Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Things are going really well. I have come to learn a few new things about myself in just the past couple of weeks. First, about my blood sugar (hypoglycemia)...All the time I have had to deal with my blood sugar plummeting because I hadn't eaten, I would just EAT to keep my sugar level decent, or at least to the point where I didn't feel an oncoming passing out episode. Well, DUH...as I was cleaning out the cupboard, I pulled out my bottle of glucose tablets from the back, and realized a whole lot in one split second.

I believe that since the time I was diagnosed with my PCOS and hypoglycemia that it has been basically a free license for me to eat. I was told to eat several times per day. THEIR words were several SMALL meals per day. Well, me and my brain decided that the word SMALL in that sentence, didn't need to be there. What me and my brain coherently coded that sentence to mean was 'EAT ALL DAY'. There came my eating 'habit'.

I eat when my sugar is low. Which is often if I only eat when I'm truly hungry. ~Enter glucose tablets~

Yeah...HELLO MCFLY!!! I have been realizing I truly don't have much of an appetite. When my sugar is dropping I take a glucose tablet. VIOLA!!! Sugar levels are better and I didn't consume 300 calories to get it that way.

Can someone please explain to me why the most obvious solutions seem to take forever to make themselves appear?? Ok...so maybe it's just me...wouldn't be the first time.

Anyhow, after my great loss the week before last, this past Saturday was a gain. But, I knew it was one of those 'couple days' where it's up and it's a fluke thing. For the first time I think EVER I didn't let it get me down. I had this little voice telling me not to let it get me. It was a fluke. And it was right. After basically eating less, moving more (we all know we've heard it a million times) I am down 6 lbs. from the gain I had mid-week last week. It's keeping me motivated, and just figuring a few things out feels like a brand new start.

I don't want to jinx myself or anything, so I'm gonna leave it at this...take my advice and listen to your body. Find simple solutions. Don't read more into what needs to be done to complete this journey than needed. Get up. Move. Eat when HUNGRY. It works. It really works.

~ * Lisa * ~

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Sunday, May 15, 2005

First, some good news...I got on Lippy last night AND used my Body Ball Go me Felt awesome!!!

About the changes...I just spent the last hour and a half going through AGAIN and re-naming files because people are STILL direct linking to me. I am going to have to pull my blinkies, and possibly re-add them as zip files. I don't know what else to do. Not long ago, my entire site was copied and stolen and put up on another site. This is insane. Are the graphics and blinkies really THAT important to someone??? Alot of years and hard work has gone into my site and I've about had it. I have better things to do than protect all the work I have done. It my come down to passwording the entire site and only regular visitors and friends will be allowed access...If anyone has any ideas, please pass em along. I hate for you all to have one more password to have to store. Mel, I know you can help LOL...I would need some help from you if you can...Thanks guys!!!!

~ * Lisa * ~

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Saturday, May 14, 2005

JOURNAL...JOURNAL...JOURNAL...JOURNAL...JOURNAL...JOURNAL

You would think after 3 years of doing WW, I would stick to the journaling. Weigh-in this morning, up 0.5 lbs. Not a huge deal, but any loss would have been nicer.

So, I'm not really in a chatty kinda mood to be here for the past few days, as you have noticed. No particular reason, just staying active/busy. So it's a good thing. But I wanted to add a little info on the stability/exercise Balls in case any of you are thinking of picking one up.

Here are general guidelines for buying the right size stability ball:

If you are -

Under 4’6” (137 cm): 30 cm ball (12 inches)

4’6”–5’0” (137-152 cm): 45 cm ball (18 inches)

5’1”--5’7” (155-170 cm): 55 cm ball (22 inches)

5’8”--6’2” (173-188 cm): 65 cm ball (26 inches)

Over 6’2”(188 cm): 75 cm ball (30 inches)

I had never seen any measurements before I got my ball and I didn't know what size was proper for me, and as luck would have it, I did get the right size. Mine is a 65 cm ball, as I'm 6'0" tall

I have recently been invited to travel to New Jersey in mid-August for the bridal shower for my soon to be SIL. I need some weight gone NOW.

Here's the plan:

EXERCISE...JOURNAL...WATER...POINTS....JOURNAL....EXERCISE...JOURNAL...EXERCISE...JOURNAL...and did I mention EXERCISE?!?!?!?!

On Oprah's show yesterday, one of her rules for weight loss having 8 work-out sessions per week. I forget how long each is to be, but I'm assuming 30-60 minutes per session. I just tried to find that answer on her boot camp pages, but no luck. Anyhow, I seriously need to get myself motivated again. Asking for a little @$$ kicking here really wouldn't work, it is, afterall, up to ME, right??? I wish I had a buddy here. Right here. That I could depend on to be here daily and do this with me. Wonder if that would help. It's still about ME though, right? So poop on my invisible-non-existant buddy...I'm doing this for ME!!!!

Also on her show, Bob Greene was on and said not to weigh in for the first 2 months because of water weight fluctuation. Oprah said she can't do that. She has to see the loss of the first week to keep her motivated to keep moving, then she can go without. Even to weigh-in every other week. So I'm mulling over avoiding the scale, but I'm afraid that will spiral out of control. Who knows, I'll think about it.

I just need to get my head outta my patootie.

~ * Lisa * ~

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Saturday, May 7, 2005

THANK GOODNESS!! Clint came home last night The girls and I picked him up at the airport yesterday at 5:00 p.m. Abbie and Megan were like magnets to him. I had to carry his bags and he had one girl in each arm. It was the sweetest thing. He was even all teary and barely able to speak when he saw us all standing there. It was awesome. We had a nice dinner all together after we left the airport, and spent some family time here last night, the girls got all their surprises from Texas, and it was just an awesome night together.

Today we spent outside almost the entire day. I literally did more than 6 hours straight outside, digging holes for new trees we got for the yard. We put in 4 new trees, and it consisted of Clint mowing the lawn and I dug the holes for every single tree, then emptied that dirt from the trailer into low spots in the yard, then shoveling new top soil from the pile and onto the trailer, putting the tree in its hole and shoveling the new top soil around it. I also push-mowed around everything in the yard to help Clint out, before I did the trees.

We had breakfast at 8:30 a.m. this morning and it's now almost 8:00 p.m. and he and I haven't eaten since then. STARVING.

I forgot to weigh in this morning, so I may have had a little better of a weigh-in if I would have, but I weighed in tonight and I am still down 2 lbs. I am very happy about that still

I have yet to get to work out on my body ball. It keeps giving me the 'eye'...not sure if it's because it's still 'nameless' or if because I blew her all up and haven't used her. The girls have had more fun with her than I have. They love it. Meggie even tells Clint as she lays on the floor 'you have to put your hands like THIS' and proceeds to tuck her hands behind her head like any pro sit-up queen would, while she puts her barely able to reach feet up on the ball.

So that's it for me. We bought 'National Treasure' last night on DVD, so I'm running to the store for a couple of things Clint wants for breakfast tomorrow and then when I get back we are going to order pizza and watch the movie and maybe have a teeny sliver of the Dairy Queen ice cream cake that we welcomed Clint home with. I burned enough calories today to have a treat I think Ice cream ALWAYS makes sore muscles feel better, right?? RIGHT???

~ * Lisa * ~

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Monday, May 2, 2005

I have been in awe of the workout balls that are all the rage for awhile now. They look awesome and I have been told they make you feel really uncoordinated on them at first, but after you get the hang of it, it's really a great workout piece. I do awesome on my Lippy, but I think I need a little more added in to work my belly and other areas a bit more. So here it is...

Click here to see her...

I got her at Wal-Mart...did you see the price on that site??? I got her for $13.99 at Wal-Mart. Sears also has a set of 3 on sale right now for $19.99 or $29.99 I can't remember which, but if you have been thinking of getting one, that would be a great deal too.

Now to come up with a name for her too...can't let her feel left out...'Nubby' maybe? I'll think of something Go and see her, then if you feel creative, leave me a comment with a name for the little lady Of course when Clint called (he comes home Friday finally, BTW, almost a MONTH since I've seen him) he had OTHER ideas that it could come in handy for...ummm...little too much info, huh? LOL Hey it's been awhile...

I'll leave you with that thought...if you DO decide to continue your visits here, Bless You

~ * Lisa * ~

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Sunday, May 1, 2005

Most of you already know there is a 'secret' that I started a month ago. I'm gonna spill it. The results I'm not sure of as of yet...I'm going to continue with it and see the difference again in a month to see if it's really helping me along.

Just over a month ago, I found out that my aunt, who goes to the gym pretty regularly was talking with her trainer about how to lose more of the belly fat. Her trainer told her about CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid). It's a dietary supplement (NOT a diet pill in the least). It is all natural and is found in foods that are often limited while dieting, such as milk, other dairy and beef. He told her to go to GNC and pick it up there. On the bottle it has a dosage suggestion of 1-3 gel caps per day. He told my aunt to take NO LESS than 3 per day. So for the past month I have been taking 4 per day. Two in the morning and two in the afternoon or evening. And you have to take them continuously for one month before you will see the results that CLA can give you. Here are the changes I have seen in the last week or so after having CLA in my system for a month:

I'm not as starving-hungry all the time.

My blood sugar has seemed to be on an even keel. I am Hypoglycemic and have PCOS and from that I am insulin resistant, and tend to get the 'shakes' from not eating even when I'm not hungry enough to eat. This has subsided.

I don't feel as fatigued.

I lost 4.5 lbs. this past week after a 2 week stall.

I cannot say for sure that these things are just from the CLA supplements alone, but I can tell you I have been struggling from all of the above for the last few years and it all seems to be chillin' out a bit recently. Like I said, I do want to see in another month where I am to have definite results, but so far I really like what it's doing for me. You are supposed to take your waist/belly/hip measurements when you first start taking them, and then again after 30 days and see the changes. I forgot to do this so I don't have that result for you. Here are the shown benefits that taking CLA can have:

Increases metabolic rate -- This would obviously be a positive benefit for thyroid patients, as hypothyroidism -- even when treated -- can reduce the metabolic rate in some people.
Decreases abdominal fat -- Adrenal imbalances and hormonal shifts that are common in thyroid patients frequently cause rapid accumulation of abdominal fat, so this benefit could be quite helpful.
Enhances muscle growth -- Muscle burns fat, which also contributes to increased metabolism, which is useful in weight loss and management.
Lowers cholesterol and triglycerides -- Since many thyroid patients have elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, even with treatment, this benefit can have an impact on a thyroid patient's health.
Lowers insulin resistance -- Insulin resistance is a risk for some hypothyroid patients, and lowering it can also help prevent adult-onset diabetes and make it easier to control weight.
Reduces food-induced allergic reactions -- Since food allergies can be at play when weight loss becomes difficult, this can be of help to thyroid patients.
Enhances immune system -- Since most cases of thyroid disease are autoimmune in nature, enhancing the immune system's ability to function properly is a positive benefit.
Cancer-fighting potential -- CLA can suppress cancer development in animals, and in human cancer cell lines in vitro. It inhibits inflammatory compounds that trigger tumor growth and has been shown to shrink some tumor growths.

There are other benefits as well that I read about before I even started to take these, and have yet to find any side effects other than loose stools in a small % of people that take them but subsides after about 2 weeks of taking them. I have had no side effects at all.

This is in no way here to try and get you to take these supplements. When I find out about something that sounds promising, I don't mind being the guinea pig to try these things out when it could very well benefit myself and anyone out there that may be interested. Just as the Green tea research that I did and posted here. It's here for your information and for you to make your own conclusions from.

So there it is...the secret you have all been waiting for. Maybe not as 'sparkly' as some of you may have hoped, but I see definite positive changes, and will continue at least for one more month to determine definite results

~ * Lisa * ~

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