Fall is finally here

It's raining this morning, and this past weekend I found myself back in the habit of starting the morning with a pot of tea to warm up. Herbal tea, as I'm decaffeinated, and I'm using the Good Earth original blend that is sweet and spicy. Yum. And I discovered something even more yummy, a scoop of Lean and a tiny drizzle of Raw Agave turns this regular cup of tea into a lovely steaming serving of Chai Tea! I just brewed the tea as usual, poured myself a 14 oz mug, and on a whim stirred in the scoop of Lean. It was fine just like that, but adding a tiny bit of sweet really enriched the flavours. I love it when I follow my instincts and it pays off! So I'm happy to have a way to use my Lean in the morning that is warm and easy and yummy. I don't do so well starting every day with hot cereal, the grain seems to set me up for eating later in the evening so I try to keep that down to a once a week treat. Also, yesterday after my new hot breakfast, when I was hungry around 11:30 I made my green smoothie so I would still get in my greens early - important for me to do in order to curb evening cravings. And speaking of evening, what an off food day yesterday! My honey is home sick, on the couch, and as far as he's concerned there is nothing here for him to eat. So I set off to get him some Won Ton soup because that is something I think is wonderful for sore throats. BUT, the Chinese restaurant was closed for lunch and I ended up at the grocery store. They had chow mein and bbq pork at the deli so that was his lunch, and on the way to check out a bag of Spicy Thai Kettle Chips jumped into my basket. So my lunch was a little bit of his chow mein, two bites of pork, and six shakes of Cheat. Then later I had a bowl of my lovely spicy ginger chips, and for dinner finished up the rest of the bag (okay, not a huge bag but not the smallest either.) Crazy bad eating on my part and about 7 I was hungry for real food. I threw a black bean burger in the microwave and once hot I diced it up and topped it with left over slaw from Dr. Fuhrman's recipe (1/2 cup shredded raw cabbage, 1/2 cup shredded raw beets, 1/2 cup shredded raw carrots, 1 up shredded apple, 1/4 cup raisins) and a drizzle each of organic catchup (no HFCS) and mustard. Very delicious, I will do that again. Oh, and of course some Cheat on it too.

I don't know if I have been battling a bug or grief or the change of the season, but this morning I feel more myself and ready to get back to business. The 3 pounds from my LA trip are gone this morning, and it feels good to know I have a date to walk at the gym this evening so I won't miss my aerobic exercise even though it's wet out. It works out great, I call in to CNI's six o'clock conference call to hear the latest testimonies, then head to the gym at 6:30 for an hour of chatting while we walk. I keep the number for the calls posted on the front of the blog, but in case you missed it there are calls every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday at 6pm PST where you can hear about the products, the business and from people who are losing weight. Very inspirational.

Okay, time to start a great week! This is the week for a new low, I can feel it :)

Loose Jeans

Time has just flown by these past two weeks. I was in LA staying with my Mother after her hip surgery when I realized that one, it was October and that two, it was the 8th and I was suppose to be doing my monthly CNI update. I had my camera but not the right work out clothes and I hadn't weighed myself - which wouldn't have mattered anyway since it was the wrong scale. I was half way home the next day driving up highway 5 on that mindless stretch between LA and the Bay Area when my Mom called to say I had forgotten my bag of pans. I had taken them down to make big batches of soup so I could leave her a freezer full of healthy meals. No biggie, I can live without them for a while. But upon arriving home the list of things forgotten had grown to include my camera, ipod, magic bullet and all the accessories (which you know I use every day)and a stack of DVD's. Grrrr. Okay, I can use my blender to make my green smoothies, which is probably the most important thing, and I have another soup pan too. I have been walking at the gym with a friend so even though I miss the ipod for working around the house, I can listen to CD's other ways. Poor Kaylee is the only one missing out because I still find it hard to walk with only my thoughts for company. Mom is going to send the ipod to me on Wednesday when she has a ride to get a padded envelope for mailing it, so I won't have to wait too long to have that back. Everything else will have to wait for my next trip south. I'm hoping I can coordinate that trip with a CNI event since I missed the last one.

So anyway.... we are having our first storm of the season, and I got up this morning and put on JEANS, and they were LOOSE! I expected it, but still, it feels so good. I spent some time yesterday packing away shorts and pulling out sweaters and jeans. Not that I expect to be able to use the shorts next summer. Think of the fun I will have getting rid of them next spring and looking through the smaller sizes I have packed away in the garage. Fun, fun, fun :)

There are so many things to write about this post will probably seem rather scattered, but for those who know me - well, this is not unusual! Also not unusual is that I always head back to the food, so lets just go there now. My week with Mom was good, and I cooked everyday. We started each day with oatmeal & fruit, then lunch was a variety of things; tomatoes stuffed with garbanzo spread, left over dirty rice, dirty potato salad with cauliflower & bean sprouts, and one day she took me out to Rubios - a nice little mexican grill where I had a lovely burrito bowl with a decadent chipotle sauce - and more left overs. Dinners were lentil soup, pot roast (mostly veggies), Mac n Cheese (half and half sharp cheddar and veggie shreds), ginger carrot soup (divine), the a fore mentioned dirty rice and a 2nd rice dish using a sauce packet she had received in her LA Times for Kung Pow Chicken (I used edamame instead of the chicken.) When I left she had about a dozen containers in the freezer and left overs in the fridge, so mission accomplished - she is stocked up on veggies.

Having just had major surgery, Mom would head off to bed each night between 8&9, leaving me in front of the TV just half a dozen steps from the pantry where there were stacks of jars of Peanut Butter and a box of graham crackers. This is why I keep a clean kitchen, if it's there I eat it. So everynight after a day of healthy food and using product, I would snack. Oh, and there was a tin of wonderful little whole grain cookies that I inhaled (and replaced and inhaled again) as well as a glass jar of halloween pumpkins that was short a few when I left. So still a stress eater, and finally home and on my scale I am up 3 pounds. Of course the large fries and orange cream malt that I had for lunch from CJ's on the way home didn't help, or the small veggie pizza I ordered for dinner the next night because I was alone. But as usual after indulging so much I was ready to jump back on the health wagon and yesterday I started Dr. Fuhrman's 5 day cleanse (tons of fruit & greens, nothing processed) in conjunction with my Core4 products and the first pound was gone this morning. I'm sure walking hard at the gym helped too and I expect to see a new low next Monday after a super healthy week. Oh, and one of my Peertrainer buddies caught me online and we are going PB free for a month. I'm also going to stay away from the rest of the nuts during that time, sticking to seeds for my fat, and her online support will be another motivator for me.

So, my kitchen is full of berries, greens and seeds, and last night when I wanted to snack it was wonderful to pull out a big crunchy carrot to gnaw on during my show - I so love it when I can feel good about my food choices and I'm looking forward to hitting the gym again tonight too.

I decided to not stress about the whole camera thing, or missing my monthly picture update. Maybe when my honey gets back from his road trip we'll use his camera to take a 'jeans' picture instead :)

One last thing. I was dusting in the bedroom this morning when I came across a jewelry box that had a bracelet and ring in it that I use to wear all the time. I slipped them on, and I am still enjoying the feeling they gave me. Like I was myself again, like I could remember who I was. Loose jeans, boots and jewelry - and curly hair! I've been making my own shampoo and letting my hair dry into natural curls instead of blowing it dry ... where has this girl been? How did I lose her in the first place? Well, life happened, that's how I lost her. But I am getting her back, and it feels so good.

Muscles, muscles, muscles

A friend and neighbor is looking forward to an upcoming cruise, and in preparation asked me to join her in working out at the local gym. Perfect timing, I thought, to give me an exercise boost while following the Ignite program (call me for details) and preparing for my trip South. What I forgot about is how fast I build muscle :)

I love working out in the gym, ready to click the up arrow to increase my speed and incline on the treadmill, first to add another weight to the machines that sit in rows ready to welcome out sweaty butts. But this translates to more muscle damage and the subsequent repair mechanism that our body uses to build muscle - of which Lean is a great supporter. So while my goal this week was to use the Ignite program to lose some pounds, instead I am building more muscle in those places not normally exercised; when is the last time you used an Abdominal Crunch machine in a gym? OMG, I hurt in places I forgot I had. Because of a repetitive motion back injury I haven't worked out with weights in years, but I am getting better and it felt so great to be back in the gym...so of course I am going gung ho while all the time my brain is saying to slow down.

We can't help but notice the difference in our strength and recovery as we work out each night, comparing soreness and capability. It's fun walking next to each other on the treadmill and matching our clicks as we challenge ourselves and each other. I tried walking with the same determination out on the sidewalks this morning as I took Kaylee for our daily jaunt and I just couldn't do it. Incline aside, without the treadmill to keep me going at a brisk pace I found myself slacking off and had to keep mentally reminding myself to pick it up again. Tonight is our last night working out together before I head down to LA, and I will miss our visits next week. Because it's not just the intensity of the workout that is good for me, but also the chatter and laughter that she brings to the evening; food for the soul is just as important as nutrients to feed the body.

Speaking of food, I am really loving my Lean kiwi shakes. I quarter up a kiwi, skin and all (lots of micro nutrients there) and add 2oz of a liquid superfood, a scoop of Lean, and cover with cold filtered water from the fridge. A minute blending in my magic bullet and I have a cold, light, frothy, sweet drink that is very satisfying after my morning walk. And do I love knowing that the Lean is promoting lean tissue? You bet.

So while once again I may not see the pounds shedding off, I am excited about taking my measurements again on the 8th to see what changes my denser, smaller muscles are making in my body shape!

Ignite!

It's been a week of comfort food as September tends to be a stressful month for me, but I used my Core4 consistently except for one day and I am ready to move on. Despite pizza, macaroni & cheese, cookies and ice cream, pasta and even a corned beef & fontina cheese panini I am only 1.5 pounds heavier than my lowest number and I am sure that by using the Core4 ignite program that will be gone this weekend and then some. More detrimental than all of the comfort food I indulged in over the past week, it is probably the amount of time I have spent in front of the computer and my lack of movement that has contributed to the gain. Even though I have been taking my half hour walk most days, just skipping one day last week, that doesn't compensate for 8 hours of facebook farming each day. Grief is a long and strange road but I am working through it!

So this week I am following the ignite program using the Core4 products; basically I am using the Lean shake more often as a meal replacement, and watching my calories. It's a nine day program and I'll finish up while away from home, which is no biggie since I know how easy it is to use 'on the road.'

I'm heading down to Southern California on Friday and staying with my Mom a week after her hip surgery. While I am there I'm attending a Core4 Seminar in Carlsbad at CNI headquarters and meeting up with some team members & friends while there, so it's going to be a busy week of planning and traveling. I plan on making lots of healthy dishes for my Mom and leaving her a freezer full of soups before heading home, so that will be good for me staying focused on nutrition. She also lives on that hill that I have journaled about before so I know I will be getting a work out each day along with my little dog Kaylee; can't leave for a week and not take her!

And the good news is that Mom is upgrading her internet connection so I will be able to post from down there and stay in touch with my support group.

Off to the showers, that Accelerate really makes the sweat pour out after exercising; it's a great feeling to know my body is working to flush out impurities and burn calories. AND I wore skinnier walking pants this morning :)

Sports & Nutrition

This morning's green smoothie is all about the pineapple. We are leaving for another weekend of archery and I like to use up anything I can out of the fridge before taking off for a couple of days. There was some left over pineapple I had cut up for last weekend's bbq and I knew it wasn't going to last so I threw it in my morning smoothie and it's so very yummy. Somehow citrus and the Lean really compliment each other, I had noticed that with the orange (as has anyone who has made a 50/50 shake with orange juice and some kind of milk -in my case a nut milk- with the Lean) but I am finding that it's also true for lemon, grapefruit and now pineapple.

In addition to breakfast I made two more green smoothies to take with me so that I would have a nutritious breakfast each day before shooting. It makes such a difference in my energy and performance when I drink my breakfast before a competition. For this weekend I blended up frozen spinach, flax meal, fresh kiwi (including the nutrient rich skins)and used up the left over home made lemonade. So a little sweeter than usual (I used raw sugar in the lemonade) and full of micro nutrients. I have noticed a difference in my energy & stamina blending in the Lean to my green smoothies; I stay fuller longer and my energy is more stable too.

Thinking about the Lean, I love that they have micro filtered out the harmful casein from the whey and that the serving of Lean is only 10g of protein. There are too many studies showing the link between high protein and disease for me to discount them, and I want to keep my calories from protein to between five and ten percent of my total intake so I am glad the Lean doesn't overdo it like most shake supplements out there.

So for me planning ahead to do the best I can at the archery tournament means pre-blending my green smoothies with Lean to have ready for breakfast both mornings, taking filtered water to keep hydrated all day, and having my bottle of Cheat in my purse for when we go out to dinner. I am happy to say that we are going to Fat's one night and they have a Southwestern Vegetable Wrap on their menu, I hope it's good!

Self Sabotage

Anyone, or most anyone, who has ever 'tried to lose weight' knows what self sabotage means. It's the dirty little reality I deal with all the time, the small but darkly potent part of my self that is afraid to succeed. It's the 2nd in command who issues orders to pull into 7-11 for a bag of Cheetos, or to drive through for some french fries. There are lots of times I can think ahead to how this will make me feel and put the kibash on whatever tiny dark thought has assailed me, but sometimes I mentally throw in the towel and obey orders. The reality is that there is a power to giving in, to surrendering to the impulse and feed the destructive force that has begun to rage. A big huge power surge comes with thinking "what the heck" and then sure to follow that thought are the ones that justify my actions. The self pity, the falsehood that this one indulgence won't matter; in other words, the lies.

I have spent a lot of time reading and listening to the words of others that stress the importance of accepting each moment as the most important one. That the only thing we have here on earth are our feelings and that each one does matter, and that it is up to us to make sure that they are good feelings. Truly that is at the crux of the idea, 'creating heaven or hell on earth'. I believe that it is true what I hear, that if we can't control our thoughts, well then, what can we control? And so I waste energy being mad at myself because I can't seem to 'master my compulsions'? Talk about a negative circle, yuck. How and why this happens is a whole different dissertation, just now I am focused on the act itself and how I am going to work harder this month to fight the good fight and make better decisions.

All of this is being said of course directly after eating a luscious big salad that would have been wonderfully healthy if I hadn't thrown in a big spoonful of vegenaise at the end because it wasn't rich enough. I think it was actually the salt I was craving, and it would have been better to have thrown in some diced cilantro or even a little kosher sea salt. But no, I take the comfort route of adding salt AND fat. I want to blame it on the cauliflower - dipping raw cauliflower into mayonnaise was a favorite growing up and there was lots of it diced up in the salad. But I can't blame a vegetable, it was all me.

Yes I sprinkled on my Cheat, and yes there were lots of micro nutrients in the salad. So why am I upset with myself? Because Cheat is a tool, not an excuse to slip back into bad eating habits. I had a conversation with a friend recently and found myself saying, "I wish I had kept track of how many calories I wasted on potato chips this past month." I know we are not suppose to 'diet', but really, a little self control would be nice. Which brings me back to the point, mastering my compulsions. Just because I have these great tools to use, doesn't mean I can go hog wild eating crap. So for the rest of September I am going to keep eating healthy, say no more often to the dark side, and use the Core4 eating program as a set of healthy tools instead of as saviors from bad decisions.

3 Months on Core4

The time is flying by and it's hard to believe it's been 3 months since I first started using the Core4 weight loss program. I was a little disappointed this morning seeing that I had only lost another half inch on both my waist and hips, but my Honey made it better by saying that I looked smaller as we headed into the living room to take the pictures (which I still hate but feel compelled to do.) So total inches lost is now 19! My lowest weight was 192.2 (down from 198.6) so almost six and a half pounds - not very impressive if I just look at the number, but there is so much more to the story. How solid my muscles are, the definition of my arms - the wobble is almost gone from my biceps - and the endurance I am noticing on my daily walks. Now when I walk I make sure I get up to a heart pumping pace for most of it, holding my stomach in and breathing hard, instead of just taking a walk with the dog.

I also need to add that this past month was very different for me in that I was no longer in 'training' mode with my archery and succumbed to the addictive lure of Farm Town on Facebook, so my behind was planted in a chair for many more hours than I would like to admit and yet I still lost another inch and a pound.

So I am once again headed into another month of Core4, and this time I am counting on it to get me through what has typically been a hard month for me these past few years since losing my son. If I need comfort food I will use my Cheat, if I feel like retreating to the couch I will take my Accelerate, and I will start my days with the Lean in a green smoothie so that I at least get off to a good start each morning. I will not gain back weight this month! Core4 is going to make the difference, I just know it.

Happy Labor Day!

I had my usual green smoothie for breakfast, then started in on chopping up ingredients for the salad I'm serving with dinner - we are probably 'bbqing' with the neighbors later. In the meantime we headed out to lunch, and I wore some blue jean shorts that were too tight a month ago. I could put them on, but not really do more than strut around with my stomach held in tight. Today I wore them sitting through lunch (veggie enchiladas with Cheat at a restaurant) and now I am still wearing them sitting at the computer and in no rush to change into stretchy shorts! Whoo hoo. I guess I've written that little expression of triumph more than once in the last few months, but hey, it's how I feel! The shorts are still a bit tight, but I can now sit and breathe at the same time.

I made a wonderful macaroni salad this morning using brown rice noodles (gluten free) and loaded it up with finely diced kale, jalapeno stuffed green olives, diced sun dried tomatoes, diced red peppers, green onions and cauliflower. The dressing is Vegenaise with celery seed and vinegar and lots of pepper. Oh, and some diced cilantro for a burst of freshness - I like using that much better than parsley.

I'm off to cut up a fresh pineapple and enjoy family for dinner. And yes, I will use Cheat on my macaroni salad :) (picture to follow)

My Grandpa's Ring

I was sitting turning the rings on my fingers, a habit when I sit and wait for something. And I realized this morning that my 'totem pole' ring could also be turned easily, which hasn't been the case for many years. Upon closer inspection I noticed that my finger no longer bulges around the ring, and the thought came that I might actually be able to take the ring off eventually.

I was 17 years old when my grandmother gave me this ring. It is silver, 1/4" wide, engraved with a small totem pole, the faces worn to almost nothing from almost 38 years of constant polishing on my finger. It had been my grandfathers, and one day when my grandmother and I were perusing her jewelry box after our afternoon of Canasta I admired it. She had saved it when Grandpa died, but now gave it to me; I think she appreciated my trips over after school to spend time with her, and now looking back I can see why. I have loved this ring since first seeing it, and it has seen me through many a strange escapade over the years. I think it's been about a dozen years or so that I haven't been able to take it off, and probably ten since I even tried. I remember thinking once that I couldn't stand how tight it was and the notion crossed my mind that I should have it cut off, but I couldn't do that to my Grandpa's ring.

I am so thankful that it is now loose, spinning freely on my finger, and the day I can actually take it off will be a day worthy of noting as momentous in my small quiet life :) Because somewhere along the way I think I had actually begun to believe that I was incapable of losing weight, that there was something wrong with me that kept me fat and miserable. Maybe even that this was something I was suppose to learn from, or that I was being punished for some past sins. Crazy thoughts of a mad fat woman! But those thoughts felt very real at the time, and now that I am getting smaller they have been chased away. I am still a little impatient, it's not happening as fast for me as for some of my friends, but the point is that it IS happening :) And I will be small enough to take this ring off and polish it properly before slipping it back on, I have every confidence.

A long day

Yesterday afternoon was awful; at the receiving end of an undeserved emotional comfrontation comprised of swearing and threatening and posturing by young men of questionable integrity against me and my family I was stunned into first shock, then anger, and then the undeniable quest for drink and food. There was no denying me my french fries as I made sure my black bean burger was NOT going to come with 'seasonal vegetables'. I did pause long enough to sprinkle Cheat on the burger that I had ordered sans cheese, so that has obviously become a habit, and I was stuffed after the french fries and half the burger so I took the second half home for later (which turned out to be midnight last night instead of lunch today, but oh well.)

So this morning I was feeling fat from water retention (restaurant fries = mucho salt) and imbued with an uncomfortable sense of unease - the aftermath of yesterday's emotional encounter - and not at all hungry. At noon I finally drank the smoothie that had been intended for last nights dinner, and took 2 Accelerate instead of the 1 I normally take, anticipating a late evening helping to celebrate my daughter's birthday (keeping in mind that 8pm is late for me.) Sitting here bathed and ready to dress for the evening out I thought about my day; laundry caught up, dishes done, dog walked, car washed, library CD's exchanged, a new book being imported, blouse ironed, driveway swept, 6 ends of arrows (30) shot, roses watered. Not to mention all the farming on Farm Town and Farmville in between all the aforesaid chores.

In the not so distant past I wouldn't have been able to accomplish all of that in a week let alone a day, and there is still the cake to pick up, dinner to go to, and more farming when I get home this evening. Yet I know for all my energy and endurance now, I will probably sleep very sound when I finally lay down in bed and stretch out with relief at the end of this long day - I am so glad the Accelerate does not keep me from my slumbers.

I guess I am still working out emotions from yesterday, I have always turned to work when upset about something and I'm guessing that is not a bad thing; better than fighting or drinking! But back to the salt, I am feeling fat which prompted a look in the mirror and an assessment of how I am doing. And while I can tell I am not as heavy as I was, I can also see that I have a ways to go, so decided to focus on a couple of small positives. The wobble under my arms is now a more minor jiggle, the rolls on my back are down to one bump, and I am getting close to being able to hold my stomach in again; yay me, yay Core4!

Finally hungry again I threw together some home made almond milk with a scoop of Lean and some frozen spinach nuggets to tide me over till dinner. And I'm heading out with a positive attitude, putting my little packet of cheat in my jeans pocket so it's easy to find at dinner. I might even take 2, one for dinner and one for cake!

Pancakes without stress

192.2 :: Another half pound gone, and I can see that my silhouette is getting slimmer! I use to stress that I always wanted to celebrate a loss with pancakes, my reward, but now with the Cheat it's just another meal. I know that I am going shopping for greens today, and that I will get in a bunch of nutrition at lunch and dinner; that those pancakes were just today's 10% that I get to indulge in something that is not necessarily nutritional. Adding the Cheat eliminates 25% of this morning's empty calories, wrapping them up in a fiber gel and swooshing them through my body without being absorbed. How cool is that! So no, using the Cheat does not give me license to stop caring about what I eat, but it does add the fun back into my silly choices when I want to take a step off of my nutritional band wagon.

Lean porridge hot!

Today started with a rather cool morning in the midst of our hot spell and it had me warming up some left over buckwheat cereal for breakfast. Blending in a scoop of Lean and fresh pears made a wonderful sweet & hot breakfast, the Lean adding a creaminess and it's vanilla flavour adding that cobbler taste; just yummy as I guess I noted earlier in the week ;) It's so easy to make four servings of cereal and put three of them into containers for later. Adding in fruit and the Lean later is a snap for a quick breakfast, whether you're eating it at home or taking it to work for later. I was listening to one of the calls and they spoke about cooking with Lean, so I might add it to my pancakes next.

Lunch was left over pizza, thank heavens for the Cheat! I absolutely love cold, left over pizza.

I've added a small note to my blog on the upper right corner listing the weekly call schedule. On each call there is always a testimonial or two, and the calls are led by top people in the company and are great sources of information. I encourage you to call in and hear the excitement about this rapidly growing company that CNI has become, as well as to hear from other's like me who are losing weight and inches, feeling better and stronger mentally, and getting a handle on their health as they start moving more and seeing results and feeling good about themselves. Of course it's also fun to hear about the money :)

Chocolate, Green & Lean

I often make green smoothies for breakfast and add in a scoop of Lean, they are sweet and satisfying and keep me full all morning as I have probably mentioned a dozen times. But today I wanted something more, something rich, and the urge was for chocolate. So I still made my usual smoothie but added in 2T of rich dark cocoa powder. My sister had given a plethora of dark chocolate for Christmas last year and so I have a supply in the cupboard. I was delighted to discover that with the Lean in the smoothie I didn't have to add any additional sweetener to the chocolate; it was the perfect rich chocolaty breakfast that I was craving. Thinking about it later, I realize that this was the pre-menopause 'time of month' that I use to crave chocolate - how wonderful to be able to indulge in that craving using the dark cocoa powder that is full of antioxidants without having to add any of the damaging sugar! Yum and hooray!

More loose bottoms

I felt thinner again this morning getting dressed to walk, my walking pants fitting on me instead of stretching around me. I've been sort of unfocused this past week, wrapped up in Farm Town and not taking care of business! But I have been walking regularly and getting out to the driveway to shoot my bow, and even gave an impromptu Core4 presentation to the AT&T gentlemen who dropped by (yes, we're converting from Dish to their fiber optic network!) One of the things I love about sharing the products is that it can be a spur of the moment affair as I move through my life; much better than sitting at a desk for hours at a time as I use to do.

I wish I had taken the time for food pictures today. My breakfast was so pretty (buckwheat cereal with Lean stirred in and chopped fresh pear on top) and lunch would have made a good picture too (garbanzo's smashed with avocado, green olives & onions & chopped kale wrapped up in a corn tortilla with some shakes of cheat.) But it's a busy day so far and I've miles yet to go! I love spending Friday getting ready for the weekend and straightening up after the week :)

Time for an Accelerate, a big glass of water, and running errands!

Chips and Dip for Lunch

Taking the time to make healthy meals has been a priority for me over the past couple of years, helping me out of a depression and getting me back in the saddle, so to speak. And over the past year home made salads, soups and dressings have become an integral part of my life; I make sure I am eating for nutrition most of the time. I have learned to take the time I need to shop and prepare foods that I know will give me the fuel my body craves, I am worth it (as they say.) But having this good foundation of nutritional knowledge does not keep me from craving foods that are not the best choice for me, and when I can take a favorite and make it healthy I am very happy. Like my lunch today. Chips and dip for lunch, how decadent! But I made the refried beans and they are full of veggies and low in sodium, and the corn chips are baked not fried. I made the guacamole this morning using fresh ingredients and the tomato is from my garden.

Having the Cheat to use with this lunch is great, because I was able to portion out just what I should eat for a serving and know that I would be satisfied instead of reaching back into the bag again ...and again ... and again all afternoon until the chips were nothing more than a few crumbles of corn left in the bottom of the bag! No, I had my beautiful little lunch, drank a glass of water with it, and got busy around the house. Here it is hours later and I have no desire for more even though I love it and it's right there in the kitchen. Of course the Accelerate is a part of that too, helping to curb appetite and keep my energy level high.

I guess what I am trying to say is how wonderful it is to eat foods I love without binging on them - to just enjoy them in moderation and be able to have them in the house. Lets hope this holds true with the peanut butter I just bought yesterday ;)

Pancake with Lemon Date Frosting (&Cheat)

Another cool morning considering it's still August, and I wanted a warm breakfast. There was just enough Oat Bran pancake mix left for one pancake (half a batch) so I mixed it up with 1/2oz ground walnuts for that iHop Harvest Grain effect. I was out of honey, and maple sugar too, so I started thinking about what to dress it with and my eye landed on the little baggie of fresh lemon juice. A strong memory popped up of sprinkling pancakes with powdered sugar and then squeezing lemon over the top - a childhood favorite - so I started thinking what I could do for sweetener when I saw the bucket of dates in the fridge. In the end it was 3 fat dates blended in my magic bullet with 1T brown sugar and 2T fresh lemon juice that made the sweet\tart frosting that you see here. And of course my sprinkles of Cheat on top. In the 2nd picture you can see how the Cheat has started changing and how the frosting is now glistening. This was quick to make, so delicious, and very filling. I got in my omega 3's early, fiber and micronutrients from the dates and lemon, and the Cheat will take care of the sugar ;)

A delicious and warm way to start the day, I know I will be doing this many times in the coming cold season!

Birthday Cake and walking

Today was fun, a friend's daughter turned two and we went to celebrate. The morning had gotten away from me and I missed my morning walk, but that was okay - every routine needs a break now and then. At the party I had a tomato sandwich, lots of grapes, chips & watermelon plus a piece of yummy dense cake. And wine, two glasses! I had forgotten to make breakfast so the wine hit me hard and when we came home I was tired and woozy. I lay down for a minute intending to watch a movie and nap, but my Farm Town addiction pulled me to the computer before too long. And then I remembered my Accelerate, so grabbed one from the kitchen and had a big glass of water. An hour later it felt as though I hadn't had any wine at all, my head was clear and I was back to normal. I felt so good that as twilight started to set in I grabbed my iPod and Kaley and off we went for our daily walk after all. I was out of audio books and in my library saw "You on a Walk" and decided what the heck and loaded up the iPod. While the techno dance music didn't do a thing for my appreciation of music, it did keep my feet going at the pace they wanted, and I shaved some time off of my normal route. I think I'll start using this a couple of times a week to make sure I am really walking and not strolling.

And the stretches - OMG! - I never remember to stretch, and as I followed their guidelines I felt how tight my thighs & calves were and how inflexible I was. I don't like what I felt, and I am determined to add stretching to the end of my walks from now on. I think that is a good place for me to start getting ready for Yoga this winter; I want long lean lines! So a good day. Oh, and I made a Green Lean Smoothie for dinner (frozen mango, a little V8 Fusion, two dates, 3oz of fresh spinach and a scoop of Lean) before I left for my walk. It was fun hearing on the audio book how the goal of a healthy body is to build and then maintain lean muscle; I mean, I know this, but using the Lean and knowing that is what it is specifically formulated to do made me feel good about my dinner.

So another good day, my only regret is that I forgot my Cheat to put on the cake!

Another new low!

192.8 !!!
It's always such a tease to get on the scale and see a lower number just before it settles in at your weight for the day. But today was no tease, and the scale stayed at a new low. I am really into new territory here. In the early 2000's I had used another product to lose ten pounds and saw 195 briefly. I was walking 5 miles a day and developed plantar fasciitis because at 200 #'s that is not necessarily a good thing to do for your feet when you have high arches like I do. I was in pain for a year before getting relief from The Good Foot store and wearing inserts in my shoes. And I quit walking. So this time I am walking in moderation, enjoying taking my little dog out most days and usually keeping it to about 35 minutes. As I learn to trust my feet, this time around I am sticking to a shorter distance and walking faster to make sure I get my heart rate up and feel like I am getting a good work out without putting so much stress on my feet until I get a little lighter. Combined with my shooting and the occasional bike ride and intermittent push ups I feel I am working out enough without going crazy. I want to be fit without being a slave to exercise, I want to enjoy it so that I keep doing it; fitness is for life :)

So back to my original thought, it feels really good to see a number on the scale that is a couple of pounds lower than I have been in six or seven years. And I can really feel the downward momentum now, like I am on a path and this is not a fluke. I'm enjoying things I haven't eaten in years, but in moderation. Which brings me to another thought. I have had a jar of vegenaise in the fridge for over a week and I don't feel compelled to use it every day. In the past year that was one of my guilty pleasures, using it to make thousand island dressing, eggless egg salad sandwiches & potato salad. I would make everything in the same week, polishing off that jar of mostly fat like I was on a mission from God. But now I seem to be able to have it in the house without going crazy. Same with the Lite butter\canola spread that my honey bought to use on the corn he brought home; I've had two half cobbs using that butter but haven't felt compelled to nuke some potatoes to melt it on. For me really strange. But this relief from those compulsions is wonderful, like another weight has lifted off my shoulders, and it's really nice to still be able to eat for nutrition most of the time while throwing in some decadent and unhealthy choices some times without the fear of gaining back any weight. Another big Thank You to Core4 this morning!

10 Weeks on Core4

193.8 : Still the same weight this morning as last week despite all the swelling from the fries I had for 'dinner' yesterday so I am thinking I am lighter again. The shorts I wore to the archery tournament yesterday became so baggy during the day that they were really uncomfortable - I need to get the sewing machine out and do some 'taking in' before the next shoot in September. Some of these shoots we have a dress code and I don't want to invest in smaller clothing yet since I intend to keep shrinking :) So I will just take in the blue shorts I have and make do until the 14's in the garage fit me! My inches are about the same, but I lost so much so fast I am not surprised. I'll watch my salt this week so my measurements are more accurate next week.

This past weekend was great as we traveled north for an archery tournament, even though the fridge in the motel froze my Sunday breakfast smoothie and I drank it for lunch instead. I had scrambled eggs for breakfast(which I haven't eaten in over a year at least, maybe two) and didn't have a great morning energy wise. But in the afternoon after my Lean smoothie at lunch (with lots of spinach in it) I shot a personal best at the last distance and came home with a 1st place medal. Next time I'll just keep the cooler stocked with ice so I can start out both days with my nutrient dense breakfast of choice. The Lean has a full complement of vitamins and minerals, plus the fruit and greens I blend in make it a powerhouse breakfast (lol, of champions!)

Lots of energy this morning catching up chores around the house, getting in a brisk walk with my darling little dog & then playing my new favorite game on the computer. Now I'm ready to start a 'work' week of sharing Core4.

ps The new little 'to go' packets of the Cheat are perfect for taking to a restaurant; they are small and fit into a pocket or purse easily.

"Everybody's working for the weekend"

(lol, you sang that, right?)
We're heading off to another archery tournament this weekend, and I have my two green smoothies blended up with Lean and ready to pack in the cooler. My Accelerate and Flush are in my am & pm vitamin containers and I'm ready to go. It's all such a habit now, and I remember most of the time to take everything because I see such a difference when I am consistent, seeing results daily instead of weekly. But what I really wanted to say this morning is that we are leaving a day early for the tournament so we can get some practice in today and already be there tomorrow instead of getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and driving. That works, but we are always a little tired and rushed from the drive when we do that. And being able to do this is a great motivator to work from home; to work around my schedule instead of someone elses is a great blessing. So no more 'working for the weekend', instead I am looking forward to working for long weekends and week long trips and traveling more to compete and being able to take my work with me. All I need is a phone and the occasional internet connection ;)

And I can hardly wait to see some of my archery friends this weekend, lots of them I haven't seen for over a month and it will be fun to see if they notice the differences in me. Because face it, however silently it might be done, we do tend to do some critiquing when we see each other. Does size matter to friendship? Absolutely not. That being said, it does make a difference in the quality of your time together, because when your group of friends is healthy you get to play more together. So bottom line, I love feeling better and want to share this with them so they can feel this way too!

Signing off until Monday, everyone have a good weekend!

Another Core4 Morning

I have company coming for lunch today, and so I was doing all those little grooming things we tend to let go when we are home so much. And while shaving my legs I noticed that the shape of my calves have changed, actually curving in behind my knees instead of just blending into my thighs; not so surprising given my new leg crossing ability!

And then putting on my new shorts fresh from the wash and they still fit! I was so sure that they would shrink from their first washing, but I have them on and yes, I am sitting down and breathing :)

I put frozen peaches in my Lean shake this morning, what a thick yummy smoothie that made! Enough boasting, back to getting ready.

2 Months on Core4

Here are my pictures at the start of my Core4 journey, at 1 Month in, and this morning at two months. At first I was disappointed in the latest pictures, but then I really started to look at details and noticed that my top is hanging lower on my hips because it's not stretched so tight around me,I think my arms have more definition, and my posture might be better - like I can stand up straighter now. So I'm happy about my progress. I keep remembering that it took me a year to lose ten pounds just before starting on Core4, and now I have lost five in just two months. I haven't 'dieted' or skipped dessert, I've had buttered popcorn at the theater and mac n cheese from the deli, and I really don't want to think about all the potato chips and cheetos I've eaten in the past two months. And yet here I am smaller and stronger and feeling healthy. It's true what they boast at CNI, I can Cheat and Eat!



My total inches lost using Core4 is at about 18 inches now; I measure my arms, upper and middle thigh, waist, bust, hips & chest and each week I am smaller somewhere. And it's not just my body that is changing, my ideas about how I want to live my life are changing too and I find I am much more positive than I have been in recent years. Of course it helps that I have shorts I can no longer wear because they fall off of me, and that I don't return home exhausted from my morning walks - each day there is something that reminds me I am changing for the better.

So yes, continuing on to my third month using Core4 to lose weight, to get stronger, and to clear out my closets and drawers of the rest of my fat clothes. Goodbye 18's, 14's here I come!

Crossing my legs

I wanted to keep this journal updated daily, but when you are full of energy it's sometimes hard to remember to sit down and write! We spent some more time out at the stadium in Stanford watching friends compete, and while shifting around to get comfortable, I did have a personal moment up in the stands that I would like to share. I can cross my legs! I mean, I could cross them before, but would have to make sure the foot of my top leg was braced against something to keep it from sliding off the bottom leg. I realized all of a sudden that my top leg was resting comfortably and staying in place and my foot was swinging free! Whoo hoo!!! All the way home I kept crossing my legs, first this way and then that, and sure enough my legs are just enough thinner to make this a comfortable and easy position. I think of how many times I have grabbed my shin or pants to pull one leg over the other and then cramming myself into a position where it would stay put ... and I let the gladness of this new ability wash over me. Funny how it's the small simple things that bring home the reality that I really am getting smaller. So noticing last week that my legs were thinner wasn't a fluke, and this week I have the proof :) Oh, and feeling lighter this morning I did weigh and saw 193.6 for the first time - goodbye 194.8!!!

ps Blending 1/2C orange juice, 1/2C cold water, 1/2C frozen blueberries and 1 scoop of Lean is my new favorite fast and easy shake.

Gold!

What an exciting weekend of Archery! I've been training for the National Senior Games for about a year now, and really stepped up the shooting over the past couple of months. I started really noticing a difference in my accuracy about a month ago, and I know that it's the Core4 that helped with my strength and endurance to enable this. I started doing push ups as part of my exercise so that I could pull arrows from the target easier, and that extra strength has also helped in holding my arms up when aiming. I just didn't have the energy before starting on Core4 despite my motivation to do well at the Games; I think it really gave me an edge. And even though I was tired yesterday I found myself catching up on all the housework I had let go, having spent my time shooting instead of cleaning. And oops, I forgot to weigh and measure myself yesterday and today so I think I will just wait until the two month mark at this point, coming up on 8/8/09.

So for the competition Saturday & Sunday I started each morning with my green smoothie plus a scoop of Lean and an Accelerate, and then took my 2nd Accelerate each noon with fruit since we didn't stop for lunch until about 2pm. Then off to a big meal, Cheat on mine, and then a little something later for dessert since we didn't really need dinner - which was banana cream pie Sunday night to celebrate our Gold Medals (my honey set a record.) Yes I ate too much pie and yes I used Cheat on both pieces - being careful to drink lots of water too. OOPS, now that I think about it I don't think I used my Flush over the weekend, we were so tired by the time we ate out with friends then drove over an hour home; it was into the hot tub, jammies, dessert and bed!

Nothing really of note in yesterday's food except lunch; I cooked up a batch of sweet potato fries and made a guacamole dip for them and sprinkled the Cheat into that. Delicious. And dinner was one of those little 6" spinach pizza crusts from Trader Joe's with some soy mozzerella and sun dried tomatoes and of course Cheat. Today I need to get some raw greens in, I just didn't take the time to do that over the weekend.

It felt good to get out for a walk yesterday and stretch my legs, and I noticed that my 40 minute walk is more like 35 minutes now. I love feeling stronger and more fit. I love feeling positive about the future and knowing I have this tool, these Core4 products, to help create a better life. And I love how much more positive I am about everything ♥

Another day with little food

A green smoothie with Lean for breakfast, then off to the archery range for one last practice before the competition this weekend. I can't believe it's August. I wish Core4 had been ready last year so I could have been down the 50 pounds I wanted to lose this past year before Nationals. But I am much trimmer and stronger than I was 2 months ago and feel great and ready to compete.

My Honey chose Hooters for lunch because he was craving deep fried pickles. I do indulge him sometimes, and ended up eating curly fries for lunch. I did shake Cheat on the catchup I was dipping them in. What a horrible lunch!

I had the grand baby all afternoon and grabbed a quick 6" pizza with soy mozz and sun dried tomatoes for a snack at 4 while she was napping, then wasn't hungry for the rest of the evening. I did make a Lean shake for dessert but wasn't hungry and just put it in the fridge for the morning.

So another day without much appetite. I've been told we need to eat when we feel this way, but it's such a novel experience! Tomorrow we go check in for our archery event and today my little Cheat packets arrived just in time to take with us this weekend. Much better than having to take the whole bottle, these are single serving packets that are perfect for pocket or purse. I also got the Core4 shaker bottle that I had ordered for my honey and it's so cute! I'll add a picture when I get a chance.

Monday will be two months on Core4 and time for another set of pictures. While the scale seems to be stuck at 194.8 this week, I continue to feel leaner and can hardly wait to see the difference! It's a good thing I have something else to focus on this weekend.

My Appetite ... or lack thereof

My honey brought me pancakes this morning, and while I would normally throw the butter and syrup in the fridge for him to use later, instead I put them on the pancakes! What a treat, like dessert in the morning. (I did use my Cheat and drink my water.) Then it was out for a walk with the little dog, I think that 30 minutes of aerobics in the morning really sets the mood for the day.

Between the Accelerate and breakfast I didn't get hunger pangs until almost noon, and by then we were in the middle of a practice round at the archery range. The competition this weekend will be 30 arrows shot from each of 40,50 & 60 yards (a 900 round) and so that is what we did. In the middle of shooting at 50 yards my stomach started growling, but I felt strong and just drank water at each end (end=set of six arrows) to make sure I was hydrated and the feeling went away. So 96 arrows shot and if I shoot like that both days this weekend I might break a state record! I took my 2nd Accelerate when we got back to the truck; I have a small bottle that I keep in my purse now so that I always have access since I'm out and about so much more than usual.

Stopping at Chipotle's for a veggie burrito bowl is a favorite place for lunch and I sprinkled on the Cheat again. Later in the afternoon I had a green smoothie with Lean for a cool snack, then a bowl of broccoli and potato soup for dinner and some more Cheat. It felt sort of strange to not want seconds, I've always been such a food-hound, and I packed up the left overs for lunch tomorrow or something. Then later I wanted something sweet for dessert but it was too late to eat and I took my Flush instead since I wasn't actually hungry and it was closing in on bed time. I guess that eating less food is just another way for the Core4 to pay for itself!

The Cheat does say to use it 2-3 times a day, I guess I usually just have two meals to use it on so using it three times today felt like a lot. But my appetite was less so I guess that is a good thing. Being a compulsive eater it's really nice to be free of those feelings for a while, and the longer I am on product the more that keeps happening - not feeling like I need to stuff my face - and it's wonderful.

Eating Junk

194.8 this morning, exactly the same as Thursday which is down point two pounds for the week. And while at first I was irritated, in thinking back over some of my choices this weekend I should be relieved I haven't gained. Notice I didn't say 'food' choices, because these mostly cannot be called food; cheetos (of course) a snickers bar, a soda (not diet) tortilla chips, beer, cookies, fried potatoes (full on greasy restaurant variety)blue cheese dressing, refried beans (again, full on greasy restaurant variety) and the vanilla shake and curly fries that I had with my chicken sandwich yesterday. OMG - I should have gained five pounds! I should be heavier just from the water weight I'm holding this morning from eating the salty salty fast food yesterday on the way home in the car. So I'll take this morning's number and be grateful.

And I'm smaller in my chest - only 1/2" but I can see that the one roll of fat left on my back is noticeably smaller than the last time I looked. Everything else was the same despite being so bloated this morning. So while I'm not shouting my results from the rooftops, my sigh of relief is probably being recorded as high winds over in the next county.

So still a stress eater. And I will admit that since starting Core4 I have let my other resources slip - I can't remember the last time I practiced meditating, or did my breathing exercises (oops, yes I can, up at the Cal Cup competition 3 weeks ago.) So that's my bad and I will get back to the mental exercises this week. This journey to wellness is not just about what passes in over my lips. {Om namah shivaya Quoted from the site, "A very rough, non-literal translation could be something like, 'Om and salutations to that which I am capable of becoming.' This mantra will start one out on the path of subtle development of spiritual attainments." OR as Liz Gilbert translates in her book that I so love, Eat Pray Love, "I honor the divinity that dwells within", and this is how I personally intend the Mantra.}

All in all it was easy to use Core4 while traveling, whether eating fast food in the car or sitting down with family at a restaurant. And I think it really did a great job of mitigating the damage I might have done weight-wise on the trip; normally this kind of trip would have meant an upward swing on my weight chart and the head games would have begun. But now I can just keep going forward and know I will see a loss this next week without having gone backwards.

Glad to be home this morning, excited it is the last week to practice before Nationals and incredulous that August is almost here all at the same time. This week is all about the archery!!

Later in the day: The shorts I grabbed to wear this morning were shorter than I am use to wearing, but it was fun to fit into a pair that haven't fit in a long time. While I wouldn't wear them out, they were fine for visiting with the baby and housework. And they gave me a view of my legs I hadn't seen in a while - muscles! I could see the outline of muscles under the fat of my thighs! I felt more like I was looking into Alice's mirror and seeing an alternate me it was so unreal a feeling. And I can now imagine my legs sans cellulite, it's disappearing and the legs I use to run sprints with are reemerging. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I have been afraid of losing weight now that I am in my 50's because while I don't think I will be baggy and saggy, what if I am? I am now officially no longer worried about that, I can see myself firming up, my skin shrinking with the rest of me. Wonderful, wonderful ♥

Home Sweet Home

I love visiting my Mother and friends, but it's always good to be back in my own little house. I made my lean smoothie for breakfast at Mom's before driving home, then on the way had a spicy chicken sandwich for lunch with some Cheat. I think that's the first chicken I've had in two years; I'm not sure why I wanted it so much, I think it was more about the tomato and spicy sauce but just forgot to say "no chicken and extra tomato please". Well, that's not exactly true, I think I wanted the crunch too. But I know it was way more calories than I normally eat for lunch because here it is eight hours later and I'm finally just now hungry for dinner. So a cup of potato soup for dinner to tide me over, because it's almost time for my Flush. And I just realized that before I would have had dinner anyway just because it was dinner time - that's the Accelerate again I think, which I had with lunch, helping me pay attention to if I am hungry or just eating out of habit.

Lots to do this week. Lots of shooting to get ready for the weekend, a ton of lemons to juice & freeze and some Plumeria cuttings to plant (thanks Teffie*) plus I need to make it out to my DD's to help her get ready for some company she's having next weekend. And I have the baby to watch for about 13 hours on Sunday. I'm so use to doing so little that it's a bit overwhelming to think about everything all at once, so enough of that! But I know I will have the energy to get it all done, and I'm looking forward to staying busy.

The Hill, day two

Not wanting to find the blue cheese dressing that I slathered over my dressing yesterday slathered on my hips tomorrow, I once again faced the long incline of the hill by my Mother's house this morning. We are headed out to breakfast this morning and I have my cheat ready to go in my purse.

I head home in the morning, so won't have an inches and pounds update until Tuesday morning, as much as I would love to use the number off of the scale here :) But I am not quite as compulsive as I use to be ... I think ... so that is okay.

See you then :)

Walking the hill

Here I am checking in from Santa Clarita where my Mother lives at the top of a hill. I use to walk this years ago but haven't attempted it in a while. It's easy going down one side, meandering through a neighborhood of pretty yards. Then there is a stretch along the boulevard at the bottom that is lined with traffic on one side and coffee shops and take out Chinese on the other. Then The Hill. It leads up at an obscene slope for walking - deceptive at first but wearing on your lungs and heart before reaching the top and completing the circuit back to the house. When I set out this morning to walk Kaylee I didn't intend to make the full circle, I just set out to exercise the little before leaving her with my Mom for the day. But I felt so good. I was 194 with PJ's on according to this little scale that isn't mine and it set the tone for my morning. So I set off walking in a good mood listening to one of my favorite books (Eat Pray Love) and before I knew it I was walking along the boulevard heading for The Hill. I barely paused before turning the corner and heading up the incline that I remembered as being a ball buster - well, you know what I mean. And I had a good excuse to just turn around and go back the way I had come - the sun was rising and full in my face, making it uncomfortable to walk and hard to see. But keeping my head down I just kept walking, my feet had a mind of their own apparently. And while it was a good work out, it didn't kill me. I reached the top breathing hard but not panting, my heart wasn't pounding out of my chest, and my legs wern't burning. What? How could this be? I finished the trek home to jump on Mom's computer and wait through a dial up connection to brag to the world at the improvement in my stamina. I knew my strength was better, but this overall sense of well being and endurance is beyond my expectations and oh so very welcome. Things just keep getting better :)

Road Trip

I'll be out of town for a few days, but let this comment from my darling daughter this morning suffice for the weekend updates, "Oh my god Mom, you look so skinny!" Or something like that. Of course I was in head to toe black for the memorial service this morning...but hey, I'll take it!

My Core4 is packed and I'm hitting the road. Later Gators♥

A little history

Another early morning "I'm so excited" post! 194.8 Amazing what a fifth of a pound can do for one's mood and adrenaline :) I can't remember when I last saw 194 it was so long ago - ten years? I was trying to remember. I know I was 174 when I met my honey back in 1997. I had been working out at the gym and taking step classes and was starting to feel like myself again. But several things happened all at once and I started heading up the scale like there was a trophy at the summit. I just kept gaining more and more weight each year, culminating in a spike in '06 all the way up to 230. That's when I turned to Nutrisystem in desperation and lost 20#'s. I tried for a year to copy their nutritional guidelines using my own food and while I kept the weight off for a whole year I couldn't lose any more. One day I realized that it was just impossible to duplicate their 10g of protein dessert and that this wasn't a normal or natural way to eat. That began my foray into the world of food as fuel, and figuring out what it was that my body wanted, what it was I really needed to take care of this 'temple' I was in.

I wanted to feel better, I wanted to know I was nourishing my body, and with the help of my friend (MRS) that led to eating a plant based diet. I was happy with so many results, better skin & nails, no more night time cravings, no more searching endlessly for something (anything) in my kitchen cupboards that would satisfy my eating urges. Out went the meat and cheese and in came the fruits and nuts and seeds. Out with the processed foods and in with the kale and spinach and flax meal. I could open my refrigerator and glory in the abundance of color and variety and started adding more nutritious elements to my standard everyday fare; I learned to count micro nutrients instead of calories. And I lost weight, so slowly that I barely noticed, but I was eating wonderful food and not gaining and it was such a relief. I had joined an online community for weight loss support (see food and exercise link above) and with the support of others who were eating for nutrition I learned a boatload about nutritional density and lost ten pounds between May of 2008 & May of 2009. Ten pounds in a year when others were losing that much in a month? What was I doing wrong? Had my body shut down after 30 years of 'dieting'? Was my 200# set point so strong there was no getting past it?

I felt surrounded by women online who were losing weight eating basically the same way I was and I was getting so frustrated by it all because it wasn't working that way for me. I would celebrate with them online and then go get a bag of Cheetos and feel sorry for myself. Doh! I had tried talking myself into the fact that it might take me five years to lose my weight and justified my slow loss by knowing that I would keep it off this time. But I was seething inside...why not me? Why couldn't I lose faster too? This is when my friend Debbie introduced me to Core4. The timing was perfect. Anyone who has read back to the beginning of this blog knows I did not come quietly. I was the anomaly in the group, losing more inches than pounds, and stressing about it almost daily. I would second guess everything all week long only to be continuously surprised on Mondays by yet more good results. I was getting smaller and it was getting noticeable and I started to believe. Just a glimmer at first, just a small hope that this was real and that the next week wouldn't see it all disappear. But I couldn't deny what I was seeing and feeling, and I kept using the products, and here I am less than two months later having lost almost half of what it took me the previous year to lose. And that's only the pounds - there is no way to compare the inches lost, the sculpting process my body is going through, it is like nothing I have ever experienced before in this body of mine.

And so this morning I am looking back and thinking about all the times I planned to fit into cute jeans for Thanksgiving and didn't, or bought shorts I knew I would fit into later that summer and I didn't. And I am daring to think that this year will be different. This year those things will come true - are already coming true - and instead of waiting with baited breath for Monday's results I am thinking, "Bring it on!" Because I know it's going to be good, this Monday and next Monday and all of the 'for as long as I need to lose' Mondays. ...I wonder which jeans will fit this Thanksgiving :)

More exercise, more food

I've noticed that I'm getting in my exercise more consistently now, shooting, walking and riding today. I'm trying for three activities, five days a week. Of course it's closer to Nationals and I would really like to do well at the shoot in August so my motivation is up to train. But I am also happy that the initial boost in energy from the Core4 wasn't just an initial reaction, but a steady ongoing result of using the products. My house is cleaner and my yard is trimmer too - what wonderful side benefits! Seeing my arms change gives me the impetus to do push ups too; It's so wonderful to know I will not be a flappy-armed old woman!

I felt thinner again this morning after suiting up for my walk, admiring the way my hips are smoothing out; maybe leaner would be a better description ;) Anyway, I forgot how riding my bike peaks my appetite - probably why I ate more yesterday too. But I'm using the products and only eating when hungry so it should be fine. That being said I should have waited for my salad to settle before eating the little pizza with dinner because afterward I was stuffed. That's the first time since starting on Core4 that I let my mouth take over without considering how full I felt. But I am human and I guess I will always stress eat a little bit here and there. It looks like I'm heading south to visit a friend in SoCal this weekend, and I have a memorial to attend Friday morning, and I'm going to miss a shoot on Sunday. You know how it goes - one or two things we can handle but throw a 3rd in there and all of a sudden you're in the Bermuda Triangle of good intentions and stuffing pizza or something in your mouth. At least I put Cheat on it all!

Shorts, salads and soy cream sandwiches

I woke up thinking I must have misread the scale yesterday, but sure enough, 195 was still there when I tip toed onto the metal beast this morning just to make sure I hadn't imagined the whole thing. Whew!

I'm wearing shorts today and I noticed that there is less fat over my knees! This has been a sore point with me; I've always thought I had nice knees but they have been hiding under unsightly bulges of fat for years now. How wonderful to see them returning, it's like regaining another part of the me I loved being. And in another non-scale moment, my office chair no longer squeaks and lowers when I sit down in it! Instead it just...sits there and accepts this new lighter me without protest. How lovely :)

I was up early today for some reason, it wasn't like the sun was shining through my window beckoning to me - more like cloudy and cold and the perfect day to cuddle back under the covers for a while. But I was up and had breakfast early. By 10am I was hungry, but 4 hours is considered by many to be the point at which you begin fasting... This hasn't happened in a while, but determined that I wasn't 'dieting' I let myself eat. A lovely potato nuked in the microwave with some lite sour cream (decadent for me, not usually in the house) and a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper and some Cheat. I savored every bite, oh how delicious. Then lunch wasn't until 2pm and dinner at 7 (later than usual) so it all worked out.

An ugly but tasty salad for lunch with extra legumes (sprouted lentils) for added protein. (I have noticed the past two mornings that the swelling is gone so it looks like the added protein is working, thank you Dr. William.) I just wanted to make sure you know that when I say salad for lunch, I'm not talking about a few leaves of lettuce. I'm talking about 4-5 cups of lettuce plus another 2 cups of raw veggies and a half cup of beans. Plus my home made dressings typically have half an ounce of nuts or seeds (healthy fat) blended up with whole fruit and vinegar. I mean, there are salads, and there are SALADS! Point being, I am not trying to starve myself, I am eating lots of fruit and veggies to make sure I get in lots of antioxidants. Today's dressing was made with strawberries and the dark fruit while delicious does not make a very pretty dressing once it's on the salad. Maybe next time I'll see if a little lemon juice helps the colour ;)

My afternoon shake turned into a sweet creamy treat the consistency of yogurt and I ate it with a spoon. I had blended together half a fresh peach and some of the strawberry puree I had made with a scoop of lean and forgot to add water - it was a nice change and I will do that again, on purpose next time. I did cut up the 2nd half of my peach and lay it out in a baggie to freeze for tomorrow's smoothie; I love trying new things with the Lean!

Strangely, in the afternoon I felt the urge to eat, but recognized it for what it was (not hunger, but self sabotage) and brushed it off. I am counting on Core4 to help me past this mental block I seem to have about getting smaller. I remember years ago after my first child was born a friend and I lost weight together at weight watchers, and when a neighbor told me I was looking thinner I reacted in a panic and began to eat. Over the years I found myself saying to those around me, "thank you but please don't ever say anything to me because it triggers me to eat." Yesterday on a whim I stopped over at a friends I haven't seen in a while in the middle of my bike ride, and when she told me I looked different ... well, it was okay to hear it! No panic, no freaking out, just pleasure at her affirmation of my feeling smaller and stronger. Is this another great side effect? I've heard so many testimonials about better moods, is the Nutrient Fusion of Core4 working medical mysteries on my brain too?

For dinner I let some sun dried tomatoes work their magic on some left over veggie\ bean soup. So rich and decadent while stock full of nutrients. Then later watching TV a little soy cream chocolate sandwich for dessert. Just a small thing, but very satisfying, and no urge to have another, and another until the box was gone .. you know, because they are so small. Nope, just one and happy to have it.

What a good day of food and exercise, and in the middle of it all I was a little bored and wanting something else to do ... yet another good sign for me! I feel like doing things! Thank you Core4.

Six Weeks on Core4

I'll update tonight as usual, but in the meantime I couldn't wait to share...195!! Down 3 pounds from last Monday. And another 2" gone too. Whoo hoo!! I haven't weighed this in years :)

I didn't exercise as much this week, that might be part of it; looking back on my log this is the2nd weekend without a competition since I started on product, and the other weekend I worked my butt off moving stuff around for the garage sale. Makes sense to me.

Also, I thought of putting the pizza skins I just picked up at Trader Joe's in the freezer for another time, but I think I would rather let this play out naturally - the idea is to keep eating normally so that is what I'm going to do. I don't need to maximize results, I just need to let the products do their magic. So another week of good results and looking forward to week 7.

I wanted to write about water for a minute. You may have noticed I only record drinking 40oz of water a day. This is because I know I get a lot of additional water from my plant based diet. Plus there is the 6oz of warm water I drink with my flush at night and usually a 3rd 20oz bottle when it's hot that I don't bother to record - the 40oz is a daily minimum. Also, I consume so much less sodium than someone eating the SAD (standard American diet) that I don't need as much water to compensate, I think. Speaking of the 6oz of warm water, that is something I am doing different, sticking to the recommended 6oz instead of my normal 12 or 14oz tea cups, and keeping it warm instead of hot for tea. I'm not sure it makes a difference, but this is a record of what I'm doing ;) And another note on exercise. I realized this morning that I often have my Lean smoothie after my morning walk; I'm guessing that is helping how quickly I am transitioning from fat to muscle.

I've decided to keep my food and exercise journal going at PEERtrainer, it's such a great resource for support and a way to keep accountable. There is a new link on my blog on the top right for anyone interested in what I'm eating each day.

Breakfast was the green smoothie plus Lean that I made yesterday, I love the mornings when all I have to do is reach in the fridge and breakfast is ready! Then my honey fell asleep on the couch - he's been fighting a bug for about a week and finally sucuumbed :( Anyway, I didn't want to wake him up by bustling around in the kitchen so I crept in and grabbed my bottle of Accelerate and a banana. That held me over until he work up at 2pm!! Then I was hungry and wanted to take my time to make a big salad for lunch, so I whipped up a Lean smoothie using vanilla soy milk and applesauce - the person recommending this was right, like apple pie! Then I could take my time putting a nice lunch together and ended up eating it at about 4. lol, a little late fo lunch, but oh well. And I know it sounds weird to smash up an enchilada for salad dressing, but it's full of roasted veggies, spicy and delicious! Plus I added in a quarter cup of sprouted lentils for protein which are chewy and add another layer of flavour and my Cheat sprinkled on top of it all.

While running errands in the morning one of my stops was for groceries, I have been craving kale and was out of cilantro and cauliflower - staples of mine. Anyway, in for a penny in for a pound I picked up a sourdough roll. As much as the kale I wanted something I could really sink my teeth into and CHEW. I'll share the sandwich spread recipe another time, but it's so good and full of nutrition I can't feel guilty about it. So a sandwich for dinner with some Cheat and I was done for the day.

Apollo 11 :: It was so wonderful to watch the new telling of the historic Moon Walk forty years later. I remember some of the images from when I was a little girl (I was 14) and watched it live. Good old Walter Cronkite :) Still full from dinner I didn't even need to snack during that exciting program. Then my warm water and 2 Flush, another hour of TV, and off to another sound night of sleep.

Sunday plans gone awry

One of my favorite sayings is, "If you want to see God laugh, make plans." We intended to shoot at Mt. Madonna today, it was their annual Bug Shoot with fun 3-D targets. I woke to find myself unprepared, having forgotten to make my morning smoothie the night before and hadn't set the alarm early enough to make it in the morning. Mickey D's was our stop for breakfast; having pancakes was not on the plan for my 'no grains' week, but oh well - I had Cheat in my purse. AND I had a sausage patty - I haven't done that in years but wanted protein and all of a sudden it sounded good, of course in retrospect I feel a tiny bit guilty. Oh well, not dwelling on it.

As it turns out it was way too hot to stay and shoot, 100's instead of the 80's we expected, and we came home before we ever started. We did end up stopping at Trader Joe's to pick up walnuts and some other 'healthy' supplies on the way home, my SO started the program yesterday and he picked up some orange juice and lite vanilla soy to make 50/50 shakes with the Lean.

Lunch was a big salad, using half a roasted veggie enchilada and some hot sauce smashed up together for the dressing and sprinkling on some more Cheat. Then I took the time to make a double smoothie; fresh strawberries, Odwalla Superfood, walnuts, spinach, a bit of rum extract & 2 scoops of Lean. I had to get the strawberries used up so I blended them first and filled a container for the fridge to use later, only using about a cup for the smoothie. One for a snack this afternoon and one for sometime tomorrow, probably breakfast.

Dinner was small but tasty and satisfying. But once again I hadn't been thinking about grains when shopping earlier and had picked up some skinny pizza crust that had spicy cooked spinach on it. I added some grated motzerella soy cheese, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes for a small six inch pizza that I zapped in the microwave and then added my 3rd serving of Cheat for the day.

So not my usual food today, plus it's so hot I never did get out to exercise. I made sure to get enough water in, and noticed that even though I spent some time reading (always a trigger to snack) I was able to just stick with dinner and not keep eating while I read. I didn't even have my usual fruit for dessert, I think because I had my Lean smoothie in the afternoon. Didn't I notice that before too? I'll have to go back through my journal and look. Maybe I should do that more often instead of having it for dessert so I'm getting in the nutrition earlier in the day.

Tomorrow is my weekly weigh & measure, so I'm crossing my fingers.

More protein, no grains for a week

196.8 this morning. I wanted to weigh because I had an interesting conversation with a naturopathic doctor last night who is in my upline and I'm going to change up my eating a little over the next week. I had asked why I'm losing so many inches but not pounds he mentioned water retention and I let him know that I have been swollen ever since starting on product. I don't remember the whole explanation, but something to do with not getting in enough protein and my body retaining water. He also suggested cutting out grains for a week to see what happens. Since this goes hand in hand with advice from my 'Eat to Live' group I'm on board with that. So for the next seven days I'm going to cut out grains and track my protein to make sure I am getting in at least 60 grams - based on a past measurement of 126#'s of lean body mass. Please don't think I'm not super pleased with losing the inches, everyday I notice I am more slender in some way, but I just want to see the scale move too - it's just too ingrained after so many years of trying to lose weight I guess.

But talking to the Dr. was just half the story - getting there by moving through my upline and feeling all the support as each one conferenced in the next was way fun. Everyone is so excited about the product and the business it's very infectious :)

Bathing suit weather

My foray into the world of pancakes this morning was less than stellar. I had a craving for dates, so blended up a few with the water before folding in the pancake mix. I also threw in the last tsp or so of flax meal. Having noticed that the last pancake is always fluffier than the first, I let the batter sit for about half an hour before heating up the griddle pan. Maybe I did start with the heat a tad high, but immediately turned it down when the first side browned (I'm being kind to myself here) so quickly. Even keeping a careful watch the second side was quick to follow in colour before leaving the pan. And no better luck with the next three either. Dark, dark pancakes with a slightly singed flavour that I covered over with a lush strawberry & honey compote hot out of the microwave. I guess there was just too much sugar in the dates and it quickly burnt even though it was in batter? Next time I will just make a date sauce to go over the top of the pancakes.

Warm summer weather has finally caught up to us, and today I put on a bathing suit for the first time this year. In some ways the last few years are a blur, but I don't think I put on a suit even once - not that I kept on and wore anywhere. But my DD and her friends were taking the babies to the wading pool this morning and I wanted to go play. The last time I went I had on shorts and wanted to get in the water and couldn't, so this time I was determined to get in past my knees. To my amazement I wasn't horrified by my reflection! While still fat, I seem to have lost much of my dumpy outline. My thighs are smoother, and my back no longer sports rolls of fat. I had noticed my hips being less 'hippy' the other day, but it was even more apparent in my tankini and I could pull down the long suit top over my hips and not have it ride up around my waist! How delightful to get to the pool and feel okay about taking off my t-shirt and shorts to get in the water. Was I a bathing beauty? Absolutely not. But I feel closer to being myself today than I have in a really long time, and I am grateful for these products that are giving me my shape back. Oh the joy of holding my granddaughter's hands and guiding her through the water instead of watching from the sidelines.

My usual big salad with beans (I never tire of this) and some Cheat for lunch. Then in the afternoon my honey was napping when I wanted my Lean shake, so instead of running the blender I just threw a scoop of cheat in my water bottle and shook it up - it wasn't bad at all, milder than other protein shakes I've used, but I missed my peach blended up in it. Then out to dinner since my honey's DD was over and we chose Chinese. One pot sticker and Cheat on my veggie chow mein - very good. Oh, and one Bud lite; I guess two beers in one week is okay. I really noticed a dip in my appetite at dinner today, and I'm guessing it's because I took my 2nd Accelerate with my afternoon Lean instead of with lunch. Hmmmm.....

Then to finish off the evening an email from an old online buddy who has ordered product my from website and will start on Monday! Checking my CNI account I saw that a friend of his and one of mine had already ordered product without letting me know - and just like that I'm on my way!

Just another day

Back to business as usual today. Having my green smoothie ready in the fridge kept me from wanting any left over pizza for breakfast. Then a wonderful salad at lunch, a peach & Lean shake for snack around 3pm and home made bean soup full of sun dried tomatoes for dinner. Finally, the 2nd half of my peach for dessert (these are big Costco peaches.) Simple, healthy, tasty, filling food that leaves my body full but not stuffed. Once you start eating for nutrition and delight in how it makes you feel there is no going back. While I wanted all the treats I ate yesterday for various reasons, I am much happier not eating them and it always feels better to have a healthy day of nutrient dense fuel.

All in all, just another easy day of using the Core4 products, walking & shooting for exercise, and staying busy. I started working on trimming the tree in the driveway, and cleaning up the front flower bed - it feels so good to 'feel' like getting things done again. Thank you Accelerate!

Cookies, Popcorn, Pizza & Ice Cream OH MY!

Green smoothie for breakfast, then all hell broke loose. We stopped at a quick chinese buffet for lunch on the way to the movies. I had mostly vegetables with one pot sticker and one small bite of sweet pork rib, one plate and I used my Cheat. Then a plate of small bite sized desserts; 3 cookies, a tiny cream horn and a bite of lemon cake. On the way out I grabbed one more bite of macaroon, they were so chewy and yummy.

Then a medium popcorn at the movie to see Harry Potter 6 - I have never ordered anything larger than a small but we were arriving early to secure the seats we wanted and had a half an hour to wait. I also ordered butter! The movie was good to a point, but I came away pissed that they had butchered the ending. Home in time to vacuum getting ready for the grand baby to arrive, and then playing with said baby, was the best part of the day. But too many high's and low's apparently lowered my resistance or triggered my perverse nature and I ordered a large pepperoni pizza for dinner. Something I haven't done in years; when we splurge I always get half as a lite cheese vegetarian. AND I asked my honey to pick up ice cream when he left to get beer to go with the pizza. (I only had one bud lime lite) The pizza wasn't as good as I wanted it to be but I still ate four small pieces of the 14" pie - just less than a quarter? After the baby left we were watching So You Think You Can Dance and I managed to whittle away half a pint and part of another (he brought home two flavours - why?) What a horrendous day for food. I didn't have a very good day of keeping calm emotionally either, letting the high's and low's swing me like a monkey through the trees instead of keeping my feet on the jungle floor. I know already that I won't be weighing myself in the morning! Some would say a calorie spike is good for the metabolism, lets hope that holds true :)

At least I got in an early morning walk and shot off 30 arrows before the day headed off on a tangent! And I used all my Core4 products despite my craziness.

Product Notes

Lots of good information on a conference call this morning. One major piece being that we should keep eating normally and not try to 'diet' to get the best results. Have I been trying too hard? I thought I'd been eating normally, but looking back on my food logs from PEERtrainer I realize that I use to have a hummus sandwich on a deli roll once a week and I haven't been doing that. And I had been buying some kind of soycream dessert once a week, and haven't been doing that either. It's been suggested that I'm not getting enough calories and my ever efficient body is conserving them. So I will pay more attention to that this week. And there was a great announcement at the launch about an online community being set up that includes a fitness component designed by world class trainers. This will be a free website for the CNI community were we will be able to upload pictures and stories, very exciting!

Notes on the products: This is a synergistic package with vitamin and mineral components designed to work together in a safe and effective manner. No mega doses, no overload on stimulants like many commercial products. But we live in an age where we all want to see immediate results, and the Nutrient Fusion these products produce does give us that. It just does it in a way that provides a wellness factor too. "This is an amazing 4-step system to weight loss; you don't change what you eat or what you do and people are losing weight."

Confirmation that like me others feel not just more energy, but more aware and alert using the Accelerate, that there are no ephedras or -ephrines, and that it helps convert food to energy. And I learned that besides capturing calories, the Cheat can expand up to 200x it's volume in your stomach and is activated by water. I need to start adding a glass of water to my meals, I'm so use to drinking throughout the day but never at meals. I'm not sure why, but it's something I can change to get even better results.

My food today: Using the Odwalla superfood drink instead of fruit in my smoothie (it's mostly pureed fruit with spirulina) was very convenient and good too. A nice change. And how I love the combination of some lite Caesar dressing with fresh cilantro and a couple of Sicilian olives chopped up in my salad at lunch; it tastes so rich and decadent. Finding a good vegan Caesar is on my list of things to do. I made a double batch of salad today, you know chop once eat twice? But instead of saving it for lunch tomorrow I grabbed it for dinner it's so warm today. Then later I heated up some home made bean soup with some blue tortillas crumbled in with my Cheat. Then even later I finished up a small bag of croutons! I know this pattern - it means I didn't have enough greens in my smoothie this morning AND I didn't have my 2nd scoop of Lean. We talked about that this morning too - sometimes you need to make sure you eat even if you're not especially hungry. DON'T DIET! Eat and Cheat!

No walking today, but I think by tomorrow my heel will be ready to hit the pavement again - the blister has disappeared. I did get out and shoot 60 arrows and do some pushups - Nationals is coming up fast, less than three weeks left!

5 Weeks on Core4

198 :: This is so crazy!! Back up half a pound or so and DOWN 3.5 MORE INCHES FOR A TOTAL OF ALMOST 13" LOST IN ONLY 5 WEEKS! New inches lost include half an inch off each of my upper thighs, hips & chest. How long can I keep getting smaller and not lose pounds? I won't complain, it feels so good to be … well, more compact and stronger. Is this happening because I eat mostly plants? Because I'm not eating the standard American diet? Each week it becomes easier to incorporate the products and I'm back to eating 'normal' for me, no longer stressing about when to use them and what will work better. That is just my compulsive nature kicking in, hopefully anyone joining me in this adventure will just keep eating normally from the start and include the products without the stress - because there is no need for that! These products rock!

So another week of positive results to report using Core4. It's really working a number on my muscular build! Our archery competition this past weekend was a real endurance test, and while challenging, I wasn't overwhelmed physically. A little sore this morning but nothing exceptional for all the shooting we did (over 300 arrows.) I have to keep reminding myself that my two Accelerate have less caffeine than one cup of coffee, that the energy they provide is all natural plant based nutrients - nothing dangerous or manufactured. Once again I'm swollen from the restaurant food, but as usual I'll pay attention to getting in more water today to flush that away. And I have a blister from wearing new shoes (how dumb was that) so I might stick to bike rides this week depending on how fast that heals.

It's good to be home and back to healthy meals. A crunchy salad with raw veggies & garbanzo's for lunch and a home made dressing of avocado, tomato, green onion, cilantro, a date & some ac vinegar; a very delicious, thick and rich dressing. Plus my six shakes of Cheat of course and my afternoon Accelerate. I still love my standard salad with beans for lunch, but I'm going to cut back on the amount of beans for a bit as soon as this last batch of sprouted chick peas is gone; I've been eating them everyday for months and I feel the need to change things up a bit and I'm putting some lentils in to sprout this week.

Then off to Costco for Blueberries (twice as many fresh for half as much as the frozen - yay!) a big bag of spinach , a flat of peaches and a couple of large bottles of the Odwalla green Superfood drink. I'm thinking I'll use that blend instead of fruit (it's mostly pureed fruit) to change up my smoothies for a while; half a serving has 500mg of spirulina plus wheat & barley grasses, wheat sprouts and some other good things.

Rice for dinner was quick and easy since it came in a bag from Trader Joe's precooked and mixed with roasted veggies. I added in some frozen veggies that needed to be used up and made a spicy sauce using a poblano pepper and it was wonderful. And of course I used my Cheat on both lunch & dinner. I realized today that I forgot to take any Flush with me for the weekend away from home, and went to bed so early last night I didn't have the 'hour before bed time' that I needed. Oh well, back on track tonight. It's important to remember that the four parts of this program all work together; they all need to be used to create the synergy - the Nutrient Fusion - that means success! Just like last Sunday, I'm excited to start another week on Core4 tomorrow - these weeks are flying by!

A weekend of Archery

What a great weekend. Pre-making and packing the green smoothies is such a great way to have a nutritious meal before a competition. Adding in the Lean gives the smoothies enough oomph so that even shooting for four hours I don't need a snack like I use to with the regular smoothies.

Saturday - about 160 arrows shot over 7 hours. I started my day with green smoothie and an english muffin (dry). The sponsors of the shoot provided a bbq lunch and had Boca burgers available. I passed on the mayo, brownie & soda and loaded up on the produce for my veggie burger. I wouldn't buy those for home, I am just not crazy about the flavour, but a healthier alternative at least. I think. Then out for a beer and dinner afterwards. I tried the Vegetarian Thai pasta - thick noodles and broccoli in a spicy peanut sauce. It was a little too sweet and not enough spice, but at least I got some more carbs in for another day of shooting.

Sunday - Same breakfast; it seems to work well to satisfy my urge for 'a treat since we're eating out' to get the muffin while not going crazy on fat and salt. Then another morning of shooting - this time head to head matches, getting our ranking in order for the afternoon's olympic round. Today we headed out for lunch and settled on Togos. I had their hummus sandwich, but skipped the may, subbing in avocado, and passed on the bread in favor of a sun dried tomato wrap. I'll have to look that up and see if it's really healthier or not. Then another afternoon of shooting, bring the total to about 150 including practice arrow. And these two days were really fast paced, with not much time for any sitting. We were on our feet either shooting or walking all day both days. I made it to the gold medal match, but came away with silver - which I might add I am not unhappy about at all! For dinner my honey drove through and picked up food from Carl's Jr. while I went to pick up the dog. For me he brought home their bean & cheese burrito, sans cheese plus rice. Once I was home I chopped up a quick salad of romaine & red peppers, cut up the burrito to throw in with some taco sauce and some more avocado. Hmmmm, maybe I'm eating too much fat :) But I'm on my last avocado, so tomorrow should see the end of that for a bit. I do tend to splurge in batches. Not really binging, but buying in bulk and then eating the same thing for a while, then going without for a while. I guess it all balances out.

Mostly this weekend was a little different because even though I had them with me I didn't snack on the nuts and dried blueberries. Well, except for dessert Saturday night - I almost forgot about that. But tonight we didn't pick up any ice cream or anything sweet. We hit the hot tub with a big glass of cold water once the sun had gone down, and I had one sun warmed tomato off my plant in the back yard - that was good enough for me! All in all a great weekend, and I mostly remembered to use all my Core4 products. Speaking of which, blogger now can link the title to a web page, so I will use that to make access to my Core4 site just an easy click away. If you're interested in Cheating and Eating to lose weight and\or inches, that's the place to sign up for free and order!