J&M Blog

2009-07-06T21:29:00.003-04:00

Restarting the diet.

So much has happened in the in the last year. I moved to Chicago. I started law school. We sold our house. Medina moved to Chicago with me. I finished my first year of law school. (In that order.)

Unfortunately, something else happened over the last year. I gained weight. To be exact, I gained back 30 of the pounds I had previously lost. I am not beating myself up over that fact, but I am unhappy about it. The good thing is that we know exactly what to do about the situation. We know how to lose weight. We did it before, with great success.

Now it is time to do it again. Medina and I are once more undertaking the difficult task of losing weight. My short term goal is to get back to my previous low by the time school starts at the end of August. I am currently at 280, and I want to be at 250 by my thirtieth birthday, on August 23.

It's such a simple formula that one wonders why we didn't just keep on losing. The answer is also simple. It is a matter of attention. In order for me to lose weight, I have to pay close attention to everything I eat. I have to write it down. And I have to plan ahead. I can't head out to school or work with no preparation for lunch, because the results are almost always bad.

So now we are paying attention, and we will lose the weight. We are a good team, and we've proven that when our minds are focused we can achieve our respective goals. Today was official weekly weigh-in number 1 of our second round of weight loss. My starting weight is 280.

Next weigh-in and progress report in one week.

2008-06-15T08:50:00.003-04:00

Still at -53 lbs. and haven't budged much at all. I guess this is the plateau that people talk about. Since there is not much to report, my posts will continue to be light until something happens. I don't feel the need to post the same boring information week after week about how nothing has changed. In the meantime, I will not give up. I will never give up. Not now. Not after I've come this far.

2008-06-03T14:59:00.002-04:00

Week 35 - No news is good news. I am still holding on at -53 lbs. and I'm damn proud of that accomplishment. Despite everything that we have going on, I have managed to maintain my weight. I even went on a solo roadtrip Memorial Day weekend and managed to lose 1.5 lbs. while I was gone. That is unheard of for me. In order to kick start the weight loss again, we are back in the box meaning we are attempting to only eat vegetables, fruit and lean cuisine type meals. Drinking lots of water is key and that's one thing we haven't wavered on. Dehydration can cause all sorts of problems; it's important to consume at least 64 oz. of water daily. I don't know if my cravings will ever stop. Maybe it's something I will always struggle with. I eat lots and lots of fruit and vegetables and even though I'm not hungry, I normally don't feel satisfied. Sometimes my thoughts are consumed with food and how happy I would feel if I could just have a few bites. It's crazy really. Today I was weak and had 2 slices of pizza...after I ate my lean cuisine. It smelled so good and I did not try very hard to resist. It tasted good, but really wasn't worth it. That's usually the case and I know that going in, but I just need to taste it. Despite my crazy food obsession I still feel like I am making progress. One step at a time.

2008-05-14T12:47:00.002-04:00

Week 32? What week is this anyway? I can't seem to keep track of anything these days. I know life is busy for everyone, but it seems especially so for us right now. I'm not complaining because, generally speaking, I enjoy being busy and even a little hectic. We're selling our house, Jackson's dad had double bypass surgery a few weeks ago and my mom just had brain surgery last week. On top of all of that, my supervisor at work is on maternity leave so I have taken on a lot more responsibility. Every night it seems like we have something going on and in between that we have to do laundry and clean the house and take care of the dogs and somehow spend some quality time with each other. It's really not too bad, I'm just doing the best I can and going with the flow of things. I said all of that to make a point that eating healthy in the midst of chaos is very hard. We have been making an effort and considering the situation I think we've both done great. There hasn't been much time for exercise so I'm still holding on at 53 pounds lost and just taking it one day at a time.

2008-04-28T22:34:00.002-04:00

Official Week 30 Results
Down 1 lb. for the week
Down 79 lbs. total

I managed to get back the one I gained last week. I suppose I should only comment on a week that isn't crazy and stressful. Because it seems like that is the default state right now. I went to the gym today and had one of the best workouts I've every had. I want to build on that and push myself even harder this coming week.

2008-04-24T07:14:00.004-04:00

Week 29 +2 lbs

Yikes! So much for staying the same. Hopefully things will slow down soon and I'll have more time for exercise. So far this week has been crazy too.

2008-04-21T13:14:00.002-04:00

Official Week 29 Results
Up 1 lb. for the week
Down 78 lbs. total

It was a highly stressful week, so I'm glad I only managed to gain one. Time to hit the gym hard to get back on track.

2008-04-18T16:10:00.002-04:00

Week 27 & 28

I've managed to maintain my weight the last two weeks, not losing or gaining. I guess that's good in the whole scheme of things. I have had a lot going on so I'm completely amazed that I have been able to hold steady. When I'm stressed I eat, and although I have indulged my cravings a little more than I probably should have, there is a notable difference from how I would have handled the stress before. I feel guilty for comforting myself with food and I realize that's addiction. That's the difference. I'm working on it.

2008-04-14T11:35:00.001-04:00

Official Week 28 Results

Down 1 lb. for the week
Down 79 lbs. total

Still moving downward, even in the midst of a very crazy week with not enough time at the gym. One pound away from the next milestone.

2008-04-07T20:31:00.001-04:00

Official Week 27 Results

Down 2 lb. for the week
Down 78 lbs. total

Continued progress. It was a busy week and a good one. It's nice to see that it is possible to be very busy and still drop weight.

2008-03-31T13:15:00.003-04:00

Week 26: -3 lbs

I finally hit the big 50 lb. milestone this week; I have lost 51 lbs. so far. I have never lost this much weight consecutively before. It feels great. When I think about how much more I need to lose, I get discouraged. But I have to remind myself of how far I have come. Now I know it's possible and there's no way I'm slowing down.

2008-03-31T11:45:00.001-04:00

Official Week 26 Results

Down 1 lb. for the week
Down 76 lbs. total

Alright, now we're moving in the right direction.

2008-03-24T20:34:00.002-04:00

Official Week 25 Results

Up 1 lb. for the week
Down 75 lbs. total

Booooo!

Gaining weight is not ok. I am actually doing pretty well. I was the lowest I have ever been earlier in the week. But then came Easter dinner. I am sure I was retaining a lot of water because of all of the sodium I ingested. So hopefully, if I keep hitting the gym hard, the weight will drop back off.

2008-03-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

Week 25 +1

I realized something this week; I have a food addiction. I am an addict. There, I admitted it. That's the first step, right? I don't know why this never occurred to me before. Maybe it did, but it was never as obvious to me as it was this weekend. On Friday, we were visiting my parents, who are also changing their diet and losing weight, and upon inspection of the pantry I found stale Frito Scoops and an 2 unopened jars of cheese dip. This completely baffled me because I can not comprehend having anything in the house long enough to go stale. And the UNOPENED jars of cheese dip that my mother claims have been there for months confused me. It felt like I was hearing a foreign language to hear both of my parents state that they "never think about the food in the pantry" and how it "doesn't bother them to have that stuff in the house". What? WHAT? My brain does not work like that. When we started this whole thing, I had to clean out my refrigerator, freezer and pantry to get rid of anything that I shouldn't be consuming. The thought of something that I shouldn't have just sitting in the pantry would be too much for me. I would have to either eat it or toss it. I have no self control when it comes to food and that's why I can't have chips or cookies or any other evil goodness in our house. I can't eat just one or even just a handful. I have to finish the bag of chips or the box of cookies as quickly as possible so that I can "start fresh". So when I hear people talk about how that box of peanut butter ice cream bars have been in their freezer for 6 months, it just doesn't make sense to me. That experience at my parent's house this weekend opened my eyes, big time. I have a serious problem. Food addiction has always been a problem for me and I will struggle with it for the rest of my life. It feels powerless to be so out of control with food. Now that I am able to recognize my weaknesses, I hope to gain more self control and self respect.

2008-03-17T11:41:00.002-04:00

Week 24: -5 lbs.

Hurray! Yeeeee! Finally some progress. After losing and gaining the same couple of pounds over the last month I hit my lowest official number this morning. I have lost 49 pounds in 5 months and I'm so close to the next milestone. I'm hoping to blow right past the 50 pound mark this week. My goal is to workout at least 3 days this week. Last week the weather was amazing and we were able to get outside and take walks. I am so much more motivated to excercise if it means getting to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

2008-03-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

Official Week 24 Results

Up 1 lb. for the week
Down 76 lbs. total

2008-03-11T13:22:00.002-04:00

Weeks 22 & 23 - down 1 and then up 2.

I have been a slacker. Actually, I have just been very busy and blogging was low on my priority list. So now I'm catching up. We have both been trying to stay in the box and despite me having gained, we are doing well. We had some tasty grub in Chicago last weekend and vowed to eat healthier when we got back home. Speaking of tasty grub, we had some overpriced bar food at our hotel on Friday night and then on Saturday night we decided to check out Chicago's oldest restaurant,The Berghoff, for some comfort food. It did not disappoint. After arriving home on Sunday we were hungry and too lazy to go out so we ordered pizza(s). So like I said, now we are back on fruit and vegetables and I already feel better. It's really amazing how much I have changed in terms of how I feel when I eat crappy food and how that affects me mentally. Fast food especially. I had fast food three times over the weekend and did not enjoy it all. Honestly. I felt yucky and my stomach was not happy with me at all. By Monday I was ready to eat healthy again. So as of yesterday I have lost 44 pounds. This morning when I got up I was a whopping 3 pounds lighter than yesterday. I'm always amazed when that happens. Hopefully that will stick and I'll lose even more by next Monday.

2008-03-10T13:39:00.002-04:00

Official Week 23 Results

Down 1 lbs. for the week
Down 77 lbs. total

After an indulgent weekend in Chicago, I am pleased to have lost anything at all. I think that the decision to go back into the box was a good one, and I think if we continue to be good, we will start to see bigger numbers soon.

2008-03-03T16:06:00.001-05:00

Official Week 22 Results

Down 0 lbs. for the week
Down 76 lbs. total

Holding steady again this week. In the box with a couple of large, notable exceptions. Those exceptions aside, it was a good week.

2008-02-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

Week 21 - I also stayed the same this week which means I have lost a total of 45 pounds since we started this back in October. That's great and all, but I have a lot more to lose. And since I have only been maintaining my weight lately, I am going to be a little harder on myself and limit my choices. It worked before so I trust that this will help get me over the speed bump and on my way to reaching my goal. I guess I'll start tomorrow since I had a fried egg sandwich for breakfast today.

2008-02-26T11:32:00.002-05:00

Official Week 21 Results

Down 0 lbs. for the week
Down 76 lbs. total

In an effort to speed along the process of losing the pounds between here and the goal we are going back into the box. "In the box" is dietspeak for eating only diet approved foods. Those foods, as defined by the HMR diet, are fruits and vegetables coupled with the shakes and entrees they sell. This time around we'll be including Lean Cuisine and the like as "entrees". They are the same as the HRM items in terms of calories but they are significantly cheaper. 100 lbs. here I come.

2008-02-18T23:44:00.001-05:00

Official Week 20 Results

Down 1 lbs. for the week
Down 76 lbs. total

I was a little bit lower earlier in the week, but like Medina said, we treated ourselves for Valentines day. I'm glad that I still managed to lose one.

2008-02-18T12:40:00.002-05:00

Week 20
+1/-45 overall

I had chinese food on Friday night and in celebration of Valentine's Day we went out for a nice dinner on Saturday night. I'm sure the yummy morsels that I enjoyed is directly related to the extra pound this week. C'est la vie.

2008-02-11T17:19:00.000-05:00

Official Week 19 Results

Down 0 lbs. for the week
Down 75 lbs. total

Holding steady.

2008-02-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

Week 19

-3 lbs/-46 overall

I have no idea how I lost weight this week. For starters, I did not step foot in the gym, not even once. I also did not make the best choices about what to eat this week. Lent started this week and although I'm not catholic, I do enjoy the fish fry's. So we went to the church from Jackson's boyhood on Friday night to enjoy some deep fried goodness. I should also mention that earlier that day I had a plate full of sweets at work. So Friday was bad in terms of eating healthy. I allowed myself to splurge a little and I don't feel one bit guilty; however, I'm sure it will catch up with me so tonight I'm heading back to the gym.