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Weight Goal

I achieved my weight goal today!!!     (and a tiny bit under)  I am so happy I could cry.  Now the hard part starts- maintaining!  Wish me luck!

Two lbs from goal!!

In the last two weeks I have been 3 lbs from goal.  As of today I am 2 lbs from goal.  I need to stop the diet soda and the cheating.

Plateau

I have plateaued three lbs from goal.  Grrr.

Dinner tonight

Had a weigh in today at Medifast. I am down to 158 lbs. 23 pounds gone!! I am now out of the obese category and into "overweight" My BMI is now 29. My BMI was 32.8 in the beginning. That's pretty good.

While My goal weight is still overweight for my frame I picked this goal as something I felt that I could reasonably maintain. And I felt and looked good at this weight. I still feel that way. I am feeling pretty good these days as far as my body goes. and I am 7 lbs away from my goal. Yay!!!

I am putting dinner in the crock pot for tonight. Well, I'm prepping right at the moment. For dinner tonight it is Lean Hot Turkey Saugage with Peppers and onions.

1 package of 5 Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
1 each, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, yellow pepper.
1 large sweet onion
1 cup dry red, dry white or whatever wine you like. (or water)
1 slow cooker. (large one works best)

Chop the tops off of each of the bell peppers (share them with your dogs if you like, because that's what I do. They love them)

Clean and devane the peppers.

Cut each pepper in half longwise.

cut each of the halfs into strips. (I usually cut them across the width instead of the length) Set aside

Take the onion, de-paper cut in half and them cut each half into quarters and then peel the onion layers and place them in a crockpot.
.
Place pepper over the onion already in the crock pot.

Brown sausage on all sides on medium heat in a large skillet.

Move sausage to crockpot placing them on top of veggie pile.

Pour all the wine or the water over contents of the pot.

Set to low.

Cooks in 4-5 hours on low.

Serve with on sandwich roles or On Butterhead lettuce leaves (for a low carb option) with deli mustard.

Enjoy!!

If you have a larger family you can obviously increase the amount of each pepper and onion and sausages. You can also sub chicken sausage which you can get already cooked and place in the crockpot in the last 35 minutes to heat them up or do them in a pan.

Jennie-O Sausage
(per link)

Calories: 160
Total fat: 10g
Saturated fat: 2.5mg
Cholesterol: 70mg
Sodium: 880mg
Total Carb: 0
Dietary Fiber: 0
Sugars: 0
Protein: 17g

another milestone!!

I have reached 160lbs!!  A size 14!  I have 10 lbs to go to my goal!!

Reblog Medifast vs Slim fast

I read this very intersting article on  the get skinny be happy website. It talks about the differences between Medifast and Slim fast and how the plans look similar they are really very different nutrition wise. Read on.... 

Medifast vs Slim Fast

It's been a couple of weeks.

It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry I believe (although who's looking?)  I've lost 17 something pounds (or 7.72 kg).   I think that Medifast is going well for the most part.  Some days I have to force myself to eat because I am not hungry. (i don't know how) and other days I am starving!  

I had a couple of bad weeks, one when I lost only two ounces and one where I gained a half of a pound.  Both of those weeks, I had alcohol.  I read somewhere that alcohol will stop Ketosis and the fat burning process in it's tracks for 3 days because of the influx of carbohydrates.  Clearly better to stay away.

Now I am back on track with 3.6 lbs lost this week.  Next week should be okay too but then there is vacation to contend with.  Can't wait to see how that goes.

Yay!!

I had a weigh in and body measurements done today. I have lost a total of 14 lbs and 19 inches from my body. I could go into specifics but I just don't feel like it right now. I'm stoked though.

Two ounces

This week is not a great week. I'm not hungry or anything but I only lost two ounces of weight. Guess that pickle/ celery stick binge was a bad thing, huh. Next week will be better...

All of my hard work and stress had paid off I passed my nursing boards do I am officially and RN now

Spaghetti Arms

As I sit and wright this after my walk this morning I have 3 hrs and 45 minutes until my NCLEX exam.  I'm guzzling my water after my 38 minute walk on my usual route.  I stopped my stop watch after I reached the play ground  and decided to attempt to hang upside down on the bar to allow my spine to stretch because ever since I pulled a muscle a few days ago my neck has been stiff. 

Well, I couldn't even lift myself up on the bar.  Then I attempted the monkey bars and I couldn't even drag my heavy butt across but one rung.  How sad is that??  So sad.  I could do this when I was a kid and now I have no upper body strength!  This will have to be fixed! I ended up taking a 5 minute swing on the swing.

I've gotta run now and review test taking strategy's before I take a shower and get ready.  Gotta leave at 12:30 to be there by 1:30 (test begins at 2pm) and It will take 36 minutes to get there according to My Waze application on my iPhone.  I plan to eat my lean and green meal for lunch today to give me good fuel for my exam.

In less than 24 hours....

In less than 24 hours I will take the NCLEX nursing exam which will determine my future career prospects.

In less than 24 hours will have another credential after my name.

In less than 24 hours I have managed to derail my whole weightloss effort.

Why? Well....


I went today to study with one of my classmates over at the college. I ate my Medifast breakfast as usual. Then I left for the college. Right as I turn into the campus I realize that I left my medifast food at home. I couldn't go back as I was right on time to meet my friend. After two hours I was hungry for lunch. Being a college the fare is, let me just say, not the best or most nutritious. The only salad available was Caesar. I ordered a veggie burger with no bun but they were out of veggie patty's. So I ordered a cheese burger without the bun and no french fries. I knew it wouldn't be a lean ground beef burger and infact it wasn't. They serve in a paper basket and the wax paper underneath the patty was pretty greasy.

To make matters worse, I told the guy to throw in a vitamin water on my bill and I would grab it after I paid. Well, when I finally got to the case to get it I discovered there were NO vitamin water ZERO. So, I picked the one with the least carbs (Spark grape/ blueberry) and drank half of it.

When I got home at 2pm I discovered I was already up to 673 calories and more fat than I have eaten in weeks. Ugh. AND I'm pretty sure I didn't lose any weight this week.

On a good note, I survived three tough days at work.

Milestone 1

I hit a mile stone in weight loss today.  I am down 10lbs total!! I am proud of myself for hanging in there with the medifast plan!

"Fajitas"

My husband and I are both on the Medifast plan and he made up an amazing "fajita" recipe that is basically in line with Medifast "lean and green" meal.

*12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
*blackening seasoning
*One Red Pepper, chopped into strips
*one half onion chooped into thick strips
* Medium salsa
*Butter (butterhead) lettuce leaves
*Hot sauce (Tobasco Green or chipotle)
*Veggie Shredds Cheddar Flavor

He basically cooked the onion, pepper and chicken. We wrapped it all in a butter lettuce leaf (bends easily) and dressed it with the salsa

Another Terrible Sunday

I had the weekend off this past weekend and my Sunday was terrible diet wise. I woke up way too early. So I was tired. Hubby and I ran some errands that day.

Nothing would satisfy my hunger at all. I was constantly hungry. I ate several sticks of celery and about 4 fill pickle spears (about 2 more pickle spears and six more celery sticks than I'm supposed to have). I couldn't finish my "lean and green" meal because my stomach couldn't handle it. I felt so bad I had to just lay down. Is it any coincidence that I took a dose of Metformin the night before just like after my last terrible Sunday? I think not.

I felt better the next day and thank god for that because I had to work. Hubby sent with me, at my request, a Boca burger that I could Microwave of I got hungry. I didn't but I ate it anyway with my Medifast tomato soup. I didn't want a terrible day especially since I might not get to eat on time due to patient flow.

It seems that Medifast is a diet of depravation while still keeping
You nutritionally sound. Some days it is plain miserable and so far its Been worth it. Because I feel good despite hunger some days, and I am losing weight.

This is hard, so very hard

I've been on Medifast for two weeks now and I've lost 7.4 lbs. As weight loss plans go, this one is not the easiest at all. Don't get me wrong when I say that it is not easy because it isn't but it does have some easy aspects. All the food is freeze dried and just needs to be constituted with plain cold water. Some are microwaveable and some you just shake. So it's easy peasy.

What i am finding difficult is the hunger while I am at work. I walk around 85% of my time most 95% of the days I work (sometimes days are easy with hours of ass time) So I find myself getting hungry sooner that the two to three hours between my meals. This is difficult for me.

We had an ice cream social at work due to getting a top grade in patient safety. I was not able to participate in this social because I could not have the ice cream. I stayed in my unit and then the treys of ice cream started rolling in and I watched others eat their two scoops with a variety of toppings. There was much sadness on my part. Not only was I hungry but I couldn't have what everyone else was eating. And it sucked!

I made it through but came home depressed and teary-eyed. Even the "lean green" meal didn't satisfy me. My husband not so difficultly forced some Medifast pudding on me because I was so hungry. And I ended up eating nearly 1000 kcals yesterday.

It's 3:51pm today and I've only has 226 calories despite adding a little veggie shreds (cheddar flavor) to my Medifast South west eggs (which are great on their own) I've has so little because I got up at 9:30 and didn't eat until 11:30 which I'm not supposed to do. I'm supposed to eat within 30 minutes of rising which I hardly ever do especially when I have to work.

My in-laws are here this weekend and they eat regular food and it will be temping to partake in a cold cut sandwich with delicious cheese. Hmmmm cheese. Creamy cheese... Okay, snap out of it!!! We will be going out to dinner tonight at Bonefish grill. I'm sure I can find something appropriate there to eat.

After the first week

It's going well with the Medifast diet. I'm not terribly hungry most days except when I'm working my ass off at work. Then I get hungry.

I got some new foods. The cinnamon roll bars are delicious. So is the tomato soup. And my favorite soup is the chicken with wild rice. It's so good!

I am finding that some of the meals are better prepared with hot water or boiling water instead of cold water than microwave. The oatmeal is better
when made with hot or boiling water,

I also find the shakes more enjoyable when blended with a little crushed ice. I love the dark chocolate, dutch chocolate 55 and the French vanilla 55 shakes.

I love the brownies and the hot chocolate too! I think I'm going to have one right now!

First Weigh In

I had my first weigh in at Medifast today.  I am down to 177.8 from 181.6 (3.8 lbs gone)

Right after the weigh in I purchased more food.  I got some of our regular stuff that we already had but I also got a new one Cinnamon Rolled crunch bar I think it's called.  I had it for lunch.  It was delicious.

I walked the outdoor shopping mall after my appt today.  I walked for 26 minutes.  I will also do that after my next appointment next week.

Tonight it's out with the ladies to paint pottery. I will be eating my lean and green meal before going out tonight.  An extra lean turkey burger made with italian seasoning.  It will be good.

I received my authorization to Test for the NCLEX today.  I scheduled my exam already.  I will be testing on June 20.  That leaves 20 days for study!  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

Doing better with Medifast

Our Saturday after our outing to NBA city went well.  No hunger.  We even went over some friends house for game night.  That was a lot of fun, as it always is.

I am doing much better today than on Sunday.  Sunday I was so miserable  that  I was actually crying and I couldn't stop myself. My husband gave me a weight watchers snack bar to make me feel better. I really think it had to do with the normal Metformin dose I took the night before.

Monday I worked and my husband hooked me up with a Boca burger in the morning with my medifast eggs.  And I did fine all day ate my meals as I should have except for the time I went four hours without eating because I was busy in the ICU and couldn't stop.  (But I wasn't hungry so I didn't suffer)

Tuesday I was called for jury service.  I went in there expecting to have a long day sitting in the jury assembly room but I was called in the first group.  I did eat my second meal before being called up.  I was however, able to eat every 2-2.5 hours so it was no problem.  In the end I didn't get chosen for the jury.  And that's a good thing.

Sick and craving carbs

Our first foray into eating out on Medifast was a success, I think. We went with friends to NBA City at Universal City Walk. We had made these plans a few weeks ago prior to going on this diet. I was worried when I saw the menu had changed from the one they had online but we discovered that they had "fit options.".

We ended up having a green salad with a piece of Ahi tuna and a breast of chicken respectively. It was delicious and it had a vinaigrette on the side. Filled me up perfectly but not overfill.

We are going out again this Friday with another friend and I don't know where we are going yet so this will be another challenge.

I feel like crap today. I have a cough and I am sick so my stomach feels like a bottomless bit and I am craving carbs. I feel a bit dizzy but that might also be the NyQuil that I took last night. So today will be a challenge.

Day 2

I really felt like crap last night until we had an actual dinner with real food. We had catfish, eggplant, and a tomato/ pepper salad. It was delicious and it really revived my brain and helped me into a better mood too. For "dessert" or my 5th meal I had a chocolate brownie. It was a less sweet chocolate than I am used to with traditional chocolate brownies.

Tip: eat it from the tray or remove it immediately from the tray when done baking.

I cooked mine in my toaster oven. You are supposed to bake for 18-20 minutes (or you can microwave for less time) but I baked mine for only 15 due to the small oven space and it came out perfect. Of course, I let it stand as the instructions say, and it broke when I took it put of the tray. I think next time I'll remove it promptly or eat from the tray.

This morning I was actually not hungry which I was very surprised about. But I ate. I ate the Medifast chocolate chip pancakes.

Tip: do the five shakes and then take the metal wire ball out and stir to get the chocolate chips and the dry lumps at the bottom to mix in.

Tip: hold the flip lid on your shaker while shaking!

I lost some of my pancake mix due to the top flying open. In addition the chocolate chips ended up on one pancake.

I am very used to slathering on the butter on my pancakes so eating without butter was strange. It didn't taste bad without butter and wasn't too dry.

For mid morning snack I had the Medifast Hot chocolate. That was really good. I did the "Viennese" recipe which includes a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract. Delicious and warm.

Tip: boil the water just like you were preparing real powdered hot chocolate. The microwave method is flawed. Stir well after pouring hot water until the lumps are gone. Enjoy.

I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday so far. I decided to wait 45 minutes to an hour to drink water after eating so I don't wash out what I've eaten. I dot really know if this has any medical basis for that but I am trying it.

Tonight, we are out to dinner with friends. We are going to NBA City at Citywalk and thank god for the Internet because I am able to pick my meal before hand because they post their menu online.

Dinner - day 1

I am feeling so much better after my dinner of real food. I had a piece of catfish with spices and a little
Lemon juice. Fried eggplant (in cubes) and a pepper and grape tomato "salad" with a small amount of balsamic and olive oil. It was delicious and I feel much better after having real food.

Can't wait for my last meal - a Medifast brownie.

I still haven't heard from my doctor hopefully she will call tomorrow.

Day 1 "lunchtime" meal

For lunch or my midday meal I had vegetarian sloppy joe "stew".

  I really but too much water in my sloppy joe so it was a bit watery.  At first I thought that this would not satisfy me. The "meat" portion  seems to be soy. It was a little spicy and I ate it over 15 minutes.  At the end of the bowel however, I was satisfied.  It tasted good.

Tonight for the first time in my life,  I will eat catfish.  I am notorious for not liking seafood.  But on this plan a larger portion of some fish can be had so I will try it.

As I shopped for veggies at the grocery store this afternoon I felt a little out of it. Perhaps due to far less carbohydrates/ sugar than my body is used to.  But I came home and had my bowl of "stew" and felt better.  The next few days will be rough as I move into the mild Ketosis.

Medifast Day 1 - Meal 2

It is 1045 and I am having my second meal of the day. A Dark Chocolate Medifast Shake.   I made it with ice in my Medifast magic bullet in an attempt to thicken it up a bit. I don't think it helped. Maybe I did it wrong.

• How it tastes:  chocolatey although not rich.
• Texture: thin. frothy toward the bottom.

We shall see how long I stay full with this shake.

The app i downloaded for my iPhone has failed to notify me when it was time to eat.  I'll have to play with that a bit as it will be an important part of reminding me to eat when at work.

I'm waiting on a report from hubby how his day is going....  So far so good. He's used to eating large meals but he's not starving nor does he have a headache.  So this is a good start. 

Still waiting on a phone call from the doctor....

A new endeavor in weightloss- Day 1

Today I started the Medifast weight loss plan with my husband.  We went last night for orientation and weigh in and then we had a "last supper" (at least for the next 10 weeks) at Macaroni Grill.  We lived it up.  Wine, pasta, bread, meatballs, etc.  So today I start eating the medifast way.

So this is my first day.  I've had my first "meal,"- Oatmeal with maple and brown sugar.

The directions are simple.  Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water, microwave on High for 1.5-2 minutes.  Allow to stand for desired thickness.  I did this.  Here is what I thought:

• I should have stirred the stuff after adding the water but prior to microwaving as I had lumps of dried powder after microwaving.  
• taste: oatmeal with nothing in it.  Not terrible but not overwhelmingly tasty.

I am doing this for my health.  I am 41 years old and 181.6 lbs and 47% of my weight is  body fat apparently. .That is not good.  I don't  have enough muscle to fat ratio. This puts me at risk for so many problems such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. I am unhealthy. I am uncomfortable most of the time.  I can't eat without feeling fat and bloated and I am uncomfortable in my clothes. Not to mention my confidence is waning.

So what does this mean?  I need to lose at least 30lbs and build up muscle.  However, I am not allowed to do any vigorious exercise in the first two weeks due to lower carb content of the diet.  I will experience Ketosis- a  state of elevated levels of ketone bodies in the body.

I have called my doctor to ask aobut the metformin I take as to whether the dose is okay for me or not now that I am on a low glycemic diet. I await her call back which will probably take all day.  I will watch myself for signs of hypoglycemia as the day progresses.

This blog with journal my weight loss journey, review the foods of medifast among other things. I invite other users of Medifast and other ladies on the weight loss journey to follow and share their experiences with me.

I will probably post a lot on this first day.

So.......

This weeks Weight: 181.6 
My weight loss goal is 150 lbs  (31 lbs)
My goal line is July 27th (set by medifast not me)