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Blue Sky MD Weigh In Week 9

March 16, 2012 By sami

It’s time for my Blue Sky MD week 9 weigh in – can you believe it?

A couple things were notable this week:
1. I didn’t travel anywhere (for the first time in a long time!)
2. One or the other of my kids were sick EVERY day this past week
2. On the one day that they were both in school, I shot a hospital trade video about an hour away from Nashville

Let me tell you why I mention those things (in reverse order):
3. The outfit I wore for my first scenes at the video shoot was the same one I could BARELY fit into at my Farm Bureau Insurance commercial shoot last year and guess what…it went on easily with room to spare!
2. With my kids being sick, we weren’t doing a lot of cooking, but were keeping the food pretty basic around our house, which made it easier for me to get back on track this week. The only problem with that was I wasn’t able to get to the Y at all this week.
1. Since I wasn’t traveling, keeping track of exactly what I was eating was much more simplified.

So the moral of the story is…

I lost a pound and went back into the 150′s (remember last week after our NYC trip I gained a little over a pound), so hopefully I’ll continue to fall lower into the 150′s and never look back!

My friends (yes, at this point, they’ve become my friends!) at Blue Sky MD have been SO encouraging while still keeping me accountable. What I’ve really appreciated is that they understand and are helping me work with my schedule instead of beating me up for it.

When I think that I’ve lost over 15 pounds in 2 months, I can hardly believe it. I realize I probably could have lost more, but I also have to admit that if I had stayed on the track that I’ve been on in the last year, I probably would have continued to GAIN weight during all this traveling instead of actually losing weight.

Have you checked out Blue Sky MD yet? Did I mention you can get a FREE consultation?

Their weight control program costs a LOT less than you probably think… (at least it’s a lot less that I thought it would be considering all the resources, supplements, counseling and medical support you receive each week!)

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: 9, Blue Sky MD, week, 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 6 Weigh In: Blue Sky MD

February 20, 2012 By sami

I can hardly believe I’m already telling you about my week 6 weigh in at Blue Sky MD.

It’s certainly been a roller-coaster: an amazing first week, two lack luster weeks that followed, and steady loss since.

I’ve finally learned to accept that I live a life that’s on the go and I must adjust my eating accordingly. I’ve been out of town two weekends in a row, and will be out of town the next three weekends, which means my choices will not get any easier…but that’s exactly what this journey has been about: making the best choices possible whatever the circumstances I find myself in!

It’s also involved more planning than I’m used to. Even though the Atlanta hotel I stayed at last weekend had great options in their restaurant, their snack choices were lackluster. So I was thankful when one of my roommates, Crystal, offered to stop by Costco before-hand to bring some healthy options for us to share!

All I kept thinking this week was, “Please don’t gain weight, please don’t gain weight,” and guess what….

Yes! I actually lost weight despite my travels! Here are the numbers:
Weight: 161.2 (that’s over a pound lost!)
BMI: 26.0

Again, I keep holding on to that water weight, but I keep losing fat! I didn’t break the 160 barrier I was hoping for, but I’m so close! Because I’ll be traveling again this weekend, I’ll actually miss my weigh in, so you’ll have to wait two weeks so see if I can finally crack it

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!

If you want to schedule a free consultation to see if Blue Sky MD is a fit for your goals, call the Brentwood clinic at 615-690-6600 or Check out their locations here – be sure to tell them Sami sent you!

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: blue, md, nashville, sky, Travel, week 6, 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

Week 3 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 31, 2012 By sami

The long awaited results of my week 3 weigh in with Blue Sky MD are finally here!

My life transformation journey with Blue Sky MD is in its third week and after losing almost 7 pounds the first week, I honestly expected better results since then, but it hasn’t quite turned out that way:

Once again, I didn’t lose quite as much as I was expecting. You heard the story: started my monthly cycle, ate out a few times, lots of days away from home….blah, blah, blah.

But seriously, I think I look pretty good, don’t you?

Every day I’m able to fit into new things that have been hanging around in my closet so lonely for all these years. Even my shoes are falling off of my feet! (I forgot to ask them if that part is normal – I think a few people thought I was drunk walking around the Christian Chamber meeting the other day because I kept tripping out of my shoes!).

So here are the official numbers for Week 3:
Weight:   168.0 pounds (down .2 lbs)
BMI:         27.1 (down .1)
Fat %:      37.2% (down .7 points)
Waist:     (We’ll measure that next week)
Hips:

So once again, even though I lost fat pounds/percentage, I gained/held water weight. (Maybe I should stop drinking so much green tea before my weigh in!)

The other big issue this week, at least in the eyes of the nutritionists, was that I did a 24 hour fast. In their minds, it stopped all the good things I’ve been working on with my metabolism and sent my body into starvation mode again. However, our family had some important decisions to ponder, so even though I hadn’t fasted since I started the Blue Sky MD plan because I was afraid I might come across something like this, I knew it was something this circumstance required. Hey, you do what you gotta do, right?

This also reminded me that while I’ve been encouraged that most of the people I’ve met at Blue Sky MD share my faith, they are obviously focused on the weight loss goal at hand, as is their job to do. While I can’t say I blame them, to be honest, I was a little disappointed in their response to my decision to fast. It is my honest belief that you have to keep a bigger picture view on life and as for me, I made the right decision for my spiritual, emotional and physical health this week…even if it didn’t seem that way to the medical community. (Now don’t get me wrong, everyone is still sweet as sugar there, just differing opinions on this subject obviously

I do want to say thank you for all of you who have been cheering me on this past month – it helps knowing you’ve got my back! I am curious though: has my experience with Blue Sky MD made you want to check them out or are you more the “Good for you, Sami – I’ll do my thing while you do yours” type?

As always, I wanted to remind you that Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online. I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: Blue Sky MD, health, life, week 3, weigh, weight loss

The Secret to Blue Sky MD

January 26, 2012 By sami

Do you want to know the secret to Blue Sky MD? …… There is none!

In fact just this weekend, a colleague was asking me about my experience with Blue Sky MD. After I briefly explained the program to him, he looked at me quizzically.

As someone who is into health and fitness himself, he simply replied “There’s no secret to it.”

To which I exclaimed, “I know! That’s the beauty of it!”

For all the years I have been searching on ways to get healthy and lose weight, there has always been a gimmick. Whether you have to eat their food or put yourself on some kind of extreme regimen, I never felt comfortable with any of them.

It wasn’t until I started talking to the people of Blue Sky MD and learning about the process that I was sold. The thing that hooks me, and continues to keep me going, is their education.

As a former professional tennis player, and someone who has actually taught fitness classes, I thought I knew a thing or two about nutrition. And while I would not discount all of my knowledge, there were many things I had to relearn about how the food you eat affects your metabolism and weight.

instance, I used to start my day with more carbs at breakfast than I should consume in an entire day.They were all things that I deemed healthy, like honey, dried fruit, cereal and Greek yogurt, but that should not have given me license to consume as much of them as I wanted.

Of course, it wasn’t until I started keeping a food journal that not only counted calories, but also protein and carbs, when I realized that my intake was out of whack. That, and having the ability to not only meet with a nurse and/or nutritionist each week, but also to be able to call at any moment with any questions I’m having has been invaluable to me.

There is a lot to be said for combining a tried and true method with a team of people who are not only experts but…people! Yes, they are people like me who (many of them) have been what I’m going through and feel what I feel! It’s kind of like what I’ve always said about shopping retail: there are a lot of places I could spend my money where the goods they sell are equivalent, but I’m going to go where I’m most appreciated.

You will be appreciated at Blue Sky MD….period.

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: blue, loss, md, secret, sky, weight

Week 2 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 20, 2012 By sami

My life transformation journey with Blue Sky MD is continuing strong, but you may find my week 2 weigh in a bit unexpected:

Nothing happened!

Here are the numbers for Week 2:
Weight:   168.2 pounds (still)
BMI:         27.2
Fat %:      37.9% (down 2 points)
Waist:     (I learned that we wont measure again until week 4)
Hips:

So while I did end up losing 2 pounds of fat, it looks like I gained 2 pounds of water. That could be due to a few things, which I won’t bother speculating here. I did also add weight training back into my routine this past week, so my muscles could be holding on to more water too (here’s hoping that’s it!).

Considering that my week was much busier and on the go, I guess I should be happy that at least I didn’t gain any weight back this week! I did eat out twice, eat at people’s houses twice and add more calories back into my diet, so that all plays a factor.

But the biggest issue (in my opinion) was that I wasn’t journaling my food as closely as I should have been. While I was writing things down, I wasn’t totaling my calories and carbs as I went along, which led my guessing what I should eat at the end of each day – leading me to actually eat too few calories on some days and not enough protein on others.

I was also reminded (& consoled) by my friend Kara today that this was typical of week 2 of weight loss – just look at what happens on the Biggest Loser every season You lose a lot of weight in week 1 and then your body kind of goes into shock on week 2…well I’m here to tell you that I’m going to wake it up again!

After I had a little while to process the weigh in, I recorded this response:

It may not have been the response I wanted this week, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to learn from it and have a stronger week as a result of what I now know.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s the people at Blue Sky MD that really make the difference in this journey. I hope you get a chance to experience them as well!

Just so you know, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: Blue Sky MD, health, life, week 2, weigh, weight loss

My Health Journey Day 12: Half birthday & take out

January 18, 2012 By sami

I know it’s only day 12 of my health journey with Blue Sky MD, but it seems that the half-way point of each week it the toughest.

For example, yesterday was my half birthday: for those of you that think I’m crazy, hear me out. As a kid with a summer birthday, I always used my ‘half birthday’ in school as the day to celebrate, bring in cupcakes, get my locker decorated, etc. We’ve continued the tradition with our kids for one, because our daughter has a summer birthday and two, it ends up being a fun night for the celebrating kid because they get to choose whatever they want for dinner that night.

As I was leaving the YMCA after a good workout and on my way to get some eggs for dinner, my husband called and said the kids wanted to have pizza to celebrate my half birthday. Thinking that was going to be more of a celebration for them than for me since I couldn’t enjoy pizza just yet, they came up with another option. Just next to Publix is a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese take out place (you know, the kind with a counter and a couple tables to eat at) we found shortly after moving to Nashville and have been eating at about once a month ever since. It’s the one place where they know us and start cooking our order before we even get in the door and sit down.

The kids always ask to go there (they LOVE any kind of Asian food) and since I’d just received coupons for it that day, my husband and I reluctantly agreed, thinking we’d share our typical steamed chicken and veggies with garlic sauce on the side.

Of course, what we didn’t anticipate was just how fast our friend was and before we could say that we were going to change our order up a bit, she was already cooking our usual crab rangoon (fried wontons with cheese) and potstickers as an appetizer. As they sat steaming in front of us, I wish I could say I had the will power to resist, but in fact I did not. I ended up having one of each – much better than my normal amount – but still not exactly keeping to this week’s nutritional guidelines.

I wouldn’t say I totally derailed myself; in fact, this is all about making the best choices possible while we live our real lives, right?

It has been interesting though that I was able to closely control everything I was eating last week while this week I’ve already had to eat out twice, eat at someone else’s house once, and host a Tupperware party with yummy goodies! If I somehow thought I was going to get to live in a bubble while doing this journey, that dream bubble has popped!

All that to say, I’ve realized I can’t hide out and eat every meal in my house…especially in my line of work! But what I can do is better plan out where and what I’m going to eat before I get there.

For instance, Blue Coast Burrito (which has the most delicious chicken tortilla soup I’ve ever had) has a completely customizable nutritional calculator on their website that gives you specific facts down to the exact salsa you choose! <Attention other restaurants – please follow suit!>

So off I go to try to get back on track today. I almost feel like I need a mid-week appointment with my friends and nutritional counselors at Blue Sky MD to encourage me during this re-occurring half-way slump. In fact, I think I’ll suggest just that…

As a reminder, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: birthday, Blue Sky MD, health, journey, take out, weight loss

Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 13, 2012 By sami

Curious how my life transformation journey with Blue Sky MD is going? Check out my week 1 weigh in:

That’s right! I lost 6.8 pounds in my first week with Blue Sky MD!

Here are the numbers for Week 1:
Weight:   168.2 pounds
BMI:         27.2
Fat %:      39.6
Waist:     forgot to measure waist & hips this week!
Hips:

(You can visit my first weight control post to find out my starting stats if you want to fill in your at-home game piece

I have to be honest, week 1 wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (or as everyone made it out to be). Sure, I had my moments of food boredom and fatigue (check out day 4), but fitting into clothes for the first time in a year more than made up for it! (Read day 3)

I am MORE than excited to let you know that not only do I get to increase my calorie and carb intake this week, but I can also add in all the fruits & veggies I found it so hard to avoid in week 1.

Now mind you, I still cannot eat starchy vegetables (corn, sweet potato, etc) and I have to watch the portions on some fruit (for instance, did you know just a half of a banana has 15 grams of carbs???), but I’ve already treated myself to a HUGE salad with cilantro, pecans and feta. YUM.

The most important thing I learned at this week’s weigh in was that yes, I was most likely a carb addict. While I didn’t indulge in a lot of bread or pasta, my favorite foods that I thought were healthy (honey, Greek yogurt, Kashi Go-Lean cereal, just to name a few) are actually VERY high in carbs; so it’s not that they’re not healthy, but I’ve learned I cannot consume them in unlimited amounts just because I deem them so.

Bottom line: this week I was counseled to make sure my carbs don’t exceed 10% of my calories. So even if I choose to indulge or cheat a little (which I haven’t yet – well, except for that feta stuffed mushroom that the Copper Kettle cooked when I was on Talk of the Town on Wednesday – it was SO worth it!), I just need to make sure the total carbs don’t exceed that 10% mark this week. Totally doable.

Another thing I’ve loved about Blue Sky MD is that I feel like a person and not a patient; an individual and not a number. Both of my appointments, I’ve been taken care of very promptly, but I’ve gone WAY over my budgeted appointment time (due to all MY questions)…yet never made to feel like I was being rushed or had to leave. I have been educated during every step of the journey by their team of nurses, dieticians and patient specialists. I actually look forward to going each week

I did finally make a decision about the natural hormone therapy, but I’ll tell you more about that this weekend. I did also take my front/side/back pictures again, but it’s hard to tell much of a difference right now, except from the side view. I’ve lost that puffy/bloated feeling that’s been hanging around for so long, so that’s a victory for me!What about you – have you called for your free consultation with Amanda yet? You won’t be sorry you did!

Just so you know, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Filed Under: Health, My Story Tagged With: Blue Sky MD, health, life, week, weigh, weight loss

As always, I wanted to remind you that Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online. I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Just so you know, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

As a reminder, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

Just so you know, Blue Sky MD has agreed to waive my fee for the program in exchange for me documenting my journey online (like my own little reality show!). I am not getting compensated financially in any way and (obviously) these opinions are all my own.

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