I had my 4 week follow-up appointment today at the Bariatric Clinic.
Weight: 272.5 (-13.5)
Blood Pressure: 136/85 (down a little)
So, I'm feeling pretty good about things. It was a great end to a pretty discouraging week.
Joseph and I are going to get our walk on tomorrow. We're going to spend the day in Downtown Charleston taking lots of pictures. It should be a good time. :O)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Holy Cow! No Wonder I'm Chubby!!
I searched for the nutritional information on one of my all time favorite meals, a meal I have been known to consume 3 or 4 times in a week because I love it that much. Because I have such a love for the meal itself and the restaurant that makes it, I feel I cannot "out" them on my blog, but I will share the nutritional information:
1540 calories
91 grams of fat
2375 mg sodium
HOLY STINKIN' COW!! NO STINKN' WONDER I'M CHUBBY!!
91 grams of fat is 4 1/2 days' worth of fat on my current diet. 4 1/2 days!! I used to consume that in one meal!! Multiple times a week!!
I was in so much shock that tears came to my eyes, and I had to share it with you.
1540 calories
91 grams of fat
2375 mg sodium
HOLY STINKIN' COW!! NO STINKN' WONDER I'M CHUBBY!!
91 grams of fat is 4 1/2 days' worth of fat on my current diet. 4 1/2 days!! I used to consume that in one meal!! Multiple times a week!!
I was in so much shock that tears came to my eyes, and I had to share it with you.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Day Off & Weigh In
Today was our weekly day off, and I'm pleased to announce that overall it went better than our last day off. We went to Denny's for breakfast again, and we were pleased that we made "healthier" choices. Since we were heading out of town for the day, we packed a healthy lunch that we could eat in the car. At the birthday party this afternoon, we allowed ourselves to indulge a little without going overboard. We did stop for fast food on the way back tonight, but we went splitties on it, so we didn't feel too bad. Both of us noticed that we did much better today at stopping eating when we were full. That's a big deal for both of us! So, while I know we didn't make perfect choices all day, I still feel like I can go to bed tonight with a pretty clear conscience.
Because today was our day off, we had our official weigh in for Game On. To date, Joseph has lost 11 pounds, and I've lost 7.1 pounds (yes, that .1 matters!!). Not bad for 12 days, huh? I'm really proud of both of us!
Thank you all for your prayers. We feel them!
Because today was our day off, we had our official weigh in for Game On. To date, Joseph has lost 11 pounds, and I've lost 7.1 pounds (yes, that .1 matters!!). Not bad for 12 days, huh? I'm really proud of both of us!
Thank you all for your prayers. We feel them!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A Fine Line Between Woo Hoo and Blehk
I wasn't sure how to spell that sort of gagging noise I make playfully when I know I've eaten too much, so I went with "blehk". It will do.
I mentioned in a previous post that we took our Meal Off Friday night and our Day Off Saturday. We followed that up with a meal for which we got no points on Sunday night, a whole lot of spaghetti on Monday afternoon (it really did make my headache go away ...), and our Meal Off for this week on Monday night (that was actually a good decision).
Joseph and I chuckled as we reflected back over the weekend, because our Meal Off on Friday and one of our meals on Saturday were both buffet style. For two champion eaters like ourselves, we were in dangerous territory. I think we were both a little surprised at how quickly we got full at the Golden Corral buffet on Friday night. I started with a salad, and then I limited myself to one "main" entree (mmmm ... pot roast ... sooo good). By the time dessert rolled around, I was full. Did that stop me from eating dessert? Nope. That sure was good carrot cake (it wasn't from Golden Corral).
We went out to breakfast Saturday morning. Joseph did such an incredible job resisting the temptation to eat pancakes at a church dinner Wednesday night that I suggested we go out and eat pancakes for breakfast on our Day Off. So, we went to Denny's. They have new options for the build your own Grand Slam. I was proud of our choices! We chose things like whole wheat pancakes (they were actually really good!), yogurt, fruit, and oatmeal. We were still really full when we left (and we didn't even get to be in the Clean Plate Club!), but we felt good about the fact that we weren't full on things like bacon and sausage.
I think our biggest downfall as we headed toward the buffet at the wedding reception was that we were SO hungry. It's really hard for me to limit myself when my stomach is saying (in a Fat Albert voice, of course), "Hey, hey, hey! Look at those yummy chicken tenders! Oh, and croissants! Oh, my! A chocolate fountain! You could stick your whole head under that and fill me with chocolately goodness!" No, I didn't stick my head under the chocolate fountain. I do have a little self control left. I did, however, eat a piece of cake that I didn't really like that much just because it was cake. I know ...
I'm telling you all of this because Joseph and I had a conversation earlier about the fine line between Woo Hoo and Blehk. Woo Hoo is that moment when you're full and feel so good. As dieters, we didn't have that Woo Hoo feeling all week. I know for me, when I started to feel that Woo Hoo feeling, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to scrape all of the pot roast off my plate, because it felt so good to eat it. I wanted to eat 4 chicken tenders and 2 of those yummy croissant sandwiches, because it felt good satisfying my craving to overeat. I wanted to gorge myself on spaghetti, because it was the best spaghetti I've made in a long time, and it felt SO good eating it.
Then I found myself on the other side of the line. I was no longer in Woo Hoo. I had entered Blehk, and it felt gross. My stomach was no longer trying to persuade me to eat. My stomach was right down angry at me! I was uncomfortable and even felt a little sick at times.
So, part of this journey for me is learning not to cross the line. It's learning to enter Woo Hoo and then put the fork down. It's learning that feeling good after eating healthy, well portioned meals is much better than overeating and feeling Blehk.
I'm not naive enough to think that I'll reach that point quickly. I've been a Woo Hoo/Blehk eater for a long time. I do know I'll get there some day, though, and that will be a good feeling.
******
For those of you who are curious, Joseph and I weighed in Saturday (we're supposed to weigh in on our Day Off). I lost 4.4 pounds, and Joseph lost 6.9 pounds! I'm so incredibly proud of Joseph. He has been such an inspiration and encouragement over the last 9 days. Having him by my side going through this process with me has definitely made it much more doable.
I mentioned in a previous post that we took our Meal Off Friday night and our Day Off Saturday. We followed that up with a meal for which we got no points on Sunday night, a whole lot of spaghetti on Monday afternoon (it really did make my headache go away ...), and our Meal Off for this week on Monday night (that was actually a good decision).
Joseph and I chuckled as we reflected back over the weekend, because our Meal Off on Friday and one of our meals on Saturday were both buffet style. For two champion eaters like ourselves, we were in dangerous territory. I think we were both a little surprised at how quickly we got full at the Golden Corral buffet on Friday night. I started with a salad, and then I limited myself to one "main" entree (mmmm ... pot roast ... sooo good). By the time dessert rolled around, I was full. Did that stop me from eating dessert? Nope. That sure was good carrot cake (it wasn't from Golden Corral).
We went out to breakfast Saturday morning. Joseph did such an incredible job resisting the temptation to eat pancakes at a church dinner Wednesday night that I suggested we go out and eat pancakes for breakfast on our Day Off. So, we went to Denny's. They have new options for the build your own Grand Slam. I was proud of our choices! We chose things like whole wheat pancakes (they were actually really good!), yogurt, fruit, and oatmeal. We were still really full when we left (and we didn't even get to be in the Clean Plate Club!), but we felt good about the fact that we weren't full on things like bacon and sausage.
I think our biggest downfall as we headed toward the buffet at the wedding reception was that we were SO hungry. It's really hard for me to limit myself when my stomach is saying (in a Fat Albert voice, of course), "Hey, hey, hey! Look at those yummy chicken tenders! Oh, and croissants! Oh, my! A chocolate fountain! You could stick your whole head under that and fill me with chocolately goodness!" No, I didn't stick my head under the chocolate fountain. I do have a little self control left. I did, however, eat a piece of cake that I didn't really like that much just because it was cake. I know ...
I'm telling you all of this because Joseph and I had a conversation earlier about the fine line between Woo Hoo and Blehk. Woo Hoo is that moment when you're full and feel so good. As dieters, we didn't have that Woo Hoo feeling all week. I know for me, when I started to feel that Woo Hoo feeling, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to scrape all of the pot roast off my plate, because it felt so good to eat it. I wanted to eat 4 chicken tenders and 2 of those yummy croissant sandwiches, because it felt good satisfying my craving to overeat. I wanted to gorge myself on spaghetti, because it was the best spaghetti I've made in a long time, and it felt SO good eating it.
Then I found myself on the other side of the line. I was no longer in Woo Hoo. I had entered Blehk, and it felt gross. My stomach was no longer trying to persuade me to eat. My stomach was right down angry at me! I was uncomfortable and even felt a little sick at times.
So, part of this journey for me is learning not to cross the line. It's learning to enter Woo Hoo and then put the fork down. It's learning that feeling good after eating healthy, well portioned meals is much better than overeating and feeling Blehk.
I'm not naive enough to think that I'll reach that point quickly. I've been a Woo Hoo/Blehk eater for a long time. I do know I'll get there some day, though, and that will be a good feeling.
******
For those of you who are curious, Joseph and I weighed in Saturday (we're supposed to weigh in on our Day Off). I lost 4.4 pounds, and Joseph lost 6.9 pounds! I'm so incredibly proud of Joseph. He has been such an inspiration and encouragement over the last 9 days. Having him by my side going through this process with me has definitely made it much more doable.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Crank City
Warning: This post has the potential to be very whiny.
I knew it would hit me at some point - you know, that "I really just want to go back to the old way of doing things, because I like the old way of doing things" feeling. It hit me tonight, almost out of the blue. I actually had a pretty good day (truthfully, I've had a pretty good week). I had even just said that I thought our dinner this evening was my favorite meal we've had all week (fish and veggies; entire meal, entree and 2 sides, only 210 calories and 3 fat grams!!). Joseph and I had fun just hanging out and laughing after we used our "100 free calories" to indulge in fat free puddings (YUM!!! and only a wee 60 calories for a sweet treat). Then we went to Walmart, and things started to go down hill.
It wasn't Walmart's fault at all. I actually enjoyed going to Walmart. Joseph and I always have a nice time "running errands" together. Things started going down hill because I'm tired. When I get tired, I get cranky. Combine tired with being sore from the gym and craving everything in sight (cupcakes, candy, and chips, oh my!), and the result is a very whiny Rachelle. Bless Joseph's heart. He was so patient with me as I whined on the way home, whined as I put on my sneakers, and whined as I walked toward the gym like a reluctant 5-year-old going to her room.
Once we got to the gym, though, I was glad we went. While I was still tired and took it at a little slower pace, I knew that going to the gym was a good decision.
I'm still cranky, tired, and a little whiny, but something is definitely different. I haven't walked into the kitchen in search of a food pacifier. I haven't eaten a pint of ice cream or a can of Pringles. The stash of Little Debbie cakes is still untouched. I'm not sitting at Sonic ordering tater tots and a Route 44 Diet Dr Pepper with Vanilla. Instead, I'm acknowledging my state of whininess (hehe, is that a word?), praying that God will help me through it, and blogging about it. Aren't you so glad I gave up Little Debbie cakes and pints of ice cream so I could fill cyberspace with my whininess (hehe, still funny to me)?
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow night is our Meal Off, and Saturday is our Day Off. Explanation: In the Game On Diet, you are allowed one meal off a week and one day off a week. During the meal off, you may eat whatever you want (yep, whatever you want). During the day off, you pretty much don't have to follow any of the rules. You don't have to drink 3 liters of water, you don't have to eat a certain way, you can drink soda, etc. We're looking forward both to the meal off and the day off, but neither of us wants to sabotage our week's progress by overdoing our times off. So, if you'd like a specific way to pray for us, please pray 1) for self-control and 2) that treating ourselves a little during these times would simply be a treat we can enjoy and it won't make it harder for us to stick to our diet plan. Thank you all, my loyal readers. :O)
I knew it would hit me at some point - you know, that "I really just want to go back to the old way of doing things, because I like the old way of doing things" feeling. It hit me tonight, almost out of the blue. I actually had a pretty good day (truthfully, I've had a pretty good week). I had even just said that I thought our dinner this evening was my favorite meal we've had all week (fish and veggies; entire meal, entree and 2 sides, only 210 calories and 3 fat grams!!). Joseph and I had fun just hanging out and laughing after we used our "100 free calories" to indulge in fat free puddings (YUM!!! and only a wee 60 calories for a sweet treat). Then we went to Walmart, and things started to go down hill.
It wasn't Walmart's fault at all. I actually enjoyed going to Walmart. Joseph and I always have a nice time "running errands" together. Things started going down hill because I'm tired. When I get tired, I get cranky. Combine tired with being sore from the gym and craving everything in sight (cupcakes, candy, and chips, oh my!), and the result is a very whiny Rachelle. Bless Joseph's heart. He was so patient with me as I whined on the way home, whined as I put on my sneakers, and whined as I walked toward the gym like a reluctant 5-year-old going to her room.
Once we got to the gym, though, I was glad we went. While I was still tired and took it at a little slower pace, I knew that going to the gym was a good decision.
I'm still cranky, tired, and a little whiny, but something is definitely different. I haven't walked into the kitchen in search of a food pacifier. I haven't eaten a pint of ice cream or a can of Pringles. The stash of Little Debbie cakes is still untouched. I'm not sitting at Sonic ordering tater tots and a Route 44 Diet Dr Pepper with Vanilla. Instead, I'm acknowledging my state of whininess (hehe, is that a word?), praying that God will help me through it, and blogging about it. Aren't you so glad I gave up Little Debbie cakes and pints of ice cream so I could fill cyberspace with my whininess (hehe, still funny to me)?
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow night is our Meal Off, and Saturday is our Day Off. Explanation: In the Game On Diet, you are allowed one meal off a week and one day off a week. During the meal off, you may eat whatever you want (yep, whatever you want). During the day off, you pretty much don't have to follow any of the rules. You don't have to drink 3 liters of water, you don't have to eat a certain way, you can drink soda, etc. We're looking forward both to the meal off and the day off, but neither of us wants to sabotage our week's progress by overdoing our times off. So, if you'd like a specific way to pray for us, please pray 1) for self-control and 2) that treating ourselves a little during these times would simply be a treat we can enjoy and it won't make it harder for us to stick to our diet plan. Thank you all, my loyal readers. :O)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Perfect Storm
I chose to draw you in with a catchy title. I hope it worked. Well, I'm assuming it must have, because you're reading this.
Calling this afternoon The Perfect Storm may be a tad dramatic, but it definitely had all of the right elements to destroy my diet. There are a lot of things that lead me to make poor eating decisions. Things such as lack of time, feelings of frustration, being stressed, or sensing that I'm no longer in control. All of these things were present this afternoon, and it would have been incredibly easy to cheat on my diet.
But I had a plan! Yes, a plan! On Sunday, Joseph and I planned out all of our meals for the week. So, this afternoon when I was extremely tempted to grab fast food (one of my biggest downfalls), I was able to avoid that temptation. I knew what I was eating for dinner. The food had been purchased, and it would be quick and simple to eat at home. It felt really good avoiding the temptation to eat fast food! I'm sure it felt better than the momentary satisfaction I would have had gorging myself on fried delicacies.
Just a few highlights of our victories yesterday and today:
Calling this afternoon The Perfect Storm may be a tad dramatic, but it definitely had all of the right elements to destroy my diet. There are a lot of things that lead me to make poor eating decisions. Things such as lack of time, feelings of frustration, being stressed, or sensing that I'm no longer in control. All of these things were present this afternoon, and it would have been incredibly easy to cheat on my diet.
But I had a plan! Yes, a plan! On Sunday, Joseph and I planned out all of our meals for the week. So, this afternoon when I was extremely tempted to grab fast food (one of my biggest downfalls), I was able to avoid that temptation. I knew what I was eating for dinner. The food had been purchased, and it would be quick and simple to eat at home. It felt really good avoiding the temptation to eat fast food! I'm sure it felt better than the momentary satisfaction I would have had gorging myself on fried delicacies.
Just a few highlights of our victories yesterday and today:
- We scored 94% yesterday and 100% today on the Game On diet.
- Both yesterday and today, I drank 120 ounces of water!
- Joseph and I went to the gym together last night and tonight.
- Joseph and I, inspite of being hungry, have stuck to our meal plan faithfully for two days!
These may seem like small victories, but they add up quickly! I'll keep you posted on our progress, including a report of how much weight we've lost. We report our weight on Saturday, because that will be our day off (more on that another time).
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