Success!

Well, after 7 days on my new diet, I am down 10 pounds and feeling great! I am following the South Beach diet and have cut all carbohydrates per the guidelines of the diet. Although I have not had any carbohydrates, I really am not craving them! I was so shocked as I thought that I would really miss my pasta, potatoes, chips and popcorn, but I feel so good that I want to keep going. In fact, there were several treats at work this week, including cookies and doughnuts, that I never would have walked by before and this week it was easy to say "no thanks!" and mean it. Before I started this diet, I always felt gassy and bloated. Since starting the diet, I have not had these feelings, and I even had my period this week! I used to come home from work and want to go to bed, now I get home and have plenty of energy to play with the kids and keep up on household chores. I did workout for 1/2 an hour 4 of the past 7 days, 5 if you count yardwork which I would have done anyways. So really I have not done anything extreme or had to work very hard. I recently went on a diet and was working out an hour a day and watching what I ate, Weight Watchers style, and did not come close to the same loss after several weeks! I am supposed to go without carbohydrates for another week and then slowly start adding in healthy ones. I know that there will be times when I want to have something that is not on my list, but I think that that is part of the lifestyle change. If I want this to be a lifestyle change, I have to make it something that I can live with. Having the occassional pasta salad or birthday cake should not derail me, if I allow myself a sensible portion during a special event or when I have a craving and get right back on track. Unfortunately, though my weight loss was great in pounds, the inches are not as telling, or where I would have wanted them! Here are my stats this week:
Weight: 230 (down 10)
Bust: 41 (down 3)
Waist: 44 (down 1)
Hips: 47 (down 1)
Thighs: 25 (up 1)
Arms: 14 (same)

Healthier Lifestyle

After a recent checkup, my husband's doctor instilled a real fear that he would need a blood transfusion or liver transplant. Thankfully, an internist disagreed with these concerns. Though he disagreed that my husband's liver would cause his untimely demise, he did believe that issues with weight and heart disease would be a more likely culprit. Though we were relieved that his liver was not the issue, we have agreed not to become complacent. After his initial diagnosis with diabetes two years ago, we eradicated all cookies, chips and ice cream from the house. We also cut back on eating out and substituted salads and healthier options for fries whenever possible. We lost weight and were feeling better. Then slowly we started to slide back into old habits. Two years later, the chips and ice cream have made their way back into the house. We are eating out several times a week and definitely not making the healthiest choices. When Randy's doctor referred him to the internist, I began to really think about what it would be like to raise our children as a widow. Randy kept saying that I would have plenty of money to survive, but the money could never replace him, for me or the kids. This also got me thinking about my health. I have always been overweight and would not want the kids to be left with no parents because I did not take care of myself and my health. When the internist told us that losing weight should be our focus, we were both relieved that major medical interventions would not be necessary and resolved to living a healthier lifestyle. After a weekend spent planning a menu and shopping to stock up our pantry, we are starting our healthier lifestyle tomorrow. It will be a lifestyle because we plan to adopt this healthier way of eating and living for a lifetime, there will be no sliding back into old habits. On top of eating more healthfully, I also plan to work out several days a week. I plan to follow the South Beach diet. I have about 90 pounds to lose to be within a healthy range for my height, 5'8". At a healthy rate of lose of 2 pounds per week, that would put me at about 1 year to reach my goal loss. I will post my struggles and achievements weekly along with the following statistics:
Day 0
Starting Weight: 240
Total Weight Loss: 0
Goal Weight: 150
Bust Measurement: 44
Waist Measurement: 45
Hip Measurement: 48
Thigh Measurement: 24
Arm Measurement: 14