Day 20...in the 150's

Dear Reader,

Drum roll please!

Last Blog 161.6

Today 159.4

Finally in the 150's. I have noticed that though I'm not hungry I still have to deal with emotional eating. Being on Take Shape For Life disciplines me so I don't binge like crazy but I still find myself nibbling when I make meals for my kids. When I'm frustrated or sad I want to munch things that are crunchy.

Even though I'm still losing weight today was just not a good day for me. Sunday and Monday I did great. Yesterday I nibbled a bit on a tostada. Today I ate my meals properly until about 4 pm then I had my Medifast eggs and two Medifast crunch bars. Not good but better than a stack of pancakes or a box of Twinkies. I am frustrated today and trying to keep up the good fight but every now and then it overwhelms.

Thank God for His Word and prayer...I'm down but not forsaken.

And as Scarlett would say...Tomorrow is another day!

Until Next Time,

Lauren

Day 16...Shrinking?

Dear Reader,

Last Blog: 164.8
Today: 161.6

I wonder what I would have lost if I hadn't cheated?

I will admit special occasions celebrated with food are hard. Today we are celebrating Christmas because we got snowed in yesterday. I had my Hot Cocoa meal (Medifast) and fed my youngest ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, etc... Surrounded by everyone eating our wonderful Christmas meal that I contributed to wasn't easy but I did it. I did have a teaspoon of pecan pie but I stopped there.

As of today I have not only lost weight but my joint pain is 99.9% gone. It would probably be 100% if I totally lay off the refined sugar and white flour. Also I'm not really hungry anymore. When I cheat it's not due to hunger but a desire to chew. I love crunchy, salty foods. Texture is a big part of my love of food.

I do have a lot more energy as well. Christmas Eve I stayed up until 4:30am fixing up the house for the my family. I woke up at 8:30am to celebrate Christmas and I thought I would be wasted within a few hours but I was loaded with energy all day long!

My husband and daughter's are so supportive. They know I struggle at dinner time so they have agreed to help with the evening meals until I'm a little stronger. I had to do the Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff but now that we are getting back to normal meals I can stay away from the kitchen from 5-10pm (my weak hours).

I will also say losing weight is a HUGE incentive to stay away from food. Pretty soon I'll be in the 150's!

More in 3-5 days.

Merry Christmas and a thinner New Year!

Lauren

Day 11...It Ain't Over Til The Fat Lady Loses 40 Pounds

Dear Reader,

Well what a week it's been since last I blogged. I did great until our Christmas party Friday 12/18/09. I had wonderful intentions of just eating meat over lettuce...that is until I started cooking. Mexican food is one of my weaknesses. I was taught to cook by an awesome Mexican sister and frankly after 14 years of practice I do very well. Too well! I ate some of the rice and chips with salsa. I went down hill after that. I mad the mistake of asking a few ladies to bring candy for the kids and someone brought mini-snickers (another weakness). I munched on a few of those until in irritation I threw the remainder away.

Saturday I got back on the wagon. Gratefully even. The night before I could feel food in my stomach. I wasn't full but just feeling it there was a weird feeling.

Sunday I cheated. Yes, again! Okay, whoever is without sin throw the first stone. I was heating up left-overs from Friday for lunch and lied to myself that I could handle just one tortilla chip. Then that night in frustration I went for it...tortilla chips and tacos. Last night my stomach hurt all night.

Of course I didn't want to weigh in. But I did. Are you ready?

Last Blog 166.2

Today 164.8

Despite the fact that I cheated for 2 days I still lost 1.4 pounds. Also, ladies you need to remember this one, this week I'm hormonal and generally put on 2-3 pounds of water/bloating monthly.

Also this week I didn't quit! I am so jazzed about that. I've quit every diet I ever started the minute I "failed". I didn't allow failure to take hold. I hit a bump and let it remain a bump instead of allowing it to become a mountain of despair. I credit that to prayer, The Word of God, and my Take Shape For Life coaches, Jason and Jenn. They don't hold the "Just Do It" Nike philosophy. They acknowledge the mistake, give me ideas how not make that mistake again, and send me off with words of encouragement.

So yeah, not a perfect week, but definitely a week of progress.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle in their journey.
Thank God and them for the opportunity to walk this leg of their journey with them.

More in a few days and Merry Christmas!

Lauren

Please email me at chelseascollections@hotmail.com if you would like further information on the Take Shape For Life Program.

Day 3...I'm Still In!

Dear Reader,

Not so bad today. I stayed really busy and cleaned my fridge and a couple of drawers in my kitchen. The whole time I was watching the clock for the next time I could eat. I've noticed I'm eating way too many of the bars and shakes so tomorrow. To much sweets. I'll have to adjust my menu to mostly soup and just a shake and crunch bar at the end of the day.

I will say I can't wait for the day when my body adjusts to my new eating. Right now I just want to sink my teeth into a big, juicy, triple cheese, avocado, hamburger with a plate full of fries, and wash it all down with....okay sorry about that. I'm literally salivating so I'd better quit.

Oh yeah, I talked to Jenn Lohrke today. She is my health coach (She came with the program) and was so easy to talk to. She really had some good advice and was full of encouragement to keep going. It's nice to know she is just an email away. Should I ask her how much I can cheat at our Christmas Party this Friday and still lose weight? LOL!!!

Okay everyone this was day 3. Monday December 21 I weigh in. See you in one week!

God Bless!

Lauren

Day 2...I Want to Sink My Teeth Into A Turkey Sandwich!!!

Dear Reader,

Before we talk about Day 2 let me clarify a couple of things. The program I follow is called TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE. It is a program that is not designed just for weight loss but overall health. Type 2 Diabetics can really benefit from this as well as those with coronary heart disease. Even women experiencing menopause can use Medifast Plus for Women’s Health which is a specially designed meal-replacement supplement, formulated to relieve and prevent the agonizing symptoms of menopause.

Every two-three hours I can eat/drink a Medifast shake, crunch bar (love em!), pudding, or scrambled eggs. I can also do a snack if I need to.

If you have any questions about TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE please contact me at chelseascollections@hotmail.com or comment your question on the blog. If you would like to try the program yourself I'd be glad to help get you started.

Also I purchased an inexpensive weight scale last night. When I weighed in this morning, it said 166.2 pounds. Two other scales I used both said 172 pounds. So did I lose 5.8 pounds in 2 days? I really don't know. But just in case it's the scales that are at fault let's just say my starting weight is 166.2 pounds since I'll be using that scale weekly.

DAY 2

weight 166.2 pounds

I felt really good today. I was hungry and wanted to munch (I love the Medifast whole wheat crackers.) but I kept busy and stayed on schedule. My husband cooked for the family and I made 5 oz's of shrimp (5 oz's????) over a plate of raw spinach. It wasn't bad but I must confess I miss the salt and sugar that were in the seasonings I normally use to cook.

The evening was harder. First my hubby and I went on a date last night (the first since August or September). We went to Scooter's coffee to set some long and short term goals, stir up our vision, and just chat. He had coffee and I had my Medifast S'mores bar. While we were there I really had to use the bathroom which was closed to customers for some reason. I'm sorry for being so graphic but I drink alot of water now that I'm following the plan and I probably go to the bathroom every hour now. So we left and as we walked to the parking lot I could smell steak broiling...

We then went to Walmart (toilets open to the public!) and got a few groceries for Shawn and the kids. It was difficult being around so much food. After salivating over the broiled steak smell and now having to see cookies, bread, and fruit I began to wonder what was so bad about being 40 pounds overweight. After all my husband loves me, my kids say my hugs are warm and soft, and I could just by larger clothes. I began to think about putting my Medifast food away until tomorrow. But I've learned tomorrow never comes.

I hate huffing and puffing up a flight of stairs. When I run I feel so heavy and fat. I don't have the stamina I did at 30, my joints ache, I can't see the bones in my feet, and my eyes look smaller because my face is fatter. It's not because I'm 44, it's because I'm overweight and I have very unhealthy eating habits. Also, I love refined sugar (which by definition is a poison by the way) and white flour which are both aging me prematurely.

Soooo...onward and upward. When we got home I drank more water and had an extra Medifast bar because it had been almost 4 hours since my last meal. I got my kids church clothes ready and went to bed.

Another successful day!

More tomorrow,

Lauren

Day 1...Good Grief Woman Where's Your Waist?

Dear Reader,

I am so glad you've chosen to join me! Let me begin by saying if you are out of shape or overweight and desire to make a change you've come to the right place. Through this Blog I've made myself accountable to the reader...I can't quit without losing face. So really you are helping me. But I also hope that by being transparent I can help you to see that even though success is difficult it's attainable.

I will blog daily for 3-7 days and then weekly after that. I will share my stats, progress, and failures with you. Please comment if you want to join me and would like to share your own successes and failures. I would love to share them with my audience.

A little history. I am a wife and mother of 6. Since 1996
I have spent 11 years alternating between nursing (average 18 months each child) and being pregnant (9 months). Every time I started exercising and losing weight I got pregnant.

We had our last child 2 years ago and this month a friend blessed me with the money to start a health program called Medifast. It requires that I eat small meals loaded with all the carbs and protein (as well as vitamins) I need each day, 6 times a day.

DAY 1

weight 172 pounds

This morning started out great. I received my box from TSFL (Take Shape Fpr Life) that included the food I ordered as well as a book on health and the system. I began a journal and wrote out my menu for the next 3 days.

I stayed on my schedule, eating every 2 1/2 hours until I left to run errands. It took longer than I thought so I was late eating my next meal by 1 hour or so. I was starving. I did eat when I got home but by then I was a little woozy, cranky, and famished. It probably didn't help that I over exercised. I was cautioned to cut back on exercise for the first few weeks so I only did a 20 minute workout. But later I had to get to the church to do some work and walked there which took 30 minutes. Probably burned too many calories today.

To make things worse we had Bible Study and everyone started talking about pizza. Then I had to prepare a menu for our Bible Study Christmas party. We're planning real Mexican tacos (not Old Elpaso or Taco Bell) and all the sides...somehow the fish and veggies I will be eating that night pales in comparison.

About 10 pm the desire to gorge subsided and I drank alot of water. For a moment I did feel like putting this whole thing off until after the holiday but it's now or never. I was warned by my health coach that the first 3 days are the hardest. I made it through the first day. Thank you Jesus!

More tomorrow.

God Bless You Family!

Lauren