Reflections on Week #8

We always have choices.  About what we wear, about what we order when we're out to eat...some choices are just better than others!  (Yes, that really is my husband and me at the movie theater.  Don't ask!)

Okay, okay...the eight week pictures are coming!  I have to wait for my photographer to get home from work.  But, as you can see...I was down two more pounds this week.*

I almost take it for granted.  I don't want to do that.

TSFL is like old hat to me now.  It's just what I do.  I continue to find excellent lean and green meals to make for my family.  They even have their favorites.

I've started standing up for myself when I'm invited somewhere else for a meal.  For example, we had a meeting the other day where lunch would be served.  I called ahead and said, "Don't count me in the numbers for lunch.  I'm going to bring my own food."  The leader of the meeting REALLY wanted to accommodate me.  I appreciated that.  However, I simply explained that, while I was grateful for their willingness to serve me, I have often found that people don't fully understand the parameters of my eating plan...so it is best if I just bring my own food.  Nothing would make me feel worse than if someone went out of their way to prepare something for me, I got there and realized, "Um...I'm not eating that!"  So, that means asserting myself.  It's best to do that ahead of time--for you and for your host.  So far I've found that everyone is very understanding and supportive of me doing whatever I need to do.

That means, also, not worrying what other people think about my choices.  As everyone else sat around the table with their plates full of pizza, I sat with a plate of Medifast Pizza Bites and a diet soda.  I realized pretty quickly, no one cares what I'm eating.  Only one friend, who knows what I'm doing, leaned over and said, "Looks good.  Now will that actually fill you up?"  I said yes, and she expressed her amazement.  (It really is amazing!)

It also means that we walk into restaurants, look at menus and then excuse ourselves.  I was in a bind this past weekend when, we had a very short amount of time to get dinner, and we had to eat out with very limited choices as to where to go.  The first place we went, where I knew I could get a nice salad and some grilled chicken--CLOSED!  What?!  The next place, we sat down, took one look at the menu and decided, "Never mind."  Then, we went to a pizza shop where I ordered a grilled chicken salad.  It was very inexpensive, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when it came out and was the size of a small, side salad with about half a piece of chicken.  Ha ha!  Dan and I just laughed, and without even needing to ask, Dan got up and ordered me another salad--so I had two!  I love that man!  He also willing took all of my carrots from the salad, of which there were a lot, but they were easy to remove.  After dissecting it and combining it with my second order, I had the perfect amount and, somehow, salad never tasted so good to me.

You have to do what you have to do.  There was a time when that would have mortified me.  Or put me in a panic.  Not anymore. 

Tomorrow is the colonoscopy.  I figure, if Katie Couric could have hers done live on TV, I can talk about it on my blog.  I'm thankful that until 6pm tonight I can have my medifast shakes and soft served ice creams.  After that I begin the official "prep."  I can have sugar free Popsicles, jello, diet sodas, water, chicken broth and tea tonight and tomorrow until my procedure at 2:30.  No lean and green for me tonight.  That's why I gave my official weigh-in today...so the results weren't skewed. 

All said, things are going great!  I would recommend TSFL to anyone!

*results vary. Typical results 2-5lbs the first two weeks, 1-2lbs each wk thereafter.