DAY 1: My Plan to Pursue Health and Weight Loss

Life came at me HARD and I let myself go.

With my husband being deployed, an upcoming move to another state, and then the madness of Corona Virus and the subsequent loss of my income (small business here), I just decided to binge binge binge. (Overeating is my stress fueled vice.)

ON MAY 15, 2020 I WEIGHED IN AT 201 POUNDS EVEN.

This was my wake up call. This was the highest I have EVER weighed (while not being pregnant.. I did peak at 210 pounds with one of my pregnancies).

Enough is a frikin’ nuff. I’m used to being skinny, but these past 10 years I’ve bounced around with my weight between 3 pregnancies. But I’m done popping out babies and I’m ready to recommit to health and wellness. I’M DONE LIVING WITH EXCESS WEIGHT AND ILL HEALTH.

I plan to hijack my blog to focus primarily on my weight loss journey and my steps to vibrant health and natural living. This blog started out as my personal journal, and it’s coming back around to fulfill that purpose once more. Hope ya’ll don’t mind.

THE BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY READING TO GUIDE ME ON THIS WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatson

This is the diet I plan to follow to get myself back to my ideal weight. When I first met my husband over 10 years ago, I was first starting to struggle with my weight (as a teenager I was very fit) and I had no idea where to start on getting my body back to “normal”. Jonathan introduced me to the South Beach Diet, since his mom had success losing weight with the program. Together we went on the diet and not only did I get my weight under control, but I also learned to REALLY cook for the first time in my life – the recipes actually opened me up to a whole new world of REAL food. I knew NOTHING of nutrition, and this is the book that started me on the path of actually wanting to better understand what I eat and the effect it has on my body. While my understanding of nutrition has grown and I don’t intend to follow the diet exactly (I intend to use more coconut oil, ditch the soy products, and incorporate more superfoods), this is the basic diet plan I will be following.

Never Binge Again by Glen Livingston

I read this book literally just a couple of days ago. It’s message is shocking and strangely empowering. I have been trying so hard to “Love the Weight Away” and in a weird way, it seems to be fueling my food addictions and food obsessions and bouts of binging. This book has some strong arguments against the loving the weight away tactic and urges you to view your primal, baser instincts to gorge as separate entity that you deal with in a harsh and stern manner, even to the point of derogatory language. Sounds outlandish, but it’s given me a surge of hope and empowerment in the past few days, so I will follow up and see how this pans out!

Hungry For Change by James Colquhoun

This is another book that is my North Star of nutrition. After I regained my health via the South Beach Diet ten years ago, I got super interested in health and wellness and nutrition. This book (and the accompanying documentary) was a wealth of information and a massive eye opener for me. I experienced tons of energy and a kind of spiritual awakening following the tips and advice in this book. It turned me on to meditation, detoxing and even food activism! I plan to follow the detox and clean eating guidelines in this book during my weight loss journey.

A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson

This one is kind of secular religious woo woo, but it comes highly recommended as a great tool to work through the WHY behind binge eating and addresses the issue on a spiritual and emotional level. It is more workbook than book book, and I have yet to work though it, though I have read it cover to cover in my OCD exuberance. I am actually slightly apprehensive about embarking on the journey this book presents, to be honest, as the topics seem to be rather heavy and kind of trigger-y (if that makes sense?) Will follow up on this book in future posts!

The Spirit Almanac by Emma Loewe

This book is a GEM! I am kind of obsessed with it, to be honest. It’s not a weight loss book, but is a book filled with rituals, practices and seasonal observances for some serious soul searching and inner being work. I started observing some of the rituals (like new moon and full moon resolutions and meditations) and they have been insanely empowering and enlightening, like a window into my soul. I plan to dive deep into spirit work as I embark on this journey and approach the issue from a multi-faceted way – mind, body and spirit!

My List of Rules (Using the Rules Template from Never Binge Again)

NEVERS –

I never day drink alcoholic beverages when I am alone and by myself.

I never drink soda.

I never consume artificial sweeteners, with the exception of Stevia.

I never prepare my meals with trans fats or soy products.

I never eat while standing up.

I never sleep past 7am every day.

I never go to bed without walking 10,000 steps (or more) every weekday.

I never take a bath without skin brushing and Epsom salts.

I never eat after 9pm.

ALWAYS –

I always go to bed with enough time to get 8 hours or more of sleep (11pm or earlier).

I always weigh myself every morning.

I always take my daily multivitamins and allergy medicines.

I always take time to journal and read from self-improvement books every morning.

I always meditate on weekday mornings.

I always do 10 minutes of yoga every day.

I always drink 8 glasses of water a day.

I always follow the South Beach Diet.

I always buy natural, GMO free, organic, free range and grass fed products whenever the option is available.

I always prepare my meals with care and a positive attitude.

I always pause and take a breath between bites of food.

I always wear a Sweet Sweat waist band when I work out for longer than 15 minutes.

I always have an herbal tea to wind down and journal with before bedtime, unless I get home later than 10pm.

I always use my sauna blanket for 30 minutes once a week (Monday to Sunday).

UNRESTRICTED –

I eat all the leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables that I want.

I eat all the meat, fish and eggs that I want.

I eat all the herbs and spices that I want.

I drink all the lattes and black coffee with milk that I want.

I drink all the water and tea that I want.

CONDITIONAL –

I enjoy cake or homemade desserts and dishes in moderation on birthdays and holidays.

I enjoy specialty meals in moderation while on vacation or traveling.

I allow myself an optional treat meal (specialty recipe, seasonal dish, eating out with family, etc.) in moderation once per week (Monday through Sunday).

I allow myself one optional cocktail if I feel like having one with my occasional treat meal / holiday meal / vacation meal.

I may skip meditations and journaling if I am traveling or it is a major holiday.

CURRENT STATS

Start Weight (May 15, 2020): 201 pounds

Current Weight (May 17, 2020): 196.2

Total Pounds Lost (Since May 15, 2020): 4.8

Pounds Left to Lose to Reach Goal Weight of 130 pounds: 66.2