Week 12 Weigh In

I am down 5 lbs this week to 189! That brings my total weight loss to 51 lbs. Changing up my PA and adding the running is paying off! I am feeling great. The soreness I experienced last weigh in is gone. I have started the Couch 2 5k program which is a 9 week training schedule. I have given myself permission to repeat weeks as necessary to avoid injury or over doing it.

Tonight is my first night in Phase 2. Half of my original group will be joining this class so I won't feel like the new kid on the block again. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and hearing their story.

I was just coming off the high of being under 200 lbs. Now I can say "So long!" to the 190's.

It's a Family Affair

When I started the HMR diet in January, DH and my teenage son decided that it would benefit them to lose a few pounds too. So the last 3 months, we have all been doing our own thing to get healthy and active. DH simply cut out all regular soda and afternoon vending machine runs for a candy bar...He also wears a pedometer on his belt to motivate him to walk at least 5000 steps per day. My son decided to use some of my shakes. So he's been drinking about 3 a day (breakfast, afternoon snack, and after dinner). In between he eats his packed school lunch and alternates between a regular cooked dinner and a Lean Cuisine meal. He has also started weight training w/ the foot ball team 3x a week after school. We did our weekend weigh in and here is the tally:


DH -24lbs
Son -27lbs
Me -49lbs
Total = 100lbs lost! 
I'm so proud of us. :-D

Half Way!

I'm at work and it just dawned on me that tonight is my last Phase 1 class at the clinic. I officially move into Phase 2 next week. Moments after this realization, it also occurred to me that I'm halfway to my goal weight. YEAH!!

Week 11 Weigh In

The scale shows me down another 2 lbs today bringing my total weight loss to 46 lbs. I have started running this week and I'm sore but feeling great.

Running has given me some time to reflect on my journey so far. I feel something changing inside. A rightness to everything. Four months ago, I was feeling older than my age and I didn't know how to turn it around. Today I feel young and vital. I feel comfortable in my own skin and that soothes my soul. Perhaps it's the endorphins but I feel good. Most importantly, I feel healthy and strong. The fog is lifting and I see a long life ahead of me.

Running

This weekend DH and I were fitted for running shoes and insoles. I run/walked 3 miles on Sunday and it was great. I haven't ran in years and the act of running and moving was different. I'm sure I'll get used to it! My polar HRM logged my stats and I was able to get my heart rate up quickly and keep it there.

I found the Couch to 5K program online and I'm going to start following that this week. I'm a bit sore today but I will workout on my bike to get the kinks out of my muscles.

I plan to sign the family up to do the MWR walk across the Coronado Bridge in May. It's a 4 mile run/walk and the only time in the year where pedestrians are allowed to walk across the bridge. It should be fun!

Some Healthy Competition

Now that I'm under 200 lbs, I've allowed my family to witness my weigh in's. This has triggered some healthy competition now that hubby, my older son and I are within 5 lbs of each other. The gauntlet has been thrown and  I have been challenged to pass them both and be the lightest adult in the house by the end of this month. Bring it on! :-D

Week 10 Weigh In

Despite my TOM, I managed to drop 2 lbs this week bringing me down to 196 which is 44lbs lost. I'm really starting to notice changes in my body. When you're overweight, all of these things are hidden and you get used to seeing a rounder you. Now I'm seeing edges... and it's cool. I see definition in my legs, cheekbones,  my double chin is gone. I can see a bit of my ribs, my arm and leg bones, my sternum. I'm looking forward to getting to know myself all over again!

Expanding my PA

One of my assignments this week was to do an hour of recreational (outdoor) PA so I talked the guys into playing tennis on Sunday. It was really fun! I wore my HRM to track my calories and I actually got a fairly decent workout.

My hubby and my older son doubled up and I ran around my side of the court keeping up (to their surprise)! My younger son was the ball boy running around collecting stray tennis balls.

We're planning on doing this again next week. Overall, good family time outdoors and I even broke a sweat. :-D

I'm thinking it's time to buy some running shoes and try jogging so that I have a fall back plan when I start travelling. The weather is certainly working in our favor!

Baked Shakes

A few weeks ago, I happened to arrive at the clinic a half hour early and ended up sitting w/ the Phase 2 folks. One of the ladies was passing out "Shake Muffins" which turns out to be an "in the box" recipe for turning the shakes into a chew-able meal.

Considering that I haven't eaten baked good of any kind since January, these were heavenly! I've made two batches so far. The first, I tried mini-muffins which were a flop. They stuck to the muffin paper and ended up wasting some of it. The second batch, I bought a good non-stick standard sized cupcake pan and they turned out great. So great in fact that I've been eating 2 muffins for lunch. 2 muffins = 1 shake.

Everyone I've talked to adds their own twist to the recipe. The main tip is to add a box of sf/ff pudding which gives it a fluffier moist texture. I've also added my flavored syrups and even some sf pancake syrup!

I love the texture and added variety! It also contains lots of wheat and oat bran which adds to my fiber.

If you're on HMR, try the muffins! I've added my version on my Recipe page.

Goal Assessment #2

My goals are likely going to be a moving target as my body adjusts to the weight loss but I feel it's important to keep this updated so that I hold myself accountable for my progress.

So far my average has been approx 4.67 lbs per week. Assuming that my momentum decreases as I get lighter, here are my updated goals.

190 eo March (Transition to Phase 2)
178 eo April
166 eo May
154 eo June (Transition to Phase 3)

I'll reassess again in about 6 weeks to see how I'm tracking.
Wish me luck. :-)

Week 9 Weigh In

I got on the scales this morning at 5:30 and had to wake my hubby up to witness the scale read 198.4! Total weight lost is 42lbs. This is the first time since my teen was a BABY that I've been under 200 lbs! I'm rejoicing today in ONEDERLAND!

I have my official weigh in at the clinic tonight, but those numbers will pale compared to what I saw this morning. I'm so happy words can't describe it.

Needless to say, the scale motivated me to put on my workout clothes and do an hour this morning before my day gets busy. I won't have time later. I've been wearing the HRM the last 3 workouts and will post separately on that later.

My next goal is to hit 180 and I believe more than ever that I can do it.

Happy Monday

I know it's early but I couldn't help but jump on the scales today and was happy to see a 2.5 lb drop which brings my overall weight loss to 38lbs. I'm 3 lbs from 199 and it's like watching water boil!

My Polar watch came in this weekend and I have calibrated it. I will work out for the first time with it this afternoon and will update my post. I'm really hopeful this HRM will be the boost I need to get my PA where it needs to be to keep my momentum going. Now that I'm ~40lbs lighter, I realize I will have to work harder to lose each pound!

Polar FT60

I was looking for a while at the BodyBug/GoWearFit to track my calories burned and the need for one was even greater this week. My stationary bike, which I LOVE, was having some issues w/ it's computer and I had to work out a few times w/ out the computer monitoring my distance/speed/calories burned. My only indicator was the HRM on the handles.

At the end of the workout, I believe I worked harder using the HRM as my guide so I started reading up on the pros/cons of using an HRM for all my PA. The general feedback is that if you have a kick butt HRM, it will do everything I want and more. So after some research, I decided on the Polar FT60 Women's. I also bought the wireless reader so that I can sync the data on the watch with my computer. It will arrives next week so I will work with it for a while and report back.

Oh and to keep it girly, I bought the purple one. :-D

Week 8 Weigh In

The scales at the weight loss clinic showed 5 1/2 lbs lost this week! Yeay! Finally the numbers I was seeing on my bathroom scale were reflected in my evening weigh in. My total weight loss is 36lbs and I have 3 weeks to go before Phase 1 is completed.

I signed up for Phase 2, which is more of the same, and my new clinic times will be 90 mins earlier which means I will actually get home at a decent hour for a change!

I've made several good friends there and I'm happy that most of them will be moving on to Phase 2 in the same class.

It's actually been a busy week medically. I visited my PCP on Monday and he was ecstatic with my lab results. Everything that was putting me at risk and reducing my longevity has been reversed! Everything!!

He would like to see my goal weight around 150 which officially removes me from the "overweight" category. Once I hit my goal weight, if I ever hit 155, he wants me to take action and not allow the weight to come back. 

With so many people supporting me at home, at work, in the clinic, my doctors - I feel blessed and infinitely thankful.