ready4change

That’s the only reason I can come up with as it pertains to me not logging into to buddyslim.  If I avoid logging in, I can continue to wallow in my own self pitty about not eating right or exercising enough.  But I have to come back here.  I have to get my body back.

The good news is I’m am the happiest person emotionally that I have been in a really long time.  Mr Wonderful that I mentioned back in January is the most amazing person I’ve ever met.  I often think about something that Nancy wrote about and that is how when she met Rod he fell in love her with her…all of her!   And that is how John is.  I can totally relate to that story.

The bad news is, John isn’t overweight, has a fast-metabolism and is full of energy (actually thats not BAD for him, it’s bad for me!)  So what does he like to do?  Eat out.  It’s been so great getting to know him while spending long lunches or dinners together drinking glasses of wine.  Unfortunately, I have gained weight instead of losing it.

But I’m back.  I’ve got to get my health and body into as good of condition as my mental state is right now.  I want to be here for a long time to enjoy the new love of my life, my kids and his kids!  Wish me luck and help keep me accountable!

So I’ve been thinking of several different things that I’ve been meaning to tell all of you but just haven’t had time to write about them.  So you’re going to get all my “randoms” in one post.

First, I’m DONE detoxing!!  I made it four days and said ENOUGH!!  The straw that broke the camels back though was I was asked out for lunch by this really super nice guy.  When he asked me out to lunch I actually told him that it was a bittersweet invite because I was on a fast!  How dumb am I…der!?  so to prove to you how nice this guy is he said, “well, how about tea?  Can you do tea?”   My heart skipped a beat at that moment and my fast was over

Second, since I live in the Washington DC metro area I went to the NBC Health & Fitness Expo they host every year at one of the convention centers.  I went by myself and really had a fun time.  Two things I wanted to tell everyone about the expo are: 1) I saw Heba & Ed from lats seasons Biggest Loser!  they were there giving a speech/presentation about their time on the ranch.  I didn’t realize they were there so missed the majority of their talk but did catch the last 5 minutes of it and took some pix on my phone of them.  Heba is a very tall/big woman.  But they both still look great!  2) many local gyms had demonstrations of the different classes they offer at their gyms.  I watched a large variety of different types of classes that I wish my little gym at work could/would offer. The class that I was most interested in was Zumba.  They had two latino women and a guy leading a fairly large group and danced 30 minutes straight.  They were amazing!  The way the girls wiggled their hips and upper bodies was astonishing.   I’m not sure I would look that beautiful doing Zumba but I would sure like to try!

Third, Biggest Loser last night….OMG!! Tear jerker for me.  I hope if Daniel is voted off someone continues to give him the one on one help like Jillian does.  He really inspires me.  Last nights show lead to my great workout today.  Here’s why.  When I was watching Bob’s last chance workout I wanted to strangle Jolie for not running on the treadmill.  But more than that, I kept thinking “wow…they are running at 6.7 for 30 seconds and they are much bigger than I am!  I should be able to do that too.”  But what REALLY inspired me to move my fat butt today was watching Daniel RUN at 7.0 for 10 seconds!!!  Even when I was skinny and in shape, I never pushed myself to run at a fast pace.  So today in my workout I added intervals.  To my amazement, I too can run at a pace of 6.7.  What’s even better is 30 seconds wasn’t long enough for me to fatigue so I was doing 60 and 90 second intervals!!!

Ok, I think that’s all the thoughts that I had been thinking about over the past several days.  Hope everyone’s week is going great!  This new Mr. Wonderful that has strangely entered my life is a very positive and passionate person who turned me onto the motivational speaker Les Brown.  If any of you have a chance to read some of his quotes they are very powerful.  I don’t have one favorite yet as they are all great, here is one I liked today.

“We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams.”
Les Brown

This has been the hardest day by far.  I honestly can say I do not feel hungry.  I honestly can tell that I have more energy and have definately been “eliminating”.  However, I want solid food!  I read in one person’s detox journal that on day 4 they wanted to eat their keyboard if they could for the simple pleasure of chewing and swallowing and now I can totally agree and understand what was meant by the comment.

My purpose of doing this detox was purely to cleanse my internal organs/system of all the over-the-counter energy boosters & drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, fast food, processed food, preservatives, etc that I have been carelessly putting in my body over the past year and a half.  I am NOT doing this to lose weight.  Yes, losing weight is a side effect of detoxing but I know that whatever I may lose I will gain most of back. I’m not cutting into my fat stores, just getting rid of water.

One thing that I had read in a few detox blogs was that several folks said they had a heightened sense of smell.  I have that now too but I’m not sure if its from the detox itself or just smelling how wonderful food smells and wanting to eat something I can’t have!!

I will stick with this for at least a couple more days…don’t want to waste the lemons and expensive organic maple syrup.  But seriously I’m ready to eat and ready to eat wisely!

Day 1 went really well.  Didn’t eat any solid food.  Day 2…well I cheated.  Around 11:30 a.m. I could smell co-workers heating up their lunches and it was driving me crazy.  So I looked in my “food” drawer I keep at work and discovered I had left the box of thin mints I had received as a holiday gift in there!  Score!  Ate four thin mints which is actually one serving (4 grams of fat; cals 150).  But then my stomach started to really hurt and start cramping.  Duh!  And then there was a retirement gathering for another co-worker yesterday afternoon.  When I walked in I went straight for the veggie tray.  I had 4 baby carrots, 2 broccoli florets and 2 snow peas.  And then…a 2×2 inch square of chocolate cake called my name so I answered.  Wasn’t hungry at all…just wanted to much!

I got home and finished the rest of my lemonade for the day and decided since I had already cheated a bit that I would go ahead and eat something somewhat healthy so ate a small serving of polenta.  Surprisingly it didn’t upset my stomach.  I drank my laxative tea before bed and was actually not totally exhausted at the end of the day like usual.  I fell asleep fairly quickly and slept really well.  I actually woke up before my alarm went off this morning!

I felt really great this morning and have had a lot of energy so far all day today.  Prior to this fasting I was a HUGE energy drink person.  Like some drink coffee, I drink those.  Tons of cals in them but they do keep me awake.  I was actually someone nervous about giving them up for this fast because I hate going to meetings and not being able to keep my eyes open.  However, so far today I have felt a lot of energy!

I just cheated again tho.  I ate 4 more thin mints. the good news is, the box is now empty!  I do feel as if my body is starting to rid itself of all the toxins in my organs and starting to flush out the ‘bad’ stuff.  I feel amazingly refreshed!

For a couple years now I have considered doing one of those 10 day cleansing diets but never made a commitment to try it.  However, I really feel this year more than any other is the year to take the bull by the horns and cleanse me - inside and out.  Gone is 2008.  The year had a lot of really great times and memories but it also had a lot of drinking and smoking and unhealthy eating.  So I have decided to detox and cleanse my body of all the impurities I have been polluting myself with.  I decided to do the 10 day Lemonade diet.  Today is my first day and everything I have read said days 1 and 2 are the hardest to get through.  The diet recommends drinking 4 cups of water with 2 tsps of uniodized salt water.  Couldn’t drink it all.  only drank about 1/2 of it.  Uck!  The lemonade stuff is not terrible.  It really does taste like lemonade at first…until the cayenne pepper hits the back of my mouth and burns!!  I have to drink about a gallon of this stuff each day for 10 days.  Each night I’m suppose to drink a herbal laxative tea.  I will report back each day with my updates.

Have any of you done a detox/cleansing diet before?  If so, what where your experiences (good and bad)?

I had a great couple weeks.  No more than 3 lbs total lost (on the scale) but I was already starting to feel better. Stronger. And maybe even a slighter looseness in my jeans.  But then…illness hit.  I was out of work last Wednesday and Thursday.  Didn’t work out at all.  Didn’t keep track of what I ate, although I can’t remember eating much because my throat was so sore.  Then Friday came.  It was my normal day off. I felt better but again didn’t work out.  I was throwing my daughter her 11th birthday party after school so I had much to do.  Errands to run, cakes to bake and decorate, presents to wrap, etc.  Here’s how I started my morning:  Rolled out of bed, threw on some sweats and grabbed my list of errands.  Headed out the door.  Then realized I was hungry.  Duh!  So without even a second thought, I pulled into the Burger King drive-thru and got a bacon, egg and cheese croissant with the little hash brown things.  The orange juice I drank was probably the only thing healthy in that meal.  After that I was full and continued with all my errands.  Skipped lunch.  Still not really hungry from the fatty breakfast.  It’s now 3:45 p.m. and the 12 kids start to arrive.  I have Totino’s pizza rolls cooked and ready to go; a platter of Chick-fil-a nuggets; and several bottles of soda.  But I hadn’t nibbled on any of it…yet.  Then one of my gf’s who is the mother of one of the kids at the party came over.  And what did she bring??  Beer!  Lots of light beer.  It was light…but when you drink a 6 pack it doesn’t really matter that it’s light!  So as I start drinking beer, I start nibbling on all of the left overs.  The one good thing about Friday is I didn’t eat any cake.

So Saturday rolls around.  My kids were with their dad for the rest of the weekend.  I had lots of time to myself.  However, I didn’t work out.  Didn’t eat much really all day until that evening.  And then I decided to have to last piece of cake.  Went to bed feeling guilty.

Sunday comes.  Told myself to get myself prepared for the week and get all my meals and snacks ready to go.  I did some healthy cooking and made some chicken and brown rice burgers to bring to work with me for lunch and I also made a chicken satay.  But I didn’t eat any of that…because it was for work.  So I had a glass of wine instead.  Then another glass.  Then saw the bag of potatoes in the pantry and decided that before they spoil I should roast them.  So I did.  And when they came out of the oven they smelled so good…I threw some cheese and bacon bits on top and poured another glass of wine.   Went to bed Sunday night feeling bloated and disappointed in myself.

I ate ok yesterday.  Until after dinner (spaghetti & meatballs) I decided to eat a few of the roasted potatoes that were still in the fridge.  I did have an awesome workout yesterday though.  But it’s not enough when I sabotage all my efforts over 5 days!  I don’t have any brilliant thoughts running through my head at the moment.  Just wanted to get down what I did to myself over the past several days.

…I plan ahead and bring food and snacks with me to work! I have been finding it really, really easy to resist those donuts that mysteriously show up at work in the mornings…or the mini-candy bars that show up in jars or bowls all around the place…or the bags of chips…or that piece of cake for a co-workers birthday…and I could continue to name all the other temptations I am faced with at work but I won’t; you get the picture.

I went to that store that has big red circles for a logo and bought several of the Fit&Fresh tupperware. I know, if you don’t already own several of these yourself, you’re probably thinking ‘why would I invest money in tupperware when I already have a zillion plastic containers at home?’ Well, let me tell you…my absolute favorite piece is the four hole one as seen in this picture. Hopefully I inserted it right so you can actually see it.

All of the containers have the measurement markings on them so you already know how much of something you are bringing with you. So in this particular container I will put two fruits in two containers and two veggies in the other. My next favorite container is the lunch box type.  I actually have two of these.

So anyway, my point is, I can bring a variety of snacks (and my lunch) with me to work without carrying out the entire cupboard of tupperware containers.  I have been bringing yogurt and cottage cheese with me and will leave them in the fridge at work.  One usually calms my salty cravings and one hits my sweet craving.  I will also bring some hummus too for my veggies.  It’s a healthier alternative than dressing.

I have easily had breakfast, lunch and two snacks and have only had to carry one container (and a few little lose items). I knew it before but I am reminded by the facts that as long as you eat every couple of hours of clean food your blood sugar levels stay normalized and you don’t have crazy cravings.  It’s a heck of a lot easier to resist those office temptations when you’re feeling satisfied!

Honestly I am quite surprised I ended up losing two pounds this week. I was very very good monday-friday of last week with my workouts (made it to the gym every day) and my eating/journaling. However, I pretty much took the weekend off. I didn’t really go overboard with my eating but I didn’t write anything down and I did eat some pizza and had a few beers. However, yesterday and today I got back on track. I was nervous to step on the scale today but thought, what the heck…and I was down two!! Yahoo!!! Had a great 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer today. I did the “weight loss” program and it kicked my butt. But I feel great now! (Glad the workout is over for the day tho.) Just wanted to share with everyone . Two pounds doesn’t feel like a lot however I know two pounds this week and next, and the next, and so forth will soon lead to 45!!!

Ugh…I truly hadn’t stepped on a scale since the last time I went to the doctor a few months ago.  At that time I was 160 so when I signed up for buddyslim that is the weight I entered.  So the gym where I work out is having a “maintain don’t gain” challenge that starts tomorrow and goes through January.  I wanted to sign up but the honest truth was I was too damn afraid to step on the scale and see if that 160 was still true.  So I did a “secret” weigh in on the scale in the locker room….to my dismay is said 165.  I was so disappointed and frustrated and also mad.  So I put my gym clothes on anyway.  I warmed up on the stationary bike for 15 minutes then hit the free weights and worked my arms.  When I didn’t want to do that last couple reps I reminded myself about those 5 extra pounds that I now have to lose because I didn’t realize they were there.  Damn it!

Ok, so I’ve been thinking about all the ‘little’ things that I’m looking forward to noticing as I start shedding off this weight.  I decided to write a list.  Maybe some of you can relate to some of them or maybe it will help you to stop and think about the little things that you are looking forward to in your own journey:

1) being able to wear my “cute” bras again…not the ginourmous over the shoulder boulder holders

2) looking in the mirror and not seeing a double chin

3)being able to see my private area when I look down and not this flabby belly

4) not having to pull my shirt down constantly after I walk because my hips make it ride up

5) being able to wear my old sports bras without half a boob popping out

6) being able to bend over and tie my shoes without feeling my belly jam into my legs

7) being able to cross my legs comfortably

Oh…and these are just a few that I am reminded of every single day.  There are a zillion other overall things I’m looking forward to but just wanted to jot these ‘little things’ down.  Hope everyone gets out there today and kicks butt in your workout even if you don’t feel like it!!!