The Journey Day 2

10/25/17 - Day 2 and I'm feeling really good. I got a good 7 hours of sleep last night and felt refreshed this morning. One of the things required is that I eat within 30 minutes of waking up. So I got up and went downstairs and ate before getting ready for work. Apparently, this helps bring up the blood sugar levels after a long night of sleep. I think it helped.

I have been drinking a lot of water still and going to the bathroom A LOT! I feel like I'm shedding a lot of water weight which is good. I'm feeling really light. I weighed myself this morning at 6:30 and it was 361.4. Not bad...7 lbs down in 1 day. That's so crazy to think about, but really motivating.

I talked Shannon tonight and she was very supportive. She reminded me to eat enough protein. I went to lunch with Sulu today and had a salad at Paradise Bakery. It was the chicken caesar salad - basically just chicken over greens. Very little cheese and the recommended serving of caesar dressing per the condiment list. I felt good about that. I did eat one extra fueling today only because my timing was off, but I hope to fix that moving forward.

Shannon also sends me a text every morning in addition to our nightly check ins. I'm surprised by how much it helps to have a coach. I definitely feel more accountable to the process.

Anthony has also started the Keto eating this week. He is excited, going through the highs and lows of that eating program, but doing well. We also have our girls eating better too. I took them in for check ups last week and Sina weighed 130 and Miracle weighed 197 at 11 and 14 years old. This new lifestyle is for our whole family, not just us and the girls have been great troopers with us. I made them grilled steaks and salad tonight for dinner and they loved it.

The Journey Day 1

10/24/17 - Today is my first day of actually eating off the meal plan 5 and 1. It is basically eating 5 fuelings (these are the individual meals they send you) and 1 lean protean with greens which is called Lean and Green. I prayed this morning that I wouldn't get a headache from lack of sugar/carbs. I'm required to drink at least 84 oz. of water each day and I did that today. That required many trips to the bathroom, but all good.

We had a team lunch today and we went to the Bayou. It is one of my favorite places and I usually get something like the cheeseburger or the gumbo with their sweet potato fries. Today, I chose to eat my Lean and Green at lunch and had a grilled salmon over greens. Wasn't the best tasting, but it was filling. So far the little bars/meals they provide keep me pretty sustained until I have to eat again which is every 3 hours. The hardest thing right now is eating during meetings since the 3 hour marks sometimes falls between my meeting times, but it's okay.

Shannon called tonight and I reported that all went well, except I am really tired. This program requires at least 7 hours of sleep. I am definitely not getting that a night so I will need to change that tonight. She also encouraged me to weigh myself in the morning and that it is more accurate in the morning.

The Journey - Take Shape For Life - Pre-start Day

I need a place to track my progress in the program Take Shape For Life and so here goes...

10/23/17 - Received the box of food in the mail. Exciting! I just realized this is is a revamped version of the old Medifast program which I've tried. Hopefully the food tastes good. My coach is Shannon Schritter. I talked to her on the phone and I've decided to start tomorrow. There are 4 things I need to send her - front, side, back photos, initial weight :( and my 3 "whys" for doing this program, and my WATCH measurements.

3 whys are -

1. Be healthy, live long to see my girls grow up
2. Confidently look in the mirror again
3. Comfortably sit on an airplane or even ride a roller coaster without fear of not fitting in the seat

One of the reasons I always avoided programs and coaches was I hate being in a state of vulnerability. I don't like people knowing my business especially trying to get in to my head as to the "why" behind the things I do. This time, I feel like I need to let go and trust the process....sounds very cliché, but whatever. I sent Shannon the list of whys.

Initial weight at 10:30 pm tonight is 368.2
Waist - 58
Arm - 19.5
Thigh - 30
Chest - 55
Hips - 60

Here we go....