First Weigh-In!

Yesterday was my first weigh-in appointment since we started Ideal Protein.  It was day 4, so I'm sure most of the loss was water weight, but I'll take what I can get!

I lost 3.4 lbs!  Yay!

So far, so good.  Day two was the worst--I had headaches all day.  So did my husband.  We also had some diarrhea, but that has faded too.  By Day 4 we both felt pretty good.  We get tired sometimes, and we've been going to bed fairly early.  I think the energy level will slowly rise as our bodies get used to it.  It was definitely a detox process.  I actually haven't been very hungry between meals.  I definitely feel hungry by the time I have lunch and dinner, but generally everything fills me up.

The food has been okay.  You kind of have to try a lot of products to find which ones you like.  I will put together a list of what I've tried and let you know what I think about them.

It really helps that my husband and I are doing this together.  We enjoy sitting down for dinner together--and I always make sure that dinner is yummy.  I'm a little nervous about the weekends--I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or out of emotion, and I don't do much on the weekends.  So I will have to make a big effort to stay busy.

I did have a moment last night when I thought, "screw this!"  I was tired and wanted something easy rather than having to cook when I was tired.  I thought that it sucked that I couldn't eat out or eat what I wanted when I wanted.  Food has been a big part of my adult life.  When I'm down I can eat and when I'm full of yummy food, then I feel satiated--even when my life is crap.  But now I have to figure out other ways of dealing with my life and my issues.  I have to create new coping mechanisms.  I also considered whether it was worth it.  Was being thinner and healthier worth the loss of food in my life?  Ultimately, I chose to move forward with my diet.  I don't know how things will work out, but I know that if this doesn't work for me, then I will either stay obese the rest of my life or I will have to have weight loss surgery (which I can't afford).

Today, though, I feel better.  I feel pretty good, and I'm eager to find out how much I lose this week.  I should be in ketosis now, so I should be burning fat!  Yay!

Ideal Protein - Day One

Day one on Ideal Protein is almost done!  Hurray for small victories!  Here is my journal from today:

Day 1

Tuesday, 9/3/2013

Woke up tired, but in a ready state of mind.  Blended the Wildberry Yogurt drink with water and ice to make a smoothie.  Drank my smoothie, then had a cup of Peppermint Tea with some splenda.  Took my vitamins.  Feeling pretty crappy at the moment.  Stomach feels queasy.  Burps taste like my multi-vitamin.  I hate vitamins.  I've been drinking tons of water and I think it helps a little.  I finally had a stick of Orbit gum and that's helping a little too.  I just feel extremely tired and still have a bit of upset stomach.

I kind of wish I could take a day or two off while my body adjusts.  Note to self - don't start this kind of diet on a work day.  Start on a weekend so I can adjust at home in comfort.  And sleep it off.  Unfortunately I have a meeting this afternoon so I can't go home for the day.  Instead, I will go home for lunch.  Maybe getting up and moving around will help me a little.

Breakfast: Wildberry Yogurt Drink - It was okay.  Not bad, not great.  It has bits of berries in it and it was slightly frothy.  I mixed it and then left it in the fridge overnight.  This morning I blended it with just a few ice cubes to make a smoothie.  It was a lot less than many other kinds of diet shakes I've had, but I was okay with that.  I may have to consider eating something solid for breakfast though--like an omelet or something.

I've heard the first three days are the hardest.  I can get through this!

Lunch: Chicken Soup - bleh.  It was a cream soup.  It smelled okay, and the first bite was okay.  It had a mild flavor, but there was something about it that made it hard for me to keep swallowing.  I followed the directions and just did the 8 oz of water, which made it on the thick side.  I would probably add more water and some seasonings too if I try it again.  The consistency was also weird for me.  Yes, it was creamy, but it was kind of like a foamy/creamy combination.  I don't know.  It was just weird for me, especially with some lingering nausea from my multi-vitamin.  By the bottom of the bowl, I was really having to force myself to swallow.

I enjoyed the salad.  I had plenty of crunchy veggies.  I also tried the Walden Farms Italian dressing.  It wasn't bad.  I may have to figure out something other than soup for lunch.  I'm looking forward to trying different items and seeing what is tolerable for me.  I have a feeling it's different for everyone.  I think the meal helped bring my energy up a bit.  I still feel tired, but then again I slept horribly last night.  I think I feel slightly better.  I have two training sessions I'm presenting at work today, so I will probably have a snack either before or in between.

I'm actually not terribly hungry.  The Apple Cinnamon Soy Snacks are actually pretty decent.  I am feeling a little better this afternoon.  I talked to my brother briefly and he said that day two is the worst!

Snack: Apple Cinnamon Soy Snacks – pretty okay.  I kind of even liked them.  They were slightly sweet, and slightly bland.  I felt like it was plenty for a snack.  I would probably order them again.

I feel pretty tired this afternoon.  I’m not lightheaded, but I’m not able to concentrate very well.  My boss is letting me work from home tomorrow so that should help.  I went ahead and started prepping for my meals tomorrow.  Day two is supposed to be the hardest, so I picked the ones that I’ve heard the best things about.  Hopefully that will help me.

Tonight I’ll be cooking some sautéed chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, and green onions.  It should be yummy.  I haven’t decided if I want a salad or veggies or both.  Maybe I’ll sautee some of my broccoli and have a small salad to go with.  Tomorrow I may treat myself to tomatoes or green beans (can only have twice per week).

I think the rest of my evening will be smooth sailing!

Giving Diet One More Try

So life tends to happen.  I felt discouraged and overwhelmed, and of course that means that my health took a backseat (as usual!).  I am still interested in bariatric surgery, but it seems so expensive.  I am ready to make some drastic changes to my life, and I've honestly gotten to a point where I am absolutely sick of food.  I eat--even overeat--and I feel gross about it.  When we talk about what to eat, I just sit there and realize that there's nothing that appeals to me.

I've been researching what to do next.  I feel like I need to do something fairly drastic--but safe.  I've read a lot of the forums on SparkPeople and on 3 Fat Chicks.  All of this has led me to Ideal Protein.  My brother and his wife both did it and highly recommend it.  I called around locally to find the best place to go through.  There's one place that sells the food and doesn't require you to come in for visits, but I think for me I need that sense of accountability.  If I do it on my own, then I don't know that I'd do as well.

My husband and I went to our initial consult yesterday.  We found out about the program, took our weights and measurements, and bought food for the first week.  We will start on Tuesday.  I hate waiting, but our daughter is home from school for the holiday weekend, and we need to get her back to school before we start.

I need to get a copy of my starting measurements, but my weight is 254.  I'm 5'1" just for reference.  My goal weight is between 125-150.  My husband wants to lose about 100 pounds.  We start on Tuesday and have our first weekly follow-up on Friday.

I'm ready.  I'm also excited and terrified all at the same time.  I'll try to post some before pics before I start...