Joel's Progress

[jheiner]

I feel silly posting this but it really helps me to read these forums and see everyone else's experiences as they go through this journey to thinification lol. I past the three week mark Wednesday of this week and still going strong. Have not even considered cheating =D, have found that I actually love a couple of vegies I would have probably never even given a fair shake otherwise. I grew up such a wimp about eating them, mom would always try, but I had a full on mental block about vegies to the point where I'd gag if i put them in my mouth (yeah i know...lol).

I have to say one of the best parts thus far was having a friend from work tell me how noticeable the difference in my face was already, it's very reassuring. Obviously i'm doing this for myself but it's nice to have someone notice it, kinda feels like the external payoff to all the hard work I'm doing when nobody is around.

The preparation of all the food has been the hard part for me so far. Some nights I get home, and just DO NOT FEEL LIKE cooking a lunch for tomorrow at work, but I know it's worth it so I hunker down, defrost that shrimp, and get cooking lol.

As you can tell by the ticker, I kinda cheated on the "no weighing till the 4 week mark" rule =/ couldn't help myself though last week, was feeling a bit discouraged at the time cause I was looking at myself and kinda felt like I couldn't see a difference in my body yet. Yeah, i'm impatient =/ but it was the pep up I needed, and I'm still going strong for the most part. Have had some issues of weakness in my legs this past week and my consultant suggested taking in an extra fruit and few more crackers each day for 10 days. Sadly he also said to leave the cheese/yogurt out for a bit while i'm feeling this way =( which is sad cause those had become my quick fix favorites when I didn't feel like cooking. Oh well, gotta get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to dice up my onions/peppers and make eggs.

The part i'm really messing up on I think is a lack of sleep. It's tough for me cause my life is fairly full and I'm a night owl, so it's hard for me to go to bed early, especially with how hot it is in Southern California right now, but I still have to wake up at 4am for work. Need to try to be a bit more responsible/firm with my sleep schedule and try to get my dinner earlier whenever possible I suppose.

Annnnnnyways, I had not intended to right a short novel, so I better stop now lol!

[JenJ]

24 pounds in 3 weeks! that's CRaZy! :)

[Cynthia]

Hey Joel, you're doing awesome! So, you're a night owl AND you have to get up for work at 4am??? That's nuts. Go to bed, Man! Hahaha! I had an idea on how to make your egg prep in the wee hours of the morn' a little easier for you... How about hard boiling a bunch of eggs and having your onions and peppers portioned out the night before? Pop it in the microwave and you're good to go. Anyway, just a thought :o)

Keep up the great work!

[gscraine]

This helped me so thanks for the short novel! Good luck!

[jheiner]

Man last night was first tough spot I've had thus far. Did a concert with my worship pastor @ his old church like 1-1.5 hour drive away from us. Now not only did I not get to sleep on the road like I had planned cause I ended up being the one to drive the 17 passenger van both ways, but then after we finished, they were givin away the leftover nachos w/chili on top to all of us. I looooove chili, and at this point even the cheap stuff smells fantastic lol.

Then to add to the toughness, they wanted to stop @ In-N-Out on the way home, anyone that lives in western united states and has had a burger/fries from here understands lol.... So yeah, i'm tired, by 10:30 @ night, i'm very hungry having eaten my last meal at 6:15, and I'm driving a bus 1 hour back to church with the smell of food i LOVE all around me lol...

Although once it was done, I was proud of myself, kinda reinforced to me that my resolve to see this through is iron clad =D but jeeze that sucked lol. I don't think it would have been nearly as bad if not for the fact that I was hungry at the time.

Ah well, 2 days from the 4 week mark, can't wait to see the damage when I weigh in =D

[jheiner]

Today is the 4 week mark, a bit disappointed that the weight loss slowed down, however the difference in the way my clothes are fitting is very evident, went from snug in 40's to having 38's falling off of me so I'm pleased. Went through my closet last night and began to thin the flock, was a combination of happy/sad, cause I really liked some of my clothes that are too big now =( lol.

Part of me is just a bit frustrated cause from what I hear the weight loss slows down towards the end so I will probably end up havin to pay for another 12 weeks, yes I am cheap =P. Obviously i'll do it, was just hoping I might not have to.

Ah well, 4 weeks down and 26.5 lbs down, lets hope their friends miss them and decide to leave early over the next 8 lol .

[KMac]

Hi Joel,
26.5 pounds WOW, you should be so proud! Think of 26.5 pounds of ground beef of a table- thats what you lost, thats terrific.
I came to the conclusion on this diet, ( after beating myself up that I didn't drop 85 lbs in 12 weeks) that this is a journy and I'm on it however long it takes me. Re-signing the 1st time for some is difficult, they have the 12 week finish line and then its like a cruel joke.. 12 MORE!! lol
I re-signed 3 times, my weight came off slower, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Trust your body, I had a hard time (mentally) accepting my body was changing, and sometimes we need the extra time for our brains to catch up to our changing bodies.
Also, sometimes when the scale isn't moving- it is because we are losing inches, get out the tape measure- its a nice pick me up.

Good luck :)

[jheiner]

TY, I know it's a journey and I'm in for as long as it takes, I wouldn't care if it was a longer than 12 week plan, my disappointment is more at the idea of spending more money than an issue with having to continue the plan for longer. I generally really enjoy the food I eat on the diet, sure I miss some favorites, but I have not felt "deprived" in the least bit. I go through spices like crazy and eat very spicy/flavorful food that I probably would not have tried otherwise, so I'm content. Although I have to say, when I make my garlic shrimp scampi on spaghetti squash, in the back of my mind I'm thinking of how delicious that would be tucked inside some warm pita bread =D

[apachejenn]

Oh man, In N Out? I have told people not even to mention the name of that place! Be sure that the spicy stuff you're eating is allowed. A lot of things that make spice, like chili, paprika, etc, is not allowed.

[jheiner]

I make it spicy by using fresh diced garlic and generous ammounts of pepper =D

[jheiner]

Man this weekend was rough lol. Sunday we had dinner at my parents house for Grandma's birthday. They did home made Chile Rilenos(think i spelled that right), beans, rice, tacos/tostadas, then had a big ol strawberry cake and my favorite, cookie dough ice cream lol =/. Was tough to sit there with my crackers and a peach but I hung tough! Then monday, my sister's Labor Day party...sittin around surrounded by people eating/drinking all this stuff I love, fresh salsa/guacamole, Burgers/Hot Links, Grandma's Potato Salad, Margaritas...

Started wishing I had just stayed at home lol, but I had a good time with my family and I got a true measure of my resolve to complete this diet w/o cheating at all. Was a moment of frustration and yet pride as well lol.

[KMac]

Great job, you should be very proud of yourself..
"nothing tastes as good as being fit feels"

[jheiner]

Today i slipped into a pair of jeans that my friend gave me almost a year ago that i had NEVER been able to wear =D Nothing like an egyptian cotton reward for good work so far lol =D

[jheiner]

Soooo yeah, after doing my followup blood test I found out I have "deviated" unwittingly in a few matters. Namely due to what I thought was a necessary subtraction, I have been eating 1/2 the shrimp I should have been with my Meal 2, oddly enough I had been satisfied by this ammount, gonna be stuffed when I double it up lol...

Also had been using Butter PAM, aparently a no no, and I had eaten more more than the specified ammount of crackers at 1 time, wasn't going over the limit, just having too many at once a few times and didn't realize it was a problem.

Ah well, 6 week mark today!

A bit disappointed that I will almost certainly have to pay for a second session of the program for 5-10lbs cause it looks like at the pace I'm on, I'll have about that to go before I can start my re-feed when I hit the 12 week mark. Ah well, it's worth it

[c2lamoreux]

They could tell all that just by your blood work? jeeeezzzz

[jheiner]

no they couldn't tell that by my bloodwork lol, they just said that my test showed deviation, so I told them piece by piece everything that I eat on a daily basis, the spices i use, etc, and they clarified which ones were issues.

[c2lamoreux]

Wow, day by day thats a lot and it shows they really want you to lose the weight too. Well their going to see I deviated for sure then, some days I didn't eat lunch.

[jheiner]

Yep, they told me it will show up as a deviation if you skip meals, some days it's tougher than others, there have been a couple nights where I was up till 11:30 when I gotta get up @ 4am because I didn't get to eat lunch till 5, so dinner @ 10, then waiting an hour before bed. This diet is not for the faint of heart, but the results speak for themselves, Willpower + 1PD = Fat going on a vacation PERMANENTLY!

[c2lamoreux]

Yup I am understanding the will power thing. Its the making the food that bothers me, but as soon as its made and I eat I'm all good..... so weird what food can do to our bodies.

[jheiner]

See I actually love cooking, I'm a single guy and I live on my own, the only challenge for me is the lack of a real stove in my place, I rent a guest house so I have a kitchen, but my Oven = Small Toaster Oven and my Stove = a single Electric Burner. BBQing turkey burgers + Zucchini has become my spoiling myself dinner, and MAN is it good.

It's funny cause every woman I tell that I cook looks at me like I'm either weird, or with disbelief lol. Is it so uncommon for a man to cook? I know I'm young (26) but I've always loved cooking lol, must be the Italian in me =D

[c2lamoreux]

Nothing wrong with loving to cook as a guy.... best way to win a woman's heart :] My brother-in-law loves to cook as well.... They have a deep cooking crock pot type thing at Super Walmart for $18. Idk if that would help any but it might. I've also been looking at those Xpress-redi- set- go! cooking things online. They aren't cheap if you order them online but I'm 100% sure Bed Bath and Beyond carries them. That will definitely help your cooking tool situation.
But cooking with such little food is actually good experience because my cooking is quite limited and I need to learn how to switch it up and create different things.... really really want to take a cooking class.

[Cynthia]

Hey Joel! Just checking in :o) Sounds like things are still going well for you.... Especially ex girlfriends staring at you! NICE! Gotta love running into the ex ;o)

[jheiner]

Well running into the ex is easy when we both sing in the choir @ church lol.

[jheiner]

Man what a long weekend, although I have recently rediscovered an old friend that has made my chicken/steak very enjoyable the last few days, BROILER! =D

Been broiling my chicken/steak and I forgot how nice it is, in my opinion the next best thing to bbq.

One week away from the 2 month mark, a bit bummed @ it seeming pretty clear that I'm gonna have to kick in for another 12 weeks and then probably only use 2 of them lol, but I'm seeing this through to the end.

[jheiner]

Sooooo, i'm two days away from the 8 week mark, the ride has had it's ups and downs thus far but I am so excited about the changes I see and can't wait to see the end results.

I was changing my brakes on my car friday, man that grinding sound was not pretty, and I did the work @ my parents house since they have space for it, forgot to bring my own junk clothes after getting off work to wear while workin on the car, so I borrowed a pair of shorts from my dad. I haven't fit a pair of his anything since I was about 18, slipping into his shorts comfortably was awesome. The best part came when I was cleaning up and getting showered off and I looked @ the shorts and realized they were size 36! I haven't worn a size 36 since Highschool! 8+ years ago, it's really crazy, I knew I was fed up with how I looked/felt, but I didn't realize just how much it meant to me till I began this road, seeing the results I have so far, feeling the way I do, it's really been an incredible ride!

I am so grateful and blessed, some days at work when things get me very frustrated as they have lately, I just stop and remember how fortunate I am, that this is a season in my life, and that when it is finished, I will be stronger/healthier than I have ever been, and I keep chugging along.

Missing my mountain bike so badly right now, hate not being able to ride but I really understand why they told me to stop after doing my brakes. Two of the lug nuts were overtightened to the point where I snapped my fathers lug wrench trying to remove them, that exertion left me so exhausted that I was struggling to keep on my feet when I got home that night and my arms were sore for three days. Just don't recover like I used to.

I can't wait to be done with this so I can get back to all the physical activities that I love and miss so badly!

[jaeden]

Congratulations on your success so far! I'm surprised to hear you're so exhausted from the diet. I think I'd go crazy if I didn't still exercise. I just have to be careful about my timing. Like I try and exercise right before a meal so I can eat afterwards. I've been doing some boxing and pilates/yoga because I want to lose the weight and be toned. Not just flab.

This may be a dumb question but what's a broiler?

[jheiner]

I think for me it's a combination of the fact that due to my early work schedule, getting up at 4am daily, I don't sleep much. So combine 4-5 hours average sleep per night with only eating 800-900 calories a day, that is probably where my fatigue is coming from. I've been trying to take naps in the afternoon but it really is hard for me.

Broiler is part of moves ovens, the spot on the bottom of most ovens that you can slip a baking sheet sized pan into would be the broiler, aside from that I'm nto really sure how to describe the broiler lol.

[jaeden]

Wow 4-5 hours of sleep!! How do you manage?? I guess I rarely get the 7-8 but I usually "catch up" on the weekends haha Actually on the weekends I force myself to get up and eat and then I go back to bed till lunch. It's the only way.

Do you take a multivitamin? That should help you also.

Ah so the broiler is at the bottom of the oven. Interesting. I learn new things every day haha

[jheiner]

I manage because I have to. Employer doesn't care if I'm tired, they still want me here @ 5:15am. I take 2 multivitamins a day, w/breakfast and lunch. Saturday is the one day a week I get to sleep in, and by sleep in I mean I'm up @ 8am lol. I've had a few saturdays where I did get up, eat breakfast then go back to bed, but generally, once I'm awake, i'm awake.

This past week I started trying something a bit different. I get my portion of steak or chicken thawed/spiced along w/my vegies, put it on the broiler pan, and set it in the fridge right before I go to bed. When i get up in teh morning I throw that in the broiler, and let it cook for the 20 minutes I'm in the shower, and then I get that as my breakfast instead of lunch, and I do my apples/yogurt for lunch @ work. I've enjoyed having the more substantial/filling meal first thing in the morning, though no amount of nutrition makes up for a total lack of sleep.

It's very frustrating cause I really do try to get to bed early. I have myself ready to go t bed by 10, then something happens and by the time I get to bed, hey look, it's 12:30am. Really need to discipline myself more on this, cause the lack of sleep combined with low food intake is rough though. I am so very thankful and blessed to be able to do this diet, and finally feel healthy and fit normal clothing for the first time in a decade, but gosh I cannot wait to be done with it lol.

Posted a new picture on facebook for the first time since I started the diet, had couple friends who hadn't seen me in awhile say they barely recognized me =D was a nice boost. I'm sure i'm going to have to extend my program as there is no way i'm gonna drop 33lbs in the 3 weeks I have left, really frustrated about that, cause it's like paying another 175$ for 12 weeks then using 2-3 of them but I'm seeing this through to the end.

[mamaduckling]

And, it is so satisfying to see it through to the end. Kudos to you! I had to do the same thing, sign up for session 4 thinking I would only use a few of them. I ordered re-feed with 4 weeks left and darned if it didn't take me that long to lose those few pounds. I didn't sign up again just for re-feed though. I asked all my questions regarding that before my time expired. I love this program, it is so do-able.

[jheiner]

Man, since I started having my meal 2 or 3 as my breakfast the fatigue/weakness is all but gone, over 50lbs gone, tomorrow is 10 Weeks. Still mildly annoyed that I am gonna have to buy a second 12 weeks and then probably only use 3 of them, but I'm seeing this through to the end. It's so worth it. Slipping into a LOOSE pair of size 36's for the first time since my sophmore year of highschool. Havin a bunch of people @ my work noticing the difference and complimenting =D it's very flattering of course lol.

My best friend enlisted in the army and is going away for a few months, before leaving he gave me a bag full of REALLY NICE jeans, he has expensive taste lol, i'd never buy any of this for myself but when ur handed 250-400 dollar pairs of jeans, you take em with a smile lol. Was such a blessing, money is tight for me atm, and I couldn't afford to go buy new clothes and then lose the last 30 lbs and have them not fit, would have been a huge waste. Now I have enough jeans/shirts to get me all the way to the end. On top of that a good friend had his home broken into and all his clothes stolen, he is about teh size I was before starting the diet, so I was able to help him out by giving him a bunch of stuff. It's amazing how God works sometimes =D

[jheiner]

Man, last few weeks have been cruel @ work lol... They are doing department luncheons to raise money for the christmas party, so a diff department pitches in and makes lunch for the whole place, last week was loaded (and i mean LOADED) nachos, this week it's Tri Tip Sandwichs with Ribs, then Potato Salad, Baked Beans...jeesh...lol...

I'm sittin there in the lunch room with my apples and yogurt while i'm smelling this delicious scent from all the people around me, goodness. I'm not tempted to cheat, tho some have suggested it, but it definitely reminds me how much I miss that stuff.

I'm just holding onto the hope that I will be able to eat a regular christmas dinner, since i'm fairly certain I won't be able to have Thanksgiving Dinner unless the last 25lbs just decide to fly off me in the next 3-4 weeks.

Oh well, I'm in the home stretch, and I can see the finish line, gotta finish as strong.

[jheiner]

Have had the flu since thursday of last week, feel so completely yuck, cheated with my scale and looked last couple days outa curiosity, have not gained/lost any weight, wondering if it is cause of the cold or just a little plateau, only time will tell once i'm over the cold i spose. Hate that I can't take a day off to just rest and get better but my work likes to give writeups for "attendance occurences", real nice motivation for NOT using my paid sick days. Whatever, just means when I move to a new job they can pay me for the sick days I have saved up on final paycheck.

Wednesday will be the 11 week mark, and with 28lbs still to go, i'm looking at being on the diet/refeed till at least mid december =( I'm hanging in there and finishing strong. One of my friends from church is an avid hunter and gave me some Elk Steak, looking forward to thawing that sucker out and cookin it up for dinner tonight I think, thought I may just have chicken tonight cause of how i'm feeling and the fact that I have chicken already thawed, will see how i'm feeling this afternoon.

Frustrated on top of that cause I worked @ 4am today, which means I have to take my llunch break @ 8:45 in the morning, hate workin so early cause it means I either eat a very early dinner or go 7-8 hours between lunch/dinner, ah well, gonna be makin the most of my crackers/fruit today. Lookin forward to mango when I get home

[jheiner]

I am starting to feel weird as it seems i'm like, the ONLY guy who posts on here lol...

[gscraine]

I like reading your posts! They help me!

[gscraine]

:eyebrow:Are you losing weight so fast cuz you're a GUY? Your weight is coming off QUICKLY!

[jheiner]

from what I understand men do lose weight faster, I think this has to do with the difference in muscle since muscle eats calories, more muscle = Higher metabolism so yeah I am sure thats the majority of it.

Well today is the 12 week mark, still 21lbs away =( so I will have to pay for a second 12 weeks, of course it's worth it and i'm gonna finish this off, just was hoping to not have to spend the extra money lol. Ah well, hopefully if my weight loss stays at the rate it has i'll be on refeed in a month. My closet has been purged of all my Size XL clothing =D and it feels o so good.

Just finished a nice long 4 day weekend, went golfing for the first time in almost 2 years, swinging a club without a belly in the way was a nice change lol. Back to work this morning and already lookin forward to the next weekend lol!

[jheiner]

signed up for my second 12 weeks =( /waves goodbye to another 180bucks lol, I know i'm a big cheapo. Ah well, will be so worth it when it's all over, heck, it's already worth it now.

Going to a good friend's halloween party tonight, should be fun, gonna eat my dinner beforehand and bring a few coke zero's with me since I can't drink what they'll be having lol. Ah well, hopefully 1 more month and i'll be starting refeed, can't wait for a piece of bread! lol

Ah well, 15lbs to refeed is the way i'll look at it now. Gonna go do another blood test here in the next few days, hopefully my portions don't change, cause i still have 2+ weeks of steak/chicken portioned and frozen in my freezer lol.

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter! Almost home.

[jheiner]

Man, seven stubborn pounds away from refeed! Had some recent life turbulence but I'm not letting that deter me. Darn near home, and I'm finishing this race strong! Looking for a new job, trying to get my school finished up and just taking it a day at a time. Having alot of issues w/light headedness last few weeks. Probably the biggest reason I can't wait to be done lol... Well that and it's gonna be sad watching everyone else eat the DELICIOUS thanksgiving meal @ my parents lol.

[jaeden]

I'm so impressed with your 62.5lbs in one session. I was already really proud of my 35 haha Stay strong! Thanksgiving will be torturous but I'm sure you'll be on to refeed by Christmas.

Now that you're near your goal weight, how many lbs do you lose per week? Or do you not weigh yourself often? I'm trying to figure how much longer I'll be on this haha

[jheiner]

it's generally a pound every 2-3 days right now, just want the last 5 gone so I can refeed! lol

[jheiner]

Man today was very rough, I played basketball last night for a few hours, and my muscles spent all of today reminding me how much the did not appreciate that. Then I had my meal 2 as breakfast and an apple very soon after and was SOOO full, the full stomach became a very upset stomach and I spent the rest of the day with very frequent bathroom trips. I made myself eat lunch (meal 1) and went home from parents house feeling really foul most of the way, but i curled up on couch for a bit and ate some crackers and my stomach finally settled down so I figured I'm gonna take my chances and eat my dinner because I really don't want to deviate. Hoping i don't spend the night regretting it. In the oven now so figured i'd post =D.

4 LBS to Refeed as of this morning, I have a feeling with how......regular I was today that will be 3lbs tomorrow lol...