We survived Christmas!

Well, it's a miracle. We survived the holidays! We survived Christmas Eve/Christmas without rice balls, white pasta, canolis, napoleons, SUGAR! I could go on forever. Gram made a delicious lasagna with whole wheat lasagna sheets, low fat ricotta and mozzarella, turkey meatballs and turkey sausage. You could barely tell the difference, it was great! We each had ONE (yes, one!) serving and felt satisfied. For dessert, we had low fat vanilla frozen yogurt and berries. It wasn't even close to being as delicious as all the Italian pastries we are used to, but it satisfied my sweet tooth and I really enjoyed it.

This week, Mom and I are in Texas visiting our family. We are doing really good with making healthy choices while we are here. Even though I would love to have a Jack in the Box Taco while I'm here, I am NOT going to do it! We also are getting in a ton of walking. Luckily, we have access to a treadmill while we are here and that really helps. I'm having so much fun, I'm definitely not going to want to go home!

I'm not doing so great with the trying vegetables thing. I can tolerate mushrooms still... but that's about it. I tried zucchini and spaghetti squash... umm no thanks. Hopefully I'm able to find more healthy choices I actually enjoy because I know eventually I will get sick of salads with cucumbers and chicken!

At Target we bought a yummy snack... it has walnuts, craisins and dark chocolate covered soynuts. I LOVE walnuts! Who knew?! They are really good. And the dark chocolate covered soynuts are awesome. Next, I'm going to try soynuts not covered in chocolate.... I hope I like them too. I'm kind of doubting that though! lol

Mom, Gram and I weighed in yesterday and are still doing great... but I'm not giving away numbers! We still don't have an airdate for the show but hopefully we get one soon. Keep you all posted!

On to Week 2!

Well, we've finished week one of YOU on a Diet and we all are feeling great! We can't tell you how much weight we've lost but we are doing good. ;o)

Christmas is going to be strange without all our favorite foods, but we are planning on making healthy versions. I'll be sure to post our menu after the holidays. Mom and I are going to TX on Saturday, but we are bringing a laptop with us so we'll be able to post from there too.

I've tried 4 new veggies in the first week.. carrots (I can tolerate 'em...), mushrooms (I didn't hate them, didn't love them... I guess I liked them!) peas (umm eww.) and asparagus... (no thanks.) At least I'm trying! Anyone who knows me knows I do NOT try new food. Don't be surprised if you look outside and see pigs flying... seriously... go look!

Got any good veggie ideas for me to test out? I'm REALLY picky but if you can give me an idea and I actually like it, I'll be thrilled!

Message from Matty!

Tomorrow is a week and I am feeling good. Tonight when I went online, Dr. Roizen sent me an email complimenting me on my food choices and actually asked me when I was going to Florida. That blew me away because he really cares about our progress and now I can't wait to be able to make 10,000 steps! At this point I haven't gotten past 2,500. I will get there!

-Matty

Days 5 and 6... Willpower!

The past 2 days have gone really great. I went to the gym yesterday and used the elliptical and the treadmill. We have to walk 10,000 steps a day (we each have pedometers) and after going to the gym I was up to about 4,000 steps... I was so determined to get to 10,000 so instead of staying home and doing school work like I should have, I decided to go Christmas shopping instead! By 4:30 pm I had made it to 10,087 steps! By the end of the day I was at 11,020! That's over 4 miles!

I am noticing already that I'm not hungry as much. I forced myself to eat a snack this afternoon because I know I have to eat all 3 snacks and all 3 meals. I didn't eat breakfast (I know, that's bad...) but I had lunch, snack, dinner and another snack. I feel good, not stuffed, not hungry. Just normal and energetic!

Last night for dinner I made my Dad and Louie MY favorite meal.. Chicken Cutlets. I didn't even TASTE one! Today in class (it was my last day of classes, I'm officially a Paralegal...) my professor brought brownies and cookies and I didn't even taste one of those! WILLPOWER!

Mom and Gram are doing really great too. See yesterdays post to see what my Mom had to say! I'm still tryin' to get Gram to post on here herself, hopefully this weekend I can talk her into it! It's real easy, I'm sure she'd love it! ;o) We all had dinner the other night together and ate very healthy. Grilled chicken, salad and brown rice for me, plain turkey burgers, salad and brown rice for them. We are DOING this and doing it right!

We are about to be snowed in for the weekend so it looks like maybe no gym... I'll have to break out the Wii Fit! Stay warm everyone!

Adele's thoughts....

Nicole decided to let me post to the blog, the only problem is that she has all these rules I must follow because it's "her blog". I started along with Nicole and Mom on Sunday and so far everything is going great. I don't think I have ever been so excited about going on a diet before and I have been on many diets in my lifetime. The plan is easy to follow and we support each other which helps. Since I work around food all day it has always been difficult for me but this time seems different. I haven't really been tempted and trust me there is plenty of temptations in my kitchen, especially with the holidays coming up there is even more than usual. I had my last cooking club yesterday and I had to melt 5 lbs of Ghiradelli chocolate for the students to make chocolate covered pretzels and cookies. I did great and I was proud of myself. The holidays are going to be rough but I figure instead putting on 10 extra pounds, I will probably lose more than that this year. I am cooking for the Christmas party at work on Tuesday and that will be my next challenge but I'm not worried. Right now what's more of a challenge to me is the fact that I have been so busy that I have not started my Christmas shopping yet! I guess it's going to be a weekend of shopping for me. Nicole said I can't write anymore, she's so bossy so until she invites me back, thanks for your support.

Days 3 &4... Energy? Where'd that come from?

The past two days have gone really well. Still eatin' healthy and feeling good! And I'm noticing something new... I have ENERGY! I walked up flights of stairs that I always walk up and didn't feel like passing out! I don't feel tired all the time, and I always want to do stuff! And I'm not even working out yet. Just eating the right foods has really changed the way I feel already, and it's only day 4. I've dieted before and felt this... but it just feels different this time. It feels... permanent? Like I won't go back to the way I felt before. Maybe that's referred to as "motivation"!

Tomorrow morning after I drop Allie off at the groomer (a NEW groomer, fingers crossed that I like this one!) I am going to the gym to do some cardio. And I actually feel excited about it. I'm supposed to be walking 10,000 steps a day and since I've just been sitting at home studying for finals... I am no where near 10,000! For instance, my pedometer right now says 1,041! That is definitely not enough. I know if I were working it would be better but I've just been sitting home cramming for tests.

Today we did a conference call with Dr. Roizen. He is Dr. Oz's partner and they wrote the book YOU on a Diet together! (go buy it right now, it's fabulous!) He is a really nice guy! We have to email him everyday with what we eat and how many steps we've taken. Once a week we have to email him our waist size and weight. This is a great way to keep us on track! I'm excited to weigh myself on Sunday... ok fine, I "cheated" and weighed myself today and I'm already doing great! But, I'm going to wait till Sunday to make it official... can't trust the scale day to day. I learned that the hard way in the past!

Ok, back to the books. Only a few more days left and I'm officially done. Tomorrow is Gym Day 1! Can't wait!

Day 2... An epiphany, perhaps?

Day 2 was great! I started off with 1 cup of cheerios with 4 oz of skim milk and a clementine. For a snack I had one apple with a few almonds... I'm really trying to like them. For lunch I had chicken breast on a little whole wheat pita with cucumbers... and for my mid afternoon snack I had a mixture of cheerios, almonds (still tryin'!) and dried cranberries. I find that if I eat a dried cranberry and an almond at the same time, I can tolerate it! For dinner I met up with my wonderful cousin, Alissa, like I sometimes do on a Monday night after class. This is where my epiphany comes in... so, usually when we meet at the diner I get a chicken sandwich and fries... or a burger and fries... or chicken francaise and pasta... something like that. Well today I had a greek salad with grilled chicken and barely used the dressing. And not only did I find that I was full without even finishing it... but I also didn't feel like complete crap! Instead of wanting to go home and sit on the couch afterwards, I went shopping! Ok, so that's not so great for my bank account, but whatever. I felt good! EPIPHANY! Who knew? :o)

I'm not getting many steps on my pedometer since all I've been doing is sitting at home studying and doing homework. Tomorrow is another full day of the same thing unfortunately. Less than a week and I'm officially done with school ( and NEVER going back again!) Then I can concentrate even more on this journey. ( and finding a job... someone please hire me!)

Day 1!

Today started off great! I had egg whites, a whole wheat english muffin and one clementine for breakfast. After breakfast I went to a few stores and I was so excited to get some "steps" on my pedometer. I parked far from the store and everything. When I got inside the store, I realized I left the damn thing at home! So, not only were my steps not counted but when I came out of the store it was pouring and I had to walk all the way back to my car in the rain! But, at least I got in some "physical activity"! For lunch I had grilled chicken on a mini whole wheat pita and a 1/4 cup of dried cranberries. Then I had to study for most of the day so I didn't do much walking at all! For dinner I had a yummy salad with grilled chicken, dried cranberries, carrots (my new food of the week to try!), almonds (another new food for me!), cucumbers, and homemade dressing made with olive oil and light soy sauce. Actually, I made 2 of those salads because I dropped the first one all over the kitchen floor! After dinner mom and I made our final snack for the day... peaches with cinnamon, raspberries, blackberries and some semi-sweet chocolate chips. It was good! It's straight of of Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen's book, YOU on a Diet! (go buy it right now!)

I am overwhelmed with so many things right now and following the diet is the least overwhelming part. Can I postpone Christmas a week or two? I can't wait for school to be over! I want to be able to devote more of my time to this journey I'm on. (and buying Christmas presents!) Hopefully we will be starting the gym this Tuesday, and I'm actually excited about it. Today wasn't much of a struggle at all! I have to admit, I am hungry right now, but instead of eating something like I normally would, I think I'll just go to sleep! :o) Tomorrow is a new day!

US on a Diet!

My Gram (Matty), me (Nicole) and my Mom (Adele) standing in the Green Room. We look calm but we were freaking out on the inside!

What an incredible few days we've had! On Thursday morning we were picked up in a big black celebrity-looking SUV and taken into the city by a wonderful driver named Henry! He took us to the lab and we all had our blood work done, and from there we went to the Dr. Oz offices in Rockefeller Plaza. We met with so many great people that work for the Dr. Oz show there! A medical student weighed each of us, took our blood pressure and measured our waists and BMI. Yea, that was enjoyable. :o/


View from the 43rd floor, at the Dr. Oz show offices!

After we left the offices we went downstairs to have lunch at Cucina & Co. in Rockefeller Center and then headed to our hotel, the Affinia Gardens. After checking in we realized we were staying in the penthouse suite!!! It was like an apartment basically and it had a really great view! Thursday night my aunt Marie and her husband Dan, and two of my cousins, Alissa and Kristina (missed you Danielle and Stephanie!) joined us in the city for a nice big dinner. We knew we only had a few days of freedom left, so we went to Jackson Hole for burgers, fries and ice cream! There were a lot of laughs, as usual. My cousin Alissa said something really funny that I can't even remember now... crap! I hate when I forget the hysterical things she comes up with! Alissa and Kristina, if you're reading this and you remember, let me know! It will drive me crazy.

Louie standing on the balcony of our penthouse! Hmm... I guess it's not "our" penthosue anymore!

After dinner we decided we wanted to walk around a little and we ended up at Dylan's Candy Bar! We spent a ridiculous amount of money on candy and then headed back to our penthouse to relax. Instead of relaxing, we laughed for hours! There's never a dull moment in the LaFerrara/Caruso family, that's for sure!

We woke up bright and early to get ready for the show. We were in our green room by 8:15 am and started getting our hair and makeup done. That was a lot of fun! I love what she did with my hair, and I'm going to try to do it myself. We rehearsed the questions Dr. Oz was going to ask us and by 10:30 (I think?!) it was time for us to go on! Sorry though, I'm not giving you any details! You will have to wait to watch the show. It won't be airing before Christmas so I'm guessing it will be on some time in January. We will know 2 weeks before it airs though so don't worry, you will have plenty of time to set your DVR.

From the left, Marie (my aunt), Mom, Me, Louis (my brother), Gram,
Dr. Oz!!!!, Alissa and Kristina (my cousins)

I will tell you a few things though. Dr. Oz was incredibly nice! He is such a great man and I'm so blessed that we were able to meet him and that he wants us to go on this Journey! The show went really well, we had such a great time and any nerves we were feeling just vanished the second we got on stage. We were given Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen's book, "YOU on a Diet". We have to read it and follow that plan, which I'm so excited about because it looks really good!

We start officially tomorrow. Today, I'm going to buy new sneakers, 3 journals, 3 big desk calendars so we can keep track of how much we work out and lots of healthy food! We are headed to Trader Joe's for the food... is there anything any of you like from your local health food store that we should try?

Sorry I can't give many details but I want you to be surprised when the show airs! I can't wait till it does because I have SO much to say about it! I will not be posting on the blog how much weight we lose, we also want that to be a surprise for the future. But you will know what we are doing to lose the weight, how well we are doing, what our challenges are and things like that! We are all so excited to start this and can't wait to see the results!

Update coming soon!

I am trying so hard to post a nice long blog for everyone right now but as you can imagine I am EXHAUSTED! So, tomorrow I will post as many details as I am allowed to give! ;o) Thanks again to everyone who has been so supportive and wonderful! We love ya!

The "I" word...

What a long day we had! The camera guys and field producer were all here by 10:30 am... there was a lot of equipment to set up in the living room before we started.... interviewing. There, I said it. Mom was first and she was real nervous but she did a good job. Gram went next and then it was my turn. And guess what? I survived! I didn't freak out, I didn't even really hesitate on any answers! We filmed inside, outside, in the kitchen while we cooked, and even while we ate dinner. They didn't leave until about 4 pm... but it was a good day! We didn't get many details about what Friday will be like but we are all looking forward to it! They will probably only air 3 minutes of what they filmed today... I can't wait to find out which parts make the cut. I want all my iVillage girls to know that I wore my angel/pregnancy & infant loss awareness necklace for you all... so when you watch the show, make sure you notice it! ;o)

So, Thursday morning we get picked up at 8am to head into the city. We have to do blood tests and meet with some doctor's and then we are free for the rest of the day. We plan on having a nice big "last meal" because I believe the diet officially starts on Friday! We are staying in a hotel in the city that night and Friday morning at 10am we tape in the Dr. Oz studio! His studio is actually in Conan O'Brien's old studio which is at 30 Rock.... and I just remembered SNL also tapes there... and, I know only my Twilight girls will find this absolutely incredible but guess who's hosting SNL this week? That's right... Taylor Lautner! Jenny already promised to bail me out of jail when I get arrested for trying to hug him... or kiss him. LOL I really wouldn't be surprised if I ran into him... he has to be rehearsing for Saturday. OMG too much excitement for one week!

Anyway, that's really all I've got to report right now. I want to say thank you to everyone who is supporting us so far. We really have the most amazing friends and all of you that have responded to our posts are really proving to us just how lucky we are!

Preparation!

Well, we've been spending the past few days getting ready for the crazy week we have ahead of us. On Saturday my Mom, Marie (my Aunt who is really more like a sister-aunt. Yes, I just made that up!) and I all went shopping for clothes to wear on Friday. Marie will be sitting in the audience with my brother Louie. We visited the local Avenue in Holbrook, NY to find the perfect outfits. The ladies in there were so great, we told them all about Dr. Oz and they were so excited for us. I even gave them the link to this blog, so if you girls are reading this, give us a shout! :o) We walked out of that store with WAY more than what we needed for the show, but a little retail therapy never hurt anyone! Today I went to get my eyebrows done (because you sure as hell can't go on TV with busted-lookin' brows!). I go to Luna Mesa Day Spa in Center Moriches and get them done by Lisa... she's fabulous! (go see her!) She's really excited about this whole experience too... if she's reading this right now... Hi Lisa! Thanks for today, my brows look fab! ;o)

Tomorrow morning at 10am, the camera crew arrives to tape us at home! They want me, my Mom and Gram to cook a big Italian meal together and then eat it. haha! I spoke to the field producer today and she used the dreaded "I" word.... Interview. She's going to be "interviewing" us. We all know how much I hate JOB interivews, I get SO nervous. Hopefully I don't completely freak out tomorrow. I am unusually calm so far... can't say the same for my Mom though! Hopefully we are all at ease tomorrow when they get here... too bad none of us drink, I'm sure we could use it!

We've been getting phone calls from people who work for Dr. Oz all weekend... we had to do the "Real Age" test over the phone. That wasn't very pleasant! It went something like this...

Them: How many times a week do you eat breakfast and what do you have?
Me: Once a week, and it's a bagel... with butter.
Them: Hmm.... alright, how many times a week do you eat vegetables?
Me: umm... zero.
Them: How many times a week do you eat high grain, high fiber foods?
Me. hmm... that'd be zero.
Them: Umm okay, well how many times a week do you eat cheese and other high fat foods?
Me: oh, all the time. (insert nervous laugh here!)
Them: How many times a week do you do aerobic excerise or strength training?
Me: Are you serious right now? None. (insert real laugh here!)

But good news is, I don't smoke cigaretters, do any drugs or drink, so that HAS to help my "Real Age" a little! A girl can dream I guess! lol

I spent the night cleaning the house and doing another very important task... I brushed Allie and put a pretty pink bow in her hair for her big break! I hope she gets to be on TV too! She would become famous much faster than I would, she's too cute to resist.

I am starting to get worried about this interview stuff... what will they ask me? How will I respond? What if I can't think of a good answer?! Maybe I can just try to be funny. But then I might come off looking stupid... oh boy. This should be interesting! Send me some "don't screw this up and just act yourself" vibes please! I'll post again tomorrow night. I have to go to class and take a stupid test after the camera crew leaves. Wish us luck! (with the show, and my test... I didn't even study! lol)

Testing out my new Blog App!

I downloaded an app for my iPhone that should let me post blogs from my cell! That way I can post from the city on Thursday and Friday to keep everyone updated. If you can see this, it works! :-)

Starting the Journey!

I'm starting this blog to follow the "journey" I'm about to go on with my Mom (Adele) and my Grandmother (Matty). We are all going to be appearing on the Dr. Oz show for a segment about "Three Generations of Overweight Women". He will be putting us on diets and tracking our progress on the show!

Today we found out that filming starts next week! On Tuesday, the show will be filming at my house. They will be interviewing us, and they've asked us to prepare a meal so we can have dinner together and just act normal, like any other night. On Thursday, a limo will be picking us up and taking us into the city. We will start the day with blood tests and meeting with the producers to discuss the segment. They are going to get us a hotel to stay overnight and on Friday morning we tape at the studio at 10 am! As you can imagine, we are all very nervous but also really excited!

Hopefully I can keep up with this blog and keep you all as informed as I possibly can! Wish us luck! :o)