The Pursuit of "Healthiness"

Great at 48

2012-01-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

So far this year I'm making small strides towards my optimal health.

Yoga - We're 1 week into Rodney Yee's 8 week program. I'll review the full program when we complete it, but so far I love it. Taking time to practice yoga was on my list for 2012. I've tried to get there for 5 years, and now I feel like it will become part of my life.

Xbox Kinect - I miss my dance classes but with the dance program I have for the Kinect, I'm getting every bit as much enjoyment without having to drive to class and practice for recital. I would like to tap dance again someday, but for now I couldn't be happier.

Paul McKenna

Putting down the fork and knife - Several years ago I watched Paul McKenna on a television special. He presented sound logical arguments for slowing down while eating. I eat too fast. I always have. The most important thing he said that stuck with me is that Americans think about food more than any other country except for one time, while they are eating it. I agree. When I sit down to eat a meal, at first it's like a job that needs to be done, but by the time I'm finishing my meal, my taste buds have been triggered. I'm finally starting to enjoy the taste of something, but there are only 2 bites left. That's when I overeat. I want more because I want the experience.

I like the way eating according to the Atkins plan makes me feel because the foods I eat feel like food in my body, not empty calories. However, until I change my habit of eating, I'm convinced I'm going to struggle with my weight.

So here's my plan. No grand complicated scheme. Let's just slow it down and taste it all from the very first bite. Let's stop when I think I might be full.

There are 16 weeks until my birthday. I wonder what I can accomplish by then.

Here's a link to a summary of Paul McKenna's appearance on Dr. Oz.

My Atkins Update

2012-01-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

The holidays have completely destroyed my ability to stay away from carbohydrates. While I haven't gone crazy and have tried very hard to stay at 30 per day, I've gone over.

The scale is showing it, but not as bad as I thought. I was beating myself for eating some pecan brittle or for eating popcorn. So I stepped on the scale. Yes, I've gained back 8 of the 15 I lost.

Overall, Atkins is my favorite program. But, I'm going to have to go through induction again to get my body back of the carbohydrates.

One of my favorite low carb breakfasts. Easy to cook at the cabin and quick, too.

Afternoon snacks are going to be the key for me staying on Atkins in 2012.

Atkins Update

2011-07-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've been on Atkins all of this time even though it became impossible to keep up with the blogging. The weight loss has slowed because my biggest vice is Tostitos which I have daily. I'm thinking about starting induction again. To date, I'm down 15 lbs from where I started, but with Redman coming up, I'm worried about balancing weight loss with preventing leg cramps that I started getting since starting Atkins.

Reading the advice of others who also struggle with the muscle cramps it seems that watching the potassium and drinking enough water should help.

I'm currently training at a goal of 56 miles per week, but I'll have to increase to 100 miles per week in August if I'm going to be ready by late September.

I'd like to do this 10 lbs lighter still.

Day 11 of Atkins Induction

2011-02-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't posted in a few days because we are swamped with work plus we're renovating our Tulsa home so we can list it in 6 weeks.

How am I doing on Atkins? I think I'm doing well because my clothes fit so much better than they did several days ago. I have not weighed myself because I can see a change in the mirror and my clothing. At this point I think weighing on a scale might be de-motivating.

I'm participating in a weight loss challenge at Sky Fitness. Our official weigh in this Sunday so I have backed off on my workouts this week. I want to lose more weight during the challenge not before the challenge. Go ahead, accuse me of game play!

How am I tolerating induction?

Well, I invented coffee cream pops to give me something sweet to eat at night. They follow all of the rules. I mix coffee and cream with a dash of vanilla and splenda. Then I pour the mixture into Tupperware Ice Tups and freeze it.

Also, I am drinking red wine at night and I know I'm not supposed to. I might stop doing this if I need an extra boost for weight loss during the competition.

About the food I'm eating, well, I'm sick of fish. Radishes and celery satisfy my need to crunch something, and the cauliflower pizza I made was good enough that my family wanted it instead of the traditional pizza on our last pizza night.

The best thing I've cooked is a modification to the Atkins Asparagus Leek soup. I added the leftover cooked cauliflower to mine. Mine had parmesan cheese and cream. It tasted like a decadent potato soup. It's even better reheated for lunch.

Day 3 of Atkins Summary

2011-02-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

Well day three came apart at the end of the day. I woke at 3 a.m. to catch up on work. I was unusually tired and not prepared to get up which is unusual for me.

I didn't have my scheduled snacks because my schedule was a little crazy and I wasn't truly successful.

For breakfast, more salmon and two fried eggs.

For lunch, scallops and salad with apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

After work I ate nearly 2 1/2 ounces of cheese because I was so hungry. The fat from the cheese was very satisfying, but I did find myself desperate for the salt in green olives. I ate 15 of those.

The worst part of the day was two, six ounce glasses of red wine. I suspect that if I'd forced myself to work out after work I could have retained control. Instead, I let sore muscles and a long day permit me to take a day off.

Finally, dinner was a few scallops and some broccoli. I could only stomach a few scallops, but the broccoli with butter was very welcome!

I'm still following my pescevegetarian guideline, but fish is boring me at the moment. I'm fairly certain it's because there is still not enough fat in the way I'm cooking it.

Day 2 of Atkins Summary

2011-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

Day two was fairly easy. Breakfast was more eggs, but I love eggs.

Lunch was a yummy lobster salad I got off the Atkins website. The easiest part of all of this is that my family doesn't mind experimenting with new foods. I just add carbohydrates as side dishes to the meals. It helps that the carbohydrates I'm feeding them (baked potatoes, stuffing) aren't food that I really crave.

I gave my best effort in spin class. The instructor was great. She gave the extra push I needed because I was quite sore from Pilates.

I attended a reception after a meeting and had three sips of wine. Fortunately the wine wasn't good so three sips was enough.

Dinner was salmon and cauliflower. I did drink a diet pop because I was too tired to make herbal tea. I am a little worried about these two "cheats."

Day 1 Review

2011-02-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

As I enter Day 2, I want to take a quick moment to post my progress. One day, you would guess that I could manage one day. I did.

I followed the meal plan I printed from the Atkins website. The indulge bar was heaven after my pilates class. Lunch was a modification because my schedule changed so I ate albacore tuna and half a cup of sauerkraut. That might have been a no-no, but the package said less than 1 gram of net carbs.

The latte shake in the afternoon got me through my energy lull.

The toughest time of the day came as I faced my tap class. I did not drink the water suggested so I struggled with cramps in my legs throughout the entire class. As I head to spin class this morning, I'm taking water with me.

When I finally arrived home and started preparing dinner for my family, I was confident I would make it through the day without cheating. I had a little diet rootbeer which technically is a violation because it is fizzy, but it helped me avoid a glass of wine.

After dinner I had Aveda tea which has a hint of licorice in it. It fooled me into thinking I was having a sweet treat.

I am travelling for meetings again today and hope I'm able to eat everything that is planned.

Twelve Week Challenge - Day One Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T02:36:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of my twelve week challenge at Sky Fitness. Twelve weeks ends at May 9th. My dance recital is June 4th. I'd like to be a size 6 in that costume. If I achieve it, then I'll be taking the costume to the tailor because I ordered a large.

In the past I used supplements to achieve quick weight loss. It was a risky thing to do considering that they can damage your heart. Keeping my heart healthy has really become more of a focus since I lost my beloved grandfather in December of 2009.

I have all of the typical "mom" excuses for letting my weight get out of control. I believe the financial commitment of a program plus the competition will help me prioritize my needs for fitness.

I'm fairly fit at this heavier weight, but I know what I can do 30 or 40 lbs lighter than this.

This is me on my honeymoon in 2003. I'm 145 lbs at this time. This is not the "me" I have in my head, yet it is many lbs lighter than I am today.

The "me" I'm picturing is the size 2 girl who could kick butt and take names at age 35. However, that girl wasn't happy. She hadn't met the love of her life so working out was compulsive. I weighed 125 lbs and had 20% body fat. It took me 2 years to achieve because at age 33 I weighed 155 lbs.

Twelve years later, I'm going to tackle this problem with the Atkins program and pilates.

Today, I start induction. The hardest part will be avoiding the glass of wine (which leads to two or three). I think I can do it now that I have my focus. The purpose of induction is to force your body to burn fat for fuel. If you drink wine, even though wine has no net carbs, your body will use the alcohol before the fat. I am looking at spare tire around my waistline that I want to burn away. I think that is enough motivation to stay away from the wine.

If this picture isn't motivation, I don't know what will motivate me. After a thrilling zip line ride through the canopy in Jamaica, I was rewarded by these photos. My husband always looks fantastic, but I don't recognize this woman.

I might be back tonight to post so that I can keep my mind off my regular habits in the evening. I think my evening habits is where I gained 45 lbs over the course of 10 years.

21 days to break a habit. Here we go.

Redman Triathlon

2008-09-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 20, I rode 56 miles on a half iron relay team. My teammates Francis (the swimmer) and Jack (the runner) outperformed me, but then again Francis is a great swimmer and my 15 year old son only knows two speeds anyway. I am a novice cyclist.

I began training in March of 2008 with my husband, Alan who competed in the Redman Half Iron Distance. Alan has recently taken up marathons at the age of 46, but he's been running for years. I thought competing in the Redman would give us an opportunity to train together more often. I was right. From March to September our trainings increased to twice a day workouts. As a beginner, I was able to ride 10 miles per hour easily for 2 1/2 hours. My goal was to progress to 15 miles per hour average for the 56 miles.

The final weeks before the event had me clocking 16 to 18 miles per hour on a stationary bike and 14 to 15 outdoors on 2 1/2 hour rides. I completed 56 miles indoors 1 week before the event in 3 hours and 37 minutes. I figured I was as ready as I'd ever be. I crossed the finish line at 3 hours and 49 minutes. Our relay team only beat two other teams because my time was the slowest of all the team cyclists. But, I finished. The wheels didn't come off, and we didn't come in last place.