children, World War II broke out. My father lived in England and my mother in Scotland, and food was rationed (when it was even available).
In our house, we didn't throw food away. My mother cooked healthy and balanced meals, and my parents never got fat (my father is 82 and has always been thin). My brothers and I were on the slim-to-average side because we ran around a lot and didn't get much candy, or any fast food to speak of.
One time, when my brother and I were teenagers, we threw a few eggs at another kid's house. We were found out, of course, and my father was more upset about the wasted eggs than he was about the vandalism.
I gained weight later, much later, after I was older and had been out of the family home for many years. I visited my father the other day, and he told me that he no longer worries about throwing excess food away. He said, "I used to think it was terrible to do that. But it will do no harm to the garbage can, and it might do some real harm to me."
Truer words were never spoken.
Someone brought some Marini's walnut fudge to the office the other day. There was one little piece left, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Of course I didn't eat it! You guys know me better than that! :)
But...boy, for a minute I sure thought about it!
I'm in control. I'm in charge here. I'm the boss of me.
It has occurred to me that it's time for me to go out into the world and look for activity partners who want to live in a positive, life-affirming, healthy way. There is a yoga studio about a mile from my home, and I haven't been to a yoga class in about three years. Maybe it's time to try again.
I love this blog because I can share my ideas. I'd love to talk with you about yours! Please share, either by PM or in comments.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Week 11, Day 1: Thirty pounds released into the wild
I've been a very bad blogger. Week Ten got past me and I didn't make an entry. Nothing much really happened, EXCEPT LOSING 3.6 POUNDS! Bwahahahaha! April Fool!
It's official…I'm now 30 pounds closer to my goal. I'm very pleased about that.
On a sadder note: Our Kaiser cohort group has become very tight and we all try to support each other. A couple of people have left the program for various reasons. One of our cohorters had to leave the program this week, as she has been diagnosed with a serious illness and must start intensive treatment right away. This news hit us all very hard. It is a somber reminder that everything is temporary; nothing is static.
I hope and pray for a miracle -- that our weight-loss friend will be fully cured and able to resume her MWM program next year.
I'm getting used to consuming the meal replacement "products". They are my comfort food, in a way. Most of the others are looking forward to being allowed to have "real" food, but I would be very happy to stay on product indefinitely. It has become my security blanket. We start transition in four weeks, and I need to really look at why I'm clinging to my product. Part of it is laziness…there is nothing easier. No grocery shopping, no decisions to make, nothing to do but add water and stir (or blend).
Being on product and not obsessing about food gives me room in my life for other activities. Like walking! Like movies! Like crafts! I'm signed up for two knit-alongs and one crochet-along for the month of April. Yes, I'm crazy. That is a lot of projects, in addition to a full-time job and other things to do.
The other part is: I'm losing weight. I don't want to put myself in a place where I might slip, or eat something I shouldn't. If I stick to product I can't go wrong. "Real" food is still a minefield for me.
I might have mentioned this before, but I was told that we could opt for an eight-week transition, as opposed to four. A lot of participants are excited to wean themselves away from product because purchasing the products is an additional expense alongside the family grocery budget. But because I live alone, the product replaces my groceries, and cost-wise it's not that much different from when I was cooking and buying food.
So I am hoping that they will okay an eight-week transition for me. Maybe that way I'll be able to prolong the weight loss mode and get close to my goal before having to eat food again.
I have a lot more to say, but it's late and I need to get up early for a 7:15 a.m. meeting at work. Two cohorts ago our group talked about personal responsibility (a favorite topic of mine). Yes, I made myself fat. Not my parents, not my exes, not my boss, not Presidents Bush or Obama.
I eats the food, I pays the price.
More on that enlightening topic next time! :)
It's official…I'm now 30 pounds closer to my goal. I'm very pleased about that.
On a sadder note: Our Kaiser cohort group has become very tight and we all try to support each other. A couple of people have left the program for various reasons. One of our cohorters had to leave the program this week, as she has been diagnosed with a serious illness and must start intensive treatment right away. This news hit us all very hard. It is a somber reminder that everything is temporary; nothing is static.
I hope and pray for a miracle -- that our weight-loss friend will be fully cured and able to resume her MWM program next year.
I'm getting used to consuming the meal replacement "products". They are my comfort food, in a way. Most of the others are looking forward to being allowed to have "real" food, but I would be very happy to stay on product indefinitely. It has become my security blanket. We start transition in four weeks, and I need to really look at why I'm clinging to my product. Part of it is laziness…there is nothing easier. No grocery shopping, no decisions to make, nothing to do but add water and stir (or blend).
Being on product and not obsessing about food gives me room in my life for other activities. Like walking! Like movies! Like crafts! I'm signed up for two knit-alongs and one crochet-along for the month of April. Yes, I'm crazy. That is a lot of projects, in addition to a full-time job and other things to do.
The other part is: I'm losing weight. I don't want to put myself in a place where I might slip, or eat something I shouldn't. If I stick to product I can't go wrong. "Real" food is still a minefield for me.
I might have mentioned this before, but I was told that we could opt for an eight-week transition, as opposed to four. A lot of participants are excited to wean themselves away from product because purchasing the products is an additional expense alongside the family grocery budget. But because I live alone, the product replaces my groceries, and cost-wise it's not that much different from when I was cooking and buying food.
So I am hoping that they will okay an eight-week transition for me. Maybe that way I'll be able to prolong the weight loss mode and get close to my goal before having to eat food again.
I have a lot more to say, but it's late and I need to get up early for a 7:15 a.m. meeting at work. Two cohorts ago our group talked about personal responsibility (a favorite topic of mine). Yes, I made myself fat. Not my parents, not my exes, not my boss, not Presidents Bush or Obama.
I eats the food, I pays the price.
More on that enlightening topic next time! :)
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Week 9, Day 3: Those dreaded words
Today we had another party at work. One of my co-workers (who has a side business planning parties) catered a beautiful spread of sandwiches on croissants, pasta salad, veggies and dip, pink lemonade and (the biggest stumbling-block for me) a huge fresh fruit salad.
I went into the "party room" to hang out for a little while and sip my bottled water. One co-worker (not the caterer) said, "Can't you just have some veggies? There aren't any calories."
Some of my Kaiser co-cohorters (CoCos!) have related similar stories of such things being said to them, but it had not happened to me yet. I'm out of the Optifast closet at work, so everyone knows that I don't eat regular food, and can't for four months. I am not sure what part of PRODUCT ONLY is so hard to understand; people of lesser education and intellect than this gal seem to grasp it! But she just couldn't resist saying it.
I simply answered, "No, I can't" and let it go at that.
Most people are very respectful of me and my choice. A lot of my co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances have commented on my weight loss and have given me encouragement. Friends and family have been my cheerleaders. My brother checks in with me once a week to see how I'm doing and rally me on. My boss is probably the most supportive. The other day he said, "I'm glad you are doing this and I want to help you any way I can. I've got a selfish motive -- if you keel over with a heart attack or stroke, I'm screwed!"
It was a funny thing for him to say, but it made me feel great.
I understand that others are not on my program and "regular life" goes on. There are parties, there are dinners, there are birthdays and special occasions. There will be food everywhere and I have to make choices. What is momentary enjoyment of some food, when my long-term health and well-being is at stake? When we go into transition and then into maintenance I'll have to make these choices all the time. Right now I'm fortunate to have a plan that is set out and spelled out for me…no thinking required.
My goal for this next week, now that my bug has almost run its course, is to be more diligent about exercise. I want to aim for 9000 steps every day until the end of March.
If you are trying to lose weight, how do you handle the insensitive statements of others? And do you have a behavioral goal you would like to achieve this week?
I went into the "party room" to hang out for a little while and sip my bottled water. One co-worker (not the caterer) said, "Can't you just have some veggies? There aren't any calories."
Some of my Kaiser co-cohorters (CoCos!) have related similar stories of such things being said to them, but it had not happened to me yet. I'm out of the Optifast closet at work, so everyone knows that I don't eat regular food, and can't for four months. I am not sure what part of PRODUCT ONLY is so hard to understand; people of lesser education and intellect than this gal seem to grasp it! But she just couldn't resist saying it.
I simply answered, "No, I can't" and let it go at that.
Most people are very respectful of me and my choice. A lot of my co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances have commented on my weight loss and have given me encouragement. Friends and family have been my cheerleaders. My brother checks in with me once a week to see how I'm doing and rally me on. My boss is probably the most supportive. The other day he said, "I'm glad you are doing this and I want to help you any way I can. I've got a selfish motive -- if you keel over with a heart attack or stroke, I'm screwed!"
It was a funny thing for him to say, but it made me feel great.
I understand that others are not on my program and "regular life" goes on. There are parties, there are dinners, there are birthdays and special occasions. There will be food everywhere and I have to make choices. What is momentary enjoyment of some food, when my long-term health and well-being is at stake? When we go into transition and then into maintenance I'll have to make these choices all the time. Right now I'm fortunate to have a plan that is set out and spelled out for me…no thinking required.
My goal for this next week, now that my bug has almost run its course, is to be more diligent about exercise. I want to aim for 9000 steps every day until the end of March.
If you are trying to lose weight, how do you handle the insensitive statements of others? And do you have a behavioral goal you would like to achieve this week?
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Week 9, Day 1: Gratitude
I am almost over my cold now; there is a slight residual cough but I'm pretty much back to normal.
Went to my MWM meeting at Kaiser last night. The weight loss last week was not spectacular (1.2 pounds) but my blood pressure read normal! 127/89. That is so amazing! And to think that as recently as late December, my blood pressure was registering over 190.
I've now lost a total of 24.6 pounds. Staying on the plan is hard at times. I yo-yo between enjoying the product (like tonight's raspberry vanilla shake--yumm!) and being truly tired of having no "regular" food.
Today is the birthday of one of my co-workers. Someone brought chocolate dipped strawberries to work. I resisted all day and didn't even look at them. This afternoon, at about three, I went into the break room and saw one last strawberry on the plate. No one was around, no one would have seen me eat it. And it was just one strawberry! One wouldn't hurt, would it? Did I think about it? Yesssss….. Did I eat it? NO! (Did I take a picture of it? Of course!)
Anyway, enough about chocolate-dipped strawberries! Back to last night's cohort meeting.
One of the physicians came in and talked about ways of dealing with challenges and stress without resorting to self-medicating with food. One of her slides said "Food Is Medicine", which contradicts what I just wrote a sentence ago. But the difference is, food is medicine for our bodies. It should not be an antidepressant, or a mood stabilizer, or an antidote to boredom. There are other ways to cope.
We broke into small groups to brainstorm about coping strategies, or what the doctor calls our "Stress Toolbox". Suggestions were: talking to friends and family; taking a walk; listening to (or playing) music; a bubble bath with candles; creating art or doing a craft; spending time with our pets; reading a good book; watching something uplifting on TV, such as a travelogue or home improvement show.
Chocolate covered strawberries didn't make the list. :)
Since I've been on the program I've pondered a great deal about the triggers that prompted me to overeat. I am a big stress eater. When something goes wrong, or if I'm in an uncomfortable place, having something (anything!) to eat will make me feel better, for a few minutes at least. I am teaching myself to pause and think about what is really going on before grabbing some food and mindlessly eating it. And unfortunately, what I would usually grab was junk and empty calories.
Before this program, I would just put stuff in my mouth without even thinking about it! Now that I am ingesting five Optifast products a day, I think about each one, before and during. I think about the taste, the texture, and I space them out enough so that usually I enjoy the experience. I want to take that new habit into transition and maintenance.
Affirmation: Food is medicine for my body. I mindfully eat only what I need, with gratitude, then put the fork and plate away to move forward and live my life.
What strategies are in your "Stress Toolbox"? What can you do for yourself as an alternative to eating for stress release?
Went to my MWM meeting at Kaiser last night. The weight loss last week was not spectacular (1.2 pounds) but my blood pressure read normal! 127/89. That is so amazing! And to think that as recently as late December, my blood pressure was registering over 190.
I've now lost a total of 24.6 pounds. Staying on the plan is hard at times. I yo-yo between enjoying the product (like tonight's raspberry vanilla shake--yumm!) and being truly tired of having no "regular" food.
Today is the birthday of one of my co-workers. Someone brought chocolate dipped strawberries to work. I resisted all day and didn't even look at them. This afternoon, at about three, I went into the break room and saw one last strawberry on the plate. No one was around, no one would have seen me eat it. And it was just one strawberry! One wouldn't hurt, would it? Did I think about it? Yesssss….. Did I eat it? NO! (Did I take a picture of it? Of course!)
Anyway, enough about chocolate-dipped strawberries! Back to last night's cohort meeting.
One of the physicians came in and talked about ways of dealing with challenges and stress without resorting to self-medicating with food. One of her slides said "Food Is Medicine", which contradicts what I just wrote a sentence ago. But the difference is, food is medicine for our bodies. It should not be an antidepressant, or a mood stabilizer, or an antidote to boredom. There are other ways to cope.
We broke into small groups to brainstorm about coping strategies, or what the doctor calls our "Stress Toolbox". Suggestions were: talking to friends and family; taking a walk; listening to (or playing) music; a bubble bath with candles; creating art or doing a craft; spending time with our pets; reading a good book; watching something uplifting on TV, such as a travelogue or home improvement show.
Chocolate covered strawberries didn't make the list. :)
Since I've been on the program I've pondered a great deal about the triggers that prompted me to overeat. I am a big stress eater. When something goes wrong, or if I'm in an uncomfortable place, having something (anything!) to eat will make me feel better, for a few minutes at least. I am teaching myself to pause and think about what is really going on before grabbing some food and mindlessly eating it. And unfortunately, what I would usually grab was junk and empty calories.
Before this program, I would just put stuff in my mouth without even thinking about it! Now that I am ingesting five Optifast products a day, I think about each one, before and during. I think about the taste, the texture, and I space them out enough so that usually I enjoy the experience. I want to take that new habit into transition and maintenance.
Affirmation: Food is medicine for my body. I mindfully eat only what I need, with gratitude, then put the fork and plate away to move forward and live my life.
What strategies are in your "Stress Toolbox"? What can you do for yourself as an alternative to eating for stress release?
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Week 8, Day 1: Plugging Along
I went to my meeting last night and, according to Kaiser's scale, I lost 3.1 lbs. last week, or 23.4 pounds on the program so far. Yippee! I do feel a lot lighter and more energetic. I can wear smaller jeans.
At the end of this week we will be exactly halfway through the product-only phase of the program. N, our lovely facilitator, said that this is the time that a lot of participants get really sick of eating Optifast product only and want to eat real food. I am feeling very fortunate that I am not experiencing the challenges and road bumps that many of my cohort members are experiencing. I don't have to cook for a spouse or children and smell the food. I don't travel for business or entertain clients at restaurants. I have no cruises or vacations or weddings or any social commitments that require me to be around lots of food. This program is probably easier for me than it is for a lot of people.
I'm not jonesing for "regular" food; not really. Yes, I occasionally think of steamed veggies, or pizza, or yogurt. If I REALLY REALLY wanted to, I could probably munch on a few carrots or celery sticks, or eat an apple, and not suffer any ill effects. But as N says in class, "It's a slippery slope." If I give myself permission to eat raw veggies, it's a short trip from veggies to a piece of chicken breast to fries at McDonalds. And I don't want to go there.
I want to lose the rest of my weight and put the SMART Skills we are learning into practice. I'll never, ever be able to eat what I want and as much as I want. And that is okay. I'd rather be thin than be full.
SMART stands for:
Set a goal
Monitor your progress
Arrange your world for success
Recruit a support team
Treat yourself
(from the book Living Smart: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever, by Joshua C. Klapow, Ph.D and Sheri D. Pruitt, Ph.D)
I have the first four nailed down; "treating myself" is a bit more awkward. After all, I'm single with no kids. I am not always denying myself to put my family first. I guess you could say that my life is one big "treat"! When we talked about this in class, N said that it's more about training ourselves not to use food as a reward for meeting our goals. I can buy that. So I guess that instead of having a cookie or a glass of wine and a piece of brie, I need to find something else to "reward" myself with. An iTunes download? A new e-book for my Kindle? A pair of knitting needles? I'll have to figure that out.
Before the program I didn't really look at food as a "reward", though. For me, food was my stress reliever, drug of choice and comforting friend.
Traffic bad on my way home? I'd have a cookie, or two (or three).
Boss being a pain? I'd wait until after five and pour myself a glass or merlot and cut off a hunk of cheese with it. (Cheese is good for your teeth, dontcha know? Red wine, not so much.)
Lonely at home, no one to hang out with? I'd order a pizza from one of the six pizza places within walking distance of my condo, bring it home and chow down. (After all, if I walk there and walk back, I'm burning off the calories, riiiiiight?)
Reading over this post, I've got a lot to be thankful for, and sometimes I don't realize it. I look forward, not to cookies or wine or pizza, but to being the size I want to be, and having a new, healthier body.
If you would care to share your challenges, or what is motivating you to lose weight, I'd love to hear from you!
At the end of this week we will be exactly halfway through the product-only phase of the program. N, our lovely facilitator, said that this is the time that a lot of participants get really sick of eating Optifast product only and want to eat real food. I am feeling very fortunate that I am not experiencing the challenges and road bumps that many of my cohort members are experiencing. I don't have to cook for a spouse or children and smell the food. I don't travel for business or entertain clients at restaurants. I have no cruises or vacations or weddings or any social commitments that require me to be around lots of food. This program is probably easier for me than it is for a lot of people.
I'm not jonesing for "regular" food; not really. Yes, I occasionally think of steamed veggies, or pizza, or yogurt. If I REALLY REALLY wanted to, I could probably munch on a few carrots or celery sticks, or eat an apple, and not suffer any ill effects. But as N says in class, "It's a slippery slope." If I give myself permission to eat raw veggies, it's a short trip from veggies to a piece of chicken breast to fries at McDonalds. And I don't want to go there.
I want to lose the rest of my weight and put the SMART Skills we are learning into practice. I'll never, ever be able to eat what I want and as much as I want. And that is okay. I'd rather be thin than be full.
SMART stands for:
Set a goal
Monitor your progress
Arrange your world for success
Recruit a support team
Treat yourself
(from the book Living Smart: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever, by Joshua C. Klapow, Ph.D and Sheri D. Pruitt, Ph.D)
I have the first four nailed down; "treating myself" is a bit more awkward. After all, I'm single with no kids. I am not always denying myself to put my family first. I guess you could say that my life is one big "treat"! When we talked about this in class, N said that it's more about training ourselves not to use food as a reward for meeting our goals. I can buy that. So I guess that instead of having a cookie or a glass of wine and a piece of brie, I need to find something else to "reward" myself with. An iTunes download? A new e-book for my Kindle? A pair of knitting needles? I'll have to figure that out.
Before the program I didn't really look at food as a "reward", though. For me, food was my stress reliever, drug of choice and comforting friend.
Traffic bad on my way home? I'd have a cookie, or two (or three).
Boss being a pain? I'd wait until after five and pour myself a glass or merlot and cut off a hunk of cheese with it. (Cheese is good for your teeth, dontcha know? Red wine, not so much.)
Lonely at home, no one to hang out with? I'd order a pizza from one of the six pizza places within walking distance of my condo, bring it home and chow down. (After all, if I walk there and walk back, I'm burning off the calories, riiiiiight?)
Reading over this post, I've got a lot to be thankful for, and sometimes I don't realize it. I look forward, not to cookies or wine or pizza, but to being the size I want to be, and having a new, healthier body.
If you would care to share your challenges, or what is motivating you to lose weight, I'd love to hear from you!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Week 7, Day 6: Crafting is my therapy
Funny story: I'm kind of a noob when it comes to blogs and webpages. One of my favorite websites is Craftsy, which is a virtual candy store of online classes, patterns, ideas, etc. for artists and crafters in every medium.
Craftsy sent me an e-mail, suggesting that I place a "badge" on my blog. Several designs were offered, and I chose one that said "Crafting Is My Therapy" with the Craftsy logo on it. I copied the code and then went into my template to paste it. Easy-peasy, no trouble at all.
When I went to view mode to see how it looked, I was HORRIFIED!! Instead of "Crafting Is My Therapy", the badge said "Cake Is My Escape"!!!
I completely forgot how to navigate back to the template so I could get rid of it, and spent several panicked moments trying to retrace my steps. How would it look to Optifasters to see "Cake Is My Escape"?? Cake is certainly NOT my escape, at least not anymore.
I'll write a note to Craftsy about it, but in the meantime I thought it was kind of a funny story, and a good way to illustrate how my mindset about food has changed these past seven (going on eight) weeks.
I'm starting to feel better, FINALLY. I'm a very bad patient! Illness is so inconvenient. Daylight saving time is finally here and that always gives me a lift. According to my scale (and adjusted for Kaiser's scale) it looks like I'm down 23 pounds since January 21. I visited my father yesterday, who said I didn't look very different, but he is 82 and has glaucoma, so maybe he can't see me clearly. I feel thinner and I see it in the mirror and in my clothes.
This afternoon I'm attending a celebration of life gathering for a friend of mine who died of colon cancer on November 21. I only knew Margaret for four short years, but she was one of the kindest and most gracious people I have ever met. She was loved by everyone who knew her and had tons of friends. Whenever we went anywhere, she ran into friends and acquaintances and they greeted her like a long-lost sister. Margaret bravely fought cancer with courage and grace, and this afternoon will be bittersweet. She is finally at rest and out of pain, but her family and friends miss her terribly. I do look forward to being in a room with lots of people who loved her.
I am reminded that life is so very brief and every day is a precious gift. The guy who coined the phrase "Don't sweat the small stuff" nailed it, right on the head.
Here is a little bird I crocheted (designed by Stacey Trock) that reminds me of that very idea:
Craftsy sent me an e-mail, suggesting that I place a "badge" on my blog. Several designs were offered, and I chose one that said "Crafting Is My Therapy" with the Craftsy logo on it. I copied the code and then went into my template to paste it. Easy-peasy, no trouble at all.
When I went to view mode to see how it looked, I was HORRIFIED!! Instead of "Crafting Is My Therapy", the badge said "Cake Is My Escape"!!!
I completely forgot how to navigate back to the template so I could get rid of it, and spent several panicked moments trying to retrace my steps. How would it look to Optifasters to see "Cake Is My Escape"?? Cake is certainly NOT my escape, at least not anymore.
I'll write a note to Craftsy about it, but in the meantime I thought it was kind of a funny story, and a good way to illustrate how my mindset about food has changed these past seven (going on eight) weeks.
I'm starting to feel better, FINALLY. I'm a very bad patient! Illness is so inconvenient. Daylight saving time is finally here and that always gives me a lift. According to my scale (and adjusted for Kaiser's scale) it looks like I'm down 23 pounds since January 21. I visited my father yesterday, who said I didn't look very different, but he is 82 and has glaucoma, so maybe he can't see me clearly. I feel thinner and I see it in the mirror and in my clothes.
This afternoon I'm attending a celebration of life gathering for a friend of mine who died of colon cancer on November 21. I only knew Margaret for four short years, but she was one of the kindest and most gracious people I have ever met. She was loved by everyone who knew her and had tons of friends. Whenever we went anywhere, she ran into friends and acquaintances and they greeted her like a long-lost sister. Margaret bravely fought cancer with courage and grace, and this afternoon will be bittersweet. She is finally at rest and out of pain, but her family and friends miss her terribly. I do look forward to being in a room with lots of people who loved her.
I am reminded that life is so very brief and every day is a precious gift. The guy who coined the phrase "Don't sweat the small stuff" nailed it, right on the head.
Here is a little bird I crocheted (designed by Stacey Trock) that reminds me of that very idea:
Friday, March 7, 2014
Week 7, Day 4: The wisdom of illness and the opportunities it presents...
I have been battling a severe cold/flu (take your pick) since last Friday, all the while going to work every day and trying to keep up as best as I have been able, so it's been a tough week for me.
I did go to my MWM meeting at Kaiser on Monday and I lost 3.6 pounds last week, or 20.3 pounds total, since beginning product on January 21. I am feeling it in my clothes and it is becoming easier to move. A couple of people at work have noticed and I am now "out" with my MWM program.
The illness has made me a little bit weak, and I have been struggling to get all five of my products in every day. To be honest, I have only been able to ingest four products most days this week, but as I feel better will make a concerted effort to eat all five. I'm sure I've lost another pound or two since Monday. I haven't been able to exercise as much this week, but I've been walking as much as I can in regular life, and have been getting in 3000-4000 steps at work every day.
There are some advantages to being sick: No hunger! (That's a big plus!) Also, illness has a purifying effect, at least it does on me. It's a pain in the butt, and an inconvenience, and makes me feel like crap, but it forces me to see people and situations as they really are, not as I wish they were. A reality check, so to speak. Those little "aha moments" can be emotionally painful, but they are necessary. And for some reason my clearest emotional moments occur when my body is at its weakest.
Knock on wood…I am fortunate to be as relatively healthy as I have been (especially as overweight as I was and the neglectful way I've treated my body.) As I get older, I suspect it will be harder to shake off these viruses and other things as they arise. I hope I can learn from this week, and if/when more serious illness happens, I can endure it with strength and grace, as some of my friends and family members have done.
Cough, cough! I hope you all are keeping well!
I did go to my MWM meeting at Kaiser on Monday and I lost 3.6 pounds last week, or 20.3 pounds total, since beginning product on January 21. I am feeling it in my clothes and it is becoming easier to move. A couple of people at work have noticed and I am now "out" with my MWM program.
The illness has made me a little bit weak, and I have been struggling to get all five of my products in every day. To be honest, I have only been able to ingest four products most days this week, but as I feel better will make a concerted effort to eat all five. I'm sure I've lost another pound or two since Monday. I haven't been able to exercise as much this week, but I've been walking as much as I can in regular life, and have been getting in 3000-4000 steps at work every day.
There are some advantages to being sick: No hunger! (That's a big plus!) Also, illness has a purifying effect, at least it does on me. It's a pain in the butt, and an inconvenience, and makes me feel like crap, but it forces me to see people and situations as they really are, not as I wish they were. A reality check, so to speak. Those little "aha moments" can be emotionally painful, but they are necessary. And for some reason my clearest emotional moments occur when my body is at its weakest.
Knock on wood…I am fortunate to be as relatively healthy as I have been (especially as overweight as I was and the neglectful way I've treated my body.) As I get older, I suspect it will be harder to shake off these viruses and other things as they arise. I hope I can learn from this week, and if/when more serious illness happens, I can endure it with strength and grace, as some of my friends and family members have done.
Cough, cough! I hope you all are keeping well!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Week 6, Day 6: Hooray for smaller jeans (and closet surfing)
My jeans (which fit me fine a month ago) are now way too big. I can pull them off without even undoing them! And when I sit down or bend over, I don't want to flash everyone in the room. :( Yesterday I went shopping in my closet and found a pair which is a size smaller – they fit great!
I once read a magazine article about the late comedian Jackie Gleason. Those in my generation and older will remember him! The article said he had suits in his closet in varying sizes, all arranged in order, to accommodate his weight fluctuation. I have a walk-in closet filled with clothes from size 8 to 18. Someone said, when I told them about weight loss and new way of life, "You'll have to go shopping for all new clothes!" I can just walk into my closet and find things that I had no idea were there. They may not be the latest styles, but I like vintage dresses, so I'm good to go.
Seeing the results in the mirror and in my clothes are giving me great motivation. I have figured that my scale (and being unclothed) registers about four pounds less than being fully clothed on Kaiser's scale. By that estimation, I have lost about 19 pounds since beginning product.
I'm a bit under the weather this weekend. I have been fighting a cold and sore throat, and the bug appears to be winning. I hope it will stop here and not morph into full-blown flu. The silver lining to being sick is that I'm not hungry at all.
A bit off-topic (but it's my blog and I'm allowed to go off-topic)…I'm reading a wonderful book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I first read it in high school but I didn't have the wisdom to fully appreciate it. If you want to read about life, relationships, faith and reason, pick this one up and give it a try. It's big and challenging, but well worth the effort. If you are an e-book reader, there are freebies online and at the Amazon site. A word of caution: Some of the freebies aren't proofread or very well-formatted and are frustrating to read. For $1.99 on Amazon, you can purchase the annotated and illustrated Garnett translation for Kindle by Petrocast Ebooks. It is very well-edited and is easy to navigate. The footnotes are also helpful.
I once read a magazine article about the late comedian Jackie Gleason. Those in my generation and older will remember him! The article said he had suits in his closet in varying sizes, all arranged in order, to accommodate his weight fluctuation. I have a walk-in closet filled with clothes from size 8 to 18. Someone said, when I told them about weight loss and new way of life, "You'll have to go shopping for all new clothes!" I can just walk into my closet and find things that I had no idea were there. They may not be the latest styles, but I like vintage dresses, so I'm good to go.
Seeing the results in the mirror and in my clothes are giving me great motivation. I have figured that my scale (and being unclothed) registers about four pounds less than being fully clothed on Kaiser's scale. By that estimation, I have lost about 19 pounds since beginning product.
I'm a bit under the weather this weekend. I have been fighting a cold and sore throat, and the bug appears to be winning. I hope it will stop here and not morph into full-blown flu. The silver lining to being sick is that I'm not hungry at all.
A bit off-topic (but it's my blog and I'm allowed to go off-topic)…I'm reading a wonderful book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I first read it in high school but I didn't have the wisdom to fully appreciate it. If you want to read about life, relationships, faith and reason, pick this one up and give it a try. It's big and challenging, but well worth the effort. If you are an e-book reader, there are freebies online and at the Amazon site. A word of caution: Some of the freebies aren't proofread or very well-formatted and are frustrating to read. For $1.99 on Amazon, you can purchase the annotated and illustrated Garnett translation for Kindle by Petrocast Ebooks. It is very well-edited and is easy to navigate. The footnotes are also helpful.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Week 5, Day 7: If you eat it, write it…and other nuggets of wisdom
Our Kaiser MWM cohort met again tonight after two weeks; it was exciting to see that several people are definitely looking thinner. We are going into our sixth week on product and we've only lost a couple of cohort members*. Most of the group is sticking with the program.
I did my weigh-in, and I'm down 6.1 pounds from two weeks ago. I'm very, very pleased about that. I've lost just over 15 pounds in five weeks on product, averaging about three pounds per week.
The hypertension is decreasing (143/104 today) so the doctor doesn't think I need blood pressure meds as long as I keep losing weight. All of my labs look good, so they say I'm doing fine on the program.
Our facilitator, N, talked about the importance of monitoring our food and exercise. Monitoring=Journaling. We are supposed to keep a journal what we eat, when we eat, and where. N collects our journal pages and looks them over before returning them to us. We are also given the choice of using FitBit or one of the websites like MyFitnessPal to log our food and exercise, as long as there is some sort of printing option.
Since we are eating Optifast only at this stage, it's not too difficult to just write "Chicken Soup" or "Vanilla Shake" in the little boxes. When we start eating "regular" food, and -gasp- MAKING CHOICES! calorie counting can get complicated, so one of those programs will be useful.
So far N hasn't specifically asked us to turn in exercise logs, but I know myself that when I was journaling all my exercise and steps a couple of weeks ago, I was doing pretty well. Last meeting Kaiser had run out of blank exercise log pages, so that was my excuse to slack off and not exercise as much. Bad me! I made sure to grab some extra log pages tonight, and will make photocopies if I run out.
I'm certain that at some point we will be asked to turn in our exercise pages, and as I'm a good little do-bee, I'll have to make sure my homework gets done. :)
Journaling is a very effective tool. I don't want to see a "cheat" on my journal sheet, so I'd better stick to the program! It's nice to see a line of seven days of consistent exercise, so I'd better do my workouts and write them down! I can make all kinds of excuses and justify my behavior ('Oh, man, the sciatica is killing me!'), but if I want this to be the last "diet" in my lifetime, I've got to develop habits that will stick with me forever.
N told us the top two habits of dieters who are ultimately successful (don't gain back the weight):
1. Eating breakfast every day
2. Food journaling
And since I am going to be in the successful group, I'll have to make sure those habits are ingrained into my body and mind.
*Note: We've lost a couple of cohorters to quitting the program, not death! It occurred to me how that must sound!
I did my weigh-in, and I'm down 6.1 pounds from two weeks ago. I'm very, very pleased about that. I've lost just over 15 pounds in five weeks on product, averaging about three pounds per week.
The hypertension is decreasing (143/104 today) so the doctor doesn't think I need blood pressure meds as long as I keep losing weight. All of my labs look good, so they say I'm doing fine on the program.
Our facilitator, N, talked about the importance of monitoring our food and exercise. Monitoring=Journaling. We are supposed to keep a journal what we eat, when we eat, and where. N collects our journal pages and looks them over before returning them to us. We are also given the choice of using FitBit or one of the websites like MyFitnessPal to log our food and exercise, as long as there is some sort of printing option.
Since we are eating Optifast only at this stage, it's not too difficult to just write "Chicken Soup" or "Vanilla Shake" in the little boxes. When we start eating "regular" food, and -gasp- MAKING CHOICES! calorie counting can get complicated, so one of those programs will be useful.
So far N hasn't specifically asked us to turn in exercise logs, but I know myself that when I was journaling all my exercise and steps a couple of weeks ago, I was doing pretty well. Last meeting Kaiser had run out of blank exercise log pages, so that was my excuse to slack off and not exercise as much. Bad me! I made sure to grab some extra log pages tonight, and will make photocopies if I run out.
I'm certain that at some point we will be asked to turn in our exercise pages, and as I'm a good little do-bee, I'll have to make sure my homework gets done. :)
Journaling is a very effective tool. I don't want to see a "cheat" on my journal sheet, so I'd better stick to the program! It's nice to see a line of seven days of consistent exercise, so I'd better do my workouts and write them down! I can make all kinds of excuses and justify my behavior ('Oh, man, the sciatica is killing me!'), but if I want this to be the last "diet" in my lifetime, I've got to develop habits that will stick with me forever.
N told us the top two habits of dieters who are ultimately successful (don't gain back the weight):
1. Eating breakfast every day
2. Food journaling
And since I am going to be in the successful group, I'll have to make sure those habits are ingrained into my body and mind.
*Note: We've lost a couple of cohorters to quitting the program, not death! It occurred to me how that must sound!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Week 5, Day 6: Too Many Choices
It's been a few days since I've blogged; there was no weigh-in or class last Monday because of the President's Day holiday, so I'm not sure how many pounds I've lost since the last meeting. My clothes feel looser so I'm sure I've lost a few more. Tomorrow night is the weigh-in and a brief one-on-one session with the doctor, so I'll find out if I'm going on blood pressure meds, or not.
I am finding the Optifast meal replacement plan to be more comforting than restricting. I have my daily routine of shake-shake-bar-soup-shake and rarely vary from that order. There are few flavors of "product" to choose from, so I never go into "choices overload." What I mean by that is having so many options that it boggles my mind and I end up getting "stuck."
Last weekend I was doing chores around the house and there was a marathon on the TLC channel of a program called Say Yes To The Dress. Now, I'm single and not likely to get married anytime soon, so anything wedding-related usually doesn't grab my attention. However, this program shows brides (young and not-so-young) in a bridal salon, trying to choose a dress with a whole committee of friends, relatives and friends-of-friends (some of whom are straight males -- I can't imagine how interested they would be in wedding dress shopping). At any rate, these poor women are shown so many dresses and bombarded with opinions (solicited and otherwise) that it's enough to provoke a meltdown.
I'm just half-watching it on TV (not in real life) and it's enough to blow off the top of my head. :)
I remember when I got married, back when Ronald Reagan was still president. I went to the bridal shop with only my mother, not an entourage. I described to the saleswoman what I was looking for, and in what price range. My mother, who knew me very well, told the saleswoman, "Show us no more than five dresses. We don't want the bride here to have a nervous breakdown."
I tried on the five dresses and picked the one I liked best. Voila, deal done, over in about half an hour. That wouldn't have made very entertaining television, but it's my style and I'm sticking to it.
That might be what appeals to me about the Kaiser MWM Optifast plan. I don't have to make a decision beyond vanilla or chocolate, chicken soup or tomato. I know that these easy days will eventually end and I'll have to make decisions again, but right now I'm enjoying my "vacation from food." Rather than feeling restricted and deprived, I'm feeling free.
The opposite is happening with my crafting life! Recently I branched out from simply knitting, crocheting and tatting to spinning yarn, and then weaving. This weekend I took a wire working class through the crafting group I belong to. If I'm not careful, it's bound to be another obsession of mine…
Sometimes I long for the days when I just sat down and knitted a simple scarf. So many choices, not enough leisure time!
If anyone out there is reading this…do you get bogged down by too many choices? Or do you enjoy having as many options as possible?
I am finding the Optifast meal replacement plan to be more comforting than restricting. I have my daily routine of shake-shake-bar-soup-shake and rarely vary from that order. There are few flavors of "product" to choose from, so I never go into "choices overload." What I mean by that is having so many options that it boggles my mind and I end up getting "stuck."
Last weekend I was doing chores around the house and there was a marathon on the TLC channel of a program called Say Yes To The Dress. Now, I'm single and not likely to get married anytime soon, so anything wedding-related usually doesn't grab my attention. However, this program shows brides (young and not-so-young) in a bridal salon, trying to choose a dress with a whole committee of friends, relatives and friends-of-friends (some of whom are straight males -- I can't imagine how interested they would be in wedding dress shopping). At any rate, these poor women are shown so many dresses and bombarded with opinions (solicited and otherwise) that it's enough to provoke a meltdown.
I'm just half-watching it on TV (not in real life) and it's enough to blow off the top of my head. :)
I remember when I got married, back when Ronald Reagan was still president. I went to the bridal shop with only my mother, not an entourage. I described to the saleswoman what I was looking for, and in what price range. My mother, who knew me very well, told the saleswoman, "Show us no more than five dresses. We don't want the bride here to have a nervous breakdown."
I tried on the five dresses and picked the one I liked best. Voila, deal done, over in about half an hour. That wouldn't have made very entertaining television, but it's my style and I'm sticking to it.
That might be what appeals to me about the Kaiser MWM Optifast plan. I don't have to make a decision beyond vanilla or chocolate, chicken soup or tomato. I know that these easy days will eventually end and I'll have to make decisions again, but right now I'm enjoying my "vacation from food." Rather than feeling restricted and deprived, I'm feeling free.
The opposite is happening with my crafting life! Recently I branched out from simply knitting, crocheting and tatting to spinning yarn, and then weaving. This weekend I took a wire working class through the crafting group I belong to. If I'm not careful, it's bound to be another obsession of mine…
Sometimes I long for the days when I just sat down and knitted a simple scarf. So many choices, not enough leisure time!
If anyone out there is reading this…do you get bogged down by too many choices? Or do you enjoy having as many options as possible?
Monday, February 17, 2014
Week 4, Day 7: Food Non-Obsession
I'm on the last day of the fourth week on product. This morning I was reflecting on how food, which was once a focal point of my life, has become so insignificant. Case in point: Last night I got so absorbed in the project I was weaving on my loom that I literally forgot to take my last meal replacement. By the time I remembered, it was 11:30 p.m., far too late to eat anything without risking major acid reflux. Skipping meals is a big no-no on the Kaiser MWM program, but I didn't do it intentionally. I'm actually thrilled with how much my mindset is changing.
Pre-MWM, I loved my fiber arts projects but it seems as if I'm now more obsessed with them as my food fixation is waning. Is that healthier? There are no calories involved, but it can be hard on the pocketbook if I'm not careful. :) I'd love to be "obsessed" with working out, but so far that hasn't happened, although working out makes me feel great.
It's a holiday weekend here in the United States (President's Day) so no work today and no class tonight. We purchased two weeks' worth of product last Monday to get us through until class next Monday. I don't have access to the Kaiser scale so I don't know "officially" how much weight I have lost since last weigh-in, but my clothes are telling me that I have lost a few more pounds.
In fact, today I am wearing a top that is labeled "Medium, size 8-10." It fits snugly, but—it fits!
I seem to feel less hungry at home than when I am at the office. Last week there were more goodies in the break room for Valentine's Day (brownies, among other things) but I'm finding it easier and easier to "just say no."
When the physician talked with our group a couple of weeks ago he discussed the difference between true and false hunger. He told us to wait 11 minutes to eat after the first "hungry" feeling. If the hunger goes away, it is false, or emotional hunger. If the hunger persists (and if sufficient time has passed since the last meal replacement), it is real, or physical hunger. This technique truly works!
Although I do savor the Optifast meal replacements (yes, I'm weird), I no longer feel like I need to medicate myself with food. Woo-hoo!!!
To those reading who are on a weight loss journey: What activity or passion do you have in your life that you can substitute for food?
Pre-MWM, I loved my fiber arts projects but it seems as if I'm now more obsessed with them as my food fixation is waning. Is that healthier? There are no calories involved, but it can be hard on the pocketbook if I'm not careful. :) I'd love to be "obsessed" with working out, but so far that hasn't happened, although working out makes me feel great.
It's a holiday weekend here in the United States (President's Day) so no work today and no class tonight. We purchased two weeks' worth of product last Monday to get us through until class next Monday. I don't have access to the Kaiser scale so I don't know "officially" how much weight I have lost since last weigh-in, but my clothes are telling me that I have lost a few more pounds.
In fact, today I am wearing a top that is labeled "Medium, size 8-10." It fits snugly, but—it fits!
I seem to feel less hungry at home than when I am at the office. Last week there were more goodies in the break room for Valentine's Day (brownies, among other things) but I'm finding it easier and easier to "just say no."
When the physician talked with our group a couple of weeks ago he discussed the difference between true and false hunger. He told us to wait 11 minutes to eat after the first "hungry" feeling. If the hunger goes away, it is false, or emotional hunger. If the hunger persists (and if sufficient time has passed since the last meal replacement), it is real, or physical hunger. This technique truly works!
Although I do savor the Optifast meal replacements (yes, I'm weird), I no longer feel like I need to medicate myself with food. Woo-hoo!!!
To those reading who are on a weight loss journey: What activity or passion do you have in your life that you can substitute for food?
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Week 4, Day 2: Rooster Pants are the Holy Grail
Last blog entry I discussed weight loss goals. N, our group leader, says that everyone has a perfect weight number in their head.
She doesn't know me very well! I don't have a number in my head. I have a pair of rooster pants.
It's been years since I have been able to wear these pants. When I bought them, hmm hmm years ago, I thought they were the coolest thing. I still think so! Yellow is my favorite color.
I have two goals. One is to be able to finish a 10K. No particular speed, just to finish the event. I have my eye on the Turkey Trot race Thanksgiving Day. I have about ten months to work up to that one.
The other goal: Wear these rooster pants.
They are a misses' size ten, which I believe is achievable. After all, I have worn them before. When I finally fit back into them I will buy a new red top to go with. Or maybe a green one. A new one, at any rate. If I cross the street in these bad boys, everyone will see me coming.
Is anyone out there on a weight loss journey? What is your holy grail?
She doesn't know me very well! I don't have a number in my head. I have a pair of rooster pants.
It's been years since I have been able to wear these pants. When I bought them, hmm hmm years ago, I thought they were the coolest thing. I still think so! Yellow is my favorite color.
I have two goals. One is to be able to finish a 10K. No particular speed, just to finish the event. I have my eye on the Turkey Trot race Thanksgiving Day. I have about ten months to work up to that one.
The other goal: Wear these rooster pants.
They are a misses' size ten, which I believe is achievable. After all, I have worn them before. When I finally fit back into them I will buy a new red top to go with. Or maybe a green one. A new one, at any rate. If I cross the street in these bad boys, everyone will see me coming.
Is anyone out there on a weight loss journey? What is your holy grail?
Monday, February 10, 2014
Week 3, Day 7: Another 3.4 Pounds Gone! Bye-Bye!
Weighed in tonight and found that another 3.4 pounds has been released. That gives me a total of 10.6 pounds since starting product on January 21. I am SO excited!
Not only is that good news, but my blood pressure was significantly lower today—145/99. Still not ideal, but a big improvement.
This evening in class our group leader, N, talked with us about setting goals. She gave us an acronym, AMOS, to remember how our goals should be:
Achievable
Measurable
Observable
Specific
Even though we all have a goal for where we want to be in 30 weeks, N said that setting a weekly weight loss goal is setting ourselves up for disappointment; since, as hard as we might try, and as perfectly as we follow the program, there is a possibility that we might not lose that week, or we might even gain. Better to set a behavioral goal instead, such as exercising every day for a certain period of time, or walking a minimum number of steps per day, or making sure we sleep for seven hours a night (which supports weight loss.)
Most of us had exercise-related goals. My goal is to exercise twice a day for 20 minutes, morning and evening, until next Monday. After Monday I will increase my goal to 30 minutes in the morning and then a shorter 15 minute walk in the evening.
We are asked to reward ourselves with something (non-food) when we have achieved our goal. My "reward" will be a bouquet of fresh flowers. Others around the room mentioned getting a manicure, or an evening at the movies, or a new workout t-shirt. I am so used to reaching for a cookie, or a glass of wine and a piece of cheese (or whatever) when I wanted to "treat" myself, that it took me a second to come up with a "reward."
Because we are all on product only, we can't set food-related goals, per se. But one thing N said was so meaningful to me that I wrote it down. It was, "Treat your calories like cash." Don't eat junk that you can't remember five minutes later. If you are going to splurge, "budget" for it and make it something that is really, really good.
Yesterday was Sunday so I got daring and tried Zumba for the first time, on DVD. It was challenging, but a lot of fun! Because I was alone in my living room (except for my cats) I didn't worry about looking foolish and just went with it. I borrowed the disks, but I am seriously tempted to purchase a set for myself.
Not only is that good news, but my blood pressure was significantly lower today—145/99. Still not ideal, but a big improvement.
This evening in class our group leader, N, talked with us about setting goals. She gave us an acronym, AMOS, to remember how our goals should be:
Achievable
Measurable
Observable
Specific
Even though we all have a goal for where we want to be in 30 weeks, N said that setting a weekly weight loss goal is setting ourselves up for disappointment; since, as hard as we might try, and as perfectly as we follow the program, there is a possibility that we might not lose that week, or we might even gain. Better to set a behavioral goal instead, such as exercising every day for a certain period of time, or walking a minimum number of steps per day, or making sure we sleep for seven hours a night (which supports weight loss.)
Most of us had exercise-related goals. My goal is to exercise twice a day for 20 minutes, morning and evening, until next Monday. After Monday I will increase my goal to 30 minutes in the morning and then a shorter 15 minute walk in the evening.
We are asked to reward ourselves with something (non-food) when we have achieved our goal. My "reward" will be a bouquet of fresh flowers. Others around the room mentioned getting a manicure, or an evening at the movies, or a new workout t-shirt. I am so used to reaching for a cookie, or a glass of wine and a piece of cheese (or whatever) when I wanted to "treat" myself, that it took me a second to come up with a "reward."
Because we are all on product only, we can't set food-related goals, per se. But one thing N said was so meaningful to me that I wrote it down. It was, "Treat your calories like cash." Don't eat junk that you can't remember five minutes later. If you are going to splurge, "budget" for it and make it something that is really, really good.
Yesterday was Sunday so I got daring and tried Zumba for the first time, on DVD. It was challenging, but a lot of fun! Because I was alone in my living room (except for my cats) I didn't worry about looking foolish and just went with it. I borrowed the disks, but I am seriously tempted to purchase a set for myself.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Week 3, Day 5: Mary, Unplugged; or, take your fiber, boys and girls!
It's been a couple of days since I last blogged, mostly because sitting became a challenge for me. And since I believe in blogging my challenges as well as my victories, I'll share this with you.
I'm not one of those folks who blush at the mention of bowel movements, so I won't mince words here. If you are thinking of doing Optifast, or any liquid diet program, be sure to add some fiber to your meal replacements.
At Kaiser they touched on the fact that "maybe" you will get constipated, so "maybe" you should think of taking a fiber supplement every day. After all, we aren't allowed veggies and fruit on the program, and there is essentially no fiber in any of the meal replacements, except about five grams in the bars.
I was chewing two Fiber Choice tablets every day, which is fine if you are eating "regular" food, but it isn't enough for those on a mostly-liquid meal replacement diet. A two-tablet serving of Fiber Choice contains three grams of fiber, and the label instructs not to exceed five tablets (or 7.5 grams) daily. Benefiber contains the same amount; but if, for example, I take it four times a day with my shakes and soup, and my bar contains five grams I'm getting 17 grams of fiber with my 800 calories.
The Institute of Medicine recommended amount of fiber per day is at least 14 grams per 1,000 calories, so that's not too shabby.
I'll be 56 this year, and never in my life have I experienced anything like this past day and a half. Suffice it to say, it was very painful and something I would not wish on my worst enemy or ANYONE.
Even though I am overweight, I have always been a big fan of fresh fruit and vegetables. (It's the other junk I was eating that was the problem.) Regularity has never been an issue for me. Now I can sympathize with the folks that those TV commercials so delicately aim for. Constipation is crappy—no doubt about it.
Clear Soluble Fiber Powder, or Benefiber, contains dextrin, and will keep things moving and grooving in your system. It's flavorless and sugar-free and will dissolve into your liquids. You can pick it up at the drugstore, either the brand name Benefiber or your Walgreens (or local pharmacy chain) has a store-brand version that might be lower-cost. At any rate—get some, it's worth it.
If you (like I was) get so stopped up that you are past the point of no return, milk of magnesia should do the trick.
Last night was tough. For the first time since beginning the program I was unable to drink my last meal replacement, so I had only four the whole day (640 calories). I couldn't exercise, either. :( Today I get back in the saddle. Yay!!
I'm not one of those folks who blush at the mention of bowel movements, so I won't mince words here. If you are thinking of doing Optifast, or any liquid diet program, be sure to add some fiber to your meal replacements.
At Kaiser they touched on the fact that "maybe" you will get constipated, so "maybe" you should think of taking a fiber supplement every day. After all, we aren't allowed veggies and fruit on the program, and there is essentially no fiber in any of the meal replacements, except about five grams in the bars.
I was chewing two Fiber Choice tablets every day, which is fine if you are eating "regular" food, but it isn't enough for those on a mostly-liquid meal replacement diet. A two-tablet serving of Fiber Choice contains three grams of fiber, and the label instructs not to exceed five tablets (or 7.5 grams) daily. Benefiber contains the same amount; but if, for example, I take it four times a day with my shakes and soup, and my bar contains five grams I'm getting 17 grams of fiber with my 800 calories.
The Institute of Medicine recommended amount of fiber per day is at least 14 grams per 1,000 calories, so that's not too shabby.
I'll be 56 this year, and never in my life have I experienced anything like this past day and a half. Suffice it to say, it was very painful and something I would not wish on my worst enemy or ANYONE.
Even though I am overweight, I have always been a big fan of fresh fruit and vegetables. (It's the other junk I was eating that was the problem.) Regularity has never been an issue for me. Now I can sympathize with the folks that those TV commercials so delicately aim for. Constipation is crappy—no doubt about it.
Clear Soluble Fiber Powder, or Benefiber, contains dextrin, and will keep things moving and grooving in your system. It's flavorless and sugar-free and will dissolve into your liquids. You can pick it up at the drugstore, either the brand name Benefiber or your Walgreens (or local pharmacy chain) has a store-brand version that might be lower-cost. At any rate—get some, it's worth it.
If you (like I was) get so stopped up that you are past the point of no return, milk of magnesia should do the trick.
Last night was tough. For the first time since beginning the program I was unable to drink my last meal replacement, so I had only four the whole day (640 calories). I couldn't exercise, either. :( Today I get back in the saddle. Yay!!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Week 3, Day 2: Walking to Slimsville with Leslie Sansone
I love Leslie Sansone!
I live in a metropolitan area where there is lots of traffic, stop lights, etc. and walking in the dark alone is not always the best idea. Enter Leslie, with her dandy Walk at Home DVDs. I have several of them which I have enjoyed using in the past. The two I am working with right now are the Walk Slim 5 Really Big Miles (the first mile only, in the morning) and Mini Walks in the evening.
Leslie Sansone has a very bubbly personality. She does talk a lot, but her manner is so encouraging and engaging that I don't mind the chatter. The Walk Slim DVD is newer (2011) than Mini Walks (2008) and features some model-pretty people and some "regular folks" in her walking team. Mini Walks is all "regular folks"; a spectrum of ages, body types and ethnicities.
She is in excellent shape for a woman of any age, and obviously "walks the walk".
Did I mention that I love Leslie Sansone?
What I like about the workouts is that they get me moving without too much jumping around on my joints. They aren't so hard that I worry about hurting myself. As I build up stamina I can try to do 45 minutes all at once, but I'm not there yet. As time goes on I will want more of a challenge but I need to work up to P90X. Just kidding, maybe Jillian Michaels or Zumba. :) There is not a lot of complicated choreography to learn, just straightforward walking in place, side steps, kicks, and some arm movement. There is more full-body engagement in these routines than walking down the street.
For exercisers who need a basic aerobic workout with no frills, or those who haven't worked out in awhile, you can't beat Leslie Sansone.
Her DVDs are reasonably priced on Amazon and at stores like Target and Walmart. Netflix also has some of her DVDs for rent or streaming.
Okay...end of commercial. (I'm not on Leslie's payroll, honest!) I've been faithfully wearing my pedometer since Tuesday morning, and am amazed at how quickly the steps (and miles) add up! Yesterday's count was 6,966 steps (or 2.6 miles). My stride isn't very long, only about 24 inches. Today, so far, it's 8,955 steps (or 3.4 miles). It feels so good to move! Mentally and physically.
The pedometer was a bit tricky to set up at first, but I think I've got it now. It's a tiny little thing that clips to my waistband and it stores the stats for seven days.
I just have to be careful not to inadvertently put it through the washer, or drop it in the toilet! :)
Monday, February 3, 2014
Week 2, Day 7: Another four pounds have run away from home! Ciao!
I went to my meeting tonight and when they did my weigh-in, I have lost another four pounds! Combined with last week, that's seven pounds total! I'm stoked. The blood pressure is still high (162/105). When I met with the doctor for my med check he said that if it is still high at the next med check in two weeks that he would refer me to my primary physician for a blood pressure prescription.
But seven pounds! I feel awesome.
The doctor did the class presentation tonight about the importance of exercise in helping us lose the weight and not regain it. Men can work out as much as they want, but they advise women to limit it to no more than 45 minutes a day, as too much exercise on this MWM plan can stall weight loss. Our group leader handed out pedometers which we are supposed to wear everywhere, all day long. The goal is to walk at least 5000 steps per day, and work up to 10,000 steps. We are also asked to do resistance four times a week.
He told us that if we don't exercise while losing lots of weight, we risk messing up our metabolism for six years. I'm not too sure about that. I think he might have been trying to scare us into exercising. There are probably some people who are metabolically challenged due to illness and/or certain medications, etc. But many folks use their "slow metabolism" as an excuse to remain overweight.
I dusted off my Leslie Sansone DVDs, which have helped me in the past. She does a walking in place routine, a mile at a time, and there is a resistance component as well. I still have the bands from before. I like Leslie...she's sort of like a grown-up chipper cheerleader.
This is exciting. My sciatica is acting up but I am still anxious to start walking. I have my alarm set to get up earlier tomorrow morning to get my first workout in. And then, I hope to do a second one after work. The doctor said it would be okay to break up the 30 minutes, or 45 minutes (whatever we do) into two or three shorter workouts.
I learned an interesting thing and a funny thing in the doctor's lecture. The interesting thing is that "false hunger" lasts about 11 minutes. If we feel the urge to eat when it's not time to eat, he said to drink some water and wait 11 minutes. If it's false hunger, it will pass. If it's real hunger, we will still feel hungry after more than 11 minutes have passed, have some product.
The funny thing: He actually told us not to smoke marijuana! I figured that went without saying, but he said that participants in the past have toked up and since it lowers the inhibitions and at the same time, provokes the munchies...well, you know the rest. But while he was talking about pot, he was looking directly at me. I guess I look like the dopehead in the group.
That gave me a giggle...I had to share.
But seven pounds! I feel awesome.
The doctor did the class presentation tonight about the importance of exercise in helping us lose the weight and not regain it. Men can work out as much as they want, but they advise women to limit it to no more than 45 minutes a day, as too much exercise on this MWM plan can stall weight loss. Our group leader handed out pedometers which we are supposed to wear everywhere, all day long. The goal is to walk at least 5000 steps per day, and work up to 10,000 steps. We are also asked to do resistance four times a week.
He told us that if we don't exercise while losing lots of weight, we risk messing up our metabolism for six years. I'm not too sure about that. I think he might have been trying to scare us into exercising. There are probably some people who are metabolically challenged due to illness and/or certain medications, etc. But many folks use their "slow metabolism" as an excuse to remain overweight.
I dusted off my Leslie Sansone DVDs, which have helped me in the past. She does a walking in place routine, a mile at a time, and there is a resistance component as well. I still have the bands from before. I like Leslie...she's sort of like a grown-up chipper cheerleader.
This is exciting. My sciatica is acting up but I am still anxious to start walking. I have my alarm set to get up earlier tomorrow morning to get my first workout in. And then, I hope to do a second one after work. The doctor said it would be okay to break up the 30 minutes, or 45 minutes (whatever we do) into two or three shorter workouts.
I learned an interesting thing and a funny thing in the doctor's lecture. The interesting thing is that "false hunger" lasts about 11 minutes. If we feel the urge to eat when it's not time to eat, he said to drink some water and wait 11 minutes. If it's false hunger, it will pass. If it's real hunger, we will still feel hungry after more than 11 minutes have passed, have some product.
The funny thing: He actually told us not to smoke marijuana! I figured that went without saying, but he said that participants in the past have toked up and since it lowers the inhibitions and at the same time, provokes the munchies...well, you know the rest. But while he was talking about pot, he was looking directly at me. I guess I look like the dopehead in the group.
That gave me a giggle...I had to share.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Week 2, Day 6: In Control
It's been a good weekend! I have finally gotten a handle on how to warp a rigid heddle loom (the weavers out there will know what I'm talking about), I had a nice chat and a cup of tea with my friend Tony, and IT RAINED! This has been the driest winter in the history of my city, so I'm ecstatic to see some precipitation for a change. Now if it can rain a lot more, we might escape a draught.
The Super Bowl isn't even on my radar. Who won, anyway?
I am feeling very good; very "in control". I know what I can do and what I can have. Seeing and hearing about food doesn't bother me.
This morning I went to Safeway to pick up some cat food and Crystal Light. It is the first time I have been to a supermarket since starting my Optifast meal replacements. I walked through the produce, past the meats, and even in the pasta aisle. Nothing called to me or tempted me. This afternoon when I was visiting with Tony, who is an avid cook, his descriptions of dishes he has been making didn't bother me. When it's time for a meal replacement I have it without guilt or trepidation. Food is becoming something to nourish my body, not a crutch, or an anesthetic, or a friend -- or a source of guilt and shame.
I look for ways to make Optifast more interesting and less monotonous. This morning I blended half a packet of Raspberry Ice Crystal Light in my vanilla shake, and it was wonderful! Kind of like a raspberry Creamsickle. Tonight's Optifast chicken soup was Indianed-up with garam masala, curry powder and garlic powder.
Here is a photo of last night's Optifast tomato soup, with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, black pepper and onion powder:
It's not the tomato soup my mother used to make, with a pat of butter on top, but it's pretty darn tasty all the same. :)
The Super Bowl isn't even on my radar. Who won, anyway?
I am feeling very good; very "in control". I know what I can do and what I can have. Seeing and hearing about food doesn't bother me.
This morning I went to Safeway to pick up some cat food and Crystal Light. It is the first time I have been to a supermarket since starting my Optifast meal replacements. I walked through the produce, past the meats, and even in the pasta aisle. Nothing called to me or tempted me. This afternoon when I was visiting with Tony, who is an avid cook, his descriptions of dishes he has been making didn't bother me. When it's time for a meal replacement I have it without guilt or trepidation. Food is becoming something to nourish my body, not a crutch, or an anesthetic, or a friend -- or a source of guilt and shame.
I look for ways to make Optifast more interesting and less monotonous. This morning I blended half a packet of Raspberry Ice Crystal Light in my vanilla shake, and it was wonderful! Kind of like a raspberry Creamsickle. Tonight's Optifast chicken soup was Indianed-up with garam masala, curry powder and garlic powder.
Here is a photo of last night's Optifast tomato soup, with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, black pepper and onion powder:
It's not the tomato soup my mother used to make, with a pat of butter on top, but it's pretty darn tasty all the same. :)
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Week 2, Day 4: "Don't you get hungry?"
Today I let one of my co-workers in on my Optifast secret. I asked her not to tell anyone else right now, and I am sure that she will honor my wish.
Previously at work I had been known for bringing yummy dishes for lunch that I had either made myself or were made by friends in my "Supper Swap" group. My friend at work noticed that I haven't been bringing those lately and asked me about it while I was holding my commuter coffee mug with Optifast chocolate shake inside. I opened the lid and let her see. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, and I said, "But it's good...it's CHOCOLATE!" and took a sip. I meant it! It's not jambalaya, but it really is good.
She didn't lecture me about starving, or making myself sick, or anything like that. Since it's medically supervised, I think that people are more willing to accept. She did ask, "Don't you get hungry?"
The answer is no. I don't really get physically hungry. The Optifast products contain enough protein to be filling. I haven't experienced headaches, or lightheadedness, or any of those other side effects. Sometimes when I think I'm hungry, I drink some water, and the "hunger" goes away.
Emotionally hungry...now, that's another story. Food to me means love, caring, friendship, creativity, sharing...all those wonderful things that make life worth living. And from here on in, I will need to find other ways to retain those qualities in my life. Instead, food has to mean nourishment for my body. Overeating is not love, it's self-hate, because I've made myself fat and have endangered my life.
The train has pulled into the station. Now is the time to do the emotional work necessary to break this cycle of food addiction and begin life anew.
Previously at work I had been known for bringing yummy dishes for lunch that I had either made myself or were made by friends in my "Supper Swap" group. My friend at work noticed that I haven't been bringing those lately and asked me about it while I was holding my commuter coffee mug with Optifast chocolate shake inside. I opened the lid and let her see. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, and I said, "But it's good...it's CHOCOLATE!" and took a sip. I meant it! It's not jambalaya, but it really is good.
She didn't lecture me about starving, or making myself sick, or anything like that. Since it's medically supervised, I think that people are more willing to accept. She did ask, "Don't you get hungry?"
The answer is no. I don't really get physically hungry. The Optifast products contain enough protein to be filling. I haven't experienced headaches, or lightheadedness, or any of those other side effects. Sometimes when I think I'm hungry, I drink some water, and the "hunger" goes away.
Emotionally hungry...now, that's another story. Food to me means love, caring, friendship, creativity, sharing...all those wonderful things that make life worth living. And from here on in, I will need to find other ways to retain those qualities in my life. Instead, food has to mean nourishment for my body. Overeating is not love, it's self-hate, because I've made myself fat and have endangered my life.
The train has pulled into the station. Now is the time to do the emotional work necessary to break this cycle of food addiction and begin life anew.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Week 2, Day 3: The Minefield
Today was a true test of my commitment to the MWM plan. I went out to my car at 6:45 a.m. to find my right rear tire flat as a board. And I had a 7:15 a.m. meeting with my boss! I went back inside and dialed emergency road service on one phone and tried to reach my boss on the other phone. (Thank God I have two phones!) I got through to emergency road service after 35 minutes on hold, but never did reach my boss. Later he told me that his cell phone "died" a couple of weeks ago and he hasn't gotten around to getting another one. :-/
At any rate, thanks to the nice tow truck driver who inflated my tire for me (there was a nail in it) I got to the repair shop and to work just before 10:00 a.m.
However, while all this was going on, my lunch shake (chocolate, no less) exploded in my purse which made a big mess and wasted 160 precious calories. Fortunately I had an "emergency" shaker and packet of shake mix in my desk that I could call on in such a situation.
Of course, there were the usual goodies in the break room, or as I now call it, "the Minefield":
The bagels and cream cheese smelled so good! I thought momentarily of just taking one bite, then stopped myself. I realized how much all of us depend on food to make us happy. I went into the restroom for a few minutes and did a breathing exercise to center myself, and tried to think of other ways to relieve stress besides eating. I need to have some tricks up my sleeve to make this work.
It's so easy to stay on the plan when my life is running smoothly. When there are bumps in the road it's a lot harder. If anyone out there is reading, I invite you to suggest some ways you handle stress without involving food or alcohol.
At any rate, thanks to the nice tow truck driver who inflated my tire for me (there was a nail in it) I got to the repair shop and to work just before 10:00 a.m.
However, while all this was going on, my lunch shake (chocolate, no less) exploded in my purse which made a big mess and wasted 160 precious calories. Fortunately I had an "emergency" shaker and packet of shake mix in my desk that I could call on in such a situation.
Of course, there were the usual goodies in the break room, or as I now call it, "the Minefield":
The bagels and cream cheese smelled so good! I thought momentarily of just taking one bite, then stopped myself. I realized how much all of us depend on food to make us happy. I went into the restroom for a few minutes and did a breathing exercise to center myself, and tried to think of other ways to relieve stress besides eating. I need to have some tricks up my sleeve to make this work.
It's so easy to stay on the plan when my life is running smoothly. When there are bumps in the road it's a lot harder. If anyone out there is reading, I invite you to suggest some ways you handle stress without involving food or alcohol.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Week 2, Day 1: Three pounds down, ?? to go...
I went to the MWM meeting last night. Our regular group leader was absent, and another group leader took her place for the evening. J sat in a chair at the front of the room and spoke calmly about challenges we were having on the program. Apparently one or two people were not pleased at their weigh-in. We don't talk in the meetings about how much weight everyone has lost.
I lost three pounds. I had been hoping for more, and I think that some folks lost more than I did, but I have to remind myself that it's not a contest.
Some of the challenges: Feeling hungry, being tempted by the sight and smell of others' food, preparing food for other family members that the program participant can't eat, "missing chewing", the abundance of sweet and shortage of savory meal replacement.
We discussed ways of making the meals more palatable and interesting. At least, as interesting as powdered shakes and soups can be! Popular ideas were: Adding coffee and ice to the powdered shakes and blending them to make iced lattes and mochas, mixing the vanilla shake with Crystal Light to add fruity flavoring, putting Italian seasoning and/or hot sauce into the tomato soup, and adding curry spices, onion powder, etc. to the chicken soup.
Last night I was jonesing for spicy food and added chipotle pepper to my chicken soup. I like spicy, but that was spicy squared! I ate it, but I'm not sure I'll do that combination again.
Some side effects reported: Constipation and/or diarrhea, dry mouth, headaches, fatigue, needing to urinate frequently (which is not surprising for the amount of liquid we are ingesting). The only side effects I've experienced, besides the obvious, is that my lips are very dry and I need to apply Blistex frequently. I don't know if that is a result of the program or the weather.
I did a blood draw for the meeting with the physician next week. My blood pressure is also still registering over 150, so it is likely that he will prescribe blood pressure meds. It's not what I want - more meds - but I guess that's better than having a stroke. Hopefully the meds will be temporary and maybe I won't need them when the weight is off.
Our fill-in group leader, J, also worked with us on some breathing techniques for stress reduction, and talked about mindful eating. I was glad of that, because it is an area of interest to me. I really think that eating too quickly and mindlessly is a key component to why I am fat today.
Oh! Here's what I didn't eat today...
Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It is the owner of the company's birthday and his assistant baked him this cake. I didn't touch a crumb. I can appreciate its beauty and significance, but that doesn't mean I have to eat any of it.
I do need to work on drinking all my water. Today our office converted from Verizon phone and internet to Comcast, and I was busy with the coordination of switching over five phone lines and a bunch of equipment. I was so swamped that I forgot to drink all my water, which is not helping me reach my goal. I need to get better at that.
I lost three pounds. I had been hoping for more, and I think that some folks lost more than I did, but I have to remind myself that it's not a contest.
Some of the challenges: Feeling hungry, being tempted by the sight and smell of others' food, preparing food for other family members that the program participant can't eat, "missing chewing", the abundance of sweet and shortage of savory meal replacement.
We discussed ways of making the meals more palatable and interesting. At least, as interesting as powdered shakes and soups can be! Popular ideas were: Adding coffee and ice to the powdered shakes and blending them to make iced lattes and mochas, mixing the vanilla shake with Crystal Light to add fruity flavoring, putting Italian seasoning and/or hot sauce into the tomato soup, and adding curry spices, onion powder, etc. to the chicken soup.
Last night I was jonesing for spicy food and added chipotle pepper to my chicken soup. I like spicy, but that was spicy squared! I ate it, but I'm not sure I'll do that combination again.
Some side effects reported: Constipation and/or diarrhea, dry mouth, headaches, fatigue, needing to urinate frequently (which is not surprising for the amount of liquid we are ingesting). The only side effects I've experienced, besides the obvious, is that my lips are very dry and I need to apply Blistex frequently. I don't know if that is a result of the program or the weather.
I did a blood draw for the meeting with the physician next week. My blood pressure is also still registering over 150, so it is likely that he will prescribe blood pressure meds. It's not what I want - more meds - but I guess that's better than having a stroke. Hopefully the meds will be temporary and maybe I won't need them when the weight is off.
Our fill-in group leader, J, also worked with us on some breathing techniques for stress reduction, and talked about mindful eating. I was glad of that, because it is an area of interest to me. I really think that eating too quickly and mindlessly is a key component to why I am fat today.
Oh! Here's what I didn't eat today...
Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It is the owner of the company's birthday and his assistant baked him this cake. I didn't touch a crumb. I can appreciate its beauty and significance, but that doesn't mean I have to eat any of it.
I do need to work on drinking all my water. Today our office converted from Verizon phone and internet to Comcast, and I was busy with the coordination of switching over five phone lines and a bunch of equipment. I was so swamped that I forgot to drink all my water, which is not helping me reach my goal. I need to get better at that.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Week 1, Day 5: Hors d'oeuvres in my dreams!
Well, I had my first dream (that I remember, anyway) about the MWM plan. I was at a party and platters of hors d'oeuvres were being passed around. I was standing around chatting with people and when someone offered me the platter I took one without thinking. (It was a shrimp-and-crab something or other.) I had a bite in my mouth but hadn't swallowed yet. Panicked, I looked around for a napkin so I could spit it out. I was so mortified as people stared at me like I was some kind of freak.
Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!
I was pondering the dream today and it occurred to me how often I would eat something without thinking. And if I gobbled it quickly, I didn't even enjoy it. That will be one of my goals: to eat slowly and mindfully.
A few days ago I posted about lumpy soup. We are told not to shake our soups. Well, I have found that stirring rapidly with a wire whisk (the "balloon" type, not the "spring" type) gets out most of the lumps. A couple of small lumps can remain, but the texture is vastly improved. Here is tonight's bowl of chicken soup, doctored up with dried rosemary, garlic powder and black pepper.
Mmmm...yumm! Seriously, it's not too bad. The tomato soup is also really good with a pinch of oregano and a dash of Sriracha Sauce. You know...Rooster Sauce! If you are from California, you know what I'm talkin' about!
Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!
I was pondering the dream today and it occurred to me how often I would eat something without thinking. And if I gobbled it quickly, I didn't even enjoy it. That will be one of my goals: to eat slowly and mindfully.
A few days ago I posted about lumpy soup. We are told not to shake our soups. Well, I have found that stirring rapidly with a wire whisk (the "balloon" type, not the "spring" type) gets out most of the lumps. A couple of small lumps can remain, but the texture is vastly improved. Here is tonight's bowl of chicken soup, doctored up with dried rosemary, garlic powder and black pepper.
Mmmm...yumm! Seriously, it's not too bad. The tomato soup is also really good with a pinch of oregano and a dash of Sriracha Sauce. You know...Rooster Sauce! If you are from California, you know what I'm talkin' about!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Week 1, Day 4: Random Musings
So far, things are going fairly well. I have had some urges to eat "regular food" but nothing overwhelming. I am finding that these urges are either triggered by: 1) stress/frustration or 2) some sort of exotic cuisine is available and I know I can't taste it.
Yesterday I had a somewhat stressful afternoon at work, and while driving home I passed by Jack-In-The-Box and thought "stuffed jalapeños". But I quickly let the thought go and by the time I had gone half a mile, the jalapeños were forgotten.
Today, one of our customers who is originally from Turkey, brought some delicious-looking Turkish goodies to our office. There were some tasty looking rolled balls on a platter on the table and I was told there were more treats in the refrigerator. (I didn't even open the fridge. Fortunately I had already taken my shake out.) Then one of my coworkers told me, with a sparkle in her eyes, "Next week she's bringing baklava!"
Now, folks, before MWM this would have sent me into a foodie feeding frenzy. Now I practice acknowledging the food, appreciating the care and effort that went into preparing and presenting it, but accepting that it's just not for me right now.
I haven't told anyone at work about the plan yet. I am waiting for a while, until my weight loss becomes noticeable. I just don't want to explain and defend my choice, and listen to how someone's best friend's cousin's next door neighbor !DIED! because she did a VCL weight loss program. I want to keep it quiet and get my sea legs first.
Speaking of weight loss, I got on my bathroom scale and it shows that I have lost five pounds. I won't get too excited about it, since the scale at Kaiser is what counts (and is probably more accurate). But I feel differently than last week.
Another thing I have noticed is that water consumption is key to feeling full. Yesterday (the day I was jonesing for stuffed jalapeños) I slacked on drinking as much water. Today I did my full 64 ounce jug at work, and will drink a bunch more tonight. And I didn't feel hungry. The temptation of the Turkish food was not hunger...it was more of an emotional craving based in curiosity.
I am hoping that the MWM plan at Kaiser will teach me to use these tools automatically in my life outside of the program. That is what I'm working toward.
Yesterday I had a somewhat stressful afternoon at work, and while driving home I passed by Jack-In-The-Box and thought "stuffed jalapeños". But I quickly let the thought go and by the time I had gone half a mile, the jalapeños were forgotten.
Today, one of our customers who is originally from Turkey, brought some delicious-looking Turkish goodies to our office. There were some tasty looking rolled balls on a platter on the table and I was told there were more treats in the refrigerator. (I didn't even open the fridge. Fortunately I had already taken my shake out.) Then one of my coworkers told me, with a sparkle in her eyes, "Next week she's bringing baklava!"
Now, folks, before MWM this would have sent me into a foodie feeding frenzy. Now I practice acknowledging the food, appreciating the care and effort that went into preparing and presenting it, but accepting that it's just not for me right now.
I haven't told anyone at work about the plan yet. I am waiting for a while, until my weight loss becomes noticeable. I just don't want to explain and defend my choice, and listen to how someone's best friend's cousin's next door neighbor !DIED! because she did a VCL weight loss program. I want to keep it quiet and get my sea legs first.
Speaking of weight loss, I got on my bathroom scale and it shows that I have lost five pounds. I won't get too excited about it, since the scale at Kaiser is what counts (and is probably more accurate). But I feel differently than last week.
Another thing I have noticed is that water consumption is key to feeling full. Yesterday (the day I was jonesing for stuffed jalapeños) I slacked on drinking as much water. Today I did my full 64 ounce jug at work, and will drink a bunch more tonight. And I didn't feel hungry. The temptation of the Turkish food was not hunger...it was more of an emotional craving based in curiosity.
I am hoping that the MWM plan at Kaiser will teach me to use these tools automatically in my life outside of the program. That is what I'm working toward.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Day Two on the Plan, or Food Meditation
Well, I started my plan yesterday morning. Very early yesterday morning, as I was so excited that I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep.
Had a chocolate shake for breakfast, and blending with water and ice in a high-speed blender gives it a really nice "frosty" consistency. I enjoyed it very much. I think I can handle this "diet"!
The vanilla shake is good too, but not as yummy as chocolate. However, vanilla has the advantage of being very versatile, since we can use non-caloric flavorings to jazz it up a little. I would like to try a little orange extract sometime.
The bars are yummy! I had mint chocolate yesterday and peanut today, and they are as good as candy bars. Between the bars and the shakes, I'm certainly not jonesing for sweets. :)
The soups are interesting. I had chicken yesterday (jazzed up with dried rosemary, garlic powder and pepper) and tomato today (with a dash of hot sauce and some oregano). They taste really good (especially when they are the only savory thing I've eaten all day) but the consistency is a bit strange. Lumps develop and are very hard to break up. The package admonishes against "shaking" the soup, and since I only have a week's supply at a time, I don't want to risk ruining a serving.
Yesterday I was feeling pretty wiped by mid-afternoon and that concerned me a little. However, I now attribute that to lack of sleep, since today I feel pretty good.
One thing I noticed....I was watching TV last evening and saw a commercial for some kind of food. The food looked tasty, but I was able to look at it and think, "that looks good" without going into paroxyms of craving. Kind of like Buddhist meditation, where a thought can pop up, and the meditator just recognizes it and lets it go.
I released the thought so completely that ten minutes later I wouldn't have been able to tell you what the commercial was for. I still can't remember. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it's a huge milestone for me!
Had a chocolate shake for breakfast, and blending with water and ice in a high-speed blender gives it a really nice "frosty" consistency. I enjoyed it very much. I think I can handle this "diet"!
The vanilla shake is good too, but not as yummy as chocolate. However, vanilla has the advantage of being very versatile, since we can use non-caloric flavorings to jazz it up a little. I would like to try a little orange extract sometime.
The bars are yummy! I had mint chocolate yesterday and peanut today, and they are as good as candy bars. Between the bars and the shakes, I'm certainly not jonesing for sweets. :)
The soups are interesting. I had chicken yesterday (jazzed up with dried rosemary, garlic powder and pepper) and tomato today (with a dash of hot sauce and some oregano). They taste really good (especially when they are the only savory thing I've eaten all day) but the consistency is a bit strange. Lumps develop and are very hard to break up. The package admonishes against "shaking" the soup, and since I only have a week's supply at a time, I don't want to risk ruining a serving.
Yesterday I was feeling pretty wiped by mid-afternoon and that concerned me a little. However, I now attribute that to lack of sleep, since today I feel pretty good.
One thing I noticed....I was watching TV last evening and saw a commercial for some kind of food. The food looked tasty, but I was able to look at it and think, "that looks good" without going into paroxyms of craving. Kind of like Buddhist meditation, where a thought can pop up, and the meditator just recognizes it and lets it go.
I released the thought so completely that ten minutes later I wouldn't have been able to tell you what the commercial was for. I still can't remember. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it's a huge milestone for me!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Excited and scared at the same time...
My cohort of twenty fellow Optifasters met this evening. The group was very quiet when we met for the first time last week, but tonight most everyone was talking.
We have a lot in common. We all want to change our lives, inside and out. Most of us have been on "diets" before and are ready for a permanent lifestyle change.
We received our first order of product today. Here is mine:
Chocolate and vanilla shake powder, chicken soup and tomato soup mix, and an assortment of bars, in flavors like berry, peanut butter, chocolate mint, cinnamon, etc.
My "prescription" that the doctor ordered is for five products, which are 160 calories each. (Don't get out your calculators...that's 800 calories a day.) This is the smallest prescription on the Kaiser Medical Weight Management program. Some of my co-Cohorters (or CoCos for short) are prescribed more products per day. The doctors base this on gender, weight, BMI and probably other factors.
Our group leader advised us to purchase one additional product per day, as if we get desperate we are supposed to have an extra product rather than go off plan and eat food. I got an second box of vanilla shake powder, because if I need an extra item I want to make sure it's not a favorite, to help keep me honest. :) Optifast also offers ready-to-drink shakes in cartons, but since I have a Vitamix blender, I can blend my own with ice. To keep things discreet at the office I will put my shake in a thermal mug with a lid so it just looks like coffee.
I'm not embarrassed about Optifast, but I want to keep it on the down low at work for awhile.
We are given certain parameters when ordering. At least four items must be liquids. No more than two bars per day. Those with high blood pressure can only have one soup per day.
Since I get five products and have high blood pressure, that means: three shakes, one soup, one bar per day.
We also have to drink a minimum of three quarts of water per day, and preferably five quarts. Gulp! Fortunately I don't mind drinking plain water. Some of my CoCos were suggesting ways to flavor the water to make it more drinkable. Flavoring the water or the liquid meals is permitted, as long as the flavorings are non-caloric.
I have a filtered pitcher and bought a couple of big non-BPA water bottles to carry with me to work, so I don't have to buy those expensive "designer" waters.
It always cracks me up how Americans complain about the cost of gas, but don't mind spending $10 per gallon for water. And all that plastic in the landfills! (shudder) But I digress.
I ate my last "real" food tonight...my friend Tony's Cincinnati Chili. Mmmm...was it ever delicious. Now I am satisfied and ready to start. Someone on the Kaiser staff took our "before" photos tonight, and I'm eager to find my "after".
We have a lot in common. We all want to change our lives, inside and out. Most of us have been on "diets" before and are ready for a permanent lifestyle change.
We received our first order of product today. Here is mine:
Chocolate and vanilla shake powder, chicken soup and tomato soup mix, and an assortment of bars, in flavors like berry, peanut butter, chocolate mint, cinnamon, etc.
My "prescription" that the doctor ordered is for five products, which are 160 calories each. (Don't get out your calculators...that's 800 calories a day.) This is the smallest prescription on the Kaiser Medical Weight Management program. Some of my co-Cohorters (or CoCos for short) are prescribed more products per day. The doctors base this on gender, weight, BMI and probably other factors.
Our group leader advised us to purchase one additional product per day, as if we get desperate we are supposed to have an extra product rather than go off plan and eat food. I got an second box of vanilla shake powder, because if I need an extra item I want to make sure it's not a favorite, to help keep me honest. :) Optifast also offers ready-to-drink shakes in cartons, but since I have a Vitamix blender, I can blend my own with ice. To keep things discreet at the office I will put my shake in a thermal mug with a lid so it just looks like coffee.
I'm not embarrassed about Optifast, but I want to keep it on the down low at work for awhile.
We are given certain parameters when ordering. At least four items must be liquids. No more than two bars per day. Those with high blood pressure can only have one soup per day.
Since I get five products and have high blood pressure, that means: three shakes, one soup, one bar per day.
We also have to drink a minimum of three quarts of water per day, and preferably five quarts. Gulp! Fortunately I don't mind drinking plain water. Some of my CoCos were suggesting ways to flavor the water to make it more drinkable. Flavoring the water or the liquid meals is permitted, as long as the flavorings are non-caloric.
I have a filtered pitcher and bought a couple of big non-BPA water bottles to carry with me to work, so I don't have to buy those expensive "designer" waters.
It always cracks me up how Americans complain about the cost of gas, but don't mind spending $10 per gallon for water. And all that plastic in the landfills! (shudder) But I digress.
I ate my last "real" food tonight...my friend Tony's Cincinnati Chili. Mmmm...was it ever delicious. Now I am satisfied and ready to start. Someone on the Kaiser staff took our "before" photos tonight, and I'm eager to find my "after".
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The big day approaches...
I haven't always been big. I was an average-sized baby (weighing in at 7 lbs, 5 ounces at birth) and a small-to-average-sized kid. In high school, at 5'5" tall, I weighed between 120-125 lbs, which was considered normal at that time (these days I'd be considered a stick figure compared to many teens today). In my twenties I was very active -- didn't own a television and for many years didn't own a car, so I either walked or rode my bike, or took public transportation everywhere. These were the 1970s and 80's, so no Internet, either!
Got married in my later twenties. My marriage quickly became very unhappy and and I began emotionally eating. The pounds started to pile on!! My then-husband berated me for being heavy and berated me more when I tried to lose. Divorced a few years later and in the process lost two fat asses!! (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Seriously, I lost 80 pounds in what I described as my "Divorce Diet"-- eating little, exercising much. It's true that walking and running relieves stress! And I wanted to look good because I was still young and thought I didn't want to be single forever.
That was twenty years ago. The weight started to slowly and insidiously creep back on. I've lost some pounds and summarily gained them back during these intervening years. I'm still unmarried (contentedly so) and I like to cook for myself and others. My leisure pursuits mostly involve handcrafts; which, while satisfying and produce beautiful results, aren't known for their calorie-burning properties. My job is a highly responsible one and can be stressful. Our clients will often bring us delicious goodies to show their appreciation, which festoon the break room. I have a hard time resisting, especially when the workday is hectic and pressure-filled.
So here I am...60 pounds overweight, with crazy high blood pressure (191/112 at the very highest; 171/108 a week later), and hypothyroidism (for which I take medication). I'm not diabetic (yet) but Type 2 diabetes is in my family. No longer am I so motivated to look hot in a mini-skirt. I'm more concerned about being able to move my body freely and keep serious illness at bay, and do whatever is in my power to help myself live a long and enjoyable life.
The Kaiser Medical Weight Management (MWM) program (you need not be a Kaiser member to join -- it's a fee-for-service program that costs the same whether you belong to Kaiser or not) is physician-supervised and consists of three phases: Active Weight Loss, Transition, and Maintenance. On Active Weight Loss, no "regular" food is eaten, just Optifast products, for 15 weeks, and exercise is introduced a couple of weeks into the program. In Transition, patients are weaned off the Optifast products one at a time, and food is reintroduced. Maintenance is about maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits, hopefully for a lifetime. The entire program lasts for about a year and a half, and "graduates" are allowed to attend weekly meetings as long as they want.
What attracted me to the program is the educational component. I can lose weight. I've proven that fact over and over! My challenge is to break the bad eating habits permanently and get to the crux of why I overeat, so I can stop the behavior and maintain a healthy weight for life.
Before being admitted to the MWM program I had to do fasting blood tests, an EKG, and be evaluated by a Kaiser physician. My first meeting with my group (Kaiser calls them "Cohorts") was last week, where we privately weighed in and had blood pressure taken. We taste-tested some of the product (not haute cuisine, but not terrible, either...the only thing that grossed me out was the strawberry shake).
I can do this!! :)
We met our group leader, N, a peppy, energetic, and slender young lady with a degree in Nutritional Science. N said that if we cheat and eat food or drink alcohol on the Active Weight Loss phase, they will know about it because it will show up in our blood tests! Also, if we suddenly eat fatty foods after having consumed only Optifast product, we put ourselves at risk for gallstones.
No sneaking through the drive-thru at Mickey D's for even a small order of fries!! ;)
Beginning this week, I am embarking on a new way of life.
To those who are still with me at this point...thank you for reading! I'll try to be more concise in future postings. I receive my first order of product this week, and I'll blog about how things are going.
Got married in my later twenties. My marriage quickly became very unhappy and and I began emotionally eating. The pounds started to pile on!! My then-husband berated me for being heavy and berated me more when I tried to lose. Divorced a few years later and in the process lost two fat asses!! (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Seriously, I lost 80 pounds in what I described as my "Divorce Diet"-- eating little, exercising much. It's true that walking and running relieves stress! And I wanted to look good because I was still young and thought I didn't want to be single forever.
That was twenty years ago. The weight started to slowly and insidiously creep back on. I've lost some pounds and summarily gained them back during these intervening years. I'm still unmarried (contentedly so) and I like to cook for myself and others. My leisure pursuits mostly involve handcrafts; which, while satisfying and produce beautiful results, aren't known for their calorie-burning properties. My job is a highly responsible one and can be stressful. Our clients will often bring us delicious goodies to show their appreciation, which festoon the break room. I have a hard time resisting, especially when the workday is hectic and pressure-filled.
So here I am...60 pounds overweight, with crazy high blood pressure (191/112 at the very highest; 171/108 a week later), and hypothyroidism (for which I take medication). I'm not diabetic (yet) but Type 2 diabetes is in my family. No longer am I so motivated to look hot in a mini-skirt. I'm more concerned about being able to move my body freely and keep serious illness at bay, and do whatever is in my power to help myself live a long and enjoyable life.
The Kaiser Medical Weight Management (MWM) program (you need not be a Kaiser member to join -- it's a fee-for-service program that costs the same whether you belong to Kaiser or not) is physician-supervised and consists of three phases: Active Weight Loss, Transition, and Maintenance. On Active Weight Loss, no "regular" food is eaten, just Optifast products, for 15 weeks, and exercise is introduced a couple of weeks into the program. In Transition, patients are weaned off the Optifast products one at a time, and food is reintroduced. Maintenance is about maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits, hopefully for a lifetime. The entire program lasts for about a year and a half, and "graduates" are allowed to attend weekly meetings as long as they want.
What attracted me to the program is the educational component. I can lose weight. I've proven that fact over and over! My challenge is to break the bad eating habits permanently and get to the crux of why I overeat, so I can stop the behavior and maintain a healthy weight for life.
Before being admitted to the MWM program I had to do fasting blood tests, an EKG, and be evaluated by a Kaiser physician. My first meeting with my group (Kaiser calls them "Cohorts") was last week, where we privately weighed in and had blood pressure taken. We taste-tested some of the product (not haute cuisine, but not terrible, either...the only thing that grossed me out was the strawberry shake).
I can do this!! :)
We met our group leader, N, a peppy, energetic, and slender young lady with a degree in Nutritional Science. N said that if we cheat and eat food or drink alcohol on the Active Weight Loss phase, they will know about it because it will show up in our blood tests! Also, if we suddenly eat fatty foods after having consumed only Optifast product, we put ourselves at risk for gallstones.
No sneaking through the drive-thru at Mickey D's for even a small order of fries!! ;)
Beginning this week, I am embarking on a new way of life.
To those who are still with me at this point...thank you for reading! I'll try to be more concise in future postings. I receive my first order of product this week, and I'll blog about how things are going.
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