Weigh-In #10

It's official....I'm up for the first time since starting IP. 2 pounds! =( I'm blaming this on all the cheese curds I ate in Wisconsin and my lack of discipline when I returned. I made yesterday my official reboot day. At this point, I'm taking one day at a time. What else can I do?

Even though I gained 2 lbs, I lost in inches and body fat so I really cannot complain!

Losses:

Weight +2

Arm -.25"

Chest +.5"

Waist -.1.75"

Hip -.5"

Thigh -.5"

% Body Fat -.5%

BMI -.1

Body Age -0 years

Visceral -0

Grand total pounds lost: 23.8 lbs
Grand total inches lost: 18"

When it came to cheating, I just found myself getting hungry especially after a vacation where I was constantly eating. This week I decided to revert back to things I was eating during my first couple weeks. I got myself a couple soups and omelets. I'm hoping this will be more filling for me where I'm not tempted to eat that slice of bread! 

Wish me luck!

~Andrea

Weigh-In #9

Today was my 9th weigh in and I continue to be surprised. I've had a few cheats these last few weeks so when I when I step on that scale I'm expecting the worst! To my surprise, I lost another -2.6 lbs this last week. Unfortunately, my body fat percentage did not change much!

This is my final week before I head out on vacation so I have to make it count! I just have to tell myself NO CHEATING! NO CHEATING! NO CHEATING!

Next week I'll be in Wisconsin surrounded by cheese curds. Hopefully the amount of activity will balance it out and I will maintain and not gain! Pray for me!

I'll be back in two weeks with my Week

Weigh-In #8

I had my Week 8 weigh-in today and guess who officially weigh's under 200 lbs!!! THIS GIRL!! BOOM!

Yes, I'm pretty excited! Not only am I under 200 lbs but I also hit my second mini goal of 20lbs.

Losses:

Weight -3.4

Arm -0"

Chest -2"

Waist -.25"

Hip -1"

Thigh -0"

% Body Fat -.9%

BMI -1.2

Body Age -2 years

Visceral -0

Grand total pounds lost: 23.2 lbs
Grand total inches lost: 15.5"

Believe it or not but these results came to somewhat of a surprise to me. Now that the weather is nicer outside, I tend to go out and play more....and by this I mean drink. ;)

Monday was a company outing to the Kernals game. It was alot of fun! Free food and drinks! I did pretty good by staying away from the stadium food but I did have myself a couple beers. Also, every Thursday a group of coworkers play volleyball and this involves drinking before and after. I do not play but I pregame with them. Weird thing is, it seems like I'm more successful when I cheat! No...no....no, I'm not going to get in that mindset. 

My dad made a deal with me. He knows I'll be needing some new clothes once I get this weight off so he said he would pay me $5 for every pound I loose by July 1st. I have two weeks! 

Also in two weeks, it's vacation time! Off to Door County, WI for a week! SOOOO excited! This also means a vacation from IP. What's a vacation to Wisconsin without cheese curds!? I talked to my coach today and she said surprisingly she finds that most of her clients maintain during vacation. I hope that's the truth for me as well!

Until next week!

~Andrea

Weigh-In #7

I'm a week behind so I'm only going to post my Week 7 results here. I lost -3.6 lbs bringing my total to -19.8. I can smell 20 lbs! ;)

~Andrea

Weigh-In #6

Geez, I've been slacking! I almost forgot to post my Week 6 results! Even though my lbs lost aren't the greatest, my other numbers make up for it!

Losses:

Weight -.2

Arm -.25"

Chest -0"

Waist -1"

Hip -.5"

Thigh -.5"

% Body Fat -1.9%

BMI -.1

Body Age -1 year

Visceral -0


Total: 16.2 lbs and 12.25 inches

My coach felt that my weight lost didn't really add up to my % body fat lost so she gave me a cleanse to do called Chiro Klenz. It's a tea that I've drank for the last 2 nights and so far...nothing. It appears to be having the opposite affect on me instead! Bummer!

Here's some pictures of what I've been eating...

 Rutabaga Fries! SOOO GOOD!

 Chicken Fajitas

 Fajita Chicken with bell peppers and mozzarella cheese

Well until next time...

~Andrea

Weigh-In #5

I'm a little late with my weigh-in post but better late than never. This week I was down 2.6 lbs bringing my total lost to 16 lbs. Still moving forward which is good!

My son Bryce just got done with 2nd grade so things have been a little hectic. We just had a schools out block party which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I was unable to fight temptation and cheated. I ended up having a walking taco and some deserts (cookies, brownies, etc) Yeah. I regret it but all I can do is move forward, right?

I mentioned a few blogs ago that I was experiencing some kind of allergic reaction to what I thought was Kale or Brussel Sprouts. Well I finally saw a dermotologist (after going to Urgant Care and the ER) and it appears that I had a bad case of eczema. I've had 3 flare ups in the last 2 weeks! Ugh! It is AWFUL! Itches like crazy and because it's on my hands, it kept me from working and pretty much doing anything else. He gave me some topical creme so I'm hoping it will help with my next flare up. According to the internet, eczema can be caused my many different things. I'm praying



Here's what I've been eating lately....

 Ribeye with a side of asparagus and mushrooms sauteed in lemon juice.

 Wild caught salmon with lemon juice and a side of asparagus topped with mozzarella.

Pork and sauerkraut...just like Oma used to make! SOOO GOOD!

~Andrea

Weigh-In #4

Remember when I said last week that I cheated and it was soooo good and sooo worth it? I take that back. It was not worth it. That cheating set me back more than 4 days. I finally saw the scale start moving again on Thursday however, I wasn't loosing body fat! Ugh! Never cheating again.

Aside from the body fat percentage not moving much in this weeks weigh in, I was pretty happy with my other numbers.

Losses:

Weight -3.4 (-13.4 total)

Arm -.25"

Chest -.5"

Waist -2.5"

Hip -.5"

Thigh -0"

% Body Fat -.3%

BMI -.7

Body Age -1 year

Visceral -0

I'm motivated! Now that I've learned the repercussions of cheating, I'm determined not to cheat again!

Lately, I've been trying out different seasonings. For my birthday, my friend Amanda got me a bunch of different spices. I've never been that much into cooking probably because I was never taught so I'm just testing things out now. The last few days I've had baked chicken breasts with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pretty tasty!

I had a little bit of a scare last week. I made kale chips for the first time. It was very tasty and I strongly recommend! In the middle of the night however, I woke up with a strange allergic reaction on my hands...itchy, bumpy, and swollen. The next morning I went to the doctor and basically just told me to get some Bennedryl and some itch cream. Well I did that and it went away...eventually. The only thing I felt like I could blame is the kale chips. ......but they were sooooo good. Well Saturday I tried them out again. Fortunately, no reaction but unfortunately, I will never know what caused that reaction.

Kale Chips

Cut bite size, toss in ziplock with Olive Oil. Lay on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with SS. Bake for 8-10 min at 350 degrees. Edges should be crispy. Do not overcook or oversalt!

Until next time...
~Andrea

Weigh-In #3

As I stated in my earlier post, this last weekend was my 31st birthday and Mother's Day. My brother comes back to Iowa from Chicago and our weekend usually involved alot of eating out.

Friday, my actual birthday, my son, Bryce and I met a couple of my friends at Red Lobster for dinner. I had every intention of making this a OP (on program) dinner however the smell of the cheesy biscuits took over. I ended up having 3!!! I did however order a OP dinner of salmon with broccoli.

Saturday I stayed OP all day except for dinner. My family and I went to Osaka, a Japanese Steakhouse and sat at the Hibachi grill. I ordered the chicken, rice, and veggie entree. This also came with soup and salad. Doesn't sound that bad right? Well...wrong. I dipped EVERYTHING.....and I mean EVERYTHING in Yum Yum sauce. SO good and SO worth it!

Sunday was Mother's Day. I stated OP all day except for Brunch. We went to Zins which is a really nice restaurant. They had a special menu for Mother's Day where each person picked 3 things. It is a topass restaurant so everything comes in small portions. I chose the Eggs Benedict, Mac & Cheese, and Steak & Egg. I also had a mimosa.

It sounds really bad however it could of been worse, right?

Yesterday (Monday) was my 3rd weigh in and it pretty much went as expected. After all that cheating over the weekend I still managed to loose 1.2 lbs putting me at my first goal of 10 lbs lost. I really cant be mad at 10lbs in 3 weeks. It is sure better than what I was doing before.

I'm ready to get back OP and loose this weight!

Here's some dinner meals I've been cookin up in the kitchen!

 Chicken Stir Fry with Bok Choy, Mushrooms, Asparagus, and LS Soy Sauce

 Butterfly Pork Chop topped with Saurkraut with a side of Bok Choy, Mushrooms, and Broccoli

Burger topped with 1 oz mozzarella  mustard, and low sugar ketchup. I made a bun using IP Potato Puree.

Here's to a better tomorrow!

~Andrea

Weigh-In #2

I was a little down and out yesterday morning because I weighed myself at home and didn't see a huge difference on the scale as I did the previous week. This mood was turned around when I received my measurements. Every other week RVC will take my measurements as well as my weight.

Losses:

Weight -2.8 (-8.8 total)

Arm -.25"

Chest -1.5"

Waist 3.5" <---WOW!

Hip -.5"

Thigh -.25"

% Body Fat -2.2%

BMI -1.5

Body Age -2 years

Visceral -1

I can't be mad about that. My coach was more than satisfied with my results and told me that as long as I stay on track, I will be an Ideal Protein success story.

This coming weekend will be the first time I've cheated while being on Ideal Protein. My brother is coming in town to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day. My birthday is Friday and Mother's Day is Sunday. The plan is to celebrate my birthday dinner at Osaka, a Japanese Steakhouse on Saturday night and then go to Brunch on Sunday for Mother's Day. I spoke to my coach about this and they said to stay on track for the remainder of my meals which makes me feel better. Who knows? I may not even be able to eat like I used to.

Wish me luck!
~Andrea

Weigh-In #1

This morning was my first weigh-in. I had successfully completed a week on Ideal Protein and it was tough. Over the last week I've had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the the other and all they've done is bicker! It was annoying. However, the angel always won. I did not give in to the temptation to cheat and my first week results showed it!

6 lbs gone! Adios! C'ya! Arrivederchi! Peace out! Don't let the door hit cha on the way out!

Seeing that I've been able to get through a week without cheating gives me the confidence that I can make it another week.

This weekend was busy. I picked up a box of Ketostix on Friday from Hy Vee Drugstore (ask the pharmacist). Guess who was in ketosis?? This girl!

Also this weekend I experimented with omelets! I had four omelets as meals - dinner Friday, breakfast Saturday, breakfast Sunday, and dinner Sunday. That's alot of omelets huh?

Here's a few I made....

 Wild Salmon Omelet

Calories: 303, Carbs: 2, Fat: 12, Protein: 40, Fiber 1, Sodium: 422

Ground Turkey Omelet

Calories: 356, Carbs: 1, Fat: 16, Protein: 42, Fiber: 0, Sodium: 230

This weekend was beautiful in Marion, IA. The windows were open, the birds were chirping, the kids were playing and laughing outside, and the dog was all over the place eatin grass and digging up my hastas. Because it was so nice, I took the opportunity to do some work outside and be active. It felt great! It's pretty amazing how you can feel so good and have so much energy and only be eating <800 calories a day. 

Unfortunately, this weather is short lived and it's supposed to rain all week. Maybe I'll have the energy to spring clean??

Overall I can't complain about the last 7 days. My next weigh-in is Monday, May 6th. 

Onward and upward!

~Andrea

RAWR!

RAWR!! This is how I've felt the last couple days! Come too close and I might bite cha! (Sorry Dad)

This diet is making me very irritable and I've had headaches off and on for the last 2 days. Today it is alot better. The headache is gone and I don't feel like biting anyone's head off. That's not part of the diet, right?

Anyways, I have a couple theories of why this could be happening....

• Theory #1 - Caffeine withdrawals. Before starting IP I would sometimes drink up to 5 sodas a day. Saturday was my last soda meaning it's been 5 days. On the flip said, I've been drinking Mio Energy which has caffeine and it has been 5 days. 
• Theory #2 - It was that time of the month. Usually I get a headache or migraine the day of or day before mother nature comes a knockin'. On the flip side, the headaches were on day 3 and 4 of my monthly visit and didn't seem like the headaches I'm used to. 
• Theory #3 - Ketosis, which is due to the sudden drop of carbohydrates that forces the body to use the fat deposits which is the whole goal of Ideal Protein. On the flip side, from what I've read, this can take up to a week. And according to the other signs of ketosis, I don't feel like I have those...yet. 

Well whatever the cause may be, I'm glad the headache is gone today. Through my research, alot of people use Ketostix which is a way to test if you're in Ketosis. Apparently, you can pick these up at a pharmacy such as CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart. Maybe I'll give em a try.

Four more days until weigh in #1!

~Andrea

Day 1

Yesterday was Day 1 on IP and I would have to say it was successful. I took all the vitamins (10 total) which are spread out three times a day, I drank well over 64 oz of water, and I followed the diet to a 'T'.

This is what an average day will consist of (the packets flavors will very).....

Breakfast: Vitamins and the IP Packet, Chocolate Shake.
Lunch: Vitamins and the IP Packet, Broccoli and Cheese Soup + 2 cups of broccoli w/ sea salt.
Afternoon Snack: 1\3 IP Packet, Dill Pickle Zippers (*this meal is only allowed the first couple days on IP)
Dinner: 8 oz ribeye w/ sea salt and pepper + 2 cups of asparagus in olive oil.
Night snack: IP Packet, Chocolate Pudding.

Basically you have 3 IP packets a day while in Phase 1. These can be things such as shakes, puddings, soups, omelets, bars, puffs, etc. You are in Phase 1 until you hit 90% of your weight goal. For me, this would be 63 lbs.

Lunch yesterday was a little difficult for me. I actually put the broccoli in the soup to make it thicker and I could barely eat the entire thing. I was soooo full however, I made it happen afraid that if I didn't, it would be hurtful to the process. I plan on speaking to my coach about this.

I told myself I was going to put my scale away and just surprise myself when I have my official weigh-in at RVC but everyone knows I'm not good with surprises so I jumped on the scale this morning. Believe it or not, I was 3 lbs down from yesterday! I'm telling myself that it's my body coming down from the sodium party I had last weekend plus all the water I drank yesterday but we'll see! Only time will tell!

On to Day 2....
~Andrea

Day 1, 4/22/13

Last Hurrah!

This weekend, I had my last hurrah! I ate my favorite things...and some.

Friday for lunch I stopped at Milios. I had a skinny godfather with mayo, chips, and a cookie. For dinner, Bryce wanted Carlos O'Kelly's so I had chips and queso and the Fajita Cheese Crisp.

Saturday, my dad took me to Granite City, my favorite. I had my Asian Chicken Salad and a cup of their Cheddar Ale Soup. Dinner I ordered in from Tings where I got Mongolian Beef, egg fried rice, and crab meat rangoons.

Sunday wasn't as crazy. Bryce wanted breakfast so we did an early dinner at Perkins. I had the Eggs Benedict with pancakes.

I'm satisfied. Was it worth it? Partially. I'm glad I got my cravings out of the way however I was up 1.2 lbs on my scale which means my beginning weight at RVC will be up as well. Hopefully that 1.2 lbs will slide back off.

This weekend I prepared my house for starting IP today. I cleaned out my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator and removed pretty much everything so there would be zero temptation to cheat. The only way I'm cheating is if I'm going to eat condiments! Haha!

Today is day 1. I've had my first round of vitamins, had my breakfast (chocolate shake) and drank 24 oz of water. Feeling good and not hungry. Tonight I'm going to take my before pictures. I've been back and forth with this because I hate pictures of myself but I've seen people's before and after shots and they are amazing. I want my story to be amazing also...

....and it will!
~Andrea

Consultation

Yesterday I had my consultation at the chiropractor office I'm doing IP through. My consult was with the chiropractors wife who runs the IP program. Wednesday night I actually went to Mercycare in Marion, IA for their informational meeting. They were also running a special that if you signed up after the informational session, they would take 50% off the consult fee of $150. This sounded good to me. However, after the informational session I felt like River Valley Chiro in Cedar Rapids, IA was a better fit for me. RVC seems really family oriented and more personal. They also 'coach' you. Shelley, the chiropractors wife, sends out supportive emails and recipe ideas. This is what I need.

The consultation was exciting and depressing at the same time. At the first consultation you fill out some paperwork about your medical and diet history. After review they do a little explaining of how the diet works.They then take your weight, BMI, and determine your body age. This was the depressing part. I'm not sure exactly how it works but Shelley said my body age was 59 years old meaning my body is working as hard as a women at age 59. Eeek! Now if that isn't motivation to do this then I'm just a lost cause. After that, another women came in and did all my measurements - arms, chest, waist, hips, and thighs and then the fun part....I picked out food. The first couple weeks you don't get that much to choose from other then some shakes, soups, pudding, and a couple other items. Along with getting my first weeks food, I also got my vitamins that I will take daily, some sea salt, and my mixers that I will use to mix all the protein packets in.

This first consultation totaled $372.93. Weekly I will return to get weighed and pick out my weeks worth of food. The average cost for these visits will be around $90/week. Kinda pricey but probably only a small increase from what I'm spending on groceries now. 

Even though my consultation was Thursday, I chose my starting day to be Monday, April 22, 2013. I chose this thinking I would just devour every possible food I love. Ridiculous I know. I haven't done anything crazy yet however, I am trying to decide what my 'last supper' will be. To tell the truth, since I already weighed in, I don't want to stray too much from my starting weight.

Anyways, because I don't start until Monday, April 22nd, my first weigh in wont be until Monday, April 29, 2013.

Until next time....

~Andrea

Trials and Tribulations

I'm Andrea and I have a weight problem. Isn't that how it goes? I'm a 30 year old single mom and I have baby weight I've been trying to lose for the last 8 YEARS!

I'm starting this blog to keep track of my new diet: Ideal Protein! I heard about it through a couple people I work with. If you don't know already, Ideal Protein is a four phased medically designed and professionally supervised muscle-sparing weight loss protocol. The average person has a weight loss of 3-7 lbs/week. The IP Weight Loss Method stabilizes the pancreas and blood sugar levels while burning fat.

Two of my coworkers (Mike and Sara) are just finishing up. They look amazing. Mike is almost unrecognizable and looks like he lost a whole person! I think he's lost about 60lbs. Sara has never looked so slim - down 40lbs! Two more coworkers just started a couple weeks ago. Amanda, my best friend had her first weigh in Monday and lost 8.4 lbs in 6 days!  I've been doing My Fitness Pal for over a year and only lost 10.4 lbs! Grr!

Well I have the same ol story as pretty much the majority of those overweight! I've tried various different diets and work out regimes and always fail. I'm hoping IP will be the one that works! Wish me luck!

For more information on IP, go to: http://www.idealprotein.com/us/home
River Valley Chiro: http://chirorivervalley.com/custom_content/c_161318_ideal_protein.html

Keep Moving Forward!

~Andrea