I am flabbergasted at how quickly the time on IP is flying by. I was so overwhelmed when I started this program. I would read on several forums and FB support pages and check out all the seasoned veterans who'd been at it for more than 8 weeks and wonder if I could even get that far.
Well, here I am.... starting my 13th week on IP and it seems to be fairly easy to do now. Yes, I struggle with wants and wish I could eat whatever I wanted. Technically, I can.... but I choose to stay as close to protocol as I can. I am okay with it too and that's the surprise. I never thought I could have such control over my eating habits but it's really pretty easy now that I don't crave sugar or other carbs. I do have some fears about being on maintenance and craving them since carbs are reintroduced in phase 3 but I think I'll be able to manage it once I am 'in it'. Right now, it's kind of a scary 'out there' sort of unknown. For me, the unknown is always the scary part. I like to be in control so this is just another one of those life lessons that I will learn.
Anyway, this past week was a bit uneventful in terms of loss. My hormones continue to cause false readings on my body fat which is incredibly frustrating since the fancy scale can weigh me correctly and actually read the amount of BF in my body BUT it's obviously not correct since my coach cannot correctly gauge it during my cycles. I had a 2 week respite between periods and this particular early bird lasted almost 2 weeks. I pray that I get at least 4 weeks now of normalcy. We'll see......
My loss was 1 lb down officially and 1/4" off my arms = 1/2" total. I have had a 'gain' week before so 1 lb down is still a good thing. According to the scale, the 1 lb was .8 of pure fat so that's a GREAT thing. I can really see the fat on my stomach going away. That makes all this worthwhile since I've struggled to lose this part of my fat since my early teens. I can't get over the fact that when I put jeans on, I don't see much tummy sticking out so my profile looks even thinner than it actually is.
I'm fluctuating between size 10 and size 12 as my waist seems to be fighting to stay at a 12 while the rest of me wants to be a 10! I know it's just a matter of time and that waistline will shrink again. When the body goes through this 'stall' (technically, I'm not stalled but I haven't seen a huge loss in inches lately) it typically means it's prepping to lose quite a bit over a short time. I pray that I'll have one of those huge moments soon.
I realized that a size 8 or even a size 6 may actually be attainable since I'm losing so much body fat on this program. I'm actually shocked at the idea of being so small. Mark keeps looking at me in shock sometimes because he can't believe how quickly I've shrunk. I don't see the huge difference of course, but I can feel how much better things fit and how light on my feet I feel. I started wearing medium shirts a week ago and it's shocking. My upper torso has lost the most in terms of inches and I have almost outgrown (meaning gotten too small) for my fancy bras that I bought 2 months ago. I am trying to hold on as long as possible before buying more. Support is really, really important but the expense is insane. I always buy sales but I hate bargain hunting for bras because I really need quality support. I may have to bite the bullet and buy 1 bra for the duration.
Mark worries that I might obsess and want to be 'too' small. I don't even know what that means, LOL. I get that he doesn't want me to be bony or gaunt. No way.... this chica likes to have some meat on her bones. I'm also big boned so I would look anorexic before the fine boned gals. I think if I can truly hit a 25% BF that would be magnificent. I don't know how I'm going to feel once I hit 30% and 27% BF so I'm going to gauge this on how I'm feeling physically. I really thought I would say "I want to weight X lbs" but that's not really important. I need to be able to maintain whatever weight I land at so I have to be realistic. I have to be able to eat right, exercise the right amount and be able to indulge and maintain the weight. If I go too low, then that won't be possible. Ultimately, I need to get to that magic spot and know it. I think as long as I have a healthy attitude towards food and exercise, that will be maintainable.
So.... at the clinic I weighed in at 170.6 (with clothing) but at home today (sans clothing) I weighed in at 167.5. My body fat is still going all over the place so I really can't say much about it yet. Hopefully, I'll see a steady reading during this week and at my week 13 weigh in this Saturday so I can actually say what I am in terms of BF percentage!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Week 12 begins
Holy cow..... I have been in this program for nearly 3 months and the time has just flown by!
As of today I'm down 34 lbs and while I don't have specific inches for my overall loss I believe it's around 45 inches total. Not too shabby! My body fat is not really readable today because my hormones are again running amok. That is frustrating but I do know I have to be within 1% or so of normal! As I've already said before, the hormones are trapped in our fat (especially around our bellies) so as IP forces us into ketosis all those fat cells are releasing whatever they've got stored in there (including toxins, hormones, etc.) and it's very obvious I have a lot of them because I only had a 2 week break between cycles! I'm not feeling great (intestinal stuff) but I'm battling through this particular cycle. Hopefully, it'll be done in a day or so!
I never knew a program could change my life the way IP has. I'm losing weight at a steady pace which I've never been able to do before. That is what keeps (I think) most of us IP-ers motivated. What is harder to see because you're not inside our heads is that for the most part, we manage to eat very clean day-to-day without any real issues with carbs and other no-no's that are on this program. The cravings stop. They really do. Yes, there's issues during our 'times of the month' (or TOM as I like to call it) and I feel like I'm starving and want to pretty eat anything I can get my hands on. The good thing is that I'm not craving a pizza or hamburger like I used to. I really want to eat food. It's not the chocolate bar that's sitting in the freezer for Mark. Yes, occasionally I want cheese, a piece of toast or something breaded and fried but it's not dire and I can usually make do with something that is approved for the program.
At this point it becomes more about seasoning (especially salt for me) and texture. Crunchy is good. Other than that, I'm usually okay. Most of the IP products I buy are sweet, sweet/crunchy or crunchy/spicy. I like the chocolate and fruit flavored items. I love my strawberry wafer, which I eat for breakfast every morning with my coffee. I've discovered that the soups are kind of dull but I can enjoy the chicken noodle soup now and then. I'm really looking forward to the day I switch to Phase 2 when I get rid of the lunch packet and eat real protein again. I want to eat more real food soon. I think the time will come...hopefully within 6 to 8 weeks.
That's a trippy thing to say. Honestly, I have been on this program longer than I really wanted to be but I also know I was much heavier than I thought (I have avoided scales for many years) and my body fat and BMI were a lot higher so it's a temporary thing for me to eat this clean before moving into a permanent lifestyle change. I intend for us to be mostly gluten free and definitely sugar free (with exception to natural sugars in fruits and veggies) so neither of us have to deal with diabetes. Mark and I have both read pre-diabetic in our last physicals and I just don't want us going into full-blown diabetes. Luckily, we can reverse this trend with a dietary lifestyle change so that's what I'm doing as a foodie and home chef.
Phase 1 is a bit of a grind now because you can't have anything you want. You have to think and if you go out you have to be prepared to special order everything so you don't screw up your ketosis. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate this because I really do. The way I feel internally is absolutely amazing. I love what this program has done for me physically and emotionally. I feel healthy for the first time in years. I'm not even done with the fat loss portion yet! But I will be really happy to get to the first goal (90% of the weight loss goal) and switch to Phase 2 and 3.
I will definitely have to revisit Phase 1 every time I have a cheat day (IP encourages those so we can enjoy life!) but at least it will be once a week. I do want to enjoy a slice of pizza now and then and a really good dessert that is loaded with sugar. I just know it won't be a daily thing and I'm okay with that.
So what is my overall goal? I keep saying it's body fat percentage rather than poundage. I have a large frame plus am muscular by nature so I will always be heavier than most women. Luckily, that usually means I will also weigh 10-15 lbs more than those smaller framed gals at my height but it won't look that way. I still think I have a chance of making into a size 6 but I know for sure I'm going for the size 8. Wherever that lands me weight wise I think is where I'll stop if my body fat lands in the 25-27% range. I really don't want to be any higher than that body fat wise even though 34% is considered okay for my age group. I hate being on the high end of normal though because you're that much closer to being overweight or obese. So hopefully once my TOM finishes my BF percentage will stabilize again and I can see what it really is!
As of today I'm down 34 lbs and while I don't have specific inches for my overall loss I believe it's around 45 inches total. Not too shabby! My body fat is not really readable today because my hormones are again running amok. That is frustrating but I do know I have to be within 1% or so of normal! As I've already said before, the hormones are trapped in our fat (especially around our bellies) so as IP forces us into ketosis all those fat cells are releasing whatever they've got stored in there (including toxins, hormones, etc.) and it's very obvious I have a lot of them because I only had a 2 week break between cycles! I'm not feeling great (intestinal stuff) but I'm battling through this particular cycle. Hopefully, it'll be done in a day or so!
I never knew a program could change my life the way IP has. I'm losing weight at a steady pace which I've never been able to do before. That is what keeps (I think) most of us IP-ers motivated. What is harder to see because you're not inside our heads is that for the most part, we manage to eat very clean day-to-day without any real issues with carbs and other no-no's that are on this program. The cravings stop. They really do. Yes, there's issues during our 'times of the month' (or TOM as I like to call it) and I feel like I'm starving and want to pretty eat anything I can get my hands on. The good thing is that I'm not craving a pizza or hamburger like I used to. I really want to eat food. It's not the chocolate bar that's sitting in the freezer for Mark. Yes, occasionally I want cheese, a piece of toast or something breaded and fried but it's not dire and I can usually make do with something that is approved for the program.
At this point it becomes more about seasoning (especially salt for me) and texture. Crunchy is good. Other than that, I'm usually okay. Most of the IP products I buy are sweet, sweet/crunchy or crunchy/spicy. I like the chocolate and fruit flavored items. I love my strawberry wafer, which I eat for breakfast every morning with my coffee. I've discovered that the soups are kind of dull but I can enjoy the chicken noodle soup now and then. I'm really looking forward to the day I switch to Phase 2 when I get rid of the lunch packet and eat real protein again. I want to eat more real food soon. I think the time will come...hopefully within 6 to 8 weeks.
That's a trippy thing to say. Honestly, I have been on this program longer than I really wanted to be but I also know I was much heavier than I thought (I have avoided scales for many years) and my body fat and BMI were a lot higher so it's a temporary thing for me to eat this clean before moving into a permanent lifestyle change. I intend for us to be mostly gluten free and definitely sugar free (with exception to natural sugars in fruits and veggies) so neither of us have to deal with diabetes. Mark and I have both read pre-diabetic in our last physicals and I just don't want us going into full-blown diabetes. Luckily, we can reverse this trend with a dietary lifestyle change so that's what I'm doing as a foodie and home chef.
Phase 1 is a bit of a grind now because you can't have anything you want. You have to think and if you go out you have to be prepared to special order everything so you don't screw up your ketosis. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate this because I really do. The way I feel internally is absolutely amazing. I love what this program has done for me physically and emotionally. I feel healthy for the first time in years. I'm not even done with the fat loss portion yet! But I will be really happy to get to the first goal (90% of the weight loss goal) and switch to Phase 2 and 3.
I will definitely have to revisit Phase 1 every time I have a cheat day (IP encourages those so we can enjoy life!) but at least it will be once a week. I do want to enjoy a slice of pizza now and then and a really good dessert that is loaded with sugar. I just know it won't be a daily thing and I'm okay with that.
So what is my overall goal? I keep saying it's body fat percentage rather than poundage. I have a large frame plus am muscular by nature so I will always be heavier than most women. Luckily, that usually means I will also weigh 10-15 lbs more than those smaller framed gals at my height but it won't look that way. I still think I have a chance of making into a size 6 but I know for sure I'm going for the size 8. Wherever that lands me weight wise I think is where I'll stop if my body fat lands in the 25-27% range. I really don't want to be any higher than that body fat wise even though 34% is considered okay for my age group. I hate being on the high end of normal though because you're that much closer to being overweight or obese. So hopefully once my TOM finishes my BF percentage will stabilize again and I can see what it really is!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Weigh in: Week 11
At least it was a week with a loss!
Officially lost another 3 lbs and 1.5 inches...actually, 1.75 if I count both thighs!
I lost 3/4" off my thorax
1/2" off my hips
1/4" off each of my thighs
Officially it showed me at 171.6 but I started out my day at 169.0 which is what I really count since I am on the scale first thing without any food or drink.
I had a wacky Saturday since I ended up meeting with a girlfriend and hanging out at a coffee shop for hours which meant I drank way too much coffee and ended up with too much caffeine in my system. I compensated with LOTS of water though and I think I did okay. Mark and I went to Aloha Kitchen last night for our IP dinner (he always takes me here once a week so I don't have to cook and they serve IP friendly meals!) and I had at least 2 cups of green tea (more caffeine) so I don't know if I managed to flush all of the caffeine out or not. I have a hunch I'm still trying to get rid of it today....
My TOM decided to come back after 2 weeks. It's so frustrating because my hormones go so out of whack and my body fat reads incorrectly. It's really high AGAIN (which is what happens during my TOM) so my coach can't truly see what my actually body fat is. Weird thing is that I lost 1 lb of fat this week so I should be reading about 1% down but no.....my hormones are raging yet again.
I have to look at it positively though. I need to remember that for every bit of fat my body chooses to use, it's releasing whatever toxins, hormones and anything else that's stored in that fat cell. It's crazy to think that our fat cells store lots of stuff (besides fat). So any toxins you are exposed to tend to go into your fat cells.... so if you break out, feel funky, get your TOM, etc., it's something that was released by that fat cell. Crazy..... at least I know I'm burning fat this way, right?
For the first time my coach asked me where I would like to land in terms of weight. I realized that I'm more than half way to my supposed goal because of it. We need to figure out when to phase me off and the rule of thumb is that you lose 90% of the weight (whatever you decide that is) and then you start phase 2 for two weeks, then move to phase 3 for two weeks, then to maintenance.
I had this 'idea' that I wanted a body fat percentage and a dream size in terms of clothing. Granted, sizes have changed over the past 20 years but I really wanted to go to a place I've never been just to prove that I can. I think it's a healthy goal....I just don't know if it's truly achievable or not. If I look at the reading from the fancy clinic scale (which I was told is wrong since my hormones are messing with the BF reading) I still have 28 lbs of fat left to lose. That seems ridiculous to me. That would mean I would weigh 138 or so which I think for my large and muscular frame is too low. I was thinking 148-152 might be right....my dream size is a 6 although if I make it to an 8 I would consider that a HUGE success. I'm almost a 10 now and if I still have 15-24 lbs to lose I might make it to that size 6 after all.
It is a dream I have..... and I think it's achievable. One more day in week 11 to see what I can accomplish.....I'm going to attempt to be in phase 4 within 8 weeks time! Wish me luck!
Officially lost another 3 lbs and 1.5 inches...actually, 1.75 if I count both thighs!
I lost 3/4" off my thorax
1/2" off my hips
1/4" off each of my thighs
Officially it showed me at 171.6 but I started out my day at 169.0 which is what I really count since I am on the scale first thing without any food or drink.
I had a wacky Saturday since I ended up meeting with a girlfriend and hanging out at a coffee shop for hours which meant I drank way too much coffee and ended up with too much caffeine in my system. I compensated with LOTS of water though and I think I did okay. Mark and I went to Aloha Kitchen last night for our IP dinner (he always takes me here once a week so I don't have to cook and they serve IP friendly meals!) and I had at least 2 cups of green tea (more caffeine) so I don't know if I managed to flush all of the caffeine out or not. I have a hunch I'm still trying to get rid of it today....
My TOM decided to come back after 2 weeks. It's so frustrating because my hormones go so out of whack and my body fat reads incorrectly. It's really high AGAIN (which is what happens during my TOM) so my coach can't truly see what my actually body fat is. Weird thing is that I lost 1 lb of fat this week so I should be reading about 1% down but no.....my hormones are raging yet again.
I have to look at it positively though. I need to remember that for every bit of fat my body chooses to use, it's releasing whatever toxins, hormones and anything else that's stored in that fat cell. It's crazy to think that our fat cells store lots of stuff (besides fat). So any toxins you are exposed to tend to go into your fat cells.... so if you break out, feel funky, get your TOM, etc., it's something that was released by that fat cell. Crazy..... at least I know I'm burning fat this way, right?
For the first time my coach asked me where I would like to land in terms of weight. I realized that I'm more than half way to my supposed goal because of it. We need to figure out when to phase me off and the rule of thumb is that you lose 90% of the weight (whatever you decide that is) and then you start phase 2 for two weeks, then move to phase 3 for two weeks, then to maintenance.
I had this 'idea' that I wanted a body fat percentage and a dream size in terms of clothing. Granted, sizes have changed over the past 20 years but I really wanted to go to a place I've never been just to prove that I can. I think it's a healthy goal....I just don't know if it's truly achievable or not. If I look at the reading from the fancy clinic scale (which I was told is wrong since my hormones are messing with the BF reading) I still have 28 lbs of fat left to lose. That seems ridiculous to me. That would mean I would weigh 138 or so which I think for my large and muscular frame is too low. I was thinking 148-152 might be right....my dream size is a 6 although if I make it to an 8 I would consider that a HUGE success. I'm almost a 10 now and if I still have 15-24 lbs to lose I might make it to that size 6 after all.
It is a dream I have..... and I think it's achievable. One more day in week 11 to see what I can accomplish.....I'm going to attempt to be in phase 4 within 8 weeks time! Wish me luck!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Weigh in: week 10 and week 11 begins
What an insanely crazy weekend!
I didn't even think once about writing because of it. SO not like me! My weigh in was Saturday morning as usual and doing IP is all about the journey, that's for sure! I had a loss of 2 lbs and 1.5 inches but no body fat loss (actually, it showed a gain which means my water was low and it affected the reading). That damned scale is so sophisticated yet if I eat wrong or don't drink enough my BF percentage will read wrong!
My coach is so damn smart though. She was reading my food journal (and I can't believe I actually write everything I eat and drink down...this is SO not like me!) and noticed I had LOTS more caffeine than usual and did not compensate my water intake for it. I also shorted myself on veggies that day...again so not like me! It completely compromised my loss so I've learned a valuable lesson. I will not short my water intake no matter how busy my day is and I will remember to drink an exact replacement of water for every cup of caffeinated drinks I have!
So she said for all the caffeine probably still racing through my system, trying to find its way out I did okay! I am not going to forget my water though.... I really do notice when I short myself and yesterday I started out that way and boy was my throat parched! I made up for it by last night and I feel so much better this morning. It really makes a difference in how your internal organs feel.
So this crazy weekend included a wedding, a big reception and then taking my MIL to the airport and then cooking up a storm for what my friends and I call Scotchtoberfest/Scottish Prom. I can't believe I managed to cook up so many bad foods (bad for me right now) in less than 3 hours! I did a good job not tasting or testing out the foods since I couldn't eat any of it! I'll certainly remember to make these things again when I can eat them though!
Just a quick note about my losses. I've been showing 2 to 3 lbs of loss per week as of late which is considered average for women. I was holding on a lot more this week (in part due to my lack of water and/or veggies) but then I had a huge meal of steak and veggies and I do a 1.3 lb drop in a day! I keep reading that shocking the system with a heavier, fattier meal (not crazy fatty but just heavier than usual) every once in a while helps one to lose weight. Well, I sure did it this weekend!
So weighing myself this morning on the scale I weighed 170.3 and showed a BF of 36.6% My BMI (which I really hold no stock in for my actual goals) is finally not in an obese but a 'high' normal range! My BF is just a 1.6% away from normal! I can't believe I'm that close to normal!
I didn't even think once about writing because of it. SO not like me! My weigh in was Saturday morning as usual and doing IP is all about the journey, that's for sure! I had a loss of 2 lbs and 1.5 inches but no body fat loss (actually, it showed a gain which means my water was low and it affected the reading). That damned scale is so sophisticated yet if I eat wrong or don't drink enough my BF percentage will read wrong!
My coach is so damn smart though. She was reading my food journal (and I can't believe I actually write everything I eat and drink down...this is SO not like me!) and noticed I had LOTS more caffeine than usual and did not compensate my water intake for it. I also shorted myself on veggies that day...again so not like me! It completely compromised my loss so I've learned a valuable lesson. I will not short my water intake no matter how busy my day is and I will remember to drink an exact replacement of water for every cup of caffeinated drinks I have!
So she said for all the caffeine probably still racing through my system, trying to find its way out I did okay! I am not going to forget my water though.... I really do notice when I short myself and yesterday I started out that way and boy was my throat parched! I made up for it by last night and I feel so much better this morning. It really makes a difference in how your internal organs feel.
So this crazy weekend included a wedding, a big reception and then taking my MIL to the airport and then cooking up a storm for what my friends and I call Scotchtoberfest/Scottish Prom. I can't believe I managed to cook up so many bad foods (bad for me right now) in less than 3 hours! I did a good job not tasting or testing out the foods since I couldn't eat any of it! I'll certainly remember to make these things again when I can eat them though!
Just a quick note about my losses. I've been showing 2 to 3 lbs of loss per week as of late which is considered average for women. I was holding on a lot more this week (in part due to my lack of water and/or veggies) but then I had a huge meal of steak and veggies and I do a 1.3 lb drop in a day! I keep reading that shocking the system with a heavier, fattier meal (not crazy fatty but just heavier than usual) every once in a while helps one to lose weight. Well, I sure did it this weekend!
So weighing myself this morning on the scale I weighed 170.3 and showed a BF of 36.6% My BMI (which I really hold no stock in for my actual goals) is finally not in an obese but a 'high' normal range! My BF is just a 1.6% away from normal! I can't believe I'm that close to normal!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Week 10 has started....
It seems so strange to think it's only been a little over 2 months since I started doing IP but when I think week #10 it seems even longer. I've been kind of lax on my low fat part of the diet (more red meat and coconut milk and oil) but it hasn't stopped my loss, thank goodness. I have been really, really good though about carbs. I don't crave it...that's the cool thing. If I get to have my strawberry wafer, it's all good! :-)
I am happy to say that today I achieved one of my mini goals. I always look at each 10 lbs as a mini goal so to be able to look back on these past weeks and see that I've actually been doing okay is a great thing. I was being so hard on myself about 3 weeks ago. I just couldn't get over not losing anything (although I did lose inches and actual fat) because of the stress I was under. It's funny how water weight really does affect the numbers.
So anyway, I hopped on the scale as I always do first thing in the morning and I finally went past the 30 lb mark! Now, if I want to be a little fussy and say "But wait Trina, you weigh yourself sans clothing now and you didn't before." I suppose I could say the 30 lb. claim might be faulty. But you know what? I know I weighed even more than 203 at one point. I just happened to be that when I hopped on the scale that day at the clinic. So, I'm going to give myself this achievement and not get down on myself today. :-) Now, because it was first thing in the a.m., I know that I won't see that number for the rest of the day, LOL. Eating and drinking send the numbers up as much as 2 to 3 lbs during the day. I'm just glad I actually saw it for the first time.
This is a huge achievement for me. To think I weighed that much more 2 months ago just slays me. I was so miserable physically and mentally. I was so damned uncomfortable. I just didn't know how badly. Now, I really know because I'm able to do so much more now than I could before. My knees (except for the little tear that is there) feel great. My back does not hurt anymore. My circulation feels awesome!
I spent part of my morning trying to remember what I may have weighed during the last decade. Since I avoided the scale as much as possible, I really don't know when I weighed this. I do 'think' that I was around this weight around 2004. I need to keep going back through pics and find me in specific clothing (IF I still have it) and see how it fit then vs. now I suppose.
So that's what's going on today! I am hoping I can continue with this loss through the week. I know how my body seems to work now. I need to continue losing around .5 a day in order for this to show on the clinic scale this Saturday. I have 4.5 days to see if I can keep up this pace. It's a little tough though, because I'm trying (operative word) to catch a cold or something and I'm doing all I can with essential oils and other natural products to keep me from succumbing. If I do get worse, it could wreak havoc on me because I'd have to go on meds. I'm going to rest and try to avoid anything stressful and drink LOTS of fluids. I'm allowing myself more coffee today (yes, with my non-dairy coconut creamer) so there's a bit more fat going into my system. That will probably keeping from losing much today but I would rather give myself a natural fat and avoid medicine which will possibly knock me out of ketosis.
I am happy to say that today I achieved one of my mini goals. I always look at each 10 lbs as a mini goal so to be able to look back on these past weeks and see that I've actually been doing okay is a great thing. I was being so hard on myself about 3 weeks ago. I just couldn't get over not losing anything (although I did lose inches and actual fat) because of the stress I was under. It's funny how water weight really does affect the numbers.
So anyway, I hopped on the scale as I always do first thing in the morning and I finally went past the 30 lb mark! Now, if I want to be a little fussy and say "But wait Trina, you weigh yourself sans clothing now and you didn't before." I suppose I could say the 30 lb. claim might be faulty. But you know what? I know I weighed even more than 203 at one point. I just happened to be that when I hopped on the scale that day at the clinic. So, I'm going to give myself this achievement and not get down on myself today. :-) Now, because it was first thing in the a.m., I know that I won't see that number for the rest of the day, LOL. Eating and drinking send the numbers up as much as 2 to 3 lbs during the day. I'm just glad I actually saw it for the first time.
This is a huge achievement for me. To think I weighed that much more 2 months ago just slays me. I was so miserable physically and mentally. I was so damned uncomfortable. I just didn't know how badly. Now, I really know because I'm able to do so much more now than I could before. My knees (except for the little tear that is there) feel great. My back does not hurt anymore. My circulation feels awesome!
I spent part of my morning trying to remember what I may have weighed during the last decade. Since I avoided the scale as much as possible, I really don't know when I weighed this. I do 'think' that I was around this weight around 2004. I need to keep going back through pics and find me in specific clothing (IF I still have it) and see how it fit then vs. now I suppose.
So that's what's going on today! I am hoping I can continue with this loss through the week. I know how my body seems to work now. I need to continue losing around .5 a day in order for this to show on the clinic scale this Saturday. I have 4.5 days to see if I can keep up this pace. It's a little tough though, because I'm trying (operative word) to catch a cold or something and I'm doing all I can with essential oils and other natural products to keep me from succumbing. If I do get worse, it could wreak havoc on me because I'd have to go on meds. I'm going to rest and try to avoid anything stressful and drink LOTS of fluids. I'm allowing myself more coffee today (yes, with my non-dairy coconut creamer) so there's a bit more fat going into my system. That will probably keeping from losing much today but I would rather give myself a natural fat and avoid medicine which will possibly knock me out of ketosis.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Week 9 weigh in
It was a good week overall and it's nice that I weigh in early because IF I am disappointed in my Saturday results I still have Sunday to try to crank out a little more weight loss by eating super clean and trying not to stress out since that just creates a roadblock to loss.
According to the official scale I lost another 3.4 lbs and 2 more inches! Again, since I haven't kept religious measurements I don't have my left thigh or arm or true waist to add into the mix but I can guesstimate rather than the 23.5 inches it's more like 30+ because I am officially wearing size 12! Yay!
I weighed myself as soon as I got home from Silverdale (not immediately after weigh in but I had been shopping at the mall and drinking my water so I'm sure I was about the same) and it was a .10 lower than the clinic scale. Now I could have lost a .10 of a lb. but either way it was so close I truly can trust this scale of ours and that's a relief since it cost a lot of money!
I know I mentioned this before but my clothes (and especially jeans) can add up to 3 lbs. so it was a shock to see the difference when I weigh first thing in the morning sans clothing.
The clinic says I now weigh 176.6 and that's good! I weighed at 173.9 yesterday morning (of course, before all my water, coffee and breakfast) and I couldn't believe it! I am THAT close to 30 lbs. So close I can almost taste it..... and it's going to be so amazing when I get past that elusive 170 and into the 160's because it's been so long since I have been at this weight! I am so much more comfortable than I used to be and I wouldn't have been able to put this into words before. Yes, I still have some aches and pains and issues that come with being 50 but I haven't been this light in at least 6 years so this is amazing. I try to compare myself to shows I was either directing or was in and 6 years ago Mark and I were just getting ready to open in "My Way - a Tribute to Frank Sinatra" at BCT. I know I was a size 12 (at least in my very fancy ballgown and an 18 in the bridesmaid-y gown which always run super small) and we were in the midst of doing the Atkins diet. I think I lost about 7-10 lbs but I remember feeling heavy and bloated from too much fatty stuff. I totally got tired of bacon (can you believe it? Me? Tired of bacon?) and we chose to quit after about 4 weeks. I had to of started a slow gain after that although I know I was still bordering on a 12/14 in the summer of 2008. By that fall, I know I was a 14 though. My dresses in my closet proved that.
So this isn't uncharted territory as at my smallest (around 1994-2000) I was typically a size 10 and approximately 155-160 lbs. I may have been a little lighter but I don't remember getting back into the 140 range since I was in my 20's. I know when I got married (the first time) in 1989 I weighed 141 and thought I was FAT. God in heaven, why did I have such a twisted sense of self? Oh yeah, I also wore a size 10 most of the time back then and because I wasn't a single digit size I was kicking myself constantly for being FAT. Oh, here's another funny statistic: when I bought my wedding dress (and those dresses were always cut very small so you have to order at least 2 to 4 sizes bigger than your actual size) I had to order a size 12. GOD HELP ME. And they had to take it in..... I thought I was so huge because of my size 12. I was working in the industry back then and I knew that those dresses were cut differently and yet I still turned into a nutcase over that '12'.
Now I'm just so thrilled to be a '12' again I will never look at this size in such a way again! Granted, I don't intend to be at this weight any longer than necessary so I am looking at it as a stepping stone. It's not evil, it's just a number and a journey mile marker on my way to a very healthy weight. According to the Tanita scale it says I have another 27 lbs of excess fat to lose (to get to 25%) so if that holds any truth (I know it's not 100% since our hormones do affect the results) I do have at least 20 lbs to go. My goal right now is to get to 21-23% body fat and I don't know if that's realistic or not at this point. It really depends on my bone structure and how I'm feeling at each milepost. According to the matrix at the clinic acceptable normal range of body fat is 23-34% for the average woman of my age. Now that's a huge difference in terms of percentage numbers. I know that I have a large bone structure and a lot of muscle mass as I weigh 110 lbs with just bones, muscle and organs. I am supposed to have at least 33 lbs of fat for 23% so that means 143 lbs is about that. That is about 30 lbs from today. I don't know if I have a true 30 lbs to give.... and that's okay. If it works out that 20 lbs is right and I am a size that I like and I look fit and healthy then I'll stop there. If I need that additional 10, well.... I may do it. I know we all gain weight once we start in maintenance because we have to add real carbs back into our diet (dairy, grains, and a few other assorted healthy things) so I want to be sure I'm truly comfortable.
So I really don't know where I want to land in terms of size and weight. I do want to see if I can look good and be a size 6/8 since I've truly never been that. I've worn lots of size smalls back in high school and I wore size 7/8 back then (and thought I was FAT - argh!) but from college onward I was that curvy, muscular size 9/10. I know sizes have changed in 30 years but I still want to know if I can attain that true size small without looking anorexic.
I have been toying with the idea of starting to run (again) and if I do run, then my body fat would have to stay in the low range (18-21 %) so that my knees like me. I also plan to start doing martial arts, yoga and dance again so I know the weight will stay off. I'm pretty excited about this..... I know that I can maintain now. Even though I want to eat all these yummy desserts I've pinned on my Pinterest page, I know I have to control it and save those treats for special occasions.
Yeah....so there's lots to think about but there's lots to be thankful for as well. I still am in shock that it's been almost 9 weeks and I have yet to let a carb/sugar enter my body other than the IP foods. I have not touched a potato, noodle or piece of rice other than to serve it to Mark and his mom for dinner. I've only eaten meats and veggies and my only vice has been an occasional piece of bacon or licking the peanut butter off the spoon. I don't miss potatoes on my plate. I actually accept that lovely plate of veggies, meat and a side salad. I love my hard boiled eggs or pickles for snacks. Who the hell am I??????? :-)
According to the official scale I lost another 3.4 lbs and 2 more inches! Again, since I haven't kept religious measurements I don't have my left thigh or arm or true waist to add into the mix but I can guesstimate rather than the 23.5 inches it's more like 30+ because I am officially wearing size 12! Yay!
I weighed myself as soon as I got home from Silverdale (not immediately after weigh in but I had been shopping at the mall and drinking my water so I'm sure I was about the same) and it was a .10 lower than the clinic scale. Now I could have lost a .10 of a lb. but either way it was so close I truly can trust this scale of ours and that's a relief since it cost a lot of money!
I know I mentioned this before but my clothes (and especially jeans) can add up to 3 lbs. so it was a shock to see the difference when I weigh first thing in the morning sans clothing.
The clinic says I now weigh 176.6 and that's good! I weighed at 173.9 yesterday morning (of course, before all my water, coffee and breakfast) and I couldn't believe it! I am THAT close to 30 lbs. So close I can almost taste it..... and it's going to be so amazing when I get past that elusive 170 and into the 160's because it's been so long since I have been at this weight! I am so much more comfortable than I used to be and I wouldn't have been able to put this into words before. Yes, I still have some aches and pains and issues that come with being 50 but I haven't been this light in at least 6 years so this is amazing. I try to compare myself to shows I was either directing or was in and 6 years ago Mark and I were just getting ready to open in "My Way - a Tribute to Frank Sinatra" at BCT. I know I was a size 12 (at least in my very fancy ballgown and an 18 in the bridesmaid-y gown which always run super small) and we were in the midst of doing the Atkins diet. I think I lost about 7-10 lbs but I remember feeling heavy and bloated from too much fatty stuff. I totally got tired of bacon (can you believe it? Me? Tired of bacon?) and we chose to quit after about 4 weeks. I had to of started a slow gain after that although I know I was still bordering on a 12/14 in the summer of 2008. By that fall, I know I was a 14 though. My dresses in my closet proved that.
So this isn't uncharted territory as at my smallest (around 1994-2000) I was typically a size 10 and approximately 155-160 lbs. I may have been a little lighter but I don't remember getting back into the 140 range since I was in my 20's. I know when I got married (the first time) in 1989 I weighed 141 and thought I was FAT. God in heaven, why did I have such a twisted sense of self? Oh yeah, I also wore a size 10 most of the time back then and because I wasn't a single digit size I was kicking myself constantly for being FAT. Oh, here's another funny statistic: when I bought my wedding dress (and those dresses were always cut very small so you have to order at least 2 to 4 sizes bigger than your actual size) I had to order a size 12. GOD HELP ME. And they had to take it in..... I thought I was so huge because of my size 12. I was working in the industry back then and I knew that those dresses were cut differently and yet I still turned into a nutcase over that '12'.
Now I'm just so thrilled to be a '12' again I will never look at this size in such a way again! Granted, I don't intend to be at this weight any longer than necessary so I am looking at it as a stepping stone. It's not evil, it's just a number and a journey mile marker on my way to a very healthy weight. According to the Tanita scale it says I have another 27 lbs of excess fat to lose (to get to 25%) so if that holds any truth (I know it's not 100% since our hormones do affect the results) I do have at least 20 lbs to go. My goal right now is to get to 21-23% body fat and I don't know if that's realistic or not at this point. It really depends on my bone structure and how I'm feeling at each milepost. According to the matrix at the clinic acceptable normal range of body fat is 23-34% for the average woman of my age. Now that's a huge difference in terms of percentage numbers. I know that I have a large bone structure and a lot of muscle mass as I weigh 110 lbs with just bones, muscle and organs. I am supposed to have at least 33 lbs of fat for 23% so that means 143 lbs is about that. That is about 30 lbs from today. I don't know if I have a true 30 lbs to give.... and that's okay. If it works out that 20 lbs is right and I am a size that I like and I look fit and healthy then I'll stop there. If I need that additional 10, well.... I may do it. I know we all gain weight once we start in maintenance because we have to add real carbs back into our diet (dairy, grains, and a few other assorted healthy things) so I want to be sure I'm truly comfortable.
So I really don't know where I want to land in terms of size and weight. I do want to see if I can look good and be a size 6/8 since I've truly never been that. I've worn lots of size smalls back in high school and I wore size 7/8 back then (and thought I was FAT - argh!) but from college onward I was that curvy, muscular size 9/10. I know sizes have changed in 30 years but I still want to know if I can attain that true size small without looking anorexic.
I have been toying with the idea of starting to run (again) and if I do run, then my body fat would have to stay in the low range (18-21 %) so that my knees like me. I also plan to start doing martial arts, yoga and dance again so I know the weight will stay off. I'm pretty excited about this..... I know that I can maintain now. Even though I want to eat all these yummy desserts I've pinned on my Pinterest page, I know I have to control it and save those treats for special occasions.
Yeah....so there's lots to think about but there's lots to be thankful for as well. I still am in shock that it's been almost 9 weeks and I have yet to let a carb/sugar enter my body other than the IP foods. I have not touched a potato, noodle or piece of rice other than to serve it to Mark and his mom for dinner. I've only eaten meats and veggies and my only vice has been an occasional piece of bacon or licking the peanut butter off the spoon. I don't miss potatoes on my plate. I actually accept that lovely plate of veggies, meat and a side salad. I love my hard boiled eggs or pickles for snacks. Who the hell am I??????? :-)
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Week 9 began
Wow.... I'm usually better about posting at the beginning of the week! I didn't even think about it since I posted my official WI results from last week.
As I said before, it was a crazy week or so. I didn't lose like I thought but my strange aversion to lettuce really cost me some loss and I have learned a valuable lesson. I know that I really need the fiber that salads/veggies provide and the benefits are actual weight loss. You'd think lettuce/greens would be a 'zero' but only Iceberg lettuce counts as an actual freebie in IP menus. All other lettuces have more calories and fiber and far less water content so they really help the body move the excess fat we eat out of our intestines and colon. That means less gain and more loss in the long run if we are eating correctly.
Well, my TOM finally decided to show up! It's about 2 weeks late but I have to take into consideration that I had the longest period of my life the last time (almost 3 weeks). Because IP attacks our fat storage for fuel it causes all the hormones that are stored in those fat cells to release into our blood stream and it wreaks all kinds of havoc on us. I'm not saying it's painful or anything but women tend to either have irregular cycles, get pregnant easily, go into menopause sooner depending on your age and your history. Go figure..... it's just part of the deal though and I'm willing to put up with it since I am having huge success with this program. I was berating myself this past week because of my slow loss and my major ups/downs in weight and I had forgotten that I've lost over 25 lbs in less than 2 months! Who does that on any regular diet? NO ONE. Yeah.... I'm happy again. I think I'm doing a great job.
I will openly admit I allow more fats in my diet than I probably should. I don't consider myself a real cheater since I do watch what I eat so much. I have a coconut creamer (It is coconut milk, 1 egg, 1 tblsp of vanilla, 1-2 tblsp of coconut oil blended together. Makes a week's worth) that I use in my coffee that is very high in fat but I only allow myself 2 tablespoons of it. It does not seem to affect my losses at all. I eat an occasional piece of bacon or 2 at a meal, maybe once a week. I eat hamburger once a week. Higher in fat, yes.... but I eat chicken and fish more often than not. I allow myself a teaspoon of peanut butter once a week.
The great thing is, I don't cheat with sugar, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, flour or the other things I always craved so much. Mark and I stopped at Wendy's one night after our show to get dinner for his mom. There were French fries in that bag (one of my BIG weaknesses) and I was wondering how I would handle the smell in the car ride home. Well, I stuck my head in the bag and took a huge whiff just to test myself and I honestly thought I would get sick from the greasy oil smell. YES, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT FRENCH FRIES WERE GROSS for the first time in my life and I wasn't even sick!
That was a huge revelation for me. I realized that I really don't like French fries. Now, if I go on a cheating bender after I go into maintenance I bet I'd like them again until I get a really horrible stomach ache but I finally could smell the grossness that is oily, fried foods. I need to try to remember that moment every time I get tempted.
Because this is such a game changing moment in my life I am really making efforts to study up on Paleo, gluten free, no sugar, and low carb cooking so I can really be prepped for the lifestyle change once I achieve my weight loss goals. Because Mark is not on IP (I wish we could afford to both be!) I am going to do my best to get him on it via real foods I make for him. He's pretty psyched about the gluten free/no sugar dessert cookbook I got because he will benefit most from that!
So week 9 begins with me 27 lbs down (and that's even with some water weight from TOM) so that's pretty darn good! I know I'll fluctuate so I'll try not to weight myself too much this week if I can help it. I'm sure I'll be going up and down 3 lbs and I need to remember that is NORMAL. ;-)
As I said before, it was a crazy week or so. I didn't lose like I thought but my strange aversion to lettuce really cost me some loss and I have learned a valuable lesson. I know that I really need the fiber that salads/veggies provide and the benefits are actual weight loss. You'd think lettuce/greens would be a 'zero' but only Iceberg lettuce counts as an actual freebie in IP menus. All other lettuces have more calories and fiber and far less water content so they really help the body move the excess fat we eat out of our intestines and colon. That means less gain and more loss in the long run if we are eating correctly.
Well, my TOM finally decided to show up! It's about 2 weeks late but I have to take into consideration that I had the longest period of my life the last time (almost 3 weeks). Because IP attacks our fat storage for fuel it causes all the hormones that are stored in those fat cells to release into our blood stream and it wreaks all kinds of havoc on us. I'm not saying it's painful or anything but women tend to either have irregular cycles, get pregnant easily, go into menopause sooner depending on your age and your history. Go figure..... it's just part of the deal though and I'm willing to put up with it since I am having huge success with this program. I was berating myself this past week because of my slow loss and my major ups/downs in weight and I had forgotten that I've lost over 25 lbs in less than 2 months! Who does that on any regular diet? NO ONE. Yeah.... I'm happy again. I think I'm doing a great job.
I will openly admit I allow more fats in my diet than I probably should. I don't consider myself a real cheater since I do watch what I eat so much. I have a coconut creamer (It is coconut milk, 1 egg, 1 tblsp of vanilla, 1-2 tblsp of coconut oil blended together. Makes a week's worth) that I use in my coffee that is very high in fat but I only allow myself 2 tablespoons of it. It does not seem to affect my losses at all. I eat an occasional piece of bacon or 2 at a meal, maybe once a week. I eat hamburger once a week. Higher in fat, yes.... but I eat chicken and fish more often than not. I allow myself a teaspoon of peanut butter once a week.
The great thing is, I don't cheat with sugar, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, flour or the other things I always craved so much. Mark and I stopped at Wendy's one night after our show to get dinner for his mom. There were French fries in that bag (one of my BIG weaknesses) and I was wondering how I would handle the smell in the car ride home. Well, I stuck my head in the bag and took a huge whiff just to test myself and I honestly thought I would get sick from the greasy oil smell. YES, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT FRENCH FRIES WERE GROSS for the first time in my life and I wasn't even sick!
That was a huge revelation for me. I realized that I really don't like French fries. Now, if I go on a cheating bender after I go into maintenance I bet I'd like them again until I get a really horrible stomach ache but I finally could smell the grossness that is oily, fried foods. I need to try to remember that moment every time I get tempted.
Because this is such a game changing moment in my life I am really making efforts to study up on Paleo, gluten free, no sugar, and low carb cooking so I can really be prepped for the lifestyle change once I achieve my weight loss goals. Because Mark is not on IP (I wish we could afford to both be!) I am going to do my best to get him on it via real foods I make for him. He's pretty psyched about the gluten free/no sugar dessert cookbook I got because he will benefit most from that!
So week 9 begins with me 27 lbs down (and that's even with some water weight from TOM) so that's pretty darn good! I know I'll fluctuate so I'll try not to weight myself too much this week if I can help it. I'm sure I'll be going up and down 3 lbs and I need to remember that is NORMAL. ;-)
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