When's the last time you were happy when you left a dressing room?

For me, it was today. In 17 days I've gone from a snug 18 (pushing a 20) pants and XLshirt size to a comfortable size 14 pants and medium shirt and dress. Not kidding! When I zipped those jeans up, I was shocked! I did a little dance right there in the dressing room. Here's what I look like today:

That's Phase 2, Day 2 and Phase 2, Day 17. Two weeks and what a difference! I can't tell you how good I feel.

Last night, I went to see The Ivory Method (my brother-in-law's band). There were a lot of people there that I haven't seen since before I started the Omni drops. I lost count of the number of times I heard, "WOW! You look great! What are you doing?" What a wonderful feeling! It was so nice to feel confident in how I looked for the first time in... geez, I don't even know how many years.

Would you like to get results like mine? Contact me here. 

Sometimes life gets in the way

of blogging, that is. I'm still staying on track with the Omni drops and eating plan. I'm on Day 12 of Phase 2 and was down 1.8 today and 1.4 yesterday but I wasn't able to weigh in on Sunday because I was out of town. I've gone from a start weight of 192.2 and a high weight (after loading) of 194.5 to 183.8 for a loss of 10.7 pounds from my load weight. Not bad at all for 12 days.

Unfortunately, I have some issues going on that I need to deal with over the next day or two, so I won't be able to update, but here's a picture from yesterday morning:

I'm wearing the same shorts in both pictures. Check out how much room I have in the legs now!

Bad habits are hard to break

R1P2D8 I'm up 0.2 pounds today. I'm so disappointed in myself. I went to lunch yesterday and ordered grilled tilapia, but didn't think to ask what the restaurant uses in the seasoning and I think there was sugar in it. Plus, it was more than a serving, but I ate it all anyway- not because I was hungry, but because it tasted good. So stupid. That's how I got fat in the first place- eating just because something was in front of me. I'd get seconds at dinner even though I was full, eat chips and junk just because they were there, etc. I have to put an end to those habits once and for all. I definitely learned a lesson.

Sorry for no post/picture yesterday, life is a little hectic this week. I'll try to get one up tonight.

I missed a day, so here's my 2-day update

R1P2D6 Down another 0.6 pounds today, for a total loss (since gaining during the load phase) of 7.1 and net loss (since my start weight) of 4.8 pounds. Not bad for 8 days on the diet, especially considering I ate everything in sight for the first 2 days of it.

I'm learning a lot about my eating habits and realizing just how horrible they were. Three times today, I've caught myself reaching for a snack- not because I was hungry, but because it was there. Fortunately I've stopped myself each time. Breaking the eating-junk habit is hard, but totally worth it. I did have a weak moment last night when the kids were eating pizza and it smelled sooooooooooo good. I entertained the thought of eating 'just a bite' for a good 5 seconds before I realized that I wouldn't eat just a bite, it'd be a whole piece. And I thought about how I would feel if I stepped on the scale in the morning and didn't lose any weight- or worse, what if I gained? And I knew that I would regret that pizza too much for it to be worth it. Willpower won out and I had my sauteed chicken with spinach and diced tomatoes over a bed of artisan lettuce with a Zevia cola. It didn't have that cheesy, greasy goodness that the pizza would have, but it also didn't have an ounce of regret.

Even though it's only been 5 days of losing, I'm SEEING a difference. Not just pounds are coming off, but inches. I almost have a waist again! I showed my husband how much room I have in my jeans today and he said, "Yeah, I've noticed the difference." And THAT felt better than any slice of pizza could ever taste.

I've been running like crazy trying to get a million things done, so if I don't get a picture up today, I'll do it first thing tomorrow morning.

R1P2D4 (Round 1, Phase 2, Day 4, for those just tuning in)
I'm at 188.8 this morning, down 2 pounds from yesterday for a net loss of 3.4 so far. I drank 152 ounces of water yesterday and I think that helped a lot. The day before I drank about 90 ounces and only had a 0.6 pound loss yesterday morning.

I'm feeling really good so far. My energy level is high and I don't feel hungry between meals. I even seem to be in a better mood the last few days. I love the new habits I'm learning- I put a lot more thought into each meal, and I'm learning to slow down and take each meal one bite at a time. I know these habits will help me keep the weight off in the long run. Surprisingly, I don't miss chocolate/sweets. I thought I would, but now when I see a great dessert recipe somewhere, instead of thinking "I need to make that RIGHT NOW!" I think "Hmm, maybe I'll make that for my loading phase if I do another round of drops." I don't crave junk. In the last day or two, there were a few moments when I thought I was hungry- I would walk through the kitchen and have to resist the urge to grab a dinner roll. Then I realized I wasn't HUNGRY, I was just in the habit of eating for no reason. Until I started this program, I wasn't eating regular meals, I would just grab and go when I had the chance. This resulted in the habit of grabbing something every time I was in the kitchen. Because I wasn't thinking about it, I didn't realize how often I was eating when I didn't need to.

Here's today's picture:

Phase 2, Day 3

I didn't drink enough water yesterday, I was just so busy it was hard to keep up with it. I'll do better today. I'm already at 50 ounces so I should be alright. I weighed in this morning at 190.8, 0.6 down from yesterday for a net loss of 1.4. I'm hoping that keeping up with the water today will give me a bigger loss tomorrow.

I forgot to post a picture last night, so here's this morning next to Phase 1 Day 2:

I realized last night that I haven't measured, so I'll do that today and then once a week from here on out. 

Phase 2, Day 2

Weighed in this morning at 191.4, down 3.1 pounds from yesterday and a net loss of 0.8 pounds since I started the Omni drops. I'm feeling really good, my energy level is up and I'm not counting the seconds until bedtime for the first time in forever. I was up at 7:30 this morning, wide awake and feeling rested. On SATURDAY. That's just unheard of. I actually made myself go back to bed just on principal but gave up on sleeping at 9- I just wasn't tired.

I had a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of 2% milk, followed by a cup of peach mango green tea for breakfast. I was planning to have an apple for breakfast, but after my coffee and tea I didn't really want anything, so I had it for a mid-morning snack. For lunch, I attempted to make Mediterranean meatballs, but I didn't have tomato puree, so I pureed diced tomatoes as a substitute. Unfortunately, I didn't drain them first and my meatball mixture was too wet to form into balls, so I had to dump it into a loaf pan to cook. After cooking, it still wouldn't hold together, so I ended up eating it in a bowl. Still tasted good, though.

I'm currently sipping a can of Zevia cola and trying to decide what to have for dinner and whether I want strawberries or baked apples for desert tonight.

I'll post a new picture this evening.

First day on the restricted diet. So far, so good.

I was a little worried about the restricted diet, even though most people using Omni drops report not feeling hungry. I didn't need to worry. I thought I was feeling hungry this afternoon, but realized it wasn't really hunger as much as I just wanted the m&m's in the freezer. I need to get out of the habit of munching whenever I get bored and this will be much easier.

For breakfast, I had half a large fuji apple. Mid-morning I ate a piece of melba toast, more because I wanted something crunchy than really being hungry. For lunch, I had half a boneless, skinless chicken breast, baked with a little paprika, on a bed of romaine lettuce and spinach leaves, tossed with a little lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt. About an hour after lunch, I had a small bowl (about 5) strawberries. Then I had another piece of melba toast late afternoon. Dinner was the other half of the chicken breast with romaine and spinach again, but I used a little less lettuce and added a little diced tomato. I sipped a glass of Zevia cola (I was skeptical, but it's not half bad) before and during dinner, and now I'm enjoying some mixed berry herbal tea. I'm up to 100 ounces of water for the day, trying to get in at least another 28 before bed.

I weighed in this morning at 194.5, up 2.6 from yesterday morning, but down 4 pounds from last night. I can't weight to step on the scale tomorrow. I'm going to skip the picture for tonight, but I'll post one tomorrow evening. 

I think I'm going to pop

R1P1D2
I did much better about eating today than I did yesterday. I realized that I have developed a habit of eating infrequently, due to my hectic schedule. I'm used to grabbing snacks here or there when I can and not really eating much until dinner time. Today I started off with a big stack of french toast drowned in butter and brown sugar, and I ended the day with a pint of coffee ice cream topped with m&m's. In between I ate sandwiches, rolls, cookies, more m&m's, and bottle after bottle of water. I don't even want to LOOK at food right now.

I'm excited about starting Phase 2 tomorrow. After all the junk I've eaten the last two days, the healthy foods I'll be eating for the next six weeks sound really good. I deliberately didn't eat anything on the Phase 2 approved foods list so that I would still want to eat those things. Tomorrow I'm planning to have an apple and coffee for breakfast, broiled chicken, salad, and strawberries for lunch, and grilled chicken with asparagus for dinner. And LOTS and LOTS of water throughout the day.

I'm sorry I didn't get around to posting a picture yesterday, life got hectic and I never had a chance. Here's what I look like today:

That's ice cream on my shirt, oops. It's a horrible picture, but I don't feel like taking another one. I weighed in this morning at 192.8 and about half an hour ago I was at 198.4. 

Let the losing begin!

R1P1D1 (That's Round 1, Phase 1, Day 1)
I weighed in this morning at 192.2 pounds. I thought loading was going to be easy. Eat everything I want? I can do that! Turns out, though, that it's not that easy to eat enough to constantly feel full, but I'm working through it. I'm at 45 ounces of water so far, so I'm a little behind (I have a goal of 8 ounces per hour) but I'll catch up this afternoon. I'll be posting a picture this evening, and every evening from here on out, so you can see the change as it happens.

My Omni webpage is active! You can find it at www.omnitrition.com/omniblogger. On this site, you can find information on the Omni drops and other wonderful products Omni has to offer. You can also order directly from this page if you're interested. (UPDATE: It was brought to my attention than I was missing a letter in the link. It has been fixed.)

A little more information about the Omni drops:
While Phase 2 involves following a 500 calorie/day meal plan, I won't actually be living on just 500 calories. The drops and plan cause the body to release and use 1400-4000 calories of stored fat a day. Most people using the drops report that not only do they not feel hungry, but they have more energy than they've had in years!

If you'd like to know more about how it works, please let me know.

It's here! It's here! It's here!

My Omni drops and distributor kit came today. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. It was mid-afternoon when they arrived, so I'll start the program tomorrow. Phase 1 is Loading- eat everything in sight. I can handle that. I'm planning to make a big batch of cinnamon rolls just for the occasion. I've loaded up on fruits and veggies from the approved list for Phase 2, which involves following a strict meal plan, but I like everything on the list, so I don't think it will be too difficult. I'll also be drinking tons of water, but I do that anyway so no big deal. It's going to be hard giving up creamer in my coffee, but I know it will be worth it.

I'm so excited about this program. After seeing the results other people have with it (consistently! There's no fine print under their pictures that says "Results not typical."), I know that Omni works and I can't wait to see the weight disappear- and stay gone!

Stay tuned- the daily pics start tomorrow!

Why I'm doing this

     When I was little, I really was LITTLE. I was always one of the shortest kids in class, and skinny to go with it. Around second grade, I chunked out. (And got glasses. Goodbye, self-esteem!) By fourth grade, I had gone from chubby to fat, and I stayed that way for years. By the end of my freshman year of high school, I weighed 180 pounds and wore a size 18. That summer, I lost 65 pounds, partly by walking a lot, but mostly by not eating. A severe case of tonsillitis helped also. I gained some of it back over my tenth grade year, ending up hovering around 130/size 6/8 for the next few years. Then I got pregnant. I topped out at 174 with my first child and was only able to lose 24 pounds after she was born. Since then, I haven't been below 150. My high point is 220 (this past winter). Right now I'm holding at 193. I feel like garbage and I'm always tired.

     A few weeks ago, I felt like I might as well resign myself to be fat forever, because nothing I've failed at everything I've tried. Then a Facebook status caught my eye:
               Jim Ferrenburg February 10 I'm on day 33 of the Omnitrition 
               HCG diet and I've lost 24 pounds! I have 12 days left on this 
               round to hit my goal of -30. If  you want to learn more about 
               the diet please ask!
So I asked. Then I spent about 2 1/2 weeks researching Omnitrition, and ordered my first bottle of Omni drops on February 28. I also ordered a distributor kit, because I know as soon as my results start to show, a lot of people will be demanding to know my secret. My drops should arrive Monday, and I'll start the program Tuesday. I'll be posting a picture every day, along with a blog entry detailing my journey back to healthy.