I should be sleeping

[parsleigh]

It's now 6:45 am on Saturday morning. Yes, SATURDAY morning. I can sleep in, yet here I am, awake and a bit annoyed about it. I have to get up at 6 every weekday morning for work and look forward to being able to stay in bed on the weekends. One of the problems is that I am waking up in the night to go to the bathroom. Much of this has to do

Comments

[tammylc]

I agree with K, 17 lbs sounds like a great start.

Exercise is my challenge too. I really find it difficult to incorporate into my life. Or at least that's what I say. Truth it there are plenty of times that I could go out for a walk, but I'd rather surf the net instead. For right now I'm okay with that making that choice - I figure one big lifestyle change at a time is good for now.

Good luck!

[parsleigh]

Well, I'm feeling a little better now. I just made myself walk 1 1/4 mile on the treadmill and did some warm up stretches and cool down stretches. I love my ipod shuffle. It makes exercise so much more fun! My goal is 3 times a week. I've managed twice so I figure I'm making progress. Thanks for the support!

[tammylc]

I find when I'm exercising regularly I do really enjoy it. But establishing the habit is hard. So I'm glad you've found something that makes it fun!

[jeffreyab]

I find exercize is much easier if I have a distraction like a TV or music.

Is your treadmill stuck in its room?

What about placing a fan to give you a head wind?

[mizzlaurajean]

Wow! 800 calories a day just reading that makes me hungry.

Seriously I'm 33 and I have to get up 2 to 4 times a night and I don't even drink 8 cups of anything a day. In my family we call it T.B. = Tiny Bladder.

Best of luck with exercise it's so hard to do after working all day.

[parsleigh]

Each of five shakes is 160 calories and they are designed to be taken 3 hours apart. After the first week I really haven't been hungry. The idea with the shakes is that it changes the food/eating cues. Some people can't eat ANYthing solid without falling off the wagon, so to speak. I don't think I'm one of those people. I have on 4 occasions substituted a well planned meal for a shake and done fine. I do find that I sometimes crave protein, like cheese or peanut butter. I have managed to just have an ounce of cheese or spoon of peanut butter once in a while and am still losing weight. Surprisingly, no cravings for sweets.

[tammylc]

I do find that I sometimes crave protein, like cheese or peanut butter. I have managed to just have an ounce of cheese or spoon of peanut butter once in a while and am still losing weight. Surprisingly, no cravings for sweets.

I can relate to that. I can eat a lot of fruit, but sometimes that's just not enough, and a small amount of peanuts or whatever is much more satisfying than a whole other peach, even though they have the same number of points.

Once you reach your target weight with Optifast, is there some sort of transition program that helps you get back to eating regular food without regaining the weight?

[parsleigh]

The basic program is 12-16 weeks, then 6 weeks of adapting. You pay for all but the last week of adapting. The next phase is sustaining, which is free and as long as you want it. Sort of like WW lifetime membership (I've done that, too). Since my insurance doesn't pay for any of this I think I'll move to the next phase as soon as I can. There are people in the reducing phase who have been there for six months or more. Presumably they have a lot more to lose than I do and perhaps have insurance coverage. I have to be morbidly obese to get any financial assistance at work. I can use flex dollars but they are already gone for this year. If I reduce my weight by 1 tier by Nov 1st I will get a refund of the surcharge I have paid for the past year for my health insurance. If Steve can also do it I might get back enough to pay for much of the expense of the program. This is a doable goal for me so I am feeling pretty good about it.

[haniaw]

This sounds like excellent progress. Keep up the good work!

I also find that changing my eating habits has never been a problem. It is always trying to find time or energy or motivation for the exercise part that is my downfall.

I am really looking forward to being in France because there I would take several walks a day and it was a real pleasure to do it. I actually lost 10 pounds the last time I was there despite the fabulous French food, just because of all the walking that I did. I hope that this time I can maintain the walking habit after I get home.

[haniaw]

When Steve and I were there last year we also lost weight and were pretty used to walking. Unfortunately, when we got home we returned to our sedentary lifestyles. Here's to keeping up the good work!