ramblings

Week 8: Days 6-7

Well, it’s no secret that I can’t count.

Yesterday’s post should’ve been days 1-5. Oh well. My students even mock me because I really can’t count. I mess up their paper passing out aaaallllll the time.

Anyway, speaking of numbers:

253.8

That makes a grand total of 31.3 pounds lost so far! WAHOO!

I’m not going to lie, it was a rough week. I ran out of bars fairly early on, and I didn’t realize how much I need the whole chewing thing until it wasn’t an option. It got to the point yesterday where I almost froze my shake to a solid so that I would have something to chew. But I ordered more bars, and I’ve already had one. So much better!

I meet with my doctor next week, and I’m curious to see my bloodwork numbers. Also, I’ve realized that, provided I stay on the products-only phase (save for some veggies and a bit of turkey on Thanksgiving) I will get to start eating one meal a day right at New Years.

That’s a heck of a start to a new year!

The other thing keeping me sane? That’s only 46 days from now. I’ve already been doing this for 56 days, so whats another 48? I got this.

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Week 7: Day 7

257.1

Down another pound and a half! TWENTY EIGHT POUNDS TOTAL!!!

I’m averaging 4 pounds a week, which is above average. I’ve never EVER been an above-average weight loser.

We had a really interesting class today about “stick with it-ness” and I shared with the class about how this all started out as a “have to” endeavor. I had to lose weight to be healthier, to get in a good place to start a family, get my cholesterol down, etc.

And then I was able to buy a pair of pants off the rack at Old Navy. And it’s turned into a “want to” thing. The health stuff is amazing, but honestly, the superficial stuff is great too, and really a phenomenal motivator.

A friend at work today gave me a huge hug and told me she’s proud of me. THAT meant a lot. And so did the number on the scale, but that’s just quantitative proof that what I’m doing is working. I prefer the qualitative proof…the comments, the smaller clothes, the feeling better.

And can you all tell I’m in a data-driven class for grad school? Qualitative and quantitative? Who am I?

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday…it’s been a LONG week!

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Week 7: Day 7

257.1

Down another pound and a half! TWENTY EIGHT POUNDS TOTAL!!!

I’m averaging 4 pounds a week, which is above average. I’ve never EVER been an above-average weight loser.

We had a really interesting class today about “stick with it-ness” and I shared with the class about how this all started out as a “have to” endeavor. I had to lose weight to be healthier, to get in a good place to start a family, get my cholesterol down, etc.

And then I was able to buy a pair of pants off the rack at Old Navy. And it’s turned into a “want to” thing. The health stuff is amazing, but honestly, the superficial stuff is great too, and really a phenomenal motivator.

A friend at work today gave me a huge hug and told me she’s proud of me. THAT meant a lot. And so did the number on the scale, but that’s just quantitative proof that what I’m doing is working. I prefer the qualitative proof…the comments, the smaller clothes, the feeling better.

And can you all tell I’m in a data-driven class for grad school? Qualitative and quantitative? Who am I?

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday…it’s been a LONG week!

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Week 7: Days 5-6 (The Truth)

I had a friend ask me yesterday if this whole OptiFast thing was as easy as I’ve made it seem here on my little blog.

The truth? NO WAY.

Absolutely, no freaking way is this easy. I mean, sure, I don’t have to plan a darn thing, everything is more or less done for me, I have a built in support system, great doctors and nurses at the weight loss clinic, and the biggest thing is that I have a MAJOR “wanna” to get this done. It’s like in “Stand and Deliver”… you have to have the GANAS. That I have.

But, seriously, I miss cooking. I miss the stress relief after a long day of chopping up vegetables and stabbing garlic cloves into a roast. I miss the smells in the house, i miss roasting vegetables, I miss grilling and even grocery shopping. I miss chewing. I get one bar (maybe two) a day, and chewing gum isn’t the same. I miss going out to eat (not the food so much, but the keeping each other company and talking thing). I miss eating things that aren’t sweet. Breakfast is sweet, lunch is sweet, my snacks are sweet… I have one bowl of soup a day that’s not sweet. I’d still hurt someone for some salmon sashimi, or hell, a glass of wine.

But here’s the thing: the fact that I feel so incredibly great, and for the first time in years I’m losing weight without it being a constant conversation in my head.

“What are we doing for lunch? I don’t know, what are we doing for lunch? I had oatmeal for breakfast which was this many points/calories/units/whatevers so for lunch it needs to be this many points/calories/units/whatevers, and I know that dinner is this many…”

HOLY CRAP it was exhausting. Everything was food. I suddenly have this extra time and energy that isn’t revolving around food. I have 10 minion hats to crochet, and i’m not even concerned about my grad school work.

So is this easy? No. But is it worth it? Absolutely. I figured out today that I can no longer “belly bump” the back gate open. THAT is worth it.

And now, your dose of Zooey Kitten:

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Week 6: Days 6 & 7

I told you I was tired.

So tired, in fact, that I went to bed without doing much of anything last night. My students will have to wait for their graded papers. Sorry guys.

I weighed in today too…

258.6

I lost another 1.1 pounds this week.

I’m not going to lie, I’m a little disappointed. I know in my rational head that losing over a pound in a week is good and healthy. But, after 6 weeks of losing about 5 pounds a week, seeing that little number was a bit disconcerting.

But I DID lose weight. And I’ve lost over 26 pounds in just over 6 weeks. That’s INSANE. And AMAZING. It’s time to actually start exercising though, which I’ve been dreading. Any insight on a good treadmill for the house?

Well, my grad school work is done for the night, so I’m signing off to be unproductive now. I can’t believe that I’m starting my 7th week of this program. I honestly was unsure if I’d make it this far…

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Week 6: Day 5 (Tired)

So far this week, the theme is that I’m tired.

I’ve spent too much time at work, not enough time at home or relaxing, and am all around just beat. I have to re-teach myself something: how to say “no”.

Can you cover my study hall after school? “No, I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Can you rework my classroom website for me? “No, I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Ok, that’s not so hard.

Now, to get through the 8,000 things I have to do before November 15… I got this.

Hey, at least I don’t have to meal plan on top of everything else I have to do!!

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Week 6: Days 2 & 3

Well, I spent much of the weekend simply enjoying the fact that I actually kind of feel good about myself. It’s been a really, really long time since that happened. I treated myself to my haircut on Friday, and a new pair of fuzzy Ugg boots to wear with skinny jeans. Or as I used to call them, “not so skinny jeans.”

They’re skinny in fit, but they’re still a size 20. But I have to keep remembering that these are jeans I tried on in August and I couldn’t get them past my knees. My dress pants that were embarrassingly tight at the end of the school year now need a belt. But they’re still an 18. I’m still 9 pounds ABOVE my last “I will never see this weight again” weight.

But I’m making progress! Saturday, I didn’t eat popcorn at the movies, and I drank some water while my husband and his mom had corned beef. My mom and stepdad stopped by today to meet our kitten, and I got to talk to my sister in Paris.

I’m still craving ridiculous things, but really nothing new. Salmon sashimi still tops the list. As does chili and a burger.

It was a good weekend, and I’m ready to face this week head-on!

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Week 6: Day 1 (On Smells)

Something I’ve noticed over the past few weeks is that my sense of smell is significantly more sensitive than it had been pre-Optifast.

I can now smell the Chinese restaurant on my way home a good 5 blocks before I used to be able to. If someone is grilling anywhere in the vicinity of my house, I can smell it. Microwaved lunches at school are now easy to pick out while still in my basement classroom. The chopped onions from the chili bar at the staff dinner yesterday? Yeah, I could smell those about 10 classrooms away from the room where dinner was served.

It’s not always food though. Scent is one of the most powerful things for recalling memories…

For those of you who don’t know, my dad passed away almost 3 years ago from pancreatic cancer. He was a natural healer, and his house in Oregon towards the end smelled nearly consistently of burning sage, incense, and a variety of essential oils. A trip to a “hippie” store brings me back to those days.

But a dad walking down the hall at school yesterday, wearing a fresh spritz of cologne that smelled vaguely of vetiver threw me back to days in my childhood home, eagerly getting ready for a dinner out with my family, and going into the bathroom after my dad had gotten himself ready. HIs cologne was vetiver, and that one whiff yesterday made me 9 years old again, standing on a stool in my bathroom, wiping the steam off the mirror and carefully putting on my piña scolada Bonne Bell lip smackers.

This morning, a mom walked into a conference with damp hair and the unmistakeable scent of Paul Mitchell mousse filled the air. Suddenly it was summer, and we were home after a hot day at the beach, and we’d all showered off the sand, and my mom had applied her mousse to create her signature perfect mane of spiral curls.

It’s really remarkable all the things I notice now that my mind isn’t constantly preoccupied with “what am I going to eat next?”

As promised to myself, I treated myself to a haircut at the fancy salon as a reward for having lost 25 pounds. I’m THRILLED with the results! I feel more put-together, and my stylist couldn’t stop raving about how great I looked. It was a phenomenal pick-me-up

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Week 5: Day 1 (With a BANG)

(Ok, I really need to double check that my Friday posts actually post…written last night)

The news of the fact that I’m down almost 20 pounds in 4 weeks was exactly what I needed to keep motivated this morning. I woke up raring to go, and even spent some extra time curling my hair to look pretty for picture retakes. I’ll be curious to see the difference between my two photos, and the difference between today’s photo and what I may look like when they come in!

Other things learned today:

  • Having an upset stomach on this plan is no picnic.
  • Cramps still suck.
  • Torani sugar-free brown sugar cinnamon syrup is disgusting.
  • taking photos of a sweet 9 month old baby makes me want one. Hence this whole crazy weight loss plan. Seriously, look how sweet he is!

Blayne.jpg

So, my week 5 has started out with a bang! Still motivated, feeling better, looking better…and people are starting to notice…I swear that’s the best motivator!

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Week 4: Day 6 (Fishing…for compliments)

I’m a slave to the trendy when it comes to technology.

I’ve been on Twitter since 2006, and instagram since 2011. These newer trends of theme day instagram hashtags (#transformationtuesday, #throwbackthursday, #flashbackfriday, etc.) are just up my alley. I love digging out old pictures.

I wasn’t going to do progress pictures per se, but I do take pictures here and there, and if I happen to notice a change, awesome.

On a whim, for #transformationtuesday, I posted this yesterday:

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The left photo is from my trip with my sister to Florida in mid-August. The right is from Saturday. Once I posted it, my instagram and Facebook BLEW UP. I got comments, likes, thumbs-ups, and each one was motivation.

And this is from today:

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I’ve lost a few chins already. I wore a 2-year-old cardigan today that I couldn’t button last winter. This is only a 16 (or maybe a few more) pound change. I can’t wait to see what is down the road…

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