Being grounded means you are present in your life, not obsessed with the past or future.  It means your energy is planted firmly in your body instead of drifting off into airy-fairy land.  Being grounded means you have stability, security, and control over your life.  It means being ready to handle life’s challenges instead of burying your head in the sand and pretending they aren’t there.  It means you are checked in instead of checked out. 

Being grounded is important so you can face your life instead of running from it.  And ironically, being properly grounded can help you reach higher spiritual frequencies.  Think of it like tethering your energy here while the rest of you explores another frontier; it’s easy to find your way back if you are grounded.

So what do you do if you’re ungrounded?  Here are five ways to ground yourself.  You can do them all or pick the ones that resonate with you.

Exercise
Moving your physical body reminds you that you have one.  Instead of zoning out in front of the tv while a show transports your mind to a fantasy land, get up off the couch and get moving!  Try dancing, aerobics, hip hop abs, weight lifting, or jogging through your neighborhood.  Jump up and down a little, that will get things settled.

Walk on the Earth
Take off your shoes and walk on the Earth.  Not the concrete.  Find some actual Earth.  Run through the grass, take a stroll along the sandy beach.  I don’t recommend rock climbing without shoes though.   The Earth carries an energy that nourishes your energetic body.  But when you wear shoes and walk on concrete you don’t get to absorb that energy.  So get back to nature and let Mother Earth ground and restore your energy. 

Meditation
Sit quietly and imagine roots going from your feet deep into the core of the Earth.  Plant yourself.  The first time I tried this I wasn’t expecting much, but I was amazed at how this actually felt.  Imagine your feet have grown roots, and like a beanstalk imagine the roots snaking their way down into the Earth.  Go all the way to the core.  This will completely ground you energetically.

Sit in hot water
A hot bath or a dip in the Jacuzzi isn’t just relaxing, it’s cleansing.  Take a hot bath with some Epsom salts mixed into the water.  Water is purifying.  Sitting in a warm tub of water will slough off any negative energy that’s sticking to you.  The shower is okay if you don’t have a tub, but while you’re in the shower, you want to imagine all the gunky energy peeling off your body and going down the drain.  Sometimes other people’s energies can stick to us.  You may come home from work with other people’s problems attached to you.  Water will clear that right up.

Sit in Stillness
Be in the present moment.  Sit in a chair or better yet, sit outside on the grass under a tree.  Get quiet.  Just look, just listen, just feel the air gliding around your body.  Notice what you smell.  Notice what you hear.  Just absorb the present moment.  Disallow your mind from wandering to the future or the past.  Just be in the now.  Notice that you are alright, that nothing bad is happening to you, and that you are totally at One with the world around you.

There are many ways to ground yourself.  What is your favorite method?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Steve told me that people with acidic blood have a harder time losing weight than people with alkaline blood.  So with our handy dandy ph strips, I tested my urine and I was at 6.8.  He said the goal is 7.2 and higher.  We were both expecting my urine to be far more acidic than it tested.  But I’m going to add a lot of alkalizing food to my diet to see if that can kick start me and my metabolism.  I’m having some hormonal imbalances as I haven’t gotten my period in over three months after being quite regular, so I’m not sure what’s up with that, and I’m not sure if whatever is causing that is having an effect on my weight loss efforts (no I’m not pregnant; I’ve tested 6 times in the last 2 months).

I tested my body fat with our handy dandy body fat tester and saw it was down .5%, but the next day it was back up .5% so I clearly cannot rely on that!  People ask if my clothes are fitting differently, and I’ve definitely gone down a dress size, but that happened late last year.  I haven’t seen much improvement there for the last 4-5 months.

Counting calories and counting points is hard some days when I eat out, because I have no earthly idea how many points are in a salad at a restaurant.  Could be 5, 12, or 18 for all I know.  So some days I’m knocked completely off course with my points and I just do the best I can.  It’s not feasible for me to eat at home every meal for the rest of the year.  At home I’m happy to weigh and measure all my food, but one meal out and I’m off kilter for the day.

All I can do is keep going, keep learning and keep adjusting my course.  I envy those of you to whom this comes very easily.  I’ve had to remind myself that I can’t be an expert at everything.   You always hear about people who say, “Yeah I lost 30 pounds, but then I gained it all back.”  Ha, I haven’t even lost the 30 yet!  I’d be happy to experience that amount of weight loss and then worry about not gaining it back!

People also ask me what my guides are saying.  I tuned in the other day and got myself a metaphor.  Those of you who have had readings with me will appreciate that I get metaphors too.  In this metaphor they showed me an image of pushing at a door that says, “Pull” on it, and wondering why it won’t open.  Yeah, don’t I feel stupid?  They also showed me an image of a fly trying to get out of a closed window.  You can post in my forum if you have a sense of what those metaphors mean.  I’m all ears.

Please don’t send me an email suggesting any diet or exercise related tips.  Honestly, I’ve heard it all now.  Atkins, paleo, blood type, yoga, meditation, prayer, raw, whole unprocessed, fasting, supplements, liposuction, diet pills, therapy, hypnosis, NLP.  Someone even suggested I go vegan (where have THEY been?).  I appreciate the help and concern, but a man with one watch knows what time it is and a man with 30 is never sure.  I’m going to keep exercising, eat more spinach, cucumbers, and celery, and pull at the door instead of pushing against it.  Sigh.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

The first week after my last update I made some mistakes.  First it was the Mother’s Day dinner at our favorite vegan Thai restaurant.  I haven’t eaten there since my birthday last July, so it was high time.  But I definitely blew my points there.  Later in the week there was a buffet breakfast, a yummy but high fat raw meal with Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes, and then a raw potluck.  You should have seen me at the potluck, though.  I think I was the only person who had white space on her plate.  35 people came, and so did about 25 dishes!  I took 2 nori rolls that we brought, some corn salad, fruit salad, and thai slaw.  And I had a piece of raw chocolate pie.  If I wasn’t watching what I was doing, I could have easily eaten 3 times that amount, but I really reigned myself in.  At the end of that first week I weighed 197.2!  A week later I was at 195.6, so I know I had a really good second week.

I’m very comfortable with the Weight Watcher point plan now.  I’ve found a lot of things to eat that are low in points but provide high satiety.  Here’s an example of a typical day for me.

Breakfast:
3 slices of veggie bacon = 1.5 points
Apple (or other piece of fruit) = 1.5 point

Mid Morning Snack:
Carrot = 0 points

Lunch:
Amy’s Tamale Verde meal (black bean tamale and Spanish rice) = 6.5 points
2 low- fat, low-calorie vegan chocolate chip cookie = 1 points

4pm Snack:
4 vegan chicken nuggets with bbq sauce = 4 points
Cherries  = 1 point

Dinner:
Vegan BBQ Beef sandwich = 5 points
Corn Creole = 1.5 points

Dessert:
Fat free berry sorbet = 2 points

Total for the day: 24 points

I’ve found a wide variety of foods that work well for me.  Vegan hot dogs are only 1 point each.  The vegan bacon is only a half a point for one slice.  Fruit works well for snacks. And I found these fantastic vegan cookies from a local café that contain fruit puree instead of fat and sugar and they are amazing and extremely low in points.  I’m trying to incorporate more vegetables into the diet, and I’ve been doing more cooking, but I have quite a bit of room for improvement there.

I’m finally over my cough so I started going back to the gym.  I’ve been doing the elliptical machine for 30 minutes.  I have to start the weight training again.  For some reason I don’t want to, even though I remember how much I was enjoying it.  Maybe I feel like I’d have to start all over again after losing 4 weeks to illness.

On Weight Watchers you can get some extra food points for exercising, but I don’t take them because sometimes during the day I grab a few crackers or chips on my way back to my office, so I figure I’m using up my activity points with BLT’s (bite, lick, tastes) of random foods.

So, overall I’m happy, and I’m just going to keep right on going.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Oddly and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries for nearly 6 weeks, which as I reported before was quite an addiction for me.  That alone should have lost me some weight considering how often I was eating them. 

I am doing well at keeping track of my points, I hardly ever use any flex points, but I like that they are there just in case.   This week I’m going to concentrate on eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and see what that does for me.

When I realize just how much food I was eating before doing the Weight Watcher program I am not at all shocked as to why I’m pushing 200 on the scale.  All the unconscious eating I was doing really added up.  Snacking and making unhealthy choices really shows up when you remove them from your program.

I’m quite well adjusted to the amount of food I’m eating.  If I’m ever hungry between meals I usually eat a carrot or some sliced cucumber, or sometimes a piece of fruit.  I feel I have enough points and I’m not feeling deprived in any way.  So all in all I’m enjoying the plan and will continue with it.  My official weight Sunday morning was 196.2.  Again.  Sigh.

I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Last Tuesday I decided to do a Weight Watcher’s style of calorie counting where I basically use their Points system to monitor my food intake.  The first time I did the Weight Watchers program I lost 20 pounds steadily and fairly easily, but I had to stop the program when I found out I was pregnant with Kyle.  I tried going back after he was born but they give 10 extra points to breastfeeding mamas, and I found I wasn’t losing any weight with those extra points.

So, using some information I found online and correlating it with my gender, current weight, and activity levels, I calculated my daily points to be 24.  Weight Watchers uses a formula to derive a food’s point value.  Steve programmed the formula into his calculator and now I can get a very accurate measure of the point value of foods.  Roughly every 50 calories is a point, 12 grams of fat adds a point, and 4 grams of fiber subtracts .8 points, so you want to find foods that are low in fat and high in fiber, and of course low in calories.  I spent a couple of hours making a spreadsheet of foods and their point values.  I weigh and measure my food, use Calorieking.com to find the calories, fat, and fiber, and mark it in my food journal.  It’s vital, in my opinion, to use a food journal so you can see what you’re really up to.  Any time of day someone could ask me how many points I’m at and I’ll know.  That awareness is vital in my opinion.

You’ll note that 24 points equals roughly 1200 calories, which is a little on the low side.  That’s because you also get 35 flex points to use during the week if you want to, and you should still lose weight even if you use them.  If I used all 35 flex points in a week that would make my daily average 1450 calories, which will still result in weight loss for me.   I can use 7 flex points per day or I can bank them and use them all at once, like if I know I’m going to a luncheon or out with friends, or I just have to have something.

I started last Tuesday and weighed 199.2 pounds.  This morning (Sunday) I weighed 196.2 pounds, for a loss of 3 pounds this week.  I intend to use Sundays as my weigh-in day so I can write my blog entries on Sunday and have them post early Monday mornings.  This is thrilling for me because I feel I’ve found something that will work for me.  What I love most is that technically I can have any food I want, I just have to account for it.  Knowing this, I am careful to consume less points at a meal if I know that later I’ll want to eat something that’s higher in points.  Some days I plan out what I’m going to eat in advance, so I don’t just grab something that looks good and end up going over my points. 

I try to keep my breakfasts on the small side because I’m not terribly hungry in the morning, and I prefer to do readings on a nearly empty stomach.

By the end of lunch I like to have eaten 10-12 points, leaving half or more of my points for the second half of the day.  At 4pm I eat a snack that’s usually 2-4 points, so for dinner I like to get about 8-10 points.

I haven’t had any problems with hunger, though by 4pm I do find that I need that 4 point snack.  All in all, the points are working out well.  I’ve only used 6 of my flex points this week.

Another great aspect to the Weight Watcher plan is that you do get activity points.  So when I make it to the gym (I’ve had a cough and cold this entire past week so I didn’t go to the gym) if you burn off 300 calories you get a few extra points during the day to eat, if you want to, otherwise you just lose the weight faster.

You can also eat a ton of veggies that don’t cost any points.  On some days I was eating a carrot around 10am which gave my stomach something to digest while waiting for lunch around noon.  This week I plan to up my intake of raw veggies.

 I’m also learning that margarine and oil just aren’t worth it.  And salad dressing… forget about it!  The ranch dressing I used for my broccoli costs 3.5 points for 2 tablespoons!  I used only 1 tablespoon but gee whiz, it just ain’t worth it.  This week I also ate a piece of rye toast but put a teaspoon of jam on it instead of slathering it with margarine.

I know the Weight Watchers plan isn’t for everyone.  But it works for me and I like the results.  I’m happy eating what I’m eating, and I don’t feel deprived in any way.

I find that I’m still getting 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.  That’s important to me because of the vitamins and minerals in those foods.  I should be back at the gym sometime this week, so we’ll see what happens with the addition of exercise.  But so far, so good.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement, and a special thanks to those who are dreaming of me being thin.  Keep it up.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

In the past, when I was on Weight Watchers, I was measuring, weighing and counting all day long.  It got to be so tiring that I would eat processed foods that came in a can or box because then I wouldn’t have to weigh and measure.  That led to weight loss but not great health.  Last year around this time I was also counting calories but eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables, and I was using www.calorieking.com to get the counts.  That resulted in me losing about 4-5 pounds per month.  All of this combined with my workouts should work for me.

Speaking of working out, I’ve found the sweet spot on my elliptical machine that keeps my heart rate in my target zone of 140-150bpm.  I’m still doing the weight lifting, though I stopped seeing gains on some machines while I have made gains on others.  So I decided to try some other machines that work the same areas where I’ve plateaued to see what happens.  I like these new machines better; they don’t hurt my knees and feet so much. 

In my last update I mentioned an addiction to fast food French fries.  Oddly, and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries in 12 days.  I think just openly admitting my love for the fries did something to me.  I can’t really explain it, but I haven’t had cravings or desires to eat fries for the past 12 days.  Maybe it’s because I’ve given myself permission to have them if I want them, and now suddenly it’s not as big a deal as it used to be.

I also went online a couple of days ago and looked up the calories and fat values for places like Wendy’s, Burger King, and Carl’s Jr.  Once I saw how many fat and calories I was really eating, I just didn’t want them anymore.  This is the principle of Truth at work.  Hiding from these facts did nothing for me.  Maybe my weight loss this week can be attributed to the deletion of the fries from my diet.  Who knows?

I’ve decided to post my health updates every other week instead of every Monday.  This will give me a chance to post more blog entries that are not just about me and my health goal.  I don’t have as much time for blogging as I’d like to have, so I don’t want 50% of my updates to be about my health.  Thank you to everyone who is following my saga, and thanks to all of you who have written to tell me my saga is inspiring you.  That means a lot to me. 

All in all, this has been a great week for me.  Tune in on April 27 for the next update, and in the meantime, feel free to weigh in (pun intended) on what’s been going well for you and your health goals.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

First let’s go over what’s working.  Exercise.  I had to ditch my P90X cardio workouts because they were hurting my feet and knees so badly that I would get sidelined for 3-4 days, unable to exercise, or even walk comfortably until the pain subsided.  Clearly, I am not in good enough shape to be doing this extra intensive workout.  So back to the gym I went, but this time when I got on my elliptical machine I cranked up the resistance to a point where I could achieve my target heart rate, which for me is 140-150bpm.  In the past, I was lucky to get to 120, so this was a big improvement.  Once I got to my target heart range, I wanted to keep it there for 30 minutes.  I have achieved this.  I am now able to exercise on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes in my target heart range.  I’m burning 300 calories per workout if the machine is accurate.  This is definite progress for me.

Weight-lifting.  I continue to lift weights and am making progress in this area as well.  It feels so good.  I had to take a break from the thigh and calf workout, though, because the pain in my knees was too intense.  But I’ll get back to that muscle group as soon as I can. 

So exercise is going well for me, and I am going to keep doing what I’m doing for a while.  It’s time for me to focus on diet.

Protein.  I’ve been eating foods really high in protein because I wanted to see what effect it would have on my energy, weight, and blood sugar.  I’m getting probably 70-90 grams of protein each day.  This is definitely more than I used to get by a long shot.  When I eat foods high in protein I am noticing two great effects.  First, I don’t get hungry for hours.  Second, my blood sugar remains stable.  In fact, all of my blood sugar readings have been in the excellent range.  100 in the morning, and less than 140 two hours after a meal, and often they are like 118 just one hour after a meal which is a miracle for me.  I just feel better when I eat higher protein.  So I want to continue with that practice.

The problem area in my diet has to be when I satisfy my craving for French fries.  They’re my kryptonite.  It might seem obvious that if one is trying to lose weight that one should just skip the French fries.  Try telling that to the pleasure center of my brain!  I am at the mercy of these deep-fried little buggers.  I’m not eating French fries every day, but I would say that 2-3 times a week I find myself driving through a fast food restaurant and eating them in the car while I drive to my next destination.  I think they’re hard-wired into my brain or something.  As a kid, I literally ate French fries 6 or 7 days per week.  Sometimes twice a day.  My mom used to tell me I couldn’t just order French fries when we went out to dinner, so I’d order some chicken, which came with fries, and just leave the chicken on my plate untouched.  My father used to call me a French-Fry-Fessor and told me one day I’d grow up to look like a French fry.  So I’m confessing here in public that even though I know fries are bad for me, I still eat them sometimes. 

I confessed my sin to Steve and we had a long talk about it.  He suggested I just make French fries at home.  Never thought of that, ever!  So I got out two potatoes, peeled em, sliced them into a fry shape, stuck em in a bag with a little bit of oil, and baked them on a cookie sheet.  I shared them with the kids.  They were awesome.  Better than the fast food restaurants, and they were not deep-fried and there was no trans fat.  I know that’s progress, and I feel better mentally about my French fry habit.  In fact, for the last 6 days I haven’t had any fast food French fries.  That has to be a record for me!

But it’s not only the French fries that are doing me in.  I must be eating too much of something because I’m gaining weight, not losing, and I feel that my exercise is good, so it’s gotta be my diet.  The only times in my life that I’ve had success with dieting were when I counted calories, or was on Weight Watchers, or was otherwise monitoring and recording what I ate.  So I’m going to go back to doing just that.  I think for starters, I’ll just monitor calories and fat and see what I can see.  I intend to shoot for 1200 calories per day, but I may go up to 1500.  Not sure yet.  I need to experiment. Expect a report on that next week. 

It was an odd week to be sure.  But I’m still going.  I will figure this out and get this fat off my body.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Weight came down a little this week.  It was 196.0 for most of the week.  Went to a buffet breakfast yesterday and did a little better than I usually do, but it’s clear to me that buffets are a bad choice for me, so I have no plans to go back.  This morning’s weight was 196.4.

I took measurements on the 20th so I could see if I’m losing inches.  Today I checked them all again and they are exactly the same.  Sigh.  I know 10 days isn’t much time so I’m just going to keep checking at regular intervals.

My weights at the gym are increasing, which is awesome.  I can feel my strength now.  I had to carry a couple of 2.5 gallon water jugs into the house and it wasn’t a strain like it usually is.  Also, when I climbed the stairs I could actually feel a difference in my thighs ability to carry my weight.  It’s unreal!  I don’t remember ever feeling a difference in my strength before.  I’m taking the stairs more often instead of the escalator and I’m not winded when I get to the top.  So I know there is some massive improvement going on in that area.

I’m still doing the P90X cardio workouts.  I have to be careful not to hurt my joints though because all during this past week I had knee pain, foot pain, and shoulder pain.  That put a damper on how much I was able to exercise.  I’m all healed up now so I’m raring to get back into those work outs.  I’m noticing that my heart rate does go up to 140-150bpm but not for long.  The exercises in the program just bring me right back down again to 120-130 most of the workout.  I’m already going as hard as I possibly can so I’m not sure what to do.  I took my heart monitor to the gym and tried going on the stairmaster but that didn’t get my heart rate up much either.  I think I was doing it wrong because in the past the stairmaster has been an ass-kicker for me and I usually avoid making eye contact with it.   I might try finding a step aerobic workout that will sustain my target heart rate for longer than the P90X workouts do. I don’t think this is a deficiency with P90X, I think it’s just that I’m not at a high enough fitness level to do the workouts properly.

I keep dreaming that I’m thin.  I can’t tell you how happy this makes me, because I know what that means.  It means I’m a vibrational match for a slim body.  Other people have emailed me to tell me that they are now dreaming of me thin.  It’s awesome.  That’s my vibration going out into the ether and impacting other people’s awareness too.  It means that my slim and trim body has been ordered and is on its way! 

I’m eating more protein and less sugar.  I still eat fruit but not as much.  I’m having raw vegetables with lunch, and keeping the fat down as much as I can. 

Had a talk with Steve a few days ago that I believe will help me get moving in a good direction.  He suggested making one change at a time and gauging the result so I can get a more accurate view of what works for me and my body and what doesn’t.  He also suggested that my body issue is the manifestation of an authority and power deficiency.  In other words, to help me learn authority and power, I have an overweight body, and to begin to solve the problem by increasing my authority and power instead of just tackling the weight itself.  It’s sort of hard to explain and I can’t really do our conversation justice, but what I took from the conversation is to watch and listen to my body instead of trying to follow the advice of experts who don’t know my metabolism, issues, etc.  We’ll see what happens.

Has anyone else out there tried a bunch of different “expert” ways to lose weight and finally decided to figure out what works for you?  What did you discover and how did that work out for you?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

My current weight is 197.0.  This is up from my starting weight.  Everyone is telling me that muscle weighs more than fat.  But I still want to see the number on the scale going down instead of up. 

Let’s talk about exercise though.  That has been going fantastically well.  I’ve learned so much.  First, I am continuing to do the P90X workouts I mentioned in my last update.  The first time I did the Cardio X program I couldn’t finish it.  The second time I did it, I finished it.  The third time, I was able to keep with their pace much better.  So every time I’ve been doing better with that.  It’s wonderfully heartening to see myself making progress in this area. 

Besides the Cardio X program, I’ve also done the Kenpo program which was great as it reminded me of my Tae Kwon Do days.  And one day I did the Plyometrics program and that nearly put me in a wheelchair.  All that jumping and squatting.  I was extremely sore for 3-4 days afterward and had to do a lighter cardio workout in between.  But the Plyometrics video really got my heart rate going and I’d love to be able to do it again, I just have to watch out that I don’t overdo it.

I’m also going to the gym to do my weight lifting.  I’ve seen significant gains in this area.  I think I’ve been doing the weight lifting for 3-4 weeks now.   My ab crunches started at 10 pounds of resistance and are now at 20.  My calves started at 60 pounds and are now at 120-130.  Triceps started at 30 pounds and are now at 70.  Similar stories for my back, chest, biceps, shoulders, and thighs.  The other day I was sitting on the couch with Steve and he said, “Hey, did I just see your tricep bulging out of your arm?  No.  Can it be?  Wait, show me your tricep.”  Sure enough, there’s actually some definition there now.  But my body is still covered in fat.  When does the fat disappear and leave behind the muscles?

Basically my new workout is one day at the gym lifting weights and the next day at home doing one of the cardio workouts.  Next day weight lifting and the next cardio, and so on.  Aside from a lot of soreness and my knees hurting from jumping around on them too much, this has been going really well.  I’m so pleased.

We received our heart rate monitor in the mail and I got the chance to use it recently.  This device is awesome.  You strap the telemetry band around your chest and wear this watch which tells you what your heart rate is.  So I strapped that sucker on and noticed my resting heart rate just walking around the house was between 70-90.  Then I started my Cardio X workout.  During the warm up I was at 115-120.  During the jumping jacks portion of the warm up I was at 150!  Then back down again for yoga which put me in the 80’s.  It wasn’t until we got the Plyometrics portion of the video that my heart rate went back to 150.  Same with core synergistics.  That all happened during the middle of the workout, the peak cardio period probably.   For most of the workout I was in the 135-140 range.  I was hoping to be between 140 and 150 the entire time, but the Cardio program isn’t designed that way I guess.

The next day I took the heart monitor to the gym.  I wanted to test the elliptical machine I’d been slaving away on for a year.  They matched.  The number on the machine matched the heart rate I was getting with my device.  And that just proved to me that I was not getting into my target heart rate on the elliptical machine so I won’t be going on that again.  I’ll stick with the aerobic P90X programs.

I’m really happy with my exercise program right now and plan to continue.  There are some other programs in the P90x system that I haven’t tried yet.  I’ll try those this week.

Now let’s talk about diet.  I’m eating a lot more food than I was before.  Is this because of the weight workouts and more intense cardio workouts?  It’s driving me crazy.  Why bother working out so intensely if I’m just going to eat calories to replace the ones I’ve lost?  I’ve upped my protein a lot.  I used to eat fruit in the morning but now I’m eating veggie bacon which is really low in calories and fat and high in protein.  For lunch I eat a protein item like a vegan riblet or vegan chicken along with some vegetables.  But then there are the carbs.  The crackers, chips, and sweet potatoes.  They’re a problem for me.  The other day Steve had some cut up carrots with guacamole that he couldn’t finish and I found myself eating the raw carrots and liking it.  With no guac either.  I think I’m going to cut up some more of those fine carrots and snack on those instead of graham crackers and veggie booty.  Eating out in Los Angeles didn’t help me this week.  There were a lot of things I ate that I normally wouldn’t eat here.  So we’ll see how things go this week and if I can get some of the trip weight off of me.

Fat percentage is holding steady at 35%.

I’m not discouraged at all.  I’m so enjoying the cardio and weight lifting and seeing what my body can do.  I haven’t jumped around like this in ages!  Feels good.  My feet are killing me though, and my knees aren’t too happy, and I know I have to be careful not to injure myself.

My clothes are still fitting way better.  And the other day I climbed the stairs at the gym instead of taking the elevator because the stairs always leave me winded.  But with my heart monitor on I wanted to see what my heart rate was going up one long flight of stairs.  To my shock and delight, when I got to the top of the stairs I wasn’t huffing and puffing.  First.  Time. Ever!   My heart rate was 135 just going up one flight of stairs, but I wasn’t winded.  I think there’s hope for this old girl yet!

How did your week go?  What did you discover about yourself?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

First, I discovered inconsistencies with the elliptical machines at the gym.  At resistance level 10 and ramp level 10, I was getting my heart rate up to 140 easily.  The next day, same resistance and ramp level only got me to 114 beats per minute.  No way I could have possibly adapted in one day.  Sure enough, on the third day, third machine, back to 135 bpm.  I wasn’t going easier or harder; the machines just weren’t consistent.  I was annoyed, but it was good information to have.  Steve purchased us an Omron heart monitor, which hasn’t arrived from Amazon yet, but when it does I think it will be more accurate.  So that will help.

Secondly, my weight workout at the gym has been going great.  I’m already increasing the weights.  I’m really putting a lot of effort into lifting the weights, because I know in the past I didn’t push myself much while weight lifting, and I’m done wasting time at the gym.  If I’m going to go to the gym, I’m going to put in 110% effort.  It’s been great and I’m very happy with my progress here.  As an example, my thigh workoutu started at 80 pounds and is now up to 120 pounds.  Calves started at 60 and are now at 100.

Third, Steve got an Omron body fat measuring device.  Our scale has a built-in body fat measure but here again there are inconsistencies.  On one machine I’ve got 36% body fat and on the other it’s 32%.  I’m going to stick with one and just see if it’s going up or down.  You know the saying, “A man with one watch knows what time it is.  A man with two is never sure.”  Same concept applies here.  I suppose the numbers don’t matter as much as the direction they’re headed.  I like the new Omron so I think I’ll stick with that.  According to that device I started the week at 36% body fat and now it says 35.0%.  I’m going to count that as progress, but honestly I want to see if it’s consistent and if it’s going down before I’ll trust it fully.

One evening I decided I wanted to do a second workout.  I’d already done cardio and weights in the morning but I had some time and some energy so I decided the best thing I could do for myself was to go back to the gym for another round.  My dietician also told me that doing another exercise set in the afternoon will help considerably with my weight loss because it spurs the metabolism on again.  But Steve suggested that instead of driving all the way to the gym that I just do the cardio workout on the P90X.  He told me not to expect to be able to do the entire 40 minute workout, but to just do my best.  Since it was more convenient than going back to the gym, I decided to give it a shot.

Much hilarity ensued.  I wish I had gotten it on film.  No wait, I’m glad I didn’t!  In the first two minutes, aka “the warm up,” my heart was ready to burst out of my chest.  No joke.  I figured I had about 4 minutes to live so I wanted to go down swinging.  I kept going.  My kids thought it looked like fun, so they jumped in to do the workout with me.  It was so adorable watching them do yoga and calisthenics.  This workout had everything.  When we got to the yoga I surprised myself by being able to do a pretty good downward dog.  Couldn’t do much else, but I tried every exercise and just did the best I could.  I found that if I slowed down a little it was easier.  So I was doing 17 reps while the people on screen were doing 20.  I was huffing, puffing, and sweating like the three little pigs with the wolf at the door!  It was awesome!  Now THIS was a workout.  Frak the cardio workout at the gym.  No point in doing the elliptical machine, struggling to get to my target heart rate.  The P90X workout does it for me nearly instantly.  I was panting, I was downing the water, I was trying not to collapse on one of my poor children.  And then it was over.  Forty minutes in my target heart rate (or maybe even beyond, yikes!).  I showered, barely able to lift my arms.  I think I skipped conditioning my hair so I could get to the mortuary to pick out my coffin faster.

Now on to other news.  Just like during my raw trial I’m getting a ton of conflicting advice.  Here is a sample.

Eat every 2-3 hours to keep your blood sugar stable and so your body doesn’t go into starvation mode and conserve fat.

Wait until you’re really hungry before you eat so you don’t get unnecessary calories from snacking when you’re not even hungry.

Stop eating by 6pm.

Keep eating small meals until you go to bed.

Work out all your muscles every day.

Don’t work out all your muscles every day or they won’t have time to heal.

Do an hour of cardio so your body burns fat.

Do just 10 minutes of intense cardio, that’s all your body needs.

Eat this, don’t eat that.  No, eat that, don’t eat this.

And so there’s one thing I know for sure.  Everyone is different, and more than one method will work.  I’ve got to find the one that works for me.  So that’s what I’m still doing.  Experimenting to find what works for me.  I appreciate the feedback, and maybe I’ll end up trying everything, but it’s clear that there is not just one way to be healthy and fit.

Diet-wise things are pretty much the same.  I’m eating a lot more protein-rich foods, keeping my fat down, and not over-eating.  I’m still ending my eating as early as I can, which has been around 6 or 7 pm. 

I think the P90X workouts will have a positive effect on me.  I’m going to pay more attention to body fat than the number on the scale.  I think watching that darn scale is really messing with my head.  I know it’s a tool for measuring improvement, but it’s also becoming an albatross around my neck.  At least 4 people this past week asked me if I’d recently lost some weight.  So I know something is going on.  But that stubborn scale refuses to budge.  His days are numbered methinks.  

How are you all doing?  Any new breakthroughs or insights this week?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

However, I did have two significant gains this week.  The first is in the area of exercise.  I started a weight workout last week and am having a ball with it.  It feels incredible to actually be using these dormant old muscles.  I heard a few moans and groans, but I got them moving!  I’m doing a three day cycle.  Day one is chest, biceps and triceps.  Day two is abs, thighs, and calves.  Day three is upper back, lower back, and shoulders.  I was sore initially but no soreness at all after the first round.  Is that normal?  Because I was expecting to be sore after every workout.  I am stretching a lot though, after my workouts.  That feels great too.

I am also kicking up my cardio workout so that my heart rate is between 130 and 145 throughout my workout.  In the past I was lucky to see 110.  I’ve had mixed success with this.  Some days I can go 24 minutes at this rate, and other days I’m exhausted and out of breath after just 12 minutes.  I expected a little more consistency, but perhaps it’s a function of what I eat or drink the night before a workout or the morning of.

The second significant gain I made this week was in the area of conscious eating.  I remember one day last week I decided to just wait until I was hungry before eating.  I know that might seem like a no-brainer to some of ya’ll, but that’s a big one for me.  So I had a banana for breakfast at 9am after my workout.  Then I waited.  And waited.  For lunch I cracked open a can of black bean soup and ate all of it.  That was around noon.  Then I waited until I felt hungry again, which happened around 4pm.  This time I had some leftover sloppy joes (18g of protein on a whole grain bun), and a side of carrots.  And then … and then … nothing.  I wasn’t hungry at my usual dinner time (around 8pm) so I didn’t eat.  Steve was scarfing down a huge salad, some brazil nuts, and olives while we watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica.  I took the road less travelled and just drank a glass of water.   We stayed up extra late to watch just one more episode which took us to about 10:30pm.  That’s when I ran into a problem.  Hunger.  Argh!  I was finally hungry but I didn’t want to eat, not right before bed!  I was starving actually.  Steve convinced me to go to bed hungry saying it would allow my body to burn some fat since it didn’t have that shot of glucose.  I checked my blood sugar and it was at 95 (that’s very low for me), and I had some misgivings about going to bed when my blood sugar was low.  I wondered if I would wake up the next morning or just slip into a coma. 

I woke hungry, but didn’t eat.  I went to the gym.  Possibly a mistake.  But I’m still alive.  When I got home and checked my weight I figured I’d be down at least a pound, but alas, I was actually up.  This is why I think my scale has something against me.  How does a person eat like 800 calories in a day and wake up the next morning weighing more than she did when she went to bed?  I’m in the Bizarro universe I tell ya.

But I persevere.  As long as I’m still learning and as long as I’m making progress I will not fear the final outcome.  I’m definitely going to continue this conscious eating thing and only eat when I actually feel hungry.  I’ve successfully gone to bed a couple of days this week with 4pm being my last meal of the day.  Let’s see where that gets me in another week.

In the meantime, I’m going to keep stepping up my workouts and increasing my weights and cardio program.  How did your week go?  And how has your scale been treating you? Mine’s in the doghouse.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Steve and I got a chance to go to the gym together for the first time in a long time.  Usually Steve goes at 5am and then I go at 6:30am because we have small children who can’t stay home alone.  But this weekend my parents were staying with us so we capitalized on the opportunity to go to the gym together.  What I learned there was extremely eye-opening to say the least.  Steve caught a glimpse of my elliptical work out and realized my intensity was very low.  My heart rate would soar to a whopping 110.  No wonder I could easily maintain that for an hour.  I was barely breaking a sweat.  So he had me up my intensity to a point where my heart rate was between 130 and 140.  Oh man, what a difference.  I could sustain that for about 12 and a half minutes before I was unable to continue.  But this is great information because now I can improve in this area and get a more effective work out.

Next Steve took me to the weight section of the gym to show me how to use the machines.  On Saturday we worked on biceps, my back, and the triceps (is that the back of the arm?).  Then we went and stretched for a while, which is something else I’ve never done during my workouts.  On Sunday we did legs, abs, and calves.  Oh my holy God.  I couldn’t even do one proper sit up.  Steve and I both got a laugh out of my efforts.  It was pretty funny really.  But again, this is great, because I can only improve from here.  We went to an ab cruncher machine and that helped a lot because the machine assisted me in doing a crunch.  I think I got to about 7 crunches using the machine.  Next we did some stretching on the mats, and honestly that felt so good I can’t believe I ever avoided it. 

So I’m going to start weight training and keeping track of my progress so I can move up steadily and progressively.  That’s definitely something that’s been keeping me at this plateau.  I’m not exactly looking forward to the soreness my protesting muscles are about to bestow upon me, but I’ll take my lumps and keep right on going.

My biggest gain this week was in identifying an area where I could improve, so I’m really happy about that.  My second big gain was in identifying food which is good for weight loss and also tasty to me.

I’m trying to decide if I should keep posting weekly updates.  I may switch to every other Monday so I can put in some other articles.  I know my health goals aren’t going to be of keen interest to everyone so I’m not sure I need 4 per month.  We’ll see.

And now a request.  Please refrain from sending me information about other diet plans.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s that I am seriously inundated with every plan under the sun (including sungazing!) and I’ve heard it all already.  I’m sticking to my current diet plan that John Pierre has set up for me.  I’m going to add in the weight work outs, and just keep right on going.  Please feel free to send supportive and encouraging feedback, and you can also post in my forum about your own successes this week.  That would be fab!

Weight remained the same this week.  Considering the birthday weekend for my daughter which included 2 buffets, some pie, and some vegan ice cream, I feel lucky.  With the more intense exercise and the weight work-outs, I’m expecting this week to go really well.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I already know one problem.  I’m eating way too many fat grams.  John wanted me to limit my fat intake to 15 grams per day, ideally, but honestly that just wasn’t happening.  Salad dressing on one salad alone was 15 grams of fat.  I was cooking my veggies in oil, eating salad dressing (because I’m eating so many salads), and there was some Valentine chocolate last week (though Emily took most of my chocolate so I guess I should be grateful for that on some level).   I have to estimate realistically that I was eating 60-75 grams of fat per day easy.  I tried the fat free salad dressings and they tank.  I’m not one of those people who can suffer through a meal that tastes terrible all for the sake of future gain.  I wish I was.  But the principle of Truth requires that I admit I won’t stick to a diet of raw veggies and salads with lemon as the dressing.  So I’m going to have to find another way.

There have been two periods in my life where I found a weight loss strategy that worked well for me.  The first was when I joined Weight Watchers.  I went to the meetings diligently and counted all my points.  I lost 20 pounds in about 15 weeks and I was still going gang busters.  Then I got pregnant with Kyle and was forced to go off the calorie restricted diet.  After I had Kyle I went right back to Weight Watchers, but I was breastfeeding so they give you a ton of extra points per day and I found I was simply maintaining my weight but not losing any.  The thing I loved about Weight Watchers was that I really could eat whatever food I wanted (i.e. whatever tasted good to me) I just had to account for it and not eat too much of it.  So I was eating all of my favorite foods (bread, pasta, fruit, desserts, and yes some veggies too) and still losing weight consistently and, best of all, happily.  What I don’t love about Weight Watchers is the fact that I was eating a lot of processed foods that were unhealthy.

The other time in my life where I was losing weight consistently was when I counted calories, fat, fiber, and everything else you can think of, and kept track of it in a spreadsheet. I limited my fat grams to 20 per day and consequently my calories were low too, usually around 1200-1500.  I was losing 5 pounds a month, but I was also eating a lot of processed food, partly because I didn’t have to weigh and measure it, and all the nutritional info was right there on the box.  Things like veggie lasagna, vegan bbq beef sandwiches, bean soup, fake meat products, and sweet potatoes which I baked with just a short spray of Pam on the slices.  I would eat some kind of dessert every day, but it was usually the Whole Soy Frozen Yogurt which is very low in calories and usually just 1 gram of fat or less per serving.  I was happy, satisfied, and losing weight.  But I wasn’t eating that many vegetables and I was eating a lot of processed fake meat products which didn’t sit well with me.

What both of these strategies had in common is that I was keeping diligent track of my calorie and fat intake.  They also both had a lot of processed food in them.  But I enjoyed how I was eating and I think that’s key for me.  I’m a total foodie.  I was raised on fast food meals and sugar.  I know people who have a healthy relationship with food and see food as fuel and not something that needs to taste good.  I’m just not one of those people and I don’t know if I ever will be.  So when people tell me to just eat raw veggies and raw fruit and stop eating bread, sugar, and processed foods I just can’t wrap my head around enjoying that.  Maybe if I stuck with it long enough I would.  The problem is I am miserable in the process and nothing has ever really stuck.  So what’s a girl to do?

While I find that, in general, I’m a vibrational match for losing weight, I am not a vibrational match for culinary suffering.  If I believe that the only way for me to lose weight is to eat foods I don’t like then I will fall out of vibrational harmony with weight loss.  I will constantly cancel my weight loss order with the universe.  I’m aware of this.  What to do about it is another thing.

I like vegetables, but with some fat on them.  So in the past I’ve felt my choices are to either eat vegetables with nothing on them (blech) or not to eat vegetables at all so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the fat with them.  I started making these delicious vegetable stews that were virtually fat free, but all of them contained potatoes (white or sweet) and I’m told those are bad for me.  I like beans, which are high in fiber and low in fat, but I can’t say I like eating them every day.  I love fruit and could easily spend 50% of my calories per day eating fruit, but people tell me that will mess up my blood sugar.  I can easily give up pasta and rice.  I don’t miss them.  I’ve done great with bread too.  There’s a loaf of sprouted whole grain rye bread in my freezer that’s been there for probably 9 months.  I have no strong urge to liberate it and devour it.  I love sweets, and I’d like to eat low calorie, low fat (or even fat free) sweets but I can’t help feeling shame when I do.  That probably needs to stop.

So as I sit here and type I am honestly at a loss for what to eat.  Exercise has been going very well.  I really enjoy it, but it doesn’t seem to impact my overall weight situation, at least not in a way I’m aware of.  I’m sure my diet will play a larger role in my weight loss than exercise will.  I won’t give up on the exercise because it’s important for my blood sugar and I’m sure it’s better than not exercising.

This week Steve and I had a discussion about becoming a vibrational match for being trim and slim.  He asked me what I would eat and how I would behave if I was already at my ideal weight.  I had never thought of that before, but I think it’s powerful.  When I tuned in to the energy I think I’d feel at my ideal weight I noticed that I would have a totally different view of eating and food.  For one, I think I’d eat a lot less.  My portion size has grown enormously over the years.  I would eat until my hunger was satisfied and then I’d stop, even if there was still food on the plate.  I would not eat when I was bored (which is something I sometimes do now).  I would eat lighter foods, instead of denser, heavier meals.  I would exercise differently as I would be much lighter and could tolerate more intensity.  But I think the most important thing is that I wouldn’t give so much of my time and energy to thinking about food and obsessing over every little bite I put in my mouth. 

For those of you who are at your ideal weight and maintaining it easily, tell me how you view food, eating, and exercise.  That will give me some insight into how I might feel.  Then I can begin to alter my vibration which will help me become a match for this goal.

I don’t consider this week a failure at all.  I’ve mentioned before that for me giving up is the only way I can fail. I am still committed to my goal and am learning a ton about myself in the process.  It’s definitely a growth experience, and it’s challenging, but I am in pursuit of a worthy goal and I will find my way to success.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I found a protein powder I like: Nutiva Hemp Shakes, chocolate flavor.  I’ve been drinking these in the morning for breakfast.  I use 1 cup of rice milk, a small frozen banana and 2 tablespoons of the powder.  The only problem is that the actual serving size on the container calls for 4 tablespoons which seems like too much to me.  Consequently, in using just half the serving amount I’m getting only half the protein and fiber.  I think it’s 3.5 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.  That’s not that high to me though, so if the purpose of drinking the shake is to get a lot of protein and fiber I think I can find other ways of doing it that are more effective.  That’s something I’ll be discussing with John next time I talk to him.  The other thing is that I’ve noticed that on the days when I drink the shake, around noon or 1pm I get diarrhea.  This is a real bummer.  On days when I don’t drink the shake I don’t have that problem.  So we’ll see if this is just something I need to get used to or if this protein shake is going to have to take a hike in favor of something else.  On days when I’m not drinking the shake I eat fruit for breakfast or brown rice and veggies. 

What’s really going well is the amount of vegetables in my diet now.  In the past, I was always limiting fat consumption and I found that eating veggies without some kind of fat wasn’t that appealing to me.  But now I’m eating veggies with some fat, and instead I’m skipping most carbs.  I’m eating a lot of salad, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, cucumber, and onions.  And loving it!  I get pretty excited steaming my broccoli every day.  I do use a vegan creamy garlic dressing for dipping. 

I’m also eating more protein based foods.  My favorite right now is a chickpea dish that I haven’t had for years but which I’ve always loved.  I sauté some onions in oil, add 2 cans of drained chickpeas, then season with curry powder and black pepper.  At the end I add a little salt.  I love this.  The beans I’m using have 21 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber in the whole can (I’m easily eating a whole can a day).  I also eat black bean and vegetable soup, split pea soup, barley and vegetable soup, and sometimes a minestrone (but it’s not my favorite). 

Exercise in the morning is going very well.  After 9 days in a row I took a morning off.  John told me to exercise 6 out of 7 days so it was high time.  The one thing I haven’t found time to do is my afternoon calisthenics.  Something always comes up or I simply forget.  I’m glad I do my main exercise in the morning before things in my day pile on top of me.  But you can bet John is going to reprimand me when he sees my logs.  That’s what I pay him for though.

Blood sugar has been awesome.  My fasting blood sugars are 89-108.  And after meals I’ve seen numbers as low as 105-126.  That’s very low for me and within normal ranges.  So I am pleased as punch about my blood sugar situation.

I haven’t been perfect though.  My in-laws sent our family a huge box of vegan chocolates for Valentine’s Day.  There were more than 60 pieces in this box!  Since Steve doesn’t eat vegan chocolate, that left 20+ pieces for me and the kids.  I divvied up the pieces fairly, gave each person a bag, and put mine as far away from myself as I could.  I ate 3 pieces a day until Emily found my bag and divested me of my last 8 pieces.  Probably for the best, though I did growl at Emily a little.  Kyle didn’t like his chocolate and gave his to Emily.  So she ended up with quite a bit of chocolate in her possession.  Sigh.

John also told me that I could occasionally eat something “off plan” especially if I was out socializing, as long as it wasn’t a trigger food for me and as long as I was extra good the day before and the day after.  This has been very helpful for me because I do like to dine with friends and there was a pizza incident yesterday.

Someone emailed me to ask if and how I’m using the Law of Attraction to help myself achieve this goal.  Yes I am using the LOA to help me.  With the LOA you have to first get clear on what you want.  I want to lose weight until I reach my goal weight, I want to keep my blood sugar in control, and I want to feel well.  Next you’ve got to become a vibrational match for your desire otherwise you won’t make it.  To do this, I create in my mind’s eye a vision of myself losing weight, getting slimmer, and achieving my goal weight.  If you can’t even imagine it, there’s no way you can achieve it.  I tune in to the energy of the person I will be when I reach my goal weight and draw that energy into me.  At the gym, I tune in to the slim people and feel what it must feel like to be in a slim body, then I pull that energy into myself so I can feel it too.  It’s not stealing, more like a copy/paste function.    I also commune with my food, “Hello yummy broccoli.  Are you going to nourish my body today?  Thank you and I love you!”  Yes, it’s silly but no one has to hear the conversation except you and your food.  Next you must take consistent action to achieve your goal.  I do this by following the plan John gave me, exercising, posting updates so I have accountability, and reminding myself why I want to achieve this goal.  Try it for yourself.  In what way are you using the Law of Attraction to help you achieve your health goal?

I’m enjoying my diet and exercise plan and I don’t feel deprived.  I concentrate on all the healthy foods I’m going to eat, but I allow myself to occasionally eat something off plan because it keeps me sane and it keeps me going.  In the past, I used to have to convince myself to eat something like broccoli, now I look forward to my veggies every day.  I’ve been seriously loving my sautéed cabbage.  Sometimes I put broccoli and zucchini in there too.  I ate a whole head of cabbage yesterday.   I’m also enjoying fresh fruit, but I’m not eating as much of it as I was last year, favoring legumes and veggies now.

So how are you all doing with your health goal?  Share your strategies in the forums.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Last week I had my first consultation with my dietician friend, John Pierre.  We went over a plan for me that would help me achieve my goal.  Here is the plan we worked out for me.

Exercise:  30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 10 minutes on the recumbent bike, 6 days per week.  That happens in the morning when I first wake up.  In the afternoon I do a calisthenics circuit at home that includes squats, push ups, jumping, and a few other things.  In time, we’ll adjust the exercise, but for now, this is it.

Eating:  In the morning upon first waking, I drink a full glass of water with a little bit of either blueberry or pomegranate juice in it.  Then I hit the gym.

For breakfast I drink a mango-spinach shake that is supposed to have some protein powder in it, but the powder I bought (Vega) tastes really nasty even at just half a scoop so that isn’t happening for me.  Does anyone have a vegan protein powder in their repertoire that tastes okay or doesn’t have a flavor at all?

For snacks I can have some raw veggies with hummus, low glycemic fruits like grapefruit, berries, and apples, some air popped popcorn, or some salsa with veggies.  I don’t have to snack between breakfast and lunch, but those are my snack choices if I want them.

For lunch and for dinner I’m eating basically the same thing.  A legume based soup, like black bean vegetable or lentil, a big salad, and some raw or steamed veggies on the side.  In my salad I put a base lettuce like romaine or iceberg, then I jazz it up with a dark green leafy lettuce (spinach, kale, red leaf, etc.), then I add veggies like cucumber, shredded carrots, a little bit of avocado, etc. and I can have a moderately fatty dressing, like something with 5-8 grams of fat per serving.

There are other choices he gave me like eating edamame, a banana after exercising only, lima beans, butternut squash in moderation, etc.  Too many to list here.  But the basics of the diet are beans and greens and low glycemic fruit.  You’ll see that bread is conspicuously absent.  I can have a little brown rice, quinoa, barley, or cous cous but none of those thrill me so I may not eat any of them.  We’ll see.  And my favorite, desserts, is just wiped off the planet.  I asked him what I should do if I have a really strong craving for some sugar.  He told me to fill a glass with water and add spirulina and drink it.  I said, “Huh?  How will that satisfy my sugar craving.”  He said, “Because if you know you have to drink that before eating candy, you won’t want the candy.  Won’t be worth it.”  He would be correct.   He said I can use the low glycemic fruits as my heroin for now.

I’m still adjusting to this plan but I think it’s a good one for me.  This past week has been crazy busy and I haven’t been able to do everything perfectly like I wanted to.  For one, I haven’t even started exercising in the afternoon.  I’m going to have to work harder to carve out time in my busy schedule to get that done.  Something urgent always comes up.  It’s very true that if you want to add something to your plate you have to kick something else off first.  I’m pretty bad at that, preferring to just pile it on and go vertical.

My weight isn’t as low as it was last week.  When Steve and I went to San Francisco I was hit with either food poisoning or a virus or something but I spent 48 hours in the hotel on the toilet making peace with God.  I lost 5 pounds in those two days from water loss.  So when I got home, I weighed 191 which is what I reported last week.  But then I started eating solid food again and I didn’t go to the bathroom for 2 full days (usually I have 3-5 bowel movements per day) so I knew I was replacing all that I’d lost during my illness.  I haven’t quite gotten the hang of the diet yet, so even though I added in all the greens and veggies, there were still some “off diet” foods that snuck their way in.  But I am very confident that I will get the hang of this and my body will adjust.  I’m really enjoying eating steamed broccoli and salad, and I love my bean soups.  So I’m still tweaking the diet a little bit.  Consequently, my weight is currently 195.  I’m okay with that because I have to be; it’s the simple truth.  But I know I’m headed in the right direction and I’m confident that I will succeed.  Setbacks don’t bother me.  Giving up would bother me.  So if you had a setback this week, please know that you’re not alone, and try not to feel shame or guilt.  This is a big challenge for me because I ride myself pretty hard, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to practice forgiving myself.

I have another consultation with John tonight, and I will continue with the consultations either weekly or every other week.  I’ll post progress and results on Mondays.  Please share your current health strategy.  I’m sure we can learn from each other.  Thanks to everyone who sent me encouraging emails.  Much appreciated.  Here’s to a great week!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.