Week Two Update

Phentermine Week 2

 

I'm so stoked that I'm FINALLY seeing positive results with my weightloss efforts.  Matter of fact I've lost 11.5 lbs since my last post 2 weeks ago!  I'll try to provide updates with pics every two weeks whether or not I win, lose, or draw.  It's been somewhat challenging, but I'm determined.  There's been a few obstacles that really tested my discipline and self-control, but overall I'm pleased with the way I handled them.  

 

The first one was hosting a family day weekend outing which of course involved fattening foods and sweets that I'd normally avoid buying.  We hosted the day after I started the Phentermine, but suprisingly it had already kicked in and killed those cravings I'd normally have.  Whew!  One of my biggest challenges is that I have the tendency to overeat in family/social gatherings. 

 

The second challenge occured the following week.  --Now keep in mind everyday is a challenge, but these are what I consider the not-so-usual ones.  Anywho, my daughter celebrated her 7th birthday with a playdate.  Cheap route I know, but I needed this to be cost efficiencient and no fuss lol!  I figured that since the only ones attending would be her playdate, playdate's mom, my son, and grandparents then a 9 inch birthday cake would suffice (also hoped I wouldn't get tempted to have a slice).  Wrong!  Everyone (with the exception of the 3 children) were watching their weight and either had a very tiny slice or nothing at all!  So I indulged in that greasy pizza, ice cream, and cake that afternoon and that night, smh!  I'm trying to really limit if not eliminate sweets.  The cravings are SO hard to overcome, and once I have a taste I feel the need to eat it everyday :-(.  Adding a bit of insult to injury my dad visited later that evening bearing additional sweets.  I know he means well, but an apple pie knowing I had homemade vanilla flavored ice cream left from the birthday playdate??!!  Aside from indulging in the foods I should be avoiding, one of the good things that resulted from efforts was that I did manage to work out 5 times that week. Also, I managed to stay mostly within my allowed caloric intake and lost 6 lbs the first week. 

Baby Girl's Birthday Cake

July 19, 2012
 

Look who's 7 years old!

 

With her birthday playdate

 

 Now the third challenge proved to be the absolute most difficult since starting the Phentermine while closely counting calories and sticking close to the exercise regimen.  VACATION TIME!!  This summer's vacation destination was New Orleans, and words cannot describe the good time we had!!  Even though it was a fairly short vacation I'm so grateful to have those memories!  I fell in love with the culture and without a doubt THE FOOD!  I read that over time, the appetite suppressing effect that the Phentermine provides diminishes.  Easy come, easy go I guess because I can already tell it is!  It's not as potent as it was the first few days of taking, and the sad part is that in a sense I didn't want it interfering with me enjoying that Cajun cuisine!  I tried my best to behave, and I did in a sense BUT the food was so rich & aromatic that I couldn't resist.  We all sampled of off one another's plate during mealtimes.  Everything was so delicious that self control would not be in my vocabulary if for whatever reason I had to move there!

 

New Orleans Seafood & Hamburger Co.

July 24, 2013

Just Me ready to dig into that meal. 

The hair has to pulled back before devouring!
 

My Sons -- talk about night and day personalities!
 

One of the few times my daughter made a "happy plate" the New Orleans food was just that good!

The upside to that was, like I mentioned earlier, I am SO determined believe it or not. I exercised the nights we stayed using the hotel's fitness facility and worked up a great sweat I must add. We also walked EVERYWHERE so I hoped I burned a bit of those meal calories there, and last (which is sort of funny) was that I thought I had misplaced my digital camera on a park bench. My husband found a city ranger to ask questions and find directions, so I excused myself to have a seat. Once he finished the conversation-- and with a given map in hand, we headed out to walk the French Quarters. The heat had me a bit scatter-brained I guess because after we walked a good distance, I thought I left my camera on the park bench! I FREAKED OUT and darted back in that 95 degree heat! I was in straight panic mode because for one the camera had cherished memories, two- I paid a pretty penny for it, and three I had some noneofanyonesbusiness stored on the camera! Once I made it to the bench and didn't see it, I just knew that camera was as good as gone until I looked deeper inside my tote and found it!! I was so embarrassed BUT relieved! My family was hot and flustered when they realized I had it the whole time, but I saw nothing but good because my camera was in my possession AND I had a chance to burn a few extra calories ;-)

 

New Orleans July 24, 2013

Feeling the best I've ever felt in quite a while ;-)

Just Me Again!

Evening Out on Bourbon Street

July 24, 2013

 

I hope I have disciplined myself to not exceed my daily allowed calories once I end this Phentermine run. The truth will reveal itself once the doctor takes me off. I have a feeling he will not refill my 30 day prescription. I've read a few forum postings on how cravings coming back far more intense resulting in immediate weight gain. The back to school stress and work always have taken it's toll in times past, so I'm counting on prayer, self control, continued exercising, and calorie counting to help me maintain once I achieve an ideal weight goal.

 



 

New Orleans Street Musician Perfoming the Wedding March Song for Me and the Hubs

July 24, 2013



Well...I DID NOT Expect THIS to Happen!

 
Phentermine Day 1
 

  Whelp it's been a little over a year since my last entry, and it's been quite a roller coaster ride to say the least!  I had reached a point just within the last week where I felt I was at my wits end not knowing which direction to take regarding my current weight situation.  I gained ALL my weight back AND THEN SOME!  Directing back to the title post...I DID NOT expect THIS to happen!! Things were going fairly well with my exercise regimen with me often times exercising twice a day.  I managed to bring my weight down to 177 pounds and even found the courage to put on a bathing suit Summer 2012--  a one piece of course. We planned a family summer vacation and even though my weight had crept up to the early 180s, I managed to sort of maintain.

Family Vacation Summer 2012, 183lbs
 

I wasn't in the best of health due to female medical issues, but I kept pressing.  I felt more confident and had a sense of relief returning back to school that Fall. Having passed all my teacher certification exams, I now felt that I had a better handle and would be less likely to indulge in the so called emotional eating.  Looking back, I remember feeling all mellow and collected in the below pictures haha!!  There I was, ready to start my 5th year of teaching and now had a little bit of experience under my belt.  My classroom was clean and organized, and I was ready to begin a new school year!  I should've known better because Murphy's Law was in full effect and things went downhill from there!

Few Days Prior to the Start of the 2012-13 School Year

 

 

First day of school, and I was having problems with my vehicle engine!  I thought taking it to a local mechanic instead of the dealership would save me money.  Wrong!  Paid for the so-called repairs and continued to have problems.  I ended up taking it to the dealership, and ended up paying 3 times the amount of the given estimate.  Live and learn I guess, but the emotional eating had been triggered.  That beginning of the school year "honeymoon" period where students are somewhat behaved didn't last long either, so having to deal with behavior issues started brewing.  Even though the stressful week and a half dealing with my vehicle and being out of nearly $900 dollars, I thought the worst was behind me until....

Damage Resulting from Water Heater, September 2012



Our upstairs water heater busted and flooded our entire downstairs living area.  It happened late that night and was a total nightmare!  The carpets, ceilings, lesson plan materials, etc were all ruined.  I had to call 911 because my husband and neighbor couldn't locate the water shut off valve.  Watching the water gush from the ceilings and indoor light fixtures had me certain someone was going to get electrocuted that night.  Once the firemen left and the arrangements were made with the insurance company, the emotional eating was in full swing!  I was completely overwhelmed.  I no longer had time to exercise, and my new focus became dealing with the damage and searching for qualified repairmen.  One thing is for certain is that LIFE DID NOT STOP!  We were constantly on the go and always exhausted. 

 

 

Throw in a couple of classroom altercations, middle school drama with my own children, emergency room visit after passing out, various personal drama issues that both affected me directly and indirectly, and living in a home/disaster area my stress levels shot through the roof! The holidays and all the binge eating that entails didn't help either.  My coping skills were sub par, which I believe led me to make some very poor choices regarding my physical health and mental health well being.  I became very reclusive and was always irritable.

 

 



The 2013 New Year was ushered in with poor eating habits.  I had to pull the larger sized clothing from the back of my closet because I could no longer fit into my smaller sized clothing.  Even though I attempted to exercise during the 2 week winter break, it was impossible because we had the first Christmas Day snow in decades and was without electricity for days!  I then ended up having to have a medical procedure late January 2013, but promised myself that I would lose the nearly 15 pounds I had gained once I recovered.  I was trying to remain optimistic and monitor my food intake, but my weight kept creeping!  I researched to see if it had anything to do with my medical procedure.  I came across numerous online forums filled with women who had the same medical procedure and was seeking answers regarding the same weight gain I was experiencing.  The doctor's office informed me that it had nothing to do with the procedure because it shouldn't have interfered with my hormones, but I was convinced it did.  I continued to gain weight each week.  Midway thru March 2013 I had reached 195 lbs.  My intent was to finally refocus and use the picture shown above as my "before" picture convincing myself I'd have the weight lost by the summer.  I indicated the days on my calendar when I exercised and continued to monitor my intake, but I STILL CONTINUED TO GAIN WEIGHT.  Friends said it was due to my age, but I thought it was related to the surgery.  Looking back, I don't know.   All I knew was that I needed to get a handle on it and fast!

Spring Break March 18, 2013

 

 

Late Spring 2013, 200+ lbs

 



Spring was here and my weight reached the 200s.  I was devastated and depressed.  How could this happen??  One of my students slipped my IPhone off my desk and snapped my picture (obnoxious thing to do, I know), but I wasn't happy with my ever expanding waistline shown in the photograph.  Again, trying to remain optimistic I convinced myself  I'd refocus come summer.  Despite my 5 day a week exercise regimen I STILL CONTINUED TO GAIN WEIGHT!  The endless research, frustration, irritatability, avoiding social activities, and depression all got the best of me.  I tried to wait visiting my doctor until my scheduled annual OB/GYN visit, but I couldn't any longer.

First week in July- One Week before starting Phentermine

 

I let him know I was gaining weight pretty much on a weekly basis and was not showing any signs of letting up!  That week alone it had increased to nearly 5lbs! I explained my frustration and shared my exercise regimen with my doctor who did what I thought was unthinkable.  He wrote me a prescription for the weight loss medication Phentermine. When I gave birth to my 2nd son a little over a decade ago, I asked for a prescription weight loss medication to speed up my efforts.  He refused because he didn't feel comfortable with the side effects knowing I was under his care.  He's had a change of heart I guess.  I am relieved to say that I've lost 6 lbs since visiting my doctor 4 days ago!  The medication also affects the serotonin and dopamine in the brain, so along with suppressing my appetite it's also elevated my moods.  I have all this nonstop energy and I'm definitely not as moody.  The side effects (dry mouth and insomnia/anxiety) are somewhat of a nuisance, but I can learn to live with them if I continue with these results.  Today was my first day exercising since taking the medication, and it's definitely helped with that 3AM anxiety/insomia edge I'm experiencing since starting the meds.  The medication is meant for only short term as they lose their effectiveness over time.  I'm reading stories how the weight came back with a vengeance to those who didn't develop better eating habits, so I'm praying the same doesn't happen to me if I do lose the weight.

I never thought I'd be happy to say my current weight is 200 pounds, but I hope to share some photos of my progessive weightloss efforts.  God bless.