Friday, January 18, 2013

One Week In

So...  I never thought I would write about my weight-loss journey on here...  It is intensely personal...  But today, thought "why not?"  This is my journal.  And maybe, in some weird way, it could inspire or help someone else...?  You just never know!

A week ago today I signed up for Medifast at one of their centers.  I've been skeptical of these programs for years...  But recently have known some people who had success and spoke highly of their experience, so I decided to give it a try.  Trust me, I thought about it and researched it for weeks before deciding to even go in for a consultation!  But after that first consultation, when I made my list of pros and cons...  It definitely leaned more towards the "pros." 

PROS
*Don't have to think about food the majority of the day - it's provided for you.
*Weekly meetings with a counselor (and the counselors are from all different backgrounds - nutritionists, dietitians, psychologists, trainers, sports medicine professionals, etc).  You can meet with someone different every week!
*The one-on-one meetings.  (I'm done with the group thing...)
*Once you've lost the weight, you have an 8-week transition period, where they help you introduce "real" food back into your diet.
*After the transition period there is a 52-week maintenance phase - you still meet with a counselor weekly (so if you're having trouble, they teach you how to get back on track before you undo your success!).
*Once a month, during your meetings, they do your measurements and a full body workup to make sure you're losing weight in a healthy way (not losing bone or muscle mass), and check your blood pressure.
*During your meetings you work through a Behavior Modification workbook with weekly lessons.  (As someone who studied psychology, I appreciate this!)
*You mostly pay upfront...  So no backing out!

CONS
*Cost (at least upfront) - Center fees and meal costs.
*Processed packaged food.  I've spent the last few years trying to take this kind of stuff out of my diet!
*You have to journal your food and exercise - and bring it to your meetings!

So, I survived my first week and actually didn't have much difficulty adjusting!  And let me tell you, I feel like I was put through the wringer!

Saturday - Dinner at a pub with friends.  (No alcohol allowed on this diet!  Grilled chicken salad and water it was!)
Sunday - Dinner at a friend's house.  (Luckily, the friend was on Medifast, too.)
Monday - Dinner out with another friend, at another brewery.  (Ha ha ha.  They had their liquor license revoked...  That made it easy!  Another salad it was!)
Tuesday - I came home from a long work day at 8pm, and the hubby had made us a recipe out of the Medifast cookbook.  And it was perfect!
Wednesday - I got home at 8:30pm and cooked my dinner.  (I thought this would be annoying, but it was a nice way to unwind after the day...)
Photo: Seriously?  Mike goes out, and I make this meal for myself at 8:30 at night?  What's wrong with this picture?
Thursday - A birthday dinner at our niece's house.  She chose chicken strips and loaded french fries for dinner...  I picked up a salad on the way.  No problem!
Friday - Today, I ate the leftovers from my Wednesday dinner.  Still yummy!

See, the thing is, when you eat bars, shakes, and packaged meals 5 times a day...  Even veggies that I normally don't like - taste fabulous by evening!  I've been savoring and loving all my healthy meals!

So to answer some common questions:
*I'm honestly not hungry most of the time (I eat every 2-3 hours).
*So far, I have no problem avoiding junk food and sweets...  I don't even crave them when the hubby is eating them right in front of me!
*I drink a ton of water!  You're supposed to do 8 glasses a day, but I've been drinking 12-14.  (And I don't have to try...  I just find myself continuously filling my cup.)
*My dinners are protein and veggies (a "lean and green" meal).  No (or very little) dairy, fruit, bread, and alcohol.
*Throughout the weight loss period, you're not supposed to exercise much (you're caloric intake is too low).  But basic walking is OK.  Tomorrow, I'm starting the elliptical again.

So, yeah.  That's what I'm up to.  I weighed in today - down 3.5lbs!  I'll take it!


Things I'm thankful for today:

1.  Fridays.  My day off.
2.  A little bit of time to read...  For fun!
3.  A good meeting and weigh-in.
4.  Some new foods to try.
5.  Cuddling.
6.  Eating dinner with the hubby.
7.  Hubby doing little projects around the house.
8.  The bands, "The Lumineers" and "Head and the Heart."
9.  A "warm" day!  39 degrees, baby!
10.  Quick responses.

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