Wednesday Weigh-In #2

Back up again this morning, which is a bummer. I blame the chocolate-dipped strawberries. They were on the menu, but part of me thinks they were just put there as a “Good job, welcome to Phase II!” and not because they’re actually ok to have.

Anyway, I am enjoying Phase II thus far. I am sipping on a delicious raspberry smoothie right now for breakfast and can’t wait to try the Lemon Couscous Chicken I made for lunch.

As for the weigh-in, I am fairly certain I am losing the most inches around an area I am not actually measuring: my ribcage area just above my sternum. I can definitely feel bone a lot more prominently there than I used to, and for the past few days I’ve had really minor muscle cramps in that area (just enough to bug me, but not enough to hurt).

Here are the stats…

Starting Weight: 226.5 lbs
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 215 lbs
Current Weight: 214 lbs
Weight Lost This Week: 1 lb
Total Weight Lost: 12.5 lbs
Weeklong Low: 212 lbs on 4/28/08

Starting Waist: 45 in
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 43 in
Current Waist: 42 in
Inches Lost This Week: 1 in
Total Inches Lost: 3 in

Starting Hips: 47 in
Last Week’s Weigh-In: 46.5 in
Current Hips: 46 in
Inches Lost This Week: .5 in
Total Inches Lost: 1 in

Phase II, Day 1: I’m Bringing Oatmeal Back! (Yeah…)

Started Phase II this morning with some ultra-delicious strawberries and rather bland and mushy oatmeal. I’m not the biggest oatmeal fan, but I bought it anyway to use as an ingredient in Meat Loaf for later in the week, so I figured I should at least make an attempt to eat the rest. But strawberries, yes! I am totally full.

So I weighed in this morning at 212.5 lbs, meaning yesterday’s weight wasn’t too far off. That’s a grand total of 14 lbs lost on Phase I, 17.5 lbs lost since my doctor’s visit on April 7th.

Basically now I’m just really interested to see what the pace is going to be like for Phase II. On Phase I I averaged a pound a day, so I know Phase II will be slower – just interested to see how much slower.

Also, I will be stopping the daily weigh-ins on Phase II. I think it will be too discouraging, especially since my scale only registers in .5 lbs and nothing smaller will show up. Starting tomorrow, weigh-ins will really be only on Wednesdays. Hopefully that will make progress more noticeable.

Well, I guess that’s it, all. I am going into Phase II feeling optimistic that I will be able to lose this weight in under a year, which would be fabulous. Summer 2009, here I come! (We will just skip it this year… )

Phase I, Day 14: Above and Beyond (We Hope…)

Well, it is the last day of Phase I, and I did it almost without breaking any rules. I am really, really proud of myself. I can’t believe I actually stuck it out.

Anyway, I’m not sure if my weigh-in is entirely accurate this morning. The scale registered a bunch of different numbers as I stepped on and off (I always re-weigh to make sure what I get is true). One of the numbers I got three times though, so I’m going with that one: 212 lbs. It also happened to be the lowest of the numbers that appeared, though, so if it’s up again tomorrow I will know that this morning was a fluke.

Anyway, using the 212 puts me at 14.5 lbs lost so far in Phase I. We will see tomorrow morning what the total Phase I damage has been officially, but I’m sure I’ll be pleased with it whether it is above or below this morning’s number.

So that’s all the business items I needed to cover, and now I want to complain.

Why is it that it’s so hard for people to accept that you’re on a diet? Last night at Bible study the host family decided to make quesadillas for everyone. Hubbo and I politely declined and I decided to stay out of the kitchen, where everyone was gathering to socialize, to stay away from temptation. So what happens? Of course, everybody brings all the food to us. They offer us cookies, and when we say no, they argue with us and try to make us have one. They set everything down in front of us and say we should have some.

Seriously, I’m not making a big deal out of my diet for other people. I just make sure I accommodate myself so everyone else can go on with their lives no problem. So why do they have to make a big deal out of it? What does it matter to them whether or not I have a cookie?

It’s just frustrating to me that nobody can be supportive. Everyone thinks dieting is wrong or silly or something. Yet, let’s face it, they have all seen me and know that it’s good for me to stay away from the cookie.

I have been strong thus far and I will continue to be so. Hubbo has been very helpful in abstaining with me in public (though I’ve told him he doesn’t have to) and I’m seeing the results, so that is motivation enough for me. It would just be helpful if people didn’t make themselves obstacles on purpose.

Phase I, Day 13: Making War on Weekend Habits

Well, missed a day of writing yesterday and the blog had its best day ever in hits. What’s up with that?

Anyway, missing a day still doesn’t mean a whole lot of news. I’m only down half a pound since Friday morning, but that is thirteen pounds total – the max that the book says you will lose in Phase I. I have to admit, I was hoping to exceed the max (in a safe range of course), but if this winds up being it I won’t be disappointed to have hit the upper limit.

This weekend was another one full of challenges, of course. Not as bad as last weekend, to be sure, but still kind of rough. On Friday, Hubbo and I went out for our date night and had dinner out for the first time in three weeks. (Did I mention we are doing budget cuts at the same time I am trying to do a fat cut?) We went to Applebee’s. I had the 7 oz Sirloin topped with sauteed mushrooms (they were probably sauteed in butter, but I chose not to ask), mixed vegetables (I ate the broccoli and not the carrots), and a side salad. And can I just say, “What the heck, Applebee’s!?!” A girl asks for vinaigrette dressing and your response is to put bacon in it? “Oh, you’re looking for a lighter option are you? Here, have a slab of fatty meat in your greens.”

Granted, I have just done a search on Applebee’s menus and found that our waiter was intellectually impaired – they do serve other vinaigrettes, despite what we were told – but seriously. Doesn’t bacon kind of defeat the purpose?

Anyway, I also suffered a great deal this morning when we went out for our weekly breakfast with friends before church and I forced myself to order the Denver omelet with no hash browns and no toast. Bummer.

Other than that, all is going fairly well. I’m getting rather used to the way I’ve been eating and I think I’ve basically formed a habit so far, so hopefully that feeling doesn’t go away. Hubbo is still happy with his dinner choices (steak with a tomato relish tonight, yum!) and so there’s not much else I could ask for, I guess.

Ready to lose the rest of these pounds is all.

Phase I, Day 11: Nearing the Finish Line

I finished the last of my giant jug of V8 today. I will not be buying more. With all the veggies I am eating every day, I refuse to believe that V8 is an essential part of my diet. I take a multivitamin every morning and each breakfast I have without V8 in the future I will make sure to add another vegetable to, but I will not choke down any more of that nastiness. Yuck.

The fact that the bottle is finally empty does bring me hope, though. I am almost there! Phase II is within sight. I am so excited about strawberries!

In all honesty, I am way more excited about strawberries and fruits than I am about bringing back bread (on a limited basis, of course) and starches. That’s extremely strange to me, because I figured that bread and pasta would be what I’d miss the most. That’s not to say that I’m not pretty excited about Pita Bread being allowed (<3 Pita!!) but I’m just more looking forward to that first breakfast with fresh fruit.

The result of this is that I’ve been toying with an idea in my head that may or may not actually be a good one. Since I’m not missing the starches so so much, maybe I will bring back mostly the fruit and re-introduce starches at a much lower rate than I am allowed? It probably won’t even be a conscious thing, but I just may continue to have salads instead of sandwiches for lunch. Maybe this will keep me losing a little faster than I would be otherwise…

Of course, plan might fail. Or, plan might never be put into action. Who knows? Just thinking on screen here.

I guess you can tell that I’m secretly kind of disappointed that Phase I is ending. I’m really not looking forward to seeing the weight loss slow down. I know it’s necessary, and it’s the “healthy” way to do things, but I just don’t feel that much of a difference yet. I know 12.5 lbs (yes, down to 214 this morning) is a lot, but my pants are still tight (because I really should have been wearing a size larger than I was in the first place) and those who don’t know I’m on a diet can’t really tell. I know it’s silly to want that kind of validation but I feel like it’s too early for this first fast spurt to end. I’ve lost a lot, but I am still heavier than I was at this time last year, and so relatively speaking it doesn’t feel like very much.

I guess the other thing is that I read a lot of other dieters’ blogs, and they’re all in the midst of their diets. It is rare to come across the blog of someone whose already been successful and believe that it actually does work. When I do, I want to yell out, “How long did it take? How much did you lose?” and compare my own stats to see if I’m on track.

Anyway, I need to stop worrying. I have been successful so far, so I shouldn’t be afraid. It’s just that patience is not my greatest virtue.

Phase I, Day 10: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Weight was up to 216 again this morning, so a gain of 1 lb. I’m not freaking out about it – I figure it is a combination of not working out for two days and the visit from my Aunt Flo. (Not freaking out about it does not, however, mean that I am not taking my fatter-than-yesterday butt to the gym this morning.)

Anyway, nothing else really of note other than the super-exciting news that I found Fat-Free Sugar-Free Chocolate Jell-O Pudding at the store yesterday. It only has 8g carbs per serving, so yay! Only other news is that I am finally getting sick of eggs. I never thought I would say that – I love, love, love breakfast foods and thought having eggs every morning for two weeks would be great. I am beginning to rethink. 

Oh well. Only four more days of eggs, right?

Wednesday Weigh-In #1

So yes, I do realize I have been weighing myself every day since I started SBD. I am still going to do the Wednesday Weigh-In though, because I will be measuring, too. Also, I hope to get into the habit of weighing only once a week once I get to Phase II (though that is going to be hard!) 

Anyway, before getting to los numeros, I need to point out that they are not going to be entirely accurate. My “starting” measurements (not weight, but waist and hip measurements) were not taken on Day 1. I tried to measure that day, but apparently am stupid and did it completely wrong. Thus, I re-measured on the morning of Day 3 (after already having lost 5 lbs) and came up with these numbers.

So, here we go:

Weight
Starting: 226.5 lbs
Current: 215 lbs
Lost: 11.5 lbs

Waist
Starting: 45 in
Current: 43 in
Lost: 2 in

Hips
Starting: 47 in
Current: 46.5 in
Lost: .5 in

Phase I, Day 8: Knocking Off 10 Pounds and 2 Goals

Well, I’ve done it; I’ve reached Goal #2. In just one week on South Beach (one week less than I originally alotted for this goal), I’ve dropped 10 lbs.

I guess I am in shock or something. That’s the only thing that would account for my lack of enthusiasm to such news. Also, I am a pessimist. I set my goals low so that I know I can reach them and despite the success I have seen I still have trouble believing what I’m seeing. It seems too good to be true.

The thing is, I have never, ever, ever in my whole life been considered “healthy” according to the BMI or any other standard. I’ve never even been in healthy’s zip code. And now, to say I’m striving for that… I don’t even know what it looks like; I’ve never seen those numbers on a scale. As with anything, it is hard to believe something that you can’t see.

I guess I am just determined not to get my hopes up. If I start thinking my goals are attainable, maybe I will think they aren’t as hard to reach and I will stop trying. Or worse, what if I truly believe my goals are attainable and I still don’t achieve what I want?

So with all these things about my personality in mind, you can see why I am setting my next goal of 211.5 lbs for May 21st – a good four weeks to lose the next 5 lbs. Originally I thought about setting a goal of 205 lbs for June 1st, but I realized that will never happen, especially since we are going on a week-long vacation the last week in May. Food City! (All vacations, regardless of destination, are trips to Food City for moi).

And so 211.5 by May 21st is where I’m headed. If I get there faster than originally planned, great. If not, I will try not to be devastated.

Phase I, Day 7: Moving Right Along!

Lost another pound yesterday and weigh 218 lbs this morning. I can’t explain it. I have lost 8.5 lbs since Tuesday, and, I feel I should mention, 12 lbs since the fateful doctor’s visit that sparked all this on April 7th (though I’m not counting from that).

This diet is actually real magic. I mean, yes, it requires dedication, but look at the results! I can’t understand why it’s working like this. I keep waiting for the weight loss to slow down and it just hasn’t yet. My only explanation is that my body must have been so atypically unhealthy that the drastic change means I’m seeing atypical results.

Anyway, Bible study last night was another hurdle overcome. Did not have: salsa, bean dip, chips, cheeseburger, or cake (whereas two weeks ago I would of course have had all of the above, despite eating dinner before we came). Did: fill up my water bottle.

I’ve noticed that my water intake has been increasing steadily over the days. I think my body’s getting more used to me drinking it often and so I’m up to almost four liters a day by gradual increase. When I feel hungry and I know I’m not supposed to (like right after a meal or a snack), I just gulp it down. It works fairly well.

I’ve noticed significant weight loss in my calves and my thighs right around the knee, and a little bit in my face. I can also see my collarbone again. Slowly but surely, slowly but surely…

Phase I, Day 6: Feeling the Burn

So the HIIT I did on the bike yesterday totally killed me. I think it had to do with the fact that we went to the gym in the afternoon and then came back, had dinner, and sat around. Usually I go in the morning and have the rest of the day to keep moving around and loosening the muscles up; yesterday I didn’t, and I woke up in the middle of the night with awful pains in my legs. Feeling mostly better now (finally), but I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night.

Good news is I’m back down to a new low of 219 lbs, despite the Friday night wedding reception and Saturday afternoon luncheon! Today we went to a baby shower and I had some peanuts and some hard-boiled egg slices, but that was all, so I don’t even really consider that a challenge. Feeing fairly sunburned, but not fat, at least.

I experienced a Subway salad for the first time today. I had tuna, which is ok according to Best Fast Food Choices for the South Beach Diet and it was delicious, but way too huge for me to finish. And so I didn’t! This is something to be proud of. I do not stop eating when there is still food on my plate, but I’m finally (first time in my life) learning how to eat until I’m not hungry instead of until I’m full – or completely stuffed, to be more accurate.