A friend of mine wrote me a post on Facebook today. She wrote:
"So I've been keeping up with your fitness blog, congrats on the weightloss!! I just wanted to tell you that for the past month, minus 2 or 3 cheat days, I have completely given up bread. Here is a great article about why you should. I thought you might find it very interesting. Keep up the great work girl!!"
Naturally, this made my day!!! I've cut out all bread products for the past month. And, as previously mentioned in an earlier post, I ate a Subway sandwich once after about 3 weeks of no bread... And I felt like CRAP. I totally believe every word of it. I do believe you need grains in your diet in order to fully metabolize and rid toxins from your body. But there are many other grains to get fiber from. You can get fiber from veggies and fruit too! Yes, I will miss eating a turkey sandwich on wheat but I'd rather miss out on a sandwich than miss out on a healthy body.
A few things Dr. Mark Hyman mentioned that caught my attention are three important ways wheat can cause problems (Read article for more details):
- It contains a Super Starch -- amylopectin A that is super fattening.
- It contains a form of Super Gluten that is super-inflammatory.
- It contains forms of a Super Drug that is super-addictive and makes you crave and eat more.
I'm not so sure about gluten-free lifestyles yet. I still have more to learn from them. Until then, I will continue on my no bread, no processed food, no sugary drinks lifestyle.
The key to making a new lifestyle work is to view it in a positive manner. Don't think of the things you can't have. Think of what you can have and soon your body will be craving the good foods instead of the bad. I don't want doughnuts or fried chicken. I want yummy grilled chicken and dried cranberries and dark chocolate or carob covered almonds. I want natural and whole foods. I don't miss Sonic Route 44 Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper or Coke Zero. I crave water and green tea. It's astonishing. This has been the easiest transition I've ever had. With a detox too! I honestly feel better than I have in years. I still have fatigue and all that but I can walk up 4 flights of stairs and not feel like passing out. It takes me seconds to regain my breath instead of minutes. It gave me a little boost of energy instead of making me feel like I needed a nap.
The best part about this lifestyle is my husband participating. He started the detox and lifestyle with me to make it easier on me. He had no intention of sticking with it after the detox is over. He actually likes the food and helps me cook. Once the detox is over, he will cheat a bit I'm sure... mainly with sweet tea. Sweet tea is the least of my worries. Actually, we cheated last night and got a sweet tea from Raising Cane's. OHMYWORD... I hated it. I drank it and it tasted like straight syrup! And the tea left an after taste that was bitter, unlike the green tea which doesn't leave an aftertaste.
Anyways... my motivation for the day: "The only thing between you and your goal is you." Food is no longer a problem. I've found a way to eat that allows me to lose weight without working out. Can you imagine the weight loss possibilities once I start back working out? That's just another step closer to my goal. Now, I just have to figure out the timing and fatigue issue. And that's all me. No excuses. :)
Some very interesting things happened this weekend. I just wanted to share them and speculate as to why they happened.
- I got numerous headaches and lightheaded...
- I think this happened because I was not eating and drinking enough. I noticed these things happened late in the day (mid-afternoon - evening). They seems to get a little better after I drank some water and ate some food. The main thing I noticed is that these things only happen during the weekend. I am not as focused on the timing of my eating as I am during the week. That is something that I need to learn from. NOTE: I am not intentionally trying to skip meals nor do I have an eating disorder. I just do not have an appetite and sometimes I do not have time or forget to eat. It happens.
- I woke up feeling horrible and sickly...
- I think this happened because I stayed up until 1AM and got up at 8AM. It's a 7 hour difference but I really do need more sleep. Especially since I was extremely active this weekend. I'm pretty used to having to stay up late on the weekends due to work but this weekend was not and I guess that's why it affected me differently. I need to focus on my sleeping schedule and make sure I get adequate rest throughout the day.
- I had terrible breath odor...
- I had been using my husband's toothpaste since I ran out of mine. He uses Crest with Scope or something. My mouth felt clean when I brushed my teeth but within minutes, it was gross again! I think it has something to do with the detox. My mouth felt nasty, smelled nasty, and even my pearly white teeth looked nasty! I switched back to my Crest 3D white and my teeth feel cleaner but I still feel like my breath is nasty. I really do think the detox has something to do with that though.
- Bad body odor???
- For a while on the detox, I had really bad body odor. Growing up, I was a heavy sweater. My mom and sister didn't sweat at all. I've used heavy duty antiperspirant since I was 16. It was great!!! Now, still using the same things that worked for sooo long, my pits began to stink and kinda hurt! I, naturally, began to freak out. WHY were they stinky??? And could I be developing some kind of cancer? The first think I thought of... Does this mean I can't use my beloved deodorant anymore??? Well, I got a sample from the local health food store. It's one of those anti-body odor crystals. Yeah right... rubbing a crystal under your arms will get rid of and prevent body odor??? Well, so far it's true! I've been using it for almost a week and I haven't had any odor. I haven't noticed any wetness but it is January so I'm sure it will start showing up in March or April. I'll try to find a natural alternative to antiperspirant.
- Weight gain/loss...
- I have weighed myself almost everyday this past week. My weight went down and then went up 2LBS overnight! And then went back down the next day!!! It's been crazy! The only things I can think would cause this would be the fact that I did not stick to my eating schedule on Friday, then I ate a Subway sandwich at 2:30PM, then ate dinner at Grant's parents house at 7PM (homemade taco soup over white rice), drank some coffee and stayed up until 1AM. I mainly think it was the Subway sandwich (Honey Oat bread). I'm beginning to wonder what effects coffee has on me as well. Naturally, I still eat my dark chocolate covered almonds too but in moderate doses. ;)
From all of this, I have learned four very important things.... Sleep is crucial to your well-being, even if it is only one night off schedule. Eating schedules need to be maintained in order to function properly without side effects. Bread is very, VERY bad. What goes on your body can be unhealthy and simple changes can do you good.
The past couple of days have been very good on the detox front. I have lost a total of 13lbs in the 3.5 weeks I've been detoxing. I do not fully believe that the cleanse caused me to lose the few pounds. I would like to think it's my disciplined whole foods lifestyle I have adopted as of recently. I have had headaches a lot today and yesterday but I am assuming it's due to not eating enough food often enough since everything else has stayed the same. I am truly grateful for this new lifestyle because I am happy, not deprived, and enjoying the weight loss. I still have a good way to go but it's getting easier. Slow and steady will get you ready. Fast and crazy will make you lazy. This is a very tiring regimen but what new lifestyle isn't hard to adapt to? This one is relatively easy but the detox itself is a change that the body adapts to. I feel more like I have more energy but I get tired easily too. I haven't been working out during the detox due to not wanting to add stress to my body. I know it could help with the detox process but it's hard enough with my daily tasks. Energy to work out just isn't there right now. I am excited about working out again soon. I am almost done with this detox. About a week left and I will be free!!! Not free to go back to the way I was eating but free from the strictness of it all. I will be relieved when I no longer have to worry about the detox. I will be keeping the diet portion since I have grown accustomed to it and some foods just taste weird now. I will admit that I miss burgers and sandwiches. I didn't eat them often before, maybe one burger a week and one sandwich. But the carbs are still there. With the detox coming to a close soon, I will continue this new lifestyle and add exercise to my routine. Start off slow to build myself back up to when I had endurance and strength. Latest motivation:
So... Today, my dad asked me a few questions. He first asked me about my weight loss and how much I've lost. I told him that I have lost 12lbs since December and I'm am choosing whole, clean foods. He said he noticed that I lost some weight since my face was thinner. (YAY!!!) He also asked me if I was working out and I replied "No... I'm detoxing and working out could be bad. Haha!" He agreed to say the least. ;) It felt great to get a positive compliment from my dad. I told him my current goal is to be under 200lbs by June (which sounds more reasonable than my goal of being under 160lbs by the end of the year). He was excited to hear that my portion sizes have decreased dramatically and that my snacking is controllable. The fatigue is never ending but I feel lighter and healthier than before. I'm focusing on my food and sleeping patterns. Moving my sleeping patterns to earlier bedtime/earlier wake up is really hard to do. I really want to get to the point where I can wake up at 6AM and workout without sleeping through 3 alarms. I really want to have energy to clean my house in a reasonable amount of time and still be able to cook a hearty meal every day. I want to be able to do something crafty/artsy and be able to spend more than an hour on it every night. All of that being said... here's a bit of motivation for the rest of this week (or until something else pops up in my mind).
This week has been super crazy. I've had ups and downs worse than a roller coaster! Of course, I wouldn't change it for a thing. But... the biggest news... I'm am 229lbs! That was my goal for this week. It's been very strenuous to keep my weight there, even with the detox going on. I feel bad since I ate a "Hello Dolly" for dessert today (but it was my Mom's birthday!) I am assuming (never a good thing) that it's due to stress that I haven't lost more weight. I feel like I'm losing focus on my goals and being sidetracked by my very exciting hobby... Photography! (Check out
Nightingale's Lullaby Photography). Anyways.. back to motivation for this new week...
MUFFIN TOP-LESS!!! Savannah is a wonderful and fit woman who is a great motivation for me. She is super adorable and comfortable with herself. She has different ways to give motivation through her sites and always has positive things to say. She doesn't do "healthy diet foods"... just "healthy whole foods". So... a great big thanks to her for giving me great motivation for this week!
To date... I have lost 11 pounds. That doesn't sound like much, but it's awesome to me! I have been struggling with weight for over a year now. I've struggled all of my life but I was able to keep it down until about 2 years ago. It quickly increased (in a matter of months) and the symptoms got worse. But I'm determined to get fit again. Since I made that decision in December and started to act on it in January, I have lost 11lbs. And working on more! ;) I started at 240, out of shape, miserable, depressed, and unhealthy. I reached my 10lb goal on Sunday. My goal for this week was to get below 230lbs. I checked my weight, just checking, and I was 229! It takes time and considering that I haven't fit in a workout this week, I consider that to be a great accomplishment. I was able to lose without a workout! Now just imagine how much more I can lose if I actually do my planned workouts!?!?! My husband is on board with me and he has lost approximately 9lbs in the past 1.5 weeks. (Just from cutting out sweet tea!) If he worked out, he probably could have lost 15lbs!
Now a little motivational picture to get through the rest of the week: I chose this picture because I have a lot of supporters who are pushing for me to succeed. My mom (the "pusher") said she was proud when I told her I lost 10lbs. And she didn't kill the buzz with: "Let's see how much more you can lose" or "Oh wow, 10lbs. I'm waiting for 50lbs before I'm impressed". That makes things a lot easier when the support is positive motivation and not negative interactions that make you feel like your worthless. Good things in, good things out!
Detox Day 4: So far so good. Just some headaches but those were expected. Clean eating is actually really tasty if you know what to prepare and how to prepare it. So far, my favorite meals are organic whole wheat pasta and chicken cranberry salad. Those are very yummy. And of course, anything with hummus is great too. I noticed that I really do not have an appetite and I do not eat nearly as much as I used to. My portions are smaller and I still can't finish them! Working out is a chore though. Between the headaches and fatigue, it's hard to get up and run or workout with kettlebells. But I do!
Workout: Speaking of kettlebells, I LOVE working out with kettlebells. I get gym workout worthy routines at home! That makes the whole "working out at home" thing easier!. I need to find a DVD or YouTube video with some kettlebell routines that are different. I'm looking to expand my fitness movement knowledge with this.
Book: I'm still reading the Jillian Michael's book mentioned in one of my past posts. It's a good read for anyone who's truly interested in finding out why they're not losing weight after working out like a mad person. It's hard to focus on but I'm determined.
Motivation: Getting ready for the beach. All I can think about is swimsuits. I'm SO excited! I keep thinking about shorts and t-shirts. Flipflops and tank tops. It's enough to make a fat girl cry and the skinny girl inside her holler! I know I won't be "swimsuit ready" by then but I know I'll be close enough. It's my vacation and I'm going to earn it. Here are some pics that keep me motivated:
(My sister and I at PCB before I gained 50lbs. Still 40lbs overweight)
(PCB)
(Nichol Richi in Miami - Looking super gorgeous and healthy)
My husband and I took our first pill this morning. It's a pretty easy regimen. Eat healthy foods. For the first (3) days, take (1) pill in the morning and (1) pill in the evening. After the third day, take (2) pills in the morning and (2) pills in the evening. If you need to, you can adjust the dosage of the evening pill. Do this until the pills are gone (approx. 30 days). I'm so excited. I haven't started feeling any detox symptoms yet but I know I will soon. I will keep tabs on the detox and update my blog to see how things change. Some of the foods we are making sure to keep in our diet are: eggs, leafy greens, fruits, and whole grains (like buckwheat and millet). Oh, and TONS of water! I am including blueberry green tea that I got from the local health food store to give me antioxidants and give me a little energy since one of the side effects is fatigue. On a wonderful, yet unrelated, note... I've lost 8 lbs since I've started this blog! It's been approximately 2 weeks with a lot of ups & downs due to the holiday feasts but it's official. My goal is to be in my old jeans by the time I go to the beach. I know I won't be toned and skinny, but I'll be happy and confident enough to put on a swimsuit! I weighed around 180-200 lbs when I wore those old jeans. So, I think that would be an excellent motivation and goal. This detox isn't supposed to make you lose weight but I hope it helps me drop some pounds. I'm going to do everything I can to make that possible.
I recently purchased this book from Amazon.com. After receiving it in the mail two days ago, I have finally began to read it. Talking about information I need to read! I have a hormonal imbalance which is causing my weight issues. I have not seen an endocrinologist but after reading the first two chapters, I am beginning to think I should. I've had multiple tests conducted by a NP who specializes in hormones and allergies. She has hit a dead end. I am going to begin a 30 day detox on Monday (5 days from now) to flush all of the toxins out of my system. Once that is finished, I will begin an Iodine regimen to help my body "reboot" itself. I have been researching my problems for the past year and have decided that almost everything points to the iodine deficiency. We will see what happens!
As for the book... Jillian, I have high expectations! I am hoping to find information that will help me fix my wonky body and feel great again. I can't wait to have a better figure and clear skin! And energy!!! I get excited just thinking about it. Once I finish reading the book, I will post a review of what I think and any helpful points I got from it. But, if I deem it as useful, I would expect you to find your own copy. ;)
