Thank you ladies It's kind of weird, for some reason I came back even more determined. I think it was because of 2 reasons. One, the wedding stress is finally over (but kinda sad for it to be) and two, my husband came home from work the other day and kept starring at me and said he had been looking thru pictures from the wedding and us throughout the last few years and said "babe you look so beautiful. I didn't really pay attention to all your hard work you've been doing until now and you've changed so much even know you've always been beautiful". That made my day!
Jen! That is the best story!! He sounds like my husband; so encouraging and appreciative of all your hard work. YAY!!!
Update from me: my running intervals have increased to 6 minutes this morning. It was cool enough (and I use that term loosely as the heat index is still sticking around) and I did three sets for the longest run to date. I am feeling more optimistic about the 5K in September. Tomorrow I plan on strength training at the gym and doing a quick 5 miles on the stationary bike to mix up my cardio workouts. I'm down to my lowest weight so far in this journey and erased the small weekend gain. It's nice to be there on a Tuesday because the last few weeks have seen me spending most of the weekdays undoing a gain and hitting the lowest weight on Friday. This means I have more room to lose this week and hopefully I've turned the corner on the counterproductive behavior of losing and gaining the same 3lbs.
How is everyone else doing??
Onward and downward!!
Last edited by LauraRVA42011; 07-25-2017 at 08:46 AM.
I think it is so great that you've set up some goals that are in the near future to keep you motivated with exercise with a good plan to keep increasing your endurance the closer you get to race day.
I have gotten into a good routine of cardio (10k) steps per day and every-other-day free weights. Working out gives me so much energy to get through the day and really boosts my metabolism.
I am so glad you've been able to figure out that weekend gain/weekday loss cycle. It can be frustrating! It is that crazy mental game where we promise ourselves on Friday that we will be 100% on plan and then Friday night comes and we feel deserving of what we know we shouldn't have. I think we all do it until we grow weary of the cycle. It sounds like you are at that place!
Staying on plan and exercising is keeping my weight exactly where I want to be!
Thanks, Karen! I really feel like I've turned a corner. I think I have a nice balance of eating and exercise now. Been hitting lowest weights all week. I had that tiny uptick on Monday and since then I've lost not only the gain but added to the loss. Husband is out of town for work so there are fewer temptations for the next couple of days. When he gets back we're going out for dinner and a movie and I already know what I'm going to order to keep on plan.
These are all great reminders to read and help stay motivated. I have been bouncing up and down; recovering during the week, going off plan on the weekends. I really want to break this cycle. I am trying not to be too hard on myself because at least I am staying consistent and not throwing caution to the wind completely but I would like to recommit and lose another 10-15 lbs. I know I can't do that by eating whatever I like on the weekends.
I am right there with you on the gain/loss cycle. I struggle with the same stuff in maintenance --- maybe even a bit more now because I don't have the pre-packaged food and same routine when I was in the weight loss phase of MF. The good part now is that I am catching my spiraling down on the FIRST day it begins so I am not chasing the gain but rather the mind set that seems to occur at different times throughout the day, although I think boredom tends to be my trigger.
The cost of having to buy more MF food to lose the weight I've already lost seems to be a good mental thought process for me to keep me from straying much more than a meal or two. Being satisfied with the food most healthy for me and in the correct portion size is my battle. Some days I find myself thinking about food all day long...other days I forget to eat.
Had an NSV last night that I want to share. Forgive the cut and paste, I just didn't feel like typing it all out again...
Had an interesting day yesterday. My husband is travelling for work so I was on my own for dinner. I had been craving Chinese beef & broccoli all day so I went to Panda Express and got some along with mixed veggies and mushroom chicken. I knew my sodium would be out of control and tried to offset with extra water. Where it got interesting was after dinner, I was still hungry and I indulged in a small portion of 85% dark chocolate. Because I was on my own, I didn't have a lot to do and I felt myself drifting into boredom eating. I stopped myself by heading to the gym and did 5 miles on the stationary bike instead. I was really proud of myself for consciously making that move instead of giving in.
Thanks, Karen. Finishing out the work week strong with what may be a 3lb loss. I am going to tread extra carefully not to regain this weekend and hopefully hit my 60lb lost milestone!
Been feeling really lazy the last two days. Barely got my usual step count in and haven't worked out since I went Wednesday night to avoid boredom eating. Not sure what's going on with me. Going to listen to my body though. I did just go out for a quick walk in my neighborhood, and I'm feeling a little lightheaded now, so not sure what that's about. Will rest and take the opportunity to workout tomorrow.
Hope everyone has a great OP weekend!!
Last edited by LauraRVA42011; 07-28-2017 at 01:15 PM.
60 pounds is AWESOME! You, my dear friend, are definitely gonna make that goal sooner than you think. Your ups and downs are what have kept you in this weight loss journey as you become much healthier both physically and mentally!
Be careful with that light-headed feeling. You might need to add some extra healthy fats in to add some extra calories on your higher work out days...or add a little extra protein.
Hello, my Friends,
What a crazy journey it has been. I was gone for 26 days, driving cross country, as planned. Not the easiest thing to do two and a half weeks after starting this journey. The good news is, usually I would gain 7-8 pounds on vacation, and I lost one pound, taking my three bags of Medifast with me. I don't know why I haven't logged back on here. Maybe because I have been struggling some to stay on it perfectly, and time just seems to fly by. And yet, I know it is so motivating to read your posts. I have a lot of posts to catch up on- pages and pages. I did see that Laura suffered a loss, and I wish to add my sincere sympathy here. I hope I can catch up.
I am still doing Medifast- some days better than others. Last week, I had a little talk with myself about getting back to it as perfectly as I can. I have now lost 22 pounds. I am happy about that, although of course, I always wish it were more... Anyways, onwards we go. Sorry I dropped off the face of the Earth for a while- no computer access on my trip and then I didn't get back on until now.
Hello to all of you! I loved reading all the posts and am keeping track of everyone's journeys.
First, let me say, JenCA, you are certainly a beautiful bride! I am certainly happy that now the stress of planning is over, you are even more determined to accomplish your weight loss goal. Your husband sounds like the perfect partner in helping you do that!
Laura ~ 60 pounds is incredible! Stay the course this weekend and you can truly claim that sixth as your own!
Karen ~ As I get comfortable in my "almost" maintenance, I still struggle with the right amounts vs. what I emotionally crave. I love to hear from you and get your take on making things work to your advantage.
Sheila ~"Struggle" for me will always be my middle name. But I am learning that the keys are patience, persistence and perseverance. If I backtrack, I just jump right back on plan and not cower in guilt. I think you are doing the same.
Hikerdreams ~ Awesome that you lost while on vacation - 22 pounds is a wonderful testament that you are serious! Congratulations!
I continue to read and hope to chime in more often!
Last edited by MorningGlory1950; 07-29-2017 at 01:17 PM.
Well 60lb milestone eludes me as I went a little off the rails this weekend. I ate really salty foods and drank so I'm not surprised. My TOM is looming and I wonder if some of that isn't a whole bucketload of water retention. It will be this week though. That is guaranteed!! I am not eating crazy or out of control, just a little too salty...
Joyce! It's so nice to hear from you!! Maintenance is hard than losing, and it looks like you're holding your own!
Hikerdreams! Welcome back! Cross country trip and you LOST a pound!!! Nice job!! Thank you for your condolences, I appreciate it a lot.
Hope everyone has a great OP week!!! Onward and downward!
I had a great weekend and really stuck to eating clean all weekend. It is so much easier when you have no social invites or preparing a big family BBQ at your house.
Laura ~
You know so well it is the salt that is keeping those pounds on. A ton of water and strict MF will be your ticket to the 250's.
Hikerdreams ~
Great weight loss for you! Kudos for a successful vacation without derailing all your efforts.
Joyce ~
So great to see your post and see how close you are to goal. I don't think I have any magic plan for maintenance. I am sticking to eating about 1400 - 1600 calories per day with foods that aren't processed and keeping my carbs under 70 per day. I try to stick with eating fruit (mainly berries) in the morning and not often with any other meal. I'm sticking with 3 meals per day which are around 500 calories each. I don't snack or drink my calories. I know that some people continue to do the 6 meal plan but I realized early on that 3 meals held my hunger well and didn't have me in the kitchen so often and it is more in line with the way we eat as a family. I've remained off caffeine and red wine since mid way through my weight loss as I realized I am better off not adding them back in. IF I end up in a social situation wanting a drink I'll add vodka to sparkling water. When I watch myself now and look back prior to MF I drank SO MUCH red wine. I never realized how much until I stopped.
I am learning to not complicate maintenance nor over-think what I am doing. I get on the scale weekly to make sure I am at or below goal. All in all I am still learning what I need to tweak along the way. As you know, there is not a one-size-fits-all in the maintenance phase. The scale has been my best barometer for maintenance. I've had a few moments of binge eating where I might blow it for one meal but I've been getting better at catching myself before I have blown the whole day of eating.
I think the biggest thing I've done with the help of my kids and husband is making a family commitment to not having highly processed high-carb and/or sugar filled food in our house. Removing it all when I started maintenance WAS the best thing I did. I just can't have it around because I don't know if/when I could/would start binge eating say with a full bag of chips. That type of food was my prior addiction and caused out of control eating so I can't have it around.
I am so happy Joyce that you are almost to goal. You'll get there before you know it.
Thanks, Karen! I'm continuing to chip away and getting closer to the 230s, but still up a pound from where I was on Friday. I dragged my butt out of bed this morning and made myself go for a run. I'm really glad I did. I also am glad I listen to my body because about 9am I was feeling really tired and light-headed. I had eaten my two low calorie meals from Medifast already and had a coffee, but I was so sluggish I wanted to lie down for a nap. Today marks the first day of my TOM so I know there is more energy stress on my body. Couple that with the running and I am WORN OUT.
So, I went down to the cafe, got some scrambled eggs with peppers and a spoonful of chopped potatoes. Wouldn't you know almost seconds after I started eating I felt normal again!? Sometimes I lose sight of what's best for me. I know my appetite will increase with exercise, and that was my downfall last time I was a regular runner, but making the proper choices to fuel my body and not just eat anything because "I earned it" will be the best course of action I think. Instead of looking at my calorie burn from running as a number that can be evened out with something of equal calories (example, burn 200 calories and think I can eat 200 calories of a sugary Starbucks drink), I am now looking at food as fuel and know that it's the quality of the calories, not the quantity that matters.
I know potatoes are forbidden (which is a notion I don't subscribe to), but I needed some kind of complex carb that wasn't sugar to normalize how I was feeling. I'm in this space now where I want to continue to lose, and do like the Medifast fuelings, but am I doing right by my body? The lower carbs are not necessarily good for being a runner. I figure right now I'm not running enough to overhaul my diet, but I wonder if I should be re-examining my fueling strategy. I wish I was able to conjure up a Medifast user who was also a runner to learn from...
It's kind of weird, for some reason I came back even more determined. I think it was because of 2 reasons. One, the wedding stress is finally over (but kinda sad for it to be) and two, my husband came home from work the other day and kept starring at me and said he had been looking thru pictures from the wedding and us throughout the last few years and said "babe you look so beautiful. I didn't really pay attention to all your hard work you've been doing until now and you've changed so much even know you've always been beautiful". That made my day!
as your own!