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Week 12 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

April 5, 2012 By

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?

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Week 10 weigh in at Blue Sky MD

March 25, 2012 By

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?

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Blue Sky MD Weigh In Week 9

March 16, 2012 By

20120316 134429 Blue Sky MD Weigh In Week 9

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!)

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Week 3 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 31, 2012 By

20120131 153742 Week 3 Weigh In at Blue Sky MDThe 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 icon smile Week 3 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

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.

 

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Week 2 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 20, 2012 By

13 week 2 weigh in Week 2 Weigh In at Blue Sky MDMy 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 icon smile Week 2 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD 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.

 

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My Health Journey Day 12: Half birthday & take out

January 18, 2012 By

12 half birthday take out 300x257 My Health Journey Day 12: Half birthday & take outI 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.

 

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Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

January 13, 2012 By

7 notebook paper week 1 300x231 Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MDCurious 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 icon wink Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

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 icon smile Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MD

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!week 1 2 comparison 272x300 Week 1 Weigh In at Blue Sky MDWhat 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.

 

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More cheese please? Life transformation Day 4

January 9, 2012 By

4 notebook paper 300x231 More cheese please? Life transformation Day 4
It’s day 4 of my life transformation journey with Blue Sky MD and while I’m encouraged by my results thus far, I have to admit, I started getting a little bored with my food choices today.

To jump-start my weight loss and achieve Ketosis this week, I am eating a very high protein and low carb diet that is supposed to fall somewhere between 500 and 800 cal per day. (remember, I selected to be on the aggressive plan).

And don’t let the term Ketosis scare you; I know it can be negative for people that have diabetes and such, but I found this article from Medical News Today to help explain what it is and why achieving it can help with weight loss:

Ketosis is a condition in which levels of ketones (ketone bodies) in the blood are elevated. Ketones are formed when glycogen stores in the liver have run out. The ketones are used for energy. Ketones are small carbon fragments that are the fuel created by the breakdown of fat stores.

However, when the body is in ketosis the individual tends to feel less hungry, and will probably eat less than he/she might otherwise do. The body switches from being a carbohydrate-burning organism into a fat-burning one. The fat stores become a primary energy source, and the person loses weight. That is why low-carb diets have become popular, and effective, especially among obese people.

The article goes on to further explain Ketosis for weight loss:

… as explained above, if the body can switch from being a carb-burning machine to a fat-burning one, the person loses weight. We store our fat, sometimes in undesirable places, such as our hips, buttocks, tops of thighs and our tummy. Carbohydrates cannot be stored like fat can. If our body is in carb-burning mode, we eat when carb (carbohydrate) levels go down, in order to get our energy. To achieve ketosis, the body must be on a high fat/protein and low carbohydrate diet.

So while I was initially thrilled with the Babybel light cheese and light string cheese from Trader Joe’s I already had on hand or my kids, I found myself getting a little bored today. (and believe me, it’s not easy for me to get bored with cheese!)

I’ve also been eating a variety of lean meats and garlic (I can’t live without garlic), but as I was describing my food intake to my friend at the YMCA this morning, I started questioning myself. So as soon as I got home, I made a call to Amanda and the nursing team at Blue Sky MD.

They once again talked me through the process of Ketosis and why it’s used in the first week of weight loss. I was also reassured that my veggies would start to return next week icon smile More cheese please? Life transformation Day 4 I was also reminded that there are a variety of plans to choose from and that if I wanted to alter my plan at any time, I could.

But after I tried another pair of pants on that I haven’t been able to wear in a year and they slid on just as easily as my pink cords did yesterday, I’m going to stick with the game plan. I think I’m just going to keep trying on a different pair of pants each day to keep the motivation going!

While I do still wish I could reach out and grab one of those Candy Cane Hershey Kisses leftover from Christmas sitting in the lovely bowl next to me, I’ve learned FAR too much thus far to jeopardize this journey. So bring on day 5 baby!

How about you – how have you all been doing with your own eating?

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Weight Loss Day 3: Pants Fit Again!

January 8, 2012 By

3 notebook paper 300x231 Weight Loss Day 3: Pants Fit Again!It’s day 3 of my weight loss journey with Blue Sky MD and my old pants fit again…with room to spare!!!

As I was getting ready to go to church this morning, I was debating which of the two pairs of pants I own (that fit) I should wear; one pair is jeans and the other was dirty, so I stood and looked aimlessly at my clothes…until something dawned on me: I might be able to fit into some of my old clothes!

Yes, I realize it’s only day 3 of this process, but I already feel a lot less bloated and puffy, which is a BIG step in the right direction.

So I decided to pull out my pretty pink cords and give them a whirl. To my surprise, not only was I able to pull them up without doing the shimmy shake (you know what I’m talking about), but they buttoned and zipped with equal ease! What shocked me even more was that I needed a belt to pull in the gap in the back. Wwwwwwwwhat?????

I didn’t dare try on any others just yet; that was exciting enough for today.

I know I still owe you an explanation about what the weight control program is all about, but for now suffice it to say that I’m eating a low calorie, high protein, low carb diet for this week. That’s right, each week, my program will change based on my weigh in on the bionic BMI scale and of course, how I’m feeling and what worked/didn’t work from the prior week.

I’m not weighing myself for you because 1. I’m sure the numbers on my scale are different than the one at the clinic and 2. I want to have one of those ‘Biggest Loser’ style weigh-ins after week 1!!! (I promise to video so you all can share in the joy!)

It’s been a long and lovely day, but I’m ready to hit the hay right now. I’m really encouraged by the jump start I’m feeling thus far. Since I never ate much before anyway, the calorie-control hasn’t been as difficult as it might be for some, but I am missing not being able to finish off the Christmas treats still in my fridge icon wink Weight Loss Day 3: Pants Fit Again!

I’ll also say that I don’t think I ever realized how many empty calories I was eating – both from healthy food and junk. For example, it used to be nothing for me to eat a hard-boiled egg or a piece of string cheese AFTER already eating breakfast or lunch….whereas now I realize either of those are a full snack in and of themselves. Also, I’ve come to realize how much I used to pick on food here and there. Whether it was tasting everything on my kids’ plates before feeding them, or grazing in the kitchen as I cook, I was consuming a lot of worthless food.

Awareness is interesting, isn’t it?!

A lot of you have been asking me about the program and for those of you in Nashville, I’d really encourage you to call Amanda at 615.690.6600 in the Brentwood clinic to set up a free (one on one) appointment and learn how it may or may not be beneficial for you. The also have clinics throughout the SouthEast, so even if you’re not in Nashville, don’t despair.

Regardless, I’m glad you all are sticking with me. It’s really helped to know that so many of you care about my health (that, or you’re just curious to see if I’m really going to post another picture of my back fat anytime soon). Love you all – goodnight!

 

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Let the Life Transformation Begin! Weight Loss Day 1

January 6, 2012 By

I’m ready to let the life transformation begin! It’s officially day 1 of my weight loss experience with Blue Sky MD.

I realize some of you followed my online weight loss journal back in the summer of 2010, you’ll remember that Ricky and I did lose some of this extra weight that crept up on us suddenly as we rolled into our mid 30′s. But it seemed that family tragedies, travel and health battles seemed to win out over our weight battle and we’ve both crept back to sizes we’re not fond of.

We’re not obese, mind you, and I recognize that. A few of you have asked why I even need to make such a production over losing weight. My simple answer is this: I want to feel like myself again. Not the 125 lb professional tennis playing pageant winning Sami from 15 years ago, but the 149 pound, energetic and active female I felt most comfortable being.

I guess this is as good a time as any to spill the beans on my starting point…

Weight: 174.8 (I’m 5’6″ for those of you closely keeping score)
BMI:       28.2
Fat %:     40.2% (OUCH! This is the stat that hurts the most!)
Waist:    34 inches
Hips:       44 inches

Ok. There. I said it. But that’s not the worst of it. I decided to be truly transparent (and use the fear of online community/accountability to help motivate me) and post pictures every week too. <GULP> Here goes nothing:

I’ll go into more detail about what the plan is about, but just know right now that I’ve never realized the power of education combined with community until my appointment with Amanda and (Nurse) Jenny at Blue Sky MD yesterday. I feel empowered to really make a life change this time. After being a tennis pro and teaching college-level fitness classes, I really thought I knew all I needed to know about keeping me and my family healthy, but I was wrong.

The biggest thing I learned yesterday was this: CHOICES. I wasn’t treated like a number and I wasn’t told there was a ‘one size fits all’ approach to weight loss. I was given choices – how much I want to lose, how fast I want to lose it, whether I wanted to use appetite suppressants, whether I want those suppressants to be a pharmaceutical or natural, if I want to get vitamin injections and so much more.

I did opt for a pretty aggressive plan (this girl is motivated!) and for the natural appetite suppressants (that have things like Apple Cider vinegar & Green Tea Extract in it). My problem isn’t over eating. In fact, it’s the opposite: I literally forget to eat. Thus, I’ve tanked my metabolism. So it will be interesting to see how this goes…

I want to tell you everything that’s swimming around in my head now, but it’s getting late so I better stop. Suffice it to say that I have started the Blue Sky MD weight control plan and may or may not start on the bio-identical hormones (based on my lab results that come back next week). I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to give you the details about what exactly I am and am not doing this week on the plan.


I hesitate to even push ‘Publish’ right now, because I know once I do, I know there’s no turning back. But I really feel like this will be different and that I won’t just start the race, but I’ll run the marathon and finish strong.

So here goes nothing….

 

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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