Mixed Bag Of Rant

As expected, I did not have a good weigh in today. Not only was it weigh in day, but it was body scan day. Feeling very bloated for the last few days, no thanks to my body’s ever changing cycle confusion, I showed a gain of 2.5. After my huge 3 pound loss last week and getting SO, so close to goal this was a major setback in my book. This frustrates me to no end.

However… there is a bright side. My counselor did chalk it up to water weight/retention. I have had that bloated/gassy feeling the past 3 days (related to my girl parts). Even my body scan showed an increase in water. So with that said, we moved on and talked about the excellent parts of my scan. The one that showed me down 2 pounds since my last scan 3 weeks ago. We also cheered the 2 pounds in additional muscle that I gained. My husband will not be as thrilled but I am down another inch in my chest (I’ve never had small boobs… this is so weird to feel compelled to buy a push up bra), a half inch off my waist and another half inch off my hips. Since starting Medifast, I have lost 18 inches from my body, probably closer to 25 inches since I started my journey a year and a half ago. That is a lot and it is something to be proud of.

What is the lesson for today? Don’t despair and carry on. I’m doing everything right.

I’m excited to have a short work week and intend to make the best of my time off. This week’s goals:
1) WATER WATER WATER. 100oz a day minimum to try and get rid of this bloat. (If you have other suggestions, I’m all ears)
2) Workouts for the week:
     Tuesday Night: Cardio & Full Body Resistance
     Thursday Morning: Cardio & Full Body Resistance
     Friday Morning: The Mixx- Group Fitness
     Saturday Morning: Step- Group Fitness
3) My biggest challenge day is Wednesday as I will be going to the Nickelback concert and will be limited on time to eat. I intend to make solid choices although they may be slightly off plan. I will not stray from the plan the rest of the week. I WILL NOT CHEAT!!

My counselor hit the nail on the head when she said, the closer to goal you get, the harder it is to stay on plan. The most important thing I can do right now to get to that all important 150 pound mark is to stick to and trust the plan. The only thing getting in the way is me. Today alone has required an insane amount of self-motivation to not stray despite the temptations that lurk everywhere in an office environment.

I’m ready to get to goal. Let’s do this thing.

What are your goals for the week? How do you stay motivated to keep them?

I have been on the Medifast program for 9 weeks and I am quite proud of my ability to stick to it.

However, the further I get into the program, the more tempted I become. Yes, I have had a few cheats over the last 9 weeks. They mostly consisted of a glass (or two) of wine or in the case of the Oscar party a couple weeks ago, full fledged jumping off the wagon for about 24 hours.

The good news is, it didn’t stifle my progress. While I didn’t see enormous losses those weeks in which I indulged, I also didn’t see a gain. I was also able to jump right back into the program without letting those weak days drag me into a downward spiral. I can also thank my many years of Weight Watchers for training me to get in extra fitness when I have indulged because I think that has helped significantly.

Lately, the urge to eat foods outside of the program are immense. We hosted a play date yesterday with Jack’s best friend Andrew and his parents and served pulled turkey breast sandwiches. No biggie, right? On plan, yes? I wanted a bun, chips and salsa so terribly bad. When I ordered a salad on Friday, I didn’t pay attention and when I opened my bag back at the office to eat, it had come with a pesto mozzarella flat bread. It smelled so good. It took every ounce of willpower to throw it away. Part of my program is taking note of the moments I am punched in the face with temptation. What is the situation? What am I feeling? Why do I want these foods? What time of day? All of these things factor into how I will control my diet once I am in the maintenance phase and essentially, for my lifetime.

The good news is that I am in the home stretch. I lost only 1 pound this week which is frustrating as I worked so hard to stay on program. Why couldn’t it be more? On the other hand, I have lost 23.3 pounds on Medifast and I am just 15 pounds from my goal!! I am in disbelief. I discussed with my Medifast Counselor today how badly I was tempted all week and he gave me some awesome advice: “Keep your eye on the prize by re-reading the original reasons you decided to lose weight in the first place.” Solid advice. Here are my top 5 reasons (I probably have more somewhere…):

1. Health & Wellness: I want to be around for my son for long as I can. Prior to my weight loss I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I am proud to announce that my blood pressure is now normal. I am also very close to having a normal BMI. For the first time ever, I am actually excited to have a physical this year. I can’t wait to see what a healthy person’s numbers look like. I can’t wait to have my weight not to be one of the things my doctor talks about when I go in for a sinus infection. I also have visions of my weight loss helping with my endometriosis and ongoing issues with polyps and fibroids. No, I’m not having crazy pregnancy wishes or visions; however, maybe I can at least stop taking the medication to control it not to mention saving money on a rather painful surgery.
2. Vanity: I’ll confess some of my reasons for wanting to lose weight are completely vain. Who doesn’t want to look and feel beautiful inside and out?? I love being able to shop at any store I want.
3. Pictures: For the last 3.5 years of my sons life, I have avoided being in pictures because I HATED the way I looked and was mortified when I saw pictures of myself. I don’t want to hide behind the camera. I want to be right there next to him capturing our memories.
4. Fitness: Despite my being out of shape (first run of the season outside on the most beautiful spring day ever = painful), my 1 mile time is the same as it was last summer when I was 23 pounds heavier and running 5 days a week outdoors. I have been able to increase my speed and endurance. Losing the weight is helping my running- less weight equals less stress on my joints and a whole lot less friction! So much more enjoyable!  
5. Expense: Medifast is crazy expensive. There is no way I’m letting this money go down the drain and no way in hell I want to have to do this ever again.   

As I get close to goal, I have started thinking about what to do with my bigger clothes. For a moment in time, I actually considered keeping them “just in case” I gain weight again. I realized thinking in that way is just like saying that all this hard work over the last year was for nothing! So, NO WAY. NOT THIS TIME. I plan to either sell my clothes to consignment or donate them. If I gain weight, then I guess I am wearing some tight clothes for awhile! Once I have completed my Medifast transition, I am also planning to sign up for MyCoach at LifeTime Fitness to help keep motivated and keep my fitness goals on track.

No more yo-yo. This time I lose the weight and keep it off. Forever.