Week 6 updates

Weight Update:
I went to the doctor's Wednesday for my 6 week check-up. Apparently they couldn't be happier with my progress! I'm about 35lbs down from my high weight and am feeling great. I have more energy and my joints are feeling better. Also I am now cleared to workout as much and as hard as I want. As excited as I am to get back in the pool I'm still feeling pretty self-conscious about getting in a bathing suit (if it even fits!)

Nutrition Update:
My appointment with my nutritionist went great as well! She is such an amazing woman and I honestly love meeting with her. She is SO supportive and is really invested in her patients. Since I have been doing so well she has advanced my diet early! The stage 3 diet which I have been on for the last few weeks has consisted of foods that are soft enough to be squished with a fork. It also included a minimal amount of crackers and toast. When I told her that I hadn't had any problems and that I felt like I was eating too many crackers (what my husband now calls the world's longest lasting box of wheat thins) she asked me if I felt like I was ready to  semi-advance to stage 4! The stage 4 diet is what is considered to be the 'life-long' bariatric diet. On it you can basically test any food, but need to make smart choices and stay away from things with super high fat and sugar. I'm not completely on this stage yet because she wants me to stay away from pasta, bread, and other starchy carbohydrates, but it means I can have raw fruits, veggies, and nuts! I have to be careful how many veggies I eat though because if I filled my tummy with them all day I would never meet my protein goals. The order of importance goes hydration first (64oz), protein (75-80g), then everything else. I am still struggling a bit with my hydration goals but it has been much easier to hit my protein now that I am off the all liquid diet.

Fitness Update:
I have started another couch to 5K program! I actually ran my first 5k last fall but it was a mixture of pride and disappointment. I was able to run the whole thing but was so far behind that they started taking the signs down before I finished. I am really looking forward to doing another 5k with less weight on my body and more consistent training before hand! I have already found a race in April that I would like to sign up for. Maybe I can convince my husband to run too?! I have been tracking all my running on http://www.dailymile.com . If anybody else uses this site I would love to friend you!

On top of the C25K program I have started to do some light weights and have signed up for a 'core and more' fitness class. The class seems pretty intimidating, but I really think I can learn a lot. I can figure out my arms and legs but the core is still a mystery to me. Also, with my history of back problems I feel like my body can really benefit from it! I have read countless articles about how important weight training can be with weight loss. This could have been one of the main things I was missing in all my past attempts! Not only can lean muscle mass help you burn more calories just sitting around, but it could help fill in any potential lose skin that can result from dramatic weight loss. (I'm terrified of lose skin!) Plus, strong is the new sexy right? ;-)

God Bless!