... February review and March preview ...

Posted on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 05:12 in random ramblings

We dealt with a lot of illness in our home in February and so there wasn't much thinking going on with regards to healthy living. But, it's a new month and so time to get back on track. I've just had a check-up with my endocronologist and all of my lab results were normal. That is a good thing. However, it doesn't help me figure out what I need to do to lose weight. BOTH of my Dr.'s have told me that PCOS makes it very, VERY difficult to lose weight. Yep, I already knew that as I've been trying for almost 4 years to lose about 20-30 lbs.

So, I'm basically starting all over again like I did in January. My plans for this month are:

- start keeping a daily food diary so that I know the details of what is going into my body

- more veggies every day!

- more water daily

- take the new BodyPump class at the gym 2-3 days weekly with my daughter (she also has a lot of weight to lose)

- eat every 3 hours following the Insulin Resistance Diet and using the glycemic index; combining several techniques from things that have worked before will hopefully give me a quicker loss

I think that once I get all of these techniques in place, my loss will begin and hopefully continue until the end.

Today's weight at home: 158 lbs.        -----                Goal for April 4th: 152 lbs.

... 3 days down, 362 to go ...

Posted on Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 11:33 in random ramblings

I never did post my measurements for January and so am going to do that now. I took these on January 3 and they may have changed a bit since I am up from 157.4 to 159 lbs. in that time. I was going to post pictures, but I haven't taken them yet! I'll measure again in 4 weeks and also blog about the healthy changes that I have made in that time. I'll probably blog in between, but this is not my main blog.

Weight (1/27/08) - 159 lbs.

Neck - 14 in.

Bust - 40.5,  ribs - 35

Bicep - 11.5

Waist - 33.75, pooch - 37, hips - 39

Thigh - 22, calf - 15.5

I do hope to take some pictures so that I have 'BEFOREs' and 'AFTERs' to compare when my year is up!

... not a great week ...

Posted on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 09:47 in random ramblings

This was not a great week for me in my journey to get healthier. I did get on the treadmill twice and made it to the gym once. However, my mood has sunk to an all-time low and I just don't want to think about eating well or exercising. Yes, that is counter-productive, but I have dealt with depression for over 14 years and it gets worse during the winter time, so I'm used to this. It's depressing to know that you weigh more than your husband ... sigh ... my husband is the symbol of health - is thin and fit, runs (is training for a marathon), can eat whatever he wants, has great cholesterol levels and blood pressure, blah, blah, blah!

I don't like what I see in the mirror and that affects my feelings about intimacy with my husband. I don't want him to see me this way ... yuck! I caved and ate chocolate and a chocolate milkshake from McD's this week. I'm eating late at night and I'm eating even when not hungry. I just feel beat ... unattractive, bloated, and a failure. I couldn't even make myself go to the gym this morning. I didn't have any excuse, really ... just couldn't see the point of going - it's not going to do me any good anyway.

My itchy hands are driving me crazy and their presence is constant distracting me from everything else going on. I just can't focus right now. I know that this is PMS week and that is part of my problem, but I'm also dealing with the constant thought that I'm going to fail again, so why bother even trying?

Sorry that this is such a negative post, but I need to be honest during this journey. I'll probably not post again until I can work through this negativity and deal with my emotions and feelings about all of this. So, I'll be back when I'm ready!

... taking baby steps ...

Posted on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at 02:36 in random ramblings

I wimped out this week and didn't make it to the gym at all. I didn't even get on my treadmill at home either. Part of the reason is that I decided to enjoy my last few days of our winter break. The other reason is due to some fear and doubt. Part of me doubts that I all of my efforts will work THIS time ... why should it be different than any other time. Yep, I have my 'little devil' sitting on my shoulder whispering negative thoughts into my ear. I also fear that I will fail once again ... it seems easier to just keep doing what I am doing - the status quo seems enough.

My husband has been great this week as I've talked to him about my fears and doubts. He has reminded me to take baby steps. I have over a year to do this, so it's not like I need to get it all done in 3 months or whatever. He says that my first step should just be to GET MOVING! I read something recently that said that people who are long-term exercisers make the exercise time work into their schedule so that it's not inconvenient. I gave this some thought and I do believe that I have come up with a great, doable schedule that I can begin on Monday. I'll get up with my dh at 6am and hop on the treadmill M-F for about 45 minutes. On M, W, F, I'll do some ab work for other 15 minutes following the routine in The Abs Diet book. I have to drop my kids off for karate on Mon. and Thurs. and so I'm already at the gym. Instead of doing my typical drop-the-kids-and-return-home routine, I'll get my 2 weekly sessions of weight training in. On Saturdays, my family will drop me off at the gym as they head to karate practice. I'll take the 9:15am BodyPump class and the 10:30 yoga class or swim some laps and then they'll pick me up on their way back home. I'm not sure that I am much of a class person as evidenced by the choices I make for exercise - walking, running, swimming. But I hear the BodyPump class is a great workout so I want to try it a few times. I figure that I'll have a good routine going by the end of the month and I'm not making extra trips to the fitness center to get it done.

I have taken my measurements, but not my pictures. I'll get this taken care of and posted soon. I've already lost an inch in my 'pooch,' probably due to the gentle DIY cleanse that I am doing (see previous post). I have most of a cleanse kit from BlessedHerbs.com left over and I'll be doing that cleanse in a few weeks after my PMS and cycle weeks are gone. To get the best results, you have to go on a juice fast while doing the cleanse and I don't want to do that during my hungry weeks! I am happy that I have already lost about 2.5 lbs. I think I did pretty well controlling my emotional hunger this week.

I guess that is all for this update. I'll update at least once next week ... we are getting back to homeschooling, so my internet time will be a bit more limited. I hope you are doing well with whatever things you are doing to get healthier!

... The DIY cleanse ...

Posted on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 at 09:22 in random ramblings

I came across this blog - The Do-It-Yourself Cleanse - sometime last year and saved the info so that I could attempt this on my own someday. I have done cleanses before and I do feel better when I do them, but I am curious to do a long-term cleanse this time around. This one is cheaper than any program you can buy and will take me a month to complete. The basic info on how to do the cleanse is in this post. I was only able to find 2 of the items - the psyllium husk and some senna. CVS has their brand of most items on sale, buy 1, get the 2nd item 1/2 off. So I bought two containers of sugar-free berry-flavored fiber. It's not bad! I cannot find the tea or digestive enzymes locally, so bought some store-brand senokot pills.

I emailed the blog's author and asked some questions and here are some answers that she shared with me:

I'll let you know how it goes at the end of the month. I found some digestive enzymes and the Smooth Move tea at Vitacost.com, but decided to try it without those items the first time around. I'll probably do another cleanse after about 3-4 months. I can tell that I am needing one as things are NOT moving out as quickly as I would like, if you know what I mean!

I haven't taken any measurements of pictures yet, but I will do so soon. I forgot to do it this morning. I'll get it done tomorrow  ... trust me, the pictures will be hard for me to post, but I need to do it for posterity to see myself change over the course of a year. My sugar cravings are going away slowly, but surely. I'm on the downhill slide towards PMS symptoms next week, so I'll be curious to see how I feel then. If I can make it through that week without chocolate, then I usually lose a bit of weight.

Well, I want to read a bit more of The Writing Diet before bed, so I best get offline. Back soon with some stats and pictures!

... A new year, a new me! ...

Posted on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 12:25 in random ramblings

I really want to journal my journey toward a healthy me and I'm only going to do this for a year. On January 24, 2009, I will turn 40 years old ... one of those milestones, probably the biggest milestone for me so far. Seems like yesterday I was 21 and getting married or almost 25 and delivering my first child and that 30th birthday doesn't seem almost NINE years ago ... boy, time sure does fly!

I have several health issues which I think that a weight loss and regular exercise program will help. I'll blog about each one of them later. I have tried diets and other various lifestyle changes for about 6 years now and had my greatest success over 3 years ago. But I didn't keep up what I was doing and the weight came back on PLUS some! I currently am at my heighest weight in about 7 years of so! Yikes! Time to take charge of my health and get ready for the next 40 years of my life!

For the next week or so, I'll be blogging basic information about my current stats, exercise routine plans, eating choices and MORE! Today, I'm just getting things set up and ready to roll!