uh oh...i have caught the supplement bug...

YAHOO!  i lost another 3.5 lbs at weigh in.  That makes 27.5 total in 9 weeks.  I still have a long road ahead but making progress.  Small steps can often lead to big changes. I have to admit it has been pretty easy thus far. Have I craved food of course, but not too frequently.  I do not think I am or was really addicted to food...I just ate poorly. Still do; but smaller portions ha ha ha.  Now I read labels and make choices as to what are better options.  I still fill most of my diet with carbs--and I always will--but the pounds have been coming off fairly easily. I did start taking two recommended dietary supplements Dr. Oz suggested. I think if you took everything he suggested you would a) be broke and b) have to take a pill about every minute.  But a few intrigued me.  I did verify that neither was synthetic or bad (like speed causing jitters and such) One is called green coffee bean extract, apparently comes from a coffee bean in its purest form (a little caffeine but not much...less than coffee) and l-carnitine. L-carnitine is an amino acid we already have in our bodies naturally--this just give us more. Both are supposed to help with metabolism.  The second says it helps not only metabolically but also could curb your appetite. Supposed to take it twice a day...I of course can never follow instructions and decided that is too much...so I take it just once in the morning.  If you say "stop" I go.  If you say "don't walk on the grass"I have to touch it.  If the Principal says "do not look at the solar eclipse directly" I will stare at it the entire way home.  Why? because I think I know better or curiosity kills me. HA. So if you say take it twice...I will take it once.  I have never tried supplements as I feared they would be bad for my heart (I have prolonged q.t.--condition I was born with and CANNOT take any weight loss pills or drugs that increase your heart rate...most do)  I also do not like taking meds.  I fight taking my heart medicine and I do not even own aspirin or pain relievers.  I just do not like taking medication. In this case, I was bamboozled by the promises of Dr. Oz.   I researched them in medical journals and felt good about them.  The challenge is knowing if they are working. I would say the weight is coming off easily (not super fast but steadily) and I am not that hungry. However, I cannot say with any certainty the pills have helped.  Simultaneously I have increased my activity level and cut my calories.  My gut tells me I would be losing about the same amount of weight without the supplements.   But I think the pills may help curb my appetite which is why it seems easy AND I am curious if in an odd way they have helped my cholesterol.  I dropped 36 points but did not start changing my eating habits until 6 weeks prior.  Can it improve that quickly just by a diet change?  maybe it can. I am not a medical expert. But, I do know this-- I am not stopping the supplements as whatever I am doing is working...so I will stay the course.  for now...     I appreciate all of your support on my journey.  I have received feedback on facebook and knowing you are in my corner rooting me on gives me the strength to keep focusing on my health.  THANK YOU!  God Bless you all...

The numbers don't lie...do they?

I am coming off a women's weekend get-away with my family and I am not thrilled at the prospect of weighing in tomorrow.  I am almost certain I will gain a few pounds. I did walk everyday in the hills, so even if I was not eating great...I made some healthy choices.  With that said, there was some good news today! We had wellness checks at work today.  Last year, my cholesterol was about 215.  I followed up with my doctor and was told while it is elevated...there was not need for extreme worry or meds.  They only consider medicating above 240.  For most of the year I just paid little attention to cholesterol.  However, as you know, I have been quite serious about getting healthy since the end of August and I am happy to report my cholesterol today was 180.  HUGE improvement!  I guess the experts are right...exercise and better eating can make a difference. Woohoo.  I actually asked the nurse..."are ya sure you used my blood?" She laughed.  The goal is to remain under 200 so I was pleased to be well under.  Blood sugars were 85 and blood pressure was 116/78.  So aside from being morbidly obese, I am in relative good health.  Ha ha ha.   I would have to say I am quite lucky as many people my weight and age could suffer from diabetes, sores knees, sleep apnea, etc.  I have been blessed that to my knowledge, this weight has not caused me any major damage. I think this has more to do with genetics than anything.  I also think it may have to do with the fact that obese or not, I have always been very active.  So this high cholesterol thing has been weighing in the back of my mind and I was thrilled when I saw I dropped 36 points.  As far as my health, I have a lot of weight to lose but I definitely feel today's wellness numbers were a strong indication that I am on the right track.  Whew....i feel like i have dodged a bullet.  Thank you Lord for letting me see the error of my ways before it was too late. I promise to treat my body with honor and respect. It is a wonderful gift you gave me and how selfish of me to abuse it for so long. I may never be perfect but I will try to make better choices and better decisions.

Please don't tell me "i look good..."

This week's weigh in 4.5 lbs.  I'm happy with that after only 1 last week.  I still need to work out more but I am HAPPY with the progress. Now on to more pressing issues. I have a question for all of may followers (yes, all 1 of you lol)  Is it rude when people say "you look good" when you are losing weight?  It is an interesting concept to me.  Ok I am losing weight to be healthier--don't want knee or hip issues or diabetes as I age.  And I would like to get married and I think men like thinner women...so it is a marriage strategy (as I am serious when I say that). Some women and men obviously lose to "look better" or feel better about themselves.  I am a rare breed who feels good about myself no matter what my weight and I still look in the mirror and think I'm cute (yes, apparently I am vain and/or blind lol).   So when I hear people say "I can tell you've lost weight and you look good" I get a little offended. Granted I have not really lost much in the scheme of things...but I hear people say this to others all the time. And I see it on tv on the talk shows....wow you look great.  Maybe the person looked great before.  I think it is rude. For those of us with high self-esteem who want to lose just to be healthier maybe a compliment like..."good for you I know its hard work"  or  "way to be healthier" would be a more fitting compliment. Just a thought.  The other day someone said to me "i can tell you lost weight you're looking good" wanna know how I replied..."thanks, but I always looked good!"  And yes...I understand that may have sounded rude too--but I meant it and said it nicely and then explained why I said it.  I do not believe fat is beautiful.  And I do not believe in those groups that promote fat as "ok".  Listen. Fat is unhealthy.  Being too thin is unhealthy.  Being the perfect weight does not equate with beauty either.  Beauty is who you are on the inside.  Beauty is how you treat people. Beauty is all around us--even in life's imperfections beauty can be found.  Yes, I agree being fat is not ok as far as your health is concerned--like anything in excess..it is bad for you.  But at the same time, weight does not define you and you can practice unhealthy behaviors and still be and feel beautiful.  So in the future, when I lose more weight please do not tell me "i look good". I appreciate you noticing that my hard work is paying off and that I look healthier...so tell me that instead.