Jennifer

So I am awake.  Oscar has waken me up and for what, I do not know.  He has food.  Maybe it’s the rain.  My heavens it smell wonderful!  I feel weird today ??  but I am liking it.

I love it when I opt for a different breakfast and just enjoy the new flavor.   Even if it’s simple, it’s perfect.  A drizzle of agave and salted organic butter on brown rice bread toast was yummy with my 1/2 banana.  I woke up craving almond butter and it’s so weird, but I have noticed that when I crave something I often do not eat it slowly enough.  I thought a change was good and it was!  Most enjoyable! And no thoughts until after that maybe I did not get enough protein.  Why NOT chose the almond butter?  It’s a better choice right?  Well maybe not.  I should avoid most nuts.  The protein thing has been a problem, thinking I need more and more protein when infact, my body might have been saying less and less.  I reason this out since doing this diet and getting a little less protein I feel better.  And well I was so wrong, I can still lose weight and eat around 45-50 grams of protein.  Some days a little more.  Whatever I feel….

I thought I’d be irritable not having this large list of foods on this diet, but I feel clear and usually quite content.  There were times before I think I knew what it felt to be a drug addict…wanting, wanting, needing?  I would lie if I said I did not miss cheese and eggs…. I DO.  But my goal is about getting my intestinal health back into good shape….. just like the rest of me.   I have had soy and feel okay and I feel this must be because I have not had it really so much.   I am not going to start having it a lot either.  I am keeping it extremely moderate.  Like last night.  I made a small chocolate soy sundae with a couple cherries and a 1/4 of a banana…YUM.   Speaking of which I enjoyed that treat like I can not even tell you.  It was heaven!   I was slightly hungry, but I do need to watch out for the mindless night time eating.  I do not need it to creep back in.

The neatest thing about this diet, is there are times I want to eat something for shear boredom and NOTHING appeals.  Those former go to foods (corn, dariy, wheat, peanut) are the ones I can not have on this elimination/allergy diet.  So this is working out REALLY well for my weight loss.  *big smiles*  So many times I have just sat down realising, I was not hungry anyways!  Then there are times I am really hungry and I just eat something on the Can-Have-list.  All good.

Exercise is going well.  No more muffin top!!  Hip hip horray!!!  And my waist is back down to the low 30s instead of the mid 30s.  My legs are toning up and are down 1 whole inch.  LOL.  Well it’s progress.

One thing.  I want to see the documentary with Joaquin Phoenix called Earthlings.  The craziest thing is, it has been out since 2005!! Where have I been???  It’s about the treatment of animals by the world’s food producers. My problem is I feel better eating a diet that is best described as the Paleo-diet (hunter- gather, veggies, fruits, meat protein, seeds) + a vegan diet (I would normally say vegetarian because I would eat dairy and eggs, but not at the moment).  This works best for me I find.  Paleo and vegan are opposite but this is what my meals look like and I feel healthy.  But it has been brought to my attention in a very upset manner, you know who, my Big Sweet Pea, hehe, that if I watch the documentary I’ll be eating all vegan again….No!  That was not healthy for me!  Last time I changed our eating habits (though I still cooked my sweetie his meat sometimes : )  after I read Skinny Bitch and was inspired by the written text descriptions of animal treatments.  For god sakes if a hockey player goes vegetarian/soon to be vegan maybe (he says) after seeing Earthlings, well how am I suppose to resist when morally I already struggle sometimes with meat?  The fact is, I do feel better physically with a little meat.  Two to three ounces is usually enough most days out of the week.  But I really want to see it!  It’s like how they describe people gawking at a car wreck, only I can not do that.  So…….what to do.   I am at a loss.  I know I believe in the correct and human treatment of animals and this is achieved on some farms but NOT the massive farms where the majority of our animal protein comes from.  I feel conflicted.  I want to see it………………………………..  But David knows me and I do too.

Ahhh….. 7:35 AM  time to workout.  *deep breathing*

I now have a mini trampoline.  

I was doing some research and I learned something really neat.  I just love this thirst for knowledge that I have and then to have that thirst satisfied with some valuable information, well that’s just the cherry on my fruit salad.  So, most have heard that exercise is good for our heart and muscles.  Sure.  Well it’s also good because it helps the lymphatic system rid the body of bacteria, proteins the body doesn’t like, the garbage of our bodies.   My spider senses drew me to this site that many professionals believe to be the best activity for draining what I was having at the time, some swollen glands…. the jumping kind on a trampoline.  I didn’t have one so I jogged in a spot for 20 minutes and it worked pretty well.

Well I now have a cheap and cute trampoline from Canadian Tire and it’s so fun and guess what!  I feel great.  My body said “thanks for the change in activity.  You did good “.   Now that’s good feedback!   I may be on it for days…..

I am completely saddened right now.  My ear eczema is at times getting the better of me and I really can not deal with a bandaid solution of cortisone from the doctor.  This is clearly a situation where I must respect myself and my diet and keep the stress low/nil.  I am ON this Elimination diet so this should help.  No more bad fats-even good oils that are baked in store bought chips.  I seem to have flair ups after stress, lots of protein and bad fats.  OK.  I am going to breath and try not to be petrified.  Frick I sound melodramatic, but this is how I feel right now.   I will get through this WITH OUT CUTTING OUT MY EARS from the itching!  / :(   One saving grace - Yah I am not apparently contageous.  Though I am apparently my own worst enemy! - this being an autoimmune thing.  *rolls eyes*  Tell me something I don’t know! 

I have studied plenty about eczema, but not ear eczema so much.  Though I have to say, I have read enough on the Net and I am GOOD now.  I have some information and gathered bits and pieces here.  Now I will just do what I do.  Relax my mind (not easy, but I am working on this) and be committed to the plan.

Weight loss is not my issue or concern.  My goal is to maintain.  My plan is remaining itch free in my ears, keep them moisturized, taking my flaxseed and flaxseed oil, other supplements and lotioning up as my whole body is kind of dry.  I LOVE cocoa butter!!  I am avoiding all glycerin products because they bug me.  Oh did I say I LOVE COCOA BUTTER.  I smell like a giant cookie!  NOW, who needs sweets when you can smell your sweet self all day?! lol  Though I am craving fats ( is my body not getting fats?, so I am taking plant enzymes including lipase and will be talking to my doctor), I am not at all craving sweets.  In fact they actually look like poison to me and I could care less at this time.  Yuck, and yucko to many things…..alcohol, anything refined, bad fats, even most meat.

I am going to keep up with the contract - 3-4 days of strength, 30 or 30+ !  I also need to walk, do yoga and some unique cardio activitites that help me drain my lymph nodes.  It is all good.  Excercise will keep my spirits up.  Just need to listen to my body and not over do it.

Note, bathing is a treat as those will know!  Must avoid water in ears.  I think after a few experiences, I have it down.  lmao.  Living and learning as I go…. I find a drop of mineral oil in each ear and having extra cotton balls near by to switch when they become wet better then just coating the outside of the cotton ball with Vasoline.  That messiness did not work for me and I thought it was really coated…nope.

All right, I feel excellent at this moment as this seemed to be good spiritual detox, so I am going to enjoy the moment!

Any personal stories are welcome.   Especially if you can share some light and good stories of people recovering.  Thank you.

I was watching The Doctors this AM and they said flat out, as one gets older their metabolism does NOT decrease.  It’s the fact that we are beginning to lose muscle mass that we start to gain weight.  So, let’s get lifting and doing all the different kinds of activities that will increase our sexy muscles and help us to be strong and healthy as we age.

Today I am doing my regular strength movements and lifts and I am going to work on some….. pushups.  Just to push me a little.   No just do not want to make the time today to do a long cardio session, but I do have 30 minutes for strength.   I would like it to be as natural as it can be, but maybe I could do well with a contract again.  I do not want to be all military on my ass and then not maintain.  I have taken steps to make lifestyle changes like the no mindless eating and I want this to work for me too.  My goal is 3-4 days a week (one of which will likely be my hard body yoga or my Budokon DVD) and variety is good for me.  I think I can do this.  I likely need to do early AM or later in the evening.

Mark the fitness hut guy here has a lot of great information on his site, answers questions and there are many good (and bad sources) out there.  If you are into finding a trainer, asking questions is your perogative and responsibility.

I let this part of my routine slide over the winter and it did not help me at all.  I had an excuse, but I am not even going to write of it here.  It is crap.  No more excuses!

This summer, I want to show off a swimsuit.  No excuses to not be able to find one I like, like last year.  Blah, blah , blah… I have said this before.  But  it’s a little goal.

Strength Contract

I comit to performing 3-4 days a week of at least 30 minutes of strength training for each session.   When I do DVDs or got to the gym, it is longer and that is great.  But if I look at my body and create a routine for the body I see that day, it must be at least 30 minutes.  This does not exclude me from enjoying activity on the other days.  The goal is to do something active each and every day.  My reward for completing this contract is confidence I will have in knowing that I am strong and I can do anything with my life.  I NEED THIS.  I need to know that I am not limited by my mind and how my mind sees my body.  I am not the past.  I am right now strong and I will become stronger and stronger mentally and physically as I develop these behaviors and new beliefs.

I am continuing with no mindless night time eating and continuing to eat healthier food choices most often.  I am not thinking of it like I am on a diet, though I have to be on this Elimination diet…. little grr.    I am just going to enjoy feeling good.

This contract begins today and I will decide at the end of June if it is reasonable for me beyond.  Still I know it is good for me to make strength exercises a part of my routine.  But for the sake of this contract, I will update my exercise log at the end of June.

~ Jennifer

APPARENTLY I do well with these contracts.  I am not allowed to forget me.  And always a special thanks to Kama who is such an inspiration when it comes to fitness.

Only I know how important it is to really start taking my food sensitivities serious.  Though the Elisa food sensitivity test told me some interesting things (that I might want to avoid large amounts of shellfish, go easy on the cinnamon and lentils/beans too I find), it really did not work for me.  There are foods that I eat that are increasingly becoming more of a problem with me and before I do develop an allergy I need to deal.  Most professionals that I have read about see the elimination diet as a good thing as it allows the body to heal and become cleared out of the problem foods.  By not being continually irritated, the body heals well on it’s own.  Then it can usually have those foods again.

Now I am not anti-allopathy as many know, though I do not always talk about.  I am a middle ground thinker and so I like taking the best from both worlds.  The other day I went to the doctor and was given Fluconazole to clear up my body of candida.  As I have wrote about I have been ill off and on for about 10 or so months.  Anyways, she gave me that and I was happy.  I just can not be bothered to deal with this scary problem with herbs and tonics…*lol…rolling eyes*  I know such things are can be good for mild issues, but the thought of dealing with it homepathicly, kind of made my skin crawl.  On top of this I have ear eczema which can be serious.  My Dr. did not give me anything here.  She wants to see if with moisturizing and some light ‘freezing’ when needed, it will heal on it’s own.  I really like her progressive thinking.  I asked her if the yeast caused the ear condition and she said it was more likely the dry weather.  My books say candida wreaks havoc on the immune system and would lead to things like allergies and other infections.  The weather has been stupid cold so, who knows.  Little of this, little of that…bam!

Every damn time I have dairy, my reactions are becoming worse and worse so I am FINALLY going to do an elimination diet to let my body relax and heal and then after 4 or so (maybe 6 weeks) I am going to start adding foods in, one by one.  I wanted the easy way out by having a test done and it did little to help.  This time I am listening to my body and taking charge.  I sound all positive, but it is the hardest thing I will be taking on.  No sympathy, I just need to be strong and know that this is for my health.  The fact is I am eating foods that my body does not like and I need to respect the messages.  I have ignored them for long enough.  Really it is time to just do and not talk.

I am not happy to feel like a social outsider because of this, but who am I kidding, I have never been popular and being the person I am, being different is A-ok.  Still this diet means I can almost not eat out or eat what others are eating.  Boo hoo hey?  Like there are worse things in the world then my poor poor bloodty diet.   Get over it, is what I am telling myself.   I started studying natural nutrition because of my health and if I hope to really help people with their wellness, then what better way then going through the uncomfortable changes myself.  That part of me that just wants to be a rebel will just have to take a back seat and think like a growed up and not a big f’n baby.

I am eliminating all dairy and the most common allergens plus some veggies as they have proven to be problematic at times.  I am also taking a shit load of supporting and healing vitamins, minerals and EFAs while healing and they are specific to the healing of eczema so I feel good about this.

MOVING ON………………………….. This does NOT have to define who I am at this moment or for the next month.  It is my energy and this is my health !

Fun…what is fun?  I am working on enjoying a new DVD, that is if Oscar will let me get through it today.  Though I did cave quite easy when he was being a twit.  I just did not have the energy really.  Today I do my Budokon DVD that incorporates martial arts, yoga and meditation…YAH

Wishing everyone a great Friday and a relaxing weekend.  Cheers to health and relaxation!  *clink*

So I have gone 13 days of NOT eating after supper unless hungry.   I feel the joys of a metabolism and I’m appreciating.  I do believe it just settled down into hybernation over the winter.  I am not kidding either.  I have made some changes, but STILL!  That was just craziness!  Anyways I think I learned some things that will help me keep the metabolism going.  So, the 13 nights have been great.  Now I am fairly sure that I consumed sugar last night.  We spent the day with a couple yesterday which was very nice - played some board games (crappy weather) and watched hockey.  Enjoyed some sushi together for lunch and then I just forgot about my goals.  Not a big deal, but I am almost positive that I had sugar in a dressing that I put on my Greek and spinach salad.  It was a balsamic vinegarette that was so tangy and sweet tasting and I enjoyed, though it did seem a bit rich for my stomach later, oh yeh in combination with a thin crust chicken and vegetable pizza w/ pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce.  The fact that the meal stayed with me so long, could have just been the fat content or the flour because I did not over eat at all, at any part of the day.  I enjoyed it anyways.  I did feel like I had let myself down momentarily because of the sugar, then I grabbed some perspective!!!  It was a fun day with some good people.   I went 8 days with NO SUGAR/sweetener OF ANY KIND.  That is a record for me and I feel great because of it.  My next and completely usual thought was, “well I blew it so, now I can have sugar again.”  Well no way!!  This is a lifestyle change and having a little sugar in some dressing (of which I maybe had a tablespoon and a half) is not a huge deal.  Sure I made the commitment, but one of my unspoken commitments is to be gentle with myself and progress with my lifestyle changes.  So making the choice to continue on with the no sweeters and sugar is exactly what I intend to do.  I am firm on the no mindless eating at night though.  This is just VERY good for me.  Eating at night, mindlessly, is a behavior that I recall so well and has become a very unhealthy behavior for me.  I just do not need that food in me, unless I have exercised that night and need a little something something….fruit or something.

So, that is that.

Freedom from night time eating - 13 days

Sugar/sweetener free - 8 days, a trip-up along my path…moving on…

Chemical free - doing the best I can in this society of ours and I am not over thinking things too much.

*Yesterday’s activity: cleaning condo quickly, with my sweeties help, before company came over.  Hey, we have stairs so it was a complete and good work out…  :)   Today:  Muscles!!!

 What briefly came from eating more protein? - ENERGY and some weight loss (likely water loss)But the energy did not last.

The freedom from the mindless night time eating…..

For the kind of dieter that I am, I MUST relax equally as much as I think about all this craziness.  Key: Stay commited to a couple important things, but relax too.  So far, things are great and I see this becoming a nice little life syle.  I REALLY have not been missing the eating at night at all.  In fact, I like the clean teeth feeling and the ever so empty feeling (very good for my past poor digestion).  I will be sitting and watching a program on TV, maybe even a hockey game (Go Washington, GO!) and I love the freedom from the “one snack, ok, maybe two snacks is okay.  Well the heck, why not one more.”  None of this and it’s wonderful! 

So this and exercise have been helping me to feel strong and healthier.  So, why am I a little nervous?  Well it is the weekend and WHO DOESN’T eat on the weekend nights?  Tonight I am going to a Bath Goddess party and that should be free of snacks, but then there is Saturday night.  No clue what is up, but I want this for me!  Not because of anything other then I want to prove to myself that I can commit to something and be good with it.  A little weight loss would be heavenly too.  SO, I need a little motivation…..hehe

My dear Bif Naked is CANCER FREE (yes she kicked it in the ass big time) and she has a CD coming out this coming week. 

SO my gift to myself for not eating after supper on this first weekend is that I get to buy her new CD on THE DAY it is released.  Other wise I have to wait a week.  Well, this is suddenly easy.  I want the CD!  Also, this summer she’s performing a concert here in Saskatoon, so I desperately need pants or something to go with any number of my tops.  So, my reward for going 30 days with no night time eating after supper (remembering that feeding true hunger is healthy and essential…just a little the curb the real hunger - this is ok) is of course new pants.  Yah!  What if I eat within the 30?  Well I need pants…..and I am pretty sure no one wants to see me naked.  Ok, will cross this bridge when it comes.  It’s mostly all words.  I am going to do my best and the pants will be mine.  But will I have the bragging rights to say I did it?  I WANT THIS !!!

Yah, yah the the motivation should be internal, but I want to make this fun.  No reprimands or feeling bad at any time.  But I do need to stay commited and this requires a little thought.  The fact that my attitude is so great these days is another little reward. 

I feel physically strong and motivated.  And this head of mine is pleasantly on the right way, so that is an added bonus.  

*hugs*

Yes the doctor told me last year that my thyroid is fine, but my symptoms would say differently.  With a slight weight gain over the past year (15ish pounds…because I did not give up completely) and feeling as I have, I know enough to know I do not want to go back to that place.  And I saw a hint of those same symptoms reappearing only this time I am much more knowledable/intuned. 

We hear so often that eating more is often the key.  But individuals are unique and so a few will have to eat only a little if they have a health issue and a professional has suggested it, but if one is eating too low (like maybe I did, aiming for what WW suggested as around 24-26 pts for years :about 1300-1400 calories), well this can be asking for problems, unknowingly of course.  I think it goes back to the old addage…”slow and steady wins the race.”  For me, slow and steady represents what is good and healthy in reality and the race represents our minds and how we think we should get there faster then we really should.  The fast weight loss truly is not something, I have seen with myself and some buddies, that can be maintained.   I really have been here for a long time and this is what I have witnessed of many and myself.  Slower really is the best answer for many of us.  It is a nasty feeling to lose, get to goal and then gain.  And why we ask?  But so often it is not the choices we make (though it is easy to slip back into the old junky habits, true) but rather it is a metabolism that revolts a bit. 

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/eatingenough.htm

There is an equation in this link that is just awesome!  Maybe….lol  Here it is:

Current Weight, in Pounds _____
Divide above by 2.2 _____
Multiply result by 25 _____ (For a person w/ a normal thyroid, multiply by 30)
Subtract 200 for “Thyroid Factor” -200 (-500 to lose 1 lb/wk for those who have a normal thyroid)
Calories Per Day for Weight Loss _____
Divide by 300 = # of 300-calorie “mini-meals” Per Day _____

And of course plenty of exercise. 

I am also curious how age plays into this.  Also how does this affect one who is really obese or inactive?  I have no idea.

I will update when it has been a suffiecient amount of time to really tell.

I am estimating my calories for each of the 6 meals per day as I can NOT quite get into the lifestyle of keeping track of the caloires.  I know I am aiming for about 300 calories/meal which seems like a lot for snacks…lol  :)  - but it really isn’t when keeping active.  Intuitive Eating will play a role, because I do not see myself stuffing myself to meet the 300 goal.  If I am full, I will stop.  And if I am not hungry, I will not eat.  And what to eat and what to avoid is actually ingrained and natural to my thinking…a more hypothyroid type diet mostly.  Thank god I feel patient.  If I was learning this all at once, I might go insane.  Nope, no insanity here.  I am giving it a whirl.  I do not care if I lose 2 lbs per month.  If fact, for myself, this might be the healthiest speed.  Plenty of exercise of course too.  Time will tell. I feel happy, motivated and healthy.  Now, off to work out. Happy Easter Weekend…..Have a great day Everyone!

You do not give up!  And I am assuming that you just kept on doing your best.  You do not get all stressed because you know this packs on the pounds.  You do not worry about altering calories or recording them to the precise number.  You did not have the time, because you had a life to live and it did not fit in.  You were okay with this.  You relaxed, KNOWING that by doing things gently (no extremes), that all would come to be.  You know that respecting yourself creates a gentle balance within that is true beauty, harmony and optimum for all body functions including weight loss.  You know that extreme diets and exercise are hard on the body, leaving one altered, depleted and eventually, MOODY!   You know that eating a bit more one day or a bit more healthy fat than “ideal” is okay and even healthy.  You know that chosing fruits and vegetables more often just feels better.  You know that movement should feel good.  Maybe for once, you were just listening to the wisdom of your body and so balance was actually achieved at a cellular level.  Even though! if you were to ask a dieter or read an article or book, you might feel inadequate.  YOU KNOW BETTER !

Months from now this is what I think………………………………. My clothes fit better and I feel at peace.   It was really this easy?  Why in the hell did I make things so difficult?  Answer: I let a commerical society dictate “what I know” when the only knowing comes from with in.  Finally, I listened.  Still, the emotional times are not ALWAYS so easy.  That seems to be the most difficult of it all.  Sometimes it is just fine to sit in the unknown and know it’s okay too.

Inspired by a plateau buster & a self hater here at Buddyslim.