Weight Training

I read an article today written about a bikini model named Jennifer Nicole Lee.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2122829/I-sick-tired-fat-How-Jennifer-Nicole-Lee-went-200lbs-sizzling-hot-bikini-babe.html

I have read about her a few times before. She was an over weight  mother who became a Ms. Bikini America (BTW-Sensei, Joe, and my husband will truly enjoy the pictures of her in the article).  The article was a brief overview of what her strategy was in trying to lose weight.  The article ends by saying that weight training is more important than cardio in losing weight.

This has gotten me to thinking.  I keep hurting myself doing cardio (walking, jogging, aerobics).  If it isn't working, why keep doing it?  Maybe it is time to switch up to weight lifting? 

I am going to have to research this since I have zero idea how to put a weight lifting program together.  If anyone out the has some advice I would LOVE to hear it.

Proof

I finally have definite proof that the stress of dieting is what is keeping me back from actually losing weight.  In order to have scientific proof you must conduct an experiment that has a repeatable and verifiable outcome.  Now I have it.

For the last 5 days I have been so busy that I have not had time to think about my weight.  I haven't weighed myself since about last Wednesday.  Since then I have been doing what I usually try to do when I am busy, just eat foods to keep my blood sugar level.  What that breaks down to is that I eat a lot of protein, fat, and veggies.  Again I didn't stress about what I ate, I just went by how I felt.  There were a few occasions where I did eat a gluten free cookies (this time of year there are wonderful gluten free baked goods in the stores for Passover -my favorite gluten free holiday.  Kosher, gluten free baked goods taste the best!)  I was careful about how many I ate but not because of calories.  Only out of my concern to not have a blood sugar dip.  Again, I let how my body was feeling dictate what and how much I ate.

It dawned on me this morning that I had gone several days without weighing myself and I was terrified.   But, to my surprise and delight my weight was 5lbs. down.  This is the third occasion in the last two years where this has happened to me.  I forget about my weight (what I am eating, how much I am eating, how much I am exercising, etc) due to being busy and the weight seems to just take care of itself.  Finally, proof.

So going forward, I am now going to totally forget about my weight and keep going.

"Journey2onederland"

Last night, my karate instructor asked my husband what I was thinking by dropping my calories so low.  Well, the answer to this is that I am willing to do whatever it takes to get back to the dojo and I hoped this would be it.  Unfortunately, I can't drop my calories that low and exercise at the same time.  Being able to exercise is more important to me that just getting thin, so it is time to change things up. And, I will confess, the more I diet the less kata or other workouts I do.  Exercise has to become my focus.

There is a person, on facebook, whose weight loss journey I read daily.  Her page is called "Journey2onederland".  She has lost her weight mostly through exercise.  Her diet changes have been a slow and steady effort to enhance her physical activity.  We emailed a few times today and she gave me some great advice.  I am going to take some time to digest what she wrote to me and then I will post what she advised.

NOTE:  Joe-sent you an email on FB :)

Day 4 of this diet

Well, today is day 4 of my new diet. I think I have to admit defeat.  I figured out my calorie in take and it is about 1375 per day.  At my weight, that might be just too low for me.  In fact, I am on the verge of a binge from being so hungry.  I wish I had more super human will power but I just don't seem to have that in me.  I am so hungry all of the time from my new diet. There is only so much coffee and green tea you can drink as an appetite suppressant.  And, when you start to feel dizzy all the time from being hungry then I guess you have to admit defeat.

So, I guess I will have to up my calories.  I have to think about this for a while.

Fed up

This weekend I just lost it with my weight loss.  I won't go into details but I just feel like I have to try one way or another.  I think something snapped in my brain because I just decided it was OK to feel hungry all of the time.  My hope is that after a month of feeling hungry all of the time perhaps my stomach will shrink and then hopefully it will get easier.
Here is what I am doing:

breakfast
protein bar (Jay Robb Brand-about 200 calories)
coffee

Snack

I try not to but if I am starving I eat a 100 calorie snack pack of almonds and green tea (Twinings Jasmine green tea is my new obsession)



Lunch
20 minutes before lunch I take a fiber supplement called Glucomannan-it fills you up
protein bar (Jay Robb again)
Small vegetable salad (maybe about 100 calories)

Snack
same options as the morning

Dinner
Again, if I am overly hungry I take Glucomannan 20 minutes before I eat.  The meal consists of whatever I make for my husband.  Usually, a protein source, veggies, potatoes, and maybe some dark chocolate or berries for dessert.

I try not to eat after dinner.  In order to get past my hunger I drink a lot of green and ginger tea.  If the hunger gets bad I allow myself to have protein.  Protein doesn't raise your blood sugar but does raise metabolism at night.  Basically, all I am trying to do is eat as little as I can while keeping my blood sugar stable.  Not sure how long this will last since it is quite strict but so far I have been doing well with it.  Wish me luck.

If you have Celiac disease please read this article!!

I have suspected, since going gluten free, that something is still wrong with my health.  I just can't seem to get myself better.  It has been 4 years now and I still struggle daily with my health.  It has been my suspicion that my intestines are still not healed.  This article confirms my suspicions.  The article title says it all, "Why most Celiac (patients) are slowly dying".

http://scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/the-gluten-free-lie-why-most-celiacs-are-slowly-dying/

It suggests that you heal your "leaky gut" in order to truly get well. Sadly, most doctors won't help you with this even after a diagnosis.  They just say don't eat gluten and all will be fine.  But, sadly, it is not.  I will be researching this and list anything I find in order to deal with leaky gut syndrome.  Good luck every one!!

Living the Martial Way

My husband and I are re-reading a book called "Living The Martial Way" by Forrest E. Morgan, Maj USAF.  It is an assigned book in our dojo.  You have to write a report on it as part of your black belt test.  We both read it back in the 1990's.  Re-reading it now it has taken on a lot deeper meaning for us then it did when we read it in our 20's.  And, I feel like it is changing me for the better.

The book is helping me to see that much of my mental focus is placed on things that just don't matter.  My time is better spent on doing kata than worrying about my weight.  Perhaps if I focus on doing the actual work of karate the weight will take care of itself? Especially if I focus on eating like the Okinawans.  They only eat to 80% full and their traditional diet is pretty healthy (see Okinawan Diet)

By the way, today's lunch will be home made white bean soup with spinach, kate, onions, and peppers. Dinner will be turkey stir fry.  And, I am now getting off the computer to go practise kata and maybe some turbo jam afterward.  Hope you have a great day!

last 24 hours

We just got back from 24 hours of a viewing/funeral for our friend that passed.  It was the worse funeral I've ever been to due to the woman passing so young and with three young children.  The emotion was intense.

The whole thing drained us.  But, it also reminded us that you don't know how much time you really have. And, we have a whole lot of karate to get done between now and then.

Hoping that you are doing what you want to do with your life while you still have the time.

Dr. Cheng ticked me off (sorta)

So, I got the chance to have a facebook exchange with Dr. Cheng.  I express my excitement for his program because it has given me hope of finding a gentle exercise program that I could do that would get me in shape and not cause an injury.  I have the tendency to over do things with exercise and hurt myself.  The one place I have NOT done this is in doing kata. Never once has kata gotten me even close to an injury.  So, I assume Tai Chi movements would be in the same vein.

Perhaps he misunderstood me, because his response to me was:

" if your body is constantly dealing with pain or inflammatory processes, please get THOSE dealt with first. Then what you do with Tai Cheng will be far more productive. I'd strongly encourage you to seek out an SFMA certified medical professional to get you started off right!"

 

I understand that legally he has to say stuff like that.  I really do get it -on one level.  But, this is the kind of response that kept me ill with undiagnosed Celiac disease for all those years.  One medical professional passing the buck off to another medical professional until one day I figured out my diagnosis (then had it confirmed with a specialist).  This is the kind of attitude that got me to this condition in the first place.

 

The other thing that bothers me is who pays for a SFMA certified medical professional to get me started off right?  Insurance doesn't cover this normally.  Ours doesn't pay for physical therapy.  Having an SFMA certified medical professional is a luxury we can not afford.  I would bet that many other families can not afford this either.  This is the reason people turn to programs produced by Beachbody in the first place.  We need help, we want to improve our health, and we look for the best option that we can afford.

 

At any rate, I know the man didn't mean to upset me.  He didn't even write anything unkind.  It just felt that way to me.  I have been working so hard for so long.  I just desperately need to make some progress.  I need to get back to the dojo.  Therefore this program is still my best , last hope for progress. Sometimes you have to listen to your own wisdom even if it goes against an expert.  I am still going to purchase the program and I am going to succeed on it. In the end, hopefully it will be a win/win for Dr. Cheng and myself.

 

 

Dr. Mark Cheng, creator of Tai Cheng for Beachbody

http://www.teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/message/162944000

Dr. Mark Cheng, creator of Tai Cheng for Beachbody, had a video Q&A session yesterday. You can watch it here. Those of you who read this blog regularly will remember that I have been trying to learn as much as possible about this program for the last two weeks.  From watching this video chat, Dr. Cheng  seems alright actually.  So often you run across martial artists who create workout programs and they don't seem too experienced in the art.  Dr.  Cheng seems very knowledgeable and like an OK guy.

He said a lot of interesting things.  One of which is that you do get a good cardio workout from Tai Chi, they have done studies to prove this.  And, at about minute 54 on the video he explains the relationship between painful exercise, cortisol production, and weight loss/gain.  To me this explained why I was unable to lose weight doing an hour of kettlebells (swinging 25lbs to 40lbs bells) 2-3 times a week. 

At any rate, I am really excited about this program and intend on getting it.  I am actually going to sell a bunch of my old workout dvds on Ebay in order to afford this one.  I will let you know what I am selling once I get them up on Ebay this weekend.

For those that check this blog to see if we are going to the dojo on Saturday morning....we are not sure yet.  This weekend we have a viewing, my father's birthday, a bunch of work to do at home, and a funeral on Monday.  So, not sure how things will play out.

 NOTE TO JOE-are you still alive?  Sent you a FB email few weeks back and didn't hear back from you.  Hoping all is going well with you.  If you feel up to it, let us know how you are doing. No pressure :)

funny next few days

Our friend (the wife of my husband's boss) finally passed away this morning at 4:15a.m.  She was an incredible warrior.  Three years ago she was given 6 months.  And, 7 weeks ago when they put her in hospice they gave her a week.  She was small but mighty.  She will be missed by her three children but she left a lasting legacy of fighting hard and never giving up.

The rest of this week and the start of next week are now a huge unknown for us.  Hubby may have to take on more responsibility than normal (which of course he doesn't mind doing for his friend).  We also don't know yet when the funeral will be held.  So, can't say when and if we will be back to karate.

exercise

Trying to get back to the routine of exercise.  My back is OK, not perfect.  But, I can't stand just sitting around any more.  This week I am basically just doing whatever exercise I can do without hurting my back again.  T-Tapp, slow motion kata, and walking seem to be tolerable.  What I really want to do is try Turbo Jams. I forgot that I had it.  It is so much fun and I think it could help get me ready for karate warm ups someday.  But, I think starting Turbo Jams is going to have to wait till next week.

Some weekend fun

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109356/Jaw-dropping-Samurai-cuts-BB-gun-pellet-fired-half.html


A modern day Samurai in Japan who was able to cut a BB gun pellet fired from 70 feet away.  The picture is pretty cool.

Saturday

Not sure yet about going to the dojo on Saturday morning.  My back is much better but not yet well enough to exercise.  My goal is to start again on Monday.  I probably won't go to the dojo but Mike might.  This is dependant on some things out of our control like our friend's wife passing away or not (long story).
Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend.