I forgot how tough the first week could be. It was like going through withdrawal. I tried to do just 5 shake per day but after 3 days, I had no energy, constant headaches, and found it difficult to concentrate. I needed to eat more and HMR is all about "more is better" so I pulled out some meal replacements, drank a few extra shakes, had a bar and started baking the HMR muffins. With more food in my system, I started to feel better and more like myself.
Week 1 weigh-in showed a 5.5lb loss but the biggest lesson for the week was More IS Better!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Full Circle
For anyone reading this blog, you'll notice a common thread in maintenance.... it's TOUGH! Reaching my goal weight of 150 has been difficult. I've floundered. I've negotiated. I've "started again" numerous times. I can only thank God that I have at least managed to maintain the majority of my weight loss. But it's not enough. Not for me. I yearn to be at a weight were I'm no longer classified as overweight or worse - obese.
So I've decided to give myself over to a power stronger than my will. I'm going back to the beginning where things made sense, I had support, and surrounded by others who are going through the same struggle so I've decided to go back in to Phase 1 as a new "HMR Alum". The group knows that I've "been there and done that" but that I'm not done with my journey. I have unfinished business and lessons still to learn.
So here I am. I feel good about my decision. I'm thankful for this program and the people.
Decision-free is just what I need to get me through the holidays, to finally reach my goal, and be better able to handle maintenance in the New Year.
I won't ask you to wish me luck this time... just pray for me.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
150 by 40
I've been on maintenance now for a year and have managed to keep 75lbs off. During this year, I have continued running and experimenting with various veggies and grains. Many things are still 100% out of my box... Pork, bacon, hamburgers, Filipino food, all fast food restaurants, and most deep fried foods. French fries have made their way back as an occasional treat.
My gradual migration away from HMR resulted in about a 15 lb weight gain.I believe that is natural since most foods have more sodium than HMR. I won't attribute it all to sodium. I did get carried away with cheese. I love cheese...more than meat. I also found that the more I ran, the more muscle I gained. My waist fit a size 8 but my legs didnt!
I never did reach my goal weight of 150 but I feel like this is a good time to make a 12 week phase 1 commitment.
I am in day two...i am going through withdrawal and my mind is drifting to the thoughts of the cheese sitting in the fridge. Haha. Oh well. My plan is to do this on my own with the support of my family. If I cant manage it alone, then I will rejoin the program.
I've stocked up on 120 shakes and made savory and sweet muffins. I also have MRs, bars and cereal. I have dugout my old phase 1 journals to recall my schedule back then. I'm prepared.
My gradual migration away from HMR resulted in about a 15 lb weight gain.I believe that is natural since most foods have more sodium than HMR. I won't attribute it all to sodium. I did get carried away with cheese. I love cheese...more than meat. I also found that the more I ran, the more muscle I gained. My waist fit a size 8 but my legs didnt!
I never did reach my goal weight of 150 but I feel like this is a good time to make a 12 week phase 1 commitment.
I am in day two...i am going through withdrawal and my mind is drifting to the thoughts of the cheese sitting in the fridge. Haha. Oh well. My plan is to do this on my own with the support of my family. If I cant manage it alone, then I will rejoin the program.
I've stocked up on 120 shakes and made savory and sweet muffins. I also have MRs, bars and cereal. I have dugout my old phase 1 journals to recall my schedule back then. I'm prepared.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Happy New Year!
It's been a while and now that 2011 is here it's time to take things back to basics. The last few months have been.... let's say... educational. I learned that:
a) I'm not ready to be in maintenance.
b) I need a better plan when I DO go back to maintenance.
c) I need to stick w/ my original coach
I love telling stories, so let me back up.
In my last post, I was going into maintenance. I did that but made a critical error. I switched coaches. The new coach was very nice and sweet. She did not come down on me if I gained a pound here or there. We blamed it on my monthly TOM. Some of it was the normal process of going back to "normal food". But I needed a Jillian --- or better yet, I needed my old coach back! She would have sat me down after the first 5 lbs and held me accountable.
Then came the dreaded holidays. They weren't horrible...I enjoyed, but I also worked out and had lots of veggies and shakes. I did however enjoy too much cheese and bread. I tried to compensate for my cheese habit by increasing my running miles. BAD IDEA! I ended up straining my left hip and that left me unable to do any exercise for 3 weeks!
So the week after Xmas, I was back in the clinic having a heartfelt conversation w/ my now ex-ex-coach. She told me she was proud that I recognized that I've gotten off track and I was seeking help. She helped me refocus and get back to basics.
Shakes. Veggies. Water. 60 mins on my bike. Journal my food.
AHHH I'm back in my box! Yeah! I feel in control! Yes! And my reward for a week is 6 lbs gone.
So my current weight is 175. Yes, I gained 16lbs between Nov and Dec. It's not hard to do!
But I'm back on track. I have not been derailed - just side tracked.
I'm mentally OFF maintenance and back in Phase 1. I'm excited. I hit a huge plateau in July and I think my little bump in weight will be the thing I needed to push through and hit my goal this year. My hip is pain free and it's cold has heck outside so I'll be sticking to the bike for at least a month until the weather warms up.
So for any of you starting 2011 with a weightloss goal, GOOD LUCK! We call can do this. Remember...
Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!!!
a) I'm not ready to be in maintenance.
b) I need a better plan when I DO go back to maintenance.
c) I need to stick w/ my original coach
I love telling stories, so let me back up.
In my last post, I was going into maintenance. I did that but made a critical error. I switched coaches. The new coach was very nice and sweet. She did not come down on me if I gained a pound here or there. We blamed it on my monthly TOM. Some of it was the normal process of going back to "normal food". But I needed a Jillian --- or better yet, I needed my old coach back! She would have sat me down after the first 5 lbs and held me accountable.
Then came the dreaded holidays. They weren't horrible...I enjoyed, but I also worked out and had lots of veggies and shakes. I did however enjoy too much cheese and bread. I tried to compensate for my cheese habit by increasing my running miles. BAD IDEA! I ended up straining my left hip and that left me unable to do any exercise for 3 weeks!
So the week after Xmas, I was back in the clinic having a heartfelt conversation w/ my now ex-ex-coach. She told me she was proud that I recognized that I've gotten off track and I was seeking help. She helped me refocus and get back to basics.
Shakes. Veggies. Water. 60 mins on my bike. Journal my food.
AHHH I'm back in my box! Yeah! I feel in control! Yes! And my reward for a week is 6 lbs gone.
So my current weight is 175. Yes, I gained 16lbs between Nov and Dec. It's not hard to do!
But I'm back on track. I have not been derailed - just side tracked.
I'm mentally OFF maintenance and back in Phase 1. I'm excited. I hit a huge plateau in July and I think my little bump in weight will be the thing I needed to push through and hit my goal this year. My hip is pain free and it's cold has heck outside so I'll be sticking to the bike for at least a month until the weather warms up.
So for any of you starting 2011 with a weightloss goal, GOOD LUCK! We call can do this. Remember...
Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Transitioning - take two
After weeks of plateauing at 165lbs, I've decided that it's time to transition to maintenance. I'm scared because all the decisions of what I add to my box will be up to me but I'm confident that I will make good choices.
I have one week of transition then I head into the Phase 2 group. I will be back with my buddies who are already attending that class. This week, rather than eating the MR's which tend to have too much pasta/rice for a diabetic like me, I've been instructed to replace 1 MR w/ 3oz of lean protein. OOOOOOOO --- meat. A definite plus to going to maintenance!
I will update my blog to archive my weight loss weeks and focus on maintenance going forward. More on that this weekend.
I have one week of transition then I head into the Phase 2 group. I will be back with my buddies who are already attending that class. This week, rather than eating the MR's which tend to have too much pasta/rice for a diabetic like me, I've been instructed to replace 1 MR w/ 3oz of lean protein. OOOOOOOO --- meat. A definite plus to going to maintenance!
I will update my blog to archive my weight loss weeks and focus on maintenance going forward. More on that this weekend.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Week 32 Weigh In
Week 32 was not the best week. The scales at the clinic showed another 1 lb weight gain.
So right now I'm gaining and losing the same 5lbs. :-(
I have 20 lbs to go before I get to my goal weight and it is going to be a battle of wills.
I spoke w/ my health educator about it and we decided that it would be good at this time to take a step backwards and go back to just shakes and veggies for now. Our current theory is that the MR's are too loaded down w/ carbs (pasta and rice) which is throwing my weight loss off. I have to admit that I feel relieved to be doing something about my plateau. I feel much better after my meals - more energetic, less lethargic... This is a good lesson to learn for maintenance. Pastas, rice and high carb foods cannot be daily items on my plan.
By the weekend, I was showing a 3 lb drop on the scale - very exciting! Then I ran my 5k on Sunday and did a 4mile run/walk yesterday and the scales are up 2lbs. :-(
I know it is just temporary due to all my PA. But I really want to see a good number this week so today and tomorrow I will be 100% shaking. Hopefully that will prompt my body to release the water weight.
I will blog about the race itself later. To sum it up, it was awesome and I will definitely do more of them!
So right now I'm gaining and losing the same 5lbs. :-(
I have 20 lbs to go before I get to my goal weight and it is going to be a battle of wills.
I spoke w/ my health educator about it and we decided that it would be good at this time to take a step backwards and go back to just shakes and veggies for now. Our current theory is that the MR's are too loaded down w/ carbs (pasta and rice) which is throwing my weight loss off. I have to admit that I feel relieved to be doing something about my plateau. I feel much better after my meals - more energetic, less lethargic... This is a good lesson to learn for maintenance. Pastas, rice and high carb foods cannot be daily items on my plan.
By the weekend, I was showing a 3 lb drop on the scale - very exciting! Then I ran my 5k on Sunday and did a 4mile run/walk yesterday and the scales are up 2lbs. :-(
I know it is just temporary due to all my PA. But I really want to see a good number this week so today and tomorrow I will be 100% shaking. Hopefully that will prompt my body to release the water weight.
I will blog about the race itself later. To sum it up, it was awesome and I will definitely do more of them!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Transitioning
It has been a busy summer and a few weeks since I've posted anything so here it goes.
Weightloss --- well I have plateaued again. When this happens I pull out my measuring tape and get my body fat checked. The good news is that while my weightloss has slowed, I'm still shrinking. :-D
My health educator did a body fat test last week. In this test, you hold on to a device that sends a small electrical charge through your body. You don't feel it but it can measure water, bone, muscle, fat, etc. I had this test done back in the beginning of April. Back then I was at 32% body fat and had 67.5lbs of fat. Since then I have lost 20 lbs...the great news is that I'm at 29% body fat which translates to 50lbs of fat. That tells me that my weight loss over the last 3 months has been primarily FAT and not MUSCLE. This is FANTASTIC!!
I am definitely OK with a slower weight loss if it means that I'm gaining muscle and losing fat. I am also focused on training for my 5k which is not going to speed up my weight loss. Most people think running will make you lose weight - it doesn't really. It burns fat but you also gain muscle which weighs more than fat....I still want to get to my goal weight of 150 but I now have my eye on doing the Santa Catalina Island Triathlon in Nov. If I decide to do that, I will be training in the pool, bike and running. I may not reach my goal by doing it, but I will have a lot of fun along the way!
My weigh in is tonight. I'm not really looking forward to it since I know I have not lost anything. I am mentally transitioning to maintenance so this will be my last or second to last medically supervised visit. Then I'm off to Phase 2 to continue my journey.
Wish me luck!
Weightloss --- well I have plateaued again. When this happens I pull out my measuring tape and get my body fat checked. The good news is that while my weightloss has slowed, I'm still shrinking. :-D
My health educator did a body fat test last week. In this test, you hold on to a device that sends a small electrical charge through your body. You don't feel it but it can measure water, bone, muscle, fat, etc. I had this test done back in the beginning of April. Back then I was at 32% body fat and had 67.5lbs of fat. Since then I have lost 20 lbs...the great news is that I'm at 29% body fat which translates to 50lbs of fat. That tells me that my weight loss over the last 3 months has been primarily FAT and not MUSCLE. This is FANTASTIC!!
I am definitely OK with a slower weight loss if it means that I'm gaining muscle and losing fat. I am also focused on training for my 5k which is not going to speed up my weight loss. Most people think running will make you lose weight - it doesn't really. It burns fat but you also gain muscle which weighs more than fat....I still want to get to my goal weight of 150 but I now have my eye on doing the Santa Catalina Island Triathlon in Nov. If I decide to do that, I will be training in the pool, bike and running. I may not reach my goal by doing it, but I will have a lot of fun along the way!
My weigh in is tonight. I'm not really looking forward to it since I know I have not lost anything. I am mentally transitioning to maintenance so this will be my last or second to last medically supervised visit. Then I'm off to Phase 2 to continue my journey.
Wish me luck!
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