Cleanse, last day

Well, I kind of ended my raw food cleanse yesterday with Brick Oven Pizza (I was going to have to have to anyway for this trip in 2 days). I wasn't finding it difficult at all to continue, but it was one of those situations when a friend wanted to go to lunch. I really want to be able to do that, eat raw a lot of the time but be able to eat "normal" food once in a while in social situations but go right back to raw, which I did for breakfast and dinner. I ate an appropriate amount at Brick oven. Then tonight at a B-day party I ate an insane amount of brownies. I would call the amount borderline binging, but mentally I didn't feel like I was binging because my stomach didn't feel too full or sickly till later. One thing I don't do however is beat myself up for eating "bad." I used to do that and it created a very bad cycle. Now, if I eat something that makes me feel yucky I stop and observe how I feel and take the time to mentally associate the feeling with the food so that in the future I can look at that food and decide if it is really worth that yucky feeling. The fact that I proabably ate around 1000 calories in one sitting. Well I really don't care, I don't count calories, that never got really got me anywhere except guilty, stressed out, obsessive eating. I will probably try to do a longer more-intense cleanse when I get back, maybe a juice fast and that bentonite clease I wanted to try.

Day 5

I feel good
nana nana nana na,
I knew that I would now
I feeeeeeeeeeel good
I knew that I would now
So good, so good, I got you!

Cleanse Day 4

Physically I feel GREAT today! No more stomach or head ache, no hunger or food craving. I was getting tired of juice and random fruits and veggies, so I started putting together some dishes and they were very satisfying. I made this yumminess for lunch, and for dinner I made an avocado/tomato/basil dip, and dipped cucumber. Yum!

Max loves raw food. He hates baby food. I'm surprised likes such strong flavors like onion and garlic and basil, but he does.

Here's something bizarre; Since I started the cleanse I have had a freaky strong sense of smell! Not just of food but all kinds of things!

On a sad note, Ivan's step dad (who has always been quite thin, btw) found out today that he has to have a triple bypass tomorrow. He only just found out a couple weeks ago that he had high cholesterol! It makes me more grateful for my health and more worried about my parents! How do we get them to take good care of themselves so we don't loose them too soon? None of Ivan or my parents have any health problems right now, but they all eat a "typical American diet" which we have learned by now, leads to heart disease and cancer. I've got to come up with a plan because they all mean so much to me, I need them to be around for a very long time!!!

Cleanse Day 1

Well I started out my day with 32 oz of freshly juiced fruits and veggies (carrots, apple, beets, spinach, celery, lemon) and a fabulous aerobics class. I felt great! My juice hit the spot it was totally delicious and I had no appetite for anything else.

Then I ate 2 bananas and went to work. I absent mindedly popped some of the baby's snacks (cereal) in my mouth and then I wanted to eat it pretty bad, but I soon forgot. I got home and started munching on various fruits and veggies. I started getting pretty hungry at about 5.

At 6 I started to feel TERRIBLE! I my head and stomach hurt bad. I felt hungover (which is essentially detoxing, so that makes sense) So I took a nap an I feel a bit better.

Dinner: avocado, tomato, mango and some chard.

So I called the the Dr's office and was referred to the breastfeeding hot-line which informed me that Bentonite has traces of mercury and lead and I should not use it while breast feeding. But then I did some further studies, and other Drs claim that not only is non-absorb-able, it will absorb any toxins and carry them out. So, I haven't decided if I'm going to use it or not, I'm pondering that one for a bit.

I know I feel like crap because my body is flushing out the toxins in my system but I hope I feel better soon.

Cleanse

I've been feeling sooooo toxic lately! For weeks I've woken up with a headache, a sour stomach, stuffy sinuses and an achy body.

I haven't been eating terrible every day but I have gone on a few naughty binges including practically eating my weight in chocolate over the space of a few days.

So it's time to cleanse. In particular I am going to do a colon cleanse this time. I will do my usually juicing, raw food eating, but I am also going to throw in a bentonite clay cleanse (as long as my dr says it's okay while nursing.) You can get 2 lbs of liquid bentonite at good earth for $16 and psyllium husk in the bulk section.

And I'll top it all of with my first colonic!

Also, there are a lot of great herbs and other foods that help detox the colon so I will share some of those as I go along.

If you are feeling toxic or just want to kick start your summer with some healthy habits feel free to join me, I will try to check in every few days with some yummy juice or salad recipes and other tips!

Happy cleansing!

*Cue suspensful music

Christina joined the biggest looser in the family contest because she wanted to get rid of her baby fat. This is what she looked like then.

I weighed 138 when we started this back in october, my current weight is... 120! I reached my goal weight and am only 5 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight!!! I lost 13% of my body weight!

The other contestants, most of whom couldn't handle my fierce competition (that's right!) and dropped out before the end, (but do exist I promise!) are opting not to share their results with the blogging world.

And the Winner is... ME!!!! :D

Yay, I win, I win, I win. I have learned from this experience that competition is definitely the best motivator for me.

I will continue to strive to eat healthy and exercise. My next goal is to look like this.

Ahhh, no just kidding!

I do really want to work on toning and shaping though. I think when I'm done breastfeeding in 6 months I'm going to hit the weight lifting like never before in my life and see what this body is really capable of!

Keep up the good work everyone, you can do it! I will continue to share tips and tricks for eating health and loosing those lbs.

**click on he tags below to read more weight loss posts***

sugar sugar, sugar

My nemesis.

So here's the deal. Technically I have to pay a penalty $$ when I "cheat" and eat sugar, however, with one competitor left the in the game, the competition isn't as fierce as when the game began and I feel confident enough that I am the biggest fattest looser that I have eaten sugar almost every day since the week before valentines day. (How naughty of me, are you disappointed?)

On the positive side, I have also been eating lots of fresh, healthy foods and gotten through some pretty great, tough workouts thanks to my weight training teacher at school. So yea, don't give up on me just yet.

With 3 days left till the final weigh-in I guess we'll find out if end up victorious, or sorry for my over-confidence. Stay tuned...

weigh in

This is the last weigh in I'm going to do before the final weigh in. I actually did reach my goal weight of 120 last week but I don't like to blog it until it I have maintained it for a couple of days and since then I have bounced back up to 123.

I have tried not to think about my weight lately and just tried to focus on eating healthy, which is always hard to do when a holiday rolls by. I'm going to try to focus extra hard these last 2 weeks of the contest to eat lots of small healthy meals, eat plenty of veggies and whole grains and avoid sugary foods like fruit juice and treats. The final weigh in is almost here!!!

I have been cooking lots of yummy things lately, I will blog about soon!

weigh in...

Well first off, we are now down to 2 contestants! We are getting close to the finish line and half of the group has dropped out, they couldn't take the pressure. ;)

I haven't wanted to post my weight lately because it fluctuates SO much. That being said, I weighed in this morning at 121, only 6 lbs over my pre pregnancy weight! At this point I don't feel comfortable intentionally loosing more weight until I'm done breast feeding.

I feel bad saying this because I'm trying to encourage other people and it doesn't seem typical or very fair but honestly, the more calories I eat the more weight I loose and the more calories I burn breast feeding, the more weight I gain! It is hard getting enough calories sometimes though with my busy schedule and trying to eat fresh healthy foods.

I'll post more healthy meal options soon, and I'm also going to be making home made organic baby food!

Healthy Eating

Okay, I jumped started myself back into healthy eating the best way I know how and that is with juicing! One of the best things about juicing is that it is a great way to use up that extra produce before it goes bad. I like to throw in whatever I have lying around.

This time I juiced 8 carrots, 3 apples, 2 celery stick 6 leaves of lettuce, 3 beets, 1 asian pear, 1 orance, and 1 lemon and it turned out delicious and very sweet as it always does when you use lots of carrotes and apples.

The downside of juicing is that its messy. That's why when I juice I like to make a whole huge pitcher that will last me a few days, it makes it more worth the cleanup and it's a great healthy pick-me-up kind of snack.

My favorite Healthy snack of the week is a little trick I learned from Marin
It is grilled (or broiled) broccoli and it's very simple;
1.wash and cut fresh broccoli florets,
2. lightly brush them with olive oil
3. sprinkle with salt
4. broil for 10 or 15 minutes until slightly charred.

You will not believe the nutty crunchy flavor this brings out in the broccoli. Whenever I make this people ask me what kind of seasoning I put on the broccoli and are always surprise to find out that I only added oil and salt.

weigh in...

123

I have not been avoiding white flour.
I have not been exercising.
I have been eating way too much fatty foods.
I have been drinking calories instead of water.

I have not lost ANY weight since the last weigh in.

: (

I think it's time to cleanse.

Weigh in...

123!
Don't ask me how I've lost weight, I have been very naughty this week with sugar.
However, a lack of appetite and a sore molar may have contributed to this week's weight loss. Well see if it sticks.

**stay tuned for pictures of Max's first Christmas (when I get around to it hah)

weight Update;

The contest is still on, but we've decided to get our money's worth and extend it one more month, giving us more time after the holidays to loose weight. So final weigh in is Feb 28th 2010.

Latest weigh in, 126 lbs, yipee!!! Total loss so far 12 lbs. Only 6 lbs to go to reach my goal weight.
I do, however, feel pretty good about the weight I'm at and I can fit into all my pants so at this point so its just my competitive side that is still in the game.

Favorite diet food of the week;

is a recipe I learned from Jane the only difference is that I substitute the white flour for whole wheat flour giving it a delicious, full, nutty flavor.

This Crepe recipe is amazing because it is mostly eggs so it is packed with protein, plus there is no sugar or butter added to the original recipe so they are super healthy. One of the best parts is that they are versatile. Put strawberries and cream cheese or cinnamon sugar on them for your kids and go for a healthier opition for yourself. Here are my favorite toppings;

Chopped strawberries with a scoop of sugar free (not lite!) frozen whipped topping.
OR
Fat free cream cheese sprinkled with my favorite sweetener.
(or a combination of both!)

Grandma Connie's Crepes

4 eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 cup (whole wheat) flour

1 teaspoon salt

1.blend in blender and pour onto hot skillet, greased with non-stick spray

2.make sure to spread it out good and thin on the pan

3.when it starts to look brown and crispy on the edges flip it over (don't overcook these they should be very soft and bendable)

4.add your toppings and roll it up, yum!

back on the wagon

I have been terribly naughty this past week as I'm sure most of us have. But if I'm going to win this contest, I'm going to have to kick it into high gear for the last half of the contest.

This means;
NO sugar
NO white flour
NO super fatty foods
and extra veggies

And don't forget the workouts. Have I mentioned my new love for ZUMBA?
And do you remeber the body for life running routine that was popular about 10 years ago? walk, jog, run, repeat. BYU indoor track, eat my rubber.

weighing in

It's been 6 weeks since I started my diet and the contest and at 129 (I made it to the 120s yay!! I have lost a total of 8 lbs. 11 more weeks to go!

I have made slow progress, but consistent progress and I haven't been restricting my calories or even eating very low carb. I've just been avoiding white flour and sugar and eating plenty of whole grains and lean protein.

I've been working out 2-3 times a week for an hour.

Eating healthy and exercising occasionally really is not that hard once you get past the sugar withdrawals.

Weighing in...

at 130 lbs. It's very slow progress, but it is progress. Hopefully I can loose more over the next 2 weeks before the holidays get here to make it a lot harder. With 12 weeks left in the the game, I will be satisfied if I loose 5 more lbs, I will be happy if I loose 10 more lbs and I will ecstatic if I reach my pre-pregnancy weight by loosing 15 more lbs.

I ate sugar on Halloween and I am still fighting sugar urges. It's almost not worth having a free day a month because as soon as you've kicked the craving you have to start all over again!

I haven't been calorie counting. Since I 'm breast feeding I eat until I'm full (which seems like SO much some days) but since I'm sticking to low fat high protein food filled with complex carbs and exercising, I am still able to loose weight slowly.

Now if I can find the time to work out more that then 2-3 times a week I've been doing, I think I could loose weight a little faster.

Favorite diet food of the week

In general I don't like sugar substitutes. They leave a bad taste in my mouth and sometimes give me stomach aches, plus they creep me out. There is a new one, however, called Stevia. It's all natural, comes from leaves of a plan, and zero calorie. Although it doesn't taste exactly like sugar (what substitute does?), I prefer the taste much better than any of the other substitutes I've tried. (Of course I haven't had sugar in 3 weeks so anything resembling sugar tastes a lot better to me right now!)

My favorite sugar free treat right now is called Zevia. It's a zero calorie soda sweetened with Stevia and right now it's on sale at good earth for $0.75 a can. The rootbeer wasn't the best but I really like the Orange and the Twist! If you're like me and crave soda but don't like the taste of diet, come over and try a can of this stuff. Yum!

(But don't forge to still stay hydrated and drink plenty of water; dehydration slows down your metabolism!)

Update; The scale

Well I lost one more lb. I can actually meet my goal in time at this rate, but I wouldn't mind getting a little closer to my goal a little faster, just to save some anxiety.


Weird dreams last night. Did Wendee call me this morning or was that a dream? No, I think it was real.

I need to get a gym membership desperately. This whole running in the cold and often in the dark is not very motivating!

drumroll please...

And my current weight is dun-nuh, duh-nuh, duh-nuh... 133!
I lost 5 lbs this week! I'm bad at math but I think that's a 3.6% weightloss.

I think the last chance workout I did last night made a huge difference, I went runnung at about 9:00 last night.

Here are some things I've been eating all week;

bran flakes with soy milk, spinach omlette, brown rice and beans, chicken wrap, whole wheat pasta with fresh basil, as well as lots of fresh veggies and some fruits.

My favorite diet food item of the week is whole wheat tortillas,

at only 120 calories per tortilla they have only 1 gram of sugar, which is less than the 5 grams my wheat bread has and they make delicious wraps. I've only tried Don Pancho brand so far but it's pretty good. I could probably find an even lower carb brand if I looked.

Dieting sucks...

did I happen to mention?

That's okay though, eye on the prize.

I love Raw cleansing because, although it's far from low carb (not the way I do it anyway) it is so nutritious and it kind of feels like you're eating a lot since a lot of it is low calorie.

I'll probably only last a couple more days doing it though, it's kind of hard to get enough calories. Next I'm going to transition into a low carb diet, probably something south beach-ish.

I started my day with delicious fresh Spinch-apple-lemon-carrot juice. Then munched on fruits, veggies and some nuts and even picked up some raw flax cracker snacks from good earth.

Went for a nice little bike ride.

Stay tuned I'll be weighing in Sunday with the results from the week!