Livin' in the Range...

So, being satisfied with the amount of weight I'd lost and moving on to maintenance, I came up with a five pound range that I want to stay in. That range is 135-140. And I try to religiously weigh myself every morning, even though some days I worry before getting on the scale, if the day before involved restaurants, parties, alcohol, baking (involving taste testing and sampling!), or other factors that didn't result in a nothing-but-healthy-eating day.

So far, so good. I've been as low as 136 and as high as 139 (with decimals after both numbers), and I've tried to react to the higher end number by "taking it easy" food-wise the next day. Which means maybe having a bar (meal replacement) for one meal, and avoiding social eating situations.

I do consider myself a food addict, in that under certain situations I overeat and put self-control on the back burner. There are definitely trigger foods and situations that cause me to regret my behavior later. As a food addict, like an alcoholic, I'm not sure I'll ever be a "normal" person like others who never worry about what they eat. I think I'm going to just have to take one day at a time, and keep on trying.

The main thing, and it's no secret, is that just because overeating occurs, whether it's one candy bar or one meal or one day, you absolutely can't throw in that ever-ready towel and say "oh well, diet's over, I can eat what I want!" That is the path to weight gain, I know as well as I know my own name. At 140 pounds that's still 55 down from January. So even if I am at the top of my "range" I'm still in a great place, and with some dietary adjustment for a day or two or maybe a week, I can land back at the lower (safer) end of the range.

That's my plan anyway!

Thirty Week Graduation Day

Tonight's Kaiser cohort meeting was our final meeting of the first 30 weeks of the program. We graduate to "lifestyle" meetings at this point, which are held several times a week. As part of our graduation, we saw a slideshow of before and after pictures, and members had an opportunity to share how much they'd lost, and any other comments they might want to make about the program.

It was very interesting, and so impressive how much weight had been lost. Two people weren't there, and two people didn't mention the weight loss amount. Two others had lost thirty something pounds. Everyone else had lost in the fifties and sixties, with the exception of one man (whose daughter is also in our cohort) who had lost eighty something pounds - wow!! He mentioned that he had never lost more than 20 pounds on any other diet.

The next photo Kaiser will take of us will be at 82 weeks! That's how many weeks they want us to be in the program, attending as many lifestyle meetings as possible. (Those meetings include a weigh-in, a chance to buy "product" and a different topic and discussion each week.) So that's a year from now, 52 weeks. I'm hoping I will be at the same or less at that time. No backsliding!!! I'm too old (and too frugal) to do this all over again! ;-)

Metabolism Test

Today I had my metabolism test at Kaiser. The results were expected (by me anyway) but still disappointing.

First, my metabolism was 18% below normal. That can be due to dieting/low calorie intake but there are many other factors including just having a family history of being slugs. ;-) And, I pretty much have NO muscles, LOL. Very squishy. My granddaughters love it for cuddling. Just like a marshmallow...

So for the actual test, you breathe through a tube for 10 minutes and it measures oxygen and carbon dioxide as you inhale and exhale. From that it can determine metabolism, and calories burned under different circumstances.

So if I never moved all day I would burn 1037 calories to maintain my current weight. Normal daily movement takes me up to 1336. And adding real exercise allows more calories to be eaten while without gaining- so for example 30 minutes of exercise takes the calorie figure up to 1454.

I'm actually not tracking calories right now, but it would be interesting to test this by coming up with maybe two weeks of meals at right about 1300 calories and see what the scale does.

So of course it would be nice to have these numbers be higher (a faster - or more normal- metabolism), but I was told they've seen lower! Age, hormones, lack of sleep, and stress are also factors that impact metabolism.

The paper they gave me with my results also said that my BMI was 25, which according to the chart I looked at was just over the edge from normal into overweight, but waaaay below obese, where I used to be.

"You're a Different Person"

At the weigh-in on Monday, as I was passing a fellow cohort member, she said, "You're a different person than the one who started in this program!" I thought it was an interesting, and somewhat surprising, comment. Although the person making it is probably not at her goal weight, I believe she has probably lost more weight than I have on the program. So I'm wondering, does she feel like a different person than the one who started in January?

Maybe she does. I definitely don't feel "like a different person." I recognize I might look significantly different (inevitable after losing almost 60 pounds), but I'm still me, flaws and all.

I actually would have expected that comment from someone who was NOT on a weight loss journey herself. In our culture we do judge people on their weight, and being "weightist" seems to still be an allowable way to discriminate against people and treat them like second class citizens. Losing - and also gaining - weight doesn't change who you are, and shouldn't (ideally) change how people perceive you and interact with you.

I'm 100% sure she meant it as a compliment, and I (after a brief hesitation) took it as one, and said something like oh we're all different than we were in January, but I meant in the outward sense only. I know the stereotype exists that people who are heavy somehow have character flaws - gluttony, laziness, sloth, lack of self- discipline - and so are seen as internally flawed based on their outward appearance. But I know I'm no better or worse than I was in January, just lighter.

The world may treat me like a different person, because I look different, but it would be nice if we could see through the outside and relate to people on the basis of other more important factors. But I know that's somewhat unrealistic. (Although it is the basis for the start of the movie Beauty and the Beast, where the beast judges the enchantress by her external appearance and pays dearly for his lack of judgment!)

I am happy to have compliments on my weight loss success and healthier appearance, but at the same time, I can't help wish that we lived in a world where people were judged and valued for who they are, not what they look like...

Maintenance and Motivation

Despite challenges this summer - vacations, barbecues, weddings, and more - I am holding more or less steady (never gaining) at about 57 pounds lost. Since the goal stated at the top of my blog was to lose 30 (or 40, or even 50) pounds - and I would have been happy with 30! - this is a resounding success. Now I just need to keep it up. I'm a size 8 (started at 18) and this seems like a good place to stay. Maintenance isn't as sexy as losing. I love seeing the scale go down. So a different mindset is needed to get the same thrill from seeing the scale hold steady. But there are so many good reasons to maintain and stay motivated to keep the scale from going back up.

Regarding motivation, if someone asked at the start of the Optifast program about why I wanted to lose weight, I would have said my motivation was 75% health, 25% appearance. I'm going to be 64 on Sep. 1st, and yesterday celebrated my 35th wedding anniversary. I'm not out there on the dating scene or looking to wear bikinis. My husband seriously doesn't seem to notice whether I'm big or little. So my main motivation was improved health, as indicated by BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. And all those indicators have been good.

But there's another aspect I hadn't considered, related to health but more tangible than test numbers, and that is comfort. It makes my life much easier and more pleasant to be down over 50 pounds. Here are some examples:

• For our anniversary yesterday we went kayaking in Napa. It was easy going down the river, but then we had to turn around and paddle against the current to get back. It was hard and my arms are killing me today, but wow, if that kayak had been 50 pounds heavier it would have been even harder. So I was grateful that I only had to paddle my 140 pound self up the river, not my 197 pound self!
• I love taking my grandkids to Disneyland but last year thought I might have to quit, as it was getting too hard physically. I was too tired to keep up. It wasn't fun anymore. Now this year when I went in May it was completely different in terms of energy and endurance. Bring it on, Mickey!
• We go to Family Camp for a week every year. This year was especially hot (in the hundreds) and our cabin was up a hill. If I had been climbing that hill in that heat carrying 50 more pounds it would have been so miserable I don't think I would have lasted a day. I was so grateful to be facing that heat (and that climb!) without the extra weight.

These are just a few of the ways that this weight loss has improved my life. I am daily grateful for ALL the positive aspects of this weight loss journey!

Totally Rocked the Family Camp Challenge!

Salad bar in the camp dining hall

So this was a first for me. I've been going to this family camp for years and it's always been an eat and drink binge pretty much. I was sooo focused on healthy eating this time. Didn't even open the bottles of wine and champagne (my favorite) that I brought for "happy hour" in our cabin. (The fact that it was in the 90s and higher also discouraged drinking alcohol.)

I brought my own dressing to lunch and dinner, and basically had a big plate of salad with whatever protein was being served. If the protein was too "saucy" (pulled pork, I'm looking at you), I just got by on the beans and cheese in the salad bar, and had a protein bar. Fruit was also served and so I had melon. I had eggs for breakfast, bacon once, and fruit. I was never hungry and it felt great.

I had a few splurges (rocky road ice cream at the camp store) and a few "tastes" (a bite of my granddaughter's s'more) so didn't feel deprived. And coming home, not sure what the scale would say, it was actually a pound or two lower than when I left! But we just got home yesterday and I sweated SO much at camp due to the heat that I'm thinking it was just water loss! In any case, I don't think I gained so YAY!

Challenging Week Ahead

In an hour or so I'm off to a week at a "Family Camp" in the Sierras where our family goes every summer. This year there are extra challenges. Some of those include the record heat in California right now (and associated fire danger), and the rapidly-melting record snowpack along with the danger of flooding and extra-cold, extra-fast moving water (our cabin is right by a river). But, the main danger I'm worried about is the food! ;-)

Food is served more or less family style and is typically high-carb (spaghetti, etc.) with very few healthy choices, with the "veg" being some limp iceberg lettuce. And traditionally we take lots of snacks - and alcohol - for in-tent "happy hours" and all day munching by the water. Not to mention s'mores - yum!

I'm taking some shakes and bars, but at this point being back on "real food" it is hard to go back on mostly product at meals. But one way or another, I'm determined to survive the camping excursion without significant backsliding. Not only do I never want to go back to bad habits and old weight, but I have a wedding I'm going to on July fourth and a dress I need to fit into! ;-)

I'll be away from phone and internet service for a week. Wish me luck with surviving fire, floods and food, LOL!

Optifast Kaiser Diet - Down 55 Pounds

Weigh-in tonight (missed last week) was down 2 pounds, which was good. I actually would have been fine with no change, but Thursday am leaving for 6 days at an inclusive family camp, and am worried about gaining. Lots of high carb food served family style with not that many healthy choices. I'm going to try my best!

Not on product-only for some time, but I still have a bar or two a day. I'm happy that I'm holding my weight down even while eating "real food" and certainly have had food that wouldn't be necessarily recommended, from champagne flights to fig chutney on French bread to frozen gelato. BUT, those are the exception, and I've compensated, and mostly I'm eating high protein, low carb, high veg. And not a lot. Sadly at my age my metabolism can't handle lots of calories.

Related to that, in a few weeks we'll have that test that tells us how many calories we should eat to maintain. But I had it maybe five years ago and it was distressingly low - related to muscle (and lack of) and exercise (and lack of). And age and gender are probably figured in too.

It's in the hundreds where I live this week so am SO happy I shed that 55 pounds or I would be SO miserable - sweaty, rashy, exhausted. Well done me, is all I can say, for my success on this program! And best wishes to anyone considering a similar program, starting out on it, struggling through it, hitting transition, or in the maintenance phase. I've gone probably from a size 18 to a size 8, so for me this program is a big thumbs up. And I hope in 5 years I say the same thing!

The Danger of Delicious Food

I've realized that for me, the biggest danger with regards to healthy eating is that some food just tastes too darn good! So I'm fine when on Optifast product, and if my fridge and daily diet is full of eggs, tuna, salad, apples, plain yogurt, veggies, I'm OK too. No problem with portion control or overeating.

But put me at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, or hand me a jar of chocolate-covered apricots, or sell me a basket of ripe cherries from a road-side stand, and that food is gone, all of it.

My mom could make a box of Sees candy last a month. I obviously didn't inherit the self-control gene. It is really really hard for me to stop eating when food tastes good. Yesterday at a buffet I only had salad because I knew if I started on the other food it would be a pig-out. Not proud to say it, but I feel like I know myself after all these years, and I know that I will blow through any stopsign on the autobahn of eating when the food is yummy.

So do I just eat meh food the rest of my life? That's kinda what I'm thinking at this point! I did read that successful post-dieting folks limit the variety in their meals. So basically eat mostly the same thing day in, day out. That's probably due to this same problem.

So for now, I'm keeping the sexy, high-interest foods out of my fridge and pantry, avoiding certain restaurants, and hoping for no more chocolate apricot gifts. (It was from my son! From Vienna! And he knows I love apricots. And chocolate!)

My weigh-in last night was half a pound below a month ago, the previous weigh-in. If I was still trying to lose a lot of weight that would be a bummer. But actually, I'd be happy to maintain, so no gain was good news. Just gotta keep keepin' on!

Weigh-In Tonight - After a Month Away

I've missed the weekly meetings for a few weeks, or in the case of last week, it was a holiday and we didn't meet. A month ago my weight was 144.5. Since then there have been ups and downs. I've had a meal replacement bar or two each day, but no soups or shakes. I've eaten mostly low-carb - salads, tuna, eggs, chicken, strawberries, nonfat greek yogurt, apples - but there have certainly been other times where I've had pizza, chocolate, wine, bread, Panda Express, and other items that probably weren't the best choices. But I've weighed every day, adjusted my diet when I've had more calories than I felt wise, kept going to the water aerobics class a few times a week, and most important, reminded myself daily how much better I feel. Fitting into clothes that look good on me, being able to go up and down stairs, and get out of bed in the morning without a Herculean effort!

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the official scale has to say tonight. I'm eager to meet again with my Kaiser cohort!

Weeding the Closet - Bagging up the "Fat Clothes"

Actually, I was bagging up clothes in two categories. Some clothes were removed because they are way too big on me. Some were favorites - Disney tees, etc. - but they swim, so into the bag they go. The other category of clothes to remove is sleeveless and short-sleeved tops. Unfortunately, a combination of rapid weight loss AND minimal arm muscles means the upper half of my arms are really unattractive. I'm hoping that either 1) excess skin disappears over time (does that even happen?) and/or 2) I'll be motivated to use those weights sitting on my bedroom dresser to get my upper arms in shape. But in the meantime, they are not fit for public viewing, sadly.

The bag is huge and the question is then begged - what to do with all the clothes? There's the "throw them out and never go back" philosophy which is admirable. Then there's the "hedge your bets and store them somewhere" cowardly custard approach. I confess I'm keeping them. I like the clothes, and the pile represents a significant amount of money. Do I ever want to wear them again? NO I DO NOT! I plan to stay the size I'm at for the rest of my life, and never need to open that bag. But, I still can't get rid of them.

Part of it is that though I think I'm pretty good at losing weight - the excitement of the scale going down, the satisfaction of reaching a goal - I know that maintenance is a lot less exciting. And I'm not convinced that underlying food issues have gone away. I still like to eat, eat things that aren't particularly healthy (pizza, marshmallows, margaritas, rich Thai food, etc.), and don't do very well when feeling deprived.

I know the tools to maintain - logging, exercise, mindful eating, daily or frequent weighing, a mindset that considers healthy food and healthy portions to be good for my body. And also not considering certain food completely off limits. But old habits die hard. I'm not making excuses or trying to pave the way for gaining weight. I really really really do not want to gain weight back and will try my hardest to keep that from happening. I'm counting on never needing to open that bag again. But it's still going to be somewhere out in the dusty garage, probably providing mice and black widow spiders a place to nest. Off limits, but still not gone forever. Right or wrong, that's what I'm doing for now. Maybe someday I'll donate them, but not quite yet...

Lost 50 Pounds in Four Months

When I look at that title it seems hard to believe. Fifty pounds is a lot of weight. I can't imagine carrying around fifty pounds of something all day long, but that's what I was doing. No wonder I feel so much better.

I know there are pros and cons with each type of diet, and the final proof is in weight kept off, but I'm sure happy with the weight loss phase. Here is the latest chart:

The actual total pounds lost, based on the weigh-in tonight, is 52.8. And my blood pressure tonight was 100 over 65. Crazy!!

We are adding dairy and fruit to our transition diet (already added veg and lean protein) so bought blueberries, apples and Greek yogurt tonight at the store. My fridge is starting to have actual food in it again! ;-)

Back from Disneyland - Moment of Truth on the Scale

So I flew back home last night after a whole week (Saturday through Saturday) at Disneyland. I was exceedingly nervous about my home weigh-in. (Official one tomorrow night at Kaiser.)

We are in transition. I took bars and shakes, but knew I would also be having some real food. But I was amazingly strong (at least, I amazed myself) and did NOT have my usual Disneyland treats which range from chocolate covered marshmallow sticks in Critter Country to fresh raspberry tarts at the Holly Jolly Cafe to fried chicken on Main Street to margaritas in California Adventure. I was at bars and only had a diet coke. I was at complementary breakfast buffets and only had a hard-boiled egg. I was on a plane flight and passed on the free pretzels and sugar-covered peanuts. ;-)

But still, I knew I had eaten and drank more than we were supposed to be doing at this point in transition. And when you are losing weight and start eating real food, bizarre things can happen in your body. I honestly had no idea what to expect weight-wise. That's why I was blown away to find out that I had actually lost two pounds during the week at Disneyland. Now that is a first for me for sure! V. proud of myself!! :-)

And here's another thing. The last time I went to Disneyland (in November of last year) I weighed 45-50 pounds more than I do now. And wow, could I tell the difference. After that November trip I thought I might have to give up taking my grandchildren to Disneyland because it was just too hard and exhausting. This time I had more energy and stamina than the 9 year old and 3 year old I had with me. Feeling very grateful for how much better my body works for me these days.

Challenges Ahead

Not the best time for this - just starting transition off of the full Optifast product diet - but today I'm heading to Disneyland for a week. I'll be facing everything from free unlimited breakfast buffets and complimentary happy hours to expensive Disney character breakfasts to special Disney treats like Pineapple Whip, not to mention the alcoholic beverages available (Trader Sam's bar at the Disneyland Hotel is a favorite).

In the past eating (and drinking) at Disneyland has been part of the experience. But this time has to be different. It won't be easy.

Optifast Diet and Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Lipid Profile, Glucose

 My test results weren't horrible going into the diet, but they have certainly improved. HDL stayed the same, but where less is better, here are the before and after numbers from my fasting Lipid Profile Test:

• Cholesterol: 218 to 178
• Triclycerides: 110 to 61
• LDL: 146 to 118

And for fasting glucose, where the normal range is 99-76 (and the doctor had considered me "pre" something, previously):

• Fasting glucose: 93 to 76

The "before" results are for December 2016 and the "after" from last Monday, May 1, 2017. Nice test results! Good job Optifast diet!

Transition - Heading Back to Food

So tomorrow begins Week 17, which is the week that most of my group (including me) will swap out one 160 calorie product and add in 160 calories of vegetable and lean protein. Some folks are extending product only (presumably because they want to lose more at a rapid rate), under a doctor's care. But most are diving back into food. Actually, diving might be the wrong image, as this will be baby steps.

We went around the room to say what our "first meal" would be. Most said chicken and string beans. I said salmon and asparagus. Why not!

We also have our final lab work this week. I'm not doing the fasting labs tomorrow as I want to have a 12 hour fast and it's too late (I don't want to have to fast until 10:30 in the morning) so hopefully tomorrow night I'll have my last meal around 7 and then get tested around 7 am on Wednesday. Hoping for positive changes in lipid profile, along with the weight loss and lower blood pressure!

Weight and Blood Pressure - End of Week 16

Well the charts speak for themselves with good news - blood pressure tonight was 104! And lost five pounds over the last two weeks, now teetering at the bottom of 150 pounds (already into the high 140's on my home scale). Woo hoo!

Change in Weight

Change in Blood Pressure

Lost Forty Pounds on Optifast in Three Months

Both on the Kaiser scale and my home scale I've now lost over 40 pounds since starting in early January. It may be three months and one week but still, it's pretty amazing. Can't argue with those results! And I bet others in the program have lost more. The doctor last week said that you lose more if:

• You have more to lose
• You start out further from your goal (which is saying the same thing)
• And you were eating a lot more before the program 

So for that last bullet, if you were eating 3000 calories a day before going on Optifast, obviously that's a much bigger difference than if you were eating 1600. A difference in thousands rather than hundreds, in terms of calories.

So I'm in the category of having less to lose in that I didn't start out at 250 or more pounds, and wasn't (at least in my opinion) eating a huge amount before. So my forty pound loss, thrilled as I am with it, may be below the average for our group!

But if you read about Optifast no one really argues about results. After all, wasn't Oprah the posture child for dramatic weight loss on Optifast? But its reputation - and it isn't alone in this by any means - is that the weight comes back. So as I mentioned before, the real challenge ahead is transition, and then maintenance. But I feel SO much better at this weight. The money and effort have been worth it. I can keep from going back. Yes!

Messed Up on Easter :-(

I shoulda known better. Our Kaiser group leader said when we "transitioned" we would start with cooked vegetables, not fresh vegetables. But I had prepared a "salad bar" for our family Easter meal and thought, how bad can it be to make a salad and join the others eating real food just this once?

Of course the salad included chicken, garbanzo beans, avocado, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, salad dressing and more. Oh and I also had a stick or two of celery with clam dip. So yeah, totally screwed up.

And paid the price. First of all, the volume was way more than my stomach was used to so it felt like it was going to explode. Tummy pain all night. And really bad indigestion. And worry that I was going to end up in the ER with gall bladder issues. Dumb dumb dumb

On the other hand, I didn't gorge on chocolate bunnies, peeps and jelly beans. Though maybe in terms of GI stuff they would have given me less trouble! I just thought, salad, how bad can it be? And now I know.

So back to products of course, and when we transition in a few weeks it will NOT be by jumping into the foods our experienced, wise leader has warned us about!!

Oh Dear Oh Dear No More Holidays Please!

I love spring, and Easter. But, I will be so glad when Easter is over and no more holidays (with lots of sweets) until Halloween! I have to admit I love peeps, and jelly beans, and Sees chocolate filled eggs, and... yeah. I'm having to make Easter baskets, stuff candy eggs, and cook Easter lunch for family (scones, brownies, rice crispie treats, etc. etc.) and it is not easy. I know I could refuse, or say yeah, we're having a carb/sugar-free holiday. But I'm not supposed to be eating anyway right now, so in theory it should be easier than having to limit. But the sugar fumes are really getting to me! Must.Hang.On.

Blood Pressure Chart

Obviously my blood pressure chart doesn't show as much change as my weight chart, but still, good things happening. Moving from the 130s to the 120s - I like it, and so does the doctor. I hate taking meds and my blood pressure has always hovered in the almost-needing-medication zone, so I'm happy to have it lower. Heart disease is the thing that kills us in my family, so glad for the improvement.

Weight Loss Graph

So, this is the chart of the weight I've lost since starting the program. Tonight I was at 159. Woo hoo! Two more pounds and it will make 40 that I've lost! I met with the doc tonight and talked about a goal weight. I was surprised he thought I should lose another 20 or more (he said goal of 135 or 140). I'm thinking maybe 15 more and that would be it. We'll see. If it came from the right places that would be great. But instead my arms, legs, neck and face will just get scrawnier, LOL. And since he was rather portly I wanted to ask what HIS goal was. ;-) But obviously I'm quite happy about the progress I've made during the last 12 weeks. My goal is more maintaining rather than lots more lost, frankly. That's the true battle for any diet/weight loss program. Transition back to food a few weeks away...

Optifast Newbies - Just Starting Out

So right before our Kaiser "cohort" meeting on Monday night is a new group/cohort just starting out. This week will be their first week on product, so they left the room just as we were moving in, carrying their bags of shakes/bars/soups and lining up for the photo op that the leader does, so there's a  "before" pic. I know there are others out there who have started this week as well.

Though I didn't speak to the "newbies" leaving for their first week of the program, I wondered to myself what advice I had to give to these people just starting out. Is there anything I could have been told at the beginning that would have helped? Some of them looked pretty apprehensive.

Here's what I might have said:

1) It's normal to be nervous, even panicky. I had to fight panic attacks over the small pile of food for each day. I imagined eating it all by 1 or 2 and starving the rest of the day. But for me at least, that never happened. In fact, sometimes I skipped (against orders) the last product!

2) Some groups or group members are going to be much more athletic than others. If you're a couch potato don't panic. Any movement is good, you don't have to go to a spin class. As you lose weight moving will get easier. Don't give up because you aren't doing as much exercise as the leader might want. Baby steps.

3) Sixteen weeks (of product-only) sounds like forever. Like impossible to get through. But here I am at week 13, practically on the home stretch, and it's gone really fast. Which is what they said would happen. But it's hard to believe starting out.

4) Losing weight, getting smaller, feeling better, is all so good that it's worth the inconvenience and stress of skipping parties, passing on treats offered, saying no to alcohol, avoiding restaurants in general, and eating weird when the rest of the world seems to eat whatever they want. The reward is how you will look and feel, and the sense of accomplishment in getting the number on the scale to go down, whether it's fast, or as in my case, slow and steady.

To those just starting out on this program (or any regime to improve your body and develop healthy habits to take better care of yourself), stick with it, good luck, blessings and best wishes!

More Tech Toys for Weight Loss

There are tech toys dieters and healthy eaters can use besides the Fitbit and related gadgets - which of course track activity, food and water intake, sleep etc. What's left? Well, at our "cohort" meeting this week our leader strongly suggested that we buy a scale for the upcoming transition to food. And she mentioned a more fully-featured one than I have had in the past - the digital Kitrics scale. (Available on Amazon Prime of course, so already in my hot little hands.)

You not only can get the food's weight, but also info such as calories, protein, carbs, fat and more. That's because you can enter a "food code" (there's a book) with numbers for all kinds of food items (fresh, prepared, etc.). That way, the scale can use what it knows about the food, along with the weight, to provide the additional info. I tried it with a lemon and a hard-boiled egg just for fun.

It is battery-run but comes "pre-loaded" (you pull the tab to start battery use), and the instructions are simple, even to me. I'm not in the food-eating/food-weighing phase yet, but once there, this new toy will help me more accurately track what I'm eating.

BMI Breakthrough

So as I mentioned in my previous post, there are other milestones and pluses along the weightloss-way besides numbers on a scale. Another number that matters (though it does relate to the number on the scale) is BMI (Body Mass Index). At the start of this diet and up until my last weigh-in, I was officially in the "Obese" category. Needless to say - ugh. Now I can celebrate the fact that I am merely "Overweight" rather than obese. Of course it is just a label, but it indicates a decrease in health risk factors, which is important. I was happy to realize I'd made the jump from one category on the BMI chart to another, going in the right direction! (For more info on BMI, see the American Heart Association web page) I will say, though, that I think I'm going to have to resign myself to the "Overweight" label, as I'd have to lose another 25 pounds in addition to the 35 I've lost in the last 13 weeks, to get into the "Normal" category, and I don't think that's going to happen. I'm OK with that though, at my age. I'd like to go down maybe another ten pounds, but probably not much more. Then I'll be just happy to just maintain a 40-45 pound weight-loss permanently!

Blood Pressure

There are other measures of success when dieting besides the scale. One is how your body feels  - lighter, more agile (for lack of a better word). One is the way clothes fit - looser, less binding, too big. Another is more directly related to health. Some members of our program hope to go off or reduce their prescribed medication for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. I don't take any medication, but my blood pressure is typically right up there at the edge of OK, like 139. Sometimes they have to take it twice to get it to dip under 140.

During the Optifast diet, it's mainly been in the high 130's, occasionally being higher on a particular week (in the 140's or 150's). Blood pressure is taken every week at the weigh-in. I'm happy to report that on Monday, mine was in the 120's for the first time in quite some time. I'd love to get it - and keep it - under 120 (the ideal blood pressure) but I'm happy for 128 and the downward trend. Yay!

Back-of-the-Closet Clothes Now Fitting

It's been fun to pull out those previously-too-tight clothes from the back of my closet, which now fit! Some are Disney clothes. Maybe I need a trip to Disneyland in my future!

I've given some too-big clothes away, which is always dangerous but feels good. That "I'll never go back to that size again" resolve. Unfortunately it's a bit deja vu. Regardless, I donated the clothes optimistically. It feels so good to weigh less. I really do resolve to not go back!

Transition Fantasies

Since we talked about the transition approach earlier this week, I've been having transition food fantasies. So we were told we'd be subbing a high-protein low-carb meal for a 160 calorie product. So, what might I be able to eat to swap for that 160 calories...

• A (small) can of tuna and two cups of cooked cauliflower (my current favorite veg)
• Two hard-boiled eggs
• A one-egg omelet with a cup of asparagus
• Three ounces cooked chicken with 3/4 cup zucchini
• 3 oz broiled shrimp with one cup broccoli

Not much basically but right now it sounds like a feast, LOL! Will need to be buying a food scale before the time comes.

Total Lost So Far - 32 Pounds

So four more pounds down at the weigh-in last night. Yay! Talked to a man in my group later and he is down 38 pounds. This is his second go-round but the other was some years ago and he regained primarily after being incapacitated for almost a year after a serious injury. So glad the second time is working out for him.

We have six more weeks product only. But apparently food is going to be introduced REALLY slowly. Like a one sixty calorie "meal" will replace one product only, for several weeks. Wow.

Anyway I was certainly happy to see a four pound loss rather than the four ounces last week!

Book Review - Obesity Code

This book was recommended on another weight loss blog so I bought it on Amazon, and just finished it. I thought it was good, and agreed with the author's position that:

• weight loss is no single problem/single solution
• calories in/calories out is simplistic
• low fat diets aren't the answer
• sugar and processed food are the main culprits
• most diets succeed short-term but long-term is a different story

I think he is right that weight issues have a lot to do with insulin and hormones. His discussion of short-term fasting for insulin control was interesting.

He was very opposed to shakes such as Optifast, which made me cringe, and long for the time when I can go back to real food, not sweet, highly processed, chemical-ridden products by Nestle.

I found the book informative, convincing, and empowering. I felt ready to go back to real food after reading it, though worry that the very low-calorie diet I've been on may have messed with my metabolism. (He talks about how our bodies change our metabolism in response to calorie restrictions.) I'm ready to give it a try.

I think after reading this book I'm finally ready to give up sweets and refined starch products (pasta, pastries, buns, etc.). It's going to be harder to give up Diet Coke and artificial sweetener but he's made the most convincing arguments so far, to me at least, about how they are sabotaging my weight loss efforts and health. Sigh...

Test Results - A Little Bit Scary

My liver test results came back high. The doctor said that can happen and they'll watch it. I think the liver gets stressed by a combination of the diet and the rapid weight loss. Also, they say drinking water helps and we're supposed to drink a gallon a day but I'm still not even close. I have 23 oz water bottles and would need to drink 5. It's almost four and I haven't finished the second. And just recently our town was in the news for having bad water which makes me a bit leery of tap water. Going to the store later so need to pick up more bottled water and need to force that water down me every day in the hopes that my next tests are in the normal range. I don't want to damage my liver.

Feeling a Little Blue...

So had our weekly meeting/weigh-in tonight. As I mentioned before my home scale has been out of commission all week, so I was hoping for a nice surprise. It was a surprise alright, but not a good one. Down only 4 oz!!! I've lost at least  two and a half pounds every week so far. WTH? Ugh. I almost asked, are you SURE that scale is working??

And, so far NO ONE has mentioned my losing weight other than the two people who know about it, my sister and my daughter. What's up with that!? Grrr 

No Scale All Week!

Even though they encourage us to only weigh-in once a week (which minimizes daily fluctuations) and let the "pros" do it at Kaiser, of course I weigh myself most days, and so have a general idea of how much I've gone down. But this week, no can do. Our digital scale at home had a low battery and wasn't displaying weight. It has one of the circular batteries. I told my husband, who removed the battery - but hasn't replaced it! So no functioning scale all week and tomorrow is weigh-in day. Hoping I've gone down but no idea! It would be really sweet if I've reached the thirty-pounds-lost landmark!

Craving Plastic Food - LOL

So I was playing with my little granddaughter, and she was being "chef" and cooking various dishes for me with her pretend plastic food. Did I want chicken? Did I want pizza? Did I want corn on the cob?

And my stomach started growling and I had a major craving attack (specifically for warm, buttery corn on the cob) while being served plastic food by a three-year-old!

Sigh, butter is just so good. And corn is one of my favorite foods. Which is why I'm in this weight-loss program, obviously!

Latest Stats

So at weigh-in tonight, I'd lost 3.7 pounds last week. That's a total of 27.6 pounds during the seven weeks on product. We are starting our eighth week.

Saw the doc again tonight (once a month). Lab results all good, no problems.

Everyone in my group seems VERY happy with their weight loss, they feel good, not hungry, lots of energy. Hard to knock this program, at least in the weight loss phase!

And we are discussing long term strategies, including monitoring. Large Kaiser study said those who monitored (whether on paper or apps like My Fitness Pal) lost twice as much weight...

Rundown of the Products

So the shakes, first. They come in either pre-made, or DIY powdered. Apparently the powdered has milk and the pre-made doesn't (it has soy). We sampled both at the first meeting. I preferred the pre-made. Both types come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. The only one I can drink is the chocolate, and only over ice, so cooled and diluted/thinned a bit. But I'm not a milkshake person. Supposedly our leader had one person in another cohort who lived only on shakes (no bars or soups) and only strawberry, the whole time! Wow.

The shakes are my least favorite. But you're supposed to have (at least) three a day. The bars come in more flavors. There's a chocolate mint, a chocolate peanut, a berry, a cinnamon, and a chocolate fudge. I think that's all. Again, I only like one - the chocolate fudge. I don't like mint, and the "white chocolate" (or yogurt) coating on the berry and cinnamon bars is just too sweet. The peanut one is OK but the chocolate one is so much better to ME that I don't waste my time on the others. But members of my cohort have strong and different responses - some love just the cinnamon, or the peanut. Whatever, as long as I like one. (My granddaughters like it too.)

Last is the (powdered) soup. It comes in tomato and chicken. People rave about the chicken but I didn't care for it. But the tomato one works fine, and I add lots of spices so it almost feels like cooking! ;-) I add garlic powder, onion powder, curry, turmeric, and sometimes cayenne. I spice it up! I add extra water to make more. The secret I think is to get it hot, and also to whisk the heck out of it so there's no lumps. High point of the day because it's the only thing we get to eat that isn't sweet! My cravings are for salty and spicy, not sweet.

So there's only one of each product I'm willing to eat or drink - but I only need one of each, thank goodness, so no problem. BTW, the products run from about $2 to $2.50 each, so at 42 products a week (6 a day), that's approximately $95 for food for a week.

Changes...

So,  it's exciting to see changes at home, and in my group. I've heard people in my group talk about having lowered their blood pressure, being able to do things at the gym they couldn't before, and about clothes being too big. That's been true for me - a couple of pants I tried on today were too baggy. Yay!

My mirror tells me of changes - double chin almost gone. My daughter told me that my butt was gone, though she didn't mean that in a good way.

I haven't been able to weigh at home this week because my digital scale has a dead battery and it's one of those circular ones. But I'm staying on product so hopefully the pounds are continuing to creep away. All good!

Woo Hoo Nice Weigh-In!

So scale at official weigh-in at Kaiser Monday night showed 24 total pounds lost in the six weeks that I've been on Optifast product only. Nice! Down seven pounds since the weigh-in two weeks ago. That suffering at the buffet was worth it!

Weigh-In Tomorrow Night

So, tomorrow (Monday night) is our check-in/weigh-in/weekly cohort meeting. It's been two weeks since my last weigh-in - two hard weeks - so all I can say is the scale better have some good news for me. None of this "two pounds" shit, pardon my French, LOL!! I'll post tomorrow night and hopefully have some decent stats to post! ;-) It will be six weeks of being on the Optifast product-only phase, as of Feb. 28 Tuesday morning...

Buffet Torture

The good news is I'm home as of tonight from my almost-week vacation. And the best news is I stayed on the program. But MAN it was tough. My family and I went to TWO buffets in Reno. The first one was in celebration of Chinese New Year. I love Chinese food!!! Kung Pau Chicken, Potstickers, on and on. Then the next night it was a super fabulous buffet with delicious seafood (crab legs, shrimp and more - unlimited), all kinds of entrees (prime rib, steak, etc.), ethnic food, and the desserts! Everything imaginable, from cookies to brownies to fruit cobblers to gelato to cake pops to chocolate covered marshmallows.

And then there were all the other meals from the free happy hour and breakfasts to pizza parlors with friends to Asian restaurants. And I had to ignore them all. But.I.did.

Weigh-Ins

So last Monday's weigh-in was pretty underwhelming - 2 lbs. Now this coming Monday we won't be meeting because of the holiday, so it's a two week gap.

Tough times ahead! Tomorrow I leave on vacation for 5 nights in a hotel, surROUNDed by food and adult beverages - sigh. I know the trick is not to get too hungry. Mostly I'm not hungry. But sometimes I am, and have terrible cravings - mostly all salty stuff. Chinese food! I just drool over bringing home a big takeout of Kung Pao Chicken. But I know the right way to frame this is that (once off meal-replacement products) I will be able to make dishes CLOSE to Kung Pao Chicken but with less starch and oil, no or little rice, and lots of veg. But still I flinch every time I drive by a Chinese restaurant, no matter how hole-in-the-wall.


I've been doing water exercise more than before (4 days a week?), and do plan to start walking, once back from vacation. I (very very sadly) lost my 2-week-old FitBit (took it off by a pool, gone when I came back) and now have ordered a much cheaper watch-type device that counts steps and is waterproof. But the directions (obviously written by a non-English speaker) gave me such a headache that I'm putting off getting it set up till I'm back.

I'm drinking more (Crystal-light-flavored) water and really trying to do the right thing. I'm hopeful that the next weigh-in will be much more impressive!!

End of Week Three Weigh-In

Weighed in last night at Kaiser at 182.5, which is 3.2 pounds down, for a total of 14.6 pounds since starting three weeks ago. My home scale this morning (always less than the evening Kaiser weigh-ins) was in the one seventies for the first time in I can't remember when. If I keep on losing at least three pounds a week than my next Kaiser weigh-in should also show me having broken into the 170s which would be nice.

Clothes Shopping

I literally haven't gone shopping for clothes for myself for over 6 months. I retired the end of August, and since I'm not working, have less money, and lots of clothes in the closet, I saw no reason to buy any more. But I'm going to a special dinner Saturday night with my sister, and thought I should get a new outfit.

When you're big, shopping is depressing. Mirrors are not your friend. And there's nothing worse than realizing you barely - or don't - fit into the largest size carried by the store. At almost 200 pounds (before starting the diet) and 5' 3" I was big, but not BIG big. I know there are people who have to find those stores that carry much larger sizes or order online. But either way, it's just not fun.

My last shopping trip for clothes I was in the 18-20 size range at stores like Dress Barn. Extra-large at Target was no longer fitting. Even though I've "only" lost almost 15 pounds so far on this diet, tonight I was able to fit into smaller clothes sizes. The pants I bought tonight are size 14, though I look poured into them and really hope the zipper doesn't pop. But I'm going to be getting smaller, so...

Anyway, I was able to buy pants and a top that didn't make me cringe and want to put a gun to my head when I looked in the mirror, so that was fabulous.

Checking in with the Doc

This weight loss program isn't cheap, and isn't covered by Kaiser health insurance. Of course the cost of the product shouldn't be counted (as we aren't buying food at grocery stores, restaurants, etc. while on the diet) but somehow those costs do get counted in our minds. But the not insignificant non-food cost of the program covers a number of things, including the staff who order, sort and bag our products, who check us in each week, taking weight and blood pressure, our group leader who we meet with each week, and the doctor that we see each month as well as the cost of the lab work also done monthly.

We are starting week four, and tonight we each met with a doctor about the results of lab tests done last week, our progress, and other matters. The doctor was NOT happy with my water consumption. We are supposed to drink a gallon of water a day. I'm drinking less than half that. I thought it was just for weight loss, but he says it is also important for the liver and gall bladder, when on this diet. That's motivating. I don't want major organ problems! So tomorrow, I have to get serious about water.

He also wants me to exercise more. I do a "gentle water" class at the gym maybe twice a week, and use some stretchy bands a few minutes each day. So yeah, lots of room for improvement.

It was a good talk with the doc, because this is a big time and money investment to improve my health, and I should be 100% committed, which means not just the products but the water, exercise, and other components (logging, etc.) of the program. So, new resolve moving forward!

Noticing Weight Loss

So when you weigh almost 200 pounds, almost nobody notices a loss of even 15 pounds, which I think I'm close to having lost. But, my sister actually did say she noticed, and mentioned my face. And then I remembered that yes, of course, the first weight comes off where (if you're older than 50) you don't particularly want it taken from. The wrinkles get deeper as the weight comes off, dang it! But I do notice I have less of a double chin, so that's good anyway! It will be fun when clothes start to get too big.

Got through the weekend OK (even the food court at the mall, where the Chinese place was calling my name, and the buttered popcorn at the movie I took the kids to) and on to the weigh-in and meeting tomorrow night.

Double Hotel Week - So Much Food, So Little Ability to Eat It

So Monday I was at the Embassy Suites in Monterey (with the complementary happy hour, full breakfast, plus extra treats as told in my blog post!) then Saturday night I'll be at another Embassy Suites (Sacramento) for my daughter's birthday - also same happy hour and breakfast, PLUS family dinner out at Joe's Crab Shack in Old Sac. And then there's me with my shake boxes and powdered soup. Party on! 😒

This is a doozy of a week. I don't normally have TWO hotel stays in one week. And then there's Superbowl on Sunday! That's a lot this week, but I'm hoping to make it until our meeting on Monday without succumbing.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....

Triple Temptation

Not enough that the hotel I'm at has happy hour with free snacks and wine, and then a full complimentary breakfast tomorrow. But when I  check in (with my one and three year old granddaughters) I'm told that I'm "Guest of the Day" and given a bag with chips and a candy bar.  Then when I get to my room there's a knock on the door and it's room service with a free bottle of wine, two glasses, and two bags of candy of the chocolate/salted caramel persuasion. How come this never happens to me when I'm NOT on a diet??

Monday Weigh-In - Late

Lost 3.6 pounds. Well I knew it would be less but trying not to be disappointed. And my blood pressure went down a few points but probably because I haven't had any caffeine since this morning. Well, off to the meeting.

Weigh-In Monday - Early

Tonight is our weekly "cohort" meeting at Kaiser where we weigh in. I was hoping my home scale would be at 180 by now but it's 184 point something. Darn it. Given what I'm eating it seems to me the weight should be flying off. Won't be as exciting as last Monday for sure. Maybe two, at most three pounds? Puny results. Trying to be patient and hang in there.

I'll have my last bar after the weigh-in, and my soup when I get home. Already had my breakfast shake. So a Diet Coke and Bar for snack, then two more shakes between now and weigh-in at 6:45 pm! And I'm babysitting the three grand-kids beginning at noon, so could be a long day...

Food Temptations & Expectations

So I went to one pre-paid dinner this weekend with two granddaughters, and the hamburgers and hotdogs were pretty easy to pass up but I did crave some of the chips that were given to us with our meal tickets. (Also looked covetously at the wine bar but at least it wasn't free, which made it easier.)

Then on Sunday I went to visit my son and daughter-in-law's new townhouse and she had made scones just for me. And I haven't told them I'm this diet and didn't choose to mention it today. I should have - I'm a big chicken. But I was only going to be there half an hour and didn't think food would come up. And they live in a different town so thought I'd wait until there was actually something to SHOW for my effort. It's easier to mention a diet when someone says the magic words, "Have you lost weight?" So, I took one bite (against my better judgment), shoved some in my purse and buried the rest in the napkin. [Queue sound of chicken squawking...]

Telling Others About Your Diet

Ahead of time I told no one. This first week I've told my sister, and then my (33 year old) daughter. My sister was supportive though worried about the low calorie intake. I told her because she invited me out to dinner. I tried to reassure her by saying (truthfully) that it was medically managed through Kaiser.

I told my daughter for various reasons, and her first statements were, "But what about when we go out for my birthday? You're not going to eat and drink with me?" Um, sadly, no can do. Then she began cooking for her kids and waving the pans and plates under my nose. So I guess she would go under the category of LESS than supportive.

I still haven't told my husband. We cook separately and he's incredibly oblivious of anything I do, or for example that I have no food in the kitchen. If he ever notices my weight loss I'll mention it then. ;-)

As far as friends, I think it will be on a need to know basis...