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