Diet Fusion

"Diet Fusion" is customization, finding what works for you, depending on your life stage. If there is one thing we have learned, it is that having only one diet for fitness regimen works for very few people. People succeed when they discover what works for them within their lifestyle. -Peertrainer Tip of the Day

The idea that you can combine elements of different diet and fitness programs to create a holistic program isn't exactly new. It's pretty intuitive, but something that I have sort of forgotten after many strict diets that I tried and fell off of so many times. I'm glad that PT reminded me of this today. Another reccommendation from the tip of the day email:

Begin to write down the different things that have worked for you in the past. Dieting is so hard that we sometimes get caught in only remembering what stopped working. But before something stopped working, it was working. Right?

Right. So, what has worked for me in the past? Well, the first thing that comes to mind was the six or seven-month period when I was still in Monahans, going to kickboxing classes and water aerobics, then yoga classes three times a week and walking with Nancy. During that time, I did get sort of tired of exercising, but I felt really good about myself. My diet wasn't always perfect, but I tried a lot of different things and the cabbage soup diet was something that helped me even when I didn't follow it to the letter. That's what worked. Also, I was busy and productive at that time - I was working, taking online classes, keeping my hands and mind occupied. I think that was a huge part of what kept me going strong.

This spring, what worked was my Curves membership - it really kept me motivated, and I went almost every day. It worked while I was doing it, and working out at Curves was a pleasant experience, if I didn't love the music that they played or the exact atmosphere. Perhaps joining a gym with different classes would be a benefit for me when I go back to school full-time.

Now, some happy photos from earlier this week outside the apartment - I decided to go on a walk with my camera. Healthy, and fun. :)

I can.

1. I can do this.
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37. I can do this!
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50. I can do this. I can. I can. I can do anything.

Breakfast Options.

I skip breakfast all the time. Almost regularly. Actually, since being home from my last trip, I've been eating so irregularly that it's embarrassing. And I've gained weight because of this. Ick!

So, in the future, I'll choose one of these options instead:

- Whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Or PB and banana. Or Simply Fruit jelly. Or PB and honey. And a glass of low-fat milk.

- Frozen banana and Spirutein smoothie. Or just a Spirutein shake. Or a fruit and yogurt smoothie, with whatever I have lying around.

- Fruit/vegetable juice combo if I'm really running low on time.

- Cold, non-sugary wheat cereal with plenty of fiber and 2% milk.

- Hot cereal with barley, oats, etc, and honey and milk to flavor.

- Baked sweet potato with vanilla yogurt, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

- Just yogurt.

- Whole wheat homemade waffles with fresh blueberries. Or homemade wheat pancakes. Serve with turkey bacon and fruit juice.

Ohhhh.

I must not let this blog die! I need this blog to live as much as I need to lose weight and get serious about being healthy. I need to post here often - if not every single day, multiple times each day - to remind myself. To remind myself of everything that I know but love to forget.

Beach.

Image via Wikipedia

I'm going to Texas! I'm leaving on July 7th to spend two glorious weeks catching some rays on the Gulf coast with my family dow there. It will be SO wonderful to be back on Texas soil, to see my dad, and to just kick back and relax on the beach. Shopping. Eating seafood. Laying out on the beach with a good book. I can feel the sunshine already.

So, in preparation of this glorious week of sunshine, I'm beginning a six-day detox/weight loss extravaganza. Yesterday, while browsing the aisles at my local Barnes & Noble a yellow polka-dotted book caught my eye. The title? Bikini Fit, by Hamlyn. It's a four-week plan to get ready for bikini season. Now, I know I'm starting a little late. I also know that no amount of intensive training could get me comfortable enough with myself to wear a bikini in a mere four weeks. But, maybe in one week I can be a little more comfortable in my tankini and swim shorts.

So, I'm beginning a one-week detox and exercise program tomorrow. The plan is as follows:

• Day 1: Liquids only. Water, herbal tea, and fresh fruit/vegetable juice.
• Day 2: Liquids and fresh fruit.
• Day 3: Liquids, fresh fruit, and raw veggies.
• Day 4: Liquids, fresh fruit, raw veggies, and beans.
• Day 5: Liquids, fresh fruit, raw veggies, beans, and steamed veggies.
• Day 6: Liquids, fresh fruit, raw veggies, beans, steamed veggies, and short-grain brown rice.

Day 6 (the day before I leave) will also involve a pedicure and new haircut to reward myself for being so good, and possibly a new swimsuit to take with me. :) I'll do one 45-minute workout each day - alternately walking, jogging, and jumping rope, and weight sessions before my cool-down to tone my upper arms (as much as is possible in so short a time). At the very least, when I leave for my trip I'll feel a whole lot better about myself and have a foundation of good choices so I don't go crazy with food when I get there.

Contest!

Image by on2wheelz via Flickr

One of my favorite healthy living blogs (John is Fit) is having a contest! Go check it out (and pick up some great motivation/tips).

John also has some great product reviews. I'm always looking for new (read: FUN) ways to work out, and the Razor RipStik sounds interesting. Potentially painful without extensive body padding, but interesting. :D

Refined Snacking.

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

I'm in the peach state this week! (That's Georgia, y'all.)Yay! Unfortunately, the peaches aren't quite ripe yet, but I plan on going on peach overload as soon as I find a fruit stand that has them. :)

Well, the big challenge mentioned in the below post came to a head a few days ago. The climax involved a massive tension headache and me trying to figure out how many different ways I could kick myself and get the point across that SOMETHING had to change.

So, I went to Wal-Mart. Bought a skein of baby yarn for a charity hat project I'm working on(new, soft yarn provides about the same level of comfort as a bag of potato chips). Then I took a deep breath and headed over to the food aisle.

Because I'm now a bonafide full-time traveller, wanderer, and explorer, I'm living out of a hotel room. Which means my only kitchen is a micro-fridge, micro being the operative word. I decided to buy enough food for about three days - then I could go back, buy another skein of yarn, and restock on healthy vittles. I bought a couple of the healthier frozen dinners, shaved chicken, wheat bread, and provolone cheese to make sandwiches in the middle of the day. Also a bag of baby carrots, two apples and a small bunch of bananas. I'm not too keen on raw veggies, but I knew I could handle some baby carrots (yum!), and fruit is always a welcome refreshment.

And - it worked. I began my boycott of fast-food joints (haven't missed them). For the first time in twelve years of travelling, I've only had one fast-food meal in two weeks. It's cheaper, it's more enjoyable (think no grease/ketchup stains... ugh), it's healthier.

So I did that for one week, but at the end of the week when I looked back to summarize my progress, I realized that my snacking was pretty out of control. Candy bars and bags of Chex-Mix are pretty much as bad as fast food itself, and I was most definitely overindulging. It was getting expensive, too. :(

I didn't have to think about it much to decide that I wouldn't really miss the Skittles and salty snacks, as long as I had a healthy alternative prepared ahead of time so I wouldn't get hungry (or get the munchies) in the midafternoon. So I turned to my yarn enablement/weight loss support group on Ravelry (yes, I know I have a problem). Like always, they inspired me and overwhelmed me with delicious, healthy options. That necessitated another trip Wal-Mart (I didn't feel the need to buy yarn this time!). I just bought some dried apricots and unsalted almonds, and restocked on fresh fruit. I already had some Kashi granola bars from the week before (the kind with almonds and flax).

This feels natural. Completely un-diet-like. I'm pretty excited about it.