Inspire Ministries

It is time for my monthly update and accountability on the diet and exercise plan progress. 

• Total weight loss – 40.5 pounds
• BP (no meds) – 128/82
• Exercise – Walking program consistent 6x a week/strength training – hit & miss (I need to really get consistent 3x a week with this – no excuses – it is just a pain to read from a paper then do the exercise…back to the paper etc…  Ahhhh to just go to Curves or how about a personal trainer! Ok…I’ll stop whining and start doing!)

I am pleased with the progress. When I drop four more pounds I will reach my second weight loss goal and will be in the acceptable BMI (Body Mass Index) for my height – so close! I will also be having a blood test this month to check out my cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  I hope to report to you next month that after over four months of healthy eating and exercise my lab report is excellent!  Then I will be ready to begin probably the hardest part of the journey – the last fifteen pounds – to reach my goal weight. (Well, I say the hardest, but I am sure maintenance is really the most challenging, requiring life long personal discipline)

I must share that I did learn something about my eating patterns this month.  I have had a pretty intense month – planning and carrying out a large scale fundraiser for the school (I will write about that later – looks like we raised over $25,000!). I was under an incredible amount of pressure and was putting in 10-12 hour days for several weeks. Here is what I discovered.  At the beginning of each of those long days, I found myself wanting to start the day with a Venti Vanilla Latte and a warm chocolate croissant.  After hours of working and feeling the enormity of this event weighing on my shoulders I wanted to reach for a cookie, leftover piece of birthday cake (Yes, Daniel turned one this past month & I do have photos to share!) or munch on a bowl of M & M’s as I typed on the computer.

I am happy to report that I resisted all these urges and did not give in to eating sweets or drinking my beloved coffee.  However, I was constantly aware of the fact this month that I have often used food as either a way to reward myself for hard work or as a motivation to “get up & get going”.  It was an eye opener for me to realize this.  I am sure when I get to the lifetime maintenance phase this realization will help me to not fall back into these bad habits.

Of course I did thoroughly enjoy my days off this month – date night (yummy pasta & bread at Macaroni Grill as well as popcorn at the movies) and Daniels first birthday (homemade from scratch mouth watering chocolate cake with mint chocolate icing, dinner of beef fajitas, chips & cowboy dip…AWESOME!)

My dear darling hubby has reached his goal weight (lost over 35 pounds!) and even wore his high school football jersey to school yesterday (It was “wear purple” day). He has his blood cholesterol test tomorrow! We are praying for excellent results!

Some random thoughts on the dieting deal.

Questions people ask me  “How do you do it?” or “Do you ever just want to quit?” or “Don’t you crave (really desire) ___________?”

How do I do it?  Just the way you do anything.  You stop “trying” and start doing!  You just get up each day and make a choice as to how you are going to live.  Is it always easy? No!  Is it a constant battle? Yes! Is it much fun? Not really. Is it hard? Of course.  So what?  Many important things in life are just the same (parenting, serving others, living for the Lord) and yet we carry on and persevere with these things even though they are not always easy or fun and take hard work.

Do I ever want to quit?  Well of course…just about everyday when I drive by Starbucks, walk by the ice cream section of the grocery store, bake a birthday cake for my kiddos, make cookies for tea or when watching my girls chow down on buttered popcorn while we watch a movie as a family.  But I don’t quit….because where will that get me? Overweight and unhealthy

Do I crave (really desire) certain foods? You bet I do! (see list above) However just because we really desire something does that mean we should just take it? (or in this case eat it)  I really desire my neighbors truck too but that doesn’t mean I walk next door and take it.  If I can control my desires (cravings) for others things – can’t I control my desire for certain food? Yes, we all can and do all the time.

Someone recently said to me when commenting on my new shape – “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels”

Hmmmmmmmmmmm….I will have to disagree with this statement.  I can think of lots of things that taste as good if not better than being thin feels (although I am not yet thin) –

• fresh corn on the cob slathered with butter & seasoned wih salt & pepper
• fettucini alfredo with shrimp
• home baked bread dipped in olive oil & balsamic vinegar
• sweet potato ravioli’s (made by gourmet chef and friend Scott Fichtner – in fact just about anything Scott cooks tastes better than thin feels!)
• dark chocolate covered pretzels
• ice venti vanilla latte with whip cream
• homemade cookes – snickerdoodles, peanut butter and chocolate chip
• a brownie sundae
• homemade yellow cake with dark chocolate icing and an ice cold glass of milk
• a warm Starbucks chocolate croissant with hot coffee
• cowboy dip with a bag of tortilla chips
• homemade fajittas

Ok, that list is long enough. (and believe me I could make it even longer) My point is that – yes being in good shape and healthy feels great – but eating delicious yummy foods feels great too!  I think that one of the ways that I can stick with the diet is because I take off one full day a month as well as my date night dinner with dear darling Dan and enjoy anything I want..and enjoy it I do!  It feels fabulous!

When I finally get to the maintenance part (which by the way I think is much harder than the losing part. Of course in the past 18 years I have rarely had a chance to stay very long on a maintenance routine because I am quickly blessed with another baby!), I hope to be able to eat healthy (fat flush plan) Monday thru Friday and then take the weekends off and enjoy the foods I love! And if it works (ie: I can maintain my health & weight)…then that will feel better than both eating whatever I want and being thin!

You asked for it….you got it!

Many of you have wanted to know what I was doing to lose weight – so here are the details (complete with photos because I LOVE pictures!)

First things first though – there really is only one “secret” to losing weight – are you ready?  waiting with baited breath? can’t wait to finally know how to shed those unwanted pounds? Ok….here is the BIG secret………

Eat less…Exercise more!

Ok, so it is not such a big secret.  We already all knew that. (But wouldn’t it be great if there was some magic pill you could take that would keep you thin & fit??)

However I do believe that different diets and routines work better for some than for others and the real “secret” is finding the best “fit” for your personality and lifestyle.  I have done many diets in my life including:

• Counting Calories (Weight Watcher type routine – I have just never needed weekly meetings because I was blessed to have positive parents and their words etched in my heart & mind motivate me continually)
• Atkins (low carb, high fats)
• Curves Diet (lower carb, average fats)
• Fit for Life (food combining)
• Somersizing (low carb & food combining)
• The Coffee & Cookie Diet (LOL – don’t ask! I don’t recommend this)

 All of these diets had aspects that were positive (well maybe not the coffee & cookie diet) and I learned things about my body, health & nutrition through them all.

However I have found the “diet” (lifestyle eating plan) that works the best for me (disclaimer here – it may not be the one for you) – The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman.  Let me tell you why this is my personal “diet of choice”.

1. I need fast results!  Ok so I am a teeny weeny bit goal oriented and I want to see results for my effort.  It keeps me on track & motivated.  The first two weeks of this plan you lose weight FAST! (and yes then you are back at the 1-2 lbs a week, if you are lucky, just like most every diet around)  I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks this time (and pre baby Daniel when I was on it in 2006 I lost 12 pounds).  Since you are also losing lots of water weight you lose inches too.  The scale, the loose clothes and the extra energy all contribute to me sticking with it!  And once you do something for 2 weeks, it is much easier to “stay the course”.
2. I need not just a diet but a specific eating plan to target my health “issues” (also known as PROBLEMS).  The Fat Flush eating plan specifically targets high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and blood sugars – all things I want to keep “in check”.
3. I do better with a “list” of what I can and can’t eat.  I am simply NOT someone who can eat just one cookie or a sliver of cake!  I suppose it is a very good thing that I never drank alcohol or did drugs….because I would probably be addicted!  I just have one of those personalities. (However I do seem to be able to take a day off – enjoy all those “yummies” and then get right back on it the next day – that must be my incredible strong will)
4. I excel at routines.  If you give me a plan, tell me exactly what to do – I can do it.  And I can do it over & over & over again.  I really do not get bored.  While there is a huge cookbook that goes along with this diet, I usually do the same meals daily – except for dinner – which varies between about four menus.

So that is why the Fat Flush plan works for me!

Why it might not work for others:

1. It takes a lot of planning.  You can’t start this diet without going grocery shopping & to the health food store (or if you are blessed to live ny a Trader Joes)  I promise you that NOBODY has everything they need in their kitchen to begin this diet.
2. It takes daily preparation.  You can’t do this diet “on the fly”  If you are like me and sometimes leave the house at 7am not to return until 7pm then you have to have all your foods prepared to go with you. A key to this diet is eating all three meals and both snacks as well as drinking the prescribed amount of liquid.  Not easy but I have found well worth it!
3. It is a bit complicated.  Not that you need a PhD or anything like that – but there are lots of “rules” that you have to get down.  However once you have gone through the two week plan you are pretty much indoctrinated into the system. The positive side of it being complicated is that it takes much focus – and if you are going to be successful at anything you have to focus!  This forces you to focus.
4. It can be more expensive (however I don’t think it is more expensive than the vanilla lattes 3x a week combined with occasional eating out and monthly prescription of blood pressure medication)

Now I am not trying to discourage anyone.  This may be the plan that works for you too!  I just want you to have realistic expectations.  Ok, finally what you have been waiting for – my daily diet routine.  I am not going to go into the details of “why” I eat and drink what I do.  If you need to know the “whys”, you’ll need to purchase the book.  Just know that everything has a purpose (weight loss, fighting water retention, digestion & metabolism aids, toxic cleansing & health benefits), it all fits together and works great!

Night before – mix 8 oz pure unsweetened cranberry juice & 56 oz of water – pour it into 16 oz bottles for easy access – refrigerate.

 
First thing upon waking up – you get to drink the “Long Life Cocktail” – 8 oz of cranwater & 1 teaspoon of pysillium…mix thoroughly (with wire whisk or in a shaker bottle) drink FAST!  It is DISGUSTING! (unless of course you are a cow & like to eat grass)  But I do it every day. 🙂

 
Next….squeeze 1/2 lemon into cup & add 8 oz of warm water…drink warm lemon water (I actually like this and I think all the extra vitamin C kept me from getting any nasty winter colds)
 
Wait at least 20 minutes then have breakfast. (I go on my 30 minute walk during this time)
 
Breakfast – You have to eat 2 of the Omega 3 eggs..you can have them poached, hard boiled, fried (but in chicken broth), scrambled or omelet.  You can saute veggies & put them in eggs (I use onions, bell peppers & mushrooms) You can add 1 T of flax oil to your veggies or eggs. (you need 2 T of Flax oil a day) Add spices.  I like garlic powder, cayenne & cinnamon on mine. (It sounds strange but it is yummy!)  I LOVE my daily omelet.

Since I am past the 2 week induction – I also get to add a piece of Ezekial 4:9 bread drizzleed with flax oil & sprinkled with cinnamon. 

MMMM…good! My favorite meal of the day!

After breakfast I take four 500 mg evening primrose oil pills  with 8oz of cranwater (I also take a calcium supplement since I am still nursing)

 
Mid morning snack – 1 serving of fruit (from list at end)  I always have an apple, cut up & sprinkled with cinnamon.

 
20 minutes before lunch – drink 8oz cranwater (Notice you are not drinking with your meals – at least 20 minutes before ar right after)
 
Lunch – 4oz of protein & veggies of your choice from list.  I normally have a salad with chicken or turkey in it.  I use lettuce or spinach, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, a carrot. I use one of the two dressings in the book…which I like both.  My salad is HUGE and yummy!

This doesn’t even feel like dieting to me!
 
Basic Dressing – 1/4 c. flax oil, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/2-1 clove garlic (I also add splenda because I like it sweet – this is CHEATING according to the book that only allows for Stevia – ok so I don’t follow it perfectly)
 
Lime Dressing – 4 tbsp flax oil, 4 tbsp fresh lime juice, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 tsp cayenne, Chopped cilantro to taste
Combine all ingredients.  This is spicy!
 
After lunch – drink 8oz cranwater
 
Mid afternoon snack – fruit or fruit smoothie (6 large strawberries, 1 T flax oil, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, ice, bit of water, splenda if desired)

I love, love, love my fruit smoothie. It is yummy, refreshing and feels like a treat everyday!

Ready to enjoy my smoothie after a hectic day running around!
 
4pm or so – drink 16 oz cranwater
 
Dinner – 4- 6 oz protein & as many vegies as you want – I usually have salmon, chicken or lean beef and steamed veggies – broccoli, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, artichokes etc… 

My favorite dinner is grilled salmon with sauteed onions & bell peppers smothered all over the top and a huge side of green beans.  It is delicious! My second favorite is grilled chicken breast with an artichoke (I use my salad dressing to dip the leaves in) Yummy!
 
After Dinner – Take 4 more Evening Primrose pills with 8 oz cranwater
 
Before Bed – “Long Life Cocktail” (same as morning)   Ok so this is the single hardest thing for me to do before I go to bed.  I don’t know why I can “just do it” in the morning but I dread it at night.  I probably only actually drink this 50% of the time.

And if you want to “try it” – here is a shopping list as well as all the “approved” foods for you. This list gives amounts to purchase that will get you through the first two week induction:

Psyllium husk powder (Trader Joes or Health Food Store)
Evening Primrose capsules – you need 112 pills to last 14 days (Trader Joess, Health Food Store Costco)
Flaxseed Oil (TJs or Health Food Store)
4 bottles of Un-sweetened Cranberry juice (TJ’s or health food store)
7 – 9 fresh lemons
Omega 3 eggs – 3 dozen (TJ’s)
Vanilla Whey protein powder (if you are making smoothies)
Splenda (if you want to add a bit of sweetness to smoothie & dressing)
 
Spices on hand – (you probably have many already) – this is what I use primarily
 
Cinnamon
Garlic powder
Cayenne Pepper
Dry Mustard
Ginger
Cumin
 
other “approved” spices you can use
dill
fennel
cloves
bay leaves
parsley
cilantro
coriander
anise
DID YOU notice no SALT??  That will whipe out some of you – you can use seas salt but that is it!

Apple Cider Vinegar  (to make dressings)
 
Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth (To cook with since you can’t use oil…except olive oil spray on the bottom of a pan)
 
Protein (you can eat chicken, lean beef, seafood, lamb…NO pork)- these are approximates for 2 weeks –
 
10-12  boneless skinless chicken breasts 
7 pieces of frozen Salmon 
1 pk of 4 pieces of lean beef 
 
Lots of vegies – pick from – cucumbers,bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, asparagus, green beans , carrots (only 1 a day allowed) , brussel sprouts, eggplant, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, cauliflower, cabbage, chives, olives (Only  6 a day allowed), radishes, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, okra, bean sprouts, watercress, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, garlic, jicama, radicchio, arugula, escarole, daikon, endive AND fresh lettuce – Romaine, green leaf or Spinach.  You need to buy these fresh.
 
FRUIT – Here are your daily choices — you have to eat 2 a day (mid morning or mid afternoon snack)  You will need to buy these every 4 or so days so they are fresh.
 
peach
apple
orange
6 large strawberries
1/2 grapefruit
2 medium plums
10 lg cherries
nectarine
1 cup of blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries (or a combo) 

 Ok you asked for it…and you got it! (more than you probably wanted to know!)  The one thing that would make this diet perfect is having a personal chef to hand me my meals on a tray with beautiful dishes, a color coordinated napkin and a flower in a vase! (one can always dream!)

I am right in the midst of another HUGE Jim Elliot Fundraiser but wanted to give you my monthly update after three months on my healthy eating, weight loss & exercise regimen. 

As of today I have lost a total of 33 pounds – which means I am back down to what I weighed when I became pregnant with Daniel in the summer of 2006.  Yipeee – first goal met! I have also lost a total of 15 inches! The “fat clothes” have been put away and the “middle of the road” clothes are in the closet (yes that is right – I still have the “skinny clothes” to fit into…can anyone else relate?) The “fat face” is pretty much gone (although the double chin occasionally shows up) – here is a photo of me blogging today.

Next Weight goal: 15 more pounds (which will put me at my December 1996 after 4 children weight)

My blood pressure readings are headed downward with averages of 130/82 without medication! (yes, I check daily)

Next BP goal: 120/80 without medication

I have stayed committed to my exercise plan of walking 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes. (and at the beach it was 60 minutes plus everyday – love, love, love walking on the seashore!)

Beginning this month of April, I have decided it was time to begin some weight and resistance training.  What I would really like to do is renew my Curves membership because that is an easy, fun, “no brainer” way to get great weight training in.  (and I LOVE Curves having been a member there from 2000-2006) However, at this point in life we simply do not have the extra funds to commit to this monthly expense.  It would be easy to just whine and complain and use this as a great excuse to not get back to this type of all important exercise….BUT I have learned (the hard way) that “whining and complaining” or “wishing and waiting” get you nowhere! As I was trying to figure out how to get this type of  all important muscle building activity into my life at no expense, I found a magazine in the nursing mothers room at my church that outlined a 30 minute weight & resistance training routine that you can do with little to no equipment (except soup cans).  Isn’t God good?  I brought that magazine home and began this weight training this week!

Next Exercise goal: Continue walking program 5-6 times a week; 30 minutes of weight & resistance training 3-4 times a week.

Until next month!

PS – My dear darling husband has lost 27 pounds since he began on February 4th.  Go Dan!  His blood test is scheduled for May – can’t wait to see his results.  We both enjoyed our day off on Easter Sunday immensely (and look forward to taking Daniels 1st birthday off this month!). 🙂