Week Eighty-Four of REAL...

Reminders: REAL - Reduce stress Exercise Adequate sleep Lower caloric intake

What Navy SEALs are required to do to make it into BUD/S:http://navyseal.s5.com/requirements.html

RIght up front: Never in a million years could I do what is required. However, I needed to start somewhere. Considering how fit the SEALs are, I figured it was a good place to start. So my SEAL puppy reps (SEALp) consist of girls' pushups, crunches, and flutter kicks, a SEAL training basic. I started with doing one of each. I've worked up to 33 and working at slowing it down.

PT ~ Physical therapy.

UB ~ Upper body exercises
BD ~ Belly dancing (my version of it, anyway)

The 25th: PT. SEALp. 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 26th: 1-mile walk. PT. BD. Walked in spite of the rain.

The 27th: Rest.

The 28th: PT. SEALp. 1-1/2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

The 29th: PT. BD.

The 30th: PT. SEALp. 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UB. BD.

I could put off the diet part of this whole thing. Since I'm finally willing to accept diets simply aren't for me, but eating healthier is for me. So, screwing my courage to the sticking place here we go: Breakfast: 1 grapefruit. I tried half with sugar (the way I've always eaten it) and half with salt (the way I've seen others eat it). Oh my gosh! Why did I not try the salt sooner? It's yummy! I think I've found a healthy choice to my craving for salt and vinegar chips. A ham sandwich, ham, mayo, and white bread. Individual package of Oreos and milk (half whole milk and half coconut milk). 

Previous Measurements: Arms: 14 Bust: 44 Waist: 39 Hips: 51 Thighs: 30 Calves: 18.

Today's Measurements: Arms: 14 Bust: 45 Waist: 40 Hips: 50 Thighs: 29 Calves: 18.

Lunch: Tuna noodle casserole. 3 marshmallows. Hot chocolate.

Dinner: Corn Chex. Carnation Instant Breakfast. 3 Dove dark chocolate Promises.

The 31st: PT. BD.

The first picture was taken in February 2012. The second picture was taken in June 2012. Inspiration, at least to me:

Link and article...

Interesting article on Yahoo (Copy and paste if you want the link; it opens a video, too):

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/off-the-cuff/weight-watchers-ceo-forget-willpower-instead-203715631.html

The article underneath is a loosely transcribed copy of the video.

I found some of the information interesting and some of it propaganda.

It wasn't surprising to learn that if you've always had a problem maintaining your weight, you always will.

I was not surprised to learn that weight is not about willpower. I've known that for a long time. I've been told that I just need to learn discipline. This to the woman who took care of a horse for five years, every single morning, without fail, for five years.

I'll share a secret: I lost 30 lb in 3 months.

How did I do it?

I ate almost exactly the same thing every day, easier to keep track of caloric intake. Boring, but no guessing. I exercised every day.

I lost another 10 lb by eating every other day.

Disciplined? Ummm... yeah. I was disciplined.

I gained the weight back (I'll explain shortly).

I tried it again. It didn't work. I didn't do anything different, except for one thing.

That first time, I was in serious infatuation with a guy and thought I'd be safe soon.

Then I realized how misguided I was. I'd lied to myself.

I gained the weight back.

When I tried to lose the weight again, I didn't have the hope of being safe.

For me, weight is all about safety.

How do I incorporate that into my weight loss program?

The diet - non diet whatever...

This is what I was looking at:
http://blessedmommy.hubpages.com/hub/Lose-Up-To-10-Pounds-In-3-Days-On-The-3-Day-Diet

Then I did my homework and learned a lot.

In the link above, she dictates not to substitute anything, except she substituted a few things.
Here's a link to the diet:
http://3daysdiet.com/

Now, I have to admit, there's more of her diet I'm able to eat than the actual diet.

Here's more information on it:
http://www.3daydiet.ws/following-the-military-diet/

http://www.3daydiet.ws/

http://www.weightloss-hq.biz/weight-loss-reviews/three-day-diet-lose-10-pounds-in-3-days.html

Then I hunted down the real military diet, and it's different!
http://www.military.com/military-fitness/nutrition/get-lean-diet

The actual military diet shared above is about exercise and nutrition. I also can't eat much of it.

I'm back at the beginning but a lot wiser.

The 3-day diet is based on 1,000 calories a day.

Here's my new train of thought: Once in a while, I simply don't feel like eating, but I don't make particularly healthy choices. On those days, knowing I have something pre-planned will help me make better choices. In fact, if I could plan my diet plan around this general idea, it would be helpful.

Yes, the "experts" say these types of diets won't work, declaring it ridiculous and unsound. They also have waffled between eggs being the worst food on the planet to being the best. No, I don't put much stock in the opinion of the experts. If they are so smart, then why are Americans becoming fatter? They also advise whole grain, which is great for most people. It kills me. Really.

So it's back to common sense, keeping my special diet needs in mind, but using a few things I learned in my reading.

Maybe what I'll do is try blogging my food exploration. Oh, I would really love that. Really. I love food, and to be able to just write about making food work for me... We'll see. Maybe start with one day... :-)

Carpe diem... maybe not...

I slept through my alarm. Shoot. Of course, I'm not surprised. I was too warm to sleep, so it was about 3AM when I finally drifted off.

Good day to ask:

How committed am I to my exercise routine?

I'm surprised to learn I'm pretty committed to my new routine. As soon as I post, I'm diving in.

How committed am I to my writing?

Back to it, today.

We'll see how the day goes.

Thank Goodness It's Sunday... #139...

~ Matthew West's My Own Little World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Yasgzjc0w

~ Really yummy lemon chicken soup, and it was easy.

~ Rain, a lot of much needed rain.

~ Good friends who encourage me when I'm struggling.

~ Cough is gone. What a blessing.

My Heroes... Oliver Wolcott...

Oliver Wolcott studied medicine but was elected sheriff and that was the end of his medical career. His life course followed law enforcement and fighting for the birth of the United States of America.

I was fascinated to learn he commanded a detachment of the Connecticut militia, defending New York. Consider: He did this after signing the Declaration of Independence and before resuming his seat in Congress.

How many members of Congress serve in the military or in any way in the defense of their country in between sessions?

A year later, he was part of the capture of Burgoyne and his army, and then returned to serve in Congress. He repeatedly commanded militia and then held a seat in Congress. The man's actions spoke for him. He was dedicated to the service of his country in every regard. He was a patriot and a statesman.

We need more of those.

Mulling over...

I'm thinking about trying a 3-day diet. As I told a friend of mine, yesterday, and another the other day, my plan at this point is to talk about it with friends to whom I feel a bit accountable. They will ask me about it later. They won't badger me, but it will keep me thinking about it.

As a general rule: I DO NOT DIET. I have huge food issues. If I started writing about them now, I'd be writing into next week. I'll spare everyone the trauma. There is trauma involved on my part. Anger, poisoning, manipulation, fear, yeah... it's pretty ugly.

This military diet I found on Pinterest is only for three days. I think I can do three days.

I'm still thinking about it.

Yes, this is one more place I'm talking about it.

I think I'll wait until after the Super Bowl. I already have snacks, not a lot, but I'm not going to cheat if I decide to do this diet. What would be the point?

So... maybe, in a week and a half... in the mean time, I'll gather the food I need, and continue to...

Oh.

I'm psyching myself up.

Hope it works.

Week Eighty-Three of REAL...

Reminders: REAL - Reduce stress Exercise Adequate sleep Lower caloric intake

What Navy SEALs are required to do to make it into BUD/S:http://navyseal.s5.com/requirements.html

RIght up front: Never in a million years could I do what is required. However, I needed to start somewhere. Considering how fit the SEALs are, I figured it was a good place to start. So my SEAL puppy reps (SEALp) consist of girls' pushups, crunches, and flutter kicks, a SEAL training basic. I started with doing one of each. I've worked up to 33 and working at slowing it down.

PT ~ Physical therapy.

UBE ~ Upper body exercises
BD ~ Belly Dancing

The 18th: PT. SEALp. 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE. BD. Bingeing on the eating. Not good.

The 19th: 2-mile walk. PT. BD. Oh. That explains the bingeing. *grumblegrumblegrumble*

The 20th: Rest. Sleep is essential. It's when your body repairs itself. When you have nightmares, the last thing you want is sleep. One aspect of this year's plan for changing is to create a healthier body. To do so, I need sleep. Last Tuesday, after a nightmare the previous weekend, I "stumbled" upon an aromatherapy stuffed animal (dog) in the grocery store. I felt impressed to buy it and did. I'm not sleeping through the night, but I'm able to easily go back to sleep. The dreams haven't stopped, but so far I haven't been overly bothered by them either. I don't know what all essential oils have been used, but I'm certain lavender is one of them. I've tried sleeping with other stuffed animals, but they usually end up pushed away. So far, every morning, I wake up with my little dog still wrapped in my arms.

The 21st: PT. SEALp. 1-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE. BD.

The 22nd: PT. BD.

The 23rd: PT. SEALp. 4+ mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE. BD.

The 24th: PT. BD

The first picture was taken in February 2012. The second picture was taken in June 2012. Inspiration, at least to me:

Lemon chicken soup...

I love the Geek lemon chicken orzo soup. It was introduced to me by a very dear friend. I don't eat it often, but always savor the opportunity.

In my creating a haven in my room efforts, I unearthed the Pampered Chef recipe for the soup. I marked it. Too often this leads to nothing being done.

Not this year.

Yesterday, I made it.

It was yummy.

Now the PC recipe uses rice instead of orzo, and I did notice the difference. However, it was still yummy. I'll definitely make it again. It was really pretty easy.

Baked snacks...

I'm prepping for the Super Bowl. I have my Smartfood White Cheese Popcorn and my Munchies, two of my must haves. I decided to try the baked variety pack. I don't like baked Doritos or Cheetos. I do like the baked SunChips, Lays Ruffle potato chips, and Rold Gold pretzels. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Important discovery: I haven't eaten Oreos since they went to the new re-sealable packaging. To me, the cookies taste stale, straight from the store. Ick. I've recently tried the Oreos in the individual packaging. Yes! The old familiar flavor of not stale cookies. This works well on two levels: I love the fresher flavor, and it also saves me from demolishing an entire bag. Oreos taught me the truth of "an open bag is an empty bag." Now, with them coming in an individual serving, the empty bag is a single serving. Doable.

Carpe Diem... blank...

I'm drawing a blank on this one. I did laundry on Friday.

Hormones are fluctuating terribly, so the brain isn't exactly present.

Reading is being caught up on and rewrites are in the works.

Those things alone will keep me busy all day.

Trying not to make any major or even minor decisions right now. It's best. Really. A few more days and my brain should be back in proper working order. :-/

Thank Goodness It's Sunday... #138...

~ Matthew West's Strong Enough. I needed the reminder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuHDPbE5es

~ My room is changing in wonderful ways. I love having an empty shelf I don't know what to do with, but don't worry, I'll definitely put it to use. It's already holding a few books by authors I'm debating over. It's lovely to see my favorite authors neatly lined up instead of stacked so deep I can't reach books on the bottom of the pile without major excavation efforts. :-)

~ We've had some lovely cold weather. My Marshmallow Pillow blanket came in handy.

~ My new aromatherapy dog. It's adorable and smells wonderful. It's also really funny watching it turn in the microwave.

~ Back to writing. It feels good.

My Heroes... Iván Fernández Anaya

Integrity and Honor = Priceless

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/01/ivan-fernandez-anaya-true-sportsmanship-display-video-2539556.html

Making changes...

At the beginning of the year, I chose create as my word.

What a difference it is making.

I'm back to writing again. The current WIP is mostly written, but I'm doing a re-write from the beginning, editing as I go along.

I've packed up four bags of books. If the author isn't on my Yes list, the books go. I'm only keeping the books I want to read again, someday. The only books I'm keeping in my room are the ones I'd like to read this year. I may not succeed, but they're there if I want them.

I've shuffled things around. My cookbooks are close to hand, next to my research books. Cooking food and cooking stories... ooooo cool... creating food and creating stories. They share the same shelf space.

There's currently an empty shelf. I haven't decided what to do with it, yet.

I'm enjoying an easy tuna casserole recipe.

I'm exercising a lot more.

I've been making it to bed at a reasonable hour every night.

New year: So far so good.

Week Eighty-Two of REAL....

Reminders: REAL - Reduce stress Exercise Adequate sleep Lower caloric intake

What Navy SEALs are required to do to make it into BUD/S:http://navyseal.s5.com/requirements.html

RIght up front: Never in a million years could I do what is required. However, I needed to start somewhere. Considering how fit the SEALs are, I figured it was a good place to start. So my SEAL puppy reps (SEALp) consist of girls' pushups, crunches, and flutter kicks, a SEAL training basic. I started with doing one of each. I've worked up to 33 and working at slowing it down.

PT ~ Physical therapy.

UBE ~ Upper body exercises
BD ~ Belly dancing

The 11th: PT. SEALp. 1-1/2 mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE.

The 12th: Two-mile walk. PT.

The 13th: Rest.

The 14th: PT. SEALp. 2-mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE. BD.

The 15th: PT. BD. I've also started doing more stretching.

The 16th: PT. SEALp. 2 mile walk. SEALp. PT. UBE. Trimmed roses and cleaned up for almost two hours. Yes, it's a workout. BD.

The 17th: PT. BD.

The first picture was taken in February 2012. The second picture was taken in June 2012. Inspiration, at least to me: