My Weight Loss Story...Part 1.

As I stated in my facebook note, I was going to write my first blog about this after I did my first evening of cardio. So here I am, sitting in my uber comfy rocking chair, and cooling off after my first round of cardio.

I hate working out. I literally have to convince myself to put on my shoes and socks. Then when I get to the treadmill, I have to convince myself to press the start button. The entire time that I am on the treadmill, I am debating with myself as to how long is an acceptable amount of time to be exercising. My conversation with myself went as follows:

"Okay, just get to 5 minutes, just get to 5 minutes - QUIT looking at the clock!"

So, once I get to 10 minutes and over 1/2 mile, I have fully convinced myself to go for the full mile and if its under 20 minutes, to just get to 20 minutes, and the damn treadmill just STOPS! "What the heck!? Really, treadmill, you are going to quit on me, really?!"

So, tonight, my first adventure with cardio, I lasted for 10 minutes, but not by choice.

There are only 2 people who know my actual weight. Me and my doctor. I plan for it to remain that way, as honestly, I am embarrassed about my weight. When I say embarrassed, I really just mean the actual number. I am who I am, and for that I am not embarrassed.

Anyway, my 21 pound weight loss story. As I mentioned on Facebook, I have lost 21 pounds in 1 month!

My doctor, Dr. James Nichols suggested that I give his medical weight loss clinic a try. I figured that I wasn't going to lose weight by osmosis and since everything else I have tried I have failed at, that maybe something supervised by my doctor would be the best thing for me.

I watched their promotional DVD (probably the most boring 30 minutes of my life) and I showed up two weeks later, ready to get something started.

Dylan, the weight loss specialist met with me and took my weight, and my body composition. He hooked me up to this machine that figures out all sorts of details: my basal metabolic rate, my body fat percentage, and the amount of water weight that I have.

With that information, he came up with a meal plan for me:

High Protein, low calorie, low fat diet in addition to an appetite suppressant.

Here is what I eat/drink on a daily basis.

I eat 5 'meals' a day all approximately 3 hours apart from each other.

Meal #1 - I drink a protein shake and have a serving of fruit when I get up in the morning.

Meal #2 - a fruit or a veggie

Meal #3 - a protein shake, hard boiled egg, and a fruit or a veggie

Meal #4 - a fruit or a veggie

Meal #5 - salad with 2 tablespoons of ginger dressing, baked chicken, veggie and/or a fruit

I can change up my 5th meal - and use a different kind of meat if I want, but I usually just eat chicken.

In addition to these meals, I try to drink between 1 and 2 gallons of water a day. Dylan told me that the more water I drink, the more weight I'm going to lose, so of course I try to drink as much as possible. With that said, I have followed this plan to a tee, with the exception of the weekend that I moved. The biggest change for me with all of this is that I don't drink soda anymore and I'm not eating breads, chips, crackers, etc.

I am hungry all the time, but I don't have cravings. Dylan says that being hungry means that my metabolism is working and that usually means that I am losing weight. I am hungry right now, but all I really want is an apple and some water. I can have dinner with my family and not eat the mashed potatoes, peel the fried skin off the chicken, and be totally satisfied.

I am so excited about this journey, and I am strangely excited to share it with my friends and even possibly with complete strangers. Welcome to my journey, to my life, and to my trials and tribulations. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.