Weight Loss

Oh! There is a big part of my life that I have forgotten to mention up until now....
I have always been a chubby girl. Enjoying food and new fads for losing weight without excercise.
Recently, after gaining back all, and then some, of the weight I had lost from being sick the previous year, I decided to join a gym. I had finally had enough of being overweight and unhappy, craving food and being lazy.

Initially I still wanted to fond that miracle solution for losing weight with next to no effort, and I stumbled across laser therapy. The best way I can think to explain it is this: have you heard of laser therapy to help smokers quit? Same idea. Laser treatments to help curb cravings. The lasers also boost metabolism to kick start the experience. They suggest a certain eating plan and the use of a food journal. They decalre success if the patient is determined and motivated.

I was.
I spent the four hundred bucks ( this was obviously before our situation changed for the worse) and I drove the hour and fifteen minutes to the clinic once every two weeks for a month. The appointments took about forty-five minutes to an hour and were painless. The nurse did the laser on certain points, explaining to me exaclty what was happening - these are for stress, here is for metabolism, there is for digestion.

I was confident and hopeful that this was what I needed to keep me motivated!
I listened to the 'diet'plan. It seemed logical and easy:
Don't mix your food groups.
Begin your day with a glass of water to wake up your digestive system.
Eat fruit for breakfast and snacks. (up until 11am)
Eat protein and veggies, or carbs and veggies for lunch.
Protein and veggies, or carbs and veggies for dinner.
Limit dairy.
Cut out fast food and junk food.

Seems basic right?!
-Eat the right portions, which is about fist size for protein and carbs.
-Eat until you are full.
-Do not starve yourself.
-Always have food on you or in the house, and have options if possible, so you do not feel stuck on a strict diet. For example, pack carrot sticks for a snack, as well as a portion of almonds, and cucumber slices with humus. That way you can choose what you want to have, and enjoy it more!

The idea is that your body uses different acids to digest the different food groups, and so they should be eaten separately in order to let digestion happen naturally and quickly. For example: fruit takes twenty minutes to digest, whereas meat takes two to three hours. So, if you eat a steak and then half hour later eat fruit salad for dessert, that fruit salad will be sitting ontop of the steak, fermenting in your stomach.
So instead of making your body work overtime trying to digest them both, just eat one at a time.

Those are the basics...but don't quote me because i am writing this from memory!


Anyway, after my first appointment I joined a gym and committed to doing as many group classes as possible!

And I have been VERY successful so far, if I do say so myself :)
Go Me!

Since May 23, 2012, I have lost 17 inches and 7 lbs.
I began weighing a whopping 167 on my 5'2" frame, and have lost 3.5% of pure body fat.
And even though I have only lost 7 lbs, those 17 inches really show - my body looks SO different!
Once I have finished losing, perhaps I will post my before and after pcitures - but right now it is still too embarrassing!

I am doing Zumba classes twice a week, a high intesity interval class once a week, and a strengthening/cardio class once a week too.

I have also given up my diet pepsi addiction and have cut dairy out of my diet becasue it slows my metabolism down.

Sorry this post isn't very organized....but all the good info is in here and I will be sure to keep you up to date!