Day 1 : Final Journey

I have decided to start anew.  I'm going to start as if today is my day 1. I'm doing this because I am technically on Day 1 of TSFL.  So, here are my measurements

Weight = 136lbs Goal = 125lbs  (11LBS)

Height = 61 Inches (Can't imagine this changing unless I shrink when I get older...)

Waiste Circumfrance = 31 Inches

Hip Circumfrance = 38 Inches

Waist to Hip Ratio = 0.82

Jean Size: Size 8   Goal = Size 4 or 6

Outside Goal:  To maintain 125lbs until I become pregnant - After my wedding end of April I'd like to possibly try to become a Health Coach.

Now, I realize that these numbers are not horrific to some but I also have found myself making a lot of excuses lately as I try to get to my final goal.  I am in the final stretch and once again I am trying to start anew and really make good conscious choices to be healthy and happy.  So, I am somewhat beginning the program from day 1.  I am not planning on losing 5-7lbs the first two weeks like I did originally but... I want to still see the weight come off...

Here are my five reasons that will eliminate or add to my life as a result of achieving optimal health and my ideal weight

1. Confidence

2. Sense of Accomplishment

3. Energy

4. Inspiration

5. Wedding Worthy - Happy Health life worthy of being lived and shared

Current photo:

Day 1 of motivation

I am attending a conference and trying to stay on track. Currently attending a discussion topic on obesity and outdoor recreation.  

Hoping to keep me motivated to continue to lose weight. Really want to get to 125lbs. Currently at 135lbs... 10 more lbs to go!

Day I don't know...

I think it's time to go back to blogging. Mostly because I've been so bad lately abou staying on the path. I'm not completely off but I'm not making the best decisions either, for instance, halloween.  I had too many sweets. I didn't have nearly as many as I would have had a year ago today or even a few months ago but I definitely ate more than I wanted to.  Right now I'm at 135lbs and I want to lose another 10lbs.  

I'm struggling because I'm so close which I knew was going to happen. I'm about to head to DC for a conference tomorrow and planning to really just make very good choices - bringing Medifast meals with me and workout clothes.  Really going to try to be conscientious about my decision making in regards to my meals. 

I think I might need to go back to being very strict about my lean and green. If there's one thing I've gotten a bit slack on it's that. 

Wish me luck! Trying to find the motivation again!

Day 75 TSFL

So I am offiically hitting a plauteau and to put it bluntyly, it sucks.  I am incredibly discouraged and all I can say it's like a have a TSFL angel on one shoulder and a you're so incredibly stressed who cares devil on my other shoulder. Today was incredibly difficult for me in regards to so many emotions and just stress surrounding the wedding. I got up at 530am to go to the gym. Today was my swimming laps day so I was hoping to do 1,000 but instead I really couldn't get my goggles to be on okay so I swam 700 instead but was mostly just grumpy. I was grumpy mostly because I woke up for the second week weighing about 139lbs.  I weighed in at some point at 138.6 then went up to 139.6 and just can't seem to dip below that for wahever the reason... I'm working out regularly and staying to the lean and green and doing things like I normally have.  My body just doesn't want to cooperate.  

So to get back to me being bad today. i slipped out of annoyance with the platueau. At lunch I had a salad (good, yes), corn (okay), and then s spoon full of potatoes. Obviously the potatoes was my slip up.  I really enjoyed them but then felt very guilty that I was giving in with my willpower.  

Tomorrow I'm doing the food tasting for the wedding so I'm a bit nervous where I'll be. I do not want to regress and lose my healthy habits but I really also want to see progress. :(

Day 68 TSFL

Happy first day of life Daniel James Harter!  I was so blessed to be able to go up and see my nephew for the first time and be there to help out with Caitlin while he was delivered!  Even as I was heading straight from work I was really excited because I knew I had made good decisions. I had packed extra medifast meals "just in case" and I stopped quickly at McDonalds to get something. I ordered a fillet o fish without cheese (best thing I could think of), took a couple of bites, took the bun off, and then ate the rest. Overall, for eating a lean and green on the run in a pitch I thought I did pretty good.

Now some cute pics to share :) Better pics were taken on my phone....

Day 66 TSFL

Going to buy a new raincoat today since I met my 140lb weight!  I'm at 139lbs. Woo-hoo!  This may be hurting my wallet a bit but I'm so excited. My old raincoat is about 10yrs old!

Day 64 TSFL

At this point I've lost almost 28lbs! It feels great! Weighed in this morning at 140.2!  It's great but I realize that I've also sort of lost touch of the whole idea of blogging every day. I realize that this could be a disservice to otheres who may be interested in TSFL and are wondering how it's going so I will try to do better.  I initally started blogging because you can easily see your progress and look back at frustrations and then see progress again. I also wasn't quite sure how successful I would be so I kind of tried to do the scientific approach.  Now that I've changed my lifestyle and realize some of the hurdles it's harder for me to realize that blogging can still be impactful for others.

I found out today a good friend of mine has decided to start TSFL due to my progress. I was REALLY extremely excited that she decided to give it a shot. It's somewhat addicting because I want to see everyone have the same success.  Chris was asking me if I thougth she'd do well and I said yes because she's very competitive and stubborn and won't give up!  I think a lot of the reason I started this journey was for my health (blood clot scariness) but it turned into one of my obsessions where I was very aware of what I was eating and doing and putting into framework of what I want to get out of life.  

For instance, I still have 10lbs to lose. Although now that I'm so close I think I'd like to be closer to 125lbs so closer to 15lbs.  Looking at my schedule and Chris's schedule we really aren't going to see each other much the next couple of weeks and I had eaten my lean and green at lunch because of my class trip.  Instead of tell him I couldn't do dinner and be with him or go out and eat like he wanted I decided that my relationship and building on that, but doing it with health in mind. So, I went out and had a second lean and green meal with him and just got something that was a grilled Mahi at the restaurant and focused on us.  I actually didn't gain anything and lost weight the next day (rock climbing and eating healthy).  But, I also know that this isn't a diet and that there are times when I'm going to have to work outside of the parameters but I also know when that's appropriate and when it isn't now.  

Feeling happy :)

Day 50 - 52 TSFL

My Weight Loss Journey (Half way there)

I do not claim to be an expert at this "blogging" thing. In all honesty, I'm probably pretty bad at it. But I started out with the intent of doing something and being completely honest. At this point today I can say I honestly have made an impact in my life for the better.  Today is the day that I'm going to share the blog with all of my friends in celebration - not fear or anxiety.  I have lost over 20lbs in just over 50 days by making healthy choices, changing my life style and sticking to a proven system. I had a conversation today with my health coach, Teresa Trella, and really firmly believe that I am now a huge advocate for the Take Shape For Life plan and program through this experience.  Yes, I am getting supplemental meals at this time so I am eating somewhat designated food, but it feels different. I'm creating.... no..... I've created healthy habits where I eat every 2-3 hours.  I look to eat lean meals at restaurants. I don't let what I can or can't eat control me like on some diets but really try to just make good decisions as I'm trying to read a total weight loss of 35-40lbs.  

So - let's take a step back... I started this journey probably over the summer whether I admit it or not. I, at the ripe age of 28, got a blood clot in my leg from sitting down too much on a drive and for whatever other reasons were out there. I was really struggling with the fact I didn't feel physically fit for my job at a recreation sports center, and honesty was avoiding pictures with my fiancé.  I knew things had to change. I considered weight watchers (which I did successfully in college but then bounced back after being diagnosed with thyroid).  I had tried off and on to just make good decisions when it came to eating but nothing was working.  Fortunately, I had made a friend at my church in New York who led the Youth Group and had become Facebook friends with her. Every day for 30 days she posted an inspiring story about people who had followed the Take Shape For Life method and program and lost and kept the weight off.  

At some point I contacted her and said, okay, tell me more. I was inspired by the stories but skeptical to see whether I could do the same. One of the perks was that I was eating Medifast five times a day and then was responsible for another small meal on my own.  Given the fact cooking terrifies me it was a good way to kind of wean me into trying out new things... The good thing was I had set meals that I tasted good and I didn't really have to think about it that much.  

As time passed, I got more interested in what the program was about and was surprised and excited about the foundation being really to get America and the world healthy.  I didn't feel like it was a plug for the meals or anything, having a coach made it about the overall impact.  

This being said - I still have some to go.  To put it out there (which is sad and embarrassing) I weighed around 168lbs and was 5'1 a week or two before I started this program.  I now weight 143.8 and it keeps going down. My goal is to get to 130 or a little lower which is ideal for my height and age.  

I honestly don't share this to try to see anybody on anything but because it was something I promised myself I would do. It's been my goal to personally track my progress, frustrations, energy, in a blog so I could look back and see progress along the way to help with motivation or to prove the program didn't work.

Looking forward I know I can do this and I know that I have so much more energy and feel so much better about myself.  Bringing all of my friends and family into this journey is a bit scary but you are all a part of my life. I promise I will not post links every day to Facebook or wherever about my blog for the day because I honestly don't think a lot of times it's that interesting. I will try to share milestones with happy events in my life.

With Love,

Mo 

Day 49 TSFL

Excited for my official weigh in tomorrow. I'm getting closer to 145 and feeling so much better in my clothing!  It's amazing how much more confidence I have.  Tomorrow I also go back to work which means I start my formal workout... I did take dogs for a walk today but nothing else too intensive.

Monday = weights

Tuesday = swimming

Wednesday = weights

Thursday = running

Friday = off

Saturday = Ropes Course

Sunday = Ropes Course

Day 48 TSFL

Hard to keep this up to date nowadays just because all I have to say is positive. I keep seeing my weight decrease and I'm not incredibly hungry or anything like that. Today was definitely a very lazy day though. It was a football watching day so I actually took a couple of naps and just was sitting around.  I think the fact I wasn't up and moving made me tired to be honest.  

I plan to be more active tomorrow but definitely kick it into higher gear when I'm at work since that is when I have the ability to use the services at the recreation sports center. 

Day 45 TSFL

Today was another healthy day. I was able to swim 1000m without any real issues. It felt great! I also got a call from my health coach and was excited to talk to her. I've been really making great progress and feeling great.  I'm moving and grooving.  Not much else to post. Staying very busy with teaching classes and work which is GREAT. I wish I could be home more often but with a 40 minute commute, working out prior to work, I'm away from home for nearly 12 hours every day. I couldn't do any of this without the love and support of my fiancé. He's making this a truly wonderful experience. 

Day 44 TSFL

Today was great as far as my journey to a healthier me. I woke up at 545 am with a decent amount of energy and got on the road. I got to the rec center with plenty of time so I walked for 15 minutes and then did weights.  I really enjoy getting my workout in the AM done and over. I then spent the rest of the day working around campus. I got to teach 2 beginning rock climbing classes and 1 EDL 100 course.  So Much Fun!  I really enjoy teaching and doing this with college kids. It makes the fact I've been gone for 12 hours a day really doable.  

I have been able to keep to the plan pretty well. I had a DELICIOUS salad around 3pm with a thing of tuna.  There was spinach, tomatoes, egg, fish, onion, and a little bit of some sort of apple vinegorette in there. It was not very huge but it tasted delicious and I knew that a lot of it was very good for me.  I didn't eat all of my tuna so I figured it was still a very lean and green meal overall.  

Happy & excited to do it all over again Thursday! Tomorrow is my swimming day :) 

Day 43

Happy Labor Day everyone!  I did my weigh in this morning and I only lost a half a pound so I weighed in at 149.  Trying not to get discouraged since I know that doing cake testing the other day did not help but I think it's pretty great that I can do cake testing and still lose something right?! As I mentioned very excited to earn my 150 goal of going to the zoo and doing something a little bit more active.  Maybe I'll try to post some pics later. Trying to update early so I don't feel bad later on today when I forget to post.  

Looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow and my routine of exercising in the AM.  Tomorrow I plan to do weights. 

Day 42

Today was another lazy day but Chris and I got a lot of house projects done which includes putting together one of our guest rooms.  This required me to go through a lot of old pictures of when I was younger or in high school. It was very fun to go through. It always amazes me how insecure I felt at that age about my looks and how fat I felt but yet looking back I was quite pretty and skinny.  Oh to have perspective and confidence I guess. It was great looking back and seeing pictures of all of my old friends too. Makes me want to purchase one of those scanner things that automatically uploads pics.  I have some great ones!  

I found myself getting some extra sleep yesterday so I was a bit off with meals.  After cake testing yesterday I'm not quite sure how tomorrow will go with weigh in but I'm excited to go to the zoo tomorrow and get some exercise in the next few days to jump start!

Day 41

Yesterday was not a great day for me making healthy choices.  I did try to eat healthy things but really felt like I was very lazy (physically).  I didn't really do anything other than drive around for appointments and didn't do any chores or anything so for the most part I was a lazy bum in a lot of ways. It didn't help that it rained and poured in the evening when I was hoping to go for a walk.  I wish we had an exercise room in our house but we don't so therefore I just sort of hung around. One of the bad things about commuting 40 minutes to work every day and working at a Rec Center is I don't have a gym nearby and driving 40 minutes to go to work just seems like a waste of gas especially if ti's just one day. Hopefully the weather will hold off a bit more today so I can at least go for a walk around the block or something. Still hoping for tomorrow's trip to the zoo which will be a a lot of walking as well. 

Oh well - every day can't be a success I guess. 

Day 40 TSFL

Had the day off today and it was really nice to have some relaxing time. I also had lunch at Uno's with my fiancé.  I had the salmon and it was absolutely delicious. I did a lot of running around so I'm hoping that my body still burned enough calories to make a difference despite not really doing formal exercise like I've done the past few days.  Tomorrow is cake testing and hanging out with friends! Will probably get put back in the three day restart again but will make good decisions other than just tasting a bit of the cake but like I said,  this is a lifestyle not a diet so I'm not going to just ignore things I want to do.

Day 39 TSFL

Today I ran for forty five minutes on the elliptical,  and I wanted to keep going! I feel like I'm finally getting to the point where I really enjoy working out and exercising. My body wants to burn calories and get healthy. It's a great feeling.  I'm hoping to see some progress but am not sure about this weekend since I'll be doing a cake testing on Saturday.... 

The last couple of weeks I've seen so much progress, I'm thinking this week might not be as significant, which will be a letdown but I need to keep my health the priority. 

Day 38 TSFL

Today was so much fun! Just got back from bowling with some friends and had a great job. Multiple people commented on how well Im looking and that it's noticeable I'm losing weight. Definitely puts you in a good mood!  I started off the day by swimming laps in the swimming pool which felt GREAT!  I'm still working on drinking more water while at work just because I tend to get tunnel vision but doing better at it which is great.  Looking forward to tomorrow. 

Day 37

Put on a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to wear comfortably for at least a couple of years. Needless to say I'm pretty excited. Spent this morning working out at the Rec Center (lifting weights). The plan is to swim tomorrow morning which I'm really looking forward to as well!  I get so excited to watch the weight fall off. I have to admit that I'm going to be ordering my food differently this time around though. I think I ordered too many shakes - I would much rather snack on cereal, or any of the to go bars and I just didnt' order a lot of those this time around.  

I did not weigh myself this morning and I have to admit it's been hard thinking about all day hoping that I am continuing to lose weight since my activity has decreased since last week.  This is why I'm trying to really hit hard on the formal exercise.  Plus, if I don't do something I have too much energy to actually fall asleep!

Day 36

Today I officially did my Monday weigh in at 149.6. It felt great! I also went through my closet and tried on my jeans and am fitting into size 10s and 12s again instead of barely fitting into my 12s and pushing 14s. My one size 14 jeans don't even stay on my hips - they just slide right off - feels GREAT! I'm really looking forward to hopefully getting down to a size 6 o 8 soon.  Honestly, I'm probably a size 10 but I don't really want to to go out and buy new jeans quite yet since I'm still transitioning so that might have to wait until I'm closer to my 130 mark.  

Today I had so much energy! I took the dogs for a walk as my exercise and I'm planning to wake up early and go into the rec center early to workout.  I really want to lift some weights and get back into the routine of formal exercise. There is NO way I could have done any sort of exercise this past week with all of the activities I was doing, (ropes course, rock climbing, canoeing, zip lining, etc.)  

I'm hoping that I will continue to see this trend of more than 2lbs a week weight loss but realize that I might still see this plateau or less of an impact because of going back to working less programs and more of a sit-down job.  Getting fit has really made me realize how much I really wish I had a standing desk though to keep me on my feet more.  That, or maybe bring an exercise ball into work to work on.... Who knows - I still get up and move around more than most people do at work so that's a plus.  I do love my job.

Hoping tomorrow I'll have a good workout!

Day 35

Today was my final day of work for a one day break.  It probably doesn't sound like much to everyone else but I've worked 14 days in a row so I'm very much looking forward to not going to Oxford tomorrow and staying around Fairfield. This morning I weighed myself and I was less than 150!!! I'm pretty excited about that.  I have five more pounds to go until I'm going to publicize my journey to everyone. I'm a bit nervous but also very excited to share my weight loss with friends and family on my weight loss journey.  

I actually spoke to my friends Jen and Amy about the program today and they seemed somewhat interested.  Jen said she has noticed how my clothes are much baggier on me and that I look a lot better.  

All in all a good day. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 30 - 34

Wow! I missed a lot of days this week with blogging due to my crazy schedule. In good news - I totally believe in TSFL after this past week. I was participating in physically active activities daily and working 12-15 hours or so each day.  Every day I went home and was exhausted but then woke up feeling wide awake the next morning with tons of energy. It was amazing because I was doing so much on a reduced calorie diet.  I love it!  I know that I'm in fat burning so my body is getting calories elsewhere but it was still a wonderful feeling.

On a side note, I did lose my voice though - but not TSFL fault - vocal cords are not used to being used as much as they were. 

I did weigh myself this morning out of curiosity and I weighed in at 151.4 which is down from 153.2 last week. Excited to be approaching 150 for hopefully the last time!  

Day 28 &29

As promised I'm exhausted but have a great amount of energy every morning. I weighed in at 153.2 this morning!  It was great news and kept me motivated.  I had Chris pick me up some tuna on the go for my lean and green since I have had a hard time fitting that in. Tomorrow I work at 7am and go until 10pm or so - going to be a long day! Might back another medifast meal.

Day 27 TSFL

Woke up this morning and remember thinking how great I feel and how I tend to be in such a good mood when I wake up.  I'm sure a significant reason for this is TSFL. 

Now - saying this - I'm absolutely exhausted right now.  I lifted weights this morning and then worked a ropes course outside.  Needless to say - I'm tired.  Still in better spirits than I think I would have been a month ago this time but still pretty tired. 

Hoping I can keep up my energy the next 10 days!!!! It's going to get crazy. Expect short blogs. 

Day 26 TSFL

Weighed in this morning at 154.4!!! scheduled my spa pedicure!  Next goal is 150 = highlights & haircut! Woo-hoo!!!

Day 25 TSFL

Wow - felt great today! I did not get in the run I wanted to get in today simply due to work being non-stop - it's that time of year. But, I always chose the stairs, I walked around campus a bit for work and took the stairs and exercise paths and tried to get in as much as I could.  I keep weighing myself not because I want to necessarily watch every pound or anything but because I REALLY wanted to get a pedicure tomorrow if I could.  

I have set up the different goals for every 5 pounds I lose...

155: Pedicure

150: Haircut/Highlights

145: Climbing shoes - although I think I'm going to change this rain jacket

140: Rain pants (changing this too)

135: New Dress

130: Schedule engagement photo shoot to get pics taken *Particularly good because it's FREE with our photographer for the wedding. 

I have already earned 165: Bubble Bath and 160 Eyebrow wax... I'm so close at 155.4.. Just a little bit more to go but if I earn it in the next few days I won't be able to get the pedicure for about 2 weeks due to my schedule - oh well :)  

Had a great dinner tonight - shrimp with a salad with cucumber, tomatoes (from the garden), and spinach plus some very light salad dressing. 

Day 24 TSFL

I got on the scale this morning to see what progress I had made since weighing in at 158 on Monday after working out the pas couple of days and was very surprised and happy to see 155.6.  Very exciting news! But what's better is how great I feel. I do not feel like I'm pushing myself too much or that I'll eat more food because I'm working out too much - I generally feel good. Today I had to sit through a couple of long trainings and at one point I literally had to stand up because I didn't want to be sitting anymore.

I was happy to get back into the weight room today and do some lifting. It feels great to start building that muscle back up (slowly but surely). I'm hoping to keep to some sort of a pattern but realizing that the next couple weeks of work are going to be really crazy.  We interviewed a new Assistant Director today which required me going out to eat lunch and then again dinner.... For lunch I had a garden salad essentially with salad dressing on the side. It came with some bread who I gave to my director to eat.  Then for dinner I had the salmon which tasted delicious so i'm sure it was prepared with some additives and it was on top of some greens with some dressing again (which I asked for on the side but they did not do that(. Needless to say I probably went over a little today but I don't think enough to reset me back to day 1 of fat burn because if anything I went overboard on the salad stuff and really tried to make conscious choices about what I was eating.. Overall I'd give myself an A :) 

Next few days are going to be good but busy.  Tomorrow is my last real day in the office. Friday I'm off but there's a meeting I have to go to at the Rec Center and then a BBQ, Saturday I have a ropes course for 6 - 7 hours. Sunday begins Miami Bound (40 incoming freshmen students coming to Miami a week early to experience what we have to offer)

Tomorrow = office day

Friday = Off but meeting in evening and BBQ for work (off day but still going in for a little bit)

Saturday = All day ropes course

Sunday = Training for Miami Bound Staff and pre-meeting for students

Monday = all day on the ropes course

Tuesday = hiking and rock climbing

Wednesday = Canoeing 9 miles

Thursday = River Zip Line tour ; Thursday evening = Welcome Week block party.  (Not sure how I'm going to work a 7a-2p and 5p-11p day and eat meals and still be functioning following 5 to 1 simply due to the fact I'll be up so much) Eating every three hours will still leave me missing out on food by the time I get home at midnight. 

Friday = All day staff training

Saturday = PM staff training

Sunday = All day staff training

Monday = OFF :) (First official day of school for students)

* Let's just say the no-prep meals are going to be my friends :) 

Day 23 TSFL

Today I missed my 3 hour time slot by an hour due to just being incredibly busy.  I did not eat something until after 3.5 to 4 hours.  In good news I did go swimming. My first official day of physical activity while on TSFL.  While I have a pretty active lifestyle and such I think it's time to step up my game.  I plan to go in early tomorrow to do weights tomorrow.  

Hoping to see progress! Keeping my fingers crossed since I know I'm technically in Day 2 of Fat Burn again due to this past weekend.  Still feeling great though which is good but have become somewhat skeptical about losing until I'm at 130.

Day 22 TSFL

So I know I cheated this weekend but other than seeing my weight jump to 158 (not too bad in all honesty) I had SO much energy today it was crazy. I think a lot of my energy is just from being so excited about my own wedding planning but also attributed to TSFL. I went to bed probably around midnight and was up by 530am and still had a great day of energy considering all of the things I had to accomplish!  I realize i'm supposed to get a lot more sleep then that and I typically do but I just couldn't shut by brain off last night. 

Today I did look at the clock and realize I was an hour late for a meal but I will try to do better and caught up after that.  I have to admit that I can see this happening especially in my job if I'm not really on top of it because I get really engrossed in what I'm doing that hours can go by and I don't even realize it. * It's great having a job you love.

Totally blown away from the support and love I'm getting from my coach Mrs. T and her husband Mr. T.  It truly means so much to have that feedback and ongoing conversation. It truly help me keep motivated and keep going. 

My second order of food came in today. Yesterday I got my replacement meals for four different boxes I returned. I'm trying to find space in my kitchen for everything!  Excited for all of my meals and this continued journey. 

Day 20 & 21 TSFL

I had so much fun at the wedding this weekend!  It was great to enjoy one of my best friends special days and not be completely overboard trying to think about what I am eating and what I'm not. Although I still was pretty cognoscente of how much I was putting in my body and what I was putting in my body I was very proud of how this weekend went.  Instead of focusing on the decisions I made which probably weren't the best I want to focus on what I did well

The Bride to be / one of my best friends / Katy Workman *Now Katy Klug!

1) I was prepared - I brought Medifast bars with me throughout the weekend to help keep my energy up and to snack on so I was not starved (the only time this really failed was when we were doing wedding and pics and reception but otherwise - success

2) I watched how much I was putting in my body. I still took part in the food that was provided but I was very conscious by how much I was putting in my body and would push the plate away and stop eating as soon as I realized I was getting close to hungry.  I went a little overboard at times and felt much more full than I have the past three weeks but prior to TSFL I KNOW I would have eaten much more throughout this weekend

3) I ate half(s).  There were many meals that were entirely too large and even the portion of wedding cake (which was delicious. I know in the past I would have forced myself to eat it all but instead I tried to cut the portion in half and eat just the half. Still very delicious food that was not the best for me BUT I also want to be the friend who supports those she loves on the once in a lifetime day.  

Chris & I before the wedding reception 

When I started this process towards a healthier life I made the decision to truly not let my weight loss effort (phase 1) control my life.  I do not want to be that friend or bride who is disrespectful and won't partake in food or drink and events because I'm nervous about my weight going off. Yes, I want to lose my weight and yes I want to be healthy but I honestly can't stand it when people put money and effort into buying food or things for someone and they don't eat any of it because they are dieting. Except of this weekend I have participated in a wedding reception, a cookout, and other social events where I felt it was appropriate for me to not eat the food necessarily other than veggies and still be social.  This weekend that would have been impossible for me to do without really insulting people that I love and I stand by that decision.

Walking down the isle in my bridesmaid dress

That being said when today started I am back on Day 1 kind of. So far, no real hunger pains although I'm probably still catching up from yesterday. When I got home and got on the scale around 3pm and weighed in about 158.0  which is much better than I hoped.  Remember I weighed in at 156.8 on Friday but given the fact this is the afternoon and I've already eaten a few meals and so forth who knows.  I knew I was going to gain some weight because I honestly took in more calories than I spent (especially because i had some drinks). But, I didn't ruin what I was going for. Yes, the food was very tasty but I still kept the lookout of trying to make good decisions and I'm excited to get back on the plan today and hopefully find time to workout this week before chaos and stress take over in the next couple of weeks.  

Chris & me at the wedding reception!

Overall had such an amazing weekend with Katy and Justin and am so happy for them.  Feeling a bit more optimistic and looking forward to my continued weight loss... 

Day 19 TSFL

Today is the first day I've lost a bit of faith in the program. I weighed myself this morning as soon as I got up (granted it was a little later than I normally do on Mondays because I'm not working this morning) and only weighed in at 156.8.  On Monday I weighed in at 157. Now, this could be because I haven't started working out or due to my thyroid issues but such a small decrease in weight makes me wonder about whether I'll ever really reach 130.  Whether this is possible with my body.  I've been very strict so far and from my post about Day 18 I am going off the plan tonight and tomorrow for my friend's wedding. I'm still going to make good decisions but not be as black and white with it. 

All that being said, my jeans fit better and I feel great and healthier than before when I wasn't sticking to the phase 1 guidelines.  I know that numbers are not the most important thing but it's very discouraging when this is only Day 19. You would expect this to happen during the 2nd or 3rd month not the 1st.  Very discouraging for me.  I will stick it through until my food is out (just ordered my second batch) but I do want to see results to keep spending money on medifast meal replacements.  Otherwise I will use the healthy tools I'm learning and try to apply them on my own.

Just a bit discouraged. 

Day 18 TSFL

Today I did god with sticking to the plan. I had grilled chicken and tomatoes for my lean and green which was very good.  Excited to see if I've made any progress tomorrow morning. Weighing myself prior to leaving for the wedding. This weekend I'm intentionally going to be as healthy as I can but am also intentionally going to have fun and go back to pre-fat burn stage.  I plan to drink, eat, and have fun with one of my best friends who is getting married.  I will still eat the medifast meals throughout the day and keep all of the other healthy habits but I want to celebrate with my friend.  After the wedding I will go back on the plan and hopefully begin a workout regiment. I hope it won't kick me back so far that I have to take it easy the first three weeks like before but if that's the case - so be it. 

Day 17 TSFL

Today I had another good day with following the plan.  I worked two different programs back to back today and finding times to actually eat was a bit difficult with my job responsibilities.  I think I went slightly longer between than three hours before eating dinner but mostly due to my commute and wanting to not eat my lean and green as my evening snack. My mouth sores are going away which is good. I'm excited for the wedding this coming weekend though!  I'm going to just make good decisions for the most part and just enjoy myself.

Day 16 TSFL

Today has been another good day of making good decisions.  I feel better and healthier. Excited for the wedding this weekend and excited to talk to my health coach tomorrow regarding the wedding and other information.  I'm hoping that I will continue to see weight loss and be successful. Overall I just feel healthier which is great.

I've been doing my lean and green meal at Shriver Center and brining a can of tuna and making a salad at the market.  They don't really have any lean green items or at least none that I'm comfortable with meeting what I want to meet. Needless to say the past couple of days I've been very full after this meal and feeling good!  

Hoping to see some progress next week and might weigh myself before leaving for the weekend. I'm a little nervous that my weight won't continue to decrease despite the reduced calories I'm eating.

Day 15 TSFL

Today I weighed in at 157lbs.  Not the 5-7 lbs difference that week two is supposed to predict but still I'll take it because I honestly feel great and I feel like I'm noticing a difference in my clothes.  I also feel a lot more energy. Although this week is a horrible week for the Rec. Center to be closed because I  certainly could have used a good work out today.  I decided to walk around campus a bit to try to get some of my energy out which I think was a healthy choice.  

I still need to drink more water - I know I know I'm a broken record. 

I have developed stress blisters on my bottom lip due to this change in my diet most likely. Apparently my body is stressed by the decrease in calories I'm now bringing in. The sores were particularly difficult this weekend and it hurt a lot. Today they felt much better.  I'm trying to avoid tomatoes though because the juice irritates the sores.  If they are still bad after this weekend I will schedule an appointment with my doctor. 

Hoping to continue to see results and looking forward to conversation with my health coach on Wednesday regarding my wedding. i really appreciate all of the encouragement I'm receiving from her and her husband. Both wonderful people of God.  I'm looking forward to sharing this blog with everyone when I reach 145lbs.  

Day 14 TSFL Part 2

As i mentioned earlier today I was feeling pretty unmotivated and tempted by a lot of the options I used to go to on a regular basis. I decided that it was a good idea to pick up and finally start "really" reading Dr. A's book.  I'm in chapter two and this quote really caught my attention because I think I'm on the cusp of this very fight.... 

                                                           Changing Our Focus

In our instant-gratification society, we tend to think of weight loss as a destination.  In fact, it's really just a first step.  Optimal health is a journey based on lifestyle change - a re-orientation from merely hoping to lose weight (all the while succumbing to daily stress and making poor choices) to creating health by allowing our minds and bodies to work together. That's very different than focusing on weight alone! (Anderson, W.S., Pg 16)

Read through chapter eight. Feeling more motivated and hoping to see good results tomorrow.  I realize I can make some other smarter choices in my journey.  

Day 14 TSFL

I find myself yearning for the food of yesterday it seems a lot more today.  Chris and I went out and did some errands and we were passing a lot of restaurants that I kept wishing I could eat at.  I have to keep reminding myself that TSFL is not about eating certain meals all the time it's about eating healthier and that I will reach a point where I can (on occasion) go out and still enjoy these meals and I'll be able to be at weddings or celebrations and in moderation eat food with everyone else.  I'm interested to see what I'm going to weigh in at tomorrow.  I keep on cheating and weighing myself during the week. I think yesterday I was 157 and sadly this morning I was 157.6.  Both weights are better than 158.8 which is what I was at before so I'll take it.  

As my weight continues to slowly decrease week by week I will have to continue to drink water and fit in exercise. Not a good time for the Rec Center is closed for the week but I can do some walks with the dogs and just overall try to be active while out and about.  

Not sure if I'll meet me goal of 155 by the wedding at this rate but keeping my fingers crossed.  

Day 13 TSFL

I guess on busy weekends I'm going to make a habit of posting the day after. Yesterday was a hard day simply because I didn't feel the greatest. I think I was slightly dehydrated from not having any water from the day before.  Eating wise I was just fine.  Although I did leave my lean and green meal for the wedding reception only to discover there was absolutely NOTHING I could eat. I thought there might be a burger or something like that which wouldn't be the best but everything was pretty much fried or had sauces on it. Looked good but I've come so far I didn't want to cheat. Fortunately I packed a couple of Medifast bars with me so I ended up eating 6 Medifast meals and one with veggies when I got back close to going to bed. Not ideal but I thought it was my better decision.  I also avoided having any wine or anything like that which wasn't too difficult but his grandpa kept trying to get me to have something to drink since I wasn't driving. 

I find telling people no because I'm dieting can sometimes be met with resistance so instead I just said I was trying to drink lots of water because I had been dehydrated after going to the Reds game the day before...  

Oh yeah - found an old picture of me from HS back where I was the weight I'm hoping to be again (or at least was close). Yesterday was also my ten year reunion... Hope I look this good or close again soon!

Day 12 TSFL

Well I'm posting day 12 on day 13 but that's mostly due to a chaotic schedule and a Reds Game.  Needless to say, I was too tired by the time I got home to blog so here I am.  Yesterday as far as food challenges was probably the most tempting due to the baseball food.  I love All American food like hotdogs and pizza, popcorn, etc.  I look forward to the day when I'm down to my weight and I can eat those foods in moderation (not all at once obviously).  

I did good though - I brought a snack bar with me and drank some water. Although after climbing to the top of the stadium and walking around the city I can guarantee that I did not drink enough water.  I also have some sores going on in my mouth (stress blisters) which do not feel great at all so it's making it hard to eat any food. Hopefully if these don't go away I'm going to go see a doctor next week. 

Day 11 TSFL

Well i did something I shouldn't have done.  I stepped on the scale first thing this morning and was pretty disappointed when I looked and saw I had gone from 158.8 to 158.4 since Monday. Considering I spent Tuesday mulching and yesterday doing weights I was really hoping to see more drastic results than that. But then again, that's why I'm not the most patient person... I have to remember to only weigh in once a week and any sort of decrease should be celebrated.  I do feel better and I do feel like I'm starting to look a little different as far as the weight loss goes.  Focusing on weight lifting will help me tone up more which would be nice overall. Chris says he can see a bit of a difference too which is very encouraging.  

They say doing TSFL you should lose 5-7 pounds for the first two weeks and then 1-2 afterwards.  I think I'm probably entering the 1-2 phase which means I should really try to step up my exercise.  I didn't feel too hungry and since I was already fairly active before I don't think I need to wait until week 3 to start really trying to get in a good workout. I'm still going to somewhat take it easy initially. Today is going to be hard to sneak in a workout because I'm on the radio while at the Rec Center. That means I have to find someone to cover it for me while I work out and there's s giant administrative meeting occurring today for all directors... Oh well.  My hopes was to be down to 155 by Katy's wedding which is August 10th.  I felt like losing 10lbs wasn't too incredibly drastic of a goal to try to reach.  So, I have 3.2 lbs to lose in 9 days or so... 

The only thing I can think of that I might not be doing or as strict on is drinking water while I'm at work. When I'm home it's a lot easier for me to remember to keep drinking water throughout the day but while at work I get very distracted.  I still drink a lot more than I used to but maybe that's impacting how my body is interacting and not helping me lose the weight as effectively?  Unsure.  

As mentioned I work a late night tonight 12p-9p so I'm bringing all of my meals with me.  I think I'm definitely going to be sticking to the grab an go snacks from now on since that's more my lifestyle then sit down and microwave something.  

Day Ten TSFL

I think today was another success story.  We had a party this evening with all of the summer staff and I  planned ahead and decided to eat my salmon at lunch time and then eat veggies with one of my medifast meals while at the event. I was tempted by the food but once again surprised by how much I wasn't really hungry while we were eating. My tummy is grumbling right now a bit before going to bed but I think that's just because I just had my last meal and I'm processing it or something.  I also probably didn't have enough veggies.  Today was my first "official" day of exercise. I lifted weights for my arms today because I know I need to build up muscle. Muscle helps burn fat :) Plus I figured I wouldn't be nearly as exhausted afterwards as I would be with cardio in case I was working out too early into this transition. Afterwards I felt GREAT! I'm hoping to start incorporating more structured exercise daily. Especially on office days where I'm not out doing manual labor or working programs. 

Day Nine TSFL

If there's one word I could use for today and how I feel I'd have to say, "exhausted".  I spent 80% of my day out on the ropes course mulching.  Essentially I was the spreader of the mulch while others helped to move the mulch from point A to point B using a Bobcat.  Lots of bug bites but the ropes  course looks good.  It was a little hard to try to keep up with when I can meals but I think I did pretty well overall.  

One of my reasons for doing TSFL is so days like this get better and I can keep up with those college kids of mine.  I could tell everyone was tired but I want to be able to keep up with my job and not feel like I'm a burden to others.  To be a leader in the job role I'm in I have to be fit and able to do physical things on a daily basis. One of the many reasons I am determined to make this a life change.

Day Eight TSFL

Today I weighed in and I was 158.8! That's down from 164.6 in one week.  Overall that's encouraging for me!  This means I also met my goal and I can now go get my eyebrows waxed lol.  Had a delicious lean and green meal that consisted of salmon and a salad. I might have added a bit more dressings and such because i didn't measure things out but I still went very light on everything so overall I think I did well. Worked a low course program all afternoon and evening so plenty of walking. Tomorrow I'll be out mulching the high ropes course which will probably ware me out - I'll be sure to drink lots of water!

Short post due to long day!  

Day Seven TSFL

Today was another good day - there are definitely times when I want to eat more food or snack on something but then I think to myself... Why? I'm not even hungry?!   I won't lie I'm still tempted by lots of food and thoughts of eating things but it's my hope that after a few weeks these cravings and thoughts will get far and few between. It kind of reminds me of giving up Diet Coke. I remember that for about a solid two to three weeks I would crave diet coke but then all of a sudden I realized I no longer thought about it.  It was truly an addiction. I'm hoping that this will be the same for some of my random cravings I have throughout the day.

I feel bad for my fiance. He hasn't eaten all day and because I'm on the diet we can't really eat the same things anymore. I am about to go and pick him up a pizza from La Rosa's though which makes me happy because I still want him to feel like he can eat around me and such.  Due to the fact I'm doing lean and green during my lunches it really just leaves my medifast meals for when I'm home. HE has been very supportive though which is fantastic. I just know he feels bad because he sometimes wants to socially eat with me and I'm really trying to stick to this.  Fortunately it's only been a week so once again maybe we'll just get used to this routine together.  I do love him so much!

I'm trying to be proactive regarding tomorrow's lean and green. Unfortunately I work 1230p-930p with a 40 minute commute.  On top of that I have programming from 115p-415p and then again 6p-930p. I don't mind snacking on medifast meals while I'm with a group especially since they're so quick and easy.  I'm not sure when I'll sneak in my lean and green... Hm...

8a wake up

830 medifast

11a eat lean a green?

1p eat medifast

4p eat medifast

6p eat medifast

9 eat medifast

Sounds like a plan to me!  I think I will have one of my salmon's for lean and green tomorrow and maybe mix up a little salad or something for the side.   After I pick up LaRosa's i'm going to be taking a bubble bath since it's one of the things I earned by dropping below 165.  Hoping I can make it to the salon sometime this week because I'm hoping tomorrow I'll be less than 160 which means I can get my eye brows waxed. Woo-hoo!  Lol  

165 Bubble Bath

160 Eye Brow Wax

155 Pedicure 

Day Six TSFL

I don't expect today's post to be very long.  Had my best friend from kindergarden come up to visit me today which was an absolute blast. We went to IKEA and Jungle Jims.  At IKEA I had my lean and green I was nervous about it because this is the first time I just had to find something that was healthy outside of cooking it myself.  I was so nervous about whether I made the right choice that I took a picture and sent it to my health coach. She approved so I went on and enjoyed the rest of my day. 

I feel like I could have worked out today. I did spend all day walking around shopping with Lisa. I'm a bit tired right now but I'm also not hungry at all. I'm almost forcing myself to eat every three hours one of the snacks.  I wonder if this is common... 

I work the next six days - so hopefully I'll continue to be successful. Next Saturday there's a wedding reception and the next weekend an entire wedding weekend!  Just trying to make good choices.  Monday is my weigh in - I'll be sure to post an update. 

Day 5 TSFL

Day Five - if you would have asked me this morning how I felt I'd say awake, alert, but not as prepared as I wished.  If it weren't for the TSFL motivation I probably could have easily faltered. Mostly this is because I didn't prepare my meals as best as I should have Thursday night.  I woke up and I was very flustered but took the time to actually put everything together.  I have to find an alternative for my lean and green while at work. I have decided that I can't keep eating tuna every day (I'll get bored) and I definitely need to purchase some more veggies.  My veggies are running out quickly... Right now I only have celery and broccoli - both don't sound very good to me right now. I'm thinking I might bring the celery tomorrow when I'm canoeing with my best friend Lisa.  I think I need very specific ideas like go to Meijer and purchase "blank". I don't know..... I want to be successful!  I'm not sure about the lean and green meal. I'm thinking I might try to make her something for the afternoon as we go out.  I'm just going to stick to the Medifast meals while on the water and then eat my lean and green for dinner.  

I need to start researching and seeing if I can start brining other meat items with me for lunch.  For instance, if I could just pack cut up turkey - something nice and easy that would be great. I have a feeling all turkey that is easy to pack up I could find at the store is not going to be 95-97% lean. Unfortunately with a 40 minute drive I need to quickly figure out some lunches that I can bring with me for work for, well, the rest of my life!  I want to have healthy meals that I can bring with me.  Even if it requires some meal preparation on the weekend or in the evenings.  My biggest struggle right now is just lack of knowledge and experience.  

Shoot - as I'm reviewing my QuickStart guide for the 100th time I realized that I've been off plan. I've been eating a 5-oz portion of tuna for lunch and adding 2 healthy fat servings.  Apparently tuna falls under the "Lean" category which doesn't allow for any healthy fat servings... I'm still making progress but something good to find out earlier on I guess. Although I'm confused because on Healthy Fats page it says that I need at least two servings... Ugh - good question for Theresa I guess.

Tomorrow is going to start my days of exercise with hopefully an 8 mile canoe trip.  Sunday & Monday I'm doing ropes course programming so there will be lots of walking around and work related exercise. Much more activity then I've had around the office this week. Although I have made conscious efforts to take the stairs multiple times and walk through the recreation center to fill up my water bottle.  *Something I need to continue to get better at. 

Day Four: TSFL

Today was a great day. I woke up with energy and wanted to spend most of my time at my desk standing and walking around as opposed to just sitting on my butt.  According to my coach I'm in the fat burning stage.  I'm still getting slightly hungry before my allotted eating time but then at other times I have to remind myself to eat because it's been three hours.  

I have discovered that I do not like the eggs, smoothies (love the shakes though), parmesan cheese things, and soup.  I have one more day of trying new meals and then I can work on only ordering the foods I like.  

Although my good spirits were tested as I came home this evening and found the garbage scattered across the floor. Apparently when Chris marinated his chicken last night Bubba could smell it out. He decided to dumb the entire trash can and him and Peach had a feast while Chris and I were at work... Grrrr - not fun coming home to is all I can say. 

Day Four of TSFL - Lean and Green Meal

Starting off today's post with a pic of my lean and green meal I made for lunch.  Cut up cucumber and am putting tuna on top of cucumbers and eating at once.  In the tuna I put two tsp of Olive Oil and 1 tsp of Rosemary. I believe this is all within my allowed standards for the lean and green.

and the verdict is... pretty good!  yesterday when I had my tuna I felt it was way too dry (didn't add anything). So, hopefully by combining with the cucumber to eat it will all be a good option.

Day Three of TSFL

I've decided that I need to stop calling this a diet.  I'm not doing a "diet" I'm changing how I eat and know what I'm putting in my body. I'm not going to lie -there are a ton of bad habits that I have that I know need to change for me to be healthy/happy in the long term.  Surprisingly I do not feel that this transition has been that difficult. I've done weight watchers before and when I first started that out I remember being SO hungry the first few days as my stomach shrunk.  The only side effect I've seen is my head really hurting.  Although - this could be from the crazy weather we have had and be a sinus headache.  It's not pleasant but it's manageable.  I also have had a bit less energy but nothing too crazy.

Today for my lean and green I had tomatoes (huge hit!) and tuna. The tuna was okay but was very dry. Hopefully I can get a recipe of something I can add to it to make it easier to get down. I honestly threw about 1/4 of it away because it was too dry.  I find myself picking at my food a lot more.  One question I have about the 5 to 1 that I need to ask my coach about tonight is the timing of the meals?  I know you're supposed to take 20 minutes to eat a meal but my question is when the actual timing of the next meal occurs. For instance if I start a meal at 7am but finish it at 7:40am do I need to wait another two to three hours after 7am or 740am for my next meal?  So far I've been going by the start time.  Hopefully that's correct.

One thing I cheated at today was I jumped on a scale while at the Rec Center.  I did this around 11am (in between meals) and with all my clothes and everything on.  *Obviously since this scale is on the main floor at the Rec Center and next to an office door I often walk by.  I guess one of the perks and disadvantages of working at a Recreation Sports Center.

i have been consciously taking the stairs more at work instead of the elevator.  I have also been attempting to tell as many people as possible about what I'm doing. Everyone so far has been incredibly supportive. I actually had a meeting in the evening where we met up at local bar for some drinks and conversations. Everyone ordered beer and had some pretzels to munch on. I just drank water the whole time and while I did get a somewhat "why are you doing that" from one colleague the other two were incredibly supportive. *Perk of working with Recreation people.   I later explained how the main reason I started on this was the blood clot that was discovered in my leg in May. It was something that really had my concerned and looking at my health.  Since then I've stopped drinking pop and have decided to invest my money and efforts towards TSFL.  Hoping to see evidence of this paying off on Monday officially since I should be entering the fat burning zone soon.  Other than my headache - feeling fairly positive.  

Wish me luck!

Day Two on TSFL Diet

Today was a good day overall. I believe I made much healthier decisions than I would have if it were not for TSFL.  I am, though, pretty tired and have a mild/severe headache. Although according to my TSFL coach this is incredibly common in the first three days of the diet because of how your body enters into the "fat burn" stage. All I can say is I'm really looking forward to that stage. I don't mind being tired necessarily but I could really do without this headache.  

Today I may have overdone it. First off I had a meeting across campus that I decided to walk to and back.  While this is normally not a bad idea I think it might have been a bit overzealous for the second day of this diet. I was smart enough to grab my mid-afternoon snack and bring it to the meeting though. After the meeting I stopped half-way back at Shriver and ate the rest of the snack and got a large Iced Tea to drink.  This helped carry me onto lunch but I could definitely feel my energy sinking fast!  

We also had an evening reception for HRDBS and all of the new Resident Life Staff. It was great to meet everyone in a social setting. Of course they had lots of tasty foods that looked delicious and punch and sodas, etc. I took one look around and decided I'd put my back to the snack table and opted to get a big glass of water.  Typically in situations like that I find myself nervously eating because I'm uncomfortable with socializing a ton and eating the food makes me feel more at ease - plus it typically is extremely delicious.  It helped me to look around the table and notice that there were some other individuals who were also opting not to go ahead and help themselves to the food, but it was still a conscious decision I had to make to stay away.  Towards the end of the hour I was surprised by how little I was really still thinking about it.  

I did rush home to eat my lean and green meal today. I think today went better because I opted to just throw a grilled chicken breast into the microwave and have been munching on celery. Yesterday I did not do a good job of eating enough vegetables so I'm trying to make sure I eat all of the celery. I've never really been a veggies person to be honest. Although i did notice that tomatoes are on the approved list of veggies to eat which makes me very happy since we are growing some tomatoes in our garden and I love them!  That may be my "go to" veggie.  

Chris (my fiancé) is at the grocery store. I tried to load him up with as many of the healthy options as possible. Particularly tuna!  I think it's going to work out better if I'm able to do my lean/green meal during lunch and then use the evenings to have the 5 TSFL meal choices.  I think this would be better simply because by the time I get home I really don't feel like cooking a ton after working a full day and would rather just do something quickly/easily.  I think that's what got me in trouble in the past. Mostly because my quick/easy was going out to get something to eat, or cooking too much food because I was so hungry.  A lot of times though I would easily get full by simply having a bowl of cereal which I love and hope that I'll be able to eat again some day after I get back down to my desired weigh. 

I am tempted to jump on the scale right now but I am purposefully going to wait until Monday to re-weigh myself. I think a lot of times my impatience leads to me giving up on diets. Therefore, I'm going to try to be patient and just weigh in once a week as recommended.  I do have different prizes I'm giving myself for every 5lbs lost. I've posted these prizes on my fridge at home and in my office to remind myself that there are perks to following through with what I'm trying to do.  

168 start weight

165 Bubble Bath

160 Eye brow wax

155 Pedicure

150 Highlights/haircut

145 New Climbing Shoes

140 New dress

135 Raincoat

130 Ideas?  I want it to be something big that I can celebrate with and obviously something that is not associated with food in any way. (Goal Weight)

Oh well - I think I might share this link with TSFL group but will wait to post for everyone else to see after I've lost at least some weight.  I don't mind this being public - I just want to be successful. Maybe some day I'll coach like Theresa mentioned but I have to prove to myself that I can do this for life first. 

Day One on TSFL Diet

Today is supposed to be a very challenging day for me since it's Day 1 of my weight loss program. I'm really not picky so I haven't found too many issues with the food or the plan so far. Cooking my lean and green meal is really what stresses me out.  Apparently you're not supposed to put aluminum in the microwave when you don't have clear plastic wrap.. oops!  

This morning I weighed in at 164.6.  I am fairly happy with that because a couple of weeks ago I weight around 168.  After I had food poisoning I was down to 162 but I figure at least two lbs of water could account for why it came up.  Right now is really the only time I've felt particularly hungry.  I have decided that I need to wait another hour before I allow myself to eat anything again but that's still sticking with the plan.  I think the majority of my weight gain is from lack of planning and possibly lack of eating. 

One thing I did today was try on my bridesmaid's dress for my best friend's Katy's wedding.  I cannot even come close to saying how disappointed I am in my body in that dress.  Although it is a beautiful dress, I just don't like how I look in it.  It makes me really wish I would have started this process a lot sooner rather than waiting.  Oh well - hopefully I'll be in good dress shape by April 26th 2013 and continue it for the rest of my life!

As I went throughout the day I realized that a lot of my issue with weight comes not from being a foody of some sort where I really treasure how things taste but a lack of patience and of convenience. I also tend to wait and ignore hunger for so long that when I'm hungry I just want to eat as much as I can so I don't waste time eating again in the future. One thing I need to continue to get better at is spending more time eating my meals. Even as a kid our whole family would wolf down our food.  This has been a habit that has carried over onto adulthood that I realize forces me to continue to eat even after I am actually full. 

Chris (my fiance) is sitting here now so I figure I should get going.  About to call and talk to my health coach through TSFL, Theresa Trella.   Wish me luck on this journey!

Tomorrow is Day One of my TSFL diet

Tomorrow is the first day of my Take Shape For Life (TSFL) diet.  I'm nervous. I'm hesitant, but I'm also very excited.  I'm really excited to one day weight 130 lbs.  I have not weighed that since middle school - although I was very close to that weight when I was a sophomore in college I got down to 135. Overall this will be a journey to lose about 35lbs altogether but make a change once and for all.  The diet calls for me to eat a designated meal from TSFL every two to three hours a day plus one lean and healthy meal. The meals are obviously reduced calorie snacks/meals.  I am supposed to feel weak(ish) for up to three weeks.  

I plan to really struggle the first bit and hope I will be able to overcome my issues by keeping a motto that I once heard uttered by a woman I respect greatly (Pat Kopf) "Eat to live don't live to eat", and by being wishful for a future where I am healthier, have more energy, more self-confidence, etc. 

Upcoming challenges I know that will be facing my way are the numerous weddings that are coming up that I am participating in. I plan to stick to my diet as strictly as possible except when directly involved in the wedding.  I think it's important to still participate and not be that person who won't eat anything because it's without the diet. I will be sure to make conscientious choices though that are healthy and in line with my goals. 

Wish me luck!

Weight Loss Journey

Today I decided to start a blog. I want to do this to keep myself accountable but also to be honest about the program itself that I have decided to take part in.  I am essentially working with a health coach and will be following a 5 to 1 plan. I have ordered pre meals and will begin my weight loss journey a week from Monday.  There is a delay in starting this program because the first three weeks they ask that participants in the program decrease their amount of exercise. 

Right now I need to lose about 35lbs. I'm nervous to fail in this journey and know the first few days couple of weeks will be difficult. One of the main motivations is my upcoming wedding but also my future health. 

As I prepare for this journey I have already begun to make better decisions.