With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us I would like to share my 5 tips on how I survived the holiday without gaining weight.......ha! fooled you! I am totally kidding since yes, I did survive, but no I did not come through unscathed. In fact I ended up GAINING 4 pounds! I really should be happy that it was only 4 as I put aside my no dessert/extra sugar pledge and splurged on Thanksgiving with a piece of pecan pie (my absolute favorite, go figure since it is probably the most sugar-laden pie there is) and a small slice of a decadent chocolate cheesecake my cousin made.
I should backtrack a little. I found myself pretty much alone for 7 days because of the Wisconsin gun deer hunt season that my hubby and darling daughter drive 4 hours to the western part of the state to participate in. By choice I didn't plan much for myself to do those days. I had a lay-off from work that whole week and I wanted to regroup and recharge my batteries after some stress filled weeks. Time to indulge in my favorite pastime-reading! So off to the library I went for my fill of feel-good and self help books. I also started reading the Fifty Shades Of Gray series for a little "light" reading.
In the end I figure I had way too much free time by myself especially at night because I became victim to the 5 gallon pain of ice cream I had in the house for my family. Up until then the ice cream did not bother me one bit, but I think being alone with my demons took over my sane mind and the end result? Insanity!!
My only saving grace in all this was the fact that for most of my time off it was gorgeous outside and I did lots of walking until the Friday after Thanksgiving when it turned cold.
So my sad holiday tale ends with an extra 4 pounds, and I wish if the only reason would be the holiday I could live with that. My struggle is way more than that and I work everyday to push those old demons back down to the basement where they belong. We all have to remember that our past does not define us today!
Enough of the glass half empty stuff, because I am not that person in reality! This is a new week and I do feel very good. Even though I had an unexpected day off today I am making the best of it. I already got a nice walk in today, am eating right, and I am doing some I really enjoy to do by writing. So to my extra 4 pounds I say "off with you" so I can feel great in my skinny dress for Christmas!
Travel means to go from one place to another, as on a trip or journey. I love the art of travel whether it is to a physical place, or just traveling through the journey we call life.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Plateau Sets In but Wait.....
Hummmmm...heavy sigh!! I have not posted in awhile on purpose. Yes, I hit the fearful plateau. For two weeks I struggled with the scale pretty much staying the same, then it slowly began to creep up. This called for drastic measures.
I pretty much dealt very well with the no dessert pledge, but I began to eat larger portion sizes than I should have and I let my exercise routine slack a little too. What I was left with was a 6 pound gain and a big self defeated attitude. Here I was accomplishing something I had little strength to do before (the sugar thing) but I just couldn't seem to loose anymore weight. I knew I needed to up the anti or I was not gonna get to my goal.
So almost two weeks ago I went back at it full force with a stricter eating regimen, a diet cleanse that has me eating just protein and veggies at meals and two fruits along with my amino acids. No wine!(gasp), but I have been allowing myself one square of dark chocolate after 2 of my meals. Plus I make sure that I am getting at least 30 minutes of exercise in daily and I have begun doing some toning to get the flabbiness down.
Eureka! I have again jump started my weight loss and am back on the right track! As of this morning, I am back down to my 157 and am working on just 7 more pounds!
The best thing that happened this week was I got my health assessment back and I was elated to see my total cholesterol went from 240 down to 204. This was done only 4 weeks after I gave up all that sugar!! I am now on 8 weeks so I may wait awhile and have it retested. Actually my weight was okay, I just need to work on the flabbiness. I am proof positive that a small lifestyle change can really do wonders. Do I miss the sugar? at times, yes, but I made it through Halloween when there were lots of tempting treats at work! I imagine the upcoming holidays will be the ultimate test. Thanksgiving is coming up and my favorite pie-pecan!! I will take it as it comes. They say it takes like what 26 days to break a habit? I am way past that now and my confidence grows a little each day.
I pretty much dealt very well with the no dessert pledge, but I began to eat larger portion sizes than I should have and I let my exercise routine slack a little too. What I was left with was a 6 pound gain and a big self defeated attitude. Here I was accomplishing something I had little strength to do before (the sugar thing) but I just couldn't seem to loose anymore weight. I knew I needed to up the anti or I was not gonna get to my goal.
So almost two weeks ago I went back at it full force with a stricter eating regimen, a diet cleanse that has me eating just protein and veggies at meals and two fruits along with my amino acids. No wine!(gasp), but I have been allowing myself one square of dark chocolate after 2 of my meals. Plus I make sure that I am getting at least 30 minutes of exercise in daily and I have begun doing some toning to get the flabbiness down.
Eureka! I have again jump started my weight loss and am back on the right track! As of this morning, I am back down to my 157 and am working on just 7 more pounds!
The best thing that happened this week was I got my health assessment back and I was elated to see my total cholesterol went from 240 down to 204. This was done only 4 weeks after I gave up all that sugar!! I am now on 8 weeks so I may wait awhile and have it retested. Actually my weight was okay, I just need to work on the flabbiness. I am proof positive that a small lifestyle change can really do wonders. Do I miss the sugar? at times, yes, but I made it through Halloween when there were lots of tempting treats at work! I imagine the upcoming holidays will be the ultimate test. Thanksgiving is coming up and my favorite pie-pecan!! I will take it as it comes. They say it takes like what 26 days to break a habit? I am way past that now and my confidence grows a little each day.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Week Four And Down 2 More Pounds
Week four is coming to a close! I will be honest with you, I never thought that I could go this long and not have one craving for a sugary delight. I have managed to go to a family reunion and not even come close to the desert table. Then last weekend we were at a party that had some awesome looking bars and a cake and I was not even tempted when Rick was eating a piece right in front of me.
Is this some sort of miracle? For me it is! Or is that L-glutamine really working on those cravings. I'd like to think it is, together with the other amino acids I am taking. Whatever it is, I feel great and actually have extra energy left in the day to get a walk in.
I did get on the scale Monday morning and was down another 2 pounds which makes a total of 6 pounds lost! Ive managed about 7 miles total walking this week so far (not alot, but better than what I have been doing)
I'm going out on a limb here and making my total goal official. Down to 145 pounds, which would make it a total weight loss of 23 pounds from my starting weight. It is scary for me to actually type those numbers, cause it makes it very real. I am totally commited now for the whole world to see.
So my weekend begins. I'm planning on keeping the eating out to a minimum this weekend. Focus on making healthy meals at home with the exception of Saturday night when we have a wedding. Yikes more temptation! I am sure there will be the dreaded wedding cake but I am sure I will be able to walk past it and not give it a second glance!! I'll keep you posted and wish me luck!
Is this some sort of miracle? For me it is! Or is that L-glutamine really working on those cravings. I'd like to think it is, together with the other amino acids I am taking. Whatever it is, I feel great and actually have extra energy left in the day to get a walk in.
I did get on the scale Monday morning and was down another 2 pounds which makes a total of 6 pounds lost! Ive managed about 7 miles total walking this week so far (not alot, but better than what I have been doing)
I'm going out on a limb here and making my total goal official. Down to 145 pounds, which would make it a total weight loss of 23 pounds from my starting weight. It is scary for me to actually type those numbers, cause it makes it very real. I am totally commited now for the whole world to see.
So my weekend begins. I'm planning on keeping the eating out to a minimum this weekend. Focus on making healthy meals at home with the exception of Saturday night when we have a wedding. Yikes more temptation! I am sure there will be the dreaded wedding cake but I am sure I will be able to walk past it and not give it a second glance!! I'll keep you posted and wish me luck!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Diet Cure To The Rescue!!!
I don't make it a big secret that I love sugar, you could even say I am addicted to it!
Did you know that research has shown that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol or cocaine?
Did you know that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day?
Do I binge on sugar everyday? No!
My love of sugary treats....bars, cookies, cakes, and candy have always been my best friends when I had to push uncomfortable emotions away. The worst is anger, I swallow my anger in the form of sugar. Does this make me feel better? Yes, until I have realized I just ate a whole box of Reeses Peanut butter cereal in one sitting! Then I just get this sick bloated feeling and most times the next day I have what I call my sugar "hangover".
Not everyone knows this about me. I can hide it very well. Those of you that have had an experience like this know what I am talking about. It's not pretty. Unlike most other addictions there is really no social stigma with it unless you are very overweight or binging and purging. Remember I am not doing this everyday just when I cant deal with certain emotions.
Most of my life I have wrestled with an extra 20 to 30 pounds. I did have a period of almost 3 years when I was a perfect size 8 and was eating very healthy and exercising. I was in my early 30s at the time before I became pregnant with my daughter. I felt wonderful and content with myself. Now that I am almost fifty, suffer from Hypothyroidism, and on the border of high cholesterol. I need to really do something to turn my life around.
Last September I went on the Dukan Diet and successfully dropped 11 pounds and felt terrific. I did well for 6 weeks and I let myself slip at a wedding in October and had one cupcake. This sent me on a very slow downward spiral that less than a year later left me with all 11 pounds gained back, feeling terrible and binging on sugar again.
So the question for me is always why can't I just have a little like a normal person? Everyone tells me that the secret is to allow myself a little and I will be satisfied. Really? In my experience that does not work for me.
This is wear the book The Diet Cure comes in. The thing that caught my eye was at the top of the book were the words No Willpower Required! The Diet Cure by Julia Ross is an 8-step program to rebalance your body chemistry and end your food cravings, weight gain, and mood swings-naturally. I was sold.
So after taking a short quiz at the beginning you find out which of the eight steps you need to focus on to rebalance your body. This is done through taking certain amino acids! Best thing was, I could see results for my sugar craving almost instantly through taking the amino acid L-glutamine. Almost unbelievable! Since I had none of the conditions listed in the book that would require my doctors approval, I decided to give it a try and ordered a list of amino acids. What harm could it do since you just stay on them for a short period of time until your body is regulated and you find your cravings are gone without taking them (usually a period of up to 3 months).
So I take the L-glutamine for cravings, L-tryosine for energy, DLPA to enhance feelings of comfort and pleasure, and 5HTP to improve mood, sleep, and PM cravings.
I have to say that I questioned the speed as to which the L-glutamine was suppose to work, but it did work almost instantly. My cravings disappeared. I actually could go to a reunion last week and not even bother to wonder over to the dessert table. Better yet, it did not bother me one bit when everyone around me was eating dessert!
I have lost 4 pounds so far and only weigh myself about once a week, but I feel great and have energy to exercise everyday. I know it is a slow weight loss but I see that as the best kind right now cause I am changing my life and not on a "diet". The book is so full of all kinds of information and I will go into it more in later posts. For now though I am really happy with my progress and know that it will not be easy. If I can get past the 2 month mark it will be a milestone for me.
I should say not say if, but when!!
Did you know that research has shown that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol or cocaine?
Did you know that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day?
Do I binge on sugar everyday? No!
My love of sugary treats....bars, cookies, cakes, and candy have always been my best friends when I had to push uncomfortable emotions away. The worst is anger, I swallow my anger in the form of sugar. Does this make me feel better? Yes, until I have realized I just ate a whole box of Reeses Peanut butter cereal in one sitting! Then I just get this sick bloated feeling and most times the next day I have what I call my sugar "hangover".
Not everyone knows this about me. I can hide it very well. Those of you that have had an experience like this know what I am talking about. It's not pretty. Unlike most other addictions there is really no social stigma with it unless you are very overweight or binging and purging. Remember I am not doing this everyday just when I cant deal with certain emotions.
Most of my life I have wrestled with an extra 20 to 30 pounds. I did have a period of almost 3 years when I was a perfect size 8 and was eating very healthy and exercising. I was in my early 30s at the time before I became pregnant with my daughter. I felt wonderful and content with myself. Now that I am almost fifty, suffer from Hypothyroidism, and on the border of high cholesterol. I need to really do something to turn my life around.
Last September I went on the Dukan Diet and successfully dropped 11 pounds and felt terrific. I did well for 6 weeks and I let myself slip at a wedding in October and had one cupcake. This sent me on a very slow downward spiral that less than a year later left me with all 11 pounds gained back, feeling terrible and binging on sugar again.
So the question for me is always why can't I just have a little like a normal person? Everyone tells me that the secret is to allow myself a little and I will be satisfied. Really? In my experience that does not work for me.
This is wear the book The Diet Cure comes in. The thing that caught my eye was at the top of the book were the words No Willpower Required! The Diet Cure by Julia Ross is an 8-step program to rebalance your body chemistry and end your food cravings, weight gain, and mood swings-naturally. I was sold.
So after taking a short quiz at the beginning you find out which of the eight steps you need to focus on to rebalance your body. This is done through taking certain amino acids! Best thing was, I could see results for my sugar craving almost instantly through taking the amino acid L-glutamine. Almost unbelievable! Since I had none of the conditions listed in the book that would require my doctors approval, I decided to give it a try and ordered a list of amino acids. What harm could it do since you just stay on them for a short period of time until your body is regulated and you find your cravings are gone without taking them (usually a period of up to 3 months).
So I take the L-glutamine for cravings, L-tryosine for energy, DLPA to enhance feelings of comfort and pleasure, and 5HTP to improve mood, sleep, and PM cravings.
I have to say that I questioned the speed as to which the L-glutamine was suppose to work, but it did work almost instantly. My cravings disappeared. I actually could go to a reunion last week and not even bother to wonder over to the dessert table. Better yet, it did not bother me one bit when everyone around me was eating dessert!
I have lost 4 pounds so far and only weigh myself about once a week, but I feel great and have energy to exercise everyday. I know it is a slow weight loss but I see that as the best kind right now cause I am changing my life and not on a "diet". The book is so full of all kinds of information and I will go into it more in later posts. For now though I am really happy with my progress and know that it will not be easy. If I can get past the 2 month mark it will be a milestone for me.
I should say not say if, but when!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Back On My Weight Loss Journey
Summer is almost over, vacations are done, only 4 more weeks till Megan starts her first year of high school. It is about time I stop making excuses and get back to taking care of this extra 20 pounds I'm carrying around.
Excuses, I have a long list
Too hot
Too tired
I have to spend quality time on Pinterest
I have to cook/clean/wash/clean out the cat box
I dont wanna exersise by myself
My feet/back/legs/pinky finger hurts
I'm on vacation
I love ice cream
My summer clothes wont fit if I lose weight
Ect, ect, ect...
Enough already!!
Its time to get back on the saddle again. Not only that, but I watched the 60 Minutes piece on sugar being toxic last night. I LOVE sugar. I am a firm believer that sugar is addictive. One cookie is never enough for me. That is some scary stuff. Sugar leading to all kinds of bad things. I can believe it. I just found out I have borderline high cholesterol. I am convinced sugar is to blame. Well, I am the one who eats the stuff so technically I am to blame. You know what I mean.
I have been having great success with the Dukan Diet. It is not easy to do. I think for now I will just go the old fashion way. Cutting calories and exercise! I have to focus on portion control and NO sugar, no white flour. More fruits (yuk, I am not a fruit eater! crazy I know) and veggies.
Getting fit and healthy is one journey that never ends and for this girl who loves travel and adventure , it is my biggest challenge yet.
If you are driving through my town and see someone parked in front of the Dairy Queen looking longingly at customers walking away from the window with giant size blizzards and a pool of drool under her car, that would be me.
Excuses, I have a long list
Too hot
Too tired
I have to spend quality time on Pinterest
I have to cook/clean/wash/clean out the cat box
I dont wanna exersise by myself
My feet/back/legs/pinky finger hurts
I'm on vacation
I love ice cream
My summer clothes wont fit if I lose weight
Ect, ect, ect...
Enough already!!
Its time to get back on the saddle again. Not only that, but I watched the 60 Minutes piece on sugar being toxic last night. I LOVE sugar. I am a firm believer that sugar is addictive. One cookie is never enough for me. That is some scary stuff. Sugar leading to all kinds of bad things. I can believe it. I just found out I have borderline high cholesterol. I am convinced sugar is to blame. Well, I am the one who eats the stuff so technically I am to blame. You know what I mean.
I have been having great success with the Dukan Diet. It is not easy to do. I think for now I will just go the old fashion way. Cutting calories and exercise! I have to focus on portion control and NO sugar, no white flour. More fruits (yuk, I am not a fruit eater! crazy I know) and veggies.
Getting fit and healthy is one journey that never ends and for this girl who loves travel and adventure , it is my biggest challenge yet.
If you are driving through my town and see someone parked in front of the Dairy Queen looking longingly at customers walking away from the window with giant size blizzards and a pool of drool under her car, that would be me.
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