Hey Everybody!
Phew! It's been a while, no!?!
I am here to check in with you, and we'll see what else happens.
So, update: I have lost about 30 pounds..
"Was it through Raw Food?" You ask.
"Kind of!" I reply.
You may remember a post from some time ago when I made my first, or fourth - or eleventh - attempt at returning to 100% Raw. I GAINED 10 POUNDS in 1 month!
By the time I returned to California, in October, I think it was...I weighed in right back at 190 pounds. FUUUUUUUCK! That's what happens when I don't exercise and I'm consuming over 3,000 calories/day!
I had a hardcore reality check once I started counting my calories! How this came about: I have a very special friend - whom I absolutely adore - who was constantly referring to her food journal. It really chapped my ass to hear her talk about writing down her food intake. Mind you, this girl is absolutely beautiful, in amazing shape and just a gem of a human being in general. So, why - I thought - in the hell would she be counting her calories?
Then, it hit me: Wow, it's really annoying that she does this. Why? So, I decided to try it, just for one day. I decided to see what I was REALLY eating. Because, at this point, it was - although, unconsciously - A LOT! Over 3,000! I immediately saw the benefits of this behavior. Now, did I start counting my calories everyday? Absolutely not. I haven't the patience to carry a notebook around with me. You may have picked up on it - I'm not really the accounting type. I would rather hire one, than be one. BUT, what it did do for me, was allow me to become conscious of JUST HOW MUCH I was eating. That was enough to drastically reduce my food intake.
Then, upon reaching California, I talked to someone who tried the HCG diet. Look it up, it sounds absolutely crazy - but it worked. I bought the 40 day kit and did it for about 20 days. I slipped quite a bit, but still managed to lose about 12-15 pounds. Although I didn't lose the 20-30 pounds fully, what DID happen, was that I retrained my eating habits - which, to me, was such a blessing, as that was the problem! The rest of the HCG drops, I gave to my food journaling friend - whom I should check-in with and see how she's doing with it! Btw, she needed to lose no weight, so why she wanted the drops is beyond me, but to each their own!
So, here I am, December 4th, 2011, sitting at between 163-166, I would estimate. I'm remarkably happy with my body and look forward to small, incremental changes in my physique over an extended period of time! I have no specific workout routine, although I do belong to the YMCA and have a weight lifting 'regime' - which I do in the event that there isn't a group exercise class I want to participate in when I get there. I no longer enjoy the stairmaster, or any of those other machines, I find it hard to stay inspired. When I'm in the group classes, there's a sense of camraderie I find really enjoyable. I guess there's just something about lumbering around, gasping for air with a lot of other sweaty people that really gets me excited, lol. Plus, it's a humbling experience to see a 53 year old woman kicking ass in a Turbokick class, while I'm totally struggling and looking a fool! The beauty of most of these group exercise classes is that even the people who are totally great at them and know the routines really well, still look absolutely ridiculous! So, if you have wanted to try something like that, just do eeeeeeeeeeeet - and don't 'sweat' the rest!
One thing I would add, is that I have started going to a meditation group between 2-3 nights per week, and I meditate on my own for 15 minutes each night that I don't go to the group. It has really been an amazing experience! I believe that it has helped me to release a lot of the thinking that was keeping the weight on. If it sounds great to you, maybe try it! The distinction for me between a great meditation session and a bammer one, is how much I am able to 'tune in' to my surroundings. At one point, I thought meditation required me to 'tune everything out', and at some point this giant ball of light would appear and everything would get totally silent and I would feel like I was floating....NOT MY EXPERIENCE! In fact, that kind of thinking about meditation almost ruined the experience for me. Now, when there's a train going by, I tune into it. Car doors slamming? Tune into it! Someone's stereo too loud? Tune into it! It's about tuning in and letting go for me.
Well, it is wonderful to 'see' you all again, I look forward to writing more and more and more and more! I also might add, that today, I was 100% raw. I didn't plan it, just woke up and said to myself, 'this could be the day..' and it was.
Love,
Ar
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