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! ;-)

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!

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!

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! ;-)

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!

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!

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!

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...

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!

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.