Weighed in today... 225!!! It feels great to get out of that rut! I'm home safe and sound and focusing on my food intake and workouts. I splurged on food this week (bad MaddyGrace) but I'm losing and back on track.
I increased my Iodine to two drops. No noticeable side effects but I did wake up with a killer headache this morning. Could be dehydration or sinuses though. I feel great and happy.
I did a quick workout this morning... 15 mins on the elliptical and 50 sit-ups. I'm dying to get back into a gym to do some real squats and assisted pull-ups. I know I won't be able to squat 200 for a while but I think I can squat around 100 pretty easily. Cardio and body weight exercises are great right now. I just miss feeling the strength at the end of my session. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with that feeling.
I got some new clothes last night at Dicks Sporting Goods and Victorias Secret Pink. I can fit back into a large at VS! That made my night. Grant asked me to try on an old swimsuit to see how it fit and I had to loosen it but it wasn't as bad as I expected. It's definitely motivation for my trip because I don't want to buy a new one for a one time wear. I would post a pic but I'm really embarrassed right now. I'm holding it for transformation pics though. ;)
Something new I'm adding to my routine.... Walking. At work, we have a walking program to help employees monitor their weight and get them moving more instead of sitting all day, every day. I joined the program. My first check in is March 23? With 54 miles. So, on top of workouts and my healthy lifestyle, I will be counting my daily steps. Work itself is becoming stressful as I work my way up the knowledge chain, so I am also focusing on staying as stress free as possible. Going to Lafayette this week so prayers and encouragement are welcomed.
Goal for the next week... 223!!! A little laugh today for my motivation:
So... in my previous post, I mentioned the detox is over. I now wish it wasn't. I haven't budged a pound since! I haven't worked out either though. I do feel more bloated and heavy than I did when I was detoxing. I started the Iodine Protocol a week and a half ago. I felt a major difference in my energy and body the first 3 days. Then I made some adjustments because I had some mild detox symptoms and now... nothing. :( At all... No energy, no detox symptoms, nothing at all. I would rather have the energy and and overall great feeling and happiness plus the mild detox symptoms than nothing at all. By mild detox symptoms, I mean I had a metallic taste in my mouth, a mild headache, and I felt kind of hot like I had completed a mile run. Nothing major that caused me concern.
I just really want my energy back. When I started the Iodine, I was taking 1 drop of Iodoral + 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt (in 8 oz water) + supplements. I'm thinking that I need to up my dose to 2 drops of Iodoral in order to get the good feeling back. Once I reach 25 drops, I can start taking it in a pill form (which I heard gives you a bigger boost of energy because of the way it's metabolized). That gets me all excited!
Back to the weight loss... I haven't lost any weight since the detox ended. I haven't changed my habits much (I haven't been able to eat small meals 5x a day due to work) but I haven't added new habits either. I will admit that I ate some bad food recently (CHEESECAKE!) but I'm getting back on my wagon and chugging along. I am sitting in my hotel writing this and reminiscing on my sorry attempt for a workout this morning which consisted of 80 jumping jacks, 50 crunches, 10 pushups, and 30 squats. Very sad workout. I remember when that was a breeze, too! I miss being at home where I can prepare my own meals and know exactly where the food came from and what's in it. I miss the taste of fresh salad and cranberries. I miss my husband making me some grilled chicken and shrimp for my salads. I miss my bed... where I could get a full night's sleep.
My goal for the rest of this week... make the trip home safely, snuggle with my husband and four-legged baby, fix wonderful, fresh food, and WORK OUT! And more importantly, adjust my Iodine dosage. :) Here's a little motivation for this week:
It seems like forever since my last post. I've been super busy that's for sure. Between project management training and being sick, all of my time has been consumed! I'm loving my Sambuccus syrup... It's all natural and made from Elderberries. It helps cut your cold/flu time in half! And it tastes wonderful! Luckily, it's not the flu... It's just a sinus cold. I just have to stay on top of it so I do not get bronchitis.
On the bright side... the detox is officially over!!! I have lost a total of 14lbs while detoxing. I believe my new lifestyle is something I can continue with great ease. I find myself craving blueberry green tea, boiled eggs, salads, grilled chicken, and nuts/berries. I do have chocolate cravings (who doesn't?) but I have some wonderful dark chocolate covered almonds that are divine and a great snack without the guilt.
My goal for February is to lose 7lbs. That will put me under 220lbs. My adjustment to make this happen: Continuing to eat great and adding exercise. At least 30 mins a day of cardio plus some weight training. I no longer have a gym membership so I will use body weight exercises and kettlebells. Once those become easier, I will probably start working out at a gym again. I do miss squats, dead lifts, and bench presses. And rowing!!! But I'm really hoping to buy a house with a gym by then. I will continue to eat wholesome foods. I can tell that food makes a difference. And timing too. I noticed that eating smaller meals more often helps control the hunger and speed up my metabolism.
I also started the iodine therapy on Sunday. Talking about weird! I had a burst of energy that I haven't felt in a long time. Not jittery like an energy drink but happy energy, like a good run or chocolate. I also got very hot for about an hour after I took my first dose. Same thing happened today. I'm still energetic but I got really hot. Not like a hot flash. It wasn't miserable and I didn't feel like I was on fire from the inside out. I just felt really warm like a hot sunny day laying out by the pool. It made me sweat for a few minutes but it went away almost as quick as it came. Kind of like I was nervous and stressed? It's been almost 4 hours since I took the iodine and supplements and I still have energy but my hands are cold (nothing new!) and I'm starving! It's been forever since I've had a legit hunger for food. I can't wait to go home and fix up a ceasar cranberry salad.
I will admit, I've been naughty. I finished my detox and to celebrate, I took my husband and his family to a Tech basketball game. Grant and I were shopping before his family got to town and we passed a local bakery and I just had to stop. They had king cake cupcakes and brownies and EVERYTHING wonderful you can imagine. I asked Grant to split a king cake cupcake with me. It was delicious! I also had a very horrible loaded potato soup at Newk's this weekend (I was sick!!!). That's my favorite soup but it is LOADED with calories and fat that is not needed. But it was very delicious. Now, back on track for February 2013!!!
Motivation:
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:
