Lisalovestravel Member

I've not heard of the chili- interesting! For me, I save my protein bar to take out with me. If I go to a movie, it's my "snack". Same with at school (I'm a full time student). I'll cut my bar in half and eat one as an inbtween mean snack. You'll learn little ways to adapt. You could also take some celery and cucumbers to…

You're doing great ladies! Watching the numbers on the scale go down was the greatest motivator for me. I also hit the goodwill stores and my favorite clothing stores (clearance racks) and bought myself lots of "pretties" to shrink into. It's been so much fun to discard my old clothes and start wearing my "shrinkies". That…

I don't even do that part. I go in every now and again and change the weight number, but thats all.

Here's where you have to know yourself and understand what you CAN and CAN;T handle. I avoided going out as much as possible. I also talked with my doctor to learn strategies for when I do go out. Having a specially made salad (no cheese, no croutons, no carrots) and a small piece of grilled chicken breast with a side of…

The first couple of weeks can be really tough. For me, I wasn't hungry, but I was so in the HABIT of eating, that I really struggled. I had to have a lot of conversations with myself, telling myself there was a difference between wanting to eat and being hungry. That was (and still is) difficult. Chewing sugarless gum…

You'll see progress soon- if you haven't already. For those first two weeks I was losing 1/2 pound a day. After that I've been losing 2-3 pounds a week. I started at the beginning of Sept. People are starting to really notice now (down 40+ pounds). You could see my face getting thinner first (starting after that first…

erock0628 I hope this post finds things are getting easier for you! I really did NOT like the soups either. For me the best thing is getting the puddings, but putting them in a shakey cup with about 10oz of very cold water and drinking them like a smoothie. I have a lemon for breakfast, vanilla for lunch and when I was on…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

It's interesting. I've never had a "test" to check for ketosis. I didn't know there were strips. We do the weekly food chart, questionnaire, blood pressure and weight. I had the initial blood test. Other than that, no other kinds of tests. I guess at my clinic they just assume if you're following the diet properly- that…

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…

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…

It's realistic if you want it to be. You're on the right track!

I'm rarely hungry anymore. Sometimes I have to force myself to drink my shake. It's so weird for me. Once your food choices are eliminated and you're eating for the sake of fueling your body and giving it nutrition (as opposed to false pleasure or serving to ease boredom/depression, etc.) it's just not a big deal anymore.…

110toLose, you're looking great! My goal weight is just that- a target to aim for. I'm not bound to a particular number. My chief goal is to be healthy and not die or be crippled by a weight related issue. When I feel good, when I like what I see in my mirror- then I'm there. It may or may not be in the range of my goal…

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…

The first week of meals is going better than I thought! I never thought I would be so excited about a salad! I bought two different kinds of pre-mixed, pre-washed greens. I'll have a bowl of them with a fair sized "pinch" of low-fat cheddar cheese and a sliced, hard boiled, egg. Delish! I bought a cucumber and some celery…

Yikes! That's too much math for me, lol! :p

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.

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…

Yep, it's all about the label reading. Carbs are sneaky devils. Apparently there are some gums out there that have no carbs. I just haven't found then yet. Speaking of reading labels... Did you know that no-fat cheese has more carbs than low-fat cheese? The lowfat cheese is certainly more flavorful. It;s also double the…

Trust me, mhmatzke, if I can do it- you can do it! Let us know how you're doing!

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…

Exactly! I'm so happy now that I'm seeing results. My doctor was very happy at my last visit. I'm not weaning off of my blood pressure meds- WOOT! I'm also allowed one regular meal now, and by regular, I mean a 3-4oz piece of grilled meat seasoned with salt and pepper, and a plain salad with green veggies and a sprinkle of…

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…

I might have been warned about the gum and forgot it- we're given so much information to put in our binders!

Way to go, Kate! 26 pounds is amazing- and I'm sure its even more now!