Keep On Keepin' On

7-28-14

5 More Pounds Down, 5 More to Go!

It has been awhile since I’ve updated my progress publicly.  Today’s the day!  I have officially lost 15 pounds since starting the TSFL food.  I have officially lost 20 pounds since I began supporting Boyd in his efforts.  And I’m 30 pounds away from my all time high of last Summer and Fall.  20 pounds in two months is unbelievable to me.  Remember the hypothyroidism?  And yet I’m still “typical”.  Wow.  Being average has never felt so awesome!

I’m now in kind of a weird mental place..  I find myself justifying slipping back into old patterns: “I’ve lost so much;  I’ll surely never gain weight like that again;  Just one __________________ won’t slow me down; I can manage the last few pounds on my own.”  It takes a lot of energy to mentally change habits--far more energy than I ever needed in the beginning.  That part was easy.  Eat the food and lose the weight.  No problem at all. So now I need to ask myself often throughout the day, “What is my ultimate goal?  Does what I want to do/eat now support that ultimate goal?”  I’ve made some contrary choices through the last few weeks for sure, but they were always mindful ones.  I’ve also made some really great choices and those continue to outnumber the contrary ones.  I am much more self-aware.  I’ve decided that I do need to stay focused to get to my goal of 135 tops.  If I can reach 125 in the next few weeks that’s even better.  There are still more clothes to shrink back into, even though I’ve pulled more from the back of the closet and into circulation.  When I reach that ultimate goal  I’ll transition out.  I’ll be telling myself that often, I’m sure!  In the meantime, I’ve got lots of bars and brownies to enjoy.  Keep on keepin’ on!

Guess Who is Down Nearly 10 Pounds Today?

Lose weight without exercising!?

6-29-14

I’ve had a setback.  I was pretty excited about the weight loss so I started exercising a bit harder every day.  So for a few days I began feeling pretty fatigued (I’ve had plenty of energy while eating the TSFL food up until then).  It turns out that you really should cut back on your normal levels of exercise for the first 3 weeks minimum.  I stopped the exercise and the energy levels rose again.  It seems so illogical to lose weight without exercising.  I really have to get my head around that.

The weight continues to drop--little by little.  The key, however, is that it continues to drop.  I’m still in awe of the process and how I’m actually making steady progress.  I’m enjoying my “new” clothes, bringing them from the back of the closet into circulation again.  I may even need some fresh new things to go with them. :)  It is now a habit to plan for my meals (a sack of TSFL pretzels while I run errands or a bar smuggled into a movie theater).   I’ve got some great momentum!

Cost Neutral

7-1-14

Rather than elaborate on the same things (I’m REALLY losing weight and it’s exciting to me) I’d like to talk about some questions that have come up from others about TSFL.

COST NEUTRAL

Shelling out $300+ on food is never a comfortable thing--even at Costco just ahead of a big event.  People have asked if it’s expensive and my initial reaction is “yes”.  But it’s actually not.  The cost of the food covers SIX weeks of food, or $50 per week.  Not bad.  I don’t buy nearly as much for myself in the family grocery budget--I’m only eating some vegetables and a small protein portion each day.  Here’s the math:  

Cost of TSFL food minus what I would normally eat (homecooked and restaurant/fast food) = just about even.  If I further subtract the cost of gym memberships, exercize DVD’s, supplements, etc, I come out ahead.  And since I’m getting results, it’s more than worth it to me.  As I phase off of the TSFL food and increase the amount of REAL food (minimally processed) my overall food expenses will be less than they were before I started.  

FOOD

I’m not a foodie.  I’m usually satisfied with what I make.  I’m no gourmet chef and I’m not picky.  I’ve heard some people say that they’ve heard the food tastes bad.  That has not been my experience at all.  I love the pancakes and cereal.  I REALLY love the bars--all of them.  The “hearty” meals that I have tried have been satisfying.  Chicken noodle soup and sloppy joes?  I like them.  The mac and cheese?  Nope.  It does taste like the Kraft mac and cheese, but since I don’t really like that, it was no surprise that I didn’t like the TSFL version.  I LOVE ice cream so I have really appreciated the TSFL soft serve.  It hits the spot on our 100 degree days, and it’s actually a bit filling.  The soft bake chocolate chip cookie isn’t my favorite, although it tastes fine.  And the brownie is definitely a luxury at the end of a day.  I just selected the food for my next shipment and I’m pretty excited to try some new things.  There are different variety packs that you can buy (gluten free, chocolate lovers, on-the-go, etc) or you can completely customize your order.  I went with the “favorites” last time.  This time I selected 20 boxes, item by item.  

Boyd, on the other hand, loves the salty-crunchy snacks.  His favorites are the pretzels and puffs of all flavors.  He has never been a cereal or pancake guy, but he looks forward to his TSFL breakfasts every day.  It’s kind of a morning treat for him.  He’s also a big fan of the shakes and bars.

So in summary, I have been happy with the food.  A fussy eater might have a different opinion.  The solution is just to buy what you like to normally eat.  Chances are, something will come close enough to your tastes.

7-8-14

Guess Who is Down Nearly 10 Pounds Today?

Holidays are tricky.  We just had the Independence Day holiday--complete with snacks,  treats and celebrations.  That holiday is not really famous for it’s food (unlike Thanksgiving and Christmas).  But there are plenty of picnic traps to maneuver.  I admit that I haven’t been the best at avoiding things.  The best I have done is not to eat as much as I would have otherwise done.  The result is that weight loss has slowed (but it still continues to drop).  I’m nearly down 10 pounds since starting the special food--halfway to my goal.  One more order of food should get me there!