The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Nova]

I've had a couple people say to me that I've lost weight in the last couple weeks, even though I haven't lost any according to the scale. So I decided to take my measurements again.

I last measured myself on Sept 29. Since then, I've lost 7 pounds, not much for 5 weeks. However...

I've lost 1.5" from my navel, 1.5" from my hips, 2" from my thigh, 3" from my ribs/chest and 2" from my waist. I've also apparently gained an inch in my bust. Hrm, not sure how that worked. So I think my exercise is helping reshape my body. I'm very pleased, and it gives me the motivation to keep going when I was flagging a bit.

[Nova]

Wish I could remember what all I wrote. Oh well.

Been a rough week in a lot of ways. My weight went up, not down, and I posted a long rant in the Weight Room. Thanks for all the good advice, folks. Been very hectic at work since I was in a training class 4 days and doing work in the evenings.

After I threw my little hissy fit about my weight gain, I finally decided that exercise could do me no harm, even if it was the reason my weight went up. Not sure if it is or not, but exercise can't hurt. So I got my butt back in the gym today to do cardio, pullups and rows. Focusing on my back to improve my squatting technique. I have to do a wide grip on the squat bar, but it bruises my back, so I need to build up my back muscles. Anyway...I could tell it had been a week since I'd done cardio. It was harder than it had been, but I stuck it out for 33 minutes walk/jog and felt pretty good.

One of my good friends decided to start Medifast. I hope she joins up here for all the good advice. Other than that..It's the weekend!!!!

[Nova]

Weight's still at 167. Hubby's weight is inexplicably up the last few days too, so we bought a new battery for the scale. Hope springs eternal. We'll see if there's any difference tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.

Exercised on the elliptical today. Only meant to do 20 minutes, but kept going for 43 because I was watching a show.

Dropped off 4 bags of old/big clothes at the women's shelter charity, along with 3 old coats that were too big. Sold some old games and DVDs. We did good. Went out and didn't go spend any money and cleaned out the house. Should have some good write offs for taxes next year.

[Nova]

Lifted tonight. Still going somewhat light on squats, trying to get my form back. I can go really deep, which is wonderful. I guess I don't have the big fat but and legs getting in my way anymore. I also don't have any padding on my shoulder blades. Ow. I have to learn to pinch my shoulders together to hold the bar. Still staying at 135. I don't know if I'll ever see 285 or even a +300 squat again. Oh well, guess that gives me something to aim for.

I tried the vanilla pudding and beef stew in my latest order. They're both very yummy! Added some lemon juice and cherry flavor to the pudding and it's like cherry cheesecake. I like it!

Aiming for a 6+1 day today, since I lifted. Yesterday, I only managed 5+1 even though I did elliptical for 43.

Oh, it wasn't the battery. Darn it.

[Nova]

Big day today. I've decided I'm going to officially say I've reached my Medifast goal and I'm starting transition. I've spent the last 4 weeks hovering around 166 +/- 2 pounds, so I changed my ticker to reflect what my body apparently wants. I always said that my original goal of 155 was just something I picked off a chart, and I'm still not convinced that the BMI chart is correct for me. Yes, I still have pockets of fat, but that will be an ongoing issue for me. I think between the increased exercise I'm doing and want to do, and my hair thinning and looking like straw, it's time for me to take a break. I think I've learned some excellent lessons from Medifast that I plan to take with me for the rest of my life, and I certainly plan to keep posting here.

But I'm just too anxious to cook 'real' food again, to have more than 1 L&G a day, and to get my calories back up to something that can support a lot more exercise. I've always been able to do either diet or exercise in the past, not both at the same time. Well, now it's time to fix that. Cardio is so much easier than it used to be, and I love my new clothes. I'm too scared of gaining weight and not fitting into them, so I think I'll be motivated to stick to healthy eating. Plus, I like watching The Biggest Loser on NBC, and if they can lose all that weight with regular diet and exercise, I know I can too. And have you noticed that they don't seem to have problems with loose skin? Is that because they're exercising like crazy?

Anyway, I'm off to transition land, and I'm very excited.

[alpha femme]

congrats, miss nova. don't be scared-- you'll do great.

and, as far as the biggest loser goes, they definitely have skin issues. the biggest factors are age, max weight, and how long you stayed stretched out.

you look damn good in your pics.... i wouldn't worry.

[Nova]

Posted before and after (!) pictures in the studio.

I'll just live with my body for a while and see what happens. I'm sure I deserve whatever I get after neglecting it so long.

Last night I did 50 minutes on the elliptical, and I made myself eat an extra meal, even though I wasn't really hungry. Today is a rest day. I'm only doing cardio 3 times/week and lifting once a week right now.

Today at lunch, I had a cup of green beans. I find it's easier to eat my extra veggie at lunch between my mid-morning shake and my lunchtime oatmeal. I have to admit, I like eating frequently. It's just enough to stave off any hunger pains, but I never feel full.

[Nova]

Today was cardio; 43 minutes on the elliptical. It's going to be a struggle to get in a 6+1 today, mainly because I was out and busy this morning, so my morning meals were spaced 3 hours apart. And I got up late. So by 5, I had only eaten 3 times.

Had a cup of green beans for my extra veggie today at lunch.

I have to say, it seems like my legs are getting really solid. My quads and hamstrings feel thick and solid, which is good. Now I feel a lot more motivated to get the fat off to show off my legs.

[Nova]

Did okay on Thanksgiving. Today was not an exercise day, and I had decided 2 days ago to splurge a bit, so I promise I won't flip out when my weight is up tomorrow.

Had a regular MF day until dinner. Had duck (5 oz) with orange sauce, mashed cauliflower and one garlic cheese biscuit for dinner. I made sure to drink lots and lots of water to keep from snacking before dinner, and I ate my cauliflower first. So by the time I got to my biscuit, I really wasn't hungry anymore. I nibbled on it for an hour, and instead of pudding for dessert, I treated myself to a single slice of apple pie. Honestly, I don't think the pie was worth the calories. I'd have rather had stewed apples with cinnamon and splenda instead. Or even MF pudding. Still, even with my splurges, my calories were around 1600 for the day, and 120 oz of water.

Tomorrow it's back on plan.

[Nova]

I had fruit for the first time yesterday. A honeycrisp apple. Yummmm! I picked out a medium sized apple, but it was almost too much to eat. I'll have to go for smaller ones.

My weight hasn't changed any; still at 166. Still adding an extra meal on days when I exercise. I'm looking forward to cooking. Think I'll pull out my recipes and figure out some meal ideas for the next couple weeks when I can add dairy and grain and an extra L&G to take to work.

[dede4wd]

Mmmm...Fruit!

So happy for you!

DeDe

[Nova]

I'm finding it's hard to remember to eat the extra food. After so many months of such a rigid schedule, all of a sudden it's add a cup of veggies, and don't forget the fruit, and in 2 more days, it'll be an extra 1/2 cup of dairy too. I'm not complaining. I'm just forgetful.

Lifted tonight. I'm getting back into the swing of my squats. I was all messed up by taking so long off, and then I had to switch my form because the guys switched to a monolift system, so I had to change my stance and my grip and where I put the bar on my back. I think I'm getting the hang of it though. Today I didn't bruise my back from the bar, and I went all the way up to 155. Ooh. Man, I'm weak. *sigh*

Tonight, we're having kheema kabobs, and I spent the day making cookies. I love to bake, and now I have an excuse (Christmas) to bake and make my coworkers fat.

[Nova]

Honestly, doing the regular weight loss program on MF is easier than the transition, so far. It's easy to grab a shake and mix it up at your desk, or down it during a 5 minute meeting break. Today, I brought my apple into the morning meeting, and was worried I was crunching too loud, but I was too hungry to wait until 12 to eat. Breakfast had been at 7:30 this morning.

So now lunch is crowded with my extra veggie (salad with 1 T dressing), my oatmeal muffins, and right before going back to the meeting, I'm going to have my yogurt and hope that gets me through to the end of the day when I can have my bar.

Last night, I had to make sure my lunch bag was set for today. It didn't take a long time, but it does take more effort than pulling 3-4 packages out of a box and throwing them in my purse.

This sounds funny, but at least today isn't an exercise day, so I'm not going to be trying to put an extra meal in there sometime. I'm not sure when I could get it in unless I doubled up somewhere.

[DogMa]

I'm with you, which is why it's taking me so long to add calories. It's HARD to eat so much when you're not used to it anymore.

[Nova]

Staying on plan for transition so far. Down a pound this week and my pants feel like they're getting looser. i think that even if I'm not losing much or fast anymore, I'm trading fat in for muscle, and that's a good thing.

I had an unexpected lull today at work, so I took advantage of some time off I need to take and came home for a long lunch. I enjoyed it, but unfortunately, lunch on Wed is supposed to be spent at the gym. So to keep on schedule, I needed to exercise at night at home, and that's always much harder for me, because I'm tired and I have to schedule it around dinner.

We fixed a nice beef and broccoli dinner and I watched a bit of tv. Then I felt guilty about exercise, so I made myself get on the elliptical tonight. I only did 30 minutes, so I set the difficulty up a level and pushed harder to make up for the shorter time.

Then since I exercised, I needed an extra meal, but I'd already had my pudding, didn't want a second one, and wasn't in the mood for any of my medifast food. I wanted something 'real', darnit. I poked in the pantry and found some Smart Pop popcorn that's 110 calories/bag. Perfect, I thought. Almost the same number of calories as a MF meal, and I don't need extra protein since I didn't lift.

It was yummy, but as I was eating it, I was reading about transition, and the nice comments people made in my studio thread, and I suddenly suffered a waking eatmare. I'm not supposed to eat carbs for another 2 days! I was honestly in a quandry. It's only a hundred calories, and I just burned 200 or so. But it's not on plan, and I didn't get where I was by cheating and screwing around. I rationalized it by saying I could have eaten one of the cookies sitting in my freezer, but I really didn't want anything sugary.

Ultimately, I threw out half the bag. Not because I felt guilty, but because I felt I had to be honest with myself and stick to my new lifestyle plan. Popcorn will be allowed, but at the proper time, and that time is not today. To me, maintaining isn't just about calories out > calories in. It's about making a mental change, a lifestyle change, and sticking to it. If I fall off my mental game just one week into transition, it doesn't bode well for the future. I'll keep making excuses.

So yes, it was only 50 calories of popcorn, but more than that, it's the choices I make. I chose not to finish the bag tonight and have some water instead. I also chose to exercise, even though I'd rather have vegged on the couch. Now that I've made those choices though, I feel a lot better about myself.

PS: I tried out the Optimum Nutrition whey protein powder after throwing away the popcorn, because I still wanted to get some calories in. I just wanted them to be the right calories. Ugh. I used to think ON tasted pretty good. But that was when I mixed it with milk. Not nearly as good with water. The MF folks did a really good job on making the shakes tasty.