Finally Getting Fit

Thirteen Reasons I’m Looking Forward to the Doctor

1. I feel better than ever. There is nothing like going in for an assessment knowing that you are doing heaps better than you were the last time around.

2. Being told I don’t have to go on metformin. Yeah, I know I don’t have to, but I’m so looking forward to hearing it; to hearing that I’ve found something that beats the bloody PCOS weight loss stall.

3. Getting blood tests. Yeah, blood tests cost and they are a pain in the arse, but I am looking forward to getting them. I want to see how much everything has improved after taking off so many pounds.

4. A trip to inner Melbourne. That’s just plain hard to beat.

5. Seeing my dietitian. She is just an awesome, totally supportive lady. She never makes me feel bad about what I haven’t done; she just encourages me to improve.

6. Seeing my doctor and dietitian having lost weight. Yay! I didn’t think meal replacement would be as successful as it has been. I’m looking forward to what they have to say.

7. Clearer directions on where to go from here. I have heaps more weight to lose - I’m not even halfway to my goal weight yet - but I’m hoping we can start working on other things like improving my fertility and getting me off The Pill. (Yes, I’m back on. I had to unless I wanted to face another round of progesterone. No thanks.)

8. Talk about concerns. As it’s a check in, it’s a prime time to talk about any concerns I have. I don’t have heaps of questions, but I do have some things I’m eager to talk to them about.

9. The official weigh-in. I go by my own scales, of course, but it will be nice to see how I am going according to their scales.

10. Free samples? Hehe. I got a few free meal replacements before, and I’m not above accepting more.

11. Seeing all the preggy ladies. Yeah, I know, but they’re so cute wandering around with their huge bellies.

12. Having the dietitian right when I need her. I’m moving on to the next ‘phase’ of the diet and the timing comes together wonderfully. I can ask her about the foods I’m thinking about incorporating back into my diet.

13. Just because. I ran out of reasons.

***While the original site has been and gone, there is a new site for Thursday Thirteen! Woohoo!

If you’d like to join in with your own Thursday Thirteen - whether or not it’s health related - please leave a link to your list in the comments. I’d love to check it out.

Check out my other Thursday Thirteen at Write Anyway

Today JM and I went for a walk. It dawned as one of those special days Melbourne can put on in the middle of winter, clear blue sky, slightly chilled breeze and a pleasant 14º - in short, a great day to be out and about.

A few years back, when JM first came to Australia, we had to renew her visa so we headed to New Zealand for a holiday. Among other places we visited during a lovely time touring around, was Tauranga a seaside town near Rotorua, a place of sulphur springs (think fart smells) and geysers.

At Tauranga there is a hill out on a point sticking out into the ocean – it’s maybe 350 metres high with a walking track that winds around one side to the top. JM struggled her way to the top, resting when things got too tough, but showing amazing determination – a number of times I assured her she had shown her willingness to strive and that we could head back down knowing she had done a very good thing in getting as far as she did. As usual she was concerned about what I would think of her but I assured her I was already impressed at what she had achieved.

We got to the top; I don’t think I’ve seen anyone ever so proud of themselves. (which brought up a childhood religious issue about being chastised for being proud of things she had done – I explained that pride in achievement is NOT what the bible was talking about)

So, today we set off on a casual walk, no plans for power walk or anything special, just out and about to enjoy the day.

I was quite astonished at how easily she was able to walk at a decent pace. Mind you, she has been improving steadily in pace and stamina over the years we’ve spent together – the gym work and exercises she has been doing have worked wonders. But the difference that’s come from carrying 36lbs less than her normal weight was pretty startling.

Soon I will have to start getting fitter to be able to maintain her pace – up till now, an exercise walk with her has been little more than a stroll for me.

JM is amazing!

Hello all!

This past week I have been feeling like I’ve been off track. I was still doing the meal replacement for most meals and eating healthy food for other meals, but I still had that sense of ‘betraying’ myself and not sticking to the course. While I made good choices, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to stepping over a line that would lead me back to unhealthy eating.

The husband and I had a heart to heart about my eating that really helped me to refocus on what I want. I recognized that I haven’t been reigning myself in as much lately as I should have.

Sometimes all you need to re-inspire yourself and get going again is to say your goals out loud.

Telling my husband all about my next goal and how I’m feeling has really gotten me going this week. I’m back on the elliptical every morning, I have my kick ass attitude back and much more.

The goal I am focusing on right now is getting to the 220 mark by my next doctor’s appointment in August. 220 just so happens to be the 100 kilo mark and I’m all about the even numbers and such.

Not to mention how much I would love to walk into that office three months after my last appointment – the appointment where she said I’d have to go on metformin if I didn’t lose at least a little weight by the next appointment – having lost thirty kilos.

It’s going to be tough, but I think I can do it. And if I don’t get there? I’ve still done an amazing job so far.

How are you going?

SW: 264
LW: 238
CW: 236

Total Squats: 199
Total Push Ups: 147
Total Sit-Ups: 223

Today I saw a gain of two pounds on the scale. One of the nicest things on the planet? Seeing a gain and not freaking out. I went up by about two pounds, but that is still less than I was at last week, so obviously I’m happy. Even despite all that, I think the best part isn’t being less than last week but being okay with the gain I saw this morning.

Sure, I want to do something about it, but it didn’t ruin my day. I just thought about all the things I did yesterday (including not drinking enough water), other factors that could contribute (week before TOM) and that was that. I’m going to do better today. And there you have it.

I guess I’m just stunned over the fact that I can take that sort of thing now. Granted I may have felt differently about a four pound gain, but the best thing about this diet is that my weight doesn’t instantly shoot up huge amount by just thinking about ‘naughty’ things.

Other things are going well. I started the second week (I’m a week behind Cammy *waves*) of the challenge this morning, and I must say that I’m not fond of squats. Hehe. However, I am recovering better and faster than I did in the very beginning, so that is a plus.

I’m having a hard time imagining being any thinner than I am at the moment. I’ve tightened up a bit on my stomach and definitely around my face and neck, but it has been so incredibly long since I was in my 220s (almost there!) that I’m wondering what it (and beyond) will be like.

Wonderful, I’m sure.

I hope you all are doing very well.

I was responding to comments the other night and came across Little Miss Fatty’s Pants weight loss blog. While she is struggling a little bit with things right now, she has taken that all-important step of deciding to make her life a better, longer, healthier one.

I was looking through her past posts, and there was one that contained a letter to her boyfriend.

While her letter was a short one, it conveyed the love she has for her boyfriend and the appreciation she has for him looking out for her.

Well, that inspired me to write a thank-you to my husband…

Dear Mr. JM,

Me

As I mentioned before, I’m combining the triple-threat challenge (hehe, I kind of like that) along with the Tibetan Rites (which I will post about soon, Foodie!). Along with getting out when the sunshine was available, this combination was exactly what I needed (and I knew it would be).

Take a look…

Ah, look at that beauty. And, for my friends who interpret things in pounds…

I am just one pound away from my next reward – new pajama pants! – but I’m not thinking about that very much at the moment. I’m thinking more about how I’m at my lowest weight in years, I feel great and exercise is more than proving itself to be a useful thing!

(Of course, exercise is always useful, but now it’s actually helping the scale to move.)

Things have been a bit weird for me, to be honest, and I’ve been spending a lot of time examining how I feel about things like the weight loss, my life, my work, etc. I’ve been quite stuck in my own head for a while now, but I think that’s okay for the moment. I’m figuring a lot of self-stuff out.

I sincerely hope everyone is doing well.

I’ve mentioned on this blog a few times how I have managed to lose weight before and yet, for some reason, I hit my sabotage point – 244 – and screw it all up in one way or another. For some reason, that number always trips me up. It’s like something clicks in my head and I feel like ‘it’s okay’ to just drop everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

But something different has happened this time.

I talked yesterday about how moving the scale from the lounge to the tiled floor of the kitchen gave me not only a steadier scale that didn’t need constant adjusting but also a six pound difference in my weight.

Well, that six pound difference just so happened to take me right past my sabotage weight and plant me firmly on the other side.

Huh.

The moment I had been dreading trying to get past was suddenly gone. Poof. No need to deal with it.

And I have even lost another two pounds since then.

I always knew that the sabotage point was well and truly just in my mind, but to pass it so easily was… weird. And strangely, a complete non-event.

Knowing that I had suddenly gotten past the sabotage point with ‘no muss no fuss’ has apparently broken whatever hold it had over me in my mind. I smirked at being past it, but I focused more on being near (and now in) my 230s.

Is that weird or what? Something that had been so big to me is just gone.

Hooray!

*NOTE: Anyone who comments on any of Dawson’s posts (spotlight today, guest post tomorrow, interview on Friday) is automatically entered to win a copy of Dawson’s book - The Genie in Your Genes!

***

Hello and welcome to Finally Getting Fit, Dr. Church.

1. Could you give the readers here an easy to understand definition of epigenetic work and what you talk about in your book, Genie in Your Genes?

Epigenetics is the science of the signals that activate genes. Our 24,000 genes contain blueprints for building various proteins. Which genes are active, and which proteins get built, depends partly on the signals we send to our cells. In The Genie in Your Genes (www.GenieBestSeller.com), I show how our consciousness is one of the primary purveyors of epigenetic signals.

2. Is epigenetics all energy work? If not, what other things does it incorporate?

Epigenetic signals are sent to the genes in a variety of ways. Some ways are: messenger molecules like neutrotransmitters, neural synaptic signaling, electromagnetic fields, and possibly using light in the form of biophotons. These can be generated by external environmental cues (food, temperature, predators) or internal ones, like the shifts in consciousness produced by meditation, belief, and EFT.

3. What is EFT?

EFT is short for Emotional Freedom Techniques. It’s the fastest consistent method I’ve ever found for reducing the emotional charge of traumatic memories. It involves pairing the memory with a self-acceptance statement, and then tapping on 12 stress-reduction sites on the body, which send an epigenetic piezolelectric signal through the connective tissue. It often works on physical pain, and cravings, too.

4. Could you share a story of healing?

We use EFT to work with veterans suffering from PTSD (posttraumatic stress syndrome). In a clinical trial I published in a peer-reviewed journal, I tell the story of a particular Vietnam veteran with a particularly troubling memory. He usually went on patrol with his best friend, who would walk on his left. This particular time, his friend was on his right, and was killed by a sniper’s bullet in his right side. This veteran had blamed himself for decades for not “taking the bullet” and saving his friend’s life.

After EFT, his cognitions about the event shifted to include the recognition that his friend would willingly have died for him. Another time I worked with a doctor who had recently fractured her wrist. On a 0 through 10 scale, her pain was a 7. For about 10 minutes we did EFT on a traumatic childhood memory, after which the pain dropped to 1.

5. Can energy medicine and conventional medicine coexist? Is one better than the other?

Integrative medicine combines the best of both. You use conventional medicine for conditions it’s good at treating, such as fractures and infections. You use energy medicine for conditions for which it’s suited, like autoimmune diseases, anxiety and depression.

6. Can epigenetics help couples to achieve a healthier pregnancy?

Without a doubt. Much fetal development is governed epigenetically. The emotional state of both the man and the woman affects fetal development, and when one or both parents are committed to cleaning up their past emotional wounding, they help create a healthy womb environment.

7. Does energy work and other practices mentioned in your book offer hope to anyone suffering with a health problem?

Even if you have a serious disease like cancer or heart disease, energy medicine can help. If you achieve inner peace and emotional balance, studies have shown that the stress reducing effects of peace of mind correlate positively with the need for pain medication and doctor’s visits. The book is full of examples of energy psychology and conventional medicine working harmoniously together, whether it’s for a minor problem like a cold or cut, or a major disease.

8. Where do you think/hope epigenetic study will be in ten years?

In the last 20 years, medical science has developed advanced tools like gene chips that can measure the expression of every single gene in the human body simultaneously. We are now turning this technology to the study of consciousness, and investigating how shifts in consciousness like beliefs, meditation and energy work affect genes. I predict we will find very large and important effects on the genome resulting from changes in consciousness, and we will start to use these findings to bring energy psychology into primary care settings. Expect it in hospitals and clinics within a couple of years.

9. What are you hoping readers take from reading Genie in Your Genes?

The understanding that you have enormous leverage over your health. Also that there are a dozen things you can do in ten minutes or less that can have widespread positive epigenetic effects throughout your body.

10. Where can readers go for more information?

To buy the book, go to www.GenieBestseller.com. If you know a veteran who needs help, send them to www.StressProject.com. And if you have a sports team or business that needs a quantum performance increase, send them to www.EFTPowerTraining.com.

11. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Love yourself. De-stress yourself. Experiment with different stress reduction techniques, and find a toolkit of them you can make your own. A calm emotional environment is the incubator of creativity as well as health. This gift is within your reach, and you deserve it. Don’t put it off; do this today!

I apologize for what is going to turn into a flood of posts. The internet slowed down by heaps earlier this week and is back to speed only today.

And I have so much to talk about!

I went to the doctor last Thursday for a checkup and to get the results for my blood test results from February. Given that I wasn’t called in early or anything, I wasn’t expecting anything too bad. As it turned out, the results were great.

Months before leaving the States, I had a full range of blood tests done. I was diagnosed well and truly pre-diabetic and just teetering the line to Type 2 diabetes. Pairing that up with the ovarian cysts I had, I wasn’t doing well at all.

Earlier this year, I reported the good news that I am now living a cyst free life. The new life I’m leading is even better.

My glucose tolerance test came back completely normal. I’ve reversed being pre-diabetic!

Even though my weight was (with accommodation for my usual TOM weight gain) exactly where I was weight-wise in February, it is nice to know that my efforts have been doing good things.

The appointment was disappointing in some ways because the doctor dismissed some of my concerns about my digestive system, but I had an appointment with my dietician anyway, so I let it pass.

I was a bit annoyed when she said, “Some people just have to exercise more” in regards to my lack of weight loss, but I let that pass, too. I know that I am working hard at a level that works me but encourages me to keep it up for the long term.

It’s a brand new month as of some days ago, and I realized that I haven’t done a monthly goals post in quite a while. I don’t know how many months it has been, but it seems like a few at least.

I bet you can guess what I have decided to do.

I am quite proud for having made it twelve days straight without skipping a single day of exercise and I did not skip a single rep of exercise. Day thirteen saw me with a fairly nasty shoulder/neck strain that took hot baths, pain pills and multiple massages to get out, but that’s just the name of the game.

Mr. JM and I are currently shopping around for some proper office chairs so that sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Setting my back and hips right with exercise and then sitting in a chair that encourages me to slouch is not a good combination. Until we find a nice chair, it’s back to the exercise ball seating for me.

I will confess that part of my prompting for May goals is that I have a doctor’s appointment next week and I’m a bit freaked out. I haven’t lost any weight and the doc is a bit… intense. I know I’ve had glandular fever, stress and all that stuff since the last appointment, but I would at least like to show her that I have some good habits in place.

On to the goals, which I have written on a notecard that is propped against my monitor right now…

1. Keep a food diary. This slipped off when I got glandular fever and could barely keep my eyes open when doing nothing.

2. Drink at least two litres of water per day. I always have trouble with sticking to drinking, but at least now I have a one litre bottle which will make things easier.

3. Weigh in daily. I’m just doing this for right now to keep myself on the right track.

4. (Continue to) Exercise daily. I had a few days off with the anniversary getaway, but I still got a bit of exercise in, so I don’t feel they’re lost days. Plus, my shoulder and neck probably needed the time off anyway.

There they are. Simple, yet the foundation for wonderful things to come.

What are your goals for this month?

SW: 262
LW: 260
CW: 260

I have officially been exercising and all that good stuff for one week! Woohoo!

This week I am focused less on weight and a lot more on everything I have accomplished. As I said to Mr. JM this weekend, “I feel like I am in such a good place right now.”

And that pretty much sums it up. I’m working, exercising, cooking, cleaning… Things aren’t really balanced at the moment, but I feel like I’m walking with the flow of life instead of fighting upstream like usual.

The lack of a change from last week to this week is disappointing on one level, but I’m not concerned about it. First, I’m still on TOM technically so I’m probably still retaining water. Second, my body is probably still getting used to this level of exercise and is probably retaining water for that reason as well.

So it’s all good!

There is another issue happening that could be keeping me from losing weight, but I’m still debating whether or not that subject is just way too much information to be talking about on this blog.

I really feel like I have finally found the exercise routine that works for me. I’m someone who gets bored pretty easily, so spending half and hour on a treadmill doesn’t quite work for me. With the routine I’ve put together, I’m moving around, incorporating different types of exercise and I’m not doing anything long enough to become bored.

Woohoo!

I’d love to be to 256 by my wedding anniversary (May 5th) but we’ll see if that actually happens.

I hope everyone out there is feeling great and accomplishing wonderful things.

Well, in my time zone it’s actually day six and I’ve already done my morning and lunch time exercises. But I don’t think that’s a big deal.

Things are going great and I’m so incredibly happy with myself. I thought doing all this with TOM going on would make things extra difficult, but it really hasn’t. I can’t tell you just how happy I am.

I keep saying to Mr. JM, “I know I’ve only been doing this for x days, but…”

The ‘but’ is followed by how happy I am, the little successes I’ve had with resisting temptations, how my view of myself is improving etc.

A little voice in the back of my mind keeps telling me this excitement will end. I’m a ‘starter’ by nature. Let me start things up, get them going and you can take them from there. That little voice has been reminding me a lot about that and has also been reminding me about the times in the past when I’ve gotten off to an exciting start only to trip up.

But the thing is, I reckon I need to embrace the enthusiasm for no matter how long it lasts. Who cares if I’m a starter? That’s a part of life. I just need to learn to be a runner when my enthusiasm for starting starts waning.

Do I sound crazy yet? Hehe.

I really am just very happy right now. I haven’t skipped any exercise sessions, I’ve completely cut alcohol, I haven’t even thought about chocolate (though I usually ‘need’ it at this time), I’m looking even closer at labels and – AND! – I’m cooking more.

Everything is looking up, and it all started with finding the exercise routine that is right for me.

Woot!

Thank you all for your comments on the previous post about the picture. I didn’t know if I was just being silly or if anyone would understand why I would hesitate to look.

As I figured would happen, my husband was entirely too enthusiastic to let me get away without looking at it for long. If I had any weird feelings about it, I would have made him wait, but I figured it was time to look and get it over with.

“Gobsmacked” is the most fitting word for how I felt when I saw it.

I did have a bit of a chuckle later because my initial reaction was, “I look tall.” But, take the thickness out of my thighs and waist, and I do seem to look taller just because of the curves. Seeing my face thinner is nice, too, though my husband reckons they got the shape wrong and that I’ll have a heart-shaped face when I lose the weight.

Yes, Mr. JM was very enthusiastic. I joked with him about “my husband is having an affair with me”.

All in all, it’s quite weird (and a little depressing, comparing the current photo) but I think it’s a tool that is going to be an important part of things.

Am I impressed? Definitely! If you think it can help, then definitely give PictureYourselfThinner a go. I highly recommend it.

Is it going to be a motivation? Yes, I think so. I noticed a difference in my attitudes almost straightaway. The picture certainly isn’t a miracle pill or anything, but I think it will be a big help when I have copies on the fridge, on the elliptical, on my desk…

Interesting times.

When it comes to getting fit, it’s always important to know you have people who love and support you in your journey. My poor husband has to hear a lot of my rants, but it’s wonderful to know that he sympathizes and is there to support me to matter what.

Dear wife,

I am not the best of men but being with you, having you to look after, to help, to hold and to provide focus in my life makes me try to be. There are times when I feel badly about myself for no other reason than I think I am not the best you should have and I am not able to provide you with everything.

Your support, your love, your way of reacting to life gives me purpose, opens my heart and shows me how much I missed in the years before I found you.

We have come a long way from the early days and we are still on the journey, but even in the worst times we have I can’t conceive of going back to a life without you in it.

I hurt when you hurt; I hurt when you are denied things that come easy to others. I try to help with how you cope with the disappointments of trying to lose weight and feel inadequate because I can’t find ways to help you achieve what you wish for so fervently.

Life with you is a revelation each day, bringing me back into a world i had almost left, showing me how much there is to be found and enjoyed.

I’m not good at expressing my love, so I try to show how I feel by how I act, what i can give and by making as good a life for you as I can. I fail often it seems but I love you and it keeps me trying.

There’s no ‘I’ in Team, nor any ‘you’ but you and I together make a team and we’re getting better at it I think.

All my love,
Mr. JM

I figure it’s way past time I answer one of the Mailbag Monday questions, eh? This week’s question is, if I do say so myself, a good one. I think it’s a great exercise for people to do more than once on their way to getting fit.

This week’s question is:

What is the first thing you’ll do when you get to your goal weight?

Hanlie has some great ideas over on her blog – including one that I might have to steal…

I think the idea of a photo shoot is absolutely excellent. When I get to my goal weight – which is about 160 (unless I am perfectly happy at 170) – I would love to have a professionally done shoot with my husband. We didn’t have engagement pictures done and we have some nice wedding photos, but I’d love to get a really good shot of both of us.

I think the other thing I would do is go in search of ‘the little black dress’. I’ve always wanted a nice, sexy black number to wear out somewhere special. I’m saving the pleasure, though, as part of my ‘ultimate’ reward (including a night out in inner Melbourne).

Photo shoot, little black dress to wear on a night out on the town… Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate, don’t you think?

Then again. I would definitely settle for getting a positive pregnancy test, too… Haha! My apologies to Mr. JM if he’s reading this. Fertility is an issue as well, though. Who would have thought I’d ever look forward to the day I could have a TOM naturally?