Short-term goal achieved

This morning's nekkid weight: 198.0

Finally! I'm below 200. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm making progress.

Yesterday was my last shake-only day. Just two more weeks of the 28-day cleanse to go! The worst part is over.

My follow-up appointment with my doc was yesterday as well. When I weighed myself on his scale, in basically the same clothes as what I wore two weeks ago, the scale hovered between 204 and 205 (nekkid weight was 201.5). That's down 11 pounds from my weigh-in 2 weeks ago at 216.

More good news: the doc told me that it is alright if I "cheat" a little bit here and there. I can't throw out an entire day's schedule and menu, but I can sprinkle in a few induldgences here and there, like a touch of salad dressing or a tiny sprinkling of parmesan. He also told me that I could sneak in an extra snack of veggies if I got hungry between my scheduled meals/snacks.

I keep thinking about that dinner at Pappasito's that's on the other side of the remaining 2 weeks. I can hardly wait!

Maybe it's broken

Arg! I don't know why, but the scale stopped going down. My weight's just hovering at 202.5. I thought I'd drop at least half a pound by this morning since all I had yesterday was those blasted shakes! Maybe it's because I didn't do anything active on Sunday. Hubby wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go hiking out at the lake. I probably should've gone for a walk around my neighborbood, but I was having one of those days where I didn't feel like venturing out into the world on my own. Pathetic and not a good excuse, I know. But I thought cutting out food would surely have dropped a pound, or at least half a pound off of my body. I will be very ticked off if, after doing Krav tonight and having only shakes for 2 days, my weight doesn't creep down just a little bit by tomorrow morning.

My workout plan for this week is to do Krav tonight, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will walk at lunch time on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Over the weekend, I will talk Hubby into going out to a park with the dogs for a good walk/hike.

Wish me luck this week. With my scale freezing at 202.5, I'm losing motivation. Hopefully, the digits will start dropping again soon.

Slow progress

This morning's nekkid weight: 205.5, yet again.

Last night, my "snack" was a little bit of chicken and some mixed veggies from Outback Steakhouse. Apparently, Outback has gluten-free meats. (Gluten-free restaurant finder: http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/zip_search.php) I had their grilled chicken and veggies "light style" -- no butter, no BBQ sauce, under 500 calories. I also only ate 1/2 to 2/3 of my chicken, since I was only supposed to have a snack. Guess I was cheating a little.

Today was different, though. All shakes. No cheating.

Unfortunately, I think the diet's starting to effect my moods. I'm feeling tired and overly emotional. I'm feeling really down and frustrated. I really love food, but I wasn't expecting to get this upset about it. I've also been snapping at Hubby easily over the past few days. I'm trying to be better about that.

I think tomorrow night will be particularly difficult, getting through Krav on low calories and absolutely no carbs, or really anything resembling proper food. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Hubby and I have made plans for my first Saturday night after the 28-day Cleanse diet is over. We're going to Houston for dinner at Pappasito's as a reward. I haven't been there in quite a while, and it will be a special treat. I'm trying to keep that in mind as additional motivation to stay on this diet.

I'm running low on the powder that I make my shakes from. Hopefully it will last until I visit my Doc on Tuesday, where I can get more. At $70 a pop, I'm sure my Doc will happily sell me another huge bottle of the vile stuff.

Uh oh

The scale stopped going down. This morning's nekkid weight: 202.5. Same as yesterday. Hopefully the shake-only days will trigger more weight loss. It might be too early for me to be worried about the scale, but I am. I really want to get below that 200 mark.

Today is going to be a relaxing day. Hubby and I are going to a casual, outdoor wedding reception. Tomorrow, I'd like to try to go on some hiking trails out by the lake. We'll see how I feel with no real food. I'll have to think of a good way to carry a shake or 2 with me.

Cheerleader: Thanks for the thoughtful words. It really means a lot to me. And we'll just see about that new pair of pants. ;)

Words of encouragement

Yesterday, I was tired and worked late, so instead of going to Krav late, I skipped it and gave my body some time to rest. I was really struggling in class on Wednesday night, so I think I needed it. I did walk at lunch again, though, so I wasn't a total bum.

This morning's nekkid weight: 202.5

Today, I walked again at lunch and went to Krav tonight. I pushed through the exercises as best I could, though I still couldn't keep pace with the rest of the class. I just worked as best I could on the exercises and the actual Krav. After class, my instructor pulled me aside and said "I'm really proud you." He said that I did a really good job today and that my technique is getting good. I can't express how much I appreciate that. Just when I feel like I'm getting nowhere. I really needed that. I told him that I'm praying that someday soon I'll be able to get through one of his classes without having to stop. He just kinda laughed and said "it'll come". I hope it does. I'll just keep doing the best I can in the mean time.

Tonight, I went for a leisurely walk after my dinner/snack (just some slightly heated fresh veggies). The hunger is starting to kick in. It'll be interesting to see how my body handles the next few days. Remember: Sunday through Tuesday is supposed to be shakes only. Shakes. Whoever thought to call them that had a cruel sense of irony.

New goal

This morning's nekkid weight was 204.0. I'm hoping to hit 199.0 by the end of this month. I really want to be below 200.

Exercise for the day

Walked about one mile at lunch and went to Krav class. I'm still having trouble pushing through the exercises without having to stop because I'm out of breath or my muscles just quit. I don't pause long (at least it doesn't feel long), but I definitely do it a lot more often than I'd like to.

In August, there will be a Krav test to advance to level 2. I'm not ready for it. The test is a 2 hour physical test (including jogging 2 miles), then a 45-minute warm-up (why you'd need to warm up after jogging 2 miles is beyond me), and then a 4 hour actual Krav test. I asked if I can just keep taking level one until I get it right. Instructor said no problem. So that's the plan: I'll just keep taking level 1 Krav until I have the stamina and technique to advance to level 2.

Brief update

Nekkid weight: 205.5

I had a good start to the day: down one more pound since yesterday. As much as I hate this "cleanse" diet, I have to say it seems to be working. Only 3 more weeks to go.

The workouts

I went to Krav last night and then went for a walk afterwards with my Hubby. We covered almost 2.5 miles! I have to say, I've gotten to really like that silly GPS exercise tracking app on his phone.

This afternoon, at what would normally be my lunch time, I went for a walk. Not too far: about one mile. Just something to keep me moving and to keep my mind off the fact that I would not be having a real lunch. Tonight, I went to Krav. My upper arms and shoulders are tired. I had a hard time keeping my guard up because the muscles just didn't want to work anymore. I goofed and accidentally bruised the instructor. Hopefully he won't take it out on me tomorrow.

Toying with the idea of going for another walk tonight, but I might just rest since I already went for one today. Rest might be good.

Take care and have a good night!

Work is conspiring against me

Shoot. Our office is hosting an ice cream social on Thursday. I guess I won't be attending that gathering. =(

Getting through it

Xymogen shake tip

Here's a tip for anyone trying to choke down the Xymogen shakes: make sure your shake is as cold as possible. I put a couple of ice cubes in mine just before I shake it up, and the cold helps subdue the flavor as well as the gag response. It does get better with time. You will get used to it, though I think it's impossible (at least for me) to ever actually like it.

This morning was the first time I was able to choke down the shake without gagging. That's good news because I've got to ingest 2 more throughout the rest of the day. (To anyone who's curious, the exact supplement I'm taking is Xymogen^® EP's i5™ "biotransformation formula".)

Plan so far

Starting today, the next 9 days will be really rough for me: no regular meals. Just shakes with a couple of small snacks in between, progressing to just shakes on 7/25-7/27. My follow-up appointment is 7/27.

Side effect?

I think there might be an unfortunate side effect to the shakes: diarrhea. I'm having a lot of pure liquid eliminations in the bathroom lately. I'll take a bunch of Immodium and be fine for a day, and then, the next day, it comes back with a vengeance. I had a bunch of Immodium yesterday afternoon, so I should be fine for today (I hope). Tomorrow will likely be another matter entirely.

Nekkid weight: 206.5

Yea! More progress. Just for comparison, I weighed myself again afterwards while fully clothed: 210.5. So, about 4 pounds for clothes and shoes. I'll keep that in mind next time I weigh myself at the doctor's office.

A little progress, finally!

Nekkid weight: 207.5

Finally, I'm below 208. My goal for the week was originally to get down to 210. I've beat that. Whether it's due to Krav or the nauseating Xymogen shake diet, I'm not sure. Probably a combination of both.

I've already decided that after my 28-days, if my doctor suggests I stay with the diet, I will decline. Food is one of those things that makes me happy. I love good food, and enjoy looking forward to a good meal. Take that away, and I'm fairly miserable. I will take certain aspects of the diet to heart, though, like the 5-7 smaller meals a day instead of 3 big ones. I will also lower the amount of carbs and dairy I consume a day, though I won't cut them out totally. For now though, I will stick with it. I keep telling myself that 28 days isn't that long.

Today, I start having 2 shakes a day instead of just one. I've already had my breakfast shake. So just one more to go. For the day. Today, it will replace my lunch. I've never dreaded meal time more.

On a side note, sgpgal: it was good to see you the other day. And thank you for your encouragement. I wish you safe travels, and have fun in New Mexico!

Defeated and cheated: Xymogen 28-day cleanse

On Tuesday, I went in for a visit with my psychiatrist. I had changed into my workout clothes while I was at work, just in case I ran out of time. I'm glad I did. I didn't get in to my 4:00 appointment until shortly after 5. I mentioned to my shrink that I was doing pretty well, and that I recently started an exercise program. He asked me if I had been losing weight, and I told him not much yet, but that I hoped that would change with some extra effort. He then asked me if I would be willing to try a simple diet with supplements. I made the mistake of saying that I would. He had me weigh myself. Granted, I was dressed, but only in light-weight workout pants and t-shirt, so I was disappointed to see the scale level off at 216. I felt someone defeated. He basically told me that Zyprexa, one of the medicines I am taking, changes your metabolism and effects the way your body handles calories. He briefly explained to me that it would be a low-carb diet. I asked him if it was something similar to Atkins, but I guess he didn't hear me because he just kept writing something in my file. He did tell me that he had one patient who lost 10 pounds in one week on this diet. He then sent me to the front desk and told me that he'd meet me there in a minute with my supplements. After waiting a little bit, he joined me at the counter with a big bottle of Xymogen protein shake powder and gave me a pamphlet explaining what I could and couldn't eat. He then left me, and I paid my copay plus $70 for the magical supplement. I'm supposed to return in 2 weeks to rejoice in the wonders this supplement will no doubt work in my body.

I didn't really get a chance to thoroughly read the pamphlet until I got home after my workout that evening. On a side note, before I left the gym, I asked my Krav instructor how long his cardio class. He told me it was a full hour, and implied that it was pretty intense. He then told me to just hit Krav really hard for two more weeks, and then add the cardio to it back to back. I'll take his advice. My body was having a really hard time with my Tuesday Krav workout. It was still very sore from Monday's cardio class, and it still is. So, two more weeks, then cardio.

Anyways, I read the pamphlet after I got home and became horribly depressed by what I read. It's basically a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, with a list of a bunch of other things you can't eat. No more whole-wheat pasta. No potatoes. No garlic, no salt, which kinda throws out some of my basic seasonings. No raspberries (so no more raspberry vinagrette), no citrus, no strawberries, no mango, which kills my occasional fruit smoothie treats. No sweetened fruit drinks. No brown sugar, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, etc. No beef or pork. No bouillon-based soups. No tomatoes or peppers of any kind, which are a staple of mine. And a bunch of other no-nos.

I broke the bad news to my sweetie. We had one last dinner of wheat spaghetti and went shopping for diet-safe items. I was in a foul mood because of the whole thing, and it was only made worse my the feeling that I was coming down with a cold. I was also pretty pissy, because I weighed myself at home, and it verified what the doc's scale said (pretty much). The ugly number was 215. I told myself it was because I hadn't pooped.

Yesterday, I went home sick from work. Achy, worn-out, sniffly, sore throat, etc. A crappy day to start a new diet. And those damned shakes are horrible. The idea is. that you have 5-7 small meals a day. It starts off with breakfast always being a shake. Then it progresses to nothing but shakes for all snacks and meals for days 12-14. Then it goes down to 2 a day. I have a special schedule to follow. And I'm already hating it. Last night, I had horrible diarrhea, and I really want to blame it on my shake. Funny thing is, though, I weighed myself this morning, in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and my weight was 211. Checked again, because sometimes your stance can throw off the scale, and it came up with 211.5. So I stripped down to my undies to take my nekkid weight: 209.5. Either the diet was already working, or it was the diarrhea from the night before. Or maybe a combination of both. I still think they're linked.

Last night's supper: grilled salmon with dry salad with a few walnuts thrown in (no bleu cheese, no dried cranberries, no raspberry vinagrette allowed).

I stayed home sick today. Had a few slices of Boar's head chicken (from the allowed list). Some walnuts here and there. An apple. A few grapes. And yes, I started off with that dreaded shake. I hope to God I get used to them. I'm hungry now, and was looking forward to making a couple of tuna steaks for dinner. Unfortunately, I must have gotten confused at the store, because they are on my no-no list. I thought fresh tuna would surely be allowed, but I was wrong. So I guess it's bison burgers with no buns tonight. And let me just verify that really quick—yes, bison is allowed.

Fortunately, this diet is only 28 days. At least, it specifically states "The plan should not be followed beyond 28 days without proper reassessment." So, in other words, unless my doc hates me, this will be over with in one month. So wish me luck.

I'm starting to feel a little more alive this evening, so hopefully I'll be back at work, and working out, tomorrow.

Exhausted, but I have bras!

Yesterday's workout was grueling—at least, for me it was. I did stick around to do the cardio after Krav. I was the only one who showed up for that class, too, so I got to work one-on-one with the instructor. It turned out to be a good thing, because he brought the intensity down to my level. He still really pushed me, don't get me wrong. He had a list of 10 exercises, and originally told me it would be 60 reps of each. Then, he told me he'd only make me do thirty of each. Thank God he did. I had to run off half-way through the workout and hug the toilet. I thought I was done with the nausea thing, but the additional exercise brought it back. The cardio session lasted about 40 minutes. I was completely exhaused afterwards (and still am).

On the drive home, my mind sorted through the various pains that I was feeling, an one seemed out of place: the damned underwire had popped through my bra again. I'd been working out with a nearly skewered boob. I actually didn't have any sport bras, so I was just wearing a non-padded underwire bra. Now that bra is garbage. I told Hubby about it and he took me out shopping for new sports bras. I now have 5. Yippee! No more boob-kabob.

A new reason to hate Mondays

I'm having a lot of trouble staying motivated today. All I want to do is take a nap, maybe spend the evening on the couch in front of the TV. Unfortunately my plans for the day won't allow that: tonight I take the cardio class after Krav. That's what I've planned, and I keep telling myself that I'm going to stick to it. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about it. I'll do my best to try to make it through the entire hour-long class. (Cardio class—the one that fits my schedule—is Monday–Thursday.) I'll get home for the day a little after 8 PM. After that: make dinner, shower, and crash.

Tonight's meal will be pretty simple: fish cooked with garlic and lemon and a side of asparagus. A quick meal, but a good one. For this dish, I'm using tilapia (it was cheap). Heat up a skillet. Crush some garlic. Pour a little olive oil into the heated skillet. Add the garlic and cook for just a little bit. Sprinkle the fillets with a little kosher salt and fresh pepper. Add them to the pan. Cover with a few lemon slices (not wedges). Turn fish after about 2 minutes. Add a splash of white cooking wine, and finish cooking. The fish will cook fast. The fresh asparagus will be steamed in the microwave. I'll probably sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on it for flavor just before serving.

Well, I'll let you know how class goes.

Ice cream indulgence - the good kind

You gotta try these: Weight Watchers dark chocolate raspberry ice cream bars. Only 80 calories a pop. Very good. Very satisfying.

The Krav class went pretty well tonight. One of the other students helped me out with my grip issue. I think I'm getting a better feel for it now, though far from perfect. Next week, we'll be learning more defensive moves. If you're curious, the gym is Windy Sport and Fitness in College Station. Don't go by the pictures on it, because those mostly look like stock photography. Go by the text. The class schedule is also slightly outdated; they just started a new schedule for the summer. It has some good instructor bios and class descriptions, though.

Have a great night!

Up and down again

Nekkid weight: 212 (again)

Well, I was good yesterday and went to class. Yes, I probably should've gone Wednesday, too, and just spent some time with one of the gym's many punching bags. (The gym is really small and doesn't have treadmills, ellipticals, or stairmasters...) Wednesday has passed, and I will try to do better next week, I promise.

Yesterday's workout was a bit difficult for me. We warmed up with a massive amount of sit-ups. (Hey, it felt massive to me.) I had a lot of trouble keeping up with the rest of the class, and I had to pause twice, but I felt like I was able to do a lot more sit-ups than when I first started taking the Krav class. Suprisingly, my belly doesn't really hurt today after all those sit-ups. I was expecting cramps, but I feel fine.

After the warm-up, I had some difficulty with the actual Krav. I had trouble going from throwing an elbow to the face to gripping my "attacker". It was the transition to that grip that kept throwing me. Everything I did just felt clumsy and awkward. At least I wasn't the only one having trouble this time.

After class, I signed up for a full six-month membership. (I originally signed up for just one month.)

I will go to class again tonight. I plan to try to get in some exercise over the weekend, too, instead of just sitting on my bum. Nothing too strenuous, though, because I want to be physically rested and ready for Monday night: that's when I start taking the cardio class after Krav. I think I'm going to try it three nights a week to start out, and slowly work my way up to 5 days. I'll just have to listen to my body. Hopefully, after piling on the cardio, I start to see a real difference on the scale. I'm going to plan my next weigh-in for next Saturday, July 17. It would be nice if I could lose two pounds by then. Any progress would be good.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. -- Thanks for the motivation!

OK, I guess I lied

I didn't make it to Krav class last night. Hubby and I ended up working later than we planned, and I just ran out of time. I didn't want to get there really late 2 days in a row, so I thought it was better to skip instead of interrupting class again. Hopefully I won't be too far behind. My intention is to go to class tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Diet Coke Diet

This sucks. I want my effin' Diet Coke! Down to 1 a day this week. Unfortunately, er, I mean fortunately it seems to be making a difference in my appetite. When I eat, I get the "I'm done" feeling alot faster. Not stuffed, just done. I also don't feel the urge to snack quite as much. I'm not sure if the effect is just psychological or actual, but either way, there's a difference.

As far as the Krav workouts go, I've only had one so far this week. The gym was closed on Monday, and there was no Krav over the weekend. And I was late yesterday, but at least I got some exercise in. I plan to go tonight, tomorrow, and Friday. That's the plan, anyway. I still feel clumsy and uncoordinated in class, but I don't feel as hopeless as I did when I started. I think I'm starting to get a feel for it.

I set a goal for myself for next week: to start adding the cardio kickboxing class on top of my Krav workouts. I'll at least try it. I'm not sure if my body's ready for it, but I think I need to push myself a lot more to make a real difference in my weight.