Just Ramblings

I was at the gym browsing through Netflix on my phone (best thing ever BTW) and ran across a show called "Heavy." It's "Biggest Loser" without competition basically. They have these people come to a secluded facility, feed them 1200 calories a day, and make them workout for 4-5 hours a day. Now I do sometimes workout 4-5 hours a day so I don't see that as totally unrealistic, but I don't eat 1200 calories when I do. I go all the way up to 1800-2000 calories on those days. I still have more than 1000 calorie deficit on those days. I would be eating my own arm if I ate that little and did that much. But anyways, on some episodes they send the contestants home after 30 days with personal trainers and any help they might need. Other episodes they keep them there for 6 months. These people make amazing transformations. I saw a man lose 180 lbs in 6 months on the episode I watched tonight. I kept thinking to myself that of course I would have amazing results if I did it that way, but I would gain every ounce of it back because they deprive you of all foods that you love. There is no moderation. They eat fish, chicken, and vegetables. That's all I have ever seen them serve. I would want to throw up after 6 months of that. This week I made one of my favorite recipes EVER. It's a mexican dish that my sister used to make and when I left home she gave me the recipe and I've tweaked it some, but it's nowhere in the realm of what someone would consider a healthy recipe. When I make it now I add red and yellow peppers and lots of onions to the beef filling. It bulks it up with less calories. I drain every bit of grease off of the already low-fat beef. I blot it with paper towels and everything. It's about 500 calories per serving and I used to be able to eat 2-3 for dinner and not think twice about it. That was BEFORE making the healthy changes to it so I'm sure it was somewhere around 750 per serving before. The point is, I still make these recipes that I love! I find ways to make them more healthy and I keep in mind that it's still not a low calorie food at 500 calories so I adjust my other meals and workouts accordingly. I also only eat 1 obviously. And I'm completely full with one! I don't know how I ever ate 3! I'm thinking of adding rice next time. My sister used to make hers with spanish rice inside of them but I've never actually done that. Oh and this is one of the very few beef recipes I eat. I still can't stomach meat very well and I don't force it. I eat chicken if it's in something or pork chops with brown rice and Asian sauce. If steak is cooked the way I like it, I'll eat it, but maybe a couple times a year. Hmmm... I don't eat much red meat, I don't drink pop, I don't drink alcohol, I hate fish, blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, and anything with soy in it. Yep. I pretty much survive on salads and coffee. Oh and Eggbeaters. I can't eat real eggs for the life of me, but I can handle Eggbeaters with a little fat free cheese and salsa. The one place that has burgers that I absolutely LOVE and is really the only place on Earth that I get a burger is Skinny Legs. Mmmmmm.... 6 more months and I will have a Skinny Legs burger in hand with the company of a million mosquitos and the people I love. And that's why I have put in around 3 hours of workouts today. That, and I am trying to master hooping in the opposite direction and I pick up the hoop every chance I get to practice. I will get it. I swear.

Whew!

The holidays are always such a blur around here. It's Thanksgiving, Madi's birthday, and Christmas all within 4 weeks! So we went to see my parents the weekend before Thanksgiving (because the kids were out for a whole week...ugh), then we were fortunate enough to have Matt's mom and grandma come visit here for Thanksgiving weekend. Then I had a final that was due on Monday so that consumed all of Sunday, except when Madi and I ventured to the park to work on some hoop moves. Yesterday the apartment was a disaster so I went to Target and bought some gloves and Mr. Clean Erasers and spent 2 hours ungrossing the apartment. I also rented us a storage unit across the hall because we have too much stuff for a 2 bedroom apartment! Oh and I got Christmas lights up! Solar powered lights are AWESOME!

So now we are gearing up for Madison's 7th birthday this weekend. We have Breakfast with Santa and Merry Mainstreet on Saturday. On Sunday we have her birthday party with all of her friends at the ice skating rink! I also have to fit in both of Jack's MMA sessions before Friday because he is due to test up on Friday night. Craziness.

Soo... about the actual fitness stuff... I met an amazing new friend who is showing me the ropes of hooping. She got me all set up with a new hoop and we spent a couple of hours working together on Saturday and I learned a lot! The hoop I had been using just wasn't quite right for me. It's still an amazing hoop and I'm still using it some and the kids are using both of the others to practice, but I needed something bigger (aka slower) and with more grip to learn new moves. So now I have the right equipment and am waiting to get some other new hoopy things coming my direction soon-ish. Ya know, whenever the amazing Jen has free time. Ha!

I also signed up for some classes at a women's studio here in town that I start Friday. They teach pole dancing, Zumba, and some amazing toning classes using Zumba and Pole moves. Yay!!

A Change Is Coming!

I have some BIG things coming up in 2012! Life changing, goal setting, things I've never thought I was possible of changes! I'm scared that I won't be able to do everything that I want. I'm worried I won't be capable of doing the things that I am wanting to do. I'm not capable of just taking baby steps, so I'm diving in head first with a big goal a year from now. By the beginning of 2013, if things work out how I want, my life will be totally different. This is going to require a massive amount of work on my part and just looking at my schedule, I have no idea how there are going to be enough hours in the day! I will make it work though. I'm not quite ready to share EXACTLY what these changes are, but they are amazing. :) This is all sitting right in front of me. I just have to take it and run with it at this point. It's scary, but very empowering at the same time. I want it. Now it's time to prove it.

Out of Town

This will have to do until later this week:

Diets and Depression

Lately I've been reading as much as I can get my hands on about how diet is linked to depression. It's not boding well for my school work at the moment, but that's beside the point. It'll get done on time. :) But anyways, everything I have found shows that there is a major link between what we eat and how we feel and for people who deal with depression, it's magnified hugely. So, I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in here and share what I've found.

Aspartame- Apparently this stuff is worse for us than anyone really wants to think about. There aren't a lot of studies on the link between aspartame and depression, but the ones I have found all show that people with a tendency for depression/anxiety should avoid it at all costs. In fact, it's so bad that a study done by Dr. Walton was actually called off because the side effects in the depressed/aspartame group were so grave.  He believed that aspartame blocked serotonin synthesis so all those feel good feelings that you normally get from serotonin aren't happening. It's rumored that Nutrasweet is actually the reason the reason the trial was shut down. There's not a lot of discussion about it, but I found in a few places that the findings from this (VERY SMALL) trial were significant enough that they didn't want this information to get out. There are also very few studies done on this and I read a lot of things saying that the processed food makers essentially run this country and if they were forced to admit they are feeding us poison, people might get upset. Ya think?!? And this stuff is in everything! Diet sodas, gum, cough syrup, cough drops, liquid medications...the list is huge!

B Vitamins- I am a big taker of B vitamins! The ones that dissolve under your tongue (B12 2500 mcg) are great and the highest dose you should take. I also take B6 once daily in a higher dosage (100 mg). They give you energy and are known for improving the pathways in your brain. B12 is ONLY found in animal products and mostly red meats, so if you're like me and don't really eat red meat the only way you're getting enough B12 is through supplements. B6 can be found in bananas and yogurt so you don't need a really high dose of it if you eat those items daily. The normal dose is actually around 25 mg and 100 mg is a much higher than needed dose, but it's known for treating symptoms of PMS and depression when taken in higher doses. I would probably talk to your doctor before using such a high dose though. My doctor knows and agrees with what I'm taking.

My last thing on B vitamins: the B complex vitamins are usually worthless. You want something with a high absorption rate and as few ingredients as possible. A lot of the B complexes have a lot of unnecessary ingredients and low absorption rates. Look around and find a good quality one. Do some research. Talk to your doctor! And if your doctor doesn't believe in natural medicine of any kind, FIND A NEW DOCTOR!

St. Johns Wort- This improves the serotonin production in your brain in a very similar to Prozac. In fact, you aren't supposed to take the 2 at the same time because your body can produce too much serotonin and that comes with some pretty ugly side effects like confusion and memory loss. So don't take them together. :)

Hypoglycemia Diet- This is essentially what I have been doing and I honestly feel better than I did on medication. On Saturday after eating just a really minor amount of "junk food" I was extremely ill. I was dizzy, light headed, nauseous, sad, nervous, and exhausted. It was horrible and I learned very quickly that my body just can't process that stuff! It's not real food! It is food that was made by man to look yummy, taste yummy, and make you crave more of the same crap! So, no more. I don't like feeling like that thankyouverymuch. I'm going to paste an article I found that talks about hypoglycemic diets and what is involved:

"

1. These hypoglycemia diets all recommend eating smaller but more frequent meals, with between meal snacks.
2. All low blood sugar diets reduce intake of sugars of all kinds (including molasses and honey) and as important, simple, processed carbohydrates e.g most breads, cereals, potatoes, and rice. The reason for reducing these frequently eaten foods: the digestive system converts most processed carbohydrates rapidly into sugar. Thus, for hypoglycemia diets, whole wheat bread is just as bad as white bread.
3. Reducing or eliminating caffeine is an effective aide to any hypoglycemia diet. (But taper off slowly since caffeine withdrawal symptoms can be fierce).
4. Reducing alcohol is also important for low blood sugar diets (but taper off in steps if you drink a lot, since alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be very dangerous).
5. Adding a small amount of protein or a modest amount of fat along with each carbohydrate serving helps most hypoglycemia diets. This slows the rate of food passing through the stomach.

   With slower passage through the stomach, blood sugar increases less rapidly after eating. The less rapid rise in blood sugar, reduces the insulin response. Less insulin means that blood sugar falls more slowly. Blood sugar falling slowly, makes the destructive over-reaction of adrenalin and cortisol less necessary to prevent sugar from falling too low. With adrenalin and cortisol under control, hypoglycemia symptoms resolve.

6. Olive oil is particularly effective for low blood sugar diets, because of its exceptionally high ability to slow the stomach down. A giant benefit, for relatively few calories.

   Add one to three teaspoons of olive oil to each meal to strengthen your low blood sugar diet. Spread the olive oil on your food or take it straight from the teaspoon. Once the low blood sugar diets are working well, you can cut back on your olive oil dose.

   
   Take your carbs almost all from colored fruits, vegetables, berries, and selected, coarse whole grains." 
   
   So, essentially it is a natural foods diet with proteins and complex carbs.
   
   "The Hypoglycemic diet aims at normalizing blood sugar levels, thereby normalizing stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, that are thought to be responsible for the symptoms of mood-swings, depression, anxiety, phobias, alcoholism and drug-addiction." Found at- http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/hypoglycemic_diet.html
   
   So there you have it. Do with it what you will. I know that was a lot of information and if you're interested there is a whole world out there. You just have to use Google a little bit and do some research. 

Food and Work

This has become my go-to meal. It is a spinach and spring mix topped with chicken, green peppers, onions, 3 cherry tomatoes, tortilla strips, salsa, taco seasoning, and ranch. It is awesome and around 350 calories!! We have been cutting out almost all processed foods and I feel so much better!!! I may eat this salad every day for the rest of my life.

On another note, somehow I got myself a part time job. It wasn't intentional in any way. I went in for jack's conference and they talked me into subbing part time. I'm not sure how I can be so good at teaching and yet I hate child education classes! Apparently I make a great preschool teacher though. :) I'm pretty excited! I get to hold babies again. Yay!!!

Weigh In

So this morning I got on the scale and was down 5 lbs! It's not the 10 lbs I was hoping for but considering all of that 5 lbs has all come off since I stopped taking medicine 2 weeks ago I'm not going to complain. The scale is headed the right direction at least. The best part is that I lost 8 inches!!! 2 inches off my waist alone! I'm a big believer in strength training. In the end inches are worth more than pounds.

Just Another Manic Monday

Today sucked. Actually my diet was right on for the day but I started fighting a migraine about 20 minutes into my workout and just couldn't make myself push through it. I probably would have ended up on the floor. I was feeling very light-headed and dizzy along with the headache and nausea so I ended up just walking at an incline of 5 until I hit 45 minutes. That's when I finally had to give in and go home. Sometimes you just can't push your body farther than it's willing to go. I can be ok with that.

I did put my Bodybugg back on today and bought a new cookbook so I can try some new recipes. I get bored easily. I constantly need a project. :)

I most definitely still have some depression/anxiety issues going on, but I think as far as management I'm doing pretty good without medication. I take my B vitamins, stay away from sugar, and workout every day and it keeps it pretty well in check. If any of these things get out of check though I feel horrible. I missed 2 workouts this weekend and ate a cannoli. For normal people that would be nothing. For me I felt like the world was ending. It's a learning process. But unlike some people, I'm willing to learn from my mistakes and not keep repeating them. You can only grow by learning and you can't learn if you're too stupid  ignorant to realize that sometimes you are wrong and something needs to change.

Tomorrow morning is weigh and measure day. Stay tuned!

Skinnier Jeans

This morning I managed to fit my ass into a pair of jeans that I haven't fit in for a while. And they actually fit! Like, they aren't so tight that I can't breathe or anything. They are comfortable and I can sit without feeling like they are going to bust at the seams. In fact, I'm sitting right now! On my still very sore butt. Only now I can add that my chest hurts and every time I raise my arms up I feel like my armpits are ripping in half. I have totally earned fitting in these jeans. I'm enduring massive amounts of pain so that I can fit into skinny clothes, and it's well worth it. I have on my Gap sweater from last year, a pair of jeans that is a whole size smaller than I was wearing a month ago, and a really awesome hat. All so that I can go to MMA with the youngest, spend a few hours at a parade, go ice skating, and workout.  It's going to be a good weekend!

Because You Really Wanted to Know...

My butt hurts. Like getting up and down, walking stairs, and sitting makes me feel like I have about a 75% chance of death. I've been doing lots and lots of squats. Squats come in many different varieties, but they are all very effective and I love them all equally. I start with barbell squats, which are my favorite. Then I will do dumbbell press squats, which suck. Then I move on to mini squats where you stay in the squatting position and just slightly move up and down until your legs are burning so bad you think you're going to fall over. My grand finale is alternating medicine ball squats with mini squats. I'm so not kidding when I say this 20 minutes will make your butt and thighs feel like they are being ripped into pieces for DAYS after. It's probably my favorite strength workout that I do. Of course I'm a little bit insane and adore lifting weights and strength training. I have been doing so many pull-ups that my hands are calloused! I have held the barbell on my shoulders so much that they hurt, not from my shoulder workouts, but from the weight of the barbell! I'm doing a really interesting core/back workout that keeps you alternating the 2 groups for about 20 minutes and my abs feel like they are being torn apart, but I will tell you that INCHES are coming off my weight. Plural. Inches. Only a few more days until I weigh in officially, but I've been keeping track of measurements here and there so I'm happy. :)

This morning was kind of crazy. I was stressed about getting a good workout in before having to shower and be at Madi's school at 10:50 for "lunch with loved ones." I ran sprints for about 45 minutes. It was honestly my fastest time I've done in a looooong time while sprinting. I was hitting 9 and 10 MPH for the last few. I was in my happy place. Then I managed to get in my core and lower body strength training. Because I'm awesome. Remind me of that when I can't get out of bed tomorrow please.

If You Want It, Prove It!

I think everyone who is successful at losing weight has to have some sort of mantra. It can be as simple as "Oh my God I have to do this before I go batshit crazy"- AKA Monica- or something more profound about life and happiness and all those thoughts about butterflies and rainbows. I tend to lean more towards the self-motivating and challenging mantra. Everyday after I've had my coffee, packed lunches, driven kids to school, and pulled into the gym parking lot I tell myself that if I want it, I have to prove it. Just wanting something does not make it happen. You have to prove that you want it over and over again. I have to prove to myself every single day that I want to be healthy and fit. Sometimes it sucks to have to keep proving it. It's not always fun and it's not always what I want to be doing, but it's always worth it.

I'm switching up my workouts a bit this week. I'm bored. I can only keep the same routine for a few weeks before it just gets to the point where I am staring off into space waiting for time to pass. I refuse to workout like that when I know I don't have to feel that way. So here's my new routine:

Monday- Ten minutes of walking to warm up, 45 minutes of walk 1 minute, sprint 1 minute, 10 minute cooldown walking.
Lower Body- Dumbell Squats, leg press, step lunges, lying bridge, calf raises, leg raises.

Tuesday- Elliptical or Turbokick for 1 hour
Shoulders/Arms/Chest- lateral raise, shoulder circles, pull-ups, tri-cep dips, bicep curls, Flyes, Incline Press, chest press

May also swim in the evenings.

Wednesday- Ten minutes of walking to warm up, 45 minutes of walk 1 minute, sprint 1 minute, 10 minute cooldown walking.
Core- Chair raise, stability ball hyperextension, plank, back bridge, decline sit-up, deadlifts, crunches, medicine ball twist.

Thursday- Walk at a steep incline for an hour with heart-rate at around 145.
Lower Body- Barbell squats, Leg extension, barbell curl, hamstring curl, deadlifts, calf raises, hip adduction.

Friday- Ten minutes of walking to warm up, 45 minutes of walk 1 minute, sprint 1 minute, 10 minute cooldown walking.
Shoulders/arms/chest- Weighted shoulder shrugs, lateral raises, tri-cep dips, pull-ups, flyes, chest press, rowing machine.

Saturday- AMT Elliptical for an hour.
Core- Chair raise, stability ball hyperextension, plank, back bridge, decline sit-up, deadlifts, crunches, medicine ball twist.

Sunday- Absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. Ain't happening.

On top of all this I may swim Tuesday and Thursday evenings and I generally pull out my hoop every day and spend some time hooping just for fun. I'm not wearing my bodybugg at the moment because I may have a slight tendency to get obsessive and I just need to stay focused right now. I like having a plan and sticking to it strictly. It works well for me.

Wanna See My Fridge?

So we came up with a new system that is brilliant and I wish I had done this a very long time ago! I cooked a ton of stuff, pre-measured everything on the food scale, and put them in pre-portioned containers in the fridge. This way, when we are in a hurry or starving and tempted to take a bit more than an actual serving size there is no option! You eat what is in the container and it is filling! It works for us an our busy schedule perfectly.

And this is the note that goes on the fridge:

There is no question of calories consumed for anyone in this house. You have the information in front of you to make an informed choice. It makes it a bit easier to make the right choice when the calories are literally right in front of you.

Oh and since I stopped the Zoloft, I am down 4 lbs magically. I have actually worked out less this week because I haven't been feeling great and the only thing that has changed is the medicine. Yay!

Keep Calm and Carry On

So, retail therapy only works if you can afford it so the next best thing really is exercise therapy. It's a little bit insane, but there's something about pushing myself to the point of wanting to throw up that gives me a sense of inner calm. I don't know if it's that I'm just too exhausted to be stressed or if it's endorphins or what, but it works. Today is the first day in over a year that I haven't been on some sort of medicine. Now granted, the first one didn't work so technically I've only been working medication since May. I'm feeling ok right now, but I haven't picked up the kids from school and that's the real test. But since I am venturing into this non-medicated territory I got on the treadmill to run because there's something about running that helps my mental health. I didn't push as hard as I probably could have and my time left a lot to be desired, but I felt good when I stepped off. Then I almost killed myself lifting weights. Because I am an idiot and will constantly try things that *maybe* I'm not really equipped to do. I refuse to think I can't do something. If I'm not currently capable of doing something, that just means I haven't practiced enough. :)

On the bright side, it led me to a very interesting conversation with a group of people about lifting weights. Some people are very into cardio and don't see the point in lifting weights. Other people (mostly men) will only lift weights and not do any cardio. We were all standing at the personal trainer desk and someone made the comment that both are equally important and someone else disagreed and somehow I ended up talking to a group of strangers for 20 minutes of the benefits of both. During this conversation I found a paper cut that I had apparently gotten between my fingers while turning textbook pages well into the evening yesterday. By using hand sanitizer. Yeah. And I couldn't just randomly yell out profanities so I suffered in silence for a few minutes so as not to embarrass myself in front of people I see every day. That is all.