Purging, and other thoughts

This weekend I did a lot of house cleaning and one of the things that I've been wanting to do is get rid of all my clothes that are too big. Unfortunately, the task is so daunting because I've been heavy for a long time and I'm a pack rat. However, I finally got it done this weekend. Before I got rid of them, I took a picture of my largest jeans and the new cords i just got. Look at the difference, its amazing!
I also took a picture of my closest. All the empty hangers were once full!


It feels great to be rid of so much stuff.

In other news, the purchase of size 6 pants was really a wake up call for me. I'm starting to get a little nervous about continuing to lose weight at the rate I have been losing. Luckily, I'm starting the transition to veggies and fruit at the end of the week, which will probably slow me down. I really have no desire to get into clothes smaller than a 6, but I'm really nervous about getting back to real food. The structure this diet has provided me is great! I plan on talking to K about how to increase my calorie intact (and thus slow weight loss) while staying very structured.

Anyway, thats all folks!

The trouble with bars

I can't believe its March already!
My life has been really crazy lately. I've been gallivanting around the country interviewing for jobs. Traveling in someways is healthier on a diet like mine (i.e. no temptation from crappy airport fast food) but unfortunately, I have a really hard time staying hydrated when I'm moving around a lot. I also have a hard time exercising when I'm traveling because I find it so tiring that I just want to sleep in the hotel room when I'm not visiting companies for interviews.

Anyway, because of the problems I had on my previous trip, I decided to pick up some BeneFit Bars last week. Because of their convenience, they are perfect for a quick snack when I can't get to a microwave or make a shake. Unfortunately, they are also delicious. The Peanut Butter bar tastes like a Reeces Peanut Butter cup... This meant that something i picked up in case of an emergency turned into a bad habit for me...

Anyway, the combination of BeneFit bars and exercise problems meant that, for the first time since I started my diet, I gained weight! Ok, it was just one tenth of a pound, but still a good reminder that all parts of my diet are important, not just "staying in the box."

On the upside, I've gotten quite a bit better about record keeping! I've been working with my ADD coach and I've actually written what I ate for the last 10 days :-)

One holiday down

I'm proud to report that I did a good job on thanksgiving. I even managed to help with the cooking and not eat :-)

I followed my plan almost to the T, except for the Chili Mac. I was foiled because I didn't have any chili! Anyway, instead I made a surprisingly good Asian dish from the Chicken Creole and Savory Chicken.

May biggest struggle these days has been exercising. Its not that I don't like it, but I've been having a hard time finding time. Lately I've been getting home from my stuff and been just exhausted. Hopefully, though, I can get over it. The last two days I've done a pretty good job of finding time and energy to exercise, though I want to get back to the gym. I'm thinking about trying to go early again, if anything, just so I'm used to getting up at 630/700 when my 8am prelim rolls around in 2 weeks. But, we'll see...

A Fall-Themed Disaster

So each week, I'm given two assignments that are meant to keep some variety and to keep things from getting to routine. Some of them I remember to do, but I often forget, partly because I like my routine.

Anyway, one of my assignments this week was to have a "Fall-Themed" meal replacement. With this in mind, I picked up some hot cider powder from the store and figured I'd mix it with a vanilla shake. So, today, while packing my food for the day, I grab a packet of cider mix and a vanilla shake to have after lunch.

I mixed it up and tried it... and it was pretty terrible... drinkable, but not exactly enjoyable. I don't know if it was the flavors, or I had too many expectations, or if it was that it was warm. But anyway, for future reference... cider mix and vanilla shake is something I will not do again.

Then again, I shouldn't be so surprised because spiced cider should never be a mix, or made with artificial sweetener. I guess I'll have to wait to have hot cider (or wassail) until after I'm done with this diet.

Updated!

Wow, I am bad at blogs...
Anyway, so I wanted to update you all on how I'm doing these days. Things with the diet are going pretty well. Today is the beginning of week 12 (and my last week of the core education program). So far I've lost 46 lbs (though that number will go up today after I get weighted) and I'm feeling pretty good about. More and more people have commented to me (and my friend E) that I'm starting to look pretty good. Its really encouraging that people are starting to notice, though I definitely feel like I have a long way to go. I'm only 7lbs away from my first goal which is exciting, but I think the real achievement for me will be when I hit my "pre-qual" weight.

In exercise news, I've gone to the gym on campus every day this week so far. Surprisingly, I love going to the gym. Its really relaxing, and is always a great way for me to start off my day. Unfortunately, I'm managed to catch a cold this week, which has made me really really tired. So... getting up "early" hasn't exactly been happening, despite the fact that I'm going to bed early.

Oh, and I'll post a new picture soon, but my camera battery is dead and I need to find the charger.

Trips, Treats and lack of motivation

For fear that my friends may beat me up, I decided to update this blog.

So far things on the diet are going very well. After lamenting my boredom to my educator A, I started having 1 HMR entree a night. Its pretty nice to actually get to eat something once a day and then entrees are pretty tasty. I don't do much with them, except spice the hell out of them.

A also sent me a bunch of recipes to try. I intended on trying to make some (like brownies!) before I drove home to visit the 'rents because solid food is much better then liquid when driving. Anyway, for a variety of reason, it didn't happen, but now I have all the ingredients for a bunch of tasty things. And speaking of tasty things, I bought some of the little crystal light things to add to bottled water to try mixing in shakes, and they are great! Finally I've found an acceptable way to make fruity shakes! YAY! I've also taken a liking to the puddings.

Anyway, as I really get into my groove with my diet, I'm finding that I'm getting a little bored of my exercise program. I like DDR a lot, but playing it every day is getting a bit old. I'm thinking about buying myself a PCGamerBike. They seem pretty cool, and they mean that World of Warcraft could be my work out. Anyway, I'm going to deliberate over them for a day or too.

Speaking of new toys. I'm also really considering getting a Smart Phone (specifically, this one: Verizon XV6700). One of the biggest reason is to help me get better about keeping a food diary. I almost always forget my little ledger and I've already lost one since I started the diet. I figure I hardly ever leave my phone at home, so I slick smart phone might really help me improve in this area. I tortured myself over the past week researching the features and applications that can run on the phone, but I'll probably wait a little while on that purchase, but maybe not ;-)

Oh yes, and to save the best for last. I've finally broken the 30lbs mark! I still really need to get some pictures... Maybe tomorrow...

Behind for the week...

For the first time since I started my diet, I'm behind... I haven't done any intentional exercise in the last 4 days... I was away at annual conference for three of those days, and did a lot of walking, but I don't count that a PA because the walking wasn't with the goal of exercising. As a result, I'm not going going to make 2000 for the week... unless I do something crazy, which is unlikely...

It is especially unlikely because upon return from annual conference, I got very sick... I had a hard time eating sunday and saturday and only had 4 shakes both days... which is below my minimum prescription. I'm gonna get in trouble for it though. The most difficult part was the shear amount of dairy that I'm required to eat and it really didn't sit well when I was feeling sick especially since I had a virus attacking my digestive tract...

Anyway... hopefully today will go better.

Weekly number and update

I'm at annual conference right now (its the legislative meeting for my district of the United Methodist Church) which I really think is my first real test on this diet. I think that I have managed to plan ahead well enough to make sure that I'll be ok during the weekend. I decided to make tons of chicken soup crackers, which seem to be a good way to make sure that I have something I can eat if I get hungry. I was really glad to get the recipe for them when I meet with A, my health educator in the program. All I needed to do was to just follow the recipe and it worked really well! And they are actually tasty and CRUNCHY! So nice to eat something that crunches!

Anyway, what you all really want to know is what my number for the week. This week (Thursday - Wed. Morning) I lost 6 lbs!! That means I've lost a total of 15lbs in 2 weeks! So cool and encouraging. Anyway, I'm sure that I'll lose less next week, especially because getting my PA in for this week will be tough.

Oh, and I hope to post a pancake recipe soon. I'm still getting it perfected.

Week 2 begins: Exhausted, P.A., and goal update

For the first time since I started the diet, I feel physically exhausted. I did not want to get out of bed today and I'm definitely concerned about my ability to do anything that requires any kind of strength. Sleeping late today, however, was the not the first indicator that the diet is affecting my strength. The other day I was leaning over stuff (using my hand on the wall to support myself) to shut of my alarm and I fell... Like my arm couldn't support my weight against the wall. It was not a good start to the day... I'm assuming that as I exercise I will start to get stronger, but I also imagine that will take some time.

Also, in a similar vein, I'm trying to figure out how to get back into the groove of going to the gym. A few years ago, I used to get up early (6:30 or 7:00 am) and go to the campus gym. I'd spend an hour there 5 days doing weight lifting and aerobic exercise. I really need to start doing that again. I remember having a lot more energy when I did that. Though, I really wish the university had circuit training facilities like my undergrad did. Anyway, I figure that the summer is a good time to get back into that groove, but I just need to start going... Unfortunately, waking up at 6:30 or 7:00 am will be hard to do considering how tired I am... But I really want to start going again.

Oh, today I was doing some mental calculations to think about how much weight I should be losing to reach my goal. I calculated, that to meet my goal, I need to be losing 6lbs a week! As a result, I'm going to update my goal a little bit, to make it more attainable. It will still be a stretch, but more realistic.

Anyway, I've made it 6 days and offically start week 2 of the program today!

Day 3: Things are going a little better

I'm in the middle of day three now of this diet. The first day was particularly difficult. I ended up having 7 shakes that day and I had some serious cravings. I went to bed really early to try to keep myself from eating. NN was a sweetheart and tried to make me feel better. Yesterday went a lot better. I went a friend's baby shower, and I managed to keep away from any of the finger foods, though I left a little early because I was getting hungry and I didn't want to make a big deal of making another shake. Today is going reasonably well too.

Over the last three days, I realized that I really am going to have a hard time with eating, err drinking, sweet stuff all the time, and I'm definitely going to missing things that "crunch." Also, I'm a little worried about becoming the "center of attention" as I do that things that I need to do for my diet. I think that I will have a hard time going places with lots of people (esp. people I don't know) and having to go make a shake... I dunno... It's probably all in my head. Anyway... I'm looking forward to going to my friend's place for her memorial day bbq.

Test Post

I want to test how labels work. So... I'm going to put all the labels that I will use on this post :-)

go me!