My Journey back to Me

I have officially dropped 20 lbs since Jan 1. That’s not to say that I’ll stay there just yet. I generally bounce up and down each day, but this mark’s a new low bounce. Yay!

What Did Not Work

I have tried many diets, beginning with Weight Watchers in my twenties, which I think seriously harmed my metabolism. Actually before that I tried the Women’s Doctor’s Diet and the eat pineapple only the first day and papaya the second diet(Hollywood diet or something) – which turned me off papaya for life. I also tried Nutri-system, a Doctor’s system, and Sureslim – all 3 very expensive, and simply not suited to my personality. I don’t like to be told what to eat or when to eat it, and certainly not how much of it to eat.

My Method

This time I started with banning sugar and white flour – with the exception of my week in Switzerland where the cheese fondue and Lindor chocolate were, as always, beyond compare. I also indulged in pizza on my second-last night, some of the circumstances of which contributed greatly to my jumping back on the wagon in earnest.

Three weeks into the New Year I boosted my low-carb method with Suzanne Somer’s Sexy Forever plan. You have to admit it has certainly worked for her! This helped me to watch my insulin triggers. No more cream in my coffee, unless it is decaf (and preferably organic, Swiss Water processed). I have 1 to 2 cups of black coffee with cinnamon first thing in the morning and then wait an hour before eating. Her program focuses on detoxing for the first month, but that was nothing new for me. I have been trying to eat only organic foods as much as possible for some time now. She advocates consuming fruit only on an empty stomach, with the exception of berries.

So, basically I have cut sugar, grains, and starchy vegetables. I have had a few carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, but only rarely. I also cut out eggs, which showed to be my highest inflammatory food on the allergy testing I had done by my naturopath. I eat yogurt and cheese, mostly raw and organic from grass-fed cows, organic meat, organic veggies, nuts, and a small amount of organic fruit. I have decreased my portions significantly with very little effort.

Exercise

I was already a big walker, walking well over an hour on most days. The thing I was really missing was weights. For that, I joined Curves a month ago, and go 3 times a week when I am not travelling. I love it – it takes only 30 minutes, I don’t have to adjust seats or weight amounts. I just get in there, go hard for half an hour, and then get out. When I have been travelling I have tried to do interval training on a stationary bike, or even better, an elliptical machine. I go as fast as I can at the highest level I can for 30 seconds, then back off for 1 minute (or 2 and a half minutes, which is the way I was doing it in Winterthur, but I think I was getting it wrong) for 20 minutes. I usually have a 5 minute traditional warm-up and cool-down, and then I perfectly match my husband, who is often at the machine right beside me. I am not as great about doing weights when I travel, because I don’t know what to do! When my sweetie is there to help me, I do weights.

The Inner Game©

Perhaps the most important factor in my weight loss is internal motivation. I am hungry to lose. I want great health for myself and for my husband. I want energy to be the best Mom and Nana I can be. I want to be an energized business partner. I think my real motivation, though, is the exact opposite of what most diet specialists seem to advise. I want to be slim for my husband. This realization flies in the face of all the advice I have been given about doing it for yourself. I say, do it for someone else, specifically for the most important person in the whole world to you. I am using the fuel ofHonouring, which you can find out all about in the soon to be released Hungry! Fuelling Your Best Game. Watch for it at www.ryanwalter.com.

For the past 5 weeks or so, I have discovered that I can turn my negatives into positives. A variety of circumstances have combined to create significant angst in my spirit and I have decided to turn this angst into renewed vigour to accomplish my goal. In the past I might have allowed the intense negative feelings I have experienced to feed my stomach. Instead, I have found a way to use them to intensify my desire.

And that’s it, in a nutshell. I do add a few supplements, specifically krill oil, Vitamin D, magnesium, chlorella, and a multi. I haven’t found my ideal multi yet – I’d like one with folate as opposed to folic acid, for example, but I am using upJ I try to use cinnamon and turmeric as much as possible and I take an antioxidant elixir most days. I am enjoying this journey back to the real me, and more inspired than ever as I harness the power of flipping my negatives into positives instead of flipping a pancake!