What a long crazy road this has become!!!
Today marks the end of my 8th week officially on WW. I love it more and more every day. I have always had a love/hate relationship with food: either I am on a diet and I hate that I have to restrict food or I am not on a diet and I hate the way I feel when I eat whatever I want. I can either enjoy feeling like I am getting smaller but feel deprived, or I can enjoy yummy and delicious foods and hate myself for eating them and trying to crowbar into a pair of jeans.
But with this? I truly can eat anything I want. But a lot of times, what I want has changed. I love fruit - I love crunchy red grapes and juicy fresh peaches and seasonal bing cherries. I have made fruit a huge part of my eating life - something I could never have much of before on a low carb diet. Watermelon, cantaloupe, blackberries, bananas...you name it. I have also learned that extra veggies on sandwiches or in a bowl with balsamic vinaigrette is excellent. I love my choices.
My best friend and I do head to lunch 3-4 times a week. I have learned so many choices and enjoyable foods I can eat when we go out. Panera has become a favorite, but sometimes we just head to McDonalds or Culvers. There are healthier foods out there - I just have to look past the quarter pounder with cheese and fries and see the Asian Chicken salad or even a Mighty kids meal with 6 McNuggets and apple dippers (9 points when eaten with the caramel dip and a honey mustard sauce). I have learned to allow myself the questionable choices (McNuggets? Seriously? On a diet?) as long as I have all my Heathy Checks taken care of.
Fitness has become a focus for me - not just losing weight, but overall health. I walk 6 times a week now - at least 30-60 minutes. I love it. I also have a stretch band that I use for bicep curls and I want to learn to use for more things, and I have a 10 minute series of arm strength that I do with 2 pound weights that I feel good about. I burn about 3-5 AP's a day and I love it. I am looking ahead to 2008 and 2009 and I WILL walk/run a half marathon at WDW. I love that as a goal! I am giving myself a year to get more weight down and get fit and trained. Once the snow falls this year, I will be considering joining a gym to further pursue more toning and strength training. I have a treadmill at home and DH has been checking out exercise bikes to buy for me and I would love to keep walking outside as long as they keep the track clear, but a gym is an option. My doctor recommended I look into hiring a personal trainer since I am clueless about this and I just might - DS starts school in a few weeks and we go from daycare to tuition (huge difference in money) so I just might be able to afford the treat of a trainer - I don't know.
Health? Well...I learned something in the last two weeks. I have moderately high blood pressure. I got a heat rash (thanks walking, for that!) and went in to urgent care to get it treated and my bp was up - even at a much higher weight, it has been perfect so I was a little concerned. I vowed to make an appointment with my doctor in September for the icky yearly and see what to do. I then went to my allergist exactly a week later for something else and it was about the same. I talked to the nurse and decided to call my doctor right away. I got in last Thursday and it was a terrific appointment!
She says I am doing everything she would ask me to do to get my BP down. She answered all of my diet and exercise questions so I have now officially "checked with my doctor before starting any diet or exercise program". She put me on a very mild BP medication with a diuretic in it (water retention has been horrible) and recommended a list of vitamins and supplements to take for overall health. I'll be heading back in 2 weeks to have my potassium and cholesterol checked and then back again on Oct 2 for my icky yearly. I left there feeling strong and confident. My Doctor feels I will not be on this medication more than 3-6 months. I intend to make sure that happens.
So the weight loss?
When I started WW on June 25th, I estimated my weight. I knew about what I thought it was and I went from there. Almost 2 weeks later I decided I needed to weigh myself to know for sure where I was and to determine if WW was working for me. I was off my original weight by a bit, but it didn't change my points and now I knew.
9 days later (Sunday - weigh in day) I weighed in and lost 5 pounds!
The next week? 1 pound loss (argh!!! retaining water)
<<Added walking and exercise program>>
Next week? Maintain (ARGH!!! retaining water!)
Next week? 1 pound loss (ARRRGGHHH!!!! WATER!!)
Then I went to the doctor for my heat rash and I had her look to see what my previous weight was the last time I was there...and found out that instead of the 7 pounds I knew I had lost I was actually down 26.5 !!!!! Meaning I had obviously lost weight in May on our trip (which, if you check out my dining report you'll wonder how!
) and that I had been successful in the first two weeks I hadn't weighed in. I was pleased with the weight loss, but concerned about the BP and frustrated with the stalling and the water retention. Over the counter diurex was not doing the trick.
Next week? Maintain/possibly up 1/8 pound (AAARRGGGGHHH!!! Okay - I admit it. On this one, I cried)
And then? I saw my doctor, got on my meds and started visiting the bathroom a LOT.
So...Next week? 10.5 pounds!!!!!!!
I knew I had lost the water. And I knew there was fat loss behind the water retention for the last 5 weeks. But I had to get through the water to find the fat loss. And in 1.5 days of BP meds, the water was gone and I found it!
I am so proud of myself - even when I felt like I was working hard adding fitness and watching my food, I just wasn't making progress. I am okay with a slow weight loss - truly I am. But the water retention and the stubborn scale, despite my workouts was really making me doubt myself. But I persevered through it and now I am on my way to true health. I don't know why my BP is up. I really don't. Back in January, at a much higher weight (even more than the 26.5 indicated) my BP was perfect to low. And now while I am doing what I need to do, it's up. But you know what? I belive in signs and I think this was the kick in the a$$ I needed to get to my doctor and to really get moving in the direction of overall health, not just diet and exercise.
37 pounds gone!!!! My jeans are baggy and I feel it in my clothes. We stopped at Lands End yesterday and I bought a great jacket two sizes smaller than I started and it fits! It's not my style, but you know what? I need a new style! And since it was $16 (down from an original $64!), I bought it. Two weeks ago I wore a tank top with an empire cardigan with a tie under the bust that was a little formfitting and totally not me - and I had more compliments on it than on anything I have worn for a long time. I NEED to take more fashion risks! Today is 3 months exactly until our next WDW vacation and I feel like celebrating how much better I would feel if we were there today - imagine 3 more months!!!
So....let's review my goals:
1. Complete two weeks on WW. Done! Bought myself a couple bath bombs from Basin as a treat.
2. Stay successfully on WW through 4 weeks. Done! Reward: Picked out a signature fragrance from Bath and Body and bought the lotion (Japanese Cherry Blossom)
3. Increase activity to regular moderate walking 2-3 times a week by Week Six DONE!!! Actually increased moderate to brisk walking 5-6 times a week by Week Five!!
4. Be down two sizes by Thanksgiving/WDW DONE!!! And 3 months to go until Thanksgiving!!!
Modified goals:
1. Stay on Program
2. Stay on exercise program
3. Be down four sizes total by Thanksgiving (2 down already)
4. Complete 6 month walking regimen and begin training for 1/2 marathons
5. Get off BP medication by WDW trip (3 months)
6. Buy more clothing that is not my style and wear it!
I was thinking about doing teeth whitening at the dentist as a reward to myself after 3 months. Now? I'm a lot more excited at the idea of putting the same money towards an exercise bike. And if that doesn't show how much this has changed me....wow!
and we brought those this morning. 
