Biggest Loser Update

To be honest, I have not been dieting the way I should. I've been keeping track of numbers in my head, having too many "treats" and I have not been weighing in every week. In fact, I've been avoiding the scale like my dog avoids squirrels, wide eyed and edging slowly away so I can't be attacked. This should technically be the Wednesday of Week 23 but my blog entries definitely don't reflect that. So, what happened? Life happened. My back has been suffering, I ended my semester of school with a lot of stress and I'm facing even more stress in the next few weeks but the fact remains that I slacked. One problem I have always faced is being able to balance healthy eating with the stress of life. When life gets rough, I reach for a chocolate bar or a bag of chips and I avoid the scale. While I haven't been completely off the wagon, I have been lazy. It turns out that stress has been high for my mother and sister the past few months as well so we have decided to extend our "Biggest Loser" bet. We will be weighing in at the beginning of July, when I visit, and declaring a winner for the first half of the year. However, we will also be weighing in when we see each other in December as well. So, while someone will "win" in July, we will still be working toward healthier lives and toward a winner for December. That said, I do have numbers to report and they aren't bad. I was terrified to step on the scale and was pleasantly surprised. I know I could have done better if I had been watching my eating better but I have accepted that and I have decided to be happy with the loss I achieved. I also realized today that I weighed in once before this without reporting it. So here are the numbers:


Weight Lost Since Last Weigh-In: 6.6 pounds
Weight Lost Since Last Blog: 8.4 pounds
Total Weigh Lost: 26.4 pounds
Total Weight Percentage Lost: 12.89%

No crying this time! :)

This puts me a little past halfway toward my goal of 50 pounds lost. My only problem is that I know I have lost weight but I don't seem to be noticing it like I feel I should. I don't feel much smaller and I don't think I look much smaller. Maybe this is because I see myself in the mirror every day. I think it also has to do with my inability to exercise because of my back problems. I guess I will know if I look any different when I see my family next Friday. This makes me want to compliment everyone I know who has lost weight because I know they have been working hard. So, if you know someone on a diet, try to take notice and compliment them on their hard work. This can really motivate a person to keep going. I hope to recognize my own loss soon. I am proud of the numbers and hope to physically see the results soon. This is the smallest I have been since before my car accident so I am going to be proud of my progress. I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to reporting the results of the first half of the Biggest Loser Family Edition at the beginning of July!


Thanks for the pictures:
http://www.miracleskinnydrops.com/2010/11/26/cheated-on-your-hcg-diet/
http://www.thebiggestloser.info/

Biggest Loser: End of Week 8

Technically this should read Week 12 but if I wanted to be even more accurate then the title of this post would be "Getting Back on the Bike." I think it was my mother who used to tell me that when you fall off the bike you have to climb back on. Well, I fell off the bike big time. In fact, I fell off the bike, tumbled down a hill through brambles and landed in a ditch full of water where I then continued to lay face down in the water as I wallowed in self-pity. What does all of this mean? Eh, probably more to me than to you. It's not that I fell off the wagon with my diet as much as I fell off the face of the earth for a little while there.

I had some family problems and then a few more were added and then a few more until I felt like a million bricks were piled on already heavy shoulders and I broke. I think the final straw was being told by one of my favorite cousins that she no longer wanted to talk to me because she thought she was a toxic influence on my life. To say I broke down would be putting it mildly. I cried for hours and I rolled up into a ball and tried to disappear...I don't have the power to disappear so this couldn't last long. Thanks to a wonderful boyfriend, a great best friend and a comforting mom and a few others, I came out of my ball a little bit. After battling depression for 2 weeks, I am finally starting to feel normal again. I managed to make it through life relatively fine but anyone who knew me couldn't be fooled. They've managed to pull me out of my rut and I am very thankful for them.

But wait, that accounts for 2 missing weeks, not 4. Well, before my little breakdown I was battling mother nature as it happened on two weigh-in days so I refused to weigh-in. That should account for the rest of my time where I went missing. I've decided to forget these past 4 weeks and focus on the future. I was doing fine on my diet until depression hit. Then the bad eating started. There were days where I barely ate and then there were days where I looked at my boyfriend and said , "I want a burger and fries" with a look on my face that said if he commented on my choice in food then he was risking a breakdown. So I had my burger, I had my fries, I had some chocolate and then I had some more. I had forgotten how closely tied my emotions are to my eating habits. As an emotional eater for years, this shouldn't have surprised me but it did. I thought I had gained control but I guess when you break down you lose control over many things, eating included. I even forgot how depression affected my writing. This is the first time I've been able to write in a month and it feels great! I'm glad to be back to my old self.
So there is my sad little shpeel for the day. However, I AM BACK! Watch out world, here I come! I'm still in the competition with my mother and sister and I'm determined to make next week have even better numbers. Yes, I have numbers. It may be a month late but I have numbers. I stepped on the scale this morning, scared but knowing I needed to conquer my fears. 


Here's what I found:
Weight Lost Since Last Weigh-In: 2.2 pounds
Total Weight Lost: 17.6 pounds
Total Weight Percentage Lost: 8.6%

I was happy to find I had lost weight. I'll be honest, I was terrified and expected a large gain in weight. However, 2.2 pounds in a month is not enough for me so next week will be better! I'm determined. I have my life and my emotions under control and now it's time to get my weight under control as well. Thank you to everyone who helped me find my way back. 


To everyone else dieting right now, keep up the good work! I plan on it being a great week!

Thanks for the pictures:
http://vintagelawrence.com/teaching/getting-back-on-track/
http://loseweight-safe.com/diets/what-is-a-balanced-diet/

Biggest Loser: End of Week 6

And so ends another week of weight loss. I wish I had some pictures to share of meals that have been made but I seem to have forgotten to do that this week.  Instead, I will share some thoughts on the week.

In the past, I have always had trouble when going to restaurants when I am trying to eat healthy. It used to be that if you sat me in a booth and handed me a menu, I would cave and order anything greasy, yummy and a side of fries. Instead, I have found myself examining calories, looking for protein and weighing all possible options before ordering. I've settled on salads and healthy wraps instead of chicken fingers and fries. I'm very proud of myself because this has always been something I struggled with.

I think the reason I've stayed strong this time is because I have an even bigger goal in mind aside from weight loss. Yes, I want to lose weight, but I also want to get my back as healthy as I can. The constant pain seems to work as a good reminder why I am doing this. Oh, and there is that competition in the family...that helps too. 

I've began following Weight Watchers, using their handy point calculator online. We've still been substituting in a lot of gluten-free foods, because they don't leave that heavy feeling after eating like some other foods do. I'm still taking the bee pollen and raspberry ketones and I feel great. I've been able to cut my portions down quite a bit and I'm seeing the results.

Here's where I stand:

Weight Lost this Week: 4.4 pounds

Total Weight Lost: 14.3 pounds

Weight Percentage Lost: 6.98%

I don't know if I am leading the family competition because I haven't gotten my sister's weight for the week yet. I know I am ahead of my mom and that is good enough for now. I'm very proud of my 4.4 pounds and I look forward to another great week! How's your diet going? Feel free to comment below. 

Biggest Loser: End of Week 5

So ends another week of weight loss. I didn't update last week for one simple reason that I will state quickly, simply because men don't like this topic. To put it simply, mother nature visited and when mother nature visits it makes women weigh heavier. That said, I always weigh about 3-5 pounds more during this week so I decided to bypass the pain of looking at the scale. Ok men, it's safe to read again. ;)


Now, on to happier subjects. Ever since my initial weight loss of 8.8 pounds I have seemed to be in a sort of slump. I have never plateaued so early in a diet but it happened. I am proud to say I am off of that plateau, though I feel next week will be much better than this one. I started taking a Raspberry Ketone supplement, as suggested by Dr. Oz. I also started taking a supplement that is made from bee pollen, green tea and other natural herbs. I don't normally believe in pills for help in weight loss but these are both natural and I needed help off my slump. I am loving the bee pollen pills especially. 


I had been having this problem where I felt hungry all the time. It's been ridiculous because I know I am not hungry, know I shouldn't need to eat, yet I felt hungry and needed to eat. Maybe it was boredom, but it was not possible that I was still hungry because I was eating sufficiently. This is where the bee pollen pills have been helping. I've only been using them for 3 days now but I already feel the difference. Before buying these pills I researched the effects of bee pollen and apparently it is supposed to help curb hunger, increase energy, help with stress and allergies. I'm not sure about all of that yet but it has definitely helped with the hunger part! I'm already cutting portion sizes and not feeling the need to snack constantly.


I've also been finding nice alternatives to the foods I love and crave. I have been craving chips and fries...hmm, salty, greasy goodness. Well, I bought some Special K cracker chips and I love them! They are 110 calories for 27 chips. I don't need 27 chips (I usually do about half a serving) but that makes for a great substitute to my calorie filled fries. I've also been craving chocolate and I love the FiberOne brownies! They are 90 calories and they help get the chocolate monkey off my back. Before someone asks, no, I'm not being paid to endorse these items, I'm simply suggesting them to help my fellow dieters. 

Mmmm....chocolate!

I actually like these as much as chips!

I will admit that I cheated a little this week. I like to call these treats. Though a friend of mine once pointed out that treats are for dogs, I believe they are important. First, if you don't treat yourself occasionally then you will feel restricted and crave those foods more and more until you fall off the wagon. This can also lead to binge eating. So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and I had my boneless wings, but I didn't have fries. I also got a bar of dark chocolate this week (for reasons obvious to my female readers). Dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate so I guess it was an alright substitute. That's enough treats for a while. Without these treats, I probably would have lost more but this week is a new week and I plan on it being a great week for weight loss!


That said. Here are the numbers:
Weight lost this week: 0.4 pounds
Total weight loss: 9.9 pounds
Percentage of weight lost to date: 4.85%


That 0.4 may not seem like much to most people but to me it says that I am losing again and I will take that happily. I spent a couple hours thinking about how if I had just lost 0.1 more pound I would be at an even 10 pounds but then I realized I was just happy to be losing weight again after my plateau. So, this week will be better! I still can't do a lot of exercising but I am walking more and this will have to do for now. I'm feeling positive and I can't wait to see the results for next week! From what I know, I am still in the lead for the competition. However, my sister has yet to send me her weight for this week so we will see. How is everyone else doing? Please leave comments about success, questions or recipes below! Have a great week!

Biggest Loser: Family Edition

A few weeks ago, I told my mom that I wanted to lose weight. It will be better for my back, better for my health in general and, let's face it, I hate how I look in pictures these days. She presented me with an option, a challenge, so that I wouldn't have to go after this goal alone. She and my oldest sister, Sarah, are going to start their own version of the The Biggest Loser with me. The competition begins tomorrow and will go until June, around the time that my family is coming to visit me in New York. Each of us gets to choose our own diet and work-out routines because we have different lifestyles and bodies (for example, I can't work out much because of my back so my diet will be very important while I work my strength up). We will weigh in using our Wiis to keep track of each other. I have been ordered to take a picture of my weigh-in on my phone so they know I am not lying...I have ordered the same in return. At the end of the competition, the person with the greatest weight loss percentage wins. We decided to go with percentage because we are all different heights, weights, etc. The winner of the challenge will get $100 from each person to go shopping. So the incentive to win has four sides: to lose weight, to be beat them, to win money and to not have to pay money. It's on!


I told Bill about our challenge and he told his mother and they are now in their own competition, though theirs will be based on pounds lost and a bit different. This excites me! I knew he'd be willing to diet with me because he has told me he wants to eat better but now he has the incentive to win. Like me, he doesn't like to lose. So I now have a support system in my house and we are ready!


So what is our diet plan? Well, one of my doctors told me a while back that carbs aren't the best for my back because they cause inflammation in the body. I've also noticed that carbs make me feel heavier and that Bill seems to have some problems digesting gluten-filled foods. The day before I left Colorado to return home, I watched "The View" with mom and Elizabeth was showcasing gluten-free foods from her new book. I was surprised. The foods looked so, so normal! They looked edible yet they were supposed to be better for me. So I purchased Elizabeth Hasselbeck's book "Deliciously G-Free" and I've been reading it since it arrived. I'm not saying we are going to go 100% gluten-free. We are going to start using some of these recipes instead of our heavier gluten-filled ones and we are going to be looking at a lot of gluten-free foods. We are also going to to be going low-carb, high protein and adding in fruits and vegetables. Basically, we are eating healthier. This is more of a lifestyle change than a diet because I don't want to "end" the diet and go back and gain my weight back. 

As for exercise...well, I can't exercise with my back so I am hoping I will slowly build up on my walking time and add in light weights and work my way up. That's pretty much all I can do. Bill is going to take advantage of the campus gym and also start running again. We have a good plan set up and I am excited to see it in motion.


So, the challenge begins tomorrow. I let Bill have what I call "last meals" before we started. This means we ate at some of our favorite places because we won't be seeing them for a long time and we won't be seeing them nearly as much as we used to. They will now be treats and treated as such. Our last treat will be going to All American Burger tonight (if you haven't heard of this place, it's like the mecca of hamburger happiness in Long Island...so yummy but so horrible for you). Tomorrow, the diet begins. I'll be doing weekly updates on our progress. This will be added incentive because I will not only have my family holding me to this but anyone who read this blog. For the sake of my own pride, I won't be putting my weight on this, only the weight lost. Maybe at the end I'll feel brave but until then this will have to do. I'll update on our progress and hopefully find some yummy, good-for-you meals to share.


I guess that's it. Wish us luck!