Well, Wednesday was my four week "anniversary" of starting on Medifast. I got on the scale and my total weight loss was 21 lbs! So, I did really well. I am b raced for the fact that things will slow down now, but I am hoping for 10-12 lbs a month. This may be hard. I didn't get my vitals checked like I thought-- that isn't until October! So, I did take my own blood pressure and heart rate and I had really good news. Over several days, my heart rate was averaging 98-102 systolic and 56-65 diastolic. that would be like 100/60. My resting heart rate was in the mid to low 70s consistently. It had never been lowered that 79 and was usually in the 80's even with all the medication I am on. So, these are good things. In case you were wondering about how my meals average nutritionally, I can tell you what my Lose It reports say:Typical amounts would be about 100 grams of protein, about 80 g of carbs, and about 15 g of fats. This translates into 800-900 calories a day of input. When I go to the gym, I use about 230 calories. I have been careful about making sure I have sufficient calories on those days, as I don't want to lose energy. I HAVE noticed I am not as tired after work right now, even though this was a pretty busy week. I am not coming home and falling right to sleep like I did in the spring. But, that might be because I am not coming home until about 2 hours later. It takes a minimum of an hour and 15 minutes to do my routine, most of the time longer. I got a new routine on Wednesday with more strenuous stuff to do, so we'll see how that goes.
Even with all the good results, I am already "cracking" a little, though I have done a lot to keep things interesting for me. I am missing some of the things I enjoy eating and it is a lot of work to keep making the meals and making them satisfying. This applies to both the Medifast foods and my Lean and Green Meals. I really do enjoy the foods, but miss just being able to stop and pick up something on the way home or to purchase something that looks good at the grocery store. I have to think about every meal and have food on my mind all day-- as in "Is it time for me to eat again?"
I did make some things from the Medifast foods I like and that are portable. The Shake cakes that I make from the Shakes mixes are great. I adapted that recipe to the oatmeal and with a little tweaking I can also have these to tote around when I'm on the go. It is nice not have to make everything every time I have to eat. That was time consuming and inconvenient, so I am glad I am coming up with ways to make this work better. One thing I really like is what I call "pizza bread." I'll be making some tomorrow so I will try to remember to take a picture of it. It is made form the Medifast tomato soup. If you remember, I didn't like the flavor and consistency of this meal and was disappointed. Well, I found a recipe that I tweaked a bit and it is a Delicious, portable treat. The dry soup mix is mixed with several spices like garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and other "Italiany" tastes. A teaspoon of this and a 1/4 cup of water added makes a "batter" that you drop onto a baking sheet. They look like 3" round light red pancakes. I can eat these spicy treats (one meal is 6 rounds) with veggies or spread with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge. mmmm
I also made some chicken fingers with Medifast crackers as a breading. These were great! I am going to try some "sweet" rolls from the oatmeal also.
I have a challenge again this weekend with the Geocachers Fear Factor Live Picnic. I have already developed a plan for this day since the event runs from 9 AM to 6 PM and is about 25 miles from my house. I need to take a minimum of three meals with me and am planning for the most portables ones I can think of. I'll want to take at least one "extra" just in case. Also, I need to decide if I will eat a burger they provide or take my own "patties" to ensure I have extra lean beef. Luckily, since they are asking people to contribute, I can see what people are planning to bring. I will have to take my own dressing and maybe even my own salad. The other challenge for this event is that I will be making my S'mores Peanut Butter Bars and "Baby Ruth" Cookie Bars to take along to share. These may be pretty tempting so I foresee a bit of a problem. I am thinking of making deviled eggs also since they need them and it is something I can eat.
As always, I'll let you know how this goes.
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