Check in- Brag about your progress and vent your frustrations!

Lisalovestravel

In spite of some minor setbacks, I'm down 14 pounds in 3 weeks. I had to go to the thrift store and buy some new jeans in a smaller size. I don't plan to wear them long!

I'm nervous because my doctor plans to introduce a meal in the next week or two. I did discuss eating out with her- as I have two family birthdays this week and everybody is meeting at a restaurant. I was planning to take a shake with me and my doctor adamantly said no! She told me to have the restaurant specially prepare a grilled chicken breast or steak with no seasoning and a side of steamed veggies and a salad with cucumbers and tomatoes. "You need to enjoy eating out with your family," she said. She cautioned me to keep the meat portion to about 4oz- the size of the palm of your hand. I ate it seasoned with salt and pepper and it was DELICIOUS! However, unlike with the shakes, I was hungry again in about an hour and a half. So I'm scared to give up a shake for table food. Will I still be able to be so determined and unwilling to cheat? This is scary! But my doctor says I have to learn, and now is the time to learn. It's easy to lose with the shakes, but at some point- the shakes go away. The sooner I learn to manage healthy eating in good portions, the more long term my success will be. Of course that all makes sense. But it doesn't take away my fear!

HuskerJulie413

Congratulations! I actually agree with your doctor that it's healthy to introduce real food and the choices he gave you are spot on accurate to keep you in nutritional ketosis. The first few weeks you'll be losing a lot of water weight as you deplete your glycogen stores from your liver and muscles throughout your body. So don't be surprised if your weight-loss slows down some.

I lost 21 my first month, 19 my second month and 15 my third month.

Lisalovestravel

Dr G is great. I really like her. I think its great to start learning healthy habits early on, but it's so easy to drink the shakes and not have to think about anything or count anything- and know that you won't be hungry. It's going to be tough to have to be so responsible. As I said in another post, I lean strongly towards impatience. I'm still trying to understand how I lost 4# a week on Weight Watchers, while basically eating junk and 1000 calories a day, and now I'm consuming all of this healthy stuff, working out daily and only taking in 760 calories a day and I'm still only 4-5# a week! I don't get it!

The good news is, I'm at -17. I'm also taking your advice and preparing myself to learn patience and to be proud of each pounds as it comes off, as I've WORKED to earn it! And not to be discouraged when it doesn't come off in my time frame. With effort and smart choices it will ALL come off... eventually.

marallewis

Checking in: I started 6/4/15 and I am down 66.5lbs. I'm down from a size 20/22 to 12/14. Feeling good. My Dr. moved me from VLCD to LCD when I hit 198 and I'm still losing just slower. Working on adjusting to this slimmer me. I can fit into everything in my closet but I need to get strong now. I feel flabby with all this skin and not having really gotten my muscles fit yet. I have been training but this week was tough - food wise and exercise. We're renovating a house and moving in next Tuesday so I am just strung out on house transition stuff. Anyhow, here's a recent Before / After I posted on my blog:

HuskerJulie413

Thanks for sharing your update! You look great! You should feel proud of yourself!

Are your meals low carb so you are still in ketosis or are you out of ketosis?

I just checked the other threads and was reminded you worked out and had some private training sessions. That's great! I've mentioned my program isn't into more than mild exercise and that bothers me when so many here are exercising with good results. I'm challenging them on that rule this week!

marallewis

Julie: I was doing well and staying in ketosis until probably this weekend. I had a slice of bread for the first time, and I can feel the carb cravings now - its crazy! We're moving house and I missed my meeting this Friday and ran out of shakes yesterday. I'm counting calories - but I need my shakes! I don't trust myself!

In the beginning my Dr. wasn't keen on exercise - she wanted me to focus on food. But once I showed thru my second and third rounds of blood work that I was fine - she said Yes to strength training and ok to moderate cardio. Walking should always be acceptable!

HuskerJulie413

Carb cravings are why I'm afraid of adding too many carbs later. Would they support you eating a low carb meal and staying in ketosis? You could have 2 shakes and 20-30 real food carbs. There are low carb nut flour bread recipes out there on the internet/Pinterest.

My monthly labs and EKGs have been great too so hopefully I can push the exercise more. We had a substitute today so I didn't challenge the exercise rule like I had planned.

If you have run out of shakes due to your move and missing your meeting, check out the Atkins shakes. They have 15 protein, 1 net carb and 9 fat for only 160 calories. Not an exact replacement but will help keep your protein up and carbs low.

Good luck!

Lisalovestravel

Mara- you look amazing!

Yeah, it really is weird how different program locations have such different focus. My doctor keeps telling me to keep pushing myself with exercise and to build up the cardio. I'm happy to do it, hoping I can minimize the loose skin and flabby feeling. I'm up to briskly walking 3 1/2 miles and either swimming laps or running through the ladder at the football field- I did 11 of them today. The exercise, as much as the current weight loss (19 lbs) is the reason why I'm weaning off the blood pressure meds so soon. We're encouraged to do as much exercise as we can tolerate- more exercise, more muscle. More muscle- more calories/fat to burn!

You're both so inspirational! I can't wait until I can boast about those big numbers myself.

Lisalovestravel

Not bad for losing 19 pounds. I'm getting there- but have 70-80 to go. The ponytail picture was taken last December. The other two are today in the same clothes. If I walk in these jeans, they'll quickly end up around my ankles! The weight loss is less noticable on top, but my tummy is much smaller and my face is a bit thinner too. So for those just starting, it's amazing what you might see (or no longer see! ;-) ) in just a month!

HuskerJulie413

Lisa you are 20% to your goal already! You are inspiring too! It's rewarding to have loose clothing!

Lisalovestravel

Thanks, Julie! I'm minus 20 now. My weigh in is changing to Monday, so I'm a day short from last Tuesdays weigh in which had me at -17. I'm pleased with the 3 pounds considering it's water retention time and I'm eating a meal a day now.

marallewis

Looking good Lisa! Way to go!! It is so amazing how quickly you can change when it took years to put on! Stay the course!

Lisalovestravel

minus 23! I wasn't sure how eating a meal a day would affect my weight loss, but so far, so good! I usually have a salad with lowfat sharp cheddar cheese sprinkled on it and a sliced hard boiled egg. Then I have a side of meat, usually chicken, sometimes beef or pork. I don't weigh, but usually eyeball measure a deck of cards or the palm of my hand to check portion. I save my protein bar for an after supper snack, usually around 8pm or so, when I'm watching TV and wanting to nibble.

I had bought two pair of jeans a size smaller- about 3 weeks ago. The difference in brand sizes meant that the one pair fit great when I bought them- a wee bit snug, but wearable, while the other pair was uncomfortably snug, so were tucked away for future use. I'm happy to say that the future is NOW. The 1st pair I can now take off and on without even unbuttoning them. A couple more weeks and they'll be back to the goodwill store for the next person. The uncomfortably snug pair are a perfect fit! I love shrinking! I wish I would shrink more on top- I carry so much of my weight there. But my tummy has definitely deflated noticibly, and my face is thinner. I bought a tee shirt at the Def Leppard concert last Sunday- a MEDIUM. My college also gave our class free tee shirts this week. I took a MEDIUM. Now I anticipate shrinking into them!

HuskerJulie413

That's great Lisa!

I enjoyed wearing a 14/16 dress size to my niece's wedding this past weekend.
My other niece was married three years ago and I wore a 3X dress to her wedding!

Lisalovestravel

That's incredible, Julie! And that means you're out of "women" sizes and into regular sizes. For me, that's the first goal- getting under 200 and into those "normal" sizes. I'm nearly there. I'm wearing a size 15 in jeans, but still a 1x on top. The size 18's are getting bigger, but I can't squeeze the upper half into a 14/16 yet.

Lisalovestravel

I fell off the wagon for my birthday last week. Purposely. I was terribly sick all week with a head cold, fever and sore throat. I wanted little to do with eating and forced myself to eat a shake and supper- but I skipped my 2nd shake on several days. I was feeling a bit better for my birthday, so we had company over. My husband grilled chicken breasts for me and then decided to make chicken, bacon, ranch pizzas for everybody else. I decided that for my birthday, I would have a piece of pizza. Hoping to balance things out, I skipped a shake and my protein bar. So I had one shake and then one piece of pizza and a small piece of chocolate cake with a wee "taste" of peanut butter frosting and wee taste of a peanut butter cup decoration. I really had no guilt whatsoever. Until my next appointment, lol. My doctor was NOT happy with me! She was quite upset that I was skipping shakes and she really scolded me about the pizza. She said if I was having a big craving, I should have eaten the toppings and skipped the crust. But the crust was half of the craving! She told me I should probably cross pizza off of my list permanently. I figured I'd probably pulled myself out of ketosis by skipping the shakes, but I really couldn't handle them with the sore throat. She told me that even though I lost almost 5 pounds that week, she feared I was messing with my lean body mass. Since I'm down almost 30, I'll have another body scan next week to check. She gave me some reading material about "cheating". She also scolded me for not exercising and told me to step it up and hit it hard this week- especially resistance. She also wants me eating fish at least once a week. (Blech)

The doc put me in my place. :-( She said we'll be doing a LOT of counseling before the holidays come up.

Lisalovestravel

I'm nervous. Today I go in for my first big checkup since I started. I'll get measured and put on the scanner and who knows what else. I'm excited to see how my weight loss translates into inches. I'm also disappointed that weight loss isn't as quick as I'd like it to be. I think I'm only down 2 pounds this week. I'm following the diet pretty precisely, but when you're also eating a meal, it can be sometimes be difficult to judge what is too much. I might have to get precise with measuring things instead of "eyeballing" it. I'm still flabbergasted that such a low-cal, low-carb, low-EVERYTHING diet, also with plenty of exercise can only translate to a couple pounds a week. It just seems like such sacrifice should mean more pounds off! I'm trying not to be frustrated, but I am.

HuskerJulie413

Lisa... happy belated birthday first of all. Comments from your cheat post: More important than the shakes and calories we get from them it's the number of carb grams being less than 40-50grsms that keeps us in ketosis. Your doctor was mad because you didn't get enough protein from your shakes and had too many carbs. If you would have eaten the toppings from extra pieces of pizza then you would have got got more protein and fat from the meat and cheese but even if you had over 800 calories you'd still have been in ketosis.

Comments from the previous post. Ever since my 3rd month my loss has been half what it was the first 2 months. Don't get discouraged! Still you need to weigh and measure all your food and track it perfectly here on MFP. I find weighing my food to be easiest. Most servings have a weight on the label. Put your plate on the scale and zero it then add your first food on to the plate until you reach the serving weight you figured you'd get. Then zero it out again and add your next food than zero it out and add your next. Let us know how your visit went!

Lisalovestravel

Thanks Julie!

I was put back on the scanner two weeks ago. My doctor wasn't thrilled to see I had lost more muscle than she likes. She said a little bit is normal, but my percentage was slightly higher than "normal". So I was put on a protein powder to mix in with my water (it's good, tastes like crystal light only without the heartburn). She also told me to kick up the exercise, doing a lot more resistance work. I'd lost about 15" total, most of it around my hips and tummy. She scolded me to eat fish at least once a week and expand my variety of veggies. I've never been a fish eater or a veggie eater. I'm very routine and boring in my eating, so this has been tough. I find I like raw veggies much better than cooked. So I've been trying zucchini and cucumbers (my fave so far), broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts (not a fan of bs). I've been trying to force down some chicken of the sea tuna or salmon once a week. But I do have to force it, it's a chore for me.

Weight loss continues to be slow, but it does continue. I'm down about 35 pounds. My size 15 jeans are getting baggy so hopefully I'll be in 12-14's soon. Shirt sizes are slower, but I am transitioning out of womens XL (was originally womens 2x) and into regular XL's, so it's exciting to NOT BE in plus sizes anymore, woot woot! Better yet is that my BP meds have been knocked to half a dose and my pressures are still quite low (around 102/64) so it might be getting knocked to a fourth tablet soon. Exercise has been slow this week due to lightheadedness. Usually I work out for an hour 4-6 days a week. This week I worked out twice.

I'm still working on my impatience. I was sure I'd have lost closer to 60 pounds by Thanksgiving, but at this rate, I'll be lucky to be at 40#. I tell myself that's still amazing, I'm getting nice and healthy and losing it slowly, which makes me more likely to keep it off. I'm under 200 pounds for the first time in a decade and a half and I've lose enough that people are noticing- and not just in my face. But this is a long road, longer than I expected, and I've really been fighting cravings HARD. I think I'd commit a crime for a baked potato smothered in butter, cheese and bacon!

I also have to confess that my husband made tacos the other night. I wanted a taco- SO BADLY! So I did take a tablespoon full of the taco meat and sprinkled it over my salad the last two nights so I could feel like I was having taco salad. It was so good! So I might be in for another scolding at tomorrow's weigh in... But it was either that, or I feared I would crumble completely and make a taco.

How are things with you? It appears we're the only ones here anymore...

nitab56

Way to go both Lisa and Julie! You are my inspiration.

I am really struggling right now with a problem I thought I would never have-I have no appetite and am so tired of the sweetness in all of the meal replacements-especially in the morning. I really have to force myself to eat at all. I am on 4 packets a day and getting the 4th packet in is hard.

Have any of you struggled with this? Or do you have any suggestions?

Also how are you guys handling Thanksgiving?

DelilahCat0212

@nitab56 I don't know if this is a good thing to do or not but my Doc gave us "emergency meal" plans for when we are without our product. I usually do an emergency meal when I'm not feeling the sweetness of shakes. I can list what he put down here if you don't have something similar from your doc?

nitab56

DelilahCat0212 wrote: »

@nitab56 I don't know if this is a good thing to do or not but my Doc gave us "emergency meal" plans for when we are without our product. I usually do an emergency meal when I'm not feeling the sweetness of shakes. I can list what he put down here if you don't have something similar from your doc?

I do have an emergency meal-that's a good idea. I get so focused on staying on track that I forget to use it.
Thank you!

kendra5

Hello all! I just joined the group and just today had my first weigh in on the shakes. I had a rough time sticking this first week, so I'm not sure if I'm in ketosis or not. I really need for this to work and I'm motivated by all of you. I have a long way to go. Also, what is an emergency meal?

ESueM67

kendra5 wrote: »

... what is an emergency meal?

Hi Kendra,
The first week is the hardest. Stick with the plan and reach for help when you need it. The MFP community is rich with people who have gone through this, and they can offer a lot of support and creative ways to get through the cravings.

To your question about the emergency meal--an emergency meal is one that consists of a lean protein (fish, chicken--usually about 4oz) and vegetables. An emergency shouldn't "kick you out" of ketosis and is helpful if you find yourself having to eat out or without your New Direction meals.

Good luck to you!
Sue

kendra5

Sue, thanks so much! I looked over my calendar today and realized that I've gained and lost the same 15 pounds a million times this year. I need to get the weight off for good. I'm so glad to see this program working for so many people.

Lisalovestravel

WOW! Welcome to all of the new people! I've not been checking in as much lately as it seemed like Julie and I were the only two people here. I'm still at -35 pounds, which is frustrating, but because of all the exercise I'm down a LOT of inches- and I feel so much better! I'm down to 1/4 a pill on my BP meds and my pressures are great-so I hope to be completely off before Christmas.

Nitab, if the sweetness of the shakes bother you, perhaps you should have mostly soups- which aren't so sweet. I personally love the sweetness, but found early on that I preferred to have the puddings (lemon and vanilla are my favorites) which I mix with a little bit more water than recommended (9-10oz) so I can drink them like a smoothie. I feel nice and full. I too struggled with a lack of appetite partway in, just power the supplements down, as you need the nutrition. I'm not sure about 4 supplements. I never took that many- though I think Julie did. I started off with 3 packets and a "snack" protein bar. Week four I started eliminating one supplement and including a meal. She wanted to start me on week 3, but I begged to go one more, as I was really enjoying the steady, dependable weight loss.

Kendra, the first week was the hardest. But if you're sticking to the diet, you can assume you're in ketosis. If you keep to around 50 carbs daily, you're there (whether it's through healthy food or packets). Depending on your doctor will determine when you start your first meals. My doc was big on introducing one meal right away, just a few weeks in. She wants her patients to start learning portions and healthy eating habits ASAP. She also pushes exercise- HARD. Every day, lots and lots of resistance work. So I try to mix it up, cardio and resistance. I love to swim, so I can get both regularly.

As to emergency meals- especially when eating out- my doc told me to order a plain salad, just greens and green veggies, and then request the restaurant to cook you a chicken breast, steak or fish, but without any seasoning. Make sure it's grilled, and not grilled with butter, just a dab or oil. Most restaurants will accommodate you. You could also make your own "soup" with chicken broth, cut up chicken breast (grilled) and some green veggies (that wouldn't be sweet, but would be yummy). Just watch your portions.

As to having a long way to go, I think we all felt that way going in. I still feel that way. But I can also see and enjoy how far I've come so far. With the medical issues I was starting to have, I knew even 20-30 pounds gone would go a long way towards improving my health. At 35 pounds gone, people are noticing- and complimenting. I've had to hit the clearance racks and thrift stores for new clothes. My t-shirts look like tents. I wear them as nightshirts and workout shirts. I can't wear any of my old pants or nice shirts and sweaters at all, they look funny or fall off. I even had to buy a new coat, as my sleeves hung about 6 inches past my hands! Even my shoes are looser! Of course I don't buy anything pricy or too many "new" things, as I don't plan to wear them very long. I bought a few things to "shrink into", down to size 8/Med. They're hanging up according to size in my closet. It's exciting to see them there, waiting for me. It's extra motivation. And as I start working my way into them, I feel great- and further inspired to keep on going. This will soon be you all too! So enjoy the process and keep your eyes on the prizes, because there are many prizes to be had; good health, good example and motivation to others, more stamina, better sleep, compliments, new clothes and more. YOU CAN DO IT!

I hope you all will post regularly and keep us updated! Trust me, if I can do this- anybody can!

Lisalovestravel

Here's a recent before and after shot. The first "before" is me in Europe this last May and the 2nd "before" is me in Europe in 2011. The "after" shots were taken last week at -35 pounds. In the before shots I'm wearing size 18/20 jeans and a 2X (18/20) shirt. In the after shots I'm wearing a size 15 jeans and a regular women's XL shirt (15/16).

nitab56

Lisa,
You are looking good! Thanks for the idea of making my own soup with the broth-I still struggle with the sweetness, but I know I need to just power through. I am down 37 pounds since September 1. I have made it this far by eating the same meals every day and I think I need to mix things up a bit now. My clinic now has tomato basil soup. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to this week. I asked about adding a meal and was told not until I was within 10 pounds of my goal weight, which is still 20 pounds away for me, but I've come this far, so I know I can make it!

Lisalovestravel

Isn't it weird how we all get different instructions about meals, exercise, etc.? I'm glad you're powering through. We started at the very same time, 1st week of September. I'm down 40 pounds at this point and I'm just about ready to move into 12/14 jeans- yay! My 15's are quite baggy and I look forward to this next size shrinkage. I'm doing 2 supplements and a meal, and 1 "snack" power bar per day. My doc is a stickler for exercise. I'm probably going to get scolded because I haven't exercised in nearly two weeks due to time constraints and a bum knee. She insists on 3-4 times a week, minimum.

If you're only 20 pounds from your goal- you're doing great and nearly there! I've not even hit the halfway point, so I'll be on the diet well into the spring.

Good luck to all of us through the holidays! I know I really struggled at Thanksgiving and cheated several times. Fortunately, I still lost weight, but I can see that it's harder to maintain the strict control I had those first two months.

HuskerJulie413

Hello everyone! I haven't checked in for so long I'm sorry. I am recording my intake on MFP every day but then forget to check messages on the group here.

I'm now down 74 pounds. I started June 15. I have another 50 or 60 to go!

For Thanksgiving I had a pineapple apricot shake for breakfast. Then made the pumpkin pie meal with a vanilla pudding, pies spice, , gelatin and canned pumpkin. It was a recipe our RD gave us. For my last meall I ate an "emergency meal" of turkey spinach salad and green beans.

Good luck to everyone!

kendra5

I weighed in yesterday and am down 13 pounds in the first 3 weeks. I didn't go off the plan for thanksgiving because I wasn't with my family. I am a little nervous about Christmas. I'm hoping by then I would have lost a little more and be motivated to not go crazy. So far I'm liking the program and it has been fairly easy to stick with just eating the meal replacements.