Continued Success

I had a very busy weekend and didn't have time to blog anything. Good news to report though, I am down 11 lbs in 14 days and I have lost 4 inches total! I think so much time in the pool is helpful as I constantly move around, thank you Joe and Mellie!

A Day for Me

I took today off. I'm experiencing a slight lethargic feeling and I'm assuming it is from the Belviq, it is noted in the possible side effects. I feel great otherwise, so why not indulge myself with a day to myself. :)

I'm getting into a routine now, 10 days into my journey, where does the time go?? My day starts with a large glass of water, followed by 1 slice of dry toasted Ezekiel bread, either plain or raisin with an over easy organic, free range egg on top. I'm on a quest to explore new breakfast ideas. My lunch always consists of leftover dinner, some protein and a veggie, dinner is always prepared with fresh local ingredients. I am loving how I am feeling since eating MUCH smaller portions. Portion control is a funny thing and so easy to miscalculate. I would have sworn that I was under my caloric limits.....now I question that. Both myself and other half agree...we both feel better. 

Brad had an unplanned extreme gastric bypass years ago due to cancer, of which he is completely freed. He has eaten extremely small portions since, but an interesting thing is happening now that I have changed our menus, he's eating much larger portions and it doesn't "bother" him! Yet another bonus!

I don't know if I've lost weight since Tuesday as I am trying to avoid the scale from taking over my life. I have decided Friday's will be weigh in day.

Today's lunch: Moroccan baked chicken, a half cup of frozen peas and a half of a fresh organic tomato drizzled with balsamic vinegar made at a local winery! 

I'm so chilly!

I can't shake this chilly stuff! I learned a side effect is being cold and sure enough, it's one of mine! That's not particularly a bad thing. Normally I am so overheated it's ridiculous! I'm that person that has the AC on by April/May in upstate NY, set on FREEZER. Now, I'm begging my other half to turn it UP, I'm good at 72 now, rather than 67. Electricity bonus!


I failed to measure myself prior to starting Belviq last week, so I did so last night, whoa...talk about a shocker...and an incentive! I know I can do this and I feel confident I will be approved for another script.

Insurance companies are really temperamental when it comes to covering Belviq. I have CDPHP and they gave me a month approval, but even so it still cost me $80.00 out of pocket. On July 28th I have to see the Dr. for a weigh in and submit another request for approval. My feelings vary on this....1st of all, why the hell does an insurance company dictate what my physicians feel is a necessary drug for me? I'm also curious as to why some cover so much more and others flat out refuse? I think the general rule is to lose 5% of your weight in 90 days...so why does my company want a review in 30 days? No matter what......I will continue with this path, even if I have to pay out of pocket.

The scale showed no difference today, but I'm not discouraged, 9 pounds in 8 days is pretty freakin' fantastic!

I'm thrilled with my weight loss and I intend to nail this.......

Today's lunch consisted of the last piece of leftover grilled salmon, about 3 oz and leftover Orange Glazed Roasted Cauliflower. This has become my normal for lunch, the previous night's dinner leftovers, it keeps me on track and saves me a LOT of $$$ not buying lunch out everyday from work. Another bonus!

The Beginning

For years I have been battling a weight issue, I was about 35 years old when I first started to notice a pound here and there creeping up.(Today I am 59 years old) This was years after my children were born, so I couldn't attribute the gain to my being pregnant. I went years bouncing back and forth between extreme exercise and yo-yo dieting. I tried every diet know to man, low fat, high carb, raw, high protein, Weight Watchers and nearly every fad that came along. The scale would go up and go down, but nothing ever really stuck and the battle was getting very old. In recent years I had gained an extreme amount of weight and started seeing physician after physician looking for reasons why I simply could not stop the pounds from piling up. I went to a few different endocrinologists because it had been suggested I see someone about my thyroid. That's a different story and I will talk about that later, because of the different schools of thought on how to diagnose thyroid problems, it wasn't until my third Endo examined me and found I had Hypothyroidism. She started me on a low dose of Synthroid that didn't touch it, graduated to a stronger dosage and now my thyroid is in the "range", but still not good according to many studies. After much discussion with my GP and my Endo, it was suggested I try a newly approved "weight loss pill", the first approved in over 13 years. I was very hesitant at first, but after research I found it wasn't the old school jittery stuff, it works on the serotonin in the brain to ease cravings, a full feeling and an abhorrence to "junk foods". 

Today, I am 7 days into the program and here is what I have learned so far from my personal response; I sleep much better, I have no cravings for food and only eat because I know it's meal time, I get full after only a few bites and the biggest surprise to me....I have lost 9 lbs. in 7 days!! 

Here is an example of what a meal looks like for me: My general rule is to use a 5 inch plate, and serve about 1/4 to 1/2 of what I used to eat. Usually I can't even finish it! This is a grilled salmon with sesame oil, scallions and fresh ginger and my new favorite "zoodles" which is spiralized zucchini. This cold side dish has red bell pepper, fresh ginger, toasted sesame seeds in a natural peanut sauce.

The name of this new drug is named BELVIQ and here is a link to additional information: http://www.belviq.com/  .

I will keep you up-to-date with my progress and feelings on this new approach to weight loss!! So far I am so excited!! I'll post a photo soon so we can track my progress together :)