A New Hope

Hey all, How's life? Yeah, don't answer that. Things have been crazy over here for me. I ended my first and only relationship of two years in August and I've been adjusting to being back at Disneyland. Good news: I've lost about 15-20lbs. since then. Bad news: It was weight I'd put on while in said relationship, so kind of back to square one. Earlier this week my mother and I had a bit of a scare. She was getting some tests done for a procedure she's undergoing when they found something on her lung that we thought might be cancer. Thankfully, we found out it wasn't! However, this was a wake up call and I told my mom that we NEED to change our lifestyles. I saw an Endocrinologist this week about getting back into treatment for my hormones (I have PCOS: Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, which cause irregular periods, cysts on your ovaries, and abnormal hair growth; such as beards and crap) and I spoke to her about meeting with a nutritionist and getting into some sort of program. She and my new therapist have both recommended someone, so I hope we can get into something soon. I've started a new medication, as per my therapist's recommendation, to treat my ADD and see if that doesn't alleviate some of my depression. I've only been on it for two days so I can't really say what I think of it yet. She's told me that ADD medication is supposed to help you lose weight and if I'm correct in assuming this it is acting as an appetite suppressant. At least it seems like I've lost interest in eating, despite my body's physical hunger cues, but that could also be from stress. So, we shall see.

Meal Replacements

I'm actually thinking about trying out meal replacement shakes. I'm just wondering how long I can stay on it before I go completely insane. You'd think it'd be enough to have one meal of real food, plus healthy snacks in between 2 shakes.

I was reading up on them and one site recommended always adding fruit or something to the mix, otherwise you'd be missing out on necessary nutrients; which makes sense.

I'm wondering if I can just buy a protein powder from a health store and go from there, instead of purchasing pre-packaged, weight-loss marketed shake mixes.

Has anyone tried this diet before? What are your thoughts or suggestions?

2012

Happy New Year, everyone!

Once again, it's been a while. And once again, I've fallen off the band wagon. But what better excuse to jump back on than a New Year's Resolution? You only truly fail when you stop trying, right?

So, I resolve to get back with the program and update this blog more often. Although this time around I might try things a little differently than my last entry.

I have to make a conscious effort to consume less fast food, as well as microwavable dishes. I'll keep them stocked for convenience, but really, the best thing I can do for myself is cook, which I've spent the last 24 hours doing and it feels good; dirty dishes exempt...

I regret not taking pictures of the meal I just made, but it surprisingly hit the spot! I pan fried a couple of vegetable potstickers and steamed a bit of kale, which I topped with Asian sesame dressing.

For those of you who live near a Trader Joe's, they've recently started carrying bagged and precut kale for your convenience, so make sure to pick one up next time you're at the market ;)

Btw, everyone should check out this blog I've recently stumbled upon: http://thewitchykitchen.blogspot.com/ I am absolutely in love with it! Vegetarian, Healthy, and Magical; exactly what I'd like my life to look like.

New Program

Fast Forward a few months and we are now in October. My birthday is in a week and I'll be turning 26. I haven't made much progress since my last post. Actually, I've altogether fallen off the wagon since my last post. Fortunately, I didn't gain any weight, but the point was to lose and that's why I'm back!

I've spent the last couple weeks adjusting into new eating habits and I believe I'm ready to start anew with a somewhat different approach. I'm basically following both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig's programs, only better because I'm not paying any membership fees! Due to time and budget constraints I found that, for the time being, this might be my best option. I was on Jenny Craig back in 2007 and I actually lost 20lbs on it, but that's a little harder to follow if you're not a member because they control your eating with their name brand meals, whereas with Weight Watchers doesn't give you so much the convenience of having already a prepped meal waiting for you (which at this point in time, I really need).

So, as of yesterday I've been seriously tracking my points. I've stocked up my fridge full of frozen meals (most of which conveniently already have the Points Plus labeled, but for those that don't I have a website in which you can input the nutritional information and it'll calculate the points for you!) and healthy snacks like carrots and yogurt. I finally have my own scale to keep track of my weight on and I just changed the filter in my brita pitcher.

The only crucial thing now is working in some exercise, which I'm hoping will come once I've settled into the program a little more. But in the week or so that I've been adjusting (i.e. weening myself off fast food) I have already noticed that I've lost a pound.

So, here it is:

My starting weight is 200lbs.
My daily intake points are 33 per day.

My goal is to lose 20lbs by the end of the year, but my ultimate goal is to lose 50lbs before summer, so I can look good in my costumes for the summer conventions ;)

Here is a sample menu:

BREAKFAST
Small bowl of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios) - 4
Almond Milk - 2

LUNCH
(Ideally I'd love to throw in a salad here, but couldn't afford the fixings this week)
Salad - 3-5
or
Frozen Meal - 7-9

SNACK
Yogurt - 3
and/or
Granola Bar - 5-6
or
Carrots - 0
or
Edamame - 2

DINNER
Frozen meal - 7-9

DESSERT
Kit Kat - 2 (1pt per bar)

This is just a loose plan and obviously I would pick the foods with points that wouldn't surpass 33 per day.

I've purchased veggie patties and frozen veggies for days when I have a little more time and energy to cook something a little more personalized. If there are ever days where there's a specific recipe or dish I want to cook I will purchase fresh ingredients day of, or before, depending on my schedule, but generally opt not to keep fresh foods stocked to avoid letting them go to waste. So, don't purchase it unless you KNOW you're going to eat it in the next couple days.

If you would like to join me on my self-motivated "Weight Watchers" journey, here are the links you'll need:
-Daily Target
-PointsPlus Calculator

Now, my friend has an Android phone, which apparently has a free (non-WW) PointsPlus calculator, so she's lucky to have one on her at all times. However, my stupid Crackberry does not cater to me as much, so for those of you who are as unlucky as me, although have access to a calculator, this website tells you the mathematic formula of calculating your points. A little more time consuming, but if you're serious, it's a handy tool to have.

If that's not something you think you'll stick to, another option is to research points of foods you're thinking about eating while dining out. This site provides Points AND PointsPlus information for Fast Food (I haven't actually searched for other restaurants so it might even provide more).

If you have any questions, comments, or tips, don't hesitate to contact me! Please support me in my journey!

A Brand New Day

I know it's been a while since I first proclaimed I was going to get cracking on this weight loss thing. I actually stuck very strictly to a candida diet for almost a week. It's really hard to stick to such a strict diet, especially when I spend half my week out of town.

I need to make some adjustments to my initial proclamation. The goal is to lose weight. Adjustments to eating habits to follow. Or rather I should say these things go hand in hand.

I've been struggling with depression for a good portion of my life. And this past year has been no exception. I hit a really dark place only a few months ago and now I'm slowly starting to emerge from it. My moods go through cycles. I have my ups and then I have lower lows. So every day is a struggle in its own. But this time I don't want to be beaten. This time I want to accomplish what I set out to do. Even if it's a slow struggle, as long as I'm making progress along the way instead of sabotaging myself, it's a success.

Things in my life have been starting to look up for me again, and maybe that's why I'm remotivated, but I feel like I have a new outlook on things, however small amidst the darkness. I'm hoping if I keep working that light it'll eventually grow bigger until I'll finally be able to contain and control my depression.

So, today was the first step toward positivity.

I'd slept in again, but I figure I'll adjust my sleeping habits with time. I did sneak a brownie in with my breakfast, but I buckled down and made myself some light sugar oatmeal. I'm starting to get hungry again so I'm seeing what I can throw together instead of opting for drive through.

Last night I reconnected with a couple friends and we started conceptualizing some projects together that started making me feel more hopeful about life. I tend to have a problem with getting good ideas and not following through on them, but I'm trying to make more positive changes in my life. I just need to keep pushing myself, even if it's uncomfortable at first. I may have given up on a few dreams, but I might be paving the way for new ones and that's good enough for me.

Here's a list of positives:
-I'm getting my job at the bakery back
-I've reapplied for community college and I applied for FAFSA and I plan to take some skill enhancing classes in the fall (Digital Art, Web Design, Japanese 2, and possibly more if I can fit them into my schedule)
-Planning projects with friends and pursuing a few independent ones
-Recognizing that losing weight is within my power, I just need to make more of an effort

I also have to credit my friends as my inspiration: Thank you Shana, Courtney, Nathan, and Jenna!

Testing

I've decided I need to start a little experiment.

I've been overweight the vast majority of my life and lately I've been having some health concerns. I've tried various commercial "diets" over the last decade and I've been successful in shedding over 30lbs. and keeping them off, but I still have at least another 50 I'd like to lose. But more importantly I'd like to take care of my health.

A few years ago I discovered candida and the damage it can do to your body. I've tried a couple times to go on the anti-candida diet, but gave up only after a couple days. In the meantime, I have been a vegetarian for almost 2 years and have since dabbled in veganism. I'm currently back vegetarianism, but I think it's time to give that anti-candida diet another shot, which will ultimately help me curb cravings and lose weight while nurturing my health. Although I don't believe I will ever be 100% vegan, this diet will pretty much force me to eat like one until I believe I've cleared my system of candida. That doesn't mean I intend to go back to my current eating habits; I'd like to eat as healthy as possible, but I'd also like to be able to treat myself once in a while.

So my experiment, other than attempting to stick to this cleanse this time around, is to try to find ways I can eat without feeling deprived. I've done a bit of research these past couple days and I've come up with some ideas for recipes I'd like to try out.

I intend to track my progress and share my recipes. Hopefully this will force me to stay focused on my goal, and possibly get a little encouragement to keep pushing. I hope that through this journey I might be able to help others who have been suffering from candida and weight issues in their life.

Please keep checking back from time to time :)