Reality

Here is my diet plan:
Wake up, 30 minutes of cardio right away
24 oz of water
Wait one hour
Meal One
4 egg whites
1/4 Plain oatmeal
24oz of water
Wait three hours
Meal Two
4oz chicken (boneless, skinless)
4 oz sweet potatoes or yams (not canned)
24 oz water
Wait Three Hours
Meal Three
1 can white albacor tuna
1/2 cup greens (broccoli or spinach)
24 oz water
Wait Three Hours
Meal Four
4 oz chicken (boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup greens (broccoli or spinach)
24 oz water
Wait Three Hours
Meal Five
4 oz lean ground beef
24 oz water

-Take vitamins and calcium chews before bed
-If hungry in between meals, drink more water or chew sugarless gum
-May only add Splenda, Cinnamon, Garlic, Onions, Salt, Pepper, Vinegar, Parkay butter spray, Original Pam or Olive Oil
-May have UNsweetened tea with Splenda or Lemon Water


Now... for anyone who has dieted you know that most diets try to incorporate flavors you like and enjoy with portion control and exercise combined. This is basically a crash diet. It is not fun. When you begin the diet, your body goes through a complete detox (NOT fun). The smell of absolutely any food (peanut butter, sausage, etc.) WILL drive you NUTS. Even with adding the allowed flavor enhancements the food is still bland at best. I started and am continuing this diet because I am the type of person who does not have time to count calories, bake thorough meals and I need guidelines to keep me disciplined.

The person who gave me this diet information lost 70 pounds in four months. Correct me if I'm wrong but that would be an average of a little less than 5 pounds a week. I was told that if following this diet correctly, one should loss 10-15 pounds a week.

My first week on this diet was a complete failure. I lacked discipline all together and did not fair well. After finally wrapping my head around the reality of how big I am, I buckled down. The meals started to not seem so bad and I even started to like broccoli for the first time in my life. That following weekend I felt like I needed a break. I felt like saying no to food that I actually like 24/7 and watching everyone else indulge was just a job. I just wanted to relax. I relaxed a little too much and gained back exactly the amount of weight I lost the previous week. The next week I did really well and lost twice what I lost the week before. I allowed myself to indulge over the weekend but I was extremely careful of what I ate and the portion I ate. I made sure to eat my burger patty without cheese, condiments or a bun. I did the same when I had sausage and a hot dog. I could have done without the hot dog, but it was the only meat at the event I was at.

Did I indulge? Yes. Did I gain any weight back this time? No. Someone very wise and very close to me said it to me best... you have to be a little bit crazy to follow this diet exactly to the "T" 24/7. There is a happy medium for allowing one to enjoy their food and not get out of control. I am sure to stay away from sugars and carbs (for the most part) when I allow myself to indulge.

I have not yet incorporated exercise into my daily routine. I made it a point in my last blog to state that I am completely aware that exercise is a vital part of dieting, losing weight and changing my lifestyle for my health. Because I have not incorporated exercise into my routine, does that make me lazy? Heavens no! I am a stay at home mother to a teething rebellious toddler and colic baby. That in itself takes up about 75% of my time and energy. Because I am home I make it a point to keep my house spotless and with a husband and two children that is a 24/7 job. Every single day I spend 2+ hours cleaning. I am a student and an entrepreneur. What alone time I rarely do get is dedicated to my school work and business development. I am a photographer, which that in itself is by no means a desk job.

I am not giving myself an excuse to not exercise. I know that it needs to be done and it will be done. I am pointing out that I do not sit on my rear end all day eating bon bons.

The reason for me writing this post in particular is due to the incredibly rude and unwarranted criticism from the person who gave me the diet information. This person hired an ex-body builder as a trainer, followed this diet and lost 70 pounds in four months. After reading my last blog post this person had the gull to CALL me and ask me what was going on, what was wrong? I had no idea what she was talking about and asked. She said that I am no where near the point that I can allow myself to give into temptation. She wasn't sure why I wasn't following the diet plan and why I was giving in. There was more said but the jist was that 16 pounds in a month apparently wasn't good enough for me.

As my blood pressure quickly rose, I calmly replied that I am following the diet, I think that I am doing a great job and that losing 10-15 pounds a week is not healthy. Then I hung up. Let's just say this person is no longer on my "friends" list. I was appalled. Yes, this person lost 70 pounds in 4 months. At the end of the 4 months that person spent an entire weekend indulging herself in cheese fries, ice cream and other carnival treats. I did not see how she of all people felt the right to talk to me about giving into temptation.

I rarely post anything drama-related on Facebook these days since it has had a habit of biting me in the butt in the past. I chose to post about being insulted and received a great deal of support.

This all makes me think... why do I blog about my journey among other things? I'm putting all of this information out on the "information highway" for all to see, read and judge. I generally get great responses and find the support very helpful in my motivation to continue on. I do realize that by putting all of this out there I am opening myself up to criticism and negativity. Some people may have negative, mean or even hateful thoughts about what I write on my blogs. I am open-minded enough to recognize these facts.

The difference with this situation was that this was someone claiming to be a friend, claiming to be trying to help and saying hurtful and rude things. What hurt the most was this person questioning how badly I want this. I am not going to let this one situation stop me from my goal. I am going to continue on this diet and allow myself to occasionally indulge (or I may go insane). I am determined to reach a certain weight goal. I am determined to look on the outside how I feel on the inside. I may be at the beginning of my weight loss but this is by no means the beginning of my journey of happiness. I have overcome quite a bit to get to the point I am at today.

I have a long road ahead of me of hard work to reach my goal. I do need to step up my activity and I plan to do so.

Thank you so much to all of my family and friends who support me in a positive way. Your encouragement literally keeps me going!

Current Measurements:
Weight: 212 lbs (-16)
neck: 14 inches (-1)
bust: 43 inches (-1)
waist: 46 inches (same)
hips: 48 inches (-3)
thigh: 26 inches (-1)

Day 26

It's Day 26 of my diet. I was going to do my measurements today to find out inches lost but I left the measuring thing in the diaper bag which is in the nursery where my daughter is currently sleeping. So I will save my measurement updates for the next post. The diet is going well. I've gotten into the habit of eating each meal and the timing. I am still struggling on the weekends when I am working or away from home and around lots of good, yummy food. I try to remind myself that my food is my fuel and I need to be careful of not putting in dirty fuel.

On July 4th weekend I took a step back as I indulged a bit much and gained back the 5 lbs I had lost the week before. My indulging included a small piece of cake, two glasses of wine, three Diet Cokes, two hot dogs, and pasta. I was discouraged but only had myself to blame. I stuck to the diet very strictly the next week and was losing up to 2 lbs a day! This past weekend I allowed myself to indulge but I was much smarter about it. I passed up A LOT of absolutely yummy looking food while everyone stuffed their faces around me. I did have a sausage (no bun), some chips (very few), half of a hot dog, two potato slices, a few strawberries, one Diet Coke, two lemon squares and a little tiny bit of potato salad. I'm pretty sure that I was active and sweating enough that thankfully what I did have didn't make a difference. I didn't lose any weight on Saturday and Sunday but I didn't gain any either. I was also extremely careful about portion size and had tiny portions of the things I was not really supposed to have.

I have yet to work in a work out routine into my days. I know that this is going to be vital in my weight loss journey and is absolutely needed to get fit and healthy. We are currently adjusting to my husband's new work schedule as he went from working first shift to second shift. We have gotten a lot done in the nursery and now that is out of the way I foresee having time to work out in the mornings from now on. Perhaps I can lose more in a week's time than I have been!

My aunt is getting married on October 1st and my mom and I have planned a special trip just the two of us to go! I am hoping to reach my goal of weighing 150 by then so that I can wear a sexy dress and feel beautiful! I'd also like to start trying on Bridesmaids dresses around that time (I'm in two weddings in 2012).

So far so good! A friend of mine stated this really is a lifestyle change rather than a diet. I have to agree, although I won't be eating this food everyday of my life, I am changing my eating habits completely. I am getting in the habit of portion control and thinking about what I am putting into my body.

Current Weight: 212 lbs
Total loss: 16 lbs

First goal: Get below 200!!! On my way there...