Day One Is About Begin!

Tomorrow begins the start of a the kill-the-yeast trial - yeehaw!  I made sure to prep my meals for breakfast and lunch, and took some before pictures, as well as drank a cup of coffee and eat a slice of cheesecake!  I did forewarn my colleagues that I will be doing this and asked them to bear with me for the next few days as my body adjusts.  Tomorrow will look like this, and Thursday will look pretty similar as well as I start prepping my body for a liquid fast:

Wake Up:  My usual 12-16 ounces of warm water with a tablespoon of lemon juice
Breakfast:  Fresh apple/pear/ginger juice and green tea
Mid-Morning:  A piece of fruit
Lunch:  Cabbage & Carrot Salad with homemade Orange Ginger dressing
Afternoon:  Grape or apple juice
Evening:  Cucumber & Tomato Salad, Spicy V-8 Veggie Broth Soup
...and lots and lots of water all day!  I do drink 8 ounces of water before I drink a fresh juice - having it "diluted" on my stomach is easier on my digestive system.  For some reason carrot juice irritates my stomach more than others, so I rarely drink it (or if I do, it is just a small amount in a larger batch of juice).

Prepping breakfast & lunch

What the real me looks like in my not-so-forgiven yoga clothes

 

Side View

I will weigh in the morning, as well as every day to make sure I don't lose too much too fast.  I'm not 100% sure of my actual weight right now (I only weight once a week), as I am due to start my cycle by the end of the week, and it's very normal for me to 4-6 pounds more than I usually do at this point!

Bring on the raw foods and fresh juices!  :)

The Beast Rears Its Ugly Head... Again

Before you start reading this, I'm going to warn you that there may be a few TMI (Too Much Information) bits in here, so skip to the end if medical talk makes you queasy.  That being said, some of you know that within a few months of giving birth to Ethan, I was diagnosed with Systemic Candidiasis, which is basically an full-blown overgrowth of yeast throughout your entire body.  Typically, this is only found in people with compromised immune systems, and though I was tested up and down for any of those (which I do not have), I still have it.

Upon the diagnosis, my doctor put me on a strict yeast-killing diet; no dairy, no fruit, no starches, no sugar, no coffee... just veggies and lean proteins for six weeks, along with super-duper probiotics.  It was difficult; especially the first few days - yeast die-off is an agonizing detox!  However, after the first four-to-five days, things started changing.  My energy level shot up as the chronic fatigue decreased, my skin cleared up, the fungal infections I struggled with everywhere (and not just in areas you think of when someone struggles with yeast overgrowth) cleared up, my anxiety/anger issues decreased, I could think and function more clearly, I could drop weight with ease when I dieted... it was amazing!

Fast forward two years and I am having more and more frequent flare-ups.  There are three oral prescriptions in my bathroom, as well as two prescription creams that I have to use to eliminate the infections with they hit.  And not just vaginal... in fact, I've only had that issue once.  No, for me, I get skin infections, fungal issues in my nailbeds and ear canals, horrible thrush, fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, and depression.  If I have to an antibiotic for something, I normally spend at least two weeks taking Diflucan everyday.  But now I'm seeing one symptom or another rear its ugly head every four-to-six weeks.

I am miserable.

Since my last post, I've developed thrush, ear infections, and have gain a pound and a half.  I am exhausted, but having issues sleeping.  And after almost a year of fighting off the symptoms, I am ready to fight the root of the problem again - my diet.  We are going on a mini-vacation for the next few days, but starting Tuesday (or Wednesday, if I don't get a chance to grocery shop Monday night), I will be eating raw foods for two days, then transitioning into a juice fast for 7-10 days, then back to raw foods for a few days, and gradually adding back high nutrient foods (legumes, seeds, nuts) with occasional lean protein and starches.  I've done prolonged liquid fasts before (the longest I have done was thirty days), but that was before marriage and kids, so it will be shorter and a bit more challenging, as I will be cooking for them, too!

I want to try to post daily (or every other day) during my liquid fasting time, to record it, and to keep me accountable.  Wish me luck and you will hear from me soon!

Another 10 Pounds Bite the Dust

I don't have time for a long post, but I am finally under 220 pounds - at 219.6, to be exact.  Happy, happy day!  Makes for 26.4 pounds down since July… and I owe myself a new pair of pants for knocking off another ten pounds.  :)

A New Year Begins!

On Monday, July 9, 2012, I stepped on my scale to weight myself, which I had not done in awhile.  I knew I'd gained weight over the spring; transitioning to working full-time and coming off of a medication that helped manage my postpartum depression had led to me seeking a lot of emotional comfort in the fridge and pantry.  My clothes were barely fitting (I'd even had to go to Goodwill a couple of times to buy a pair of jeans that I could actually zip), my face was broken out, and I was tired all the time.  However, I was not prepared for what the scale registered.

246 pounds.

I was horrified.  Since Emily was born, I've fluxed around 230 pounds.  Yet 246 pounds was a number that stuck in my head because that is what I weighed in at the morning Ethan was born... six hours BEFORE I delivered him.  That day, I signed up for Weight Watchers, and it began my most recent weight-loss journey.

This recent weight-loss journey has NOT been what I've expected it to be.  My goal is to eventually get down to 160 pounds, and to make 86 pounds be a little less daunting, I've made smaller goals.  Even with small goals, the weight has not come off like I'd wanted it to.  What I expected to be a sprint has turned into a marathon.  I had thought that the weight would come off easily, and the first few did, as it has in the past when I've dieted (such as two to three pounds a week), but after that initial weight loss, the scale crawled.  Fast weight loss has not happened, and it has been a struggle against discouragement to press on when the scale only reflects a meager loss week by week.  Other things have slammed into my plans, as well.  I had to stop WW in October due to some financial changes to our budget.  This fall I had an evil UTI and the two rounds of antibiotics to treat it flared up my ugly friend, systemic candidasis, which wrecks havoc on my body and causes horrible weight gain, a resistant metabolism, and other yucky side effects.  But from the first of July to the end of December, I've lost 17 pounds, for an average of .68 pounds a week.  Each pound has been a battle, and where I was trying for an even 20 pound loss by the end of 2012, I am very happy with what I've done.

But only losing 17 pounds in six months, while a bit depressing on the fact that it may take me another two years to take off the weight I need to, has been a great start to meeting my goals.  I started this journey not wanting it to be just a fad diet, taking off 30 pounds and a year from now, weighing 40 more pounds, but to be a full lifestyle change.  Healthy habits have and continue to be laid!  The good things that have happened since July:

• I now exercise almost daily, sometimes twice a day.
• I can jog for 9-10 minutes at time now, take a 2-3 minute walking break, then jog again.  Currently, I'm jogging 2 miles 3-4 times a week, and am working up to 3 miles.
• My jean size has gone from a women's size 20 to a misses size 18.
• I've lost inches all over, including three inches from my waistline.
• By doing yoga or Pilates most evenings, the kids join me and thus are having more active time.
• In general, we are eating more simple and more health dishes with a lot less sugar, salt, and simple carbohydrates.
• I have much more energy, clearer skin, sleep better, and seem to handle stress more appropriately. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey, and for joining me on my next step!  I'm trying for 215 pounds by the end of March... wish me luck!

10 Pound Bites

My current weight loss journey has not been what I expected.  Instead of an easy-breezy sprint (such as losing 40 pounds in three months in 2007), I've been slapped with the reality of a marathon.  This time it's been only a quarter of that in a four-month time frame.  Oy vey!

That is probably for many reasons - the largest one(s) being that I am now two kids later and I know those crazy things called a metabolism, hormones, and over thirty are starting to slow down or kick in.  However, I am trying to focus on what this is for me - not a diet, but a journey to a more healthy lifestyle.  I haven't really been "trying" to lose weight for the last few weeks - work and my son's medical issues have been at the top of my priority list for the past five-to-six weeks, thus things like calorie counting and daily meal planning have been pushed aside for the reality of doctor's appointments and sleep.  I am so pleased though, that in this time, I have stayed right at 230 (ten pounds down from my starting weight of 240 in July).  Sure, I've fluxed a pound over or under, but I've been pretty consistent at 230.  This is new to me, and gives me hope that this weight I'm losing will stay off.  In the past sure I've done some yo-yo dieting - a quick fad here or there and I'm 5-10 pounds lighter, but then have gained it back, plus a couple more.  This initial "maintaining period" gives me hope!

So in light of my first ten pounds down (and then kept off for a month or so), here is a comparison shot for you (please pardon the horrible lighting in the 2nd picture, as well as my looking down and end-of-the-day hair):

Since July, I've gone from a 20W size jeans (yes, I have saved them) to a misses 18, lost inches (not sure how many), dropped my BMI 1.5 points, and am now four notches in on my regular belt instead of two.  I'm also doing jogging/walking intervals for 20 or so minutes four-to-five times a week, and have started added in some yoga and/or Pilates a couple of mornings a week.

What's next, you ask?

Right now, I'm aiming to lose ten pounds by New Years.  Seven weeks to do it.  I think I can, especially now that I am starting to exercise more regularly, Ethan's at a stand-still medically for the next few months, and bidding season at work is winding down.  If I don't make it though... that's okay.  I'm just taking it one day and one pound at a time right now.

Where did October go?

My goodness, October is gone.  Gone!  Last time I posted was on October 9th... almost a month ago!    The last month of the third quarter is by far my busiest month of the year business wise, so basically late hours, eating out waaay more than normal, and no exercise.  On a good note, I'm happy to say I've pretty much maintained where I was when I posted, which for me is excellent, considering a huge stress load, birthday cake, Halloween candy, a bladder infection, a yeast infection (caused by the antibiotics to treat the prior infection), and the hours with the pediatric hematologist with Ethan working on a diagnosis of a blood disorder have happened since then.  In a nut shell, I've pretty much been a train wreck.  Thankfully, I'm nearly done with the biggest proposals, and this week should be my last "hard-and-heavy" week in the office, with one last meeting on the 13th to try to broker at $750,000 annual contract (praying hard for that one; my commission on that would be sweet come January!), and another visit to the blood doctor on Thursday, where we hope to be getting closer to a diagnosis.  So in light of the fact that I need to do be off to bed, I promise to post again next weekend.

Adieu!  :o)

A Tuesday "Monday Motions" Post! :o)

Perhaps I should just title this my weekly weigh-in, as I rarely ever update on a Monday!  Alas, that is how life is right now.  On the plus side, I'm down another 1.6 pounds.  Yay!  Limiting my sugar/simple carbs (and moderating the whole grains) seems to be helping.  However, I'm trying not to be legalistic about it.  For instance, today was MOPS, and I enjoy tasting the various breakfast casseroles and a slice of coffee cake, and this afternoon, enjoyed a complimentary Krispy Kreme coffee and doughnut (thanks to a free-for-me birthday coupon!).  Tomorrow I'll go back to low-sugar again, but being a perfectionist ("If I don't do it exactly right, I won't do it at all!") got me here in the first place.

I'm also exercising more; this past week was more just walking, but tonight I added one minute jogging intervals.  It felt wonderful!  Though there is a part of me that wants to punish myself for stopping jogging after the 5K last December (I could actually run three miles - argh!  Can't even do a mile right now), I can't change the past, and have to move forward, one day at a time.  For right now, I've decided not to set a 5K goal, though I had hoped to run one more while 30.  I have a tendency to set a goal, do it, then be sick of it, and I don't want do that again.  I enjoy jogging, and simply want to do just that for a season, and in the meantime, develop new and healthy exercise habits.

The Monday Motions:

Starting Weight:  240

Last Week's Weight:  229.8

 This Week's Weight:  228.2

Weekly Loss:  -1.6 lbs

 Total Pounds Lost:  -11.8 pounds

Weekly Average:  -0.84 pounds

Starting BMI:  36.5

Current BMI:  34.7