Back to the plan

Today I am starting Round #3 of Lean for Life. Hopefully, my results will continue as I am liking going down in sizes every six weeks. I was just sorting through some old clothes this morning and I have the next set of "goal" pants lined up and ready to go!

Even a little more less of me

Well, I am photoshop challenged. I had originally wanted to post a picture of me at the end of my last cycle next to this one so you could see the progress. Thanks to God and a lot of hard work, I am now down another 18 pounds for a grand total of 34 since beginning back in April. I am now in yet another smaller size and am determined to get into the next smaller pair of jeans in my pile. When we get back from our family trip, I am going to be packing up my "too big" jeans and saying goodbye to them. I'd really love to have a bonfire, but I think I'll just take the tax deduction and send them over to Goodwill.

Finishing up Round 2

For those of you who may have been following my weight loss progress, I am now in the "maintenance phase" of my second round of Lean for Life. I am actually glad to be on the maintenance portion because the last week I have hit a plateau which I know I will break (in fact, I had as of this morning). I'm going to do one extra week of maintenance this time around because we will be visiting family after the initial 2 weeks of maintenance and since the first week of this plan is usually the most crucial to get started on a good foot, I don't want to do it while I'm away. So far, since beginning the plan back in April, I have lost just over 30 pounds and am down about 3 sizes. Thanks for letting me share!

A good problem to have, I guess

So I am now in week #3 of this weight loss cycle. I got out the goal pants yesterday and I can say that while I can get them over my hips AND even buttoned and zippered, I still have about a week or two before I would consider being at "goal". That being said, I am now at a point where my current size is now a little too "big" but the next "goal" size isn't comfortable yet. Makes one kind of wish for "half" sizes.

A New Pair of "Goal" Pants

So, yesterday we finished up our first cycle of Lean for Life. I even managed to lose 3 more pounds during my two weeks of maintenance bringing my total weight loss for the phase to 18 pounds.

Today we begin the cycle again. The first part of this plan is always a little difficult to tackle because it's three straight days of nothing but protein. Strangely, I am not really hungry when doing this, but it does leave a little to be desired in terms of meal variety. I mean, there's not too many ways to pretty up a chunk of meat on a plate. But, this is what "kick starts" the plan into action and who I am I to judge when I get such good results.

Each time I begin a new cycle, I review how the last cycle went and if I met any goals. Well, of course I met the weight loss goal, but I also now fit into a pair of pants that I haven't worn in probably about six months. So, I now am going to dig through my closet and find a new pair of "goal" pants. This will be another size down from my former "goal" pants. I am also going to make a conscious effort to exercise more. I figure I lost weight the last cycle with some exercise, but not nearly what I should have been doing to really keep my "furnace" burning. So, this morning, I woke up at 6:15 and went for a 30 minute brisk walk. I was amazed at how much ground I covered when I'm not stopping every two feet to look at a dandelion or pinecone (though I do very much enjoy my walks with Kyra). We'll see how I do in the next 4-6 weeks. If I get the chance, I'll have Rich take a picture of me in my "old" jeans.

Meal Plan Monday

Last week, I did fairly well with my meal plan. I stuck with it every day except for Wednesday which I had forgotten that I had an eye appointment and Ian had baseball practice. This week is also a little different. It is the last week of our "Maintenance Phase" before we hit the plan again starting on Monday. As a result, we are going to "splurge" a little bit towards the end of the week and have a couple of evenings out. So, here we go:

Monday (Protein Day): Honey Mustard Pork Medallions
Tuesday: Crock Pot Roast Beef
Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Thursday: Cilantro Lime Halibut
Friday: Dinner out
Saturday: BBQ at friends house
Sunday: FREE DAY

I made it through!

Yesterday was the last day of my 4-week weight loss cycle with . I now am beginning two weeks of "metabolic adjustment" which basically means gradually getting my body used to my new weight. Which through four weeks, I have lost approximately 15 pounds (not knowing what my true "start weight" was because I didn't actually go buy a scale until two days into it). Since this isn't my first time on this plan (the first time was pre-Kyra), I knew it would work but I still get amazed at seeing the numbers drop so quickly. In fact, I have a couple pairs of jeans that I can no longer wear. I've still got quite a journey to go to get back to my pre-baby weight, but at least it's a start and I'm determined to maintain my focus!

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first time participating in Meal Plan Monday. Since we are on our Lean for Life plan, we have a somewhat limited menu, though I have secured a cookbook that I have found helpful in at least giving us some variety in our menu. So, here goes:

Monday (protein only day): Roasted Turkey Breast
Tuesday: Grilled Sirloin Patties with green beans
Wednesday: Pesto Flounder bundles
Thursday: Chicken and pea pods
Friday: Beer-glazed boneless pork chops
Saturday: Sizzle steaks with teriyaki mushrooms
Sunday: Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

We'll see how it turns out.

I've never been so glad to see lettuce

Since I started my plan on Monday, I finished up my "introduction" phase yesterday which consisted of nothing but protein. It's not altogether horrible (since I've done this before and I knew what I was getting into) but it does lack a certain bit of, well, variety.

So, today I was able to get back to more "normal" foods and I had a great sesame ginger chicken salad for lunch. It wasn't anything fancy, but it sure did taste good and it was nice to have a variety of textures and shockingly, my body did not go into revolt for having something green.

I know low-carb isn't for everyone, but I was telling Rich the other night that it is amazing how hungry eating carbs makes me. Since starting the plan on Monday, I haven't really felt the need to snack (other than the allowed) between meals and I actually feel full. Now, I just need to keep that in mind as I stick with it.

Slightly better tasting than a cardboard box

After months of putting it off, I have decided to go back on my "Plan". Back in 2004, I had great success with Lean For Life. In fact, I lost over 70 pounds following the plan in conjunction with lots of prayerful support. So today, I start again at Day 1.

Since this plan is highly protein oriented (but not in an Atkins-type way), I set off to the grocery store today to stock up on some supplies. I came across these lovely South Beach Diet bars. The picture looked decent enough and since it's no longer the low carb craze, there wasn't too much in the way of selection. I think I will have to scour the web for some of my former "low carb faves" as these were about as tasty as cardboard with glue but thankfully there are only five left I figure I will be able to choke them down though they sure would probably taste a lot better with a Vanilla Latte from Starbucks.