Sabotage

I hate the weekends! I always seem to sabotage myself on the weekends. I see the weekends as "fun food times". I know, it's only a matter of changing my outlook, but that is at times easier said than done. Why couldn't I have just been born with a "skinny" gene? LOL
I've been reading a wonderful book about learning to love myself, and I read an amazing quote. It said, I need to challenge what I believe I am, especially the beliefs that limit the expression of my life. (Like how I treat myself with food) If I am constantly treating my body like a garbage disposal, what do I think of myself. Is that an expression of love? Eating crappy food is not a reward, it's a punishment! And It's definitely not an expression of love toward myself. When we love something, we treat it with care.
So, I continue to learn on this journey. I know as I learn to love myself unconditionally, I will take much better care of my body and what I put into it.

Changing Gears

I must confess something, but first apologize for not blogging much lately. Michael and I decided to redo our kitchen cabinets and it has consumed us just a little. I am so glad I am doing this though because  I am able to relate the transformation of my cabinets to my own personal life. It has been amazing! I feel I am being transformed as the cabinets are also transformed.
Now to my confession...I can no longer tolerate this HCG diet. This does not mean however that I am quitting, because I am not! I am only shifting gears to another plan. I am going on a more healthier plan for me. I truly am one who believes every "body" is different and so should be their diet. We are not "one size fits all" by no means! So therefore, neither should our diets be. I want to say however, please don't allow my opinion of the HCG diet effect your decision to try it. We all need to form our own opinions.
I will continue to post what I will be eating so you may follow my progress and continue to witness my weight loss progress.
The plan I will be doing, I have done before and had amazing progress with. I lost 67 pounds before I got pregnant with Toby. It's called Michael Thurman's 6 Week Body Makeover. Some of you may have heard of it. If you want more information on it, just post a comment and I can help you with it.
Tomorrow I will post my meals and explain more about the plan.

Day 19 Admitting To Failure

For the past several days I have had an unexpected, yet pleasant house guest. This is the reason I haven't blogged in several days. When you have guests stay with you, you tend to eat out at some point, or at least we do. I have to admit I cheated several times because of eating out. I do have regrets, of course. But, the beauty of falling is, you get back up! My plan is to get right back on that horse and keep on riding.With the help of my friend, I learned a lot about myself over the past few days. She helped me see why I do some of the things I do.

I must admit, I am scared to get on the scale tomorrow. I don't doubt I have gained so I know it's crack down time for me. Look, we all flub at some point in our diets, don't we? I am willing to be completely transparent and admit I cheated. Before, I used to hide it. The beauty of it is, we learn from it. I must say, I feel miserable right now, not mentally...but physically. I feel like a stuffed pig! I hate that feeling. Thankfully, it will only be temporary! Tomorrow is a new day!

For the sake of my dignity, I wont post what I have been eating the past few days. LOL

Day 16 I'm Melting!

I failed to blog last night due to being sick. Yesterday was my weekly weigh in though and I am happy to report I lost 4.6 pounds for the past week. Then I got up this morning and to my surprise I lost another pound so that takes my grand total to 17 pounds in two weeks. Yay me! I must admit, I was worried after I cheated at the fair but this just goes to show this really is working, but I too have to work it as well. If anyone is considering this diet, I just want to warn you. It's not easy by no means. I have had to mourn the loss of food over the past few weeks. I've have to show extreme disciple when my family was eating my favorite foods. I've done plenty of diets in my life time and quit on almost all of them, only to gain more weight back. I am determined I will not quit this, even though there has been times I wanted to.
Losing this much so fast is only giving me fuel to keep on going. I am so determined to lose the whole 40 pounds in 40 days. My health coach tells me that not many can do that and that most women only lose 25-30 pounds in the 40 days. I tend to be the exception to that! I will set the bar for women on this plan!

I'm not posting my meals for yesterday because it's the same as I usually eat.

Day 14 Cheater Cheater, Funnel Cake Eater!

I was pleased to see I lost another pound. Although, getting on the scale wont be so pleasing tomorrow. I would love to avoid it if I could. Today I showed my human side. Yes, I cheated. I have two moments of weaknesses. I refuse to beat myself up over it though because life does sometimes get in the way. For me today, I was getting in the cabinet for my melba toast and staring back at me was a small piece of candy. I don't know what came over me but I just reached in and grabbed it. This triggered a mini binge that I am not proud of. Then, tonight we went to the fair. I was very good until it was time to leave and everyone was getting funnel cakes. How do you go to the fair and not get a funnel cake? Well, I didn't get one of my own, like I usually do. I only ate a bit of Baileys and a bit of Michaels. Well..I had to even things out ya know...lol Tomorrow, if I gain more than two pounds I will have to do something they call a steak day. It's where I don't eat all day, just take my drops and then at the end of the day I have the biggest piece of steak I can handle. The next day, it's claimed you will take off those gained pounds. The scale will tell all...tomorrow!
I will not bother posting my meals for the day for the sake of my dignity. lol

Day 13 Priorities

I see a pattern happening here. No loss today. It seems I see a loss about every other day now. I am sure it's my body readjusting after a loss. I am not complaining though, at least all this hard work is paying off. I am learning valuable lessons on this journey.
One of them, prioritizing. I am learning where my priorities lie. Even though it is so hard for me to give up food, my number one priority is my health. Losing weight for me isn't just for vanity purposes, even though I want to look good in those jeans. I want to be around for my kids future, I don't want to be the fat mom who is too tired to play with my kids. I want to feel good and have more energy. So, for me, what comes first is eating healthy. When I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't have, all I do is remember how it tasted. I tell myself that food only last a moment, but the pound gained can last much longer.
So, here's what I ate today:

Lunch: Turkey burger  170 cals
            rotel     20 cals
            small apple   55 cals

Dinner: Turkey chili   180 cals
             Melba toast   20 cals
             small apple   55 cals

Today's total calories  500

Getting all my water in each day has been a struggle for me but I managed to get it all in today and I remembered my vitamins.

Day 12 Don't Rush Progress

If it's worth having, then it's worth working and waiting for. Today the scale didn't move. Of course after what I blogged about yesterday, having the fear of the scale, it bothered me. I feel like I am in a hurry. I want to hurry up and get this weight off, get these 40 days over with, even rush my food. Good healthy fresh food takes time to prepare, as well as it takes time to lose weight. I didn't gain it all in a week so why should I expect to lose it all so fast? Patience has never been my strong point. Until someone gave me this diet, I didn't even want to try losing weight anymore. Now I am determined to lose this again. I will get this weight off, but in the timing my body needs, not my mind wants.

So, here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Egg beaters  25 cals
Lunch: Turkey chili 180 cals
            Melba toast  20 cals
            Strawberry lemon aid 80 cals
Dinner: Chicken salad w/ strawberries  195
             Melba toast  20

Total: 520

Confession: Michael and Bailey ate steak tonight and out of weakness, I had two bites, but it was soooo yummy! LOL

Day 11 Being Motivated By The Scale

Today I woke up to a wonderful surprise. I was down another three pounds. One of those pounds doesn't count though because I regret to admit yesterday I was up a pound. But, I understand I will have my ups and my downs. I am the type of person who has always let my moods be dictated by the scale. If I lose, I am happy. If I gain, look out because momma ain't happy and stay out of her way. On those days I feel sorry for my family.
I have always been scared of the scale. So, before getting on this diet, I decided I wasn't weighing myself anymore. It just wasn't worth the emotional roller coaster I was on. One of the requirements of this diet though is to weigh myself every morning when I wake. This is a challenge for me. Every morning I get on the scale and hold my breath. I'm fearful of what it will say. I know this is a mountain I need to conquer, but as for today, I am happy because of what it said.
So, here is what I ate today:

Lunch: Turkey Taco Salad
           Ground turkey  120 cals
           Lettuce and rotel  35 cals
           Melba toast   20 cals
           strawberry lemon aid   80
Dinner: Turkey burger  170 cals
            stir fry veggies  25 cals
            Melba toast   20 cals
           strawberry lemon aid  80 cals

I failed to get all my water in today so as I said earlier, I fear what the scale will say tomorrow. I know...."let it go Dina". LOL

Day 10 Mourning Away Food

I am ten days into this program and last night I broke down in a moment of weakness and cheated. My daughter was having a sleepover and there was Doritos involved and out of a subconscious habit, I reached into the bag and grabbed a hand full. Once I had them in hand, I broke down and put them into my mouth. I must say, it felt like Heaven..until the second handful, when I suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt.
This weekend has been so rough for me because I mean hey, it is the weekend you know. We usually eat out or have "fun" foods. They say that when people have gastric bypass surgery they go through a mourning process over food, I do believe that is what I have gone through today. Food has always been my best friend, my comfort. I regret to say I am up a pound but this is all trial and error and I am human, which means I will fall from time to time. But the glory of it all is, I get back up. Today I learned to plan my meals ahead. I wrote down all the food I planned to eat so I could not fail. I only ate what was written down, and no more. I am proud to say I did that! This is a journey and I caused myself to be like this, so it's up to me to fix it.
Here's what I had to eat today:

Breakfast: Egg beaters  25 cals
Lunch:  Shrimp Stir Fry with loads of veggies  115 cals
             Melba toast  20 cals
             Watermelon  60 cals
Dinner: Turkey buger  170 cals
            Rotel     20 cals
            Melba toast 20 cals
            Strawberry lemon aid  80 cals
            (blended strawberries with ice, lemon juice and Stevia)

Todays total Calories   515

Day 9 Drum Roll Please

I know I haven't blogged in the last few days, but here is my final weight loss for last week. Drum roll please...
I lost 10 pounds in the first week! Yes, I am happy to say to it is working. I must admit though, just like with every diet, it isn't easy. Looking back over the last week, I have had many days where I just wanted to quit. Eating just 500 calories a day isn't easy. I have had many excuses as to why I can quit, and be justified in them. But, I keep telling myself, "I got my self into this, I have to get myself out of it". I took a picture on the first day of me to map my progress and I took another one yesterday to compare. Wow, already I can see a difference. My face isn't so much puffy and my hands and feet aren't swollen. So, here's what I ate for today:


Breakfast: Apple  70 cals
Lunch: Minute steak  170
            Broccoli      25 cals
            Melba toast  20 cals

Dinner: Taco salad :
            4 oz Ground turkey 160 cals
             lettuce  15 cals
             rotel   20 cals
             2 melba toasts 40 cals

Total calories: 520 cals

I must admit, today I spoke with my health coach who is helping me on this diet and he said I am not eating enough. Wow! I never thought I would hear those words. My goal now is to be between 500 to 550 calories. This is still a learning adventure for me. I am still determined to lose 40 pounds by my birthday. I now only have 30 to go. Yay!

Day 5 Stress Eating

I wasn't very surprise this morning when I stepped on the scale and saw it didn't move. Yep, no gain, no lose..nadda! But it was bound to happen. My body is adjusting to the big drop it's already experienced. I am hoping to see something in the morning though.
Today was a stressful day for me.To give a brief background about me, I am a stress eater. When I am stressed, I will in fact binge. Today was a real challenge for me. I was to start a new at home job but nothing was going right. I was severely stress. All I wanted to do was eat to comfort myself. I must admit, I was very close to saying forget it, and binge on the spaghetti the family had for dinner. Why is it by the way that all the foods you really never cared about before looks so much more yummy when you know you can't have them? Spaghetti never looked so good tonight! I passed though! I told myself no, someone spent a lot of money on me with this plan and I wasn't about to waste their money. Now, if it was my money, I am pretty sure I would've binged. Lol So, here's what I ended up eating instead:

Breakfast: Nothing (slept in)
 Lunch: Turkey burger covered in rotel and mustard   185 cals
Snack: Orange & Melba toast   90 cals
Dinner: Chicken breast 3 oz.
            Salad w/ tomatoes and dressing   155 cal
            Melba toast   20 cals
Snack: watermelon   50 cals


Total: 500 cals

Oh, and in case you were wondering...I declined the job. Way too much stress in my life as it is.

Day 5 Mindless Eating

It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Earlier while fixing grapes for Toby, I just started popping several in my mouth without thinking. Next thing I knew, a few turned into a few handfuls. Grapes aren't on my plan. Ooops! I will have to pay more attention in the future.
Remember how I was concerned about eating out yesterday? Well, to my wonderful surprise, I did ok, well...better than ok. I got on the scale this morning and was down another 3 pounds. That's a total of 7 pounds in just five days! Wow! That just makes me all the more determined to keep on keeping on. I am determined to be 40 pounds lighter by my birthday, which is October 29th. I say it every year, but this year I really think I am going to do it.
I was still hungry today, but I can tell each day gets easier. I just need a little grit and spit..yep, that'll do it. Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Apple   70 cals

Lunch: Turkey patty  170 cals
            lettuce w/ rotel 20 cals
            Melba toast     20 cals

Dinner: Turkey patty covered with rotel and mustard  185 cals
             Melba toast   20 cals

Snack: grapes and watermelon   70 + cals (Not completely sure)

I've had about 90 ounces of water and green tea
HCG drops
B12 drop
Calcium & potassium

Total calories for the day  555 cals

I know I went over because I had 2 turkey patties today when I should've had chicken once. Then I had the grapes.

I can't wait to get up tomorrow and see what the scale has to say!!

Day 4 Adventures In Eating Out

As usual, soon as I get up I weigh myself, daily. Well, to my wonderful surprise I lost 4 pounds! I am 4 pounds down so far! Today was a real test for me. After church we went out to eat with friends. Eating out is my weakness. This is where I start making excuses as to why I can have this or that. I must say, there was wonderful smelling food on either side of me. But, I held true to my commitment. I ordered a plain chicken breast over a bed of lettuce with balsamic vinegar and 2 crackers. I brought my Stevia and had unsweet tea. I planned ahead and it paid off. I must say though, I am still a bit nervous about eating out because I didn't know the calories in the chicken and how many ounces it was.
I only had a small headache today and noticed I wasn't as hungry as I was yesterday. I know this is going to take time to train my thinking towards food again. Remember, the drops are nourishing me, and the food is to keep my metabolism burning.

Here's what I ate for today:

Breakfast: apple  70 cals

Lunch: Chicken breast, lettuce and 2 saltine crackers   Guessing it was 257 cals

Dinner: 3 oz. chicken breast, lettuce and melba toast    110 cals

Snack: Watermelon    70 cals

Total calories for today   507

A bit boring I know, but I am learning not to live to eat, but to eat to live. Food isn't everything, right? OMG! Did I just say that?

Day 3 And I Have A Headache

Okay, I made it through my first day of eating only 500 calories, and let's just say, detox sucks! Just after lunch I got a killer headache. I can honestly say though, I wasn't tempted to eat. I was very hungry, but I read that passes after a few days. I'm sure some of you may think this is a bit extreme. I thought the same thing once. But after reading how this plan works, I understand now. See, I am getting the bulk of my calories from the HCG drops, not my food. I am eating food to keep my metabolism burning. The drops are releasing calories from all the fat I'm losing into my blood stream.

Along with eating only 500 calories a day, I also have to drink 3 liters of water or green tea. Let's just say, I haven't gone to the bathroom this much even when I was pregnant! Wow! Oh! And please tell me, why is it that when you're on a diet, everything on TV is about food?
So, here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: med apple   70 cals

Lunch: 3.5 oz. chicken tender loin
           1 cup lettuce w/ raspberry vinegar
            Melba toast
Lunch total cals..125

Dinner: Turkey burger
            1 cup Broccoli
            1 cup lettuce w/ raspberry vinegar
            Melba toast
Dinner total cals.. 230

Snack: Strawberries and watermelon    70 cals

Today's total calories =  495

I can go a little below or above the 500 calories. I drank 60 oz. of water and 60 oz. of green tea w/ Stevia. Tomorrow will be a challenge for me because we will be eating out after church. I planned to have a salad with chicken breast.

Day 2

Today was the second day of loading up calories. Oy! Now I understand why we aren't to eat much from here on out. I'm so stuffed that food is the last thing I want to see for a month. Wow! Did I just say that? LOL It's true though, I never thought I would have trouble eating freely, but I honestly found it a challenge. I feel bloated and miserable. I don't think I will see a drop just yet on the scale. When I weighed this morning I was up a pound and half, but I am not surprise because of all the food I ate. But I am positive that in the weeks to come I will see the scale go down.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: 1 filled cream cheese doughnut  - 300
                1 chocolate glazed doughnut       - 250
                chocolate milk                             - 360
                                                                = 910
Snack:     1 chocolate filled doughnut         - 300

Lunch:      2 pieces of chicken                    - 600

Snack:       ice cream & brownie                 - 500

Dinner:      4 enchiladas                              - 900
                 chips & salsa                              - 140
                                                                = 1040

Total for the day:                                      3350
HCG Drops 3 x's
B12 1 time

Tomorrow  begins my big day. I start eating 500 calories and drink loads of water or green tea.As always, comments, questions or advise is welcome!

Here Goes Nothing...Day 1

Today is my first day on this plan. First thing every morning I have to weigh myself. For the first two days I have to "load" up. It's exactly what is says, loading up on calories. For these first two days I have to eat a minimum of 3000 calories per day. Yes, you read that right. Then for 38 days it's 500 calories. And all along I will be taking B12 drops as well as Calcium and Potassium and not to forget, HCG drops 3 times a day. That will be where my calories and nourishment come from. I will explain on that when the time comes.

I must say, today was an eye opener. In order to load up, we decided to eat at Mc Donald's for breakfast and Lunch. OMG!  Let's just say, meeting 3000 calories was no problem at all when you eat there. Wow!
Here's what I ate and what the calorie count was.

Breakfast:  Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit- 560 calories
                 Hash brown                               - 150 calories
                 Carmel Frape  (large)                 - 680 calories
Total:                                                           1390 calories

Lunch:       Quarter Pounder w/ cheese        - 510 calories
                  Regular size fries                       - 380 calories
                  Diet Coke (I know..lol)            - 0     calories
Total:                                                           890 calories

Dinner:      BBQ Chicken(leg & thigh)         - 600 calories
                 Cheesy potatoes                        - 250 calories
                 Cheesy  biscuit                          - 100 calories
                 Diet Coke                                  - 0    calories
Total:                                                            950 calories

Night time snack: Ice cream & brownie         -500 calories

Grand total for the day = 3730 calories
I also started my drops today. 15 drops under my tongue 3 times a day of the HCG and one dropper full of B12 once. The other vitamins begin in the next few days.

Wow, can you imagine if we are just mindlessly eating, how the calories can just add up? It's no wonder why our nation, including our kids are so over weight. This was eye opening for me today eating at Mc Donald's and counting the calories.  I'm blown away. There have been times when we were on vacation, we would eat this much, not thinking of the intake. 

Here's a challenge for anyone reading this. If your not watching what you eat now, spend a day mindlessly eating but keep track of the calories and see how much they rack up for your day. I imagine you too will be surprised! 

What Is The HCG Diet Anyway?

As promised, I am going to explain what this program is I will be beginning.

So, what is the  HCG Diet? It consist of a low calorie diet in combination with HCG hormone treatment. During my 40 day program I will regularly take a small amount of HCG drops. This is supposed to improve glandular and metabolic function while evoking fat loss and improving health.It allows the body to tap into your body's abnormal fat deposits, like upper arms, belly, butt, thighs and hips. All the places I want to lose...lol HCG is a pregnancy hormone that allows the body to metabolize fat and use it for energy for both mother and fetus. For weight loss, they use a very small amount.

I must say, I was very critical of this diet at first. You eat basically 500 calories a day.OMG!!! That seemed somewhat unhealthy to me, until I read what the HCG hormone drops do. Since there is such a release of fat into the blood stream, I basically wont be hungry and should have plenty of energy. The HCG actually releases 1500-4000 calories per day into the bloodstream. This is the only reason why it is ok to eat 500 calories a day. The protocol provides a detox and gives your entire system rest from the onslaught of food and drinks by allowing only a small amount relatively healthy items to be processed in your body.

So, in a nut shell, I will eat around 500 calories a day, drinking lots and lots of water and taking thes drops to help heal my damaged metabolism.  I will be keeping a journal and documenting my progress here for anyone who wants to follow me on my journey.

Remember, I was the biggest skeptic about this plan, and I have tried so many diets out there with no long lasting results. This claims to heal the metabolism and flush away my fat cells so I wont gain it all back. We shall see!

In the upcoming days I will be beginning the program and allowing you to follow along with me. Again, comments or advise is welcome.

I'm Back!

That's right folks, I am back. I must say, with a blog like this, you become very transparent, so when you fail, you hide. That's what I did. I hid. Who wants to admit to all their peers they were a failure?

This time around though, it's different. I know, I know...everyone says that, right? Well..this time I am doing something different. I will be doing that HCG Diet which is all the rave right now.  My next blog will tell all about what this diet is about, so hang with me, okay! I must say, I have been extremely critical of this diet plan. Although, I have seen lots of my friends have exceptional results. Then, don't get me started on the cost and the fact that you don't get to eat much at ALL! Well, someone secretely blessed me with this kit so I had no choice but to check it out and give it a chance, right? I felt I was now obligated. But I have to say, once I read about it, I was sold.

I have decided to map my progress here, so that if anyone else is critical, I will be their guinea pig, so to speak. I will, hopefully report daily. I will record here my weight loss, what I eat and how I feel. All comments are as always welcomed. Any advice or ideas will also be accepted! I am also starting a new job at home, so there is many changes taking place all at once in my life. So, I hope you will follow me as I go on this new journey.

A New Way Of Thinking

Did you know that you are unable to think a positive thought and a negative thought at the same time? How you think is central to the way you view yourself.
I often find myself thinking, "it's no use! I will never lose this weight!" Or "it's all or nothing".That's my stinking thinking taking over when that happens. I just read where I can challenge my thinking by thinking on better things. Philippians 4:8 says; What ever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 
I've got too many good things going for me than to waste my thoughts on negative issues in life. Sure! I want to lose this weight...but thinking I'm a failure isn't going to get me there any faster. So, why not think my way thin?
Life is a process, and so is my health journey. I'm going to approach each day with the attitude that  I do the next right thing.
I always used to hate that saying , "Life is like a box of chocolates" because it made me want chocolate! Yeah yeah, you never know what you're gonna get, but I know also that I can make my own destiny. I can stay the way I am or change it. And a box of chocolates aint gonna make it better. Maybe for the moment with pleasure but then after I eat the whole box I will feel bad about myself, again. I'm looking for the end results.
I can't do this all on my own. I keep trying and failing at it. I need to rely on God's power to change my thoughts, which will change my actions. You see, I have a food addiction, but that's just a stronghold in my life. It's something I gave power over to, to control me. Strongholds are meant to be broken or replaced. I'm replacing one stronghold with another, food for God. Psalm 144:2 says, He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge.
Those have been my thoughts, what have you been thinking about? Have they been positive, or negative? Is it time for a change? For me it is!

Food journal:
This weekend has been a bust when it comes to eating so today is a new day, thank God! I love Mondays because it brings back routine.

Journaling

Someone asked me if I would blog my food journals. So, why not, that's what this is all about, isn't it? It's a good idea if you're starting out a new healthy living style to journal. Write down everything you eat and drink, even if it's a cheat. You will be surprised by what you didn't realize you actually ate.
When I'm eating on track, it looks mostly like this;

Breakfast- oatmeal, 2 eggs whites & 1/2 banana
Mid-morning snack- 2-4 oz protein like turkey sausage, chicken breast or tuna with fruit. I usually have an apple or an orange.
Lunch- 4oz lean protein like chicken breast or turkey burger ( buy Jeno O premade patties and love them), rice cake to put the chicken or burger on Since I don't need the bun, and veggies like tomatoes, and spinach on my burger.Load it up!
Mid-afternoon snack-lot of times its the same as mid-morning snack (boring I know)
Dinner- This I am still trying to get this one right. I am very tempted and tend to slip up and eat everything the family eats. Like, if they have garlic bread, I want some too!
I will say, I try to have had a good salad with chicken breast for dinner.I make it huge too. 4 oz chicken breast but I load up on the veggies. Tons of baby spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, carrot shavings, mushrooms.
I work late nights so have something else after dinner or my blood sugar will drop bad. 
Late-night snack- Fruit, I love oranges and grapes to eat while I'm working.

Each new day is a do over so if you are like me and blow it sometimes, just get right back on that horse and keep on riding! It's a journey and not a race. I take it one meal at a time, or else I would lose my sanity.

What is everyone else eating? Comment!

Are You A Junkie?

Hello, my name is Dina and I am a food addict. I am addicted to food. I love it! I'm not afraid to try new things. But it comes with a price. I am a "food junkie" It's my drug, so to speak. I thought I had it under control in my life lately but it would seem I do not. I notice that if I slip up just one bite, I'm done for. Bring on the cravings! Then I have to start all over again, ridding my head of the cravings. Dang trigger foods!
So that brings me to a thought. What are the signs of food addiction? Is this all in my head, so to speak or am I really facing a problem here? I looked it up and here are some of the signs to look for. This could be you!

Food Addiction Symptoms
If you suspect you or someone you know of having a food addiction, here are some early warning signs for you to look for to help you with early detection of food addiction.

• Obsessed with thoughts about food.
• Eats to relieve worry or stress.
• Eats until they feel sick.
• Feels anxious while eating.
• Worries or feels anxious while eating which results in more eating.
• Overeats because the food is there.
• Eats too fast so they can eat more.
• Eats everything on the plate even when they feel full.
• Feels guilty when they overeat.
• Hides food so they can eat in secret away from other people.
• Goes on a food binge after dieting or after trying to cut back.
• Does not like the feeling of being hungry.
• Sees food as something to be avoided or as harmful.

So out of those 13, I have 11. So then, what do you do if you know you have this problem? Go away to a deserted island until you are skinny! Okay, coming back to reality for a minute...
The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. (Ok..did that just now)
Next, identify which foods are "your trigger foods". (Oh boy!)
An interesting find! Trigger foods are actually food allergies causing allergic symptoms and cravings. 
Trigger foods which when ingested cause negative symptoms and changes in the body but at the same time provoke cravings.

So, again, what do I do? 

• Journal what I eat and my feelings toward food.
  

• Find my trigger food.

• Go to God. He heals!  

• Get some accountability. I can't do this alone! 

Resources were found at http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/food-addiction.htm if you are interested in looking further into this yourself.




 

The Missing Link

What is it? For me...energy! It seems I have been missing this and didn't really realize it until I found it again. Since eating healthier something amazing has happened. I am regaining energy I didn't realize I had lost. In my case, I didn't know what I had until I found it. I have noticed over the last few days I wasn't "requiring " my daily coffee. I have been drinking an enormous amount of water though and I think that has replaced the need for my coffee. Today I felt good enough to actually clean my house.

The other night I watched The Biggest Loser and had an interesting eye opener. The shows doctor evaluated each team and gave each team a task. One task was for one team to look at all they used to eat in a day and the trainer Julian had to eat it. She was so accustomed to healthy eating so when she tried to eat the junk food it was making her sick and she couldn't finish it.
That just goes to show, you really are what you eat. It reminded me of way back when, when I ate healthy foods all the time. I looked better and felt better too! Now when I am tempted with bad food choices, I am going to think about what it did to Julian on The Biggest Loser.

All in all, I have been doing very well and starting to reap the benefits too. I've set up an accountability board around me to keep me accountable and motivated. I encourage you, if you're struggling, find a way to stay on track. Set up boundaries and find others who will hold you accountable. Set up a "no fail zone".

Now for some tips.

• Baked sweet potatoes- bake them in the over and make up several so You can have some set back for later. ( I will post a recipe on this)
• Prepare your foods in advance- I am making it fail proof. When I fix something like chicken breast, I make several and put in baggies to have later for a quick protein snack.
• If you are struggling with drinking so much water, try some decaf green tea with a touch of Ste-via or Splenda to add flavor. I make this up in a big pitcher and sip all day on it.
• Don't go more than 3 hours without eating. Fuel the metabolism by eating.
  

The Biggest Loser

I have to confess, I am a huge fan of this show. I have never missed one episode, not one! Every season when it comes on I always say, I'm going to do it with them and see how much I can lose. Then by the end of the season I fizzle out and it ends in harsh disappointment in myself. Last week was the new season opener and I of course wanted to say the same ole thing, but I stopped myself. I really am doing it this time around, losing weight that is but I don't want to set myself up for any disappointment like before. I'm setting realistic expectations in myself.
Which leads me to the scale. Weigh in time. I am proud to say I am down a total of 5 pounds since starting. It's not much but hey, a loss is a loss. I'm no Biggest Loser, but who has time to exercise 8 hours a day? Who wants to? I would if I had a chance to win the money they are offering them. But I live in reality, and reality says I have 3 kids, a husband and a job. I'm learning to schedule things in to my busy life. I have set a time every day to exercise. I feel like if I make it a set time, then I will just know it has to be done and do it. It's all a mind set. If I tell my mind exercise if good, I'm hoping some day my mind will not fight so much with me on it. Hey, miracles have happened before you know. Until then, I'm just not giving myself any choices. At 2 o'clock every day it's exercise time. Just like I work at a certain time every day and I have no choice in that matter, its the same for my exercise. It's just got to be done.
I look forward to the pay off though. Feeling good, more energy and less flab. You know, it's not the extra pounds that has bothered me so much lately as it is the flabby fat jiggling. So, if you're not happy with something, then change it. Don't wait till summer when you go to put on those shorts and realize you have to do something about it. I'm starting now so I will be happy with what I see this summer.
I am not happy with the way I look now so until I win the Lottery so I can have plastic surgery, exercise is how I'm changing it. So, off I go to iron out that flab and by summer I look forward to the "fab"..haha! I hope to reap the payoff!

The Joys Of Detox

When I go on a diet or "new lifestyle change" i struggle with unbelievable cravings. I am also a food addict. It used to be very bad but within the last year I seem to have it mostly under control. I used to get so bad I would pace the floors wanting something, anything to fix my craving. Like an addict, I needed my "fix". My drug was, and is...food!
If I can make it three days with no trigger foods I am home free. The problem, getting through those three days. Detox is hell! Yeah, I said it. Food addicts struggle just like alcoholics but our down fall, food is everywhere! If I watch TV, there it is! If I go out somewhere, chances are I will see something food related, like a restaurant.
The best thing for me is to lock myself up in my house for three days. Better yet, tie myself up somewhere in a back room where I can't watch TV or deal with food all together. I know that's a little extreme, you got to have food, but you get my point.

Here are things that I have discovered that help me in the detox stage. Everyone is different so you may need to try some things catered around you.

• Don't allow the trigger foods in the home
• Water, water, water
• Exercise (Gives me confidence)
  
• Avoid places with trigger foods
• I am cautious of what I watch on Tv (If a food commercial comes on, I change the channel real fast)
  
• Tell the people around you not to enable your cravings (another words, I tell them not to tempt me with trigger foods or bring it into the house)
  
• Shut the kitchen down after dinner, lights out!
• Stay busy with a hobby. (I have taught myself how to knit, I also start projects like decluttering the house or painting a room.)
• Pray and read my Bible (I ask God to help me daily with my eating)
• Get an accountability buddy. ( Have daily check ins)
  

If I can make it past the 3 day mark, the rewards are great. I feel better and the pounds begin to shed. I also gain confidence in myself, knowing I made it through that difficult time. The key is, to not go backwards. If I do, then it's detox all over again. That's hard! Hey, I'm human, but I am also accountable for my mistakes.
The choices are mine, so I should be adult about it.
Good health doesn't have to be hard, as long as we tell ourselves the benefits.Change our mindset toward food. It just requires diligence and a lifestyle change.

Eat Well And Prosper

Let's get real. We are what we eat. If you eat a lot of fat and junk, you're gonna get fat, or you will at least feel like junk. If you eat healthy foods and exercise, you are going to feel healthy and fit. You get what you put into it, in any part of your life. I am experiencing that. For some reason, after I exercise, I feel thinner. Maybe it's just me, but it does something to my confidence at least. That's my motivation.
A successful eating plan needs to be flexible and suit your lifestyle. We all don't live by the same cookie cutter. So that's what I've been working on. Trying to eating right to suit my lifestyle. It's not always possible to eat at a certain time or we may need to eat fast food once in a while. The problem with me though, I self condemn myself. I allow my moods to now be effected by what I eat. It used to be that my moods were effected by the scale. Well, I don't have to worry about that for a while. The battery is dead in my scale so I can't even weigh myself right now. Haha the irony! So my mind has shifted to guilting myself by what I eat. The thing is, I seem to always find some way to be harsh and punish myself. I'm working on letting go of the guilt. This is my life and it effects more than just me, but the people around me. I'm planning on living a while, so why not live it out with freedom and enjoyment, instead of guilt and punishment.
Who would have thought losing weight involves more than just eating right?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

It's result time! If anyone is following this I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see how I did. I battled with posting this blog today. I've put myself out there, publicly for others to monitor. I have a desire though, not just for me to lose this weight, but to help other people lose it as well. So, if these blogs help just one person, I feel like I've accomplished what I've set out to do.

Well, first let me get to the good.
I started out with a bang and did really well. You know that momentum you get just starting out. I had my food prepared and I ate it. I was getting in my water too. I learned much about myself too. I feel like I set a lot in motion for myself. Then reality hit and life got in the way. Who would've thunk it? Can't live in a bubble all the time.

Which leads me to the bad.(This is where the life getting in the way comes in.) My parents came in to visit for New Years. We ended up doing a lot of eating, and not the healthy kind either. Remember those trigger foods I was telling you about in the earlier blog? Well, I had them all, and was craving more and more. They seemed to trigger me wanting to eat. Wow! Never seen that one coming. I kept telling myself, "just this one" and that turned into a whole lot of "ones"! That adds up fast. Next thing I knew, I fell off my horse.

And then there is the ugly. Or perhaps the scary? The scale this morning. I forced myself to get on the scale this morning and to my surprise, didn't gain. I lost maybe a pound or two. That's stretching it though. LOL
It was disappointing however because I allowed myself to sabotage my efforts from earlier in the week. I went against all I told myself to do. I didn't take my own advise.
So, what have I learned? It's a lifestyle, and a process. You are only one meal away from undoing all your hard work. But the good news is, this isn't a race. I'm back on my saddle and ready for the ride. Sure it's going to get rough and bumpy. My bottom is sure to be bruised. I may get bucked again. But the key is to get right back on. I'm not going to let it defeat me. It's not all happy trails but the adventure is never dull.


I have a new discovery, but watch out. This one may be dangerous! It's Yoplait's Delights Parfait. Oh this is a touch of Heaven on earth. It's only 100 calories too! It comes in 4 flavors and my favorite so far is the Creme Caramel. There is also Chocolate Raspberry,Triple Berry Creme,and Lemon Torte. You can find it in the yogurt isle. But let me warn you again, this doesn't taste like yogurt and it's very hard to stop at just one. I have to hide these from myself or I will eat them all.