[LauraRVA42011]

Karen, thank you for sharing that. I am mindful of healthy fats and have been taking a fish oil supplement in hopes it helps. You're actually at what I want as my goal weight, so I wonder if maybe you should transition to maintenance? You may still continue to lose, but slower and healthier.

First and foremost, take care of yourself!!

[kwalk50]

Originally Posted by LauraRVA42011

Karen, thank you for sharing that. I am mindful of healthy fats and have been taking a fish oil supplement in hopes it helps. You're actually at what I want as my goal weight, so I wonder if maybe you should transition to maintenance? You may still continue to lose, but slower and healthier.

First and foremost, take care of yourself!!

Laura ~

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

Yes, fish oil supplements are good. I know several people on low calorie diets who religiously take these.

I'm planning on sticking to the 4 Medifast meals and 2 L&G's and doubling the fats for the next few weeks and then begin maintenance. I think upping the fats will help me stay on plan and keep moving forward. Maintenance is key for me and I agree with you that starting it sooner rather than later is a better plan.

Thank you again for your thoughts and well wishes.

Karen

[LauraRVA42011]

So, to bump up my motivation, I have officially started exercising today. I set my step goal at 7500 per day for right now because lately I'm lucky if I hit 5000. Twice I walked farther than the usual bathrooms for my break to bump up my step count. I took the stairs down and walked up the moving escalator. My boss and I went for a 25 minute walk around the property (when I was training for running I clocked it at about 1.5 miles but we took shortcuts so it was just over a mile). I also climbed 3 of the 4 flights back to my desk (I will work up to the full 4 over time). I kept my heart rate at a moderate pace except when climbing the stairs.

Observation from day one: I do notice hunger after I come back from a walk where I have increased my heart rate. I think I recall someone mentioning that hunger can follow exercise and that's why on such a VLCD that the exercise needs to be very low impact.

I have built myself a goal to walk 26 miles a week for the first four weeks, then 35 a week thereafter, plotting it out on a map to virtually walk from my house to my aunt's house in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (almost 1700 miles away) over the course of 48 weeks. I did a walking challenge like this many years ago and it was really fun!!

[kwalk50]

Originally Posted by LauraRVA42011

So, to bump up my motivation, I have officially started exercising today. I set my step goal at 7500 per day for right now because lately I'm lucky if I hit 5000. Twice I walked farther than the usual bathrooms for my break to bump up my step count. I took the stairs down and walked up the moving escalator. My boss and I went for a 25 minute walk around the property (when I was training for running I clocked it at about 1.5 miles but we took shortcuts so it was just over a mile). I also climbed 3 of the 4 flights back to my desk (I will work up to the full 4 over time). I kept my heart rate at a moderate pace except when climbing the stairs.

Observation from day one: I do notice hunger after I come back from a walk where I have increased my heart rate. I think I recall someone mentioning that hunger can follow exercise and that's why on such a VLCD that the exercise needs to be very low impact.

I have built myself a goal to walk 26 miles a week for the first four weeks, then 35 a week thereafter, plotting it out on a map to virtually walk from my house to my aunt's house in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (almost 1700 miles away) over the course of 48 weeks. I did a walking challenge like this many years ago and it was really fun!!

Laura ~

You've got a good plan going here. I remember well when I increased my exercise I had to drink a ton of water so that I didn't get that hunger feeling...especially the first two weeks. After that my body seemed to be in the groove and actually was craving the exercise instead of food!

I purchased one of those FitBit trackers that counts your steps and that has been a fun way to calculate my exercise, too. How fun to walk to Nova Scotia in 48 weeks. Go Laura!

It is a fact that exercise is part of healthy living. It is great that you have plotted your course! You are doing great.

Karen

[MorningGlory1950]

I love that our "family" is growing! Welcome to sidrah and MoMo2!
You both are providing us with new info that will certainly be a focus of my interest. As I draw near to my goal I definitely am finding the transition phase intriguing.

Laura ~ I lost .4 pound this week. I had a less than stellar week on plan, so I was totally okay with the number on the scale. I figure that I am in the pre-transition phase and learning to live within my means calorie-wise.

Karen ~ I was worried about you! I am so glad you are feeling better with your new approach to healing that gall bladder! Your 4 and 2 plan plus the additional healthy fats is certainly working to your advantage: weight loss and good health! So glad you're back!

Thank you all for being here...it means so much to me that we can all share our desire and determination to continue on this healthy journey!

[sheilaE]

Another step closer to actual spring! I feel it a little more every day as the daylight lasts longer and longer.

Karen, I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well and very glad you're feeling better. It's interesting to hear about the fats component and gallbladder. I have to admit, I've not heard of that. I already tend to eat just a little more fat that the plan calls for because I am an avowed avocado junkie. I put it on everything. I have at least a slice or two every evening. And, as an avocado junkie, I may need to cut that back just a bit because my weight loss for the week overall fell to just under 2 lbs.

Joyce, A loss is a loss is a loss! Take that small loss and hang on to it. You are so close to your goal and have been so committed. You should be proud. As with MoMo and Karen, I will be riveted to hear what works and what doesn't for you all!


Have a great day everyone!

Stay the course!
Sheila

[sheilaE]

Originally Posted by LauraRVA42011

So, to bump up my motivation, I have officially started exercising today. I set my step goal at 7500 per day for right now because lately I'm lucky if I hit 5000.

Observation from day one: I do notice hunger after I come back from a walk where I have increased my heart rate.

Laura, I also walk everyday and have for years. I really didn't stop during the beginning of MF since I was already doing it. What I have found is that I have lost weight, it has becoming easier and easier for me to further and faster. When I have a hard workout day, I also feel my hunger increase and those are the days when I will eat a hard boiled egg or a little tuna in addition to MF. I am trying to listen to the real cues my body is giving me especially when exercising.

This week, I started doing some jogging during my walk. I look at your photo and am inspired because I am doing a 1/2 marathon in May with my 30 year old son! I've done this particular race multiple times over the years, once with my mother when she was 70 (we walked a lot of the way). If she can do it at 70, I can certainly do it again at 56. I also walked the race last year with a friend who had it on her bucket list but she said, once is enough and never again! This year, I want to be healthy and fit in order to make the recovery time on the back end shorter. Its brutal if you aren't in shape even when you walk.

Here's to healthy walking!

Sheila

[LauraRVA42011]

Sheila! Thanks for the encouragement! Let me return the favor. On my 45th birthday in 2010 I ran a Half Marathon and the training period is one of the happiest of my life. One of my primary goals is to get back to 'fighting weight' so I can train for another Half. My experience with my first one wasn't great (very long story) but suffice to say, I want to conquer the distance on my terms and run my race!

My running philosophy is based on a training program I took in Canada. The designer strongly believes in walking breaks and trains you to run in intervals of 1 min walking followed by 2 minutes running 3x a week until you work your way up to 1 minute of walking and 10 minutes of running. I love and miss running so much and it's really hard with having lost what I have so far not to start training again, but I know I'm not eating enough to support a running regimen.

[LauraRVA42011]

Happy Thursday!

Had an interesting thing happen last night. After dinner, I found myself still truly hungry. I searched online to figure out why as it was the first time in this journey I have actually felt hunger. It is my TOM which could be a contributing factor but I wasn't convinced. I reviewed my dinner and realized I had shorted myself in protein. I had endured the hunger for almost two hours (to make sure it wasn't appetite or thirst) and finally had a sixth medifast meal. I felt better immediately. I will be more careful about getting the proper proportions of everything going forward!

Have a fantastic day all!!

[sheilaE]

Originally Posted by LauraRVA42011

My running philosophy is based on a training program I took in Canada. The designer strongly believes in walking breaks and trains you to run in intervals of 1 min walking followed by 2 minutes running 3x a week until you work your way up to 1 minute of walking and 10 minutes of running. I love and miss running so much and it's really hard with having lost what I have so far not to start training again, but I know I'm not eating enough to support a running regimen.

Laura, I love this training idea. In fact, I modified a little for myself and started using it today. I am walking as a warm up for a few minutes, run for 2 minutes and walk for 2 -3 then run again for 2 and will work my way up from there. I can walk til the cows come home but running has always been a drag for me.

I also find myself being hungrier than normal on bigger workout days so I've compensated by upping with some almonds or having a scrambled egg additionally during the day. It has helped me a lot and I haven't noticed any significant decrease in weight loss.

Stay the course!

Sheila

[kwalk50]

Laura ~

How wonderful that you were able to mindfully figure out why you were hungry. Medifast is such a low calorie diet that missing anything, especially healthy fats and protein, will increase hunger almost immediately.

Are you still logging your food? If not, it seems to help me stay on track with what and when I've eaten.

What a victory for you to solve your hunger staying 100% on plan!!

Karen

[kwalk50]

Sheila & Laura ~

Have you heard of the "couch to 5k"? I did that prior to knee surgery several years ago and loved it. I think there is a phone app. It starts you out in that walk/run mode and before you know it you are running that 5k.

You gals are inspirational with your desire to get fit!

Karen

[LauraRVA42011]

Hey all,

Karen, yes I do log my food. I had bought extra lean hamburger patties and realized they were 4oz raw, I cheated myself a couple ounces after it was cooked. It took me a good long time to figure out why I was hungry though. I was really struggling at one point and wished I had a live lifeline to engage because I was almost beside myself! I did some googling because I thought I had read that if you were hungry to eat another Medifast meal. Thankfully that worked.

Today's challenge is working from home today offers fewer stepping opportunities. I took a break after one of my calls and walked around the house tidying it up. I have a long break this afternoon to get my car repaired and it's supposed to get up to 75 today here in Virginia, so I plan on going on a very, very long walk in my neighborhood to increase my step count. Two days in a row I have successfully hit or exceeded my step goal, and I don't want working from home to derail me.

[sheilaE]

Happy Friday everyone!

Feeling slightly lethargic today even though the weather is amazing and I've stayed on plan and I lost a couple of pounds this week. For some reason, Fridays and diets just don't sync for me. It seems to be a pattern lately. Don't get me wrong, I still stick with it (ok, cheat admission, I did drink a small glass of red wine last night) but I did exercise and lift weights. My husband decided last night it was time to bump up the effort so I feel a little sore today and am retaining about a few ounces of water from it.

I had a goal to be under 180 by March 1st but now at a little over 184, I don't think that will happen but perhaps it was too much of a stretch to start with. Still, I am now officially halfway to my goal and need to keep telling myself that to stay motivated. Thank goodness I have my husband along for the ride. I tell him every day how great he looks. He has now lost 35 lbs and really, if he stopped losing today, I think he'd be fantastic. Selfishly, I want him to continue for my sake and luckily he wants to continue for his. So, on we go!

I have a meeting with my current boss to talk to her about my outside job interviews. I have been working for this telecom company now for 3 years as a contractor and am tired of being passed over for full time positions (not her call) and now being told there is a hiring freeze all while receiving glowing reviews and praise. I am hoping this will budge the needle in the right direction because I'd really like to stay with my current position but it may not be meant to be.

Monday morning I have a 3rd interview in person and this company has already provided me a copy of their benefit package and asked me to complete an official application to complete a background check. They have 2 positions open so I feel as if I have an offer almost in front of me. This is great news although it will mean giving up working from home (which I love).

Hoping to get through a ton of meetings today at work and come out of the day with an awesome attitude! I will let this play out and let the chips fall where they may. Generally, life happens as it should. Here is to what the future holds!

Stay the course!
Sheila

[kwalk50]

SHEILA ~

You have such a GREAT attitude about EVERYTHING! You are so positive and grateful for what lies ahead.

I sometimes have the weekend "dole-drums" too. It is truly the only time I feel deprived. We used to eat out a lot with family and friends on the weekend and I just decided I didn't want to navigate restaurant food so often. I find myself inviting people over for dinner often on the weekends which seems to keep me on track because I plan the menu around my L&G.

Red wine was a REALLY hard one for me to give up. My niece who lost all that weight suggested I not have any since our bodies burn the calories from the alcohol first. I think I worried more that it would become a habit for me and not every once in awhile. BUT boy do I miss it.

I hope your day goes smoothly and you get some answers that you are waiting for.

Karen