Taking it off | 4 months on Medifast

“Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”
– Chinese proverb

I can’t believe I’ve been on a diet for 4 months… I never thought I’d get to 4 WEEKS!

I haven’t updated in a while, I know… because, well, I’m not sure if I even have an excuse. I’ve been busy. Focusing on other things. Like going to Disney World, registering my little girl for Kindergarten, taking care of my sick husband who is the biggest baby EVER, and planning out all the travel I’ll be doing this month.

I must say that the last half of April was hard. I ran out of my Medifast food! While I was waiting for my delivery, I started rationing out the food, going from 5 Medifast meals and 1 regular meal a day, to one or two Medifast ‘snacks’ in between 3 or 4 small(ish) meals. While I didn’t gain weight during this time, I sure didn’t lose much! It made me realize that maintenance isn’t going to be easy. And that I’m not ready for that phase of the program just yet.

That said, I’m really pleased with where I am right now… I’m a size 11/12. Large. I can wear “normal” clothes. I fit comfortably into my wedding ‘skirt’, a cute mini I bought at Express over 12 years ago. The only reason I even pulled the skirt out is because Maya asked me about my wedding dress.

We were watching Ellen, as we often do in between homework time and dinner, and comedian Kevin Nealon was on the show. Ellen had sent Kevin to Vegas to marry couples at the famous Little White Chapel. When I told Maya that that’s where her daddy and I were married, she got so excited! After answering a handful of questions – No, Elvis wasn’t at our wedding. No, I didn’t have a bunch of half-naked guys there (Thunder From Down Under). No, we didn’t go through the drive thru. No, our wedding wasn’t shown on TV. No, I didn’t wear a pretty white dress. – she insisted on knowing what I had worn. A black sweater from Banana Republic, a purple/black lace mini from Express, and black Enzo Angiolini knee-high boots. Yep. That was back when I still actually shopped at the mall and not at T.J. Maxx! 😉

“Do you still have it?” she asked. I hesitated to answer… but, yes, I do. Everything but the boots, which I wore out years ago. I never did wear the sweater or skirt again, however, having carefully wrapped both items, storing them in the bottom drawer of my nightstand for more than a decade.

I knew the day would come when the girls asked about our wedding, but I guess I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. Thank goodness Maya was more interested in what I wore than why we eloped. Ha! I wasn’t prepared to explain that to a 7-year-old.

So I pulled out the skirt, honestly afraid of what she would think if I couldn’t zip it up. But it fit. Perfectly. And she thinks it’s so pretty and unique that I didn’t wear white at my wedding.

I’m happy. I’m in a really good place.

EXERCISE

So… I’ve recently come to the realization that I don’t like running.

I really wanted to like it. I did. I wanted to feel the rush from it that I’ve heard about from so many others. But I think I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I ran because everyone else was doing it. I did the C25K program hoping I could run 3 miles straight without stopping, seeing my family cheering proudly for me at the finish line. I ran because I thought it was an efficient way to burn calories. I wanted the fastest means to an end, and thought running would get me there.

But I could never get past 5 or 6 minutes of running without feeling the need to stop, whether inside on the treadmill or outdoors on the hard pavement. My breathing never felt quite right. My belly jiggled uncomfortably. I didn’t know what to do with my hands. My knees were achy. I was bored, constantly keeping an eye on the time. It just felt awkward and not enjoyable at all. So I stopped.

Lately, I’ve been dancing every day – Zumba, Dance Central, or Just Dance on the Xbox – and it’s so fun. And I’m doing Jillian’s “Ripped in 30” video now and then. I’ve also made it a rule to only watch TV in the evenings while on the treadmill. Move more, sit less, you know! I’ll watch a 1-hour show, walking at 4 or 4.5mph, and sprint at 6-7 during the commercials. Short 45 second to 1 minute commercials, mind you, as I usually watch On Demand. So I guess I haven’t given up running completely. Who knows… maybe I’ll go back to it one day when I feel a little more fit.

MY WEIGHT

35.4 lbs lost, 16.2 still to go! I somehow managed to lose almost 2 lbs during my 5 days at Walt Disney World! All. That. Walking.

Starting: 211.6 lbs / Current: 176.2 lbs / Goal: 160 lbs

• MONTH ONE: – 12.6 lbs
• MONTH TWO: – 8 lbs
• MONTH THREE: -7.4 lbs
• MONTH FOUR: -3.8 lbs
  
• week 17: – 1.8 lbs
• week 18: – 1.8 lbs

Update on my mom: She lost 7 lbs in her first 7 days on Medifast, and is really starting to enjoy the program now, after a tough weekend at Disney World, full of temptations! While she’s happy about the number on the scale, she seems to be over the moon with her blood sugar numbers… the lowest they’ve been in months! I think the low-glycemic Medifast food – and the fact that she’s eating 6 times a day – is really helping keep her blood glucose steady. Her positive attitude and optimism is probably helping a great deal, too!

Disclosure: I receive free product in order to evaluate and comment on my experiences on the Medifast Program. Medifast products and the Medifast Program are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any medical improvements noted while on the program are related to weight loss in general, and not to Medifast products or programs.