Monday, June 27, 2011

June 27, 2011

This weekend went so well.  I was able to follow the Paul McKenna "I Can Make You Thin"  eating principles without any problems.  Normally weekends are my down fall but this weekend I couldn't make  myself over eat.  I now have a total aversion to that feeling of being full.  Thank you Mr. McKenna!!

We even got food from P.F. Chang (they have a great gluten free menu).  Normally I would have eaten my full order.  But, this weekend I could only eat part of it.  I did enjoy some rice with my meal trying to test out my new rice theory.  While I do think it is fine to occasionally eat rice, it also made me feel slightly ill.

As for my push ups.....
Every Monday on the "Evil Russian Push up Program"  you test  yourself, doing as many push up as you can until failure.  Last week I did 7.  Today I did 15. I know my numbers are low but at least I more than doubled the amount I could do and that feels like real progress!!

This week I am looking forward to just continuing my forward progress.  Hope you are doing well!!

Friday, June 24, 2011

June 24, 2011

I am happily reporting another day of success with the Paul McKenna "I Can Make You Thin" system!  I am still feeling totally shocked by how much less food I am consuming and how much less I am thinking about food in general.  It truly feels like freedom!!!

I am also shocked by how much I want to exercise.  I did so many push ups yesterday that I woke up in the middle of the night in agony -but in a good way!!  And, I was very active all day with out really thinking about it.

Best of all, yesterday was a very emotional day in our house over some family issues.  Never once did I think about eating in order to soothe those emotions.  I didn't even eat chocolate once yesterday.  That is a huge victory for me.  So, I am feeling very pleased with the results so far.

On a related note, I have been basically eating with in the range of Paleo approved foods with doing the system.  The systems says that you can eat anything as long as you are actually hungry.  It is normal for me to only really want to eat Paleo foods.  But, I am questioning the whole rice issue. 

Brown rice is an intestinal irritant.  Not a Paleo approved food.  Yes, it has more nutrients going into your body but it does enough damage in the intestines and other parts of the body that it is not worth eating it.  But, white rice doesn't have those issues.  The parts that make rice brown have been removed and are no longer a problem for the body to break down.  This is why you give babies white rice formula when they have been ill. This is also , seemingly, why after I have had food poisoning (which I get about 3-4 times a year to varying degree due to Celiac's disease) the only thing I want to eat for days afterwards is white rice.  It is safe from food born pathogens and a non-irritant to the system, allowing me to safely heal.  See, the body is very intuitive if you will listen to it!

But, all grains are bad according to the Paleo world.  Or, are they?  Here is an article about the topic that has me really rethinking things:
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=3855

I will let  you read it and make the decision for yourself.  Please feel free to leave a  comment and/or have a discussion on the issue.  Thanks!!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

quick item

So, I accidentally weighed myself this morning.  How does that happen you ask?  Well,  I am just in the habit of weighing myself before my morning shower and I did so this moring before realizing I shouldn't.  My shower was late in the morning after exercise and a meal.  My weight was still down 1lbs. from yesterday.  I am surprised and happy.
I am also happy with how positive my mindset is lately.  I did a lot of exercise this morning not even thinking about it.  I just wanted to do a Leslie Sansone DVD, push ups, and kata.  Can't beat that!

June 23,2011

Yesterday was day 2 of using the Paul McKenna "I Can Make You Thin" system.  I have to say it went really well.  Again I only ate a quarter of what I normally would.  I was also able to restart my push up program and work on kata. 

The best part is that I am not thinking about food except when I am hungry.  Being able to do that relieves all that stress and angst I normally have over food.  That is a good feeling.

The funny thing is that yesterday I realized that I use dieting to distract myself from some other issues in my life.  It is so much easier to worry about your weight than what is going on with your career, family, or other areas of your life.  Realizing that was a total shock to me and woke me up to my life in a way I haven't been before.  So, now I have some work to do on my life that has nothing to do with dieting.  Isn't that way with life, if it is not one thing it is another......

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Quick morning update

I will be writing more about the Paul McKenna "I Can Make You Thin" system in future posts.  But, for today it is enough to know that after one day it seems to be helping me make progress.  I did remarkably well with it yesterday.  I was able to eat a quarter of what I normally eat and still feel quite satisfied.  It was totally remarkable to me how much less food I could eat and not feel hungry or obsessed over food like I do when I diet.  According to the system you should not weigh yourself more than once every two weeks.  Well, I cheated and weighed myself today and I am down 2lbs. since yesterday.  But, I won't be weighing myself again for two weeks now.
What I am determining is that your body really does know what it is doing. You just have to listen to it.  This system does seem to be able to help you hear your body cues.  And, I also feel that if I could master this system I could literally eat like this for the rest of my life and never have a weight problem again. 
Wish me luck!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Happy Summer! Behave your way to success...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2005983/Why-biscuit-Doctors-reveal-science-hunger-pangs--them.html

I found the above article really interesting!  This explains why so many of us fail at weight loss.  At the end of the article it does say that we can try to change how our brain signals hunger:

"Although we may be born with a genetic predisposition for a large appetite, we can retrain the brain and teach ourselves to eat smaller portions and not snack,’ says Professor Zammit.

‘Obviously it takes great effort — the first day would be horrendous and the next few weeks very difficult but eventually we’d get used to it as the brain would make new connections."

Now it doesn't give specifics, I am assuming what the doctor is suggesting to listening to hunger and full signals and then eating a much smaller amount than you normally would.  I highly suggest you read the entire article.

It is funny that I found this article today because it is exactly in line with what I have been thinking about all weekend.  I am coming to believe my weight issue is not a product of the foods I consume (although I will never go back to eating gluten or grains), I believe it is my behaviors around food.  And, that leads me away from dieting and towards intuative eating techniques.

I notice that most of the time I eat the right things.  Believe it or not I am one of those weird people who literally craves different vegetables and lean proteins.  I don't get too many junk food cravings.  My husband often laughs at me because I will say to him I am craving tomatoes today or broccoli.  But, my problem does seem to be that when I am eating I am totally unaware of actually eating. I just eat as quickly as possible and don't even remember tasting my food. 

Years ago I purchased Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Thin".    It contains a book that explains how to intuitive eat and hypnotic CD's that reinforce the ideas.  The system does work.  I personally know people who have lost like 100lbs. on it.  My problem is that it involves being actively involved in the daily eating process which I have not previously been that emotionally committed to.  But, I am now committing myself to trying this 100%. We will see how it goes (BTW-QVC has this on sale right now.  I am not affiliated with QVC in any way except that I live near the studio and am a frequent customer)

So, that is where I am at right now.  Please let me know how you are doing!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

confession and confusion

OK, confession time.
I broke down yesterday and allowed myself a portion of M&M's.  Only a small Dixie cup amount.

Confusion.
I weighed myself several times today and every time the scale said I lost 5lbs since yesterday.  Literally the only thing I did differently was eating that portion of M&M's.  I have no idea what is going on here.

I may be silent for a while as I contemplate the enormous cosmic joke that is being played on me-ha,ha.

Monday, June 13, 2011

frustrated

Today is day 5 of attempting to go sugar free.  I am doing very well. Been very good about sticking to this plan as well as really watching my portion sizes.  But, as usually, for some reason my weight isn't budging.  It has stayed stuck on the same number since before I started this.  I am not giving up since what I am gaining in feeling healthy is totally worth it.  But, I just wonder what I am doing wrong on the weight loss front?

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Quick update

Happy Saturday everyone.  I only have time for a quick update.

I made the commitment to get the sugar (and most carbs) out of my diet 3 days ago.  On day one and two I literally was a cranky mess: bad mood, headache, hungry, craving sugar...you name it.  But, today I woke up feeling really good.  And, my hunger is gone!!  I even forgot to eat breakfast since I wasn't hungry until around 11a.m.  I am also feeling much less depressed and my energy level is coming back.  My brain fog is gone as well.  Haven't weighed myself yet.

So what am I eating and what am I not eating?
All meat, fats, and non-starchy veggies are fine.
I am having one or two small servings of fruit per day.  Usually I will eat 2 prunes in the morning and maybe some  natural apples sauce later on if I am really desperate.
Sometimes I have a little cheese but that is used as a condiment and not as a central part of the meal.
I am drinking a lot of tea:black, green, decaf, and herbal.  I have always been a bit of a tea fanatic.  Usually if I want a little sweetness in my tea I will use a little bit of stevia.  That is except for my first cup of the day, that I still use one teaspoon of honey.  I have an intense emotional attachment to honey.  We raised our own bees as a kid.  Since a teaspoon of honey only contains about 8 grams of carbs and 30 calories, according to caloriecount.com, it puts me well under the 50 grams of carbs per day that Primal Blueprint would have me consume.
And, I am drinking a tremendous amount of water.  It just seems to help all of the symptoms of detoxing.

So, that is it for today.  We are going to two picnics today so wish me luck getting through the food challenges.  I am not worried about being hungry.  I am more worried about saying no to the food pushers of the world.  But, that is another story for another day.  Have a great weekend!!!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

I am finding my brain going in a million different directions lately.  I can tell by my blog posts that my mind is all over the place.  Obviously when you weigh over 300lbs you want to lose weight as quickly as possible.  That is why I have been jumping from thing to thing.

The problem that I am now encountering is that for the last month (since I stopped doing Primal Blueprint and started eating more carbs and sugar) I am felling very badly.  I have no energy.  I feel sleepy all of the time.  And, I am finding myself in the midst of a depression.  I haven't even done kata since I started eating poorly again!

I have looked back in my daily journals. When I was eating primally, none of these things are issues.  When I was eating enough protein, fats, and veggies I had lots of energy and a very positive outlook.  And, if I read sections of my journal where I started eating sugar and carbs again my depression/anxiety seems to  return.  So, I can no longer allow myself to go into denial about this.
 
There is a very loud voice in my brain that says, "how can you live without junk foods like m&m's?"  But, it is time for me to tell that voice to shut up!

I am coming up with a solid game plan to get back to health and exercise.  This time it will be less about weight loss and more about health and exercise.  Stay tuned for more.....

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Primal Blueprint......some thoughts

As you know if you read this blog regularly, I am in love with the Primal Blueprint diet.  I love the whole concept of it and think it is the cure for just about everything that ails you.  I feel that the concept behind it is totally solid and sound.  And, I believe that Mark Sisson has the credentials, communication skills, and intelligence to be someone I believe in ( I don't say that too lightly).  He posted a new blog today on walking that I thought was really good, I will share the link with you:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-walking/


My only problem with Primal Blueprint was that it didn't work for me.  I dropped like 10lbs. the month I stopped eating grains but then my weight loss stopped.  I don't know why.  I have read, researched, begged and pleaded for help but no one can figure out why it all just stopped.

I will ask now, if anyone doing Primal Blueprint wants to take me under their wing and coach me PLEASE LET ME KNOW!  I am desperate for some help!

Anyway, having said that, I am mentally reviewing my issues.  All I can think of are the following:
1) maybe I didn't exercise enough? 
2) maybe my portion sizes were too big.  The food is nutrient dense to maybe less is much more?
3) maybe I just suck? 

Anyway, if anyone is visiting from PB  please leave me a line and let me know what you think!  Thanks!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

New stuff going on......

Ok, so last week whizzed by and here we are starting a brand new week.  Once again my weight is exactly the same as it has been for the last month.   I am just a little bit frustrated but I am also grateful that I didn't gain any weight back.

Some things have come up in our lives.  In January my husband's job gave everyone a 20% pay cut.  We were grateful that he still had a job so we didn't worry about it too much.  Thanks to following the Dave Ramsey plan we don't have any debt (except our mortgage) so while it was scary, we have been surviving.  We thought that his pay might come back this month but it is not looking that way.  I decided to do more to economize because at this point we are not spending beyond our means but we are also not saving any money.  The best place to save money is the food budget.  I try my best to clip coupons and stay really organized with the food budget but it can be an overwhelming task.  There is a service out there called Emeals.  For five dollars a month they will create a meal plan for you based on the sales at the grocery store you use.  From what I have read they feel they can cut your grocery bill to under $100 a week for a family of four.  Emeals offers many different types of meal plans-from low fat to low carb and now gluten free.   Note: the meal plan is only for dinners.  We are going to sign up this week and see how it goes.  I will give you an update after we try it for a while.

Obviously, I need to shake up some things to get the weight off.  Focusing on calorie counting or points doesn't work for me.  I get a little obsessive with it and things just get weird for me.  So, I have to approach this from a different angle.  So I am going to do an experiment this week.  The basis for this experiment comes from this week's Woman's World magazine.
Here is a picture of the cover.  The cover refers to a diet called "Turn up the Heat"  by Philip Goglia Ph.D.  I won't give all of the details because I am sure that Woman's World magazine would appreciate it if you bought this issue (It is only $1.79 on newstands now) but the basic concept is eating carbs in the morning.

This reminded me of a diet I used to do that was created by another dietitian named Jay Robb.  The diet was called "The Fat Burning Diet Made Easy".  For some reason he no longer sells that diet book which is a shame because it was very good.  He seems to be changing his whole philosophy of nutrition and, personally, I am not comfortable with his new direction.  Also, while he has the best reviewed protein shake in the world over the last two years I feel he has changed his formulation.  I used to be able to use it and since winter of 2010 his products have made me feel ill.  So either my allergies got worse or he changed something-not really important...anyway.......

The "Fat Burning Diet Made Easy"  was essentially based on a concept frequently used by body builders called carb cycling.  Carb cycling can be done in a number of ways.  Either you only eat carbs in the morning or the evening.  Or you can do one day on carbs and one day off.   There are a number of articles out there on the topic if you would like to educate yourself.  Here is a google search on the issue:

It does work.  I don't know if it makes sense to live that way for the rest of your life but then again, maybe it does.  I have always tried the diet eating carbs at night so I could eat a normal meal with my husband.  But, not eating carbs at night always seem to make me feel better.  So, my experiment for the week will be to eat carbs at breakfast and lunch and not for dinner.  I will let you know how it goes.

Good luck this week with your goals.  Let me know how you are doing!!!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Why so quiet?

So I have been a little quiet with my posts lately.  The reason for this is some family drama that took place and kinda knocked the wind out of me.  Thankfully, it was nothing too scary and all is fine now.  I am back to focusing on getting on with things. Have a great weekend.