I saw this lady at the mall last week...she was pushing a stroller with two kids and dragging a third by the hand. This woman was morbidly obese, trying to manage these three kids by herself. We went into the same shoe store. I watched her struggling to bend down and put shoes on her kids' feet. Every movement seemed to require a great effort.
I observed her discreetly and felt a huge amount of empathy. Being fat is hard. Caring for kids by yourself is hard, doing it carrying around an extra 200 pounds is next to impossible.
Being in her presence really drove home the fact that I REALLY REALLY want to help people live healthier lives. I watched her and I felt her pain, I mean I could relate. I think my history of being fat and overcoming it is almost more remarkable than my decision to quit drinking. Both were addictions I struggled to beat. The thing with food of course, though, is that you cannot just "stop eating."
I was overweight most of my life up until I turned 30 and decided some drastic things needed to happen. I wouldn't have been categorized as "morbidly obese," but carrying 185 pounds on a 5'3" frame definitely made life difficult.
I spend a lot of time thinking about the days when I struggled to lose weight, to find motivation to exercise and to stick with my resolve to lead a healthier life. I can remember thinking, "I just wish someone would give me something that would work. If I could JUST SEE RESULTS, I would stick with it." I was super motivated to lose weight, which was probably why I tried so many things. So many things that didn't work. If someone had just been able to give me the secret...
Do I have the secret now? Well, sort of. Partially, maybe. At the very least, I have something that works for me, after years of trial and error.
Soooo.... here's a list of things that DON'T work for me...
1. Relying on diet pills to lose/maintain.
2. Telling myself I can "NEVER" have a certain food.
3. Obsessing over the scale.
4. Beating myself up for missing a workout.
5. Requiring myself to exercise every single day.
6. Being rigid and inflexible. (overly strict)
Here's what DOES work for me...
1. Allowing myself "cheat" meals each week. I eat clean, to the best of my ability, Sun-Thurs. Friday is designated a "squishy" day. This means I do "soft" cheating. LOL It is certainly not a "whole-hog" day - but I do allow myself a few deviations from my regular diet. A few examples are, sugar-free vanilla lattes from McDonald's (I usually avoid artificial sweeteners) protein bars (I usually avoid packaged food of all kinds unless it is a "cheat" day) my favorite protein bars are from GNC. They're called "Oh Yeah" in the peanut butter variety. Seriously, it tastes like a Kit Kat with peanut butter - I adore the taste and texture. I also like the Supreme Protein bars. Tastes like a candy bar and does not raise my blood sugar - although they do contain chemicals/additives which can throw off the body's natural fat-burning hormones - so these are a treat, not a staple of my diet. I only eat them 1-2 days/week. Other "squishy" day favorites include peanut butter, almonds, other nuts, raisins and Carb Smart ice cream...another fave that does not raise blood sugar!
Saturdays are my "free" day. This is a work in progress. Some days, I go "whole-hog," where I overdo it, feel sick and have a food hangover the next day. This probably happens every third Saturday. I do try to be thoughtful about my food choices because I enjoy it much more when I put thought into what I want. I always start the day with my normal, healthy protein breakfast and do an extra long workout as "insurance." Then, if possible, I enjoy my cheat foods between noon and early evening and stop eating after that to minimize the damage. For example, this past Saturday, my cheats were 4 Girl Scout cookies (PB patties), 3 pieces of Tombstone pizza, a handful of chips (stale, ugh!) and a huge bowl of Carb Smart. I thought later it would've been really good to crush up some Thin Mint cookies in the Carb Smart...maybe next week. I was really happy with my control on this day - I didn't go overboard - but still got to have what I wanted! (I ate my normal "clean" foods for my other meals). I also felt great the next day.
I've been having weekly cheat days for two months now, (I NEVER used to do that - I was always too afraid of weight gain) and I've actually LOST a few pounds! So it's definitely not hurting me - and my brain hates long-term deprivation - so it's a great solution. I used to get bummed because I wouldn't allow myself to enjoy the little treats in life that other people take part in seemingly without thinking. For example, my husband and I used to like going to the DQ on Friday nights, get a treat and drive around our neighborhood. A simple little pleasure. Well, I would always force myself to have a "crappy" treat, like a fat-free fudge bar or something.. what fun is that??? hahaha I was so fearful that having what I REALLY wanted (a peanut buster parfait) would totally derail my progress and make me gain millions of pounds. Realistic, right? haha!! Well, I was really sucking the fun out of life by NEVER allowing myself to have a treat. If I want a piece of cake at my kid's birthday party, well damnit, I'm going to have it and NOT feel bad about it. Now that I allow myself "fun" foods, I feel like I'm even more disciplined during the week, because I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel...AND I have proven to myself that a couple of treats per week will NOT lead to weight gain, as long as I stick to my plan the rest of the time. Not only that, but after a day of indulging, I cannot WAIT to get back on my regular food plan. I always have a kick-ass workout on Sundays, too... to burn off some extra stores :)
3. Drinking water. I used to HATE drinking water...thought it was boring, time consuming and disliked making frequent trips to the bathroom. LOL Well, I have read a lot lately about the importance of water. Water flushes out your liver, which plays a huge role in fat metabolism/storage. If your liver is not functioning properly, it cannot effectively do its job! Now I carry water with me at all times to ensure my liver can be a fat-burning machine.
4. I do not expect things to happen overnight. My old dieting days were always filled with despair because I wanted things to happen instantly. I was going for a quick fix and not a lifelong plan I could live with. Now, I honestly feel like I am working a plan I can live with.
5. I am not a slave to the scale or the measuring tape. (or the calipers!) I really try not to weigh myself more than once a week. The scale is just another measurement tool and there are great fluctuations in weight due to food, hydration, menstrual cycle, time of day...etc. If I stay within a 5 lb window, I feel I am doing fine. Seriously, I used to FREAK OUT if my weight was up a pound or two one day...thinking I was surely on the fast track to fatsville.
6. I take days off from working out. There was a time when I ran EVERY DAY for an entire year. I did not give myself one day off. Ridiculous. That was getting a bit obsessive. Plus, I didn't lose any weight!!! I think it was all the cortisol I was flooding my system with! My current schedule is running Sat/Sun/Tues/Thurs and weight training on two of those days. I very rarely take more than two days off in a row from working out...usually I work out every other day and try to be active on the other days. This is not hard for me to do since I have two small kids and a house to keep up... plus hiking around campus is good exercise, too!
6. It's a constant battle - but I have learned portion control. I start out a meal with about half as much as I think I need, and I try to eat mindfully. I CHEW my food thoroughly (what a concept) and drink water with my meal. If I think I want more, I try to make a conscious effort to wait about 15 minutes before I get seconds, so I can see if I am TRULY full. This has worked wonders for me, this "delaying gratification." A lot of my feeding behavior before used to be very reflexive and impulsive, I would grab food and shove it in my mouth without thinking. Now I also try to avoid eating in my car and other places where I don't have to pay attention.
7. I avoid "white stuff" like the plague. That means all sugar, white bread, pasta, starch, refined carbs...etc. Sugar/junk carbs-> insulin spike-> fat storage for me. I also pretty much avoid grains... not necessarily because I think they are "bad," more because of how they make me feel - bloated, sluggish, not good. (unless it is Saturday of course and then all bets are off :D
8. I don't drink (as most of you know) and try to avoid other chemicals (over the counter meds, cough syrup, artificial anything). Alcohol slows down your metabolism, taxes your liver and is a zero-elimiation substance - meaning your body must get rid of it before it will use any other calories for energy.
Yeah, it sucks to think about food all the time, and believe me, I do. I guess that comes from being a former fat person, I constantly think I am going to LOSE IT (my fitness, that is) although I know that is not possible as long as I continue eating right and exercising.
I found an old diet log from 3 years ago - and I actually weigh 10 pounds less right now than I did at the time of writing that log - and I've had TWO kids since then! I was pretty amazed by that! Oh yeah, I also keep diet logs from time to time... which I despise. hahaha. I know all the "experts" suggest it's a great tool for keeping weight off - but since I basically eat the same things day after day, I don't see much point in it - however I do it from time to time just to get a sense of what I am eating. In fact, I did it last week, and found my average calorie intake per day is 1952 kcals. Whoopie.
Soooo.... I can say I have kept my weight off successfully for 8 years by doing the above things...and a few more. I'm never there, though... I'm always reaching for something else.
The more I think of it though... the more I think I want to help people develop a plan that will work for them... so they don't have to carry around extra baggage and be miserable.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
4-Hour Body
The last thing I needed was another "diet" book.
I have many weight loss/fitness/lifestyle books lining the shelves of my bookcase. South Beach, Total Metabolism, Atkins New Diet Revolution, The Primal Blueprint, Exercising Through Your Pregnancy...even Richard Simmons and Susan Powter (who I love). I've taken bits, pieces and helpful pearls of wisdom from each and incorporated them into my daily lifestyle. Some are better than others, and some methods I have extracted have helped me immensely.
I've tried a number of "diets" over the years...starting at age 8 when my mom decided we were going on a weight loss plan. We decided to weigh and measure ourselves each week and stood in the living room dutifully performing arm circles, torso twists and side bends. We danced in front of the T.V. to "American Bandstand." ("you can do side bends and sit ups, but please don't lose that butt!") My mother was well-intentioned and was trying to help me lose weight, but sadly, I got fatter and more discouraged...even when I tried to slim down by eating instant oatmeal, low fat turkey sandwiches and frozen diet dinners. I just couldn't stick with it - because I was always ravenous. I would quickly return to my breakfasts of Cream-of-Wheat with heavy cream for breakfast, fattening and nutritionally-devoid school lunch at noon, afterschool snacks of buttered popcorn and bowls of Cap'N Crunch, and good old fashioned Minnesota hot dish for dinner - usually topped off with pudding or ice cream for dessert. Meanwhile, I continued to damage my metabolism and decrease my insulin sensitivity. Although I never checked, I am guessing I was pre-diabetic. Not surprisingly I got fatter and fatter...existing on all these empty carbs and convenience foods that pack the shelves of the American grocery store and keep the insulin (fat storage hormone) flowing.
This continued until 8th grade - when I decided I was sick of being fat. I was convinced that the best and fastest way to lose weight would be to starve myself - so I put myself on a ridiculous near-fast that consisted of 290 calories per day. I ate yogurt, apples, diet Shasta and sugarless gum - and that was about all. I stuck to this eating plan with militant self-control for about 2 months and rapidly lost 25 pounds. As you can imagine, this "lifestyle" was nearly impossible to maintain. I was constantly starving and obsessed with food. In 10th grade, after getting down to an all-time low of 120 pounds, I learned to binge and purge. I guess I did not meet criteria for bulimia as I only did this maybe 1-2 times per week, but it wasn't healthy by any means. I also experimented with syrup of Ipecac to induce vomiting, but the after effects were so distressing that I only did this a couple of times.
After high school, I got a job at a convenience store and was introduced to the world of stimulants. We sold a product called Ephedrine (truck stop speed), and some of my co-workers took it to stay awake during their night shifts. I had gained most of my weight back through a steady diet of Deli Express and Little Debbies and found a pleasant side effect of ephedrine - no appetite. I rapidly dropped weight again. I then began experimenting with all sorts of products containing ephedrine - from Diet Fuel to Hydroxycut to the famed ECA stack. Of course, I saw rapid weight loss and was down to 113 pounds in no time. However, I was weak, irritable, anxious and definitely not healthy. Still, I thought ephedrine was heaven-sent - and was completely convinced that I would need to take it for the rest of my life.
I only maintained my 113 pound body for about a year - despite my stringent efforts. Much to my chagrin - I started GAINING weight. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Looking back, I can see I was deluding myself - I was drinking 3-4 nights per week and eating fast food at least a couple of those nights. I was still taking ephedrine, but it no longer produced the desired effects because I had built such a tolerance. Even 12-15 pills per day produced little to no effect.
I stuck my head in the sand and stopped weighing myself, as my life spiraled out of control. I bought "forgiving" clothes like exercise pants, leggings and shorts. I didn't want to know how much weight I had gained. This went on for a year. Of course I could tell I was gaining weight - but I didn't realize HOW MUCH. I stepped on the scale in November of 1999 and was delivered a shocking revelation. I weighed 185 pounds. I was completely horrified. How had this happened???
Well, after that I decided to try "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips. I was completely transfixed by the before and after pictures of the people who had completed the program...and was determined to follow his plan to the letter. I did - and lost 22 pounds - but then I quit.
Blah. I stayed "stuck" until September of 2003 - when I started running, and this kick started my weight loss once again, but as I will discuss later, somewhat became an obsession of sorts. The running starting moving the scale and the measuring tape down - 30 pounds or so over a couple of years - then it plateaued once more. Hmmm... "must do more exercise," I told myself, but it didn't seem to be working.
Weight training? The whole, "build more muscle, burn more fat" motto??? I got P90X in February of 2009 and completed two back-to-back rounds. It is an awesome program, and I saw great results. I continue to incorporate some of my favorite workouts each week. My only gripe with P90X is that it is somewhat of a time investment, and I don't always have an hour or more to work out each day. I want to do the most I can do in the least amount of time and see the best results I can. Does that make sense? "Don't do as much as possible. Do as little as necessary." Less is more.
In August, I gave birth to my third child, a beautiful baby girl. Within days, I started back on my exercise/restriction bandwagon - and it worked beautifully for a few months. I lost all the baby weight and more - plus got down to new lows of weight and fat percentage - but then plateaued. And not only that, something was STILL wrong in my head. I kept asking myself, more and more, can I live my life like this, counting stupid calories/carbs, running miles and miles around a track, resigning myself to NEVER overeating (must not enjoy anything "off limits" - as it will surely lead to disaster)???
It didn't even seem like my body was even changing anymore, despite all my hard work and effort. I'm sure you've all heard the saying "insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results." That's exactly what I was doing. For six weeks, NOTHING moved... not the scale, not the tape measure, not the body fat. Still, I didn't deviate from my stupid regime - I just ran more miles round and round the track. STILL NO CHANGES. I was afraid to do anything differently!!!
Here is where "The 4-Hour Body" comes in.
The week of Christmas, I was shopping in Barnes and Noble to pick up some books for my kids. As I walked to the front of the store to check out, I passed by a large table of glossy books and paused momentarily to glance over them. I reminded myself that I wasn't "shopping for me," but still this "4-Hour Body" book caught my eye. I picked it up and flipped through it while waiting to check out.
The line on the front cover caught my attention. "A practical crash course in how to reinvent yourself." Ok, now you've got my attention. I flipped open to a chapter called "Damage Control." "preventing fat gain when you binge." HUH? I decided I was going home with this book.
Other chapters which captivated me:
The Minimum Effective Dose (for exercise).
Everything Popular is Wrong
The Slow Carb Diet (I and II)
The Four Horsemen of Fat Loss (PAGG stack - like the ECA stack but NONSTIMULANT!)
The Glucose Switch: Beautiful Number 100
And many more.
I started the "slow carb" diet 2 weeks ago. I eat basically organic meat and eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, nut butter, spinach and other vegetables 6 days per week. I eat every few hours, as much as I want to be satisfied. On the 7th day, your "free day" you eat WHATEVER you want. No limits.
"Body for Life" had a free day, too. I have always been afraid of free day, that it would thwart all my hard work. As explained in the 4-Hour Body, it is important to spike calories once a week because it causes a "host of hormonal changes that improve fat-loss, from increasing cAMP and GMP to improving the conversion of the T4 thyroid hormone to the more active T3."
Common concerns:
"Don't you need fruit???" No. Cavemen didn't eat fruit year-round either, and weren't feasting on fat Florida oranges in the middle of January. Too much fructose = triglycerides (via the liver) = fat storage. (the exception to this would be consuming fruit in the 30 minute window following an intense workout).
"Don't you eat dairy?? What about calcium?!" Interestingly, the calcium in milk isn't that readily absorbed - even though everyone always touts the wonderful benefits of milk. Not to mention milk being heavily pasteurized. To tell you the truth, I have hated milk since I was a child, and quit drinking it when I was 2 (according to my mother..LOL) A cup of spinach (which I eat frequently) has almost as much calcium as a cup of milk, and almonds are a great source, too.
Oh, there are many other concerns... but my hands are getting tired of typing, so I will address those at another time.
Anyway, I had a huge food fest on Christmas Day, and enjoyed every minute of it. I then started the food plan (I won't call it a diet) Dec. 26. I lost 1 pound the first week, then had another cheat day on New Year's Day, then lost 3 pounds the second week!
I know some of you are thinking, "why are you trying to lose weight." I'm not, necessarily. I want to lose fat and to get ripped, so if you want to fault me for that, go ahead. I want a superhuman body, a body that performs better than it ever has at the age of 38. I want to run a 6:30 mile.
Where I am right now - I've been here before. I want to go where I've never been. Six (or 8..lol) pack abs...here I come. Am I starving myself??? NO. In fact, I am eating way more than ever, AND exercising LESS. That's right. I am now doing H.I.I.T. (high-intensity interval training) instead of my usual "chronic cardio." My average workout session is 30-45 mins, every other day. That's it. I have long read about the benefits of HIIT but have been too afraid to deviate from my mindless running. Now I can see that it works, because I am already faster than before - in just two weeks. There is a study in the book that compared 280 seconds of HIIT to 6 HOURS of long-distance running... and the effect was almost the SAME. Holy festivus!
And the cheat day. What glory. To actually be able to enjoy "bad" food and not have horrible guilt afterwards. It's awesome.
As you can see - I've had a lifelong battle with weight, food, exercise and restriction - and have never quite been able to find balance in these worlds. I think I've finally found the answer to a problem I've been struggling with for 30 years - and quite frankly I am ecstatic!!!
My yo-yo dieting has caused me much heartache and grief over the years... and being fat is no fun for anyone. Many of you know about my alcohol-abusive past - but my history of overcoming being fat and inactive is perhaps even more noteworthy. It's hard because a person can quit drinking alcohol - but you can't stop eating! I am sharing the information in the 4-Hour Body because it has helped free me from some of my obsessive behaviors.
I never thought in a million years that I could be fit and athletic. It's never too late to change your life...and there's no reason to fall back into old habits. The key for me was finding something reasonable that I could live with. It may seem restrictive to some - but for me, following the food plan all week long is no problem when I know I've got a "cheat" day waiting at the end of the tunnel!
I have many weight loss/fitness/lifestyle books lining the shelves of my bookcase. South Beach, Total Metabolism, Atkins New Diet Revolution, The Primal Blueprint, Exercising Through Your Pregnancy...even Richard Simmons and Susan Powter (who I love). I've taken bits, pieces and helpful pearls of wisdom from each and incorporated them into my daily lifestyle. Some are better than others, and some methods I have extracted have helped me immensely.
I've tried a number of "diets" over the years...starting at age 8 when my mom decided we were going on a weight loss plan. We decided to weigh and measure ourselves each week and stood in the living room dutifully performing arm circles, torso twists and side bends. We danced in front of the T.V. to "American Bandstand." ("you can do side bends and sit ups, but please don't lose that butt!") My mother was well-intentioned and was trying to help me lose weight, but sadly, I got fatter and more discouraged...even when I tried to slim down by eating instant oatmeal, low fat turkey sandwiches and frozen diet dinners. I just couldn't stick with it - because I was always ravenous. I would quickly return to my breakfasts of Cream-of-Wheat with heavy cream for breakfast, fattening and nutritionally-devoid school lunch at noon, afterschool snacks of buttered popcorn and bowls of Cap'N Crunch, and good old fashioned Minnesota hot dish for dinner - usually topped off with pudding or ice cream for dessert. Meanwhile, I continued to damage my metabolism and decrease my insulin sensitivity. Although I never checked, I am guessing I was pre-diabetic. Not surprisingly I got fatter and fatter...existing on all these empty carbs and convenience foods that pack the shelves of the American grocery store and keep the insulin (fat storage hormone) flowing.
This continued until 8th grade - when I decided I was sick of being fat. I was convinced that the best and fastest way to lose weight would be to starve myself - so I put myself on a ridiculous near-fast that consisted of 290 calories per day. I ate yogurt, apples, diet Shasta and sugarless gum - and that was about all. I stuck to this eating plan with militant self-control for about 2 months and rapidly lost 25 pounds. As you can imagine, this "lifestyle" was nearly impossible to maintain. I was constantly starving and obsessed with food. In 10th grade, after getting down to an all-time low of 120 pounds, I learned to binge and purge. I guess I did not meet criteria for bulimia as I only did this maybe 1-2 times per week, but it wasn't healthy by any means. I also experimented with syrup of Ipecac to induce vomiting, but the after effects were so distressing that I only did this a couple of times.
After high school, I got a job at a convenience store and was introduced to the world of stimulants. We sold a product called Ephedrine (truck stop speed), and some of my co-workers took it to stay awake during their night shifts. I had gained most of my weight back through a steady diet of Deli Express and Little Debbies and found a pleasant side effect of ephedrine - no appetite. I rapidly dropped weight again. I then began experimenting with all sorts of products containing ephedrine - from Diet Fuel to Hydroxycut to the famed ECA stack. Of course, I saw rapid weight loss and was down to 113 pounds in no time. However, I was weak, irritable, anxious and definitely not healthy. Still, I thought ephedrine was heaven-sent - and was completely convinced that I would need to take it for the rest of my life.
I only maintained my 113 pound body for about a year - despite my stringent efforts. Much to my chagrin - I started GAINING weight. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Looking back, I can see I was deluding myself - I was drinking 3-4 nights per week and eating fast food at least a couple of those nights. I was still taking ephedrine, but it no longer produced the desired effects because I had built such a tolerance. Even 12-15 pills per day produced little to no effect.
I stuck my head in the sand and stopped weighing myself, as my life spiraled out of control. I bought "forgiving" clothes like exercise pants, leggings and shorts. I didn't want to know how much weight I had gained. This went on for a year. Of course I could tell I was gaining weight - but I didn't realize HOW MUCH. I stepped on the scale in November of 1999 and was delivered a shocking revelation. I weighed 185 pounds. I was completely horrified. How had this happened???
Well, after that I decided to try "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips. I was completely transfixed by the before and after pictures of the people who had completed the program...and was determined to follow his plan to the letter. I did - and lost 22 pounds - but then I quit.
Blah. I stayed "stuck" until September of 2003 - when I started running, and this kick started my weight loss once again, but as I will discuss later, somewhat became an obsession of sorts. The running starting moving the scale and the measuring tape down - 30 pounds or so over a couple of years - then it plateaued once more. Hmmm... "must do more exercise," I told myself, but it didn't seem to be working.
Weight training? The whole, "build more muscle, burn more fat" motto??? I got P90X in February of 2009 and completed two back-to-back rounds. It is an awesome program, and I saw great results. I continue to incorporate some of my favorite workouts each week. My only gripe with P90X is that it is somewhat of a time investment, and I don't always have an hour or more to work out each day. I want to do the most I can do in the least amount of time and see the best results I can. Does that make sense? "Don't do as much as possible. Do as little as necessary." Less is more.
In August, I gave birth to my third child, a beautiful baby girl. Within days, I started back on my exercise/restriction bandwagon - and it worked beautifully for a few months. I lost all the baby weight and more - plus got down to new lows of weight and fat percentage - but then plateaued. And not only that, something was STILL wrong in my head. I kept asking myself, more and more, can I live my life like this, counting stupid calories/carbs, running miles and miles around a track, resigning myself to NEVER overeating (must not enjoy anything "off limits" - as it will surely lead to disaster)???
It didn't even seem like my body was even changing anymore, despite all my hard work and effort. I'm sure you've all heard the saying "insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results." That's exactly what I was doing. For six weeks, NOTHING moved... not the scale, not the tape measure, not the body fat. Still, I didn't deviate from my stupid regime - I just ran more miles round and round the track. STILL NO CHANGES. I was afraid to do anything differently!!!
Here is where "The 4-Hour Body" comes in.
The week of Christmas, I was shopping in Barnes and Noble to pick up some books for my kids. As I walked to the front of the store to check out, I passed by a large table of glossy books and paused momentarily to glance over them. I reminded myself that I wasn't "shopping for me," but still this "4-Hour Body" book caught my eye. I picked it up and flipped through it while waiting to check out.
The line on the front cover caught my attention. "A practical crash course in how to reinvent yourself." Ok, now you've got my attention. I flipped open to a chapter called "Damage Control." "preventing fat gain when you binge." HUH? I decided I was going home with this book.
Other chapters which captivated me:
The Minimum Effective Dose (for exercise).
Everything Popular is Wrong
The Slow Carb Diet (I and II)
The Four Horsemen of Fat Loss (PAGG stack - like the ECA stack but NONSTIMULANT!)
The Glucose Switch: Beautiful Number 100
And many more.
I started the "slow carb" diet 2 weeks ago. I eat basically organic meat and eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, nut butter, spinach and other vegetables 6 days per week. I eat every few hours, as much as I want to be satisfied. On the 7th day, your "free day" you eat WHATEVER you want. No limits.
"Body for Life" had a free day, too. I have always been afraid of free day, that it would thwart all my hard work. As explained in the 4-Hour Body, it is important to spike calories once a week because it causes a "host of hormonal changes that improve fat-loss, from increasing cAMP and GMP to improving the conversion of the T4 thyroid hormone to the more active T3."
Common concerns:
"Don't you need fruit???" No. Cavemen didn't eat fruit year-round either, and weren't feasting on fat Florida oranges in the middle of January. Too much fructose = triglycerides (via the liver) = fat storage. (the exception to this would be consuming fruit in the 30 minute window following an intense workout).
"Don't you eat dairy?? What about calcium?!" Interestingly, the calcium in milk isn't that readily absorbed - even though everyone always touts the wonderful benefits of milk. Not to mention milk being heavily pasteurized. To tell you the truth, I have hated milk since I was a child, and quit drinking it when I was 2 (according to my mother..LOL) A cup of spinach (which I eat frequently) has almost as much calcium as a cup of milk, and almonds are a great source, too.
Oh, there are many other concerns... but my hands are getting tired of typing, so I will address those at another time.
Anyway, I had a huge food fest on Christmas Day, and enjoyed every minute of it. I then started the food plan (I won't call it a diet) Dec. 26. I lost 1 pound the first week, then had another cheat day on New Year's Day, then lost 3 pounds the second week!
I know some of you are thinking, "why are you trying to lose weight." I'm not, necessarily. I want to lose fat and to get ripped, so if you want to fault me for that, go ahead. I want a superhuman body, a body that performs better than it ever has at the age of 38. I want to run a 6:30 mile.
Where I am right now - I've been here before. I want to go where I've never been. Six (or 8..lol) pack abs...here I come. Am I starving myself??? NO. In fact, I am eating way more than ever, AND exercising LESS. That's right. I am now doing H.I.I.T. (high-intensity interval training) instead of my usual "chronic cardio." My average workout session is 30-45 mins, every other day. That's it. I have long read about the benefits of HIIT but have been too afraid to deviate from my mindless running. Now I can see that it works, because I am already faster than before - in just two weeks. There is a study in the book that compared 280 seconds of HIIT to 6 HOURS of long-distance running... and the effect was almost the SAME. Holy festivus!
And the cheat day. What glory. To actually be able to enjoy "bad" food and not have horrible guilt afterwards. It's awesome.
As you can see - I've had a lifelong battle with weight, food, exercise and restriction - and have never quite been able to find balance in these worlds. I think I've finally found the answer to a problem I've been struggling with for 30 years - and quite frankly I am ecstatic!!!
My yo-yo dieting has caused me much heartache and grief over the years... and being fat is no fun for anyone. Many of you know about my alcohol-abusive past - but my history of overcoming being fat and inactive is perhaps even more noteworthy. It's hard because a person can quit drinking alcohol - but you can't stop eating! I am sharing the information in the 4-Hour Body because it has helped free me from some of my obsessive behaviors.
I never thought in a million years that I could be fit and athletic. It's never too late to change your life...and there's no reason to fall back into old habits. The key for me was finding something reasonable that I could live with. It may seem restrictive to some - but for me, following the food plan all week long is no problem when I know I've got a "cheat" day waiting at the end of the tunnel!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Becoming Superhuman
http://www.fourhourbody.com/
After reading hundreds of diet/fitness books over the years, I finally found the BEST book. I feel almost euphoric, it's like it was written for ME. I just told Mike, "I feel like I've been released from my prison." He was like, "I didn't know you were in a prison." LOL I laughed and said, "you know.. my FOOD prison.."
What I meant, is that for YEARS, I have felt out of control with regard to my body/weight. There were good and bad days/periods, times of success and failure, loss and gain... many different eating and exercise plans. Through it all... even when I DID lose weight, I would feel like I wasn't going to hold onto it. Like the next binge was going to pack on 5 pounds and result in a downward spiral toward fatsville. Because of this fear, I NEVER had cheat days... well, maybe once or twice a year... and when I did I felt awful and guilty and didn't enjoy it. Not a way to live!
The last time (prior to Christmas, 2010) I REALLY overate was 5-15-10! I almost passed out from a food/salt overdose. I told myself "never again."
After Emmy was born, as most of you would expect, I went back to my obsessive regimen of food preparation, restriction and exercise. Round and round the running track at school, like a hamster on a wheel. Don't get me wrong, you all know how much I love running - but a big part of me was wondering, "What's the point." I mean, I know running and exercise is important and essential for cardiovascular and mental health (and I would continue to do it for those reasons alone) but I am beginning to learn that the weight loss effect is negligible - and when you do "chronic cardio" you actually may be sabotaging your own body. "The 4-Hour Body" takes a less-is-more approach with respect to exercise. Doing simple, effective exercises and high-intensity interval training can have an effect as beneficial as endurance training, according to many studies! Isn't that amazing???
Leaving the hospital after having Emmy last August, I was already down to 135 pounds. 6 weeks later, I had dropped another 13 pounds. After that, the weight loss stopped... despite miles of running, plyometrics and a very strict diet. What was the problem?
Too much exercise, not enough calories, not enough water, not the RIGHT kinds of nutrients, essentially.
For the past six weeks, I did not lose an ounce. Mind you, I was running about 25 miles a week, doing plyometrics 2 days, and eating around 1400 calories a day. Many of you may be saying "What the hell, you're 122 lbs...why do you want to lose more WEIGHT..." Well, I don't necessarily want to lose "weight."
I want to lose fat. My bodyfat scale tells me I am 20%...I have heard the scales aren't very accurate, but at least it's a rough estimate.
What I want, is a SUPERHUMAN body. A body that makes people say, "what the hell have you been doing?" And this is exactly what Timothy Ferriss talks about in his book "The 4-Hour Body." I want ripped abs. I don't want to be a competitive bodybuilder or anything - but I would like to make my body the best functioning machine it can possibly be - and this book is telling me how to do just that... in specific steps. AND...I don't want to spend hours and hours working out. I want to engineer the best functioning body I can.
The book has shown me how to eat more, do less exercise and spike calories once a week to boost fat loss. I have only been following the diet for 4 days - and have already dropped 2 pounds... and that is including a HUGE Christmas Day binge food-fest!
Here's how it works. Throughout the week, I eat protein and slow-burning carbs (vegetables, black beans, lentils, spinach). I don't eat fruit or dairy. On the "free day," anything goes!!! I have also reduced my exercise... running only about 3 miles every other day and doing other exercises such as kettlebells, pushups, lunges and core work on the in-between days. My workouts rarely exceed 30 mins/day. I will be monitoring my progress with the tape measure as well.
Having a weekly cheat day makes it easy to stick to the diet all other days of the week - and I don't feel guilty about it, either, because I know it is helping to reset my metabolism to ensure it converts T4 cells to T3 cells in the thyroid! Who would've guessed a weekly caloric spike would actually boost fat burning?
Also, I am no longer a slave to exercise. I have long heard that short bursts of intense exercise can be as effective (or even more effective) as long distance training. I plan to put this to the test for myself as I am training for Grandma's this spring.
I am so excited about this. I feel like it's a plan I can live with for a lifetime. Much more to come!
After reading hundreds of diet/fitness books over the years, I finally found the BEST book. I feel almost euphoric, it's like it was written for ME. I just told Mike, "I feel like I've been released from my prison." He was like, "I didn't know you were in a prison." LOL I laughed and said, "you know.. my FOOD prison.."
What I meant, is that for YEARS, I have felt out of control with regard to my body/weight. There were good and bad days/periods, times of success and failure, loss and gain... many different eating and exercise plans. Through it all... even when I DID lose weight, I would feel like I wasn't going to hold onto it. Like the next binge was going to pack on 5 pounds and result in a downward spiral toward fatsville. Because of this fear, I NEVER had cheat days... well, maybe once or twice a year... and when I did I felt awful and guilty and didn't enjoy it. Not a way to live!
The last time (prior to Christmas, 2010) I REALLY overate was 5-15-10! I almost passed out from a food/salt overdose. I told myself "never again."
After Emmy was born, as most of you would expect, I went back to my obsessive regimen of food preparation, restriction and exercise. Round and round the running track at school, like a hamster on a wheel. Don't get me wrong, you all know how much I love running - but a big part of me was wondering, "What's the point." I mean, I know running and exercise is important and essential for cardiovascular and mental health (and I would continue to do it for those reasons alone) but I am beginning to learn that the weight loss effect is negligible - and when you do "chronic cardio" you actually may be sabotaging your own body. "The 4-Hour Body" takes a less-is-more approach with respect to exercise. Doing simple, effective exercises and high-intensity interval training can have an effect as beneficial as endurance training, according to many studies! Isn't that amazing???
Leaving the hospital after having Emmy last August, I was already down to 135 pounds. 6 weeks later, I had dropped another 13 pounds. After that, the weight loss stopped... despite miles of running, plyometrics and a very strict diet. What was the problem?
Too much exercise, not enough calories, not enough water, not the RIGHT kinds of nutrients, essentially.
For the past six weeks, I did not lose an ounce. Mind you, I was running about 25 miles a week, doing plyometrics 2 days, and eating around 1400 calories a day. Many of you may be saying "What the hell, you're 122 lbs...why do you want to lose more WEIGHT..." Well, I don't necessarily want to lose "weight."
I want to lose fat. My bodyfat scale tells me I am 20%...I have heard the scales aren't very accurate, but at least it's a rough estimate.
What I want, is a SUPERHUMAN body. A body that makes people say, "what the hell have you been doing?" And this is exactly what Timothy Ferriss talks about in his book "The 4-Hour Body." I want ripped abs. I don't want to be a competitive bodybuilder or anything - but I would like to make my body the best functioning machine it can possibly be - and this book is telling me how to do just that... in specific steps. AND...I don't want to spend hours and hours working out. I want to engineer the best functioning body I can.
The book has shown me how to eat more, do less exercise and spike calories once a week to boost fat loss. I have only been following the diet for 4 days - and have already dropped 2 pounds... and that is including a HUGE Christmas Day binge food-fest!
Here's how it works. Throughout the week, I eat protein and slow-burning carbs (vegetables, black beans, lentils, spinach). I don't eat fruit or dairy. On the "free day," anything goes!!! I have also reduced my exercise... running only about 3 miles every other day and doing other exercises such as kettlebells, pushups, lunges and core work on the in-between days. My workouts rarely exceed 30 mins/day. I will be monitoring my progress with the tape measure as well.
Having a weekly cheat day makes it easy to stick to the diet all other days of the week - and I don't feel guilty about it, either, because I know it is helping to reset my metabolism to ensure it converts T4 cells to T3 cells in the thyroid! Who would've guessed a weekly caloric spike would actually boost fat burning?
Also, I am no longer a slave to exercise. I have long heard that short bursts of intense exercise can be as effective (or even more effective) as long distance training. I plan to put this to the test for myself as I am training for Grandma's this spring.
I am so excited about this. I feel like it's a plan I can live with for a lifetime. Much more to come!
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Finale!
Well, it has taken me three weeks to tell you about the birth of the baby! Bad me!!! I meant to come in here sooner and update, but well ya know how life gets away from you when a newborn comes on the scene!
Okay, so it was August 12th...one of the hottest days this summer - probably close to 90 and just as hot in my house. I lamented to Mike that night after watching the weather, "I think she barometric pressure is going to drop tomorrow and I am going to go into labor."
The morning of August 13th, I went to the gym and ran my three miles in roughly 32 minutes. I went home and showered - and when I got out of the shower - it seemed that something was "dripping," if you know what I mean. I couldn't tell if it was just water from the shower or what. LOL Anyway, I had a doctor appointment in about another hour, so I figured she could check me out then.
When I got to the doc, I had to provide a urine sample as per the usual - and while I was in the bathroom I noticed another gush of fluid and was pretty sure my water had broken.
Shortly after that I was up on the exam table and the doctor confirmed that, yes, my water had broken. I was kind of in shock, I haven't had that happen with my other two kids. I just sat there on the table thinking, "is this IT?" Thirteen days early???
I texted Mike and told him it was confirmed, my water HAD broken. The doctor told me I should get over to the hospital. I asked her if I could just go home until I started having contractions (I was feeling no pain) but she said they like to monitor you once your water breaks.
Then I asked if it was okay if I went home to get my stuff and she said yes. I did go home - but before I did I went to Arby's (LOL) knowing they would not let me eat once I was admitted to the hospital!
Then I went home, showered, packed my bag, cleaned the house, did a few other things and then Mike brought Macy to the sitter. I didn't end up making it to the hospital til 4 p.m. hahaha.. The nurses were like, "Oh, there you are - we were wondering if you were coming!"
Still no serious contractions.
They decided to just let me labor for a while and see what happened... apparently my cervix was not totally ripe so they gave me something to help it ripen. I started to contract some but not too intense. I had contractions through the night and dozed off and on until 6 a.m. when they started me on pitocin and gave me an epidural.
Once I was on the pitocin, it took about an hour and a half for me to fully dialate - then ONE PUSH and baby girl was here!!!
I couldn't believe it. It was so fast, and I had no tearing or stitches. Unbelievable!
Baby girl (who didn't have a name yet) was 6 lbs. 11.5 ounces and 19 inches long. She is totally gorgeous and the most wonderful baby.
It took Mike and I another full day after she was born to finally name her. Her name is Emilyn Danielle - Danielle is after my dad who passed away in 2002.
She will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and is a really good sleeper. I feel very fortunate that she sleeps well as I have to start school in a few days!
As for my body, I am getting it back :) I gained a total of 18 lbs after losing a couple the week before delivery, and lost 12 in the birth. I have since lost a few more leaving me with only about 3 lbs and some ab work and I will be back where I was! I also went back to the gym three days after delivery, I had NO pain or complications... I couldn't have asked for a better experience!!!
I feel happy and thrilled, almost euphoric.. and have had NO depressed feelings like I did after Macy. I feel on top of the world. I am truly blessed!!!
Monday, August 2, 2010
37 Weeks
37 weeks
Wow...3 weeks or less to go...can you believe it?!?! I thought this time would never come...
I finished work last week and I'm now officially "on leave." It's nice. We did a lot of work in the girls' room last weekend and we're all ready should the lil girl decide to arrive early!
I was really proud of myself yesterday - went to the gym and ran 5 miles on the treadmill! I think I am a lot more wimpy when I'm by myself. LOL It is a lot more motivating working out when you have a couple of "cardio queens" on each side of you busting their butts. I ran at about a 5.8 mile pace and it felt good. Very surprised I can still do that at 37 weeks!
I went to the doc last Friday - she checked me and said my cervix is "very soft" but still not dialated and pretty long. She has limited availability this week, so I will be seeing the nurse practitioner. I'll see my reg. doc at 38.5 weeks. She ventured to guess I would "still be pregnant then."
I got a terrible leg cramp a few nights ago! I woke up screaming in agony and tried to get out of bed as fast as I could, knowing I could alleviate the pain if I stood up. I got all tangled up in the sheets and tumbled out of bed! We have a very high bed, too... but I had a bunch of pillows on the floor so thankfully I didn't hurt myself. Mike woke up in a panic shouting, "What's wrong?!" He had terror in his voice! I guess he thought I was going into labor. As soon as I stood up on my foot, the cramp went away. However, my calf ached for the entire rest of the day! What a way to wake up!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
7-21-10
35 weeks pregnant
About a month to go!!!
I've been having some tremendous pelvic pressure. When I stand up from a sitting position or exert any effort, I feel intense pressure bearing down. Makes me nervous... wondering if the baby is going to stay in there! People close to me say I've grown a lot in the last month.
It's been unusually warm around here lately. As you may know, I don't have air conditioning or a house that is conducive to getting a breeze blowing through it, which really sucks. It's bearable most of the time... but some days in the late afternoon the sun just comes beating in the dining room windows and cranks up the temp in here. My sleeping has been really poor, so being in a hot house makes it much worse. Today looks to be in the 80's. Missing my old friend, the lake breeze.
I'm getting super antsy. Is it the nesting instinct??? I have to work today and tomorrow... then 4 days next week and I am DONE. I cannot believe next week is my LAST week. No one really knows what will become of me in the future, as far as work is concerned. I have reduced my status officially to "part-time," but it's unclear whether there will be anything PT for me once my FMLA expires in late October. I am not stressing about it too much. I am SUPER excited about going back to school in September, and with the demands of that along with a new baby - I will have my plate full :-)
A lot of people are surprised I am going to school full-time this fall - and tell me I am going to be exhausted and overwhelmed. That may be true... but I have a couple of important things going for me! For one, the exercise piece helps me tremendously. It gives me energy, motivation and combats sleepiness. I cannot WAIT to get back to my regular program - and for running to be fun again! There's an awesome wellness center on campus and I will be spending most of my time there for my classes in Exercise Physiology. If I am not able to work out prior to school in the morning, I will have breaks throughout the day where I can utilize the facilities. Plus, there's my awesome husband. He is so helpful and is totally supporting me in my goals. We will take turns getting up in the night like we did before - plus he is working from home for the month of September so I can attend school until the baby is old enough to go to daycare. Annnnnd.... of course I am tremendously excited to study my passion and to charter a new path for myself. So many wonderful things to look forward to!
I continue running...but it is much more difficult. I was proud of myself for getting a 6-miler in last Sunday. I can still do the first mile in about 9:15, then I usually slow down to 11 minute miles. That is ok with me. At least it feels like a workout! (even bending over to pick something up off the floor feels like a workout to me at this point...LOL) I also take walking breaks when needed and don't feel bad about it. Sometimes I get those round ligament pains when running, they sorta feel like a sharp stitch in your lower belly and make running almost impossible - so I need to stop and walk until the feeling passes. In addition to running I do my plyometrics workout on Tuesdays (super modified) and pushups. While I'm at work I try to take a lot of walking breaks. I will just get up and walk around... it also gives me an excuse to go outside, hike up the hill and get a cold beverage. LOL I am going to miss working downtown, it's fun having easy access to all the local businesses and being down where all the action is!
I have a doctor appointment this Friday. I hope she will check my cervix this time to see if anything is "happening." I feel like it just MUST be...with all this pressure and weird pains I have been experiencing, but you never know - could just be my own wishful thinking! We will see. I will keep you updated!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Into the Home Stretch (almost 34 weeks!)
According to my estimated due date, I have 46 days to go.
46 days, that's it!!! Wonder if she will come early??? My due date is 8-25-10. Everyone I see tells me how small I am. A lady at work the other day actually said to me, "I sure hope you get a lot bigger before you deliver!" I thought that was a strange comment. Not sure what she meant by it... maybe that it looks like the baby has a lot of growing to do? I responded, "Well I don't!" LOL Who wants to get huge and be more miserable??? At my last dr. appt, the baby was estimated at 4.5 pounds, right on track for growth. My uterus also measured exactly at the number of weeks it was supposed to. My other two pregnancies were very similar...I carried sort of "compactly" and my babies were 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 7 pounds, 2 ounces. I am not worried.
I am pleased with my weight gain, 18 pounds so far. I checked my weight card from my pregnancy with Macy and right now I weigh 17 pounds less than I did with Macy at this time in the pregnancy. Of course I started out lighter this time also, but I think it makes it a lot easier, especially in the hot summer months - to not weigh so much. It's been very hot around here this past week - and we don't have air conditioning since we rarely need it. There have been a few VERY uncomfortable sleeping nights. It won't last, though. Today looks to be a gorgeous beach day! We're planning to take Macy to build some sand castles. She will love it!
I've kept up my running, although it gets more and more difficult. I'm proud that I can still run a mile in around 9:15 even at almost 34 weeks pregnant! I haven't been doing any long runs since the marathon - I usually do them on Saturdays and the weather has been hot the past two weeks so I've skipped it. I refuse to run more than 5 miles on the treadmill...lol My runs are usually 3-4 miles on the treadmill in the basement where it's cool, with the fan blowing on me. I gotta do what I can to keep myself cool and comfortable! I also do plyometrics and pushups throughout the week.
I haven't had too many pregnancy symptoms to speak of, although I have a very nasty vericose vein in the back of my leg, just below where my knee bends. I hate it... it looks gross and when I run my hand over it, it feels bumpy. YUCK. I am going to see about having it removed after the baby is born. Mike says he can't notice it, but I think he's just being nice... No new stretch marks, though...YAY! I have a few old ones from Hailey - but that was 16 years ago and they are very faded and not very conspicuous. I am fortunate that way : )
Well, time to get ready to hit the beach!
46 days, that's it!!! Wonder if she will come early??? My due date is 8-25-10. Everyone I see tells me how small I am. A lady at work the other day actually said to me, "I sure hope you get a lot bigger before you deliver!" I thought that was a strange comment. Not sure what she meant by it... maybe that it looks like the baby has a lot of growing to do? I responded, "Well I don't!" LOL Who wants to get huge and be more miserable??? At my last dr. appt, the baby was estimated at 4.5 pounds, right on track for growth. My uterus also measured exactly at the number of weeks it was supposed to. My other two pregnancies were very similar...I carried sort of "compactly" and my babies were 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 7 pounds, 2 ounces. I am not worried.
I am pleased with my weight gain, 18 pounds so far. I checked my weight card from my pregnancy with Macy and right now I weigh 17 pounds less than I did with Macy at this time in the pregnancy. Of course I started out lighter this time also, but I think it makes it a lot easier, especially in the hot summer months - to not weigh so much. It's been very hot around here this past week - and we don't have air conditioning since we rarely need it. There have been a few VERY uncomfortable sleeping nights. It won't last, though. Today looks to be a gorgeous beach day! We're planning to take Macy to build some sand castles. She will love it!
I've kept up my running, although it gets more and more difficult. I'm proud that I can still run a mile in around 9:15 even at almost 34 weeks pregnant! I haven't been doing any long runs since the marathon - I usually do them on Saturdays and the weather has been hot the past two weeks so I've skipped it. I refuse to run more than 5 miles on the treadmill...lol My runs are usually 3-4 miles on the treadmill in the basement where it's cool, with the fan blowing on me. I gotta do what I can to keep myself cool and comfortable! I also do plyometrics and pushups throughout the week.
I haven't had too many pregnancy symptoms to speak of, although I have a very nasty vericose vein in the back of my leg, just below where my knee bends. I hate it... it looks gross and when I run my hand over it, it feels bumpy. YUCK. I am going to see about having it removed after the baby is born. Mike says he can't notice it, but I think he's just being nice... No new stretch marks, though...YAY! I have a few old ones from Hailey - but that was 16 years ago and they are very faded and not very conspicuous. I am fortunate that way : )
Well, time to get ready to hit the beach!
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