Wow, I'm so glad I didn't wait until the new year to start again. I've already lost 12 pounds!! And it hasn't even been that painful.
Latest advice from Dustin is to add 1 palm-sized serving of protein to EVERY meal, in addition to the 2 "fistfuls" of green veggies. I plan to eat this stuff FIRST; then if I still feel like other stuff, I'm free to have more. I suspect the protein and veggies will take away my appetite for anything else ... clever, huh? ;-)
I had to cancel my first training session of this week due to a work crisis. But I got my 2nd one in yesterday, and I have another on Friday.
Happy New Year!! Let's make it a GREAT one!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Day 24 (229)
Wow, I had planned on updating this blog much more frequently! I guess life has been getting in the way.
But I've been plugging away. Even went on vacation to NYC for 5 days and STILL managed to lose 2 lbs that week.
I'm so glad I kept track of when I started (again). It always feels like I've been "trying" forEVER, but as of today I'm down 11 lbs in just 24 days. That's not bad!
Still going to the gym at least twice a week. Dustin's told me a few more stories. This week's was about a guy who felt really rich and happy because he owned lots and lots of land. One day a visitor came and asked if he had any diamonds. He said no. The visitor said "well, then, you're not very wealthy."
The landowner decided to sell his land and travel around the world, searching for diamonds. He searched for years to no avail, and died a poor man.
Meanwhile, the same visitor one day decided to visit the person who had bought the land years ago from the original owner. When the visitor walked into the home, first thing he saw was a giant rock sitting on the shelf. "Wow!" he said. "Where did you get such a HUGE diamond?!!"
The man who now owned the land said "You mean this here rock? I got it down in the creek over the hill where my son plays. There are lots of em down there."
If only the first man had realized that he really WAS rich, and not gone off searching for something else because of something someone said.
The moral of the story: We ALL have diamonds inside of us. We just have to find/see them. And we can't let others discourage us from that. So keep on working, because your diamond is right inside, and it WILL show eventually.
There were a couple more stories that I didn't write down, and I must REALLY be getting old because I remembered them yesterday but darned if anything comes to mind right now. :-(
But I've been plugging away. Even went on vacation to NYC for 5 days and STILL managed to lose 2 lbs that week.
I'm so glad I kept track of when I started (again). It always feels like I've been "trying" forEVER, but as of today I'm down 11 lbs in just 24 days. That's not bad!
Still going to the gym at least twice a week. Dustin's told me a few more stories. This week's was about a guy who felt really rich and happy because he owned lots and lots of land. One day a visitor came and asked if he had any diamonds. He said no. The visitor said "well, then, you're not very wealthy."
The landowner decided to sell his land and travel around the world, searching for diamonds. He searched for years to no avail, and died a poor man.
Meanwhile, the same visitor one day decided to visit the person who had bought the land years ago from the original owner. When the visitor walked into the home, first thing he saw was a giant rock sitting on the shelf. "Wow!" he said. "Where did you get such a HUGE diamond?!!"
The man who now owned the land said "You mean this here rock? I got it down in the creek over the hill where my son plays. There are lots of em down there."
If only the first man had realized that he really WAS rich, and not gone off searching for something else because of something someone said.
The moral of the story: We ALL have diamonds inside of us. We just have to find/see them. And we can't let others discourage us from that. So keep on working, because your diamond is right inside, and it WILL show eventually.
There were a couple more stories that I didn't write down, and I must REALLY be getting old because I remembered them yesterday but darned if anything comes to mind right now. :-(
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Day 6 - Three Feet From Gold
I had THREE sessions with my trainer this past week. I feel better already--no kidding! I was able to walk up and down our basement stairs today without holding the railing at all, which is new since I've become pretty dependent on the railing since having my knees replaced over 2 years ago. Not sure if I just felt inspired to TRY today because I feel stronger in my mind, or if I really am--but who cares, right? It's an exciting non-scale victory!
Speaking of scales, I can't wait to weigh in at the gym on Monday. I think I'm gonna have a pretty good loss. Last time I weighed there, I was 238.8!
Today was a good day food-wise. I had a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich for lunch (just coffee with coconut oil for breakfast--my own version of "bulletproof"); and I made a beautiful NutriBlast for dinner: spinach, pineapple spears, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, apple & pear slices, a little plain yogurt, lots of pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and apple juice. Delicious.
I also got on my recumbent bike, put some good bouncy music in my headphones (think "All About That Bass" and "All Jacked Up"), and did 15 minutes. I started on Level 6 resistance and had it cranked up to Level 12 for the whole last song--yee haw! That hurt so good. :-)
The title of this post refers to the story Dustin told me at our last session on Friday. It's about a guy who went digging for gold, found some, but got discouraged and gave up when the vein he'd been working on trailed off then disappeared completely after a couple of days. Turns out that if he'd just kept digging for 3 more feet, he'd have struck a huge deposit that would have made him rich.
There's a really inspiring book named Three Feet From Gold; I've read it. It was interesting to hear the story in the context of making myself stronger AND losing this extra weight. Another great lesson. Thanks, Dustin. :-)
Speaking of scales, I can't wait to weigh in at the gym on Monday. I think I'm gonna have a pretty good loss. Last time I weighed there, I was 238.8!
Today was a good day food-wise. I had a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich for lunch (just coffee with coconut oil for breakfast--my own version of "bulletproof"); and I made a beautiful NutriBlast for dinner: spinach, pineapple spears, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, apple & pear slices, a little plain yogurt, lots of pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and apple juice. Delicious.
I also got on my recumbent bike, put some good bouncy music in my headphones (think "All About That Bass" and "All Jacked Up"), and did 15 minutes. I started on Level 6 resistance and had it cranked up to Level 12 for the whole last song--yee haw! That hurt so good. :-)
The title of this post refers to the story Dustin told me at our last session on Friday. It's about a guy who went digging for gold, found some, but got discouraged and gave up when the vein he'd been working on trailed off then disappeared completely after a couple of days. Turns out that if he'd just kept digging for 3 more feet, he'd have struck a huge deposit that would have made him rich.
There's a really inspiring book named Three Feet From Gold; I've read it. It was interesting to hear the story in the context of making myself stronger AND losing this extra weight. Another great lesson. Thanks, Dustin. :-)
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Day 3
Today I had a beautiful NutriBlast for breakfast. It consisted of:
For lunch/dinner I had a mug of homemade beef stew with vegetables.
For this evening I made some waldorf salad (apples, raisins, walnuts, mayo).
I got my fish oil in and have been doing well with my water.
No exercise yet today, but I will get on the recumbent bike or the treadmill before the day is over. I'm sore ALL over from my workouts on Monday (upper body) and Tuesday (lower body) with Dustin.
- spinach
- cherry tomatoes
- pineapple spears
- apple slices
- pumpkin seeds
- cinnamon
- turmeric
- spirulina
- apple juice
For lunch/dinner I had a mug of homemade beef stew with vegetables.
For this evening I made some waldorf salad (apples, raisins, walnuts, mayo).
I got my fish oil in and have been doing well with my water.
No exercise yet today, but I will get on the recumbent bike or the treadmill before the day is over. I'm sore ALL over from my workouts on Monday (upper body) and Tuesday (lower body) with Dustin.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Day 2 (of December 2014) - I'm Back in the Saddle ...
Wow--I haven't posted to this blog since before my Carribbean cruise this Spring.
The cruise was excellent. My behavior since then has NOT been. My weight climbed over 240 lbs once again.
But I'm back in the saddle. I purchased 24 hours of personal training at the gym next to my office, AND the gym credited me with 3 of the 5 hours I had left from my last purchase, which "expired". (I had bought them in 2011, so I can't blame them for saying they were expired, I suppose.) So I have 27 hours, which I'll most likely split up into 54 half-hour sessions. At 2-3x/week, that'll have me at the gym regularly--and focused, and working hard--for somewhere between 4 and 6 months!!! I can definitely make some real progress in that timeframe.
I'm excited to be back on the straight(er) and narrow(er). My trainer, Dustin, seems awesome so far. He's very young, very fit, and very encouraging.
After each session so far, he's sat down and told me a little story, to give me some food for thought once I leave the gym and go out to face all the temptations in the world. I wanted to get these down so I have a place to come if I forget them--or if I waver in my resolve, which I've always done in past attempts to change my lifestyle.
First was a story about a guy whose dream it had always been to walk a tightrope over the Grand Canyon. Long story short, he finally got the chance--and when he did it, he also pushed a wheelbarrow full of bricks across the wire!
As he neared the other side of the canyon, people were so sure he wasn't going to make it that they were covering their children's eyes, so the kids wouldn't see him fall.
But as he got closer to the end, he suddenly shoved the wheelbarrow full of bricks the last few feet and then did a flip and a somersault off the wire to finish!
A reporter was waiting to interview this gentleman after his feat. After they'd chatted awhile, the high-wire artist asked the reporter, "Do you believe I can make it back to the other side?" The reported responded, "Sure, I just saw you do it--I think you can do it again."
The artist asked "You think I can--but do you BELIEVE I can do it?" Again the reporter replied, "Yes, I do."
"Good", said the artist. "Then climb into my wheelbarrow."
And THAT is the difference between thinking you can do something and BELIEVING you can. :-) Good one, huh?
The neat thing about that story is that I had just last week purchased a bracelet I thought might be helpful when I look down at it. It's inscribed "she believed she could, so she did".
Today's story explained the saying emblazoned across the back of Dustin's t-shirt--"Into the Roar". Here's a link to a blog post about it: Blog Post - Run Into the Roar. It has to do with how lions hunt gazelle in the jungle. Give it a read; it's just a paragraph. :-)
The basic idea is that when you fear something, the best thing to do is run directly toward it. If you fear you can't lift that heavy weight, or do those 10 more reps, or run that extra half mile--GO FOR IT! You might just surprise yourself--and think how GOOD it will feel when you accomplish it!
Dustin is also giving me one "assignment" to focus on every week or so--he doesn't want me trying to "fix my eating" yet. So far he's had me:
One more thing before I finish this post: I want to record how I've done food-wise since the start of December (ie, yesterday), when I decided to at least stop eating as foolishly as I have been.
Today I had:
I felt good about today--although I don't think I can buy that popcorn again. I thought I could eat just 1 serving, but ... I was wrong. (The bag was 5 ounces/5 servings.)
Yesterday I had 2 Ensure High-Protein shakes and a big green salad with roasted chicken and oil & vinegar dressing, from Chicken Charlie's (no bread). YUM!!
OK--now I'm caught up. I'll try to update regularly from now on.
The cruise was excellent. My behavior since then has NOT been. My weight climbed over 240 lbs once again.
But I'm back in the saddle. I purchased 24 hours of personal training at the gym next to my office, AND the gym credited me with 3 of the 5 hours I had left from my last purchase, which "expired". (I had bought them in 2011, so I can't blame them for saying they were expired, I suppose.) So I have 27 hours, which I'll most likely split up into 54 half-hour sessions. At 2-3x/week, that'll have me at the gym regularly--and focused, and working hard--for somewhere between 4 and 6 months!!! I can definitely make some real progress in that timeframe.
I'm excited to be back on the straight(er) and narrow(er). My trainer, Dustin, seems awesome so far. He's very young, very fit, and very encouraging.
After each session so far, he's sat down and told me a little story, to give me some food for thought once I leave the gym and go out to face all the temptations in the world. I wanted to get these down so I have a place to come if I forget them--or if I waver in my resolve, which I've always done in past attempts to change my lifestyle.
First was a story about a guy whose dream it had always been to walk a tightrope over the Grand Canyon. Long story short, he finally got the chance--and when he did it, he also pushed a wheelbarrow full of bricks across the wire!
As he neared the other side of the canyon, people were so sure he wasn't going to make it that they were covering their children's eyes, so the kids wouldn't see him fall.
But as he got closer to the end, he suddenly shoved the wheelbarrow full of bricks the last few feet and then did a flip and a somersault off the wire to finish!
A reporter was waiting to interview this gentleman after his feat. After they'd chatted awhile, the high-wire artist asked the reporter, "Do you believe I can make it back to the other side?" The reported responded, "Sure, I just saw you do it--I think you can do it again."
The artist asked "You think I can--but do you BELIEVE I can do it?" Again the reporter replied, "Yes, I do."
"Good", said the artist. "Then climb into my wheelbarrow."
And THAT is the difference between thinking you can do something and BELIEVING you can. :-) Good one, huh?
The neat thing about that story is that I had just last week purchased a bracelet I thought might be helpful when I look down at it. It's inscribed "she believed she could, so she did".
Today's story explained the saying emblazoned across the back of Dustin's t-shirt--"Into the Roar". Here's a link to a blog post about it: Blog Post - Run Into the Roar. It has to do with how lions hunt gazelle in the jungle. Give it a read; it's just a paragraph. :-)
The basic idea is that when you fear something, the best thing to do is run directly toward it. If you fear you can't lift that heavy weight, or do those 10 more reps, or run that extra half mile--GO FOR IT! You might just surprise yourself--and think how GOOD it will feel when you accomplish it!
Dustin is also giving me one "assignment" to focus on every week or so--he doesn't want me trying to "fix my eating" yet. So far he's had me:
- Stop drinking everything except for water - ESPECIALLY diet soda! The water is easy; not drinking diet soda is hard (but gets easier the longer I've been off it).
- Start taking a megadose of fish oil daily. He said we'll back off on this after a couple of weeks.
- Increase the number of minutes it takes me to eat each meal. Putting the utensil down after every bite and chewing thoroughly helps with this.
One more thing before I finish this post: I want to record how I've done food-wise since the start of December (ie, yesterday), when I decided to at least stop eating as foolishly as I have been.
Today I had:
- Cup of coffee with coconut oil, a dash of half & half, and 1 tsp sugar
- 2-egg omelette loaded with mushrooms, spinach, and 1/2 slice of (processed) cheese
- Small banana
- Small bag of kettlecorn with sea salt/dark chocolate drizzle (700 calories--WHOOPS!)
- One cup of "veggie goulash" (squash/peppers/onions/mushrooms/hamburg/tomato sauce)
I felt good about today--although I don't think I can buy that popcorn again. I thought I could eat just 1 serving, but ... I was wrong. (The bag was 5 ounces/5 servings.)
Yesterday I had 2 Ensure High-Protein shakes and a big green salad with roasted chicken and oil & vinegar dressing, from Chicken Charlie's (no bread). YUM!!
OK--now I'm caught up. I'll try to update regularly from now on.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Improving My "Bottom Line"
OK, it's time for a reckoning/detox/reboot/do-over/mulligan/JUST DO IT! I'm going on a cruise in 4 weeks. I had to buy a bathing suit with a nice long skirt on it, like an old lady, just because I don't like my ... "bottom line", let's call it.
Tomorrow is Monday. Everyone knows the best day to start a new lifestyle is on a Monday, right? (said with tongue firmly in cheek, of course--Monday isn't the best time to start--right NOW is.)
But I choose tomorrow.
There are 3 full weeks left in March starting tomorrow. So I'm giving myself these 3 weeks/21 days to do REALLY GOOD THINGS for my body and my health.
The plan is to focus all my eating on veggies, fruits, and some clean protein when needed.
My NutriBullet will come in real handy for making nice NutriBlasts first thing in the morning, packed with veggies and fruit.
Then at lunch I'll have a nice salad with some of my homemade Orange Cashew dressing, that I got from Dr. Joel Fuhrman's site. Nice and clean--no added sugar, salt, or preservatives.
In the evening, I'll have either another NutriBlast or/and some cottage cheese, chicken, or eggs. Those are my protein sources of choice for the next 3 weeks.
It won't be easy, but I've enlisted the help of a buddy who I can contact when the night-eating urge strikes. Eating at night is my biggest downfall by far--especially carby crap.
So wish me luck, and strength. I'll post a new start-over weight in the morning. I need to do better; I want to do better; and I'm determined to do better. I CAN DO THIS!!!
How 'bout you?
Tomorrow is Monday. Everyone knows the best day to start a new lifestyle is on a Monday, right? (said with tongue firmly in cheek, of course--Monday isn't the best time to start--right NOW is.)
But I choose tomorrow.
There are 3 full weeks left in March starting tomorrow. So I'm giving myself these 3 weeks/21 days to do REALLY GOOD THINGS for my body and my health.
The plan is to focus all my eating on veggies, fruits, and some clean protein when needed.
My NutriBullet will come in real handy for making nice NutriBlasts first thing in the morning, packed with veggies and fruit.
Then at lunch I'll have a nice salad with some of my homemade Orange Cashew dressing, that I got from Dr. Joel Fuhrman's site. Nice and clean--no added sugar, salt, or preservatives.
In the evening, I'll have either another NutriBlast or/and some cottage cheese, chicken, or eggs. Those are my protein sources of choice for the next 3 weeks.
It won't be easy, but I've enlisted the help of a buddy who I can contact when the night-eating urge strikes. Eating at night is my biggest downfall by far--especially carby crap.
So wish me luck, and strength. I'll post a new start-over weight in the morning. I need to do better; I want to do better; and I'm determined to do better. I CAN DO THIS!!!
How 'bout you?
Thursday, March 6, 2014
March 6, 2014 (226.5)
I've been dicking around since November--blasting, then binge eating, then doing nothing special, then more blasting (mostly mornings) and more stress eating (mostly at night)--and on and on.
And it's gotten me nowhere, of course. Except still feeling sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. And preparing to go on a cruise in 28 days with a huge gut and a very large "backyard", shall we say. Oy.
Listened to a PBS special last night by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He got me thinking again about eating for health instead of living to eat.
I've often thought I could eat salads and more veggies if I could dress them with something good that didn't cancel out all their health benefits by being loaded with sugar, salt, and what have you.
Dr. Fuhrman has some YUMMY-sounding salad dressing recipes on his site. They're made with things like cashews, oranges, and nuts.
So I've written down a couple of those recipes for my grocery shopping trip later today. Going to see if having a good, "approved" salad dressing helps. I know one thing--it makes me actually look forward to eating a salad, so that's good!
Then just because I didn't feel like eating crap for breakfast today (like the chocolate chip oatmeal walnut cookies I made "for my husband" twice this past week), I fished some good stuff out of the fridge and made myself a really interesting NutriBlast.
It's got tons of spinach (the large cup, packed halfway), about half a cup of shredded carrots, and part of a huge tomato I paid way too much for so I didn't want to waste it even though I'm not a big fan. Plus I filled it halfway with organic tart cherry juice and the rest of the way with unsweetened apple juice and added some turmeric and a couple dashes of cinnamon.
It came out beet-colored and actually tastes delicious.
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