When we last left off here in Skinnyland, I had given up duck fat fries and taken up....powdered eggs.
Medifast is the diet I did from May-July, and I lost tweny pounds. It works like this: Each day you eat five Medifast "meals" that you buy either online or at a Medifast center, and one meal you prepare made up of a green veggie and a lean protein.
Medifast meals are mostly powdered - shakes, eggs, oatmeal, soups- but also bars and pretzels and cheese puff snacks. Lots of water. NO booze.
On some days, it was as bad as it sounds, but other days, it was this crazy system that kept me freakishly in check in a way no diet ever has. I would weigh every morning to find, in most cases, the pounds and ounces just disappearing.
If you read the stories of other Medifasters (or MFers as we like to call ourselves) you'll find similar stories of seemingly overnight successs, and if you're looking to really see results fast, I truly can't recommend it enough.
The downfall is...it's a very rigid plan, and when/if you do cheat...you see a quick gain. After a while, a girl can no longer exist on magic chocolate bars and cheease puffs, no matter who loose her pants are getting...
So, after three months (and what friends and co-workers in hindsight would tell me was a long stretch of me in a very bad mood....) I transitioned from Medifast to Weight Watchers....
Monday, September 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
How Duck Fat Fries Made Me Skinnier
It's funny how things in life happen....how all the dots connect. I'm pretty sure if it weren't for Duck Fat Fries, I would still be carrying lots of extra weight around.
Rewind a bit to earlier this year...
I'm at a restaurant near my house that is famous for its duck fat fries. Also there, a friend-of-a-friend named Kris. We exchange hellos, pleasantries about the fries, of course, and it's then that I learn she is a blogger, too. A weight loss blogger. By this point, I hadn't updated my diet blog in a while, but the nosey, sick, twisted side of me loves to follow other bloggers, especially those with some kind of real story to share, and hello, I can emphatize with few things MORE than fighting the scale. I started stalking Simply Fabuloss.
Then Kris started Medifast....
I'd heard the Medifast ads on the radio, and like most diet commericials, the stories shared from people claiming to have lost a ton of weight in little to no time seemed, well, just too good to be true.
Then Kris lost 13 pounds in ONE week.
Then I signed up for Medifast. And I haven't ordered duck fat fries since...
Rewind a bit to earlier this year...
I'm at a restaurant near my house that is famous for its duck fat fries. Also there, a friend-of-a-friend named Kris. We exchange hellos, pleasantries about the fries, of course, and it's then that I learn she is a blogger, too. A weight loss blogger. By this point, I hadn't updated my diet blog in a while, but the nosey, sick, twisted side of me loves to follow other bloggers, especially those with some kind of real story to share, and hello, I can emphatize with few things MORE than fighting the scale. I started stalking Simply Fabuloss.
Then Kris started Medifast....
I'd heard the Medifast ads on the radio, and like most diet commericials, the stories shared from people claiming to have lost a ton of weight in little to no time seemed, well, just too good to be true.
Then Kris lost 13 pounds in ONE week.
Then I signed up for Medifast. And I haven't ordered duck fat fries since...
Monday, August 22, 2011
No really, this time will be different.....
I have written a little on I Do Declare about the fact that since May, I've been dieting. I've lost just shy of 25 pounds. However, I still weight around what I did when I began The Red Dress Report. Yeah...you do the math.
Last year, I got the idea to create this weight loss blog from an article I'd read in some magazine. The reporter needed to lose about 20 pounds, so she signed up for Weight Watchers. The story chronicled her week-by-week efforts, and at the end of her piece readers learn she did, in fact, drop the 20 pounds, plus a few more.
With each progress report, she shared her weight. I thought her candor gave real grit to the story, and since I'd just started I Do Declare I thought it a great idea to create another blog just about my diet. You know, expand my brand {ha!}. I also thought, surely, if I tell the world - or even the few people who decide to follow my blog - how much I actually weigh there's no way I'll let myself fail.
Since I disappeared from this blog more than a year ago, you can probably guess what didn't happen (the red dress still doesn't fit) and what did (the only thing that expanded was my rear).
As I've shared before, I'm an avoider. I even avoided this blog (and the scale!) once I let one week, then two, then months pass without holding myself accountable. I clicked on this blog just before starting this round of weight loss efforts to reread some of my old posts.
When The Red Dress Report began, I was in such a strong mental place. I truly thought I was going to succeed. I would have never claimed all 163+ pounds if I didn't think eventually I'd be thin again.
Well, I'm still not. But, I am stilling trying.
This time, instead of sort of dieting for a week or two, I have a solid three months behind me. I still have a solid 20-25 pounds to put behind me, too....which is why I'm here. Again.
I'll be sharing how I lost the first round of pounds, and documenting the ups and downs as I try to shed those which remain. And this time, (I HOPE!) the only thing that will disappear for a while will be this excess weight.
Last year, I got the idea to create this weight loss blog from an article I'd read in some magazine. The reporter needed to lose about 20 pounds, so she signed up for Weight Watchers. The story chronicled her week-by-week efforts, and at the end of her piece readers learn she did, in fact, drop the 20 pounds, plus a few more.
With each progress report, she shared her weight. I thought her candor gave real grit to the story, and since I'd just started I Do Declare I thought it a great idea to create another blog just about my diet. You know, expand my brand {ha!}. I also thought, surely, if I tell the world - or even the few people who decide to follow my blog - how much I actually weigh there's no way I'll let myself fail.
Since I disappeared from this blog more than a year ago, you can probably guess what didn't happen (the red dress still doesn't fit) and what did (the only thing that expanded was my rear).
As I've shared before, I'm an avoider. I even avoided this blog (and the scale!) once I let one week, then two, then months pass without holding myself accountable. I clicked on this blog just before starting this round of weight loss efforts to reread some of my old posts.
When The Red Dress Report began, I was in such a strong mental place. I truly thought I was going to succeed. I would have never claimed all 163+ pounds if I didn't think eventually I'd be thin again.
Well, I'm still not. But, I am stilling trying.
This time, instead of sort of dieting for a week or two, I have a solid three months behind me. I still have a solid 20-25 pounds to put behind me, too....which is why I'm here. Again.
I'll be sharing how I lost the first round of pounds, and documenting the ups and downs as I try to shed those which remain. And this time, (I HOPE!) the only thing that will disappear for a while will be this excess weight.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Week 4 - Nothing to see here, Folks...
1??
I am not going to weigh this week, and I'll spare you my excuse (even though I know you would empathighs...urh, empathize). It's not very lady like to discuss the cyclical happenings that cause fatigue, bloating and the inability to make one's self move from the pantry door where Sour Patch Kids and Raisinets magically disappear, in an instant, down one's throat. I thought of you all while I stood there at my pantry....the tens of tens of you who support my dreams of skinny by reading this blog. I wanted to resist. I wanted to walk away. And I did finally....only when I scooted over to the fridge, grabbed a Weight Watchers ice cream bar and took it back to bed with me.
I just don't want to step on the scale this week. Next week, I'll make up for all my hormonal, naughty noshing by eating just Alli and Dulcolax sprinkled salads. It is going to be fine. It's way too cold to wear a skimpy red dress right now anyway.
I am not going to weigh this week, and I'll spare you my excuse (even though I know you would empathighs...urh, empathize). It's not very lady like to discuss the cyclical happenings that cause fatigue, bloating and the inability to make one's self move from the pantry door where Sour Patch Kids and Raisinets magically disappear, in an instant, down one's throat. I thought of you all while I stood there at my pantry....the tens of tens of you who support my dreams of skinny by reading this blog. I wanted to resist. I wanted to walk away. And I did finally....only when I scooted over to the fridge, grabbed a Weight Watchers ice cream bar and took it back to bed with me.
I just don't want to step on the scale this week. Next week, I'll make up for all my hormonal, naughty noshing by eating just Alli and Dulcolax sprinkled salads. It is going to be fine. It's way too cold to wear a skimpy red dress right now anyway.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Week 3 - The Full Plate Theory
159 lbs.
Success. Success at long last. Do you know how gratifying it is to be out of the 60's?? It's as gratifying as a cruise ship buffet, that's how gratifying.
I must admit, I still cheated some last week. There were bites of ice cream and sips of wine on Saturday. Like the zippers in my too-tight pants, my will power is weak. I indulge on weekends. During the week, howevs, I'm on Points like no one's business.
I am - and will always - be a work in progess with this healthy lifestyle thing. That is when I'm not digressing, of course...(but I digress). Being structured does not come naturally to me.
Still, I may have discovered a little secret to what will work best as I aim not just for a balanced weight, but a balanced life....
Avoid having a full plate.
When it comes to being stretched, I'm already thin - my commute, my job, my family and friends, my house, the laundry, stealing time for just myself - managing it all is an exhausting challenge (especially for someone whose energy level is admittely low due to lack of excercise...). I don't think I'm unique to any other woman in this regard, in fact, compared to many I have a slight advantage - one husband on whom I can depend, zero children who depend on me!
This weekend, for the first time in 2010, I was not traveling. I had no committments to anyone. I got to sleep in, plan meals, take down the last of the Christmas decor (yes, really), clean, and search for pieces of clothing that have been hiding in my scary laundry room. I got to rest. And, if I had made excericse a priority there would have been time to go the gym. That's next week's challenge...
I'm discovering that every side dish on the plate that is my life contributes to my weight. When there is time to go to the grocery store, I have healthy food on hand. When there's a side of urgency, I order pizza. When the dishwasher is empty and the counters are clean, I get excited about cooking a low-fat meal. When there's a side of kitchen clutter, I order Chinese. When I am not sporting some MSG bloat, I feel more attractive, so I take more time to do my face and hair, and feel better about myself. When there's a side of confidence, I want to savor every bite!
While some people celebrate at the finsih line of a 10k, I just count small victories - like knowing what I am going to cook Monday - Friday, or not feeling guilty if I turn down an invite to happy hour. With every battle I win - or at least fight - I feel like victory in the battle of my bulge becomes more sustaniable.
When you don't keep a full plate, it's easier to lose weight.
Time dieting: 3 weeks
Total weight lost to date: 4 pounds
Success. Success at long last. Do you know how gratifying it is to be out of the 60's?? It's as gratifying as a cruise ship buffet, that's how gratifying.
I must admit, I still cheated some last week. There were bites of ice cream and sips of wine on Saturday. Like the zippers in my too-tight pants, my will power is weak. I indulge on weekends. During the week, howevs, I'm on Points like no one's business.
I am - and will always - be a work in progess with this healthy lifestyle thing. That is when I'm not digressing, of course...(but I digress). Being structured does not come naturally to me.
Still, I may have discovered a little secret to what will work best as I aim not just for a balanced weight, but a balanced life....
Avoid having a full plate.
When it comes to being stretched, I'm already thin - my commute, my job, my family and friends, my house, the laundry, stealing time for just myself - managing it all is an exhausting challenge (especially for someone whose energy level is admittely low due to lack of excercise...). I don't think I'm unique to any other woman in this regard, in fact, compared to many I have a slight advantage - one husband on whom I can depend, zero children who depend on me!
This weekend, for the first time in 2010, I was not traveling. I had no committments to anyone. I got to sleep in, plan meals, take down the last of the Christmas decor (yes, really), clean, and search for pieces of clothing that have been hiding in my scary laundry room. I got to rest. And, if I had made excericse a priority there would have been time to go the gym. That's next week's challenge...
I'm discovering that every side dish on the plate that is my life contributes to my weight. When there is time to go to the grocery store, I have healthy food on hand. When there's a side of urgency, I order pizza. When the dishwasher is empty and the counters are clean, I get excited about cooking a low-fat meal. When there's a side of kitchen clutter, I order Chinese. When I am not sporting some MSG bloat, I feel more attractive, so I take more time to do my face and hair, and feel better about myself. When there's a side of confidence, I want to savor every bite!
While some people celebrate at the finsih line of a 10k, I just count small victories - like knowing what I am going to cook Monday - Friday, or not feeling guilty if I turn down an invite to happy hour. With every battle I win - or at least fight - I feel like victory in the battle of my bulge becomes more sustaniable.
When you don't keep a full plate, it's easier to lose weight.
Time dieting: 3 weeks
Total weight lost to date: 4 pounds
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Weeks 1 & 2 - Good Fortune meets Bad Choices
162.4 lbs.
The photo above is of the fortune that came inside my cookie last night at dinner. By telling you this, you know that I ate Chinese food. It wasn't just steamed veggies, either...
I knew when I started this bite-by-bite account of dieting that I'd have to tell you about when I failed....I just didn't think it'd happen before the end of January.
Well..it has.
During Week 1, when I dropped down from 163 to 160.2 (average weight loss for me when I'm doing well is about 1 - 2 pounds a week) I started drafting a bragadocious blog about how easy this has been. It's true that while I stayed in the structure of my packed lunches and the safety of my own kitchen that I was not tempted to make bad choices. I ate non-stop....on grapes, rice cakes, apples and lean chicken! Cheating meant two Hershey's Kisses after dinner. I have a sweet tooth that must be fed.
I was weighing every other day, on a scale that gives weight down to the ounce, and I was dropping ounces with each weigh-in. Things were going well.
Until this weekend.
Let me start by telling you my current weight: 162.4 pounds.
Now let me tell you how I got there (from 160.2) in a matter of days:
I went to Tennessee, and admittedly left my Weight Watchers Points Plan at home.
I hosted a baby shower. While I prepared the food, I snacked on everything. A bite of pimento cheese here, a quick taste of ice cream there. Oh, and there was cake. I had a piece.
I had some wine, too. Some = 3 glasses. I had this wine with two of my oldest friends and honestly, even if I knew it'd play a part in setting me back two pounds, I think I'd still have had it. (Or maybe I would have stopped at the second glass.) Sometimes it's worth it to indulge in your situation. I had such a fabulous time, I'd do it again. I'd just maybe not snack on chips, salsa and quesadillas, too. Some people smoke when they drink; I eat.
I also get hangovers. Oh, the perks of the 30's... I cure hangovers with carbs. So my medicine for a night on the town was a breaded pretezel and half a meatball sub from Mellow Mushroom, a bowl of spahgetti and a giant Sprite (not all at once....but still).
Last night, Mr W (who has lost 7 pounds after making only marginial changes to his really terrible eating habits - life is so unfair!) and I ordered Chinese food. Why stop after a stellar 3-day weekend of binging? Though my portion was very small, I ate chicken fried rice, and two crab rangoons. At this point, I'd already stepped on the scale to meet my 2-ish pound gain. So when I popped open my fortune, I felt it near divine.
"You will make change for the better"
I will make changes for the better because - wow - two pounds over a weekend? That easily explains 14 pounds over four months.
Time dieting: 2 weeks
Total weight lost to date: 12[dissappointing] ounces
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The First Step
163 lbs.
I am an avoider. I don't like to balance my checkbook because I don't want to even know what's not there. If I think you're mad at me, it's easier for me to just hide. You can imagine, then, how I approach weighing.
Until the first week of the new year, it had been four months since I had stepped on a scale. Since those four months I got married, and went on an indulgent honeymoon.
Though I swore when I returned I would continue with the starvation, Alli sensible eating habits I'd practiced for two months pre-nupts that had delivered some success, I did not. I allowed myself to eat with total abandon everything spicy {jambalaya}, sour {candy!}, salty {chips & queso} and sweet {I really don't discriminate when it comes to sugar}of which I had deprized myself before the wedding. With every week that passed, I'd offer the same disclaimer to anyone watching my caloric collapse: Next week I'm going back on Weight Watchers. I just never did.
"Next week" turned into 14 pounds.
Yes, there was Thanksgiving, and Christmas...but still. 14 pounds? A consistent weight gain at that rate would have me...well, I'm terrible with numbers, but in a short time it'd make me very over-weight. The Red Tent Report?? No thank you.
Getting on a scale consistently is never fun...but neither is going up jean size. It's a whole lot harder to drop pounds if you don't know how many you're holding. You have to weigh to track the consistencies in your your body's response to the changes you've made in your diet.
Weighing for some, myself including, is the hardest step to take towards whatever your weight loss goal is, but I think (after throwing out all the candy from your cabinets) it's the most important one. I wish I had gotten on at Pound 7 instead of at Pound 14.
Since facing reality I have been back on the scales. I'm happy to report progress. I'll share more about that next week...
I am an avoider. I don't like to balance my checkbook because I don't want to even know what's not there. If I think you're mad at me, it's easier for me to just hide. You can imagine, then, how I approach weighing.
Until the first week of the new year, it had been four months since I had stepped on a scale. Since those four months I got married, and went on an indulgent honeymoon.
Eating my way through Spain with Mr. W
"Next week" turned into 14 pounds.
Yes, there was Thanksgiving, and Christmas...but still. 14 pounds? A consistent weight gain at that rate would have me...well, I'm terrible with numbers, but in a short time it'd make me very over-weight. The Red Tent Report?? No thank you.
Getting on a scale consistently is never fun...but neither is going up jean size. It's a whole lot harder to drop pounds if you don't know how many you're holding. You have to weigh to track the consistencies in your your body's response to the changes you've made in your diet.
Weighing for some, myself including, is the hardest step to take towards whatever your weight loss goal is, but I think (after throwing out all the candy from your cabinets) it's the most important one. I wish I had gotten on at Pound 7 instead of at Pound 14.
Since facing reality I have been back on the scales. I'm happy to report progress. I'll share more about that next week...
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