10 December 2007 Weigh-In

  This morning I weighed in at 199.8 lbs!!!  I met my goal of weighing less than 200 lbs before Christmas!  Yippee!! 

Below are some "before" and "half-way there" photos.  The first one was taken at a staff meeting in September 2006 (I'm the big lump on the left-hand side of the photo).  I was 247 lbs at the time.  The one below it was taken outside the office this morning (look Ma, December and no coat on!  *laugh*).

It’s been a busy week: getting ready to leave for R&R, Christmas shopping online, etc.  Today is my last day in the office; I have tomorrow off for my paid Christmas holiday; I start my travels on Wednesday, and will arrive home in Portland around midnight on Friday night.  Those three days of travel are exhausting, but so well worth it when I get to hold my children close to me again!

Most of my Christmas shopping is completed, thank goodness!  I’ve only got a few things to get while at home and then I’ll be all done.  This will give me more time to rest up and enjoy time with my family rather than fighting for parking spots at the mall. 

I’m really, really, really excited at seeing my family again!  I never realize until I get close to leaving how very much I truly miss them. 

So today I’m wrapping things up at work.  I’ll be cleaning out my fish tank (oh, by the way, Proud Mary decided to go belly-up a few days ago; so only Hey Jude is left swimming around the tank nowadays).    Our offices get dusty easily, so I’ll be wiping everything down on my desk as well.  Other than that, everything else has been handed over to Hedija and Kathryn to take care of in my absence.  Tomorrow I’ll be packing my suitcase and carry-on and will give my room a good scrub-down as well.

This will be my last posting until 7 January 2008.  I’d like to thank all of you for your unfailing kindness and encouragement (not to mention the occasional kick-in-the-pants).  It means everything to me to have such wonderful people in my life.  You each, in your own unique way, inspire me to be a better person. 

Merry Christmas and I hope the New Year brings you many blessings!

3 December 2007 Weigh-In

HALFWAY TO GOAL!!!

I couldn’t believe it this morning when I stepped on the scale: 202.4 lbs!!  I weighed myself three times just to be sure!  O happy day!!!  

A little over a week and I’ll be leaving the Green Zone to head home for Christmas!  I’m sure that I’m driving everyone around here crazy with my constant chatter about heading home.  My friend Anita is leaving the same day; we’ve both agreed that we are suffering from full-blown R&R-itis.    

After a lot of thought, I’ve made the decision to take a break from Medifast while I’m traveling and for the time that I am home on R&R.  A big part of that decision came down to consistency.  It would be nearly impossible to keep to my structured Medifast schedule while traveling from the Green Zone to the Baghdad Transit Center to Dubai and then on to London, Houston and finally Portland and then back again.  I thought about transporting 65 Medifast meals home in my suitcase to cover the 13 non-holiday days that I’d be home.  This would not leave the necessary room for clothing and other essential items.  I had already planned to take Christmas Day off of Medifast to share in the holiday meal.  Long story short: it would just be a lot of ups and downs on my body that in the end would be more detrimental than beneficial.  So, I’m taking three weeks off and will get back on the program when I return to the Green Zone.  I’ll eat sensibly while home and will try to get in some nice long walks as well.

I’m behind on purchasing my gifts online; so far I’ve only purchased one gift.  I need to get the rest of it done before I leave.  I really don’t want to go shopping once I get home: I almost always forget where I parked the car and the massive crowds make me nervous.  

I’m looking forward to baking holiday goodies with Nicholas.  I’ve asked Elizabeth to locate the family recipes in the recipe cupboard if she can; but have also asked my mom for them just in case (she’s probably tired of giving them to me every year as I seem to keep forgetting where I put them; really, I think I need to make a book of family recipes instead of the big pile of paper on which I’ve scribbled them down on).  If there are two recipes that symbolize Christmas food to me more than anything else, it is my mom’s Pumpkin Nut Bread and Applesauce Cake.  Yummy!  Felice and Elizabeth will most likely take over the decorating of the house and Christmas tree, which is fine with me.  It’s so nice that we’ll all be together for Christmas.  It is the thing that makes me happiest of all.  

The weather here has definitely cooled off.  I have to wear a jacket outside now.  I heard that it snowed at home; I’m so jealous.  I hope it snows sometime between 14-28 December; I’d trade the sand here for the snow at home anytime! 

It is so quiet around here during the holidays; a lot of people go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  What this means for me is that I now have lots of hot water in the morning for my shower.  LOL 

We decorated our office the other day with all kinds of Christmas decorations; it looks so festive now!  I went from having an office all to myself to sharing with two other people.  It was nice having the privacy, but it is lots more fun to have people to talk with all day long.  The three of us get along very well and we enjoy the same type of music.

I received my new access badge yesterday.  They took a new photo of me because my old one doesn’t look like me anymore (according to the guy at the counter).  I’ve taken a photo of my CAC card (issued in August 2006) and my new access badge side-by-side.  Until I saw them together like that, I did not realize how much thinner I am now.  What a difference a 53.6 lb loss can make in a person’s face!

So, my next weight goal is to be less than 200 lbs.  All I need to lose is 2.5 lbs to meet that goal.  I think I can do it by next Monday if I am diligent about getting to the gym each evening after work.  I would love nothing more than to be in the 100’s instead of the 200’s by Christmas.  It can (and will) be done!

How I have chattered on this week!  Okay, so I’ll wrap this up.  Next week will be my last posting until 7 January 2008. 

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

26 November 2007 Weigh-In

Today I’m thinking of numbers. 

I started this project in August 2006 at 256 lbs.  My goal is to reach 149 lbs.  That’s 107 lbs difference.  It’s scary to realize just how much extra weight that really is.  As of this morning, I am 205.2 lbs; that’s 50.8 lbs down towards my goal and only 2.7 lbs away from the half-way point.

Two weeks and two days until it is time to leave the Green Zone for R&R.  I can’t wait!  It’ll be so nice to be home for Christmas with my family!  Even nicer to be able to wander around my own house, sleep in my own bed.  I’m hoping for some snow while I’m home.  That would be simply wonderful!  I’m going to try to get as much of my Christmas shopping done online as I can within the next week or so before I leave.

In the meantime, there is a lot to get done at work and certainly staying busy makes the time go by more quickly.  I’m going to make a real effort this week and next to step up the exercise and see if I can’t push my weight under 200 lbs by 10 December.  I’m sure it can be done!

Take care everyone and enjoy the holiday season!

19 November 2007 Weigh-In

Here it is, the week of Thanksgiving.  I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to Thursday!  A day off at last!  People ask me what I’m going to do that day.  SLEEP!!!  I’m so tired lately that I’ll be lucky not to end up like Rip Van Winkle and sleep 20 years away.  

My daughter Elizabeth and I went over the Thanksgiving menu together; she really likes to cook holiday dinners.  She wanted to add more and more dishes and I had to remind her that all of these dishes take time and energy to prepare.  So she’s got a menu she can work with.  I’ll be home to prepare Christmas dinner; it has been a long time since I’ve prepared a holiday meal. 

Speaking of Christmas, my daughter Felice has decided to come up and spend Christmas with us after all!    She’s going to fly into Houston from San Antonio the same day that I fly into Houston from Dubai; we’ll meet up at the gate after I spend a few hours with my friend Joann, and then fly on to Portland together.  It will really be nice to have her home with us again.  I imagine that she and Elizabeth will take over the decorating of the house like they did last year.  I asked my son Nicholas if he wouldn’t mind doing some holiday baking with me; just the two of us.  He didn’t sound too excited at the prospect; but I think once we get started, we’ll have fun. 

My scale and I are friends again.  He (I say it is a “he”; only a male could be so irksome) is nice to me nowadays and gives me lower and lower numbers to look at each week.  I’m down 2.6 lbs this week; 29.2 lbs since starting Medifast on 24 September.    I find myself wishing that I’d discovered this option back in 2004; but the important this is that I’m doing it now.  I’m still struggling with getting enough exercise.  I just don’t seem to be able to find the necessary energy to get out there and do it.  I’ll keep trying, though.

I’m slowly learning how to use my digital camera.  My friend and colleague, Hedija, took a photo of me earlier this week; I’ve attached it to my blog for all to see.

My previous manager, Carl, left the project and we’re awaiting the arrival of our new manager, Mark.  We played “Musical Offices”; everyone got moved around.  So I’m now in a different office with Hedija and Kathryn.  We have our own bathroom, though, which is very nice.  The office was painted last week, we hung up the curtains I bought for my previous office, put in a tree, bought some nice air fresheners, and put up posters and family photos everywhere.  It looks very cozy and welcoming now.  My theory is that if you have to sit somewhere all day long; it should be a place that makes you feel at home.

Well, that’s it from here this week.  I hope that each and every one of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Please know that I am thankful for all of you; your support and encouragement mean the world to me.   

12 November 2007 Weigh-In

As exciting as it was to hit the 210’s, it was bliss itself to finally hit the 200’s! 

I am now 209.8 lbs; only 9.9 lbs away from being less than 200 lbs.  I have a feeling that I will meet that goal by the end of this month; certainly before I get home on 14 December!  My clothes are getting pretty baggy on me lately; I’ve had to go online to buy new shirts and jeans.  It is much nicer to buy smaller clothes than it is to buy larger ones! 

I have a very long layover in Houston on my way home next month; my friend Joann, who I haven’t seen since September 2006, will be meeting up with me while I’m there.  I’m really excited about visiting with her!  She is one of my dearest friends.  I'm hoping to get together with all my good friends while I'm home next month. 

My cold is finally going away; hopefully I’ll get some of my former energy back soon.  I’ve just been so tired lately; and exercising has taken a backseat to sleeping.  I really do need to exercise more; I’d probably see better results if I did.  It is just so difficult sometimes to balance 12 hours of work every day alongside exercising, socializing, relaxing, and sleeping.  If it was an 8 hour workday, that would be much easier to deal with.  Ah well.  I’ll just keep working at it.

It’s been quiet here in the Green Zone as of late, thank goodness!  I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the military and/or political situations or perhaps people are simply tired of living like this and are thinking about making things better.  One could hope, anyway.

That’s it from this side of the planet.  I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all that life has to offer.  Please continue to keep in touch; it is always so nice to hear from all of you.

Cheers!

29 October 2007 Weigh-In

There is a photo on my desk taken last Christmas of my three elves posing with Santa at the mall.  I always giggle when I look down at Liz’s feet and see her pink fuzzy slippers.  When did it ever become okay to wear pink fuzzy slippers to the mall in December (or any part of the year, for that matter)?  Probably about the same time that people started wearing pajamas to school.

Woke up with a bit of a sore throat today; I think it was from walking outside around the camp last night with the new walking group.  We did 2 miles in 30 minutes, which is a tad faster than I usually do in the gym.  Afterwards I went to the gym and did a very fast 1.5 miles on the cycle and then 450 weightlifting reps.  Following that, I went home and went right to sleep.

Today I finished my fifth week on Medifast and I’ve lost a total of 22.4 lbs since starting the program.  When I first started last year in trying to lose weight; I was 78 lbs away from my initial goal of 178 lbs and 107 lbs away from my final goal of 149 lbs.  Now I’m only 36 lbs away from the initial goal and 65 lbs away from the final goal!  Stepping onto the scale is becoming a real pleasure these days.

Medifast sponsors a community forum with several discussion boards.  Thank goodness!  I think the opportunity to check in daily with people who are doing the same program as me is tremendously helpful.  Many of us are dealing with so many of the same things: cravings for all the wrong foods, emotional eating, etc.  It is a great place to get, and give, support.  It’s also a great place to get insight from those who have completed the program; the advice they offer is nearly always spot-on. 

Yesterday was a real struggle for me: I went to the PX to get some posters, some more DVDs, and an Iraqna card for my cell phone.  When it came time to stand in line, I was surrounded by people who had a ton of junk food in their carry-baskets.  I had to keep telling myself that the days of eating junk food are over with; that I’m going to fuel my body instead with good, healthy food.  It wasn’t easy to do; however, when I walked out of the PX sans candy and the like, I felt like I’d won a battle that in the past I nearly always lost.  One of the things that I’m trying to do is accept the idea that food is fuel, not a comfort or coping mechanism.  It’s going to take a while; I’ve got nearly 40 years of viewing food in one way and now having to change that view.  No worries, I’ll do it!

Have a great week!

22 October 2007 Weigh-In

After 28 days on the Medifast diet, I have lost a total of 19.2 lbs!

I didn’t lose as much weight this week as I think I normally might have.  I didn’t exercise at all until last night and I think that’s why I only showed a loss of 2 lbs this week.  Mind you, I don’t mind that I lost instead of gained; that’s not what’s bothering me.  It is just that I know I should be exercising at least a few times a week and instead I let the Evil Inner Voice tell me that I was SO tired and that I NEEDED to just hop in bed and go to sleep.

Stupid Evil Inner Voice!

This is the same inner voice who on Wednesday night told me it was TOTALLY okay to have cranberry sauce with my roast turkey (not allowed) and cheese sauce on my broccoli (also not allowed).  So it was back to square one and having to re-enter ketosis again with all the wonderful stuff that goes with it (mainly a monstrous headache).

The woman who runs the mailroom at Camp Hope is starting an evening walking group and so I’ve signed up.  We are going to do a brisk 30 minute walk every single night starting this coming Sunday night.  For me, “brisk” means walking at a rate of 3.5 mph which then translates to 1.75 miles in 30 minutes.    All I need to do after that is pop into the gym a couple of nights a week for some weightlifting and I’m all squared away on the exercise front.

The Capella flavor drops arrived and what a godsend they have turned out to be!  I’ve already created a few “recipes” using the drops into my shakes:

4 drops Butterfinger into a Dutch chocolate shake = Butterfinger shake

4 drops Almond Joy into a Dutch chocolate shake = Almond Joy shake

2 drops raspberry and 2 drops blueberry into a strawberry crème shake = Very Berry shake

2 drops double chocolate, 1 drop graham cracker, and 1 drop marshmallow into a Dutch chocolate shake = S’mores shake

2 drops double chocolate and 2 drops marshmallow into a banana crème shake = Campfire Favorite shake

4 drops toasted almond into a Dutch chocolate shake = Chocolate-covered Almond shake (I’m drinking this as I write)

Last night my third order of Medifast arrived (with the French Vanilla shakes and more hot cocoa to combat these dang “cold flashes”); now I can create some new shakes!  Tomorrow I’m going to combine Pumpkin Pie with New York Cheesecake in a French vanilla shake to create a Pumpkin Cheesecake shake.  YUM!!! 

15 October 2007 Weigh-In

Today I reached a milestone: I am finally in the 210’s!!!    It seems so strange that only three weeks ago, I was closer to 240 lbs than 230 lbs and now this!

I won’t say that this program is easy, though.  It isn’t.  It is hard to drink a shake when I see other people coming back from the dining facility with all my favorites (especially macaroni and cheese!) in their hot little hands.  It is hard to simply grab meat and green vegetables when I see that there is cherry pie in the dessert case.  It gets easier to face, though, when I step on the scale each morning and see that there is another drop in weight.

On Friday, I didn’t have anything all day other than water.  I just wasn’t feeling well.  I’m feeling much better now, though.  I still haven’t done much in the way of exercise; my energy level only seems to get me through the 12-hour workday and then I run out of steam.  I’m hoping to get back into the gym soon on a far more regular basis.

The shakes are bound to get boring at some point.  This was addressed on one of the discussion boards and someone suggested Capella Flavor Drops.  They are unsweetened flavors that you can put into your coffee, tea, cake icing, diet shake, etc.  They have 45 different flavors (Almond Joy, pumpkin pie, NY cheesecake, to name a few)!  I ordered a mini-sampler of 15 flavors.  I’m looking forward to trying them!

The digital camera is still a mystery to me.  I’m s-l-o-w-l-y starting to grasp the concepts behind the trillions of options this thing offers.  I can only read about a page a day of the owner’s manual.  I guess I should have been more “up” on the Digital Revolution; I’m like those women who spent years on typewriters and then find themselves sitting in front of a PC wondering what the heck they’re supposed to do now.   

On the home front: my son is going to his very first Homecoming Dance this coming Saturday.  He’s really excited about it.  Of course, I share his enthusiasm but it is bittersweet.  For each high school milestone he reaches, that’s just one step closer to the day he leaves home for college.    My oldest daughter (who’s already at college) is doing very well these days.  I was hoping that she’d come home for Christmas, but she’s decided to spend it with her family in Texas instead.  That’s okay, though; I’ll see her in late April and we’ll have a nice visit then.  My youngest daughter is searching for an after-school job right now; I hope she’s able to find one soon.  She should be getting her driver’s license in January.  Watch out fellow drivers! 

All in all, things are going fine.  I really do appreciate the good wishes and kind words from all you; it makes the tough times easier to bear.   

Until next week, take care!

8 October 2007 Weigh-In

In the 14 days that I’ve been on Medifast, I’ve lost 12 lbs and 2 BMI points. 

I’ve placed another order for product; this time, though, I’m not getting any fruit-flavored shakes.  Banana Crème is tolerable, but the Strawberry Crème and Orange Crème were just too sweet.  I’m still in love with the Dutch Chocolate flavor and I’ve ordered some hot cocoa (which others have said is delicious).  I thought a hot drink might be nice since lately I am so darn cold!  The website says that it isn’t unusual to have “cold flashes”; this is because the body is in a state of ketosis.  I went online and ordered some cotton long-sleeve shirts as well as a sweater car coat.  Too bad I can’t type with gloves on!  The nice thing about this program is that my craving for chocolate is being met and I don’t have to suffer for it.   

My exercise levels (except for weightlifting) dropped from last week; I’ll try to make more of an effort this coming week.  A friend is meeting me at the gym tonight; that’s one sure method of making sure that I get a workout in. 

A few days ago, I had my picture taken with General David Petraeus; he is the commanding general of the Multi-National Force-Iraq.  There wasn’t time to say much as they were processing us pretty quickly.  A friend of mine (who was after me) told him it was an honor to meet him.  Suddenly I felt like a putz; all I said to him was, “Hi, how are you?”, we smiled for the camera, he thanked me for all I’ve done here, and that was that.  I should have said something more meaningful; I think I was more worried about having lip gloss on my teeth at the time.  After all, this is one photo that is going to be hanging on the wall for years to come.  The future grandkids won’t know what was said at the time, but they’d be sure to notice a smudge of lip gloss on Granny’s teeth!  *laugh*

The weather is finally cooling down.  Yesterday was cloudy and towards mid-afternoon there were a couple of raindrops falling from the sky.  It was lovely!  I’m probably the only person around here who is looking forward to a good rainstorm.   

It’s been a while since I talked about the fish in my office.  Well, sad to say, Fred and Ethel died over the summer.  However, before they kicked the bucket, they left behind two little babies.  I actually thought there was just one, but found the other shortly before I left for R&R.  I wasn’t sure they’d still be alive and kicking by the time I returned, but they’re still here and doing very well.  I’ve named them Hey Jude and Proud Mary.  Hey Jude is quite a bit larger than Proud Mary; he is the typical aggressive Black Mollie fish.  She’s far shyer; she hides in the barrel in the fish tank all day until feeding time.

KBR is now forcing us to wear hats.    Bleh!  I’m not a hat-wearing kind of girl.  Luckily, I’m in the office most of the day; so no need to wear the dang thing constantly.

Yesterday I bought a digital camera.  Now I wish I hadn’t.  I’m just not technically-minded; you wouldn’t believe all the buttons you have to push just to take one picture!  The owner’s manual is 90 pages; that should’ve told me right there that I’m way out of my league.  Seriously, what was wrong with film?  Well, I’m sure that my elves will know what to do with it.  Heck, I’ll probably never see it again once they get their grubby hands on it.

The community coffee pot is in my office.  I’ve decided that I cannot stomach the smell of coffee (unless it is hazelnut or something nice like that).  My office smells like strong, bitter coffee.  Ick!  I’ve ordered some air fresheners to help the smell.  It might be a futile effort, but there’s no harm in trying.  One thing, though, is that I have people in and out of my office all day long.  I don’t mind that so much; it’s probably the only way I’d be ever able to see anyone around here. 

I’m thinking of taking the family to Bend, Oregon for Christmas this year.  I think it would be fun to spend a few days enjoying outside activities and get out of the house for a bit.  I found a great deal at Sunriver Resort; but the Inn at the Seventh Mountain is the closest resort to Mt. Bachelor, where I am sure Nick will spend all of his spare time snowboarding.  I’m hoping to interest Liz in horseback riding in the snow.  Personally, I want to visit a spa and get a deep back/neck massage and a body wrap.  Maybe even a facial!  Reservations go fast; so I’d better make a decision soon.

Here’s to hoping that all of you have a great week!

Hello Again!

Back from vacation and found I’d gained 10.9 lbs. 

After careful consideration and much research, I started the Medifast plan last Monday.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plan, it consists of five pre-packaged meals and one meal made up of a lean protein source and greens (they call it a Lean & Green meal).  The pre-packaged meals are soy-based and loaded with vitamins and nutrients.  These meals are consumed about three hours apart; so it feels like I am constantly eating!    Although soups, puddings, oatmeal, etc. are offered on the plan, I elected to purchase shakes and bars only.  I have four shakes during the workday and a bar right before bedtime.  I drink water all day long and have some Crystal Light pink lemonade with my bar.  The company sends enough food for 28 days.

In order to make this work in a war zone, I’ve had to assemble a few things: a handheld blender, a transformer to run it on, mini ice cube trays (as I like my shakes cold and thick!), plastic cups, straws, and dish soap (to wash the blender with).  It is really nice having my own ice cubes handy as this means I don’t have to go into the dining facilities at all until it is time for dinner.  So, four times a day at work, I hop up from my desk and whip up a shake.

Speaking of dinner, it has turned into a bigger challenge than I thought.  The “Green” part of the meal is simple enough: salad or steamed green vegetables.  Unfortunately, no carb-laden veggies like peas, carrots, corn, etc.  *sigh*  I’ve been using fat-free dressing for over a year now; so that adjustment did not have to be made.  Nope, my problem is on the “Lean” side of things.  Ideally, you are supposed to eat chicken, turkey, or fish.  Fish doesn’t work for me, so that one is out.  I’ve been eating red meat when chicken and turkey aren’t available; which is okay as long as it isn’t too fatty.  Generally the meats around here are either deep-fried, breaded, swimming in gravy, or too spicy (I get really bad heartburn with even moderately spicy food).  I’m not sure what I’m going to eat when the day comes (and it will) where nothing on the menu will work for my plan.  I wish that they served grilled chicken breast the same way they do hamburgers: every night on the short-order grill.  Why then, I’d have it made.  Alas!  That is not something that is bound to happen; so the search for lean protein continues.

I’m still exercising but am not going all-out on it.  Just a short workout; enough to raise my heart rate up and then I do some toning exercises.  With so few calories being consumed on a daily basis (850 calories is my average intake per day); I have to be careful with how many I expend on exercise so that my body doesn’t get the feeling that it is starving.

The results so far: after just one week on the plan, I’ve lost 8.2 lbs!   

This is not uncommon among people on the Medifast plan.  The first month generally is where one loses a significant amount of weight; after that, it gets a little slower but not much.  I’ve joined an online support group of Medifast users; they’ve really been very informative as to what to expect over the next several months as I go through this process.  Losing the weight is easy enough, they say; it is the transition and maintenance phases that are the most difficult because they involve a lot of changes to one’s food choices, lifestyle, and relationships with others.