28 Days Later...

Not the movie, although I do feel like a zombie today.  I'm talking about my progress after being on the "medically supervised" plan for the past 4 weeks.  The good news: I've lost about 10 or 11 pounds.  The bad news: this place was a total rip off.  Anything I've done is due to my own determination and perseverance.  In fact, I stopped going to them a week ago, not even finishing the 4 week plan I paid for.  Following is a breakdown of what was promised and what I actually received:

The deal was for a 4-week medically supervised weight loss plan for 89$.  I was supposed to have bloodwork, and EKG, supplements, weekly B-12 shots and appointments with a physician every week to monitor my progress.  What I got was some old lady named "Skeet" (I am not making this shit up.  For shits and giggles, this is the Urban Dictionary definition of the word) who decided that based on my answers to the medical profile, I did not need the blood work or EKG to be done.  I surmised over our visits together that the real reason we skipped the formalities was that she was not a qualified medical professional and was squeamish, in fact, when it came to medical procedures.  This would later explain why I never received a B-12 shot.  Instead, I was given a weekly B-12 pill, which was delicious incidentally, and I found the identical supplement here.  I ordered them and have been taking them daily, as suggested on the bottle.  I'm pretty sure the reason for the shots is that they are more potent and last longer, but Skeet assured me that I should only take 1 of their B-12 pills a week, which I imagine was more out of concern for their overhead than my possible B-12 overdose.  I received a weekly package of vitamins to take, which I compared to my daily multivitamin, and they were practically identical.

At each visit, which lasted about 5 minutes a piece, I was given my packet of vitamins, weighed, and highly encouraged to purchase their nutritional supplements, which were not included in the 89$ I shelled out.  Keep in mind the 89$ was a Living Social deal.  The actual monthly cost for this place is $199.  So, like a moron, I paid extra for the protein drinks and puddings, which were actually pretty tasty.  I also happened to later find very similar ones on their competitor's website for about half the price.

So to summarize, I paid 89$ (regular price 199$) for a weekly B-12 pill that should have been taken daily, 4 weeks of a daily multivitamin, and weigh-ins with a lady named after a vulgar term for the rhythm method.  I never once saw a doctor, despite the fact that the term "Physician" is in the name of the organization, and according to their corporate website, a doctor is supposed to be staffed at each location.  I also paid for Lady Pull Out to harass me at every visit to purchase their fish oil because mine was sub-par, and get more supplements, and sign up for their 4 month plan, which was only $325 as long as I did it by a certain date.  I had to start telling that bitch that I'd left my debit card at home.  She even had the audacity to call me on the last day of the 325$ "special" to try to get me to come in.  I haven't been back since, and that's the last I heard from them.

In short, it's a big ol' scam.  I thought I would be receiving counseling from a real physician as well as having accountability with the weigh-ins, but their aggressive sales techniques and false promises just furthered my realization that I'm responsible for my own decisions.  I'm the only person I have to answer to, so I've continued to eat well and exercise, except for the past 2 days in which I've felt like donkey shit.  I'm back on track today, though, eating healthy and intend to go swimming with the kids later.  Oh, and I've been using this to track everything I've been doing.  It's the easiest tracker I've come across, and it's totally free, so I highly recommend it.

Here We Go Again

Because I'm a sucker for those online deal sites, and because I'm once again motivated to lose the extra person I'm carrying around, I purchased a Living Social deal for a local weight loss center.  Basically it entails me going to this place twice a week- once for a weigh-in and once for a B-12 shot.  The deal was for a month, so we'll see how it goes.  They gave me a diet plan, which consists of one of their protein supplements and an egg in the morning, a salad and a supplement for lunch, and a protein, salad, and veggie for dinner.  I'm not eating meat now, because the HCG put me off of it, so I'm trying to find suitable veggie dinners.  I'm not supposed to have dairy, I guess, because there is no mention of cheese anywhere, but I am using cheese as a protein substitute in my dinners.

This is day 4, and I've been really good, so I feel like at this point I may stick to it, so it's safe to post about.  I don't exactly have the best track record with weight loss success, so I'm hoping the whole monitoring aspect will be the key to making me stick to it.  I have an innate desire to please strangers for whatever reason, so this appeals to that part of my psyche.

In preparation for beginning this plan, I indulged on this as a last meal:

And it was fucking delicious. Especially considering this is what I'm eating now: 

 These boxes contain packets of powder that, when mixed with water, become the main entree for breakfast and lunch.  I supplement with lunch with these:

Your mouth is watering, right?  In all honesty, the protein powdery things aren't so bad.  I have an orange one that tastes like Tang (hee hee "tang") in the morning, and I have a caramel pudding one for "dessert" for lunch.  They have a bunch to choose from, so I'm going to try some different ones when I go back tomorrow.

I am also drinking enough water to float the Titanic, and I am limited to 2 diet sodas per day, which I was thrilled to learn I am still allowed to have.  The beauty of this plan is that it takes the guess work out of what I will have to eat for most of the day.  I only have to plan my dinners.  Apparently I work better in a controlled environment, because I have really had no problems sticking to this thing at all.  Hopefully my efforts will be rewarded at my next weigh-in.