Keeping it up

Day 24 of burpees! I am trying to get as many in in one set as I can. I can get 6 good ones, but then they start getting sloppy. I am thinking about adding in Ashy Bines Bikini Challenge (no, not to get into a bikini!), you can find out more info at www.abbbc.com.au. Right now, I am just focusing on burpees, which is a great core, arm and leg workout, but working on my abs should be a priority too. The challenge is sit ups, crunches, leg raises, and planks, increasing each day (with rest days included). I spoke to my hubby about another round of hCG. Since Oct., I have gone as low as 191, and as high as 208, but I usually remain at my LDW of 204. My theory is that if I hCG to 170-ish, I will maintain there with Paleo eating. If it was possible to subtract my loose skin weight, I would be lighter by about 15 to 20 lbs. My hubby is OK with me going another round, now I just have to come up with the funds. I will be doing Body Shapers again (www.bestlifehcg.com), which have worked so well (125 lbs don't lie!). Off to go figure my budget!

Coming along

Hi all! Today is day 16, and yep, 16 burpees! I am getting very impressed with how strong these are making me. My 16th burpee was almost as good as my first. I did 8 then rested for a couple of minutes (well, made my bed), then did 5 more, then after a 60 second rest, completed the rest. All told, I exercised for about 4 minutes. Everyone knows that I don't put a huge priority on exercise. Diet is my main concern. Contrary to the general belief that it's all about calories in/calories out, it's not. Anyone who has ever done the chronic cardio thing knows that 2 hours on a treadmill, while only eating 1,000 calories, isn't going to slim you down. In fact, the USDA's high carb, low fat, diet isn't helping anyone lose weight. With the big push to eat the standard American diet, America as a whole has only gotten fatter. Low carb diets come and go. Right now it's on an up swing, and those who can are cashing in. That makes it even more important for those of us who want to eat right to read those labels. Once you do, you'll be amazed at the amount of chemicals and corn, are in EVERYTHING! I am having a heck of a time finding BBQ sauce. So read those labels! If the ingredients list is longer than your arm, put it back! Today is a shopping day. I will be going to Sprout's Farmers Market, which is a great place to get Primal/Paleo foods. Other than fruits and veggies, a Sprout's run is only for me. With the family diving head first back into SAD, it makes it very hard to stay on track with Paleo. I do keep a separate supply of food stuffs. I make my own mayo, have my own bottles of ketchup and BBQ sauce (I love condiments), which are made with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Since I am the only one who actually cooks, everyone else is compliant with what I cook. I tried out a new recipe I found on (Juli is a wonderful cook and now has a cookbook out, so check it out). It was a Honey Mustard Crunchy Chicken and Plantain salad. What I have come to learn with Paleo cooking, you will use ingredients you've never used before. A plantain is a member of the banana family, but isn't sweet. In fact, it doesn't seem to have much of it's own flavor, but instead absorbs the flavor surrounding it. It has a potato like consistency, and would be a great substitute for potatoes when using as a filler. Lately, I have had a mad craving for all things cake-y. I make sure that I acknowledge my craving, and then set about finding something else, or just ignore it. Something else will usually be some dark chocolate and a fruit (banana or orange). I may do some baking, but it will be Paleo. It's funny, for a group of people like my family, who are so dead set on eating crap, they will scarf my baked goods faster then anything! Off to start the day...

Day 12 and the big 4 6 is tomorrow!

12 days into my 100 burpees in 100 days.  The first 3 burpees I do are pretty good, the rest...well, I do them (sorta).  Tomorrow is day 13, I'll let you know...

Tomorrow is also my birthday.  Nothing special planned, but my eldest son got me flowers (awwwwww, isn't that sweet).  His dad is teaching him that when in doubt, get flowers.  The Colonel got us a new car a couple of weeks ago, so it counts as a birthday present!

Things are going pretty well.  I was hitting the 35% in fat ratio, which is not good.  This morning I was down to 34%, I want to get down some more.  27% would be awesome, but I'll take what I can get.  Now I am just working to 33% (one third seems like a lot, but there was a time I had a 47% body fat, yep, nearly half my weight was fat!). I am hoping that circumstances will allow for me to do another hCG round. I have stabilized well, and other than minor issues, I don't see a problem with doing another round to get to my holy grail weight on 160 to 175. This range would be good for me. All the experts say 148 is ideal, but I am not out to be a twig, just at a healthy (for me) weight. At dinner tonight, my birthday was brought up, and to be cheeky, my father in law said "39 again, and holding", I told him that I don't mind being 46, considering that two years ago, I didn't think I would make it to 46. He asked why. At 44, I 325 + pounds, sore knees from carting around all that weight, being prescribed high blood pressure meds, given a paper with a bunch of fake "heart healthy" foods to choose from to "control my cholesterol. When I asked about "something" to help me with weight loss, I just got the sad, pouty face from my nurse practitioner. I was treated like a lost cause. I felt like a lost cause. I also asked about hCG, and was told that it's a scam. Everyone who has used it just regained the weight. It wouldn't work. I should just eat the USDA heart healthy diet, and I would eventually lose the weight. Really? Because I have eaten "heart healthy" recommended diet for 44 years, and I was as big as a house! Sometimes you have to choose for yourself. I took the plunge. I did hCG, I took the time to research new ways of eating that involved whole foods, I made the choice to stay away from grains, legumes, processed sugar, almost all dairy products. In return, although still overweight, I have maintained my losses for 8 months now. I will never be "skinny", and I don't want to be. I am happy with who I am, another 20 to 40 lbs would be great, but even if I stayed in the 200 lb range, I can live with it. I have said before that I am a rebel. I do what I do, I take the time to learn, I take the easy road when I can, and the hard road if I have to. Barring any unforeseen tumbling episodes on the stairs, I will be alive tomorrow and for many years to come. I don't fear high blood pressure, because I don't have it. I don't fear high cholesterol because mine is normal. I don't fear a heart attack, because I am stronger and in better health now at 46 then I was 10 or even 20 years ago. I will wake up a happy human tomorrow. I will hug and kiss my husband and children. I will thank God for all that I have.

Still getting my s*** together...

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!

Wouldn't life be grand if we could stick to a plan?  By gosh, by golly, I am trying to focus, but I am all over the place.  I am not gaining outrageously, but I am not shrinking either.

I am still in my 16's, but my weight has shifted again (I hate that!), and I am fat in all the wrong places, OK, any place of fat sucks, but it's drifting around my middle section, where I don't need any help (thank you very much).

I did start the 100 Burpees in 100 Days (The-100-Day-Burpee-Challenge).  Here's the gist, you do one burpee on day one, then two burpees on day 2, then 3 burpees on day 3, get it?  On and on it goes until day 100 (yep, 100 burpees), there is a caveat, if you miss a day, you have to do the previous days burpees (say you are on day 21, but you missed day 20, then you do the 20 you missed, then the 21 you owe, best advice, don't miss).  You don't have to do them all at one time, once you get to the higher numbers.  If you are at day 80, you can do four sets of 20 (or 8 sets of 10) at different times (7 am, 11 am, 2pm, 8 pm, whatever).

We went to Sprout's Farmer's Market today (on Del Rio Rd., in Sacramento).  Like most "healthy stores" it can be a bit pricey.   But I did find some grass fed ground beef for $4.99/lb, which is a great price, but a sale price.  A clam shell of strawberries for .99 cents!  They also have a great selection of coconut based ice cream, plenty of organic produce, some of the hard to find items (coconut butter, coconut oil, Braggs, gluten-free items), even bulk bins (too pricey for me, but that's me).

My beloved wasn't thrilled with the whole "organic" thing (he thinks it's a crock), and doesn't get the whole "wild caught" thing with the fish (read $$$$$) or the grass fed thing, although he was thrilled to find buffalo (again, $$$$), and we might pick up some kangaroo for grins and giggles (nearly $8/lb), but will indulge me (he is so sweet!). 

I eat almost exclusively apart from the family.  Today, my hubby went to Jimboy's Tacos for lunch, and got something for everyone except me, I just cooked up a steak, had salad and leftover broccoli, so I was cool with it.  The family is seeing some old favorites, tuna helper and spaghetti, and Paleo versions of other favorites like meatloaf and onion rings (thanks to Tammy Credicott and her cookbook Paleo Indulgences for the onion rings, the main reason I bought the book...).  So they aren't suffering, but they aren't eating as healthy as they could, but since I can't seem to stem the flow of crap entering the house, what's a gal to do.  I bend like a reed in the wind...OK, I shut my mouth and keep my opinions to myself (until the old people tell the doctor that they eat "paleo", and I tell them to quit lying!)

So that's the haps for right now.

Confessions (Damn my eyes....)

Sorry gang, I have been naughty about posting.  I would love to say that I have been working diligently and melting away like I was on hCG, but I can't.

I have been staying Paleo, but eating far too much.  As everyone knows, portion control is not my forte. 

Yesterday was a wake up call.  I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 206.6 lbs!  That's 2 lbs over my last drop weight (204.4).  I realized that this has to be nipped in the bud immediately.

I fasted through breakfast, and had steak and cucumber for lunch (dipped in mustard).  Dinner was BBQ chicken and shredded sweet potatoes.  A bit too much starch, but I do have to keep up a decent calorie count.  500 cals a day are fine with hCG, but not without.  And just to make my life a bit more fun, my girly time kicked in. 

I am hoping a few of these added pounds are just water and yuck weight, but still, I have come too far to settle at anything above 200 lbs.  I still have a goal of 185 or less, so I have 20 lbs to lose.  I was hoping to do another round of hCG (it's so easy!), but our finances will not brook that, so back to basics the Paleo way.

Never fear, dear readers, a set back is just that, a set back.  It is so easy to quit and cry "foul", and "it's not fair", but, as you know, I don't do that.  I am responsible for what goes into my mouth.  This gain is on me for making poor decisions, for giving into my cravings and wants, instead of being diligent in my battle o'the bulge.

It happens to us all.  We can throw in the towel, or we can stand our ground, even against ourselves.

Do you want to quit?  Don't.  Stay the course.  If you veer off the path, turn around and get back on it.  Not tomorrow, now.  Don't let bad choices become habit. 

If it was easy, everyone would do it.  It's not easy, but it's worth it.  Totally.

I'm bbbbaaaaccccckkkkk

The move was a huge mess.  I did gain, but not too much (about 10 lbs).  Time to get back on the wagon, and get control before I am too far out of control!

It could have been worse, but thanks to Paleo eating, I am still in my size 16s.  I think that too much fast food, high stress, and far too many "treats (in the form of dark chocolate)" helped with the gains I am seeing.

Starting today, I am cutting all sugars (dark chocolate, honey, dates, high sugary fruits) and nuts (I love's me almonds!), including pseudo Paleo bakes.

Sticking to good proteins and veggies, with portion control, should put me back on the road to good health.

I am also needing to exercise.  You'd think lifting heavy furniture, boxes, and humping stairs 100 times a day, would count, but it doesn't.  So it's back to deep knee bends, sit ups, push ups, and get some running around with the kids.  We invested in a soccer ball, and it turns out that even with my limited knowledge, I am the most knowledgeable about soccer (how scary is that!), so I get to teach the boys how to "dribble" and direct the ball, plus some pointers on the game in general.

Being in a bigger city will make it easier to find organic foods, and a Fresh and Easy is going to open just down the street from me.  I have never heard of it, but will visit another location to see how they are.  They do carry grass fed ground beef at a reasonable price, plus organic fruits and veggies.

Tomorrow I will post with some stats, to get the ball (and accountability) rolling.

Until then!

Popping in to update

We got our house, now it's time to get everything moved.

Stress levels are leveling out toward the middle.  The nice thing in that I am not gaining, although I am eating way too much dark chocolate, but a girl has got to cope somehow.

Staying away from grains has been a real help. 

Moving will commence on Feb. 15th (fun, fun, fun, blah).  One trip.  It's just too far to do "loads".  My husband's company will be supplying trucks and some extra manpower.

Well, back to cleaning carpets.