Thanksgiving Day

11/23/17

It’s Thanksgiving Day and we are in Modesto. It’s been a lot of fun so far catching up with everyone. We baked a ton last night - pineapple dream cake, jello poke cake, and chocolate trifle. We are frying turkeys today. We brought our deep fryer and I rubbed the turkeys last night with the Neely’s rub I always use.

I was off plan yesterday and today. I’ll be back on tomorrow. I’m hoping to sign up as a health coach when I get back so I can bring on Ashley and Aunty Cindy and Uncle Lusi.

Optavia week 5

Started this journey on 10/24/17. Today is day 1 of week 5 and I am officially down 30 lbs. I lost 30 lbs in 4 weeks and it feels amazing. This is a huge benchmark for me and I can't wait to see where it leads me in to 2018.

We are heading out for California tonight for Thanksgiving. Excited to see mom and the family. I won't be getting my food until Monday and I'm about out. I emailed nutrition support and this is what they said -

Unfortunately we haven't found any bars/shakes on the market that have the same nutritional structure. However, we do have a plan developed for when clients are without Fuelings. If you are out of meals completely then you could have three smaller lean and green meals (4 ounces of lean and 3 servings of approved vegetables per lean and green) and one serving of low-fat or fat-free dairy (e.g., milk, yogurt) each day. Choose dairy products that are about 100 calories per serving and unsweetened or no sugar added (to keep carbohydrates to a minimum).  Please note that yogurt does not replace a fueling, it simply acts as a place holder because the calories and carbohydrates are similar.  Yogurts do not have the same vitamins and minerals as a fueling and should only be used in “emergency” situations.

Now that I have a plan I feel good about what to do. I will need to get some low fat sugar free yogurt and some lean and green stuff to make in Modesto. 

Excited to eat turkey on Thanksgiving too!

Take Shape For Life - Week 4, Day 4

I was in Texas last week for training and then I went to see Nephi. I wasn't on the 5 and 1 while there, I did more of a 4 and 2. I was happy with my choices. I was choosing meals that I wouldn't normally choose and it worked out okay. Before I left, I weighed myself and I was as 343. I had remained steady for about 5 days straight. When I got back Sunday and weighed in on Monday morning I had jumped up 349. I had gained 6 lbs while in Texas...I couldn't believe how fast that was. Well, I had gotten back on the 5 and 1 Sunday morning and just let it ride.

I weighed myself this morning just to see where I was and I am now down to 340 flat. I was able to lose the 9lbs since Monday. I felt like I had some inflammation from the food I was eating last week and I needed to lose that again. It feels good to be back on track.

I also went to Zumba Monday night. It was actually harder than I thought it would be, I feel like my muscles are super sensitive. The rest of the week was full of other activities - Tuesday night pitching for Sina, Wednesday night was my closing class for the semester, last night was a TM meeting, tonight we are helping Glen and Puni move, and tomorrow is Anthony's birthday. So I'm pretty shot for any other opportunities to go to the gym. I plan on going next Monday, then we drive out to California on Tuesday for Thanksgiving. So next week seems shot as well, though I do anticipate starting to weight train again once we get back.

I shared this picture with one of my Facebook support groups. The bottom pic was my first class session back in September a little more than a month before I started the program. The top was my last class this week. I can see a big difference in myself. These side by sides give me a lot of motivation and confidence to keep going. It feels good to be doing this and to feel so healthy and so light. I am 20 lbs away from my first benchmark of 320. After that, the big goal is to be under 300 for the first time in years by February.

Winning the "Why"

Yesterday I flew on an airplane for the first time since being on this program. I've lost 25 lbs since starting and I was hoping to be more comfortable on the plane than I usually am. A couple of years ago I bought a seat belt extender for the plane just so I didn't have to ask for one. I also usually ask for an aisle seat so that I have more shoulder room. Yesterday I was assigned a window seat. I usually don't like the window seat because my shoulders uncomfortably bump up against the wall/window, but this was not the case on that flight. Not only was I sitting comfortably, I was able to fit the seat belt without an extender and it even had a little slack.

One of my 3 "whys" was being able to sit comfortably on a plan and this is the first time I've felt this way in a long time. I'm winning the 'whys' and it's only the beginning.

I sent that pic to Anthony as I sat on the plane telling him of my small win. He has been an amazing support to me through this process and I am so happy to be doing this health journey with him.

I packed all my food in individual bags so that I could be ready to go each day without too much work about what I was going to eat. I planned it out and packed it up. Here's what it looks like -

One more pic only because I am liking taking more selfies haha...it's because I like what I see and it's empowering to see the results in my face. I am eager to get back and start going to the gym again.

That's me and the Lonestar Cafe cow :)

The Journey Day 16

11/8/17

Yesterday was the start of Week 3. In my weigh in I had neither gained nor lost from the day before which I am okay with. I know that things are leveling out. The most important thing is how I feel and I really do feel amazing. I flew in to San Antonio yesterday for training that starts this morning.  I have been feeling lately like I'm not getting enough nutrition. I am starting to track my calorie intake on myfitnesspal app and even with the lean and green I am barely getting 800-900 calories a day with the PCMR fuelings.

I wasn't sure if my feeling queasy and headaches was due to the cycle regulating or due to lack of enough calories. Anyway, yesterday was the first day I deviated a tad bit from the regular program and did more of a 4 and 2 rather than a 5 and 1. I arrived at the hotel at about 2:30. I had eaten 3 fuelings up to that point since I had been up since 4:45 am. I went to the Denny's in front of my hotel and ate a steak and zucchini. I immediately felt better after eating that meal. I was proud of myself for not giving in to anything off plan. I took the bread off the plate and ate just the steak and veggies.

Later on, I got a text from JoEllen. She asked if I wanted to do dinner and I was excited to have company and someone to talk to. I walked about a half mile down to her hotel and then we settled on eating at Lonestar cafe. I had a smoked chicken salad with a vinaigrette. Again, very proud of myself when there were so many amazing things on the menu.

One of the things I love about being on this program is not only do I sleep better, but I don't have acid reflux anymore. I am still up and going after 7 hours of sleep like clockwork every day. I was super tired last night so after talking to Anthony and the girls over the phone and saying our family prayer over the phone, I knocked out. That was about 9:45. Sure enough, I was up by 4:45 am.

I talked to Shannon last night and it was good to hear that there are highs and lows to the program. Sometimes there are days that I feel a little more energy than others and some days that I just feel tired. Yesterday was one of those days. I took a nap after lunch and it felt good. Lately I've been like turbo just go, go, go, but yesterday I definitely felt a change.  We had daylight savings last Sunday and gained an hour which I feel has thrown me off my sleep schedule. I'm waiting for the adjustment to come and hopefully it will by the end of the week.

Today I am attending a training on an evaluation model called Results Based Accountability and we are being trained by Mark Friedman who create the model.  I'm looking forward to hearing from him and learning some new evaluation strategies.

The Journey Day 14

11/6/17

Quick update...I weighed in this morning because my flow is starting to slow down. I'm down 2 more pounds...343. That's a total of 25 lbs in 2 weeks! I'm weighing in again tomorrow for my official 2 week total, but I'm stoked about this.

The Journey Day 13

11/5/17

It's been almost 2 weeks since I started the program, but it feels much longer than that. I've had some major issues with my cycle this week that have caused some bloating and irritability, but all in all the energy continues to be up and I feel great. I told myself at my last weigh in that I would only weigh once a week or biweekly on Tuesdays, but sometimes I just have to know. So despite my feeling bloated and fear that the scale had gone up, I weighed myself yesterday morning just to see and I'm down 3 more lbs since Tuesday. So I'm down to 345 now from 368 13 days ago. Woohoo!!

One of the most interesting things about this program is that I literally can not sleep in anymore. My body is used to getting 7 hours of sleep now and just pops awake in the morning when it's time to eat. I feel like my body is driving this journey, I'm realizing that more and more with each day. When I wake up in the morning it seems to nudge me out of bed to go downstairs and eat. I try to close my eyes and reposition to get a little more sleep, but in the end my brain just does not shut down. I've never been a morning person so it's weird, but exciting to now be one. I used to be able to stay up all hours of the night and I just can't now. When it hits 10:30, I'm no good...I lay my head down and I'm out.

I'm leaving for Texas next week for work training and then I'll drive down to see Nephi in San Angelo for the weekend. I'm very excited to see Nephi and to hang out with him. I miss him so much sometimes. We were face timing last Sunday and he was shocked to see the difference in my face. I told him about what I'm doing and he said he would find good places for us to eat where I could have a healthy meal. I have also prepared a plan for meals and will pack everything up. I usually buy all my meals on these trips because I get reimbursed with a per diem, but I'll be saving a ton this time and still getting paid with a per diem. bonus!

One thing I look forward to is working out again. I feel like it will be a different experience when I go back because I feel a lot lighter and have a ton more energy. I might even go early in the morning which I've always wanted to do, but could never get out of bed to do. That's my plan once I get back from Texas and hopefully this cycle will have ended.

Today is Sunday and for to'ona'i I'm making seared tri-tip steak with sautéd veggies and a green salad...and rice for the kids. I'm trying to find a good balance between what we eat and what the kids need to eat. So far they are champs...they are growing and eating more healthy and it makes me happy.

The Journey Day 11

11/3/17

Despite some health issues this week with the birth control pills, I'm going strong. I know I'm in fat burn mode because I can barely eat the meals when it's time to eat. I'm sleeping really well except for the all night bleeding. With my cycle being so off I actually felt cravings for the first time yesterday in addition to the backache and abdominal cramps. I drank a propel and ate a sugar free Jell-O cup and that curbed it really well. Later, even though it was a 1/2 snack extra - I made the chocolate peanut butter cup in the freezer with the brownie and the PB powder. OMG! It was like eating a real peanut butter cup it was so good!

I also shared a comparison photo yesterday with Shannon and she posted it on Facebook. I wanted to see for myself the change...sometimes it's hard to tell just looking in the mirror, but it is really apparent here.

This top pic was taken at the pumpkin patch on Sina's birthday last month - nearly 3 weeks ago. The bottom was taken in my office yesterday. I'm so proud of the differences I see. It's one thing to feel the difference, but to see it is so empowering! Belle has asked about the program and I sent her some information on it. I feel like my success story will prompt others to want to be on it. It truly has changed my perception of food and nutrition and I can't see myself ever going back.

I'm thinking of maybe even becoming a health coach after the holidays. I think my progress will give others hope...our Polynesian culture around food makes it so difficult to sustain any type of eating program, but this definitely feels different and I'm excited to share it with others.

I've been enjoying cauliflower pizza crusts lately and so far I've made 3 different types of pizza. Today I think I made my best crust and pizza yet - balsamic shrimp and spinach pizza...so good!