Week 4 - Status Update

So, sorry I haven't actually posted for a bit.  We had a gaming convention over the holiday weekend (those are always a great trial for diets!) and I'm just now getting caught up with things.  Plus, before that, it was non-stop sewing on costumes.  I'll post those later.

So, I'm down to 164-165lbs currently.  I attribute that to the diet plan and the three to four times per week workouts of varying intensity.  I absolutely love the combinations of veggies and protein this diet calls for and the fact it's an 80/20 diet.  As long as I follow it at least 80% of the time, it's going to work.  So, if I'm short on cash and/or really in the mood for tacos, I can go to Jack-in-the-Box and order some with no guilt.  I've found, too, that I'm not eating as many as I used to.  I used to eat between 6 and 8 tacos on my own.  Now, I top out around 4, if I'm really hungry.

Over the weekend, I prepared two different salads (Dandelion greens based and kale based) and some homemade granola.  I shared the granola with other gamers and there were two at a Pathfinder session that seemed to just mouth-gasm over it.  It's a great granola that's made with blackstrap molasses, dried fruit, and walnuts and pecans.  Plus flaxseeds.  And rice cereal.  It's really amazingly good.  So, while we're sitting around the table trying to decide how we're going to defeat the enemies, we're noshing on granola that's actually fairly low-cal and extremely healthy (and in my case, very beneficial to my body).

I feel much better when I stick to the foods in the diet.  We had green tea poached chicken the other night, which was good.  But our side dish was better.  Sweet & Salty brussels sprouts.  Oh, yeah...that's getting made again!  Once I hit my goal weight (145lbs), we'll see how I look and feel.  I'm hoping to hit that by mid-July.  We'll see.

Here are the pics from the weekend.

Indigo Lantern Tribe
(Sunday, May 27, 2012)

Madelyne Pryor
(Friday, May 25, 2012)

How I Got Here

In this day and age, everyone's looking to lose weight because society has ingrained in our brains that "thin = beautiful."  As a woman, it's unreal to see the constant inundations of "true beauty" on TV, in magazines, online, etc.  It's always some movie star who looks like a lollipop or an airbrushed supermodel.

Still, weight is a contributing factor to health--which is more beautiful, in my opinion, than rail thin.  And, for me, at least, health is a contributing factor to happiness.  If I feel unhealthy, I feel ugly.  And considering how many times I've felt that way about myself, I figured it was time to do something about it.

I moved to CA 9 years ago.  My goal was like all other pretty girls--to be in movies.  Harsh reality: I'm not now, nor was I then, nor will I ever be the "Hollywood ideal" when it comes to dress size.  I was a size 8 when I moved out here--and that was too fat for film.  What's worse is I didn't know then that I had a gluten allergy--so, the pounds packed on as I lived off of ramen, pasta, and sandwiches.  Thirty pounds, to be exact.  If I wasn't the ideal at size 8, I certainly wasn't the ideal at a very tight size 14!

I did the Master Cleanse and lost about 20lbs (naturally, you're just drinking lemonade for 10 days).  I felt great, I looked pretty good, and then I got back into solid foods....and BAM! The weight came back with a vengeance.  I have tried the South Beach Diet numerous occasions--I'd lose 15-20lbs during Phase I's two week period, then gain it all back within the first week of Phase II as I added back in breads and pastas.

I was going to the gym 5 days a week and pushing my body.  The scales wouldn't move.  Disheartened, I gave up.  I was sure I was doomed to be tipping the scales at 180lbs (by this point) and would forever be unhealthily overweight.

Then I found the book "Eating Right 4 Your Type."  I read the introduction about how this diet wasn't really a diet--it was a lifestyle change.  Instead of eating foods that would harm you, eat foods that would help you--based on your BLOOD TYPE.  I was intrigued and read further.  The book suggested that people with Type O blood have a tendency to be GLUTEN INTOLERANT or CELIACS.  So, I experimented.  I went gluten free for a month.  I lost 15lbs in two weeks, felt better, saw my skin clear up and a host of other things.  A year and a half later, I'm still doing wonderfully well without gluten.

So, I decided to give the rest of the diet a try.  I'm going to do my best to update this blog each week and give you progress updates.  Don't worry, the posts won't be this long.  This is the introduction to how I got to where I am right now.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy!