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And…Take Two

By on January 23, 2012 in eating, Paleo, plan, planning, working out

…wherein I confess that I fell off the “transitioning to Paleo” wagon about a week after I hopped on!

So guess what?  Apparently when you plan to change your entire way of eating, some planning is required in order for that to be a success.  Go figure!

Also, news flash?  Babies take up a LOT of time.  Where BB (“Before Baby”) I could have zipped out to Costco or the grocery store any time to stock up, and had time to cook most nights (I didn’t say I actually cooked most nights, just that I had time!), now … not so much.

So, yeah.  I made it about a week before my (a) failure to plan/cook/shop ahead and (b) inability to make time for such things mid-week derailed me.

Oh, and then there was the GSS2012 (Great Snow Storm of 2012) wherein we were “snowed in” for a week.  And by snowed in, I mean we had 12+ inches of snow and we live on a hill, so although the roads were mostly fine about a mile from our house, there was no getting out of our neighborhood unless I wanted to slip and slide in my car like I was on skis.

So, yeah.  Crap, I already said that.

Anyhoo, in an effort to be more realistic, I am taking this week and coming weekend to do my shopping/planning/cooking ahead.  In the meantime, I am back to no sugar starting now.  Each day I will do one thing to prepare for my change in food choices.  Except today, when I am going back to the gym.  For the first time since Alana was born.  I’m signing us up for a family membership and I will break a sweat.  That’s more important to me, today, than anything else.

Here’s the plan:

Tuesday: Costco after work.
Wednesday: Cook one Paleo-friendly meal, freeze at least 4 servings of same.
Thursday: Grocery store after work.
Friday: Same as Wednesday.
Saturday: Cook 2-3 meals, freeze, also prep snacks for the week.
Sunday: Same as Saturday.

Workout-wise:

Monday (today): Gym
Tuesday: Wii Fit
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Mid-day walk (little rain in forecast)
Friday: Rest (I have a hearing that day and like to get home early on Fridays if I can!)
Saturday: Gym
Sunday: Not sure, walk with hubs hopefully?

How about you peeps?  How are you all doing?  Please don’t say “I told you so” on the whole failing to plan is planning to fail thingy.  :)

Gratuitous baby pic:

Comments { 3 }

Something to Chew on…Time for Tough Love

By on February 4, 2011 in Betsy, consistency/commitment, eating, End of Overeating, food, goals, guest post, health, plan, Uncategorized

Without further ado, please enjoy today’s guest post from our friend Betsy!

I’ve tried being gentle and loving with myself when it comes to my weight loss and healthy-living efforts, but all that has gotten me is a warm-fuzzy feeling coupled with bouts of self-loathing and desperation, so the hell with that. I’m resorting to tough love. To help guide me on this never-before-traversed-tough-love path I’ve created and implemented a plan based on the advice outlined in the two books (Kessler and Beck) I discussed in my last post.

What are the goals of this plan?

  1. To eliminate the chaos that surrounds mealtimes.
  2. To break my desire for, and emotional dependence on hyperpalatable foods.
  3. To reframe my relationship with food: i.e. food is for fuel (family, friends and activity are for reward and comfort).

What is the plan? It’s pretty basic because if I set too many rules I tend to forget about them or lose track of them or mix them up and reverse them and return to my habitual eating. So “don’t eat after 8PM” becomes “eat with abandon after 8PM.” So my plan goes like this:

  1. ELIMINATE all sugar, white flours, pastas, junk food, cakes, chips, processed foods, and fast food.
  2. Set mealtimes in advance and eat ONLY at those times.
  3. Spend a few minutes each day creating the next day’s meal plan.
  4. Select a few meal options for each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) and eat them again and again and again.
  5. Complete Beck’s Success Skills (Stage 1) for seven consecutive days and then assess. (I need to assess today!)

I have to tell you that I am VERY proud of myself for including the word and action “ELIMINATE” in my plan because I usually lean towards the healthy living camp that frowns upon eliminating food types as it is said that can lead to a nasty mentality of deprivation thus leading to cravings and overindulgence. But alas, I’ve tried (and tried and tried and tried) to keep all foods fair game, in moderation, and that has not worked for me. At all. So in a moment of bravery and tough love, I have given up those foods that have comforted me for 30+ years. I have finally admitted to myself that reaching my goal (of being a fit, healthy person) will not be attained by consuming my trigger foods. It just isn’t gonna happen that way for me.

In preparation for launching my new plan I held a multi-day event called The Great Food Funerals of 2011. During this time I enjoyed my go-to comfort foods, thanked them for the years of support, told them I no longer needed them, and released them and asked them to release me. I realize this sounds ridiculous but I am one for grand gestures when it comes to life changing moments, and this farewell to my food faves deserved a proper send off.

It’s day eight since I implemented this plan and I’m finding Beck’s whole “NO CHOICE” approach a huge relief. The moment my mind starts going down that road of trying to justify giving into a food craving that isn’t in my day’s eating plan, I take a deep breath and say, “NO CHOICE.” And then there is a blissful silence. My mind doesn’t try to tell me I deserve it, or just this once won’t be a big deal, or that I should eat it because I want it and I’m an adult and get to make my own decisions so just go ahead and enjoy it. When I say, “NO CHOICE” all of that chatter evaporates. It’s so simplistic that I’m amazed it’s working for me.

I’m also amazed because I found this approach tedious and difficult just a few months ago. Obviously, I wasn’t ready to make these changes and so I resisted them with fervor akin to a televangelist. But today I’m ready because I am tired of expending all of my energy fighting with myself in a battle over food. It’s just so darn tedious to constantly be engaged in a battle of wills with myself. It’s also quite absurd and such a self-centered use of my precious life energy. So enough. Enough.

Comments { 9 }

Back in the Saddle

By on January 6, 2011 in 4-Hour Body, consistency/commitment, determination/motivation, eating, food, hcg, plan, R2P4, working out

Hey y’all!  I hope you enjoyed the guest posts over the last couple of days – I’m so grateful to Tara and Betsy for sharing the writing load with me this week!  I’m finally back in Seattle and, just like every time I take time off, I’m wondering if the vacation time is really worth the mounds and piles of work I have waiting for me when I come home!  Who am I kidding – it’s totally worth it! – but if you are wondering where I’ll be for the next week?  A good bet will almost always be my desk!

Vacation was great – it was really nice to take a mental and physical break.  Before you shake your finger at me, don’t worry – I didn’t take a total break from working out.  In the 5 days I was gone, I got in one awesome gym trip, a 3.5 mile run, and a 3 mile walk.  And yesterday, my first day back, I hit up the gym for an AWESOME kick-my-own-arse cardio and core session.  I can’t wait to meet up with my trainer this afternoon and get back into the groove with her, too.

Another thing that has me excited is that I’ve decided to give the slow carb diet from The 4-Hour Body a try for the next 2-3 weeks.  I won’t weigh myself until Sunday to give myself a few days to lose a bit of water weight, but I already know that I’ve put on probably 10 pounds over the holidays.  So I’m ready to get that weight off and prep my body for all the awesometasticness that 2011 will hold, like running lots of events – including the Warrior Dash, Ragnar, and a half marathon – and another round of HCG.

So today I started on The 4-Hour Body slow carb diet, which is basically as follows:

RULE 1: AVOID “WHITE” CARBOHYDRATES.  Avoid any carbohydrate that is, or can be, white.

RULE 2: EAT THE SAME FEW MEALS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

RULE 3: DON’T DRINK CALORIES.

RULE 4: DON’T EAT FRUIT.

RULE 5: TAKE ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK.

I know these rules might seem uber-restrictive because, well, they are!  I am not worried about feeling deprived for two reasons.  One is that one day each week, I can eat what I like.  At this point, I am sure that will include lots of fruit (which I will miss), some dairy, and maybe even pizza.  The second reason I am not worried about feelings of deprivation is that I don’t intend to follow the slow-carb diet for ages.  I’m using it as a tool to help me take off a few of the pounds I’ve gained and to get me off sugar completely before I start my next round of HCG.

So there you have it – I feel fantastic today because I got a good night’s sleep, fit in a fantastic workout, and have eaten yummy, healthy food all day today.  Oh, and I’m taking a trip to Whole Paycheck Foods tonight on my way home to stock up on lots of essentials, including white truffle sea salt, eggs, chicken, beans, lentils, veggies, and more.

How are you?  I’m still catching up on blogs, so fill me in on your news and goals for 2011!

Comments { 24 }

Welcome to 2011!

By on January 1, 2011 in goals, holiday, hope/inspiration, plan, planning, R2P4

Welcome to 2011, friends!

I hope whatever you did last night, you were safe and with your loved ones.  I heard about people who slept right through it; who went running to bring in the New Year on the pavement; who spend the evening with family and friends at home or out on the town.

However you chose to celebrate, I hope you are happy.

And if you are not happy, may I suggest that 2011 can be your year?  The year in which instead of making empty resolutions which fizzle out by February…you set goals and make a concrete plan for how to reach those goals, and then execute that plan?  The year in which you actually begin to achieve some of your goals, and make your own dreams come true?

I said something on Twitter the other day that resonated with me and a few other people: the difference between a resolution and a goal is having a PLAN.  It’s so easy to think about what we want, but the truth is that unless we sit down and put together a realistic plan that allows us to follow-through on that thing we want…well, chances are we’ll spend next New Year’s Eve thinking about the same things we want, and setting the same resolutions for 2012.

Here’s the deal: 2011 is going to pass one way or the other.  And in one year, you will arrive at the last day of 2011 and you will look back at this year.  You have the choice now to determine how you will feel and what you will see when you do that look-back.  So what will you choose?

I choose health.
I choose to do some hard work mentally & emotionally.
I choose to keep working to become the best me I can be.
I choose to run in several events that scare the bejebus out of me.
I choose to keep battling to lose this weight and keep it off because I AM WORTH IT.
I choose to be open and transparent here with myself and all of you…because it makes me better.
I choose LIFE.

So 2011?  BRING. IT. ON.  I am ready!

Are you ready?  What are your plans for 2011?  What is your PLAN to achieve your GOALS for this coming year?

You’ll here more about some of my plans over the next few weeks.  I can’t wait to share!

Comments { 16 }

Feeling Good

By on December 10, 2010 in body, emotional stuff, goals, hope/inspiration, plan, R2P4, running

Happy Friday, y’all!  How’s your day going?  Mine has been fantastic so far!  I’m wearing an outfit I love.  I got to start my day with coffee with Jord.  I went to court for a hearing, my opponent didn’t show up, the judge grilled me for 5 minutes (hooray for knowing all the answers!), and my motion was granted.  PLUS I am going to happy hour with my co-workers and dinner at my sister’s tonight.  Whew!  Fun times.

No time to fit in a workout today – that would have required getting up at 4:30/5am which – sorry, I’m not sorry – just wasn’t happening!  I had a killer workout with Shannon yesterday and I’ll get in a strength training session tomorrow.  Sunday’s workout is built-in – I’m running the Jingle Bell Run with Tara and Jord!  Tara celebrated her birthday on Wednesday, but one day is not long enough for a birthday, so we are turning it into a birthday week with a celebratory brunch after the run.  Do you think anyone will mind that we’re dressed like “Christmas threw up on us” (to quote Tara)?  And will probably be drenched from the downpour they’re calling for?  Nah, I didn’t think so.

Today I’m feeling good.  This whole week, really.  I am looking forward to 2011 and making some big plans.  I don’t mind telling you that the thoughts I’m having?  Are pretty much blowing my mind.  Like maybe running the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon (it would be my first).  Or doing the Warrior Dash.  (I wanted to do both but some ding-dong scheduled them on the same day!)  Or participating in a Ragnar team.  Why do these things blow my mind?  Sometimes the 250-pound woman who started this Life Changing Journey still visits me, and when she’s inside my head hearing these thoughts, she laughs so hard she snorts her drink up her nose.  But instead of that laugh discouraging me, you know what happens?

Well, have you ever been in a room full of people and you find something hilariously funny and laugh really really loud right at the moment when it gets quiet in that room?  And everybody looks at you?  And no one else seems to think it’s funny?

That’s what happens when the Old Me laughs at the New Me.  No one laughs with her.  Because these thoughts?  They’re not crazy pipe dreams that I can’t accomplish.  They are realistic goals that are within reach – all I have to do is decide what I want, train for it, and make it happen.

So today?  It feels pretty good to be me.  Yesterday’s workout reminded me that no matter the ups and downs and bumps in the road, my body can do amazing things.  Things it couldn’t do when I was 250 or even 300 pounds.  And being in awe of what my body can accomplish is a pretty damn good feeling.

Have you thought about setting some goals for 2011?  Any big plans – runs, climbs, bikes, swims, tris – coming up?

Comments { 14 }