So it's been a rough week. I'm really, really missing Dr. Pepper. I want sugar and something that wasn't once alive. I don't like meat this much and I'm hungry all the time. Mostly I'm just whining. I know it will get better and it would help if I'd stop cheating. So here we go again, I'm back on track.
Now even with the minimal cheating I've been doing. We're talking a couple of pieces of candy not like a large pizza or anything, I've lost a whopping 15 lbs in about 3 almost 4 weeks. I don't know about you but I'm pretty pleased with that number.
I've picked out a couple of super hot, sexy dresses that I fully intend to bribe myself with when I hit my target weight. I also intend to get myself a mani-pedi when I hit 20 lbs lost. Maybe bribary on this type of scale will help me hit my targets.
---Amanda
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February 8, 2011
Sorry for the delay in posting. So John and I have dived full steam ahead into a healthier lifestyle. John's going to post in a minute what we are doing but I'd like to say ******** HORNS BLARING AND ANNOUNCING GREATNESS************ I've lost 11 pounds already. WAHOOOOOOO.
More to come......................
JOHN: So we're doing the "Paleo" diet (well, the Primal diet, more specifically, since we're using The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson -- you can check out his blog here).I could describe it, but it's late and I'm putting the kids to bed in about 5 minutes, so I'm going to cheat and point to some links that already explain it:
- The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan: The Basics of the Primal Blueprint Diet
- The Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint: 10 Laws for a Healthy Life
Both of those are from Mark Sisson's blog (linked above) and you can find lots more information there, or all around the net by following links from his blog or doing a search for "Paleo Diet". I like the Primal Blueprint, though, in part because its more "relaxed" than some of the other takes on Paleo. (Another resource I like, which has more of a medical, scientific feel a lot of times is PaNu (Paleo Nutrition) by Kurt Harris, M.D.).
Okay, for those of you who don't want to follow a link, here's the extremely, extremely condensed version:
- Grains and sugar are bad (yes, whole grains, too -- in fact they might even be worse than refined grains)
- (Good) fat is good (good fat is saturated fat -- mostly animal fat though avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. are good, too)
- Yup... it's opposite of what your health teacher and the FDA have told you: Conventional Wisdom about food (the food pyramid, eat lots of whole grains, etc.) is not only wrong, but destroys your health (the links between whole grains and all kinds of modern diseases, like diabetes, cancer, even ADHD and Alzheimers are striking and there's more, lots more, that you'll jsut have to follow these links or grab the book yourself to learn more about)
- Paleo is not a low-card diet, per se. It's about eating real food (plants and animals, excluding grains and sugar). Eat lots and lots of plants (fruit and veggies) for nutrients and vitamins and eat animal products for protein and energy. Fat is the best, most efficient, most healthy form of energy to consume
- It also strongly advocates organic fruit and grass-fed meat (primarily for nutritional reasons because they're superior foods, which again I'm going to make you read up on yourself to find out what I'm talking about)
I've known about Paleo diet for a year or so (my older brother Richard has been doing it for awhile) but I took quite a bit of convincing. In the last month I've been reading up a lot and I'm pretty well convinced now. Amanda and I started the Primal Blueprint on Sunday, 1/27/11 (I think -- I could be off by a day or two, but that's close enough). I don't know how much weight I've lost because I didn't get a starting weight. Honestly, I'm much less concerned about my weight than I am about general health and fitness. The weight's starting to drop off and I'm not hungry and I'm enjoying food more than I have in a while. It's a win-win.
And after a week and a half of this, I feel better than I have in... well, as long as I can remember. I barely crave sweets anymore and barely miss them. I feel satiated and content without feeling bloated. I can skip a meal and barely notice instead of craving something to stick in my mouth every couple of hours and going through a peak and crash cycle repeatedly every day. My energy is more consistent. My stomach and digestive system feel dramatically better. Needless to say, I'm loving it.
I think Amanda's having a harder time with the transition. From what I've read, some people feel better from day one (like me) and seem people struggle a bit for about a month before their bodies adjust (I expect this is Amanda, though we're only one and a half weeks in so far).
Well, I'm ten minutes late putting the kids to bed already, so that's what you get for now. I'm sure I'll add more later.
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January 21, 2011
I've decided it's time to lose a little weight. On a normal day I look in the mirror and say, "Yes I'm a little heavier than I should be but I still look dang good." However, everytime I see a picture of myself it depresses the beegebees out of me. I just don't feel as fat as I apparently look and according to my scale am.
I don't want to have to lose the pork by myself; So I've recruited John. You need a support system in place otherwise your just going to eat like usual. I also need to make sure that the crap isn't in the house. Now we do pretty well on that front. We rarely have ice cream or chips or cookies in the house. But we eat a lot of processed foods and eat out. We'll work on that in the coming weeks.
I'm taking baby steps. This week and next weeks step. To cut down to one (count them one) yes you are reading this right. One Dr. Pepper per week. This may honestly just kill me. I'm going to be a raging beast of unpleasantness but it must be done. John is going to cut snacking every 15 minutes. He'll be able to have snacks at 10:00am and 4:00 pm or/an evening snack.
We'll keep you posted on our progress.
Amanda's target weight: 155 lbs Current: 210 Must lose: 55......................... Ouch
John's target weight : 260 lbs Current: 320 Must lose: 60.......................... Ouch
I'm feeling the shame of that weight.
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January 21, 2011
Here's a post by my new favorite blogger Annie Valentine. For the record, I'm going to "Suck in, tuck my pelvis under and appreciate how great I am." That's my new motto!
The Salami Way of Thinking
September 16, 2008
After much chatter and speculation, I am about to come clean on the Salami Diet. This is deep, deep stuff. But I feel it is only fair that I share my Skinny Secrets with the world and beyond (in case anyone from another galaxy would like to wear a size 6).
Let me just say something. I have not always been skinny. I mean, I was once, then I got married and I wasn’t. Then I got pregnant, then I got even more not skinny, then I got skinny, then I got pregnant again and skinny again, then I moved and got fat and got pregnant and fatter and had the baby and have been getting skinny ever since. Got it?
Now I can share with you how I have found eternal skinny-ness. There are two parts to the Salami Way of Thinking. First is the eating and second is the mind power.
Part I – How to Eat Salami
The eating is simple. I eat half (sometimes a fourth) of what I used to for meals, and fill in the snack gaps with power foods like salami. Salami is fantastic because it’s high protein and high fat. They say when you hit a diet plateau it’s smart to up the fat intake so your body thinks it’s getting something great. That’s where the salami comes into play. As long as I continue to eat it on a regular basis, my body seems to think we’re not really dieting. See the smartness here? All that fat went right to my brain and tricked it good like. Besides, I don’t feel like I’m dieting. I’m just eating salami and I love it.
Breakfasts consist of either a protein shake that I find repulsive but choke down anyway because it is actually quite filling, or a few bites of whatever my kids are eating. When I say a “few” I mean a “few”. Not two pancakes. I chase brreakfast with a jug of water and promptly forget about food for the next few hours. (You have to work your portions down slowly, by the way. Otherwise your body gets mad.)
Salami at 10:00. Or a handful of Wassabi Clean Out The System nuts, or a piece of California Roll with brown rice (piece? slice?). I just make sure to limit my calorie intake and still eat something that has a punch of flavor and protein. And fat. Gotta have the fat.
Lunch is usually a salad or something comparable, whatever I have time for. Just don’t think too much about it. Another snack, a lean cuisine for dinner (or a salad or soup), and a few sugar free candies thrown in throughout the day when I need something sweet. In case you’re wondering, I don’t hit the carbs very often. Think 80/20. Carbs and sugars only 20% of the time. Never after 3 pm.
Oh yeah, Diet Coke. Not everyday, but now and then. Or caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper.
Part II – Salami Mind Power
Your brain has three parts (according to my sister Jenny). The first is our conscious brain, the second is our subconscious brain. You’ve all heard about the importance of using your conscious brain to tell your subconscious brain what you want it to hear, right? Like saying to yourself, “I am skinny and hot. I am a size seven. I am a zombie talking in front of the mirror like an idiot”.
The problem with this is that most people don’t access the third part of their brain: Mr. Emotion Man. If you don’t throw a real honest to goodness positive emotion into the equation, nothing happens. So, when I decided that I was tired of being periodically fat, I started to access this third chunk of brain power. I’ve been doing this for eight months now. How? I NEVER talk about how much weight I want to lose or how fat I am. I NEVER talk about my weight stalling. Heck, I try not to talk about my weight at all unless it’s to say something like, “Well, I just love it when I weigh 130 pounds, yep, I’m so happy there.” Then I change the subject. Or I say something like, “It’s so easy to be skinny, my body just wants to be 130, what can I do?” In fact, 130 is the only number I ever use in casual conversation.
While these phrases started out as figments of my conscious imagination, they have successfully worked and tricked my body into total body belief. December 3, 2007 I weighed 196 (the day before Junie came). This morning I was 132. Go ahead, tell me the Salami Diet doesn’t work.
The last thing you have to know is this: You have to pretend you’re an actress. You must stop at every mirror in your house regularly and say out loud, “Man, I look so hot today! I can’t believe how skinny I’m getting!” Suck in, tuck your pelvis under (as my sister Koni would say) and stroll over to the fridge for some salami. Do this repeatedly all day.
In a few weeks you won’t have to do it anymore, your body will be a believer. Have a friend who doesn’t care that you call and brag about how skinny you are (thanks Tricia). Even if it isn’t true, you must attach that excitement to the words. The happy, joyful, I love my body excitement. Only then will your subconscious mind believe.
And then you’ll get skinny.
And that, my friends, is the Salami Way of Thinking.
Let me just say something. I have not always been skinny. I mean, I was once, then I got married and I wasn’t. Then I got pregnant, then I got even more not skinny, then I got skinny, then I got pregnant again and skinny again, then I moved and got fat and got pregnant and fatter and had the baby and have been getting skinny ever since. Got it?
Now I can share with you how I have found eternal skinny-ness. There are two parts to the Salami Way of Thinking. First is the eating and second is the mind power.
Part I – How to Eat Salami
The eating is simple. I eat half (sometimes a fourth) of what I used to for meals, and fill in the snack gaps with power foods like salami. Salami is fantastic because it’s high protein and high fat. They say when you hit a diet plateau it’s smart to up the fat intake so your body thinks it’s getting something great. That’s where the salami comes into play. As long as I continue to eat it on a regular basis, my body seems to think we’re not really dieting. See the smartness here? All that fat went right to my brain and tricked it good like. Besides, I don’t feel like I’m dieting. I’m just eating salami and I love it.
Breakfasts consist of either a protein shake that I find repulsive but choke down anyway because it is actually quite filling, or a few bites of whatever my kids are eating. When I say a “few” I mean a “few”. Not two pancakes. I chase brreakfast with a jug of water and promptly forget about food for the next few hours. (You have to work your portions down slowly, by the way. Otherwise your body gets mad.)
Salami at 10:00. Or a handful of Wassabi Clean Out The System nuts, or a piece of California Roll with brown rice (piece? slice?). I just make sure to limit my calorie intake and still eat something that has a punch of flavor and protein. And fat. Gotta have the fat.
Lunch is usually a salad or something comparable, whatever I have time for. Just don’t think too much about it. Another snack, a lean cuisine for dinner (or a salad or soup), and a few sugar free candies thrown in throughout the day when I need something sweet. In case you’re wondering, I don’t hit the carbs very often. Think 80/20. Carbs and sugars only 20% of the time. Never after 3 pm.
Oh yeah, Diet Coke. Not everyday, but now and then. Or caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper.
Part II – Salami Mind Power
Your brain has three parts (according to my sister Jenny). The first is our conscious brain, the second is our subconscious brain. You’ve all heard about the importance of using your conscious brain to tell your subconscious brain what you want it to hear, right? Like saying to yourself, “I am skinny and hot. I am a size seven. I am a zombie talking in front of the mirror like an idiot”.
The problem with this is that most people don’t access the third part of their brain: Mr. Emotion Man. If you don’t throw a real honest to goodness positive emotion into the equation, nothing happens. So, when I decided that I was tired of being periodically fat, I started to access this third chunk of brain power. I’ve been doing this for eight months now. How? I NEVER talk about how much weight I want to lose or how fat I am. I NEVER talk about my weight stalling. Heck, I try not to talk about my weight at all unless it’s to say something like, “Well, I just love it when I weigh 130 pounds, yep, I’m so happy there.” Then I change the subject. Or I say something like, “It’s so easy to be skinny, my body just wants to be 130, what can I do?” In fact, 130 is the only number I ever use in casual conversation.
While these phrases started out as figments of my conscious imagination, they have successfully worked and tricked my body into total body belief. December 3, 2007 I weighed 196 (the day before Junie came). This morning I was 132. Go ahead, tell me the Salami Diet doesn’t work.
The last thing you have to know is this: You have to pretend you’re an actress. You must stop at every mirror in your house regularly and say out loud, “Man, I look so hot today! I can’t believe how skinny I’m getting!” Suck in, tuck your pelvis under (as my sister Koni would say) and stroll over to the fridge for some salami. Do this repeatedly all day.
In a few weeks you won’t have to do it anymore, your body will be a believer. Have a friend who doesn’t care that you call and brag about how skinny you are (thanks Tricia). Even if it isn’t true, you must attach that excitement to the words. The happy, joyful, I love my body excitement. Only then will your subconscious mind believe.
And then you’ll get skinny.
And that, my friends, is the Salami Way of Thinking.
