Weighing In!

I went and started a new program and haven't come back to update you on my progress! Life has been busy-- but what else is new, right?

As of this morning, I had lost about 19 lbs. Super happy about that! That's in just over a month. It could probably be more-- but I haven't been perfect on this since the 4th of July when I got a little off track. However, there have been drastic improvements in what I've been eating. Honestly, I don't care if it takes me a little longer to lose the weight-- I don't want to make myself crazy being too strict.

Since being off the blood pressure medication that causes depression, I have felt a lot better! I haven't had any "depressive" episodes. My mood has been pretty level and normal. Not only that, I'm not retaining fluid anymore so my wrists don't ache anymore-- that's such a relief!

I should also note that the dosage of my new blood pressure medication has been decreased to half of what it was initially! That is definitely a positive change!

The biggest improvement has been the reduction of sugar in my diet. Once you get off of sugar, you start to realize that it's like a drug. When you have a little bit it will make you crave it like crazy. I haven't had any "binge" episodes since beginning to eat this way either. I don't think about food constantly. I'm satisfied and sometimes I forget to eat. Yes... I just said that. Crazy!

I still have a very long road ahead, but it feels good to be going in the right direction again!

First Week Weigh In

Today is officially one week on the induction to my new way of eating. I am amazed that I am not hungry at all and that cravings are not uncontrollable anymore. It has very little to do with willpower and much more to do with the fact that I'm consuming very few carbs and that influences the release of insulin, etc. It's really interesting!

I have lost a total of 13.2 lbs. in my first week! I couldn't be happier! I'm sure a significant portion of this is water weight-- I don't think my old blood pressure medicine was working so well and I had been very puffy.

Since beginning this way of eating, all pain has literally disappeared. I was having horrible pain in my hands and wrists, my joints were hurting, and I had frequent headaches. I have had some headaches-- but definitely fewer! I would be interested to know whether or not the pain was due to extra fluid in my body, due to gluten, or what!

There is one more week to this induction phase, but I will learn about the next phase of the diet on Monday! I am excited to learn more.

I have a very long way to go so I need to keep my eyes on the prize. The cruise that I earned is coming up in September and I hope to have lost at least 30 lbs. by then. That would be great!

Shared Medical Appointment #1

Today was the first shared medical appointment in my new weight loss program. This is a medically supervised weight loss program and we meet in groups every couple of weeks. I think there are about 15-20 people in my class, but I didn't count.

I love the concept of a shared medical appointment for those with chronic conditions-- in this case being obesity and obesity related conditions. Thinking about it as a shared doctor's appointment made me realize that I am learning so much more this way as opposed to just a one-on-one visit with the doctor.

Chances are, when someone has a questions there are others that have the same question-- even if they haven't thought of it yet, which is what I do at doctor's appointments! I always think of questions to ask once I've left the office.

We each still had a one-on-one visit with the doctor. I had just seen him a couple of days ago, so mine was pretty short! However, following the nutritionist's advice at my first appointment has led to a couple of pounds lost already and I've only completed one (now almost two) days. The official "diet" actually begins tomorrow-- so I guess I'll call that extra credit that I started a little early! I figured why not get started NOW rather than wait.

A large portion of the meeting was with the nutritionist. He cooked two different healthy entrees and we each had a sample. While cooking, he taught us proper ways to cut veggies, told us nutritional information and also answered questions.

I learned a lot and the food was delicious and colorful! I really need to go get a full load of groceries so that I can have success. I even ate peppers, which I'm not a huge fan of. I'm going to try to force myself to learn to like them. I don't hate them, but they're not my favorite veggie. Peas, on the other hand, I will not force myself to try to like. That's just not possible. I hate them.

I think a huge part of being able to maintain with something like this is taking the time to cook delicious food. I love grilled food so I want to start grilling more or even find my George Forman grill to make it more convenient for me.

I've been very hungry today but haven't had a lot of time to eat either. The doctor told me that after 2-3 days I won't be so hungry. I love how they understand that it's impossible to stick to a diet if you're hungry all the time-- and it certainly isn't maintainable to be hungry all of the time! This is why fat is so important in a diet, contrary to popular belief.

I'm not going to lie-- I made a batch of brownies the night before I knew I was going to begin. I enjoyed brownies and ice cream (my favorite dessert) as my farewell to obesity and promptly packed up the brownies and gave them to a friend the next day! I'm glad I did because it's so easy to mindlessly eat when I'm stressed out or tired. I paid for those brownies though-- let me tell you! I had horrible heartburn that night and the next day.

The last couple of days I've had a huge improvement in my eating. I feel better, less bloated, and have a better outlook overall. I cannot hide my anxiety like I usually can though! They take my blood pressure each visit! It was sky high again today-- my body tends to think I'm in danger a lot, apparently. I'll be tracking it at home to get a better idea of what my blood pressure has really been like.

The next two weeks are very important. The doctor described them as like building the foundation. If you build a house with a foundation that is all messed up, then nothing else will work right either-- the windows will be out of whack, the walls not plumb, the floors crooked, etc. I'm going to give it my all at 100%.

One thing about this is that I am 100% convinced because not only are we given instruction, but we were given a book about the science behind it. It makes sense, it coincides with my own experience with obesity, food, and with my failed experiences with mainstream diets.

Anyone can have success if they starve themself with a calorie deficit, but is it maintainable in the long run? For myself, absolutely not. I've lost weight numerous times and I've never been able to keep that weight off for good. This is the same experience of most of the people I know.

So yeah, I'm excited about this! At the same time, I'm still jaded and afraid that nothing will ever work for me. I'm betting that the proof is in the carb-free pudding and I'll have more confidence the longer I'm experiencing the program.