J. Rose Online

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown Update #4

Left: 155lbs taken 4/2010 Middle: 144lbs taken 3/2012 Right: 139lbs taken 7/2012

Left picture was actually taken in 2010 when Mr. Man and I were about to start our Husband/Wife Weight Loss Challenge. That didn't pan out so well, but I still have the pics we took on Day 1. I wasn't quite at my heaviest yet. I didn't take pics when I first started out back in October. Embarrassing as I know it probably was, I wish I did though.

Left: 167.9lbs Right: 139.8lbs

In today's Project: 40 Pound Meltdown update #4, I am actually going to talk about how I have been able to lose weight successfully. I am not too far from reaching my ultimate goal, but I've been asked by quite a few people on what my diet and exercise regimen has been like. So I decided to let them know and all of you out there who are wondering also know.

First off, if you are new to my blog or have just so happened to stumble upon this entry, I have been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). Here's a brief description on what hypothyroidism is all about.

Hypothyroidism: under active thyroid. The thyroid gland helps maintain a healthy metabolism (the process by which foods are transformed into basic elements to be utilized by the body for energy or growth) by producing and releasing iodine-containing hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). They help regulate the body's growth, metabolism, digestion, body temperature and heartbeat. Without medication or the proper treatment, the body cannot function properly, resulting in: poor growth; slow speech; lack of energy; weight gain; hair loss; dry, thick skin; and increased sensitivity to cold.

With that being said, my body was working against me even with my efforts at trying to work out when I first tried to lose weight back in 2010. I was always tired, exhausted, very fatigued and was pretty much starting to get depressed because I kept gaining weight.

I was prescribed Levoxyl when first diagnosed which supplements T4 hormone. After a year and a half on that, I finally went to see a specialist and it turns out that I needed both T4 and T3 so he prescribed me Armour Thyroid. When that happened, I was at my heaviest (167.9lbs) and borderline diabetic. My doctor told me I needed to start exercising more and change my diet and I did. But I still wasn't losing weight which frustrated me more. He finally increased my dosage of Armour Thyroid and that's when I started my weight loss journey back in October of 2011 and named it Project: 40 Pound Meltdown.

Here's a quick summary of what I did and how I did it to lose the 29lbs I've lost so far.

When first starting out, I had to change out my diet big time. I gave up Starbucks, white rice and cut down on a LOT on sweets. I added in fish, chicken and pork along with lots of veggies and greens. I substituted to wheat bread instead of white. I ate breakfast and snacked healthy throughout the day. I also cut out any other drinks and drank only water, at least 64oz a day. I also did drink green tea. (lots of bathroom trips throughout the day, lol.)

A typical day would be one egg on a piece of wheat toast for breakfast, lunch would be a salad (with very little ranch dressing) or a subway sandwich which most of the time was turkey on wheat with lettuce, spinach, green bell peppers, cucumbers and no cheese or mayo. For dinner, it would a medley of veggies and some tilapia fish or shrimp. Snacks wise, I kept a can of almonds at my desk to tide me through any hunger pangs I felt.

I started with logging all my meals and exercise calories into the app, myfitnesspal. I limited myself to a 1300 calorie diet. I went to the gym 5-6 times a week. I did about 30-45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill starting out with walking/jogging and logging 14-15 minute per mile. I also started out with an incline.

I did that for a good four months and dropped 20lbs. Then I hit a plateau and wasn't losing anything more! I ended up adding weight training to my exercise regimen, but started to gain a bit then lose a bit. So I was up and down with my weight loss at that point and got a bit frustrated. Then I did some research and decided to up my food intake. As it turns out, I should have been eating back my exercise calories as my body needed the extra intake for more energy. So I increased to 1500 calorie diet and ate up to 1700 on the days I did exercise. That proved successful as I started to lose again, not only pounds but inches in all the right places.

By the time it got my vow renewal ceremony in May 2012 I had dropped to 144lbs. A total of 24lbs lost. After the ceremony, I slowly stopped going to the gym and by June and July, I wasn't at the gym anymore due to a personal issue that happened and stress.

Even though I wasn't at the gym, I still managed to lose weight and ended up finally breaking into the 130s which is where I'm still currently at. Now I'm at a total of 29lbs lost. Seeing that motivated me to get back into the gym. And for the last couple of weeks, that's what I've been doing. Now on the treadmill, I am running 10-11 minutes per mile. A far cry from what I used to do. I have incorporated lots of ab work and alternate between upper body/arms and legs with weight training on the machines or free weights. I went from 34% body fat to 26% body fat. My ultimate goal is now between 125-128lbs with 17-18% body fat.

Cheat days: I did have my occasional cheat days. Sometimes more often than I should have. I also am such a sucker for cupcakes and ice cream so yes, I did eat those even though I'm supposed to be dieting. I figured I have already put a lot of patience and self discipline into my weight loss that I deserve it. I felt that if I deprived myself of it then I probably would go crazy. So in my opinion, yes even though you can do without all of the "good" stuff, you can still lose weight if you enjoy cheat days in moderation or every once in a great while. So I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that I never cheated on my diet. When I did, I just worked out harder!

It's taken me 10 months to lose close to 30lbs. It happened over time and a lot of frustrations and disappointments come to those who cannot be patient. For the most part, it probably took months, even years to gain weight, it sure as heck not going to happen overnight.

Imagine what my results would be if I didn't have a thyroid problem and I worked as hard as I did. I'd probably be at my ultimate goal by now. But alas, I usually have to work twice as hard as those without a thyroid problem to achieve results. Even with my thyroid condition, I am VERY PROUD of myself and the accomplishments I have encountered so far in my weight loss journey. Like I mentioned above, I am close to being at my ideal weight, but yet still so far. In time, I will get there. I do plan to give myself a time frame as to when I'll achieve my ultimate goal and I'm hoping that it will be by the end of this year. I have to learn to give myself extra time to reach my goal because of my thyroid condition so that way I don't get frustrated with myself.

Just a closer look and into how I did it. I didn't take diet pills or drink diet shakes. I did it by changing my eating habits and putting a lot of work in at the gym. I can honestly tell you that I feel so much better about my self image and I feel stronger.

On another note, when I first started I was insulin resistant so my doctor recommended Blood Sugar Support pills and I took that as a supplement along with Vitamin D 5000 IU. I am no longer taking Blood Sugar Support pills and I am no longer borderline diabetic.

As of now, my morning starts with my dose of Armour Thyroid, Vitamin D and I just started taking Biotin 1000mcg. Which by the way, I have already noticed a change in my nails since taking Biotin. Now just waiting to see what it does for my hair as I am prone to losing a LOT of hair on a daily basis because of my thyroid condition.

So take this entry as advice or motivation or even some kind of inspiration. I am always a big supporter to those that want to take control of their weight and health issues. I have had a lot of support and kind words thrown my way as I started to lose the weight. It really does help knowing that people are backing you up rather than hoping you will fail.

I hope the next time I post an update, it will be when I hit my ultimate goal. 29lbs down of the 40lbs total I want to lose..... I'm almost there!

And what is a blog post without a whole heck of a lot of pics!

using the weight bench machine thing we have in our backyard


Nike+Running app. I didn't start tracking all my runs until 4 months into my weight loss journey. This app is pretty awesome!


when I can't get to the gym, I work out in my backyard.


seasoned tilapia w/ zucchini, spinach & bok choy


typical subway sandwich I would get


Seasoned shrimp with mixed veggies


And here's my latest picture taken at my bridal gig last weekend. Loving the way my legs look, push hard!

to keep up to date on my weight loss journey, I do post a lot on Instagram and am on myfitnesspal

Instagram: jroseonline
myfitnesspal: jroseonline@gmail.com