Okay, so my friends and I have been on the program long enough to provide you with some tricks for being on a super strict diet..here they go!
Optifast tricks for weeks 1-15 (General Tips are below!)
--- You can use the vanilla powder in diet root beer and it tastes like a root beer float. Same with diet orange soda, mmmm creamsicle.
--- Warm up the Double Berry bars in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. It softens them and makes them taste better.
--- When faced with free food, look at the offerings and think about what you could eat to maintain your weight loss after you are "off product." I do this all the time and it really helps. That's how I got through the last few weeks. When you think, "Wow, I really shouldn't eat that stuff at all at any time!" you feel less deprived. It also helps you train your brain for when you are no longer on the Optifast.
--- A few dashes of hot sauce in the soups makes them taste so much better--even if you are not a hot sauce person.
--- Safeway sells zero calorie flavoring for water next to the Crystal Light. It's tart--but Optifast is so sweet that it is a nice break.
--- After a few weeks, try varying your program. Instead of shake, bar, shake, bar, soup, bar--try two liquid things then two solid things. It breaks the monotony.
--- Try a new flavor once a week. I hate artificial Vanilla and Strawberry, but I took a chance and found some products that ease the monotony of Chocolate. What's the worse thing that could happen? You eat something that is slightly grosser than normal?
General wisdom from my Wednesday class:
1. Plan, Plan, Plan: Example: I went away for the State Speech and Debate Finals thinking I would be leaving Sunday morning. I was sooooo wrong! It turns out I had to stay all day! Thankfully, I took a full days supply of meals. Taking extra meals along in my purse has saved my butt more than a few times, since my schedule can be so erratic!
2. Live your life. Don't get on a routine that is too dissimilar from your regular life--meaning don't live like a monk or something. While on Optifast, I have thrown dinner parties, gone out to eat, and gone to several events with mounds of free, delicious food. Don't get me wrong, it was hard, but when I am off this diet--I will be faced with the challenge of eating in new ways. I may as well learn how to assert myself now.
3. Change what isn't working for you. You need to live your life normally, but you need to exercise and plan more. Write down what you do, what you eat, and what you feel for one or two days. Is there something that is preventing you from staying on your diet? Change it. You don't need to change your whole life, but changing small things everyday really adds up. I did this and I literally added 3000 steps a day to my pedometer.
4. Enlist allies. I have a joke that everyone in world knows about my diet. In a way, it's true. I have gotten support from friends, servers at restaurants, advice from colleagues, and kudos from students. These allies are especially supportive if you have a unsupportive partner or family (which is the case for some of the people in my Wednesday night class--but my family is 100% behind me!). Sometimes, the people closest to us are anxious about our lifestyle changes. I have heard of husbands buying sweets and unhealthy food for their wives to sabotage their efforts. Actually they are mad, mad that you are changing something important to them--even if that change is positive. Change is threatening. Having a network of support is important.
5. Dig deep. This time in your life is a great time to reflect on yourself and your needs. You have control over what you put in your body; every successful dieter owns this fact. It's also a time to get rid of excuses. There are so many excuses we give ourselves for not doing the right thing. Being honest with ourselves will improve our well-being. By being mindful of our decisions (like: "I am watching Biggest Loser instead of working out.") helps us understand how we allow ourselves to wallow in our pain. However, don't beat yourself up. Just acknowledge and plan for a different decision next time. For example, I am going to wear my sneakers to work everyday this week to remind me to exercise.
I really want you to post your tips for our readers! So please comment!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Week Seven Weigh In...Did I break the 200 lb barrier?
Nope!
I lost 2.5 pounds which brings my weight to 200.5. The worst of it is that the scale taunted me--that's right--TAUNTED ME! It hovered at 198.5 for at least a second, just as it was going to settle...BAM! Biggest Loser moment--it shoots up a full TWO POUNDS.
I hate you scale.
The good news is that I will probably break 200 this up coming week plus I FINALLY will have a my first day off in 21 days on Saturday!
Can I be honest here? I only worked out once last week, which is why I didn't lose more weight. I am worried that I am not going to be able to make my training goals for my June 20th 5K. Oh motivation, why have you abandoned me?
In Other News...
So, those of you read my first post know that I am doing this crazy Optifast thing so help my hernia. It does feel better, but since losing the weight, it is so much more OBVIOUS. Remember the movie Alien? Yeah, my tummy sort of looks like that--there is a big, squishy lump on the left hand side--ewwwww!
My Outer Goal: 160
My Inner Goal: World Peace, Inner Peace, and Whirled Peas
Anyway...let me know how you guys are doing! See you later!
I lost 2.5 pounds which brings my weight to 200.5. The worst of it is that the scale taunted me--that's right--TAUNTED ME! It hovered at 198.5 for at least a second, just as it was going to settle...BAM! Biggest Loser moment--it shoots up a full TWO POUNDS.
I hate you scale.
The good news is that I will probably break 200 this up coming week plus I FINALLY will have a my first day off in 21 days on Saturday!
Can I be honest here? I only worked out once last week, which is why I didn't lose more weight. I am worried that I am not going to be able to make my training goals for my June 20th 5K. Oh motivation, why have you abandoned me?
In Other News...
So, those of you read my first post know that I am doing this crazy Optifast thing so help my hernia. It does feel better, but since losing the weight, it is so much more OBVIOUS. Remember the movie Alien? Yeah, my tummy sort of looks like that--there is a big, squishy lump on the left hand side--ewwwww!
My Outer Goal: 160
My Inner Goal: World Peace, Inner Peace, and Whirled Peas
Anyway...let me know how you guys are doing! See you later!
Monday, April 26, 2010
A mini post from Trav: the math of weight loss...
Lots of folks have been asking me about how I have lost so much weight. I tell them the same thing that everyone else says: calories burned-calories consumed=weight lost/gained.
However, I used to work out and eat less all the time and loss little or no weight, and I finally figured out why!
It's not hormones or enzymes or whatever...it's MATH! That's right, we've been doing the WRONG MATH!
Okay...so here's what you have to do...
A) calculate your RMR (http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php)...for newbies that's your RESTING METABOLISM RATE.
B) Then...you have to figure out how many calories you expend doing normal tasks (i.e watching tv, cooking, whatever...).
C) Figure out how many calories you burn jogging, doing aerobics, walking the dog...whatever you do for exercise when you are trying to lose weight.
D) Now here comes the hard part! Normally, to lose weight we increase exercise. We get excited, because the treadmill has been telling us we burned 150 calories or something! You feel chuffed. "I have burned an extra 150 calories today!" WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! You have only burned 150 minus the number of calories you would have burned sitting on your butt watching tv or something.
EXAMPLE: Trav burns 185 calories on the treadmill in a 1/2 hour. She burns 25 calories watching TV for a half an hour. So my work on the treadmill only counts for 160 extra calories burned than if I had done nothing--NOT 185. I know this sounds weird, but this kind of thing adds up over the course of a day. If you think you are burning 500 calories a day more, but it is really 350 or something, you are going to lose weight slower than you expect.
That's why my weight was dropping at such a slow pace or not at all! I was consuming too many calories, so I was maintaining my weight--not dropping it!
The cool thing about knowing your RMR, is that if you adjust your calorie intake to be lower than your RMR, you don't have to worry about all this stuff--you can just do the simple math every day. So, if your RMR is 1500 calories a day, you can drop it to 1300. 200 times 7 equals a deficit of 1400 calories a week, which means an almost guaranteed weight loss of 1/2 pound in a week. That's why skinny people and older people lose weight slower--their RMR is lower than younger, heavier people. If you want to lose a pound a week--guess what--you will have to burn 1750 calories extra that week. What's nice is that even the biggest couch potato burns calories on top of their RMR--you just need to figure out how many (I'll give you a hint: a couch potato --and the a majority of the US population-- burns 1.2 times their RMR.)
Doctors say you should NEVER go below 1200 calories a day without medical supervision. So people with low RMR's need to exercise a lot more. That's why everyone (like Bob, Jillian, and your Aunt Sally) tell you if you want to lose weight, exercise! (http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/a/exforbeginners.htm)
That's also why every weight loss plan in the world bottoms out at 1200 calories a day.
Anyway, if your weight loss is stalled: first things first. Figure out how much you eat, figure out how much you burn. Do the math, then get off the couch. You may just need a brisk walk to kick start the ole metabolism!
Remember: as you lose weight, your RMR drops--so check it again every 3-5 pounds you lose!
See you Thursday!
However, I used to work out and eat less all the time and loss little or no weight, and I finally figured out why!
It's not hormones or enzymes or whatever...it's MATH! That's right, we've been doing the WRONG MATH!
Okay...so here's what you have to do...
A) calculate your RMR (http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php)...for newbies that's your RESTING METABOLISM RATE.
B) Then...you have to figure out how many calories you expend doing normal tasks (i.e watching tv, cooking, whatever...).
C) Figure out how many calories you burn jogging, doing aerobics, walking the dog...whatever you do for exercise when you are trying to lose weight.
D) Now here comes the hard part! Normally, to lose weight we increase exercise. We get excited, because the treadmill has been telling us we burned 150 calories or something! You feel chuffed. "I have burned an extra 150 calories today!" WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! You have only burned 150 minus the number of calories you would have burned sitting on your butt watching tv or something.
EXAMPLE: Trav burns 185 calories on the treadmill in a 1/2 hour. She burns 25 calories watching TV for a half an hour. So my work on the treadmill only counts for 160 extra calories burned than if I had done nothing--NOT 185. I know this sounds weird, but this kind of thing adds up over the course of a day. If you think you are burning 500 calories a day more, but it is really 350 or something, you are going to lose weight slower than you expect.
That's why my weight was dropping at such a slow pace or not at all! I was consuming too many calories, so I was maintaining my weight--not dropping it!
The cool thing about knowing your RMR, is that if you adjust your calorie intake to be lower than your RMR, you don't have to worry about all this stuff--you can just do the simple math every day. So, if your RMR is 1500 calories a day, you can drop it to 1300. 200 times 7 equals a deficit of 1400 calories a week, which means an almost guaranteed weight loss of 1/2 pound in a week. That's why skinny people and older people lose weight slower--their RMR is lower than younger, heavier people. If you want to lose a pound a week--guess what--you will have to burn 1750 calories extra that week. What's nice is that even the biggest couch potato burns calories on top of their RMR--you just need to figure out how many (I'll give you a hint: a couch potato --and the a majority of the US population-- burns 1.2 times their RMR.)
Doctors say you should NEVER go below 1200 calories a day without medical supervision. So people with low RMR's need to exercise a lot more. That's why everyone (like Bob, Jillian, and your Aunt Sally) tell you if you want to lose weight, exercise! (http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/a/exforbeginners.htm)
That's also why every weight loss plan in the world bottoms out at 1200 calories a day.
Anyway, if your weight loss is stalled: first things first. Figure out how much you eat, figure out how much you burn. Do the math, then get off the couch. You may just need a brisk walk to kick start the ole metabolism!
Remember: as you lose weight, your RMR drops--so check it again every 3-5 pounds you lose!
See you Thursday!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Holy Cow! or make that Holy Optifast!
It's official! I have lost 30 pounds since November! Okay, most of that is in the last 5 weeks, but still....
Things I Can Do Now!
1. I can now buy pants in a regular department store--not in the "Women's Section" either. (What the heck does that mean, anyway? Are skinny chicks NOT women?)
2. Cross my legs...yup! I could not cross my legs before...(no comments from the peanut gallery, please!)
3. Bend down and tie my shoes. It's true, I wear slip-ons for a reason.
4. Resist temptation. A colleague waved a box of donuts in my face, AND I wasn't even interested! (That was a total lie, by the way. You know I wanted a chocolate old fashioned!)
5. Bore total strangers with my weight loss journey. Yes, dear readers, you guys aren't the only ones! Every restaurant server, grocery clerk, and hapless student of mine has the listen to my endless weight loss travails!
So, the real news! I lost another 3.5 pounds! ALL FAT! My cholesterol and blood pressure remain normal, and my labs look great. Other than almost fainting in first period this morning, I am doing well!
External Goal: 160
Internal Goal: Inner Peace, World Peace, and, let's be honest here, a hot bod!
See you next week!
Things I Can Do Now!
1. I can now buy pants in a regular department store--not in the "Women's Section" either. (What the heck does that mean, anyway? Are skinny chicks NOT women?)
2. Cross my legs...yup! I could not cross my legs before...(no comments from the peanut gallery, please!)
3. Bend down and tie my shoes. It's true, I wear slip-ons for a reason.
4. Resist temptation. A colleague waved a box of donuts in my face, AND I wasn't even interested! (That was a total lie, by the way. You know I wanted a chocolate old fashioned!)
5. Bore total strangers with my weight loss journey. Yes, dear readers, you guys aren't the only ones! Every restaurant server, grocery clerk, and hapless student of mine has the listen to my endless weight loss travails!
So, the real news! I lost another 3.5 pounds! ALL FAT! My cholesterol and blood pressure remain normal, and my labs look great. Other than almost fainting in first period this morning, I am doing well!
External Goal: 160
Internal Goal: Inner Peace, World Peace, and, let's be honest here, a hot bod!
See you next week!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Week Six....where has the time gone!
Okay folks, I lost...drum roll please....
3.5 pounds this week! Bringing my total to 17.5 since starting the Optifast!
The night before my weigh in I had a dream that someone asked me to try their chocolate cake. It was a chocolate peanut butter cake (strange, but hey, it's a dream!) In the middle of my dream, I was like "Oh my God! I just cheated on my diet!" So, even my subconscious cannot escape my diet!
This week has been strange, since I have been on vacation part of the time. I was having a hard time eating all the meals, believe it or not, as I was sleeping in and going to bed early. I seriously have left over meals that I am not sure what to do with. I guess I'll eat them during maintenance or something. The food is so processed, I am sure it will last until the Armageddon!
So, here is my beef of the week...
There are people in my program with me who cheat, but lose more weight than I do! How is this possible? I want to eat crunchy snacks too! However, I just know that once I start eating, I will gorge myself like the animals in the The Fantastic Mr. Fox...yum yummmy yum...grrr...grrr...yumm...mmmmmgrrr....
Anyway, my goal for this week is 2 pounds.
As always, my outward goal is 160.
My inner goal, I am thinking a young Briget Bardot...and, of course, World Peace!
See you next week!
3.5 pounds this week! Bringing my total to 17.5 since starting the Optifast!
The night before my weigh in I had a dream that someone asked me to try their chocolate cake. It was a chocolate peanut butter cake (strange, but hey, it's a dream!) In the middle of my dream, I was like "Oh my God! I just cheated on my diet!" So, even my subconscious cannot escape my diet!
This week has been strange, since I have been on vacation part of the time. I was having a hard time eating all the meals, believe it or not, as I was sleeping in and going to bed early. I seriously have left over meals that I am not sure what to do with. I guess I'll eat them during maintenance or something. The food is so processed, I am sure it will last until the Armageddon!
So, here is my beef of the week...
There are people in my program with me who cheat, but lose more weight than I do! How is this possible? I want to eat crunchy snacks too! However, I just know that once I start eating, I will gorge myself like the animals in the The Fantastic Mr. Fox...yum yummmy yum...grrr...grrr...yumm...mmmmmgrrr....
Anyway, my goal for this week is 2 pounds.
As always, my outward goal is 160.
My inner goal, I am thinking a young Briget Bardot...and, of course, World Peace!
See you next week!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Three More Pounds!
It's a miracle! Despite traveling and a long drive back from Seattle (which was a lot of fun!), I lost three pounds this week!
I am no longer tired and dizzy and HAVE NOT CHEATED once in three weeks!
My biggest challenge this week was actually the Olive Pit in Corning, CA. It's a family favorite and tradition. I felt like a tractor beam was pulling my towards the tasting bar...mmm...kalamatas...green queens..those tiny delectable mediterranean ones....I am salivating just writing about them!
Oh...did I MENTION THE CHEESE?!? They had stacks of delicious, local artisinal cheeses in the deli case...sigh....I have to remind myself it's just bacteria and cow lactation...bacteria and cow lactation...bacteria and cow lactation....
Anyway, if you are not on some crazy liquid diet, a trip to Corning is definitely worthwhile! There are also lots of local fruit and veggie vendors, so if you love--love--love food, it's a fun trip. Corning is about 30 minutes past Sacramento.
So...needless to say I have been pretty lethargic this week while on vaction! However, my friend and weightloss buddy Sissy took me carving today. It is really fun and great cardio! As soon as the bills get paid, I am totally getting a trikke! I want to commute with it! If you want to know more, you can email me and I can connect you with Sissy--who is a certified carving instructor.
Other good news: I had to buy new pants yesterday, as my other jeans keep falling off my butt. Yes, like all women I lose weight first where I need it the most. Apparently, God feels that my posterior is not quite flat enough--so there you go--I am sure at least ten pounds of my weight loss can be attributed to the sudden erosion of any "back." (As in "baby got") However, when I fit into a size 16--several times mind you--I was sooooo excited I told the two salespeople all about my diet! What can I say, I am eliciting support everywhere I go. One salesgirl was so excited, she got all the sixteens off of the clearance rack for me! I fit into all but ONE pair! (However, they were low cut, so you always have to go up a size in low rise anyway--that's how you avoid muffin tops!)
FYI--I bought new jeans for school in September--they were size 22! I know! By the end of my shopping trip, the salesgirl and I had glistening eyes. It was pretty exciting!
Total Weight Loss: 14 pounds since March 10. 24 Pounds Since November 30.
Outer Goal: 160
Inner Goal: to be able to carve more than half a mile before having to stop! Also--I am really vibing off of the image of me as a short, plumper version of Heidi Klum--so I am sticking to my Heidi vizualization for this week!
See you next week!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Week!
This week I lost 2.5 pounds! So, 11 pounds since starting on the Optifast food! Woot!
Still craving, craving bread.
I did some research and found out that soldiers on the Bataan Death March ate between 800-1000 calories. So, basically I am on death march level of calories. Weird...
Anyway--quick post since I am traveling this week!
Outer goal: 160
Inner goal: to avoid eating everything in the house like the Fantastic Mr. Fox! oh.. and world peace!
See you next week!
Still craving, craving bread.
I did some research and found out that soldiers on the Bataan Death March ate between 800-1000 calories. So, basically I am on death march level of calories. Weird...
Anyway--quick post since I am traveling this week!
Outer goal: 160
Inner goal: to avoid eating everything in the house like the Fantastic Mr. Fox! oh.. and world peace!
See you next week!
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