I lost 26 pounds!

[Punkinsally]

I'm so excited I can't stand it! I had my first follow-up doctor's visit this afternoon and my first weigh in since October 23.

I lost 26 pounds in 3 weeks!

My doctor is thrilled and wants me to stay on the same program he gave me for another month before he tailors an eating plan for me.

My labs looked good - B12, TSH, glucose. But my vitamin D is very very low. Which may explain a lot of the horrid pain I have been in for a while. So he gave me a supplement. I hope it makes a difference.

[sweettart]

Wooooohoooooo YAY !!! That is awesome !!! I hope I do that good ! What is ur diet ?

[Punkinsally]

Thanks.

My doctor has me on a max of 800 cal/day.

Limit carbs - no bread, potatoes, rice, cereal, etc.

Very lean meats, fat free dairy, loads of raw veggies and fruit. No diet sodas, juice or high fructose corn syrup.

I drink loads of water.

[KARENinFWB]

That sounds EXACTLY like my diet, except for the fruit, I'm limited on what and how much I can eat. Way to go!! You're doing awesome. Hey, what have you been eating? I could use some new ideas. I'm so bored lately.

[Shazzy]

Way to go everyone! My doctor did not really give me a diet plan. Can you give me some advice?
Keep motivated!

[Punkinsally]

Breakfast is a small container of Fage 0% yogurt, 1/2 cup blueberries and 20 almonds - 272 cal

Lunch during the week is a Lean Cuisine - ranging from 140- 200 cal (I buy the ones without pasta, rice, potatoes) and about 45 cal of fruit - apple, kiwi, clementine, asian pear

Dinner is typically 3 oz grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon with a salad of some sort - baby spinach or mixed squash - yellow and zucchini, grape tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, shredded cabbage - all my veggies are raw and I love this fat free balsamic vinaigrette that I buy at Trader Joes - 2 TBSP have 25 cal and it has sugar not high fructose corn syrup - around 225 - 275 cal depending on what I use.

My doctor wants my breakfast calories to be more than my dinner calories.

I like Laughing Cow Light cheese for a 35 cal low fat snack - really creamy

I am reading labels, measuring everything and keeping a written log of my food intake. No artificial sweeteners at all.

This weekend I am going to treat myself to a digital kitchen scale to be more accurate than the one I have been using.

My doctor also wants me to exercise - water aerobics but I have been unable to find a class that works with my schedule. Back problems make standing aerobic exercise impossible right now. I found an aerobic ball routine that I have adapted - using an old computer chair instead of a ball - 15 min 5 times per week. I am looking forward to the day when I can take 20 min walks.

Hope this helps.

[Glenna M]

WOW that is awesome!

[Punkinsally]

Shazzy, I'm surprised you weren't given a plan. According to the literature given to me by my doctor Phentermine does not work well unless you follow a dietary plan. My doctor customizes a plan for each patient based on labs and history. Are you going to a bariatric specialist?

[kkelley]

Just curious I thought you were never suppose to go below 1000 cal a day because your starving your body and it goes into starvation mode (meaning you lose muscle instead of fat) Just asking.... I am doing well on phen but am already planning for when I hit a plateau

[Punkinsally]

Just curious I thought you were never suppose to go below 1000 cal a day because your starving your body and it goes into starvation mode (meaning you lose muscle instead of fat) Just asking.... I am doing well on phen but am already planning for when I hit a plateau

I've never heard that and if it were so I seriously doubt my doctor would have me do something that would be bad for me. I am selecting what I refer to as "quality calories" and getting a heck of a lot of nutrition in the process.

[No2Cookies]

Just curious I thought you were never suppose to go below 1000 cal a day because your starving your body and it goes into starvation mode (meaning you lose muscle instead of fat) Just asking.... I am doing well on phen but am already planning for when I hit a plateau

I was also told to make sure I was getting at least 1000 but better 1200 calories a day by my doctor as well as not to consume fat free or reduced fat dairy products or processed foods but the real thing (I am not counting fat but am counting carbs). I think it depends though on medical conditions you may be facing, etc. For some it is vital that a certain amount of body weight is dropped in order to get away from threats of high blood pressure or type II diabetes and so the cal. requirements are lower initially but will probably go up later so that the metabolic rate is not destroyed. I think no matter what the cal. rqmnt. is it is really important to make sure you eat those highly nutritional foods :)

[taccuddles]

I am also on an 800 calorie allowance...my doctor said it was ok. I used to be on 1000 but at 2months I was having trouble losing weight. Even though I increased my exercise. So the lower calories and the increased intensity of exercise worked, I have been doing alot better and again not just firming and losing inches but losing weight again. Just make sure when you exercise, that you are increasing your heart rate, even if its just slightly at first.

[Zapped]

Wow! That is fantastic in 3 weeks! I just started yesterday, but I would love to be down 26lbs in 3 weeks from now! You go, girl!

[amckevly]

WOW!!! That is awesome!!!!! Keep it up!!

[*Terrie*]

that's awesome...thanks for posting your food plan

[hotmtmama]

You are off to a wonderful start and very motivated. Good for you!

[Punkinsally]

Thanks everyone! My goal is to start the new year UNDER 300. Since I don't weigh at home I'll have to wait until December 15 to see if that will be possible.

Today is day 28 on Phen and I feel wonderful! It's day 8 on vitamin D and I am not in nearly as much pain as I was last week. (My D level was 18 and the lower end of normal is 40. All my other labs were very good.)

I bought a fabulous new diet scale at Target! It's digital, does ounces/grams and has a Tare setting. It's easy to use and more accurate than my previous scale. It was a mere $29.99 and the brand is ChefMate. Since I weigh EVERYTHING I eat I consider it a good investment in myself.

Trader Joes is another of my secret weapons. They have some awesome grilled chicken breast in the frozen dept. It's sliced and easy to portion out. They also have a precooked wild caught Salmon in the "grab and go" area that is delicious. I love either on a salad. I love their Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette - 25 cal in 2 TBSP. I love to mix it with shredded raw cabbage for a seriously yummy crunchy slaw.

Speaking of salads - I have had little success with bagged salads/greens from my regular grocery store - the day after opening the bag everything is just nasty. The bagged salads and greens I get at Trader Joes don't do that which makes me a very hapy woman. Before I started buying those I was stopping nightly at Chick-fil-a or Wendy's and buying small side salads.

With regard to eating - My boss has been spending about $200 a month to go to a nutritionist - she's trying to lose 10 lbs. She tells me that her nutritionist said that if you don't eat you won't lose - makes sense. When my doctor and I spoke last week he urged me to keep my calories as close to 800 as possible. He really does not want me to go any lower.

When I see him again next month he will give me a tailored diet - not sure I'm ready for that. I love the way I am eating now and very comfortable with the calorie level. I'm afraid that I won't lose at all if I increase my calories. That probably sounds a bit silly but this is the first real weight I have lost in years and I want it to continue. I'm going to be 50 next September and want to have lost 100 lbs by then.

[slimmersuzi]

Wow, that all sounds real scary to me. My doctor did not put me on a diet. I have never gone below 1800 calories on purpose though. I get up at 5am and don't go to bed until at least 9 or 10pm. I get up and answer the door 3-5 times per night to let daycare children in and out of the house. I lift and lug babies all day and clean house and pick up after the family and daycare. I've wore a very expensive heartrate belt that keeps track of my calories accurately because it knows my heartrate the entire time I'm using it, my age, sex, height and weight. According to all the times I've wore it I am burning at least 2400 calories per day. I've burned as high as 3000. I have also done experiments with wearing it while I rest and sleep. I burn 60 calories per hour when I do nothing.

So...I can't imagine eating 800 calories. That would be a deficit of nearly 1400+ calories per day. That would mean a weight loss of more than 3 pounds per week. I've always been told that we will ruin our metabolism if we go this low.

I'd be so happy with any consistant weight loss. I have been fighting like mad just not to gain for so many years.

Suzi

[Bonnie98204]

Thanks for the menu.
you rock.
it is like what i'm doing.
change is good.