The Lean You with Dr. Dan Giuglianotti - aka My Meeting with a Weight Loss Expert

I mentioned in my Weigh In Wednesday post this week that I had a phone call on Saturday with a "weight loss expert."  It was a perk of being part of the beta test for the Diet Bet 10.  We would get a free 30 minute introductory phone call with Dr. Dan Giuglianotti, a consulting doctor for the Diet Bet website and who has his own weight loss website called The Lean You.

Well, he called me on my cell phone yesterday morning and what was supposed to have been a 30 minute phone call turned into a 60 minute session!  So far, so good.  The initial part of the call was him explaining a bit of his history and then me going into my weight loss history and what my life is currently like.  He seemed quite intrigued by the challenges that my life presents and he seemed kind of excited to try and help me.

I think the fact that I've been at this for a while and have managed to keep a large amount of weight off successfully convinced him that I'm not just looking for a quick fix.  He really did seem to care and really seemed to want to help me get over this last hurdle and help me meet my ultimate weight loss goals.

He asked about where I saw myself in a few months, a year and multiple years down the road, and the best part is that he gave me homework to think about and we're going to have a follow up phone call at the end of this week.  I told him that this year on tour my biggest challenge is going to be the fact that sometimes I'm going to be forced to eat in restaurants as there won't be time or even opportunities to eat anywhere else.   He asked me to try and look at eating at restaurants differently and to come up with alternatives to my current perspective (I've always seen eating out as a treat and will choose food accordingly.)  He asked me to come up with 5-10 healthier options that I could look for on a restaurant menu, and one other thing that I can't think of off the top of my head (I don't have my list in front of me.)

Of course, the real point of these phone calls and introductory sessions are to try to eventually sell me a package to continue on working with him.  Some of them are quite pricey and I don't think I can afford them, but I am contemplating buying one of his lesser packages.  With the package I'm considering, I would get phone calls with him every other week plus his "kit" which includes a restaurant guide (I could really use!) and a ebooks and guides.   I like the idea of having an outside perspective.  He even said that he could log onto my profile on MyFitnessPal (my food tracking app) and so that he could get a real in depth look at what I'm actually eating and give me tips on things that I could change that could have a big impact.

When he asked me what I imagined for myself in a few years, I actually said something that surprised even me (even though it was coming out of my mouth.)  I told him that I'm looking forward to the day when I don't think about losing weight from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep.  I said that I look forward to living a "normal" life.  It's true.  I thought about it, and I've now been actively losing weight for 10% of my entire life.  I'm 32 1/2 years old, and I've been working on losing weight for the last 3+ years.  I think 10% of my life is long enough to focus on every single calorie that goes into my body and every single calorie burned.  And if Dr. Dan can get them to that point, I think the money might be worth it.

The thing is, if I do this, I think the next three months (how long the package is) might be some of the most intense since I started this journey.  Someone else will basically be monitoring everything I do.  I will be held accountable to someone else,and that's a bit scary!  But, on the other hand, it might just be the push I need to finally get to 200 pounds.

So, that's my findings of the "weight loss expert."  I liked him, he seemed like a nice, knowledgeable person and I can't lie, I like that he seemed excited about the challenges that I presented to him.  I like that I'm different than his normal patients and can keep him on his toes.  I'll let you know how my second phone call goes this Friday and if I decide to move forward with purchasing one of his weight loss packages.

Until Wednesday!

Weigh In Wednesday: Nothing to Report

Last Weigh in:                        220.4
Current Weigh in:                   221.8

Current Gain:                             1.4

Sorry, today got away from me and I totally forgot to write a "Weigh In Wednesday" post.

This week has been pretty stagnant weight wise.  I was sitting at 220 all week and then all of a sudden, BOOM!  A pound and a half gained overnight.  It's probably water weight from the pasta I ate yesterday (I NEVER eat pasta anymore!) so I'm not worried about it.

I got in a run outside today in Santa Barbara.  Phew - forgot it takes a bit more out of you to run outside than it does inside on a treadmill in a climate controlled gym.

I'm still in California and hope to get in some more outside runs while I'm here.  Don't know how feasible it will always be, but I'm definitely hoping to try!

The holidays are fast approaching and I really hope I am able to keep on track with my goal to hit 210 by Christmas.  I have a phone call with a weight loss specialist on Saturday and I hope that they are able to help me meet this goal.  This phone call is part of my Diet Bet, as I am part of the beta test group.  I guess we are getting some special privileges. :)  I just really want to get over this hump and into the 210s!  I know that in order to do it, I need to be super strict.  I need to stop grazing on things - a little bit here, and a piece of candy there.  In my head I tell myself that it can't hurt, but it can!  Those nibbles add up and I need every calorie I can spare!!

Something that I think will help me, is I am getting a replacement for my heart rate monitor soon.  My other one died and so I've been guessing how many calories I've been burning per workout.  Not exactly great when my formula for losing weight has been so math based.  Number of calories eaten minus calories burned plus calories eaten back = Net calories for the day.  Net calories per day goal: 1300-1600.  Sometimes I'm not able to eat back everything, and sometimes I go over 1600, but as long as it balances out to be in that range for the week I think I'm good.  When I don't know how many calories I'm burning, then I'm missing a vital part of the equation!  I do want to talk to his weight loss specialist about how much he thinks I should be eating a day.  I never saw a professional when I started losing, so everything I've learned, I've either figured it out for myself or I've done the research and read articles.  Will be nice to finally have a professional tell me whether or not I'm on the mark.

My phone appointment is Saturday morning, so I'll be sure to report back with my findings.

Until then, have a good week!

A Century Christmas

As the third month of my six month Diet Bet gets underway, I realized that because I was basically stagnant this past month weight wise, that it will pretty much take a miracle for me to hit my month three goal of 210.5 pounds.  I'm currently 220 exactly and at my current weight and fitness level, I just don't think I can pull of a ten pound loss in a month.  I am certainly going to try my hardest, but I just don't think it's feasible.  I'm okay with that.  The reason I joined this Diet Bet was to keep me on track and accountable, and it's certainly done it's job thus far.  I initially weighed in at almost 229 pounds, so a loss of 9 pounds in two months works for me!  However, what I DO think is feasible is to hit 210 by Christmas.  

What's the big deal about 210 pounds, you say?  Because me hitting 210 pounds means that I will have officially lost 100 pounds.  I think that if I work REALLY hard and kick my butt, I can lose 10 pounds in a month and a half.  

What a wonderful Christmas gift to give to myself, right?  I mean, there are not many people in this world who can say they've lost 100 pounds, and believe me, I never thought that I would be one of them.  I want this for myself.  I want the bragging rights.  I want the ability to say that I did this for myself.  I want to be able to say that I love myself enough to choose a happy, healthy life.

Oh... And not to mention, I think I'll look dead sexy. So, you know... There's that too :)

So, stay tuned folks!  Here's to a Merry Century Christmas!

Weigh in Wednesday: 11/6/13: California edition

Last Week's Weight:                                            225.5
This Week's Weight:                                            220.4

Current Weight Loss:                                               5.1

Total Weight Loss:                                                 89.6

So, I obviously was still holding onto some water weight last week during that weigh in, because while I worked hard, I didn't work quite hard enough to lose 5 pounds of fat.  But, I'm VERY happy to be back at 220 and I'm ready to break through right on into the 210s.  I'm ready to say goodbye to the 220s (hopefully) forever.

This week, my work brings me to California for about a month, and boy am I happy to be here!  This week I'm especially excited because I get to be in one location for a full week.  I hope to get in a couple of runs outside while I'm here, and *fingers crossed* a Zumba class at the gym near the hotel where I have free access.  After this week will bring challenges again as I will be hitting up about six different towns in the next two weeks.  Thankfully though, for the week of Thanksgiving (ooh, just realized, I am giving thanks for Thanksgiving week!) and the week right after I will have one week sit downs.

I'm looking for a Turkey trot race to run the morning of Thanksgiving.  I've never done one before, and it just makes so much sense to me!  Run off and burn some calories before sitting down and gorging yourself.  Sounds logical!

My "Kickstarter" campaign has hit a snag.  I don't think this Paleo thing is going to really be feasible.  I think I can incorporate aspects of it when I can, but with life on the road, there are just going to be times when I don't have access to the proteins and fruits and vegetables that I need.  So, I'm going to try my best, but not beat myself up for not being able to live a Paleo lifestyle.  I'm still not where I need to be with the Intermittent Fasting either, but I'm doing better with that.  I'm at least cutting myself off by 8 PM every night, but I need to work on eating later in the morning as well.  I think I can get there with this one, but it's just going to take some more discipline on my part.  I'll keep you posted as this progresses.

Well, as I mentioned yesterday in my Month Two Summary for my Diet Bet, I joined another 6 month bet.  I'm really excited to only be 20 pounds away from goal again, and only 10 pounds away from the 100 pounds lost mark.  I'm really hoping I can hit that 100 pound mark before Christmas.  What an amazing Christmas gift to myself, right??

So, that's my goal I'm setting for myself.  210 pounds by 12/25/13.

I can do it.  I know I can!

Have a good day everyone!!

Diet Bet 10 - Month Two Summary

Month Two Starting Weight:                       222.4
Month Two Ending Weight:                        222.2

Total Weight Lost:                                            .2

Month Three Goal:                                     210.5

Weight loss needed for Month Three:            11.7

Well, as you can see, I didn't lose much in this second month of my six month Diet Bet.  I guess, on a positive note,  my weight is technically lower than it was last month, but two tenths of a pound is nothing to write home about!  I will take pride in the fact that I didn't gain at least.

I struggled this past month, as those of you who read my blog on a regular basis are well aware.  This month was full blown TOUR mode.  Last week alone, I was in three different cities.  Not exactly a great situation for massive weight loss.

But, I do feel like I'm back on the right track.  Now, will I win the third month of this bet?  That's a tough call.  11.7 pounds in one month is a lofty, lofty goal and so I'm not really expecting to win this month.  I'm going to use this month as a time to play catch up a bit.  The fourth month, my goal for the entire month is just to lose an additional 3 pounds, so I think I could be completely caught up by the end of the fourth month.  That gives me essentially two months to lose 14 pounds.  I can do that.  I need to be strong and vigilant.  It will be hard, especially with the holidays looming ahead, but it's possible.

I am the most motivated I have been in a while, I must admit.  I'm making pretty good choices eating wise (although the leftover Halloween candy needs to disappear sooner rather than later.)

I'm still really loving this Dietbet 10 format over the Dietbet 4s.  I think it's interesting, because the website has started to call the month long 4% bets, the "Kickstarter" and the Dietbet 10 the "Transformer" and I agree.  I think the month long Dietbet 4s are meant for those people who need a kick in the pants and something to set them up for weight loss.  I don't think they are meant to be done continuous over and over, because 4% is too much to lose on a consistent basis!  I personally feel like it's taking things to such extremes to lose the 4% month after month and you aren't necessarily learning habits that will be sustainable once these people reach the maintenance stage of their weight loss journeys.  I feel like losing slowly and consistently is what sets people up for a lifetime of success and I think it's even proven that those who lose slowly and steadily are much more likely of keeping it off for good.  Okay, that's the end of soapbox rant.  Essentially, for me... Dietbet 10s = YAY!  Dietbet 4s = Boo.

Going off of that subject, I decided to join a second Dietbet 10 game.  The number of people in it is ENORMOUS and so I don't think I will be enjoying the social aspect of that game as much as I have been the current Beta test game, but I joined it because it will take me up to the month of my half marathon and I am hoping that it will keep me accountable with everything right up to the last moment.  Also, and here's the best news, if I hit my goal for that second bet I will be EXACTLY at my goal weight.  I will be 200 pounds!  I'm SO CLOSE.  It will have been three and a half years of blood, sweat and tears, but I'll have made it.  I want it so bad, I can taste it!

Okay, sorry for this long and rambling post, but to sum up: This month wasn't the greatest, but I'm back on track.

Here's to month three!