Long time no see! :)

Hello stranger!

I haven't posted an update in a while! As most of you know i was in Tennessee for 2 weeks so i didn't have much time to update ya'll then. Since i have been back home i have started school and have been meeting new people and having a blast :)

I don't know how this happened but while i was in Tennessee i lost 2 pounds. Usually when your on vacation you gain weight right? Wrong in this case! Pretty awesome if you ask me. Then, when i got home i lost 4 more pounds for a grand total of...34 POUNDS DOWN! :)

Thanks for being patient with me while i try to get my life back in order so i can post! Missed you guys!

Love, Amy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

IT'S 2014! Woo hoo!

The holidays are finally over! No more temptations with amazing food and deserts! haha. However, I am proud to announce that throughout this holiday season i did not gain an OUNCE :) As a matter of fact...i went in to Lindora yesterday and i had lost a pound! Who does that during the holiday season? Me! I'm really proud of myself for this accomplishment.

I'm not saying that i never had a piece of oreo mint ice cream pie at Christmas because Jim and Susie and the girls were witnesses to that and how amazing it was for me. But i planned everything out so well that i could enjoy myself and what i was eating at the same time not overindulging. Such an awesome experience testing out my ability to say no to things when i need to and make good choices for myself health wise.

Also, my birthday is on Saturday! YAY! I'm going to be old. For some reason 23 sounds so old to me because it is so much more closer to 25 then i want to be. We are going to Red Robin because i have a free meal card for my birthday! Luckily they can make my favorite burger protein style and it still counts as the free meal! I'm looking forward to it.

I hope you all have a wonderful first day of the year and that you make it count. Spend time with your family and show them how much you appreciate them. I have a feeling this year is going to be GREAT!

....and hopefully skinny. HAHA!

Love you,
Amy :)

P.S. Phoebe says she loves you and happy sleepy New Year!

Joy To The World!

Success! I went in for my weigh-in yesterday and i have lost the 1.5 pounds that i had gained plus another 1/2 pound! :) I'm back at being 23 pounds down and happy about it!

My nurse at the Lindora clinic talked to me about doing a metabolic menu plan starting the week after next. I am on my 8th week and at around the 9th or 10th week they want you to stay within (loosing and gaining) 1.5 pounds. It's just a phase where they want to trick your body into a plateau so that when you start the next program they can start all over by shocking the system and loosing like crazy again.

Unfortunately, the programs are SUPER expensive so i don't think i will be doing another program. HOWEVER! I am crafty and sneaky with my ways and found out how i can keep doing what i am doing and still be able to come into the clinic for weigh-ins and such FOR FREE!

This is how it will work... Everyone who has ever been a Lindora member has free access to their scales for life even without purchasing a program. Although it will not come with the B-12 shots, which i'm not getting anyways because they give me severe heartburn. You also won't be able to use the keto sticks (the ones that you pee on to see if you are in fat burning mode) but you can buy a pack of them for like $5 and bring them in yourself. This saves a TON of money and i will still be able to go in and have the accountability that i was having before. I also will still have full access on the Lindora products and food that they have to offer whenever i would need to purchase anything if i needed to.

The nice ladies at Lindora of course warned me that they see a lot of people try to do this without having a program and they don't succeed as well as they did when they had the program. I think it is because you are then not REQUIRED to come in twice a week but it is on your own will. I assured them that i know i can do it and i have strong faith in myself that i never have really had before when it comes to eating right and knowing whats best for myself health-wise. After they had heard my soppy speech they agreed that they think i would still do just as well if not BETTER than what i have done while being on this program. i have only 3 full weeks left of my program and i am determined to hit the 25 mark before it ends.

YEEHAW!

-Amy

Uh oh...

So after my weigh in on Tuesday i was 23 pounds down! Good news right? And there there was Amber's birthday party...i had a cupcake. I totally did not think that it was going to make a drastic change because i was gunna go exercise it off and everything was going to be fine. Then i got sick...total rumbling stomach and i barely wanted to even go outside. So the exercise was put off and i gained back 1.5 pounds as of today's weigh-in. This is the first time i've gained anything since the program started so i'm going to look at that as an accomplishment on it's own.

But as for right now, I'm kicking it into high gear again and i'm doing a protein day today even though i already did one this week. I feel like it will make up for the dang cupcake and i can get back to doing what i was doing.

Hope you all are having a great day. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER!

<3 Amy

I'm back!

Sorry i haven't posted in a while. I know a few of you were wondering where i went! Well i got super busy with collar orders and 150 cinnamon spice cupcakes for my mom's friend Lara's company Christmas party tonight! Here is some pictures:

Now that we are done looking at delicious, very bad for you, cupcakes let's get to the good stuff. haha...

For the past week i have been stuck at 21 pounds. I have been ordered to do 2 protein days this week to boost it back up. That was as of Thursday. TODAY, i weighed myself and the scale says i have lost 7 pounds since then and it's only Saturday. I am totally at a loss at how this could have happened because i haven't even done my protein days yet.

I usually don't even like posting about the weigh-in's i do myself because its not the "legit" scale and measurement that is recorded at the clinic. I will be able to give you the EXACT number by Tuesday (12/10). I'm going to do all i can do to keep myself on target (like i have been) until the next weigh-in because, if that 7 pounds is correct, i would LOVE to say that i've lost 28 pounds. But like the Lindora people always tell me, i can't get ahead of myself because no matter what is going on either a plateau or just a small stuck period they will help me figure it out.

I'm on my 7th week of my 10 week program so things are going well!

Thanks again for reading as a jabber on about all of this. Check back Tuesday and i will FOR SURE post again :)

-Amy

My goal before Thanksgiving...

My goal before Thanksgiving was to lose 20 pounds. I just got back from my weigh in and it was 19.8 pounds! Can we just say that's 20? haha. SO CLOSE!

But...It's Thanksgiving! Eat some turkey and be happy and thankful for the ones you love!

I am thankful for all of you who support me. my family, friends, and my wonderful boyfriend, Forrest, who i love with all of my heart and would do anything for. Thank you all for giving me the chance to show you that i really can do something special! :)

Love,
Amy

p.s. GOBBLE GOBBLE!

YESSSS!!

Crazy morning! I went into Lindora for my weigh in not thinking that there was going to be a big difference. I am now down 18 pounds! That is 6 pounds since just Thursday! I looked at the scale and literally said to the lady that it's got to be a joke. She rang her little bell and cheered for me :)

All i have been doing is making the changes that they wanted me to make and i guess it helped me get out of that stuck spot i was in! It's amazing to see that not only am i out of the 280 range but i only have 4 pounds to go to get me into the 260. And only 2 of those will get me to be down 20 pounds!

I'm seeing some great progress! Today and tomorrow i am doing protein days in preparation for Thanksgiving. I plan on having a very small portion of some mashed potatoes and since i've done so well i can treat myself a little. I go back in on Wednesday. If all goes according to plan i should be down 2 more pounds by then and i will have reached my goal of 20 pounds before Thanksgiving!

Thanks again to all of my cheerleaders out there! I appreciate it greatly and need it very much to keep me moving forward!

Love, Amy

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Hello again!

I'm sorry i havent posted lately. I've been busy with collar making, craigslist dealing and not feeling 100%. Since the last update i have been trying to stay around 50-60 carbs. I'm actually having a harder time getting up to 50 rather than bringing it down. Most proteins are 0 carbs which is why i am finding it difficult to get all the carbs i need in a day. I've been eating lots of chicken and fish.

The last 2 weigh in's have been stuck at 12 pounds (give or take an ounce or so). In order to fix this and boost it up again they suggest that instead of allowing 2 protein bars in my diet per day i go down to 1 and that instead of doing just 1 protein day a week i do 2.

I'm hoping that this will help me break the 280 lb number that i have seen all this week. I will be at least a little more satisfied when i see that 80 go down to be in the 70 range.

For now i just have to make those few ajustments and hope that it will get better. With exercise of course! I've been walking Phoebe a lot more lately and i plan on taking some type of PE course during Spring.

Thanks again for following my crazy protein journey!

Love, Amy

Measurement day!

Hello all! I'm down 12 pounds as of this morning's weigh-in :)

I also got remeasured!
I have lost 1/2" in my hips, 2" in my stomach, and 2.5" in my chest (thank the Lord) lol

Forrest got to come in to the weigh-in with me today which was awesome. He's a great cheerleader! He even took me out for CA Fish Grill afterwards to celebrate. Salmon and zucchini...MMM :P

Today is kind of a short update since not much happened but still wanted to write about it.
Have a wonderful rest of the day!
-Amy

Mani/Pedi

Forrest was ever so kind and got me a Mani/Pedi today for hitting the "10 pounds lost" mark! :)

And Grandpa sent me a $50 Arco gas card which i appreciate SO much! You all are giving me so much support and i thank each and every one of you for your kind words and encouragement.

Today i am doing my weekly protein day. The hunger pangs are getting to me but that is why i have a huge jug of water next to me at all times. I go back for another weigh in on Thursday! I would love to be able to hit the 15 mark by then but that's pushing it a little. I think 13 or 14 is more realistic. It's just kind of an adrenaline rush when you go in for a weigh in because you want that number to get higher and higher every time. lol. I'm just dreading the day when i hit a plateau. Thankfully, when that does happen they know how to work around it to get you back in fat burning mode :)

Hope you all have a wonderful day!
-Amy

Weigh-In

Today is the first day of my 3rd week of the Lean for Life program. I just went in for my weigh in and I've lost 11 pounds total as of today! :) I'm so happy that i am loosing at the rate i am. I am averaging at about 4 pounds a week.

There was a small downside of today's visit though. My ketostick showed up as a lot lighter color than it has the past 2 weeks. I'm usually in the "Moderate" fat burning zone (which is great!) but today it showed up as just being a "Trace" of fat burning. This is cause by the amount of carb intake. I am supposed to be consuming between 50-60 carbs per day but i have been more around 55-70. I just need to cut back a little more and watch the sugary fruits that i have been eating like apples and pineapple and the color will darken again and i will be back into "Moderate" or higher fat burning.

I'm looking forward to putting my self-control to the test on Thanksgiving! It's gunna be a fun challenge but i've been doing so well i'm not worried one bit :)

Thanks again for reading and all the encouraging words!
Love, Amy

Week 2

It's week 2 and i went to my weigh in this morning. Lost another 2 pounds for a total of 8! :) I'm so excited!! My next weigh in is on Tuesday and i am going to try my hardest to get that single number to a double digit by then!

Also, I have to figure out which day this week that i want to be my protein day. You do this once a week and the protein day is just like one of the first 3 days that you do in the beginning. No big deal!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thursday!
Let's get this weekend started!
-Amy

Melting away!

Well as of Monday i have lost 6 pounds all together now! Recap: Day 1-3 (4 pounds) Day 4-7 (2 pounds)
It is amazing how fast this is all working out! My shorts are falling off of me! Is this a good thing? lol

My next weigh in is tomorrow and i am excited! I am on week 2 now and it's getting a bit easier. I'm getting used to eating things i wouldn't normally want, like cauliflower and plain lunch meat. I guess my taste buds are changing a bit.

Hope you got to check out my meal plan that i posted the other day. Check back tomorrow for the weigh-in results!

-Amy :)

Sample meal plan!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that i am doing very well and keeping myself on track! Still losing about a pound a day but i will know the real number tomorrow after my weigh in. Here is my meal plan that i am working with for the next 9 weeks. I mix and match things as i would like. This is just a sample. Check back tomorrow for the weigh-in results! -Amy

DAY	BREAKFAST	Carb	Cal	LUNCH	Carb	Cal	DINNER	Carb	Cal
Thursday	2.5oz cold cuts	1		3.5oz chicken breast	0	140	3.5oz salmon	0
	1 whole grain bread	11	60	1/2 cup carrots	8		2 cups raw mushrooms	7
	1 tbsp margarine			2 cups lettuce	3	10	2 cups lettuce	3	10
				fat  free dressing	3	15	fat free dressing	3	15
	Snack: sweet and salty bar			1/2 cup watermelon	6		1 tbsp margarine
				Snack: wildberry passion	3	70	Snack: creamy hot coco	5	70
Friday	3/4 cup rice krispies	18	72	2.5oz cold cuts	1		3.5oz flank steak
	1 cup non-fat milk	12	90	2 cups raw mushrooms			1/2 cup cauliflower
				1/2 cup cubed watermelon	6		1 cup asparagus
	Snack: 2oz fat free cheese	0	100	2 cups lettuce	3	10	2 cups lettuce	3	10
				fat free dressing	3	15	fat free dressing	3	15
				diet soda	0	0	1/2 cup cubed pineapple
							1 tbsp margarine
				Snack: mint coco bar	17	150
							Snack: 1 hard boiled egg1	1	75
Saturday	2.5oz cold cut	1		2.5oz canned chicken			3.5oz cooked shrimp	1	90
	1 cup strawberries			1/2 cup carrots	8		1 cup string beans	8	34
				1 cup zucchini			2 cups lettuce	3	10
	Snack: 1 hard boiled egg	1	75	1/2 banana			fat free dressing	3	15
				2 cups lettuce	3	10	1/2 banana
				fat free dressing	3	15	diet soda	0	0
				diet soda	0	0	1 tbsp margarine
				1 tbsp margarine
							Snack: creamy hot coco	5	70
				Snack: mint coco bar	17	150
Sunday	3/4 cup rice krispies	18	72	2.5oz cold cuts	0		3.5oz chicken breast	0	140
	1 cup non-fat milk	12	90	2 cups raw spinach	4	40	1 cup sauted mushrooms
				2 cups lettuce	3	10	1 cup cabbage
	Snack: sweet and salty bar			fat free dressing	3	15	2 cups lettuce	3	10
				1 apple			fat free dressing	3	15
				diet soda			1 tbsp margarine
				Snack: wildberry passion	3	70	Snack: 1 hardboiled egg
Monday	2.5oz cold cuts	1		3.5oz salmon			3.5oz chicken breast
	1 whole grain bread	11	60	1 cup cabbage			1/2 cup carrots	8
	1 tbsp margarine			2 cups lettuce	3	10	2 cups lettuce	3	10
				fat free dressing	3	15	fat free dressing	3	15
	Snack: mint coco bar	17	150	1 cup strawberries			1/2 cup cubed watermelon	6
				1 tbsp margarine
							Snack: wildberry passion	3	70
				Snack: 2oz fat free cheese	0	100

Good News!

Hello everyone :)

I'm in a really good mood now! I just got back from meeting with the La Habra Lindora clinic and they cleared up ALL of my issues and confusion. I feel much better about what i am doing now and feel more confident.

On top of this....I LOST 4 POUNDS!! :D

I am officially in ketosis and burning fat quickly! Today is my last protein day and i can start adding more things into my diet as of tomorrow. Like salad, lunch meat, whole grain bread...etc. I am so proud of myself for sticking out these past 3 days. I thought i was going to pass out at some points and quite possibly punch someone out too. haha. But i did it! Something i never thought in my life i would ever be able to do, and i did. Pretty awesome :)

Oh! I almost forgot... The mint coco protein bar DOES taste like a thin mint, the sloppy joe is really good as a BBQ sauce substitute on a 3.5oz pork loin, and for Katie...the wildberry passion drink makes me feel like i'm on a tropical island! It is wonderful, especially with some ice.

Thank you all again for the support, i cannot thank you enough :)
-Amy

Misguided

Hello again.

Today was my very first weigh/check in. I received my first b-12 shot and it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I have completed my first protein day with success and a couple of failures.

I did everything just like i was supposed to like eat every 2 hours and stay under the allowed amount of carbs. Unfortunately, there were a few items that i did not like to eat. The first one was the pretzels... I described them as being straight up freeze dried protein powder. I would chew and chew and chew and when it came time to swallowing it was like having a glob of really thick powder stuck to the back of your throat. NOT PLEASANT! Luckily i only bought a single pack of those and never have to deal with that again. The other was the chocolate protein shake. Again a consistency issue, way too thick and made me gag. I tried putting it in the blender with some ice to see if that made it better and it didn't. Luckily Forrest LOVED it (because he is a weirdo like that) and they will be HAPPILY donated to him. Haha. The chicken soup as well did not get a medal from me. I have never been a fan of soup but since they gave me a free sample pack of it at the clinic i figured i would try it.

Everything else was WONDERFUL! The sweet and salty protein bar and hot coco were to die for and the nacho cheese pasta and vegetable chili were great. I still have yet to try the mint coco protein bar (that supposedly tastes like thin mints), the wildberry punch drink (that Katie ever so badly wants to find out if it is good or not), and the sloppy joe. Those are all on my meal plan for tomorrow so check back then for those reviews :)

In other news...I'm thinking of trying out a new Lindora clinic other than the one i have been going to. My mom's friend Lara goes to the one in La Habra and it seems that she is having a better, more informational experience than i am at the Fullerton one.

The past couple of times that i have gone in, the lady at the front is very unfriendly to me. It is important to me to feel welcome, especially at a place like this, because i need to feel like i am not being judged or doing something wrong. Lara and i exchanged information that we have received at each of our clinics and we were getting mixed messages. Such as, never having to buy Lindora products if you didn't want to at hers when, at mine, they told me that they needed me to for at least the first 3 days.  My lindora also told me that I could only have 3.5oz of meat per day, where Lara's Lindora told her she could have no more than 3.5oz of meat per meal.

With all of this confusion i have decided to go over to the La Habra clinic and tell them my concerns. I feel very misguided and a little frustrated in fact. Almost like i have no idea what i am doing. I am hoping to clear this up with them tomorrow and my mom will be coming with me to help me understand things better.

Other than all of that mumbo-jumbo, i'm doing great and sticking to the plan :)

Thanks again for taking your personal time to read this. This was a long one.
Check back tomorrow!
-Amy

Last supper...

Tonight was my last hoorah! Mom took me to Rubio's to get my favorite burrito. Tomorrow starts a new chapter in my life. It will be tough, scary, and frustrating i'm sure. But i know that i have a lot of support and i do not want to disappoint or let anyone down now, ESPECIALLY myself. 

I will be going in tomorrow for my first weigh in so that i can have a baseline weight number to start with. I do not want to see this number but i know that it will be THE LAST time ever seeing it. I'm looking forward to seeing what is in store for me and will keep updating everyone as i go :)

Thanks again for checking back!

-Amy

3-Day Protein Meal Plan

Here is just a quick little thing just in case you guys wanted to see what my meal plan looks like. I laid it all out this morning and its looking pretty great! Reminder...all of these items are Lindora product and are purchased either at a Lindora clinic or Rite Aid. Once the 3 protein days are over i will be more free to buy things at the store instead of being restricted to ONLY Lindora products.

*With all of this i am allowed to have 3oz of skinless chicken breast, turkey or ground turkey per day.

Overwhelmed

This is not an update post. This is just a random post because i am feeling a little bit overwhelmed. I am realizing that this process is going to be a lot harder than i anticipated. I am trying to strong in my mind and in my heart but it is difficult.

I've had a lot of time today to think about what i am about to start with this Lindora process. It is kind of hitting me hard. I know deep down that i have a TON of support but there is a small part of me that feels like i'm helpless. This could just be from the fact that for so long i have felt like i am so far gone into this hole that i have created that feels impossible to get out of. I feel as if i am contradicting myself constantly. Such as, "You are 120 pounds overweight, what makes you think that losing 30-50 pounds is going to make a difference." And "30-50 pounds is a HUGE step in the right direction just keep on keeping on!" I keep going back and forth in my head when I KNOW what the right thing to do is. It's frustrating.

I guess until i see results it will be tough for me to believe fully what i am capable of. I'm just trying to hang in there as much as possible and listen to the words of a bible verse that my uncle Jim shared with me this morning.

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Thank you again for all of the love and support,
God Bless,
Amy

Product and Supplements

Happy Thursday! It is finally the weekend (for me).

I went back to Lindora today to buy some of their products and make meal plans for the first 3 protein days that i will be doing. All products are very high in protein and are only 3-18 Carbs each. Here is what i ended up with:

Thankfully they were having a sale for 20% off of all Lindora product today. With each item running about $14.50 my mother graciously gave me a budget of $50. Then to my surprise, Forrest wanted to match what she bought so that he made sure i was set to go. I obviously have an amazing support group and the best boyfriend ever :)

After i had picked out all of the items that i would be purchasing they helped me create a meal plan for my first 3 protein days. The gist of the protein days is this:

   Normally                                                             For me because i'm heavier than most

   Day 1: 88 grams of protein allowed                        Day 1: 93 grams of protein allowed

   Day 2: 71 grams of protein allowed                         Day 2: 82 grams of protein allowed

   Day 3: 62 grams of protein allowed                        Day 3: 55 grams of protein allowed

*Once these 3 protein days are over i am able to add in a few other things.

On top of this i am supposed to drink 80oz. of water and walk 10,000 steps per day. I purchased a pedometer to gauge how many steps i normally take in a day so i can work up to the 10,000 i need.

I also bought some multi-vitamins, potassium pills and fiber supplements, suggested by Lindora, to help the process even more!

                     

I OFFICIALLY START on Monday. I will go in on Monday for my first weigh in so that we have a number to count down from. I am really excited and nervous at the same time. As most of you know, i am a VERY picky eater, probably worse than anyone i have ever met. I am hoping and praying that i don't absolutely hate the product and it will be a smooth ride for me. I will definitely keep you updated on how that goes as well. 

Thanks again for reading and all of the support you have given!

-Amy