Donna's Diet Blog
Page 3
Month One
June 11, 2008
Woo Hoo! I made it through the first week on the plan--the hardest. I have gone from 247 lbs. to 236.8 lbs. TEN POUNDS in the first week. I realize a lot is water weight, but I will take it! It is very encouraging (as is the support team at Medifast). I don't know why I didn't do this years ago before I let things get so out of hand with my health and body. Medifast has been around for years.
It is 38º outside here at 9:00 am and I am enjoying my first "meal" of the day--Hot Cocoa Mmmmmm. It really is tasty. My energy level is not quite what it is supposed to be on the plan, but I attribute this to being sedentary, sleep deprived (what's new there LOL) and my Mitral, Tricuspid and Aeortic regurgitation. It keeps me tired.
Today will be a huge test for me--we have to drive into Bend and run a few errands. We usually stop at Wendy's or McDonald's for lunch. I guess Barry will eat his usual burger, and I will have to settle for a diet soda and one of my Medifast Bars. THAT is a bummer. Maybe he will eat a big breakfast before we go so we don't have to stop to eat.
I thawed out some ground turkey last night for tonight's dinner but don't have a clue what to do with it so I guess I will be searching the Medifast site and other for recipe's with things I can eat. That Cuisinart grill we bought before I began this food plan is fantastic. MUCH BETTER than the old George Foreman grill I used to have. I don't use it every night, but often.
I must tell you, last night Barry wanted fish sticks and baked fries with a salad for dinner because I was having fish.....I baked Cod with a little lemon, garlic, tomato and sweet onion--very good. I also had a cup of head lettuce and spinach leaves with that new Spritzer dressing (allowed) and some oriental chow mein stir fry. I had to pull out the peas though as they are not on the allowed foods yet. Add a Diet Snapple peach iced tea, and it was a great dinner and made Barry's look blan and uchy haha. He is NOT a fish or chicken eater unless they are breaded, and I can't have the breading.
That's it until next time....thanks for reading.
JUNE 13, 2008
My weigh-in today was 235.5 Not bad. It's so nice to see a weight loss so soon. My jeans even pulled up easily. LOL I didn't do so good today, not following the diet that is. I had a cup of decaff coffee which I haven't had in years, and half of a chocolate mint bar. That was good. Three hours later I had another bar-a chocolate carmel which tastes a lot like a peanut butter cup.
We had to take Tony to the vet for shots (dog) and after we brought him home, we headed back into town to do some errands and food shopping. I did some research at the Medifast site last night and found a few things I can use sparingly. Very sparingly. I bought another salad spritzer, some spray "I can't believe it's not butter". Some turkey cubes which I can use in a dinner salad, some egg beaters in case I cannot stomach the Medifast scrambled eggs. I've heard most people add salsa or something to it to spice it up. I believe it is the protein powder in the foods that makes some taste odd. BUT, most of the foods are great.
For dinner tonight I had 10 med. shrimp sautéed in the spray butter--two short sprays, some minced garlic and lemon juice. It was a nice change. Broccoli was my veggie. I also had some lettuce and Snapple diet lemon iced tea which is my favorite.
I am beginning to see my legs get dimples where the fat is leaving, also in my under the arm flaps LOL. My face, at age 64 has not had any wrinkles because the fat filled them out---well---- that is changing. I am finally getting the wrinkles that have been hiding. I accept it though as it's just aging. My mind has a looooong way to go to catch up with my body. haha I will soon be looking like the saggy baggy elephant. Barry and I have discussed that reality, but he would rather have me alive and blubbery than not here at all. God Bless him! At my age I have no intention of going through skin removal surgery. Maybe if I get enough flap under my arms I'll be able to fly--what do ya think. :o).
Do you know what Barry did tonight???? He served himself a full bowl of Caramel Pecan Ice Cream and ATE IT!! It sure smelled good. I honestly didn't crave any though. I just went and got myself a 30 calorie fruit popsicle and was quite content. Actually, truth be told, I had two. I am also keeping track of what I eat in a program called Calorie King. I log in my food so I can check to see the reality of what I'm eating and if it's keeping with the program. Today I only had two Medifast meals and I am supposed to have 5 meals and drink 64 oz. of water. I am sorry to say I have not had quite that much water, but tomorrow is another day. I will do my best to not get away from the program.
That's it for tonight. I am off to bed. Thank you for looking in.
June 15, 2008
I am really supposed to only weigh myself once a week, but got on the scale this morning anyway. Today I weigh 234.2 lbs. It feels reeeeally good to see progress. I know this is a fast loss compared to most diets, but I love it. It gives me encouragement to keep going. I have never in my life lasted this long on any diet or food plan.
The one food I have trouble with is the Medifast oatmeal. It's just hard for me to get down compared to how good most of their other foods are. I found a recipe for COOKIES made from the Medifast packet of oatmeal and I tried them this morning. As cookies, they are not irresistible but considering the source, they are not too bad. I prefer them to the standard oatmeal preparation on the packet. I have set up a recipe area for those who are also trying Medifast. I will only include recipes I myself have tried and use.
One thing I will mention, is that you are supposed to eat FIVE of their mixes and ONE of which you cook each day. Your are also to drink 64 oz. of water-minimum each day. They keep me so full that I am having difficulty getting all five in. I would have more energy and maybe even a steadier weight loss if I did manage all five. I believe you need all five as they recommend because of the low calorie count and the protien you need. The water helps you feel full. I get between the recommended 800 and 1000 calories each day which is not much, calorie wise, but it's without feeling hungry which I find amazing.
June 16, 2008
I wasn't going to make an entry today, but when I got on the scale I jumped for joy!
232.2 lbs.
That made my day! I had a
chocolate shake for breakfast but added 1/8 tsp. of Raspberry flavoring.
It was very good. I will add the recipe to the recipe page later
tonight. Mid morning snack was a choc. mint bar--also good.
Lunch I decided to give the uchy chicken noodle soup another try but
added 1/2 cup more water. It wasn't bad. I did add a few
grains of Mrs. Dash and that helped. Tonight's dinner is Salisbury
steak made from very lean ground beef. I am using 4 oz. and
fresh mushrooms instead of canned, and "I can't believe it's not butter"
spray instead of regular butter. Veggies is a 1-1/2 cups of
broccoli cauliflower mix.
Which brings me to another point I want to talk about. Two of the possible side effects of the Medifast is gas and diarrhea. Both of which I am struggling with even OFF the diet. I did some research at the Medifast site and they recommend Tums for the gas and Imodium for the BM's. Since I always have Imodium on hand it is a no brainer for me LOL. I have only used the Tums once since I began Medifast, and take an Imodium about once every three days or so. (That is about normal for me anyway, due to all the meds I am taking.)
I am feeling better today and have a bit more energy. I've driven to town, done laundry and vacuumed part of the house. (My hubby usually does that chore and did finish it for me. I guess he was feeling guilty LOL).
I do have a confession to make--I figured the caloric/fat/protein information of the carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and left enough room to have ONE. Boy was I surprised. One of my favorite things, and it didn't even taste good. The frosting was sickly sweet and the cupcake upset my stomach. I guess staying on the diet and not cheating with cupcakes is the right thing to do.
Oh, another stupid
thing I did last night. I am allowed a single sugar free popcicle
as a treat each day. You know how you put your mouth around it and
suck the juice out? At least I do. LOL Anyway, the inside of
my upper lip stuck to the popcicle and now I have a big blister inside
my lip. Ya just can't win can ya
I guess I will be good and not try to
cheat again. Time to go watch some tv. See you soon---thanks for
reading.
June 18, 2008
Wow! I just weighed myself this morning and I am down to 230.6. That I feel is terrific for just 2 weeks time.
I read on the Medifast site this morning that the average weight loss after your initial water loss is about 20 lbs. a month. You sure can't do that on any diet/food plan I've tried. I am also learning to watch what I eat and be aware of carbs and fat, etc. It is a good thing. I have a little more energy today too. Also a good thing as I'm not being a chair potato. LOL
Time to fix my morning shake. I am having Cappuccino today. Bye for now.
~~~~~
I have been sooo tired today. When I get tired I want to eat. I was very bad. Tonight I had a taco, but used about 70% ground turkey and 30% lean ground beef. the sour cream was lite sour cream and I only had 1 tablespoon. BUT, this evening I had a med. bowl of Barry's Caramel Pecan ice cream. Boy was it smooth and delicious. I will probably be up a pound or more tomorrow, but will also buckle down and get with the program tomorrow.
I'm headed to bed, I can hardly keep my eyes open.
June 21, 2008
I thought I would confess that the past two days I have cheated in the evenings and ate a bowl of ice cream both nights. The results were that I re-gained a pound. Not good, but the ice cream sure was. LOL
I am happy to report, however, that yesterday I followed the program well, and this morning I weighed in at "229.7" Boy I can hardly believe it~I wish I had discovered this diet years ago. Another good thing is that I can reach to wipe again. THAT IS A GOOD THING! I can stoop over better now where I had difficulty getting out of breath before. It is truly amazing what just a few pounds can do to the way your body works. I have also found that I am not using my inhaler as often, in fact, hardly at all.
It's time to do some house cleaning. We are expecting company on the first of July and there is much to be done here. I'll post again soon.
June 24, 2008
Yesterday was a great day!! I hit 228 pounds. I was thrilled, but today for some reason I was back up to 229.3. I don't know if it is water weight, or if I'm coming to an expected plateau.
Today has been a very difficult day. I am out of a couple Medifast favorites, and my next order won't ship until the 30th. I was a good wife and put some ready to cook cookie dough into the oven for Barry and his sweet tooth. I drank a vanilla shake for breakfast, had chocolate pudding for mid-morning snack, and a chocolate shake for lunch. I've been a little hungry today, but do not want to vary from the diet, even if I honestly want to eat FOOD, and everything in site. I made Barry put the cookies in the cookie jar because I was afraid I'd take one.
I sat here until the craving for cookies, chips, fruit and chocolate passed and poured myself a caffeine free, sugar free diet Pepsi. The cravings are passing but looming LOL. I told myself "only a couple hours until a good dinner, so hang on" Now it's only 1 hour until dinner so I am sure I will make it ok. PHEW! Days like this are a real drag.
I'm fixing Barry spaghetti, garlic bread and salad for dinner---I'm not sure what I will have yet. Probably skinless chicken tenders (6 oz.) with a tiny amount of bbq sauce brushed on, green beans and a salad with radishes, cucumbers and a large mushroom then spritz it with ranch dressing. When Barry has his ice cream later I'll have my lime sugar free popcicle. I am allowed one each day as a snack. Lime is my favorite. That's it for today's entry. Wish me luck tomorrow! Thanks for reading!
June 25, 2008
This morning is my weigh in. I am back to 228 lbs, but am a little disappointed. I know I shouldn't be. I believe I HAVE hit my first plateau. I guess it's time to kick it up a notch. I'm not quite sure how, but will go to the Medifast site and look it up.
Have a wonderful day!
June 30, 2008
Woo-Hoo!!!! Today I weighed in at 225 lbs. That is a total weight loss of 22 pounds in the first month. I am so thrilled with this that I can't tell ya!
My next shipment of food items was not shipped until today. I am out of or running low on my favorite Medifast foods, so I am trying to improvise where needed to stay on track. So far so good-well pretty good anyway. I sure wish I could munch on a carrot LOL. I do miss other foods now and then. Like a baked potato, real ice cream, or Mexican meal LOTS OF CARBS there!
We are having company for 4 days over the 4th of July weekend. I've already decided to eat, but will try to make pretty good choices and make sure I have a salad every night--but I AM going to have dessert with everybody. I know I will regain a few pounds, but when the company leaves, I will hop right back on the band wagon for sure.
Speaking of eating, I need to decide what to fix for dinner. I too have the usual "family" problems when dieting. What can I eat that the rest of my family will eat (hubby). He hates fish and isn't fond of chicken. He's a steak lover. I think I'll go peruse the Medifast site for a new recipe for pork chops. Thanks for following along with my journey.
(Please see page 4 for July entries)