'Be-Be's Beautiful Body Bonanza'

**Be-Be** · 08-22-2008, 11:55 AM

Thanks, Tara and Mandy. It's just hard to get my head around the fact that even though my mind is ready and willing AND 90% of my body is ready and willing, the damaged 10% is holding me back. Or maybe it's only 5%. I just have to find a way to accept the fact that I'm no longer the strong, active, physical person that I used to be. Perhaps I'll be that person again but for now I'm not. This isn't something that mental willpower will overcome. And all the macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, cheetos, beer, pizza, lemon poundcake, alfredo, coconut fried shrimp, garlic cheese biscuits, cheeseburgers, fries, wine, McGriddles, icecream, hashbrowns, bacon, biscuits with gravy, cinnamon rolls and donuts in the world will not change a thing. Well, except for the worse.

Sigh.

**amj0883** · 08-22-2008, 12:59 PM

At least you recognize it!!! You will improve, but not if you push yourself! Listen to your body and don't eat out of emotion.....always remember that your body deserves the best

**Be-Be** · 08-25-2008, 12:16 PM

Bored again. Getting stressed because I'm spending a bunch of money on advertising and none of it is paying off. I've now signed up for 2 "women's fairs" in Oct. Busy month; I'll be getting my nutritional cert that month also. At least taking the class - when I get the cert will depend on how much money I have then.

Finished next month's newsletter. It's all about what to eat and what not to eat. Cereal is starting to show up on the "don't" lists because of all the additives in it. Just need to proof it which I'll do next weekend before I send it out.

After reading up on additives, it really makes me reflect on my "healthy" foods. I know, I'm always going back and forth on where to draw the line. But Mandy is right (see her last comment). My body not only deserves to be a healthy weight and to be exercised regularly but also not to have a bunch of chemicals dumped into it. Too bad I have a freezer and several shelves of things stuffed full of the "don't" list.

Think I'll design one seminar for both companies next month - menu planning. I have some ideas but I've never put it all together. But I have 3 weeks before that has to be ready.

My phone counseling client is doing well. We just moved from precontemplation to contemplation and I gave her an exercise to help her become contemplative. We'll talk tomorrow about making positive thoughts and happy memories the norm instead of negative thoughts and beating herself up. That homework assignment is fun and easy.

Hubby wants to go on a diet on Sept 8 after finishing the MS 150. I think stress has halted his weight loss but you know family is the last person to listen to advice.

I have a new tip on decreasing appetite but haven't tried it yet. It's called Flavor Fasting.

To diminish the physical sensation of hunger (this will have no effect on emotional eating, which isn't appetite-based in the first place), first go at least 1 hour with no flavors - no toothpaste, no gum, no coffee, nothing. Then take some food supplements: two capsules of omega-3 fish oil, one of flaxseed oil, and one of vitamin 3, which comes in oil form. (Get the pure form; some have ingredients which can spoil.) Toss back all the supplements with 24 to 32 ounces of water. You can drink it all at once or sip it over a half-hour period. After you take the supplements, go at least another full our without tasting any flavors.

It's based on Dr. David Katz's book the "Flavor Point Diet" which promotes cutting out foods that have lots of complex flavor combinations and stimulate appetite and "draping" a single flavor over everything you eat on a specific day. You eat less because you get bored of the flavor but there's a different flavor everyday so you don't give up because of overall boredom. I'm borrowing the book from the library and may try implementing some of those ideas.

So anyway, every 4 days I'm decreasing calories a little until I find the point that causes weightloss without sending me into a binge cycle. Had a hitch in the plan this weekend because hubby ordered an all meat pizza. No, I didn't have to eat it but it was good. Too bad it was a large. I'm also trying to accept my exercise limitation. It's enough for now as long as I do something everyday.

You know, I brought this on myself. I was whining about not having any fitness goals. By the time I recover from this, I'll have tons of room for improvement. Sigh.

**SexyBack** · 08-25-2008, 12:47 PM

that's interesting about the flavour fasting....mmmm

wow, I can't believe it's almost time for another newsletter! August flew by so fast. Can't wait to read it!

**Be-Be** · 08-25-2008, 01:56 PM

It is interesting, isn't it? You won't get as much out of this newsletter, April. It boils down to "eat clean". It could have been a 6 page newsletter but I don't know that anyone would read it. Then again, it could have been a 1 sentence newsletter - eat simpler foods closer to their natural states and limit the number or kinds of food at each meal. But I did learn some interesting stuff. Like, did you know that many additives cause the body to react in a way that make it want to eat more (which is why they are used). Actually, I don't remember if I included that tidbit or not.

BTW - I'm so bored because almost half my clients are on vacation. Well, a third anyway. I've had something like 8-10 fewer appointments each week over the last few weeks. And when you consider I only do 20-25 training sessions a week, that's quite a bit of free time. If I could be more physical, I could enjoy the free time more. Sigh; don't go there. I need to get some more interesting books to read. Lighter, easier reads than my norms.

BTW part II - the Spinach and Cranberry Stuffed Chicken Breasts recipe in the new Oxygen are awesome. Though to be fair, it's the identical recipe from LA Weightloss's cookbook with the exception that LA Weightloss has you pound out the chicken flat and roll them with the stuffing instead of just stuffing them. But regardless, I really liked the way the quinoa turned out - baked in the oven with the chicken. I've never done it that way before.

Think I'll see if the dog wants to walk. I already rode intervals on the recumbant bike - was out of breath at 135 pbm (sigh) - but my back isn't too bad. The scatia is just aggravated in one tight hot-spot instead of running down my leg. Sigh. I'd use the sighing icon but I'd probably need it more times than we are allowed to use it in one post.

**SexyBack** · 08-25-2008, 04:34 PM

I love re-reading info that I already know. It's a good reminder. Plus I pass your newsletter on to friends that I know it will help them out. (since they don't listen to me and think i'm full of crap).

I didn't know that about the additives! evil!

Have a good walk my dear!

**amj0883** · 08-25-2008, 05:58 PM

I'm going to have to look into that recipe...it sounds yummy!!!

Everyone should be getting back from vacation soon and everyone will want to start working out again!!

I hope you enjoyed your walk..

**moon girl** · 08-26-2008, 08:05 AM

Sorry to hear things aren't going the way you'd like them to. I understand your issues with eating well - I have a lot of trouble with that too. And I can imagine myself gaining a lot of weight if I were injured and unable to work out. Just hang in there and try to eat as well as you can. Your body will thank you for it

**Be-Be** · 08-27-2008, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by SexyBack

I love re-reading info that I already know. It's a good reminder. Plus I pass your newsletter on to friends that I know it will help them out. (since they don't listen to me and think i'm full of crap).

I didn't know that about the additives! evil!

Have a good walk my dear!

And if they knew me, they wouldn't listen to me either. Why is that?

Combining foods with fats, sugar, and salt also set up a brain craving that causes you to eat more. That is why processed (including restaurant) salty foods have sugar added and sugary foods have salt added. You'll eat more and they'll sell more. My MIL is the perfect example of this - when she eats something sweet, maybe a bite of cake, she immediately wants a cracker.

Originally Posted by amj0883

I'm going to have to look into that recipe...it sounds yummy!!!

Everyone should be getting back from vacation soon and everyone will want to start working out again!!

I hope you enjoyed your walk..

Definitely try it. It was good as leftovers too.

A lot of people will be back from vacation next week so I'll be at a more normal work level even with the holiday. I shouldn't complain of being bored though. After that post, I realized that I have a seminar next week. It seemed to soon because last month we put it off a week. Also, MY NEWSLETTER WON'T OPEN!!! I can pull it up most of it in a text document so now I have to cut and paste, reformat and then rewrite the stuff that has disappeared. Sigh. I have no idea what happened. I can see the document name but no matter how I try to open it, it says the path is invalid. So now I have a couple projects. Sigh. Sure could use a break...

And to both of you - it was a good walk. My back definitely reacts well to walking outdoors. I can't walk fast enough for it to be a cardio workout but perhaps ambling along is where I need to be right now.

Originally Posted by moon girl

Sorry to hear things aren't going the way you'd like them to. I understand your issues with eating well - I have a lot of trouble with that too. And I can imagine myself gaining a lot of weight if I were injured and unable to work out. Just hang in there and try to eat as well as you can. Your body will thank you for it

Thanks. The eating is slowly improving as I work on getting my brain in a good place. I'm also working on finding other sources of joy so that when I'm unhappy for my situation, I have alternatives to eating.

I'm reading more on the single flavor a day diet and may try it once hubby wants to be dieting. He likes it because I'll be packing his lunches as well as preparing his other meals. We'll see - still need more research.

Also the new workout style isn't working. Where I add up the number of reps times weight for 2 1/2 minutes of lifting. Too much of a pain. But it has shown me that I take too long of breaks so that was good.

Off to my one training client today...

**Be-Be** · 08-28-2008, 05:02 AM

Ugh - I weighed myself today - 210. Still 33% bf so it must be bloat. So lots of lemon water and apple cider vinager for me over the next couple days. I'm also going to do better getting a better baseline - in other words I need to consistantly record my eating habits and make consistant improvements. Focus, you know. I have 2 women's expos in Oct so perhaps including the bloat, I can drop 10 pounds by then if I'm not so lazy with my diet. My long term goal will be to get under 185 by my birthday in Feb. 185 is how low I got last December and then stalled out. If fact, I've gotten there a 2 or 3 times and stalled out. Haven't gained this much back before though. Of course, I haven't had a debilitating back injury before either. Whatever. Main thing is, I can't look bloated and sell weight loss services. Plus, in 10 days I'll be at the MS 150 and some of those people I only see once a year. Can't hide the weight gain but we can definitely lose the water weight.

Okay, off to work. Sucky morning - 3 appointments over 4 hours with two 45 minute breaks. I can exercise during 1 but I'll just be hanging around for the other. Dang back. Then a wide open afternoon. I can update the monthly financials - see how much more I've gone in debt. Read some fiction, walk the dog, read about the flavor point diet or another one of my "trade" books, clean house, cook some salmon, yard work... You know, same old excitement. Wouldn't be so bad except that I woke up at 4:00 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Dang hubby out of town.

**Be-Be** · 08-28-2008, 05:07 AM

**Be-Be** · 09-04-2008, 05:27 PM

Diet starts Monday. Hubby is convienently 7 of the first 11 days. Anyway... I'm going to do the "Flavor Point" or "Flavorfull" Diet. For the first 30 days, each day has a flavor theme. The theory is that your brain tires of the same flavor so your eating is no longer motivated by mind-hunger and you are better able to monitor body-hunger. Hey, why not. At least its something new. It'll make me move outside my diet comfort zones and try some new things.

For instance, on day 1, I'll have raisins in my oats, yogurt with raisins or currants for a snack, lunch is a currant-lentil spinach salad with feta and walnuts, then some grapes in the afternoon, and roast chicken with currant wine glase and carmelized onions/green beans and a salad for dinner. Finally a raisin-granola parfait for dessert. I'll probably add a protein workout bar in the mornings which breaks the rules unless I can find the "proper" flavor. Actually, I'm changing stuff anyway. For instance, they have cereal for breakfast and I'd rather have my steel-cut oats. I may post the diet just because it's so different - at least its different than anything I've done. I'll start with 1800 - 2000 calories a day and see what happens.

As far as exercise... I've rehurt my back from using the treadmill a week or so ago. Got a new tear in the disc so I'm limited again. My physical therapist said its because the belt pulls the foot back and that causes the spine to move. The good news is that as soon as this heals - another week maybe? - we'll start weaning me off the back brace. I only wear it when training people so I'll just start wearing it less and less. I'm trying to decide what to do on lifting. Maybe a 5 day split? It's so hard to get motivated when you know its going to hurt in a bad way.

I'm watching "Bizarre Food With Andrew Zimmern". He's in Beijing and I'm recognizing the restaurants and streets and stuff. He's eating the stuff I was afraid off. He said "horrifying", "gross", "paperlike" "stuck in my teeth". There's the skewered live scorpians. I loved the place behind the street place where he's eating a sea urchant. Oh, good, there's beef in those. I was a little worried about what I was eating there. Now he's in a restaurant that specializes in donkey. I didn't eat there. Hmm... donkey meat is very lean - high protein/low fat. They raise donkeys like we raise beef.

Business news: Mailing are the way to go, I think. I got an inquiry call today. I think it'll come down to if they want to pay for a registered dietician or if they'll settle for me.

I bet I'm cheaper. Or they may decide not to do anything - corporate keeps "suggesting" they do "something".

They cook the donkey skin - it's considered the most nutritional part. "Meat Noodles"

Anyway - hubby's goal is 25 pounds by the end of the year so I suppose that'll be mine too. Assuming I still weight 210, that would put me back down to 185 which was my low last year.

Hmmm... that's a better pharmacy than the one I went to. He got sick there too. Okay, you want to know more, watch the show. I'm going to put together a grocery list for next week.

Oh, poor hubby has a chest cold and the MS150 is this weekend. The weather is going to be wonderful. It'll be so horrible if he has to skip it.

Okay, grocery list... What is a currant anyway and where do I buy it?

**Be-Be** · 09-12-2008, 01:51 PM

I have a little feng shui suggestion for everyone. Put some form of running water in the far left corner of your house from the front door. It is supposed to promote prosperity. I don't know if it really works, though my friend who told me this said it worked for her and her brother, but since I put up a cheap walmart fountain a little over a week ago, my company has made more money already this month than it did all year up til now. (And I have one more lead that may pay off.) Yay! I get to pay off debt and buy a panini maker! Anyway, I'm keeping the fountain.

**Be-Be** · 12-03-2008, 02:00 PM

Hey, strangers! After only 12 months, the house remodel is finished! Have a peek: http://hockhouseremodel.shutterfly.com/

When this gets paid off, we'll start on the bedrooms and tile the kitchen.

**SexyBack** · 12-03-2008, 02:17 PM

oh, I love it Beebs! I love the Salmon colour! It looks so great, very comforting and homey!

**SexyBack** · 12-08-2008, 06:39 PM

Hey Be! I never got my December newsletter

**Be-Be** · 12-08-2008, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by SexyBack

Hey Be! I never got my December newsletter

The mail merge program messed up so I had to send all 185 copies one at a time. I'll check and let you know if your email got lost in the shuffle and if I need it again. Hopefully it just got skipped. You should get it sometime tomorrow - probably late morning but by late afternoon for sure.

Now I'm going to be paranoid about everyone else. Anybody else not get it?

**SexyBack** · 12-08-2008, 07:24 PM

got it, thanks Be! I always look forward to the beginning of each month for a good read!

Awww, you mentioned me in your newsletter! How sweet! I'm famous!

Thanks!

**Be-Be** · 12-09-2008, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by SexyBack

got it, thanks Be! I always look forward to the beginning of each month for a good read!

Awww, you mentioned me in your newsletter! How sweet! I'm famous!

Thanks!

Well, you did suggest macros last may/june. When I decided to do the "what is fitness" series, I decided that the macros series was a good fit too.

Funny story: Yesterday a client came in and announced she needed to do more stretching. She started talking about it and then realized she was quoting my article to me.

**moon girl** · 12-09-2008, 01:11 PM

Just checking in to see how things are going. House looks great - I love that rose colour on the walls.

A little late to relieve any paranoia maybe, but I got the newsletter, just didn't get around to reading it yet

**Be-Be** · 12-09-2008, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by moon girl

Just checking in to see how things are going. House looks great - I love that rose colour on the walls.

A little late to relieve any paranoia maybe, but I got the newsletter, just didn't get around to reading it yet

Thanks - the house is so cozy with all this color.

Well, go read it, girlie. One of my clients came in today wanting to change her routine based on what she read so it must have something good in it.

Nothing to report on me - still haven't lost the weight I put on this year, still rehabbing back. I'm finally noticing strength decreases because I haven't gotten into a regular lifting program (though I'm still plenty strong) but what's really bothering me is that I feel... not sure how to describe it... I feel like I'm holding myself stiffly, like I'm more fragile. I feel stiffer, my joints feel less lubricated, gravity feels like it pulls me down more. Doing things like mountain climbers or squat thrusts seem impossible. I can walk but I don't feel as "bouncy" when I walk - more plodding despite my speed (or lack of it). Haven't tried cardio machines lately but since the weather has turned, hopefully I can use them again. I tried videos but that hasn't been totally successful either. Hate the music on those.

Anyway... I'm spending this month on my emotional/spiritual growth and after Dec 27, I'll turn my focus onto the physical. I'm thinking a pylometric workout with lots of core/torso conditioning. I've run a couple clients through a prototype of it and it seems to work well.

Dieting will be a bit easier as hubby is getting a mandatory 5% pay decrease (company-wide) so we won't have money for going out and will have to cut down the grocery budget. Silver-lining - right? Also had to drop the gym membership so I don't have access to a wide variety of cardio equipment, classes or lifting equipment but between my house and where I train, I have enough.

So that's that. Hopefully eventually I'll have more to talk about.

**Be-Be** · 01-01-2009, 02:42 PM

Newsletters are out. I sent them out individually again. Let me know if you didn't get yours.

**twinnett** · 01-01-2009, 02:53 PM

Got mine!! Good read! Hope you have a good new year!

**Be-Be** · 01-02-2009, 09:24 AM

Glad you enjoyed it, Tara. A client of mine read her copy last night and she said it was one of my best. She also suggested beans for the food of the month. Last Sunday I completed my Nutrition Specialist Certification test which was case studies and essay questions. I figure since I have all that written out already, I'll make the next newsletter out of them. (Won't find out for another 2 or 3 weeks if I passed the test, but, come one, it's what I do for a living anyway. How could I flunk? I'll have to remember to congratulate myself in the next newsletter for becoming a certified nutrition specialist.)

Happy New Year everybody!

**twinnett** · 01-02-2009, 10:57 AM

How has your back been feeling?? Are you able to work out?

**Be-Be** · 01-02-2009, 02:31 PM

My back still hurts most of the time but it's bearable. I got a "what's the use" attitude towards exercise a couple months ago and that combined with a 30 pound

weight gain haven't helped any.

Yesterday I used the elliptical for 30 minutes at a moderate, slightly out of breath, paced. After about 22 minutes my back started pinging but rounded up to 30 anyway. Then I walked at, oh, maybe 3 mph around the track for about a mile to loosen it up since it likes real movement better than machines anyway. Felt okay when I went home. Got sore as the day went on. I iced it and took alieve. However, it hurt enough throughout the night to keep me awake. Have some doms today but definitely the "bad" pain also.

However, I am going to try to do something everyday even if it's only for 10 minutes. Perhaps as I condition it and lose the fat it will improve. We also changed our insurance so that we have a $25 co-pay (after receiving our primary doctor's referral, of course) for the physical therapist and chiropracter. I don't know how much I'll use that though since we have so much debt from the vacation, medical expenses and house remodel last year plus hubby's pay cut this year.

Good times.

Counseling Moment: The weight gain shouldn't be a big surprise though. Anytime someone loses a large amount of weight, say 65 pounds or so, they have had to learn new coping skills that don't involve food. If something major happens in their life, say a major injury with lots of expenses and pain, their new found skills are put to the test. Never having been tested to that extreme, they frequently fail and fall back on their old habits. This is one of the reasons why diets fail and so many people yo-yo. So, in response, I've had to get some more self-awareness and work on new strategies. The good news is that when I finish this cycle, by losing the weight again, I should be emotionally stronger and better able to cope than I was before.

Oops, I mean

Thanks for asking!

**Be-Be** · 01-09-2009, 03:47 PM

Yay! I'm a Nutrition Specialist certified by the American Adademy of Sports Dietitians and Nutritions (AASDN). Which means I have the ability to implement nutrition services with dietitian support.

Remind me to raise my prices...

P.S. And, no, still can't exercise. Went crying to my physical therapist and he reminded me it will still be another year before my back is healed. So my workout program for the next 12 months is walking outside at a moderate pace, using a recumbent bike at a moderate pace, and doing light resistance training. At a moderate pace, I'm sure. And I have to do all that boring, unchallenging stuff most days a week except when my back is tired from training other people.

**Be-Be** · 01-31-2009, 03:23 PM

Okay, everyone should have February's e-newsletter now.

Another change is that I now have all the newsletters on my website so you can access them anytime: http://www.fitwell-lifestyles.com/Newsletters.html. It's also where people can sign up to receive a copy delivered to their inbox every month.

And before you ask - back isn't really improved and I'm still struggling to figure out how to lose weight without exercise. I pretty much can't do anything physical two days in a row (on top of training) and even a half hour on a recumbent bike makes the back twinge. Lifting is okay but I'm not supposed to lift if my back is tired or twinging which is most of the time. I'm in contact with my physical therapist and he just keeps telling me to slow down, take it easy and give it time. Like another year of time.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoy the newsletter!

**Be-Be** · 03-01-2009, 07:18 PM

Newsletter is out. It is also on the website for people that want to read it but not subscribe to it: http://www.fitwell-lifestyles.com/Newsletters.php.

I'm also on ******** and have started a group "Fitwell Lifestyles".

I think I?ve had a breakthrough with my back a couple weeks ago. It was really strange actually. I was showing a client how to rotate her upper body without moving her hips (I know, that?s on the ?do-not-do? list but it works out in the end). So as I rotated back, I felt a crunching in my lower back. So, of course, I rotated again and it crunched again. I told my client that I had either done something very good or very bad. It almost felt like gravel grinding together. So for the next day or so, my lower back felt like a vertebra does when it?s been stuck very out of place and then fixed ? kind of a general soreness ? but all the sharp pain went away. By the third day, instead of pain levels from 5 ? 8, it was down to 1-3. On Friday I had 8 sessions and my feet hurt worse than my back! Awesome! Now the pain level is roughly 0-2. It feels so good not to feel pain. Now I can actually feel when I?m doing something I shouldn?t and when it?s tiring out before it becomes painful. I finally feel like I?m in a place where working out will improve it instead of causing more pain. I actually lifted enough (without hurting the back) to give my arms and shoulders doms. Yay! I?m much more optimistic now that I won?t overdo it (and therefore re-damage it) since I can feel the subtleties of what is going on back there.

Another positive is, because of health issues, hubby no longer wants to go out to eat and/or drink all the time. As we all know, one night out can set back a whole week of progress so now I'm also optimistic of losing the fat that snuck up on me last year.

I had a horrible head cold last week but I'm over it now so this will be the test week to see how my back does with daily gym visits. Wish me luck.

Thread: 'Be-Be's Beautiful Body Bonanza'

Thread Tools

Search Thread

My Diet Mascot

House project complete!

February E-Newsletter is Delivered

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions