Week 58 - Did I reach goal YET???

First of all, I want to give my sincerest gratitude to everyone who watched and commented on the video I made (posted below).  I’ve been very touched and overwhelmed with each person’s words of sharing in my joy, relating to my journey, and feeling inspired for their own journey.  I cry every time I watch it still - and when reading your comments!!  Thank you! 

Next big new is:  I reached my goal weight on Sunday!!!  I lost 4 pounds and that is 145 pounds less of me!  I am now 135 pounds!  I’m very excited!  It's quite surreal.  The hubs has maintained his weight this week so that is good.

So what now?   I have a plan already.  I am by no means done.  My plan is to continue the 5 and 1 eating plan through this month.  Then, in April, I will begin the transition plan which will last 4 months.  This plan will have me gradually add in a few food items.  

First Wk:        5 medifast meals

(add veggies)    1 lean & green

1 additional cup vegetables

2nd Wk:          4 medifast meals

(Fruits) 1 lean & green

1 additional cup vegetables

1 medium-size fruit OR 1/2 cup cubed fruit or berries   (WAHOO!!!)

3rd Wk: 4 medifast meals

(Dairy) 1 lean & green

1 additional cup vegetables

1 medium-size fruit OR 1/2 cup cubed fruit or berries   (WAHOO!!!)

1/2 cup low fat or fat free dairy  (COOL!!)

4th Wk +: 3 medifast meals

(Whole Grains)    1 lean & green

1 additional cup vegetables

Additional 4-6 oz. of meat / protein

2 medium-size fruit OR 1 cup cubed fruit or berries   (WAHOO!!!)

1 cup low fat or fat free dairy  (COOL!!)

1 serving of whole grain  (AWESOME!!)


By the end of July, I should be done with my Transition and then I will go into Maintenance.  This is where I will really gauge the calories I need to maintain my weight.  I really like the ideas I’ve gleaned from Suzi at her “My daily Nosh” blog where she posts pics of her meals.  Love it!  Her whole grain waffles look to die for!  And I love how she has berries and nuts.  I’ve learned the key is to have a plan and stick to it!  I also love to get ideas from Karla at “My Daily Thoughts”.  It gives me great visuals for ideas for how I would like to eat when I am out of “weight loss” mode and just wanting to eat good and healthy!  I still am sold on the idea of eating every 3 hours, and I will still suppliment with the Medifast food for meals here and there as it is so healthy, nutritious, and good!

NOW - A Quick recap of the last few days:

Thursday night, I had just finished DJing a wedding and was home at 12:30 am when Brent called.  I totally missed him and was excited to have him fly home the next night.  I was telling him how much I missed his hugs.  We chatted a bit and then he said to come to the front door.  He was THERE at the door!!! He had flown home a day early and surprised me.  BEST SURPRISE EVER!  Kids were in bed... just me and him.  Seriously could NOT stop hugging him.  We spent Friday together.  He made me my medifast waffles all 3 mornings he was home... SO good.  We went shopping and to lunch on Friday and spent the evening home with the kids playing games.

Saturday we went and had a massage together!  How cool is that?  We had a gift card to use which was nice.  My first professional massage ever.  Felt so good.  Then we went roller skating as a family and had invited friends too!  We skated for 3 hours.  (I think angels hang out at skating rinks!!  I don't remember how many falls I avoided)  That was so fun!!  Then later that night, we put on the music and DJ for a church youth dance that our 3 teens attended.  It was a soc hop - we even got them doing the bunny hop!  It was a blast!  We were so tired by the end.

Sunday after church I took him to the airport and dropped him off, only to find later, that all the flights were full (he had a stand by ticket)... so we rented a car and drove all the way straight through to Utah!!  That was last minute random!  Made it in 12 hours.  Good thing it was spring break for the kiddos.  

That did give us one more day together and that was fabulous (although Brent was feeling a little under the weather - hope he gets to recoup!).  I flew home this morning and here I am.  I am so thankful for my life right now... all the hard times and all the sweet times... it’s not so much what happens, it’s more about how we handle it.  I feel more capable and committed to handle obstacles with a smile (if I can) - because Life is So GOOD!!  XOXO ~Margene

Week 19 Down!

Week 19 is celebrated with a 2 pound loss for me and a 1 pound loss for my man!

School got out last week, and we treated ourselves to a yummy family bbq. But before we could do that, the kids and I had to clear our back yard from from it's jungle theme to presentable.

BEFORE PICTURES:

(Okay, these are not really the before pics but the closest I could find ;)

AFTER PICTURES:

I normally am NOT a good landscaper, gardener, planter kind of person (anything living given to me usually dies) but we spent several HOURS out there and transformed that back yard and totally surprised my hubby when he got home. I was AMAZED that I could bend over and work for so long!!! In the past, I would not have lasted even 10 minutes! I even went out for another hour after lunch. I could actually enjoy this. There was a whole section of weeds half as tall as me, many overgrown bushes, and TONS of sticker weeds that pierced me through my gloves and towels... I have the pokes and scrapes all over my arms as souvenirs. But I got such a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, along with feeling SO SORE two days later. I was thinking of the song by Garth Brooks called "Friends in Low Places" and these new words to the chorus came to mind just today as I groaned from my upper leg and arm pains:

Cause I got aches in new places

Where I didn’t know

I could even move in such a way,

But I’ll be okay,

Now I may groan & moan & walk real stiff

Think I’ll slather on some ‘ol Ben Gay

Oh I got aches,

In new places!

We bbq'd some turkey sausage dogs, cheese hamberger patties (extra lean beef w/ low fat cheese chunks blended in), and Salmon. I used an AWESOME new recipe for the salmon you can find here.

This was really good salmon!!

We also had a watermelon fruit bowl filled with melon balls, cantaloupe balls & strawberries, fresh tossed salad, and homemade ice cream sandwiches made with choc. chip cookies. We were actually prepared for some guests to join us but alas, no one was available.

This week, I also tried a new Medifast meal: Melted Cheese Sandwich!

I mixed one Medifast soup packed (I used broccoli but you can use cream of chicken or tomato as well), with 1/4 t. baking powder, at little less of 1/4 cup egg beaters. After mixing, I poured onto a sprayed plate and microwaved it for 90 seconds.

I sliced it in half and toasted each half in the toaster.. watching it so that it doesn't burn.

Then I spread a wedge of Light Laughing Cow cheese on it and put the two slices together for my melted cheese sandwich! I made it again the next day with Cream of Chicken and Tomato soup and put 1/2 laughing cow cheese and 1/2 fat free cheddar cheese. My man and I loved them! They are a little dry, but yummy - and my hubby used some Walden Farms ketchup on his. (Note - the protein from this meal would need to be deducted from your lean and green.)

I also tried this Fettuccini Alfredo recipe using Shirataki (tofu) noodles.

I made it with chicken for my man and shrimp for myself.

Here is the Recipe:

7 ounces shrimp or 6 ounces cubed chicken

1 cup of Shirataki fettuccine noodles (rinse very well and boil for 3 minutes & rinse again)

2 T. fat free (or low fat) cream cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. parmesan cheese

1 t. fat free (or low fat) sour cream

Spray skillet w/ cooking spray & add shrimp (or chicken) & cook. Once shrimp turns pink, add garlic, cream cheese, parmesan & sour cream. Once the cream cheese is all melted, add the Shirataki Noodles and toss well. Cook for 5 minutes and serve.

This was good, but needed additional seasoning in my opinion. :)

Sam from Believe in Yourself gave a challenge to set a personal goal to meet by July 21st. I know it might set me up for disappointment but I would really LOVE to get UNDER 200 lbs by then!! (or at least by the end of July). That will be such a milestep for me and I would like to treat myself to something fun when I do reach that goal - maybe a gals night out, spa trip, ... anyone got any cool ideas?

Lastly - it has been a challenging week with opposition really hitting hard, especially with our teens. Could I possibly go in a coma until they grow out of this? My kids are good kids... it's just the contention that creeps in and we're trying to keep our home positive. It puts so much pressure on us as parents when we are tempted to be negative and down ourselves. So it really is a daily relying on the Lord and daily prayer that is sustaining us. And the Lord doesn't take away our trials or change people (drat!)... but He helps us endure longer and see the bigger picture.

Sometimes I really do feel like a wimp... because how I feel inside is so different from what I show on the outside. I feel so much more tender, sensitive, loving, sentimental, and vulnerable that I ever show. I am working on being my true self more... I've just been burned so horribly in the past, but I know that my Savior can heal EVERY heartache and sorrow and THATS how I can do it. Wow, is this ever the journey full of discouraging lows yet sprinkled with the most Amazing highs!

My Mini Everest

Week 14 marked our first vacation since starting our lifestyle change. I am down 2 pounds - 54 pounds total and my man is down 5 more pounds for a total of 60 pounds!

In Pacific City this last week, we stayed right next to "Cape Kiwanda", or actually there are 3 peaks called "Cape Mears", "Cape Look out", and "Cape Kiwanda". I don't know which one was the largest one but I assumed it was Kiwanda and so that is what I refer to. I had to attempt to climb it myself after my hubby and most of my kids did. So the 3rd day, which was the most sunny and beautiful, I set out to climb this beast of a sand mountain. Any of you who have climbed a sand mountain know that for every 5 steps you take going up hill, you only advance about 1 step because you just sink in that sand and slide down with every step. There is no work out machine at the gym to simulate this and it is VERY tiring.

Here is my video journey:

(If it doesn't play then reload the page and try again)

After leaving our vacation house and trekking up part way:

Facing the steepest incline:

Almost to the top:

Finally making it there:

Here I am posing with my man at the top. My legs felt like rubber! What a feeling of accomplishment! I tell you, 4 months ago I could NEVER have done this and I doubt I would have even tried. This really was like a mini Mount Everest climb for me!

Later on that day, we enjoyed the north side of the beach. We took our water and medifast bars with us. It is SO important to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours when on this plan. I can be feeling great and then when my body needs to eat and if I wait, I can get weak and feel yucky very fast. It is so important to eat BEFORE you get to feeling yucky. Then, after eating a quick medifast meal, I feel good and full of energy again. Here I am with my bar and water having my little meal while on the beach. It was a perfect day!

I made salmon again the last night at the beach and I tried this "paradise Pineapple Teriyaki" sauce that I found at the local store. I grilled it on my George Foreman and added a little sauce to my mushrooms and peppers when I stir fried them (in pam spray). It was quite delish!!

Week 10 - Started First Workout!

I lost 2 pounds last week and my guy lost 3. Week 10 brings me to a total of 42 pounds lighter, and my guy to a total of 48 pounds lighter. :) I STILL say that it's hardly noticeable with me. I saw some pics of myself this weekend and I look exactly the same (to me). That just goes to show how easily I gained the weight without looking drastically different. I am SO anxious to really BE thinner!!

Here is my FAVORITE medifast lunch!! Chicken Noodle Soup with crackers. I never tire of this, it's so yummy!

My honey LOVES my muffins with the Walden Farms jelly (sugar free/fat free/ calorie free).

This week I made stuffed peppers!!!

We really enjoyed them. I even made them again for my whole family!

I browned my 1 pound of ground lean turkey and 1 pound ground lean beef and drained it. Then I added one pack of ground up medifast crackers, 1 cup egg beaters, 2 T. Italian seasonings, and approx. 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. This meat mixture makes a bunch - as you can tell, I always double recipes so I can have it later too.

I filled the peppers and put a little water in the bottom of the pan just to cover it. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes or until pepper is tender. I sprinkled a little cheese on top the last 2 min. of baking.

It was delicious. I didn't need any salsa or added flavoring for mine.

My man enjoyed his with his hot salsa.

We also ate out at Applebees again. This time I had the weight watchers steak and grilled shrimp. I asked for no oils or butters when baking... but I wonder if they did because it tasted SO good! I want to be able to make shrimp skewers as yummy as these!

This week we also WORKED OUT for the first time since we started this lifestyle change. Now, the last time I went on the treadmill like 6 months ago, I could only get up to 30 minutes. And the most I've gotten up to is like 40 minutes. So for not going in months, I was astounded with myself...

I walked for over 53 minutes and over 2 and a half miles!!! Some of it I even had on an incline! Wow!! I guess being 40 pounds less has helped me be able to walk longer and handle more on the treadmill. I wasn't even overly tired or TOO sore the next day (just a little sore). I am SO excited about that!

Here I am feeling happy about my walking.

I am having some much appreciated success. But it isn't without many struggles. I have struggled this weekend with a heartbreak from my past. I am amazed at how powerful this trial has been over me. It brings me SO much sorrow and I fight the feelings and thoughts with all my energy and many prayers. I realize that things may not be how they seem to me and I am trying to TRUST IN THE LORD that one day I will have understanding and peace about this trial and that it will all turn out for the best in the end. Waiting until then has been a struggle, yet I know my Savior is aware of my trials and the longings of my heart and I will Trust in Him. I am truly blessed, too, and thankful for the strength the Lord gives me and for my wonderful family!!

The Story

This is me and my husband right before we got married - over 21 years ago!

The STORY:

We're happily married, in our forties, and we're both obese. Yes, I said it: OBESE. I hate that word but I have to face it because it's the truth. We KNOW we've needed to lose weight, we've tried many programs including Nutri-systems, Jenny Craig, The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet, The 6-Week Body Makeover and others. We have always gained even more weight back. We have four children and it's like our lives are at stake. The future of our children is at stake. So we have asked ourselves over and over: Do we keep living like we are, or do we take take back our lives? And if so, how?

The SOLUTION:

After seeing my good friend lose over 100 pounds in 6 months, we have decided to try: "Take Shape For Life" using the Medifast 5 and 1 plan. We will eat 5 Medifast "meals" a day and 1 "Lean and Green" meal a day, which is basically a portion of lean meat and vegetables. This is the plan with WILL work for us. We are COMMITTED (and I don't mean to the funny farm). This is the year we WILL take back our lives. We are so sure of it, that I am starting this blog so we can monitor our progress and maybe even be a source of motivation for someone else. Watch us transform our lives!

GETTING STARTED:

So here are our "Before pictures"

Feb. 7th, 2010 My Hubby at 300 lbs.

Feb. 7th, 2010 Me at 280 lbs

We are NOT happy with our physical condition! I hate my double chin!!!! Hate may be too weak of a word, really. My tummy gets in the way of everything... I bump into people with it, and I don't have a lap because of it. My back gets tired from carrying such a big belly and it's hard to ever pick anything up off the ground, especially when I'm sitting. I worry about fitting into booths at restaurants or breaking chairs. There is practically never a time that I don't feel self-conscious. I haven't felt beautiful for so many years, that I have forgotten what it feels like. This is NO WAY to LIVE!! I look at these pictures and they just aren't us. This doesn't reflect the real me inside. I'm excited to get to the point where I really look and feel like my true self, and I believe that it WILL happen THIS year.

IT'S TIME TO CHANGE!!!