What's Been Going On

July has treated me quite well!

The 90 Day Challenge still remains part of life, and, although my food tracking has been sporadic [until now : ) ] I've seen more weight loss.

SBF Marji reminded me of a great Rev. Michael Beckwith quote she put in her blog..."The pain will push us until the vision begins to pull us." (Or words to that effect.) During a recent convo, Marji and I were a bit befuddled as we didn't want to dwell in all the "negatives" of being overweight. We kinda left it there and then a day or so later Marji came up with Rev. Michael's gem. Yes!

It's the idea and the vision and the feeling of where I want to go that pulls me along in my weight loss journey. This morning during my meditation (a new element to my 2-week recharge, details also available in Marji's blog) I spent a few minutes visualizing what that would be like, including feeling what that would be like. That's one pulling aspect.

Another is a new way of looking at my weight loss...I'm 11 and 1/2 pounds away of losing 100 pounds from my highest weight ever. That didn't dawn on me until a few weeks ago and it's been a great incentive to keep up with the interval training, the 1500 calories a day plan and the regular walking and step classes. SBS Teresa said it best: "Soon I'll be able to say 'I know someone who's lost 100 pounds--and it's you!' That's the kind of thing that gets a person on the cover of Prevention magazine!" (Or words to that effect.)

Finally, a shout out to SBC Jeanie, "The Fitness Jeanie," who I've written about as being an expert fitness trainer and now can personally proclaim that is indeed the case as she created a super strength training workout plan for me and led me through it for the first time yesterday. You know that "good sore" feeling? That's what I got going on -- and I love it! : ) Thanks again, Jeanie! (If you want your own super strength training workout from The Fitness Jeanie, you can get it -- all online. Check out her site.)

More soon!

90 Day Challenger Touching Base

I understand people are reading this...so I better write something once in awhile! ; )

I'm staying super clean on my NAFP, and that's helping me cope during a busy time. I'm getting a new business up and running and keeping busy with marketing and PR work from clients, too.

Things have been going well. The 90 Day Challenge has pretty much become a way of life for me. If I falter anywhere, it's in tracking my food, however after a day or two (and some encouragement from SBF Marji) I'm back on it. I think that is key when looking to lose weight, for sure. What works best for me is using my menus as a planning tool before I put a morsel in my mouth. My strongest days are when I follow a menu I planned out the day before.

I've eliminated caffeine (yet again) because it wasn't serving me or my loved ones well. (After drinking too much one day I felt like I would not only fly out of my skin, but also punch someone if they looked at me the wrong way -- not good for a peace-lovin' gal like myself!) It's not like I was drinking a whole lot in the first place -- usually less than 200 mg a day. Even so, I feel my best when I keep it below 100 and more at 50 or 0 mg.

I've boosted my activity level to include more interval training as suggested by The Fitness Jeanie. (A Super Best Client of mine.) It means pushing myself more and wasn't easy to start. Now, though, I must say I look forward to my "interval sessions" at Balboa Park, where I incorporate some running into my walking routine. The scale has been staying stagnant lately, and I trust this will bust through my "mini plateau."

SBF Marji and I were talking the other night about the benefits of following the Challenge, and that includes saving money by not eating out so often. So following the 90 Day Challenge can help fatten your back account! : ) We would probably agree that the biggest hurdles come when visitors are in town or we travel. Although I can usually hold my own on my NAFP, it can be interesting to stick to 1500 calories on travel days. The Fitness Jeanie pointed out that Marji wrote a great posting about that subject and I agree -- you can read it here.

Not a whole lot of travel or visitors coming up in the near, near future, although I'm looking forward to a visit from SBS Teresa in August. I foresee things going really well in all realms, though -- because I'm going to plan for that!

Doing a Course Correction

I've hit a slump in the 90 Day Challenge 2.0. I was giving it some thought last night and this morning and then in church this morning had the overwhelming urge to whisper to SBF Marji that I needed her help. I just had to put it out there. Turns out, she needs a pow-wow, too, so we're going to do that later tonight.

Basically, I feel like I need a "course correction." The calories have been creeping up past 1500 a couple of days, and the heavy duty exercise hasn't been there. So I've identified what I don't want and now will concentrate on what I do want: days of 1500 calories or fewer and that little bit extra in the exercise.

What I think I'm going to do is commit to two mornings at the gym where I do some interval training and get some speed going on the elliptical machine and then hop off to go do a circuit of weights upstairs. That, in addition to my frequent walks and step classes, I believe will do the trick exercise wise.

Calorie wise, it's going to center on limiting the snacking -- that's one area where the extra calories are appearing. Also, I'm going to cut down, not eliminate, the fats I've been eating.

Yes, I believe this is going to do the trick.

I'll keep you updated!

It's Amazing What You Can Do When You...

...try!

That gem came out of SBF Marji's mouth on Friday when we went for a celebratory 90 Day Challenge walk and even incorporated a bit of running!

That came about after SBC (Super Best Client) Jeanie Callen (aka "The Fitness Jeanie") made such a suggestion in my previous blog post.

Here is a key part, in case you missed it:

"I know the best friends in life are those that congratulate our successes and push us to do even more, so I'd like to pass along this tip for The 90 Day Challenge 2.0.

"While you are enjoying your walks in Balboa Park, try to spend at least five minutes really pushing yourself, I mean so much that you want to stop. This may even mean taking it up to a jog. I know you probably hate the thought of running, but adding some other challenge will help you accelerate your results. You don't have to do this every day. For starters, try it once per week. That's it!"

Nice and easy -- just the way I like it. Well, 5 minutes isn't quite what Marji and I did, but we did do a few minutes of jogging, and worked up a bigger sweat, so that works for me. I've been trying to walk faster and faster on my walks, too, just for those reasons Jeanie mentioned.

Marji and I both are ready for The 90 Day Challenge 2.0 to begin. Not that we've gone completely off kilter this week, but we've expanded our eating options and it shows, for me, in more tiredness and moodiness. Who knew that keeping it simple eating wise would make for a better life experience? Now I do!

Oh, one last thing, some updated measurements. Since Jan. 12, I have lost:

Neck: .25 inches

Upper arm: 1.25 inches

Chest: 2 inches

Upper waist: 3 inches

Lower waist: 3 inches

Hips: 1.5 inches

Thigh: 2.5 inches (Thank you, step classes!)

Whooo hooo!

P.S. You can check out more gems from The Fitness Jeanie at her site.

Successful Weight Loss

The 90 Day Challenge officially ended last night and What. A. Ride!

I have made such a mind shift from those entries made more than 3 months ago where I was grappling with fears and resistance. I'm grateful for those feelings, though, because they launched me to where I am today, which is...

20 pounds lighter!

Yes, from 270.5 to 250.5 exactly.

I added it up, and in the last 3 months I have...

• Danced my way through 21 hours of step class
• Walked about 292 miles through Balboa Park
• Tracked my food & calories 81 days
• Inches lost: TBA (SBF Marji and I are meeting on Friday for that. I'll try to get a picture of our thinner selves, too.)

Pretty good, I'd say! (Also, as I'm fond of saying, "I like this! More of this, please!")

Speaking of, The 90 Challenge 2.0 starts May 1...so stay tuned!

Love and success to you, Donna

Kickin' It Up a Notch

We're heading into the last couple of weeks of the 90 Day Challenge, and, for me, I was thinking I'd like to kick it up a notch to have a surge of weight loss before the calendar says April 20.

After thinking about it more the past couple of days, though, I realize that taking it to a new level means

• a little more of somethings
• a little less of other things
• and staying consistent with several things.

In the little less category, if I keep calories between 1200-1400 daily, instead of the benchmark of around 1500 I have been, that would be cool.

In the staying consistent area, I'm slotting exercise. I initially was thinking of boosting that, but I added it up and see that I exercised 10+ hours last week. There's not a whole lot more I can add to that and keep my energy and the benefit levels high.

In the little more of things area, I'm putting in sleep. I caught up on some zzzzs over the weekend and it felt really good. I felt thinner each time I woke up. Keeping up on sleep gives me more energy for everything else, also the defenses go down when I'm tired and it's then I'm more likely to eat more. So more bedtime for Donna.

There you go!

P.S. 3 more pounds down this morning for 17 total since the Challenge began. Yay!

Weight Loss: Accepting Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Like David Bowie sings...

Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Releasing weight is a fascinating process, and the last few weeks I've been adjusting the mental visual to the actual visual of what I'm looking like.

A real shocker came a couple of weekends ago when I was visiting Ron & Tara in Vegas. Ron was kind enough to take some new pictures of me for an Internet business I'm launching soon. After a couple of hours smiling for the camera in various poses, he uploaded them and we took a quick look.

And, peering over Ron's shoulder, I was stunned into silence. I was shocked at how much smaller I've become (and, frankly, how blonde I've encouraged Troung to make my hair--but that's another story).

Seeing myself on that screen was a wake-up moment. In my mind, and until then, I had seen myself 40 pounds or so heavier. What I was seeing on screen didn't match that and I actually had a moment of "that's not me."

The whole situation was enough to get my attention, though, and acknowledge that, 1) yes, that is me, 2) I'm looking good (I wish I could have Ron's special hairlight always shining down on me, tho) and 3) get ready for more moments like this as the weight loss continues.

I like the new look -- a lot! And I am indeed looking forward to seeing less and less of myself in pictures to come.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of one of my favorites -- don't know if it'll be appropriate for the website, but I love the way I'm exuding confidence. What do you think?

Lowest adult weight : )

I had a good feeling when I got on the scale at Horton Plaza this morning and my smile grew wide when I slid the numbers... 256.5. Yippee!

I'm pausing for reflection because I haven't weighed this little in my adult life since November 1992, when my Dad died. SBS Teresa and I were going gangbusters at the time with our Weight Watchers program and it was just a few days before that she took my picture holding a sign that said "-60." But when Dad died, I distinctly remember eating German chocolate cake everyday for breakfast for that first week--and my weight went uphill from there, rising at an even faster clip when my Mom died 3 months after Dad did.

I would get "back on the wagon" sporadically for the next few years. Doing pretty well until something would throw me for a loop and I'd dive back into the food. One good thing I've always had going for me is that I love exercise, especially walking. I'd take long walks on the country roads near my farmhouse. When I moved to Erie, you'd see me at the Hamot Wellness Center quite a bit taking step classes led by the light beings of Pam and Susan. I also lifted weights and took more longer walks at the Presque Isle. Winter took its toll on my exercise plan, though, and, not understanding my food addiction, my life revolved around fixes of food. I won't list everything here, but, for example, near my State Street apartment was a little restaurant that served chocolate chip pancakes, which I indulged in frequently.

When I moved to San Diego just over 6 years ago, I joined a gym, enjoyed step classes and took walks all year round. Even so, my weight stayed in the 320's--again, because of the food addiction. Calories in, calories out maintained that weight.

So it was just over three years ago, after joining Kathy's program, The Road Less Traveled with Food, that the weight started coming off steadily and now has taken a 14 pound drop with the 90 Day Challenge.

It's a winning weight loss formula for me: 1500 Calories a Day + NAFP + Exercise = Weight Loss. Easy!

What's Coming

As I was just telling SBF Marji, I'm super excited about the new frontiers I'm going to be exploring now.

I've been a student of New Thought for years and believer in the Law of Attraction as explained in The Secret. So I know that I am in the process of creating the reality I wish to see in the coming months as I continue to release weight -- how cool and exciting is that?! Way cool! I think that hesitation about how good that future could be was keeping me from releasing weight in the past. I'm in a different place mentally, spiritually and physically now and am wide-eyed with wonder about it all -- interested to see what good and exciting things are going to be a part of all this.

Stay tuned!

Back to Normal

Again, no problem getting back to my normal routine, which I'm grateful for. Still have to do some grocery shopping (not my favorite activity) because the spinach, egg beaters, frozen fish patties and sweet potatoes have pretty much run out.

To get back on track quickly, I recommitted myself to a good deal of exercise -- yesterday I did 2 hour long walks. That feels good.

Also, the sleep problems that were plaguing me appear to be a thing of the past. Eight hours last night and the night before. I can notice the oh-so-subtle difference, but difference none the less. After getting an average of 5 a night, I was wiped out by the end of the day. Now I have a constant stream of energy going--I'm more alert. And the best thing is that my mind is sharper, and I feel more on top of my game. What great feelings!

Oh, and I weighed myself Monday and am pleased to report that I weigh the same I did two weeks ago -- 258.5. Given the trip to Las Vegas, I consider that a success!

The Challenge was a Challenge in Vegas

Home from a week spent with SBS Teresa, Super Best Brother in Law (SBBiL) Brad and Super Best Buds (SBBs) Tara & Ron in Vegas. Had a great time, but The Challenge was a challenge in certain areas, namely calorie intake & exercise. (What else is there you ask? Well, I think there's a spiritual dimension to it, too, which I kept strong.)

Thanks to some beautiful weather and early morning walks listening to my iPod, I managed to keep on the exercise, although I didn't get as much as when I'm here in San Diego. Calorie-wise, though, gosh...I even stopped mental counting after awhile because I thought the totals would be quite staggering.

I give SBF Marji credit for traveling and doing The Challenge successfully. I find it much, much easier while in familiar surroundings. The most important thing I discovered, if I travel again during the next few weeks, is that preparation, both mental and physical, is key when looking to keep to 1,500 calories a day while on the road. I didn't do nearly enough of that.

However, the most important thing that happened is that I got back in the groove the minute I came home. It was a relief actually!

All very interesting.

P.S. Here's a pic of Teresa and myself. (Can you tell we're sisters? I'm on the right.) She said many, many nice things to me during our time together, but my favorite has to be, "Yeah, when we spotted you coming down to the escalator I turned to Brad and said, 'Who's that model? Oh, wait, it's Donna!'" :)

Still Going Strong

Life has been crazy busy this past week, which shows in my lack of blog postings.

That doesn't mean, however, that I've fallen off the 90 Day Challenge. If anything, I'm more diligent in keeping to the challenge -- it's one area of life where I don't have to "think," I just have to "do."

I've continued powering up the exercise with usually one walk in Balboa Park a day (sometimes two) and my step classes. I love both of them. I find step so meditative -- while there I hear only the music and the calls and have to pay attention to that. I'm not distracted by mind chatter. So I call that meditative. Ohm! ;)

I'm a teleseminar addict -- if you spend anytime at all around me every few minutes you'll hear me say, "I just listened to a teleseminar about that and discovered...) -- and that's how I spend my Balboa Park time: learning! And I love it!

Speaking of...the sun is coming out on this beautiful Saturday morning in San Diego. I'm off to the park!

An Even Dozen Down

Hanging in there has its rewards! (So does, I think, weighing yourself first thing in the a.m. versus just before a 4:30 p.m. step class.)

Down 2 more pounds (seven since last Monday, which I knew must have been some kind of fluke) for 12 pounds total since the Challenge begin.

And we're entering week number Lucky 7! Things can only get better (and clothes looser) from here, right? Right!

I attribute the loss for sticking to my program and also keeping my exercise intense -- I did 8 hours of step and walking in the past week. Since I have a busy work week coming up, I also prepped a whole bunch of Challenge-friendly food last night, so menu planning will be EASY, just the way I like it!

A Visit from Delilah

Delilah was messing with me last night.

Monday is my typical weigh-in day and when I stepped on the scale at MV 24 I was 5 pounds up! Pretty unbelievable, actually, given I've had more than 8 hours of "sweaty" exercise in the past week. It's true that I had 2 days where I ate over 1500 calories (approximately 2200 each day) but an extra 1200 calories does not 5 pounds make!

After getting off the scale, and while going to the normal rationalizations of water weight gain, eating heavy food during the day, etc. (yoy!) I was feeling a bit dejected, I must admit. I asked myself why me, what was I doing wrong, etc., But then, while waiting for class to start I remembered Delilah.

(As explained by Mary Manin Morrissey, one of my spiritual mentors, Delilah is the one who seeks to sap us of our inner strength. She's the voice of our fear and relishes opportunities like this to kick us when we're down in an effort to get us to give up on our visions. "Delilahs are disguises of fear," Mary writes in her book Building Your Field of Dreams. "Because our Delilahs come dressed so cunningly, we often fail to recognize them. They seduce us, lulling us into a false sense of security to the point where we grow fond of our fears. We cling to them.")

I gotta say, as soon as I remembered Delilah--once I recognized her in my feelings of self-doubt--it was like a switch flipped inside of me and the light that come forth sent all the fears away. I started to smile and even chuckle to myself. Delilah can be sneaky, but I'm not letting her get the best of me!

First of all, the reality is that I'm losing weight. Sometimes I'm not the best judge in whether or not I look like I've lost weight, but I even I can tell that I haven't put five pounds back on. Secondly, the number on the scale means nothing. Like I was saying to my Vegas friends a few weeks ago who had questions about the Challenge, thank goodness we don't all have to introduce ourselves by saying, "Hello, my name is Donna, and I weigh XXX." Not the way it's done, so, really, what does it matter what the scale says? Finally, like I've said all along, whatever the scale says isn't going to change what I eat tomorrow or the next day or next week -- I'm committed to this Challenge. If anything, it makes me more determined to stick with it.

So, thanks for visiting, Delilah, and now move it along because there's nothing for you here!

My Typical 1500 Calorie Day

SBS Teresa said some people might be interested in reading what a person who doesn't eat sugar or wheat does in fact eat. So, here's a rundown on a typical day for me on no sugar, no wheat, no aspartame, no caffeine and at 1500 calories...

Breakfast
Spinach, 3/4 cup egg beaters, 4T light cream cheese
decaf coffee with 2 T non-fat 1/2 and 1/2
calories: 240

Lunch
4 oz turkey meat
1 T salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
cucumber slices
1 C Squash with 1 t butter
calories: 385

Snack
Chicken soup (chicken thigh, carrots, celery, parsley)
calories: 160

Snack
4 C popcorn and 1 string cheese
calories: 180

Dinner
4 oz salmon
3 oz sweet potato with cinnamon
calories: 400

Snack
apple
decaf coffee with 2 T non-fat 1/2 & 1/2
calories: 110

Total calories: 1475

I've always been a "grazer," and am lucky to be in a work situation that I can do that easily, so actually my lunch was probably spread out over an hour and a half. I'm usually up at 5:30 a.m. and go to bed at 10:30 or 11. My favorite hour of exercise on a day like this is step class at my gym.

So there you go. Questions? I'm happy to answer them.

You Gotta Have Friends, Friends, Friends

And I so do! : )

The weekend was spent with a couple of my best buds, Tara and Ron, and a new best-bud-to-be, Ty. SBF Marji partook in the fun Sunday afternoon, too.

It was a great weekend laughing and talking and laughing and talking and laughing and talking with my friends. What is interesting is that my NAFP never presented itself as a topic of conversation. (And did I mention how much we talked?)

My not eating wheat or sugar never really made me feel "different" or led to discussion. I mean, we could have talked about it and that would have been fine, but it wasn't necessary that we did.

How cool is that?

The Big One-Oh

There's a sign in my gym that says:

Lose 10 pounds
in 5 weeks
for $55

Marketer that I am, I could make a sign of my own:

Lose 10 pounds
in 4 weeks
Absolutely FREE!*

*Well, I have exchanged a few things for my double digit weight loss...

• Commitment to the 90 Day Challenge (eating 1500 or fewer calories a day & doing at least 4 hours of sweaty exercise a week)
• Dedication to my NAFP (no sugar, no wheat, no aspartame, plus I avoid caffeine)
• Holding my vision in mind when the going gets challenging.

This feels good! I like this! I want more of this, please! : )

And, most of all, I am so, so grateful!

Day 20: 8 Pounds Down

Big thing on the 250, little thing on the 12.5! So that's 262.5, or 8 pounds down. Hooray!

Before doing my posting, I was getting clothes ready to wash and ran across a jersey from the Hamot Wellness Center (where I met Kathy Iorio, mentioned in the post below...interesting). It was with a stack of clothes I'll fit into "someday." Well, I tried it on and it fits! A little snug, but completely "public wear-able."

I was so happy I decided to wear it the rest of the day, but after a few minutes off it came again. And into the wash pile it went. While waiting for me to wear it, my cat Frisbee used it as a bed--it was itchy!

Weight Training Rides Again

Given the lack of scale movement last week, I thought it was time to revisit the weight room.

Weight training is not my favorite thing to do. But I know it's effective, even in small doses, especially consistent small doses.

As I walked into the weight room yesterday morning feeling rather mad, I remembered a gem from Kathy Iorio, a fitness guru/friend from Erie: You don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

So true.

So I got one session in. And SBF Marji volunteered to meet me at the gym before our weekly group meeting with Kathy tomorrow and "work it girl" again.

Who knows, I might end up liking it a little more than I thought...we'll see.

I Had a Dream

...and my therapist (mentioned previously for introducing us all to the concept of "Little Donna") would eat this up. So to speak.

My dream, as described to my computer screen:

Everyone was around a dining room table eating. I had gotten done eating and kept wondering why everyone else was going back for more. And everyone seemed “out of it.” Moving almost zombie-like around the room.

I wandered around the room for awhile (looking for coffee, actually, but that's a subject for another time). Then I returned to the table where, sitting across from me was a heavier and younger version of myself.

"Why don’t you eat more?" she asked, calmly, chewing something white. "Eat like we are."

I said, "No, thank you, I don’t feel like it."

She was going to leave it alone (I could tell she was feeling slightly embarrassed), and I said, "No, this is good, ask me again." So she did, more forcefully, but politely, and I said more forcefully, but politely, “No, thank you, but I choose not to eat more right now. I don't want to.” And I felt good that I had expressed myself.

And she seemed perfectly fine with it (as she went back to her food).

Follow-up thoughts I've had since the dream:

• I realized that I can speak the truth to myself.
  
• Actually, I realized I am speaking the truth to myself--and all of me is listening.
  
• My little girl (although really more of a teenager here) can ask for the truth and handle it just fine from "the adult Donna" without freaking out.
• Adult Donna is greatly relieved at that!

I find I'm now more at peace with myself and my food choices than ever before.

Three Years Without Sugar & Wheat

Celebrate! Celebrate! Listen to the music... whoo hooo!

Yes! The music is being played loud this morning as I celebrate three years on my NAFP (non-addictive food plan), which consists of not eating sugar, wheat or aspartame, and avoiding most processed foods. (ie: corn chips are not "okay.")

This morning I was thinking back to that first week, I had a huge headache on the first day and was super tired, but, it was no wonder. The night before I ate pizza, fettuccine alfredo, a candy bar and, this I so remember, I drank a half a can of sugared soda. To that point, I hadn't even drank sugared soda at all, but I figured, "what the heck." I didn't even like it--I didn't even finish it! But it was sugar, so there you go.

The thought of eating all that stuff now makes me feel more than a little ill.

As I've been mentioning my milestone to friends, most of them say congratulations and then frown slightly and look concerned as they congratulate me on my self-discipline. If it was all about self-discipline, trust me, I'd be concerned if I could keep this up, too.

The blessing about this whole thing, though, is that it has nothing to do with self-discipline. I'm happy to bypass wheat- and sugar-foods because, if they are completely out of my system, the beauty is that I don't crave them. Although in The Road Less Traveled with Food we say that everyone is following their own program and certain things work for certain people, the one thing we all have in common is that very thing: if it's not in the body, we don't crave it. Or, better put, if we stay clean, we stay happy, joyous and free!

How cool is that? Way cool!

So today I CELEBRATE, with tremendous gratitude, my NAFP and all those who've supported me along the way, especially SBL Kathy, SBF Marji and SBS Teresa! Plus, I honor myself and the God-within, around and throughout who led me to this wonderful life.

Yay for us!