Lose it before they do challenge - 1 month down

Hey y'all. It is Sept 30th. That mean its the day to report your successes from September!!! Send them on in and I'll
Report back tomorrow. All I need is pounds lost in Sept. below is the list again of those participating with their goals. If you have t signed in yet then send me your goals any sept success you may have had. Just now starting? Send me your goals and head back over to the Lose It Before
They Do Challenge Post for details.

Yay!

So heres the new deal....

Ok, so I went to the endocrinologist today (I'm scheduling this post for tomorrow when people are actually awake).  I had very mixed emotions both on the way to the appointment and when I left.  Thanks to my brother for helping me sort out my feelings afterward (and Nola too).

I've been so determined to do all of this weight loss on my own with no help.  I've done that now for over 18 months solid.  The last two months have not been as intense because of my crazy busy schedule, but I've still be trying none the less.  So 18 solid months and 2 months of trying less intensely.

Along the way, I've had all the cardiologist stuff too., which is going well.

I've posted before about how strong I feel.  I ran a half marathon, I've done some awesome workouts with trainers, I can totally keep up in RIPPED class.  Its just that I feel like I'm in a fat suit.  I seriously feel like a skinny girl inside a fat suit.  I dream of the day that I run without my 60 extra pounds of fat going with me.  I dream of going to yoga and being able to stretch to my full potential because no stomach fat will hold me back.

So, after my regular doctor (who is awesome) and my cardiologist both suggested an endocrinologist appointment my regular doctor scheduled it for me.  I got there and was nervous.  If something is wrong maybe they can fix it and it will help, but I don't want something to be wrong.  Ya know.  Weird mix of emotions.

I got there and the Dr. was nice.  He listened a lot and we discussed all of the million tests that have been run so far.  EVERYTHING has been normal so far.  My thyroid is still balanced by the smallest dose possible of Synthroid.  My doctor said that means that my hypothyroidism is so minor that there is no way that it is causing the issue.

So here is his opinion:  He believes that I am genetically predisposed to being overweight and to having a struggle to lose (like my body doesn't like to burn fat).  I've had plenty of the simple calorie in / calorie out being correct for loss and nothing happening.  He asked about my family and I shared that I'm the biggest one.  You can look below and see that I just look swollen compared to my other family members.  I told them that Mom and Dad both have had weight loss success from time to time and that my brother has a BMI of like 3.6, not 36 like mine.  My brother recently told me that he was planning to lose 1-2 lbs for his next marathon.  I almost went through the phone. LOL, just kidding.  I'm so happy that he is in so much control of his weight.  I can't wait to be there myself.

So, the plan..... He is running test on my Pituitary Gland and my Adrenal Gland.  He does not expect any imbalances there.  He said they would be rare, but he wanted to run the tests to be sure.

So, the next step when we determine that there are no imbalances that we can fix and it will be confirmed that it is a genetic issue that keeps my body from allowing me to lose weight (I used to think that was a lie that overweight people said to make themselves feel better.... now I feel bad because its actually true).  The doctor has determined that my body needs help.  He said that I need Medical intervention to lose weight.  So I have a medicine he gave me (not a diet pill) that is intended to help boost my adrenaline function and metabolism to go along with my calorie counting/healthy eating and work out regimen.  He wants to see me back in two months and expects that I will have lost some weight at that point.  He wants me to lose 60-65 lbs.  Thats so much, but to have a specialist tell me I can do it was really good.  I have hope again.  There is a possibility that this medicine can raise my heart rate back up, but for now I'm just monitoring it and giving it a shot.

I hope that none of my readers judge me because I've allowed an endocrinologist to prescribe me assistance in my weight loss.  I called my brother and said "I've been so determined to do this on my own with no medicines or drinks, or pills. How do I blog about this?" My brother's answer , "Your blog has always been about being open and honest right?" That's all he had to say.  I've not jumped into one of those million products that I've blogged about staying away from by doctors orders.  This is actually a medication to help my body get up to speed.  I have hope again that I can do this.  There are so many reasons that I want to lose weight and it is important to me.  They are listed below:

Reasons to Lose:
-I want a healthy pregnancy when its time
-It will help me manage my fibromyalgia better than ever
-I might feel pretty again and feel good about myself
-I want my body to be as healthy as possible so I can live my life up to my potential.

As I was telling my husband about this tonight I said "I just dont fell pretty" His response "I think you are pretty"  What a great husband!

I look forward to seeing some  improvement.

Thanks for reading.

Surgery...

So I had surgery yesterday to extract a tooth. Fun times! The doctor did a great job. The anesthesia they use is amazing. I can remember parts of the procedure but didn't feel a thing and I woke up with very little "hangover".

I struggled with nausea off and on yesterday but that is likely because I struggled a bit to sit and do nothing. I went out with my mom to do a few things (use a coupon at NY&Co that was expiring and go to the band booster meeting because I am in charge of the up coming contest)
My body felt so exhausted yesterday. Very weak and achy almost. It's weird how anesthesia and meds can affect you.

So I took it extra easy when I got home last night. Slept well and feel better overall this morning but my face feels like it was punched!

So my eating is all different. I can have anything hard or pokie (like nuts/popcorn) so yesterday my diet consisted of chicken noodle soup, Ramon noodles, potato soup, and Mac n cheese. Not too terribly healthy but they were definitely in moderation. It took me two settings to finish a small cup of potato soup because of the nausea. Blah!

So let's see what today brings. Below is a picture of me after surgery. Lol. They tied my ice to my head for the trip home! Very fashionable!

Challenge update:
Two gals added info. It's all listed below. Check for accuracy please.

Challenge Update

So here is what I have so far from people on the Lose It Before They Do Challenge. Check your info to make sure it's correct...

First number is Jan 1 goal. Second number is finale goal. Some just have a Jan 1 goal and that's cool too!
Shout out to Jamie and Whitney who will hit their goal weights if they hit their goals here! Yay!

One more week to enter the challenge! Tell your friends!

Lose It Before They Do Challenge

Okay, so who's the biggest Biggest Loser fan ever?!!!! THIS GIRL!

I'm sure that I have many readers who are huge fans as well.  I have never missed an episode since the Season Premier back in fall of 2004.  I was a sophomore in college in the midst of losing 20 lbs before I performed at Carnegie Hall with the Murray State Wind Ensemble when the show premiered which made it perfect for motivation for me.  I think back to times like that and I realize that I really didn't want to perform in NYC without looking better so I made it happen.  Here is a picture of me the first night in NYC in spring of 2005.  This is by far my healthiest weight in my adult life.  Shout out to my good friend Beth in the picture with me (I'm on the left).  She was my work out buddy.  We MADE each other do it. LOL.  The university workout facility was brand new and it was out my back door of my dorm.  Pretty convenient

Ok, enough of that side track and rambling.  My point.... I'm a huge BL fan and its always been a motivator for me! 

So how many of you are just like me and EVERY season you say you are going to lose weight with the contestants and end up mad one week when someone on the show drops below your current weight.  Then you find yourself totally unmotivated.  I do it every season, every season.  I mean I'm always happy for them but I don't want to weight more than someone that is not done with their Biggest Loser season.  I wanted to do it too!  Then my poor husband has to listen to me: "Honey, does my 190 lbs look like her 190 lbs?", "Brandon, do my calves look likes hers, I mean we weigh the same, but do I carry my 190lbs different" I mean what is he really supposed to say? "yes" "no".  He usually finds a way to exit the room. LOL. I don't blame him.

So, I was terribly disappointed when I jumped my DVR ahead the other day and discovered that it was not going to start recording BL for me this month because it isn't coming on this month.  To me BL seasons are just as much Sept. as Labor Day (no disrespect  to Labor Day).  So what am I going to do now?  I heard from some former BL contestants on Twitter that the wait would be worth it, but how can  I WAIT!!! What will I do!?!

So I started thinking.  Why lose weight with the contestants this upcoming Jan. season and chance the dreaded "they pasted me up week"?  I'm gonna do it now!!! I'm gonna lose it before they do!  So I am challenging myself to lose a certain amount of weight (see below) before the season starts.  That way I have a jump start on the contestants and maybe just maybe no one will pass me up (until the finale where someone's goal weight might just be less than mine).  I can totally do this this time.  I'm not going to be disappointed for the 14th season in a row.  13 seasons was enough.  I'm going to have a finale party at my house and its going to be to celebrate the success I have had as well.! (and hopefully some of my local friends as well)

So here is my challenge.... set two number goals....

Goal one - weight to be at Jan. 1 so that you've got a jumpstart on the BL

Goal two - weight to be at at the end of April for the finale (don't know the date yet)

Write it down, post it here in comments and I'll do updates each month on where we all are in reference to our goals.  You can send me weights or lbs to lose either way.  

So here is my info for my goals:

Lose 24 lbs by Jan 1. / Be 175 lbs on Jan. 1

(6 lbs a month / 1.5 lbs per week)

Lose 48 lbs by end of April / Be 151 lbs. for Finale

I still won't be at my goal weight but I'll be within 20 lbs and have accomplished a lot more than I ever have before.  So, go ahead.  Make a goal and send it to me.  Tweet it to me, Facebook it to me, or comment it here.  Maybe you need to lose 10 lbs, maybe 50 lbs like me or more.  Whatever you need. Make your goal known and lets do it together.  Get to goal setting and sending. Remember you can simply send me lbs to lose.  There is no need to send me your weight unless you are like me and feel very freed by putting the number out there.  I hope to hear from a lot of you.  I would like to do some kind of small prize for whoever hits their goals most consistently but I'm not sure how to determine that.  Stay tuned for that info. 

*** I need goals by Sept. 15th and the first report back on how Sept. went by Sept 30th ***

***I'll report on the first of Oct***

Here goes the fresh start

Ok so I've recently mentioned my preparation for a fresh start in this crazy journey of weightloss that I'm on.  I mentioned previously that I wanted to give the Curves nutrition plan a try again.  Looking back over the years it was the most successful plan that I've ever been on and it super easy to plan for and stick to.  In the book there are recipes (good recipes) for every meal in every phase.  So when you don't want to think through all of the ratios too much you can pick a recipe and the ratio will work for that meal.  The further you go the easier it gets to substitute the parts of the meals to create your own.  You can do that from the beginning if you have the time and desire to do all the math and figuring.

So here is how the curves nutrition plan works.  I've been reading the book over the last week or so just familiarizing myself with the plan again.  

It works in phases on a 30 day cycle:

 ***All three phases have the same carb/protein/fat ratios***

Phase 1 is 7 days long and is your lowest calories and is used as a jump start basically.  

Phase 2 increases your calories to protect your muscles and metabolism and lasts for the remaining 23 days.

Phase three is after the 30 days of Phases 1 and 2.  It is intended to last for 2-4 weeks.  It is designed to give the body a break and teach you and your body to maintain weight after weight loss.  During this phase it is your goal to maintain your weight.  At the end of your two weeks or if you begin to gain weight you start over at Phase 1.

The only thing that changes between the phases is the caloric intake, that is what makes the phases really easy.  The ratios stay the same.  You just keep choosing meals and adjust with snacks etc.

I am on the lower carb/ higher protein version.  They have a higher carb version as well.  This is determined by body type.  I gain weight in my mid section and crave carbs a lot therefore I'm going to hold my carbs to 30% of my caloric intake each day.

Thank goodness that I can manually adjust my ratios in myfitnesspal app on my iphone and it will tell me my goal of grams for each section each day.  Picture below...
 

This idea may seem complicated but it really really isn't.  I'm thankful that I still have all the tools.  

I tried my favorite recipe from the Curves book recipes today for lunch.  Here is a picture, the recipe is on the left of the page under "healthy recipe of the week"

 

I lost 3 lbs this past week just by cutting down on my portion size.  So that was successful and exciting!  I'm now 198 instead of 201.  THANK GOODNESS!!!

I'm glad my trip to the 200s was short lived (one week) and I'll never go back!

I have totally revamped my rewards for each 5 lbs since I'm starting over.

I got to 10 lbs previously, but its all brand new now.  

I'm still blank on a few rewards and so I'm open for suggestions if you have any.

I also renewed mine and my husband's membership at the gym this weekend. That got me excited about getting back into the gym.  I had some text conversations with my trainer this weekend which I needed.  I can't wait to get back into my healthy routine.

So here goes.  Tomorrow I begin Phase 1....