Wellness

[stilltamn8r]

On 2/26/2014 Lotus~ said:

Oh Em Gee.....Tam!! How are you?

How are the grandchildren?

What have you been up to?

I'm good! Expecting a big rainstorm and we just had a fire few weeks ago, so a little nervous- The kids are adorable!I went up there last month for Brooklyn's 1st birthday and Zaden is almost 3!!! Been working a LOT (as usual)....Got a new computer and ound QVC in my favorites and realizeded i hadn't been here in a while-

How are YOU!? and congrats on the great transformation! You are dedicated AND inspiring! i bet you feel a whole lot better carrying around so much less- I know how I felt when I lost all the weight-

[vickie25]

I have been yo-yo’ing for the last 5 years. I can always lose weight, just not maintain it. I think I’ve finally figured out what will work for me. In December, while channel surfing, I came across a documentary on HLN called “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. I laughed and said that is me. Below is an online synopsis of the film:

100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well— with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health.

With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long- term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

At 5’ 6” and 203.6 lbs, I was at the heaviest I’ve ever been. I wanted, needed, to do something drastic to kickstart my weight loss. I went to Joe’s website, ordered a receipe book, to-go-cups, and DVD of the film. I think the documentary was done in 2011 and there is an active forum so I thought that was a good sign. Luckily I had bought a juicer a few years ago but never used it.

On 1/13/2014, I blew off the dust on my juicer and started my Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead Juice fast. They recommend drinking a minimum of 64 oz of juice a day so that is what I did. I also committed to drinking a gallon of water a day. The only other thing you can have is herbal tea, so I got some organic chamomile tea. My initial goal was to do 60 days of the fast, then slowly come out of it and start eating healthy. Days 1-10 went pretty well. Wasn’t that hungry, surprisingly. When I was hungry, or cold, I’d have my tea. Days 11-14 was another story. My body was like, “enough with the juice, feed me”. I almost caved, but I told my body I am not giving up, I am not quitting, and by day 15 the hunger went away. I decided after 30 days, I would make a decision if I wanted to continue for another 30 days.

I finished the 30 day juice fast on 2/11/14. Below are my results:

Start End

Bust: 44 to 40 3/4

Upper Arm:13 7/8 to 13 1/2

Waist: 36 1/2 to 32 1/2

Stomach: 44 to 40

Hips: 46 to 43 1/2

Thighs: 25 5/8 to 23 3/4

Knees: 17 to 16 1/4

Calves: 14 to 13 5/8

Ankles: 10 to 9 1/8

Weight: 203.6 to 176.8

Body Fat% 32.3 to 38.8 (as measured on scale that calculates bodyfat)

I decided not to continue on an all juice fast for the following reasons:

1. The program recommends just walking while fasting but I am an overachiever and worked out at the gym 3x/week and started a couch to 5k running program.

2. Since I wasn’t taking in any protein, my bodyfat increased

3. I could probably have done another 2 weeks but I missed “eating”

4. And finally, I achieved what I wanted. A jumpstart to a healthier new year and rest of my life.

Of course with following something this drastic, the key was how to go from fasting to eating without undoing what I had achieved. Since my 30 days ended on a Tuesday, and I wanted to get back to a Monday start, to aligned with my fitness program, from Wednesday to Sunday, I did the following:

Meal 1 – Juice

Meal 2 – Egg Sandwich (2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Low-Sodium bread, 2 eggs cooked omelet style in microwave, 2 slices tomato, 2 slices onion, red leaf lettuce)

Meal 3 – Juice

Meal 4 – Juice

On Monday 2/17/14 I weighed and took my measurements and to my surprise, I lost 1 lb, 3 3/8”, and 4.1% bodyfat.

Because my workouts were getting more intense, I decided I needed to switch out another juice for a meal. So currently, I have switched out Meal 4 for Baked Tilapia in foil packets with white wine, lemon juice, minced garlic, basil, salt & pepper, Brown Rice cooked in veggie broth with tomatoes and scallions, and Steamed Broccolini and Green Beans tossed in a little EVOO.

After 1 week of following this eating plan, I kept the egg sandwich the same as I only wanted to introduce one change, I lost another 0.6 lbs, 1 7/8”, and 2.4% body fat. My bodyfat is now back to the 32.3% it was on 01/13 so I can start actually losing, and my weight, as of 02/24 is 175.2. My plan is to keep with 2 juices and 2 meals for a few more months, then swap out Meal 1 Juice for probably Oatmeal, Greek yogurt, berries. I think I will always have 1 green juice as a “meal” to help maintain my weight loss. I think this is something I can live with for the rest of my life.

I realize this is not a program for everyone, but it is working for me. Just wanted to share what I have been doing these past 6 weeks.

[phoenixbrd]

Vicki...congratulations....you are a strong and dedicated person. I wish I had known you were doing this fast as I would have done it with you. I love the Joe Crross story and it is very inspirational. Have you checked out intermittent fasting ...as you might be successful and comfortable with IF. Good luck on your future plans. Let us know how it goes.

[Mistreatedbycs]

Now how can't WW work for you?

You eat breakfast, you eat lunch, you eat dinner, 2 snacks, unlimited fruits, unlimited veggies and what's not working?

I heard that from a couple nurses while my mom was in the hospital and I was baffled, why wouldn't it work? You are eating real food and anything you want, you are practicing portion control and maybe you are looking for something "easy", nothing is easy, losing weight is difficult no matter what plan you are on. It's not so much taking it off, it's keeping it off.

I'm in the taking it off mode and definitely not setting any records. Excuses? Sure I have plenty of them but heck, I'm in the not giving up mode and nothing is going to stop me. Determination is the key.

Good Luck

[sidsmom]

phoenixbird: Here's a link to a free PDF about IF. Best explanation I've found...enjoy! John Berardi, author.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Intermittent-Fasting_Precisio...

[funwun]

Ok, I also have a degree and work in health and fitness...I must say, you ladies are inspiring and your inquisitiveness is motivation in itself. A few key things to keep in mind are 1) 1 pound equals 3500 calories...consequently, you would have to eat several gallons of ice cream to gain a pound lol!! Weight gain doesn't happen overnight and neither does weight loss. To lose 1 pound a week, you need to cut out 500 calories a day ...preferably through a combination of both diet and exercise. If you see a drastic weight loss during the first week of your program, it's usually a loss of water weight. 2) You need to move...exercise! Walking at least 10,000 steps a day is a great start...I also endorse weight training, pilates or yoga for strengthening...take a class or buy a DVD...Leslie Sansone's walking DVDs are wonderful! 3) Allow yourself your guilty pleasure in moderation..Chris Powell is absolutely right with that..you must trick your body in order to continue to lose the weight..the body is a smart machine and becomes very efficient at maintaining its weight with the same caloric allowance. 4) Remember this is a lifestyle not a diet...not everyone is comfortable counting points for the rest of their lives...however, different things work for different people..find what works for you and commit to it! Enjoy your life and your body...good luck everyone!!! ))))))))

[funwun]

I also wanted to add, I highly suggest drinking 3 to 5 cups of green tea daily (decaf green tea processed through effervescence works just as well)... It has so many health benefits and in my experience, does give a boost to the weight loss process. It also has minimal to no side effects...

[vickie25]

On 2/26/2014 phoenixbrd said:

Vicki...congratulations....you are a strong and dedicated person. I wish I had known you were doing this fast as I would have done it with you. I love the Joe Crross story and it is very inspirational. Have you checked out intermittent fasting ...as you might be successful and comfortable with IF. Good luck on your future plans. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks phoenixbrd. I will have to look into IF. I have read about it. I am planning a vacation later in the year and was planning on doing some sort of IF when I return to reverse any weight gain. I will keep you, and everyone else on this thread, updated. I would like to lose another 50 lbs to get back to 125 that I was 5 yrs ago.

[wyldekat]

Talking about diets is like opening a can of worms. It can be a touchy subject for people. Sort of like talking of religion or politics. Everyone has an opinion, and will argue it to death.

You just have to find a way of eating that works for you. Not every diet or plan works for everyone. I have tried many diets...which obviously didn't work. Read plenty of books and tried so many products that only disappointed.

I can't really explain why I feel that losing weight is working for me this time. I think that I finally hit my rock bottom and had enough of being overweight. I was determined to lose weight and become healthier. It was a rough start, but I think I can make it this time. It takes about 21 days to form a habit. So I took 1 day at a time, and things seem to get easier as I went along. Today was the first time I wore a dress in a long time. It felt good, as did the compliments.

I had the most luck with reducing carbs and sugars and eating more vegetables. Lost 60lbs since August. I still have a ways to go. I do plan on rejoining a gym as my budget allows to speed things along. It works for me, and actually helped clear up some of my medical issues.

My sister did weight watchers, and Jenny Craig for awhile. She liked them, but couldn't stick with them. I tried weight watchers, and found it too difficult and confusing to stick to. It was to easy to cheat and game the system. That didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you.

[violann]

If ONLY we were willing to respect the fact that we are each a unique combination of needs and functions! I have never felt better in my adult life, and I am doing between 1000-1200 calories/day of carefully chosen, nutrition dense foods. I am gradually adding more movement by way of walking and dancing, and I've lost 70 or so pounds in about 11 months. I eat lots of veggies, berries OR apples OR grapefruit, eggs/egg whites or leanish meat OR fish and a portion of nuts every day. Im doing WHAT WORKS WELL FOR ME after years of suffering with morbid obesity. Please don't tell me to eat six times a day or three times a day or fruit with every meal or no fruit at all or 1600 calories or 27 points, because NONE OF THOSE RULES WORK FOR ME. I am absolutely thrilled though, if they work for YOU!