*.*Jumpstart January! We are off and running!*.*

[TriMom]

*if* I weigh myself, my weight does not show a reasonable drop until the Day, sometimes the NIGHT before the weigh-in. Don't be discouraged at all. Seriously....it can affect your motivation big time.

My motto lately to myself has been watch the sodium and eat out ANYTHING only a handful of times in a month. Eating out, even just a salad, makes me hold water!

STOP WEIGHING! and Welcome! And for what it's worth, I lost zero pounds in week 2. It does not mean that will happen to you, but if you stay the same, it doesn't mean you won't be successful in the long run.

[DreamWarrior]

It happens, we are not perfect. We have our moments of weakness; I had mine yesterday when I got some difficult news at work.... I chose to handle it by making a trip to the snack closet, which I had avoided the entire three months so far. Well, I indulged in my sorrow.

I was so mad and upset, that I took out all that emotion out on myself! Why did I do that? I don’t understand it?

The part that I don’t understand as well is that I didn’t regret it, I ate through my pain as if this meal had the answer to all my problems.

I didn’t feel guilty until I got home and started journaling. I thought, how the heck am I going to explain this on my online journal?! I didn’t fell bad for what I did to myself, but I felt bad because I was embarrassed and wasn’t sure about how I was going to explain it to you all!! How weird was that?! Then I got more depressed. So, here I am depressed about work issues, upset because I've been working so hard on journaling and cleaning up my diet and reducing my calories and now because somehow, I allowed myself to binge.

Emotions are dangerous. I feel better today and resolved to stick to Medi... (Which is never really an issue), it’s just that my emotions made cheating feel like I "deserved" it... all of it. When in fact, I only ended up hurting myself. I didn’t deserve it, I already had my holiday slips, I was determined to start over and stay on track! So for what feels like the one millionth time, here I go again.

Is there any way to remove emotions when dieting?

Ps. If you want to know what I indulged in, it was chocolate bars. Chocolate is my emotional comfort food.

[QueenCityDiva]

AWWWW DW! You know I completely understand that! But don't beat yourself up too bad. Just get back on track! Use it as motivation. Maybe a trip back to week 1 would help you refocus? It sure did for me! I feel like I've been given a kick in the pants and I'm READY! My new phrase is BRING IT ON!

You have come so far and are really close to your goal! I love the quote "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels", but honestly I have those moments when I'm short sided and it does feel good! We just have to keep trucking on, keep learning and keep LEANING ON EACH OTHER! Next time you want to head to the snack closet, CALL ME or PM me!!! Seriously!!! I've totally got your back, girl!

[mich28]

My goal for 2010 is to exercise more often...right now I only try to walk 30 mins a day =T so I think that's why I only lose about 2-2.5 pounds per week.

But I'm glad to see so much support from this forum even though I don't leave message frequently. Reading everyone's post gives me support to go through this

[Ree07]

Originally Posted by shannoneb1124

I don't know if it's b/c I introduced some laughing cow light cheese, cool whip free, or b/c I just started my cycle (sorry, I know that might be TMI) but I'm just trying to figure out if I've done something wrong and should go back to week 1 or what?

I am still testing in ketosis, but didn't know if any of you ladies have had a similar experience? suggestions?

Thanks so much!

Yes, I think that TOM visiting is very likely the culprit. Everybody is different, but I've noticed I lose in spurts. The scale doesn't budge for 2-3 days and then I lose a pound overnight. It seems many others have experienced this cycle, too. A few theories were proposed regarding our bodys' way of shedding pounds and not quite wanting to let go of it! Then finally, there it goes!!

[nomorerolls]

Thanks again medi friends!!!

Just weighed in under 150......wah whoooo! Haven't seen this number since the brief hiatus between baby 2 and baby 3. ha!

40% of the way there! I am so jazzed I think I'll walk an extra mile tonight!

[Ree07]

I've now lost over 40 lbs (haven't been to the clinic in awhile to officially update my stats) and was surprised only one person had noticed that didn't know I was trying to lose. Finally, today a coworker approached me and asked how much I'd lost since I looked great! This truly made my day!! I now wonder if others notice, but just don't feel comfortable bringing up the topic. Has anybody else noticed this?

On a side note, my dad has always been skeptical of my new way of eating with regards to my health (as fathers tend to do). I've really made a mission to cook dinners when I'm home to show him it isn't restrictive, but all about substitutions. We've had cauliflower pizza, tufu noodle pastas, and pumpkin pie tarts. At Christmas time I noticed a big bag of Splenda. This past weekend, he told me that he was getting ready to start this WOL because I'd been such an inspiration. I'm so happy that he's had such a change of heart from discouraging my eating habbits to now taking them as his own.

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by nomorerolls

Just weighed in under 150......wah whoooo! Haven't seen this number since the brief hiatus between baby 2 and baby 3. ha!

Awesome!! I cant wait to be under 150... I can almost taste it!!

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ree07

On a side note, my dad has always been skeptical of my new way of eating with regards to my health (as fathers tend to do). I've really made a mission to cook dinners when I'm home to show him it isn't restrictive, but all about substitutions. We've had cauliflower pizza, tufu noodle pastas, and pumpkin pie tarts. At Christmas time I noticed a big bag of Splenda. This past weekend, he told me that he was getting ready to start this WOL because I'd been such an inspiration. I'm so happy that he's had such a change of heart from discouraging my eating habbits to now taking them as his own.

That's cool!!

[Mommy-2-girls]

DW- I'm sorry you had such a bad day at work Hope the news wasn't anything permanent. As for the emotional part, that's part of the process we're all in. Medi is about re-learning eating and exercise habits, but it's also about becoming disciplined enough to implement those changes. You made a bad decision, like you said, but what can you learn from that? It sounds like you need to think of some options to help when stress hits at work again. There have been times when I have been SO tempted to eat for comfort or out of stress.

Here are a few ideas of things to do when you want to eat to deal with stressful situaitons:
~Call a friend and talk through the situation
~Take a break, go outside, and read a book
~Go for a walk
~Play a game of solitaire or another game on your computer if you can't leave the desk
~Write a journal entry of what is happening on your blog
~Keep a stash of "safe" snacks.. SF jello, chocolate Medi bars, Chocolate shakes, Chocolate South Beach Snack Bars, chocolate Almond Milk (you mentioned chocolate as your comfort food!)
~Take a hot bubble bath (at home, obviously)
~Make fun plans for after work with a friend or your kids so that you have something else to focus on
~Chew sugarless gum, drink ice water, or have some sweet ice tea made with Splenda

**Keep before/current pics of yourself handy! Either on your computer or printed out! This absolutely keeps my hands out of those snacky foods when I see myself in them!**


These are just some ideas! You will figure out what works for you I'm not saying it's OK to cheat, but you're right, everyone is human! So take it as an opportunity to learn about your triggers and set up a safety-net for next time.




Ree- Proud of you! You're getting so close and it sounds like you're being a great influence on your family too!

Marie- That's AWESOME!!!!

[malloryann11]

Weighed in yesterday for my first maintenance meeting at 163.2!!
2 pounds below goal and am going on wellness next week! I am thinking of trying to hit 158 but while on maintenance. I have the tools to do it thanks to medi! Yesterday I walked for 20 min on an incline and did 30 Day Shred... Today I have yoga class and walking! It is a gross rainy day here but oh well. I am starting running on Sunday!

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by Mommy-2-girls

Here are a few ideas of things to do when you want to eat to deal with stressful situaitons:
~Call a friend and talk through the situation
~Take a break, go outside, and read a book
~Go for a walk
~Play a game of solitaire or another game on your computer if you can't leave the desk
~Write a journal entry of what is happening on your blog
~Keep a stash of "safe" snacks.. SF jello, chocolate Medi bars, Chocolate shakes, Chocolate South Beach Snack Bars, chocolate Almond Milk (you mentioned chocolate as your comfort food!)
~Take a hot bubble bath (at home, obviously)
~Make fun plans for after work with a friend or your kids so that you have something else to focus on
~Chew sugarless gum, drink ice water, or have some sweet ice tea made with Splenda

**Keep before/current pics of yourself handy! Either on your computer or printed out! This absolutely keeps my hands out of those snacky foods when I see myself in them!**


These are just some ideas!

These ideas are awesome - I guess the best alternative to binge eating is to actually get as far away from the situation as possible - hence, going for a long -LONG walk.

Thank for the advise!

[jbiggars63]

Radio interview went well! You can listen to it at 7pm eastern time on 1/24 on the internet (you can listen to their live feed) and it will also be in their archives afterwards!
I was tlod by the docs that I WILL NOT be able to resume my normal routine for 6 weeks! UGH!!

http://www.wjr.net/default.asp

[saraanne]

I am hoping to get some help. I weighed in for the first time yesterday and I am down 6.8. I am very excited about that and it motivates me to keep on going. Here's my problem: My instructions are to stay between 500 and 800 calories per day but 500 are to be from protein. I am having a really hard time getting in 500 of protein. I was just barely getting there during week 1. For example, today I have had the following:

EAS Shake - 110
Chicken - 105
Jello - 10
Half Apple - 30
Hot Dog - 40 (love those Hebrew National Hot Dogs)
1/2 Egg Beaters - 60

So I am only up to 315 in protein and I don't thinkI could eat another thing today. I don't take the AS so its not that. Its just that I'm full. I space my meals out during the day. Does anyone have any suggestions??

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by malloryann11

Weighed in yesterday for my first maintenance meeting at 163.2!!
2 pounds below goal and am going on wellness next week! I am thinking of trying to hit 158 but while on maintenance. I have the tools to do it thanks to medi! Yesterday I walked for 20 min on an incline and did 30 Day Shred... Today I have yoga class and walking! It is a gross rainy day here but oh well. I am starting running on Sunday!

Congratulations on your success!! That is awesome!!

[nomorerolls]

Mommy 2 girls, DW thanks!!!!

Sara anne, I found an awsome website that allows you to define the caloric ratio
(carb%: fat% : Prot %) and gives you many suggestions to satisfy a high protein low carb/fat diet. Send me a PM and I will forward the link.....it was an awsemome find for me too as I was hitting a wall for a few days there too....ironic huh?! Never thought I'd have that problem!

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by jbiggars63

I was tlod by the docs that I WILL NOT be able to resume my normal routine for 6 weeks! UGH!!

News/Talk 760 WJR

Congratulations on the radio interview... I went looking for it and couldnt find it when I realized you said it was going to air on January 24th!! LOL!! Im a few days early!

I can only imagine the type of surgery your going to be having... if its anything like a C-section, trust me... you're not going to feel like doing anything for a while. Even though the hospital wants you up and walking, its going to feel like your insides are ripping apart.

Take care of yourself, and do EVERYTHING the doctor tells you. The last thing you want is an infection or to damage anything that was stitched up.

Again, my blessings to you for a smooth operation and speedy recovery!! Keep us posted.

[Mommy-2-girls]

Hey Folks, I'm officially BACK! Re-starting Week 1 now that I'm cleared from my surgeon. I'm excited and hopeful. I was SO close when I had to stop for the surgery, so I'm eager to get there. According to my home scale I'm up a bit from when I stopped. It usually weighs a couple pounds heavier than the clinic and I'm also AF, but for now I'm using that as my "current" stat. In any case, I'm back in action

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by Mommy-2-girls

Hey Folks, I'm officially BACK! Re-starting Week 1 now that I'm cleared from my surgeon. I'm excited and hopeful. I was SO close when I had to stop for the surgery, so I'm eager to get there. According to my home scale I'm up a bit from when I stopped. It usually weighs a couple pounds heavier than the clinic and I'm also AF, but for now I'm using that as my "current" stat. In any case, I'm back in action

Im glad everything went well. Sending you some happy vibes (and belssings) to get you through week 1 again, and to get you to goal that much more quicker!!

[DreamWarrior]

30lbs in 12 weeks!!! Its wonderful to have that much success and know that I just went through the most difficult four weeks.

I've cleaned up my diet in the past two days to get over Wednesday's hump and I feel soo much better. Im back to 500 cal protein and 2 cups of veggies/fruits. By fruits I mean an orange (ummm... Naval oranges!). LOL! Granted, its only been two days, and I have the weekend ahead of me... but I know I can do this! TOM is behind me and im looking forward to getting back into some healthy habits.

[SDC2]

Originally Posted by saraanne

I am hoping to get some help. I weighed in for the first time yesterday and I am down 6.8. I am very excited about that and it motivates me to keep on going. Here's my problem: My instructions are to stay between 500 and 800 calories per day but 500 are to be from protein. I am having a really hard time getting in 500 of protein. I was just barely getting there during week 1. For example, today I have had the following:

EAS Shake - 110
Chicken - 105
Jello - 10
Half Apple - 30
Hot Dog - 40 (love those Hebrew National Hot Dogs)
1/2 Egg Beaters - 60

So I am only up to 315 in protein and I don't thinkI could eat another thing today. I don't take the AS so its not that. Its just that I'm full. I space my meals out during the day. Does anyone have any suggestions??

I am having a hard time believing that that amount of food is leaving you stuffed. I could eat that much in one sitting. How about mixing in some higher calorie proteins like, almonds, cheese or beef. For instance, in the morning when you have your shake, you could add 12 cocoa almonds for an additional 100 calories. I also don't see any vegetables.

If you go below 500 calories your body is likely to go into starvation mode and you won't lose weight. Furthermore, you can damage your metabolism.

[SDC2]

Yesterday was my first day at my new job as weightloss counselor for Medi. I can already tell I am going to love it. I shadowed the other counselors for most of the day. The staff is wonderful and it feels so good to encourage patients to believe in themselves.

I really think this forum has helped prepare me for this job. You all have given me so much insight and tips that I will now be able to share with others. Thank you all for you encouragement and inspiration!

[DreamWarrior]

Originally Posted by SDC2

Yesterday was my first day at my new job as weightloss counselor for Medi. I can already tell I am going to love it. I shadowed the other counselors for most of the day. The staff is wonderful and it feels so good to encourage patients to believe in themselves.

I really think this forum has helped prepare me for this job. You all have given me so much insight and tips that I will now be able to share with others. Thank you all for you encouragement and inspiration!

Hehe... that's cool!! Congrats on your new job - you're going to be a fantastic counselor!!

[Mom on a mission]

Hello everyone! Some great weigh ins this week, congrats to all of you losers So happy to share my second weigh in: -5.4!!!!! I'm so excited since I was told not to expect more than a couple of pounds on the second week. I am now down a total of 18.2 in 2 weeks!

It's such and exciting time right now. I haven't felt this good in a so long! People are starting to take notice of the dropped weight. I just smile and say "oh yeah, just watching what I eat" BTW: Hubby dropped another 5.2, he's now down a total of 19.2!!!

Have a great weekend everyone, Peace to all!!

[readyforachange]

Hello! This is my first post and I'm very new to all of this. I came across this site while searching for some recipes, and I'm so glad I found it! I have read a lot of everyone's postings and all of your stories are so inspiring! I couldn't seem to lose weight after giving birth to my first baby back in September of '09 when I had gotten up to 221 lbs at the time of his birth! Someone suggested the Medi-weight loss and i've been on the medi-weight loss program ever since Dec. 9. I am now at 179, and after seeing a lot of everyone's pictures here on the site I am so inspired to keep giving it my all!

I have a quick question-- Even though I've lost 20 lbs, I have this disgusting "flap" of skin on my lower tummy that just doesn't seem to get any smaller. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

Thanks in advance!

[Mommy-2-girls]

readyforachange- Hey fellow-LOL'er! Welcome! Great job on the 20 pounds already

I have that skin pouch too. Did you have a c-section? I have had 2 and I know it is SUPER hard to get rid of when you've had that surgery.

As you continue to lose fat, it will decrease but you'll have to really do very targeted exercise to tone that area because it's just not something that we use enough to tone up on it's own! I have started doing yoga at a studio here in LOL and that has helped. There are poses that really build those muscles.

Welcome again!

[readyforachange]

Mommy-2-girls--

thanks for the warm welcome! I actually had a natural birth. I am embarrassed to say that I'm so out of shape right now that I tried doing an exercise show on the Exercise on Demand channel and I could barely get about 10 minutes in. I have an exercise bike and I try to ride about 30-45 minutes 3-4 times a week. I also go walking with the baby in the stroller, but neither of those are targeting the trouble spot (and I know it's not enough) Any suggestions on some non-complicated but very effective exercises that I can start off with?

Thanks again!

[fitin2010]

I am on day 6 today and had my first weigh in and lost 7.4 pounds. I am very happy about that but I have been extremely dizzy since starting this diet. ANyone else experience this? Also today I was told to add in my veggies and fruit so for lunch I had a salad and some chicken. Immediately after eating I had a terrible stomach ache. I am wondering if it is the diet or maybe just a touch of the flu?? Also my blood pressure has always been on the low side so I know it isn't because of high blood pressure.

[dodgern]

Originally Posted by fitin2010

I am on day 6 today and had my first weigh in and lost 7.4 pounds. I am very happy about that but I have been extremely dizzy since starting this diet. ANyone else experience this? Also today I was told to add in my veggies and fruit so for lunch I had a salad and some chicken. Immediately after eating I had a terrible stomach ache. I am wondering if it is the diet or maybe just a touch of the flu?? Also my blood pressure has always been on the low side so I know it isn't because of high blood pressure.

to MWL...I suggest that you get some crystal light hydration.... on this diet we tend to not take in enough potassium and sodium.
The crystal light hydration has these in it. I mix it in smart water. It helps with the dizziness. AND a drop in your blood pressure could also be part of the problem. BUT try the hydration first and see if it helps.

cindy

[Nick80]

welcome fitin2010. The electrolytes are all important. so make sure you get those along with all the other supplements that you were given.

On another note I have to chuckle. As we are all acutely aware, stretch marks are a part of being over weight. However, I noticed some new stretch marks which I did not have before... these are from all the bulking of muscles! I thought that was ironic.

I weigh in on Monday but I am interested to see where I am since I have been inducted by the clinic into the maintenence phase even though I have not attained my goal yet. (I think I may have inadvertently cheated due to confusion). All I can say is I may need some more new clothes again!