Out of the Box

Ending CORE means I've now moved onto the Maintenance phase of the program.  Because I still want to lose a little more weight, I don't want to be completely out of the box.

This week I was allowed to start using third party meal replacements (ie., Lean Cuisines).  I can eat these instead of their box food.  It's been a great week!

Who would have ever thought Lean Cuisines were a step up on the food chain?  I've had a shrimp alfredo dish and a chicken linguine.  Plus, there's a delicious (but tiny) pizza I can eat.  That was so good. 

I'm enjoying the taste of these entrees and the freedom I feel from being out of the box.  Maintenance is fun!

The Weigh In

Monday night proved to be a pretty exciting weigh in.  I was really hoping to lose 2.4 pounds.  That would mean I'd finished these two CORE classes (and 26 weeks) with a 60 pound weight loss.  That's really what I wanted. 

I was hopeful, but not sure.  The scales had been way down then up on Monday morning.  I was even scared of a gain. I hate the fluctuating scale. 

It was raining Monday and when I ran into the building for class, I got wet and thought... man, now this is going to add more weight.  I went into the weight room trying to wipe off all the water drops.  I even took off all my jewelry.  The young nurse laughed. I explained that this was an important weigh in.  I just wanted to see a certain amount lost to end my time in CORE.  It was a milestone.

When I looked at the scale number, I knew I got my 2.4.  Actually, I was shocked.  Because I had a loss of 4.3!  I had been working hard this week, but never expected that.  So, I'm very happy and proud to report I have lost 60+ pounds in 26 weeks.  Best weigh in ever!!

End of Core II

I'm entering day 176 of the diet, week 26 in the box.  Tonight is my last fat class with my colleage Liza.  If you recall, I repeated the core class (I did make notes of each class for the blog, but they just never seemed to make it on).  Well, the second core class ends tonight.  I'm hoping the scales will show me 60 pounds down (like they did at Dr. Stickthins).  It would be a great way to end this time in the box.

My plans now are to transition into the Maintenance portion of the program.  I can still lose weight in that, if I want to.  But, I won't be required to buy their food anymore or be completely in the box.  They will start teaching me how to live in reality.  So, it won't be nearly as rigid.  Lola and Paulie transitioned into Maintenance before the Holidays.... so I have lots of support.   Liza is going to move into the Ongoing Weight Loss class. 

I'm excited about having a little more flexibility, especially now that I've lost so much.  The entrees have become a bit monotonous. I welcome some variation. 

It will be interesting to see how focused I can stay on the box with freedom lurking and all the delicious temptations it offers.

Another Year, Another Weigh In

Our company offers a wellness program for employees.  In fact, if you participate in the program in full and adhere to all rules, you get a reduced premium.  Therefore, we fondly refer to the program as "forced wellness".  Now, last week the forced wellness folks publicly named me the 4th place winner in the weight loss challenge last year.  So, I'm involved.  In fact, I work with that program all the time and try to align my department more with theirs.

So, we had a annual health fair and weigh in this past week.  I went through the fair. They weighed me, measured my waist, did my numbers (cholesterol, LDLs, HDLs, BMI, etc) all to better see where I am and what I need to improve. I sat down with the lady to go over my numbers and she explained how, for the most part, my numbers were all good.   She then cautiously pointed to my BMI and explained how it was too high.  Without asking me anything about myself or my patterns, she said "If you start exercising, you should see this number go down."  (I love how they always assume I never exercise).  When I responded with, "Oh, yes... I exercise everyday... at 5 am."  She sounded shocked and said, "Oh, really???" 

Perhaps there could be some sensitivity training?  It's the same thing everytime I join a gym or get some kind of assessment... they always assume I've never exercised.  Frustrating.

Oh well.  Maybe by next year I'll be so thin they won't even mention it.

An Unexpected Visit with Dr. Stickthin

I had an unexpected visit to Dr. Stickthin yesterday.  Earlier this week, I discovered an incredibly itchy rash over most of my upper body.  After a day of unbearable itching, I made an appointment with the doc in hopes of some relief.

When she entered, she immediately commented proudly on my additional weight loss since my last visit in late October. I had lost 30 more pounds.  Then I questioned what my total weight loss was from my first visit back in July.  I had lost exactly 60 pounds. 

Even though my rash stumped her and she wasn't overly helpful with that, it was pretty exciting to see my weight down 60 pounds at her office (where it all started).  It's been a quite an experience, and I'm really happy with that accomplishment.

Death Surrounds Me

Another very close friend lost her father this week.

Unlike my other friends who recently lost theirs, her father was older and been experiencing poor health the last few years. In fact, my friend and I had spoken quite a few times about this possibilty. She knew the reality. So, this wasn't unexpected.

Still... Losing a parent, whether expected or not, must have a profound impact on your life. And, my friend is the only child.

Today was the funeral and she spoke.  It's interesting how all three of my friends spoke at their father's funeral.  And, all did surprisingly well. All were very close to their dads.   I'm just getting home from the service... reminded of how precious life is.

Woman's Weightloss Challenge

My early morning friends at the Woman's Wellness Center (gym) decided to start a weight loss challenge.  We all put in $20 and the person with the highest weight loss percentage wins.  We started in mid-December and it will run until June.

I am already down 15 pounds from when we started.  I don't know how the others are doing... though, I can easily say none of them look any different in terms of size. 

Side challenges, like this one, help keep me focused on staying in the box.  Plus, wouldn't it be great to make a little money?  :)