Setback or Setup?

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A few weeks ago, I went to see the doctor about pains I had been having in my legs. As fate would have it, I have varicose veins and require endovenous ablation. It’s a laser treatment that closes the veins. I’m thinking – that does it, I’m off the treadmill.

Well, I go and have my treatments (both legs) and what is the absolutely critical thing I have to do after the procedure? I have to walk for a least 20 minutes. So being the good patient, I go home and do a mild treadmill session to get the blood flowing. I’m thinking I’ve had a setback because of the pain in my legs from the varicose veins. But I think I’ve been setup. Just when my motivation was at a new low, I have a reason that I need to keep moving.

While I feel that I need the constant kick in the butt to keep me moving, I feel that if I don’t keep going I’m going to continue to have these problems. I sit here writing this while my husband is off at the gym. He will come home worn out but he feels stronger. We continue to eat the CustomFit Meals. I’m learning more about nutrition and the spices used in their meals are meant to rev up your metabolism.

I’ve become a Dr. Oz groupie too. There are some shows that really have interesting topics but since I work during the day, I rarely get to see the show. But since I had the procedure today, I saw his show on body types and metabolism. It’s worth checking it out. I may need to start DVR’ing the show. The one thing I like the most is the feeling of hope no matter where you are in your life.

Here’s to hope!

Stress and Weight Loss

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We all have stress. I feel stressed every day. But now I fear stress is the root of my inability to lose weight. There have been many things that have triggered the stress that I feel and I still have a lot of work to do to sort things out. But the only thing that keeps me from gaining weight is exercise.

The CustomFit Meals help keep my cravings from taking over my life. Eating well can help cut down on the overindulgence. My husband is still losing weight and getting fit. All I can do is be supportive and hope that I can adjust my mental outlook to start my weight loss.

Stress can overwhelm everyday life, if we let it. I have let it overwhelm me for over a year now. Too many things have happened that are stressors to me and I have gotten to the point that I can’t manage them. I’ve let the work stress run over into the home  stress run into the family life stress until I feel overrun by a stress monster.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress and unfortunately, my way is to have a good cry. If I could focus that energy into exercise or something more positive I could make some headway. I’ve decided that I just don’t have the skill set to manage this stress so I am seeing a counselor. I know my limits and I have reached it. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. For me, it’s a sign of clear thinking that I am looking for help in a situation that I cannot resolve myself.

I am making reducing stress my number one priority. After I feel I can manage stress realistically, if I can’t lose weight then the last resort is seeing a weight loss specialist.

Weight loss specialist – now that means research…

Does Taking a Break Mean Gaining Weight?

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So I took a Memorial Day holiday and took a break from the every day stress. What I did was take a break from eating healthy foods. Eating freshly baked donuts for breakfast sounded like a treat but what it did was gut-busting. Yes, I gained weight.

I did try to maintain my walking routine. We took the dogs on several half hour-long (or more) walks by the water each day. But that wasn’t enough to keep off the weight. I should have been able to relax without indulging in the foods that keep me from losing weight but it didn’t happen. Instead of beating myself up because I ate the wrong things, I am getting back on track.

I need to reorder my CustomFit Meals to keep me on track. When I don’t have to think about what I’m eating, I do better. Leave it up to me and I will eat whatever is in my path, especially sweets. It’s back to finding the resolve I lost for a while.

Everyone needs a break now and then. I feel my battery has been recharged, my mind a bit clearer. Getting my eating habits back on track may be easier with prepared, healthy food. Getting my resolve back to working out is a bit harder. Walking is an easy method to exercise but not enough for  me to lose weight. It’s a mental challenge for me all the time.

With the summer months ahead, I want to get this weight off but it’s still the same old thing – I get in the way of myself. I need someone or something to get me past the slump I get into when things don’t move as quickly as I want. I am definitely in that slump. I need to kick-start my weight loss but I don’t have the magic ingredient.

Is there a magic ingredient? Let me know…

 

Time Off From Weight Loss

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This is my birthday week – yes, week. Birthday’s only come once a year, why not make the most of it. I decided to make it worth my while and take a break from my weight loss routine. I figured that I had gone through my loss of motivation pit last time. Now I need to start anew.

In addition to being a celebratory week, I have had some other issues to deal with that helped me decide to take a break. That bulging vein that I had last week actually burst. Now I have this mass that looks like I bruised the entire back of my calf. Easy does it says the doc, so it’s off the treadmill.

Even though I’m not walking on the machine, I am making sure that I keep active. I do plenty of seated movements. It’s simple to do and really helps to keep the blood flowing. I do the foot circles, leg extensions, and flexing and straightening of my legs. It’s bad enough that I can’t walk but I’m not ready to let my muscles get too tight.

My husband is still working out regularly at CrossFit and eating his CustomFit Meals. He’s lost 12 lbs and 3 inches on his waist. Hard work and good food are paying off in a big way for him.

I’m going to re-evaluate things when my calf heals and I am back to walking. I need to make sure the doctor gives me the okay to do what needs to be done to get me further on the road to better health and weight loss. Nothing has changed, which is good. It’s way too easy for me to gain weight when not exercising. But sticking to the food and keep as active as I can, even without the treadmill, I can at least maintain things.

How long to healing? Only time will tell…

Weight Loss vs Motivation

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Well, it’s happened again. I’ve lost my motivation. I feel better but still can’t lose any weight. I’m eating good food. I’m more active than I have been. But the lack of weight loss has sent me in the spiral of lost motivation. Am I the only one this happens to?

My husband has eaten the same food, exercising a couple of days a week, and he still treats himself to chips and soda but he has lost 12 pounds and several inches. I have lost nothing – nada, zip, zilch. It’s the same story as every time before. What do I do?

Should I see yet another doctor who can tell me it’s hormones or my age? Should I forget the weight loss and just be glad I’m feeling better? I haven’t met the doctor who can help me past this point. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. It’s just not enough for me to stay the same.

I worked out in the garden on Saturday, pulling weeds and clearing the front garden.  Good exercise I thought. The Sunday, I mowed the grass. Things seemed to be going well until I felt this pain in my leg. I felt as if I has been shot in the back of the knee. I stopped what I was doing and went inside to check it out. I had this huge bulging vein on the back of my leg, right under the knee-joint. Well, what else can go wrong?

I would gladly take advice from someone else who has been there. What do you do when you try but can’t lose weight? I want to be upbeat and say that I’m just grateful for not gaining weight and glad to be alive… But who am I kidding? I want the pounds to go down. That’s the point.

Who has the answers?

Paleo Diet Challenges

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Having been on the Paleo Diet for a while now, I have made note of changes in my digestion. At first, I wasn’t able to put my finger on the cause and effect until I did some research. I began having changes in my, uh – output. I have always been fairly regular but after started on the Paleo diet, changes to my bowels began to change. It went from one extreme to the other. And then there’s (pardon me) the gas. What had I gotten myself into?

I began doing some online research and came up with some really good information on the Paleo Digest. I was having all the symptoms – bloating, gas, and the other stuff too. The article offers some helpful advice. I was starting to have acid reflux. That was the simple fix. My doctor prescribed an acid reducer. The other stuff took a while to figure out. I added a probiotic and over the course of a couple of weeks I began seeing things return to normal.

There is a wealth of information on this subject on this site plus information that may apply to you if you experience other issues. I don’t plan on giving up eating the Paleo Diet food I get from CustomFit Meals but now I know how to manage things. The dramatic change in my eating habits really set my digestive track in a spin. But eating well has its own rewards.

Now that I am taking a probiotic and the acid reducer, I am feeling better after I eat. I am certain things will balance out after my body fully adjusts and heals itself from all the damage that was caused by my earlier poor eating habits.

Each day things get a little better. I am hoping this all leads to a slimmer, healthier me for the rest of  my life.

Getting Fit is Hard Work

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Let me say it again – getting fit is a LOT of hard work! I’ve moved up to Level 4 of Jillian Michaels’ iFit program. I didn’t think I was going to make it but I pushed through my rough patch – and I made it. Day 1 of this level and it didn’t defeat me. It may not look like much, but it kicked my butt.

Finished Level 4

I rewarded myself with one fo the meals that I really like – the Supreme Pizza Bowl. It had the flavor of a sausage pizza. The “pasta” is zucchini and yellow squash with all the right spices to fool the palate into thinking it was pizza without the crust.

Supreme Pizza Bowl

I was going to take a picture of the Spaghetti Bolognese before I ate it yesterday. But once I heated it up the aroma captured my appetite. It was delicious. I am very happy with the “pasta” meals. I had no idea that I liked zucchini and squash prepared this way that made me forget it’s a healthy meal.

Tomorrow is day 2 of Level 4. I’m sure I will still feel that I want to stop when it gets too hard but I’ll never get anywhere if I do. I have to do the hard work to get fit. I should make a sign and post it over the treadmill – Getting Fit is Hard Work! So get to it. I know that’s why I “gave up” so many times before. I don’t mind hard work but exercising takes so long to build up to being fit. It take so little time to lose it and so much time to get it back. This time, I’m not letting myself give up.

 

Cheese Bacon Frittata from CustomFit Meals

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Cheese Bacon Frittata

The Cheese and Bacon Frittata was this morning’s breakfast. Lots of real eggs cooked firm (I hate watery eggs) with bacon throughout the portion. Now that’s a big breakfast. I actually had trouble finishing it because the portion is quite generous. The CustomFit Meals write-up states: “This delicious breakfast frittata consists of seasoned chicken eggs, red and green peppers, and sautéed leeks.  Baked together, then topped with crispy bacon and cherry tomatoes, this dish has everything you need to get your day started off right.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Since it’s the weekend, technically I don’t eat the CustomFit Meals but I had this one from yesterday when I “skipped” my regular breakfast and opted for something else. Eating these meals isn’t a “diet” it’s just eating the right food. So I had the CustomFit breakfast and then for lunch…

My in-laws brought over steamed crabs. I do like seafood. But I noticed something different about my eating habit. I stopped when I no longer felt hungry. I wasn’t full but I was satisfied. I guess this good eating is starting to pay off in other ways too. Before, I would have eaten as many crabs as I possibly could stuff into my face without thinking. Now I can pace myself and stop when I don’t need to eat any more.

Funny thing – when you’re not so focused on food, you begin to notice other things more. I love my in-laws but they can make me laugh at their interactions. When my father-in-law asks my mother-in-law a question, he expects a direct answer. Ask a yes or no question, he expects a yes or no answer. But women don’t generally think in yes or no, “black and white” responses. Women speak for clarity; men speak for brevity.©

It is a general statement. I’m not trying to be sexist but I have seen this before. Ask a woman “Did you (insert direct question here)?” The answer will not be yes or no. The answer will be “I did (this or that)” – to offer the man with more information that the yes or no answer would give. It is just a fundamental difference between men and women (generally speaking).

So what does that have to do with weight loss? I can eat the same food as my husband, exercise, and not cheat with the wrong foods and I won’t lose a pound. He can eat the meals, exercise, and cheat when he wants, within reason, and lose 10 pounds. Men and women are just different – mentally and physically. It’s a fact that I have to live with and accept.

Accept but I don’t have to like it…

 

CustomFit Meals Everywhere

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Wow – I hadn’t thought about it but where do you store 30 CustomFit Meals? My husband and I both are on the CustomFit Meal plan – 3 meals a day, 5 days a week. It made cleaning out the refrigerator a necessity. Planning meals will be easy.

First, purging the refrigerator of all the “junk” we had eaten in the past. Out goes the “fried” chicken. No more sodas, “energy bars” or anything that isn’t on the Paleo diet. That made room for the CustomFit Meals. I keep a spreadsheet with who ordered what so I can easily go through the meals and separate them. I put my husband’s initials on his and my initials on the others. Simple.

They are easy enough to carry in their plastic containers. I have a small refrigerator at work that I can store food for the day. I generally eat breakfast right after I get to work, so I place my lunch in the fridge and get breakfast warmed up in the microwave. Easy to store, easy to reheat. I’m going to like not having to cook or even think of what to make for a meal.

My husband has been going to the CrossFit gym and eating the CustomFit Meals. He has lost about 10 pounds. Men! How easily they lose weight compared to women. He is younger than I am so that makes a difference but it’s frustrating for me no less. I’m happy for him and the changes are noticeable.  Now it’s my turn!

Next, I’m going to post pictures of the meals to show you how they look and give you my review of taste and quality. I like my food – uh, you know that already.

Finally, I need to make sure that I keep motivated eating someone else’s cooking. It was okay when I was eating one meal a day but now three a day will test my ability to avoid cravings.

Weight Loss and Stress

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This has been a very stressful period for me. There are so many things going on that trying to achieve a weight loss when I am stressed out seems like an impossible task. But I am going to persevere. I’ve adopted some strategies to help me through this rough patch.

First, I don’t eat alone. If I am at work, I make certain that I eat with someone. Eating in front of someone makes me more conscious of how much I’m eating. Plus, I tend to eat more slowly if I am engaged in conversation. Making lunchtime more relaxing, rather than wolfing down my lunch at my desk, eases my digestion. The days I have eaten at my desk I almost always continue to read my email or do something while eating. That’s just not good way to nourish myself or take a breather from the workday.

When things get really tough, I used to head for the snacks. Now, I take a walk; even if I just go outside and walk between buildings, it helps me release some steam. One thing that has really helped is eating the right food – I don’t get hungry between meals. I recognize now when I give into emotional eating. I feel fine for a bit and then, if I’ve had something sugary, I can feel the crash a lot more easily than before.

I continue to eat my CustomFit Meals. I can choose to eat something else if I want but the meals satisfy my hunger and keep me full longer. It helps me feel that I have enough fuel to do my exercises too. Now, it’s time to step up the workout routines. Even though it’s been weeks that I have been on level 1, I hesitated to raise the intensity until I didn’t feel worn out completely after a session. The time has come to move to level 2.

Time to check out Jillian’s programs and move up.