Monday, May 28, 2012

Losing Fast with Medifast

Ok...I'm a believer.  I've become a Medifast junkie.  After seeing advertising for this program for years, I finally opted to try it.  (Well, I opted to try it after watching my best friend lose 15 pounds while on it!.)   I have been on the program for 2 1/2 week and am down my own15 pounds.   Hallelujah....I may see my feet again at some point!

The program consists of eating (or drinking) five packages of Medifast product and one "lean and green" meal. The packages are mixed with water to create eggs, pancakes, shakes, pudding, etc. and the one meal a day is veggies and a lean protein.  Very limited brain power required.  I was staring into my pantry one evening and Tommy commented "you're going to get a blue packet or a red packet, Mom...it shouldn't take that much thought!"  Ahhh...but my little packet can be turned into chili....or cappuccino....or a brownie...these are big decisions here!  

The most amazing thing is that I'm truly not hungry.  I eat every 2 1/2 hours and don't really think about food other than when it's time to eat.  This is a major victory for me.  Food has plagued my thoughts for....let me see....how old am I?....48 years.  I began my relationship with food from an early age, having been reared by a woman from Kentucky that knew that everything tastes better with bacon...and fat...and salt.   My mother was an amazing Southern cook that taught us, among other things, that food was to be enjoyed.  And I did....to excess.  Food has  been my friend, my confidant and at times, my significant other.  It feels incredibly healthy to put food in it's place....an acquaintance that I interact with several times a day rather than the lost love that I perseverate  about constantly.  What will I eat next?  When will I eat next?  Is that a Potluck I smell?  Maybe I just needed a psych eval all along.

I reached the milestone of navigating Costco without nibbling on the free samples.  I participated in a pizza party with....yep...no pizza!  I went out with my coworkers to Cirque du Soleil, smelled the popcorn, and did not falter!  I nibbled on my Medifast cinnamon sticks and felt satisfied...and strong.

Other benefits....I'm sleeping... through the night.   This may have more to do with my decrease in caffeine than my diet but it is a related perk.  I like coffee.  I love flavored creamer.  Coffee and I have a precarious relationship when I can't sweeten him up.  I am down to about 1 cup a day that I drink with powdered creamer and Truvia.  Not the same as my Skinny Vanilla Latte's.  I stand corrected, however, on everyone that asked my to decrease my caffeine consumption when discussing my insomnia....apparently it does affect me that way. My Starbucks savings is going into a savings account for a Hawaii trip -for  when I can put on a bathing suit and actually venture out of the house in it.  (I will happily wave goodbye to the unileg!)

I also broke up with salt.  This could explain the 15 pounds in 2 weeks.  I salted everything...usually before I even tasted it.  I salted meat, fruit, eggs...you name it...it needed more salt.  I use it extremely sparingly now. My new best friend is no salt seasoning mix - I now use it on everything.  It's an illness I know...but at least I'm looking for healthier alternatives!

So...I will continue to post how it's going.  Someone asked me the other day what I will write about if I lose all the weight.  I thought for a moment....I doubt Medifast can cure the crazy thoughts that engulf my head...or make the antics of my three boys any calmer...or make me the perfect wife, mother and nurse...Nahhh...there will still be plenty to write about!

Love to you all!



Sunday, May 20, 2012

Climbing up Coronado




Each year for one day, foot traffic is allowed on the Coronado Bridge.  Today was the day for 2012.  Each year the San Diego Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) sponsors a race that takes participants from the San Diego Convention Center to Tidelands Park with some of the best views of the city atop the Coronado Bridge.  Eric and I have participated three times.  Each time is yet another great experience.  It is also for a good cause as it helps fund the MWR, which supports the off duty activities for our Navy personnel.

This four mile walk (each year I run about a total of about....hmmmm...six minutes) allows for great scenery,  camaraderie and a chance to see young families working together.  Many young Moms and Dads are running along side children of all ages.  Very cool.  (Makes me wish I had exercised with my kids rather than just watching from the sidelines!  I truly was the athletic supporter rather than the athlete!)

Eric and I walked most of the way with taking short sprints just to break out of the crowd.  I think it always surprises people to see me run at all...I am not a gazelle....much more like a rhino running.  It's not pretty, I've been told...in a manner that I'm sure came from a good place (?).  We did have to run a few times, however, to avoid the women with the wild arm swing....she came close to making Eric hit a falsetto.  We also ran to get in front of a woman who, in spite of having my body, opted to wear a very short walking skirt that allowed us all to witness her thighs battle each other for space.   It was not pretty.  It also reminded me that my knee length walking shorts were a good idea.

Monday, May 7, 2012

The Kreativ Blogger Award!

It has been two weeks since my return from the EBWW.  I came back expecting to jump into my writing with both feet, crank out a best seller and live off the royalties in Hawaii.   Just kidding...I actually expected to be doing exactly what I am doing...trying to figure out what I want to do with my writing!  I came to some very comforting realizations while at the conference:
  1. If I never get famous writing a novel, it's ok.
  2. If I never get famous writing a blog, it's ok.
  3. If I end up doing some writing that makes someone, somewhere laugh....I'm a successful writer.
  4. I may never know how many people enjoy my writing and that's ok too.
All of these realizations actually add to my overall contentment.  I write the blog because I enjoy it.  Nothing gives me greater pleasure that having someone say...I read your stuff and laughed out loud.  It's even better if they choked on some milk that spurted from their nose...then I know I really hit the mark!   My biggest wish is to have a moment like Erma when she read the words from her university professor stating "you can write". 

In that vein, I received a nod from a fellow writer that I was privileged to meet at the conference.  Darlene Sneden of Adventures of a Middle Age Mom fame, nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger award.  Darlene is one of many amazing writers that I was astounded by at the conference...each one at a different level of "success" yet continually accepting of every new face, conversation and question.  With the award, I am to give you seven facts about myself and nominate seven other bloggers for the award so...here goes!

1.  A relatively unknown fact about me is that I once danced to "Ease on Down the Road" at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.  I believe my shining moment was when I got off step and ran into the dancer in front of me right in front of a group of my high school friends.  This could have been the reason I gave up dance, Drill Team and anything that required me to move to music in front of 66,000 people.

2.  I completed my Masters Degree in Nursing Education in November 2011.  I have since thought I'd write a book entitled "How to make insomnia work for you".

3.  I was privileged to sing for several weddings and church banquets over the years until peri-menopause turned me into a tenor.  Now if I have a cold, I can sing bass.

4.  It always shocks the heck out of me when people state "I'm so glad you're here" in a crisis.  I teach my students to just...talk....slower....if you feel anxious.  Apparently it has worked miracles for me over the years. 

5.  While I loved Psych nursing on the floor, I love teaching more.  I feel oddly at home in the classroom and absolutely get a sense of accomplishment when my students 'get it'.  As I get older, it just takes longer sometimes for me to 'get it' first!

6.  I am somewhat of the computer expert in my office which makes my husband and kids laugh hysterically since I usually need them to program my phone for me.

7.  We once had the police called to my sons 12-year birthday party when he and his friends staged a gang fight.  It is never good to meet a parent by saying "If your son tells you he was spread out over a police car, it is true...but not as bad as it sounds...."

Now that you know me, let me introduce you to my nominees....

1.  Heidi Koch Frazer from Heidi in Wisconsin is apparently my twin from another mother...and father...and family.  She has some hysterical blogs that do make me laugh out loud!

2.  Stacy Hatton is a pediatric nurse that writes about her adventures in parenthood in Nurse Mommy Laughs .  She has a great sense of humor and her musings on young childhood bring back memories (or nightmares) for me! 

3.  Ginger Truitt is a mother of five (I'm such a wimp with only 3!) that writes for several newspapers and is currently working on a book.  She can be found at Ginger Truitt and has a great outlook on life.

4.  I also met Rachel Webb Turner at the conference and she describes her blog as "all kinds of random things"....like Atlanta or being old and pregnant.  Her blog is Rachels Humor .

5.  Jody Worsham from The Medicare Mom writes about being having young children while being in the Medicare years.  Her recap of the EBWW made us all laugh!

I'm going to cheat a little bit and throw back the nomination to Darlene Sneden and the woman that nominated her, Lisa Tognola of Main Street Musings .  Both great writers and people I would love to learn from!

So...I have provided you with seven useless facts, tons of reading material and hopefully enough insight into my insecurities as a writer that you will leave a comment telling me that I have made you laugh at some point.   It's 4:30am....my work here is done.

Love to you all!