Be Happy, Be Healthy

I was watching TV today and saw a commercial that referred to New Years' Resolutions. It reminded me that I had set one this year and I started to think about the fact that I really have stuck with it overall.

My resolution was to be happy and healthy. I have not been both all the time for the last 5 months, but I have done things with the intention of being happy or healthy and overall I feel much happier and much healthier than I was last December.

That's not to say everything's perfect-I would be happier if I had some more money in my bank account or could lose another 10 pounds. But I love my new job. And I love my new apartment that I'm paying out the ass for in rent, and starting this pay period I will be making more money and spending less.

I haven't exercised as much as I should here in Telluride but it's still a goal of mine. I went for a walk (with bursts of running) along the river yesterday because it was just so beautiful and when I wake up early enough and have time in the morning, I'm trying to do strength training with all the exercise equipments/props I've accumulated. The good thing is, I'm pretty broke so I can't afford to buy a lot of food, so I'm on the "no money til payday" diet for a week and a half. (Gotta pay rent!)

I don't know where I wanted to go with this blog, but I felt like posting something so I don't feel like this space has been abandoned or that I have forgotten about my quest to feel fabulous.

The next month is going to be a whirlwind of film festivals, weddings and music festivals. So my June goal is to be happy (and maintain my weight, if I can't lose any, I at least won't gain more.) After the fourth of July I want to go on a cleanse diet (a healthy one) that my cousin suggested to me. My goal for July will be to be healthy. And perhaps to lose another 10 pounds. we shall see.

Back on Track

I've been in Telluride for one week. I LOVE IT! All the hassle, stress and uncertainty paid off for this job. (Read more about it at Girl in the Green Jacket). For the next few weeks I have Mondays off because of furlough during the off-season. Today I committed my day off to getting my fitness and eating back on track (and finding a place to live.)

When I was in Durango I found out that Moleskine makes wellness journals. Not only am I obsessed with my Moleskine calendar and notebooks, but I was looking for something to keep track of my eating, fitness and motivation. I found it at Maria's and went through it today and really plotted out my refocusing efforts on wellness and whole living.

I've realized that there's more to being a certain size and weight. Although I have a weight loss goal in mind, my overall goal is to live a more whole and balanced lifestyle. Telluride's the perfect place to establish such a lifestyle, and I can start any habit I want here since I'm changing so much in my life already.

So in the spirit of starting fresh, tomorrow starts a new diet. I really hate to use the word diet because this plan doesn't tell me what to eat, how much and when...but for lack of a better word I'll use it.

So tomorrow I will start the Mayo Clinic Diet. In order to do it right, you need two weeks without temptations to adopt the different eating habits and now is the best time to start it.

So the main gist is to adopt 5 healthy habits, break 5 habits and adopt 5 more bonus habits.

The 5 habits to adopt are:

• Eat fruits and veggies (4 or more vegetables and 3 or more servings of fruits)-something I've been trying to do already.
  

• Eat a healthy breakfast (but not too much)-breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I just need to incorporate more fruit and whole grain into my meals.
  

• Eat whole grains-I'm a sucker for sourdough bread, but I can stick to whole grains for two weeks.
  

• Eat healthy fats only-this includes nuts, olive oil, avocados. Nuts and dried cranberries make for an excellent mid-afternoon snack and would help me stick to two of those rules.
  

• MOVE! -30 minutes or more 7 days a week even if it's only walking.

The 5 habits to break are:

• Don't watch TV while you're eating dinner (on that note watch only as much TV as you exercised)-This is easier said than done when I'm in a big condo by myself, but I am going to try to do more core and mat work as I'm watching TV.
  

• No added sugar (only what's naturally found in fruit)-does Chocolate count as fruit?
  

• No snacks-only fruit or vegetables for snack food.
  

• Moderate meat and low fat dairy (stick to 3 oz of meat a day)-this will be difficult because I enjoy my protein from lean meat and you all know how I feel about cheese. But for two weeks and a promised 6-10 lbs weight loss, I'll give it a shot.
• No eating at restaurants-A no brainer for me currently because restaurants here are either closed for the off-season, or I can't afford to go out until I start getting paid at the new job.

There are 5 bonus habits that they encourage readers to adopt as well. Keep a food and activity record (piece of cake with my new wellness journal that has a section for tracking daily diet and fitness), walk or exercise 60 minutes a day (you can also use a pedometer and try to increase steps by 1,000 step increments until you get to 10,000 steps per day. Eat 'real food' and write down your daily goals. The last two I won't adhere to fully because I'll already be eating real food with the other 10 habits and and I operate better with weekly goals over daily goals.

So yeah, there's my new plan. I'm still 16 pounds away from my original weight loss goal I set when I started Ideal Protein. The Mayo Clinic book says I can lose 6-10 pounds in two weeks just by following those habits. Worth a shot right? It'd get me that much closer to my total weight loss goal....but in the mean time, it'll make me feel much healthier and better about myself for getting back into it rather than giving up and eating whatever I want. I still have Holly's wedding as my weight loss motivation.

Words to live by

I was going through my drafts and realized that I saved this, but never posted it. I found it from the living section on the Huffington Post.

In order to permanently lose weight, you want to:

1. Focus Inward: This is for you and only for you. Not for an event, not for other people.

2. Change Your Identity: You are now a person who takes care of yourself. You eat 'right,' you shake your booty, and you love yourself.

3. Have More: Healthy living is not about restricting yourself; it's not about what you can't eat. It's about having more healthy foods, more fun, more love, more creativity, more life!

I've been working out. Not as much as I'd like, but still more than I was. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week since I joined the gym. I'll be going to a total body conditioning class tomorrow. I expect it to KICK MY ASS. My co-worker goes to it, so knowing that she's expecting me tomorrow is really good motivation to get my ass out of bed in the morning and go. It's at 8 a.m. I'm setting three alarms. I am ready to feel the burn.

In Transition....

The past month has been a roller coaster when it comes to any sort of routine, workout or diet.

First off, it was my birthday. I put any semblance of the Ideal Protein diet on hold for two weeks and gained three pounds. Very frustrating considering it took me three weeks to lose a mere three pounds, but totally worth it because I ate what I wanted and enjoyed myself.

Just as I was finding the motivation to get back into my routine, I received the fantastic news that I got a job in Telluride and quickly had to pack my belongings and move to Durango within a few days.

I've been home for a little over a week now, and have been able to maintain my weight (not gaining weight, but fluctuating within a three pound range) by trying to eat well and working out at least 5 times a week. I'm still 20 pounds away from the goal weight I set for myself when I started Ideal Protein. But I'm enjoying myself and having fun.

It will be so much easier when I am moved into a place in Telluride and can get back onto a regimented eating and diet plan. I can't do Ideal Protein because it's too expensive and there isn't a 'dealer' in Telluride, but I'm thinking of buying the Mayo Clinic Diet book and following that. It focuses more on changing eating habits instead of instructing readers to eat certain amounts of certain foods and certain times of the day. The Mayo Clinic is a reputable health organization (or whatever it does...) and I thinks it's totally worth it to give the diet a shot.

If I wanted to be hard on myself I could beat myself up for eating the eggs Benedict I had for breakfast (with a mimosa) but I'm not going to do that. I had a lovely morning with my best friend and I wouldn't exchange that for anything (not even the calories in Hollandaise sauce).

Every article I read anywhere about weight loss, fitness and dieting emphasizes the concept of self-love. It's not healthy to base my happiness or self-worth on how much I weigh. Granted, that's much easier said, than done in some cases, but I'm trying really, really hard to love myself the way I am right now. Today. (Although I don't love the massive sunburn I have on my entire back from sitting in a hot tub for far too long yesterday.)


And with that I will try to muster up enough energy (the sunburn is making me feverish) to do some yoga and practice some self love.

The Dress Came!

On a different note, the bridesmaid dress came in the mail on Thursday!

After the suggestion that I incorporate more cardio than the original suggestion of strength training most of the time I decided to try jogging. This should impress you the reader because I have always despised running. Even in elementary school before I got hip and boobs. The last time I went for a 'jog' was when I was in 8th grade volleyball and could actually run half a mile without walking. In high school, the only running I ever did was to run to catch a bus or fake run when we had to 'run' the mile in PE classes. (I walked 90 percent of the thing, only running when I had to pass the teacher who was keeping time.)

The weather was gorgeous on Thursday (still in actually) and I walked briskly to a nearby park and began running short distances interchanged with brisk walking. The park is very big with a nice path meandering through it, so I would set a marker in front of me and run to it and then walk a bit.

It totally kicked my ass, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. I certainly am sore today (and was in bad shape yesterday!) but plan to stretch it out in yoga tonight and do it once again. The little excursion took about 35 minutes and once I get used to that I think I will increase my time to 45 minutes and then to an hour.

Ok, back to the dress. I came home and was stretching and heard the fed-ex guy come and deliver it and was just THRILLED. I wanted to try on the dress immediately, but waited until I showered to try it on.

I love how it looks on me. So much better than the original brown that we tried on. I know that picture isn't the best, but I was in a rush to get it up before leaving town. (It looks loose in the upper back because I didn't zip it up all the way, just clipped it at the top.)

I am disappointed that it's a size 10 because of my original goal, but with my bust size, I can't risk getting an 8 because the 10 was snug across the chest, and I want to lose weight elsewhere, not in the chest. :) I am glad to have it hanging in my closet for the next 98 days (yes Holly is counting down) as my motivation and reason for this dieting and exercise. Hopefully I'll have to alter the rest of the dress to bring it in.

I went to Greeley Thursday night and hung out with some of my favorite people. My friend Leah kept saying I looked great, and my friend Kytt said he could notice the weight loss in my face. Again, these are things I have a hard time seeing personally, but the complements feel great and I know they wouldn't make that up.

I've been in Boulder since Friday morning and have done fairly well sticking to the protocol. Granted I probably have had much more protein than normal, but I'm now back to the protocol today and had my fun for the week (with the occasional cheating).

Thursday night in Greeley I had some nachos. Carbs!!! yes I know, but I was drunk (Vodka and diet coke!) and needed something in my tummy before going to bed to help it feel better in the morning. Friday morning was ROUGH. Not because I drank excessively, but because what I did drink was probably a shock to my system which has been treated very well as of late. After breakfast and taking my vitamins I felt much better and was much more functional than I thought I'd be.

That motivated me to not drink excessively last night at the Gregory Alan Isokov concert I went to in Boulder. I took my brother out for lunch and we went to Whole Foods and I went straight to the salad bar and Chris and I split a sushi pack where I ate just the sashimi and gave him my rice. I love salad bars, especially Whold Foods'. I just have all my possible foods laid out there and can create a yummy salad with very little effort.

We went to dinner for my friend's birthday, and I will admit, I had trouble figuring out what to eat, but I had wok seared broccolini and Thai fishcakes with salmon and herbs in panko bread crumbs. The fishcakes were probably a bit excessive, but they were yummy and much better than nachos for sure. My drink with dinner was phenomenal. I had vodka, orchid liqueur and soda water. I'm sure there was some sugar in the orchid liqueur, but not as much as most beverages and it was absolutely amazing. It's very refreshing to have two drinks and stop there and really just enjoy the drinks for the taste and company you're with, rather than going for the cheapest drink and getting drunk. I also had some popcorn last night after the show with flax seed oil and salt and pepper. Soooo delicious! Popcorn is not technically permitted, but it's a good thing to 'cheat' with because it's plant based and high in fiber.

I'm hanging out in Boulder for another hour until I can go to playlist yoga at 5:30 at my cousin's studio. This week's music: Michael Franti!! At my request. :) I'm going to stretch out the tension that remains from the run, and tomorrow do both cardio and strength training with my new found routine at the neighborhood park. Maybe in the near future I won't walk the majority of the time, but for now, it works and it really good my heart rate going.

Welp, that's it for my rambling for today. If you read this further down, I thank you for reading about my mundane life in which I'm so obsessed with what I eat. Also I guess I should thank ANYONE who bothers to read this blog in general. It's a good outlet to get things off my mind or chest, and a good way to occupy my free time.

Off to Michael Franti Yoga I go!

In response to my last post.

My dad sent me the sweetest email in response to my most recent post expressing my frustration that not only made me get over the situation, but realize I need to weigh myself in the morning. Long before I consume 64 ounces of water.

Kathrine,

It was definitely the water. I can loose 3 pounds simply by running on a warm day. That is 3 pounds of sweat that I loose while running. 64 oz of water weighs 4.4 pounds (2.2 per quart). I remember because I wanted to know how much a quart or a gallon of water would add to my backpack.

You're doing great. Don't let a little water get you down.

Love,
Dad

Thanks Dad!

Not pleased with this week's weigh-in.

So I was waiting until tonight to post a blog because I thought I'd have good weight loss results to report from my weigh-in tonight. But I did not. I only lost 1 pound. Which compared to the 3 and 5 from the previous weeks was devastating and really pissed me off. Not only did I make a fool out of myself in front of my chiropractor and her staff by crying and blubbering like a dumb girl, but I also cried at a bar (where I didn't drink anything) because I met up with a friend immediately after my weigh-in.

Everyone keeps saying, well it's good you still lost 1 pound, but I don't care, I'm still pissed off and frustrated. This week, of all the weeks, was my first week of sticking to the protocol almost 98% instead of the first few weeks where I cheated once or twice. I ate what I was supposed to eat and even avoided gingerale when I had a horrendous stomach ache because I didn't want the added sugar. I had good work outs. I took all my vitamins. I worked out (not as hard as previous weeks.) My only cheating was a little bit of goat cheese and 1 thin mint girl scout cookie. I cheated much more previously and saw better results.

I'm so frustrated with this, because the diet is really starting to add up financially, and I think to myself, it's worth it if I see the results on the scale. I could lose a pound a week by eating fruit and carbs. I could lose a pound by going to the freakin' bathroom. 1 pound weight loss in this situation is unacceptable and I am pissed. The point of this strict diet is to lose 3-5 pounds not just 1. I could be doing that at home on my own.

My chiropractor was equally puzzled. She looked at my food diary and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Her suggestions were as follows:

• Get more cardio (my least favorite aspect of exercising...it hurts my feet and I can't afford a gym to use the elliptical and don't have my bike up here with me.)
• Weighing in in the morning instead of evening (I HOPE that was my issue this week. I drank all 64 oz of water before the weigh-in and water weight could play a factor, but 4 pounds worth?)
• She also gave me a chart of veggies and their carb count and wanted me to readjust what veggies I ate. Some have lots of carbs in em.....news to me. I was just eating the veggies on that stupid permitted list.
  

In my defense I did weigh myself this weekend and in the morning with no clothes on (well tank and shorts) I had lost 5 pounds. But she won't record what my scale says of course because the baseline is their scale.


Anyways, I'm not sure what else to say tonight. I'm frustrated. Stressed out because of other things and tired. And my eyes hurt from crying and being so emotional and irrational tonight. I went from feeling really great about myself to feeling super discouraged and pissed off...shitty. I still ate my stupid ideal protein meal that was unsatisfying because I still don't want to mess this up and then made the mistake of watching the biggest loser on NBC. Not a good idea.