Three Weeks and Twelve+ Pounds!

I'm thrilled to share that in 3 short weeks I have already lost 12.4 pounds! The inches are also melting away, and I lost a good bit this week from my bust, waist, arms and neck. I won't bore you with the measurements.

This week's weigh in was a good motivator for me. I can really feel things changing--my pants are all getting too big and in a few weeks I will have to go shopping. Oh woe is me :-) My mom has now officially noticed my weight loss, and everyone knows that moms are a tough crowd.

Last week I was only down 0.6 at weigh in, so I was thrilled to feel on track this week. My understanding from others is that week #2 is often not great numbers-wise---your body is getting used to things and things are shifting around. I also had a few really salty dinners accidentally (like when I spilled the Old Bay seasoning into the bowl) and I could feel the water on myself. In any case, I stuck with it and was rewarded this week!

I'm not finding the diet all that difficult, actually. The hardest part is if I have to go somewhere outside of my usual life, but regular days at home or work are now getting routine. I'm finding meals I like and getting things set for myself. For lunch, I usually like to have a salad with raw veggies instead of cooked and then my packet. For dinner, I'll make different proteins and cooked veggies and then some raw veggies on my salad. I have definitely found that 2 cups of a single cooked vegetable is not for me -- I get bored and then really don't want to eat it at all. So, variety is the ticket!

This week is a holiday, and I am a little nervous about how things will go. Timing for meals will be off, but my husband and I will figure out a way to make it work! I am already anxiously awaiting next week's weigh in day--I can't believe how fast the diet is working, and I really am not finding myself starving. My goal is still far away, so I'm just focusing on week at a time.

Off to have my Southwest Spicy Cheese Curls!

Weigh in day #1

First weigh-in day!

I weigh myself every day, so I have known all week I've been losing weight. But today is official, so here goes.....

Amazing!! 7.8 lbs lost this week, plus half an inch almost all around on all measurements (waist, hip and bust). It's definitely more than I expected to lose, and more than most people probably do in the first week (at least women). It's a huge motivator for me, and I'm so excited. My lunch salad is tasting delicious after this news.

I picked my foods for the coming week and decided to mostly go the chocolate route. I find myself looking to my IP packets as treats rather than food at my meal. I'd rather have pudding than leek soup at lunch. That could change, but it's my strategy for next week and we'll see how it goes. So far, the packets I've enjoyed are:

• Cappucino drink
• Chocolate drink
• Dark chocolate pudding
• Chocolate soy puffs
• Southwest spicy cheese curls
• Nut crunch bar 
• Caramel nut bar
• Chicken patty
• Chili

I'm not actually a true choco-holic, but it does appear I'm leaning that way! 

Six Days In

I'm 6 days in! So far so good.

What's going well:

• My headaches are getting less severe, which is good and my coach said that should happen
• I am less crabby (which is good for everyone--work and home!)
• The IP foods are really good and I look forward to them.
• I have lost weight.

What's hard:

• I need to get creative with lunches and dinners. Lunch is especially important because I'm having a salad with fresh veggies daily and am easily bored. So I need to find some dressing recipes.
• 3:30pm is a hard time for me, so I have to stay busy then as I have the urge to snack.

I've found that the Southwest Cheese Curls are nice with lunch and it's a huge portion. Next week I plan to have half a packet of those and half a packet of the chocolate soy puffs, and I expect to be happy because I will feel like I'm getting two things. 

My first weigh in is tomorrow. I have definitely lost, not sure how much yet. I know people say not to weigh yourself every day, but I do. Knowing that number really helps me stay motivated and on track.

My friend emailed me yesterday to say: Don't give up, you're doing great! Having that support is nice, plus my husband is also doing the diet. His weight is flying off, which is just wonderful for him. His is meticulous with his diet, measuring everything carefully and taking this all quite seriously. It makes it hard for me to not do the same.

Wish me luck tomorrow!

Here we go!

Today was Day 1! My husband and I began dieting on Ideal Protein. I've been wanting to do this for awhile--a friend from work lost 30 lbs and has kept it off for 3 years and she's really encouraged me. I had to wait until I was done breastfeeding and, well, here we go!

I have a lofty goal of an 80lb weight loss. I say lofty for many reasons including that this would be less than I weighted in high school. So for now I have that number in mind but I will see how I look and feel. My husband hasn't shared his number with me, nor I him--a girl's gotta have some secrets, don't you think?

I started off the day a little rough, though providing amusement to my husband and 8yo son. I was trying to make a frappuccino out of my cappuccino shake. Too much ice and I ended up having to drink a whole pitcher-full! Not ideal (no pun intended).


Overall the day was ok. I am definitely very hungry, which my coach assures me will subside after day 3 or 4 when my body starts melting my fat to make the energy it needs. I hope she's right and not just blowing smoke. I didn't have an extra packet but I did have a snack of salty lettuce. Hit the spot.

I've been pretty crabby today as well, which I blame on the hunger. But it could be the messy kitchen, the lack of sleep from the baby who doesn't, feeling disorganized, or any other number of things. So I am trying to work through it, which I can only imagine that my family appreciates.

Most of the ideal protein food I've had so far has been reasonably tolerable, and some quite tasty. Today I had the cappuccino shake and dark chocolate pudding and liked them both. We tried the premade mango shakes at lunch and neither of us loved it. It needed to be ice cold, and was super
sweet with a funny aftertaste. That said, I'm not a juice lover so maybe it wasn't for me.

All in all, it was a reasonable day. Going to bed hungry is not a fun feeling, so I'm picturing myself shopping as I count sheep.