Week Twelve - What's New?

Yesterday I had my one-on-one session with the NP and she asked, “What’s changed?”  I’ve had to think about that a little bit.  Obviously, the weight loss – at an average of three pounds every week after the first week, I have lost 39 ½ lbs in ten weeks – sixty pounds since January 2014.  Excellent.  Super excellent!

I feel much better.  From silly little things like being able to bend over and tie up my shoes without it being awkward and difficult, to being able to bound up a couple flights of stairs and not be huffing and puffing.  Oh, and very exciting - I was lying in the bathtub last night after slogging wheelbarrows of soil for over two hours, and I realized that my arms fit comfortably beside my body - a year ago, they couldn't fit.  Today, I had to tighten the strap on my bike helmet - apparently I've lost significant fat from around my neck/chin.  Sue tells me I’m not snoring at all anymore.  I am not coughing as much.  Hemorrhoids that I’ve suffered with for 40 years are gone.   Sue mentioned yesterday that I’m much more positive, and she’s mentioned several times that I’m happier.  Well, I suppose if you carried around a 60 pound bag of concrete on your shoulders for 28 years and finally got to set it down, you’d be pretty happy too!

I explored the ‘positive’ comment with her a little bit more.  Sue’s thinking that I’m generally more positive because I feel better in my skin, I’m more likely to go out and do things that I might have done before, but didn’t really want to/ feel comfortable doing before.  I’m also more physically active, and that combined with my better self-esteem is making both happier and positive.  Who’d ‘a thunk it!

I’ve also got a long ways to go.  Apparently, the 100% Optifast ends on July 30^th (even though it's been only 11 weeks, and not the advertised 12 weeks) with the introduction of one tiny meal per day, then solid food comes on line gradually over the next five weeks.  I’m quite nervous.  Looking at my gut, it’s still pretty flubbery – I’m thinking that losing ten more pounds would be about perfect.  My fear (probably unfounded) is that with transition, this extra loss won’t happen.  There is fear of weight re-gain (also probably irrational, but still real to me).  And then there is fear that I won’t be able to manage cravings, and things will go south.  After talking with Joy yesterday, I’m guessing the trick will be to be very strict with sticking to ‘the plan’ AND keeping up lots of exercise during this transition phase. 

And remembering that if I don’t lose even one more pound, I still look and feel really good.  Still, I think it’s going to be a rough couple months.

Week Eleven

Working on week # 11 this week.  The scale got 'unstuck' around Wednesday, so that was nice - still averaging 3 lbs/week.  At our group session this week there was a lot of information about the upcoming transition period.  This coming Thursday I have my one-on-one meeting with the nurse practitioner, then there is only ONE more week of Optifast shakes only!  On July 31 I have my first meal since May 14!  Now I'm using the word 'meal' rather loosely here, during this first week of transition I'll have 3 shakes per day and 1 meal that consists of 3 ounces of protein (not red meat) and 1 cup of vegetables (not corn or potatoes).  In the following weeks, the number of 'meals' will increase and the number of shakes will decrease over a five week period.

I have my meal plan for the first week.  My very first meal will be Thai Lemongrass Chicken Soup with a spring roll of fresh veggies in a lettuce leaf.  How great does that sound!  <insert cartwheels>

I have mixed feelings.  Part of me is thrilled at the idea of eating.  The other part of me is terrified at the idea of eating real food.  It's not so much that I'm afraid that I'm going to pig out and go crazy, it more about fear that the weight loss will stop.  I'm thrilled with my weight loss thus far, but I'd really like to lose 10 more pounds - that would get rid of most of my tummy flubber, and I think I would feel really great.  They tell us that we should continue to lose during transition, but still it is a rather nerve wracking time. 

All I can do is hold the course - keep exercising, drinking the water, and sticking with the 'plan'.

Solid Food - Very Exciting!

This week was the start of week # 10.  My weight has stalled for 4 days now, so that's a little discouraging, but I've been averaging 3 pounds weekly since that first week of crazy-rapid weight loss - so I'm not panicking -- YET !  I'm trying to focus on how great I feel, how I'm enjoying life, and how much better I look.  Trust and patience - that's hard.

So - pretty exciting!  At our group session this week, they were talking about how to deal with emotional eating.  One of the tools that they are giving us is called 'Mindful Eating'.  Basically, it is a practice of how you eat your food.  It goes like this: (1) sit down, take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes and 'center' yourself, (2) use all five senses and enjoy the food - sight, smell, tough, hearing(yes, listening to your food), then finally, taste; (3) Chew the bite 25 times, enjoying the taste/flavor sensation; (4) Stop after you swallow and take another couple of deep breaths, and start over.

After practicing this exercise a few times, they broke the news that we can now have solid food again - Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!  In addition to the 4 shakes and extra 2.0 L of water, we now get to eat 1 raisin per day to practice this 'mindful eating'.  I hope I don't gain weight! :-)  It's actually a pretty good exercise, and the idea is to make this a habit BEFORE we start eating regular food again.

You might wonder what Sue and I do for date activities now?  Well last night we spent the whole night going through my closets again doing a fashion show.  I try on the clothes, Sue tells me which pile to put it in!  Turns out that most of the clothes in my regular closet are now way too big to wear.  There is now a HUGE pile of clothes destined for Value Village, and another HUGE pile of clothes to be altered once my weight stabilizes.  I heard that after a certain point you can't alter clothing, in other words size 44 to 40 might work, but 44 to 34 wouldn't.  But we'll cross our fingers and hope that a lot of the items in the alterations pile will work.

This week, after the classroom/group session, Sue met me downtown at Phase2.  It's a great used clothing store similar to Value Village.  I've found that it has a better selection AND better quality clothing than V V - at least for men's - didn't check out women's.  I put money in the meter for an hour, thinking, 'That should give us plenty of time'.  Nope.  Got a ticket (well a warning) for being 45 minutes overtime.  That's a whole big bunch of clothes to try on!  Then we went to the Tommy Hillfiger store in the Outlet Mall.  We were thrilled to find the 70% off clearance racks at the back of the store - 60 dollar shirts for 18.  How about them crackers!  Talking with the clerk - basically brand new arrivals garner full price and a spot at the front; then after a couple weeks, they go to the middle sections at 30 to 40% off; after a month, they go to the clearance rack.  Okay, so I can wait a month.  A year ago I couldn't wear anything in the store because I was just too big - their XXL was way too small.  Now I can wear anything in the store, mostly in medium, but I tried on a small shirt and it fit perfectly.  Basically, with men's clothes I'm convinced that the person on the assembly line who has the job of slapping a label tag on the article of clothing just picks size labels at random!

Anyhoo.  We came home with a trunkload of clothing.  I even have clothes in the 'skinny closet' again, so I should be good for a few months. Thankfully, my amazing wife has worked hard to preplan the finances involved in this 'clothes rental' scam - you know, buy, wear, discard, repeat.

It has been a truly remarkable journey over the past two months.  I feel so much better, and I'm learning new tools for success.  So even though it feels like the scales are broken this week, I have to grit my teeth and believe that they will unstick soon, and enjoy the 'new me' in the meantime.

Week 9 - Things Are Different

There was an exciting number change this week.  When I started my weight loss journey, eighteen months ago, I was clinically morbidly obese.  This week I moved from obese to merely overweight.  If you believe in statistics, this means that I've got a good chance of living an additional 10 years and have fewer serious medical problems.  Fifty pounds lost over 18 months, 30 of those since day # 1 of Optifast!

Practically speaking, I'm having a lot fewer asthma episodes and shortness of breath.  Much less back and knee pain from arthritis.  Less acid reflux.  My blood pressure has lowered.  My blood sugar and triglycerides are well within normal.  Fewer headaches.  And most of the hair has grown back on my head!  Well maybe not the hair, but I sure feel better and tons more energy.  Good news - I am wearing some medium size shirts and some 36 size pants.  Bad news - I'm all out of skinny clothes, and busy shopping.

Very few side effects .  On the recommendation of the NP, I started taking a probiotic capsule - back to great intestinal health.  Practically never hungry.  Very rare cravings.  Amazing.

The past couple weeks' group sessions have been about managing conditioned behavior and the importance of exercise.  Apparently most cravings start to subside in 8 minutes, so if you can engage in an alternate activity for 15 minutes, you're home-free.  There's been lots of talk about recognizing that you're at a choice point and have your alternate behavior (like take a short walk) planned out ahead of time.  Another interesting thought was that a slip is not failure, but a "first attempt in learning".  A big theme in this program is 'plan, plan, plan'.

As far as exercise, it's important.  Eighty-five percent of dieters who do NOT exercise regularly regain the lost weight within 2 years.  I set a goal of exercising 30 minutes a day 6 day out of 7 days.  So far I've exceeded that by 50% most days.  This has been a particularly high activity weekend - biking at Pres'quile for 2 hours Saturday and 3 hours of kayaking on Saturday to celebrate 34 years married.  When I started, exercise was a chore, now it's actually comfortable and fun.