Week 1 Weight Loss Update

So it's been 1 week of "Plan B" weight loss/healthy eating/feeling good. I haven't been a real stickler on the whole "diet" thing- because I am NOT on a diet. I just want to FEEL good about my body.

Beginning stats:
144 lbs
33" waist (across my bellybutton)
40" hips
24" upper thigh

1 Week later:
142 lbs
33" waist
39.5" hips
24" upper thigh

So- not much has changed, but I did lose 2 lbs. And losing 2 is better than gaining 2!

I played around with the Herbalife shakes and figured what I like the taste/texture of best. So here's my general recipe:

8 oz juice - either orange, apple, pineapple this week
2 scoops Berry Healthy Meal Powder
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
2-3 spoonfuls of yogurt (plain or if I use a flavor yogurt then I don't add fruit)
handful of frozen fruit - strawberries or blackberries this week
handful of ice (like 3-4 ice cubes)

So every morning for breakfast I have a shake (more like a smoothie). And almost every day for lunch I've had one too, but I add a wedge of Laughing Cow Lite cheese and some pita crackers. (155 calories for the cheese/crackers). I think one day this week I made a sandwich. I have been careful about snacking and portions. I am more selective about what food I buy. I figured if there's no junk food in the house, I won't be as tempted to snack.

I walked 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday. That was the only day I got to the gym last week. This coming week I expect to see a little more weight loss since Lilly is back in school and I plan to go straight to the gym after I take her to school.

So that's my update, and so far 2 of my friends and Mike have tried my "smoothie concoctions" and were quite impressed.

If you want to learn more about Herbalife, visit here: www.shopherbalife.com/bweld

There's a size 6 hiding somewhere....

Ugh....where to start.....A long time ago, before having a baby, before having cancer - I was skinny. Like a size 2/4 skinny.



Then I got pregnant- I gained 32 lbs.



After Lilly came, I was able to maintain my weight and was a happy size 6.



Then I mysteriously shrunk to a size 4.



Ahhh- cancer was eating away at my body. During my treatment I took lots and lots of medications, including steroids to keep my appetite up.


So here I am now.


I don't feel fat. I don't look fat. But I don't feel comfortable. As it turns out breast cancer survivors tend to have "weight issues". Mix that with early menopause and it's a big, hot mess.

A month ago I got fed up with feeling this way. None of the shorts that I was wearing in JULY fit me anymore. I REFUSED to buy clothes in a size 8. I started going to the gym- regularly. I would drop Lilly off at camp and go straight to the gym. I'd do 20-ish minutes on the treadmill. I had a plan- I'd do 5 minutes of a moderate paced walk, 5 minutes of a brisk walk, 5 minutes of a run, then 5 minutes of a brisk walk. Week 1- I was down 2.5lbs, but I got shin splints so I took it a little easy week 2. By week 3 I was up 1.5 lbs from when I started and had aching knees. This was not going as planned.

Week 4 (last week) Lilly was home- no camp, no school. I attempted to take her to the gym with me once before and it ended in disaster, so I vowed- never again. I *planned* on waking up early and going to the gym before Mike went to work- but yeah- that didn't happen. So I am moving on to PLAN B. I have realized that I need something else. Who I am now is not who I used to be. This is going to take EFFORT. Ugh. Effort.

Today I have started the Herbalife weight loss plan. I don't need to lose a lot of weight but I am not a fabulous eater, and sweets are my pitfall. So I am hoping that this supplement program will help me get back into a happy, healthy and COMFORTABLE body. My *NEW* plan is as follows (and I am hoping that by writing this it's motivation for me to actually DO IT!). If you want to check it out for yourself- click HERE for my friend Jessica's Herbalife Webpage.

Week 1 (this week) - Herbalife shake for breakfast and lunch.

Week 2 (next week) - Lilly starts school, so I can easily get back to the gym. Herbalife shake for breakfast, gym 5 days a week.

Week 3 - Herbalife shake for breakfast, gym 2 days. I am having surgery on the 14th. Herbalife shake for breakfast and maybe lunch until I am recovered and can go back to the gym.

Week 4 - Herbalife shake for breakfast and maybe lunch until I am recovered and can go back to the gym.

Week 5+ - Herbalife shake for breakfast, gym 5 days a week.

So here's my "stats" today:
144 lbs
33" waist (across my bellybutton)
40" hips
24" upper thigh

I will keep you posted on my process. Just want to be fair though- I am having liposuction on the 14th as part of a fat graft procedure for my final stage of breast reconstruction. He's not taking a lot, but I am hoping to lose a little "extra" around the middle. :)