This woman's new life

Roadside Assistance

2010-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

The journey continues on, and I decided to get a little "roadside assistance" from Weight Watchers. Good decision I think. I was doing many good things, making changes and sticking with them but wasn't seeing the results I wanted: weight loss!! I was kind of bouncing up and down in the same 5-10 lb area on the scale and still doing things to sabotage the whole plan.
I feel differently than the many other times I've joined Weight Watchers. This time it isn't so hard to stay on track and I realize all that stuff they teach is so helpful!
I've also been exercising more-and harder and I feel like I can. I feel stronger in my daily activities; going up stairs, getting up off the couch, in and our of the car, things that use to hurt don't hurt so much now. I've lost 6.2 lbs and man is it coming off slowly...I've never lost weight so slowly before. I know what they say about it being harder when you are older, but come on now...geez, I'm not that old am I?
I've been using an extra tool to keep track of my progress. On fitness.bizcalcs.com there is a Body Fat Percentage calculator, it helps me see total results, not just weight loss, but fat loss and the building of my lean mass-love it. So although I've only lost 6.2 lbs, I can see that I've lost 4 lbs of fat and gained 3 lbs of lean body mass. WooHoo!

I feel good!

2009-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

I continue to feel better and lose lbs, and I don't even feel like I'm trying. At least it doesn't feel like the old days of dieting. The re-introducing of foods was a little more difficult for me than I thought it would be. Part of that reason was because I went on a road trip in the middle of it all. So I'm not sure about my results. I would like to start from the beginning and do it all again, partly because I felt so good while on the 3 week plan.
The first food I re-introduced was eggs, one of my fav's I ate them every morning, for years. Surprise ~when I had them again my face broke out in tiny whiteheads, all around my lips~strange. No reaction from tomatoes, soy, corn, that I can tell. The problem is that some of these foods I added too close together. I do think I have some trouble with wheat/Gluten so I will be avoiding that for a while and see how I do when I have it again. Sugar was a biggie, I knew that, but when I had some of it (Little Debbie Swiss Rolls and Donuts) it made a big difference, swollen lymph glands in my neck, fatigue, cranky...get the hint-no more sugar! Which doesn't make me as sad as it use to to think that I can't pig-out on sugary stuff.
Many of the changes that I made during those 3 weeks have stuck with me, and I feel so much better because of them. I (therefore we) am eating and cooking simpler. No more casseroles, things with cheese melted all over the top, no "cream of" anything, just simple ingredients cooked simply. Lean protein, lots of veggies, fruit, and a little whole grain starches such as rice, or quinoa. I am finally doing more of the things I always knew I should, like eating more fish -2x a week now, taking my supplements more regularly-vit D3 and fish oil, juicing-hurray for Jack LaLanne's power juicer! It feels good!

New Path

2009-08-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

I feel so good about the new things happening in my life~ I want to share. I'm not shouting from the roof tops because I know those who know me well are a little tired of hearing about the latest and greatest "diet" or program, so I will just quietly blog here and get it out of my system and maybe inspire or encourage someone in the same place.
Through my cousin I found a great Dr. who is helping me along this journey to wellness. During our 2 hr. visit the other day I was able to explain to him the many issues I've been dealing with over the years and finally someone listened! I've been dealing with pain and fatigue for a while now and it just seems to be getting worse, often hindering me in my quest to lose weight.
The underlying factor in all this is INFLAMMATION, it is taking over my body, and to find out what is causing this inflammation I have begun a 3 week diet, removing the most common foods that cause sensitivity.
MediClear is a program of cleansing and nutrient support while I am on this diet. It is inexpensive and so far I am doing well:
Week One: Easing into the diet, removing some food categories; corn, wheat, tomatoes, soy, peanuts, shellfish, beef, pork, dairy, sugars. Drinking a Mediclear "shake" once a day.
So far I'm doing well, I haven't really missed most of the things I use to eat. I have had a few cravings for goodies, but they pass and I can find something else to fill the void. It's early to see many changes~today is Day 3~but the hope is that I will begin to feel better, joint pain and muscle pain will ease up and go away, energy will increase.
After the 3 weeks, I will slowly-one by one- begin to reintroduce the sensitive foods and see how I feel, thereby figuring out what my body is sensitive to.
This is a very brief description, there are many more things that he recommended and I will write about those as well. The biggest thing that I want to express is Hope~I am once again hopeful that I will get better, feel better and get back to the person I want to be.
Typical Food Day:
Morning-
Warm water with lemon
MediClear powder in Rice milk with banana
Turkey Sausage
Mixed Berries
Snack-
Pear
Lunch-
Mixed salad with cajun chicken breast
Snack-
Raw Almonds
Dinner-
Grilled Salmon
Steamed cauliflower
Beets
Mashed potatoes
Snack-
Rice cake with almond butter
This is not a calorie counting type diet, just avoiding certain foods and getting plenty of good stuff in for now makes me feel great.
So I'm off to get in a work-out and spend some time the sauna (get out some more toxins!)

Baby get back

2009-07-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, I am such a slacker~it's been over a month since I've even looked at this blog. My efforts at exercise and eating well have also been slacking. It started out with a yucky sinus cold, neck and back pain, and then Mr R. got this swimmers ear infection, so we haven't been to the gym in a couple of weeks~bad.
Bad for the weight loss progress, but also bad for the emotional/mind connection to this whole thing. I know that exercising every day keeps my mind in the right place~up in the happy zone and not down in the dumps I hate me and everything is awful zone.
I went to Lane Bryant today just to get a couple of summer t-shirts, nothing fit and it all looked terrible-I hate dressing rooms!!! AAArRRGGH~~***
So Rebecca, it is time to get back on track, back to the pool, back to sweating with the oldy, back to life at the gym, back to veggieville (don't stop me, I'm on a roll)back to....

Thursday check-in

2009-06-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've had a great couple of days, yesterday was another round of aqua-sloshing, up and down, back and forth in the pool followed by hot tub and sauna. I managed to get my fruits and veggies in, thanks to a trip to a Chinese buffet~probably not the best way to do it, too many other temptations, but it will do in a pinch.
Today I tried the elliptical, thinking it would work better for my knee~think again, it was painful. So instead I walked back and forth in the pool, which is something I've done before, but always got slowed down in the deep end, so I would "swim" through the deep end. It never really worked well because I think my heart rate would go down in the deep end. So, today I just walked as fast as I could and turned around at about 4' and kept that up for 20 mins. I will keep that up and see if I get results. I would like to try it with shoes on, some old tenny's instead of water shoes, for some more support. I don't want to give up on the aerobic part of my work-out, I know it is important, so I will keep trying things until I (or my knee) can stand it.
I got the veggie's and fruit in, but just barely five. I need to do better pre-planning in that area.
So tomorrow:
1. Ice the knee
2. Upper body weights
3. 7 fruits & veggies!

Nine a Day

2009-06-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Had great work-outs two days in a row now! Yesterday we joined in with the Aqua class, with the tough-guy teacher! So a lot of running and kicking, it felt good. Tonight I gave my legs a workin' over~quads, hammies, abductors, adductors, and calves. 3 sets of 20 reps each~~twice! I won't be able to walk tomorrow!
So for tomorrow we will try Aqua class again.
Oh, and I had 3 veggies, 3 fruits today. I'm trying for at least 5 fruits and veggies each day, but I should get 9!
Tomorrow, the sun will come out, and I will be eating fruits and veggies.
Lovin' this life.

Friday Follow-up

2009-05-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

So I managed to get the icing done and get in the pool. Not all 3, but I feel better. I spent some time in the hot tub, massaging my knee with the jets~it's tough, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! So it feels somewhat better tonight.
Tomorrow, is anotha' day~I have some Scarlett in me~and I will get to the club and do
1. lwr body weights
2. pool time
3. ice it baby 3X

New Plan

2009-05-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't been so active over here on this blog. I forget about it, and just ramble around in my head all the things I should be writing here. I need to be more accountable, if only to a computer keyboard~sounds crazy, I know.
I think I should post here twice a day, first with my "get moving" plans and then again with how I did that day. That should help keep me thinking about it anyway.
Of course, like most things I have lost my initial steam with this moving more everyday. Part of that is because I HURT! And I don't mean the usual muscle pain that comes with getting fit. This seems to happen every time I get going with more exercise, it's usually my knee, as it is this time (along with a few other places). Right now my knee is worse; swollen, inflamed, painful, aching at night, can't walk very far kind of pain. So that has slowed me down. No more long walks.
Instead I need to focus on what I CAN do: I can move in the pool without too much pain, it doesn't get my heart rate up to where it should be, but I am moving. I can do upper body and some lower body weight training~so keep that up. I can do floor exercises "The CORE Program by Peggy W. Brill" to strengthen my core. See there~all the things I can do! I feel better all ready.
So, today..I will:
1. Ice my knee 3X
2. CORE
3. Lwr body weights & pool time
I'll check in tonight and see how I did!

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

I think today will be a pool day. Mr R and I went on a great walk yesterday through the City Cemetery~~lots of great old headstones, as far back as 1860's. I came home pretty creaky and hurting--ankles, knees, low back and shoulder--geez, when will the pain end and I can do more?
I am in the second week of a "cleanse". I am taking the advice of a women's health site about how to get rid of fibroid tumors--doing some cleanses to clear things out and begin to balance my hormone levels--estrogen causes the tumors to grow so I need to get that all balanced out.
The first one is a parasite cleanse--sounds gross I know--but relatively harmless, just taking capsules with lots of fiber and herbs to make the environment unfriendly for parasites and get it all "outta there". Feeling pretty clean right now!

Progress

2009-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted on here..but I can gladly say I have kept moving that whole time! My goal to move more everyday has been a good one, because some days that's all I can muster. There are days when everything hurts, or one thing hurts really bad! So just getting in the pool and moving back and forth is a good thing.
Since we signed up at LA Fitness I have lost 11 lbs and 2% body fat!!! Yippee! I am so excited about that especially because I have not dieted a single day~~~that is like a miracle for me~~(there should be angels singing right now!)
I feel better body and mind, freeing my mind from the constraints of dieting and all the craziness involved feels so darn good! I want to yell it from the rooftops! I have been reading a book called "I can make you thin" (I can't remember the authors name right now), it has helped me with putting my mind in the right place-all about "am I hungry" and not about what can I or can't I eat.
It feels good to be making progress and loving this new life!

Still going

2009-02-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

It has been 4 weeks now and I am still moving more and more each week. Calvin and I went on a long (3 mile) walk on Saturday, I was exhausted, but made it home without totally crashing or having any major pains. I can tell that I am stronger--getting up out of chairs and going up stairs have become easier. To some these little things may not mean much, but they are the things that bothered me, the initial signs that I was going down hill--and fast.
I don't know if I've lost any more weight, since I haven't weighed in a while. Sometimes weighing myself just sets me back, because it is never what I think it should be. It is better to just keep going and notice the other accomplishments.
This feels so much better than dieting, or following some plan. With that I always feel, no matter how much I tell myself otherwise, that it is a temporary thing. But this time it feels permanent, just some changes that I am making in my life that will now be my life...more movement, taking care of myself, and if this is all I change than okay, it will improve my health and the weight will slowly come off and stay off for good.

Move it

2009-01-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

2 weeks now and I am still exercising everyday in some way. I guess that is my goal for now, just move it everyday in some way. I still have been going to LA Fitness and adding more on to my workout. I am following (albeit loosely) the Body for Life program of weight lifting and aerobic workout and spending time in the pool/hot tub/sauna. It just feels so good to be moving and taking care of myself.

Keep walking

2009-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Not feeling too excited today. But I am still going. I have been going to LA fitness often, and last night really did a good workout on my arms. I need to choose a plan and follow it so I can see some good results. Right now I am just feeling good about moving more and stepping up my activity level. I lost 5 lbs and that made me feel good, even tho I have so far to go it's good to see a small result!

Giant step forward

2009-01-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

I made a giant step yesterday. We joined LA Fitness as a family. In the past this type of membership (fitness club) has been so helpful to me, especially when I have joined with my family. I am excited to be able to go anytime I want and especially have the pool. I feel so good when I exercise in water. It takes less than 10 mins to get there==so cool!!! Natie and I went last night and I moved around in the pool and sat in the hot tub and sauna. I do feel a little intimidated by the others who are more fit. It is a very open area and you can see everyone else, I hate having people look at me and know what they are thinking--or at least I think I know. But I just have to go into my own little world and blank them out and keep working for my own good.

The joy continues...

2009-01-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

Well, I went for a walk this afternoon. The day didn't start out as I had planned, I didn't sleep well last night (snoring man) so I didn't bounce out of bed at 7:30 am as planned. I rolled out at 9 instead which seemed to throw everything else off. I didn't do my Yoga as planned or jump on the mini tramp--for tomorrow I guess. But yes, I did do the Officer's Row walk. My joints were complaining, especially hips, but it felt good to be out in the air and moving.
I got a little down on myself after reading a late Christmas letter from some family who seem to have it all together--thin and finances under control--all that I am not--not at this time anyway, but this is a new beginning, a new year and a new me! But I took a little time to grouse about it (in my head) blah, blah, blah...So shut-up and move on, so what if you are not them, and never will be. You are you, a well loved daughter of your Heavenly Father, with divine qualities. I have the potential to be and do all that I want--remember that.

Beginning the joy

2009-01-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Well, since this is my own private blog I feel I can just be honest here, without wondering who will read it and think I am crazy!!! I want to have a new life, one that will lead me to weight loss and feeling great--no pain and becoming a recluse on the couch. So I thought this would be a good way to chronicle that journey, and who knows, when I arrive at my destination (how will I know?) I can look back and discover that the joy was in the journey.
So I am beginning at a pretty low spot. The heaviest I've ever weighed (I'm not sure what that is since I put the scale away a few weeks ago) but I know before I put it away it was the biggest number I've ever seen on the scale. I am not able to do a lot of things because of my weight and size. Getting up out of chairs, couch, etc. is difficult, partly because of my size and because of my bad knee (which is made worse because of the extra weight on it). I am at the point of going up stairs one leg at a time, and there are a lot of exercises I can't do because of the knee--which I am blaming the weight as the main cause of the knee pain. Sometimes at night I can hear wheezing when I breathe, probably from all the fat weighing down on my chest. And I look horrible, double chin, huge belly --just plain big. I wear around a size 24/26, 3X. So there is all the truth. I am at the bottom, with nowhere to go but up!
Every night I tell myself that tomorrow I will begin anew, but the day goes by and I have not. I hope that by writing and posting my feelings and ideas that I will be motivated to do something.
I think that if I just go for a walk everyday it would help me so much. so I pledge that tomorrow I will go for a walk--in the morning I will walk down Officer's Row, rain or shine. a good place to begin.