Fat Flush Water

FAT FLUSH WATER !!!

You should drink at least three 8 oz glasses per day, they say the longer it sits, the better it tastes. You can eat them as well but they are intended as flavoring and still work, so that is a personal choice. The Vitamin C turns fat into fuel, the tangerine increases your sensitivity to insulin, and the cucumber makes you feel full. Try it for 10 days and see what you think!

Ingredients per 8 oz serving

Water
1 slice grapefruit
1 tangerine
½ cucumber, sliced
2 peppermint leaves
Ice – as much as you like

Directions
Wash grapefruit, tangerine cucumber and peppermint leaves. Slice cucumber, grapefruit and tangerine (or peel). Combine all ingredients (fruits, vegetables, 8 oz water, and ice) into a large pitcher.

Stir & Enjoy!

I'm A Shape Shifter!

It has been 2 months at the gym and guess what?!  There is no miracle happening here, I didn't drastically lose a bunch of weight and change my looks over night.  And this is fine with me, now...I may not have lost as much weight as I wanted to at this point,  but I have changed my shape!  And little by little the weight is starting to budge.  Thank God!  I will admit that I had my moments of "WTF" and pity party times, and I am sure I will have more! But for now, this is working.  Key reminder here is to NOT give up!

                                                                

I started this journey with a goal and a half ass plan of changing the way I live.  That included the food I ate.   Like I said before, I will not be a slave to a (dreaded word) diet.  I will not give up everything I deem good and yummy.  I just have to really make sure I am not indulging too much.   If you think you don't eat too much or that you don't indulge too much, keep track for a week, it will shock you!  I don't think I pig out, but I did realize I was eating more than I needed to.  Its been tough, I am changing things slowly...and slowly changing it with my family, too.  Some things they have gone along with, others...well, I tried! :)  

                                                        

                                                     

This will be my struggle for life, I am aware of this.  But at some point in time, I expect this to become easier.  By that I mean it won't be as hard to resist certain foods and it will be second nature to eat out of necessity and not for pleasure.  Cravings will be a faint memory and so will the size of my body now.   According to my husband, I am not a "large" kind of gal, but I sure do feel it and see it when I look into the mirror.  Maybe it is an image misconception, but when people tell me I am not big I honestly think they are lying.  I KNOW I am not a small lady by any means.  And I really have no desire to me tiny.  I just want to look good, in my own vision and not what the media says is good.

                                                                 

So that is my rant on getting in shape for now.  I am still working at it, and ready to kick it all up a notch.  I am still learning what exercise works best for what and so on.  I am slowly getting the diet healthier and wishing for a body to be proud of soon.  So, if you are doing the same as I, KEEP AT IT!  Do not give up.  This can be done and it is going to one of the hardest things ever, but sooooooooooooooooo worth it!  Until next time...stay active!

Say NO To Diets!!!!

So I have decided to quit calling what I am trying to do weight loss...I am just going to call it getting healthy.  The weight has not changed much.  It is very small steps here people.  However, on a good note my size and/or shape is changing! :)  It is also slow, but I see results and I am very happy with that.  I still have to work on the healthier eating.  I am slowing getting the whole family on board with it.  It's tough to change the way things are done, especially when it can be so different.  I am proud of my gang though!  They are doing great! 


A lot of the girls here at work are also "getting healthy" but I don't agree with the way most of them are doing things.  One "diet" several of them are trying is so strange.  They are allowed no sugar, dairy, many other restrictions.  They have to drink the diluted cranberry juice.  It is suppose to cleanse their system and help them lose weight.  Some are trying these shakes additives.  They replace 2 meals a day with them, (reminds me of the horrid Slim Fast).  Don't even get me started on the HCG and their 500 calorie a day plan.  Of course you lose weight with that, you are not eating enough to sustain your daily bodily functions!  Jenny Craig, Medi-fast, NutriSystem...WHATEVER!

                                                             


OK, so you see a plan that interests you and you think you can stick with it.  You start this program and BAM!  You lose weight, week after week, after a few months you are looking good!  You start to ween off of the "diet" and oops!  They weight comes back.  WTF?!  If you do not plan to eat Jenny Craig food for the rest of your life then it probably isn't going to give you the long term/life long results you are looking for.  Do you really want to drink shakes and frozen meals for the rest of your time on Earth?  I sure wouldn't want to!


The point I am making is simple, if you want to look good, feel great and stay that way...you have to find something you can live with.  And that might mean a complete life style change.  There is no such thing as a miracle diet, and diet is a word flung around way too much our of context.  The word diet, according to Merriam Webster is this:food and drink regularly provided or consumed habitual nourishment.  Diet is simply what you eat and should not be thought of as anything other than that.  No one needs to go on a diet, we are on one already.  You can modify your diet and make it healthier to achieve your nutritional goals.  Now do you get the point?

So, all of these girls out there trying the latest "diet" pill, HCg, new fad weight loss program...STOP IT WILL YA?! All you are doing is making someone rich while they ruin and dash your chances at health.  If you want to change the way your body looks, then DO IT!  You have to do it.  You have to make the choices.  You have to get off of your ass and exercise.  No one is going to do it for you.  You cannot get fit in 10 minutes a day/3 times a week, either on some of those stupid machines they advertise on TV.  I better not start on that rant right now.  Start slow, walk.  Walk a little, then a little more and then even more.  Then pick up the pace, faster with each passing week.  Before you know it, you might be ready to start running!  But don't let that scare you, you can do it!  Even if you never run and just continue to walk, you are still moving faster than the person still sitting on the couch!


I am not happy with my body, but I AM doing something about it.  There are people of all shapes and sizes at our gym.  I have mentally listed them in categories for my own sick and twisted needs.  I will share a few with you: 

-The average Joes...people like me and my family.  Not in the best of shape, but not totally out of shape.  We are there to make a positive change for ourselves.

-The peppy/naturally slender ones who are spend more time trying to look like they are working out than actually working out.  They can be spotted very easily. They are the ones who walk slow on the treadmill or pedal slow on the recumbent bikes, and read or talk/text on the phone.  They move so slow that they are actually wasting their time at the gym, and they very rarely sweat.  Its more of a social outlet for them. Oh, and they usually have the cutest outfits with coordinating shoes.




-The over achievers: these people NEVER smile, ever!  They are the most unapproachable  acting people in the whole gym.  They think their superior body condition gives them the right to be an a$$hole to most everyone else in the gym.  They can be men/or women. Sometimes it is hard to decided which of the two they are, but...in their defense, they work very hard on their body and they should be proud.  But they should also get a life and a personality.  They're not the only kids on the playground and bullying is overrated. Your big muscles do not entitle you to anymore respect than the rest of us.

-The-Wanna-Be-#@%$..they are a mix of the preppy/naturally slender and the over achievers.  They have worked hard on their bodies, but never alone!  They must travel in packs or as they call them "groups".  They are the first to try out the new trends and usually look rather silly afterwards.  Especially all of them with tramp stamps and upper arm tattoos.  They tend to think they look like Angelina Jolie, but in reality they could never be a bad ass, (neither could Angelina, truth be told). They too wear some cute clothes and have store bought tans and boobs.  When your body fat is as low as their's, no way in hell those things are real! 


-The Real Deal- These are the people that are or were once VERY over weight.  They have worked their A$$ off (literally) and without surgery.  They had the will to succeed and that is just what they have done.  They may not be very approachable at first, feeling a bit intimidated at, but usually become chatty and more friendly as time go one.  They love to share their story in hopes of inspiring others.  


So, that is my sad, sick judgmental side...take me or leave me, I will still be here to tell my story if you want to hear it.  I am doing the best I can, and I hope to improve upon that.  I know I will never have that dream body, but I am OK with that.  Most of what you see on TV is enhanced anyways, lol...but I will make the best of the body I have.  I will try to keep the junk out of it, and put in more of the good stuff.  I will pump my muscles and run my a$$ until it falls off, all in the name of health without taking the way out.  Peace out...

To Zumba or Not to Zumba...

...that is the question!  Zumba seems to be a huge hit right now and I have to say I am interested.  But I want to know the pros and cons of Zumba vs. a regular workout.  And not to mention, I cannot dance...so how big of an idiot will I look like during one of these classes.  Everyone boasts the benefits of Zumba, but taking this hour long class will burn about 200 calories less than running on a treadmill for an hour.  I know what you are thinking, most of us wouldn't "run" for an hour anyway...me included.  It's just a comparison. Someday I will be up to that one hour, I hope.  

If they could promise I would look like the women in the above picture, hell yeah I would be at Zumba...twice a day, 7 days a week.  But back to reality, I doubt any of those people were ever over weight.  And I doubt they have to put as much effort in to look the way they do.  I would like to think they huge and obese and this picture was ran through a great photo shop program!  There, now I feel better about myself. :)  

Gyms can be intimidating.  They are filled with buff, lean, fit and toned pretty people.  For me it is a HUGE ego downer at this time.  I am still new (5 weeks strong!), and I feel a bit inadequate at times when I see the others working out.  I know I cannot compare myself to them, but I can't help but to be jealous at times.  The Zumba classes are held in a room just down from the cardio machines in my gym.  I have walked passed there and have seen the classes in action.  There are people from every make and model!  The pro now seems to be that I would fit right in!  

So, pros again: Zumba is a form of interval training and is a good core workout.  It might seem redundant to "dance" every time, but it looks like fun! If you love to dance, (I didn't say can, I said love! lol), this seems like a good choice.  Be warned however, it does not provide fast weight loss and it does not give you strength training.  I think it would be a good option to change up your normal workout.  Add a little spice to you workout life!  I will keep it open as an option for a later date, but for now I will stick with the cardio and weight training.  Let's get this exercise figured out and the body under control and then...

:o)

                                                 

                                  

                                                      

I Heart Bacon

                                           

                                               

This has been a slight struggle for me, trying to be as good as I can, but dang it...I LOVE BACON and I miss it!  And it is a no no right now.  I have come up with some funky combinations for bacon, but the above picture is NOT one of them.  I mean, I do love my bacon, but not that much! lol  Of course there is turkey bacon, but it is not the same at all!  I have been getting by with imitation bacon bits on my salads, lol.  I have seen some positive results!  Yeah me!  Its not a huge difference, but the number on the scale is going down...I have yet to exercise, one step at a time, lol.  Speaking of exercise, I think I might be making a huge leap forward with that soon.  We were out this last weekend for a friend's birthday party and ran into an acquaintance we had not seen in a couple of years.  He is a personal trainer and was telling about the gym he was working at now.  I explained to him what I want to do and he explained how it would be done, lol. And I am having mixed feelings about it.  

A lot of women want to be thin and healthy, this I know.  And I am one of them.  I know I can do this my way.   His way would work even better and probably give me more detailed and faster results.  But his way is so damn harsh! LOL  He explained that I would have to give him complete control for lack of a better way of putting it.  Which means, I eat what he says, I exercise what and when he says.  My issue with this, is that I do not want to become a slave to my own body.  Does that make sense?  

As I have stated before, I do not deny myself all things good to eat.  I don't think that is a good idea.  My way is portion control and trying to eat right.  His way will be balls to the wall, get her done kind of diet.  And there is that word I hate, DIET!  It will be an automatic exclusions of most carbs I am sure, all sugar and starches, etc...Wow, I sound like a whiny baby, huh?   I think I am just afraid, afraid of the failure.  At least with my way, I am not set up for immediate failure.  As long as I stick to what I am doing, eventually I will get to where I want to be.  No frowny faces if I take a big bite of my husband's brownie.  No feeling guilty if I skipped a salad or something.  Working with a personal trainer however, this is going to be tough!  

Maybe it is a blessing in disguise.  Maybe it is just what I need to get the weight off and keep it off.  Maybe, just maybe...I can really to this!  I think it will make me more likely to stick to the plan if I have to answer to someone.  I don't know, we'll see how it goes.  Along with the benefits of using a personal trainer, comes the expense.  That is why I cannot just jump in.  I have to figure out how long I will have to use his services before I can be left on my own to do this and get the final costs.  I am getting a lump sum raise next month, and I think this is going to be a good thing to invest that money in.  Until then, I think I am going to start weighing myself like this:  

                                                

So much to look into to, so much to plan for and so much to accomplish!  I can't wait to meet my new body someday.  I am sure she is fabulous!  Until I can start with the trainer, I am going to stick to my current regimen and hopefully see some size reduction soon.  I found this on the web and thought it would useful to share with all of you: (Via naturopathyworks.com)

If you crave this…	What you really need is…	And here are healthy foods that have it:
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
		I hope this helps some of you, I am going to study it well and see what benefits I can reap from it!  OK, that is it for now...until next time, stay healthy!

Operation "Weight-Loss" Is Under Way!

We are to the point of my story where I should tell you my starting weight and my goal weight...but I am not going to do that. Let's just say when I step on the scale it begs me to step off.  Although my weight does scare me, it is just a number really.  What matters is how I feel and look.  So, instead of a weight I am picking a size.  I would love to be a size 8, and I will settle for size 10.  Size 10 is a very reachable goal and if by chance I get to the 8, well...GO ME!

So, all this week I have been good with sticking to the plan.  Smaller portions, trying to pick the healthier things and so forth.  I have been eating my favorite frozen lunch entrees, Lean Cuisine all week long.  They were on sale for $1.69!  I am not a big fan of the Weight Watchers meals and Healthy Choice may have one choice that tastes good!  I add some yogurt, piece of fruit, sometimes some carrots and a lot of salads.  Also, pretzels and flavored rice cakes have been good this week.  I know, I know...your mouth is drooling as you read this, please don't be jealous!

I try to take the stairs and hit some extra floors, but it is not happening on a daily basis.  Not due to laziness, there are just some days I do not have the time at work to do that, (and I have no stairs at home, lol).  I would love to have an elliptical...it is low impact, so easy on the joints and gives you are harder work out than a treadmill.  I know I will need more than that eventually, but I figured it would be a great start.  It's just not in the budget at the moment.  

I want to back track a little here...here's the "skinny" on my weight over the years.  I have never been called a rail, a tooth pick or even considered skinny and I never wanted to.  I have however been a healthy size.  Before I started having kids I had a flat tummy and now I have this stretched out, flabby layer of what seems to resemble my stomach.  Since then, I have dreamed of a body that could stop traffic, but not because I couldn't get my ass across the intersection before the light changes!  Ugh...I have gone up and down multiple times, but never once have I been back at my pre-pregnancy.  I would start to do good and  then I would revert to my bad habits.  Something had to give!

Not to make excuses, because I really hate excuses, but in my previous life, I had a very degrading and non-supportive husband.  That made my weight that much more of a challenge.  Well the past is the past and we shall leave that at that...I now have a WONDERFUL husband who compliments me all the time.  In fact, I sometimes have a hard time taking those compliments.  I am getting better at it, but it is also part of my driving force to keep at this and make it happen.  So, here we go...

Now back to the present:  It is tough eating right.  I mean, I know it is great for me and I know that the benefits out weigh the instant gratification we can get from food.  But let's face it, no matter how hard you work at being good  and making smart choice, sometimes you just have to eat the damn Oreo!  That is part of my "modified eating plan".  You can have these forbidden items!  If you deny yourself all the time it will eventually it will consume you.  Its back to the portion control and and not going over board, it does take will power.  If you have already added exercise into your daily routine, maybe some extra workout.  But you can have it.  

I joined Weight Watchers once, once...I did good.  I lost 13 pounds in about 4 weeks.  I followed the points system and went to their meetings, at first.  I worked nights at the time and I was unable to go to my regular meeting so I scheduled one at the meeting place at a mall.  I weighed in, they all clapped and so on.  Then the meeting started.  This lady was complaining that her kids always made brownies and the brownies were taunting her, (what mean brownies they were!)  She goes on to say that she resisted as long as she could.  Then in a moment of weakness after weeks and weeks, she lost it and ate half a pan!  Mind you now, I am thinking back then like I do now.  You cannot always deny yourself. Everyone is looking at her with deep sympathy and she is in tears.  Honestly, I wanted to laugh, how horrible am I?  I piped up and said, "Why didn't you just eat one or half or a bite, something like that?"  OMG!  I had every eye in the place on me and it was not a comfortable feeling.  

You would think telling someone at a WW meeting to eat a brownie was worse than any sin.  They actually booed me, (YES!  For real!)  and explained that you cannot give in, that was like giving up...Bull $h!t!  Whatever people.  At this point, I am plotting in my head the quickest escape route from the mall.  I feared these very hungry and very angry people were going to beat the hell out of me if they could catch me.  I couldn't wait for the meeting to be over!  I sat with my head hung down, not making eye contact with anyone.  At the end I bolted for the door and made to my car in a matter of a minute.  I never went back. 

So, here it is, nearing the end of the first week of taking this serious again.  Maybe I will be brave and post a pick this weekend, so you can see what I am working with here.  This is my record of obtaining my goal.  I hope that my perseverance can inspire some of you!  Until next time...

By the way, here I am before. I can't wait for the after!

                                                  

I Think I Found The Weight You Lost

Guess what!  According to government guidelines, I am overweight!  They are telling everyone to get in shape. Get in shape?  I am in a shape...round is a shape, right?  I'm not fat, I'm fluffy.  I'm just big boned is all.  I just had a baby, (10 years ago), my mommy says I'm perfect and she loves me just the way I am!   Yada yada yada...OK, so I am bigger than I should be and you know what...I am 100% to blame for it.  No one but me made me this way, (although I would like to argue a little about genetics).  I did it!  ME, ME, ME!  Yoohoo, over here!  


The closer I get to 40, the harder this gets.  I am 38 and I do get frustrated and angry with my weight, but not as much as I get with others who blame everyone and everything under the sun for them getting fat! I can say this about blame, when I stopped smoking over 5 months ago, I packed on the extra pounds very well if I do say so myself.  I didn't change the way I ate much, if at all...but by not smoking, my heart rate is lower and my metabolism slowed.  It is still my fault though, lol.  I obviously eat more than my body needs.  Now, the trick is to find that right amount and make it work for me.  


I have lost weight before.  I did a great job!  I lost about 50 pounds, and I am currently in the process of finding it again.  I do not like the word diet, I prefer modified eating plan.  I did most of it with changing my eating habits.  I did not restrict much, it was portion control for the most part.  I had been asking questions and researching all the different weight loss plans out there.  I increased the protein, (leaner protein), I drank water like a fish, I ate 3 meals a day and snacks in between.  I tried my best to increase the fiber, that is one I still have an issue with, lol.  I chose whole grains whenever possible and tried to have dinner gone before 7 or so at night.  I eventually started the add in exercise, and lost more weight, but then for some reason, I just stopped with it all together.  What a dumb ass move on behalf!


Well, here I am again...fluffy, frustrated and ready to make a change.  I want to look good for myself and I want to have a body my husband really wants to check out.  Of course he tells me all the time he thinks I look great, I don't think it would hurt anything to look even better!  Stayed tuned for my progress and see how long I keep my sanity intact!