milestone #1

i am officially (and by officially i mean on record at the center) at -20.45lbs!!! I am averaging about 4.1lbs a week which is good. They promise a 3-5lb loss a week so way to go for being the average!!! I asked them when i should expect my first plateau and they said most women hit it in the first 4-5 weeks, which i am now in week 5 according to them (i think 6 but whatever) and going strong so i am stoked.

part of me wonders what the loss would look like had i been true to plan the whole time. then i start to remember that i might be kinda cranky if i never had a drink with my friends from time to time. we will keep trucking along as usual until something major changes i guess.

i have also decided my "gift" to myself for hitting 30lbs. originally i was going to make a trip to omaha to see my aunt, however when i am anticipating hitting that goal will be in the middle of some crazy busy weeks for me. soooo that "gift" to me will have to wait a little longer. the conciliation prize (which isn't really comparable) is a real halloween costume. you see for the non fluffy ladies out there, we big girls have some issues getting costumes. for some reason the costume manufacturers think that anyone over a size 18 should be stuffed in some full on dress (envision several layers of a renaissance dress) or some stupid, and somewhat embarrassing, outfit that makes you look ten times larger (things like strips of bacon or a whoopie cushion). for the fellas this is not actually a bad deal, but for the ladies... halloween is a time to dress a little more... sassy... not like breakfast food. ANYWAY... this year i am anticipating actually being able to fit comfortably in one of the costumes that i really, really want (queen of hearts). i won't have to make it or some other costume which to me just rocks!!! so happy 30lb to me... if i get there. otherwise i will have to think up another game plan (or just save the celebration until i hit another milestone).

tip for the day: be cautious of the scale. when losing weight at a rapid rate and wanting to see the results it can be very easy to become obsessed with the scale. last week i was so obsessed with the scale that every time i went to the bathroom i was stepping on it to see if peeing had helped me drop any lbs. i know this may not sound like a bad thing, but it can be. most individuals with some sort of eating disorder are obsessed with the scale that they step on it after everything; taking a drink of water, peeing, eating ANYTHING, etc. it is important to not let yourself fall in to that trap. enjoy your weight loss but don't let it consume you. for me it was more that the scale was there so it just seemed "ok" to step on it, a lot. so i moved it out of the bathroom into the spare room. this way it isn't there reminding me every time i go to the bathroom and i don't think about it. so if you are finding yourself stepping on the scale more than once a day (which still may be too much for some people) move the scale to a room that you don't use all that often. out of sight out of mind kind of thing. besides, if you are going to the center like they ask you are weighing in 3 times a week anyway.

happy eating everyone!

difference in choices

this past week i haven't been terrible about eating on plan but i haven't been 100% perfect either. I think my body has finally started fighting me when i don't stick to plan. i haven't lost as much as i would have liked to so i kicked things up with the gym. tonight i made a decision that i think a month or two ago i wouldn't have made.

it is a saturday night i would love to go out. however, since i want to be down another size by j's party in november i need to behave. instead i am going to the gym tonight. it is reasons like this that i love the fact that i have a 24hr gym, but also the fact that it is right down the street from me. it is as if it taunts me and says "you know you need to come down here and work out". i am actually headed that way shortly.

my tip for the evening is this... when going to the gym, music is a great thing to keep you motivated. i actually found a website that had several playlists on it for every type of workout: warm-up, cool-down, spinning, elliptical, running, etc. the website is inthegym.net. i LOVE it!!! gets me pumped up and keeps me going!!! so load up your ipod with some tunes to get you in the mood to pump it up and hit the gym (or just the road to walk). happy eating (and running)!!!

who knew

i apologize for my lack of writing. i have been busy with work, spending some time with friends, and traveling again for work.
i haven't been to the center since tuesday, as of that visit though i had lost another 1.5 lbs. that actually brings the grand total to 18.5 lbs in 5 weeks. taking in to consideration the up, downs, and frequent travels... i am very pleased with this. i kept hoping i would get to that 20 mark, but not quite yet. my goal is to hit it by monday! who knows maybe even by saturday night i will hit it!

my favorite thing is the cause for the subject of this blog. i had a new discovery today... I HAVE DIMPLES!!! on my cheeks that is. for the first time, ever i think, you can see dimples on both of my cheeks. i love it!!! who knew i had those?!?! i know people who have them aren't always thrilled but mine have been hiding for years so i am a big fan of them. for now at least.

i am officially down one size as well. wearing the larger size just makes me look frumpy.

my tip for the evening is this... if you can't seem to curb that sweet tooth (like me) i have found that a single serving of sugar free jelly beans or swedish fish isn't a bad way to feed it. they are not that high in calories and if you take the carb blockers it will help with not gaining weight. i prefer the sour jelly beans but that is just me. since 1 carb blocker gives you 300 calories back, i feel less guilty about eating them. so hopefully that helps you! whatever you do, i say avoid chocolate!!!

happy eating!

kicking a and taking names

when i stepped on the scale yesterday i was so excited to see that i was down 22lbs. now i also realize that it was a morning weight and that is never really accurate. i always have to add about 2 to 3 lbs. either way... that was SO EXCITING for me! to know that i am almost there with is virtually 1/4 of the way. i feel so accomplished.

as i stated in my last post, it is starting to show in my face and my thighs the most. however i am noticing some other places that i can see a loss some weird and some irritating. first off, when my chin went missing so did part of my boobs. they haven't shrunk that much but i notice a difference in my bras. i am not a fan of this!!! hopefully they will be proportionate to however i end up looking in the end. the weird places of weight loss are my hands and my feet. i can see it in my toes (this is just funny to me) and my hands i actually see more of the excess skin. this is common with rapid weight loss but the efa's are supposed to help that. the skin really isn't noticeable to anyone but me, and the only reason i noticed it was because i was sitting in meeting, bored waiting for it to start. i also noticed my hand because the ring i have worn on my right ring finger for about 7 years now is spinning a lot more... it has spun in a while!

i am not seeing the results as much as i would like in the tummy area, but it is a practice of patience. i know i will be able to see more dramatic results but it will take a while for that part of my body since it really is the biggest. i am not going to let that get me down, exspecially when i can see the results elsewhere.

i was also thrilled this weekend when some friends made real steps towards understanding and supporting me in this diet. one friend made sure that i had taken all of my required stuff (water, pills, supplements, etc) and another realized that she had left cake at my house *on purpose* until she got home and remember the diet and called me very apologetic. i appreciate the fact that they are starting to recognize that this is a change in my life and are not simply disregarding it.

i am actually going to leave you with 2 tips for the day. the first is about throwing a party. i love to throw parties, but it isn't usually favored by guests to have only healthy food out. at the same time you don't want to eat the cheese dip or cupcakes that have been set out. making sure you have a veggie tray and save at least one of your veggie servings for through out the party is a great solution. you can eat your veggie serving and still feel like part of the group because you aren't watching them all eat, plus you stay on plan. my other tip is a quick meal idea. yesterday i was so busy running around trying to get everything set up that i barely had time to fix anything!!! dinner was quick and simple. i took a thawed salmon plank, seasoned it with dill and pan seared it. top it with lite mayo and serve with cucumbers. it is a lite meal but very yummy. for a little pizzaz throw some lemon juice on the salmon while cooking it. add some of your mls (lite salt) to help get your full 1/4 tsp in. i loved it! i will post the fish people i use. they sell cod and salmon in vacuum sealed packages and they are pretty much perfect portion size or 1/2 of a portion size. makes it really easy to thaw and cook! :o)
happy eating everyone!

excuse me, sir. have you seen my chin?

i got the best compliment thus far about the diet last night from a friend. she knew i was starting this thing but due to schedules hasn't seen me for a couple weeks. last night she came over for a while and told me how you could see that my face was thinner and i had "lost a chin". :o) mind you we always joked about having double, or triple, chins. that compliment alone gave me a bounce in my step all day today. it is hard for the people who see you every day or almost every day to notice the changes because they are so subtle. it helps to have that comment of "wow i can see it" from someone else. it really validates that the loss isn't only in my head which is how i sometimes feel.

that bounce was only furthered by weighing in today and finding out that i was down yet another lb. how exciting is that?!?! i know one lb doesn't seem like a lot but a lb in two days??? i love it. the whole celebration of 1 lb was talked about today between me and some co-workers. i was telling them about the less than enthusiastic response i got from the counselor at the center on monday (who i almost got again until she realized it was me and disappeared). they made the comment that not every day can be a 5lb day. so true and it is important to celebrate the little things. afterall i am paying to come sit and talk to you and for you to be my cheerleader and guide of sorts through out this journey. i anticipate and actually require some acknowledgement of my accomplishment from the people at the center. after all they of all people know what i am going through (maybe not from personal experience, but they know the ins and outs of the diet) so they can appreciate how difficult it is.
please don't take that as me saying it isn't worth it. it is! thus far i am more than pleased with how things are going and while i miss my cheese and my cramps during "that time" can get kinda rough with out being able to feed them, i am happy and feeling 10 times better in just 1 month. that reminds me *sorry for the following fellas*, for the lady readers who do this. beware the cramps during that lovely time of the month. i am prone to bad cramps and have always eased the pain by feeding them, usually bread or potatoes because it gave the muscles something to burn longer. unfortunately, you can't do that with this plan. i suggest feed your body water and do something like take a walk or clean. you'd be surprised how well it works.

i guess this takes me to my tip of the day: when buying your "supplies" i am finding that both e-bay and craigslist have people selling their stuff. they are selling it for a variety of reasons (the plan didn't work for them, they didn't like the cost, they got pregnant, etc.) and usually it is unopened. almost ALWAYS they are offered at a lower price than what you pay at the center. i am finding this may be a GREAT way to buy things and cut some of the cost. the metabolizer (aka your herbs) is the most expensive item at the center ($135/bottle) and i am finding that it is also the most popular on the sites. usually for $99 or less. so if you are comfortable with these sites and want to save a bit of green... shop on there for your needs. :o) that was also my shameless plug for e-bay and craigslist because i L-O-V-E them.
happy eating all! *and shopping

#8

this may be long, i apologize.
first, i weighed in yesterday. not only did i go down from the gain that i experienced after my trip to pa, i also lost an additional lb. i wanted to jump up and down for joy on that one. unfortunately my excitement was somewhat dulled by my less than enthusiastic counselor that i sat with yesterday. their response to you really does have an impact on the whole process. she was less than interested in me, my results, or how things were going in general. the nice part was that another one of the counselors, actually the one i sat with last monday, was sitting at the next desk. after her client left she started asking how my trip was and how i was feeling. it was pretty nice to have her remember me after only meeting her once and having that be a week ago. i must remember to NOT go to the woman i went to yesterday, this makes 2 counselors there that i don't want to see. however there are about 4 others that i have sat with that a GREAT so the good out weigh the bad.

i made dinner tonight. sad to report... it wasn't as good as i had hoped. it was sauteed chicken, eggplant, tomatos, and some herbs. it wasn't the worst thing i have made yet (that would be the REALLY lemon chicken), but it was no where near the best. needless to say i won't be making this meal again unless i can think of some ways to spruce it up. i am still really big on trying to figure out what to do with eggplant. i don't know why, but something just tells me that it is a versatile veggie that could be really good if prepared correctly. suggestions are much appreciated.

tip for tonight: when eating off plan such as my business trips out, the center will help correct that by removing a fruit and a starch along with a water flush. this can be slightly difficult if your second fruit is your midafternoon snack. i suggest making sure you are taking in enough water around that time (it will help curb the appetite). it is also helpful to use the one starch you get as your midafternoon snack if you don't want to use one of your supplements. i still prefer my supplement as my after dinner snack just to curb that sweet tooth. happy eating.

ch-ch-changes

it appears as though i am back to where i was before i left for pa. i can't begin to tell you how excited this makes me!!! basically i have cut out my starches for the past two days and i eliminated one fruit from yesterday. i have also been doing my water treatment, so right on to that.
i can't begin to tell you how exciting it is when i slip on a pair of jeans and they are baggy to start with. i have two sizes of jeans in my closet, i pretty much can't wait the larger size without looking like i am a hobo, the smaller size is actually fitting perfectly for now. it will be very exciting for me when i can go to the store and buy the next size down. i might even do a bit of a dance in the store. while i am waiting it is fun seeing the changes in my body. i can see some loss around my face, my arms, and even my legs. how fun!!!

my tip for today is the yummy lunch i made. inspired by the fall weather outside i wanted to make something with apples. today produced an apple stuffed chicken, i am a major fan! keep in mind this is modified to suit one meal and the recipe actually is supposed to create enough for i think 4.
i took 1/2 of a granny smith green apple. cored, skinned, and thinly sliced (it is important to slice this pretty thin). coat the apple slices in a ground cinnamon (about 1/8th of a tsp) and sugar *i used splenda* (about 1 tbs or less). slice your 6oz chicken breast in half (do not cut all the way through) and place your coated apple slices in the middle. secure closed with toothpicks. i didn't cut my slices thin enough so i was only about to get about 4 slices in the chicken, i ended up cooking the rest of them with the chicken. the original recipe calls for you to grill the chicken, i placed it in a pam covered pan on stove top. i cooked the chicken on both sides and added a bit of water to make sure it stayed moist and didn't burn. when the chicken was close to being done i added the rest of the apples to cook them up too.
on the side, i mixed 1 c. of apple cider vin. and 1 tbs of flour in a smaller pan. heat this up, constantly stirring until it is thick. spoon this over the chicken when you are ready to eat.
the apples give the chicken a sweetness and the vinegar/flour mix has a tart taste that compliments the apples and chicken so nicely. i was a little worried about trying this but i really am a big fan. i can see myself serving this to guests too! the meal provides 1 protein and 1 fruit. it is also good because apple cider vin. is something you can have unlimited amounts of. :o) i do have a scaled up version of this recipe if you want it. i would like to know if any of you try this and what you think (jenni i think you might actually enjoy this one).
happy eating everyone!

diet + travel = not friends

i am finally back from my trip to pa for work. it was a good trip business wise, i learned a lot, saw some great things, and met some fun people. on the diet side of the trip... not so great.

i did pretty well the first day i was gone. the hardest part was lunch since it is really hard to find something "on plan" in the airport. i did go to the grocery store when i finally got in to easton so i could at least get some bottles of water, fruit, and veggies. i wanted to make sure i would be getting those in. i have noticed over my travels that fruit is the hardest part for me to get outside of breakfast. wednesday i still did alright but again nothing was really straight to plan. it is difficult to stick exactly to plan when you aren't cooking, and even harder when you don't actually have a selection to choose from (i.e. the company providing you lunch). thursday was the same story, but thursday night i was really "bad". i had chinese. what made this worse... it wasn't even good chinese! :o( the other bad part about wednesday and thursday was i had a few beers with one of the fellas from UK. beer is a really big no no since it is empty calories. finally, friday was probably the worst out of all of it. i had fast food for 2 of the meals and then mom and i had mexican for dinner.
beyond the not eating correctly and drinking beer, i also wasn't getting all of my water in, i had diet coke (i usually would have had diet sprite or something along those lines), and i wasn't getting my second supplement in. so needless to say i didn't do so hot on the whole diet thing. luckily, the fact that i did stick to plan a little bit and took the carb blockers i only gained about 4lbs back. this shouldn't be that hard for me to get back off if i do a water flush AND remove my starches for 3 days.
the funny thing about this is that i feel icky. not so much that i feel guilty about not eating according to plan but the unhealthy food, specifically the fast food and diet coke, made me feel like i was dragging, bloated, and my stomach even hurt a little bit yesterday. i think over the past few weeks my body has gotten used to not having that gross stuff in there so throwing it back in in a larger quantity made a big difference in how i feel. oh well, it is back to plan today and so far so good.
tip for today is about motivation when you have a set back like this. my motivation yesterday/today came in a song i heard on my way home from my parents house. it is a song my sixx am which is actually about using drugs, but hey it worked for me in this situation. it is called "accidents can happen". basically the lyrics said "accidents can happen, and it's okay. we all fall off the wagon sometimes. it's not your whole life, it's only one day! you haven't thrown everything away!!!" what a great thought for me to keep going. when it would have been easy for me to say screw it this is too hard, i already screwed it up, i just needed to realize that it was only one day (or one trip if you will). i can fix this and keep going, this set back doesn't mean the end. so off we go again! :o)

i miss cheese

today i was doing some searching for recipes since i need to figure out some new ways to spice up my meals. primarily i am looking into thai and indian spices since they use a lot of spices and less meat and stuff. i will keep you posted on what i find. in the mean time, i ran across several types of recipes that sounded great but they all had cheese. i miss cheese. dairy (except the 4 oz of skim milk) is pretty much a no no for the next 30 weeks. from time to time i might want some bread or something but the desire for carbs passes. this whole longing for cheese... yea it has been here for a while. today i started thinking about how nice a puffed pastry filled with brie spread onto apples sounds. sadly, all i can do is dream.

in other news, weighed in today. down 2 lbs from friday! YAY!!! that was nice to hear since today i was feeling a bit big (i think it was the shirt i was wearing). i also noticed that when i put on my jeans, which had been pretty snug until i had been wearing them for a bit, they were actually comfortable and weren't snug at all when i took them off the hanger. nice motivation for me there. it couldn't have come at a better time either.

tomorrow i leave for a business trip until friday. normally i would be really excited about this but with the whole diet thing, it is a lot harder. the trip means that for the next 3 nights i will be eating out, lunch for the next 4 days will probably consist of lunch meat and other off plan foods, and it will be hard to abide by the plan as a whole. i have found that breakfast is about the only meal that i am actually able to control and have stay on plan. hopefully the places we go to eat have options that i am able to order to be close to plan. i am also taking the carb blockers with me so that i can help to prevent a major weight gain.

tip of the night: i was in the mood for ranch and i decided that chicken strips was a good plan. so... cut your 6 oz chicken breast into strips. coat strips in 1 beaten egg, then coat in a crushed akmak cracker mixed with chili powder and mrs. dash southwest seasoning. cook chicken on stove-top in a pan sprayed with pam. they really were pretty yummy. the egg counts as the breakfast egg if you didn't have it yet, and then you get a protein.

not sure how much blogging i will be able to do while on the trip but i will do my best. have a happy and healthy week everyone! i would love it if you would let me know if you think i should celebrate at 20 or 30 lbs down and what i should do as the celebration. the 20 mark is coming up with in the next week or two while 30 will still be about a month or more down the road. i think it is important that i celebrate one, milestones are important to help keep the motivation.

diet aka cleaning motivation

i am not sure what it is but ever since i have started this diet, i am all about cleaning my house. the past few weekends i have spent my time cleaning my house room by room. at this time i am down to my spare room and the closet in my office. well i guess the garage too if you want to count that. for the first time in... well ever i think. all of my clothes are either clean and put away (hung up and in the armourer) or in the laundry room waiting to be washed. my family is reading this thinking "yea right, i'll believe that when i see it". feel free to stop on by!

today i decided to tackle the spare room and with the exception of going through one more tote (which will be done by tonight) and hanging some pictures (that will happen on monday with mom), it is ready for company. the office... well that might have to wait until next weekend.
i am saying this goes with the diet because it ties back in to that i have motivation to do something. i hate the thought of just sitting on the couch and watching tv because i know if i am up moving around 1) i won't be tempted to sit and munch while watching nothing of importance. 2) even the slightest bit of activity burns some calories and 3) almost every channel has something yummy to tempt me, taco bell commercials are DEVIL!!! so i am avoiding the temptation.

another association of the diet and the cleaning is the lack of going out. since i have been on the diet i have really not gone out. again it is all about that temptation thing. don't get me wrong i have been out a couple times and if i drank it was no more than about 2 mich ultras. the rest of the time i drank water. this lack of going out is not only keeping me on track with the diet but it is also making it so i don't feel the need to sleep all day on saturday and sunday to recover from staying up all night. there is more time to clean and get my house in order and since my friends are still out there staying up late, they sleep all day and there are no phone calls to distract me from cleaning. i don't think that slim4life understands the benefit of this. i am all about them marketing this and using it as part of the sales pitch "lose weight AND clean your house". what do you think?

fun tip for today is really more of a shout out. one of my readers sent me an e-mail yesterday telling me how my blog motivated her to get up off her "a" and start exercising. plus she is watching what she is eating. she is by no means a big girl but she wants to feel a bit healthier. so way to go you! i'm proud of you and hope that i can continue to be a motivator for you!

the lies the scale tells me

not a whole lot to post today. i got on the scale this morning and it told me i am down 17bs from the day i started. now i have learned that the weight it tells me at 7 am is NOT the same as the one that i take about halfway through the day. i know the general public will tell you not to weigh yourself as frequently as i do but i find it as a bit of motivation (and i am trying to work on that fear). if i see that i am doing really good in the morning i will be motivated to not cheat and have those jelly beans or those beers. i haven't actually stepped back on it since this morning but obviously i will go back up a bit. assume there is an increase of 1-4 lbs through out the day assuming you eat correctly. i don't suggest weighing yourself when you have just drank your water and you have to pee at home or at the center. this makes the weigh in a bit more accurate. i also don't suggest going to the center to weigh in when you haven't eaten unless you always plan to go then. it gives a false reading and that isn't very fair to yourself.

my tip of tonight is a recipe (here you go jen, even though i already told you about it). since my starches are limited to 2 starches a day you have to use them creatively. one of my starch options is 1/2 of an akmak cracker (think wheat cracker with sesame seeds on it). i place the cracker in a ziplock baggie *shocker* and crush it with the soft side of a meat tenderizer. the finer the powder the better for me. i also mix in a bit of spin & herb dry mix from tastefully simple. preheat your oven to 350. i think put my 6 oz of chicken in there and coat it with the mix. on a piece of foil i spray some pam and place 1/2 a cup of some type of veggie (thus far i have done asparagus and mushrooms i think the mushrooms were better). place 1/2 tsp of butter on veggies and then empty the entire contents of the chicken/mix onto the veggies. place another 1/2 tsp butter on the chicken and another 1/2 cup of your veggie. close the foil and secure it then place on a cookie sheet. bake for about 30-40 minutes. it is a great breaded chicken and it is tender, plus your veggie has your butter too. this provides 1 protein, 1 veggie, and your fat serving for the day. make sure you use the melted butter in the foil since you are supposed to have all of your 1 tsp of fat! :o) as rachel ray would say... it is yummo!

in my head, i'm skinny

weigh-in is a scary time. i can see the looks of amazement *shock, gasp* at this statement. in all seriousness though, it really is a difficult time for me. i walk in to the center not knowing if i have gone up, down, or stayed the same (i have experienced all of those results) and stepping on that scale is almost like a moment of horror. it isn't as though the people there judge me if i have gained and they are always super excited for me if i have lost, but it is the personal response i feel inside. if i have gone up or even stayed the same i am so disappointed in my progress, but if i go down i am ecstatic and can't wait to share it (in case you are wondering i went down 1.5lbs today). it isn't like my staying the same is honestly a bad thing, i mean i am realistic enough to know that things aren't just going to melt away in an instant. i think it is more that i question myself on will i make it to my goals or not and how long will it actually take me. sad that the scale is what makes me question my abilities to reach my goals (well at least the ones tied to the weight loss). i don't know that i will ever really be able to beat my fear of the scale, honestly i am scared of it when i am at home too. the nice thing is that i do have my cheerleaders at the center rooting for me when i drop any amount of weight and helping me stay focused on when i gain so i can take it back off.
as for the title of this blog, as most of you know i have pretty much been over weight since i was about 7. call it genetics, call it depression eating, call it the incurably strong sweet tooth that would tell me it is a good idea to eat 3 ice cream cones as a small child. no matter what the cause this is where i have been for over 15 years. yet, when i was younger i thought that i was not as big as i was. my sister, who is in fact a very healthy weight and much thinner than i am (always has been), was my mirror if you will. i looked at her and thought "well she is my sister so i must look like her". this led to my stage that i refer to as my "na-na" stage (some may remember the na-na story). you see when i was younger i would take my sisters clothes that she didn't want anymore and some that she just didn't know i took and i would try to wear them. obviously this isn't a good idea, but none the less i would put these shirts on. unfortunately, they were a bit tight around my belly so i would stretch out the bottom and break the seam to make them less snug. most people will do this a little because the seams are not comfortable around their legs, this is not a problem. the problem occurs when you break the seam so much that the bottom of the shirt starts to roll up because it has nothing holding it down. this happens you when you constantly pull and stretch out that bottom saying "na-na, it fits! see?!?!" thus my na-na stage. luckily i grew out of that stage and learned to wear clothes that fit my body.
that was my fun story of the evening.
my tip for tonight: since the fruit portions i am allowed are limited (i.e. 1/4 c. blueberries or 10 green grapes) there is some creative storing that occurs. in one normal box of blueberries i can get about 8 servings, or a typical bag of grapes provides about 13 servings. forgetting now that fruit goes bad pretty quickly, i don't want to eat blueberries and grapes for the next two weeks. items like this freeze beautifully!!! portion out your servings into zip-loc baggies (i should buy stock in storage bags now) and throw them in the freezer and spread out how often you have your servings. they are perfect for your afternoon snack. it is important to note that once you freeze these, do not let them unfreeze to eat them. they get a little interesting! but they make a great frozen treat! :o) enjoy!!!

The road to 12...

About 2 1/2 weeks ago I started the Slim 4 Life diet. I have decided that I wanted to document this whole weight loss process that I am going through. I think it will help me monitor the whole process and maybe, if someone stumbles across my page that is in my same boat it might help them. I imagine I will talk about the good (how much I have lost and the benefits) and the bad (struggles and gains *eek*) and probably some other randoms just because I will feel inspired. However, this blog will be to primarily explain the diet itself. Here we go...

The beginning: Once I made the decision to start Slim 4 Life, I submitted an online request for a free consultation at a center near me (Overland Park). I attended my appointment which ended up last about 1 hour. During the consultation they told me how the plan worked, what I could expect, etc. By the end of the sales pitch (let's face it, consultation was a nice word for sales pitch), I decided to jump on board and get started ASAP. For my weight loss goal of 87 lbs. it will take me about 30 weeks to get to that point. In addition to those 30 weeks, there is a 6 week set of maintenance where foods that were "off plan" (i.e. pizza, dairy, beer, etc) is introduced one week at a time in moderation. After those 6 weeks there is another set of 20 weeks that is sustainability. These 20 weeks are to help teach me how to keep myself within 5lbs of my goal weight. In total I will be with them for 56 weeks. They also sent me home with a package of "goodies" that I will explain later on in this post. My appointment was on a Thursday, on Monday I started my 3 day prep. During the prep you can have as much raw green veggies and protein as you want. The more red meat the better, I suggest you enjoy this now because red meat becomes limited through the diet. I had a class on Wednesday which weighed me after the prep (down 3.5 lbs) and they explained everything that goes with the plan from the food you can eat, the portion, the supplements, the pills, etc. After that I was sent on my way and started the diet the next morning (a week after my initial visit).

The cost: I have done some searching on the web, mostly to see where I can buy the products for a cheaper cost. *E-bay is my bff!!! In my search I found several websites that talked about how bad this diet was, and blah blah blah. One of the biggest complaints was the cost. Face it, if you want to drop the weight, it is going to cost you some green. Even if it is to just join the gym, you are going to have to pay something, this program is no different. I won't deny that it is expensive but in the end I think it will balance out. As stated, my plan is for 56 weeks, this amount will vary based on how much weight you have/want to lose. If you want more than 87lbs your plan will probably be longer, less you might be shorter. It is customized to your needs. At $7 a week I paid about $392. This amount is paid up front (they accept credit cards) and is non-refundable. While it sucks that it is non-refundable, if you spend that much money you will be more likely to stick to it. You are also required to go see them at least 3 times a week so your $7 pays for your opportunity to talk to the experts 3-6 times a week. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
In addition to the cost of the program you have the "goodies" to buy. Since I still haven't explained those, let's just say if you bought EVERYTHING that they offer for the plan you would spend about $350 a month. You don't have to buy everything, but to get the guarantee they offer you do have to purchase the vitamin ($135 per month), the metabolizer (i think it is around $100) and the supplements ($7 a box and you will go through 2 boxes a week).

The goodies: I have mentioned these a couple times and I bet your curiosity is peaked! :o) These were also mentioned in the websites I found, people talking about how they were bad for you and what not. Everything they have you take is all natural and herbal formulas. It is just a combination of the right herbs and vitamins. First up is your herbal vitamin. Just like any other multi-purpose vitamin it will provide you with essential vitamins to be healthy plus it has an extra bit of your B vitamins, calcium, and metabolic boosters. You take this once a day, no biggie. Next you have your metabolizer, again self explanatory. This is a small capsule that you take 2 pills, 30 minutes before every meal (total of 6 a day). The final "mandatory" item is your supplements. These come in the forms of bars, cappuccino, hot chocolate, pudding, soy nuts, fruit drink mixes, etc). You have one of these 2 times a day. There are some rules around what combinations of supplements you can take, but for sake of writing more, they explain it in the class.
There are 3 optional goodies as well. In the starter kit that you buy, you get a omega oils (fish oil) bottle, a box of thermo boost, and a bottle of carb blocker. The fish oil capsules are taken the same as the metabolizer so you end up taking a total of 6 a day. These help to drop the inches and they also have health benefits to your skin, hair, nails, joints, etc. I LOVE THEM! The thermo-boost is a powder that you mix with water (it says with 8 oz but I suggest 20 oz) and take 2 times a day. This is supposed to give you energy (like a red bull) and help your metabolism and helping you last longer between meals & snacks. It also has some benefits similar to "airborne", or so they tell me. Finally, the carb blocker is basically to help you block any extra carbs you take in. You can take this up to 3 times a day, about 10 minutes before your meal. They suggested to take this when going out to eat (i.e. when I am on a business trip and I know I will be eating off plan or something I didn't cook myself). They basically can give you 300 calories back for each pill you take.

The food: The next complaint I heard all through the websites was about the food you have to eat. You really do have several options of food. However, if you don't like veggies... this is NOT the diet for you!!! In a day (for my plan at least, there are actually 5 different plans) I get 2 proteins (typically about 5-6 oz per serving), 4 veggies (1 c. raw or 1/2 c. cooked), 2 fruits (the amount varies by fruit and the fruits allowed are limited), 2 carbs (again amounts vary and carbs allowed are limited), and 1 fat serving (I typically use 1 tsp butter but there are 3 options for the fat). All of that is in addition to the supplements (bar/drink). You have your 3 meals a day, plus a morning and afternoon snack out of that list of portions. As is to be expected, there are some limitations to what you can have but they spell it out for you and if you have a question you go see them (the people at the center) 3 times a week so you can always ask them about stuff. Some of the restrictions is that you are only allowed to have red meat 2 times a week. You are also limited on the amount of high sodium protein like salmon or cottage cheese to 3 times a week. You are also restricted to never having the limited proteins two days in a row (you can't have steak on Monday and salmon on Tuesday, nor can you have roast on Monday and steak on Tuesday). The rest of the time you have the allowed proteins like chicken, turkey, and several types of seafood (shrimp, lobster, orange roughy, cod, etc). It really is plenty of food and my understanding is, if you are on a higher plan (I am on plan 2) you get different types of servings of these foods. You are also required to have 1/4tsp to 1/2tsp of Morton's Lite Salt (it is how your get your potassium since things like bananas are not allowed).

The hard part: As with every diet plan there are some difficult things such as not being able to eat anything and everything you want. Obviously that is part of how you got to where you are and/or why you are still there. It is difficult when you really want something that is restricted (i.e. pizza or cheese). The hardest part for me has been the beer. I have finally gotten back in touch with several friends from college and we drink beer, it is what we do when we get together. I am either going to drink water or drink beer and risk gaining some of what I have lost back. The other hard part is finding new ways to make things. I am limited to what I can use to cook with and since I am used to butter, soy sauce, creole seasoning, etc. I am trying to be creative. I can use just about any spice/herb so long as it isn't a salt beyond the Mortons Lite (no garlic salt, onion salt, etc) and I am also able to use Mrs. Dash products. I have found, I am not the biggest fan of Mrs. Dash but I LOVE dill stuff!!! Some people find it hard to get the required 80 oz of water in as well. I am doing ok with that but see my tips section for more on that.

Exercise: I think the stupidest complaint I heard in the websites was when someone said they (the people at Slim 4 Life) told them they couldn't exercise. NONSENSE! The Slim4Life plan is designed to work without exercise (this is great if you have some sort of physical handicap and can't actually do a lot of exercise). However, they will NEVER tell you not to exercise!!! They tell you that if you choose to exercise to do things like Cardio workouts (bike, walking/running, stairs, etc) rather than lifting because with lifting you will see the inches go down but not so much your weight number. They also say that if you are working out for more than 6 hours a week regularly then you should let them know so they can boost your caloric intake because you are not taking in enough calories for that. Exercise is completely optional and I won't lie, when you first start you are probably not all about the gym because you don't really have the energy. Within a few days I had the energy to get up and go do something like walk or do the elliptical machine, but I don't feel guilty if I don't like the plan won't work.

Tips: Obviously I am not an "old pro" at this by any means but in 2.5 weeks I am down almost 15lbs and have learned a few things. The first is with the food. Don't go buy your food until you actually start the diet and only buy enough to last you a week when it comes to veggies and fruit. These items spoil and since you are eating specified quantities of them (primarily the veggies) you might get sick of them and need to spice them up a bit. Things like your chicken breasts, buy in bulk, portion out into zip-lock baggies and freeze. I suggest portioning out EVERYTHING when you buy it so that way all you have to do is thaw/prepare one baggie at a time and it is a bit quicker for the cooking part. When cooking, make your lunch the night before either while making dinner or after it will save you time in the morning and you are already cooking anyway. Since you have already portioned everything cooking dinner shouldn't take more than about 30 minutes so take your metabolizer and fish oil when you start making dinner (depending on how long it will take you) so you hit your 30 min. mark for them to be the most effective. I also have to say, as much as I prefer a Price Choppper or Hy-Vee over Walmart, I found out this week that the Walmart Neighborhood Food Market has the best selection for me to get things like frozen seafood and veggies (I actually found great deals on frozen salmon and orange roughy planks that I couldn't find at Price Chopper). For the fresh stuff though I will still hit up the normal grocery store.
For you water, I suggest (again I hate to say it) Walmart's Sam's choice 20 oz bottled water. You can buy other brands (dasani makes a 20 oz bottle too), but you can get 24 bottles of Sam's for a great price. You will be drinking a lot of water so the cheaper the better. If you use one bottle a day (to conserve money and plastic) and empty it 4 times you have hit your 80 oz of water. I typically have about 30 to 40 oz gone by the time I am off work. It is important to keep above 80 oz and below 100 oz since outside of that range you risk retaining water which impacts your weight loss. You can add lemon if you like for taste (I prefer without). You keep a food diary that helps you monitor your water intake as well so make sure you fill it out.
I also recommend you use your meeting time. If you say you will be in on a day and don't make it or don't get there 3 times a week, they don't give you a hard time (at least they haven't done that to me yet). I am sure if you miss a lot or just stop showing up they might call you, but I haven't done that so I don't know. The reason I say to use your meeting time is this, for those of you who have done the whole dieting thing for more than just a time or two you know how disappointed you are when you don't succeed the way you wanted to. With each diet you are a little less excited to tell people because if you don't hit your goal wait you feel like they will judge you for it not working. I have only told my family members, a few co-workers, and a few friends about my being on this diet. The downside of this is that diets actually work better when you don't go it alone, something about having another person be it competition, motivation, whatever they help make it work better. Well with this program I get both. I don't have to tell everyone I know and I don't have to have someone doing it with me because I have the support, motivation, and actually the competition all at the center. The competition part comes with a board they have that lists everyone (first name last initial only) that was a "big achiever" for the week and their loss. The scores from last week range 3.0 to 11.4 (I was #2 with a 7.3 loss). Seeing these numbers helps to know you can do it but also give you something to strive to beat! Plus talking with the counselors helps keep you going if you had a bad week (i.e. my business trip to Chicago where I gained 1.5 lbs *still made it to that 7.3 though).
If you mess up and go off plan there are somethings you can do. I had to go to Chicago on business and unfortunately when it comes to those types of meetings meals are usually provided or you eat out. Rarely are you able to stick exactly to plan. First, remember that it is OKAY!!! Take your carb blockers on these occasions when you know you will be eating off plan or going out, they will help a lot. Try to be good about sticking to the diet (I wasn't, I had cheesecake) but if not think about exercising. I spent some time in the pool to help lessen the effects of the off plan stuff I had. Finally, don't lie to the counselors. If you tell them that you went off plan or whatever else they will help work off any damage that may come from that. For me with my trip, breaking a bone, and having a cold (broken bones and cold medicine will make you retain water) I gained 1.5 lbs (not to bad) so they had me do a water flush. This is where I drank 88oz on day 1, 96 oz the next day, 88 the third day, and back to my normal 80. It worked! :o) I am sure there are cases where this doesn't work or there is something better and that is why it is important to talk to them about your specific situation (that is why you pay them $7 a week, not so they can give you a hard time).
Finally is my tip for thinking about the cost. This was the hardest part for me so far. It is a lot of money, there is no denying that. When looking at the cost though, it actually doesn't seem as bad in comparison to what I was paying for going out to eat, drinking a few beers with my friends every week, and running in to fast food joints/buying lunch at work. Adding up those costs plus the cost of my normal multi-vitamin I think they pretty much balance out. I also think that once this is all over and done with I will still be spending less on my food bills because I will be eating less. It is all a matter of perspective and I for one don't want to let the bank get in the way of what is doing so much for me health wise. If it starts to get too expensive I will start cutting back on things like the extra stuff you can buy from them (such as the thermo-boost and the carb blocker). I will find a way to make it work.

Anyway, this is really long. I don't think any blogs will be this long but hopefully this provided you with a good bit of background info on what I will be dealing with for at least the next 56 weeks. Final thing... the title of the blog and this post, the road to 12, is based on the fact that on my weight loss program I hope to be at least a size 12 by the time this is done. :o)

Happy reading!