Cheekbones and Clavicles – Week 6: Dub digits yo!

Woo woo! Not only did I hit double digits in loss finally, but I killllllllllllled it.

And I’m cool with telling you my current weight now. Sort of. Not really. But I’m gonna do it. Here goes…

I weigh 145 lbs right now. Agh! Yes, that means that six weeks ago, my little 5’3″ frame was carrying around 157 lbs.

I have earned every single ounce of that 12 lbs too. Blood, sweat and tears. Well, minus the blood. I have completed a 10k, am doing a 5k this weekend, started a killer kickboxing boot camp “thing”, did my first yoga class AND my first zumba class. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

I got this!

At six weeks I am 39% of the way to my goal of losing 31 lbs and I’ve finally hit double digits, that was a big milestone for me mentally. I think that I have finally proven to MYSELF that I can do this. And even though I still have 19 lbs to go, I have a confidence that I haven’t had in two years. People notice.

Today I want to talk about what has helped me COMMIT.

#1 I wanted, needed for my sanity, to lose weight. I have wanted this for a few years, but never as much as I needed it 6 weeks ago. You have to want to do it. And it has to come from way, down deep because if you’re just like “eh, it would be nice to lose 30 lbs, but it’s sooo hard to lose weight” then you’re not there yet. Dig DEEP to find this strength.

#2 Support. Have at least one person that is your champion. A group of friends is great, but see if you can really make the commitment with one person to have them push you. To check in on you. To cheer for you. To steer you away from the Food Channel. There will be haters, and there will be saboteurs. There will be coworkers that want to suck you in to their daily afternoon Frosty habit. SHUT THEM OUT!

#3 I needed a plan that was going to be strict. My willpower is not strong enough to be given ANY leeway at this point. Know your willpower limits. Mine are at zero. I can honestly say that I still have zero willpower to open up to flexibility even at 6 weeks in.

Let me talk more about #3. Medifast is strict. On Medifast you eat six meals per day. It’s called the Medifast 5&1 plan. You eat five Medifast meals and one “lean and green” meal which consists of 5-7 oz of a protein (chicken, fish, steak, turkey, egg whites, tofu…) and three servings of a non-starchy vegetable (lettuce, broccoli, spinach, celery, jalapeno, cucumbers, sprouts…). The more starchy the veggie, the smaller the serving you should have.

The thing that I have REALLY enjoyed about Medifast is that I can eat out anywhere! The only place I won’t go near is Mexican food and that is purely because I loooooooooooove it and putting myself in that environment would just be too much. You’ve seen my mexican food recipes, right? But don’t go check them out if you’re losing weight.

The other thing I love about the Medifast lean and green meal is that I can eat it at any time of the day. I find that it is MUCH easier for me, willpower wise, if I do my lean and green at lunch while at work. This way, I am totally flexible on what I make for the boys because I don’t need to worry about ANY of it. They’re not the ones committed to this thing, I am! If they want pizza, pizza is fine. But we don’t do pizza on the weekend.

With that, I can also eat any of the Medifast meals at any time of the day. I can eat a brownie, or chocolate pudding at 7:00 AM if I care to.

(it's what's for dinner tonight)

Here are some of the great options that I have totally taken advantage of. I’m not a fish eater so, sorry no seafood here:

• Applebee’s (is a work lunch favorite): Chicken caesar salad sans croutons, cheese and dressing. I’ll get the dressing on the side and dip one or two bites, but I have found that the chicken generally provides enough flavor that I don’t feel like I’m munching on a bowl of lettuce.
• Applebee’s: Steak and broccoli without the fancy seasonings and sauces they put on the broccoli.
• Uno: Same as above. Chicken caesar salad sans croutons, cheese and dressing.
• Burger King: Tendergrill chicken salad sans croutons, cheese and dressing.
• Wendy’s: The chicken caesar salad – make sure you order GRILLED chicken, because one time I got fried and I wasn’t happy. Also, for some reason with Wendy’s you can order the salad PLUS a plain grilled chicken breast!
• Qdoba/Chipotle: Get a salad with fajita veggies and NO dressing.

Today we had Qdoba because it happens to be a special promotion for Colorado fire victims at Colorado locations and we love to support LOCAL, so here is a partial pic of what I ate (because I was too busy setting up props for the donation). I got a naked grilled steak salad without dressing, with no corn, no beans, add fajita veggies and you can add cheese (protein) – but just a little bit because contrary to popular belief cheese does have fat. And I added a teeny bit of hot salsa. DEEEEEEEEEELISH!

This list is not exclusive, it’s only what I find works for me.

One other fabulous option for eating out is a burger without bun and NO FRIES – order with steamed veggies instead. If you have trouble with fries, don’t even tempt yourself with this burger option because having a burger can set those temptation wheels in motion.

I’ve found that just taken the temptation out of the equation from the onset has helped me…………… LOSE 12 POUNDS!!!!!!

Week 1: -2 lbs
Week 2: 0 lbs
Week 3: -3 lbs
Week 4: -2 lbs
Month 1: -7 lbs
Week 5: -2 lbs
Week 6: – 3 lbs
6 week total: -12 lbs

Interested in learning more about Medifast? Medifast has a great customer savings program. If you use my coupon code, BUDGET56, and sign up for Medifast Advantage when you order $250+, you’ll receive 56 free Medifast Meals and free shipping! Medifast Advantage has a lot of perks, including free customizable meals and a free BlenderBottle® with minimum purchase.

For your first order of $250+, use my code, and enroll in Medifast Advantage to receive 28 free meals. Do the same on your next order and you’ll receive ANOTHER 28 free meals! This offer is only valid if you enroll in Medifast Advantage, and it’s limited to one per customer. It’s not valid with prior purchases, any other promotions or discounts, or for Medifast Ready-to-Drink Shakes. Check out Medifast’s website for complete details on program and discounts.

Disclosure: I receive free product in order to evaluate and comment on my experiences on the Medifast Program. Medifast products and the Medifast Program are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any medical improvements noted while on the program are related to weight loss in general, and not to Medifast products or programs.

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