Friday, July 20, 2012

Day 12

July 20, 2012

Current weight: Uknown
Weight lost: Unknown

Lunch:
1 spaghetti and meatball lean cuisine (270)
1 Cascade Ice (0)
Total: 270

I did not weigh her this morning as she came back from her grandma's after breakfast.  I normally weigh her first thing in the morning before she eats anything in order to keep her weigh ins fairly consistent.  From what I can tell of what she ate yesterday (according to K so take it with a grain of salt)... she had pizza for dinner with fruit snacks, grandma took her out for ice cream and they sat around watching TV and movies all night.  This morning she had cocoa puffs and I know her grandma uses 2% milk only so she had that also.  I asked her if she got into the kitchen at any time while there and she said no but who really knows.  I am not hopeful about her weight tomorrow morning.  We shall see how it turns out.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Day 11

July 19, 2012

Current weight: 169.8
Weight lost: 6.2

Breakfast:
1 c Cheerios (100)
1/2 c 1% milk (50)
1 medium banana (105)
Total: 255

Lunch:
2 c Progresso light clam chowder soup (200)
1 packet Craisins (100)
1 Cascade ice (0)
Total: 300

Finally she has started on a downward trend again.  I hope we continue on this trend.  Even if she only loses a little at a time, I just want her to keep losing.  Today should be interesting.  She is going out today just her and her grandma.  I am sure they will be gone during lunch time so hopefully that goes well.

Update: I sent her with some easy to prepare foods to her grandma's, listed above.

Update 2: She ended up spending the night with her grandma so I am unable to finish yesterday's meal list.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Day 10

July 18, 2012

Current weight: 170.6
Weight lost: 5.4

Breakfast:
1 Fiber Plus granola bar (120)
1 medium banana (105)
1 Cascade Ice drink (0)
Total: 225

Lunch:
1 Del Taco classic taco (130)
1 large glass water with a little bit of Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 130 (the fact she only ate this was due to the fact she got the bloody nose right as she was eating her taco).

Dinner:
2 pieces of low-calorie whole wheat bread (90)
1 packet low-sodium tuna (80)
1 tsp olive oil mayo (12)
1 tsp dill pickle relish (0)
2 stalks of celery (10)
1 tbsp almond butter (90)
1 Cascade Ice (0)
1 packet Craisins (100)
Total: 382

DAILY TOTAL: 737

ACTIVITY:
15 minutes walking dogs
45 minutes walking around mall
I am starting to get really discouraged.  The first week it felt like we were taking off a lot of weight and now for the past 3 days we have had either weight gain or no loss at all.  I am just feeling like I need to do something different because obviously what I am doing has stopped working, but I am not sure what else I could possibly do.  She is already eating about 800 calories a day and I don't want to go any lower than that (and I think it is probably not safe to go any lower).  She already exercises/moves around for about 2 hours a day.  I could increase the duration and intensity of the exercises she does and I guess I will give that a try today and see how it goes.  If I get no results from that I don't know what else I could possibly try.  I am just getting very frustrated.  I thought with all the weight she is carrying around and the lack of calories + movement that should automatically equal weight loss.  Apparently not.

Update: I e-mailed the nutritionist we have worked with in the past in the hopes she might be able to point out anything I am doing wrong or could do better.

Second update: This afternoon she got a really bad bloody nose and we almost had to go to the ER.  Outside of the walking around the mall she got done this morning I don't think I am going to push her to do anything else today.  If she gets another bloody nose today it will be straight to the ER for us so we're going to take it easy this afternoon.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Day 9

Current weight: 170.4
Weight lost: 5.6

Breakfast:
1 container of honey vanilla 0% fat Greek yogurt (150)
1/4 c Cheerios (25)
1/4 c blueberries (21)
1 slice low-calorie whole wheat toast (45)
1 fruit cup in water (70)
1 Talking Rain Ice (0)
Total: 311

Lunch:
2 c Progresso chicken & dumplings light soup (160)
1 c broccoli florets (20)
1 nectarine (60)
2 c 94% fat free popcorn (30)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 270


Enjoying lunch :)

Dinner:
1 slice low calorie bread, toasted (45)
3 oz boiled boneless, skinless chicken breast (135)
1 tbsp BBQ sauce (30)
1 c sugar snap peas, whole (26)
1 Cascade Ice (0)
1/2 c coleslaw without dressing (10)
1 Otter Pop (40)
Total: 286

DAILY TOTAL: 867

ACTIVITY:
1/2 hour walking dogs
1/2 hour walking around the block twice (appx. 0.8 miles, uphill/downhill).
15 minutes doing stairs (6 times up and down).

Total was another day of hardly any change on the scale.  She was down from yesterday but only slightly and still up from the day before.  I got some advice on diet and am going to give her slightly more food in the hopes that this will help with her weight loss.  I also am planning on ramping up the exercise some today.  I am thinking about putting restrictions on TV time as well as internet time.  So far she has earned about 5 hours of computer time so far and has yet to use any.  I think this is because she is substituting TV for internet/computer time.  I would like to get her to be more physically active but it is difficult because she will literally do nothing but sit there all day if I don't make her.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Day 8

July 16, 2012

Current weight: 170.6
Weight lost: 5.4

Breakfast:
1 c Cheerios (100)
1/2 c 1% milk (50)
1/2 c raspberries (32)
Total: 182

Lunch:
1 whole wheat sandwich thin (100)
1 packet low-sodium tuna (80)
1 tsp olive oil mayo (12)
1 tsp dill relish (0)
1 c 94% fat free kettle corn (20)
1 c broccoli florets (20)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 232

Snack:
Otter Pop (40)
Total: 40

Dinner:
9 yellow corn tortilla chips (90)
3 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded (138)
1/4 c fat free shredded cheddar cheese (45)
1/4 c salsa (20)
1 c cherries with pits (87)
1 Cascade Ice drink (0)
Total: 380

DAILY TOTAL: 834

ACTIVITY:
1 hour swimming
20 minutes climbing up/down stairs
30 minutes walking dogs

I am really confused today because she gained almost a pound overnight.  Yesterday she ate only 800 calories that I know of and we walked a ton.  How things have been going she should have either lost weight or stayed the same.  Why did she gain almost a pound?  I questioned her on if she got into something and she kept denying it.  I don't know if I believe her or not, though, because she had something suspicious looking stuck in her teeth.  It is so difficult.  I feel frustrated this morning because if there was ever a morning where she should have lost weight it would be this morning.  We worked her out hard yesterday and if that wasn't enough I don't know how hard I should work her out today.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Some of my favorite products

I thought I would share some of my favorite products for helping to get the weight off and still providing nutrition.

Favorite tortilla:
At only 80 calories and with 10 g of fiber, 3 g of protein, and 200 mg of sodium this is by far the best tortilla out there.  I love making tuna wraps, burritos with pinto beans and tomatoes, and a peanut butter and strawberry wrap for lunch.  They are so versatile!

Favorite tuna fish:

This entire pouch has 80 calories, 130 mg of sodium, and 19 g of protein.  Combined with the toritilla above, it can really keep you full and energized for quite a while!  Plus, this doesn't have loads of sodium like many other tunas do. 

Favorite sweetener:
Splenda plus fiber is awesome!  Not only do you get the no calorie sweetening that Splenda normally offers, but now you can have 1 g of fiber for every packet you use.  Why not add a little fiber for no extra calories?

Favorite cool treat:
Yep, the favorite of many of us as kids - Otter Pops!  They have no HFCS and are sweetened with fruit juice.  One tube is only 40 calories and perfect for enjoying on a summer day.  Plus, they come in 6 flavors.  Gotta love Otter Pops!

Favorite snack:
Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Kettle Corn is great because it is both sweet and salty and only 19 calories a cup popped.  I usually give 3 cups as a snack so only 60 calories!  And 3 cups is a large snack that can really be enjoyed.  Plus this snack offers nearly 4 g of fiber.  Yum!

Favorite drink:

Talking Rain Sparkling Ice is so yummy!  It is sweet and delicious tasting and it is fizzy so it seems like a soda.  It even has some real fruit juice and vitamins in it.  It comes in a bunch of flavors like black raspberry, orange mango, lemon-lime, lemonade, pomegranite, etc.

Favorite bread:
Oroweat/Arnold whole wheat sandwich thins.  I love that you can make a whole sandwich (and a decent sized one, too!) for 100 calories.  There is no yucky crust to deal with, either, so that's another plus.


I will probably do another post like this as we get closer to fall with some cool weather favorites as well.  If you have your own favorites, please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Day 7

July 15, 2012

Current weight: 169.8
Weight lost: 6.2

Breakfast:
1 packet original Cream of Wheat (100)
1 packet Splenda plus fiber (0)
1/2 c blueberries (42)
1 c 1% milk (100)
Total: 242

Lunch:
1 Del Taco classic taco (130)
1 small diet Coke (0)
Total: 130

Snack:
1 Otter Pop (40)
Total: 40

Dinner:
1 Lean Cuisine chicken enchilada suiza meal (290)
1 c 1% milk (100)
Total: 390

DAILY TOTAL: 802

ACTIVITY:
1/2 hour walking dogs
2 1/2 hours walking at Renaissance Fair
1/2 hour swimming

Despite yesterday's eating difficulties, she still managed to lose another pound!  I am so encouraged by her progress so far and hope it continues.  At this point I am hoping she loses a total of 15 to 20 pounds before she goes home.  I am unsure if this is realistic but I'd like to think it can be done as long as we continue to follow our current pattern of diet and exercise.  We could ramp it up a little on the exercise at this point, I think, because she has had some time to adjust to the altitude difficulties by now.

Today was interesting on the eating front because we basically skipped lunch and combined lunch and dinner.  It will be a more snack-y night around here since we went to the Renaissance Fair today and ended up not wanting to eat there because of the lack of calorie control.  We walked a TON and a lot of it was up and down hills on uneven terrain.  We are all tired from this one but it was a ton of fun!

Day 6

July 14, 2012

Current weight: 170.8
Weight lost: 5.2

Breakfast:
1 c Cheerios (100)
1/2 c raspberries (42)
1/2 c 1% milk (55)
Total: 197

Lunch:
4 piece chicken nuggets from McDonald's (190)
Sliced apples (15)
Child's size diet coke (0)
Total: 205

Dinner:
1 Hawaiian bread hamburger bun (250)
1/4 c macoroni salad (110)
1 hamburger patty (~250 calories)
1 piece of lettuce (0)
1 tsp mustard (5)
4 slices pickles (0)
1 slice onion (0)
Crystal lite (0)
Total: 615

DAILY TOTAL: 1017

ACTIVITY:
1/2 hour walking dogs
1 1/2 hours walking tour of mining museum

Today was a tough day eating-wise because we went on a tour of a museum around lunch time and so ate out.  Her lunch wasn't as nutritionally complete as I generally try to make her meals but it was good calorie-wise.  Dinner was also eaten out at a family BBQ.  I am not sure of the amount of calories that were in the burger patty, so I am just guessing at 250.  She didn't get a snack today because dinner calories were so high.  She did walk around for an hour and a half straight at the walking tour today and took the dogs out a few times.  We didn't do any true structured exercise, though.  We will see how it plays out on the scale in the morning.  So far she has been doing amazing with the weight loss.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Day 5

July 13, 2012

Current weight: 171.8
Weight lost: 4.2

Breakfast:
1 c Cheerios (100)
1/2 c fat free milk (45)
1/2 c blueberries (42)
Total: 187

Lunch:
2 c Progresso pot roast soup (160)
1/2 c strawberries (26)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 186

Snack:
1 Weight Watchers ice cream sandwich (140)
Total: 140

Dinner:
1 packet Cream of Wheat maple & brown sugar (130)
1/2 c 1% milk (55)
1/2 medium banana (52)
Total: 237

DAILY TOTAL: 750

ACTIVITY:
15 m walking dogs
1 1/2 hours walking around mall
1 hour walking around grocery store

Today was exciting because despite the unknowns of yesterday, she still managed to lose another pound.  Down 4.2 pounds so far!  This is really amazing as she has never really consistently been able to lose weight before despite everything we've done.  I can't wait to see if she keeps dropping weight like this.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Day 4

July 12, 2012

Current weight: 173.2
Weight lost: 2.8

Breakfast:
1/2 c Kashi blueberry oat flakes (100)
1/2 c Fat free milk (45)
1/4 c blueberries (21)
Total: 166

Lunch:
1 low carb whole wheat tortilla (80)
1 tbsp peanut butter (90)
1 sliced strawberry (2)
12 baby carrots (48)
Crystal Lite (5)
Total: 225

Snack:
3 c 94% fat free popcorn (75)
1 popsicle (50)
Total: 125

Dinner:
1/2 c vegetarian chili (95)
1 Yoplait whips yogurt (140)
Crystal Lite (5)
Total: 240

DAILY TOTAL: 756

ACTIVITY:
1 hour walking around stores
15 minutes walking dogs


Today poses a challenge because she is visiting her grandma and I have no control over whether or not she has kitchen access or if she will be fed what I send.  I am pretty sure there will be no physical activity.  I will be able to tell at tomorrow's weigh-in if she got into the kitchen or was fed extra because up until now she has been consistently losing weight every day.  One day will not kill us but I am not happy about the unknowns.  It is much easier to just control everything. 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Day 3

July 11, 2012

Current weight: 174.6 pounds
Total weight lost: 1.4 pounds

Breakfast:
1 Fiber One granola bar (120)
1 medium banana (105)
Total: 225

Lunch:
100 calorie whole wheat sandwich thin (100)
1 tsp mustard (5)
4 slices oven roasted turkey lunch meat (30)
2 pieces lettuce (0)
1 medium nectarine (62)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 197

Snack:
1 Yoplait whips yogurt (140)
Total: 140

Dinner:
1 c vegetarian chili (190)
3/4 c raspberries (48)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 238

DAILY TOTAL: 800

ACTIVITY:
1 1/2 hour walking tour
1/2 hour swimming
15 min walking dogs

Today was an exciting day because I weighed her (even though I was going to wait a week, I just couldn't) and she was actually DOWN!  In the past even when she would work out an hour a day on the treadmill she would never lose weight.  I think this was due to the fact that her diet was not tightly enough controlled.  I am being extremely controlling when it comes to diet and she actually showed a loss!  I couldn't be happier.  This was with all her clothes on, too. 

Today we didn't do any official work outs.  We just did a lot of walking and some fun swimming time.
We were in a hurry to get out the door today so she grabbed a Fiber One bar and banana for breakfast.  We went to the Olympic Training Center today and took a walking tour that took roughly an hour and a half of constant standing and walking.  It was great exercise and we got to learn a lot about our olympians and how they train.



Day 2

July 10, 2012

Breakfast:
2 Eggo blueberry waffles (190)
1 tbsp syrup (70)
Crystal Lite (0)
Total: 260

Lunch:
Half size berry almond salad w/grilled chicken from Wendy's (140)
1 packet fat free raspberry vinagrette (50)
Small diet coke (0)
Total: 190

Snack:
2 c kettle popcorn (80)
1 c fat free milk (90)
Total: 170

Dinner:
1 baked potato (110)
2 tbsp fat free cheddar (30)
1/4 c diced ham (30)
1 kiwi (46)
Crystal lite (0)
Total: 216

DAILY TOTAL: 836

ACTIVITY:
1/2 hour eliptical/boxing/weights
15 min walking the dogs
1 hour walking around the mall

Today was a good day.  She did well with her work outs and even did the eliptical for a while.  Her form doing weight (i.e. bicep curls with 10 pounds in a resistance band type machine) was poor so I helped her do the reps.  She did 10 minutes on the eliptical, 5 minutes of punches, 20 jumping jacks, some lunges, squats, and kicks.  We also walked around the mall for about an hour. 

Monday, July 9, 2012

Introduction/Day 1

Living with Prader-Willi Syndrome is extremely difficult. Most people can't imagine what it is like. Imagine that everything in your life revolves around food. Most people don't consider that almost any activity you do involves food. Going to the mall? People are eating around you and there is a food court with the smells of food. Going to the carnival? Same thing. How about the doctor's office? Suckers and candy for a good visit. Escaping food is nearly impossible. This makes life very difficult. My step-daughter is 17 years old and has PWS. Over the past year she has lived with her biological mother but from 9 to 16 she lived with my husband and I 4 days a week. Now she visits us for a month at a time 3 times a year. I am creating this blog because we just started a month long visit and I weighed my step daughter when she got here. She has gained more than 15 pounds in less than a year. So this time I have decided to take action. I have implemented a strict 800-900 calorie a day diet (as recommended by her nutritionist) and workout regimen. I will outline what we have done each day in the hopes of documenting successful weight loss at the end of this month that can hopefully help others out there in our situation.

Current weight: 176 pounds.
Height: 4 feet, 11 inches.

Meals today:
Breakfast:
3/4 c Kashi blueberry oat cereal (187.5 calories)
1/2 c 1% milk (50 calories)
TOTAL: 237.5

Lunch:
1 Del Taco regular taco (130 calories)
1/2 c raspberries (42 calories)
1 small diet Coke (0 calories)
TOTAL: 172

Dinner:
1 packet of tuna (low sodium) in water (70 calories)
1 carb balance whole wheat tortilla (80 calories)
1 fruit cup (70 calories)
1 tsp olive oil mayo (12 calories)
TOTAL: 232 calories
Snacks:
1 string cheese (80 calories)
1 granny smith apple (90 calories)
TOTAL: 170 calories

DAILY TOTAL: 811 calories

ACTIVITY:
1/2 hour of boxing/low impmact aeorbics
1/2 hour of swimming laps (appx. 4 laps [back and fourth counts as 1]).
10 minutes of climbing stairs (5 times [up and down counts as 1]).
15 minutes of climbing stairs (6 times).
1/2 hour of light exercise (tossing a basketball around, walking uphill).

DAILY TOTAL: Almost 2 hours of activity.

I have implemented a system where each half hour of activity she does she earns 10 minutes of computer time which I will time. So far today she has earned 20 minutes of computer time. As it is only 2:30 in the afternoon, I am hoping she will earn roughly 40 minutes of computer time by the end of the night. Our boxing activities include punches, jabs, and kicks and she did 10 push ups, 30 seconds of jumping jacks (interrupted), plank on her knees, small lunges, small squats (10 of each with 10 lunges on each leg). I laid a resistance band on the ground and had her step from side to side up and down it 5 times. I also had her jump over it and back 10 times. She did 10 crunches. I am not sure what else we will do today. As our elevation is so high I do not want to push her too hard but I want her to be up and moving, which is why I have been doing relatively easy exercises thus far. I will gradually increase the difficulty but as of now my goal is just to keep her moving as much as possible. When I am not actively making her move around, she is just sitting around not moving at all. I hope I do not run out of activities.