No Dairy, Wheat, No Sugar...Oh my!!!

So, last week I went to a new doctor that I had heard many good things about from a friend of mine. This doctor started out as an M.D. in Family Practice, but then moved to the "Homeopathy" side of medicine and has been practicing in Las Vegas for years.

I decided to go to him, because since approximately 2004 I have had very weird feelings after I eat, especially after I eat certain things. No, it's not a rash, or scratchy throat or anything, but it's almost a dizzy/drunk/exhausted reaction after I have really anything with any amount of carbohydrates that either come from sugar, fruit, or other startchy veggies or grains. You're probably wondering why I didn't address this problem 6 years ago...well I did. I went to various doctors over the last few years, and when I would tell them how I would feel, they usually ordered some lab work, and when all was normal, basically send me on my way. Others have told me that there is a pill I can take that would control how my body deals with insulin better. I would also get migraines after eating a lot of those foods mentioned above, and one doctor told me he could put me on Topomax to prevent the migraines, but that the pills, "may make me a little stupid at times"! Geesh, I just felt like I wasn't getting anywhere with the more "Western Medicine" approach. I don't just want to take a pill for something when I know that soon, I'll have to take another pill to combat the side effects of the first pill. I want to get to the root cause of the problem.

So, I had my appointment on Wednesday 3/31 with this new doctor. Dr. Milne. When I walked in to his office with him, he struck me kind funny. He definitely is a quirky character, but actually seemed to listen to me and knew how I might get rid of this problem. He had me do this kind of food sensitivity testing called "Applied Kinesiology". This test involves holding a vile of a substance, for example wheat, and then closing your eyes and standing with your feet together. If you fall over to one side then you're assumed to be sensitive. This test can also involve holding the vile of the substance and having to resist his arm as he pushes against you, the thought is that if you lose strength in your arm, then you are sensitive to that food. Now, I don't know if I believe all of that stuff, but he did make a lot of sense with his recommendations for me. He stated that over the years of eating too may starchy/sugary/carb-y things, I have kind of developed a sensitivity to them, and now I need to get them all out of my system and then introduce them occasionally into my diet so I don't have a relapse of the physical effects I have been experiencing.

I did however already cut out a few things that have really helped my symptoms quite a bit though. About two years ago, I gave up caffeinated coffee, and as of March 18th, 2010, I gave up artificial sweeteners...with the latter I found a HUGE difference in the amount of headaches I was getting, and I really didn't feel as hypoglycemic as I had been. So just with just eliminating those two things, I have had great success! Anyway, this doctor told me that I am having a hard time losing weight because whenever I put even a bite of those foods in my mouth that I am sensitive to, my body reacts adversely and my energy level goes down, so in turn, I burn less calories and my metabolism is slower. I have been going to Jazzercise 4 times a week, but he told me that I am exercising too much right now. He stated that if you're energy level is low, you much exercise less otherwise your energy level will just keep going down, so he recommended only 20 minutes a day max.

He told me to eliminate wheat, corn, dairy, sugar, chocolate, (fruit right now), and potatoes for one month, and after that I will go see him again for another evaluation. This won't be permanent, so I don't feel hopeless right now, but yesterday was day one, and I was soooo hungry and irritable. Today, the hunger has subsided a bit, but I still feel irritable and kind of tired, but I am ready to try anything at this point to feel healthy once again! Nothing is more important in this world than having your health so you can experience all of the great things that this world has to offer!

A humbling experience!

So, sorry I haven't written for awhile, honestly though I have lost total track of time and have been really focused on eating right and exercising. I really think that seeing my soon to be Sister-in-Law do so well on her diet, really motivated me and made me realize that I can make all of the right choices too. This week I have dodged birthday cake in the breakroom, steering wheel sized slice o'heaven donuts in the meeting room, and have gone to Jazzercise pretty consistently! I feel so much better. Now, I'm sure this is too much info, but I'm even on my cycle right now and I don't feel bloated! It's the first time that I have ever been able to say that!

Now, you're probably wondering what this "humbling experience" was. Well, for starters, I made an appointment to go and see my dream wedding dress at Las Vegas Bridal Gowns. They are a private wedding dress showroom within a wedding venue. I brought my sister Jeanette with me to be my moral support and second set of eyes. It truly was bitter sweet for me to think about trying on a dress right now..."bitter" because I feel like I'm waaaaaay to fat to wear a wedding dress, and "sweet" because I'm so happy to be getting married. Anyway, we got to the showroom and were met by two very nice sales associates, we walked back into the dress area, and there it was...my favorite dress! It looked even more perfect in person. I had called ahead to make sure they had the dress I wanted. It was a size smaller than what I wear, but I thought I could shimmy my way into it and be duct taped through the back. The associates then told me that they really didn't have a changing room, that I could just change right there in this big open room. I know it's just us ladies in there...but I was horrified and totally unprepared to be that exposed, I should have at least done some lunges before hand! The dress didn't fit AT ALL, and it was very depressing that I couldn't even see what my dream dress could possible look like on me :(

So, long story short, I had to stand in my bra and underwear for almost and hour while we tried on various dresses...and in the end, I looked like a sausage casing in my dream dress :( I think saying that was humbling is a major understatement! However, good did come out of this experience...I made an appointment to go back there on June 12th, and try on the dress again, with the progress that I will make, I will surely fit into the dress and finally be able to see how it's really supposed to fit me! I really feel like the goal of getting into that dress is really attainable and something that I HAVE to accomplish!!!

Really learned a lot this past week...

Well, I haven't been on here in a week or so, and I can tell you that I haven't done well with my progress at all. I have found that blogging everyday really makes a difference in helping me stay on track and accountable for my actions.

This weekend was a big weekend, we had family in town, and it was Valentine's Day. We went to a two day Rugby tournament and were there from 11am-8pm on Saturday and Sunday, and when choosing things to eat there I didn't do so well.

It was interesting to me though, to watch my soon-to-be sister in law choose her meals this weekend, she did a great job! She has been following the Paleo Diet, which basically eliminates bread and sugar, and allows you to have meat, veggies, and fresh fruit. We went to a couple of great restaurants and she stayed on track each time. Asking for her meal without the carb loaded pasta, rice, or bread. I thought about it with myself and wondered why can't I do that. I mean, I know that I can, however my "just interested mode" over shadowed my "committed mode" this weekend, and I basically ate what I wanted, and I can surely tell the difference in how I feel. I have had stomach issues this weekend, heart burn, and have been really tired. Today I'm going to take a moment and look inside myself and try to figure out why I didn't make the same choices during each meal. I'm pretty disappointed in myself. I know tomorrow is a new day, but each day that I am not following my program, and eating things that affect me negatively, the more I struggle to lose the weight.

Also, we have decided to move up our Wedding Date to October 23rd, so dress shopping will now have to happen sometime this summer, like July...my countdown has suddenly gotten shorter, but I will accomplish my goal!

And here comes the headache!

Wow,

It's pretty obvious to me after today that they should change the name of sugar to "White Death", because after eating it today, that's how I feel. I have a headache now, I'm tired, I feel bloated and kind of cranky.

So I should probably tell you a little background of the diet that I'm doing. It's pretty much the Carbohydrate Addicts diet plan. The plan basically states that if you're addicted to carbs (bread, sugar, pasta, potatoes, etc...) that you need to limit the amount of time that you eat those items to one hour per day. Now, you can eat as much of it as you like, while pairing it with vegetables and protein, but you're limited to one hour. The other two meals per day are strictly meat, protein, and veggies. I have tried this diet before and lost about 30-40 lbs on it, and when I gained the weight back, it wasn't immediate. It seemed like a good way of life for me that I could handle long term, but some how I got off track...and here I am again.

So for instance today for the Super Bowl, I ate some chips and dip, and a couple slices of pizza and a couple of cookies all in one hour, pretty bad sounding right? However, before that this morning I had a mushroom omelet, and for lunch I had chicken and green beans. The premise to this diet is that you're only allowing your blood sugar to really spike one time per day. I have heard time and time again from my doctor, nutritionist, and accupuncturist to totally eliminate the "white stuff" however, it's hard for me to take away all of it all the time, so this diet helps me from gorging on them when I finally have them. I am however, doing a little twist on this diet as well where I only get the "hour of carbs" a few days a week, and the other days a week it's just meat and veggies for me. I actually don't mind doing that, I do feel a lot better when I'm "On the wagon, and off the carbs!"

Exercising this week has been pretty much a wash, and this week coming up, it probably will be again. I joined a Henderson Parks and Rec. class for Jazzercise. No, I'm not wearing a leotard, thank God, and no, I'm not wearing a sweat band and making jazz hands all hour...hehe, but really it's just a basic aerobics class with good music and some coordinating moves, it's actually fun. It's only on Mondays and Wednesdays though, so I think I'm going to sign up at a private Jazzercise place in town so I can take it more often, especially if I'm working late on Mondays or Wednesday nights.

I do feel a change in me this week, I don't honestly remember really being faithful to a program that I have committed to for an entire week in a long time, it feels good to be different this time around.

It actually happened...

So, yesterday at work, in our break room I noticed a huge box of donuts, actually I should say a box of HUGE donuts. Yummy glazed twists, apple fritters, maple bars, and donut holes, all of the things that I reallllly love. I had to eat my lunch of cottage cheese, chicken breast, and salad right in front of the tempting pastries. It was hard, but I made it through. A lot of the reason that I didn't succumb to the intense temptation was because of this blog! I didn't want to let anyone down that is reading this, and I of couse did not want to let myself down! I was so proud of myself when I left the break room without even getting a closer whiff of the donuts, it was truly a momentus moment!

Yesterday I didn't blog, but the Day 3 lesson of the book was really still about committment, and making a list of actions that you intend to do, and even if you don't feel like doing it...do it anyway!!!

Lesson 4 is about creating boundaries instead of strict diets. In other words, instead of getting stuck in the word diet, you can rethink of it as "boundaries" for your eating plan...the author goes on to say " Picture your diet program as a road or a path. You can define the boundaries of your diet road based on the number of calories, points or other factors that you choose to follow. As you walk on the road each day, your goal is to stay between the sides of the road. Unlike the strict or rigid diet plans, boundaries stay flexible. They provide guidelines, but at the same time allow for common sense and good judgement."

I truly agree with the author in this paragraph. It seems the more I focus on the word "diet" the harder this weight loss becomes. The more I focus on the food that are "strictly forbidden" the more I want to eat them. It really helps to know that I can have some flexibility and day by day I have the ability to make the choice...the right choice that will help me get closer to my goal.

The homework for this day is to draw a line down the middle of your notebook page, creating two columns. "Label one column 'narrow road' for your actual diet plan, and the other 'wider road' for the maintenance or alternate eating plan. Under the titles, define your eating and exercise plans for each road, decide on ways you can be flexible with them without losing sight of the healthy road you want to follow."

I really feel strong after only day 4, it will be interesting to weigh myself next week, who knows, if I've gained, maybe I'll throw this computer out the window...(that was the old me) The new me will just keep on keeping on :) See you tomorrow!

Day 2...Interested or committed?!?!

So, today's lesson really really hits home with me. It talks about whether you're interested in losing weight, or committed.

When one is simply interested in losing weight, if something better comes long like donuts at work, then you'll get off the diet to eat the donuts, but if you're committed to the diet, nothing will stop you from staying on track. I think I have truly been only really interested in losing weight in the past year than I have been really committed. Also, this lesson states that if the scale shows results then you'll stay interested, but really if you're committed, whether or not you're seeing results, you're going to stick with the program! The results will come!

So the homework for today is...

--Decide that you'll always be committed to your weight loss plan, and not just interested
--Describe how you'll stick with your program no matter what and write that down in a notebook.
--Do at least one thing today that demonstrates you're committment...no matter what.

The second question is a hard one...but one of the ways that helps me stick with my goal is by preparing. Having a plan to follow really helps me stay on track, if I just try to eat healthy or exercise day by day it's harder for me to committ to this. Also, the fact that Nathan is eating healthy and exercising too really helps, it's always great to have a buddy that is supportive!

Today, I stayed on track, and ate the way I wanted to, however I had a migraine after work and wasn't able to exercise, but at least I ate right! I feel proud of myself today for sticking to my plan, even when I wasn't feeling that great, and I'll just get to exercising tomorrow!

Good night all!

Day 1...staying strong and motivated

So, this morning was the big weigh in. For some reason, I have gained about 13 pounds since last March. Well, actually, not for "some" reason, but because I stopped caring again. I didn't stop caring about my relationships, work, money, friends, and family, but I stopped caring again about my goals. This is what always seems to happen, I start off very motivated, but then my motivation slowly starts to fade away.

About a year ago, I bought a book called "100 Days Of Weightloss". Each day it has lessons to work and questions to answser on while you're on the first 100 days of your diet. The author realizes that it's not just about eating less and exercising to lose weight for some people, but about a REAL emotional challenge that comes with shedding the excess baggage. Here is today's lesson:

"I used to be that way..."

This lesson talks about the fact that everytime you start a program, you are so excited to make it work, and this time you'll finally be able to stick with it. However, deep inside you have a fear that you haven't changed at all and you'll quit your program before the 100 first days are up. Past failures keep swirling in your head, and you remember how you'd cheat little bits at a time until you eventually stopped the program all together. But now, it's time to recognize that "I use to be that way, but now I'm different." You can do anything now because you're not that way anymore.

Here is the homework:

Make a list of fears or negative behaviors that have hurt your weight loss success in the past, then say "I used to be that way, but now I'm different"
Here are mine:
1. Giving in to pressure to eat when people bring goodies to work
2. Just not going to work out because I was tired or didn't feel like it.
3. I was afraid that if I lost the weight, I would be very exposed to the world again.
4. When I would get off the diet for one meal, I would feel as if I ruined the whole thing and just give up!

"I used, to be that way, but now I'm different"

Now, write new endings for those fears or negative behaviors:

1. I used to give in to pressure to eat when people bring goodies to work, but now I stay focused on my goal and politely decline the offer.
2. I used to not work out because I didn't feel like it, but now I go work out even when I don't feel like it because I like how I feel when I'm done.
3. I used to be afraid that if I lost weight, I would be exposed to the world again, but now I don't fear that, I embrace the fact that I will stop feeling invisible.
4. I used to get off the diet for one meal and then give up, but now if I get off the diet for a meal, I get back on for the next, keep on going!

So, I hope these lessons may be useful to other people that share the same battle that I do. Thanks again for sharing this with me!

BTW: I will weigh in weekly, and track progress on here, so my next weigh in will be Tuesday, Feb 9th!