Weigh In Results 6/10/11

Well, another successful weigh in. Today I had a loss of 1.6 pounds. Though this is slower than I had hoped for, it is a continuum in the downward slope. This means that in past four weeks I have lost almost 7 pounds. I am hoping that this will not be the norm and I will eventually lose at a quicker pace. I am still telling myself that this is an adjustment period for my body (going from strictly liquid to actually eating foods) and that ultimately I will find a groove where I will lose closer to 3 pounds per week. Either way, I am losing and that is good. I'll take the 1.6 today and every week hereafter.

I am wondering what I can do to mix it up a bit. I have laid off of my exercise for the past two weeks, as advised by my health coach and also all of the literature I have read. Maybe by reintroducing my regular workout routine into the plan, I will have a bigger loss next week. I hope so. I am scheduled to teach water aerobics twice next week. Along with my water aerobics, I plan to pick back up with my weight training and walking.

AND... with the sun finally shining here in my corner of California, I plan to get back on my beautiful blue bike! Glenn bought me this little beauty and I can't tell you how amazing it feels to get out there and ride. It gives me a sense of being a kid without responsibility, just out for adventure. It is so much fun, especially when we can get the kids to come along and ride together as a family. Even though the kids are 21 and 16, they still humor me by doing fun, silly kid stuff.

Lastly, I had my interview in the Special Education Department earlier this week and just today received my acceptance letter for the fall. It looks like I am on my way to becoming an Education Specialist:)

Happy weekend all. Eat healthy, get out and get moving and keep a positive outlook-

Until next time,

Live, love, laugh and lose (every day!)-

~Lisa

Pre-Weigh In Nervousness

Hello all,

Here I am, a couple of weeks into my new program and anxiously anticipating my weigh in tomorrow. It's funny because last week I was hoping for a small loss or even maintenance and that worked to my advantage. However this week I want a larger loss. I am hoping for a 2-3 pound loss as I feel my body has had ample time to adjust. Ambitious? Maybe, but little goals along the way are necessary.

As of today, I am 55 days away from my summer vacation and eight weigh in's away. I would really love to be close to the 180lb mark by the time I go, less if possible. Either way I am already lower in weight than I have been in over a decade. I can feel my body shrinking and it is the best feeling ever. I can actually look in the mirror and see a smaller me. Talk about motivation to keep plugging along. I am dedicated and committed to myself for once. In the beginning, I told myself that I have been able to set other goals and attain them, why then had I not been able to attain a weight goal? I think that there have been a combination of reasons (aside from health) that include high stress, and responsibility. I also told myself that this time (from Jan. '11-Fall '11) was designated exclusively for me and my health. As I have no other obligations, it has become the perfect plan.

Until next time,

I am moving forward~

"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

~Live, love, laugh and lose-

Lisa

Weigh In Results 6/3/11 and Nostalgia

Thank you Shonnie for the reminder:)

I did lose this week and feel good about it too. My loss was 1.2 pounds and I am OK with that, even though it was my smallest loss so far, it is still a loss and it is confirmation that my decision to make the switch is a success! So, no setback for me! My goal was to at least maintain and hopefully not gain and that worked out for me.

And yes, we have been extremely busy at our house. We are currently working on some home improvements that have consumed much our time. It feels a little bit overwhelming, but we are making some big changes to our sweet little house. I should point out that we live in a very old neighborhood that has many one of a kind Victorian houses that are absolutely gorgeous. Most of the historical homes around here are from the 1860's and I really admire all things nostalgic. Even though our house in not a Victorian, it is old and is centered in what is considered the "Old Quad" here in Santa Clara. There is even a Historical Home Tour each year around Christmastime that Glenn and I once worked as docents. I find it fascinating to think that someone else used to live right here in my space over 150 years ago.

So, some of our improvements include pulling up the carpet in the front room and having hardwood installed. We currently have hardwood floors throughout the rest of our house. I have also ordered plantation shutters for all of my windows. I have painters coming to paint three of my rooms. (over the Labor Day weekend, Glenn and I painted the majority of our house and IT WAS SO MUCH WORK!! I can appreciate how hard house painters work and I never want to do that again). I ordered all new furniture for my living room and den, and today Glenn bought me all of the Tiffany lamps I have been eying for some time. They were all on sale half off, then I had a 15%off coupon and the store had a special for another 10% off on top of that. I really scored on the lamps. Needless to say, I have been interviewing contractors and shopping for furniture for what feels like forever. And...I almost forgot, I needed to find a safe and fun place for my two dogs to go while the painters are here, so I've also been interviewing doggie daycare facilities. I found one that I am happy with, but more importantly Maxi and Roscoe Roo liked it too! Tinkerbell is going to a sleepover at Sarah's boyfriends house since she doesn't go outside. We don't want her to get out and we also don't want to confine her to the bathroom for a couple of days.

HOLY MOLY, if that is not enough I've also applied to obtain an additional credential in hopes of attending school again in the fall. Recently I completed my graduate studies and received my multiple subject credential, allowing me to teach K-8th grade. Though I love it and have taught third grade as well as student taught in as kindergarten class. I think my true calling is teaching special education, so I am hoping to get into the Special Education Department at San Jose State. It has taken me a couple of weeks to gather all of the application paperwork requirements, but I was able to turn it all in last week. I think I have only six more classes to take to complete the requirements to get my second credential. I should also say that when I taught third grade, almost half of my students had special needs and those were the students I felt that I made the most progress with. Even in my kindergarten class, I had several students with varying degrees of special needs and those students stand out in my mind as my favorites. It's funny the way your path in life leads you. I feel that this is meant to be and also something I will be exceptionally good at it.

The department called and said that my application was complete and not lacking anything. They want to meet with me for an interview next week. Wish me luck, I really want this!

And since I was talking about nostalgia, here are some of my treasured family photos-

These are my great-great grandparents, Nonno Fani and Nonna Bianca. The two pictures show them in their early years (married in late 1890's) and then in their later years.

These are my grandparents on their wedding day in 1945. Nonni and Nonno. My Nonni was only 17 years old. (Dolores Bianca and Edwin Frederick)
These are my great grandparents on their wedding day (above) sometime in the 1920's. (Cesare and Ada Marchetti) Below they are older and I think this particular picture was cut in half to be used as passport photos..
I have a really beautiful powerpoint presentation that I made for school telling my family's immigration story. If I can figure out how to upload it I will. It's challenging enough for me to add pictures to my posts with some type of order.

As always, see ya lighter and I am off to have another positive, productive week.

Wishing you all the same~

Live, love, laugh and lose-

Lisa

On My Mind

Hmmm...

Tomorrow morning will be my first weigh in on the Medifast plan, my seventh weigh in since starting a VLCD. I'm not sure what to expect and it makes me a little bit nervous. I really do not anticipate a big loss as I am not exactly making such drastic changes in terms of calorie intake.

I am rather considering this an adjustment period for my body. My hope is that I will have a small loss as opposed to a small gain, especially since this is the first week I have eaten real food in almost two months. I have been following this plan to the tee and feel confident that this is definitely a better choice for me. I am very happy to have made the decision to switch over to Medifast. I feel that I can do this for an indefinite amount of time and I do not feel that I am "missing out" on anything.

This week has been a mix of learning new things and navigating my way around social situations. For instance, I have been tasting and determining what foods I like and what foods I do not like so much. I have been able to gain some insight from various other bloggers and am appreciative of the tips and tricks that I have found. I'd like to especially thank Margene for her waffle recipe made from MF pancake mix. That is soo... good and I really like it with a little healthy fat peanut butter on it. I've also found that I do not like the vanilla anything from MF because it seems to have a weird flavor. That is very unusual for me as vanilla is one of my favorite flavors. I've yet to make any of the hot drinks that I purchased, but maybe later today.

Last weekend, I attended a BBQ where I thought I would just visit and then go home to eat, but as it turned out, I was able to eat a big hamburger without the bun and a big salad. It was satisfying and I felt that I was participating in the festivities. It was fun and I felt in control of my actions while staying on plan.

Beyond all that, we are working on some major home improvements around here and we have had contractors in and out all week. It has been quite a busy and hectic week, but definitely productive.

And, as promised, I have included my weigh in chart, so you can see my progress:

Weigh In Results

Starting weight 232.8

1^st Weigh In -8lbs 224.8 -8lbs

2^nd Weigh In -3.1 221.7 -11.1lbs

3^rd Weigh In -2.7 219 -13.8lbs

4^th Weigh In -4.4 214.6 -18.2lbs

5^th Weigh In -1.6 213 -19.8lbs

6^th Weigh In -2.4 210.6 -22.2lbs

I'd like to add that my weight prior to that starting weight was 235, and my all time highest weight was 246. So as you can see, I am making great progress and it feels so good!

I will add to this chart tomorrow and hopefully it will be a minus number-

Live, love, laugh (and lose)~

Lisa

Friday Weigh In

Introducing TINK!

Tinkerbell and Roscoe have grown up together. Tink is my daughters kitty and she is super cool. She gets along well with the dogs and never fails on the cuteness factor. She is a lynx point Siamese. She just turned a year old in April. She is the real diva around here!

Today is my regularly scheduled weigh in day and I am pleased again with my success. I have lost another 2.4 pounds! I am very close to the 25 pound mark.

Feeling good about myself, and ready to go out to dinner for an on-plan meal!

We are going to the Fish Market tonight with Glenn's childhood friend from the hood. I love the Fish Market because they always have such a variety of fresh and healthy foods to choose from. They also have delicious salads and side dish vegetable choices. I think it will be the perfect place to go for a celebratory meal. Boy, I cannot express how happy I am to have a real meal to look forward to each night.

I hope that the Medifast plan helps to keep my weight loss momentum going. I have seen all of the success stories from others and can't help but wonder if I will be as successful since I am switching from my 1000 calorie plan to this equally low calorie plan. I am scared that I may even gain weight this first week. Goodness, I hope not!

Remember, I am a worrier and unfortunately I tend to worry about everything. So, needless to say. I am a bit scared, along with excited to begin this new plan.

This morning I heated up a cup of the Medifast cappuccino and it overflowed and spilled all over my microwave. I ended up dumping the rest and having to clean up. I then tried a caramel crunch bar and it was OK, not a favorite. A little while ago I tried to make my pancake into a muffin and it too overflowed and made a mess. I'm not feeling off to a great start.

All I do know for sure is that I am shrinking and it feels good!

I am off to have myself another successful and productive week.

Wish me well~

(My sweet husband just got home early from work for the long weekend)

Boredom , BE GONE....

Dolphins are a Rogers Family favorite!

Good news!

Today will be my last full day on the optifast program. I can't even tell you all how completely bored I have become with the shakes. Though there are three flavors, I am limited to only two of them, as I am allergic to anything with red dye, so strawberry is out. My only choices have been limited to chocolate or vanilla. I tell ya, it will be a long time before I want to drink chocolate milk of any kind.

As of today, I have been following on full liquid formula for six weeks. During this time I have lost almost 25 pounds, which I think is exceptional! I am very pleased with my results and impressed with the program. I am also happy with my decision to switch over to the Medifast program. My food arrived yesterday and it has been sorted through and shelved. I am so excited about having more choices, and even more excited to eat a real dinner with my husband and children each night. I understand that part of the optifast program is to remove choices as to not create difficult decisions for some, but the thought of remaining on that formula for ten more weeks is just too much for me to imagine. I am just getting through today and dreaming of dinner tomorrow night. I think we are planning on going to the Fish Market for some good food on plan.

Since Friday is my usual weigh in day, I plan on starting my Medifast plan tomorrow morning so that I will be on the product for a full week by the following Friday weigh in. I think it should be interesting to see how successful I will be, as I am coming from one low calorie consumption program to another. Really I am just hoping to continue my losses each week and ultimately reach my goal. It would sure be nice if I could reach my goal by my birthday in late October. However, I prefer not to place a timeline upon obtaining my goal, but rather consistency. Remember "Slow and Steady Wins the Race"? (no race though)

Also, in early August, my sweet husband is taking the family and I on a dream vacation. We are spending a few nights in Oahu to put around and soak up the island life before boarding a Hawaiian cruise ship for seven more nights. I CANNOT WAIT!! I love Hawaii and we have not been back in over six years. It should be great because our children are older and are each bringing a friend. This way, they can all do whatever they choose and so can we! We are also bringing my mom and I am excited about that. She is tons of fun, especially on vacation. It feels good to be able to do something so nice for her. My husband is truly the best guy in the world. So, that trip is a little better than two months away and I really hope to lose another 25-30 pounds before we go. I think it is a realistic goal. Any loss more than that would be fantastic, but I'll take whatever comes.

Not only is losing weight quickly a huge motivator, but having a tropical vacation on the horizon is definitely a driving force in obtaining a healthy weight. I feel that I am well on my way and there is no stopping me now.

Tomorrow is my weigh in and I anticipate another two pound loss, bringing me to a loss of just over ten percent of my starting weight. I will post my results at that time. I have been working on a weight loss chart to post like others I have seen, but since I am technologically impaired (politically correct description) I need to recruit the assistance of one of my children.

This whole blog thing is new to me and I am figuring it out little by little.

If anyone knows how to help me add my ticker, please offer instructions:)

Until tomorrow-

Live, love, laugh and LOSE!,

~Lisa

Excellent Walking Partners:)

These are my boys. Roscoe is the shorter haired sweetie on the top and Max is below. They are still puppies. Roscoe is nine months old and Max is ten months old. We were lucky enough to adopt Roscoe from a rescue group at eight weeks old, so he has been well trained. Max came to us at eight months old. He was apparently neglected and surrendered to the shelter twice. He really had no training and was very shy and scared. He didn't even want to come in the house. Luckily he is now in his forever home, as we are dedicated to training and loving our boys. They get along famously and complement each other in every aspect.

Max has made incredible improvements and now knows that he is part of the family. He has even taught Roscoe about gardening. (We cannot leave them alone for any amount of time)

These guys bring so much love to our lives. We couldn't imagine life without our dogs.

Since they are Australian, their full names are Roscoe Roo and Mad Max!