Heading into Week 7! Quick update!

Last week was my first "gain," (1.6 lb. of mostly water weight). I am happy to have lost 3 lb. this week...so not counting the "gain" from last week, that means I lost an additional 1.4 lb. for a total weight loss of 14.90 lb. in 6 weeks. And that means that I have officially passed the halfway point (13.75 lb.). Finally!!

If I can keep this up, I hope to reach my goal weight by the beginning of October. That really doesn't seem very far away to me at all. I wonder if I can do it!

I definitely slacked on the exercise last week since it was my "time of month," but hope to get back into it this week...while juggling the start of the school semester. *Fingers crossed*

Week 6 is almost over already.

Unfortunately, the scale was not happy with me this week. For my Week 5 weigh in, I had gained 1.6 lb. Granted, this was primarily water weight, as I lost .3% (0.1 lb.) in fat mass, and my water weight increased 1.3 lb.

I suspected the bloating had to do with my lovely monthly visit from Mother Nature. Unfortunately, this has caused me to crave things like chocolate and to just be hungrier than usual, so I have had some off times this week. I also indulged in a glass of Chardonnay the other night at a show with some friends. I think I have gotten to that point where I am beginning to get a little cocky, which is dangerous grounds for me, because I guarantee I could just gain back everything I've lost and then some.

I refuse to go there.

I was out of ketosis for a few days which I suspect had to do with eating some low-carb tortillas. Though I was within my carb intake limit for the day, I think it had to do  with the  type of carbs I was consuming. I just checked again today and I am starting to see some Trace levels of ketones, so I hope to increase them and return to fat-burning mode! I had been working out rather diligently last week, though maybe not for long periods of time. The 30 Day Shred is only 20-25 minutes long, so it doesn't feel like a loooong, boring workout on the elliptical, but it definitely brings my heart rate up a lot more. I've only done a 5ish days of Level 1 so far, and I'm somewhat dreading Level 2, which I heard is extremely difficult. Once I'm done with my period, I really plan to step things up and not do the every other day thing anymore. I received my custom hula hoop this past week as well and have been learning some tricks from Hoopnotica. Practicing tricks definitely brings up my heart rate a lot more than just regular waist hooping. It also leaves nice marks on the wall when I mess up. :)

I am starting school this coming week. It officially started Thursday, but my first class is not until Tuesday, though I am the TA for two online courses. I am only taking two classes this semester, and both are with professors I like who are not the type to give you busy work. I hope this gives me the time and freedom to work out. At least I won't have an excuse not to. My hoop dance class starts in September; and after watching the Cirque du Soleil touring show Dralion this week, I am partly considering signing up for a Beginner Aerial Silks or Beginner Dance (Low-Flying) Trapeze class.

Anyway. As I said, I refuse to get cocky and undo what I've done. After these past two weeks of cheats and give-ins, I am going to get back into ketosis, get back on track, be strict and dedicated again, and I will see those numbers go down! Wish me luck!

Focaccia Cloud Bread

I leave you with a photo of some lovely focaccia cloud bread I just took out of the oven. You can find the recipe and some blogger comments/suggestions here. To make the focaccia flavor and style (instead of the normal recipe), omit the Splenda or sugar substitute, and add herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, garlic). I mixed these into the batter, but also topped it with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and extra herbs before popping it in the oven. It bakes a little longer than the rounds do, since it's got a larger surface area. I can't wait to eat a sandwich at lunch today!

Guilty!

Okay, I finally did it...I strayed from the diet! It started with tortilla chips. I decided I really wanted tortilla chips (one of my favorite snacks), especially to go with the Low Carb Taco Bake from the Medi recipes page. I had purchased some Smart and Delicious Low Carb High Fiber Whole Wheat tortillas by La Tortilla Factory, which contain the lowest net carbs I've found of all the tortillas I've researched. I baked these into "chips." This paired with guacamole and salsa kind of caused me to eat a bit more (on the carb side) than I would have liked. I did okay the first night, but the 2nd and 3rd night I definitely overdid it on the carbs. Not to mention I had (for some reason) ventured down the candy aisle (while picking up my appetite suppressants at the drug store) and somehow convinced myself it would be okay to purchase the sugar-free versions of some of my favorite candies. BAD idea. The sugar count and net carb count may be low, but the calories are still there and the sugar alternative (mostly Splenda) seems to make them even more addictive than regular chocolate, which gets too "sweet" for me after a few pieces, and I definitely indulged in more than I should have. 

I need to get myself in check starting tomorrow. I've worked too hard these past 4 weeks to let these little slips destroy what I've accomplished so far! Especially since I am starting to look and feel decent again, and am looking forward to a possible beach or lake trip over Labor Day Weekend (which is in a little over 3 weeks). I tried to make up for things by counting actual carbs (using MyFitnessPal) instead of counting all veggie servings as 5, and all fruit servings as 15. I also tried to do small workouts to make up for those extra carbs or protein calories. This defeats the whole purpose of working out because the working out is supposed to give me that extra edge to help me excel the weight loss, not just make up for the junk I've eaten. I ramped things up tonight by hula hooping and starting the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. However, I should be doing this in addition to following the diet. I guess tomorrow's a brand new day, and I just need to be stricter, and look forward to the end results.

Honestly, the "chips" I made weren't even that good anyway, and really? Do I need to be eating sugar-free candy? It was good, but it was addictive and made me realize quickly how bad I am at self-control and moderation. I'm better at quitting things cold turkey than trying to limit things. I am taking the candy and leaving it at work tomorrow and not bringing it home with me!

I also have not been diligent in taking my pills/supplements. I think this may also contribute to my cravings and loss of willpower. Not taking the multivitamin, I could definitely tell a difference in how I felt overall. I also need to drink more water!!!

Anyway, so I admit it. I fell off the wagon. Though I technically was in the safe zone due to the working out, I don't feel proud of what I've done. I am going to just put it behind me, not get mad at myself, and move on. I think that's the best attitude to have. We all slip up and make mistakes sometimes, and nobody is perfect. However, I'm not going to give up and just go and binge on McDonald's or Pizza Hut (though the commercial for the garlic bread pizza is killer). I'm going to move on, ramp up the exercise and water intake, and have a successful weigh-in next week!

Here's to hoping I can do it!

-D

Recipes: Coconut Shrimp and Cheesecake

This past week I searched high and low for some healthy yet delicious recipes. I came home after picking up Chili's for some of my co-workers and had a craving for coconut shrimp. I decided to make my own. I also tweaked a number of cheesecake recipes I found and made some cute little (sugar-free) cheesecakes! Here are the recipes:

Low-Carb Coconut Shrimp

These are so good that you want to make sure you don't eat too many! They're great with a side of marmalade or chutney. I made some with sugar-free strawberry preserves, some horseradish and lime juice. You may want to try sugar-free peach preserves.

Low-Carb New York Style Mini Cheesecake

I had originally made these with an almond meal crust, but decided that they added too many calories/carbs, and realized that eating just the cheesecake part was more than satisfying. I enjoyed them topped with some sugar-free strawberry preserves and a few sliced strawberries. You may want to try it with fat-free Cool Whip!

Photo time

Four weeks ago, when I joined the Medi Weightloss Clinic, I took some Before photos of myself to document my journey. Since I have just completed Week 4, I decided to take some new photos to compare and see my progress. What do you think?

Here's the dreaded bikini shot. Since I wasn't sucking in when I took the Before photos, I forced myself not to suck in here either.

And here's that cute maxi dress. It is definitely fitting looser than it was, but it's still a very drapey/clingy fabric; so I still have some weight to lose before I would feel comfortable wearing it out.

And here is the side-by-side comparison from when I started and today (4 weeks later). Can't wait to slim down that gross tummy even more.

Beginning Week 5

Last week was not my most successful week, up in water weight and only down a total of 0.4 lb...but this week sure was a surprise! I lost 4 lb. even. That makes my total weight loss 13.5 lb.

I searched high and low and came up with some yummy recipes that I will share later this week (if I stop being a bad blogger and get to it).

I have also (re)-taken up hulahooping! I have a 4 lb. Acu hoop, but am interested in learning hoopdance, so I have a lighter hoop ordered (customized) and on its way (hopefully soon). Funny story. After breaking out the hoop, I looked up places locally that taught hoopdance classes, but couldn't find any still around...but I did find a local hoop club that was putting on a fire and drum show this past Friday. I rushed over after work to watch, and it was great fun. I spoke to a couple of the girls regarding classes and found out they are actually starting a class soon in the new circus/acrobat studio that is opening right below my apartment! How convenient is that?

Cheers,
D

End of Week 3...Beginning Week 4

I am a horribly inconsistent blogger and I realize I was supposed to blog about Week 2 and never got to it. I honestly can't even remember the big things I was going to write about. I will try my best to remember and then blog about Week 3 so that I'm caught up.

Week 2 Recap
The second week was easier than the first. Being able to add 2 servings of vegetables (10 total carbs) or 1 serving of vegetables (5 carbs) and 1 serving of fruit (15 carbs) significantly improved my outlook. In fact, since I was getting used to eating so little, I found it hard (at first) to make sure I still got my 500-700 calories of protein in. The thing that stinks about fruit is that they count as so many carbs. Obviously, not every fruit or vegetable has an equal amount of carbs, but Medi has us count veggies as 5 per serving and fruit as 15. Since I am trying to keep my carbs down to 30-35g (net) per day, eating a small serving of fruit is already half my day's worth of carbs. I have to count carbs from protein, and healthy fats as well. Oh yeah! I got to add 1 serving of healthy fat too (about 10g o <100 calories).

I also bought a box of Medi's Chocolate Celebration flavored protein bars (they were out of Peanut Butter Temptation), and those were a great treat. They do taste like protein, but are not as bad as some protein bars I've tried (like Cliff or Luna). They definitely help with that chocolatey/sweet craving I get every once in awhile, and it's convenient to have a packaged bar to take with me when I'm on the run. They are not cheap though, and only come 7 to a box. (Now that I think about it, this makes sense since you can only have 1 per day (due to carb count) and that allows them to sell you 1 box per week.)

Vitamins and supplements
I have generally been pretty good about swallowing pills, but I am not good about actually taking them (daily and/or on-time). Sometimes I feel like I'm on so many medications that I can't stand taking anymore pills than I have to. You have to be able to take pills regularly on this diet. You also have to be able to swallow pills that are pretty generous in size. I had a hard time with the hard Calcium 4 Blend, so I spoke to the P.A. about getting an over-the-counter one. I ended up buying Citracal Petites with Vitamin D3, which are definitely smaller (and smoother), but require more pills (2x the amount for the same 1-pill dosage). I've managed the other pills okay, though the Vita Super multi-vitamin and the Fat Burner pills can still be tricky.

Staying in ketosis
I was having trouble the previous week with keeping my ketone reading in the Moderate level. I was told that going too dark (on the test strips) can mean dehydration. I noticed when I started adding the carbs (veggies, fruits) back in, that my ketone levels were getting less (lighter). I was worried about this, but spoke to the P.A. and she said she was happy as long as I had any color (indicating ketosis at all). I have since then been able to get my level closer to Small or Moderate, which is better than Trace. I have to remember to drink lots of water everyday. It's harder than you think to drink at least 64 oz. a day.

Falling in love with Greek yogurt
I refused to try plain Greek yogurt at first, because I can't stand the taste, but my P.A. (and people online) suggested adding flavor enhancers like Stevia or fat-free sugar-free Jello mix, etc. I have found it nice to add Stevia and some fruit (berries) or Jello mix (chocolate, cheesecake, etc.) or even adding Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup which is calorie-free (but also an acquired taste). Once I even froze my chocolate concoction for a bit and had my own "frozen yogurt" while the boyfriend ate real ice cream. Not bad.

Weigh-in results and completing Week 3
After completing my second week, I went in for my weigh-in and lost an additional 2.8 lb. Not as significant as before, but not too shabby for a week's time either. My P.A. said that she would expect a 1-1.5 lb. weekly loss from here on out. To get that extra half-pound, I would be exercising. I set up a goal for myself to do 30 minutes of cardio followed by strength training a total of three times this week. I am happy to say that I completed my goal. This is a far cry from how long/hard/intense I used to work out when I was in college (and dating a personal trainer), but after not working out for the past 4-5 years, I'm happy that I reached my goal for the week. I'm definitely thankful for the things I learned when dating my ex, as I am not scared to lift weights or use machines with the big boys. I know what I'm doing. It's a big boring though using the apartment gym. I hate to sign up for a gym membership when I have one, but the machinery and equipment is somewhat limited. I will say that watching the Olympics while working out on the treadmill or elliptical has been great. It keeps my interest up and inspires me to keep going. 

Minor mishap
During my weigh-in I had a tiny mishap at the clinic. I had a surprise blood draw to recheck my potassium levels (since they were low last time). I did not eat before going in, and I don't know if I was in pain from the vitamin shots, or from the needle prick, or what, but I almost blacked out. I got really really nauseated and light-headed, and was so glad when the draw was over. It was a weird experience, and the P.A. came in immediately and the Medical Assistant gave me water. They cooled me down and then I ate a Cinnamon Pecan protein bar (which was super yummy). I recovered, and avoided vomiting, but it was definitely a weird experience. I kind of think it was a result of not eating, the pain from the shots, the pain from the blood draw prick, and the fact that I have been on a low-calorie diet. I have not always been great with blood draws, but have never passed out before. I will definitely request to lay down from now on.

Eating with friends at parties and get-togethers
I had 2 parties this weekend which involved food, and I found this to be more difficult than eating out at a restaurant. For one thing, you don't have as many options as you do as selecting from a restaurant menu. For another, you are at the mercy of whoever is hosting the party and/or providing the refreshments. I solved this by bringing food to the parties. This allowed me to seem like a gracious guest, while keeping the options open for me. For the first night (a small get-together to watch the Opening Ceremonies in London), I brought a large veggie/meat/cheese tray, and a container of hummus. I was able to eat some of the pepperoni and cheese in the tray, as well as the celery and broccoli. I passed on the ranch dip and carrots, but stuck with the hummus. I did try a few of the dips that others had made but kept those serving sizes very small. It was difficult not to have a beer with everyone else, but I brought my own water and Diet Coke. Nobody really noticed.

The second get-together was a cookout at a friend's house before going to see the new Batman movie. I knew it was going to be a cookout, so I brought my own turkey patty to grill. I also brought a small veggie tray and a small sugar-free jello mold. It was probably a little odd to the host, but his wife (who is a P.E. teacher and doesn't eat a lot of meat) totally understood, and nobody said anything about me going bun-free. I forgot to bring my carb-free ketchup, but I just kept it at a minimum, and only had a spoonful of baked beans (which is high in starches and sugars). Eating before going to the movies is also a great way to prevent yourself from the temptations of the overly-priced sodium-rich popcorn and sugary candies at the counter.

I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking to the diet and not cheating. I'm surprised I've been able to do that, and that I've made it this far. I have definitely craved McDonald's or Arby's or something...but I bypassed McDonald's (I want their fries!) and have had a couple Arby's roast beef sandwiches (no sauce, no bun).

Week 4 Begins!
I went for my 3rd weigh-in today, and it was bittersweet. The scale said I only lost 0.4 lb., but Tanita says I've lost 1.6 lb. of fat, and am retaining an extra 1 lb. of water weight, so I can still say it was a success. I've lost a total of 9.5 lb. so far. (Really hoping to at least hit that 10 lb. mark next week!)

Here is a shot of my Tanita slips that I've laid out in my notebook to compare the results week by week.

Here is a shot of my Weight History and stats from the Signature Patient Website. It's neat to see the progress. I hope that that chart at the top will see a steady (if not significant) decline as the weeks progress.

Goals for the upcoming week

• Limit sodium intake! This will help me to reduce water retention.
• Keep up with my supplements (i.e, taking them on time, taking them daily, etc.)
• Ramp up the exercise! I just ordered some Jillian Michaels' workout DVDs, like the 30 Day Shred (which is supposed to be pretty intense). I hope to start doing some of these in addition to training in the gym, and I definitely hope to do a minimum of three 30-minute cardio sessions plus strength training, if not more
• I hope to stick with the diet plan more strictly and not have any little cheats (even if it's just an extra almond here and there). I also plan to drink MORE water. If I haven't been meeting my minimum of 64 fl. oz. then this week I will be meeting it and then some. My P.A. set a goal for me to try to drink 80 fl. oz. daily this week.

Long-term goals

• I found this incredibly cute bikini at Target--it's navy blue with pink birds. Unfortunately, they are only sold online, and are sold out in pretty much every single size...except size small. I bought the bikini. I hope to wear the bikini...at some point. Obviously, it won't be this summer, but maybe I can wear it in the spring. We'll see. (I've always been a bit bustier, regardless of size, so that's something I will have to see about.)
• Get in shape, look and feel good in time for engagement photos. Well, let's not jump the gun. I need to get engaged first! BUT...when I do, I want to look good! ;)

End-of-week conclusions

• The number on the scale isn't everything! Look at the overall picture: body fat percentage, BMI, energy levels, how your clothes fit, how you feel, water retention levels...be happy and proud of yourself, even for small successes!
• Losing even 5-10 lb. can make a big difference in how you look and feel! I already feel more comfortable wearing some of my clothes that fit a big more "snug" than I liked them to at the beginning of the summer. I am feeling more confident wearing sleeveless items, and more confident wearing shirts that are more form-fitting in the waist section. I also am happily wearing a pair of chambray shorts that were too tight in the waist when I first got them. Can't wait to re-discover my closet after I've lost some more weight and can fit into more things and feel more comfortable with myself!

Hope to touch-base some time during the middle of the week before my next weigh-in!

Cheers,

D