Hello Strangers

Hello Strangers ....... 

I've been majorly MIA lately.

First, we spent 6 days on our new property.  Our very good friends from Washington State came up camping with us.  It was so wonderful to spend so much time with them. 

The weather however was very uncooperative.  Alot of overcast and some drizzle.  Not terribly warm.  We did get one half-warm day, and the day we had to drive home it was nice (figures, right?)

The worst thing was that I came down with a bug - GRRRR!  We left on Jun 30th and by the evening of July 1st I was done.  My throat was absolutely killing me and my head felt like it was filled with rocks.  I had to take some medication which made me fall deep asleep maybe 5 minutes before the Canada Day fireworks started.  I was VERY disappointed.

Of and on for the rest of the trip I was sick.  I had planned to get in lots of running during this trip, and I wasn't able to do even 1 mile.  I did get out for a c ouple of walks, but nothing that really got my heart beating.

We got back home on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning I woke up feeling even sicker.  I did however have to go into work.  But I only made it part way through the day.  By mid-afternoon I was toast and had to drive home.  I had what felt like a migraine and my stomach was tossing and turning.  I mostly slept the remainder of the day, and got sick in the afternoon.

Today I'm feeling ever so slightly better, though far from 100%.  My appetite did return with a vengeance after eating next to nothing yesterday. 

So ... I have decided I'm not setting any goals for July.  I haven't run at all for the first week of July and I think it could be a few more days before I'm able to do much physically.  I'm just going to do what I can, when I can.

As for eating & the South Beach diet .... I managed a good 12 days without a stitch of sugar or starchy carbs and I'm very proud of myself.  The next few days I had very limited amounts of those items.  Then I relaxed a little while camping (I had planned this before I went).

Originally I had planned to stick completely to the diet.  But then I thought .... you know what ... I'm not a machine and I want to be normal.  Yes, I want to lose more weight, but I also want to be able to enjoy treats during certain times - like camping.  And while I did indulge .... I didn't go insane crazy.  I enjoyed a couple of cookies each day.  I had two glasses of wine in a one week period.  I ate bread (white bread) and some meaty cheesy lasagna.  Crazy .... huh?  No ... normal.  I still drank my tea without sugar and stayed away from pop entirely.  When we got home I said to my husband that I went a little further than I should have, and he said "No, you ate like a normal person ... or less."  I suppose he's right.  I did gain 1.8 lbs in the week, but I'm totally OK with that.  The key is in taking it right back off and not staying in holiday mode and I feel I will be successful with that.

I think that's the way I want to live my life.  On a daily basis keep the treats & sugar at bay, and limit the starches.  But enjoy myself to a normal level for special occasions. 

I've been trying to catch up on my blogging buddies and will be more active over the next few days.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Gone to the Beach

Bye folks ....... I've gone to the beach ......

OK, maybe not THAT beach (I wish!) .... but rather, this beach:

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, recently I've been struggling with sugar ... and coincidentally (or not)STILL struggling to get off this last bulge.  On the long drive home I made the decision to once and for all TRULY give this diet a shot.

I've thought about it before ... alot.  I've even attempted it years ago, though admittedly half-assed, and not while I was truly in a mental position to pull it off.

Last Friday (the day after we got back) I kicked the plan into action.

Essentially phase 1 (2 weeks) is lean protein & vegetables at each meal, a little healthy fat, low/no-fat dairy is allowed, and a serving of nuts per day.  Absolutely ZERO sugar, no starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, grains, cereals, potatoes, corn, etc.), and no fruits.  Though I don't completely agree with the no fruits and have had approx. 1 serving per day.  Sugar substitutes are allowed, but I try to avoid those at all costs so have been going completely cold turkey on that.  No sweet tasting treats for me!

Day 1 I was pretty much afraid to eat and to be honest, I avoided it as much as possible.  It was actually easier to just not eat, than to face the decision on what to eat.

Day 2 a slight headache began and I felt very discombobulated.  I was a bit dizzy, very fuzzy-headed and extremely lethargic (though I can't say for 100% certainty that this wasn't associated with the long travel and alte nights).  Day 3 was pretty much the same.  I questioned my safety behind the wheel and thus did not drive those days.

My kids got called a few names as I saw them eating granola bars, cereal ... and when my daughter asked if I'd make her my most recent favourite recipe of Oatmeal Pancakes I thought I would explode.  But I forged on and have stuck to it. 

I did do a few long walks and runs during the first few days and let me say that they were HARD!  I could definitely feel when I hit a wall part way through, and sometimes the entire run was difficult.  I would NEVER take something like this on if I were in the middle of some serious training.  It's even recommended that you don't.

The first few days I was also a bit (ahem) "backed-up", but a bit more fluids and more veggies and things got sorted out again.

Since Day 4 things have gotten much easier.  I don't feel like strangling people who I see eating carbs.  And I no longer have to switch channels as the 45 zillion candy/chocolate commercials come on.  My energy is definitely coming back and I feel pretty good.

I noticed almost immediately that the bloaty feeling in my stomach went away and it seemed flatter.

My husband joined in on this plan to support me ... and also because he realized that the thought of going off of sugar made him react like a crack addict entering detox.  He doesn't need to lose an ounce so I was a bit concerned about him.  He lasted 2 days following the diet as I have been, then he reintroduced a few carbs and fruit to his diet - which is what I thought he should do anyway.  He is still trying to keep with the no sugar aspect which is what he needs to focus on anyway.  I think his headaches were worse than mine.

After 1 full week following this program I'm feeling pretty good.  My cravings have definitely subsided and I have good energy.  My clothes look better, my stomach is definitely slimmer (main objective here), I'm down in my measurements and I've lost 3 lbs this week for my lowest weight in 2010 of 145.8.  My lowest in the last few years is 143.6 (very briefly) from last November.

I plan to follow this phase for another week, then in Phase 2 you slowly reintroduce fruit & healthy starchy carbs.  Can I say that I'll NEVER eat sugar again?  No, I definitely can not say that, I know I will.  But, I do want to eat ALOT less sugar than I was and eliminate it from things that I'm learning to enjoy without (plain yoghurt, tea, hopefully eventually cereal and oatmeal).  I don't believe that sugar & starchy carbs are evil, but I know that I easily overindulge in these items and my goal is to reduce from the amount I had been eating.

 June 1 - 5 mile/8K run

June 2 - 30 Day Shred Level 1
June 3 - 4 x 1 mile treadmill intervals and core
June 4 - 30 Day Shred Level 1
June 5 - 2.5 mile walk and 1.5 mile run
June 6 - 3 Hours heavy clean-up

June 7 - 5 x 10 minute treadmill intervals and some core

June 8 - Shred Level 1

June 9 - 45 min run/walk

June 10 - lifting & walking

June 11 - lifting & walking

June 12 - 30 min run & dancing

June 13 - 30 min hike

June 14 - run & walk

June 15 - 2+ hours walking

June 16 - swimming & stair climbing

June 17 - 7 mile treadmill run

June 18 - walking

June 19 - stairs & walking

June 20 - 8 mile run (pretty fast)

June 21 - 6.2 mile steady run

June 22 - 6 mile run

June 23 - 7 mile run

June 24 - 7 mile run

 Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥