Break Free from Obesity

I've been on Medifast for 25 days and I am down 22 pounds!!! I cannot remember a time I was on a "diet" for 25 days! I have been amazed at how easy it is to do Medifast's 5 and 1 program. I eat 5 Medifast meals a day and one lean and green meal. The best part of this "diet" is I'm satisfied. I don't feel hungry. My husband enjoys our evening dinner together because we are eating a lean meat and vegetables and/or salad. The greatest gift of all is I am not a slave to carbs! I have always been drawn back in by the carbs and I haven't even missed them. My motivation has been that I see the pounds melting away. I posted a picture not too long ago of what 16 pounds of butter looks like and now I have lost 88 sticks of butter off my body!!! Whooo hooo!!! Thank you Medifast!!!

I am going to share below something I typed a while back before I started Medifast. I had emailed it to myself at work and today I increased the font, printed it and hung it on my work station so I can see it every day.

WHY I DON’T EAT BAD CARBS

It makes me crave more carbs
It makes me feel blah (sluggish)
It keeps me FAT (obese)
It does not make my problems
go away – it keeps me FAT!!!

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!!!

My success tomorrow depends on my choices today!!!

THIS IS MY STORY

I began writing this blog on 3/5/2010 so I could put into writing my weight-loss journey. I have a very long road ahead of me but this blog will be a great way to keep track of the journey along the way.

Sadly, I have been very obese for the last 20+ years. I have tried to lose weight many times (countless times) but I always felt overwhelmed and deprived on a diet so it never lasted very long. As you can imagine, this became very depressing but the more depressed I was about my weight the harder it got for me to stick to any kind of a diet. :(

To me, being obese is a vicious cycle of overeating, gaining weight, wanting to lose weight, searching for the perfect diet but secretly not wanting to give up the comfort of food, feeling anxious and depressed about going on a diet, then finally giving in and eating more food to feel better only to feel shame and remorse. Around and around we go on the Obesity Merry-Go-Round. It's a hell of a ride to get stuck on. I should know, I've been stuck on this ride for well over two decades!!!

How did my weight become such a big problem? I was a normal weight child until 5th grade. I know this because I have pictures to prove it. Then the summer before I went into 5th grade I gained a bunch of weight. I stayed chubby until the tail end of 6th grade, when I started my first diet. How sad is that? My first diet was at age 12 in the 6th grade!

I don't really want to discuss what kind of shenanigans I was involved in at age 12 but let's just say hanging out with the wrong peers led me into a life style where I was able to lose some weight. Not all of it, though. However, I was still pretty active and not that much overweight.

During the summer of 1980 (entering 8th grade), I do remember being mindful of not eating any bread, sweets and drinking plenty of water. I also started walking A LOT that summer. I dropped 35 pounds in one month. I kept the weight off until 1982.

What happened? The rest of this story will continue at a future time when I have reached my goal weight and can post some "Before" and "After" photos. Until then, I will continue to write my story of being stuck on the Obesity Merry-Go-Round.

From now until I reach my goal, I will continue posting about my weightloss journey and other experiences along the "weigh" down. Truthfully, this is the most important part of my story because it will illustrate to my readers how I transform from being very obese to being a healthy weight after years of struggling to lose weight. I will share how I  Break Free from Obesity  and become Thin Again in 2010!!!

Signed,
KisMJ ~ Keep It Simple MJ

Here is another gross thought. For every 5 lbs a person is overweight -- that is how many 5 lb bags of sugar they are lugging around with no help of a grocery cart to push the sugar around in. Imagine a person being 200 lbs overweight. That means that person is lugging around 40 (forty) 5 lb bags of sugar just glued to their body with no help of a shopping cart to help push or carry it around. Their poor aching muscles and bones must be so tired!

The fact is that for every 1 pound of body weight lost that relieves the body of 4 (four) pounds of pressure. That is the truth of the matter. If a person loses 20 pounds they have lost 80 pounds of pressure. YOU do the math!

With either one of the analogies used above, the sad truth is I have A LOT more weight to lose. However, the reality is that I now know I can achieve this as long as I stick to the Medifast plan and do this journey one meal at a time -- ONE DAY AT A TIME!!!

I'm eager to break free so I can be THIN AGAIN IN 2010!!!

~MJ

I'm down another 8 lbs. making my two week total 16 lbs. :) I'd love it if I could lose 8 lbs. every week but I'm sure that won't last until I reach goal. LOL

Tonight for my L & G, I had parmesan crusted catfish, coleslaw made with Walden Farm's coleslaw dressing and green beans. It was very delicious and my husband loved it. He's not even on the diet and enjoying the L & G meals.

Tonight I'm freezing my vanilla pudding to see if I like it frozen. Other than that I am pretty tired (getting over a bug) so I will probably go to bed early.

I wanted to write what I am feeling and/or thinking but I'm drawing a blank this evening. I'm feeling tired I guess. I'm thinking I love Medifast for making the 5 and 1 program so easy to incorporate into my life. This is the easiest diet I have ever tried and I am feeling grateful to have found it!

Peace,
MJ

Well, I must say that I am very pleased to announce that I lost 8 lbs. on my first week of the Take Shape For Life program. I am feeling hopeful for the first time in more than two decades!!! My dream to become Thin Again in 2010 is off to a really good start! :)

There is so much more for me to look forward to on this program, too. I have so many new ideas for the Lean & Green meal. I also look forward to trying some muffin recipes using the Medifast oatmeal. I will post on here what I like so others may try it for some variety on the 5 and 1 plan.

Last night I made a parmesan crusted tilapia and my husband loved it. I used a little tiny bit of olive oil brushed on the fish, sprinkled (sparingly) some garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, paprika and reduced fat parmeson on each side. Baked it at 400° for 15 minutes. Delicious!

I've never been much of a "fish" eater so it is exciting to find a recipe that I liked. We had it with a side of mixed vegetables and I was so full when I was done eating. Before, the only time I had fish was if it were battered, deep fried and had french fries with cole slaw on the side. LOL

Today's Meals:

Breakfast: Cappucino
Mid-Morning: Apple & Cinnamon Oatmeal
Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup
Mid-Afternoon: Strawberry Crunch Bar
Dinner: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia w/ mixed vegetables
Evening: Chocolate Mint Bar

Today has been a great day!!!

~MJ

Whooo hooo!!! I have almost completed my 7th day on Take Shape For Life (TSFL) and I am thrilled that I found this program and how easy it is ... finally something I can do that I believe in!!!

Breakfast: French Vanilla Shake w/ Pumpkin Pie spice added ... YUMMY
Mid-Morning: Peach Oatmeal
Lunch: Chicken and Wild Rice
Mid-Afternoon: Chicken Noodle (I forgot to grab a bar to take to work)
Dinner: 5 oz. Lean Sirloin Steak w/ Side Salad and Kraft Light Italian
Evening: Chocolate Mint Bar (missed my afternoon bar -- no pudding tonight!)

There you have it ... a simple day in a nutshell ... Keep It Simple (the KIS in KISMJ) (:

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in day ... stay tuned as I become Thin again in 2010!!!

~MJ

Another successful day on my new weigh of eating. The Take Shape For Life program is the easiest diet I have ever tried. All others failed miserably because I found them difficult to plan the meals and it overwhelmed me. I'm not sure that it is the simplicity of this program or I'm just ready to finally do something about my weight. Maybe it is a little of both. ??? One thing is for sure -- I'm not hungry eating every 2 - 3 hours and I have not found a food yet that I didn't like. I'm training myself to nourish my body with nutritious fuel not overeat for the sake of how a food tastes. ~Peace Out~

MJ

Day #5 was a good day. I'm not hungry at all. I really like the lemon crunch bar and the chocolate pudding. I'm looking forward to Friday for weigh-in. This is the first time I've been eager to step on a scale in a very long time!!!

~MJ

Today was a crazy busy day at work. I was struggling to get my meals in every 3 hours. Then I blew up my lunch in the nuker (Chicken & Rice Soup). Ooops!!! LOL

I'm looking forward to weigh-in, which is this Friday. I'm going to keep this post brief because I am so darned tired from busy Monday at work.

Dinner tonight is a taco salad made with ground turkey. I'm thinking about trying the brownie for the first time tonight. I'll let you know what I think.

I am hoping to post on here everyday my first week on program. Then it might be a couple times a week. I am gathering my thoughts to tell my "obesity" story. I need to get it in writing. I'd like to express what it is like -- the hell of eating against your own will.

Until then ... be kind to yourself!

~MJ

Today was a good day. Stayed on program. For breakfast I tried the recipe on the Hot Cocoa box. It was very yummy. Mid-morning was an oatmeal crunch bar. Very good. I then had a Creamcicle shake (recipe on Orange Creme shake box). For mid-afternoon I had the cream of broccoli soup with a 1/2 cup of broccoli florets added and some reduced fat shredded cheddar. Best soup I've tried yet and it was like eating the real deal.

Then I mustered up the courage to drag out my digital camera and tripod so I could take a "Before" picture. I must say that I was mortified to see what I really look like from head to toe. It is no wonder I have been hiding from the camera for so long. I was feeling somewhat depressed afterward (I couldn't even cry) so I called my health coach and she reassured me that it is going to be OK. I just need to stay focused on the program and do this one day at a time.

For dinner I had steak and salad (I can live with that). My final meal was the chocolate mint bar, which I think strongly resembles the taste of Girl Scout Thin Mints. All in all a good day. I need to remember the feelings I had after seeing my "Before" photo so I can remember why I am doing this program. I want to break free and be thin again in 2010!!!

Well, today was Day #2 and I feel pretty good. No headaches and just a little tired but I didn't get a full nights sleep. I tried the Cappucino which was delicious! I'm trying to make my first meal soy-free due to thyroid medication. Mid-morning I tried the Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal, which I thought was good. I added just a sprinkle of cinnamon. For lunch I had the Beef Stew and so far I haven't been ecstatic with the soups but a little pepper and fat free parmesan helps. I have never been a big salt person so I am trying to avoid using bouillon because of the sodium content. Everyone in my Facebook discussion keep raving about the chicken noodle soup so I swapped my plans for a bar to the soup instead. Same as the stew -- it was OK but pepper and FF parmesan improved it. I love homemade chicken noodle soup and beef stew so I shouldn't be surprised that I feel "OK" about these meals. Obviously, a meal replacement is not going to taste like homemade. I'm hoping to make a L&G soup with Shirataki in the future but for now I am sticking to the Medifast foods and easy L&G meals. For dinner I had ground turkey made into a taco meat and had a very delicious taco salad. A chocolate pudding for my last meal of the day and that was pretty yummy. :)

I have been focusing on doing this program as it is written so I may "BREAK FREE" from this morbid obesity. I am so tired of being a slave to food and my willingness to do this program is making me smile right now as I write this blog. I am so happy that I found this program and like the meals. This food is to nourish my body so I can not only be thin again in 2010 but to retrain me on how to view food and use it as a means for nourishment not overindulgence and something to abuse.

Thank you Medifast and thank you, Sue (my health coach)!!!

~MJ

I was approaching today with enthusiasm. It has been a very long time since I was a normal weight and for so many years I have yearned to be thin again. For some reason, I was a slave to food. Subconsciously always searching for the next binge.

I can honestly say that I love food and I used to take great pleasure in eating myself senseless. This is no new territory to me. You see, I use to be like this with alcohol until June 15, 1992. That is the day I got honest with myself about my drinking.

Today, March 5, 2010 is the first day of my breaking free from the bondage of food! A new beginning for a new me. The me I long to be but can never seem to reach the thin me that is hiding inside this obesity. Please God, let it be me that breaks free!!! I want to be thin again in 2010!!!

Today is the first day of the rest of my thin life. I started a serious food reduction program called Medifast. It is a controlled way of eating and it is very simple to follow. I eat 5 prepared meal replacements and one lean and green meal. I have been searching for a way to lose weight for many, many years. I wanted to be thin and healthy again but diets always made me feel very overwhelmed about the food.

Since I have discovered Medifast through the Take Shape For Life program -- I feel hopeful that I can finally be the me that I was intended to be. Take Shape For Life, the simplicity of the food and a health coach is exactly what I have been looking for and I am so happy I have finally found it. All I need to do is "Keep It Simple" right now.

The idea of fueling my body with nutritious food instead of bingeing on everything I find pleasurable to taste is exactly what I need right now. I'm done kidding myself about being OK with who I am. Yes, I have made enormous progress in my life since putting down the booze. However, I have been unhappy about my obesity for far too long. In all honesty, I am not OK with my size, how I look, how I feel and how others look at me. I am so sick and tired of being tired and sick ~*~*~ of being fat!!!

How I got this way isn't important right now. What is important right now is that I have found a solution and it is up to me to take the necessary action on becoming a healthy weight. I am now willing to do the leg work because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have the power tools needed to lose all of my weight and it is up to me to do the manual labor so I may cross that finish line.

I do not know how much I plan to lose or what my goal weight is right now. I just know that I am not staying the weight that I am now and I just need to focus on one pound at a time ... one day at a time!!!

I was concerned that I might not like the replacement meals but it has been a good day today. I can honestly say that I did not eat anything today that I didn't like. I am in the mindset that the food isn't for my pleasure today. Today the food is to fuel my body with energy. I no longer live to eat but eat to live. Keep It Simple!!!

Stay tuned as I write about the living hell of obesity and the journey of breaking free. It is time to be me. Thin again in 2010!!!

~MJ