Banjo Lady's Progress....

[Banjo Lady]

Apparently my rearview mirror (which was the only mirror I looked at) didn’t give me a wide enough view. I had no idea I had gotten so fat. One would think my bulging buttons and growing waistline would have been a clue, but I just didn’t see it, or rather didn’t want to see it. I’m sure my story is not too dissimilar to yours, so I won’t bore you with how I got this way, instead focus on my progress.

I’ve been on the plan for just over two months, silently stalking the website. Too chicken to post anything myself, I’ve been checking out active web pages and finding inspirational nuggets and delicious recipes to keep me motivated. Honestly, the reason I haven’t posted anything before is that in the back of my mind I was sure that this diet would fail like all of the rest. With every diet I have tried (and believe me when I say I’ve tried them all), I put on another ten pounds and then came 1PD. To my amazement, after 8 weeks on the plan, I’ve lost 33 pounds. I’m not going to lie, the first couple of days were absolutely miserable. I was so hungry I almost ate my neighbor’s dog, but lucky for me (and the dog) time passed, pounds are dropping off and I feel like a million bucks.

So I’m here….posting…. putting it out there in writing that I’m in this for the long run.
BL

PS...thanks Mrs. Peel for your ticker help, never would have gotten there on my own!

[ElizabethRedux]

Way to go, B!! And I'm glad the neighbor's dog made it through your first few days. LOL! 33 lbs. is incredible!! This diet is amazing, if you ask me. The weight really truly is just melting off. I love it. I just signed up for my second 12 weeks on the plan -- I lost 42 lbs. in the first 12 weeks. Looking forward to seeing what the next session brings me down to. Good luck with everything, and stop back here to post ... it really helps when you know others are going through the same process.

Congratulations!
Elizabeth

[I MUNCH SNOW]

Congrats! You're already a 1/3 of the way there!!! WOOOOOHOOOO! Doesn't it feel awesome!!??

High Five!

[Banjo Lady]

Woo-hoo is right! Yes, I feel awesome! Thank you Elizabeth and IMS for replying, as I said I’m not much of a poster (more of a stalker) but I just finished my first 12 week program and after losing 48 pounds, I feel like I want to shout from the rooftop, “If I can do this, so can you!” When I started I just kept telling myself this is boot camp, it’s only 12 weeks, let me take one day at a time….and now, 12 weeks later I’m 48 pounds lighter and two pant sizes smaller. I look at the scale and still don’t believe it. To help it sink in I cut the tags out of my pants and pasted them in descending order on my refrigerator!

I signed up for the next 12 weeks, but after my blood test they sent me the “Check List” of things to watch out for. I feel like I have been following the plan to the letter, and I’m not sure what more I can do. I weigh all of my food, eat everything on my plan, take my food everywhere and for the most part, only season with salt, pepper and basil. Did anyone else get “the list”? Is there a hidden culprit that I’m missing?

Again, to all of you stalkers out there wondering if you should try this diet, my answer is a resounding yes…..if I can do this, so can you.
BL

[mamaduckling]

Oh, the list! Yes, I have gotten it three times and each time after reading it, I can never guess at what I may have screwed up. I am always TO THE LETTER, but get the list anyway. I am starting to think that it is just a reminder to re-read those things that are important and to help us stay on track.

You are doing an AWESOME job! Keep it up Banjo Lady!

[Banjo Lady]

Somebody pinch me, it’s been 16 weeks and 60 pounds. I hate to keep repeating myself, but I still don’t believe it. This morning I stepped on and off my scale so many times I thought I was in an aerobic step-class! To me, what’s more notable than the weight loss is that I have also lost the “apostrophe” and the “t” at the end of the letters c-a-n. The little voice in my head has changed from “I can’t” to “I can”. Reaching my goal weight is something I CAN achieve, and for someone who has been overweight all of her life, that is a remarkable statement.

I’m not going to lie I have my fears about maintenance, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. For today what I have to say is “GO MAMMADUCKING GO!!!” Eight pounds to goal weight is a phenomenal achievement. You will absolutely get there and we will all celebrate with you!

[ls_dreamer]

Congrats Banjo!!!!!

I'm so excited for you!!!! Not only CAN you but you WILL!!!!!

Keep up the awesome work and amazing attitude!

[Banjo Lady]

After 24 weeks and 76 pounds, how could I be crabby? Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with the weight loss, but my crab-o-meter is off the charts these days. I’m hungry, I’m craving my favorite comfort foods and I’m worried about maintenance. I’m also a little mad at myself for deviating from plan during a two-week vacation to France. My intention was to just eat “allowed” foods, but that didn’t happen. I didn’t go crazy and binge, but I also didn’t hold back either. During the two weeks I put on ten pounds, but the week following I lost 12. So while I’m happy that I got right back on plan and took the weight off immediately, I’m a little disappointed that the net effect over 3 weeks was only 2 pounds (sigh). This brings me back to my crabby state of mind and my fears about maintenance. If I can gain 10 pounds in two weeks on vacation, what is going to happen in real-life maintenance?
BL
PS…I went out today and bought myself a new pair of size 8 pants to make myself feel better…and it helped!

[mamaduckling]

The size 8 clothes always put a smile on my face. I found that there were periods throughout the diet when I became hungrier for awhile. I started drinking black coffee and noticed that it staved off my hunger for awhile longer. Now, I actually like my coffee black and have 2 cups in the morning with my meager breakfast. It has helped. I attributed the hunger to my body shifting and changing and losing more weight. It is tough to go through, tho! It is kind of like those plateaus! Real life maintenance concerns me as well, but I know that I will have to stay on Cohen foods and amounts during the week and only enjoy some of my favorites on the weekends. I think that is a plan I can live with since I know I absolutely CANNOT go back to eating the things I did before. It will be another interesting journey!

[Banjo Lady]

MD,
Maybe that’s my problem now, I can’t go back either and it’s making me crabby. My first emotional hurdle was realizing that I can actually do this, and now my second hurdle is accepting that if I’m ever going to maintain this weight I cannot go back to my old ways….and honestly, that scares me. This is going to sound crazy but I feel like I’m mourning the loss of my old friend, overeating. Trust me when I say we were best friends, especially on Sunday’s. So today when I feel my old triggers kicking in it’s a bit of a struggle.
Thanks for the coffee tip, after I read your post I had a cup and it seemed to distract me for a while! I’m so happy you made it to Re-Feed, I’ve been following your progress and you’ve been a great inspiration to me. I just signed up for my third session, and also lowered my goal weight by 10 pounds. When I first started this diet the “goal weight” they set for me seemed way too low, I told my consultant that my right arm weighed more than what they posted! So I set my ticker-weight at what I thought was attainable, even though I never truly believed I would get there. Now that I’ve proven I can do this, I’m thinking they weren’t so crazy after all.
Thanks for the words of encouragement,
BL

[KMac]

Hi Bango,
size 8's- good for you enjoy them! I feel your uncertainty about life after DC- it is quite an adjustment. If I can share any insight it would be 1) don't stop weighing yourself- keep a handle on the #'s & get to know what you can and cannot eat. I abandonded the scale for months- and the more I ignored it the more mental stress I gave myself- and then the fear of seeing the damage( #'s) was a tough nut to crack. 2) don't go into re-feed/maint. phase nervous- I went into re-feed, maintenance scared- there was to much freedom, I felt I had no boundries- but what I should have done was make my own boundries, food restrictions- treats etc.
3)Life after DC1 I guess is about making maintenance your own, follow the guidelines and incorporate it into your life & most important- keeping yourself a priority- I'm only realizing this now, thats why I'm back.
Good luck on the rest of your journey :)

[Banjo Lady]

Kmac,
Thanks for the great advice, it's nice to hear from someone in the trenches of maintenance! I'm glad you're back at it and haven't given up. I will definitely be stepping on the sclae every day....and as for the guidelines, I'll be asking for more advice when I get there!
BL