Another week down, and I’m happy to say that this week was a bit easier than last week as far as cravings went. Still tough, but no tears.

I was down another 3.5 pounds, to 243.3… for a total loss of 22.5 pounds from my highest weight. My mood is still low but not quite as it was last week, and my energy levels are so-so. The hunger is still bad, but I’ve been trying to keep busy so that I don’t notice it.

This week’s session was all about exercise and metabolism. We learned how to calculate our BMR, or basal metabolic rate. This is essentially a formula which tells you how many calories you burn just being alive. It is your metabolism.

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Hey hey…

Officially at week 6 of the program, and officially down another 3.6lbs — I’m in the 240s now!!! 246.8 to be exact, which is down 19 pounds from before I started the Optimist portion of this program.

This week also marked the first time I saw the doctor since starting the program, but more on that later.

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Week 5 of the program, and 2.5 weeks on Optifast shakes. I’m starting to get a bit more energy, and the hunger isn’t as intense as it was in the beginning. I can get through most days with just the shakes and no veggies. I’ve also started exercising doing a circuit with the “Fab 4” moves I mentioned a couple weeks ago. I’m shooting for every other day right now, and so far it has been good. I am sore and sweaty and tired afterwards, but happy. Speaking of which, my mood has picked up a lot since starting on Optifast. Not sure if perhaps I had a vitamin/mineral deficiency that was impacting my depression, but either way, I’ll take the increased happiness and positivity.

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I can’t believe I’m at week 4 already! Although the days seem to be creeping slowly by, it seems like just a few minutes since last week’s session. This week we’re talking with social work about taking responsibility and the different types of support systems in our lives.

In a nutshell, it’s better for everyone if you accept that you hold the responsibility for whether or not you choose to eat or drink something, rather than blaming others. Seems like simple advice, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to hear it.

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This week I started the Optifast, on Tuesday. It means I’ve only had 2 full days of shakes, but I’m excited when the nurse tells me I’ve lost 4.2 pounds — I’m now at 261.6lbs.

It’s been not too bad making the transition, even though it’s only been a couple of days. I quickly realize that I have a lot of “mindless” or “automatic” eating habits that have likely been contributing to my weight gain over the years. Things like snacking while packing the kids’ lunches, snacking while making lunch/dinner. Eating the kids’ leftovers because I don’t want to waste any food. (Side effect of growing up hungry, I suppose!) I was pretty tired the past couple days, but the team says that should get better after a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

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So it’s week 2 of the medical bariatric program, and this week we met with the dietician for info on the Optifast portion of the journey — which lasts 12 weeks. I get 4 of these meal replacement shakes a day, for a total of 900 calories.

They amount to 90g of protein, and all the vitamins and minerals you supposedly need in a day. Available in chocolate or vanilla, we can add sugar-free, calorie-free flavourings, as well as extracts to help with variety and to make them more palatable. Simply mix with water and enjoy.

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For those who know me IRL, you know I’ve struggled with my weight for years. One look through my Facebook profile pictures shows the timeline of my gains and losses.

I’d been trying for a while on my own to lose weight, with all the strategies in my toolbox, but nothing was budging the scale in either direction, and so I shared my frustrations with my doctor and asked for help. She suggested putting my name on the waitlist for Ontario’s bariatric program. It offers a medically-supervised intensive weight loss period, followed with up to 2 years of followup and support. You have access to the doctor, RN, kinesiologist, dietician, and social worker during this period. All OHIP-covered. I was SOLD! (There’s also a surgical program, but knowing that I’d have to make the lifestyle changes anyways in order to support sustained loss, I figured it’d be best for me to avoid major surgery. )

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