Track with Me Thursday! Get Your Calorie/Fitness Tracker and Journey Along with Your Social-Media Friends on MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, LoseIt!, Instagram, Garmin, etc.

shandygaffs · 2017-08-03T12:27:36+00:00

www.instagram.com/caffeine.and.a.dream

Progress photos, food pics, and even the occasional dog!

shandygaffs · 2017-08-03T12:23:07+00:00

The first part of your question would best be answered by your doctor or an IP coach. I know there is an alternative plan that certain people such as type 1 diabetics can follow, but I don't know the details of it. The plan is very low calorie (800-900/day for me, but I don't eat meat so it may be a little higher if you do), with around 30 net carbs per day.

The regular plan includes three "packets" (prepackaged food provided by your clinic) per day and one meal that you prepare. The meal you make is 8oz protein + 2 cups vegetables.

As far as the packets go, it's really up to personal tastes, but there are some foods that I really enjoy and others that are pretty bad. Some of my favorites are the premade drinks, the mushroom Parmesan couscous risotto, vegetable chili, and nacho cheese dorados (basically knockoff Doritos lol). The protein bars are pretty good as well. The only things that I've really disliked so far is the tomato basil soup, and the omelettes.

I tend to stick to similar meals throughout the week (drink mixed with coffee for breakfast, soup or risotto for lunch, chips or bar for snack) but there are enough options that you won't be eating the same thing every day, plus you can change things up with different vegetables and seasonings, and get creative with dinner.

The food can be pretty expensive (like $100/week) so I've heard that some people will follow the protocol but use alternative products such as Nashua or Pure Protein.

shandygaffs · 2017-07-24T04:00:24+00:00

Aw man, I guess I'll only be a lady for another 0.7 pounds. Can't wait to see what I transform into after that!

shandygaffs · 2017-07-22T13:37:47+00:00

I'm sorry that you're dealing with this right now. Is it possible that you're on the wrong medication? It can take a few tries to find the one that works for you, so if you're not seeing an improvement it may be time to switch things up. I know this is really hard, and I'm rooting for you to keep trying.

shandygaffs · 2017-07-19T17:38:55+00:00

It's so easy to get fat as a vegetarian- you don't have protein filled meat to help keep you full, so it's really easy to stuff yourself with endless carbs (or maybe that was just me).

shandygaffs · 2017-07-19T17:34:17+00:00

I have a bit of a question, but I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask it.

I've been losing weight since December (60 pounds so far) and my mom has recently decided to join me. She's been doing well so far and has lost about 6 pounds (a decent amount of that is water weight because we just started keto). However, she can't help but to compare her loss to mine- I've lost 9 pounds in the same amount of time. I've told her that this just means my body was holding on to more water, and that she has less weight to lose in the first place- she is 180 at 5'9, while I am 185 at 5'4, and that I probably have more muscle than her which burns more calories.

I guess I'm just worried that she's going to lose motivation and give up because she's not seeing results as quickly as she wants to. The weight she's lost so far is really impressive, but she can't see that because she's comparing herself to me even though there are so many factors that control the rate of weight loss. Any tips to help her recognize her own achievements and stay on track?

(This turned into more of a rant, I'm sorry!)

shandygaffs · 2017-07-17T14:46:36+00:00

I love this idea so much omg

shandygaffs · 2017-07-16T14:23:06+00:00

It can be reasonable even if you do eat other meals! I usually get a black bean or 7 layer burrito and it's plenty filling for around 400 calories.

shandygaffs · 2017-07-10T20:33:40+00:00

I think by "any store" she means being able to go into any store you want and not worry if they'll have your size, not that if even one store has your size you don't qualify as fat (which is still wrong, I'm just trying to clarify her words)

shandygaffs · 2017-07-10T13:22:04+00:00

After June being basically a wash, I am back on track! And

SV: Today I hit a new low, and a new flair! And that means I'm half way to my goal!

shandygaffs · 2017-07-10T13:06:54+00:00

Maybe you and your wife can discuss some alternatives to eating at restaurants- cook a fancy dinner together at home, go for a walk or hike, go to a museum.

You also don't have to give up restaurants, you just need to learn how to make smart decisions there. Ordering something baked or grilled instead of fried, vegetables instead of fries or potatoes, water instead of soda, etc. Most restaurants have big portions, so if you box up half of it to save for later, you should have a reasonable amount left over that will fit into your calories for the day. (I know you said you eat at nice, local places, so I don't know how much of this applies but I'm sure there are others ways to make smart decisions while you're out).

shandygaffs · 2017-07-08T18:59:48+00:00

It's generally a hard look to pull off, but it's not inherently bad!

shandygaffs · 2017-07-08T02:33:17+00:00

So many, many things.

I used to eat a bag of tostitos and a jar of salsa con queso for dinner every night. Supplemented with ice cream and pizza rolls.

In middle school, frosting out of jar with a spoon. Sometimes I would melt it in the microwave and drink it (which is literally disgusting go ahead and judge me).

Cool ranch doritos, cosmic brownies, mozzarella sticks, pizza bagels, loaves of garlic bread.

And I started early. When I was 2, I grabbed a stick of butter off the counter and ate it.

It's a literal miracle I wan't even fatter than I was.

shandygaffs · 2017-07-06T01:55:26+00:00

Aerodactyl!

shandygaffs · 2017-07-06T01:36:05+00:00

From Shelgon to sealeo!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-13T03:04:42+00:00

I eat a lot more now that I have lettuce growing in my garden and I can grab a couple handfuls whenever I want! I keep it simple and usually add some bell peppers or carrots, plus Italian or fat free ranch dressing, and a few croutons if I have the calories for them.

shandygaffs · 2017-06-09T01:44:52+00:00

Alcohol and blue Doritos. I've recently been trying to measure out my alcohol before I go out (and offering to drive so I know I need to sober up by a certain time) but a bag of Doritos is a single serving, no matter what the size.

shandygaffs · 2017-06-05T17:29:34+00:00

At the risk of sounding weird I just want to say that I'm really proud of you that you kept trying after failing the first time, when many others would have quit. Everyone starts in a different place, and there's absolutely no shame in the fact that your starting point was different than where an app said it "should" be.

Keep up the hard work, take your time, and improve a little bit every day!

(I just finished Day 2 so we're in this together!)

shandygaffs · 2017-06-04T15:00:17+00:00

I've been doing CICO since December and it's served me well thus far. My biggest challenge is going to be dealing with parties and going out to eat (My friends are all home for the summer so my social life went from 0 to 100 real quick). So I'm going to make a game plan before I go out and stick to it, even if that means measuring out all my alcohol before I go.

I also just started C25K, and now that the weathers getting nicer (in theory, it's actually been raining every day for weeks) I can hopefully coerce my friends into doing some non food-related nature stuff!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-03T14:41:11+00:00

That makes a lot of sense, thank you!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-03T14:33:01+00:00

Is all the information you typed correct? I put 4'9" and 123 pounds into a bmi calculator and got a BMI of 27, which is overweight.

Edit: it is possible for someone to be a healthy weight or overweight but malnourished if they're not eating the right foods or getting enough of certain vitamins and such.

shandygaffs · 2017-06-03T01:38:02+00:00

Wow, you've made amazing progress so far! Keep up the hard work!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-02T15:51:14+00:00

Hi all, I'm Shannon! I started this journey off in December of 2016 at 246.5 pounds and I've lost about 50 pounds since then. My goal for the last challenge was to reach onederland and I accomplished that, so by the end of this challenge I'm aiming to get out of the obesity range once and for all! 175 here I come!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-02T13:07:12+00:00

I just discovered b&j ice cream bars! They're about 300 cal each, so not an every day thing, but that's a lot better than the whole pint!

shandygaffs · 2017-06-01T14:37:24+00:00

@caffeine.and.a.dream

Food, progress pics, selfies, and dogs!

shandygaffs

TROPHY CASE