Stephanie was one of our winners in the Refresh You $5,000 Makeover for You and a Friend Contest. She’s in the midst of the Very Low Calorie Diet Program. As she and her husband Aaron journey through their makeovers, we’ll share their updates. Their blogs are 99.9% unedited. You’ll read it all, as it really is — the triumphs, the setbacks and the results.
The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful. No crazy parties to attend, no family in town, and no work functions with giant spreads of food and drinks. So to spice up this entry, I’m including a photo. It’s not an after photo, because I’m not finished with this journey. It’s a progress photo. And it shows progress that I am very proud of. Check it out:
To date I have lost 35 pounds on VLCD!! I have gone down 2-3 pants sizes (depending on the manufacturer). I have more energy and I am happier. I still have a lot of ground to cover, but for now, I’m focusing on my accomplishments and these are all very big accomplishments for me.
That being said, I have to admit, I’m getting pretty sick of shakes and bars. I only have three weeks left of nothing but shakes and bars, and then I head on to the dreaded transition. A lot of people in class are very worried about transition and past participants have shared with me how difficult transition is.
Maybe I’m being naïve, but I’m really looking forward to transition. It works by slowly swapping out bars and shakes for real food. In Week One, I will be allowed to eat 4 ounces of lean meat and a cup of vegetables with my reduced number of shakes and bars. Week Two, I’ll add fruit. Week Three, dairy. On so on. The bars and shakes were great for rapid weight loss and some mental reprogramming, but obviously, it isn’t permanent. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in class to real life. And I’ve definitely learned a lot.
Toni the Nutritionist, yet again, dropped a little gem on me last week that really hit home. She said calories should be treated like money – more specifically a checkbook. You have a limited number of dollars in your checking account (or calories per day). You can spend them however you’d like. But the best plan is usually to pay your bills first and then use what’s left for fun. When applied to food, you should always “spend” your calories on nutritious food that’s full of the things you need to be healthy. If you have calories left over, you can go ahead and have that cookie, or chips, or whatever. And of course, when you’ve spent all of your calories for the day, you’re done eating.
I suppose it is no surprise to anyone that I’ve never balanced my checkbook in my life and I really just ballpark it when it comes to how much money I have left to spend on things. Clearly, I have let that way of thinking dictate my eating habits as well.
That’s all for now. My husband and I started a Couch to 5K program this morning. In the next entry, I’ll fill you all in on how it’s going and why we chose that program (the reason may surprise you). Stay tuned!
If you’re thinking about making a healthy change to improve your weight, getting started with the Dean Comprehensive Weight Management Program is easy. You begin by attending a free no-pressure-whatsoever information session. Here’s the schedule of times and locations. Y0u can also call (608) 824-4457
or (800) 808-1190
for more information, or check out the Comprehensive Weight Management section of the Deancare.com website.
The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful. No crazy parties to attend, no family in town, and no work functions with giant spreads of food and drinks. So to spice up this entry, I’m including a photo. It’s not an after photo, because I’m not finished with this journey. It’s a progress photo. And it shows progress that I am very proud of. To date I have lost 35 pounds on VLCD!!! I have gone down 2-3 pants sizes (depending on the manufacturer). I have more energy and I am happier. I still have a lot of ground to cover, but for now, I’m focusing on my accomplishments and these are all very big accomplishments for me.
That being said, I have to admit, I’m getting pretty sick of shakes and bars. I only have three weeks left of shakes and bars only and then I head on to the dreaded transition. A lot of people in class are very worried about transition and past participants have shared with me how difficult transition is. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I’m really looking forward to transition. It works by slow swapping out bars and shakes for real food. In week one, I will be allowed to eat 4 oz of lean meat and a cup of vegetables with my reduced number of shakes and bars. Week two, I’ll add fruit. Week three, dairy. On so on. The bars and shakes were great for rapid weight loss and some mental reprogramming, but obviously, it isn’t permanent. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in class to real life. And I’ve definitely learned a lot.
Toni the nutritionist, yet again, dropped a little gem on me last week that really hit home. She said calories should be treated like money – more specifically a checkbook. You have a limited number of dollars in your checking account (or calories per day). You can spend them however you’d like. But the best plan is usually to pay your bills first and then use what’s left for fun. When applied to food, you should always “spend” your calories on nutritious food that’s full of the things you need to be healthy. If you have calories left over, you can go ahead and have that cookie, or chips, or whatever. And of course, when you’ve spent all of your calories for the day, you’re done eating. I suppose it is no surprise to anyone that I’ve never balanced my checkbook in my life and I really just ballpark it when it comes to how much money I have left to spend on things. Clearly, I have let that way of thinking dictate my eating habits as well.
That’s all for now. My husband and I started a Couch to 5K program this morning. In the next entry, I’ll fill you all in on how it’s going and why we chose that program (the reason may surprise you). Stay tuned!
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