Healthy Dragon

Marathon training - week 1

2009-04-02T06:40:00.003+04:00

Wanna know how bad I suck? That day I started my lemon cleanse, I had to cook all this food and feed ten people. Religious reasons. When I was ladling out the food I went into this frenzy and ate some. There went my fast.

So, a few days later the kid and I went to Hubby's track and field tournament. The sight of all those people running like crazy really encouraged us. She and I decided that she would be going for track and field next year, inshallah. She'd have to start training from now, though.

Anyways, I felt like I wanted to do some running training, too. I researched it, the method behind the training and I have to say running gets you in shape like nothing else will. I think I can do this. I'm down to my last month of membership at the gym. I let practically all of March slip by without going. I was depressed and...well depressed.

But this is my last chance and yesterday I went for the first time in ages. The training I'm following will have me walking 10 minutes, jogging 2 minutes, then walking 4 minutes the first week. I repeat that five times. The whole process takes me an hour and twenty minutes. Yesterday, around the 2nd and 3rd times I was ready to collapse, but I pressed on. About the middle of the fourth my body was resigned to the pain and the fifth lap felt fine.

I've tried running before. Usually, I just start out jogging, last 1 minute, then have to stop because I can't breathe. With this method that has me walking first, my lungs have a chance to open up and stretch so when it's time for me to jog the 2 minutes, I can actually do it. Hurts like hell (I'm really overweight, after all) but I manage.

And OMFG, such a workout! A full body workout. My legs and hip joints were sooooo incredibly sore yesterday! I limped most of the rest of the day. This morning I'm still a little sore. Don't know if I'll manage the 5 times, but I'm going to give it my best effort.

I'm really excited about all of this, inshallah I can stick with it.

Lemon Cleanse again!

2009-03-20T07:51:00.002+04:00

I've been neglecting the gym, going sporadically, and have been thoroughly disgusted with myself as a result. I blame the new regime they gave me. It's too hard to keep up with. Still, I do go. Just not every day. I've stopped getting results with my body, though. I need to introduce a new element.

So I'm doing the lemon cleanse again to help cleanse my body and get rid of all the toxins I've been eating. This time it should go better than last time because I'm exercising and have the bentonite to go with it. I started this morning after having went out and bought the ingredients yesterday afternoon.

From the first swallow I wanted the rest of the Popeyes chicken and rice that's sitting in my kitchen, but I grimly persevered. I don't have a set number of days as my goal this time, so I figure it'll be impossible to disappoint myself by falling far short of it like I did last time.

We'll see how it goes!

Man!

2009-02-23T10:39:00.003+04:00

Ok, I know I suck all kind of horrible about not documenting my makeover but... the gym really fagged me out.

Here's an update. At the end of the first month, I'd lost 12 cm from my waist, 8 cm each from my thighs, 5 cm from my hips and 5 cm from my chest. My weight was the same because even though I'd lost fat I'd put on muscle.

As of now I've missed like 2 weeks just about (consecutive!) because of my period and I was sick. I've had some bad luck. Anyways once the national holiday is over, I'm heading back in and working diligently until my membership ends in May.

Right now, since I've worked my stamina up to a nice high level I need to start eating different. As things stand, I do cardio and weights everyday. I havent swum since the beginning of my membership, it was too cold. I need to re-incorporate that into my regime and then maybe I'll see some weights results. The few kilos I've lost (3) doesn't count in my book.

More soon, hopefully!

Day 13 (supposed to be day 16)

2009-01-11T12:20:00.003+04:00

Ok I missed 3 days because of my period. I was bleeding to heavy to do a serious workout so I stayed home. Today was my first day back. I got good news and bad news.

The bad news is that my new trainer who is so totally awesome has resigned and is leaving at the end of Jan due to crap the club managers are giving her. That woman had me doing 100 rpm on the bike and showed me so many intense workouts for my target areas. She's an actual physical therapist and long time personal trainer...her resume is impressive, but I'll leave it at that. There's someone at the gym who's her protege and will take over my fitness instruction when she's gone. i met the woman and she seems great too.

Anyways the good news started out like this. My trainer, cuz we had a F2F session today, took me over to the mirror and asked me if I saw any change in my body. I looked carefully and said none at all. She said are you sure? I looked again and told her yup. I see no change in how I look. She asked what about how I feel. I said mmmyeah...I feel increased stamina. She said good. Then she said she was going to show me something to encourage me. She pulled out her tape measurer and measured around my waiste. I'd lost 3 inches! And around my shoulders a whopping 5 inches and another 3 inches around my thigh. She did my arm then and I'd lost about an inch and a half. I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe I'd lost such a significant amount just since she's been my trainer.

I swear, to look in the mirror I feel like I don't look any different but I did notice my clothes fitting differently. And today she gave me two new workouts and upped the weight on some of my existing workouts. I can't wait to see what results have next session!

I did 40 minuts of cardio and about 40 of weight training. This trainer says 30-45 minutes of cardio is good for me. I love her! I'm so sad she's leaving!

Day 9

2009-01-04T08:13:00.002+04:00

I've yet to go to the gym today yet. I'm about to leave in a few minutes. Finally found my swim bag with my swim suit in it.

Here's something: This morning I weighed myself on my broken scale with all my clothes on and my shoes and I still weighed less than what it was saying before I started this whole gym kick. So far I haven't missed a day at all. Except New Years, but the gym was closed. Today's my first session with my new trainer. We'll see how things go.

I haven't been as hungry as usual. Lata!

Day 6

2008-12-31T16:21:00.002+04:00

Ok, I don't know why the day 4 post says Tuesday which was yesterday and thus Day 5. Perhaps I don't need to get on here and post every single day.

I have not been able to find my swim bag since Sunday, the last time I used it. That pisses me off considering all the trouble I went through to get another suit in the first place. I distinctly remember bringing it in the house.

Today was my second weight training day. I managed to increase both my reps and the weight. I also found out that my trainer was incorrect in a lot of the things she showed me. I changed over to a new trainer today. I like her even better.

I was mad sore after my first weight session but that has almost completely faded. I did 30 mins on the bike and about 30 on the weights. I was pressed for time because of the tutoring. No gym tomorrow, since it's New Years. Lata!

Day 4

2008-12-30T02:09:00.002+04:00

Weight: 236 lbs (so far as I know)

I thought I would be weighed and measured weekly. Turns out I wont be weighed again till the end of my month.

I don't feel so good. I'm not eating right, I'm still eating way too many carbs during the day. I'm seriously considering going on the lemon cleanse for a week to jump start my healthy eating. I'm still managing a calorie deficit every day according to myfitnespal, but...I know I'm constipated because I don't eliminate nearly enough of what I eat. I notice I stay full after eating something and then I dont crap it out. Matter of fact, except for my daily morning drop, I don't move my bowels for the rest of the day...which is not good. So. I gues I know what this means. You got it: The dreaded salt-water flush in the morning. Actually, I should take it right now, it's 1:15 am.

Today was my second F2F session with my trainer. She showed me how to do all the weight machines she'd deemed suitable for my goals of shaping thighs, abs, arms, hips and butt. The squats were bad, chest presses the worst. I'm to do the weights every other day, the cardio every day. Because of the session, which was scheduled late, I only managed 30 minutes of cardio on the bike machine. I didn't use the treadmill today and right away I notice a drastic lessening of the constant pain I was walking around in. that machine is hell on my legs for some reason. It had me limping.

I have tutoring tomorrow at 11 am so if I'm going to the gym I need to do it bright and early. I didn't swim today and I probably wont tomorrow. Tutoring. I'll be glad when next week starts and I'll have my mornings free.

Day 3

2008-12-28T20:00:00.003+04:00

Weight: 236 lbs

My god, did I actually say I'd spend 6 freaking hours in the gym? 6?! Well the heart is willing and the body is on death's door. three days straight of intense cardio for an hour is killing my legs, but I have come to find out that the bike has become the easiest thing for me. The treadmill is actually worse than the elliptical right now and I didn't even attempt the elliptical today. Still, I logged 50 minutes of cardio time today and thanks to my successful foraging last night in crowded Salmiya, I was able to swim for an hour today. I got to the gym late or I would have swam longer. I had tutoring.

I made a nice huge salad with lettuce, olives, tomato, green pepper, raw broccoli, liver and chicken. it was awesome. It's amazing how many hours that salad kept me full. Fresh food really does satisfy your appetite better than processed foods.

Day 2

2008-12-27T12:02:00.003+04:00

Weight: 236 lbs

I am sooooo pissed, it's not funny. I had plans to go swimming today at the gym and what do you think happened? Couldn't find my bleeding bathing suit, that's what! I looked high and low, made myself 45 minutes late to the gym and the damn thing is nowhere to be found. This means now I have to go out and by another one, today, because I am not letting another day at the gym go by without precious, calorie-burning swimming.

Today, I decided to start by trying to run on the track, not the treadmill. Late as I was, I was still there before the trainers so there wasn't anybody to see, thank god. I managed one lap without stopping, 200 meters. Maybe tomorrow I might manage a little more.

I was still sore from yesterday and today only compounded matters. I did the bike, treadmill and elliptical again. Managed 60 minutes of cardio, then had to call it a day because MY DAMN BATHING SUIT IS LOST.

Ok. I'm over that now.

I have to say the elliptical is the worst machine. Or best, depending on how you look at it. After 30 secs on that thing my thighs are killing me. I made myself do the 10 minutes on it today though, which is 5 minutes more than I did on it yesterday. Watching the final minutes, then the final seconds tick by is absolute torture. It's all I can do to stick with it for the full alloted time without quitting. Then when the last second finally turns to zero I just about collapse off the thing in relief. Same goes for the bike. That's another hellish machine, just not as bad as the elliptical.

Looks like my weight loss sticker is back to zero. Wonder what it will say at my next weigh in? Can't wait!

Day 1 (late, sorry!)

2008-12-27T11:47:00.004+04:00

Weight: 236 lbs
107 Kg

Thursday, I hauled hubby and the kid down to Flex and finally signed up. I couldn't sign up before because first I was on my period, then I was sick, then I injured my ribs somehow. So. Yesterday, Friday, was my first day. I had an appraisal done which measured my body fat, water retention and some other stuff. I'm still waiting on the results. Then I had a Face 2 Face session which is when a trainer tells you what machines to use to achieve the goals you have specified on your form. She then tells you which classes would be good for you, how often you need to do cardio and for what duration, how often you need to do weight training and for what duration, your target heart rate while working out and what intensity you should do your workouts. She also measured my flexibility and declared me quite flexible.

Basically the results of my F2F session was this: I need to do cardio 4-5 times a week for 60-90 minutes and weight training 2-3 times a week for 20-45 minutes. I need moderate intensity in all things. However, she said I can throw in swimming for fat burning and massage and sauna for the same purposes. I really like my trainer.

Anyways, I have this fitness log where I write down what equipment I used, how long I used it, what my avg heart rate was, etc. Every little thing is documented in that log. Yesterday I used the treadmill, bike and elliptical machines. I managed 55 minutes of cardio and I wanted to die afterwards. I was so sore! I didn't bring my bathing suit so no swimming.

All in all, I good first day...except my scale at home is clearly broken. I was weighed during my appraisal on a digital scale and obviously I weigh more than I thought I did. Sucks. Oh well!

Lata

Some results

2008-12-13T17:56:00.002+04:00

I didn't hit Flex today. I'm still recovering from the turn for the worse that my 'sickness' took yesterday. I was really laid low. I'm going to try and sign up tomorrow, but I'm already behind in stuff I wanted to get done.

I've been eating 1500 calories or less for the past few days and as you can see it's paid off with 5 pounds lost. That's without exercise. Wish me luck with the gym.

Getting started

2008-12-12T08:55:00.002+04:00

Obviously, losing 70-some-odd pounds in one month is dangerous...if I were just losing fat. However, I have started my Tao-he cleanse, and will shortly start the liver cleanse. I expect a good 1/3 to 1/2 of that weight I lose to be waste. Already my cleanse has loosened up toxins and I am suffering a mildly runny/stuffy nose. I've been eliminating like I haven't in a long time too. And I've only been on the cleanse a few days. I stopped the soda as promised. I haven't really be hitting the juice either, because of those hidden calories.

Hopefully I'll start at Flex Tomorrow, after signing up today. I've restarted my fitness pal and have been monitoring my food intake. I even went and bought a gym suit so I can kill myself in style at the gym.

Lata!

Flex, here I come, inshallah!

2008-12-02T09:15:00.004+04:00

Yeah you heard right. I'm going to shell out the 150Kd for one month and work my ass off. I plan to go 7 days a week for 4-6 hours inshallah and just lose this weight once and for all. My goal is to lose between 30 and 35 kilos in that time period. it will be grueling but the result should be spectacular.

I'll be cutting out all the junk I currently consume: soda, chips,fast food. I'll also be cutting back, but not eliminating entirely, my carb consumption. Other than that I plan to eat normal whole foods.

During my month in hell-I mean at the gym- I will come on here and post my experience for that day. Should make for some entertaining reading.

So when's the big day? I think I'll start this Saturday. Not sure yet, but definitely within the next ten days, inshallah.

Pray for me!

Ramadan's over

2008-10-10T07:33:00.002+04:00

Therefore, I can try and do something with my mornings. Something fitness-y. I'm going to unearth my Billy Blanks Tae-Bo vids and start with that. True, the tapes are in Arabic, but I understand Arabic and what I don't understand him saying is fine because I just need my eyes to copy his movements.

Last week I took the kid to Flex gym and OMG. That place is an amazing, sumptuous wonderland of a gym. They have two pools, a spinning room, squash courts, studio, dozens of high-end cardio machines with their own tv sets, complete with headphones, trampolines, a rock-climbing wall about 3 stories high and a gyro-gym. They also have a basketball court, track, and various classes ( tai chi, karate, pilates, yoga). I heard they have a room called the de-stress room, with a punching bag in it and other stuff, but I haven't seen it. I want to enroll the kid. I'm seriously considering enrolling myself. Place is deliciously clean and virtually empty on mornings. And it's huge.

Of course, such a place isn't cheap. I think it's 125KD for the month, but they give you a complete physical and tailor a program for you. I really want to go. I'm going to try and make it happen.

Uhhhhh...

2008-09-13T13:20:00.004+04:00

Well, it looks like I won't be working during the day anytime soon, since I haven't landed a job. As bad as that sucks (and I can't begin to tell you how bad it does), there is a silver lining. I now have the time to devote to exercising that I didn't have before. If I had a car to drive, that is. Since I don't, gym membership is out. So is going for my 5-mile walk by the marina. What's left then? Walking around here in my neighborhood. I don't really want to do that for a few reasons:

no sidewalks
reckless drivers
I could get lost

However, I really don't have a choice. I don't exactly have the energy to do it while I'm fasting, not to mention I now have housework and cooking to do. But I'll see if I can't work out a compromise somehow.

Ramadan

2008-08-31T10:52:00.002+04:00

Ramadan starts tomorrow. I have to make sure to drink plenty of water during non-fast times and eat plenty of fruits and veggies, no matter how bad my craving for carbs and sugars is. I expect to lose a few pounds at first then stabilize.

Still plugging away

2008-08-25T14:37:00.002+04:00

I had a delicious fruit smoothie this morning. Here's the recipe:

1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 peach, peeled and sliced
1 plum, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal
3/4 cups of milk
1 tbsp of honey

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Tonight I plan on making baked fish, baked potatoes and salad. I violated my rule for not eating chips or red meat. I ate chips and I had hot dogs. I yelled at hubby for throwing temptation in my face and he was properly contrite. He vowed not to bring any chips in the house for at least a month. it will have to do.

A cool site

2008-08-22T17:19:00.001+04:00

This site calculates the calories you burn doing over 200 activities:

http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm

I'm scared

2008-08-22T14:35:00.005+04:00

I've been having little chest pains. They aren't isolated to one spot but seems to happen in various spots around my chest and ribcage. I strongly feel these pains have to do with clogged arteries and my generally unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. In my search for healthier eating habits, I came across Dr. Dean Ornish and his Life Choice Diet. I'm going to paste this from a website I found:

Dean Ornish

The Life Choice Diet

The Life Choice Diet is a low-fat vegetarian way of eating with less than 10% calories from fat (for most people, this would be a diet with 15 to 25 grams of fat per day). The focus is on beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with processed foods and nonfat dairy products consumed in moderation. Simple sugars and alcohols, like fat, are to be avoided.

Guidelines -- "all you really need to know"

You can eat the following foods whenever you feel hungry until you are full (but not until you are stuffed):

Beans and legumes (lentils, kidney beans, peas, black beans, red Mexican beans, split peas, soybeans, black-eyed peas, garbanzos, navy beans, and so on)
Fruits (apples, apricots, bananas, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, oranges, peaches, raspberries, cantaloupes, watermelons, pears, honeydew melons, pineapples, tomatoes, and so on)
Grains (corn, rice, oats, wheat, millet, barley, buckwheat, and so on)
Vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, mushrooms, eggplant, celery, asparagus, onions, sweet potatoes, spinach, and so on)

You can eat the following foods in moderation:

Nonfat dairy products, including skim milk, nonfat yogurt, nonfat cheeses, nonfat sour cream, and egg whites
Nonfat or very low-fat commercially available products, including whole grain breakfast cereals, Health Valley chili (and many other Health Valley products), Kraft Free nonfat mayonnaise and salad dressings, Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips, Quaker Oats oatmeal, Nabisco fat-free crackers, Fleishmann's Egg Beaters, Pritikin soups.

Read labels. Some of the nonfat or very low-fat commercially available products are high in sugar, so avoid these when possible. Ingredients are listed on food labels in order of the amount contained in that food. In other words, if the first ingredient is sugar, then there's more sugar than anything else in that food. Also, on most packages you'll find the number of grams of fat, the number of calories, and the amount of cholesterol.

Here are the foods to avoid as much as possible:

Meats (all kinds, including chicken and fish)
Oils (all kinds) and oil-containing products, including margarines and most salad dressings
Avocados
Olives
Nuts and seeds
High-fat or "low-fat" dairy, including whole milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, egg yolks, cream, and so on
Sugar and simple sugar derivatives (honey, molasses, corn syrup, high fructose syrup, and the like)
Alcohol
Any commercially available product with more than two grams of fat per serving

I think I can integrate this with the My Fitness Pal. I had already concluded that the fruit smoothies worked wonders for me. This is further proof that I was on the right track. And it's not really a diet, so much as a way of eating. I'm going to try to eliminate the harmful food from my diet little by little. The first things to go will be soda, chips and fried foods. Hubby has bought groceries since my last post so there are munchies in the house. Whenever he buys groceries, he buys junk food. Last night I told him I wanted to eliminate junk food from me and the kid's diet and he was like well that's fine for you guys, but not for me. He was adamant. i don't care, he can kill himself if he wants but I am seriously going to try with this. I haven't had any soda in the past 2 days but I've had a lot of fried foods. I'm glad rice is on the list, but I think I'll keep honey, avocado and olive oil in my diet.

Looks like no meat. Well, I will try with that as well but gradually. For now, I'll stop eating red meat. So no soda, chips, fried foods or red meat. I didn't see pasta anywhere on the diet. Hmmm...

Also big news, I'm starting the Tao He, bentonite and psyllium cleanse today. I had oatmeal for breakfast with apple and peach slices. Wish me Luck!

ahh?

2008-08-15T20:34:00.002+04:00

See that? Just being back here in Kuwait 2 days with us on strict rations of food has brought me down 5 pounds. And if the truth be known I weighed 235 before I left my dad's house and now I'm 226 to I lost 9 pounds. The same thing happened to my dad when he came here to visit. He said in 3 days time he'd lost 12 pounds, but not for lack of food. I think he was nervous so he didn't eat much.

I can even say proudly that this isn't water I'm losing since I've been drinking tons of water to quench hunger pains. In all honesty, I'm not suffering. I'm just craving munchies I had in abundance in the States, such as doughnuts, fast food, soda and chips. With all that cut out of my diet since Tuesday night it's no wonder I dropped a few pounds. I eat breakfast and dinner with nothing in between except water and, once, a few nuts I found on the microwave. As of now there is nothing to drink in the house except water so all those juice calories I used to have are gone.

I'm content.

Trying...

2008-08-07T19:03:00.004+04:00

Ok, here's the deal. I've been leaving my computer off, because I just haven't had time to sit at it. That means I haven't been updating my food diary. Even though that's the case, I am still aware of what I eat and have a rough idea of how many calories I'm taking in. Still, it's not the same as seeing it daily or as encouraging.

My main thing now is exercise. I haven't been doing any and I need to get cracking on that if I want to lose weight. I really need to be more disciplined. Hopefully, this time next week, I'll be back in Kuwait and can then devote more time to the diary and exercise.

I have weights at home, but I want a stationary bike. I need to buy one as soon as my finances will allow.

Oopsie

2008-07-30T20:07:00.003+04:00

I went to Chuck E. Cheese yesterday and had four of their small slices of pizza and 2 large Sprites. That seriously threw me off my fixed calories. I went way over, especially since I had a root beer with dinner. I need to watch it. All had for breakfast was a bagel with scrambled eggs on it, but throw in the butter the deli put on it and my 2 cups of iced tea and that was more than half my allotted calories right there. Guess, I'll be eating light the rest of the day.

Let's try again...

2008-07-29T14:26:00.002+04:00

Ok. I'm going to try this again. I went to the site and entered my breakfast. Just that, nothing else. no exercise or lunch or anything. I'm going to start off slowly.

Wish me luck.

Off the wagon

2008-07-28T18:24:00.003+04:00

Not too long after my last post, I stopped going to My fitness Pal. I don't know exactly why I lost my motivation, but something about having to document everything I ate and not always being able to keep up with it played a part. And the fact that it's so hard for me to exercise here and without that I won't lose weight. Lastly, there aren't a lot of fruits and veggies here at my dad's house and they are so pricey here. I wanted to spend my money on fun things. It's all pretty discouraging. Anyways, I hope to get back on track soon.

Lata...

YAY!

2008-07-11T15:30:00.002+04:00

I did it! I ate the meals I said I would eat yesterday and fell well within my calorie range. I did a lot of walking yesterday with my aunt so that earned me extra calories. I actually fell short of the amount of calories they said I could have. I didn't even feel hungry yesterday! I can't wait to see results in my weight. I exercised yesterday, so today I'm all nice and sore. But that wont stop me from exercising today! I am so pumped.

This morning I mapped out today's meals and snacks and I am still below the limit. I put in what exercises I'll be doing and as soon as my dad leaves the house I'll go in there and do them. I can't remember when was the last time I was this excited about fitness.

Lata!

Continued...

2008-07-10T17:10:00.001+04:00

Best of all, that site is free! I got a ticker which I installed at the bottom of this page, you can scroll down and see it. Also, you earn extra calories by exercising. I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

I'm actually hopeful

2008-07-10T15:35:00.002+04:00

Weight: 231

Seems I've reached a plateau. Hardly surprising when I don't exercise. Anyways my aunt told me the more i exercise the more I can eat. For right now, though, she gave me some sites to try. The one I found the most helpful was www.myfitnesspal.com . See, my aunt said I need to be counting calories and exercising in order to continuously lose weight. The more weight I lose, the more I reduce my caloric intake. She said to start at 1,800 calories, then gradually reduce that, week by week, to 1,200. However, this site started me off at 1,200 calories based on my weight and activity level. If I go by their food plan, I should lose about 1.9 pounds per week. That's with doing at least 10 mins of cardio a day. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that 10 mins of cardio a day works wonders according to my aunt. One can then build up to 15-20 mins a day.

It's also what Bob Green said in his book. Actually, he said a lot of things about how to exercise and what intensity your exercises should be in order to lose weight and effect a change. I'm glad my mom gave me the book.

Anyways, this site is amazing. it has all foods, bascally, and their caloric value. It has a food diary, and exercise diary...feel free to check it out, I've included a link to the right of this page. I think I can really achieve my goals this summer!

Some help

2008-07-06T08:19:00.003+04:00

My aunt went over some sites with me about weight loss. It was good. What was even better, though, was her decision to help me devise my own workout plan tomorrow morning, inshallah. She also showed me a modified jumping jack that wouldn't kill me. I will definitely be doing those instead of the traditional ones I tried before with the kid. I remember a horrible sensation of my flubber bouncing like mad....

Anyways, once back in Kuwait, I'll be trying to start up my own local Biggest Loser contest. My aunt said she'd help me with that, too. I swear, it's so good to have help and encouragement in these matters.

New elements

2008-07-05T16:53:00.001+04:00

I added some links to the page.

Water

2008-07-05T16:23:00.005+04:00

I should be drinking half my body weight in ounces...that's about 115 ounces of water or 14 8- ounce glasses. But I just went on this site and they told me (based on my weight and the hot climate I live in and other things) that I should be drinking 139 ounces of water, or 4 liters a day. Basically a gallon. Here's the site, it's pretty cool:

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

I Hate walking!

2008-07-05T16:06:00.004+04:00

Last night while trying to see fireworks I walked almost 2 miles at a grueling pace. I think that should count for something. I know I said I would walk this summer no matter how much it kills me, but I've realized something. It's a pretty embarrassing and shameful thing, so it hurts to admit it: I'm mostly talk and no action. It's horrible, but I see evidence of it in practically everything I do.

I have to change that.

sigh

2008-07-04T21:43:00.002+04:00

Weight: 231

I guess the only thing I have to be happy about is the fact that I'm still losing weight. I swear, I haven't been walking, or eating right. I tried to do some of the cardio, even got the kid involved, and I collapsed after 1 minute. Kid kept right on going. I suck. But I'm going to keep trying.

Least I still have my water bottle. I've been guarding it. No measurements today.

Cardio workouts

2008-06-30T17:07:00.001+04:00

Found a site of relatively easy home cardio workouts. Here it is:

http://fitnesstrainerstogo.com/cardio/

A New Thought

2008-06-30T16:56:00.002+04:00

My aunt came up from NC the day before. Yesterday, I went over to go see her. I'd heard she'd lost a lot of weight. Well, when I saw her she looked terrific. She was toned and slim and a far cry from what she was last year. She told me she did The Biggest Loser, or a version of it at her local YWCA. She said she learned to eat right and exercise. Basically, she said I need to do 5-6 days of cardio and at least 2 days of weights. I need to lose weight and at the same time convert my weight to muscle.

I recall trying all that at some point in this blog. However, I haven't been consistent. And I certainly don't do an hour of cardio. I've done weight training but no serious cardio for a prolonged length of time. I asked her what kind of cardio I could do in the house, she said spinning or Tae Bo or something like that. She also mentioned a website to go to but I forgot it. I'm going to call and get it from her in a bit. In the meantime, I'm going to look up in-home cardio workouts.

Sluggish

2008-06-28T18:27:00.002+04:00

Weight: 232 lbs

Arms: 16

Bust: 48

Waist: 46

Hips: 52

Thighs: 30

I know I'm late with my updates, but better late than never. Looks like I lost some weight and an inch or so in a few places. Actually, all my measurements are less than before, though not by much. Still, it's something. Without the measurements and the scale I wouldn't be able to really see myself losing weight. I feel exactly the same. Now that I have a new water bottle, things are going to go much easier.

I was on my period this week, too. That affected my walking, though I did go to Manhattan on Wednesday and walk around for 10 hours. I was crippled the next day, to be sure. It also rained for several days. I expect my period will be leaving soon so I hope to get more exercise. I also need to really stick with my smoothies.

So I've lost 4 pounds that means I have 33 more to go.

Still struggling

2008-06-23T15:08:00.002+04:00

Well I walked the day before yesterday. The day before that I was actually running for the bus several times in addition to walking so I consider that progress. Yesterday I spent the whole day out so I didn't get a chance to walk. Today...we'll see.

Also, since my water bottle has been stolen (and I know who took it. Vengeance will be mine) I haven't been drinking any water. It is absolutely amazing the difference that water bottle made in my life. I wasn't drinking water before I had it either. I have to get a new one immediately because I've already gained weight from lack of water intake.

That's all for now.

And.....I'm off!

2008-06-19T16:19:00.003+04:00

Just got back from the park a little while ago. I swung on the swings for awhile. I tell you, that's a good workout for the legs, butt and stomach. The kid and I had a lot of fun. After, I went walking around the park once. I felt the blood circulating in my legs, but didn't walk long enough to work up a sweat. Tomorrow, inshallah I plan to walk twice around and then thrice around the following day, and so on. I feel good about my small start.

Like I said we're supposed to be going grocery shopping today. The day we landed my dad picked up a huge bag a fried fish and some side orders of candied yams and potato salad. Well we've been eating the fish for breakfast lunch and dinner for the past 3 days. There are only two pieces left. I'm pretty tired of it anyways. I need fruits and veggies!

The Stages

2008-06-19T13:04:00.001+04:00

So I said Stage One would be getting to 199 pounds. I've been thinking what Stage Two could be. I've decided that Stage Two would be getting from 199 to 170. I'll think of a Stage Three later. So far I haven't gotten the fruit yet. We hope to get that and the blender today. And now that I have a set of house keys I can leave the apartment and go for nice long walks. The park near the house has been expanded since I was last here. I'm heading over in a little while inshallah.

Lata

And so I start...again...for the last time

2008-06-18T17:21:00.003+04:00

Weight: 236 lbs

Ok, when I got to my dad's yesterday, I stripped and weighed myself. It ain't pretty. My first goal is to make it past 200 pounds. That's Stage One. Once I hit 199 pounds I will consider Stage One complete. So that's 37 pounds? Well, we'll see how long it takes me.

Today I measured myself. I'll continue to weigh and measure myself once a week. So next Tuesday there'll be an update on my weight (hopefully less) and my measurements. This is what they are now in inches:

Arms: 16 1/2

Bust: 49

Waist: 47

Hips: 52 1/2

Thighs: 30 1/2

Last Ditch Effort

2008-06-14T17:03:00.002+04:00

My scale is broken. I discovered it by accident so I have no clue how much I actually weigh, but I'm guessing around the same weight. I'll know when I hit my dad's house, inshallah.

So...This is my last attempt to lose weight. if I can't hit below 200 pounds soon after I land over there I will give up. I'll just remain a fat ugly bald hippopatamus. If, however, I see that I'm making progress I will continue on until I have achieved full hotness and awesomeness. I have a plan:

1) Smoothie diet. I did it for awhile this year and I couldn't believe how the pounds melted off. The only reason I stopped was cuz I ran out of fruit and never had time to buy more.

2) WALK, WALK, WALK! I will get out and really move around town no matter how much it kills me. I'll also throw in some calisthenics at home. If I can, I'll run around with the kid at the park. I plan to buy a tape measurer and bring it with me. I want to see the inches coming off.

3) Try not to lay down so much during the day. Always move around unless I'm sleeping.

And then, people, we shall see what we see!

Dammit

2008-02-13T06:39:00.001+04:00

Weight: 103 kilos

I started my intestinal cleanse yesterday. I didn't do it on the 24th, or the lemon cleanse, nada. I'm trying to do minor exercise, too. I work so much it's not funny, so I have time for absolutely nothing. I do aim to be drastically thinner come summertime, so me and the kid hae been working out a little together.

lata..

Uhhh

2008-01-11T10:06:00.000+04:00

I didn't start my cleanse yesterday, but the bentonite and stuff came. Since I'll be starting a new job, it'll look bad for me to be running to the bathroom every minute. I may wait until the 24th to start when I'll have time off.

Again

2008-01-09T10:01:00.001+04:00

Weight: 105 kilos

I've decided to do another lemon cleanse. I figure I'll go about 7 days like last time and get everything all nice and loosened up. By that time my bentonite and stuff should be here so I'll start taking that. I'm going to shoot for 10 days. The first 7 days with just lemon cleanse, then 3 days with lemon and bentonite. After that I'll go on an essentially raw food diet...well, more raw foods than I'm getting now and no refined flour or sugar PERIOD. While I'm doing that, I'll continue the Bentonite and cleansing stuff, inshallah. When I'm all done, I'll try a liver flush. Throughout all of this WATER, WATER, WATER!

I'm going to start tomorrow, inshallah.

Got it

2007-12-31T09:54:00.000+04:00

Ok, I finalized the order with Amazon and got my bentonite and digestive cleanse. Hopefully that will get here within the next two weeks. None too soon, either, my period is going wonky again.

Herbal Supplements

2007-12-22T14:27:00.000+04:00

Would you believe I haven't gotten around to ordering those supplements yet??? Inshallah, I'm going to do it today, right now in fact.

I intend to be hot and fine by this summer!!!!

About Day 7

2007-12-08T06:58:00.001+04:00

Weight: 103 kilos

Yesterday didn't go well for me. I'd been eliminating less and less as the cleanse went on even though I'd been drinking the eight glasses of lemon drink and lots of water. Been doing the saltwater flush, too. I stopped losing weight. Towards the end of the day, I had a sharp drilling pain in my head that worsened if I moved and numbness in my lower left leg. The toxins were being loosened by my cleanse but weren't being eliminated properly. After researching a bit more and lots of thinking, I decided to go off the cleanse. As of rght now, I'm not on it.

I found out that I won't be dropping real waste at all on this cleanse, and lots of people said it, not just my mom. I need the bentonite to do that and the parasite cleanse. I ordered them yesterday.

I went off my cleanse with some orange juice. Later I had some soup. After awhile I had a little normal food. I felt bad about going off my cleanse.

This morning I feel awful! My body feels slow and heavy and I couldn't wake up. Just that little bit of food did that. I'm going to start eating only the things on the blood-type list I devised and when my stuff gets here, continue cleansing.

That's all for now.

Day 6 (cont)

2007-12-06T11:45:00.000+04:00

Days left: 22

weight: 102 kilos

I went for my walk, went to the herbal store that I know of and now I'm back. There are bathrooms along the path I walk so I eliminated while walking. Halfway back, I managed to work up a good sweat. I felt really good doing the walk, no where near the amount of discomfort I usually feel. I was just incredibly thirsty. I'm going to try and continue walking inshallah.

Once my walk was done I was sooooo sleepy. I fell asleep in the car while waiting for the herbal shop to open. Turned out to be wasted time, since they have neither bentonite or parasite cleanse. Looks like I need to order those things online pronto. I need to start eliminating properly, seems I've reached a plateau in weight loss.

A few things I forgot to mention in the last post: food lasts much longer in this house now that I'm not eating. Also, type O's need to do strenuous exercise to remain healthy. I lead such a sedentary lifestyle, no wonder I'm such an unhealthy, unattractive person.

Ok, I'm going to take a nap.

Day 6

2007-12-06T06:44:00.000+04:00

Days Left: 22

Weight: 102 kilos (haven't eliminated yet)

Well, I learned a few things yesterday. Number 1, I caLled my mom and found that she, too, dropped nothing but watery garbage on the lemon cleanse. It was when she combined it with psyillium and bentonite that she got results and dropped solid waste. Combining those with the lemon cleanse is called the Ultimate Cleanse. I'll be out looking for those things today, inshallah.

Number 2, I need to be exercising. This helps the elimination and cleanse process tremendously. I've planned to go for my 5 mile walk as soon as I eliminate his morning, inshallah.

Number 3, I need to be doing a parasite cleanse while doing this lemon fast...but I cant find the product I need. Also, after the cleanse I need to do a kidney, liver and gallbladder flush.

All that is part of the cleansing process. In my quest for overall, long-term health I researched eating for my blood-type yesterday and came up with a list of foods suited for my O+ blood type. A LOT of the junk I eat isn't on that list. And a LOT of the foods on that list aren't in my diet. As well, I need to be doing the water cure, which is drinking half my body weight in ounces of water a day.

As far as the cleanse now, I finally managed eight 14oz glasses of the lemon drink yesterday, and I drank as more water than the previous day. Also, I've noticed that my sense of smell is sharper and I'm not running to bathroom uncontrollably anymore.

So those are the things I can and will be doing on my road to healthy hotness. More later, inshallah...

Day 5 update

2007-12-05T09:45:00.000+04:00

Days left: 23

Weight: 102 kilos

I eliminated a bit, but not all. Even so, you can see that I dropped some weight. I feel like there's a big load waiting to be dropped...hopefully I'll drop it sometime today.

So, all in all I've gone from 235 lbs to 224 lbs in 5 days. Not bad! Inshallah things will improve further.

Wonder how B's doing???

Day 5

2007-12-05T08:38:00.000+04:00

Days left: 23

Weight: 104 kilos

And that weight assessment was before i eliminated for this morning. Pending that, I may update the blog entry.

As happy as I am about seeing the kilos dwindle, I know I'm not drinking enough water yet. If I could drink more water and lemon drink during the day, the cleanse would go a lot better, I'm told.

Exercise also helps the cleanse process along. I've been feeling like I want to walk, the problem is I just never have time. So today I did a few minutes on the bike to see how I'd feel. For starters, I wasn't panting for breath after 30 seconds like I normally would be. I was able to go a whole minute without breathing hard and at a fast pace. I also did some stretching and some minor weight lifting.

I stopped because I'm feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded. It's because I haven't eliminated this morning's saltwater flush yet, and whatever toxins its released are still in me. The flushes are taking longer and longer to pass through me, too, as they pick up more waste. I read that between days 4-6 tapeworms, pinworms and roundworms will begin to be present in the stool. A prelude to the larger worms that will be passed later on in the cleanse. I soooooo don't want to see any parasites coming out of me. I'm really afraid of that aspect of the cleanse. But I said I'd do it and I am. If I stop now, it will all have been for nothing. And I'll still be unhealthy. I haven't even begun dropping solid crap yet and already I feel better. Once i start dropping logs of solid putrefying waste, I'll feel so much better than I do now....

I'll be so glad when my 28 days are over! I'm still craving food....

Day 4

2007-12-04T08:48:00.000+04:00

Days left: 24

weight: 105 Kilos

Well, it seems to be going easier. Yesterday I only managed five 14oz glasses of the lemon drink, but I drank more water. The cravings nearly did me in. I found myself looking at pictures of food and drooling, literally.

I've noticed that bodily odors are greatly diminished now. I wonder if I'll get to a point where I'm fresh-smelling and craving-free. Probably. The best way to tell when your body is done cleansing is when your tongue is nice and pink and clean. During the cleanse it gets all white and tacky looking. Mine is white right now. I've read the for first timers, the pink tongue can take up to twenty days to reach on the cleanse. So my goal of 28 days seems reasonable. Also, I'm concerned that I don't eliminate much after the saltwater flush except the water. I read that this is usually the case for meat and dairy eaters for the first few days on the cleanse. Adding more salt to the water should help with that. Well I added more salt this morning and so far nothing much has come out. My crap must really be impacted in there.

Anyways, I'm glad to see I dropped another kilo. I feel lighter, and a teeny bit healthier than I did before; no more heartburn and overwhelming fatigue. I slept better last night, too. Wonder how much weight I'll lose by Friday, inshallah? I can see how I compare to B, lol!

I'm out to buy more clease supplies....

Day 3

2007-12-03T08:19:00.000+04:00

Days left: 25

Weight: 106 kilos

Well, yesterday went a lot better than the first day. I made a conscious effort to drink more water. It was weird, I kept hearing all these rumblings in my stomach anytime I drank the lemon mixture. I read online one account of someone drinking their lemon mixture hot, as well as their salt water flush in the morning. I drank all my lemon mixtures hot yesterday and they went down muuuuch easier. The salt water flush this morning also went down a lot better. It was more like drinking soup. The first day I only managed four 14oz glasses of the lemon stuff, but yesterday I managed six. Hopefully, today I'll mange eight.

I lost some weight! Only a kilo, but that's 2 pounds! I can see it, too. My waist is smaller and my stomach. Hope this keeps up. The kid came in my room this morning with a plateful of beef stroganoff that was dinner last night and I wanted to scream, no lie. The smell lingered in here long after she'd gone to school, too.

Well, SO FAR SO GOOD. I'm sleepy, though. Hard to get a good night's rest when you're going to the bathroom every minute.

Day 2

2007-12-02T07:08:00.001+04:00

FUCKING HELL!!!! Drinking a quart of that heinous saltwater is absolutely NOT how I like to start my day!!! Oh, God I'm so unhappy. I want food so bad. The maid's out there grilling chicken burgers and they smell soooo incredibly good.

Well, I got 26 more days to go. Please, God. Please let me make it.

Hubby isn't helping the situation. He is in flat disbelief that anybody can live off this lemon cleanse for any length of time and be ok afterwards. I assured him I'll be fine inshallah.

I really hope I will be.

Day 1 cont.

2007-12-01T23:04:00.000+04:00

If ever a prison is looking for a worse punishment than torture or death...let them have their inmates fast and then set them around food. Allah is my witness, the smells nearly drove me insane, today. Every cell in my body cried out for salty goodness, food, ANYTHING but those sickly lemon drinks. But I stuck with it. Nearly wet myself on a student's driveway due to all these extra fluids, but I made it to the bathroom.

It's now 10 pm. I've been up since 4 am. I'm tired, cranky and headachy. I drank the minimum amount of the lemon drink. I didn't drink nearly enough water. As a result, my body horded all the water it has in fear of dehydration. End result: though I ate nothing today, I'm 2 pounds heavier than I was this morning.

I'm feeling very discouraged as I sit here sipping my herbal laxative tea....especially since there's good Spanish chicken and rice sitting in my fridge...and hubby bought me a strawberry smoothie from Baskin Robbins....god, that was the worst....however I shall maintain this fast for 28 days inshallah, so help me god!!!

I'm out.

Enough is Enough, Dammit! (Day 1)

2007-12-01T13:57:00.000+04:00

Well, I weighed myself this morning. I'm back to 107 kilos. That's 235 pounds. Ridiculous. I was at the mall last evening with a friend and there are so many nice clothes I'd like to buy! Plus sizes just don't have enough of what I like. And plus sizes usually mean plus prices.

So, this morning while chatting with B, I decided to do the lemon cleanse. I'm going to shoot for 28 days inshallah, though it can be done for 10 to 40 days safely. We'll see how much weight I lose and how much healthier I get inshallah.

So at 235 pounds, I need to drink 117 ounces of the lemon drink. The cup I use is 14oz, so I need to drink 8 of those. So far I've drunk 3. I'd have drunk more by now (1 pm) but I was tutoring.

This morning it was sooooo hard to go through with it. I'm always so hungry in the morning and I wasn't sure if I had everything...I kept telling myself, yalla tomorrow or the day after you can start. But then I also kept telling myself no, if you postpone it, you wont do it. Look what happned with my walking. I left off for a few days and boom. I'm not walking anymore. I know it's going to be maaaaaaad hard for me to smell food or see it and not have any, but I really need to do this inshallah.

I need to also find out if the lemon cleanse can be done in conjunction with the liver flush. More later inshallah!

Damnit!

2007-11-17T09:05:00.000+04:00

I haven't walked at all this week. I've been too busy watching X-files. God, I suck.

Uphill

2007-11-11T11:06:00.001+04:00

I went walking today. I can do the 5 miles without stopping now. I need to start doing this everyday, though. I won't see results otherwise. It's going to be a hard, uphill climb because I hate going for that walk. I really have to force myself to do it. I can't wait till I get to the point where it's routine and easy for me.

Lata

Slim?

2007-11-10T06:20:00.000+04:00

I haven't walked for the past two days, just because I've been so busy. I have to walk this morning, that's that.

I think I'm going to try Slimfast and see how that works out for me. I would prefer Boost, but they don't have any here. And the Myoplex is out of the question, it's so gross. I bought a Slimfast the other day and it tastes pretty good. Much better than the Myoplex at any rate!

Lata..

Still Trying

2007-11-07T05:48:00.000+04:00

Yesterday I got out of the meeting too late and my legs were too sore to walk. I feel much better this morning, have no meeting planned, so inshallah I will go walk. I need to make sure I keep up with this. When I was walking everyday I was in much better shape.

Lata

It's a start!

2007-11-05T10:26:00.000+04:00

I did it! I went walking this morning! I woke up around 4:30 am, prayed, did an involved Behavioral Science assignment and then, even though it was way later than I usually go, I put on my sneakers and went for that 2 kilometer walk. Took me an hour and ten minutes. The weather was gorgeous, too, high 60's-low 70's. When I was done, I drank water from my water jug and came home. I took a shower and here I am.

I feel great, mashallah!

I got my blood circulating, I sweated a bit, I'm good. This is the 3rd week of losing weight, I think, with B.

If only I can keep this up, inshallah...

Just Do It

2007-11-04T08:52:00.000+04:00

A few days ago, while I was watching TV, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I couldn't breath for a second, then it passed. A few days after that I was looking at my legs and saw how fat there were. I mean really really fat. Gross fat.

I consider these mild wakeup calls. I need to get active. And I used to be sooo active! God, look at me now. Everyday I plan to walk but I end up getting on my laptop instead. I need to just do it. Then I can come back and mess with my laptop as much as I want. I'll try and go today...no, it's too late. Ok tomorrow for sure, inshallah.

Lata...

TV Eater

2007-10-30T08:05:00.000+04:00

I've realized something. I watch TV. I mean, I somehow always say that I dont really watch TV, but that's not true. What's in my head when I say that is that I don't watch prime time television...shows that come on, me flipping channels and stuff. No. But I do clock some serious TV hours watching series on DVD. Right now I'm doing Angel. And while I'm watching TV, I always have to have some major carbs in front of me to stuff my face with. Let's face it, I can't get my TV on with a big salad in front of me. It's got to be the buttered bagels, the eggs, the meat, the chips and Snickers and coke, coke coke!!! And now that I know diet is unhealthy it's the regular coke! So...that's where a lot of my calories come from. Weird, I'm now realizing it.

Case in point, it's 7:10am. I had planned to go for a walk this morning and eat when I get back. Didn't feel all that hungry. Then I remembered that I'm in the middle of an episode I didn't finish watching last night. I thought about watching the episode instead and voila...mysterious hunger for buttered bagels with fried egg, cheese and turkey on it. And coke. I'm sitting here right now feeling it, smelling it as I type. It's not even really hunger pains...it's just me salivating while I think about it and the smell permeating my mind. My tongue wants it, but I'm not actually hungry hungry, you know?

So I figured I'd zoom on to the blog in an effort to stave off the attack. Had hoped to see B online, but she isn't. She's great for encouragement. Will I go for the walk? Or will I cave and watch the Angel with yumminess in front of me? I think the flesh is weak here, folks. Angel and food it is.

But what would happen if I reduced my caloric intake by 1000? I was going to start that today, too, coupled with the walking.

I'm just pathetic...where's the remote.

B is for Best Friend

2007-10-27T11:42:00.000+04:00

I'm still trying to lose weight. I'm 104 kilos, down from 107 this summer. My girl B has included me most generally in her plan to also lose weight. We're supposed to be seeing how much we can lose in the next 8 weeks.

I'm glad she's including me because I need some encouragement to get started. Once I start losing tons of weight I think I'll be over the hump and it'll be easier. There's this book called The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book that I need to order pronto. It says that I should be eating lots of fruits and veggies for a healthy liver and I hardly ever eat either. So that's what I'll be doing. Hubby went and bought a whole bunch yesterday. The problem is he also baought lots of root beer, hot cheetos, BBQ corn chips and assorted other goodies. And the maid made brownies yesterday. It's soooo incredibly hard not to pick at those things! So hard.

I'm trying though. Really trying. More later, inshallah.

Summer

2007-06-30T21:56:00.000+04:00

I'm here in the states. I stopped going to the gym a few weeks ago. I've been here a week and due to massive sweating and drinking tons of water I lost 7 pounds in about 5 days. I felt really good about that until I thought maybe I was losing all the muscle I'd gained instead. Anyways, I went to Target to buy a thigh master and get my new fitness ball blown up, but they didn't have the thigh master and they politely informed me that they don't blow balls up for ppl. I was bummed about it. I have to go now so i'll continue this post when I get back inshallah.

Back now. It's the next day. I gained back a few of those pounds, but I'm still less than I was when I came. It hasn't been as hot so I haven't been sweating. I guess that's why I haven't been losing like before. I think I'll order my thighmaster online. Anyways, I'll end this post now. More lata, inshallah!

Day 43 Suzanna McGee has my body!

2007-05-25T04:45:00.001+04:00

THIS IS IT!!!THIS IS THE BODY I WANT EXACTLY! TO A T! I don't really know who she is...she's some kind of bodybuilding champion/skating champion/ fitness and sports champion all together. She also does some artistic stuff, dunno. Never mind that crap. This is the body I'm dying for. This is my definition of hotness, right here. True she's 6 feet and I'm 5'2". True, she's 185 pounds of solid muscle. and I'm 200 and something pounds of fat. But this is just the thing I need to get me re-motivated. I haven't done anything in near a week. I think I'm back on track, ppl!

God, what I wouldn't give to look like that! Well, I wouldn't give my kid or my Blood, but anything else!

I will have legs and abs like that, inshallah! I swear it!

Weeeeee, how I wish I had biceps like those!

Now, that's a nice butt! I wouldn't be wearing wedgie- makers like that though....

This is some other chic entirely, Japanese I think, but she's got the body, too.

Alrighty. Time to buckle down on my food in-take and get this tail in shape....

Day 40

2007-05-22T05:28:00.001+04:00

I'm not dizzy today. However, I did spend a large part of yesterday in bed. Hubby thinks I'm suffering from mild exhaustion. He says I'm pushing myself too hard, what with all the exercise, work and studying. He might be right. He called me at least 15 times yesterday checking up on me after I confessed that I was feeling dizzy and light-headed. He wanted to take me to the doctor on the instant. I'm trying to take it easy. My blisters aren't healed yet, so no walking again today =(.

Day 39

2007-05-21T10:03:00.000+04:00

Why do I bother? I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. Dizzy and light headed and just feeling strange. I'm supposed to go walking today and to the gym, but I seriously don't feel like it. I had to lay back down today after I woke up, I was so dizzy. I thought maybe my liver was getting congested again, since I finished my cleanse...I ordered some liver cleanse products online last night. But , now I realize my period is 3 days late. It might be yet another false alarm, but what if it's not? I don't know. But I really feel like giving up.

Uphill - Day 33

2007-05-15T06:01:00.000+04:00

My will power is flagging. I'm trying hard to push myself to keep going to the gym but it's so hard. I got weighed and measured yesterday and I only lost a centimeter here and there. I'm trying to institute low-carb into my diet now and include walking in my regime. Walking for an hour and ten minutes along this particular run that's about 3 to 4 miles. I did it on Sunday. I tried to do it yesterday but was too busy. And last night I broke down and had McDonalds after not having it for more than 2 months.

I wish somebody would encourage me =(

Day 18... setback

2007-05-01T13:02:00.000+04:00

I haven't been to the gym in 5 or 6 days and I feel awful about it. Part of the reason was I was too busy watching Heroes. Another part was...well, no that was just it. I've been overeating, too, but I laid off the Myoplex while I wasn't working out. I'm going to the gym right this minute as soon as I get off this post. Thank god I didn't gain any weight from this. Back to Operation: Hotness or Bust!!! Yalla! Yosh!!!

Day 12 still

2007-04-25T20:50:00.000+04:00

OMFG THAT MYOPLEX DRINK IS HORRIBLE!!!! I could barely get it down. The shit is thick as hops, no wonder I almost killed myself carrying it to the car. God!

Since I was out with a friend for the 4pm meal I ate chicken and some olives and water. I had a one of those Myoplex drinks with me though, in case we didn't make it back to the house in time. Sure enough 7 pm rolled around with me in the car on the road. I opened it, drank some and nearly threw up. It's not sweet at all. It tastes like watered down chocolate milk...but extremely thick. I brought the rest home, threw some ice in it, and chugged it down as fast as I could. The kid tasted some and agreed that it's truly heinous. But I guess my butt will be drinking it anyway! Maybe it's an acquired taste.

Ugh.

I felt really good, coming back from the gym today. I also checked out that other gym. They do indeed have personal trainers, and nutritionists who craft a diet for you. They seem strict over there. You definitely get you money's worth. But it's really tiny, with no pool. I like the gym I'm at better; they have way more equipment. Still, I guess I can think about it.

So far I've had all my meals. Eating six times a day is no joke. I tried to make sure my portions were small...there were small...but I guess I need to make them even smaller,since I've felt full for most of the day. Just waiting for the 10 pm one, now. All my meals had protein too. This morning I had Kashi cereal for breakfast.

Later...

Day 12

2007-04-25T06:21:00.000+04:00

Well, yesterday morning I was unable to find any Boost at the Sultan Center. I was soooo disappointed. Good thing I brought an extra sandwich along with me to eat at 10 am. I managed all the meals except the 4pm and 10 pm ones.

Now for the good news. My friend and I went out to the mall last night and there was a supplement stall right there near the entrance! They didn't have Boost, but they had Myoplex which is touted as one of the best. Kinda pricey, but I got a case of 24 meal replacement drinks in chocolate flavor, and a box of protein bars, 12 in the box. Came out to 33KD. I think I dislocated my shoulder carrying the drinks box back to the car, it was so heavy. They had the protein powder, too, but I didn't want that.

I'll be going to the gym today, too, and hopefully using the treadmill a little bit. Then weights. No swimming, I'm still on my period. Looks like I'll be able to go swimming on Saturday, though.

I heard about this other gym that lets you hire a personal trainer for the same amoutn of money I'm paying for the gym I'm at now. I'll be looking into it today inshallah.

More later, inshallah

Day 11

2007-04-24T06:55:00.000+04:00

It's 5:55 am and I'm about to go out and get the supplements. From there I'll head off to tutoring. I had the maid pack my breakfast, to be comsumed promptly at 7 am. While I'm at tutoring I'll drink one of those Boost drinks I'm about to buy at 10 am. No gym today. But I'll do some calisthenics when I get home, inshallah. I really am smaller. I noticed as I was passing a gym mirror yesterday and this morning too. Amazing. But I'm not small enough.

I think I should invest in one of those little grills, too, so I can make grilled meat in the kitchen from time to time. I hear Centerpoint has nice ones for 20 KD.

later, inshallah

Day 10

2007-04-23T14:35:00.000+04:00

I'd like to look like this...but with breasts.

I went to the gym this morning and used the weights. I promptly had one of the instructors reprimand me for going straight to the weights without warming up first with walking. I explained that I'm on my period and walking would only make me bleed harder and she said just a little walking would have been ok. I nodded my head until she was done talking and continued with the weights anyway.

According to some research I've done, there are a few things I'm doing right; such as using weights to build muscle and burn fat. Lean muscle burns calories even when you're doing nothing so this is great. The more muscle you have the more calories you'll burn even if you're asleep. Another thing I'm doing right is drinking water. Muscles are made of 70% water. If you're not drinking enough, your body will fight to hold onto the water it does have and will store it so drinking plenty of water ( around a gallon a day, I read) helps you to get rid of excess water in your body and burn fat.

However, there are a few things I need to be doing to optimize my routine. First, I need to be eating six meals a day and each meal must contain a complete protein source. This is hard to do for someone as busy as I am. But I worked out that I need to eat at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and 10 pm. This will help me burn fat quickly and keep my body from eating the muscle I'm building. For the 10am and 4 pm meals I can use meal replacement drinks such as Boost protein drink, and then have milk and maybe a protein bar at 10 pm. God, just the idea of staying up till 10 pm makes me tired. I also need to take my vitamins. Second, I need to make sure I wait 24-48 hours after working muscles before I work them out again. This gives them time to rest and then grow stronger. Well, I think I'm doing that already.

So. Maybe sometime tonight (ugh, I won't be done tutoring until 8 pm, by which time I'll be too beat to do anything) I can go to the store and buy some Boost and protein bars. I'm sure I've seen it here. And I really need to make sure I eat six times a day. That will take some planning. I've eaten only twice today and it's quarter to 2 pm. I also need to drink even more water. All in all, I'm feeling good about all this.

More later, inshallah

Day 9

2007-04-22T09:20:00.000+04:00

I'm bleeding too heavy to go to the gym today. I need to take it easy. hopefully I'll be able to go tomorrow, inshallah. For today, I'll do some calisthenics in the house and some weights. Best I can do for now.

Later, inshallah.

Day 8

2007-04-21T15:01:00.000+04:00

Boy, going to the gym and tutoring like crazy sure tire a person out! I really didn't feel like going to the gym on Thursday. I had already tutored, went to a bazaar with the kid and tutored again. But I knew that Friday the gym would be closed so I pushed myself and went. Place was practically empty. Did the treadmill for 25 minutes, and the bike for 5. That was all I could do. The treadmill I did at the quickest speed I've ever done it since beginning Operation: Hotness or Bust!..4.0. Kept my heart rate right around 160-162. I've been eating around 3 times a day (and not overeating at those times) and drinking lots and lots of water. Seems like I've managed to put on about 1 1/2 kilos of muscle, but...my pants and shirts are looser!!! Yes. Just like I said, my weight is going up while I'm slimming down. I have to say though, that unless I actually felt the clothes looser on my body, I wouldn't have believed it. I look just as fat in the mirror. Anyways that was all Wednesday. This morning when I weighed myself I was down a kilo to 104. That was after I'd eaten, too. Maybe, just maybe, I'm slimming down?

Since I got my period on Thursday, I didn't swim today or do the treadmill. I just did the weight machines and left. Hope my period doesn't stay too long.

Day 5

2007-04-18T07:22:00.000+04:00

Well, I'm doing ok I think. Yesterday I walked for 20 mins on the treadmill on the incline. Kept my heart rate at 155 bpm. After that I did 2 miles on the bike which nearly killed me. I was pedaling fast. I'll have to work my way up to 10 miles on that thing like I was doing before. I did some weights, too. I ate a fajita for breakfast, some rice and chicken with salad for lunch, and half of a sub for dinner. I drank plenty of water throughout the day.

Right now I'm about to head out to the gym again. I'll be walking , doing weights, and swimming. I must say, my muscles are sore!

I'll eat breakfast when I get back inshallah.

Day 3

2007-04-16T13:59:00.000+04:00

God, I fell off my mission so bad yesterday! I was too ashamed to come on here and post anything about it. Suffice it to say I ate some things I shouldn't have and didn't go to the gym.

Speaking of the gym, I think I should try not to be so regimented in what I 'plan' to do. It's not always going to work out that way and I'll only get disappointed. Like today. I managed to swim for an hour, but all the walking machines were in use so I didn't do any walking. Mashallah. I did other things. I worked my abs, triceps, hamstrings and quads today. Felt good, too. I had boiled egg on wheat pita bread and cheese. All I've been drinking is water. When I do go to the gym, I'll just do the best I can inshallah.

More later.

Operation: Hotness or Bust!!----Day 1

2007-04-14T13:37:00.000+04:00

Alrighty, I just got back from the gym. I had planned to work out for the first hour there then swim for 90 minutes. Well, I worked up a powerful sweat and then when I went to change, realized I forgot to bring my change of clothes. I had my swimgear but nothing to change into once I was done with the pool. Obviously, I wasn't going to put back on the sopping sweaty clothes I worked out in...gross. So I came back home. Oh, well better luck next time. I only managed to walk a mile today but it was all uphill. I put the treadmill on it's highest incline setting; 15. I did half a mile on the ellliptical machine. All together, I did 25 minutes of cardio, since my heart rate stayed around 155 bpm. Now for my measurements:

Hips: 132 cm

Waist: 105 cm

Abs: 129 cm

Thighs: 80 cm

Arms: 42 cm

Now the hips, thighs and abs increased several cm from the last time i was measured, so I'm pissed about that but not exactly surprised. I swear I am going to work myself so hard in that gym! Today was pretty light since it was my first day back, but I plan to increase my workout each time I go. I did 60 reps on the inner thigh machine today, 30 pounds. Did 45 reps on the tricep machine, 40 pounds. Breakfast today was cream of wheat. Lunch was a PBJ on wheat bread, an apple and one boiled egg. And 20 oz of water.

More later, inshallah.

Yosh!!!!

2007-04-14T07:34:00.000+04:00

Ok. I had to stop my cleanse for a few weeks. I know, I know, I'm such a loser.

As of today, I have about 2 and 1/2 months before we leave for the states. I want there to be a significant change in my appearance and physical strength at that time. Let's see how far I can go before that time comes. Update:

weight: 1o5 kilos ( 231 pounds)

Pants size: 20

Shirt size: 18

I'll get exact measurements of waist , thighs, arms and hips later today inshallah. So what do I plan to do about my lack of hotness? For one, time for protected sex again. People always get pregnant when they least want it or expect it. I don't even want to deal with a miscarriage right now. Second, today I'm restarting my cleanse. Third, today I'm re-enrolling in the gym and this time, by God, I will stay there until it's time for me to hit the States.

I plan to swim three times a week for 90 minutes. I plan to walk at least 5 miles three days a week, and ride a stationery bike 10 miles three days a week. I'll also throw in some weights three days a week because muscle burns off fat and building muscle builds strength. The stronger I am, the better I can work out. Lastly, No cake, soda (even diet), fried foods, candy or red meat. More fruits and vegetables. Let's see how well I do with the first week of Operation: Hotness or Bust! I expect it to be hard. I expect I'll get discouraged plenty of times. But I plan to stick with it, inshallah.

Now, since I'll be working my tired muscles, initially I'll see an increase in my weight on the scale, but I'll be slimming down. The reason for this is because muscle weighs more than fat. I need to remind myself, though, that I AM slimmer and the added weight is muscles. Ok, so today is the first day. Those of you reading, wish me luck. Even an inch gone from my waist is an improvement.

Cleaning the Pipes

2007-03-24T07:46:00.000+04:00

Well, we've been on the cleanse for a week now. Hubby has been experiencing some really fabulous bowel movememnts. He's been drinking enough water and exercising. I have been living in the bathroom too, but I know I could do better if I drank more water and exercised a bit. We didn't order the other stuff as yet, because hubby didn't deposit the money on his card...soon, inshallah.

More later!

oh, yeah, I seem to have gone done in the waist area, yay!

Supplements

2007-03-18T10:54:00.000+04:00

Well, The supplements arrived on Thursday. We only got the intestinal cleanse so far. I hope to order the liver and gall bladder cleanse either today or tomorrow. Hubby started his on Friday so today is his third day. He hasn't experienced a significant bowel movement yet, but I'm hopeful he will soon. I started mine today. From what I remember about taking this Tao -He Cleanse, you have the overwhelming urge to use the bathroom at which time you pass a log the size of your forearm. Hubby seemed frightened of the prospect. I can't wait, though. I got spectacular results the last time I used this stuff and that was roughly 10 years ago.

Ok, I know I haven't been on here too much lately, but I'll be posting more inshallah.

later.

Day 10

2007-02-28T10:20:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (7:30 am): 1/2 cup coconut rice, 1 beef patty, 1 cup iced tea

My period finally showed up today. And now that it's here, I don't feel as hungry as I did this past week. I will sit down with hubby and order those cleansing products tonight, inshallah. I'm having cramps, so I may or may not walk today as planned. I'll see how I feel, inshallah.

More Later, Inshallah.

Day 9

2007-02-27T11:03:00.000+04:00

I seem to have gotten behind in the days, so I'll just continue with today instead of posting for day 8. So far I've only had breakfast which was half of a spinach and cheese fatayer and tea with milk and sugar.

Yesterday morning I went out with hubby and the kid and we walked for a good 40 minutes along the waterfront. Well, I walked. Hubby ran, and the kid rode her bike. This place is one of my old haunts. The walkway there is 2 miles going and 2 miles back, a trip I used to complete in an hour at a brisk walk. Yesterday I couldn't even make it half way and I stopped several times to rest. It got my blood circulating, though. For now I will try and do that every other day. When I can do the 4 miles without resting I will try for every day.

I've lost a kilo, so now I'm 104.

Day 7

2007-02-26T08:50:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (7 am): 3/4 cup of fried rice, 1/2 fried fish, 1 cup salad w/salad dressing, 1 mug green tea w/1 spoon sugar

Lunch (1:30 pm): 4 honey bbq chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, broccoli, 200 g beef, 1 slice garlic toast, iced tea

no dinner

Hubby took me out to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. I ate hugely, even though I tried not too. And I didn't even finish my lunch. I ate like half of it.

I skipped dinner.

Day 6

2007-02-24T08:44:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (7:30 am): 1 slice of pizza, 1 breadstick, mug of milk, date cookies

Well, I guess it comes as no surprise that I have gone and GAINED 2 KILOS!!!!!! I just took a look at how I've been eating this past week. I've been eating wayyy more than I usually do. I seem to have gotten the eating more often part down. But I've yet to master the art of smaller portions. I have seriously got to work on that. My next post will hopefully contain some good news.

I'm glad I've decided to do this blog. I can check myself before I get out of hand....as if I weren't already out of hand. My God, 105 kilos!!!

Pathetic.

Day 5

2007-02-23T22:24:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (5:30am): 1/2 philly cheesesteak sub, diet Coke

Lunch (4:30 pm): 2 hotdogs in buns, diet pepsi

Dinner (9 pm): 1 slice of pizza, diet 7up, water 10 oz

I had a race with hubby today up 3 flights of stairs. I consider that exercise. I moved furniture and stuff with a friend today. I consider that exercise. I moved rabbit cages today with hubby. Big four foot ones. I consider that exercise.

Nothing else happened today that really needs to be reported. Been really busy.

More later, inshallah.

Day 4...Fat!

2007-02-22T14:54:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (7:20 am): 1/2 cup penne pasta with alfredo sauce, 3 broiled shrimp, 1 honey bbq chicken tender, 1/2 cup 7up.

Snack (10:30 am): 1/2 cup cranberry juice

Lunch (12:30 pm): 3 french toasts with syrup, 8 oz water

Last night, I didn't go to bed early at all. The result was that by ten pm I was starving. Hubby brought home pasta and chicken tenders from Ruby Tuesdays. Mindful of my resolve to eat smaller portions, I ate only half of my dinner. I was very conscious of the fact that I was drinking soda. I won't be doing that again, hopefully. I've really slipped these past couple of days. Anyway, since I ate at 11 pm, I stayed up until 1:30 in an effort to digest my food before sleeping.

On a positive note, hubby went grocery shopping yesterday so now there are fruits and veggies in the house. I can eat more heathily. Unfortunately he also brought snacks and I'm sorely tempted.

Now, my main areas of concern are my stomach, hips and thighs. I read that people suffering from estrogen dominace such as myself, tend to carry a lot of extra weight in these areas. Morning exercise helps stimulate the liver into increasing bile flow with in turn helps eliminate wastes in the liver. Liver congestion causes excess estrogen production. So, I should do some kind of morning aerobic activity for 20 mins or so, if I can. I have one of those ski machine thingies. I guess I could get on that every morning. It's worth a shot, right?

More later, inshallah.

Day 3

2007-02-21T18:05:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (6:30 am): 1/2 baked cornish hen, 1 small pita bread, 1 mug green tea with 1 spoon sugar

snack (10:30 am): 1 mug of hot milk, date cookies

Lunch (1 pm): 1/2 baked cornish hen, 2 small pita breads, 1/2 diet Coke

I had some water a little while ago about 10 oz. I'll have some more in a little bit. I don't think I'll be eating again tonight. I didn't do any exercise today. Too sleepy.

I now have the money to order the cleanse products, just waiting on my period to come. I added a ticker down there at the end of this page to document my weight loss. I won't be putting it at the end of each post anymore.

More later, inshallah.

Day 2

2007-02-20T10:39:00.000+04:00

Breakfast (6:10 am): 1/2 cup tuna fish with 1 pita bread, 1 mug of green tea with 1 spoon of sugar

snack (10 am): 1/2 cup chicken salad, 1 pita bread, small bottle of water, 2 date cookies

Lunch (12:30 pm): 1 mug green tea with 1 spoon powdered milk and 1 spoon of sugar, six date cookies

Dinner (4:30 pm): 3/4 cup of coconut rice with 1 tbsp salad dressing on top, 1 beef patty, 10 oz water.

Snack (7 pm): bag of chips, half a diet Coke

exercise:

Stretching: 7 minutes

Sit-ups: 20

Bicep curls (5 lb weights): 30

As you can see, I started exercising today. I decided to start off light and easy. I plan for this to be a 6-day a week thing. Maybe I'll try and walk every other day or so. I'll see if hubby will join me in that.

Ok, I clearly ate some unhealthy foods today. But after I ate that chicken salad I felt soooo nauseous. I kept craving those cookies to take the taste out of my mouth. Honestly, I think the maid must have dumped a whole jar of mayo in that chicken salad. And the tuna fish was horrible. All moist and fishy tasting. The whole day, every time I remembered either of those two things, I flet like throwing up.

It's a quarter to 8 pm now, and I am positively exhausted. I can't stay up another second. I'm out.

More later, inshallah.

Weight: 103 kilos (226 lbs)

Day 1

2007-02-19T20:10:00.000+04:00

Weight: 103 kilos (226 lbs)

Breakfast (8:30 am): 1 orange, 2 slices of toast with cream cheese and jelly, 1 cup green tea with 1 spoon of sugar.

Lunch (12:15 pm): 3/4 cup of pasta with sauce, 10 oz water

Dinner (3:30 pm): 1 cup of rice, 3 tbsp molokheya, half a chicken breast, 10 oz water

Ok, it's 7:20 pm right now. I think this eating more often and smaller portions thing is working. At least I feel like my metabolism has speeded up since this morning. After breakfast I didn't feel hungry till about 11 am. I felt hungry about an hour after lunch and 10 minutes after I ate dinner. So essentially, I've been hungry most of the day. Kind of uncomfortable. But I can deal, inshallah. I want to eat a little something before bed, but I haven't decided on what yet.

I had planned on doing some excersise today. Unfortunately I didn't get around to doing any. My brother and sister are so inspirational. He runs everyday and she goes to tennis practice. Another sister is on a basketball team. I'm really proud of them. I need to find some kind of fun regular activity. I loved going to the club when I had my membership. I really love weight-lifting. I just don't have money for that right now. In the mean time, I think I'll just try and do what I can in the house.

I have decided to have one beef patty and a small bottle of water as my fourth and final meal. That's it for now.

More later inshallah.

Road to Healthy Hotness!

2007-02-19T09:38:00.000+04:00

Alrighty! My goal is to be healthy, energetic and HOT. My current status is unhealthy, lethargic and gross.

Vital Stats:

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 103 kilos (226 lbs)

I just weighed myself with my clothes on. I've gained a few pounds in the past few months, but I'm still down considerably from what I was this summer. So far this morning, I've had a bag of chips and nothing else. Not the healthiest of food choices, but there really isn't much here in the way of food right now. Just the basics, which is to say starchy things like rice, pasta, bread and and stuff. Breakfast foods currently in the kitchen are eggs, cream of wheat, cereal, and bread. I usually eat leftover dinner for breakfast, though. I'm known for craving meat and rice in the morning. However, food is so scarce that I think I'll leave that for the other inhabitants of the house for their dinner. There aren't any fruits or veggies in the fridge right now...although now that I think about it, we do have some oranges. Well, then I will have an orange and some toast. I will put cream cheese and jelly on the toast. And water to drink.

My current food in-take goes something like this: Soon after I wake up I'll eat whatever leftovers there are and have a big 20 oz cup of tea with milk and sugar. After that I'm full till about 4 pm. By that time I'm already tutoring and I don't get home until about 7:30 pm. At that time I'll eat again then go to sleep around 9 pm. I don't take in nearly enough fluids during the day and those are the only times I eat.

For now, I'm going to try and reduce the amount of food I eat and try to eat more often. At least 4 times a day. In a couple of weeks I plan on ordering the Tiao He cleanse. This is something I've done in the past and it is truly awesome. It's a colon cleanse. I put a link to the site I plan on ordering from, inshallah. Also, I'll put a daily weight thing on here to follow any progress I'm making.

That's it for now. More later, inshallah.

Mission Statement

2007-02-19T07:48:00.000+04:00

Seeing as how my other blogs do such a great job of motivating me, I figured I make a blog geared towards my health. I'll be documenting all the excersise I do and what I eat. I'll also stick my weight up here.

For now, since I'm still creating this and other blogs, I'll forego those categories. This is just a brief post to say what this blog is about.

Later!

Healthy Dragon

Marathon training - week 1

Lemon Cleanse again!

Man!

Day 13 (supposed to be day 16)

Day 9

Day 6

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1 (late, sorry!)

Some results

Getting started

Flex, here I come, inshallah!

Ramadan's over

Uhhhhh...

Ramadan

Still plugging away

A cool site

I'm scared

Dean Ornish

The Life Choice Diet

Guidelines -- "all you really need to know"

ahh?

Trying...

Oopsie

Let's try again...

Off the wagon

YAY!

Continued...

I'm actually hopeful

Some help

New elements

Water

I Hate walking!

*sigh*

Cardio workouts

A New Thought

Sluggish

Still struggling

And.....I'm off!

The Stages

And so I start...again...for the last time

Last Ditch Effort

Dammit

Uhhh

Again

Got it

Herbal Supplements

About Day 7

Day 6 (cont)

Day 6

Day 5 update

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1 cont.

Enough is Enough, Dammit! (Day 1)

Damnit!

Uphill

Slim?

Still Trying

It's a start!

Just Do It

TV Eater

B is for Best Friend

Summer

Day 43 Suzanna McGee has my body!

Day 40

Day 39

Uphill - Day 33

Day 18... setback

Day 12 still

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 5

sigh