Book: Eat the Yolks

Eat the Yolks
by Liz Wolfe

Length: 265

Format: eBook, Kindle Edition
Price: $9.99

How I heard about it: One of my friends from high school is married to the author

Basic Premise: There are so many myths flying around the realm of health food that it can be hard to know what is true and what isn't. Nutritionist Liz Wolfe makes a case for eating whole foods, including the yolks of eggs and a whole host of other foods, dispelling the idea that calories are the enemy and "light" and "low fat" are actually good for us.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)

This book was instrumental in my understanding about food and how the body processes it. I don't often read non-fiction (as evidenced by the fact that I have reviewed less than 10... in the five years I have had this blog). I found it because I remember seeing one of my friends from high school bragging on Facebook about his nutritionist wife's first published book several years ago. Last summer I messaged him and asked for details, confessing that I often feel confused by the information out there regarding what foods we really should be eating. He responded, agreeing that it is confusing and explaining that his wife addresses that very issue in her book. He sent me the Amazon link, as well as how to find her Instagram, Facebook, email newsletter, and Balanced Bites podcast. I immediately downloaded the book, and though it took me awhile, I finished it this summer. It's taken me this long to post the review because I wanted to give the lifestyle a go before I wrote it. But I'll get to that part in a separate post.

The book itself is informative and witty. It's also very science-y, which I found a bit wearing at times, mainly because I hate science. But over all, it outlined the dangers of processed grains and dairy which were very hard to ignore, in the end. It also addressed the benefits of real food for the entire body. It was good enough that I ordered a hard copy so I could loan it out, and I messaged my friend back, thanking him and telling him how pleased I was to have read this book!

Yoga

Last summer, the yoga studio did 30 Days of Sweat in June (where you go to yoga every single day in the month of June). I was particularly excited about this because I was the one who made the suggestion in the first place, and they decided to go with it. But then, I injured my back and my chances of participating in that went up in flames. I was devastated.

So this summer, I was bound and determined to participate.  Because they gave me the shirt anyway, and I really wanted to be able to wear it. Only… they decided not to do it again. 😓 But, I decided, no matter! I could go every day in June on my own! So I set out to do just that.

My first day back was actually right at the end of May, and I went as many times as I could between then and June 1, knowing that going from nothing to sweating like that every single morning was going to be rough on my body. I started on June 1. At the end of the first week, I saw a flaw in my plan. I was leaving town all day Saturday, so there was no way I was going to be able to yoga on Saturday. I thought, no big deal, I'll just skip. Looking ahead to Sunday, I realized they had changed the schedule to include only one class on Sunday, which was at 11 AM. I'm at church from 7 to 12:30, so that wasn't going to work. So I therefore determined to go to yoga every single week day and as many Saturdays as I possibly could. As it turned out, in the month of June, I yogaed 23 times out of 30. I feel pretty good about that number considering the fact that my back is hating this. Steadily, my back has been getting worse and worse. The pain used to be concentrated in my lower back on the left-hand side, and it used to be very steady. Now, it's on both sides and it is starting to creep up into my middle back and gets gnarly anytime I bend from the waist. There were at least two days where the night before I was in so much pain that I decided to give myself a break the next day and skip out. It's gotten bad enough, that I have called my doctor back to try to see if she has any more ideas, because everything I've tried so far has not helped.

I went this morning for the first time in July, and I tried to really take it easy on my back. I really do love going. I love feeling strong and like I can do hard things. I love the heat (definitely something I never thought I'd say), and I love how I feel when it's all over. I love that I can see my body undergoing changes… poses or moves that were really hard in the beginning are much easier now. I really like the instructors and the environment. I am not a fan of the price, but as I hate all other forms of exercise, I feel it's a worthy investment to do something I actually look forward to AND exercise at the same time. I am planning to continue to go as often as possible, but I do think I will start skipping on Wednesday. I think that will be best to give my back a little break mid-week. (It's also the hottest class of the week!)

I've also been able to snag a few walks here and there. I can't exactly throw the kids in the double stroller anymore, but I have been able to sneak a few in after dinner. I think I need a Fitbit to help me out with walks!

Skinny Rules Debrief

So...the Skinny Rules experiment was a fail COLOSSAL fail. I started by choosing a week where I had already spent my grocery budget (and not on the right foods), so I postponed it a week which was the week of parent/teacher conferences.

As I said, COLOSSAL fail. I gave it all up on day 6 or something. It just didn't work for me. There were somethings I really really liked, like eating apples every day. I seriously started doing that. Apples and homemade nut butters are now one of my favorite snacks!

I also discovered topping eggs with tomatoes instead of ketchup:

But truly, it just didn't work for me. Now, if a student told me something didn't work for him or her, I would immediately say, "Did you give it your best effort?" If the kid said no, I would reply, "Then how do you know it didn't work for you?" I kind of feel like the kid about the Skinny Rules. Me and them just didn't click. Did I give it my best effort. Um...no. But, for the time being, I am going to let them rest.

In related news, I'm going to give the old Eat to Live diet a resurrection. I know it works. I know I can do it. Might as well give it a shot!

Skinny Rules...3 Days In

So...I effectively chose the WORST week ever to start this. This week is parent/teacher conferences, and if you aren't a teacher, the week is very much like this:

I am going to do my best to abide by the rules as best I can in the next two days, but I'm also going to be realistic. I will be breaking the carb rule for dinner tonight and tomorrow. They feed us (the ONE awesome thing about conferences!) and I will definitely be taking advantage of a free meal. I will just try to be smart about it.

I have had some successes, the most notable of which is that I am down a pound! Yay! Another has been breakfast EVERY morning (though every morning it has been the same and looked like this):

Homemade peanut butter and apple slices

It appeases the "apple a day" rule AND the "protein with every meal" rule. Another success has been not drinking my calories. I had fallen into a bad habit of drinking pop whenever I got a headache, which was about every other day, but I haven't had a pop in several days now. I've still had headaches, but I'm managing.

Hands down, the hardest rule is the "no carbs after lunch" rule. EVERYTHING, it seems, is a carb. That means dinner should be protein and a veggie and that's it. The second hardest rule has been "no white flour," which means the black bean and butternut squash enchiladas I made Sunday were technically against the rule, because while it was a great dish for "make one day meatless," "eat protein with every meal," and "eat your veggies," I used the white tortillas I had on hand, which would be a violation of the rules. I should have eaten just the insides. But I definitely didn't.

This has been my favorite rule-abiding dinner so far:

Lemon pepper talapia + roasted green beans and garlic. YUMMY!

And yesterday, I made sweet potato, chicken, and quinoa soup. I forgot to take a picture, and truth be told, it wasn't that pretty, but it was DELICIOUS. This was again, technically, a violation, because both quinoa and sweet potatoes contain carbs. Now obviously, the carbs in those are better than, say, the carbs in white pasta, but they are carbs nonetheless. I said when I started this business that the carb rule was going to be the hardest one by which to abide.

10 Days of Skinny Rules...Updated

So...I made this resolve AFTER I had already grocery shopped for the week. I did the math and realized I really didn't have the money to reshop for groceries, so I pushed it back a week. I've been meaning to update before now and, well, I just haven't gotten to it. Today is day 1, and I'm reposting!

I've been breaking rules left, right, and center. I've been drinking pop. I've been eating ice cream and cake. I've been eating FRIED foods. And candy. (I have a love-hate-but-mostly-love relationship with peanut M&Ms. It's getting kind of ridiculous.) And all sorts of terrible things.  There is less and less room in my jeans and more and more flab in my gut. Something has to change.

So, instead of doing my radical plant-based diet, I am going to try something new. About a month ago I read The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper. I'm going to try 10 days of adhering to these rules, which means that from October 12th to October 22nd October 19th to October 29th, I will be following every skinny rule. Most of them are easy - "No fast food," for example, or "Don't drink your calories." Some of them are harder..."Drink a full glass of water before every meal" is one that isn't hard exactly, it's just one that I know I will forget. Hands down, the two most difficult will be:

1. Get rid of those white potatoes :(
2. No carbs after lunch (which means dinner is basically a protein and a veggie)

This afternoon, I'm going to sit down and plan my meals for the next few days. Taking suggestions.

10 Days of Skinny Rules

I've been breaking rules left, right, and center. I've been drinking pop. I've been eating ice cream and cake. I've been eating FRIED foods. And candy. (I have a love-hate-but-mostly-love relationship with peanut M&Ms. It's getting kind of ridiculous.) And all sorts of terrible things.  There is less and less room in my jeans and more and more flab in my gut. Something has to change.

So, instead of doing my radical plant-based diet, I am going to try something new. About a month ago I read The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper. I'm going to try 10 days of adhering to these rules, which means that from October 12th to October 22nd, I will be following every skinny rule. Most of them are easy - "No fast food," for example, or "Don't drink your calories." Some of them are harder..."Drink a full glass of water before every meal" is one that isn't hard exactly, it's just one that I know I will forget. Hands down, the two most difficult will be:

1. Get rid of those white potatoes :(
2. No carbs after lunch (which means dinner is basically a protein and a veggie)

Tomorrow, I'm going to sit down and plan my meals for the next few days. Taking suggestions.

Kindle Book: The Skinny Rules

The Skinny Rules

by Bob Harper

Length: 304 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: $12.99 (I know...expensive for me!)

How I heard about it: Lindsey

Basic Premise: Bob Harper (trainer on NBC's The Biggest Loser) establishes and discusses 20 rules which he believes will lead his readers to a healthier and skinnier way of life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I liked this book a lot. It was direct, to the point, and didn't make me feel like a idiot. I pretty much hate non-fiction, but this one was quick and painless, and, being a rule-follower, I liked the structure and the absolutes.

I immediately started to implement the rules and quickly discovered that rule #1, which is to drink a full glass of water before every meal, was actually much harder than it looked. In the same way, eating a full breakfast was easier than I expected it to be. In fact, I've done a pretty good job of taking pictures of my breakfasts as I've eaten them:

In addition to the 20 rules, Harper includes numerous recipes that go along with his skinny rules. A few things I have pretty much fallen in love with as a result of this book:

• Ezekiel bread (OMG)
• Salmon
• Tomatoes instead of ketchup with my eggs
• Spaghetti squash...can't believe I waited so long to try it!
• Eggs (which I seem to have rediscovered)
• Oatmeal

This is a really great book, and I look forward to experimenting more with these rules and recipes!

The Chiropractor

In this post, I discussed how my back has gotten worse instead of better since my run.  After this weekend, it was clear that I needed some help.  So this morning I called a chiropractor recommended by a friend and MERCIFULLY, they had an opening at 2:00.  By that point I had taken over the couch and was moving as little as possible. Sign. Me. Up.

I had to do a fair amount of running around that morning (not something my back was particularly excited about), including a trip to the dentist for my son where they ended up seeing my 19-month-old as well (hope that doesn't bite me in the rear with insurance later).  While we were there, I saw a girl I knew from high school. She was in choir and was several years older than me.  We did the awkward I-recognize-you-but-don't-really-know-you-but-we-made-eye-contact smile and went about our business.

Side note: Among our errands for the day were picking up new glasses for Charlie. (He broke them at church on Sunday, no one quite knows how.)  New glasses always take some getting used to, but I like them!

Anyway, I stashed the kids at mom and dad's while I went to the chiropractor.  I gimped in and began filling out the necessary paperwork.  And, strangely, the girl I knew from high school that I saw at the dentist office just that morning was behind the counter.  Weird.  We again exchanged awkward pleasantries, this time about how odd it was that we would run into each other twice in the same day.  They called me back and did my blood pressure, which they said was low - 101/60.  I have always had EXCELLENT blood pressure - the nurses always comment on it - but I don't think they've ever said "low."  Not sure exactly what that means.

They put me in a waiting room and about two minutes later, in walks the girl. From high school. She was my chiropractor.  I didn't realize it because her last name was different.  So we laughed again, chatted briefly about one another's families, and then got to work.

Let me preface - I had never been to a chiropractor before, so I really had no idea what to expect. I know that medical people I know are leery of them, but then I also know homeopathic people who swear by them and are leery of medical doctors, so who knows?  At this point, I really didn't care - I just wanted to feel better.  So I got on the table face-down.

Pretty much immediately, doc said "Wow...your pelvis is WAY out of whack."  I wasn't sure what that meant, so as she's pushing and prodding, I finally asked.  The conversation went something like this:

Her: It has to do with the positioning of your pelvis.  Did you suffer any kind of sports-related injury as a youngster?
Me: Uh, no. Definitely not.
Her: Did you fall, maybe off a horse or something?
Me: Not off a horse, but I am rather clumsy. Falling is definitely within the realm of possibility.
Her: And why did you have C-sections?
Me: My babies were upside down.
Her: Ah. Well, whatever you did to knock your pelvis, your body has been trying to compensate for it.  It's likely that both your babies were breech because of the positioning of your pelvis.  The spinals performed helped aggravate it and running made it worse.  Let's see what we can do.

And then she proceeded to "adjust" me, which, if you've never been like me, is a bit of a shock.  She shoved, yanked, pressed, and popped ALL OVER.  When she grabbed my neck and yanked, a chorus of "pops" erupted up and down it.  And then SHE DID IT AGAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE.

Holy cow.

When she was done, she said I adjusted "reasonably well" considering my circumstance, and then had me stand up, which I did with very little pain.  Then she had me walk, which I ALSO did with very little pain. Then she told me she wanted to see me Friday.  It was possible that I had a bulged disc, but they would know more on Friday.  Then she took me to the back where they hooked me up to a MASSAGE MACHINE for like, 15 minutes.  It. Was. Awesome.

When I left, I felt 75% better.  I went to 7 PM yoga and was VERY careful.  Doc said to do a lot of stretching and to stretch "to the pain, but not through the pain."  That was hard because I just flat couldn't do about 40% of the class.  But, I got through it.

Here's hoping for some lasting relief!

Freaked...

I mentioned that my back has been hurting ever since my run more than a week ago.  It's been relatively manageable - through heat pads every night and Alieve, I've been able to do most things, though people have said they can tell something is wrong by my walk.  But...it's not getting better, and now the pain is in my neck and my legs.  This is NOT cool.

I hate going to the doctor for things like this because, in my experience, it does no good and costs a lot of money.  But the truth is that I CAN'T go on like this.  I was signed up to do yoga this morning but there is truly no way I can do ANY of the poses without pain.  Even corpse pose (lying down on your back...not moving...like a corpse) is painful.  But this is getting ridiculous.  Summer is here and I'm going to be active, dang it!

These are my summer goals:

1) Get down to 140

2) Keep up activity with yoga and walking (and possibly learning to run...ugh)

3) Return to a plant-based diet

4) Complete 30 days of yoga in July

 

Having a back injury with this degree of severity makes 2 and 4 impossible, which has me completely discouraged.  SO, for the first time EVER, I am going to see a chiropractor.  I am calling Tuesday morning at 8 AM and asking for the first available appointment.

We shall see.

Get Fit: Winter

Last weekend, Jo Marie shared about her commitment to getting fit and losing weight. (Thanks Jo! If you missed it, click here.)  This week, I am happy to introduce Winter.  She blogs over at Daily Balanced Living, and I've known her since I was a kid.  We went to church together, and even though I spent more time with her sisters than her growing up, I have always admired her for many different reasons.  This post is yet another to add to the list.  Thanks for sharing, Winter!

________________________________

Thank you so much for inviting me to be a guest on your blog Randi!

Almost exactly two years ago now is when this journey of mine began. I was a stay at home mom with four kids at home. With each of my babies I had suffered severe post partum depression. This last one was no different, my doctors gave me medication for it, but I also self-medicated myself when I felt my meds weren’t doing their job. I used food, alcohol, just whatever I could to numb my pain.

                                                                                               

When my daughter turned three I actually weighed more than when I delivered her. I am 5’6” and I weighed about 226 pounds. I was miserable. I was watching my life from the couch. I hated to be in family pictures, or any pictures at all. When I went searching for a before picture I found it really hard to find one. I was always hiding behind someone in all the pictures I was in.

When I looked in the mirror I thought the most horrible things about myself. Shopping for clothes for my increasing body was so depressing, I was wearing a size 18 at the time. I hated the way that I looked.

On top of all of this, my last pregnancy had wrecked the inside of my body. I was having periods that lasted 2-3 weeks and was in pain a lot. My doctor recommended a partial hysterectomy. After surgery, having six weeks of recovery and time to think about and evaluate my life, I made a decision to change my life.

No more watching life from a distance, I wanted to participate!

I began exercising with a friend at some free classes that were being offered near my house. There are two groups in Topeka that offer these free classes now, MAKIN Moves and Heat Up Topeka. This was a great starting point for me. I had always hated to exercise, but doing it with a group like that made it fun, I looked forward to it.

I started this radical diet called, “Girl, quit eating so much!” You won’t find a book on it; I literally just quit eating so much. What a concept! To eat healthy serving sizes of food, I also started eating more fruits and vegetables and whole foods. I quit acting like a garbage disposal for my kid’s leftovers. I really had been treating my body like a trashcan for all sorts of garbage. To help me track what I was eating and to be more aware I started using My Fitness Pal. It’s a great app that allows me to see my progress and be aware of the nutritional values of the foods I eat.

Something else that I did during this process was I asked God for help. Even though I was getting in better shape I still found that I had these cravings that just didn’t seem to go away. I read the book, “Made to Crave” by Lysa TerKuerst and learned so much about the why behind my cravings. We are created to crave God, not food, learning this changed the way I saw food. Starting June 16^th I will be leading the Bible study based on the book “Made to Crave,” feel free to contact me for more information about this summer study at dailybalancedliving@gmail.com.

Over the course of a year I lost 66 pounds. Now, two years later I am down 76 pounds and I wear a size 6. I’m not sure that I will lose much more weight; lately I have been more focused on toning and getting stronger. Some weeks I lose inches and gain a pound, some weeks I lose another pound, most weeks I maintain. I’m more concerned with how I feel instead of what the scale says.

I continue to participate in the group exercise classes, I really enjoy the kickboxing and I have taken up running. You could probably say I am even a little addicted to it. Two years ago I couldn’t run the length of my driveway without feeling like I was going to die, now I can run more than six miles. I’m not fast, but I’m consistent.

My life is completely different now; I love to be outside, working in the yard, playing with the kids. I have found that I enjoy hiking, climbing, camping, bike riding; you could say pretty much anything active.  There is this long list of things that I want to try now too, things that for years I couldn’t imagine trying.

Now when I look in the mirror I see a strong, fit woman. I have come so far; I love this version of me that I see.

Come and visit me sometime over at my blog www.dailybalancedliving.com

Post-Run Stress Disorder :/

I ran on Tuesday night (details here).  Wednesday, during my plan, I ran down to the fitness room because with the talent show rehearsal that night, I knew there was NO way I was going to get exercise in that evening.  I did just short of two miles at a pace of about 15:40.  That was at 2:00.

At 5:00, while I'm sitting on the floor in the gym running kids through our talent show rehearsals, a began, quite suddenly, to experience a shooting pain through my lower back and into my upper thigh on my right side.  It was so bad that I could no longer sit on the floor.  I hoped it would be better after I walked around a little, but by the time I got home I was down flat with a heating pad.  I have had back pain since my daughter's birth and have seen doctors multiple times, but this was worse than ANYTHING I had yet experienced.  I was able to sleep, but I woke every time I shifted positions and prayed it would be better in the morning.  It wasn't.  I gimped around like an old lady with my upper body tilting forward and a grimace on my face.

So what does that mean for running?  I don't know.  It's possible that this is a fluke and that the incident was not caused by the running.  I don't think this is likely because, when I was trying to get my constant back pain to go away, I was seeing doctors and getting treatments (which were of no help, mind you), the doctor told me specifically that running was one of the worst things I could do for my back.  It is also possible that I ran wrong.  Perhaps my form was bad, or my shoes (a used pair I picked up for cheap) are all wrong, or it's really not a good idea to run one minute on and one minute off like the Nike app said.

Bottom line: I am totally stressed about it.  I really want to learn to run because:

• it takes less time than walking
• runners are the coolest people on the face of the earth (I have always believed this)
• it's a great way to keep in shape
• it takes less time than walking
• it's a hatred/fear I have carried with me my whole life and I REALLY want to conquer it
• Lindsey is gung-ho about helping me, and I really appreciate that and don't want to let her down, even though I know she would understand
• it takes less time than walking

Sigh.  I don't know what to do. I am not calling it quits, just trying to figure out ways I might continue.  I'm hoping to squeeze a yoga class in this weekend to see if it relieves the back pain. :/

Get Fit: My First Run

One of my fitness goals for this summer is to learn to run.  I have always thought runners were cool and secretly wanted to be one, but my body hates running. HATES it.  But since this is my second fitness summer, I decided to try to tackle this.  Well, actually, Lindsey decided this for me.

I've logged three miles every night since Sunday, so I was planning to head out around 7 PM when Lindsey text me telling me to update my Nike app and use its program called "5K" and to check "beginner."  Um...duh.  I did.  It asked me for a name.

I read through the plan, which said I would run 1.5 miles tonight.  It also said that if I was a "beginner," it might be best for me to walk/run every other mile.  It took me 22 minutes to do 1.75 miles (not sure why it said 1.5 but then didn't give me the green check mark until 1.75).  Of those 22 minutes, I ran for 13.  And, even though I was pretty sure I was going to, I didn't die.  I could breathe and even though my back hurt, I could power through.  When I hit the green check mark, I took a two minute break on the side of the road while I reset my app.  I still wanted 3 miles, so I set out to walk my remaining 1.25 miles.

I didn't feel like my run was much "faster" than my walk, and really, when you look at the numbers here, they are pretty close.  But Lindsey's advice was to run slow, even if you feel like you're running too slow.  I definitely had those moments.

BUT - I did it!

Get Fit: SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

I'm not going to waste time talking about how excited I am for summer, because everyone is.  I mean, who ISN'T excited for days off, warm weather, the POOL?  I outlined my fitness goals for this summer in this post and have done a little tweaking.  Here is the updated version:

1) Get down to 140, or maybe a better way to say it would be a size 6 in everything, not just shirts, dresses or pants from LOFT or GAP, which run big (I've got a little junk in my trunk, hips, and thighs) 

2) Learn how to lift/tone

3) Keep up activity with yoga and walking (and possibly learning to run...ugh)

4) Return to a plant-based diet

5) Complete 30 days of yoga in July

I have decided I really do want to be 140.  I have put on a few pounds since March because I've kind of quit worrying so much about eating the right stuff, and when you quit focusing on eating the right stuff, it becomes quite easy to eat the wrong stuff.  I am axing #2 because I have decided I don't want to join a gym and I feel like I can add this one in later.

But #5 is REALLY the one I'm excited about.  I visited a studio in Tulsa called Salt.  Since then I have been on their email list and they are running a special in the summer where they challenge their yogis to do 30 sessions in 30 days.  I thought it was a great idea so I sent it to Lindsey and said "I wish our studio did stuff like this," to which she responded, "Send it to them!"  Turns out, they really liked the idea and are going to run it next month!  I am planning to pick my membership back up here in a few weeks and I am really looking forward to this challenge!

And LAST (and most exciting) - to help get myself motivated for Phase 2 of Get Fit, I will be featuring GUEST BLOGGERS for the next four weeks.  These are women who have had enough and decided they wanted to take eating and exercising into their own hands.  I am so excited that these women are willing to share their stories with me!  So be watching for the first post from Jo Marie (whom I would tag if she HAD A BLOG...you really need a blog, Jo) which will be up by the weekend!

Get Fit: A New Approach

 I turn 30 next month.  And if someone had told me way back when that I would be entering my 30s weighing in the 140s, my 170+ pound self would have laughed and said, "Wouldn't that be nice."

But it's happening.

I was awesome last summer and fall.  Awesome.  I was super active, working out at least once every day, sometimes twice, and I was so great about eating plant-based foods, keeping processed yuck out of my diet, and eating raw fruits and veggies daily.  When school hit, it was clear that this was one area on which the tolls of a full-time job and primary care-giver for two young children would truly be taken.  I didn't have time to work out.  I didn't have time to meal plan and get to the grocery store to buy fresh ingredients constantly.  I have gone back and forth about this, and ultimately, I decided to cut myself a break.  This was my first time.  I am rounding out the winter season at only 144.8, and though it's not the 140 I was hoping for back in January, I'm calling it good.  Next year when fall hits, I will be better prepared for the battle.

So...what's next?

This summer, I want to focus on the following things:

1) Get down to 140, or maybe a better way to say it would be a size 6 in everything, not just shirts, dresses, or pants from LOFT or GAP, which run big (I've got a little junk in my trunk, hips, and thighs)
2) Learn how to lift/tone
3) Keep up activity with yoga and walking (and possibly by learning to run...ugh)
4) Return to a plant-based diet

Also, I have a large number of friends who have lost drastic amounts of weight in the last few years.  I am going to be inviting these friends to write posts for me in which they outline why they decided it was time for a change, what worked for them, and what advice they could give to anyone who is getting ready to try.  It was these types of people who motivated me in the first place, so I thought it would be nice to get some outside perspective.

So, those are things to look forward to in the near future!

Old Thing: Hot Yoga

I went to Hot Yoga last night with Lindsey.  I looked it up - I haven't been since November 29th.  That's nearly three months.  I was kind of dreading the experience.  I drank water all day and I tried to be as positive about the experience as possible, but I really was a little fearful.  When I was going in the summer it was no big thing - I was used to the heat, used to the routine, used to the workout.  I have done very little in the way of exercise for the past three months, and I knew that was going to hurt me.  I also knew that, well, I'm a wimp.

We got there early and there was already a line.  By the time they actually opened the doors to the studio, the heat was like this wall of AWFUL that made me wonder what the heck was wrong with me.  Not only did I choose to do this, I PAID for it.  I was sweating before I even settled on to my mat.  I did feel better about the fact that Lindsey seemed to be experiencing something similar.  However, I was not comforted by the fact that the yogi next to me turned out to be a former student who is a senior this year.  And male.  Oy.

I was actually proud of how well I did.  I started to lose my hearing during the balance section, so I sat out for standing bow-pulling pose.  The three times in my life I have fainted were preceded by hearing loss, so I thought I'd better bow out.  But I did everything else, including ALL of the flows.  No skipping for this girl.  And afterward, as always, I felt soooooo good, both physically and mentally, because I'd made myself do it.

I can't wait to start up again when school lets out!

Weight Loss: Week 3

I'm just going to call it that. No part of what I am doing is contributing to getting fit, unless you count the couple miles I walk per week, which I don't.

I'm down to 143. That's 7 lbs in three weeks purely from watching what I eat.  But, like I said last week, I'm lacking motivation.  I'm ready to throw in the towel.  Weight loss without exercise is just not cutting it.

So...my options:
1) Quit.  Call 143 good and tackle it when the weather gets warmer and I can go back to walks with the kids, which kills two birds with one stone. Oh so tempting.
2) Figure out how to exercise.  This makes me want to die.  I can't find time to EAT, let alone exercise.  (Seriously - I've skipped lunch twice this week because I've been so busy at school.)  I don't have my yoga membership anymore :( and we don't have a treadmill.  I'm just not sure how to swing it.
3) Keep doing what I'm doing. Ugh.  I keep trying to remind myself that I'm no good with maintenance - I do better with rules - but then I think, "One year ago, I was probably 195 lbs.  I'm at 143.  That's 52 lbs.  I can be content with that."

Sigh.  I don't know what to do.  Someone (Lindsey?) told me I would probably get to 140, but then I wouldn't be happy there, so I would want 135, and then I wouldn't be happy there, so I would want 130.  I can totally see how that could happen.  And maybe it's okay for me to be this size and be happy with it for now, and tackle it when I have the full force of my resources behind me.

Oy.

Get Fit: Week 2? Except, not really...

I feel like this shouldn't really be "Get Fit" because there is no exercise component.  So...still working on a good title.  Taking suggestions.

I didn't track what I'm eating.  I found this tedious and nearly impossible with which to keep up.  I'm eating more small snacks and it was just too much maintenance for me.  I pulled a 144 on the scale Saturday morning.  That's down from 147.4 last week.  I feel pretty good about that.  But then, I'm in Oklahoma visiting my brother's family and I have eaten pizza, cereal, a sandwich, and ice cream.  I determined I didn't want to be a burden on them, as they were providing my food, and that I really wanted Hawaiian pizza from my favorite OK pizza joint.  That's going to hurt.

The bottom line is I'm lacking motivation.  I fit into a size 6 last week, (a first...EVER) and while that should probably serve to motivate me more, there is a part of me that's like, "I'm a six.  That's pretty stinking good, considering I was a 14 when I started all this crap."  Not very gung-ho, but it's definitely how I have felt in my lesser moments.

Here's to a better week!

Get Fit: How NOT to Do It

I ate a piece of cheesecake last night.  I made it for my dad's birthday.  And it looked good.  So I ate it.

I woke up in the middle of the night with a churning stomach.

I called in and got a sub.  I have made multiple trips to the bathroom.  And the whole day is still ahead of me.

This is how not to do it.

Get Fit: Menu

This is my menu(ish) for the week.  I needed a trip to the grocery store but just didn't have the time. Many meals repeat, but as I like repetition of old favorites and don't have need for much variety, I don't have a problem with that.  And also, I suck at taking pictures.  I never remember.  Hence the absence of pictures.

SUNDAY:
(no breakfast or snack...Sunday mornings are hectic and if I don't prepare ahead of time, well, I don't eat)
Lunch: Greek yogurt, mini-peppers, apple
Snack: almond butter + bananas
Dinner:  Greek salad

MONDAY:
Breakfast: apple + almond butter
Snack: Mandarin orange
Lunch: tomato veggie soup, small Greek salad
Snack: almonds
Dinner: black bean soup, cottage cheese

TUESDAY:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt + fruit no breakfast
Snack: carrots no snack

Lunch: black bean soup, apple + almond butter
*today was rather busy at school - I planned and packed ALL of this, but didn't eat it :(
Snack: almonds + raisins carrots from earlier
Dinner: Greek salad, cottage cheese

WEDNESDAY: (busy day)
I don't remember.  This is probably my busiest day of the week.  I know I ate cottage cheese, blackberries, apples, Greek salad, and Greek yogurt at various points in the day.  I think I ate some peanut butter while I was making my son a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but otherwise, no cheating.

THURSDAY: (busy day)
Breakfast: banana
Snack: Mandarin orange Greek yogurt
Lunch: tomato veggie soup nope - too busy for lunch
Snack: almonds to busy for snack
Dinner: chicken & dumpling soup, banana, and a few chips with dip
**This meal was at my parents house.  It was one of those things where I didn't know I wouldn't be eating at home, but it was more convenient (and money-saving, as I had planned a fast-food stop with a salad) to just eat with them.  I made the most healthy choice of the available options, apart from the chips and dip.  But it is our family-favorite dip, and I just couldn't help myself.  Moving on.

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: banana nope
Snack: Greek yogurt + mini peppers
Lunch: tomato veggie soup
Snack: banana + almond butter peanut butter
Dinner: Chili, apple

Debrief:
Strictly speaking, chili is against the rules.  It has meat in it.  But I was so maxed out by Friday night, and after battling with my 4-year-old dishing out what felt like consequence after consequence, I was tired.  Chili was in the fridge and it's what everyone else was eating.  I had one bowl and did not add cheese and sour cream, like the old me would have.  Not beating myself up about breaking the no-meat rule.  If I had eaten lasagna, I would be beating myself up.  But it was just chili - beans, tomatoes, onions, sauce.  No pasta, no cheese.  Moving on.  Tonight we are having dinner at my husband's office gala and I am going to do the same thing - I have no idea what's on the menu, but I'm going to make the smartest decisions possible in the circumstance and move on.

I'm feeling pretty good about this week.  I went from 150 on Sunday to 147.4 this morning.  Not bad for a week.  And the hardest part - the first week - is over.

Not bad.

Get Fit: January

I've decided I want to go down to 140.  My goal weight for my summer "Get Fit" regime was 145.  But that was mainly because the lowest I'd ever been was 147 and I didn't know if I could make it to 140, which is where I have always really wanted to be.  So I picked 145.

Maintenance has been a beast.  I need, like, a self-help guide.  (Chelsea, can you get on that please? :) I honestly think weight loss is easier.  As a rule-follower by nature, I do well with rules, and weight loss has strict ones.  Maintenance seems less so.  I feel like I did okay for my first time.  I officially ended weight loss at the end of August, so for Sept-Dec, (the holidays aside...oops), and I was able to stay between 146 and 148, varying from 143 at my lowest to 150 at my highest...which is now.  It's amazing how quickly you can pack on the pounds when you toss all good judgement out the window in favor of holiday food.  I weighed 145 before break.  Hmmm...

It's also amazing how much "dirtier" my system feels.  I am going number 2 (the nicest, least-disgusting way I could verbalize it) more frequently and I can feel the affects of sugar.  I could always feel them, like after I drink a pop or something, but now I can feel it after I eat a cookie, or ice cream with oreos, like I did yesterday.  So...yeah.

I'm going to take the month of January to try to get back on the horse.  The big difference between this effort and my last is that I won't be adding the exercise component.  I kind of hate that this is the case, but I'm coming to terms with it.  The bottom line is that I don't have time.  I know - I can already hear voices in my head - "That's just an excuse," "Yes you do," or my dad's (which is the loudest), "We all find time to do what we really want to do."  Yes, that's true.  And what I really want to do is come home after a long day of teaching and spend time with my family.  Once my kids are down, I have about half an hour with my husband before I pass out.  I get up at the butt crack of dawn to clean my house, get ready, get my kids ready, and get them out the door and repeat the whole process.  I know I could get my kids out on walks - I see people doing it all the time - but it's stinking cold, and they are little.  Finding time to exercise adds stress.  I know there are people who use exercise to de-stress, but unless I'm doing yoga (which I can't afford to do unless I'm going 4-5 times a week) exercise is anything but de-stressful.  I'm still getting out and walking (Jennifer and I meet at the mall at 7 AM on Saturdays and do the old-lady thing), but that is the extent of my exercise.  And I'm okay with it for now.  As my mom pointed out when I was discussing all of this with her, in just a few more months, it will be nice out again.

So, here's to January, and 5 10 more pounds :/