Oh yeah...WEIGHT blogging!

I guess I've kinda forgotten about talking about this for a while so today I was thinking to catch everyone up a bit on what's been going on with me in this area and offer some info I recently received...

The move, pre-move, etc. hasn't been the greatest for weight loss for me. While I haven't been eating badly, I also haven't been sticking to WOW, like, AT ALL. It seems I want to celebrate each new day's something-or-other with a cocktail or glass of wine. There's a lot of toasting going on. At some point, I'll have to really buckle down, but I'm fresh out of will power when it comes to booze right now. Having said that, I'm drinking far less than I WAS (most days) so I guess that's a small victory.

Despite all that, I haven't REALLY gained any weight (of course, I do my usual ups-and-downs that I've been doing for the past 9 months, but nothing really UP for more than a week). I think this is due to all the extra "inadvertent" exercise I'm getting. Being at the beach, I just love walking and biking. I can't WAIT to get out for my daily morning and evening walks with Doglet (and, of course, he gets more than just two a day...others are just shorter). DB and I also bike back and forth to each other's apartments since it's a lot easier (and more fun) to bike along the beach than to take a car. Not to mention that I have to walk up and down the steps to The Last Bachelorette Pad multiple times a day. This has GOT to be good for my butt, right? And I also have been keeping up with my "gym" schedule -- three days a week I do focused exercise -- longer Doglet walk along with pilates or yoga. This seems like it all should mean a loss, so I'm blaming that not happening on my not-WOW behavior.

I've also looked at the fact that overall I've lost just about 10-15 pounds in the past nine months. That is certainly not what I had hoped for back when I started this in October. I really want to lose about 20 more pounds, but I just don't seem to be able to muster the willpower to make it happen right now. :-(

So I'm looking at some other ideas about how to reactivate the loss:

A co-worked gave me a DVD last week called "Yoga X". Just the title made me a little leery...I mean, yoga is by its very nature not an "X"-type activity! I watched the beginning with my co-worker and, while the instructor looked like some guy I'd see down the block at Muscle Beach, he seemed to be taking the poses slow and properly. So I hunkered down to do this practice last weekend -- I had to set aside some real time because it's an hour and a half DVD (which, by the way, is exactly the length of all the classes I used to take -- somehow, I'm not finding those blocks of time in my life right now!). Well, it kicked my ass. I did the whole thing, dripping sweat, reminding myself that my yoga chops are not what they were, but that I have done practices like this (and more challenging) many times. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend this DVD to someone who wasn't very experienced with yoga -- not only would a beginner get frustrated with the many MANY vinyasas that are included, but I think a beginner (or even an intermediate practitioner who isn't VERY careful) could really get hurt. I also thought the instructor was way un-yogi -- "fight for it!" was one of his favorite phrases when things were getting challenging. NOT my idea of a yogic attitude!! ;-) Having said all this, I enjoyed the challenge and getting to work on a lot of poses (although not held as long as I would have liked in the calisthenic atmosphere of the DVD) that I haven't gotten to work on in a long time. When it was over, I was a sweaty puddle, did my own personal chant and felt GOOD. The next day, I felt muscles that I haven't felt in a long time. And that felt GOOD too. I'm going to try to get over my aversion to the instructor's manner on the tape and do this DVD once a week for a while. :-)

Next, I got an e-mail from my assistant that a friend of hers who is a natural healer sent around. It has a lot of interesting ideas that I have been thinking about and thinking of exploring one at a time. Here it is:

HEALTHY TIP OF THE DAY:
"...We have 2 types of fat. Yellow fat is the unwanted type that serves as an insulator and stores excess calories. While brown fat acts as a furnace and burns the yellow fat so your body can use it as fuel. If you have a good amount of brown fat, you can just about eat whatever you want without gaining pounds. If someone has too much of the "bad" yellow fat, it is difficult to lose weight even on a restricted calories diet.

Fortunately there are many natural remedies that can help kick-start fat burning. These fat burners include the following:

1. Essential Fatty Acids.If you are deficient in EFAs, brown fat becomes inactive. Take 500mg of omega-6 fatty acid daily. Sources include evening primrose, borage, black currant, and hemp oils.

2. Medium-chain Triglycerides.MCTs accelerate metabolism and help lower cholesterol. Add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of virgin coconut oil or grapeseed oil to veggies or salads on a daily basis. IMPORTANT NOTE: Avoid if you have a liver disorder or diabetes.

3. Tamarind Fruit.Dried rind from tamarind contains hydroxycitric acid which helps metabolize and clear fat from the liver. Taking 250mg of HCA three times daily at least 1/2 an hour before meals also helps decrease the changing of carbs into fat. This sure automates a low-carb diet.

4. Green Tea.Caffeine, theobromine, and polyphenols prevent fat absorption. Fat cells don't stand a chance because green tea's compounds break them down before they are even able to deposit themselves in your thighs or abs. It's also known that green tea can increase your metabolism. Drink 2 - 4 cups daily.

5. Dry Nettle Leaf.The infusion of dried nettle leaves is excellent for resetting your metabolism. You will also receive a vast amount of nutrients that will help your body function at its best. Drink 1 cup daily.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar.Add 1 teaspoon organic vinegar in a glass of water and drink an hour before each meal to reduce body fat and help control appetite.

So go ahead and get healthy while burning unwanted fat. It's easier than ever with a little planning and discipline developed by habit."

I already drink decaf green tea every morning (one of the partners in my firm who lived to be in his mid-90s swore by this). This week I started taking an EFA supplement along with my daily regime of other vitamins and minerals. I might try one of these tips at a time to see if they have any effect. It's interesting to consider anyway!

Hoping for a not-too-bad weigh-in tomorrow...