Well…here we are. The last day of 2009. What a great year of transformation for me. While it is not healthy to spend all of my time looking in the rearview mirror, lately I have been spending a little time looking back. In retrospect, and keeping my mindset positive, these are the things I accomplished this year:
Divorced a man I never should have married in the first place….adios! Hasta nunca!
I got my beautiful son Zion enrolled at Little Star Center, a school for children with Autism.
I bought the car I’ve always wanted, and though quite used, I love driving it. And look hot doing so. (har har)
I was incredibly honest with a man I had the hots for…to his face. And while this hasn’t yet resulted in a romantic relationship, it has given me one of the most cherished friendships in my life.
I ran my first mile in under 13 minutes…that’s faster than I could run it in high school.
I designed and built a stone pathway in my front yard.
I started taking Spin Class at the gym.
I remodeled my living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
I trained for a new clinical position in the Emergency Room.
I started a cleaning service to pay for my son’s schooling.
I put myself out there again in the dating community….and stepped right back out after about a dozen dates. (Lol….ewwwwww)
I was inducted to the Beaver Society as one appropriately named Jungle Beaver.
I paid off my last credit card.
I made peace with my ex-husband.
I made peace with myself.
When I look at it this way, I don’t think of it as another year gone. Or wasted. I think of it as a year truly lived.
One in which I learned.
Loved.
Cried.
Broke.
Healed.
I feel equipped to face 2010 with new hope, courage, and great anticipation for all of the beautiful things that are going to happen this year. I am just going to live, without fear. Say no when I don’t feel like doing something. And say yes when I do. I plan to protect my children, my heart, and our future by shutting out the naysayers and just making the best, loving choices for myself and my two children, Zoe and Zion.
I will rest.
Nourish.
Hydrate.
And love myself. Without punishing myself so much.
9:40pm: light on calories for today… 877. Which is way low for me… but my eating has been out of control and I still feel so full from the endless food. Mostly sugar!! Made it through day one though. And I am happy about that… Feels good to be going in the right direction. Bugging me that my 100 days fall so close to my project. Will be doing 100 days during preproduction. Production is not helpful for weight loss. Craft service. UGH!! I put on 30 pounds during the last production!! Ugh big time. Not this time. I stopped exercising completely. Blood bath. No wonder I was so crazy. Lots of food and no exercise and complete stress. Special. I just need to be aware and then I will be able to avoid the whole mess… Pop corn worked for me. Need to pick. Gets me crazy. Had 5 cups of pop corn tonight. Helps. I’m going to have another cup of decaf and then call it a night. Tomorrow I’m measuring all and doing my video weigh in… Very happy about spinning class tomorrow. It is pycho spinning. Needed. Really ache after that class… I need to ache. I am planning on losing 12 pounds the first week. Let’s see how that goes. I feel that the 188 number isn’t real. I feel that is just bloated mess. I need to get the hell out of this mess. I feel so lousy. I will be so happy just being in the 150. Ugh. That seems so far away. Ugh… I will get there. I think I can. I think I can. End of day one. Made it through day one… Yeah. Tomorrow: Day two!!! I will do this one day at a time…
Hoping to recommit to my weight loss in 2010 and get some motivation for it. I wouldn’t say I’ve abandoned it, but….
I’ve been seeing the Evil Trainer, and I’ve been doing Pilates. And although my eating hasn’t been *that* horrible the past month or so, it hasn’t been good.
I’m not going to make any weight resolutions for the new year, I rarely ever make any, and the few times I do, I don’t follow through. I’m merely going to try and be good to myself and live healthy AND sanely. I will continue to see the Evil Trainer and do Pilates, and I’ll keep up on my goals of giving up fast food, diet soda, pizza, and, most importantly, bingeing.
I’m going to knit and work on my art and finally do a painting that has been rolling around in my brain.
I’m also going to try and “meet” new people. First step is the 2 new pen pals I got today from a group on ravelry.com, the “P.S. I Knit!” group – one is in the UK, and the other is in the Nederlands.
I also hope to figure out a new career for myself….that is going to be tough… Especially in today’s job market. But I’m not sure I can take yet another SysAdmin job where I hate going to work every damn day.
Basically I plan to live like there is more to me than my size and my weight – BECAUSE THERE IS!
And now to ring out the old, and ring in the new, Angus & the Christmas Lobster wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Wonderful New Year:
Well, hi there. I survived the holidays, in short. But before Jolly Ol’ St. Nicholas and his entourage of amazing treats showed up, I had a great result on the scale.
Fabulous, right? I dropped down into the 160s, I was actually at the weight listed on my driver’s licence (I must have had a really kind or really blind DMV worker when I put in that number), and I was feeling pretty awesome about myself.
What happened? Well, pre-Christmas I did some heavy thinking. I could a) skip all my favorite Christmas fare, b) eat a few of my favorites but mostly munch on the fruit tray I brought to Christmas Eve, c) enjoy myself without wanting to puke afterwards, or d) enjoy myself until I puked and the waistband of my pants staged a protest and broke free.
So I consciously went with option C. Could I have earned a crazy amount of AP earlier in the week? Yes, and I did – I earned 27 activity points by going snowboarding for five hours the day before Christmas Eve. But, I decided that adding a few pounds of (mostly water) weight to the scale would be all right with me in exchange for just relaxing and enjoying myself.
Judging from my sneak peek at the scale, most of that weight is already gone. Goodbye water retention!
Do I regret any of those cookies? Not a single one.
When I look at my goal weight for this point in my program (148 lbs, not my present 158), all I can think is “How great would that feel?!” I can remember how light I felt previously when at that weight. At this point, I don’t know how I would catch up to my goal but I’m not changing it. It’s okay. As I’ve written before, fitness is a far more important goal than any number on the scale. And, I’m not afraid of “failure.” Posting that I’m behind in my goal makes me human and real. To persist, I believe, is inspiring.
I am excited to have lost several inches in the last four months. My clothes fit better and I see a difference when I look in the mirror. (Check out my “About” page to see if you can see a difference from my monthly photos.) It pleases me and increases my sense of well-being. (Whether it “should” or not is another topic. Check out this interesting book: “A Waist Is A Terrible Thing To Mind“)
Another way that the changes I’m experiencing please me is that I am experiencing a higher level of fitness. Hiking up Indian Hill has gotten much easier for me. I can feel the difference between now and when I first started in September -less breathlessness, greater ease up that first, steep incline. The last few days, I’ve started to fantasize about hiking bigger mountains. And I feel a thrill of excitement rush through my body when I think about doing that. That tells me it’s the right thing for me to do. I think I’ll be spending even more time in the Adirondacks next summer.
Still, it would feel really great to experience the lightness of my body at 148, instead of 158. I just picked up 2-5 pound dumbbells to see what 10 pounds feels like. Boy would that additional weight loss take a load off my joints. That inspires me to do better with eating. And I’ve been noticing something about my eating habits that needs to change (okay, two somethings but one at a time!).
Next…What’s The Rush?
Here are my current stats (the original ones show as a strikethrough):
Starting weight: 164 lbs
Current weight: 158 lbs
Goal weight: 148
End of Week: #16
Weight loss this week: 1 lb (had gained one back last week)
Total weight loss to date: 6 lbs
Measurements: (6.5 total inches shed so far)
bust 41.25″ 41.5″ (are the exercises uplifting?)
waist 37.5″ 36″
belly 40″ 39.25″
hips 41.75″ 40.25″
right thigh 26.5″ 25″
How I did today:
1. Sleep - 8 hours last night
2. Exercise - 60 minutes Jazzercise, 20 minutes shoveling snow
3. Strength training - part of Jazzercise
4. Yoga – nope
5. Meditation – 10 minutes before bed
6. Food – 3 fruits, lots of veggies and legumes, 2 servings of chocolate
How I did during week #16:
1. Sleep – average of 7.8 hours (goal is average 8.5 hours)
2. Exercise - 8.5 hours (goal is now 10.5)
3. Strength training – 3x w/Jazzercise (goal is 3 times per week)
4. Yoga – 0 (goal is twice a week)
5. Meditation – 0 minutes (goal is 10 minutes a day)
6. Food – 3 holiday celebrations
So, I am just getting started; new here in the blogging world. What will my blog be about? What is my focus? I don’t know, I have a lot of thoughts I want to get out there; nothing specific just a blubbering mom of 3, wife and business owner needing her own outlet or salvation.
I am currently watching the snow fall; we are expecting 4 more inches tonight. The kids will love that. Bonnie played outside last night for the first time and Butch and Sundance had a blast introducing her to the snow! They played on the swing-set and slide and the dogs chased them through the yard. It was a beautiful night. I took pictures of the kids playing and tried to get Bonnie as she went down the slide, but she went too fast and knocked me over. I’ll post the pictures from that. I am still recovering from the fall…that little girl had some speed to her!
Bonnie is 2 and Butch and Sundance are 9 year old twin boys.
My twins are my IVF babies and I was blessed with conceiving my daughter without medical assistance.
I love watching movies and reading on my kindle. My most recent movie was Julie and Julie…I could have done without that one, but I guess it wasn’t the worst movie I have ever seen. My most recent read on kindle is Anna Karenina…cant get into that one, but still trying.
I have started a weightless plan. Not a real plan other than the plan to lose weight and get in shape. Today is day two if the plan. I am feeling ok, a bit sore and craving some chocolate, but other than that I am good to go. The Wii fit is part of my plan. It is fun and I hope I can keep going between it and the treadmill. I am looking to shed 40 lb.. That is right, 40 pounds. Wii told me that I should have a short term goal so I set it at 20 lb. in 3 months. So that is it for now.
Okay, you’ve eaten your Christmas dinner, maybe more pie than you should have, and your pants are feeling (super) tight.
It’s time to get it together in January. I’d love to help you for 31 days straight to get in the right frame of mind for losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle.
After all, most Americans will make a New Years resolution to eat healthy and exercise in 2010, but how many will actually succeed?
Do you want to be among the success stories?
If so, I know you’ll love my audio course Losing Weight After Baby: 31 Days to a New You. Just listen 5 minutes a day in the month of January to get the results you want. Learn more now.
If you check with your diet consultant, you will find the first step in any successful weight loss program is, and forever will be, an exercise routine. There is no substitute for getting started with a walking routine. Simply starting out with a 10 minute stroll and then gradually building up the pace to a brisk walk over a longer distance.
Your diet consultant will have made sure you had no health issues that could prevent you from taking up more physical pursuits, such as jogging, or even working out with gym type exercises all of which will start the calories burning. This will get your program off to a great start and in no time at all, you will start to feel better.
But, exercise alone was not all that you needed. How many calories should you eat to lose weight? So you need to find a quality weight losing program. But, how do you know which one to choose? Well, when selecting a weight loss program or product, Make sure that you could be comfortable with.More…
A healthy weight loss plan can include nutritional supplements to make it easier to meet the weight loss goals. We three of the top selling weight loss supplements on the market today.
Free Weightloss Weight Loss EBook
This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patients weight loss program. Enhances Fertility TCM practitioner will carefully determine the state of the imbalances and prescribe an individualized program of herbs, acupuncture and diet to help humans create the correct environment for fertility and pregnancy. How To Heal the Life Quickly What maximum people do not realize is that emotions are real things. Acupuncture is one of the most widely recognized and successful methods of alternative treatment in the world. Its effectiveness in treating a wide variety of disorders has been clinically proven by many distinguished researchers. Grateful that the ailments have been alleviated without any side effects, have graciously written testimonials found throughout the website. The study investigates the efficacy of acupuncture for childhood asthma. Researchers try 17 children between the ages of 6 and 12 in a randomized, placebo-controlled.
Prior printed Publication
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001
Suggested Links Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss Weight Loss Help
Tags: weight loss supplements weight loss supplement weight loss program weight loss plan weight loss weight los the ages side effects side effect nutritional supplement
I don’t feel like talking about exercise or weight watching or calorie counting today. (It’s Christmas!) So instead…I’m bringing you a couple of things that put a smile on my face this time of year…
First up…christmas lights choreographed to music. (I swear I will do this to my house one of these years!)
Next…it’s the best (and by that I mean the worst) version of “O Holy Night” I’ve ever heard.
And finally a little bad santa humor courtesy of the folks over at failblog.org:
Are you looking for a fat loss diet program that works without leaving you feeling faint? Nearly every diet out there promises fast weight loss, and some of them work. But just how long can you sustain yourself on those 300 calorie diet meals that contain enough food for a 3 year old? There is a better way.
The majority of weight loss plans require you to count calories or carbohydrates and are costly because you must buy special foods or supplements. There is a fat loss diet program online that has helped thousands lose weight very fast without ever counting a calorie or purchasing any special foods.
What’s so great about this plan? You don’t count calories, you don’t limit food portions, and you don’t have to purchase special foods and supplements. This fat loss diet program shows you how to achieve rapid weight loss using REAL foods you eat every day!
This fat loss diet program is unlike anything you have seen before! By learning how to combine your foods at meals, and when to eat, you can drop the pounds like crazy without ever feeling hungry. Part of the trick is eating more often! You won’t be disappointed!
No matter what the results were, I believed I would be surprised when I stepped onto the scale this morning. I was. Well, a little. I weighed in at 159 this morning, not my previous 158. It is a little surprising that only 2 days of feasting can add up that fast.
However, it’s likely not just the feasting that put another pound back on my body. In reviewing my weekly totals, I see that my sleep was really inadequate. For the week, I am 9.5 hours short. That’s a whole night’s worth of sleep. As I’ve written before, sleep deprivation = equals extra pounds, even with the same number of calories taken in.
Also, I was about 4 hours short of my exercise goal. That’s at least 1200-1600 calories not burned, or nearly half a pound.
So: feasting + sleep deprivation + not meeting exercise goal = gaining a pound. Makes sense even if it doesn’t make me happy.
Now that my holiday celebrations are over, the extra errands of shopping and wrapping and extra activities are behind me for another year, I can get refocused and get back to heading toward a healthier, fitter, thinner me.
A real woman having a real journey though sometimes the journey is two steps forward and one step back. This woman is persisting.
Next…How Great Would That Feel?!
Here are my current stats (the original ones show as a strikethrough):
Weight 164 lbs 159 lbs (goal for this week is 149)
How I did today:
1. Sleep - 8.25 hours last night
2. Exercise - 30 minute brisk walk
3. Strength training - 0
4. Yoga – nope
5. Meditation – 0
6. Food – less chocolate (yay!) but chicken wings (and broccoli) for lunch
How I did during week #15:
1. Sleep – average of 7.14 hours (goal is average 8.5 hours)
2. Exercise - 6.75 hours (goal is now 10.5)
3. Strength training – 4x w/Jazzercise (goal is 3 times per week)
4. Yoga – 0 (goal is twice a week)
5. Meditation – 0 minutes (goal is 10 minutes a day)
6. Food – a real roller coaster, most of a day of fasting, two holidays
Well, this weekend was a fantastical bust! Between the frequent trips to McD and Burger King because, ya know, what the hell else are you supposed to eat on the road, and the fact that I was snowed in for 3 days… my whole, “I gotta eat healthy-ish” thing went right out the window. I did manage to get outside on Sunday, and shovel some snow. That was a good little workout. The hike to friggin the main road was fun, too.
My paperwork for the gym isnt back, yet. I didnt expect it would be. It has to get faxed to another state where my supervisor’s supervisor has to sign it, and then fax it back here so I can then fax it down to the gym poobahs.
I still cant find my scale. I might just shuffle downstairs and use the one in the lady’s locker room… but I’m wearing jeans and boots and a sweater. Ol well. It’ll just make my first weigh in look awesome. Right?
The laser help to suppress appetite allowing you to feel full and eat smaller amounts of food. The laser also raises the metabolic rate which increases the body’s ability to burn fat. ONE SESSION of the laser treatment helps suppress appetite and raise the metabolic rate for up to four to six weeks after one session. Additional weight boosters are recommended every two to four weeks after the initial treatment to keep the appetite suppressed and the metabolic rate elevated until the ideal weight is obtained. Remember that laser is not meant to replace eating right or exercise; it is designed as an enhancement. Laser will help to suppress the appetite, but there are certain foods that stimulate appetite, such as white flour, white sugar and other refined foods we will discuss during your time with us.
IT IS ALL ABOUT LEARNING TO EAT SMART. DIETS DON’T WORK. Anyone can restrict food intake to cause you to loose weight, but when the diet is over you would slowly revert back to the same old habits. This is the reason the behavior modification program along with laser therapy is a smart and easy way to achieve your optimal weight.
The good news is we didn’t get any more snow after Saturday night. The bad news is my car is still plowed shut out on the street. I tried to do a little bit today, but I’m just too scared of a) falling and b) making my back even worse than it already is.
I ended up taking a 1/2 day vacation today and working a 1/2 day from home. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I’m getting rides to work from a co-worker, and Thursday, I’ll work from home again. We have a 1/2 day holiday on Thursday for Christmas Eve, so I’ll just work 4 hours from the same chair I’m sitting in right now.
Hopefully, by the end of the week, things will have warmed up enough that I can get my car out. If not, I won’t be making it up to my father’s house for Christmas. I still haven’t heard back from any of the many snow removal services I called, and at this point, I don’t expect to hear anything.
The one positive thing about being snowed in is that there are no opportunities to go out and buy tempting, fattening foods. I’m been ordering my groceries online lately and having them delivered, but for some reason, I never feel tempted when I’m ordering online.
That’s it for tonight. The co-worker who’s giving me a ride tomorrow is an exteme early bird, and he’s picking me up at 5:45 AM, so I’m off to bed!
My cousin’s wedding celebrations ended last, and it had been amazing. Filled with copious amounts of love, laughter, and celebration and not to forget food. Their rehearsal dinner, complete with 360 people, featured a 4 course set menu, the main course of which was an amazing Thai red curry, so I thought I would share with you my most favourite vegan thai red curry paste recipe for you to enjoy.
the paste:
3 or so large fresh red chillies (i don’t de-seed mine, I love it spicy, but if you prefer a milder curry by all means use de-seeded chillies)
5 garlic cloves
2 stalks fresh lemongrass
coriander (I limit this as much as I can, as I don’t particularly like coriander)
1 x 1-inch cube fresh galangal
1 large shallot
Lime Peel (ideally the peel of 1 Kaffir lime, but regular limes will also do)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1. Chop the chillies, garlic, lemongrass, coriander, galangal and shallots.
2. Place all ingredients in the blender and whizz to a fairly smooth paste.
3. Store in a screw-topped jar in the fridge – simple!
You can generally store this fresh paste for up to a week.
A short article that talks about losing weight with weight loss diets by Jimmy Dickens
Free Weightloss Weight Loss EBook
This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patients weight loss program. Enhances Fertility TCM practitioner will carefully determine the state of the imbalances and prescribe an individualized program of herbs, acupuncture and diet to help humans create the correct environment for fertility and pregnancy. How To Heal the Life Quickly What maximum people do not realize is that emotions are real things. Acupuncture is one of the most widely recognized and successful methods of alternative treatment in the world. Its effectiveness in treating a wide variety of disorders has been clinically proven by many distinguished researchers. Grateful that the ailments have been alleviated without any side effects, have graciously written testimonials found throughout the website.
Bibliography
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001
Related external Links Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss Weight Loss Help
Tags: weight loss program weight loss diets weight loss diet weight loss weight los side effects side effect losing weight alternative treatment
It has come to this. The metaphorical tornado that is my life swept through over the last couple of months and now I have to assess the damage caused by stress, apathy, inactivity, distraction, and gluttony. I hate doing this, always have, but it is essential to starting over. It’s hard to climb out of the hole when you don’t know how far down you are (not to mention which way is up). It would be far easier to sulk and stew where I am, ignore the depths to which I’ve descended, and find comfort in a blissful ignorance of my current condition. After all, if I am unaware of how much I weigh now or how many inches I’ve added to my waist then I can’t have any depressing thoughts about how much ground I’ve lost over the last few months. Well, I can have those thoughts, but as long as they aren’t confirmed by the scale and the tape, I can push them to the side and ignore them with much more ease.
No longer though. This morning I braved the tape and the scale. The knowledge I gained wasn’t pretty, but it was essential. I have returned to a 37 inch waist and about 188.5 lbs. This is still far better than the 209 or so lbs I started out at, but a far cry from my best weight of 166 lbs. I did some chin-ups only to find I lost some, but luckily not a lot, of my upper body strength (down from 7 chin-ups to about 4).
But my workout for today isn’t going to be fun, nor will it be easy. I designed it to be part fitness assessment, part penance for my previous apathy. Perhaps it will be a cathartic exercise (pun intended). The workout isn’t anything complicated, but it will be difficult. The workout is broken up into three individual cycles (H.I.T. training method) of little to no rest between exercises, but 3-5 minutes of rest between cycles.
When I first came across this e-book my jaw dropped and I said “no way.” I am here to say this is not a scam. I am thrilled with my results and you will be too. The writer Joel Marion is a personal trainer with a background in nutrition. After years of trial and error and research he reveals why diets fail us so much of the time. The plan revolves around a weekly scheduled “cheat day.” In fact this day is very important and necessary to your success. The product is well explained in detail and 100% guaranteed, so the only thing you really have to lose is that weight. I am here waiting for you to succeed!
Following on from Part 1 of the Fat Loss Plan we now cover food, water and the mental part of losing weight and body fat. What hasn’t been mentioned so far is that you don’t want to believe all those ads on TV that show that abdominal exercises will help you lose fat. They won’t! FACT.
4. Food Choices
Grill your fish, steak or chicken instead of frying them. Instead of having fries as side dish, have a salad or a baked potato or steamed vegetables. These side-dish choices lessen the calories you eat and they let you feel full longer. This also means you are reducing the craving for sweet snacks.
5. Drink Water
Drink plenty of water to speed up the weight loss plan. Water prevents your body from dehydration. It also helps the liver and the kidneys to cleanse out toxins in your body, that you will be less likely to retain fluid. It also let you feel full quickly thus you will be less likely to eat too much.
6. Keep up the positive self-encouragement
An attitude of all-or-nothing attitude only sets to lead you to failure. Evaluate the efforts objectively and fairly. If you missed some short term goal, try again the next week. You are not required to have a perfect record.
Self-encouragement should be a part of your weight loss plans. Else, you will just be a failure in the end.
7. Patience
Working hard on a weight loss plan and not seeing a substantial amount of weight loss can be discouraging. This is the time to have patience.
In the first place, it took you a lot of time to develop the bad habits that lead you to gain weight so it will also take you a lot of time to lose weight and discover those healthier habits that will stay in a lifetime.
If you would like to use a more structured fat loss program, one that provides you with nutritional help and advice, plus some of the most effective fat burning exercises then you should look at something like Turbulence Training or Truth About Abs for long term results.
It feels like I’m cheating to name a blog post after today’s date… but its not like I can name it “Boogly Boo” or anything. That would be weird.
Yesterday was the day that I decided to really do this whole fitness thing. Today is just the day that I decided to blog about it. Give myself some accountability. Yesterday I also ate the entire contents of the styrofoam container of Thai fried rice. And I didnt feel bad about it. Why? My lunch consisted of a Cambell’s soup cup and a Chewy granola bar. I was pretty effing hungry.
The second I got home I cracked open a bag of Ruffles and, with my newfound respect for wanting to be skinny, slowly managed to eat 1 chip at a time. And savoring each chip. Mmm. Nummerz. Then I ordered delivery. Yeah, I know, thats bad. Not only is it expensive (although, money isnt really an issue) its fattening. Its highly caloric. You dont know what went in there… blah blah blah. I dont care. It was yummy, damnit. I also had a slice of cheesecake… what?
I dont want to really destroy my eating habits. In general, they’re not that bad. I’m not eating all day long. I dont devour an entire bag of candy in one sitting. I dont drink sodas that much. I just dont do anything, ya know? It takes approx. 2,700 calories to keep me running. I eat about that. I’m very good at plateuing and maintaining a weight. Back when I was losing weight for the wedding, I would eat, max, 1,200 calories a day. The weight dripped off of me. But I dont want to be that severe with my eating habits! I like food! I like to eat! And in order to keep, ya know, eating… I should move my ass.
I dont get the official OK to use the gym downstairs during work hours for a few days. It has to be signed by my supervisor’s supervisor, and then I have to fax it to the athletic program. Then I should get my ok to use the facility. I’m antsy now! But, I’m also nursing a busted hip… and hopping onto an elliptical after *mumble mumble* years since actually stepping foot in a gym with a battered body part seems like a bad idea. I should be resting this thing up so I can use it to it’s full capacity in the next coming weeks.
So you know what that means… yeah. Changing my eating habits.
Today I only had one of the two poptarts. And I’m not too terribly hungry, right now. I do know that I’m gonna be frickin ravenous for lunch. Should be intersting, seeing the cup of soup I have lined up, eating the cup of soup, and then realizing that I’m still ready to inhale my cube wall. But I’ve been worse.
Back when I had TB, the meds I was on demanded absolutely nothing soy. Well… little did I know that soy is a major preservative and in absolutely everything. So my eating habits were utterly destroyed. I would crave something, and you know when you crave something, nothing else you eat will come close, so I just didnt eat. Really. I never had breakfast or lunch, and dinner was usually something small that I made myself because my husband could, and would, eat whatever he wanted to. Thats why I lost 40lbs in 6 months. Probably not healthy.
Anywho. Tonight I head down to Richmond and stay for the night so that my husband and I dont have to combat the snow demons on our drive home. Then its indoors all day for the snowstorm, then its to my parents house for some rib roast. Let’s see how I do, shall we?
It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up
~Vince Lombardi~
This expensive ($10 a bottle) little wonder works great in your tea and coffee as a sweetener. It has no calories, is a natural product and goes a long way. Just one drop per drink will do it. This is also available as a dry product ( I have not bought that yet) for cooking. It is costly compared to sugar, even compared to Splenda or aspartame but is is NATURAL meaning your body can process it easily.
What a busy day yesterday was. I went out with a friend for brunch. Skipped breakfast so I could combine the calories and come out ok. I had a 3 egg omelette with cheddar, onion, mushroom and green pepper. It was served with fresh fruit, toast and potato rounds. I entered in into Calorie count and figured that it inhaled about 1200 of my 1700 calories for the day. To keep on track I decided not to have dinner (I wasn’t hungry anyway) and opted for a sandwich at 7pm and a granola bar at 8pm. I used the treadmill for 30 minutes an hour before we left so that helps a bit I guess. I don’t expect to see much or any weight loss tomorrow and its been an off week even though I have maintained my 1700 a day.
In the afternoon we processed the schools hot lunch order for January and then when the kids got out of school I trundled them all up to the main road to watch the Olympic torch go by. By the time we got back and I had the coats put away and snack served most of them were headed home.
My house seems to be a disaster all the time now. I used to have it tidy and clean all the time but it seems like an endless impossibility these days. I’m hoping that we can get on top of it this weekend but I have my doubts if it will happen between boot camp, training, groceries, Xmas shopping (with what money I have no idea) and a Xmas party.
Had another weird dream last night, it was summer and I was playing in water with Lisa and Ashley. We were trying to put Lisa on Ashley’s shoulders in shallow water. Ashley was strapped onto a wake board (would never happen). Anyway, we tipped over and I was stuck underneath them with my head face down in 2 foot of water. I could feel the air running out of my lungs….panic setting in.
Lots of dreams about being scared and panicking. Good thing none of my readers are shrinks!
Anyway, I should get the ball rolling on this day.
Wednesday is the day of my Weight Watchers meeting, so normally I weigh in and know if and how much I lost for the week. But, my meeting got cancelled at the last minute, and I don’t think I’m going to have time to go to a center meeting this week (I’m a Weight Wathcers at work member – we have our meetings in a conference room right at the company I work for).
I do have a scale here at home, but I’ve never done a comparison of my scale’s reading with the WW scale’s reading, so I’m not sure how much of a discrepancy there would be. In any case, I think I’ll make it through until next Wednesday without weighing in.
Today, we had our annual holiday potluck luncheon at work, where everybody brings in something and then we all share. The only problem with this is that people want to bring in their very special dishes, which are almost always very high in fat, so I had to practice portion control. There was really no low-fat choices at all, so I took a very small portion of things that I wanted to try. Even by doing that, when I added it up, it still came to well over 20 points! Fortunately, Wednesday is day 1 of my Weight Watchers week, so I had a full slate of flex points (35 for each week) to start with. I ended up going 9 over for today, so I have 26 flex points left for the rest of the week. I’m going to save them for Sunday afternoon, when I’ll be attending a 100th birthday celebration for an old friend of my family. It’s going to be a buffet, of course! Another chance to practice portion control!!
We have a music quartet which plays for the office holiday potluck every year. One fellow plays keyboards, one plays guitar, one plays drums, and I play horn. This year, we only had a trio, because the guitar player’s wife just had a baby, and he’s out of the office for the week. But, the keyboard player decided to bring in his classic, almost 50-year-old Hammond B3 organ to play. If you’re not a music lover, and/or you’ve never heard of a Hammond B3 organ, it is a beautiful thing. The Hammond B3 is without question the greatest jazz/rock electric organ ever made. What a great sound! He normally just brings in a portable keyboard because the B3 is so large and cumbersome. You need a pick-up or a van to transport it. I’m already planning on lobbying him to bring in the B3 next year for the holiday music!
I just want to express my gratitude to all of you who have checked out and commented about my last post here and for voting in that poll. I really do feel very strongly that we have to speak up and be heard about these things instead of being complacently.
For those of you who might not have read the earlier posts, this is really a daily blog for me, an outlet if you will. I am going through some of the hardest times of my life right now. I have changed a lot of things in my life in order to save my life. I do feel a lot better for the changes made, it certainly has not been easy. In one of the comments yesterday, I have found a person who can truly share this experience with me. From the great white north, yeah… Canada… his name is Jeff, and he too is going on the journey of weight loss. I really appreciate his support and input. Thanks man!
Click Here to visit his site
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a former strip club DJ, and I tell you, I have seen and done some crazy stuff. First let me say, to those of you not familiar with strip clubs personally, they are not really all that they are made out to be, for the most part. Yes, there are the clubs that are no better that whore houses, and in every club there is at least one to four girls that feel that is the only way that they will make money. Having said that, there are really a lot of dancers that will act like they suck dick and fuck all day long, or that they would, but “with you only”… 95% of these are just giving you a line of shit! Fact is, there are a lot that will not do anything but dance for you and gladly take your money, hey, that’s what they are really there for… There are, conversely, many that have said to me, “I don’t care what the guy does, just as long as he doesn’t touch me or get any on me!” Need I say more? I am not looking down on them for that, I don’t judge them at all, because I know that their job is one that is very hard, pardon the pun, and it is not an easy lifestyle, again with the pun.
I have to tell all the guys/girls who attend, either occasionally or frequently, a strip club all in the name of finding love. Really, do not go there looking for a girlfriend. I will admit it happens very rarely, but for the most part, if you think you are making headway, you are being played…
I understand the whole idea of trying to escape you own reality for a while, but, don’t get it in your head that there is any chance that you are actually going to find your “one and only” strutting her stuff and snapping a crisp dollar bill into her garter belt. If a dancer is going to get into a real relationship, it will usually be with someone who is not a customer of the club or someone who is employed by the club or a friend of a friend… there are exceptions to the rule. But let me say, from experience, dating a stripper is not all that it is cracked up to be! Most of them, not all, have what I always say, “more luggage than Samsonite, and more issues than Time magazine.”
To tell the truth, druggies and whores aside, there are a lot of mothers, single or not, and young girls just trying to make some money, sometimes, the only way that they think they can. There are really shady things that go on in every walk of life, including but not limited to strip clubs. When you chose a good club to go to, and go there with the plan of just having a good day/night out spending too much for drinks and tipping and enjoying the company of some beautiful women, you are in for a treat. Just don’t get caught up in the drama and other assorted bullshit!
Well, I am off to make breakfast and get into my daily activities. I am trying really hard to stick to the schedule I have written myself to get my exercise done and my eating done at the right times, with regularity. I really think that it is going to help in forming good habits and not wasting time that I could be improving myself. Thank you all for your love and support!
Check out my links page or click on the following:
This is big: a new study has shown that high-fructose corn syrup does in fact cause greater weight gain than sugar, and also leads to dangerous changes in the body. According to timesonline.co.uk:
“Over 10 weeks, 16 volunteers on a strictly controlled diet, including high levels of fructose, produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. Another group of volunteers on the same diet, but with glucose sugar replacing fructose, did not have these problems.
People in both groups put on a similar amount of weight. However, researchers at the University of California who conducted the trial, said the levels of weight gain among the fructose consumers would be greater over the long term.
Fructose bypasses the digestive process that breaks down other forms of sugar. It arrives intact in the liver where it causes a variety of abnormal reactions, including the disruption of mechanisms that instruct the body whether to burn or store fat.”
I skipped last week due to the cold and my own sheer laziness. Tonight however I got my ass in gear and headed out in the cold (with as little clothing as possible of course) and weighed in!
Weigh in went pretty well, except that the woman behind the desk tells me I need a new book (we get little books that they put our weight stickers in every week), I tell her “no thanks, I like mine” she tells me that everyone has to start the new year with a new book. I am irritated by this. I love my book! It has logged every pound I have lost, it is worn to shit from swimming around my purse all week, it has my little goals noted in the spine. I don’t want a new book! The woman gives me no choice and puts this weeks sticker in my new shiny book! F*** You lady!
Ok moving on from that rant, my weigh in results were…
-2.4 pounds
Not too bad, please note its for two weeks not just one. I’m not really seeing huge weeks anymore. I’m hoping to lose at least 1.6 pounds this week to put me at my 65lbs lost. Then only 10 more pounds till goal! On my scale I need to lose 7 more pounds by january 1st. This is no time to screw up!
This weekend Mr. Gaunt and I have THREE parties to attend! The first is friday night up in Boulder for a friends going away party. It’s at a bar and I’m sure will involve plenty of alcohol (or as I refer “the silent fattener!)…ugg. The second is a holiday cocktail party that will have more alcohol and cookies! I plan on bringing my one point Coconut Macaroons just incase theres nothing else. I like to snack at a party. The last is Sunday and its Mr. Gaunt and I’s work christmas party. Its going to be at a bowling alley with a pizza buffet…holy cow! I havent had real pizza in at least 6 months, I will not start now. So I’m a little worried, but I’m gonna try to limit myself. I need to look up info on low cal drinks and make sure they are available.
Tonight Im making Eggplant lasagna with ground turkey! Ill post pics and the recipe later tonight.
…the award-winning blog of seated Qigong and T’ai Chi exercises to balance mind, body and spirit for people of all ages and levels of fitness.
(sponsored by the Exercise Equipment Super Store)
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“Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever.”
Tao Te Ching #7, translated by Derek Lin
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These energizing exercises are intended to improve the health of your internal organs but, because of the twisting motion of each of them, they are also beneficial for trimming the waist. At this time of the year with all the celebrations that involve delicious food and rich desserts, that benefit is equally important.
Open the bow:
Sit as usual with your back supported by the back of the chair, feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your diaghram to expand. Bend your elbows and bring your fisted hands to the front of your chest with the backs of your hands touching each other.
Still breathing in, pull your right fist toward your right shoulder, forearm parallel to the floor.
As you breath out through your mouth and tighten your diaphragm, extend your left arm to the left side with the palm facing outward. You will be twisted slightly to the left.
When your arm is fully extended (do not lock your elbow) pause for a moment in both your breathing cycle and arm movements. Breathe in again as you return your left hand to your chest and in front of your left shoulder.
Continue alternating sides for a total of 12 repetitions.
Reflexology for the stomach:
(click on the illustration above for an enlarged view)
This point is toward the outside of the foot at the top of the larger gold area on the chart above. It is the only black dot in that area.
Massage that spot in a circular motion for a few seconds, then press firmly and hold for about 30 seconds. You may alternate feet. Repeat as often as necessary. This spot is beneficial for stomach aches and indigestion and to regulate the functions of that organ.
Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty. A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician.
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This week’s featured blog/site: The books recommended in this site sound as though they are worth reading…
Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.
http://www.joansweightloss.com
http://mybodysite.com/Publish/index.php
http://www.reikibyrockie.com
http://robertscottbell.blogspot.com/
http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/
~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only. Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~
You have seen the promises made of an easy way to lose weight, but when put into actual practice, this certainly doesn’t seem to be the case. Although the claims sound good and the actual theory valid, most participants seem to have trouble when it comes to the actual implementation of these types of weight loss strategies. Is it because they are too hard or does the patient lack the will power to complete such a process? Most likely the truth lies somewhere in between, since there is scant evidence to suggest that either side is fully correct. There is one solution to this dilemma, and it lies in the preparation that you make prior to fulfilling your destiny of a new body. Since your ultimate goal lies in the boost to your ego that comes with that new shape, take a moment to consider the ramifications of such a project.
When seeking an easy way to lose weight, do you go for the first thing that you see or does a friend’s opinion come into play here? While these may seem like good solutions to your problem, it would behoove you to start researching who are right now and what you would like to become. Not all diet plans are created equal and finding one to fit your particular lifestyle and health level should be the first priority. What is the basic principle upon which the plan was based? Is there an exercise component and would you be able to perform without undue stress? What about customer service? Is somebody available twenty four hours each day to answer questions that you may have? These are just a few inquiries that you should be making when trying to find a method that will fit seamless into your routine.
While you may be looking for an easy way to lose weight, it would be certainly more justified to find a strategy to provide effective loss. In this way, you can meet your goals and feel good about yourself. This in turn will provide the motivation to continue the plan until the target level is reached. Wouldn’t it feel good to get that new physique and turn some heads again? What is holding you back now? Quit procrastinating and start looking, your new body is out there and you just have to find the right program to get you on track to get it.
If you truly want a fast way to lose weight that doesn’t involve exercise or an increased level of physical activity, then try to locate a program that includes a complex meal plan and only your normal daily routine. The problem with this proposition is that most of these strategies work better by raising the amount of energy the body uses per day. It is this accentuation of the fat burning process that accelerates the loss of adipose tissue — especially in those troublesome areas including the upper arms and thighs. By stoking your furnace, it most likely helps to completely burn off the calories ingested in a single meal before taking in any more nutrients. This also helps to make sure that there are no leftovers to be stored as fat. Although the human body needs this substance in order to function properly, it doesn’t need it in excess amounts.
By seeking a fast way to lose weight, you are making plans to transform your body into something that you would be proud of showing off to the world. There are some methods that you can use for rapid weight loss, but most of them are temporary at best, so if it is a permanent solution that you are trying to find, you would be best served to look in another direction. These types of plans should only be used as a quick fix, in order to lose some pounds right now. The loss returns just as quickly due to your body’s powerful need to be at equilibrium at all times. It will respond to any drastic change in a like manner, thus negating the slimming effect that is provided by most of these types of strategies.
Depending on what you think is a fast way to lose weight, there are many companies with legitimate plans that will help you on your journey to a thinner you. Almost all experts agree that one to two pounds per week is an optimal goal, and it is more likely to be permanent, since your body will not miss that amount. At two pounds per week, this adds up to one hundred pounds in one year, quite a feat if you are able to pull it off successfully. Before beginning any type of weight loss regimen, please be sure to check with your family physician to see if you are indeed capable of not only starting, but finishing this body reshaping system. It makes sense to see if you are a likely candidate before beginning, but also so as not to waste any money on a plan that doesn’t make sense for you. Don’t wait any longer, grab your will power and start work on that new physique today.
FINALLY! I have been dreaming about reaching -75 lbs. for awhile now, and it finally happened. I lost 1.8 this week, for a total of 76.4 lbs.
This means I actually get to wear the beautiful Tiffany’s bracelet my mom bought me in Palm Springs – I saved it for my 75 lb. milestone as motivation to get here, and it worked.
It’s the holidays and it’s time to celebrate. Fortunately and unfortunately much of that celebration includes unhealthy eating choices and alcohol. Many of us too are the picture of perfect health all week, but as soon as the weekend hits we treat our bodies like a dumpster. Well next time you consider taking a sip of your favorite adult beverage consider this:
Alcohol is full of what are known as empty calories, or calories without nutrition. Empty calories are the first fuel to be used when combined with carbohydrates, fats and proteins, postponing the fat-burning process and contributing to greater fat storage. The calories in alcohol lack the nutrients beneficial for a healthy metabolism and will therefore hasten fat storage. The calories found in the average alcoholic drink are very concentrated compared to many foods, and this actually causes one to inadvertently take in many more calories than would otherwise be consumed. Also, if you use anything other than water, club soda or diet soda as a mixer that is additional calories, fat, and carbs. Wine and beer both have high carbohydrate content. Although the affects these various calorie types have on the body are different – carbohydrates release insulin, which can hasten fat storage, while fats will be stored directly in the fat cells – the overall result is added body fat.
Other negative effects of alcohol:
- Lowers inhibitions, making you more suseptable to over eating or eating unhealthy foods
- Increases appetite
- Can damage stomach, kidneys and liver
- Lowers testosterone
- And when you are hungover you aren’t typically motivated to work out
Here are some nutrition fact examples of drinks:
12 oz. mich ultra
96 cals
3 carbs
12 oz. Bud Light
110 calories
7 carbs
12oz. Guinness
176 cals
14 carbs
12 oz. Miller Lite
96 cals
3.2 carbs
4 oz. red wine
85 cals
2 carbs
4 oz white wine
75 cals
1 carb
1 oz. vodka
64 calories
0 carbs
1 oz. whiskey
64 calories
0 carbs
So don’t spoil all that hard work on a few drinks. Hope this helps!!
Get it together! No wonder everyone thinks you suck – in many ways you do. This is the front of your building tonight just before the Holiday Music Concert – you know, the one there was no notice for at NHHS.
Please note the locked doors and lack of sign age telling parents and friends to go through the teacher’s parking lot and wade in the dark through puddles. I don’t feel welcomed.
I get that you don’t have any money and are in sketchy neighborhoods. I don’t get why you can’t respect yourself and your clients by providing basic customer service like a staff member telling parents how to get to the concert. Fortunately the large group of hooded teenager boys were friendly enough to show me
More on your failings later. I have a wonderful teenager to support by watching her sing now that I’ve found the hall.
Technically, I didn’t meet the December goals I set out for myself, but…
I’M OFF ACADEMIC PROBATION!
My goal for December was to get off academic probation by making a C- in Criminal Law and Procedure and a B in Political Science. I really don’t know what my final grade will be in Poli Sci, but I computed my grade, not including extra credit or an alleged “bump up” our professor promised those of us who drastically improved our grade from our first test and attended the class on the day before Thanksgiving. I have a B- without taking those extras into account! So I probably will reach my goal, if I don’t exceed it, for that course.
Criminal Law and Procedure is a different story. I made a C- on the final exam… Does that count? :-p I stayed up the entire night before the exam and continued making notecards until my fingers were so sore that I could not wrap them around my pen anymore. (That’s how I study best when it comes to memorization material. I make notecards with questions on the front and answers on the back to quiz myself.) I have a D+ in the course. But that’s okay with me! I failed the first exam in that class. I had a test in my other course that Monday and stayed up all night Sunday studying for it. Then I worked overtime that Monday because I had a meeting to attend for my oh-so-important job. Then I tried to stay up all night on Monday to study for the Criminal Law and Procedure exam that next morning. (Lesson learned: Do not pull all nights to study. Spread the material covered out over a week and save the last day to review all notes.) Needless to say, I was able to stay awake to study for two hours before faceplanting into my textbook and sleeping that way until an hour before the test.
That’s why I’m a-okay with a D+ for the course. That and it’s not a requirement for my major since I’m switching to English.
I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I can breathe again! I can enjoy my Christmas break! I can harass next semester’s teachers about sending me an early syllabus. (Yes, I’m that annoying.)
In other goal news, I’ve been going to work out almost every day, though I’m falling short of my “every day of the week” goal. Now that studying is over, I plan to pick up the pace. (Technically, my goal says to “get back in the routine,” so I give my progress a B so far.)
I’ve not limited my soda intake to one a day. I’ve been doing okay at replacing my work-time caffeine with water. I’d give this goal’s progress an F+ (ha ha) because I have cut it down a little. I’m making an effort, just not the most stringent effort I can. I have noticed a difference in the way I feel early in the morning on the days that I skip the morning Diet Dr. Pepper so I hope that feeling can carry me through this challenge. I’d love to be soda free. Aspartame just has too many side effects for my liking.
I’ve been doing better with going to bed early. Actually, this goal was pretty simple. When I get tired, I go to bed instead of propping myself up to watch TV or to scroll through my favorite blogs. I wouldn’t call the time I go to bed “early” – at 12 a.m. to 1 a.m. – but it’s early compared to my normal routine.
And last but not least, I’ve sold four pieces of clutter, plus my DVDs (with the exception of Sex and the City, Pride and Prejudice and Sleeping Beauty). I have five things left to sell, unless I find more now that I can relax through the day (instead of sitting on the couch in a fit of anxiety, worrying that I’ll have to take next semester off because the school kicked me out). I’m selling a “Masterpiece” elephant figurine, Scrabble delux turntable edition, Sex and the City Trivia a stray lamp from the bedroom that will (hopefully) be replaced during Christmas (All I asked for from Mom was a set of bedside lamps for the bedroom. D said, “What are you going to do if you don’t get them?” Guess we won’t have any lamps!), and a textbook from Criminal Law and Procedure.
If you set monthly goals, I hope yours are going well, that you’re making good use of the remaining weeks of 2009 and preparing for a kickass 2010!
Okay, so I mentioned in my first post something about my “healthier new lifestyle.” I figured I would take some time this evening to explain what’s going on there.
I, like so many other people, am on a weight-loss journey. But it’s more than that to me now. I really want to live healthily. I’m through looking for a quick fix, and I’m ready to put in the time and the work it takes to overhaul my life.
When did my struggle with my weight begin? I was a skinny little kid, but when I was eight, I got spinal meningitis and nearly died. It was a miracle that I lived, actually. I was put on tons of steroids, and they caused me to expand quite a bit. In addition to this, my parents’ divorce/my mom’s remarriage/moving to a new town all really took their toll on me, and I used food as a coping mechanism. I became chubbier, and was somewhat chubby throughout middle school before dropping some weight as a freshman in high school. That had been pretty effortless on my part; all of a sudden, I was slimmer. It could have been all that unrequited love and 14-year-old angst, haha.
My weight slowly crept back up, and I’d gained around thirty pounds by the end of my junior year. I decided that I was going to look awesome in my senior pictures, and I dropped all that weight in about two months. I gained about ten of it back over the next year, but when I went to college, I worked out regularly and tried to eat healthily, despite dorm food. I got married in 2005, and lost another ten or so pounds by the summer of 2006. I looked great and finally felt like I was on the path to a healthy new life. I thought I had it under control. But over the next couple of years, I gained. And gained. And gained.
There came a point in time when I just stopped stepping on the scale. I was in grad school, and my husband was quitting his PhD program because of some bad experiences there. He went from being good-natured and optimistic to being extremely stressed and unhappy. By my final semester of grad school, we barely spent quality time together, he was unemployed, I would soon be out of school and also unemployed, and we were just not happy. It was hard. We ate without paying attention to what we were eating, and our health took a backseat to all of our other worries. One evening, after discovering that none of my clothes fit properly and finding some lovely new stretchmarks, I stepped on the scale. My jaw literally dropped. I didn’t know that was something that actually happened to people until I felt my mouth fall open at the number on the scale. It was thirty pounds more than the last time I’d been on the scale, and about sixty pounds heavier than I’d ever thought would be acceptable for me. I sobbed in bed that night, feeling completely sorry for myself, hating what I’d let myself do. I vowed to be better.
Was I? Not really. Not for a while. In May, Daniel and I both miraculously found jobs. (Seriously…it could barely have been more miraculous if God had literally handed us our jobs. He gets all of the credit for that.) We were on the way to being happy again, and we started to care again! We work together, and so we joined a staff development program that was all about healthy living. The goal was to lower your risk for diabetes by losing 5%-10% of your body weight over the course of the 12-week program. Our final weigh-in was today, and I was down 12 pounds, and Daniel had shed 14. Woo! The weight loss is not nearly as rapid as it was for me when I was younger, but I can honestly say I’m being healthy and sensible about it this time, and I’m in it for the long haul. I’m not obsessing over every little morsel I eat, but my general approach is much healthier. Overall, since February, I’ve lost about 20 pounds. I still have a long way (50-70 pounds; we’ll see where I feel best) to go before I’m at my ideal weight, but I am ON MY WAY. And it feels incredible.
So thanks for taking the time to read that. I expect to slip up frequently, but now, when I do, I plan to pick myself right back up and keep on going.
And now, since this post has been oh so wordy, here are some pictures of my weight rollercoaster.
At my bridal shower, the summer after my freshman year of college. I was 19 and moderately fit. I also love my hair here.
Woo! Losing weight here. This was February 2006, and that's my friend Erin. We were going to a ball together.
I basically stayed away from cameras as much as possible for a while. In fact, I’ve only recently felt comfortable enough to be a willing participant in a picture again. There aren’t many pictures of me from the last few years because of it, so I’m skipping ahead quite a bit with this next one.
Halloween 2008. 22 years old.
Ugh. This is one of the WORST. PICTURES. EVER. I hate it, but I’m including it because it’s part of my journey. The pictures from this night were a wake-up call for me – I had no idea I looked like that. When I saw these, I realized that so much of the definition in my face, so much of what I thought made me a pretty girl, was just gone. I knew I was heavy, but feeling like I wasn’t even pretty anymore was like having the wind knocked out of me.
But that, as you know, is in the past! I am slowly but surely regaining my confidence. I want to be a happy, healthy, fabulous twentysomething, and I’m on my way. There are good things ahead.
This is the season for parties, whether at people’s houses, at a restaurant, or in the office. Belonging to a number of organizations can means lots of parties over the next couple of weeks. How does one survive them without gaining that jelly belly?
Here are 3 easy tips to stay in control.
1. Be the one in charge of the food! If you can’t be in charge, then volunteer to be on the food committee. You will have more control over what is served, thereby helping you stay on your plan. Keep the desserts down to 100 calories a serving, and you will be able to wake up the next morning knowing that you stuck to your plan.
2. Arrive early and leave early, or arrive late, when a lot of the food will be gone. Focus on talking to people rather than eating. Do NOT hang around the food tables. Eating while standing up is a deadly habit that can sabotage the best of plans. Finger food is dangerous. Drink a large glass of water 20-30 minutes before you go to the party.
3. Add an extra 5-10 minutes to your daily exercise during this month.
Finally, remember that you don’t have to go to ALL the parties. All that food will be back next year, so you aren’t missing a thing except not consuming an overdose of calories.
Year 2009 is coming to an end and 2010 will start very soon. Did you reach your weight loss goal set in year 2009? If you did, congratulations to you on your superb achievement; But if you didn’t, well you’d got to be concentrating on your goal and lock in your attention to achieve your goal in year 2010. Below are some easy guides for you to follow. What you need is get yourself a step counter pedometer, start off your weight loss program by walking, use the step pedometer to increase your daily steps traveled. Once you can brisk walking everyday, you can gradually advance to jogging. Besides regular jogging, joining a gym can effectively burn more calories, lose more weight, and eventually achieve your year 2010 weight loss resolution.
Walking is the easiest form of exercise everybody can do. All you require is a pair of sports shoes and a step counter pedometer. Just wear your shoes and step pedometer, and start your walking. Track you steps taken everyday to make sure you increase the number of steps traveled every week, so that you are burning more and more calories every week. Not only is walking easy to do, it can also help you clear your mind if you really go out there walk around the neighborhood, the garden, the park or even the city. Do it just as sight seeing or window shopping, just relax and enjoy.
If you like to build up your exercise volume, jogging is an excellent exercise to do so. It’s considered the advanced level of walking, where it not only can increase your stamina, but also help to tone up your muscles. Use the step counter pedometer to monitor your progress, gradually increase your jogging length and duration. This will surely allow you to burn more calories and lose weight faster. Jogging is also a great exercise to train you to be more alert and active, compare to laziness and lifeless due to lack of exercise.
For a total workout, joining a gym is the best solution. Normally there will be a gym instructor to guide you on the correct use of the exercise equipment and effectively help to improve your workout volume. There will also be other like you who will join the gym, you will meet a lot of new fiends and be on the same goal to reduce weight and stay healthy. This is a good benefit and motivation for you to join a gym and push yourself to achieve your goal.
Set focus on your weight loss resolution, you can definitely accomplish it by putting it into action. Just start off with simple walking, slowly build up your pace and advance to jogging. These are the simple ways to start burning calories and losing weight, you can achieve even more by joining a gym. Eventually you will be living an active and healthy lifestyle, with all those excess weight burnt.
Ugh! Last week was so full of outside of activities, I felt like I lost my fitness focus. I only exercised 1/2 of my goal. I didn’t do yoga or meditate or get enough sleep. I ate on the run and, as a result, ate too many calorie dense foods including pizza, french fries, and desserts. I feel tired and heavy and frustrated today.
I have made a commitment to myself to eliminate complaining and negativity so I’m quickly and actively releasing the frustration and simply taking action to “fix the problem”. I don’t know that I can actually fix it (a family of 5 means there will be some really full weeks) but I am committed to just getting back into action. Heading out for an 8:15 a.m. Jazzercise class was my first step to setting things right for me. That decision still feels good now at almost 5 p.m.
I also made a mental note to get out for a half hour brisk walk this evening. That will give me 90 minutes today and will feel like a great start to the week.
I also have eaten well today: pinto beans with spinach for breakfast, a salad and pea soup for lunch, and grabbing 2 apples as I ran out the door. Yes, I’ve still eaten more than a serving of dark chocolate today. (That will have to change soon.) I have resisted countless cravings today reminding myself that I need to do that in order to reach my fitness goals.
My energy level is low right now though. I’m feeling sleep deprived today. I know that this contributes to weight gain or at least slows weight loss. I’ve experienced it anecdotally. There is science to back this up. Here’s what Dr. Joel Furman has to say on the topic: “Sleep deprivation alters hormones and increases appetite.” He summarizes the results of one study: “In this two-period, two-condition crossover clinical study, subjects were randomized to two days of sleep restriction (four hours per night) and two days of sleep extension under controlled conditions of energy intake and physical activity. During sleep restriction, there was an 18% decrease in the anorexigenic hormone leptin (P = .04), 28% increase in the orexigenic factor ghrelin (P < 0.40), 24% increase in hunger (P < .01), and 23% increase in appetite (P = .01), especially for energy-dense foods with high carbohydrate content (increase, 33% to 45%; P = .02). In animal models, sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to marked hyperphagia (eating more) as well.” You can read more here.
Tonight’s goal is to be in bed by 10:15, which could give me 9 hours of sleep. A chance to catch up a bit and to get a good start to eating lightly tomorrow.
Here are my current stats (the original ones show as a strikethrough):
Weight 164 lbs 158 lbs (goal for this week is 153)
How I did today:
1. Sleep - 7.5 hours last night
2. Exercise - 60 minutes of Jazzercise
3. Strength training - part of Jazzercise
4. Yoga – nope
5. Meditation – 0
6. Food – lots of veggies and fruit, plus more than one serving of chocolate
How I did during week #13:
1. Sleep – average of 7.8 hours (goal is average 8.5 hours)
2. Exercise - 5.75 hours (goal is now 10.5)
3. Strength training – 4x w/Jazzercise (goal is 3 times per week)
4. Yoga – 0 (goal is once a week)
5. Meditation – 0 minutes (goal is 10 minutes a day)
6. Food – pizza, fries, eating on the run, not enough fruits and veggies, still too much chocolate
1. Exercise- Exercise is the one absolute that is required for permanent weight loss. An exercise program of five 30-minute sessions per week should be employed into the schedule. This can be achieved by exercising for 10 minutes, three times a day.
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List of References
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001
Recommended Links Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss Weight Loss Help
Xenical Orlistat weight loss drugs for the treatment of obesity is filed under weight loss.
Just a quickie post here as I try to pack to head to GR for a couple of days with Alicia, aka Tailwagger.
I am having a clothes crisis of a grand magnitude. I am suddenly realizing that having purged much of what doesn’t fit anymore, I am left with 5 work outfits, 2 pairs of pants that fit me now that are not work appropriate (jeans and cargo’s) and one, yes only ONE shirt that is long sleeve and Michigan winter appropriate that is NOT workout gear.
I am officially taking donations of size 24 clothes that you no longer fit you and that you want to purge yourself of forever or cash so I can go buy some things. LOL…ok I am only slightly kidding.
Seriously, all us weight loss bloggers should start a clothing exchange. Who can afford to purchase all the clothes necessary to get us through some major body transformations while still looking halfway decent.
Holla!
OK, I am out, I need to dry my hair so we can get on the road. We have already missed church, but we are NOT missing lunch with Aaron…
A discussion of the importance of being well hydrated when trying to lose weight. To achieve healthy weight loss and function properly, the bodies must be well hydrated. In total, better than 70 per cent of the cells, tissues, and organs are made up of water. the most significant organ…
The Healthy Weight Gain Manual
People recovering from bladder cancer are encouraged to follow confirmed guidelines for accurate health, such as maintaining a healthy weight, and having recommended cancer screening tests. To learn about the terms used in this section, read the Cancer.net Feature. Cancer Terms to Know. After Treatment. The surgeon makes several small incisions, instead of the one larger incision used in traditional surgery. The surgeon uses telescoping equipment to remove the bladder.
List of References
Healthy Weight Loss, Gary Smalley, 2007
Recommended Links Healthy Weight Lose weight with healthy weight loss products and programs Healthy Weight
Ways Of Achieving Healthy Weight Loss Through Better Metabolism is filed under healthy weight.
A healthy weight loss is no more than two pounds per week
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It actually started a little before this time, not the weight loss but the eating habits.
Got fed conscious with looking at the double chin in the mirror, and loathed being sluggish at times and sleeping too much.
Some people that lose weight do not factor this in, and if there had to be an issue and this is the one.
Trimming down and drilling new holes in ALL of the belts so they can function as intended.
If someone is on salary with scamkins or any other fad diet, then disregard the lambasting and carry on with the errand.
Visualize this youve been educated in nursing, and personal fitness with all the conventional wisdom that is being taught about the best dietary choices and you believe it because everyone else in the profession is reinforcing the same design as truth.
Thats the story youre gonna hear from the podcast interview guest today.
Indication of Source
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001
Useful Links Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss Weight Loss Help
Include Cardio in the Weight Loss Routine is filed under weight los.
Yeah, it’s finally happening again. My pants are baggy and my pant legs are getting long!! These GNC Lean Shakes I’m drinking are awsome! I’m loosing inches and my weight is staying the same, with smaller clothes. Feels great. Seems like I have to go in stages to loose weight. I’m drinking a vanilla shake with fruit in the morning (fixed in blender w/2 ice cubes.) One chocolate shake w/small lunch, One chocolate shake before my small dinner. Working like a charm! I’m so excited, just wanted to share my excitement. Let me hear yours!!
Achieving weight loss is not that easy. It needs a good strategy, planning and motivation to lose weight. Some of the weight loss tips, that can be followed at ease, are listed here to stay healthy as well as to stay fit with a perfect body figure.
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Not only is this approach to weight loss unhealthy, but it can actually lead to long-term weight gain. AOMF is a nonprofit focused on vigorous living through slim and manageable changes. The group promotes making two slim changes in the lifestyle, both of that will have a positive impact on the overall health over time. Perhaps walk to the car in the offsite parking lot instead of hopping in the shuttle.
Indication of Source
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001
Useful Links Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss Weight Loss Help
~ “Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it” ~
– Tori Amos
This spread, like most spreads that I create, came to me via a flash of inspiration. In this case, I was inspired by a wonderful blog posted by Oracle Speak, that struck a chord deep within my heart. I call this ‘The Healing Cross’ spread, primarily because like the traditional ‘Celtic Cross’ spread, this spread gets to the root of the issue with which we need healing, as well as, shows us the path we need to take in order to heal. The beauty about this spread is that unlike most healing spreads that are either based on a spiritual healing philosophy (the chakras, reiki, yoga, etc), this is spread is ‘universal’, and can be applied by anyone and everyone no matter what their philosophy regarding health is (or even reading style), and thus allowing us the liberty to interpret the positions in a way we feel best.
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****** 7 ******
****** 6 ******
*** 4 **** 5 ***
****** 3 ******
****** 2 ******
****** 1 ******
CARD ONE: The Root cause of my issue.
CARD TWO: Why am I faced with such an issue within my life?
CARD THREE: What can I do to heal it?
CARD FOUR: What’s helping me heal it?
CARD FIVE: What’s the major obstacle in my path of healing?
CARD SIX: Advice and Guidance.
CARD SEVEN: The Result of my healing journey.
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Now as some of you may already know, i’ve dealt with body-image and weight issues throughout my entire life. Being born as ‘the fat kid’, I spent a good chunk of my life facing physical, mental, psychological abuse from the world around me, and most of all, from myself. As of August 2006, I weighed 333.96lbs, and well, after 3 years of working on myself, I now weigh 191 lbs. However, I still haven’t reached my goal weight, cause of those pesky last 20 odd lbs (the ones that never seem to go away no matter how much you work on it), and that has lead to numerous frustrations, and even breakdowns of sorts, causing me to binge and totally get demotivated from my path of healing. Plus with my own tendencies towards Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), I tend to become exceedingly critical and depressed with myself regarding my weight. So much so, that my inability to reach my ideal weight and acheive and ideal ‘fit body’ has become quite a crippling influence within my life. And thus, I decided to read on that.
CARD ONE: The Root of my Issue – The Emperor
The Emperor - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Gosh, talk about ‘Daddy Issues’! Could my issues with my weight be anymore Freudian? (LOL… just kidding). Well, in a way, I’ve always sought approval all my life; not only from my dad, but from other authority figures in the past. And since I’ve never really received the approval that I sought so desperately as a child, I’d end up doing things to self-sabotage my own progress in various areas of my life. In the case with my weight and other body issues – eat and eat all the more as a means of passive-aggressive rebellion.
Along with all that, now that I look at this card, it all has to do me not being able to take an ‘active’ control of my life. At the end of the day, this is MY body… this is MY life… if I’m not able to take an active responsibility for it, then who will? And well, come to think of it, in the past, I have behaved pretty irresponsibly with my body (and other aspects of my life) and on some occasions, I still do. I guess throughout the years I kept blaming everything else – from ‘daddy’, to childhood traumas and dramas, and a whole lot of other things – that I never really stopped to ask, ‘What am I doing about it?’
Plus, since the Emperor is also about ‘stability and structure’, I guess a whole part of my life is so structured on my issues with my weight and body, that perhaps on a subconscious level, I’m holding onto the extra weight (those last 20lbs that just refuse to go) because a part of me is scared on what will I base and structure my life about once I reach my ideal weight? Will there be no major life-goal after that? What will I strive for? What will I yearn to be?
Come to think of it… Isn’t that just silly of me?
I mean, imagine being so obsessed about trying to lose weight and get a fabulous physique, that once it happens, you’re like, ‘Now what do I do?’
Damn my Libra rising for making me so vain (and there I go, blaming away again – must stop the vicious cycle of blame and avoiding responsibility).
Speaking of Libra rising – that would make Aries (The Emperor) my descending sign; i.e. the sign that cusps my 7th Astrological house of relationships and partnerships. And looking back at the past, maybe my issues with my weight were a primal reason for majority of my relationship issues. A shaman friend once explained that relationships work only because both partners are willing to ‘give’ to each other and ‘share’ their lives together. And in my case, everything was so focused on me and my own issues, that there was no room for sharing (Aries is the sign of me-me-me), and hence I’ve come across men who were emotionally unavailable and had too many issues of their own as well, which brings us back to all the seeking daddy’s approval issues again.
In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve always sought after men who were ‘powerful’ and ‘strong’ and would just ‘take care of everything’ for me, while treating me like a princess. And isn’t that just me being unwilling to ‘take responsibility’ of my life?
I guess it’s high time that I start taking responsibility for not just my weight, but for my overall happiness and well being within my life. After all, if I’m not able to ‘take care’ of myself, who will?
CARD TWO: Why am I faced with such an issue within my life? – 6 of Wands
6 of Wands - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Well, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘to discover I have the strength to overcome it, as well as, anything else’. Now that I ponder about it further, my weight and body image issues have in a way paralyzed me from doing a whole lot of things within my life. I guess in a way, this card is also reminding me that more than anything, I need to believe that I’m not just capable of healing my weight and body issues, but I’m also have the ability to achieve everything I desire. Perhaps the weight and body is just the channel through which the Universe is helping me develop my strengths and abilities. And once I’ve managed to heal them, I’ll be all the more motivated and ‘pumped’ to take on any challenge life throws my way, and ‘ride through life’ with my head held high. So in a way, my ‘battle’ is merely the ‘training ground’ for me to discover and ‘develop’ my ‘light’, and once I’ve done that, I can shine my ‘light’ with joy and pride, and not be plagued by things like guilt, fear, or just plain old ‘irresponsibility’. And if we think about it, health (physical, mental, psychosomatic) should always be a prime concern, if we’re not able to take care of ourselves, how can we possibly take care of anything else? So once I’m able to take care of something as ‘basic’ as my body, I’ll feel all the more liberated and empowered to live life to the fullest.
CARD THREE: What can I do to heal it? – 3 of Coins
3 of Coins - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Going just by the ‘image’ of the card, take it nice and slow and ‘focus’! This is so fitting for me, because I’ve been through gawd knows how many fad diets n stuff. Not to mention, I go through these bouts where I work out like a dog, pushing myself further and further, and then just crash and burn and not even wanna wake up in the morning. Moderation has always been an alien concept whenever it’s come to my own personal goals. Plus this being a 3 (Empress) of Coins (Earth/Nurturing element), I gotta start learning to nurture and nourish my body with good ol fashioned TLC. So often I’m so quick to criticize and whine about it, that I’ve never really thanked or acknowledged the fact that despite all the things I put my body through, it’s always been good to me. If I truly wish to heal well, and heal wholly, I guess the most important thing for me to do is to be patient with myself along the process. I clearly have all the ‘tools’ to heal, now all I gotta do is apply them with love and patience! Easier said than done? Perhaps so, but hey, I need to start somewhere right?
CARD FOUR: What is helping me heal it? – The Magician
The Magician - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Wow! Well, when I have The Magician on my side, how can I not heal? After all, isn’t Magician ruled by Mercury, the planet of health and healing among other things? I guess this is again a reminder, that I already have all the skills and abilities to overcome my issues with my weight and other things, I just need to channel them in a productive and empowering manner. Along with that, most importantly, TALK about it. Communicating can truly be a powerful force in the healing process, for once we’re able to ‘voice’ our issues, only then can we identify them clearly, as well as, help our loved ones understand what we’re dealing with, and thus win their love and support. Bottling things up only tends to make things worse, but the more we are able to let things out, and express ourselves freely, the more we’re releasing so much pent up stress and angst that just eats us away to our core. I guess maybe this is why I’m being very candid in my interpretation of this spread. Hopefully my expressing such a deep issue that’s affected me throughout my life, I could gain some source of love and support from all of you who are reading, as well as, maybe even help others who are going through similar issues such as I find comfort that they are not alone, and that by expressing themselves, they’ll find the love and support they need to help them with their healing process.
CARD FIVE: What is the obstacle in my healing journey? – King of Wands
King of Wands - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Fucking Courts! (lol). Oy, trust a court card to appear here!
Well, now that I think of it, this card in a way could indicate my ‘daddy issues’, as highlighted by The Emperor (plus my dad is a fire sign – go figure) coming in up as obstacles. And boy, do they ever! Especially the bit with self-sabotaging my own progress out of the fear of not being able to handle life without obsessing about my weight and body. And since courts are also aspects of our own psyche, this card indicates that my falling back on the old destructive patterns would be quite a major hindrance in my healing journey. Furthermore, the King could also represent me having extremely high expectations of wanting to achieve the most ideal weight and the perfect 10 body. I so gotta be realistic, and remember that at the end of the day, my own personal health and well being is what matters, not some superficial ideal I try my best to live up to, only to end up losing more than what I bargained for (and not the weight). Also, my need to ‘rush’ through things and see ‘fast results’ would just end up being an obstacle rather than a boon to my healing journey.
CARD SIX: Advice – 6 of Coins
6 of Coins - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
The minute I saw this card, for some reason, I was reminded of the song ‘No one is alone’ from the musical Into the Woods. I now realize that there are people who are willing to help me along the way, to give me the love and support I need, and that I don’t need to be alone in all of this. After all, I’m not the only person in the world with weight and body image issues. Only through sharing, can I not only relieve myself off all the burdens that are more or less self-imposed upon me, but also open myself to receiving a helping hand. And sometimes we can receive the help we need from the most surprising sources.
Along with that, I feel this card is also telling me to be more ‘balanced’ with myself. Taking extreme actions and drastic measures wouldn’t really help me, as they would only throw me off. Starving myself only to binge later on, or working out excessively only to crash and burn later; they just deter me away from my path, making it all the more hard for me to heal. As mentioned earlier, the key is to nurture and nourish myself with love, and lovingly encourage myself rather than be self-critical and exceedingly harsh. Since when does self-criticism ever get anything accomplished?
Furthermore, I just noticed that there is no ‘water’ in this entire spread. Come to think of it, I am mainly an emotional eater, and majority of my binges and other self-destructive habits arise due to various emotional triggers. And even though I’ve come across so many ‘Moon in Taurus’ people who are anything but ‘emotionally balanced’, I need to start becoming all the more ‘practical’ and not let my emotions get the better of me. Exercise plenty of self-discipline within my life, but not in a harsh manner. Self-discipline can be inculcated through loving and nurturing means. Just need to figure out how to do so.
And finally, and most importantly, I need to believe that I deserve this! I need to believe that I am worthy of having a healthy body, as well as, I am worthy of leading a healthy life. Only when I do believe this, can I allow myself to manifest it.
CARD SEVEN: Result of my Healing Journey – Ace of Coins
Ace of Coins - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Wow! I guess there is hope for me after all. After all, the Ace is the spirit of the element of ‘earth’, which among other things, rules the body. If I’m being extremely optimistic, I would say this card would mean that I will achieve that perfect body I’ve only dreamed about. However, being a realistic Capricorn, I feel this card is saying that once I’ve managed to get over myself and taken full responsibility for my life (especially my weight and body issues), I will achieve a spiritual connection with my body like I never had before. I’d finally enjoy the body I was born with, and finally feel ‘connected’ with it, and most importantly, love it wholly. In a way, this would also indicate me being able to begin a new chapter in my life, where not only am I able to take active responsibility for every area of my life, but where I feel comfortable, nourished, and secure within myself, and not feel the need to seek validation or approval from anyone else. I’d finally be free to be me, and live my life to its fullest potential.
Extra Notes:-
If we check out the elemental balance of this spread, there is an excess of Fire and Earth elements along with a deficiency of Air and a complete absence of Water. The excess of Earth represent things like getting stuck in a rut, lack of stimulation, heaviness, sluggishness, and to some extent, even melancholy. The excess of Fire represent things like burnout,and stress due to excessive pressure. In a way, it’s a combination of the two that cause me to get demotivated along my healing journey. Like mentioned before, I go through bouts where I not only eat scarcely, but also work out excessively. And due to all the self-imposed pressure to be thin and have an ‘ideal body’, I ‘burn out’ and then get all sluggish and lazy, and binge feeling all the more heavy and ‘eh’ about myself and everything else. I try snapping out of it, but it’s like a constant cycle, which now I realize I need to get out of.
The deficiency of Air represents listlessness, fatigue, dullness, stagnation, blocked communication, as well as, an inability to express oneself. As mentioned in the reading, I need to learn how to communicate my issues, and just NOW, I realize that part of the reason I find it hard to ‘talk’ about it, is because I feel a deep sense of shame and guilt regarding my struggle. Why? Well, part of it could be that I was raised to believe it’s not the done thing to ‘air dirty laundry’, as well as, displaying vulnerability is a sign of weakness (all part of my ‘daddy issues as represented by The Emperor). I realize now that such thought patterns and belief systems are truly limiting me, as well as, blocking me all the more further from my own ability to heal. Along with all this, the absence of Water represents me being ever so harsh and critical with myself about every little mistake I make. I so need to relax and be easy with myself and learn to flow with life.
Numerically, the number 6 has appeared twice within the reading (6 of Wands and 6 of Coins). 6 being a number of Harmony and Balance, while Wands and Coins, represent Fire and Earth, the excessive elements within the reading. This clearly indicates a need for creating an ‘inner balance’ in all things ‘excess’ within my life. Also, in Ayurvedic Astrology, Venus (which is number 6 according to Chaldean numerology, and the ruler of my own astrological chart) represents the constitution of Kapha (Water +Air) – the elements that are absent within the spread. So in a way, the presence of the two 6’s represents a need for me to balance and harmonize all four elements within me – Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
End Note:
Not that I doubt the messages of the cards, nor do I have any qualms with the way I’ve interpreted them. But sometimes, the heart just wants a ‘confirmation’ of sorts from the Universe that we’ve ‘got’ the message it’s trying to give us through the cards. Especially when an issue is so important and close to us, we just need that sense of affirmation! So in this case, I divine the Quint card, i.e., the Major Arcana card derived by adding all the numeric values of the cards. Since there is a ‘Court Card’ within the reading, I do not include a numerical value for it. Primarily because there are conflicting theories regarding the numeric value of a Court Card (one would make Kings 14, while the other would assign 2), and that would just end up confusing me all the more. So to make life simpler, I choose to follow the belief that courts are ‘beyond’ numeric values, and thus do not include them while calculating my Quit Card. (Yes, I promise in the future, I will post a complete post all about Quint Cards).
So in case of this reading, we have – The Emperor (4) + 6 of Wands (6) + 3 of Coins (3) + The Magician (1) + 6 of Coins (6) + Ace of Coins (1) = 4 + 6 +3 + 1 + 6 + 1 = 21 = The World. And well… A picture can speak a thousand words
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The World - Legacy of the Divine Tarot
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What could be a better ‘confirmation’ from the Universe than this?
I hope you’ve enjoyed the reading, and I hope The Healing Cross spread helps you as much as it has helped me.
Love and Blessings
Zorian
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All images are from the Legacy of Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti.
It has come to this. The metaphorical tornado that is my life swept through over the last couple of months and now I have to assess the damage caused by stress, apathy, inactivity, distraction, and gluttony. I hate doing this, always have, but it is essential to starting over. It’s hard to climb out of the hole when you don’t know how far down you are (not to mention which way is up). It would be far easier to sulk and stew where I am, ignore the depths to which I’ve descended, and find comfort in a blissful ignorance of my current condition. After all, if I am unaware of how much I weigh now or how many inches I’ve added to my waist then I can’t have any depressing thoughts about how much ground I’ve lost over the last few months. Well, I can have those thoughts, but as long as they aren’t confirmed by the scale and the tape, I can push them to the side and ignore them with much more ease.
This expensive ($10 a bottle) little wonder works great in your tea and coffee as a sweetener. It has no calories, is a natural product and goes a long way. Just one drop per drink will do it. This is also available as a dry product ( I have not bought that yet) for cooking. It is costly compared to sugar, even compared to Splenda or aspartame but is is NATURAL meaning your body can process it easily.
These energizing exercises are intended to improve the health of your internal organs but, because of the twisting motion of each of them, they are also beneficial for trimming the waist. At this time of the year with all the celebrations that involve delicious food and rich desserts, that benefit is equally important.
This is the season for parties, whether at people’s houses, at a restaurant, or in the office. Belonging to a number of organizations can means lots of parties over the next couple of weeks. How does one survive them without gaining that jelly belly?
Set focus on your weight loss resolution, you can definitely accomplish it by putting it into action. Just start off with simple walking, slowly build up your pace and advance to jogging. These are the simple ways to start burning calories and losing weight, you can achieve even more by joining a gym. Eventually you will be living an active and healthy lifestyle, with all those excess weight burnt.
