Medical Weight Loss WHAT? Original post 9/13/08

My first post. And how about a brief introduction? My name is Amy Hempel. My husband is Dr. Eric Hempel of Aspen Family Medicine & Aesthetics. I am a stay at home mother of two very busy little kids.
I have all of the time in the world to work out & make wonderful meal plans. Instead I have eaten like I am twelve for the last eleven years of my marriage. I have had many reasons I should be losing weight - - - my health, my looks, keeping up with the kids... However it wasn't until my husband decided that we are incorporating weight loss into our practice that I decided it was time to do this. I am the marketer for our practice & I certainly can't sell a weight loss program looking like this.
It seems lame to me. Why, for all of the important reasons I had, did it take this to motivate me? Well the answer is... it doesn't matter. I found my motivation & I'm running with it.
So I am into week three of my new life. I can't look at it as a "diet". A diet has a beginning and an end. If I truly want to make a change, this has to be my new lifestyle. And I am ready for this. I am not ashamed of what I am and will be sharing my numbers on this blog. I'll also post photographs as I am trying to document my efforts in every way I can.
I did weigh & measure myself when I started with the program. My beginning weight on August 28th was 238. This is, by far, my highest weight.

As of today I have lost 12 pounds. I have also lost an inch off of my bust, waist, & hips. I have been going to the gym about 5 days a week. I have been taking Phentermine every day which has helped curve my appetite and given me a boost of energy. I am now fitting comfortably into clothing that I had pushed into the back of the closet which is really nice. I have not yet had people tell me I look different- I'm looking forward to that. I have been attending Weight Watchers meetings. I am not good about journaling what I eat and keeping up with the "points". My husband is frustrated with me about this! However, I am VERY aware of what I am eating and what the point values are. I am currently working on eating three meals a day (with the Phentermine I have to make sure to remember to eat) with small portions that are good for me. I have a protein shake in the mornings, a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and some sort of meat & vegetable for dinner. No snacks, unless it's a piece of fruit. And lots.. I mean LOTS of water. Water, water, water. I was a BIG "regular" Coke drinker... no more.So that's where I'm at. I hope this blog is something I can come to and share my real feelings & thought about this change. I also hope that at some point, Eric's patients will come here & share their own experiences and thoughts. I think accountability is a HUGE factor with weight loss & behavior modification. The scale, my Weight Watcher meetings, this blog - - - it's all about my own accountability. And I am going to use any tool I can to make sure I am successful! So if you're with me, let's do this together!

I'm here for you~