Ice Breaker

I have got to say- it felt really good. I received my first, “You’ve lost weight” comment. People have commented but it’s all been people that know I’ve been working at it - or it will be me saying initiating the subject and friends jumping in to say - “Yes- you’re looking good.” That is nice but it’s always the first "out of the blue" compliment that feels the best. It broke the ice because about a week after that someone else said something. Yeah!

22 weeks- 40 lbs

Train Wreck

Well, I was all caught up and now I’m not. I have decided to not post on a weekly basis at this point until after the wedding. Things have been so busy with invitation prep, garden re-haul and now, something we’ve put off for two years- painting the living room. That project starts tomorrow - not an easy task considering it’s a large living room and the ceiling must also be done. It should be fun though, Adam has a couple of days off work so we’re doing it together. Funny thing was that we were supposed to be flying to Salt Lake City for Adam’s Granddad's 90th. Unfortunately our passports did not make it . This is not good considering also that we need a marriage license which may be difficult, considering our passports are somewhere on a bureaucrat’s desk in Ottawa.

I have not been exercising due to some problems with my leg. I’m not really sure what it’s all about but I think that I hurt it doing stairs. I also have developed a rather sudden case of plantar’s fascitis. I know, I know- I’m quite the train-wreck. Hopefully I will not have to hobble with a cane at my own wedding! Considering that one is not supposed to get these things after losing a fairly significant amount of weight, I am most disturbed! Now I must go seek some lumps for my shoes. I have been hill-walking and hiking on a regular basis, my leg does not really hurt during these activities- only when I try to get up or bend it a certain way.

Last weekend- the long weekend was the longest biggest baddist binge ever. I had patiently waited for a long time and took full advantage of my free weekend. Filled myself with pork at our friend’s annual Pig roast- funny how filling fatty meat can be. Glogged down loads of wine. Took the opportunity to eat loads of cheese. Ruined a steak on our new BBQ and was very pouty until Adam rushed out to get a carton of Ben and Jerry’s to console me. It was peanut-butter cup flavor and I didn’t really love it - but I had been wanting ice-cream for weeks and I enjoyed it . I probably did gain some weight but could not face the scale until today- and now I’m back to what was good!

Right now I’m really not doing anything but eating the foods that I know are healthy and restricting wheat. I’m enjoying a cup of coffee ( with cream) every day to give me an afternoon boost. Tonight I may have a glass of wine.

So 39 lbs lost- 20 weeks

Unstuck

Well for the first time since I’ve started this blog- I’m all caught up!! That means I’m not posting 3-4 weeks behind. Originally when I started writing I didn’t know if I’d have the guts to actually post anything. Now I have. Although very few people actually read this blog, I feel very good about it. It’s very therapeutic and has allowed me to be a writer, even if the subject is boring to most.

A week ago I looked in the mirror and thought that I was staring at the face of the Michelin Man.I was so bloated!! I had been the same weight for what seemed like ages even though I have been exercising and eating well- except for too many nuts.

Who knows where the bloat came from? Dairy? I eat some low-fat yogurt. Alcohol? A glass or two on the weekends. Perhaps it was the pickled beans or banana peppers that I put in my humus - or the kimchee that I eat with my humus.What ever it was, it was making me really puffy and I suspect that my plateau had something to do with it.

So I decided to start back at square one. The good ole weight-loss cleanse. Stocked up on fruits and watercress- grabbed my CLA from the herb cupboard.

I really like having those clear boundaries. No dairy, wheat, sugar, alcohol or coffee. I don’t feel like going through caffeine withdrawal so I have continued with green and jasmine tea. I was sad when Saturday (my Americano day) came, but I have to be a trooper. No dairy is no dairy and it’s all about the cream!!

So by the end of the week I had flushed out 7 lbs and I’ve got to say I’m really happy about it.

37 lbs- 17 weeks


Yeah!

Stuck ...Again!!!

I realised early in the week that I have not been making time to go to the gym. We are still walking about 4 days a week with two of those days being one hour hill-walks or hikes that are good calorie burners. Time at the gym however, has just not been possible. I’m intensely involved in a re haul of my garden in anticipation of the big even t this summer. Gardening is good exercise but I do need some consistent cardio. I decided that I could spare at least 15 minutes a morning. I really have to make time for this. i have read that morning is the best time for exercise to burn fat on an empty stomach. So, I’ve been putting on some Beck (Midnight Vultures is really good to move to) and doing a miniature workout which involves barbells, running, dancing, and doing stairs. It’s a good start to the day and often the 15 minutes turns into 20 or 25. Usually I have a good sweat going especially if I do stairs.

Check out the above photo. Halibut topped with prawns, pasta/whole grains and greens. Very Okinawan! Really this is not a bad lifestyle. I think that i may be overdoing it a bit though- the pasta should have been whole wheat- but it was mixed with brown rice and kamut. I think that it was drizzled in olive oil (lightly!). Probably the Reggiano was not the low-fat version but you don’t need a lot.

One thing that can get out of hand for me is nuts. It’s so easy to munch away on them, you never fill up and they are quite fatty. Ditto for Pumpkin seeds. I have a great recipe where you roast the seeds in the oven and then sprinkle with Braggs, garlic powder and cayenne pepper- but you can chow down for hours. Again - it adds up in calories.

I tend to get a bit hungrier on this diet which is not a good thing -considering my evening snack has turned into a piece of toast with peanut butter or the divine almond-hazelnut butter. Again, not probably the wisest of choices. I’m not quite sure that the nut consumption is a huge part of the Okinawan plan- the nuts were still around from the high protein plan and they were very accessible - perhaps a little too accessible.

Getting back to the Okinawan plan,I do recommend the book. It’s an interesting read and as said before meant to be a lifestyle rather than just a diet. Exercise, meditation, positive thought and just slowing down the pace are part of the deal. What’s the point of devouring a donut in your car when you could cook up some miso vegetables and enjoy a cup of Jasmine tea?

We are at just under three months to go until the wedding and I’m starting to feel a little nervous that the dress won’t fit. I realise that 30 pounds actually is a significant weight loss and that I should be proud. instead I am focusing on the fact that I’m stuck here in another plateau and it probably will be harder to lose an additional 30 lbs. I’m bummed out that I’ve been doing all of this exercise and still have not dropped any more weight. I’m also feeling stupid that I have been hogging out on nuts and peanut butter and thinking that it was in the plan when it was not

16 weeks - 30 lbs

The Okinawa Program

This book was written by three doctors who based their information on a twenty five year study of Okinawan Centenarians. Okinawans are the healthiest and longest- lived population in the world- so they must be doing something right!

The diet itself is kind of complicated in that many of the types of foods overlap- but it comes down to just common sense eating, especially for those who are in the know about their healthy living.

Here is the Diet

Each Day- 7-13 servings whole grain foods- sounds like a lot but servings are generally small.

9-17 Servings fruits and vegetables

2-4 Servings flavonoid foods- tofu, flax seed, tea, soy milk

2-4 servings calcium foods- low fat dairy, OJ, broccoli, cabbage

1-3 servings Omega -3 foods- fish, flax

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oils or condiments

Each Week

no more than 7 servings of meat, poultry, eggs’

0-3 servings sweets

alcohol in moderation

So basically this is a lifestyle high in fiber and complex carbohydrates- lower in protein.
As i had mentioned, it is not quite clear whether you should be having all of the servings listed here. For instance if I had kale one night would that count as one veggie or one calcium food or would it count as one of both. It did not turn out to be a big issue as I didn’t really measure my foods or anything- just tried to eat sensibly within the parameters. I found it to be quite easy as this is kind of a natural way for me to eat. I love flax oil and probably have too much of it- but at least it’s not butter. We did cut our meat consumption but didn’t have a problem with it. One favorite meal has turned out to be buckwheat noodles with steamed veggies and baked marinated tofu. just throw them all in a bowl and drizzle some hot-sauce and some Bragg’s amino acid or some sesame oil along the side of the bowl! YUM.

i started this program right after the disastrous Yeaster ans have now completed two weeks-

30 lbs down- I had hoped for more- i had thought that the Yeaster gain was all bloat and would easily flow off - but it’s been hard work. Damn that fondue!!

I found out last week that I did not make the cut for X-Weighted- initially I was upset- ego bashed- but then I realised that it may have been too invasive.

More Yeaster

This picture was taken at Domaine Drouhin- overlooking their vineyard in the Willamette Valley. It was a cold day with a crisp wind but we were forced to stay outdoors. We had been hanging out in the tasting room, sipping wine, until a Hummer Limo pulled up and dumped off a pack of shrieking sorority sisters. The room instantly filled with a din compared only to the Rhesus monkey pit during mating season. Customers were not only deafened but treated to the god-awful aroma of whatever latest Ralph Lauren or Britney Spears scent sorority sisters are wearing.

Here is another rant: Ladies- if you are serious about tasting and enjoying wine - leave the perfume in it’s bottle. People want to smell the notes of the wine not your skanky, cheap perfume! Personally, I think that perfume restrictions should be extended from hospitals and libraries to restaurants. People are really into their food these days. It is awful to be in a situation where you are having a special meal and somebody sits close by reeking of too much toiletry.

Anyway, the wines at Domaine Drouhine were fine. We were so excited by the our day touring wineries that Adam and I decided to go again, on Sunday. Easter Sunday- you get it- all of the wineries were closed. After seeing several "Winery Closed" signs decided to go for lunch and take a chance to get a seat at Bistro Maison in McMinnville. We lucked out as it was close to 2pm and the lunch seating was finishing up. This is a sweet little heritage-style house converted into a restaurant. The service was very professional although I figure that our server must have been trained in up-selling. She mentioned that the special was a fondue which was made of three cheeses and would be perfect for an appetizer for two. Always in the mood for cheese, I insisted upon it - soon bowls of apples, bread, french country ham and gerkins arrived at the table along with a large pot of bubbling cheeses and truffle oil. We realised that we were going to be soon stuffed and we didn’t really feel that we could rescind on our orders of pasta for him and hanger steak and frites for me. Not to mention a luscious salad with hazelnuts and blue cheese which we split. Our choice of Ken Wright’ Cellar’s Pinot Blanc “Freedom Hill” 2005 helped to cut the heaviness of the delicious fondue. We then shared a half bottle of Cristom Reserve Pinto Noir with our mains. Poor us- we have never been so full but we just had to look at the desert menu and the molten chocolate cake with ganache and homemade Grand Marnier ice-cream simply could not be denied- it just sounded too good and it was damn good- it was! The bill arrived with a big basket of fresh nuts and oranges.

Since we could now not drive- we limped out for a walk just in time for a spring shower. We kind of huddled under some trees in a park and then took to our car for a big nap before driving into Portland to meet back up with Tara and Glen- for dinner!!

So now you know why Yeaster weekend resulted in a such a big gain.

14 weeks 28 lbs

Next week a new diet!

Yeaster

Whenever I go on a road-trip to the good ole USA, I have to try out the very latest flavor of Doritos. I look for something that will tantalize ever single one of my taste buds and this time I was not disappointed. I like the spark of buffalo wings and the sourness of ranch - putting them together in a chip is an excellent idea. The above bag was gone in seconds.
Can you believe it - six artificial colors!!! Thank you Frito-Lay for keeping North Americans nice and plump. We could not do it without you!

Phew what a rant!! I’m obviously bitter because I gained weight over the Yeaster weekend
although I have no-one but myself to blame.

We love the Willamette valley, land of some of the best Pinot Noirs known to man. In fact my break through Pinot Noir was made by Ken Wright who is known for putting Oregon Pinots on the map. I had high hopes to purchase another bottle from Ken Wright Cellars - that was not meant to be, but we did taste some lovely wines.

We spent Saturday afternoon with my cousin Tara and her husband Glen. We went to four wineries in all- starting in Dundee at the Ponzi wine Bar. We had the most delicious sandwiches, made at the adjoining Dundee Bistro, which is owned by the Ponzi family. The sandwiches are simple - freshly baked ciabatta breads with gorgeous meats and cheeses. Accompanied by a flight of Oregon Syrahs, there could be no better option for lunch. Adam and I enjoyed these sandwiches a year ago at the start of our Oregon/Californian vacation. We’ve talked about them a lot since then. It may seem odd that we would discuss sandwiches for a year, but we love food and they were memorable. As it turns out the cured meats came from somewhere in Vancouver BC.

Our next designation was Domaine Serene, a fairly new winery which is putting out stellar Pinot Noirs. The April 2007 edition of the Wine Spectator did an article on Ken and Grace Evenstand; a couple from Minnesota who came out west with the intention of making Pinot Noirs that would be in the same league as French Burgundies. The fact that they owned a pharmaceutical firm in Minnesota helped them to finance their Oregon Winery. Interestingly enough Ken Wright was their first wine maker. Their wines are now being made by Tony Rynders and can fetch up to $200.00 for a bottle - the most expensive price for a bottle of Oregon wine. We were not tasting wines of this caliber, but they were mighty good just the same. We did purchase a bottle of 2003 Rockblock Syrah for $48.00- this is going to be a smashing bottle of wine - in a year or two. Since 1998, Domaine Serene has produced over two dozen wines scoring 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100 point rating scale.

The tasting room at Domaine Serene is the best part of the winery. The huge room, complete with fireplace and big tables has massive beautiful wooden beams running across the ceilings - very cool. Unfortunately the rest of the mansion/winery is done in that faux - Italian look - so cheesy! If you had millions of dollars to buy vineyards and build a grand estate why go gaudy? All of us agreed that a beautifully designed west - coast cedar estate would have been a better choice. The canary-yellow castle stands out like an eyesore from several miles away, as it is at the top of the hill- it left a bad taste in my mouth- but the wines did not.

more on Yeaster weekend next time

25lbs lost- a gain of 3 lbs.. actually it was a gain of 5 lbs because before the weekend I was actually down 30lbs....GRRRRRR!!!!!

The Body Sense Natural Diet

The Body Sense Natural Diet

Last week I started this diet . It begins with three days of very limited carbs and then you start adding complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, legumes, whole grain breads.

The book itself, written by Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe contains a lot of information. By the time I had finished reading it (the first time), I was convinced that my liver and adrenal glands were failing- thus keeping me fat. In fact I ran out and purchased some of Ms Vanderhaghe’s Adrenal support supplements, which I took religiously but nothing about my health seemed to improve at that time. Of coarse it didn’t help that I was eating and drinking too much of the wrong foods.

My main criticism about the book is that it seems poorly laid out and edited. There is overlapping and conflicting information. For instance on page 30 under Starches, Breads Crackers and Chips Ms Vanderhaege states that unsweetened, protein enriched, whole-grained rye and pumpernickel breads are only allowed after two weeks on the diet.
On her 42 day diet plan however she has pumpernickel bread on day #4!! I’m a stickler for detail and in this case it is important.

If you read this book and only followed half of the recommended supplements and vitamins you’d probably be in the poor house. Plus I’m not sure about combining all of this stuff. In fact in one section of the book Lorna does say that you should pick and choose your supplements- a multivitamin with minerals and essential fatty acids is probably enough. If you want to lose weight -her clients swear by thermogenics(too many to list- CLA is one of them) and 5-HTP which is a nutrient helps with cravings.

Ms Vanderhaege has been researching and writing on the subject of nutrition and medicine for many years. Those that read Alive magazine will recognize her name as she writes for them frequently and was an associate editor. She does know a lot about nutrition and despite the fact that the book is choppy-there is still a lot of good information. The question is - Is the protein focused diet better for losing weight?

I am supposed to be testing this diet and I did follow it for ten days but then my father came for a planned visit for which meals were a big focus. There was another dinner out at Brio. There was an early Easter dinner of lobster risotto, rib-eye steak, tiramisu cake and espresso ice-cream. Chef Adam was at it again the next evening - serving up a Gumbo that had us all weeping. By the time dad left Adam and I were fist-fighting over the last piece of tiramisu cake .Amazing how addictive that white substance- sugar - can be.

I really should have started this diet at a time when I knew there would be no upcoming events that would call for alcohol or desserts. I just can’t have beautiful meal without at least one good glass of wine and a nice desert- I don’t want to!

So the end of the week was a write off but I still did lose weight.Ten days is not nearly long enough to test a diet of this nature. Since we are heading down to Oregon wine country for next weekend I am hesitant to continue with a strict protein focus. My main aim is to keep eating under control during the week and try not to go bonkers once we hit the road.



28 lbs - 12 weeks

Ketosis

When I was in grade eleven,I went on the Dr.Atkins diet and lost a great deal of weight in a short period of time. I was so proud to squeeze myself into a pair of Howick jeans, and received lots of compliments, even from my teachers. I probably only wore the Howicks once or twice before I became reacquainted with Peanut-Butter Cups. The water weight that I had lost came swiftly back on - by graduation I was 260 lbs.

So why would I want to try it again? Well, I read a book by Lorna Vanderhaeghe. The Body Sense Natural Diet is sort of high protein but certainly different than Dr. Atkins.

The focus of Dr. Atkins was that you can eat all of the meat, eggs, cheese that you want as long as you cut out the carbohydrates. Eggs, bacon, fatty steaks- no problem- as long as you limit yourself to a couple of small salads and nothing else as a form of carb to accompany your massive rib-eye.

Ms Vanderhaeghe is a local (Whiterock) wellness pioneer who specializes in alternative means to hormone replacement pharmaceuticals. She has her own talk show and line of vitamins. Her diet is based on organic whole foods- she believes that eating several proteins based meals keeps your fat -burning engienes running all day long. We’re not talking about big meals- sensible sized portions of lean, organic meats, eggs, fish-lots of opportunity for whey-soy protein shakes.

I was surprised to see a health-food chick advocating the much maligned Ketosis.Her suggestion is that you jump-start your fat burning engines by doing three full days of ketosis and then you can slowly add back in some complex, low-glycemic carbohydrates.

Three days, what the hell- I had to try, after all- I’ve owned this book for a year and not really had the gumption to do it. Until now!!

So, I cooked up a big salmon, hauled a free-range hen out of the freezer and happily bought some extra-old cheddar( first cheese purchase since January). Veggies are allowed- just not fruits or grains.

If you do try this diet- prepare to be constipated!! Within a day the psyillum husks were weeded out of herbal cupboard. Then there was the little unexplained bout of diarrhea. I know, I know- too much information- but this is a blog where I explore different types of diets and I feel that I must give readers all the details of my research. Anyway lets just say that the ole system slows down- a lot . Also- I got hungrier, faster. I timed myself one day after eating a fairly big lunch of some salmon and a big coleslaw- I had a hunger pang 90 minutes later!! You are supposed to eat every three to four hours- but it seems like you’re always hungry and sometimes you just don’t feel like another hunk of flesh.

The cheese was also a focal point- I really like cheese and it was hard to just have a 2 inch piece. It soon became an obsession, which led to the need for more psyillium husks.

I lasted the three days of ketosis- although I’m not sure whether I actually achieved ketosis as I was too cheap to purchase any test-strips.

Surprisingly i lost another 2 lbs but these were off before I started my attempt at Ketosis.

25lbs down

next-week I want to talk more about the Body Sense Diet.

X- Weighed

Last month I went to an open casting call for the television show X-Weighted. This one hour program follows the progress of someone who wants to lose in-between 30-60 lbs in six months. A typical episode goes like this: You are introduced to the candidate and they give you a brief history of themselves. They meet up with the show’s personal trainer who weighs, measures and puts them through a fitness test. Sometimes he comes to your house and finds bad things in your fridge or takes you shopping and scolds you when you try to purchase dip. There is an self-esteem expert who analysis's your wardrobe and other services- trainers, nutritionists, shrinks, doctors. Every show is different .

So I got a call from the casting agent and I made the first cut! That means that I had to go to another interview, this time with higher-ups involved with the show. I was asked to bring along my fiance and a few friends who might also be on camera as part of my weight-loss journey. First I was interviewed - this time on camera. Then the others were brought in and we were all interviewed. It was fun but kind of weird. Adam thought that there was a “fake movie-business feel" to it all. Anyway who knows what happens from here- they now have to narrow it down to three cities from four. Casting calls were done in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary where the series is produced. If they film in Victoria I think that I have a good chance of being a further contender but at this point there will need to be several strong contenders from Victoria in order for Victoria to make the cut. You don’t get paid to do the series but you do get the services paid for. I’m not sure what the dollar limit of those services is. Stuff like that is not cheap. I will find out in early April if I make the next cut and to me it’s fine either way although right now I’m not really supposed to be trying to lose weight as they want big drops for the series. I can’t hold off until May, when the series begins, as I need to lose more weight now. I need to fit into my wedding dress besides I don’t need to be given a reason to go back to bad eating habits- what if I didn’t get on the show?

What I figure is that even if I did drop more weight I would still have at least sixty pounds to lose - realistically I could shed 100 lbs from my present weight and would still be overweight by most standards.

Well finally a drop in the scales- after a looooong time!! I’m not even sure how this happened as the eating has been very decadent since Thursday. The Golden Mile Cellars winemaker’s dinner at Cafe Brio was really good - the fry-stub thief being nowhere in sight. It was quite the protein-fest with scallops, roast duck breast, braised oxtail, roast strip loin and cheeses making up most of the five courses. The wines were delicious! The proprietor was sweet and humble- the nicest winemaker that we’ve met . There were definitely highlights. The 05 Chardonnay served with pancetta wrapped scallop with leek and root veg ragout. Also the 05 ’Black Arts’ Syrah with cheese course and spiced jam, served for desert! Wonderful!

Saturday night I came home after an Improv match and wolfed down three pieces of pizza !! Good god- I wasn’t even hungry- one hour earlier I had crab cakes ( they weren’t very big). Maybe time at the gym is finally paying off or it could be that I’m now on a routine of green tea in the mornings which is supposed to be a fat-fighter. Who the hell knows. I’m not complaining.

23 lbs down.

Correction on last week's entry- it was lunges not squats that I refused to do. I am doing the odd squat but it ain't pretty!

Whine

Whine

I am still not losing weight and I can no longer blame the americanos as I did cut back. I was watching a television program where a nutritionist tried to prove a point about wine consumption by having someone add a pile of sugar to a glass of wine. The intent was to show how much sugar one is consuming by drinking vino. I hung my head in shame whilst watching. Technically I not drinking as much wine as I used to. I know longer drink on most weekdays where as most dinners in the past used to be accompanied by a glass or two. Still perhaps I am still drinking too much wine so I decided to investigate! I looked back specifically on last week’s wine consumption.

Friday night there was an impromptu dinner at Sanuk- where Adam and I shared a bottle of Kettle Valley 2003 Syrah. Saturday we were invited over to friends’ for a dinner party where 4 bottles between 4 people were quickly drained. Sunday night Adam and I started jonesing for good wine-a 2002 St. Frances Cabernet Sauvignon promptly appeared from the cellar. It, just as promptly disappeared between us. I guess that means technically I drank at least two bottles of wine over the three days...hello sugar-city!! Poor liver!

Now I am feeling especially guilty as next week the wine festival happens in Victoria and it really is the best time to try out some good wines. We have reservations for a Golden Mile Cellars winemaker dinner at Cafe Brio. I know, I know- the menu just looked too good to resist, plus we wanted to try out some of these wines and we’re not going to the public tasting. Also the price was right, so Brio shall have another chance and I shall have to put a halt to the wine drinking after next weekend.

My body wants to lose by the way. I’m yo-yoing 2pounds every week- but the scale still zips back up after the weekend (coincidence)? I then do fruit mornings on Mon-Wed. The scale goes back down but then the weekend comes all too soon.

Brandon started me on my “legs” program this week. WOW! My body was hurting that night and the next few days were painful too. My glutes, hams- everything!! He attempted to have me do squats!! Too hard! I just am too big and afraid that I’ll blow my knees out. So we compromised and I’m doing stairs two at a time. What a workout!! Working out these bigger muscles- glutes, hams, make you feel instantly stronger. Perhaps I’ll attempt squats after I’ve taken off another 30 pounds- but at this rate that seems in the distant future!

week 9 - 20lbs down- holding.

Americanos

Americanos

The above picture is not an americano. It is a meal prepared by my sweetheart who cooks for me on the weekends. Oven baked wild sockeye with onion and green olive tapenade. Served on top of chipotle brown rice and kamut with stir-fried boc-choy! Very healthy and low in calories.Then why the hell am I not losing weight?

I’ll tell you why - it’s the americanos - they are the culprits. I love them. I love them with cream. I especially love an americano that has crema so dense that it appears that you don’t even need cream. When you look at the finished product and see a rich ooze bubbling forth- like golden brown sugar lava, rippling along the top of the cup. You gasp, thank your barista and then add cream. Coffee cream is the best because it has more fat and you don’t need as much -thus not cooling down the treasured beverage.

At first the Americanos were only on Saturdays. Then Sundays. Soon it became a thing where I would have one if I went to my chiropractor. Suddenly I developed neck problems that needed to be addressed three times a week. Then I started hitting the Tim Hortons despite their insane lineups. The last straw was when I was so desperate that I settled for a cup of Starbucks drip which tasted like shit and I drank it anyway. It’s too much cream for a lady that needs to shed some poundage. I suffered a caffeine withdrawal headache the other day because I only had a cup of tea. The americanos - they have to stop. Saturdays only!! Maybe the odd Sunday....

I went to the gym on my own and did my new workout. It went really well and our new local gym is super nice and new with lots of sophisticated stuff. The workouts that Brandon taught us for shoulders involves working with cables. At the Crystal Pool where we workout with him the cables are kind of old and clunky. At the Esquimalt Rec Center they are smooth and efficient. My secret for avoiding any kind of a gym scene is to go at either 10 am or 2 pm. Not all people have schedules that are that flexible - but if you do, that's the time to go.

End of 8th week.

20 lbs lost- no movement!

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

You know I promised a little spiel on the CLA- Conjugated Linoletic Acid - so here it is. Well actually - it’s really boring stuff to write down but lets just say it’s a fatty acid that apparently reduces the body’s ability to store fat. It also supposedly increases the body’s use of fat for energy.

CLA used to be obtained naturally in the meat and milk of grass fed cows. Because most cows are now grain-fed and all those antibiotics interfere with it’s production , CLA is now made from safflower or sunflower oil; (Some companies are bragging that their products are better as they only use Safflower which is the highest quality of the two). The high linoletic acid content of these oils is converted into CLA. Yippee!

Those smart Norwegians did a pile of studies a few years ago. Punch it into your internets and you’ll find it all. It must be good because all of the big vitamin companies and fat-fighters are branding their own forms of CLA. Why not ? Yet another supplement that will help people attack that fat and empty their wallets at the same time!!

After doing some research I saw that CLA is the wonder-supplement that will not only knock off the blubber but also enhances the immune system, maintains blood glucose and insulin levels and lowers cholesterol. Why wouldn’t you rush out to Capers and buy a case of the stuff.

Alas... the Wikipedia is not so optimistic. According to their data CLA is a trans fat- not a bad trans fat though. However, taking CLA may actually result in insulin resistance and give you diabetes. What the hell? I’m trying to change my lifestyle to avoid the big “D” and now I’m taking a supplement that might provoke it! Well, I’m not currently taking the CLA. I’ll finish the bottle at some time but not right now - hopefully it doesn’t end up at the back of the cupboard with the bottle of LEANS PLUS that expired in 2003 which I don’t have the heart to throw away because it was expensive.

20 lbs down

Candida Royale

I woke up to the sound of loud knocking at the front door. I could see the fellow’s truck parked outside “The Sour dough Factory” displayed on the panel. I opened the door cautiously. "Excuse me madam, we are short of culture at the factory and word is out that you have more than enough to spare.”

I chased him off the property and burst into tears. It was true I had a raging candida infection and after all of that clean living, I didn’t know why. Well it is simply explained. Take a cheap bag of horrid Valentines day chocolate candies and follow up with a glass of wine with dinner . who cares if it’s a special occasion- candida loves special occasions! I considered doing a candida cleanse - but truly that is such a bland, boring cleanse that I decided to suffer instead.

The new gym routine is working out well. I did it again with Brandon and now feel that I have the confidence to do it on my own. The concentration is on shoulders and back. With all of the literature I’ve been reading about dieting and the body I do know that if one wants to lose weight one has to build muscle - especially the older one gets. It is boring but it works.

We had the last Aquarian birthday for my ex - Carl. I fixed Korean-style short ribs with white rice and kim chi. There was also a rich brownie that turned out to be more like fudge. I had not planned on eating any white rice or drinking as the boys were exploring imported beers
and I didn’t feel like having beer. My noble plans for shunning excess carbs were soon destroyed as Carl discovered that the rice covered in sauce from the ribs was too good to be true. Sure enough the combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin ,ginger and beef drippings topped on rice instigated a feeding frenzy. Adam reminded me that we had two thirds of a bottle of shiraz kicking around. I grabbed it with the eagerness of a weaning toddler. It too was soon gone. That night I had reflux for the first time in weeks- wonder why?

20 lbs down.

The Second Aquarian Celebration

I guess that it’s been about five weeks now and I’m feeling fairly confident although a little confused. I’ve been kind of floundering around and can’t really put my finger on what kind of a plan that I’m following. In fact I’ve been a little obsessive and have been reading so many diet books that I feel my brain is exploding with various pieces of conflicting information.

It’s all about the protein and the carbs. Brad King says that you need bits of lean protein all day long. The Okinawa folks seem to think that the protein is overrated and one should focus on lots of veggies with unrefined carbohydrates.Those brilliant minds that put together the Glycemic index would probably frown upon eating so much sweet potato and white rice.

My head is spinning. This week I have been eating eating mostly a vegetarian diet with whole grains as the main carb focus. To make my whole grain combo I put a mixture of brown rice and whole kamut into the rice cooker and always have it on hand as a base. I can reheat some for dinner- it’s very nice with some flax oil and Braggs. Or I can mix it in with one of my giant coleslaws or have some with a scoop of humus or babaganouche. It keeps you most regular!!

We met up with Brandon at the gym this week for a series of new exercises. It was overwhelming, what with a pile of new things to remember and the fresh reminder of the joys of gym culture. I guess that it wasn’t that bad but at times I felt that we were using someone else’s machines. I also got a kick from watching a young lady follow her boyfriend around as he strutted about, struggling with weights that were obviously too heavy for him.

And, at the end of the week, sigh...another aquarian birthday. Our friend Chris loves good food. We chose Cafe Brio which is a Victoria hot-spot for fine dining. None of us had ever been. Immediately upon entering the premises you realise that this is the place to be. There is quite a vibe. Friendly place full of savvy looking people.

Here were my choices

Hearts of romaine anchovy & lemon vinaigrette - Basically a caesar salad but flavors much more fresh and subtle than the norm.

Slow roasted pork, savoy cabbage, spaetzle, roasted apple puree. The pork was very smokey- almost tasted like ham. It melted in my mouth- honest!

Herbed frites-blue cheese sabayon. I insisted that these be ordered to be shared at the table. People did not complain. Could have used a little more sabayon. What the hell is sabayon?

Chocolate and blood orange Tart with Buller’s Muscat. - The desert did not disappoint

Wines: We stared the meal with a lovely Matua Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Paretai Estate Series 2005. Delicious!

Next up was the Quails Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2004- good but I had my heart set on the Note Bene which was sold out , so nothing could compare in my mind.

We’ve been discussing our Brio experience since then and trying to decide if we’d go back. We’re torn. We liked it and there were a couple of other things on the menu possibly worth trying....but only a couple. The service was good except for when the server cleared away the plates without asking. A big no-no in my books “There were two fry stubs left on that plate Miss.” I’ve been thinking more about the loss of those fry stubs than going back to Brio.

Anyway 19 lbs down.

Bikram's

For some reason I can’t really remember much about last week- then it all comes back to me in a damp rush....hot yoga!

Golly, I've been wanting to try out Bikram’s hot yoga for months- finally last week I got the courage. In fact, I went twice. You apparently get the benefits of three sessions if you do two in a row, besides you save yourself $10.00. Who can pass up such a good deal?

Now, I’m not a person who likes things hot. I’m of Norwegian heritage and I much prefer a brisk day on the fiord to time in the sauna. The purpose of the hot room at Bikram’s is to heat you up so that you can contort your body into all those difficult yoga postures. You work up a good sweat to cure what ails you. You work every muscle in your body.

My friend Owl has been going for three years and she is fit. I have always known her to be very slender but now she is buff- her arms and shoulders are nicely built and it’s due to hot yoga. Clearly, some people are very devoted to this practice.

First off I had to do some investigation. I had to know that this was not a place where yoga hotties would be laughing me out of the premises. I had to know that there would be all shapes and sizes and not just the sculpted ladies in their yoga couture. Apparently I could expect young and old, big and small.

And so I arrived at the Victoria Bikram studio in my full glory. My yoga mat, two towels, I forgot my water but was quickly given some.

The first thing that strikes you when you enter the building is the smell of feet. Sort of gym -like but stronger. I was introduced to the instructor who sits in the entrance as people for the upcoming class are arriving. Because I was new, the instructor took me into the studio to lay out my mat toward the back of the room where it is apparently cooler. The blast of heat that hit me when I entered the studio was a bit of a shock...it was hot...yucky hot. No turning back though The concept of hot yoga is pretty simple. There are 26 postures - you do each twice. The instructor does not actually do the routine- she or he is wearing a little microphone and talks the class through the postures. Most of the class know the routine because they have been there before- you watch what the others are doing and follow them. If you are doing something glaringly wrong or having troubles the instructor will come over and help you. My instructor was an angel. Her body was stunning. Sleek with the slightest hint of delicate curves tucked neatly into her hot-hot shorts. The whole session takes ninety minutes. About two thirds of the way through I felt nauseous. I carry much too much weight around my middle to do all of the postures and I’m not good at balancing. Three quarters of the way through I just wanted it to end. Coming out of the hot studio into a blast of normal air felt like heaven. I couldn’t leave right away because I kind of felt drained. Too bad because I ended up with a damn parking ticket.

Going back the next day was a good idea. It felt much better and I had an easier time with some of the postures. I didn’t feel as queasy either. After the second day I was very sore in my legs and butt. It was a good sore though, one that tells you that you did a good workout. I used city parking as to not worry about getting another ticket.

I would definitely go back sometime, in fact I’d like to try it again after losing another ten to fifteen pounds to see if it’s any easier. I couldn’t see making it a regular thing because it seems like such a ritual: driving there, parking, in total it’s at least a couple of hours out of the day. I was also fortunate to go at 9:30 am which is a less busy time. There were about thirty bodies and to me the studio felt full. I am told at peak times they fit sixty people in!! No can do !! I would be afraid that I’d inadvertently bitch-slap some poor soul.

If you are curious about hot-yoga- do try it out. People are extremely supportive. Newcomers are welcomed. One lady yelled out “Way to go” as the newbies sat, shell-shocked on the benches afterwards. I honestly did not get the weird vibe that I get from gym-chicks who frown upon fatties using their sacred leg-extenters. Indeed, there were all sorts of bodies at hot-yoga. Lots of older people, different sizes, very integrated.

As for the food intake for the week. I’m kind of floundering around without a real plan. Adam’s birthday festivities continued with a dinner at his parents house. I had my hopes up for some refined carbohydrates in the form of a cake or a pie. I got double the pleasure as Adam’s father made biscuits from scratch!! Oh my god!! I’m not sure what gave me the most sensory pleasure; the sight of the pool of butter as it was melting onto the innard of the hot biscuit or the taste of the liquid gold mixed with fluffy baked goodness. I had a hard time not cramming it whole into my mouth. Desert was carrot cake and somehow I got a pretty big piece. This was probably because I had hisspered into Adam’s ear-” A big piece for the lady please, birthday boy!!” The cake was from Pure Vanilla and my only criticism would be that it was on the sweet side. At that moment in time however, sweet was completely what I was after. I cherished every bite with the generous heap of cream-cheese frosting. A girl doesn’t do back to back sessions of hot-yoga and not expect to have a reward.

Sunday morning I mentioned to Adam that I was going to have poached eggs. “Wouldn’t you like some eggs Benedict?” said he- with the look of a pup. We leapt out of bed. If you don’t want to line up for hours at Mole you must get there no later than 9:15 am.Within fifteen minutes we were there. My morning was perfect. An Americano. (Mole is one of the only breakfast places that can do a superb Americano- always a double!) The mole benny: a low fat combination of a freshly baked biscuit topped with two medium poached eggs, avocado and smoked paprika hollandaise. We split a side of lean back bacon. Afterwards we walked hills, in the drizzle, for an hour.

total weight lost =16 lbs- big surprise- must have been the hot yoga!!

Yes- hisspered- a new word !!

The First Aquarian Celebration

Week#3

Well a bit of a setback this week as everything earnest was thrown off by the fiance's birthday. If you don’t believe me take a look at the menu from the Rosemede where I treated Adam to a winemaker’s dinner!

saltspring island fresh goat cheese &preserved lemon mousse
organic mesculin salad
kettle valley sauvignon/semillon 2005

hand made prawn ravioli, creamed leek,lobster oil, prawn dust
kettle valley chardonnay 2004

warm sweetbread & woodland mushroom terrine,
truffled cabbage, beet root reduction
kettle valley pinot noir 2004

12-hour braised boneless beef short rib, crisp root vegetable strudel,
shallot confit
kettle valley syrah 2004

elderberry pannacotta, blood oranges & butterscotch
ketttle valley chardonnay ice wine 2004



My word, this meal was too good to be true. Everything was outstanding especially the lobster ravioli and the short rib. The wines were all flowing freely and all good; the pinot being exceptional. I do recommend for anyone who truly loves their BC wine to get onto the mailing list of this winery. Most of their really good wines just don’t make it into many stores.

Alas t’was not our first night of excess during the birthday boy’s reign. Let’s just say- a few friends over, lots of good cheeses, meats and olives and a chocolate symphony birthday cake make for too many tasty leftovers!! So, both Saturday and Sunday were write-offs. It’s really hard to see that scale register in at 8lbs more than you were the day before- my body is probably a record holder for bloat capacity. It took me two days to lose the bloat. I chose to eat only fruits for breakfast and lunch and then have lots of veggies, grains and a little lean protein for dinner. It’s sort of a “Fit for Life” theme. I am officially off the cleanse although now with the fruit based mornings it seems that I’m eating even more fruit!! Not as much juice though- save for watered down, pure cranberry juice.

I’m feeling pretty good. I wake up in the mornings without a headache. I have not had heartburn once since I started the cleanse. You have to understand that I was having heartburn pretty much every night. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I was on the brink of a major gal bladder collapse. I am starting to feel like I have less weight- although nobody except for Adam has noticed. He compliments me every day and says that I’m really slimming down- that’s always so nice to hear!

Brandon was over to watch our workout a couple of days ago. He ironed out a few issues and now we’re feeling really confident about what we’re doing. After the seven sets of seven I am pretty sweaty and feel pretty good. I’m even doing squats and abdominal work which is hard and requires confidence.The trick is to do only what you’re capable of. you don’t have to do a full-on sit up until you’re ready. it’s hard to do a sit-up when you’ve got a huge slab of fat around the middle. Go easy and the rest will follow.

Anyway, 14 pounds lost so far!!

End of Week Two

End of week#2

Well I am starting to feel better , the cold is mostly gone, all being left is the constant nose-drip. I have settled into the eating plan and in fact have made a few changes. I’m switching from orange juice to grapefruit juice in the morning because OJ has so much sugar and although it’s beneficial for cleansing ...the weight-loss part has to have priority. As of the end of the week I’m also switching the afternoon snack to a whey-protien drink rather than fruit.

This current plans has it’s pros and it’s cons. There is a lot of work in the food prep. It seems like I’m always doing dishes or making big-batchs of that Super-cleanse soup- (I perfected the recipe by adding garlic and hot-sauce). I’m also out nearly every day trying to find fresh fruits and veggies The supply runs out pretty quick when you’re eating 4-5 pieces a day- which is one of the reasons that I switched the afternoon snack to protein. It’s also hard to find certain food such as watercress- or any interesting veggie without spending a fortune. I’m now making a weekly trip to Chinatown for those needs but would like to arrange for a weekly organic delivery which I’ve been considering for years.

And now...enter the Personal Trainer!!

We started our training routine with Brandon who is a good friend and very devoted to the subject of food, nutrition and exercise. He is currently finishing up his personal trainer’s certificate and sees working with us as being the ultimate challenge!!

We met with Brandon at his house and he went over out goals and physical data. He lent us some weights and we’re going to start up a program of seven reps of seven different exercises which will hopefully get us prepared. We start at the gym in a couple of weeks. We’re also doing a cardio routine of walking up hills which we’ll do on the opposite days of the 7/7. It’s been a lazy winter so far for us- especially since the windy,rainy and icy weather has kept us in general from not doing our usual nightly walks.

Anyway 12 pounds in total down by week’s end- very nice!

End of Week One

Basically this cleanse omits, caffeine, sugar, dairy, wheat and alcohol. It’s not that bad. Here is a typical day:

Breakfast

Antioxidant cocktail: a smoothie made with one cup of orange juice and a pile of berries.

Bowl of bran cereal (it’s hard to find one without sugar but I got something at the health food store) soy-milk (go for the low-fat vanilla), handful of prunes.

Snack - two pieces of fruit

Lunch-

Chelating cocktail-( freshly squeezed carrot, beet and apple juice).

A big bowl of coleslaw, onion, beets, watercress, a little flax oil, lime juice.

A small portion of lean protein- 3 oz of tuna

Snack- two more pieces of fruit

Dinner- start with the chelating cocktail or have a serving of Super-cleanse soup-( a watery blend of onion , potato,spinach and watercress)

More of the massive amounts of veggies- big stir-fry- light on the oil

Small amount of brown rice

Small amount of protein- tofu

Snack-Piece of pumpernickel toast with 1/2 banana and bit of honey.

That’s it- a lot of food- don’t you think?

Also: 30 minutes before breakfast and lunch you start with drinking a glass of water mixed with psyllium husks- this helps with the cleansing part. I’m also taking a good quality multivitamin and I’m supplementing with 4000-5000 MGs a day of CLA- Conjugated Linoleic Acid. More about this later.

Well- it’s not been a great week- although sticking to the diet was not the problem.

I picked up a cold on day #5 and felt like crap! Actually I was feeling like crap before the cold because it took a few days to come off of caffeine. My body was used to one fine cup of espresso each morn or at least two good cups of English Breakfast tea. I suffered with nasty headaches for a good four days and the muscles in the back of my neck felt like they’re made of knotted rope covered in shellac.I had to relent and take some Ibuprofen, hoping that one of those chelating food would just flush it out of my body!

I guess that you get the picture- I was miserable and sick but never-the less I enjoy the diet There is a lot of fruit so you don’t really get that hungry. Often I would skip one of the snacks but I tried to follow it closely. Rarely would I have the bedtime snack because I kept on forgetting to buy bananas.

Now- If you thought that I ran out and bought a Champion juicer- you must be nuts!!! In a perfect world one would have the time and money to plunk down on a Champion juicer but even I don’t have the time to be juicing everyday and I’m currently unemployed!! Since I’m unemployed I certainly don’t have the money for a juicer. When you’re juicing , a lot of the fibrous part of the fruit ends up in the compost. It seems wasteful and too expense for me, especially since I’m trying to buy mostly organic fruits. So for the juice part I bought a nice veggie juice and an organic apple juice and mix then together.

By week’s end I had lost 9 lbs but as you know much of that is water weight and weight lost from the body going into shock because it has not been fed it’s usual serving of one million grams of fat each and every day!! Poor thing!!

Yet another diet blog

Well here it is, something that I have been putting off for a few years- my own blog! It’s a little late in the making, after all I understand that blogs are passe- but what the hell, I have much to say and I might as well say it.

This is a blog about food and food deprivation. Right now I’m focusing on the deprivation part , that’s because I have a wedding coming up in about six months and I'm too damn fat!! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be a stick-insect bride but I would like to shed some of the excess poundage before my big day. Really it’s not only about the wedding. I need to get back to a point where I’m not huffing by just walking up the stairs. Where I can get up from the couch comfortably or out of the car with ease. It’s hard to move this much bulk around and although I carry the weight well, there is a difference between “big” and “too big” It is time to make some changes and considering my lifestyle for the past six years the changes are going to seem drastic but they are really not by any means!

How Did this Happen??

Well, I have always been rather large. I was born nine pounds and rumor has it I asked one of the operating room nurses to fetch me a milkshake because I was tired out from my participation in the exhausting cesarean delivery. I was a fat little kid which was weird because my parents and brother were not heavy. I think that I went on my first diet when probably in about grade 4 or 5. It never really worked. Being a pretty resourceful child I quickly learned that I could eat a lot more than what my mother gave me- there was always the ice-cream truck that would come around when she was working the afternoon shift. Life went on and by grade 9 I weighed in at a whopping 209lbs!! There was a lot more dieting and in university I discovered the secrets of bulimia!! After that my weight would fluctuate but eventually I was approaching 300 lbs !! My doctor gave me a warning that she did not want to see me hit that number. Well, things changed- I had been involved in a long relationship and that ended. I lost over 100 lbs through exercise and cutting out pastas with cream sauces and lots of cheese,( that was and still is one of my favorite foods!!) By the time I was forty I was on top of the world- looking good, single and going out with lots of losers.Then my mom got sick and I was on antidepressants. I was too tired to go to the gym- I just felt like sleeping. The weight came back on in five pound increments. My mom died and I was so sad because I lost pretty much the most favorite person in my life. I just kept on gaining weight. Then I met the sweetest most darling man and he didn’t mind if I was chubby in fact he enjoyed feeding me! We explored the pleasures of delicious foods and wine together. I found it hard to believe that he had been a vegetarian for many years because he sure had a fondness for rich cuts of meat. Here is a typical Sunday meal- a big rib-eye steak, some pasta tossed with butter, garlic, and regiano., some Swiss chard and a bottle of really nice Australian Shiraz- or Californian.Oh yes... an evening like that would probably end with a serving of Haggen Daz. You probably get the picture by now. I can’t say that I am one of these fat women who try everything or eat very little and just can’t lose. Hell no, my best friends are blue cheese and butter (well almost any dairy fat makes the cut). I'm too fat because I ate too much of many of the wrong foods and I did not exercise enough. That is about to change.

The purpose of this blog is to explore different eating plans. My goal is to lose 60 pounds in seven months. That seems like a lot - but it’s not . I’ve got a lot to lose so it should not be too much of a reach. I hope to try out a plan for a few weeks , write about the pros and the cons and then switch it up to see how other things work. In the end I hope to develop a plan that works best for me and my lifestyle.

Plan #1 Weight -Loss Cleanse!!
I found this cleanse in a book called DETOX CLEANSES by a British journalist named Helen Foster. I picked the book up a second hand store and it’s basically some well marketed eye-candy that features a lot of good information on cleansing, getting massages, using aromatherapy etc. The photos are very nice- typical shots of enticing, delicious looking smoothies.Slim women,who look good from the outside but are probably full of toxins, doing simple yoga poses or running along the beach!! It’s not a fast, in fact there is a lot of food to eat each day. The diet is based on lots of fruits and juices. The focus is on chelating foods; apples, watercress, avocados,garlic,beets. These are supposed to bind to pollutants in the body and help to detox them from the body!? Who the hell knows how that works but it sounds good and I’m up for it. I’m also going to attempt to detox my liver a t the same time by taking some Milk Thistle on a daily basis.This seems to be the number #1 recommended thing for helping out the ole liver and believe me, mine needs as much help as it can get!! I will go into more detail about the cleanse on my next post.