The Tortoise and the Hare

[MASM]

Hi,
My name is Mary Ann but, I feel like my user name should be “guest.” I have certainly been reading a lot of posts on the forums since I started SB in October. I noticed a lot of people would join and start out with such great enthusiasm and determination only to stop posting in a few days or a few weeks. I also felt that this WOE would work for me and that I also needed it to work for me. So, I made a deal with myself that I would not join in until I reached my major goal of losing 20 pounds. I made that decision to share what worked for me and I will also need the support of the forum to maintain my weight.

I am 49 years old and most of the potential health problems that I face due to family history- (heart issues, breast cancer, and colon cancer) pretty much have three contributing factors- age, family history, and weight/diet. My start weight was 169 and my BMI was 26.5-not bad numbers. I now weigh 149 and my BMI is 23.2. The scary number for me was my Triglycerides-272. I will find out on the 22nd if they have gone down enough to avoid medication. I take a multi-vitamin, extra calcium, fish oil, and cinnamon every day. My skin is looking better than ever so I do feel like I have evidence of my body becoming healthier.

I called my journal “The Tortoise and the Hare” for reasons that are meaningful to me. I have had periods of quick weight loss and periods of slow weight loss. Both were certainly productive and I feel both were necessary. The quick loss gave me the satisfaction that this WOE works and it certainly gave me the motivation to continue with the lifestyle change. The periods of slow weight loss gave me time for my body to adjust to the changes brought on by the more rapid weight loss. The slow periods gave me time to examine my choices-good and bad and the effects they produced-both good and bad. I know the slow periods are important for me because those are the healthy and sustainable periods of weight loss-and provide a balance that I can live with for a long time. The weeks where I have gained weight pretty much correspond to Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Super Bowl.

Week 1 -6 pounds
Week 2 -0 pounds
Week 3 -3 pounds
Week 4 -5 pounds
Week 5 -1 pound
Week 6 +1 pound
Week 7 -0 pounds
Week 8 -1 pound
Week 9 -1.5 pounds
Week 10 -.5 pounds
Week 11 +1.5 pounds
Week 12 -4 Pounds
Week 13 -1 pound
Week 14 -0 pounds
Week 15 -1.5 pounds
Week 16 -0 pounds
Week 17 +.5 pounds

[RedRox]

Welcome to the 2nd half of "the game" known as maintenance and thanks for "decloaking"! If it makes you feel any better, my tri-g's were 330-ish when i started and last time i had full fasting blood testing done, they were somewhere in the 80s! So I would think those would come down significantly. At least I hope they do! For me that was where I noticed the most significant change in my blood work.

For me the challenges of P3 were much more mental than physical. It's really all the same effort and work without the positive feedback loop of seeing scale numbers continue to move downward. (although a lot of people still lose in P3 a bit as their body's settle out to their own healthy weight range which may be different than your own initial perception of your goal weight.) A lot of people seem to do some "goal transference" to more physically based goals to take on a new set of challenges but that's entirely up to you of course!

And thanks for posting the weight loss data by week! 20 lbs in 17 weeks works out to just under 1.2 lbs per week on average during your active weight loss phase. Most people who are successful really seem to fall somewhere in that low "1 dot something" range over the entire process. I'm always fascinated by those who set time targets based on an average of 2+ lbs per week as I'm not sure I've ever seen that play out for anyone over any lengthy period of time or any significant amount of weight to lose. And as you astutely noted, we need to go through both the fast and slow periods over time and simply go through the process and learn from each along the way.

FWIW, I think you'll probably do fine with maintenance. You have a health and wellness motivation going for you and it seems like you have a good attitude and understanding of what this whole thing is really all about. Keep us posted on the blood work results and as always continue to enjoy the adventure and journey! What kind of side benefits, or things you didn't expect, have you also experienced in a positive way that has changed for you? I'm always curious about that aspect of it as well. Best wishes and congrats on achieving something you set out to do for yourself!! There is a lot of personal power in that achievement! Continue to draw on it in the future when you need to!!

[MASM]

Thank you, RedRox for your thoughtful comments- I have really admired your patience and your knowledge as you answer the daily round of questions and your dramatic change in your triglycerides really encourages me.

This lifestyle is all about finding your own way within the food guidelines, but it is flexible enough to allow for most people to find food to enjoy. I am lactose intolerant and I also can’t tolerate any artificial sweeteners. So I have traded dairy products for nuts and soy milk.

To answer your question about other things I have noticed-
Physically-I sleep better, fewer headaches and hot flashes, no heartburn, I feel good. I don’t have cravings anymore.
Socially-My family totally understands and supports my new WOE. Friends and co-workers-not so much.
Emotionally-I love the routine of preparing my meals.
Intellectually-I want to eat real food.
I really don’t have a final number in my head as to how much more to lose. We'll see what happens-

[RedRox]

I think not having a final number can be a good thing. Our bodies will know what is right for us and it really only has a 20% chance of ending in a 5 or 0! Thanks for that list. Might be good to review once in awhile to remember all the things you've gained, and not just the pounds that you lost. The lack of heartburn after eating (esp refined grains), was one of the more surprising things to me, but definitely a huge plus now! I also came to the realization that my true nature is fairly athletic and I denied that true nature for a lot of years. I'm much happier now embracing that and incorporating it back into my life, mostly in the form of yoga, but I cried on a chairlift after coming down an experts only slope at the sheer joy of that experience and what it meant to me personally. (I had been ready to give up skiing altogether only a few years earlier because it was no longer fun on the easy slopes which is all I could manage at my fat weight.) So there are lots of other things that improved along the way too. We just "work" better in all phases of our lives I think when we support and nourish our bodies and brains properly.

Have a good weekend!!

[jhderm]

Hi MaryAnn
Thanks for your advise. We do have a Publix where we usu stay, although I was not aware they steam the seafood! Wow. No excuses.
I admire that you have lost the 20 since Oct- I started on Oct 16, and lost 11 lbs by TG, but gained back some and are now at a 7 lbs loss. I have a big event in April, and was hoping to lose more, but will be happy to lose the next 7 by then and be 160 for the event- it would look good and feel great.
I am leaving tomorrow, but let's keep in touch. The friends I have made so far on this board are invaluable and far exceed the value of the diet itself. I think they are for the long term and very very dear to me.
Best
Judi

[MASM]

I thought I would post some sample menus from my food journal that I keep on my laptop. I usually eat the same things for breakfast and lunch with minor variations. I usually do not repeat a dinner during the week. I drink several cups of coffee each morning. I did finally give up non- dairy creamer! I drink a lot of water during the day and the early evening. Sometimes I drink chamomile tea before bedtime.
Dairy police-Remember I am Lactose Intolerant!

Phase I (way back in October)
(If I felt light headed anytime-I would drink some soy milk or eat a spoon of peanut butter)

Breakfast
I hardboiled egg
2 slices of Ham
V8 Spicy
Coffee with FF Coffee mate

Snack
1 cup soy milk

Lunch
3 slices of oven roasted turkey spread with refried beans and rolled up and topped with salsa
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower tossed with ginger dressing

Snack
Celery with peanut butter

Dinner-see below

Snack
1 cup soy milk
Spoon of peanut butter

Treats during the day-3 - 4 dark Hershey’s kisses and 4-8 macadamia nuts

Phase I dinners
Main dishes
Beef chili, white chicken chili, taco salad, steak, pork tenderloin, ham, grilled chicken, fajitas, shrimp
Sides
Small salad, guacamole, mushrooms, stir-fry veggies, roasted veggies, whole black beans or pintos, mashed black beans or pintos

The first week of Phase II-added ½ of a ww sandwich thin spread with pb to am snack. I tried out a few different things every couple of days and then after a month or so settled on the following for most days

Phase II

Breakfast
I hardboiled egg
2 slices of Ham
V8 Spicy
Coffee with soy milk

Snack
10 grain cereal muffin
Margarine and Agave

Lunch
WW sandwich thin
Peanut butter (or tuna with grated sweet pickles)
Salad-Romaine, spinach, shredded carrots, pecans, red grapes or strawberries, vinaigrette dressing

Snack
Carrots and celery with ranch dressing (not enough buttermilk to bother me)

Snack
Fruit-varies

Phase II dinners-all of the above Phase I dinners plus ww pasta and meat sauce, brown rice, ww tortillas, quinoa, some white rice
I very rarely have dark chocolate anymore-

Do I cheat-oh yes…but I really try to make sure it is a planned cheat-
Saltines, tortillas chips, beer, from time to time. I have stopped candy, Hamburgers and fries, potato chips, coke.

MASM

[MASM]

Week 18 -3 pounds

Ok. I was not really expecting to lose that much this week, but I’ll certainly take it. Avocados were 50 cents each last week and 4 jumped into my shopping cart. The plan for the upcoming week-more of the same-Chili last night- leftover chili tonight. Chicken something tomorrow night.

[jhderm]

I think you are lucky with the 3 lbs! Not sure how much you want to lose, but at this rate, it will be a quick ride! I am OK, except hate to be in FL when it's cold, beats the whole purpose, doesn't it?...Doing OK w. food, nope, no key lime pie...and had the runs last night, it's an unfair advantage but I was not unhappy about it
Today, we stayed in, just played a bit of paddle ball w DS, but I miss swimming, the only sport I actually enjoy.
Take care
Judi

[MASM]

Week 19 + .5

I went to the Doctor yesterday and the results from my last lipid test were good. Everything is in normal ranges! Maybe not optimal-but I’ll work on that. He told me to just keep doing what I am doing because it is working for me!

Cholesterol 150
Triglycerides 143
HDL 41
LDL 80

I tried something new for dinner last night-I had bulgur wheat in place of rice last night with chicken and stir fried veggies. It was a good trade-mild flavor and good texture. No one else tried it-their loss!

I have to make an change in my menu-I thought I was not eating any artificial sweeteners, but thanks to Chris 55 in another thread it was pointed out that Arnold Sandwich thins do contain sucralose. I had been eating NPB on thins every other day for lunch and I was having some mild discomfort-I blamed the PB-So I ate crackers and PB yesterday and I did feel better. Tossed out the bread and went to the store with my reading glasses and only Earth Grains thins are free of artificial sweeteners. In the past I bought regular PB for the family and I could not eat it without feeling bad-I always thought it was the oil. So when I stated SB I bought natural organic peanut butter-poured out the oil on top and I only ate little spoonfuls in Phase 1. So as I progressed to Phase 2 and gradually increased the amount and I gradually increased the amount of bread-I just thought I had reached my personal max on the PB-even though I had never eaten a sandwich thin before-I had always eaten wheat bread. I knew there would be refined flour in the thin-but I stopped reading the label after the serving size and calorie count. Of course that was all I could read anyway without my glasses!

Mary Ann

[RedRox]

ummm.. you are supposed to stir in the oil, not pour it off! Keep it in the fridge after that to keep it from re-separating. I use a store where you grind it fresh and then I put it in the fridge when I get home so I can skip the whole stirring it back in process. They are good fats and part of the overall healthiness of nuts in general. Pouring it off defeats some of that purpose of keeping nuts in your diet to begin with.

[MASM]

Hey Red,

Thank you for your comments-I am pouring out less oil with each new jar. Probably the pb is my least favorite thing I eat-it is just easy for lunch. I started to make my own salad dressing a few weeks ago just to make sure I was getting more evoo every day. My salad is actually my favorite thing I eat!

It is all still a work in progress-
Mary Ann

[RedRox]

It is all still a work in progress

And that part of it never changes really...

[jhderm]

Hi Mary Ann

Just wanted to check in w you. Congrats on your lipid profile. Chol of 150 is great! and all the rest is normal. Now just try to work on the HDL / LDL ratios ("keep the highs high, the lows low" is how we remembered it in med school).

I am goig through my own stress induced struggles, but am here to keep things at the minimum the same, and hopefully going down.

Best


Judi

[MASM]

Week 20 -1

I am feeling good about my food choices this past week. I bought some dark chocolate M&Ms to have at work for the occasional chocolate fix. My daughter will be coming home on Friday for her spring break-so I will be having some planned treats. I know a big pot of gumbo will appear on my stove on Sunday and I am going to enjoy it! It is almost beachy-and I could make some substitutions to it, but I would have a fight on my hands if turkey sausage ended up in the pot.

Mary Ann

[mrsgjr]

Hi Mary Ann! My name is Wanda (MrsGJr) and I saw a posting in Judi's journal so thought I'd stop by and check in on you.

Congrats on losing 20+lbs and lowering those numbers that were high I was able to avoid taking high blood pressure medication by following the SB WOL/WOE. Red, Lisa, Judi and so many others get me through so much on here that I rely on them to make it through. If you ever need support, i'm here for ya. We've gotta take care of each other, eh?!

I wrote you a message in Judi's journal but also wanted to post it here in your journal. Hope that you're taking good care of Mary Ann today please and thank you

I was just checking in here to see if Judi was back and saw your entry. Mary Ann, your story not only brought a tear to my eyes but also provided some perspective this morning. For that I thank you!