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Week 12 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

April 5, 2012 By sami

It’s hard to believe yesterday marked my week 12 weigh in at Blue Sky MD… well, technically my 12 week weigh-in should have been this past Friday, but I forgot the kids had the day off of school for Spring Break, so I had to postpone it a little bit (family does come first, after all!)

It actually came at an interesting time. Because we’re staying home for Spring Break, we’ve decided to really clean and purge in our house. Monday night my husband and I tackled our closets. To make a long story short, we found PILES of clothes that only a few months ago were WAY too tight on us, but now were so big we had to get rid of. This is just one pile:

20120405 145932 Week 12 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

So look and see how the scales treated me today after a not so friendly week 10:

I’m 3 pounds down!

Ricky isn’t around today to help me take pictures, but as soon as he can, we’ll get pictures up of my official before and after.

I did however manage to grab a picture of me in the only pair of shorts that I could wear last year. They are a size 14 and were still very tight when I did wear them. Look at them now:
20120405 150212 Week 12 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

The Blue Sky MD program is initially a 12 week weight loss program, but you can continue on with maintenance check-ins, Vitamin B shots, nutritional counseling and more. To be honest, I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep on with the program yet, not because of the efficacy of it, but because of my own personal time constraints.

I feel like I’ve really learned a lot from the doctors, nurses and consultants at Blue Sky MD and have benefited from the weekly accountability, but my travel schedule for the next two months may make it hard for me to keep up with the appointments.

I’ll check in and let you know what I decide soon….

Out of curiosity, did you ever call Blue Sky MD for your own free consultation?

Filed Under: health, My Story Tagged With: Blue Sky MD, loss, nashville, week 12, weight

Week 10 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

March 25, 2012 By sami

My week 10 weigh in at Blue Sky MD didn’t go exactly as I had hoped on Friday…

20120325 175257 Week 10 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

I said I would never get back into the 160′s, but:

It’s been a busy month of travel (NYC, Atlanta, Pigeon Forge), so I should be thankful there wasn’t a bigger gain, but I’d like to think I’d keep going down instead of up.

It’s been harder to gauge what I’m eating when I’m not at home, especially when not able to check nutritional information of a local restaurant, but my attitude towards food has definitely changed for the better.

The one thing people have been saying they appreciate about what I’m doing with Blue Sky MD is that I’m bringing real weight loss back to real people. What they mean is that in an age of “Biggest Loser” and “Extreme Makeover”, those of us who want to lose 5, 10 or 20 pounds, or simply want to get rid of that extra baby weight for good, have been forgotten about!

There are so many quick fixes to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time, but very few programs that can stand tried and true, both for those who have a lot of weight to lose or a little. Blue Sky MD has helped me and many others who not only have a few pounds to lose, but want to learn a healthier relationship with food so they can keep it off in the future!

How much weight are you wanting to lose?

Filed Under: health, My Story Tagged With: Blue Sky MD, loss, nashville, week 10, weight

Blue Sky MD weigh in week 8

March 12, 2012 By sami

Instead of tell you about my week 8 weigh in at Blue Sky MD, why not just get right to the point:

Yes, it happened. My 5 days in NYC included wedding festivities, hours of walking all over the city, a trip to Ground Zero, and some of my favorite street food…which in turn caused me to bring back an unwanted souvenir: an extra pound

The good news is that I actually lost fat this week, but I gained a pound of water (what is it with me and holding on to this water weight?!) I did like how Daphne put it at the end of my visit: “Water is just a renter” – it’s not permanent and easy to get rid of Good words, my friend!

All in all, considering I was WAY off my normal routine, I guess this week wasn’t all that bad. Yes, I did have half a bagel, split a felafel & gyros with my honey and even found a good Jewish corned beef sandwich on our last night there, but I also found ways to balance those yummy delights throughout the rest of my day.

I will say that I was not at my best when it came to drinking water and snacking throughout the day. I found myself guzzling a bunch of water all at once whenever I could find a bottle and would remember to bring snacks for my kids, but often forgot for myself.

My goal for this week – get back into the 150′s with no looking back!

Filed Under: health, My Story Tagged With: blue, md, nashville, sky, week 8, weigh

Week 7.5 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

March 2, 2012 By sami

Because I had to miss my weigh in because of Blissdom last week, this is technically the 7.5 week weigh in at Blue Sky MD

I’m not even going to wait to tell you the results…Believe it or not, I lost another pound this week! I can’t believe that even with the crazy month I’ve had, I continue to drop pounds!

Here’s the big reveal:

I wasn’t even able to count calories as closely this week since I was at a hotel and their nutrition information isn’t exactly readily available information. However, after almost two months on the Blue Sky MD program, I know what I should and shouldn’t eat, how often I should eat and most importantly, when I should stop eating!

What’s even more exciting is that I finally fell below the 160 barrier for the first time in years!

If you’re looking for solid education and accountability in your weight loss goals, please give Amanda a call to get your free consultation at Blue Sky MD in the Nashville area at 615-690-6600 or Check out their locations here – be sure to tell them Sami sent you!

Filed Under: health, Health, My Story Tagged With: blue, md, nashville, sky, Travel, week 7.5, weigh, weight loss

Week 5 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

February 15, 2012 By sami

Week 5 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

It’s time for an update on my life transformation journey again: my week 5 weigh in at Blue Sky MD.

There’s one thing I’m finally realizing: When you’re happy, you’re healthy.

Now I don’t mean that superficial happy of some who think they can do/say/eat whatever they want and still be healthy and happy.

No way.

What I would suggest is something I’ve believed in my head for ages but finally make click in my heart: when you look at getting healthy and losing weight as a lifestyle change instead of a science project it becomes part of your everyday routine and works with you…not against you.

I’ve realized I can’t go into Blue Sky MD each week and apologize for my busy lifestyle…or complain that I was traveling…or use the excuse, “but I was gone all day!” Instead, I’ve accepted that we lead a life on the go and must plan our lives and yes, even our food choices, accordingly.

That means anything and everything from packing yummy & healthy snacks for my day before I leave the house to simply looking up restaurant nutrition information on the web before I go sit down somewhere and look at a menu.

Blue Sky MD provides the tools for my transformation, but only I can be the agent of that change.

And the proof is in the results:

Another successful week! Here are the numbers:
Weight: 162.4 (that’s almost another 2 pounds down from last week!)
BMI: 26.2

I think the best part is that those 2 pounds were all fat! I’m still holding my water weight (once again dispelling the myth that programs like this just make you lose water weight), so I may need to drink even MORE water than I already am (which doesn’t seem possible….

My goal for this next week is to break the 160 barrier, but I have an event in Atlanta for 4 days, so I’ll just have to face this challenge head on!

Jenny really took a lot of time with me at this week’s weigh in to come up with some more natural, healthy snacks and encouraged me to not only plan out my meals in advance, but also to prepare them so I don’t fall victim to running short on time.

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m encouraged by my progress and grateful for all your support along this life change I’m on!

Blue Sky MD does have quite a few clinics, but they are situated mainly in the Southeast. Check out their locations here and feel free to give them a call to find out more about a free consultation that could lead to your own transformation!

weight loss week 5 sami cone 188x300 Week 5 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

Ready for my week 5 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

Filed Under: health, Health, My Story Tagged With: blue, md, nashville, sky, week 5, weigh

Week 4 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

February 6, 2012 By sami

Week 4 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

To be honest, I was a little worried about my week 4 weigh in at Blue Sky MD.

I’d only lost .2 pounds over 2 weeks according to their scales, so my spirits were not exactly encouraged. On top of that, my precious husband whisked me away for a surprise Chattanooga weekend, where I ended up living in the moment and indulging in some very sweet treats (a gluten free chocolate raspberry cupcake from Rembrandt’s coffee shop and a frozen yogurt with fresh raspberries & dark chocolate chips from The Ice Cream Show).

In what I thought to be a cheeky response to this little indulgence, I tweeted out a picture of my food journal with “Don’t Ask” written in it.

This didn’t go over well with all of you; it apparently came across as being disrespectful to the process of life change I’m participating in.

Still others seemed to find my honesty refreshing and proof that I am still living my real life while doing the best I can to get healthy with the help of the folks at Blue Sky MD.

The truth is, I think I’d been a little stressed out over the past 2 weeks about doing & eating the right thing, so I was actually holding on to the weight. Once I stopped focusing on the food and relaxed a bit with my husband, I felt SO much better…and it showed on the scale this week, woo hoo!

So here are the numbers:
Weight: 164.2 (that’s almost 4 pounds down from last week!)
BMI: 26.5 (down .6)

Here is my 1 month check-in:
My initial starting weight: 174.8         My current weight: 164.2 (that means I’ve lost 10.6 lbs in one month!)
My initial BMI: 28.2                             My current BMI: 26.5
My initial body fat %: 40.2                  My current body fat %: 37.9
My initial body fat pounds: 70.2        My current body fat pounds: 62.2
I’ve also lost over 4 inches in my hips and waist!

Perhaps the best part of all was when I went shopping for my sister-in-law’s wedding this past weekend. We had initially gone shopping right after Christmas to find me a dress and my husband a suit because we couldn’t fit in anything we had (in a bad way!).

Well…not only did my husband have to take the suit back that he bought and get one 2 sizes smaller (yes, he’s eating better with me too!), but I was able to fit in a size 6 dress! (Did I mention the dress I bought a month ago was a size 14???) The best part was that the dress I found was almost identical to one I’d seen last month that cost almost $200; this one was on clearance for $30 (plus I had a 20% off coupon) – a great size AND a great deal!

20120206 155933 Week 4 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

Fitting in a size 6 for the first time in a long time!

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m encouraged by my progress and grateful for all your support along this life change I’m on!

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Filed Under: health, Health, My Story Tagged With: blue, md, nashville, sky, week 4, weigh

Who Knew? Failing Thyroid + Kelp= Basedow Disease

July 12, 2011 By sami

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard that kelp is the one supplement that can help improve a failing thyroid. Though I never actually tried it until this year…

Bad move.

Once I started this process of trying to discover what was going on with my health 6 weeks ago, I stopped taking the kelp so that I could start anew with the doctor. Fast forward to today when I was in my new endocrinologist’s office. He was almost done with me when I was asking him if there was anything natural I could do to help my newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s disease. He recommended Selenium, but also cautioned me to stay away from kelp.

That’s when my husband said the doctor literally jumped out of his chair.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before?” He asked, astonished.
“You only asked what I was currently taking; I stopped taking it 6 weeks ago,” I tried to explain.

He explained that the onset of my symptoms that led me on this journey in the first place was most likely the result of Basedow Disease. While it’s true that kelp/iodine can help thyroid function if a person has a healthy thyroid or an iodine deficiency (which most people in the US do not), but it has the exact OPPOSITE effect on people who’s thyroid is failing!

When your thyroid is in failure and you start taking kelp supplements, you literally shut down your thyroid. So let my lesson be a caution to you all:

Consult a physician or a nutrition expert before trying to diagnose yourself, much less treat yourself! What may be helpful to others can be very harmful to you!

Filed Under: health, Health Tagged With: basedow, disease, health, kelp, supplement, thyroid

Symptoms of Shingles, Ulnar Neuropathy & other WebMD discoveries

May 21, 2011 By sami

This past week has been an interesting one for me on the health front. It all started with some numbness and tingling in my left pinkie, progressed to tension headaches and, after some suggestions from friends, ended with me looking up symptoms of shingles on WebMD.

I’m not one to run to the doctor or pop pills, but when I started reading about the symptoms of shingles and realizing its affects can last a month or longer, I felt it was time to seek medical care.

Turns out, it was ulnar neuropathy…essentially a nerve that got ‘out of joint’ that runs from the elbow to the pinkie and the outside of the fourth finger. According to WebMD, ‘ulnar nerve palsy‘ (as they refer to it) happens when “the nerve that passes close to the surface of the skin at the elbow is damaged.”

Solution according to the doctor: stop doing what you’re doing. Translated, don’t lean on things, stay in one spot too long or sleep with your arm bent. (Kind of tough for a blogger who sits in front of the computer for extended periods of time, don’t you think?). I guess the tension headaches are unrelated, but that’s another story…

Anyway, considering the spectrum of what we thought it could have been, I’m thankful. Bottom line, do your research, ask someone who knows and don’t sit in one spot too long.

Does that clear things up? Good. I’m glad we had this little talk

Filed Under: health Tagged With: health, neuropathy, shingles, symptoms, ulnar, webmd

Vaccines & Autism: a fraud?

January 6, 2011 By sami

I was watching the Today Show this morning and saw an interesting story claiming that the links between vaccines and autism are a fraud. I know our family has gone back and forth on the vaccine debate, so it’s interesting to hear this study.

Where do you stand on the link between vaccines & autism. Personally, I can’t imagine all vaccines are directly linked to autism, but at the same time, we believe in doing everything we can naturally to help our bodies heal themselves before turning to medicine.

Would love for you to weigh in below. Always good to learn from each other!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: health Tagged With: autism, health, today show, vaccines

Talk of the Town: Healthy Recipes for the New Year

January 6, 2011 By sami

Watch the Talk of the Town video from today’s show: Healthy Recipes

Tune in to Talk of the Town on NewsChannel 5 in Nashville today at 11am to watch my Healthy Recipe segment! I’ll be cooking Winter Lentil Chili and sharing other tips on how to eat healthy while staying on budget in 2011.

If you’re looking for ways to eat better and stay frugal this year, here are a few tips:

1. Watch my “Eating Healthy on a Budget” segment from Talk of the Town in 2010 for practical tips to cut back on your grocery bill every day while enhancing your nutrition.

2. Check out my new Eating Healthy on a Budget series with Whole Foods Market to find out simple ways to shop there and save.

3. Try a weekly meal plan to help simplify your time and grocery budget

4. Replace your breakfast with a healthy, fruit-filled protein shake!

5. Search my other recipes for new ideas to try on your family

6. Follow my online weight loss journal to see how our family fought back against poor health together!

Filed Under: Deals & Freebies, health Tagged With: Food, healthy, new year, recipe, talk of the town, watch sami

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