I always have oldies running around in my head. The other day it was "see you in September" going round and round in Frankie Valli's high falsetto. Sometimes I think that is my dad tormenting me from Heaven.
OK, soooo. What am I working on? What goals??? Well, as you know, we moved from Duluth to the Twin Cities (Apple Valley/Lakeville) a month ago. I still cannot believe I live here now, it is surreal. Never really thought I could do it, but here I am. I have lived in Duluth all my life except for that little six month visit to Kansas City when I was pregnant, 21 and immature as humanly possible. Needless to say, that "geographical escape" did not last long...but that's a story for another day :)
So, here I am at age 39 - starting a new chapter in a new place. Overall, I think I have adjusted well to the area and to my new role as chemical dependency program supervisor. Granted, it has only been a month, but my previous anxiety over "is this the right thing" has all but disappeared. I know God led us here...and I know the devil has got to be pretty angry that his plans were thwarted. For reasons unknown, he did NOT want us to leave Duluth. I suspect God has a spiritual promotion in store.
Oh yeah, goals. #1 for me was finding a church. I tried three and the third time was a charm. It was just like the three bears. The first church was too big and too "out there" for my taste. The second was too small and conservative with inadequate childcare. And the third church was... JUST RIGHT! Really big and progressive but tons to offer and many opportunities to connect through small group involvement. We've gone three weeks now I think. Lots of stuff will be starting in the fall - so I plan to start a small group and also a Bible study perhaps.
It is a large church...the sanctuary is like an auditorium in fact. During my first time there, I watched the youth minister speaking and was really transfixed by his charmisma. I thought to myself, "I am going to speak in front of this church." That is one of my goals, and I've started visualizing it, down to what I will say and wear. Sometimes when I am running, I have an out-loud commentary of my ministry. "Whatever you can conceive in your mind can be brought into the physical world." -Dr. Wayne Dyer.
As for fitness goals, I am ready to take it to the next level. I am in good shape, but I can be so much better. I am going to start Insanity again on Tuesday. I tried back in May, but quit after 2 weeks. I don't even know what happened. Just got busy with moving stuff and lost interest. Not this time! I WILL complete the full 60 days!
Other than that... work goals. Training everyone in Motivational Interviewing and bringing in a trainer Scott Miller) for Feedback Informed Treatment to create a new vision and fresh excitement for everyone.
I have started meditating and visualizing. I know this is the way to bring my goals and intentions to life.
I am a student of the body and how it works. I love learning about the power of exercise and nutrition and I am constantly trying and applying new things. I love blogging about faith, family, running, goals and overall wellness. I try to be grateful and mindful and to approach each new day as the GIFT from God that it is.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
I was just looking over my last entry - almost a year ago. A lot of the goals I had have come true in the past year - or almost!
I did de-clutter my house in preparation to move! Yes, we are organized hoarders...I admit it. Not dirty at all - very clean but just packed to the gills with stuff in boxes and bins that we don't need. It is amazing how freeing it is to rid yourself of "stuff," it does imprison you I believe and makes it impossible for new, fresh "stuff" to come in.
We are moving... not to a house on a lake (yet) as I outlined in my goals... but to a newer, bigger house in the Twin Cities... so most def an UPGRADE!
I am super excited. I have lived here all of my life pretty much except for a short little 6 month stay in Kansas City... and now I am ready for a change. Mike and I both received promotions. His was very awesome and he really earned it. 10 years of hard work paid off. After 1 year with Nystrom and starting the CD program in Duluth, I will be the new supervisor in Apple Valley!
I did not meet Steven Tyler - but I DID touch his foot! We had 13th row tickets to see Aerosmith in June.. but the stage was set up like a long cat walk so we had front row seats for the whole show. One of the thrills of my life!!! They opened with Draw the Line/Love in an Elevator, and it was all dark as the show started, all of us with our eyes glued to the stage in anticipation. Suddenly the lights went up and the sound went full throttle - and here I was, still looking at the front stage. Mike nudges me and says "Look!" pointing over at the catwalk, and there standing right over me is STEVEN TYLER! My mouth just fell open. You should've seen it. And it stayed that way pretty much the entire show.
Also, we reengaged in church... another one of my goals. I am sad to leave our church and I have grown attached to our new pastor there. I have a long history at that church... I actually went to kindergarten in the basement there.... I remember that the bus would pick me up from home at noon. My mom always watched that soap opera "Ryan's Hope" before I left. LOL Not only that, but Mike and I were married there in 2004... I've also attended various other weddings for friends there. I am hoping we will be led to the right church in our new home... in fact, I KNOW we will.
What else. I wrote a program curriculum for my job... it is called BodyLink and promotes nutrition, health, fitness and many other things in CD treatment. I have high hopes for it. First our clinic, then the state, then the nation and the world. I will also be presenting it at the St. Louis County Conference in October.
Fitness continues to be top priority - it is so much a part of me that I can't imagine doing it. I run almost every day - it is like my 'medicine' and do various other things.
Well - that's about it for now - I do plan to get back to blogging, I have missed it! See you soon.
I did de-clutter my house in preparation to move! Yes, we are organized hoarders...I admit it. Not dirty at all - very clean but just packed to the gills with stuff in boxes and bins that we don't need. It is amazing how freeing it is to rid yourself of "stuff," it does imprison you I believe and makes it impossible for new, fresh "stuff" to come in.
We are moving... not to a house on a lake (yet) as I outlined in my goals... but to a newer, bigger house in the Twin Cities... so most def an UPGRADE!
Also, we reengaged in church... another one of my goals. I am sad to leave our church and I have grown attached to our new pastor there. I have a long history at that church... I actually went to kindergarten in the basement there.... I remember that the bus would pick me up from home at noon. My mom always watched that soap opera "Ryan's Hope" before I left. LOL Not only that, but Mike and I were married there in 2004... I've also attended various other weddings for friends there. I am hoping we will be led to the right church in our new home... in fact, I KNOW we will.
What else. I wrote a program curriculum for my job... it is called BodyLink and promotes nutrition, health, fitness and many other things in CD treatment. I have high hopes for it. First our clinic, then the state, then the nation and the world. I will also be presenting it at the St. Louis County Conference in October.
Fitness continues to be top priority - it is so much a part of me that I can't imagine doing it. I run almost every day - it is like my 'medicine' and do various other things.
Well - that's about it for now - I do plan to get back to blogging, I have missed it! See you soon.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My Blog Has Moved
In preparation for an amazing 2011, I have moved my blog to /http://melissahuray.blogspot.com/. I hope to see you there!
Becoming Superhuman
http://www.fourhourbody.com/
After reading hundreds of diet/fitness books over the years, I finally found the BEST book. I feel almost euphoric, it's like it was written for ME. I just told Mike, "I feel like I've been released from my prison." He was like, "I didn't know you were in a prison." LOL I laughed and said, "you know.. my FOOD prison.."
What I meant, is that for YEARS, I have felt out of control with regard to my body/weight. There were good and bad days/periods, times of success and failure, loss and gain... many different eating and exercise plans. Through it all... even when I DID lose weight, I would feel like I wasn't going to hold onto it. Like the next binge was going to pack on 5 pounds and result in a downward spiral toward fatsville. Because of this fear, I NEVER had cheat days... well, maybe once or twice a year... and when I did I felt awful and guilty and didn't enjoy it. Not a way to live!
The last time (prior to Christmas, 2010) I REALLY overate was 5-15-10! I almost passed out from a food/salt overdose. I told myself "never again."
After Emmy was born, as most of you would expect, I went back to my obsessive regimen of food preparation, restriction and exercise. Round and round the running track at school, like a hamster on a wheel. Don't get me wrong, you all know how much I love running - but a big part of me was wondering, "What's the point." I mean, I know running and exercise is important and essential for cardiovascular and mental health (and I would continue to do it for those reasons alone) but I am beginning to learn that the weight loss effect is negligible - and when you do "chronic cardio" you actually may be sabotaging your own body. "The 4-Hour Body" takes a less-is-more approach with respect to exercise. Doing simple, effective exercises and high-intensity interval training can have an effect as beneficial as endurance training, according to many studies! Isn't that amazing???
Leaving the hospital after having Emmy last August, I was already down to 135 pounds. 6 weeks later, I had dropped another 13 pounds. After that, the weight loss stopped... despite miles of running, plyometrics and a very strict diet. What was the problem?
Too much exercise, not enough calories, not enough water, not the RIGHT kinds of nutrients, essentially.
For the past six weeks, I did not lose an ounce. Mind you, I was running about 25 miles a week, doing plyometrics 2 days, and eating around 1400 calories a day. Many of you may be saying "What the hell, you're 122 lbs...why do you want to lose more WEIGHT..." Well, I don't necessarily want to lose "weight."
I want to lose fat. My bodyfat scale tells me I am 20%...I have heard the scales aren't very accurate, but at least it's a rough estimate.
What I want, is a SUPERHUMAN body. A body that makes people say, "what the hell have you been doing?" And this is exactly what Timothy Ferriss talks about in his book "The 4-Hour Body." I want ripped abs. I don't want to be a competitive bodybuilder or anything - but I would like to make my body the best functioning machine it can possibly be - and this book is telling me how to do just that... in specific steps. AND...I don't want to spend hours and hours working out. I want to engineer the best functioning body I can.
The book has shown me how to eat more, do less exercise and spike calories once a week to boost fat loss. I have only been following the diet for 4 days - and have already dropped 2 pounds... and that is including a HUGE Christmas Day binge food-fest!
Here's how it works. Throughout the week, I eat protein and slow-burning carbs (vegetables, black beans, lentils, spinach). I don't eat fruit or dairy. On the "free day," anything goes!!! I have also reduced my exercise... running only about 3 miles every other day and doing other exercises such as kettlebells, pushups, lunges and core work on the in-between days. My workouts rarely exceed 30 mins/day. I will be monitoring my progress with the tape measure as well.
Having a weekly cheat day makes it easy to stick to the diet all other days of the week - and I don't feel guilty about it, either, because I know it is helping to reset my metabolism to ensure it converts T4 cells to T3 cells in the thyroid! Who would've guessed a weekly caloric spike would actually boost fat burning?
Also, I am no longer a slave to exercise. I have long heard that short bursts of intense exercise can be as effective (or even more effective) as long distance training. I plan to put this to the test for myself as I am training for Grandma's this spring.
I am so excited about this. I feel like it's a plan I can live with for a lifetime. Much more to come!
After reading hundreds of diet/fitness books over the years, I finally found the BEST book. I feel almost euphoric, it's like it was written for ME. I just told Mike, "I feel like I've been released from my prison." He was like, "I didn't know you were in a prison." LOL I laughed and said, "you know.. my FOOD prison.."
What I meant, is that for YEARS, I have felt out of control with regard to my body/weight. There were good and bad days/periods, times of success and failure, loss and gain... many different eating and exercise plans. Through it all... even when I DID lose weight, I would feel like I wasn't going to hold onto it. Like the next binge was going to pack on 5 pounds and result in a downward spiral toward fatsville. Because of this fear, I NEVER had cheat days... well, maybe once or twice a year... and when I did I felt awful and guilty and didn't enjoy it. Not a way to live!
The last time (prior to Christmas, 2010) I REALLY overate was 5-15-10! I almost passed out from a food/salt overdose. I told myself "never again."
After Emmy was born, as most of you would expect, I went back to my obsessive regimen of food preparation, restriction and exercise. Round and round the running track at school, like a hamster on a wheel. Don't get me wrong, you all know how much I love running - but a big part of me was wondering, "What's the point." I mean, I know running and exercise is important and essential for cardiovascular and mental health (and I would continue to do it for those reasons alone) but I am beginning to learn that the weight loss effect is negligible - and when you do "chronic cardio" you actually may be sabotaging your own body. "The 4-Hour Body" takes a less-is-more approach with respect to exercise. Doing simple, effective exercises and high-intensity interval training can have an effect as beneficial as endurance training, according to many studies! Isn't that amazing???
Leaving the hospital after having Emmy last August, I was already down to 135 pounds. 6 weeks later, I had dropped another 13 pounds. After that, the weight loss stopped... despite miles of running, plyometrics and a very strict diet. What was the problem?
Too much exercise, not enough calories, not enough water, not the RIGHT kinds of nutrients, essentially.
For the past six weeks, I did not lose an ounce. Mind you, I was running about 25 miles a week, doing plyometrics 2 days, and eating around 1400 calories a day. Many of you may be saying "What the hell, you're 122 lbs...why do you want to lose more WEIGHT..." Well, I don't necessarily want to lose "weight."
I want to lose fat. My bodyfat scale tells me I am 20%...I have heard the scales aren't very accurate, but at least it's a rough estimate.
What I want, is a SUPERHUMAN body. A body that makes people say, "what the hell have you been doing?" And this is exactly what Timothy Ferriss talks about in his book "The 4-Hour Body." I want ripped abs. I don't want to be a competitive bodybuilder or anything - but I would like to make my body the best functioning machine it can possibly be - and this book is telling me how to do just that... in specific steps. AND...I don't want to spend hours and hours working out. I want to engineer the best functioning body I can.
The book has shown me how to eat more, do less exercise and spike calories once a week to boost fat loss. I have only been following the diet for 4 days - and have already dropped 2 pounds... and that is including a HUGE Christmas Day binge food-fest!
Here's how it works. Throughout the week, I eat protein and slow-burning carbs (vegetables, black beans, lentils, spinach). I don't eat fruit or dairy. On the "free day," anything goes!!! I have also reduced my exercise... running only about 3 miles every other day and doing other exercises such as kettlebells, pushups, lunges and core work on the in-between days. My workouts rarely exceed 30 mins/day. I will be monitoring my progress with the tape measure as well.
Having a weekly cheat day makes it easy to stick to the diet all other days of the week - and I don't feel guilty about it, either, because I know it is helping to reset my metabolism to ensure it converts T4 cells to T3 cells in the thyroid! Who would've guessed a weekly caloric spike would actually boost fat burning?
Also, I am no longer a slave to exercise. I have long heard that short bursts of intense exercise can be as effective (or even more effective) as long distance training. I plan to put this to the test for myself as I am training for Grandma's this spring.
I am so excited about this. I feel like it's a plan I can live with for a lifetime. Much more to come!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Mother's Little Helper
So much to say. Where to begin? I used to very much enjoy blogging. I had an AOL journal for about three years called Melissa's Motivation. Well, I am back, and I hope you will come along with me as I strive to increase my strength and level of fitness each day and to reach the goals I've set out for myself.
Hmmm...by looking at my profile pic you may think I am one of those "fit people." Well, guess what, I still have a "fat brain." I very much relate and empathize with people who struggle with "weight issues." I was thinking about this last night when I watched the news story about Hydroxycut being recalled. I thought about how I always needed "assistance" to lose weight before, kind of like a crutch I thought I had to have or I would stop progressing OR, even worse - GAIN weight. I always had this feeling of having NO control over my body.
A lot of you know I was overweight much of my life. I was a chubby kid who never excelled at anything athletic, I liked to watch my favorite T.V. shows after school, I HATED gym and anything that involved physical exercise. The scale kept moving UP UP UP until I was 14 and it reached 165 pounds.
I decided to make a change at that point, but it was not a healthy one. It signaled the beginning of many unhealthy and self-destructive attempts I made to control my weight. The first thing I tried was starving myself. Sure, I dropped quite a bit of weight in a short period of time, but wouldn't you know, the weight piled back on in no time. I continued this starvation/bingeing/purging cycle until I was 19 years old.
That's when I found EPHEDRINE. I thought this was a miracle pill! When I took it I had absolutely no appetite and limitless energy. I was manic and ran around like a crazy person all day long. I was working at a convenience store that sold these magic pills (Mother's Little Helper!) and I'd heard from people they worked really well to help people "stay awake."
The first time I took them, I was heading to college one morning and was feeling draggy and run down from working late the night before. I popped a few pills and WHOOP! I was UP right away. I remember going to class and jumping right into the discussion, taking notes frantically, loving the FEELING. My scalp was prickling...my senses were heightened and I had a sharp focus and articulation I'd never experienced before. WOW! I also found I had NO appetite and had to force myself to eat. I had no idea taking these pills was basically the same as taking speed or meth. (of course, we didn't really have "meth" back then...well, we probably did, but I was not aware of it!)
I continued to take the pills every morning and kept losing weight. After a while, though, I found I had to take more and more to get the effect I liked. Sometimes I would take 8-10 pills at once, and they would give me a bad stomach ache, racing heart, agitation and sweaty palms. I dismissed these side effects because I felt the benefits of the pills outweighed the risks.
So, this was how it started with the pills. I got a new job at a jewelry store in the mall which was right across the way from GNC. On my breaks, I would go over and talk to the people who worked over there, because I was always looking for the next "magic pill." (of course, I was still taking the truck stop speed, too). My friends over at GNC introduced me to a variety of products containing Ephedrine... Ripped Fuel, Diet Fuel, Hydroxycut, Zenadrine, various Caffeine/ephedrine/aspirin "Stackers," Dexatrim with ephedra and green tea...others whose names I can't recall. The main similarity was that I always made sure my pills contained ephedrine...because if they didn't, I wouldn't get the effect of mania...prickly scalp, psychomotor agitation and rapid speech.
Funny thing was, the more I took of them...THE FATTER I GOT. The bottle says only take for 90 days or so and then you should take a break. Well, I never did that... I was on them CONTINOUSLY. I cannot believe I didn't die. I remember reading articles that ephedra may be dangerous and reading stories of people who'd died... but I didn't connect with any of it. I could not get it out of my head that ephedrine was somehow going to kick in and start working again, like it had in the beginning. Fat chance. When I started in the early 90's, it really DID work, very well... I got down to 113 pounds in 1995. Try maintaining THAT very long. I think I did for about 2 years thanks to the PILLS... but after a while I had built such a tolerance it didn't work. I talked to a body builder friend of mine who told me my body was used to living off the stimulant, so it was not using my own fat stores or available sugars for energy. Holy crap! That hit me like a ton of bricks. Could ephedra possibly be making me FAT???
I weighed myself the summer of 1999...when trying desperately to figure out what went wrong... and despite all my diet pills... I was 185 pounds. I had not gotten on the scale for probably a year and was in complete denial about what it would say. I lied to myself because I was still "working out," however I had so many other bad habits my body was in a downward spiral. Drinking and popping pills all the time kept my liver busy shoveling out alcohol and chemicals and prevented it from performing one of its main functions of regulating fat storage and metabolism.
This went on until the FDA banned Ephedrine. What a sad day that was for me. What would I do now??? I went on to try a host of other pills which did not contain ephedrine but were supposed to be as good. They didn't work as well, though. I kept looking for the magic fix. I tried a host of diets... cabbage soup, Slim Fast, T-Lite (anyone remember that???HAHAHA) juice fasts, AKTINS... (0h God help us all!!!! I was actually eating platters of bacon and eggs every day! How f'n stupid can you be to delude yourself into thinking that is HEALTHY????) Hoodia, more Hydroxycut and Zenadrine... it's wonder I am ALIVE!!!
Finally, I had a turning point. I had been able to drop about 20 pounds with my hodgepodge of different diets, but the scale was lodged at 163 and this was not a healthy weight for a 5"3' person.
I decided to start "jogging" in 2004. At first, this was only 2 minutes worth before I had to stop and walk, but I kept working my way up. I also started a food journal to log everything I was eating each day. This was the start of a healthy lifestyle I am still sticking to today.
I now run 4 miles every morning at 6 a.m... and then run one long run on Saturdays which is usually 10-15 miles. Plus, I do other exercises or weight training for 30 minutes 3-4 nights per week. I eat healthy foods 90% of the time... however, if I want something I do not deprive myself, I just have a couple of bites and set it aside. I do not eat until I am stuffed. I stop and wait until my brain catches up with my brain.
I rarely divert from this schedule, it is one of my "mooring lines" that keeps me focused and on track. If I miss a day here or there, I feel something is off and not right. I actually went a whole year where I ran EVERY day!! That was a little much, so now I take Sundays off from running, and if I miss a day here and there I do not freak out.
My success is a result of consistency, moderation, being kind to myself, celebrating my successes and continuing to push myself to accomplish new things.
Here are a few rules of thumb which have helped me maintain my weight for 5+ years. Even when I was pregnant, I followed my "rules," and I am now in even better shape than before I got pregnant.
1. Make exercise a daily appointment. Commit to moving your body for AT LEAST 30 minutes, a minimum of four times per week. This is MINIMUM! You should do 30-45 mins of exercise MOST days of the week. Did you know cavemen walked 5-10 miles per DAY???? Our brains are still designed to move our bodies that much! They have not caught up to our modern society where we don't have to "work" for food. Isn't it amazing? Our bodies are made to MOVE. Exercising grows brain cells. If you do not exercise and send bloodflow and oxygen to your brain, it will wither and die.
2. Eat unprocessed, whole foods most of the time. Stop eating when you are full. A little trick I like to do... say I am eating organic roasted vegetable pizza. (YUM!) Well, I might have two slices, then think yummy....it tastes so good... I WANT MORE. This is the "old me," eating when I am full. LOL So when this happens, I make a deal with myself I say, "Ok, you can have another piece, but you have to wait 15 minutes. Then, if you honestly want it, you can have it." Let me tell you, 90% of the time when I do this, I DON'T WANT MORE after 15 mins! This has really empowered me to realize I don't need to eat mindlessly and can feel satisfied.
3. Set goals for yourself, and celebrate the successes when you reach them!!! I love goals, and I am always setting new ones. One of my current goals is to finish the marathon in under 4 hours. So, each time I do a long run, I keep myself running under 9 minute miles. This is what I need to do in order to reach my goal time. Each time I do a training run in my goal time, I get a reward... a hot bubble bath, new songs on iTunes for my iPod, a treat such as organic pizza...stuff like that!
4. Journal progress. Keep a journal where you discuss what you're doing each day to improve yourself. It's so much fun to look back and see how far you have come!
Hmmm...by looking at my profile pic you may think I am one of those "fit people." Well, guess what, I still have a "fat brain." I very much relate and empathize with people who struggle with "weight issues." I was thinking about this last night when I watched the news story about Hydroxycut being recalled. I thought about how I always needed "assistance" to lose weight before, kind of like a crutch I thought I had to have or I would stop progressing OR, even worse - GAIN weight. I always had this feeling of having NO control over my body.
A lot of you know I was overweight much of my life. I was a chubby kid who never excelled at anything athletic, I liked to watch my favorite T.V. shows after school, I HATED gym and anything that involved physical exercise. The scale kept moving UP UP UP until I was 14 and it reached 165 pounds.
I decided to make a change at that point, but it was not a healthy one. It signaled the beginning of many unhealthy and self-destructive attempts I made to control my weight. The first thing I tried was starving myself. Sure, I dropped quite a bit of weight in a short period of time, but wouldn't you know, the weight piled back on in no time. I continued this starvation/bingeing/purging cycle until I was 19 years old.
That's when I found EPHEDRINE. I thought this was a miracle pill! When I took it I had absolutely no appetite and limitless energy. I was manic and ran around like a crazy person all day long. I was working at a convenience store that sold these magic pills (Mother's Little Helper!) and I'd heard from people they worked really well to help people "stay awake."
The first time I took them, I was heading to college one morning and was feeling draggy and run down from working late the night before. I popped a few pills and WHOOP! I was UP right away. I remember going to class and jumping right into the discussion, taking notes frantically, loving the FEELING. My scalp was prickling...my senses were heightened and I had a sharp focus and articulation I'd never experienced before. WOW! I also found I had NO appetite and had to force myself to eat. I had no idea taking these pills was basically the same as taking speed or meth. (of course, we didn't really have "meth" back then...well, we probably did, but I was not aware of it!)
I continued to take the pills every morning and kept losing weight. After a while, though, I found I had to take more and more to get the effect I liked. Sometimes I would take 8-10 pills at once, and they would give me a bad stomach ache, racing heart, agitation and sweaty palms. I dismissed these side effects because I felt the benefits of the pills outweighed the risks.
So, this was how it started with the pills. I got a new job at a jewelry store in the mall which was right across the way from GNC. On my breaks, I would go over and talk to the people who worked over there, because I was always looking for the next "magic pill." (of course, I was still taking the truck stop speed, too). My friends over at GNC introduced me to a variety of products containing Ephedrine... Ripped Fuel, Diet Fuel, Hydroxycut, Zenadrine, various Caffeine/ephedrine/aspirin "Stackers," Dexatrim with ephedra and green tea...others whose names I can't recall. The main similarity was that I always made sure my pills contained ephedrine...because if they didn't, I wouldn't get the effect of mania...prickly scalp, psychomotor agitation and rapid speech.
Funny thing was, the more I took of them...THE FATTER I GOT. The bottle says only take for 90 days or so and then you should take a break. Well, I never did that... I was on them CONTINOUSLY. I cannot believe I didn't die. I remember reading articles that ephedra may be dangerous and reading stories of people who'd died... but I didn't connect with any of it. I could not get it out of my head that ephedrine was somehow going to kick in and start working again, like it had in the beginning. Fat chance. When I started in the early 90's, it really DID work, very well... I got down to 113 pounds in 1995. Try maintaining THAT very long. I think I did for about 2 years thanks to the PILLS... but after a while I had built such a tolerance it didn't work. I talked to a body builder friend of mine who told me my body was used to living off the stimulant, so it was not using my own fat stores or available sugars for energy. Holy crap! That hit me like a ton of bricks. Could ephedra possibly be making me FAT???
I weighed myself the summer of 1999...when trying desperately to figure out what went wrong... and despite all my diet pills... I was 185 pounds. I had not gotten on the scale for probably a year and was in complete denial about what it would say. I lied to myself because I was still "working out," however I had so many other bad habits my body was in a downward spiral. Drinking and popping pills all the time kept my liver busy shoveling out alcohol and chemicals and prevented it from performing one of its main functions of regulating fat storage and metabolism.
This went on until the FDA banned Ephedrine. What a sad day that was for me. What would I do now??? I went on to try a host of other pills which did not contain ephedrine but were supposed to be as good. They didn't work as well, though. I kept looking for the magic fix. I tried a host of diets... cabbage soup, Slim Fast, T-Lite (anyone remember that???HAHAHA) juice fasts, AKTINS... (0h God help us all!!!! I was actually eating platters of bacon and eggs every day! How f'n stupid can you be to delude yourself into thinking that is HEALTHY????) Hoodia, more Hydroxycut and Zenadrine... it's wonder I am ALIVE!!!
Finally, I had a turning point. I had been able to drop about 20 pounds with my hodgepodge of different diets, but the scale was lodged at 163 and this was not a healthy weight for a 5"3' person.
I decided to start "jogging" in 2004. At first, this was only 2 minutes worth before I had to stop and walk, but I kept working my way up. I also started a food journal to log everything I was eating each day. This was the start of a healthy lifestyle I am still sticking to today.
I now run 4 miles every morning at 6 a.m... and then run one long run on Saturdays which is usually 10-15 miles. Plus, I do other exercises or weight training for 30 minutes 3-4 nights per week. I eat healthy foods 90% of the time... however, if I want something I do not deprive myself, I just have a couple of bites and set it aside. I do not eat until I am stuffed. I stop and wait until my brain catches up with my brain.
I rarely divert from this schedule, it is one of my "mooring lines" that keeps me focused and on track. If I miss a day here or there, I feel something is off and not right. I actually went a whole year where I ran EVERY day!! That was a little much, so now I take Sundays off from running, and if I miss a day here and there I do not freak out.
My success is a result of consistency, moderation, being kind to myself, celebrating my successes and continuing to push myself to accomplish new things.
Here are a few rules of thumb which have helped me maintain my weight for 5+ years. Even when I was pregnant, I followed my "rules," and I am now in even better shape than before I got pregnant.
1. Make exercise a daily appointment. Commit to moving your body for AT LEAST 30 minutes, a minimum of four times per week. This is MINIMUM! You should do 30-45 mins of exercise MOST days of the week. Did you know cavemen walked 5-10 miles per DAY???? Our brains are still designed to move our bodies that much! They have not caught up to our modern society where we don't have to "work" for food. Isn't it amazing? Our bodies are made to MOVE. Exercising grows brain cells. If you do not exercise and send bloodflow and oxygen to your brain, it will wither and die.
2. Eat unprocessed, whole foods most of the time. Stop eating when you are full. A little trick I like to do... say I am eating organic roasted vegetable pizza. (YUM!) Well, I might have two slices, then think yummy....it tastes so good... I WANT MORE. This is the "old me," eating when I am full. LOL So when this happens, I make a deal with myself I say, "Ok, you can have another piece, but you have to wait 15 minutes. Then, if you honestly want it, you can have it." Let me tell you, 90% of the time when I do this, I DON'T WANT MORE after 15 mins! This has really empowered me to realize I don't need to eat mindlessly and can feel satisfied.
3. Set goals for yourself, and celebrate the successes when you reach them!!! I love goals, and I am always setting new ones. One of my current goals is to finish the marathon in under 4 hours. So, each time I do a long run, I keep myself running under 9 minute miles. This is what I need to do in order to reach my goal time. Each time I do a training run in my goal time, I get a reward... a hot bubble bath, new songs on iTunes for my iPod, a treat such as organic pizza...stuff like that!
4. Journal progress. Keep a journal where you discuss what you're doing each day to improve yourself. It's so much fun to look back and see how far you have come!
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