Oxycise and Healthy Eating

I was reminded this morning that oxygen is what burns fat!  When I Oxycise and do those deep, cleansing breaths, I am giving every cell in my body the benefit of oxygen.  Not only giving it the benefit of oxygen, but cleaning out the carbon dioxide with the powerful exhale that Oxycisers do.

Recently, my daughter turned me on to The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.  I borrowed the book from the library and have enjoyed reading it.  I'm still committed to Eat and Be Lean, but I like eating cleaner than the recipes in the Eat and Be Lean manual, which are meant to be more transitory especially in the beginning.  I like the idea of eating clean because live foods are much more beneficial for the body.  Ms Reno's program is really quite in line with Eat and Be Lean in many ways:  eating six times a day, not counting calories, eating high energy vs. low energy foods and the importance of exercise, to name a few.  Ms. Reno also has several cookbooks.  I love the idea of being able to cook healthy food that is not only good for you, but is delicious too, especially since I have a husband who is not into healthy eating per se.  I'm really excited to try some of her recipes and see if we (especially my husband) like them.

Progress

After posting my latest measurements and making a comparison, I'm pleased with my progress.  I've come to realize that I have been murmuring about my program.  The murmuring has taken my focus away from what I'm supposed to do.  It's been interesting to realize the opposition I've been experiencing--not from family members, but from opposing information that I have allowed to cloud my thinking.  I have recommitted to the Eat and Be Lean program and have been working at following the program especially writing everything down that I eat.

I have also recommitted to Oxycising since I have been very slothful about exercising for the last couple of weeks.  It felt good to do those deep breathing exercises again.

I Finally Get It!

After struggling with on-again, off-again success, I had an absolutely awful day when I experienced some deep depression and self-hate.  I gave into some cravings and immediately felt horrible.  There were a lot of tears and feelings of hopelessness.

I have read about people going on cleanses and releasing some awful emotional baggage.  I am currently on a candida cleanse.  I don't know if that had anything to do with what I went through, but  after a good night's sleep I was a different person!

I realized that the only person that can make me happy is me.  The only person that can make me succeed is me.  I must take responsibility for my own happiness, health and success.  It sounds so simple when I put it into words like that, but it was such a strong, powerful epiphany for me!  I finally got it!

Since that time I have done really well.  For the most part I am sticking with my candida cleanse, taking my supplements and eating the foods I'm supposed to.  I'm seeing progress.  Sometimes Mark and I go out to eat, or I get invited to lunch.  I do the best I can in those situations because I am not about to sit home and go nowhere.  I still have a life to live.

It has just been a lot easier, and I'm so grateful for that!

My husband took me to a sporting goods store and we ended up buying me some new shorts and shirts.  But the awesome thing is I could fit into a size 12!  Woohoo!!  The Oxycise and candida cleanse is working and I'm making some good progress.  The last time I measured myself I lost another 4.5".  You know it's 1/4" here and 1/4" there, but it all adds up.  I'm so excited I'm going to pull out some of my smaller pants and see if any of them fit.

I have three sets of measurements to post.   

10 1/4 Inches Lost So Far!

I kind of started off slow and have had some set backs, but since I first measured myself February 3rd to today, April 24th, I have lost a total of 10 1/4 inches overall.  My biggest inch loss has come from my waist and abdominal area where I need it the most. 

I am pleased with this progress.  I don't have a scale, so I don't know how much I weigh, although I weighed one evening at the grocery store on a big scale and was pleased that I had lost most of the weight I gained over the period of time I was in Salt Lake and the stressful time of moving and getting here. 

This is encouraging.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I'm sure many will be able to relate to the ups and downs of the journey towards self improvement.  If I only wrote in here about my successes, that would not be a true picture.  Some days I do really well, and others I feel like I have failed miserably!  Some days I KNOW I can succeed, and other days I am just as sure I will never make it, that it's impossible!

What is the saying?  You only fail if you stay down after falling.  I don't intend to stay down!

I hope to be able to write about my successes.  I will not give up.  That would be too easy.  If any of you are struggling, don't you give up either!  I love Gordon B. Hinckley's optimistic quote:  "Don't get discouraged, everything will work out."  It will!

A Couple of Challenges

I have a couple of things I'm trying to get a handle on;  one is gluten sensitivity, and the other is candida.  I'm doing pretty well with avoiding gluten, although I have to say that I'm not perfect.  The candida problem is trickier.  I'm trying to avoid sugar (it's in so many things!) and I've got some other ideas to work with it. 

I read a good thought posted by Ann Louise Gittleman:  "There's a lot of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven't the time to enjoy it."--Josh Billings  My goal is to get to a place where I can enjoy my life free from food obsessions and worry about my weight.  In the meantime,
I may need to sacrifice for a while, but I still intend to enjoy my life.  This is a journey.  Obviously I have things to learn or I would have overcome this by now.  That being said, I have been blessed with a unique opportunity to be here in South Florida.  I intend to enjoy and learn from the experiences that come.

Tool Four-Facial Magic

I hope to have pictures for this soon.  Just as our muscles need exercise, our faces need exercise too.  Facial Magic is a program that teaches how to do that. When I noticed my face looking older, I wondered if there wasn't a way to get a younger looking face without botox or surgery.    One day I saw an infomercial for Facial Magic and realized that was my answer.  I ordered the program.  I have used it off and on, but have finally gotten serious about being consistent.  I have been very pleased with the results.  

Check out the link:  http://www.cynthiarowland.com/overview_fm.php

Tool Three-Mind Movies

 The way we think has a great deal to do with what we accomplish in life.  So, positive affirmations can be very powerful.  Add pictures and music and your affirmations become even more powerful.  This is what a mind movie is. When I learned about Mind Movies, I knew it was a powerful tool for good.  I got so excited!   I made one for my health and weight loss.  Watch my mind movie: (You may have to copy and paste the link, it doesn't seem to be working from here.)

  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3401454030839

Check out mindmovie.com to learn more.  You can also download six pre-made mind movies for free.  Mind Movies are AWESOME!

Tool Two-Oxycise!

When I Oxycise! I feel energized throughout my body from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes!  And the amazing thing is the workouts are only 15 minutes.  Who can't do 15 minutes? The aerobic benefits are immediate.  You don't have to exercise for 20 minutes before getting into the heart rate zone.   

This information from the website lists the wonderful benefits of Oxycise:

"Oxycise!
. . . a simple, powerful diaphragmatic breathing technique combined with flexing and contracting of all muscle groups.  This increases cell oxygenation throughout the entire body and thereby weight loss. With Oxycise! you:

1.      burn calories faster than conventional exercise

2.      increase round-the-clock metabolism

3.      get rid of fat and cellulite

4.      lose weight

5.      lose inches

6.      lower your body's set point (that is, the natural weight your body determines is right for you and tenaciously fights to defend)

7.      build lean body mass

8.      lower your body fat percentage

9.      reshape your abdomen, thighs, buttocks, legs arms, face, and neck

10.  increase endurance

11.  increase strength

12.  increase flexibility

13.  save time

14.  save money

15.  reduce stress

16.  improve energy level

17.  improve alertness

18.  strengthen back and spine

19.  strengthen bones and joints

20.  improve skin tone

21.  improve blood circulation

22.  maximize oxygen consumption

23.  improve digestion and elimination

24.  bring your body shape and weight into a healthy balance

25.  see and feel the results the first week!"

There are hundreds of success stories from people who have used Oxycise! and benefited from it.  For anyone who is interested in learning more, check out their website: oxycise.com

Tool One: "Eat and Be Lean"

There are thousands and thousands of programs available for weight loss.  The Eat and Be Lean program is a program I've known about for quite a while now.  But in the past, I was always one who would get a program, read through it, find something I didn't like about it and then move on to something else. I have probably spent thousands of dollars on different programs.

This time I wanted it to be different.  I had three programs I was considering.  I prayed to know which one was best for me.  I knew that I  could finally succeed if I did what God told me to do.  The answer was very clear.  It was the "Eat and Be Lean" program.  Since that time, I have had more than one assurance that this is right for me.

The "Eat and Be Lean" program is not a quick weight loss program.  It is a way to become healthy from the inside out.  The amazing thing about this program is the hope it gives me to finally be free from weight and food obsessions.  I want to stop worrying about my weight and look outwards to other people and other projects.

The web site has a free on-line course.  There are many success stories and they are amazing.  This is a wonderful program.  I encourage anyone who might be interested to check out the following address:

eatandbelean.com

"Happy Eating", as Chris Thornock would say.

My Story

I have struggled with my weight all of my life.  My kindergarten picture looks like I should be two children.  That must have been alarming to my parents.  The interesting thing is they tell me when I was very little I ran everywhere.  I'm not sure when or why I began to gain weight.

My mother was a dance teacher, so weight was a big deal, plus she struggled with it herself.  The only way we knew of back then to lose weight was to diet.  I learned in grade school how to diet and I remember I skipped lunch many times.  Eat less, lose weight.

I look back on my grade school pictures and now that I'm older, I don't think I looked that bad.  But I did get called "fatso" in school. 

In junior high and high school I slimmed down because of my dancing, but I was always on a diet, and most days I skipped lunch. 

What's interesting is I was usually 110 during the school year, but during the summer I would gain to around 125.  I am almost 5' 3" so really 125 is not that bad.  But for a dancer, the thinner, the better  was our mind set.

At college I continued to dance and diet.  Even a few pounds overweight and I was told I needed to lose.  It was a constant battle.

One Christmas, my husband-to-be gave me a pair of pants that were too small.  They were a size five.  Instead of getting a bigger size, I promised him I would lose weight to get into them.  What was I thinking?  I wasn't ever able to.  What in the world was the matter with a size 7 anyway?  I weighed 107, which was actually a perfect weight for me.  Like I said, I had some really warped thinking going on about my body!

 
Weight has been a big issue in my marriage partly because I gained a lot of weight with each child I had.  It got more and more difficult to lose the weight I gained.  I went on all kinds of diets and tried diet pills (thankfully I hated the way they made me feel)  I even learned how to stick my finger down my throat and throw up. But with every diet, I'd lose, then gain everything back plus more.  The scales continued to creep up and up.

The final straw for my body was the 500 calorie doctor directed diet I did.  Towards the end I kept binging and purging because I was starving for heaven's sake, yet at the time I hated myself  because I didn't have "discipline" enough to stick with the diet.  My body basically told me never to do that to myself again!

Since then I haven't been able to diet much, although I did do Nutrisystem and lost about 40 pounds, only to gain everything back plus more.  Jenny Craig didn't last long either.

At my heaviest I weighed 203 and was around a size 18.  The hardest part about all of this has been my own self image; dealing with the self-hatred has been extremely difficult to overcome.

One of the saddest issues about my weight is all of the things I refused to do because I "needed to lose just a little weight."  One time our family was honored as "Scouting Family of the Year".  They gave us a gift of a family picture, but I kept saying I needed to lose weight before we could do it.  I was a size 12 at the time.  We never got the picture.  What a waste.  That's only one of many examples.  Again, the warped mind-set.

I now know that diets don't work.  I will never go on a diet again.  I am done with the self-hate, the absolute desperation of out of control eating and weight gain.  I understand how the body works because of the Eat and Be Lean program.  It really is possible to eat to complete satisfaction and lose weight.  

My goal is to prove these principles are true.  This is not a quick weight loss program.  I intend to get healthy from the inside out.  I'm in it for the long haul and this time is for keeps.

Tools

The tools I am using for my program are "Eat and Be Lean", "Oxycise", and "Mind Movies". I will be writing about each one in more detail.

Well, Here I Go

I've decided to use this format to "put myself out there" as I work towards my goal of health, wellness and weight loss. I'll be charting my progress as well as discussing the "tools" I am using. I don't expect to see results quickly; it took a long time for me to get to this point. But, with patience, I will see results. Of that I am sure. And this time it will be permanent.