BodyBugg / GoWearFit

I love gadgets and have recently started watching the Biggest Loser. I noticed they wear a monitor on their upper arm which I found out was called the BodyBug. It monitors how many calories you burn in a day based on heart rate, sweat, skin temperature and a few other things. Any way, it also comes with a watch display that allows you to see how you're doing. The Bugg hooks up to your computer at night and downloads all your stats to their website where you can log in and monitor your progress and enter your food calories.

Over all a very cool concept. The GoWearFit is similar to the Bugg.

Anyway, either way I go, these things cost $250 plus membership to the website. Ugh... that's a lot of money. So I started asking questions cuz I primarily use my bike for PA and the forums say that neither product monitors bike exercise very well. So..... after confirmation from GoWearFit's support team that their main focus for exercise is walking and running, I've decided to hold off - at least for now.

If future versions of either product eventually support biking, I am all over it!

Health Tip from Clinic

The nurse last night was scolding some of us who have really high exercise calories burned and low caloric intake. The lesson he gave us last night is that we need to keep at least 200 calories difference between our caloric intake and our PA. When those numbers get too close together or if calories burned is greater than calories eaten, you start breaking down muscle. When the body does this, the muscle proteins are larger and your kidneys and liver work harder to process it out of your body. This can cause decreased liver function and kidney stones.


I definitely want to keep my vital organs healthy! So if I want to have high PA (which I do), I need to make sure to take in an extra 100-150 calories to keep my daily intake around 1000 and my PA in the low 700's.

Week 7 Weigh In

I am down 3lbs this week which brings me to 35lbs lost. It gets me that much closer to 199 which is my next "big" goal.

This week I think I've eaten a few more meal replacements than I normally do and I missed my Sat morning workout. The goal this week is to get back in the groove of 4 shakes / 1 cereal. I'm still happy with my progress. I stayed in the box and used my "tools" to keep on track.

I'm mentally hoping to reach 199 in the next 10 days... and I really want to hit my 180 goal by week 12!

Weekend Trip

We drove up to my hometown this weekend to visit my brother and his boys in their new house. This was my first away trip since starting the diet so it presented me with some challenges. This was a good weekend to learn about these things since I will be traveling in April to a conference. Better to learn now then to find myself out of the box later!

Lesson 1: Bring Syrups! I have been spoiled using the Davinci syrups to flavor my shakes and since I did not bring any with me on the trip, I was not enjoying them as much - it left me unsatisfied and craving other foods.

Lesson 2: I like my shakes to have a thick milkshake consistency a few times a day - this was a challenge since crushed ice was not readily available.

Lesson 3: I missed my Saturday workout. I burn my exercise calories on the stationary bike and I did not go prepared with an alternate plan. Next time I need to bring my walking shoes or a DVD so that I do not skip my exercise.

Lesson 4: This one is a positive! I knew in advance that there would be "out of the box" food around so I brought a few meal replacements (Beef Enchiladas) to eat so that I wasn't feeling deprived. It worked! While everyone else was enjoying fried chicken and potato salad, I was enjoying my 200 calorie meal and not feeling the least bit hungry for their food. I will definitely use this strategy again in the future!

Week 6 Weigh In

I'm down 32lbs on Wednesday! I'm doing the happy dance. I haven't been this light in years and I'm so enjoying the results. Don't get me wrong, I've got a long way to go, but I'm finally starting see some payoff. Looking ahead, I'd like to set some mini-goals for myself.

Be under 200lbs by end of Feb.
180 by the end of Phase 1 (March 31).
150 by the end of May and transition to Phase 3.

For those doing the math -- yes, that will be 90-100lbs of weight loss by the time I'm done.

If I can hit 150 by June, I would like to spend the entire summer transitioning back to regular foods. I want it to be a slow transition so that I learn to make healthy food choices and keep the weight off for good.

To be that small... I can't even imagine.

Is that ME in there?

I glanced at the bedroom mirror yesterday and I was surprised to notice that my face is thinner. I actually saw my cheek bones! Granted, I have seen changes in my clothing, but that is not anything new. Actually noticing my cheekbones and jawline...the double chin almost gone...THAT was cool. :-D

I sneaked on the scales this morning and can unofficially say I'm down 30lbs! Official weigh-in is on Wednesday so I'll post my new numbers then.

Happy Valentines

I woke up today with roses, a card and a box of Sugar Free Fat free Jello Chocolate Fudge pudding mix by my bedside. Hubby usually takes me out to a nice dinner but we've decided to go to a really fancy place next year since I've chosen to stick to my diet this year. My sweet hubby has been so supportive!

The challenge now is to find non-fool related ways to celebrate future holidays and special occasions. I just don't want to be around food until I'm transitioning to maintenance. I know I'm not ready for that kind of temptation!

Week 5 Weigh In

Great news Wednesday night from the doctor. He said my blood sugars have been in normal for the last 2 weeks and he's taking me off the last of my diabetes medication! Thank God! I was so overwhelmed at hearing the news that I started crying. No words could express the feelings that rushed through me. Relief, joy, hope. The list could go on. I'm so thankful that my doctor had the guts to tell it to me straight last December. If he had not done so, I would not be celebrating this huge milestone.

Week 5

I weighed in this morning and the scales read 212.8. That brings my weight loss to 28 lbs. I am so excited! I see my second goal of 199 coming up and I can't wait to get there. I haven't been in the 100's since my teenage son Marty was little. I want to reach this goal bad! I'm more motivated than ever.

My blood sugars have improved greatly. The only time they are above 100 is after eating but it doesn't stay there for long. I haven't seen them above 110 at all. I'm hoping this means there is hope for me. I don't understand enough about the science of blood sugars and diabetes to fully appreciate my numbers. I know the doctors and nurses really like looking at my weekly chart and I use that as my gauge.

My First 30 Days

I wanted to get my footing with the diet and exercise before I started sharing my story. My hope is that anyone reading and following my blog will gain some helpful tools to aid in their weight loss journey.

So far I have lost 24 lbs. I have to say that starting the exercise was much harder than adjusting to the new diet. I thought I would be starved just consuming shakes all day but I have been surprisingly satisfied.

Due to my diabetes, it is important to spread out the shakes so that my blood sugars stay at a fairly consistent level all day. The eating schedule I've worked out is 7am, 10am, 12noon, 3pm, 6pm. With each shake, I also refill my 28 oz water bottle. If I have any water left in the bottle, I make sure to drink it before I make myself another shake. This allows me to easily keep track of my water intake.

I am allowed to substitute one shake with a hot cereal packet. So I typically have 4 shakes during the day and eat the hot cereal for dinner. This helps me feel satisfied at night and I sleep better. Usually once during the weekend, I indulge in a hot meal replacement like Beef Stew or Chicken Pasta. They don't replace my shakes but usually once a week I feel like having something more. They keep me "in the box".

As I mentioned, the diet was the surprisingly easy part. Starting the exercise was more difficult. I started with walking 20 minutes a day and worked my way up over the first two weeks to walking 45 minutes a day. I was huffing and puffing quite a bit and suffered from painful shin splints. While I enjoyed the time outdoors, I realized that I wouldn't be burning a whole lot of calories. Soon after, my recumbent bike arrived and the weather turned bad. I've been using the bike daily ever since. In my week 3 meeting, my health educator said something that really struck home. "For long term health and weight maintenance, everyone should exercise 1 hour each day, every day." I went home that night and thought about that. Why was I doing this?
was it just a temporary thing or did I want to make a life change? Somehow, something clicked inside and I knew that I wanted this to be more than just a diet - I wanted longterm change. Since then, I have steadily progressed from a 60 minute to 75 minute per day workout on my bike. I am doing the Interval program and I have not missed a single day.

I am already seeing the benefits to my commitment to the diet and more importantly, the exercise. Since starting this program, my blood sugars have dramatically improved to the point where my medication dosage has been reduced by 75%. My blood pressure has gone from 128/80 to 111/68. My resting pulse went from 82 to 67.

It's only been a month and I'm thankful for what I have accomplished so far. My eyes opening to a new way of life. I'm doing what I can to change and embrace it. To be a role model to my children so that they too learn from my experience and benefit from a healthier, more active lifestyle.

This is just the beginning, but I am hopeful for my future.