100

"Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake." ! Anonymous

That used to be me... but I am now committing to losing it... no longer can the thin person be sedated... in fact, once she arrives she might be a force to be reckoned with after years in the pantry!

It is offensive to me that many people think overweight people do nothing but eat one goodie and another... I literally have nothing to eat in my refrigerator except eggs. I don't have cupboards full of bon bons... I don't order jumbo pizzas (or any for that matter) and eat them by myself. I don't hoard cookies. I don't eat breakfast, and often don't eat dinner... yet my thin friends eat constantly.

This started out to be my journal to record my journey on Medi Weight Loss Clinic's program - I lost 50 pounds on that program in 4 months... it all came back rapidly when I tried to eat "normal" - as in eating fruits and more carbs...the Dr told me it would but I thought I had it figured out. He told me I probably couldn't go over 1,400 calories a day... surely not! He was right.

Now I'm doing it all over again......without joining Medi Weight Loss - I know what to do without spending over $100 a week.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Medi Weightloss Clinic - two weeks into it

Two weeks down and I'm 12# thinner! I am back in my jeans I wore at Christmas!

And... I am loving it!

I feel... no, I know, I can and will do this. I will not cheat or drop off the wagon.

If you are reading this and wondering it if is for you... if you have made up your made that you are going to commit to whatever it takes to lose weight, then I think you too will be successful. LIKE ME, YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO DO THIS. No one can want it for you more than you want it for yourself.

Again, no one can want it for you more than you want it for yourself.

For me, counting the days until I had my appointment anc could start, seemed like an eternity. That is how I knew I was ready.

Now, that said... I gorged and filled myself full of carbs right until 10 pm the night before I started. After all, if I didn't eat them, I was going to have to throw them away... not something a carb lover can easily do... and certainly not something an out of control carb lover could do.

As the day approached, I embraced and welcomed the opportunity to change. I knew I had to do something. A year earlier I lost 25 pounds, only to gain all that back and more this winter...and as I was eating myself into a frenzy. I kept wondering, how much can I eat until my pants are too tight? That would be what would stop me... or so I thought.

The day came and not only were they too tight... I could not get my jeans up past my thighs. It seemed the fat reappeared all at once. I was depressed... and angry with myself.

Fortunately, having been through the yo-yo dieting routines in the past, I still had some of my clothes from when I was heavier and they fit. Kind of. Even they were tough to zip... I could not zip the last two inches of my fat dress slacks.

But even that did not stop me. I went to the grocery store and bought veggies and all the fixings for a salad... and two gallons of my favorite ice cream, bagels and cream cheese, a large bag of Doritos and a bag of Reeese Peanut Butter Cups. I never touched the salad fixings, but I ate everything else over the course of 3 days and bought more bagels and cream cheese and consumed that.

I also had fallen in love with very large, rich cookies that were sold in the gift shop at work. Some days I only ate one, other days I ate two.

Tuesday of that week I had a hair appointment. As we always do, my hairdresser and I exchanged our plans to lose our extra weight. She had a plan... to watch what she ate and go to the gym. My plan was to start back on shakes... that's how I lost it in the past and I liked them. As much as I liked them, I was still tempted by real food... it's not realistic to think you can take off the weight on shakes and THEN learn how to eat correctly.

As she was cutting my hair, another hairdressers client came in and she greeted her by name and said she could tell she lost weight. The lady smiled and said, "Yes, 22 pounds in a month - eating regular food, no shakes, nothing pre-packaged." I was amazed.

I quizzed her about her diet. She said it was medically supervised and the easiest thing she's ever done to lose weight. She told me the cost involved... $295 for the initial visit and $80 a week. I said there was no way I would pay that. I'm a single mom who still has a child in college.

She said she has five kids, the oldest is in college and the youngest is 4 and she is in the process of divorce. "How can you afford?" I asked. She said, "how can I afford not to do it? If I develop a health issue, it's going to cost me a lot more than this and I have to be healthy to work and take care of 5 kids on my own."

I told her I understood, but I didn't. Not yet. I swore under my breath that I'd just do it on my own and not pay anyone to weigh me.

As she was leaving, she handed me a card for $25 off the initial visit and said, "I hope you do it - it's easy and you are not hungry."

As I crawled into bed that evening, after eating yet more ice cream, I decided that I too need to be here for my kids and as healthy as possible. I decided to look at it differently, not as money spent but as money invested in my future, and my sons.
And I said to myself something I don't think I've ever said to myself in the past.

I said. "You're worth it."

Then I closed my eyes and tried to justify it again and again until I believed those words.

Two weeks later, I am 12 pounds lighter... and my BMI even dropped a point.
No hunger.

What I really appreciate about the staff is how personable they are.... and how encouraging they are.

I know if I give my all for 12 weeks, it was change my life... and I plan to stay until I reach my desired size.

They did not set a goal for me. They said that was entirely up to me.

I decided to set small goals for myself.

The first goal - getting back into my jeans. Just two weeks later.

My next goal is the 20# mark. Once I get there I will set the next one.

In a couple weeks it will be warm to stay, hopefully I will be able to wear the slacks I wore last summer by that time. If not, I will stay the course until I do.

In two weeks I've lost more than I ever did after months of being on Diet Workshop or Weight Watchers.

And, they upped my calories by 200 calories. Imagine getting your calories increased so you lose more weight? I'm still apprehensive about that but it is a science and they know what they are doing.

This is working for me. It will work for you too, if you work it.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Dr.Visit


Ugh.... Who likes to be weighed?  Not Me!

I got the grim news... and my BMI.... and the breakdown that said how much of me was fat,  how much was muscle, and how much was water.  - 

Weighed, measured... photo taken blood chemistry drawn... injections given...EKG, History and Mini-Physical and a prescription for the appetite suppressant!

I had expected a lecture... but instead he said... this is not all your fault. You eat foods that stimulate insulin production and people who have too much insulin store the majority of the carbs they consume as FAT.

He also said that he knows this to be a fact:  Women can't stick to a diet and lose weight if they are hungry  - so if your BMI is high enough you will get an appetite suppressant  - 7 pills each week... the cost of those pills and the weekly B12 shot are included in your weekly fee.

The appetite suppressant can only be prescribed for 12 weeks... no more.  If you miss a weekly doctor appointment, you miss a week of appetite suppressants. No exceptions. They are very highly re gulated.... and I love them. It is so wonderful to go through the day and eat when your stomach is growling instead of thinking about food all day long. 

I left there with an insulated lunch bag full of supplements, and instructions for the first week.... I can honestly say it was $295 well spent.... every dime of it!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Medi Weight Loss Clinic - Some reasons I like the concept

As you know, I've yet to start... but I'm anxious to get started and gathering as much info as I can ... like WATER - Drink 64 - 128 oz a day

You should have 16 oz of a drink with electrolytes to prevent muscle spasms

Have some healthy fat every dayt  to keep your gall bladder working properly.( THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT ... I was on Medifast and had rapid weight loss.... then had my gall bladder flare up... and pancreasitis... nearly died.

The Day Arrived


We've all had those days... you are getting ready for work, you get a glimpse at your half-naked body in the mirror and wonder, WHO IS THAT WOMAN? If fact, you're downright shocked and horrified... she looks nothing like the woman in your dreams or the one you see in the mirror most of the time ...unless, of course, you stop and take a second look.

For me, it's not just about shopping for clothes ... or hoping to remarry someday....(actually, no matter how thin I get I will still seek out that man who loves me for me, not my dress size... but that's a story for another day.

Today, I am going to speak about the day the thin person inside me kicked me in the gut. I remember it well, and hope the bruise sticks around for awhile.

I was getting my hair colored... glanced in the mirror at my plump face and wondered how those pounds I lost a year ago returned... without me noticing until one day NOTHING fit but my former fat clothes that were still in a box in the garage.

I am a stress eater... and I've had a stressful year.... my dad has had a year of major health struggles... I stop there every night and eat a few chocolates... popcorn... etc.   During the day when I think about his condition, I treat myself to a large cookies, to ease the pain.  When he's in the hospital, my mother and I get McChicken Sandwiches ... hot, spicy and only $1.... and 440 calories.

Another client was standing close to me talking about her recent weight loss and not being hungry... and eating real food.... with the weight just falling off.... no hunger... easy. Then she mentioned the COST.... First visit, $295. Each additional week, $80.  And you eat real food, weigh in weekly...pay your money and get your shots.

I gulped at the price.... she is getting divorced and has 5 kids... and said... "I can't think about the cost, when he asked me for a divorce, I called the next day."

And I snuggled down in the beauty shop chair and thought.... "I want to grow old to be there for my sons, I can't think about the price".  She gave me a business card to call and I did so that evening.

The next morning the weight loss clinic called to say they got my message.... they could see me on Thursday...Woo Hoo.

I made that appointment last Wednesday. Today is Sunday and Thursday seems like a lifetime away... the receptionist told me to fast before I come but drink plenty of water.... she also told me to eat normally this week, unrestricted, not to diet so I would go into ketosis easier once I start the process.

And so I wait....and anticipate the process.  I am eating things... like pizza and an ice cream cone today... thinking ... enjoy it because it will be months before I have those treats again and I'm OK with that.

I have a couple tubs of clothes I bought last summer that I can't get into ............... but hopefully within a month, I will.

I am ready... which is the biggest part of changing your lifestyle... you have to be ready.

I  am

I am

I am not thinking about the cost.... I'd gladly pay that to spend additional healthy years with my sons.They are my motivation.