Deb's Check-in

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 1:24 pm

Thanks Carleyho!
XO!

I went to sleep at 9pm last night, then got up about 12...
Had a glass of lemonade and then went back to sleep...
There wasn't much trouble, especially as there's not much to eat in the fridge except for some organic uncooked eggs and a bottle of ketchup...
LOL...

I also had a very filling meal for dinner... Beef with brocolli and rice.. Yummy!

We had a bunch of pastries yesterday and a nice grapefruit with a bit of sugar...

Richie had his final soccer game yesterday, and the coach told me he was so great this year.. He called him one of his star players!
Yay Richie!!!
Then we had a team pizza party and I was pleasantly satisfied with one and a half slices...
Boy I am really hoping that someone buys some gift certificates from me for massage soon... I am broke! I didn't promote during that little blip with the chiropractor and lost a week there... But tomorrow the signs will go up and I will have to start making calls like crazy...

Please send your good prayers and vibes out to the cosmos for me!
Thanks folks
Have a Peaceful Sunday...
Love,

Deb

Prodigalsun · Post by **Prodigalsun** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:53 pm

Nice work Deb, I'm impressed with how you've been scaling down the midnight snacks, excellent use of willpower!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:35 pm

Thanks Prodigal!

I am really going to kick this habit no matter how long it takes!!!
I think this public accountability deal has a lot of cache as well...
I feel like I'm somehow drawing some extra Willpower from the group, not just from my own measly reserves... LOL..

Plus, eating raw eggs and ketchup is just not that enticing!

LOL...

You know, I'd love to say I'm one of those people who will lose weight this Winter, but I honestly feel like, as long as I don't gain anything during Dec through February or March, and as long as I don't go back to my old habits, and continue to keep up on my Yoga, I will be thrilled!

Have a great day Mr. Shoveller!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:47 pm

Okay, I think I hit a moderate low point in my "No eating at night" plan...
LOL....

Around midnight, I wound up standing in front of the fridge *again*!!!

Well what was there to eat???
I caved in guys...

There was no real food in the fridge, so I ended up having about six teaspoons of Hero Black Currant Jam... Right out of the bottle..
No bread and no peanut butter...
Just straight jelly!!!
Ahhhhh!!!!

LOL.....

I've got pms.. Must be craving sugar or something...

Well, all in all, it still wasn't solid food, but I'm not too thrilled at it...

I'm starting my count again today, because no matter how much I want to forgive my jelly breakdown (which is sooo weird for me to be eating anyway!) it is just too, in-your-face *NOT* NOS approved....

Maybe if I had stopped at one or two teaspoons.. But six????
Wait, maybe it was even more???!!!

Wow, it doesn't even seem to matter what the food is, I am obviously not giving up this bad habit without some major rebellion here!!!
Ha!!!

So, unless Reinhard or someone else thinks I should continue on, and just count last night as a screwup, I will reset my days to start this evening..
Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do...
I want to say "I did it!" for 21 days and know it's real!
But at least I got a couple of good nights in!!!

Practice practice practice!!!!

The day was a really good one though.. We indulged in some fast food, but only got two items off the dollar menu at McGrease, and no soda..
Later we went to see Premik play some jazz with a fantastic German pianist named Ulee (I think!) and Richard was with me

We each had one soda for the evening, and that was all...

I'm tired now! What a party animal I am turning out to be in my middle age! LOL....

Have a great day friends!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:43 pm

Hi all!

This Lithium is having some wacked out messed up effect on my appetite..
I am not feeling normal... My though processes are much better and positive, but wow, this hunger thing is scary weird!

After over one and a half years of being very content to wait for meals (possibly due to a slightly sluggish metabolism?) I have turned into a raging hunger monster the last two or three days... I eat and then two or three hours later I feel like I need to eat something again, and it's the kind of "I need to eat a side of beef and a half gallon of macaroni and cheese" type of hunger... Very very unnerving!
Rahhhh!!!!!

I'm going to wait to see if this dissipates and changes for about one more week, but if not, I'm discontinuing the use of it...

PMS and this wackyness caused me to cave into chocolate Haagen Daaz and Chinese food mode yesterday...
It was an unequivocal "screw up" day....

Also, I ate more Haagen Daaz at night...
This morning I dumped the rest down the sink....

Yay!!!

I feel better that I wrote about this... I'll post more next week, but I am keeping a close eye on my habits and will be making more of an effort to put those rules into play...

I also haven't gone to Yoga since last Thursday...
I hate pms!!! I am such a slug now... Soon it will be over...
Still stressing on a daily basis about money, so I'm sure that's playing into my subconscious need for comfort foods as well...

Okay guys!
Thanks for listening..
Tonight I am going to start the no eating challenge again...
Any good "Talk yourself down from the ledge" ideas and self talk mantras you may think of would be appreciated! LOL...
Really!

Have a nice day!
Peace and Love,

Deb

Tonsha · Post by **Tonsha** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:44 am

Hi Deb!

This midnight hunger thing sounds tricky. I'm glad that when I go to bed I just SLEEP for 7 hours straight!

Maybe you culd have a 'sweet' drink (Vimto!) or some fruit near your bed. That way you don't go into the kitchen and and get tempted by other stuff.

I know that it's not an 'official' solution, but if it heads off a full scale assault on the fridge...

DaveA
P.S. you can get 'no added sugar' vimto you know...

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:30 pm

Well, I think having a drink of anything (except possibly a milkshake!) is far better than going into the fridge...
I was thinking, just this morning, that if I could at least get out of the habit of even opening the door of the fridge, that would be an improvement...
As for putting it by my bed, I think I'd knock it over and end up with a wet pillow~ LOL..
But, yeah, I agree, if I can stay refrigerator free, that would be a great start...

I didn't eat anything last night, but I ate a lot for dinner.. Maybe I just need to give myself the license to have some healthy desserts or salad or something like that as part of my dinner... If I'm really satisfied, I don't seem to go for the leftovers as much...

I had about four or five clementine oranges for dessert last night, and a very hefty dinner of Fried Chicken, mash and some peas...
Then I had a small salad with ceasar dressing, after all that... LOL...

I did wake up but then I had water only, at midnight...
So last night was Night One~

Thanks Dave, for writing me mate!!!

Peace and Love,

Chicken Debs~

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:26 pm

Wow.. I have been screwing up for quite a few days now...
Seems my problem of overeating at dinnertime and allowing certain S's which are totally not allowed, like dessert or chips (but the whole bag!)
has been creeping up into our recent daily habits...
As you all know, I recently have been experimenting with taking Lithium Orotate... Also, this week I felt fairly stressed due to a few life factors, like pms, and worry about making my bills, in addition to adding the Lithium into the picture...

Unfortunately, except for the two or three days where I was truly truly experiencing a crazed appetite, I think I've been just making these into excuses for these deviations from NoS...
I'm not happy about it, and that's why I'm writing about it...
Reinhard is right that when you get further down the road, the need to be vigilant is just as important as when you are a fresh faced newbie...
Infact, I'm seeing that it's almost more important...

The excitement of starting a new plan, can easily give way to sneaky old apathetic ways... Well maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but let's just say, when the guard is down it's so easy to go back to those crappy old ways...

Evenings are going to be longer, and I just have to stop making excuses...
My plan is this... I will allow one extra fruit as an evening treat, and possibly some hot chocolate.. But I am just going to start being
ULTRA strict beginning tomorrow...
Also, I told Richie that he just can't ask me for any extra S's, because I have been somewhat using him to break the rules myself... He doesn't need them either...
Yesterday we both had pastrys for dessert, and we had chips with dinner too... Oh and at the store he asked if he could have a coke too... That was the only thing I said no to...
I'm going back to being tough love Debbie!
For his and my own sake~

Thank God my period should be here soon (some time today..)
and the stupid pms sluggishness/irritability will pass...
I am looking forward to *not* overeating tonight at my moms, and only eating a dessert if it really looks amazing...
I had a chocolate crossaint for breakfast (just now! Soooo late.. but I couldn't sleep all night due to cramps!

)
so I won't feel dessert deprived as I already had a lovely one...

Tomorrow we will be starting daily checkins and now, in addition to trying to bust the night time eating, I will also be putting emphasis on watching the dinner portions and being totally "comically" strict about all the three S's... I must have talked with Richard for at least 20 minutes about how miserable I feel that we are screwing up this great plan and going back to bad habits... So he has agreed to be extra helpful and compliant about this.. It's for his sake too... But I told him I simply couldn't do this alone, and I feel that's true... He is my big helper and supporter...

I look forward to the happy feeling I get, and the satisfaction of being able to say "It's not an S day" to any evil urges I get to cheat, that come along... I haven't said that in the last week or so...

I'll be reporting good days and funny stuff.. But, please God, I hope that I can nip this blatant rule breaking in the bud!!!

Have a great day and here's wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with lovely food and loved ones to share with!
Peace and Love,

Deb

On the happy note, I am still practicing Yoga, and the Lithium has stopped causing major hunger... I cut the tabs in half and make sure to eat it with food, as prescribed on the bottle...

Lane · Post by **Lane** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:05 pm

Hey Deb,

Sorry to hear that you're struggling so much lately -- I feel for ya!

I was REALLY struggling for a couple of years with a number of issues and did a TON of research. From all the reading I've done I found a few supplements that have been so helpful, I take them every day.

First, I make sure I take Omega-3 (Fish oil) supplements EVERY day, without fail. Even if I'm sick of taking pills, I ALWAYS take the fish oil. THIS HELPED ELIMINATE TERRIBLE PMS I WAS HAVING. Our brains are made out of fat and our foods don't have the omega-3's that they used to (grass-fed beef naturally have omega-3, but grain-fed don't). I buy eggs that have omega-3s to make sure my kids get some everyday. (Costco has a very high quality fish oil that is VERY cheap.)

Second, when I've got a raging carb craving, I take Chromium. Just recently I read an article regarding carb cravings and chromium deficiency. You might be interested:

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showar ... /T/Health/

Lastly, I take a probiotic to make sure my digestive system is balanced -- I tend to get out of balance VERY quickly. I had always been a salty, crunchy snack eater. But last year I had massive sugar cravings. I had a yeast overgrowth and the yeast lives on sugar, so it made me crave sugar. When I addressed the yeast, the sugar cravings diminished. (Chronic athlete's foot and ecsema are two symptoms of yeast overgrowth in the body.)

Perhaps one of these ideas will help.

Best wishes,
"Dr." Lane

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:19 pm

Thanks Doc!
I actually had pretty good experience with taking DHA from fish oil...
Yeah, the whole central nervous system needs myelin to function and people like myself (I am bipolar) not only have serious serontonin deficiency, but also have poor myelin around all the nerve axons...
So nerve impulses don't travel optimally...

I will add this to my regimen again!
I haven't really had any "carb" cravings.. Just general all purpose overeating impulses... LOL...
Thanks

Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 8:09 pm

Ah... Yesterday was pretty successful and a few ways..
One, I didn't go nuts at Thanksgiving dinner, and two, I didn't eat during the night... Oh wait, I think I did have a bite of chicken... Rah!!!
Boy do I feel like cursing about that!

So this was what I had for Thanksgiving... Yes, there were many courses, but none of the portions were crazy sized and except for the soup, it all could have fit onto about two large plates.. So big up for me!!!

My brother cooked mostly everything, so it was all delicious as he is an excellent cook...
My Mom stood around ordering people to do things.. LOL...

First course:
Some delish stuffed mushrooms.. Moms major specialty..
A few raw veggies and a small triangle of pita and chummus....

2nd course:
Squash soup with pine nuts as garnish...

3rd course:
Great endive and watercress salad with pears and pomegranate kernels mixed in.. Very nice looking and tasting!

4th: The main deal,,,,,
Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing made with turkey sausage, brussel sprouts, gravy, cranberry sauce made with shallots and cherries! Sooooo good~

By dessert time, I really was full, but I did make a little room in my belly for a small piece of baklava, about two square inches worth, and also one bite of apple pie, and about four tablespoons of Ben and Jerry's plain vanilla ice cream... Hats off the B&J because I didn't know how good their vanilla flavor was, as I'm more of a Haagen Daaz gal, but this was a very nice and light, natural bean vanilla, which I give at least three stars...

Today I took home most of the leftover turkey and some side dishes..
Also we took a big hunk of the apple pie (from Costco and actually very excellent!) and we will be having some tomorrow morning for breakfast!
But we are on track for today with NoS, so I give myself and Richard a success rating, and we are starting a new run of 21 days on habit again today... LOL.. Right before an S weekend..
That's funny!
We will win!!!! LOL...
Right Warden Reinhard?

I have such little energy today from my period that I am just laying low..
I should be feeling more energized by tomorrow and I look forward to Yoga!

And the lithium isn't giving me any more trouble so I think it might have been introdution of it during pms...
I'm so glad pms is through that for at least another three weeks... I'll be trying out taking the fish oil soon too, and possibly a calcium magnesium suppliment to ease those hairy symptoms...

Also, I realize, in retrospect, what a majorly stressful experience it was to deal with that whole situation with my partner/landlord the chiropractor...
I guess it was a fight or flight situation, literally, so that definitely is something that can make or break good choices with food...
No wonder I went a bit berserk with eating poorly...
I'm soooo relieved, and thank the Lord, that it all worked out well.. I think this year will be a very good one and I really have so much to be thankful for!

Have blessed evening all!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:40 pm

And the lithium isn't giving me any more trouble so I think it might have been introdution of it during pms...

Ixnay on the ithium-lay....
LOL...

Well, I am infact, going to drop this from my health regime, as it just wasn't helping... For more details see my thread on the "off topic" board.

Back on topic...
Today I weighed myself... Still up a bit from water weight, as I've got a few days left to my period, but also I am certain I gained a few real pounds over the last week...
Oh well... I'm nipping that in the bud as you are reading this now!

I think yesterday really clinched it though, because we went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (I only give this 3 stars out of five...)
and Richard and I both shared the Jumbo, gigantic, extra butter and salt popocorn, washed down by gigantic humongous sodas to boot...
LOL..

I think I'm going to try and start SG'ing all over again... I always enjoyed it immensely, but I stopped when I started practicing Yoga... The reason, I felt really tight and restricted around the pec and biceps as a result of the SG and then I felt I couldn't, comfortably move into the asanas in Yoga... But I'm a bit older and, hopefully, wiser now, and realize that if I do them in tandem, they should, actually, compliment each other...
Who knows... Maybe I'll be able to do a handstand sometime in the near future!!! LOL...
If it means I need to pay more attention to stretching my arms, then so be it

!!!
I can't think of a better anti-depressant than SG!
You know what? I also had a real sense that it was, as Reinhard touts, working my middle...
With Winter now setting in, I think it's foolish not to get my blood pumping in a way that is "excuse proof"...

Overall, I am still happy that NoS is basically in place... Yes I gained some weight this week, but I seriously feel I must attribute it to the fact that I've been going through all these ups and downs with the Lithium *Not* because of the holidays... (then again, I did eat a few extra S's on top of the usual!.. LOL...)

So, as Freakwitch would say...
Ever onward, and I'll add to that,,,
Ever upward..

So far I did about 40 minutes of walking on that elliptical thingy, and I'm going to to Shovelglove in a few minutes...

Later on is Yoga...

Hugs and Peace to all,
Love,

Deb

JWL · Post by **JWL** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 8:44 pm

Hi Deb,

One thought about the tightness from shovelgloving... what weight sledge do you use? I seem to remember you use a 12 pounder, which is kinda big.... and if it leaves you stiff and sore on a consistent basis, you may want to consider switching to a lower weight.... have you considered picking up an 8 pounder and developing a steady routine with that?

And I feel for you on the stress eating. I have a long, rich history with that, though I seem to have been in a pretty good space around it for several months now with No-S (with exceptions, of course). A couple of observations: first, one needs to be in the right headspace to eradicate stress eating. You have to be ready; after all, part of you is choosing to stress eat, therefore part of you thinks it's a good idea. Only when all of you is willing to see stress eating as bad can you move beyond it. That's a tough bit of cognitive metaprogramming....

Second, if you are gonna get rid of stress eating, you are eliminating one coping mechanism. And you can't cut out a coping mechanism without budgeting for it... consider an alternate coping mechanism. Knitting? shovelgloving? Interstellar basket weaving?

Food (heh heh) for thought....

--J

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 2:36 am

Thanks James!
I think I'll try that interstellar basket weaving!!! LOL...
Actually, the Yoga has been my way of transmuting stress into peace...
Today I felt totally back to balance, simply by cutting out that Lithium and going to my Yoga class!
I said "Thank you Lord" before dinner tonight, for getting out of that messed up funk!
And Richard was the first to say "Amen!" LOL..
What a relief!!!!!!!
Wow... I couldn't handle one more day of that!

As for the SG, I was never sore from it, aside from the first time I tried it to Led Zeppelin II, but my arms tend to be pretty tight anyway, as a result of both SG and being a massage therapist...
I haven't really even SG'd for over six months, and they're *still* tight when I go and try certain moves in Yoga which require a loose chest and shoulder area, so, hey, I can't really even say it's SG related... Which is a good thing!

I like the twelve pounder...
Wow, they eight pounder in the store felt like one of those tiny Fisher Price plastic mallets that comes with the plastic tool box, for a three year old... LOL...

I think I just need to get some deep massage to these hard working shoulders and go for some serious myofascial release!

Thanks for your coping suggestions!
Where can I learn Interstellar macrame??? LOL...

Oh, ps, today was a picture perfect textbook NoS day!
Yay!
Getting close to finishing those turkey leftovers! LOL...

Have a nice night!
Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:20 am

Hey, I can teach you intercontinental macrame if you like, but the interstellar kind is a bit beyond me at present!

Sounds like you're getting things sorted again, anyhow. Good on you for realising and pulling back. I go through phases of 'borderline Essing without really thinking about it' too, so I also need to scale back and concentrate on getting things right. Doing this for a longer time does seem to make some parts much easier, but it also makes some parts much harder to stick to. Yeah, I'm not talking about mega cravings and really hard to stop behaviours here, just the insidious, slow trickle back into eating things I really shouldn't with my meals.

love and hugs
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:32 pm

Yeah, I'm not talking about mega cravings and really hard to stop behaviours here, just the insidious, slow trickle back into eating things I really shouldn't with my meals.

love and hugs
C.

Hey Carolejo, hugs back at ya!
What? Like having five tablespoons of strawberry jam on your morning biscuit? For me, it's almost always a battle to not go for seconds...
That's the toughest S of all... But it's funny, when you let one rule go, you kind of mentally are saying "Fudge" this to all of them (heh heh...fake swearing..) and then "bam" you start messing up on all of them...
The countra positive, ala Kevin would say, LOL, is also true here, at least for me..
If I'm being very good with my toughest S's or really, just making an effort to think about them at every meal (and in between when I'm on the guard...) then it seems to make it much easier to do this with almost 100 percent success...

So funny that you term the behavior "insidious" as if it doesn't even come from us, but from some "secret lair" of bad habits waiting to plan their attack on us! This is pretty much very Reinhard-esque thinking...
Think of your habits as "The enemy" whose waiting to attack you from around the corner.. LOL...
Sad but true....

I'm really proud of myself because last night I went to see my wonderful friend James play at a blues/rock jam and I had eaten my dinner around 5:30 that day, so by the time I was driving there it was really "bedtime", just about 9:45.... I was hungry for something again man... Wow..
I just kept saying to myself, that it's okay to be a little hungry, and don't cave in to the fast food and convenience stores along the way...
I even made a promise to myself to not have any soda at the gig... So instead I had two large sized oj and cranberry juices over the course of the evening, and even when I drove home, after 3 am, I didn't stop to get a donut at Dunkin donuts... I had some leftover coffee in my car for the drive home, and just drove back without making any excuses to have something like a muffin or whatever..

Yay me...
Oh and James hasn't seen me for about three months now and the first thing he said was "You look great!"
Gotta love this guy!

I do feel really back on track folks and it's a great feeling...
Sorry if this sounds a little cliched...

But I'm so totally serious.. It's a great great feeling...
I wish there was some way of remembering the great feeling of resisting those impulsive moments, when the insidious muthers start to plan their attacks!
I will make more effort to do this!
Then it becomes one big happy cycle, and not the vicious kind!

So rock on today dudes!!!!
Love,

Deb

ps.. I'll be in Florida with Richie from Friday to Sunday incase anyone wonders "why the silence" for a whole 72 hours! LOL.... Visiting the Grandparents..
Looking forward to it...

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 3:35 pm

Hey Deb,

Have a great time in Florida with your family!
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:05 pm

Thanks alot! My grandmother has pretty advanced parkinsons and altzheimers and has had a few mini strokes... So I look forward to seeing her while we still can.. My grandfather has been her caretaker for many years now, but it was a total role reversal thing when she got sick, and it's really changed him in a lot of ways...
He's going to take me and Richard to a big Target store for clothes and a lot of other stuff.. I'm sure Richard will get lots of presents..
I might even get to borrow his giant Cadillac Deville and cruise around the gated communities in style one eveing after they turn in...
LOL....

I'm really looking forward to some warmth, but mainly want to see my Grandma while she still knows who she is...

By for now.. I have got to get a few hours of sleep to make up for being up all night partying! LOL..

Hugs!

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:57 am

Well well well!!! Up before seven???? LOL..

Good morning all

!

Yesterday was a NoS success, so there's three in a row already!!! But I was totally off schedule with meals because I got in late the night before and wound up eating a very inadequate breakfast of one slice of leftover turkey breast with half a crossaint and coffee and then, pretty much, waiting till after six for my next real meal... I had gone back to sleep when I should have been awake, I didn't really feel hungry during the "morning" (which was really the afternoon!) and then,,,,,,

I got smashed with a major low sugar drop and became a raving lunatic by dinner...

I was such a screaming meanie!

I vow to never let myself get that out of whack again, even if it means "grazing" to offset the hunger...
This was totally like when I had gestational diabetes again... I'm probably borderline diabetic right now anyway.. Who knows...

Totally acted stupid and mean around my son and afterwards spent most of the evening repeatedly apologizing for my mean and "inhuman" behavior..

But I got nine hours of sleep tonight and there's no more horrible second hand smoke in my system...That bar was filled with smokers breaking the law... It really made me have a "smoke hangover"... Gag!!!
Funny... I burn sage nearly every day in my home and sometimes incense.. And I have been known in my past days as a decadent stoner hippy type to partake in a little weed, but wow... Tobacco smoke is totally different.. It's just deadening!!! YUCK!!!!!
They should make *that* the illegal stuff! I think it's probably way more dangerous...
I'll have to skip it next time if it's at the same place...
I couldn't even talk the next day, because my throat was coated with smoke! Mblechblah!!!

On a very positive note, aside from a few handfulls of cheese doodles at dinner time (I know! How healthy!!! LOL.. I told you I was feeling crazed!!! LOL..) I have had three great NoS days so far this week!
Three in a row?
I'm going for a whole 21 days dudes!!!
Yoga today, and then Florida tomorrow...
I'll try to eat a grapefruit when I'm there!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:30 pm

Hey! I just used the Shovelglove

My grip is pretty much as it was and my arms are still fine with the weight, since I've been keeping up with Yoga and massage, they are pretty much getting used all the time...
But I didn't go nuts, infact I took it very slow, because with all the stuff that's been going on for me this past month, my neck and shoulders are really starting to tighten up from overuse and over stress.. I've been having the "nagging" feeling that I need a massage very badly these days...
Sadly my own therapist is in NYC and on the expensive side, so I've been doing massage but not receiving much for quite some time..
Anyway, I found some wonderful uses for the shovelglove for self massage... I'm going to make sure to give myself some work every day..
There are all kinds of triggerpoint canes and such on the market for self massage, but even though they give you the leverage to get at places like in the back or the neck, from in front, since they are curved canes which you are supposed to use to press into the deep knots, they don't give you any real pressure from weight... It's all pressure from *you* working on yourself... But with the sledge, you can rest the heavy end on a sore area of muscle on the arms or neck and simultaneously use the handle to do stretching as well... Wow.... I'm going to have to wrap up the head of the sledge or submerge it in some hot water for a few minutes though, as a 12 lb hunk of cold steel is a bit shocking to the skin! LOL...
I'm so happy because I've been trying to figure out how I could do some basic pressure massage on my upper arms and shoulders, as they are so overworked.. But then I'd be doing more work with them, and could never really get the pressure to go deep because you need space and leverage for that... The sledge is exactly that! A weighted lever...
I will try to think up good self stretch and massage ideas and put them into words some time next week to share with all the Shovelglovers and massage freaks out there!
Hey a free massage? Cool!

I'll be leaving tomorrow morning and am thrilled.. The weather forecast looks awesome.. Supposed to be between 73 and 78 degrees all weekend there! Woo hoo!!!!!! Perfect for me!
Have a nice day yalls...
Thanks again to Reinhard for convincing me to buy a giant hammer which is so versataile!
Who knew???? LOL....

Peace and Glove,

Deb

kimmi · Post by **kimmi** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:51 pm

I can't wait to hear more details. I have chronic spasms in my neck and upper left trapezoid area I think it's called. A therapist did tell me to get a cane to use to push into the huge knot there, but I've never done it. I'm constantly pushing on the sore area with my hand, but not comfortable. Will definitely try the shovel-glove massage therapy this evening! Who knew, indeed!

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:55 pm

cool idea Deb!

I'm gonna try this out too.
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:13 pm

Warning ladies!!! LOL...

Go very very very slow and carefully.. Really all you should try at first it find a way to rest the weight on the sore spot which is comfortable and stable.. At no point should you let go of the supporting handle and just "balance" it..
What I did was to sit down (no balancing or multitasking okay... get stable and sit yourself down... probably the floor would be most safe...)
Then I rested the head of the sledge around my deltoid muscles and used the handle to rub my neck muscles out, by rolling my neck back and forth against it, like I was trying to scratch against the handle... The weight kept my shoulder from rising and therefore I was able to keep the tight muscles "on the stretch" ... If you get at the attachments at the base of the skull you can really get a nice neck rub this way.. I also tried lying down and just letting the gravity provide the work when I tried to get at my pecs... then once you are on a good spot you keep the sledge there but you gently roll it back and forth over those few inches of tightness with the handle so that you are, basically kneading it out...

At no time should you be letting the sledge just "rest" without holding the handle to control the movement... If you control it, then the pressure you can achieve is really pretty substantial... Go slow and never into a really painful place...

Oh, and by the way the sg is excellent for massage to the quads too.... you can really mush them up...
It feels pretty good on tight chest muscles too... even abs... But be careful because abdominal massage alters blood pressure, so if you have high or low blood pressure avoid abdominal massage... Also, no massaging of varicose veins because that can cause an embolism to knock loose and float into the bloodstream... Very dangerous!!! Major contraindication for massage...

Have fun!!!
Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:41 pm

fortunately the only varicose veins I have are on the tops of my feet. I won't be massaging that part of me with a sledgehammer anytime soon!

I expect I'll get a lot more of them though. My mother had a lot before they were surgically removed, and both my grandmothers had / have lots too.

I'll be really careful, don't worry. Warnings have been noted and will be heeded here.

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 4:19 pm

Good girl CJ! PS.. No massage should ever be done to varicose veins, even regular massage without a SG!
Have a cool day..
I'm off to Yoga!!!!!
Love,
Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:26 am

Yeah baby!!!
I had a great day today... And I am so thrilled that I didn't eat some candy that was laying around in a bag I got from my Moms house today, to use for that trip tomorrow...
Firstly the candy was half eaten! And I had no clue what year it was from????!!!
But, my old me, would have had that regardless of all the other factors..
It was chocolate after all! LOL...
I thought about it, and then thought, I want to keep up my good run of days on habit and eat something nice on the weekend instead... Then I threw it in the trash...
Rock on!!!!! LOL...

I am also thrilled for two more reasons...
My Yoga guruji Larry, who has known me since June this year, told me he thought I looked like I was really slimming down! And guess what??? I am wearing some Winter pajama pants which, pre NoS, would have totally split at the seams last year at this time!!!! No joke... They were ridiculously tight because I bought them when I was more like 180 or so...
Well guess what??? They are totally baggy on my legs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing which is kinda weird, but I guess my theory about muscle weight throwing off the numbers is true, is that my weight is still up that two pounds from the weeks before and during Thanksgiving (you know... my lithium "phase" LOL...) but more and more people are giving me compliments on my shape changing and losing weight... Though I am not losing numbers, I am certainly getting in shape! I weigh 210 (and I checked today on three scales all in a row.. They were all exactly the same, to the ounce! Stupid scales!!! Oh how I hate you all!!!! LOL...)
Yo, but I'm wearing clothes from when I was much lighter and they are fitting! Dude!!!
Yoga was fantastic today guys... I am rocking out and almost could do an assisted headstand at the end! LOL..

So man am I happy I didn't chuck all that good work and eat that half chocolate bar... I will treat myself to some very nice and well picked out S's this weekend in Florida with Richard...

Next week I am trying something very radical and you may even say hokey or even stupid! LOL.. But I want to try it anyway...
I'm going to attempt to do a one week cleanse called "The Master Cleanse", which is basically nothing but lemonade all week, made with fresh lemons, distilled water and organic maple syrup, and also cayenne pepper...
I don't look at this as a way of losing weight, as I know whatever I lose will be water, and probably will come back on once I start eating food again, as does when you have a stomach flu and can't eat anything except jello or gatorade, but I really want to try this...
It seems fun and supposedly it really helps to get rid of toxins from the body...

The only mental block I have right now is the idea of no coffee in the morning

...
If I even have one day where I feel like I am experiencing hypoglycemia or any other bizzare bad feelings or strange body wackiness, I will just go off it immediately... PROMISE!
So please guys... No one discourage me from this okay...

I am not, repeat, not at all leaving NoS, just taking a cleanse vacation...

I thought about this for a while in the past, and thought about doing a juice fast... Never did it.. But then I heard about the Lemonade thing from Larry, and then for two days, all the google ads on my thread kept showing the one for this particular plan, so I am just taking that as some kind of good omen...
Let's see how it goes.. I'll start on Monday..
Lemonade with maple syrup... Sounds pretty yummy!
I'll report my progress here...
Now I know that the only real calories are coming from sugar in this, so I don't know if I can then count it as NoS 21 days worthy, but whatever.. I can pick up where I left off afterwards.. and afterwards I hope to start going to around 75% raw foods...

Well that's all for now!
Have a great weekend all!!!
See you next week..

Peace and Love,

Deb

Michele · Post by **Michele** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:57 pm

Hey Deb, it sounds like your really doing good. I would be cautious of the lemon thing myself, just be careful.
I believe the scale is a tool of the devil personally. I try to avoid it myself.

Have a good weekend, hope your successful in all you do.

S. Michele

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:54 pm

I wish you the best, but I wonder out loud about how healthy a week on acidic sugar water could be. Let us know how it's going.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:57 am

I will!
I'm going to start it on Tuesday, and only plan to do it for about three days, if I can last that long!

Had an extremely short vacation full of pigging out and ordering room service and eating Haagen Daaz Pineapple and Coconut ice cream in bed!
Wow, I am ready to make "oinking" sounds! Too bad we don't have a pig emoticon! LOL....

So I do really need a cleanse, but somehow, Monday morning without some ritualistic coffee would probably be dismal!

Thanks Kev and Michelle! You both are sweet!
Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:12 am

I am definitely starting the lemonade fast on Wednesday!

LOL...

Hope you are all fine and groovy!
I took a bunch of photos of Richard and I on vacation.. And today I had my teacher Larry pose with me, and Richie took our pic together! Yay!!!
Hopefully I'll get them developed fairly soon...

Sold some more massage Gift Certificates today.. Whew...
Just gonna make my bills this month!!!

In order to do the cleanse I need to get some high grade maple syrup...
I'll have to ask Freakwitch about this!..

Good night dear friends

Love,

Deb

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:15 pm

Going from junk food bingeing to lemonade fasting doesn't seem very healthy to me. Wouldn't it be better, and more satisfying, to just eat healthy foods in moderate amounts?

Please be careful of this, Deb.

Your friend,
Jan

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:26 pm

Hey Jammin Jan! Thanks for the warning

Don't worry..
1. It's not a binge...
2. It's with full intention to cleanse toxins and help my overall metabolism
3. I haven't really been eating too healthy these days!

Like I said before, this is just experimental, and if I feel the slightest unpleasantness I shall stop right away...

So, got your warning..
Thank you virtual Mom!

Still doing it...
Hee..
Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:02 pm

Well over the weekend I did have one extra S day because of our trip to Florida on Friday... It wasn't too bad, but with the flight and all, we did indulge in some extra snacks... I weighed myself today, and even after three S days in a row this past weekend, I am actually exactly the same weight. I figured that Sunday I ate the whole pint of Haagen Daz coconut/pineapple ice cream and had buffalo wings too, would surely make my weight go up, but no..
I have to say, I'm pretty shocked and relieved!!!!
Whew....

I guess all the carrying luggage and stuff helped me burn some calories, as I did quite a lot of dragging bags (including me!! LOL..)

I had Yoga at 8 am today and it went great! I'm starting my Lemonade Cleanse tomorrow (Aka "The Master Cleanse") and I'm really looking forward to it...
Today I ate a bit less, in preparation for starting the fast tomorrow... But I did have a great dinner of penne, spinach and ground beef with garlic and yummy sauce... That's my kind of comfort food!
I thought I might as well have a really good dinner in me.. You know....
Like those guys who eat a big pasta dinner before a marathon! LOL...

But it will be hard to prepare dinners for Richard and not want to eat!
Maybe I'll make him peanut butter and jelly for five days... LOL..

PS... He was sad today because nobody wrote back to him on his "Richard's Special updates" thread...
Can someone write something to him? LOL...
Don't tell him I said so!
He hasn't posted in a while.. I told him that people were just out shopping for the holidays...

Have a groovy night all yalls!!!
Hugs and Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:16 am

Hi mom

I just wanted to wish you luck about your 2nd 21 day plan!
I'll be rooting for you

I just realized you're on your 9th day, just 12 more days to go!
Hugs and Love,
Richard

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:23 am

Awwwwww......
Thanks baby!
You are the best son!!!
xoxo!!!!

Love,

Mom

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:29 am

Well today is the first day of my Master Cleanse lemonade fast...
It's going great!!!!!

Not sure what to do about counting my days on habit as this is a total deviation from NoS... I'll just keep counting them after I finish the fast...
I have nine under my belt already! Woo hoo...

So the lemonade is delicious and is somehow, miraculously, keeping my blood sugar pretty stable... I know the signs of hypoglycemia all too well, and none are rearing their ugly heads... I have gone to the bathroom to pee about 8 times in the past three hours! LOL....
According to the scale at work I am already down about one pound...
Commence body flush!!!

Tomorrow morning is the fun part

I have to drink a glass of salt water as soon as I wake up, and then expect to have to stay around a bathroom for at least one hour...
Then back to more lemonade...
This stuff tastes really good... Try it out guys, just for the taste...
But, only use fresh everything and make sure the ingredients are organic, if possible...

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and pulp
2 tablespoons dark amber grade maple syrup
10 oz water
1 tiny little pinch of cayenne pepper...

Caveat... really only use a tiny bit or it burns the back of your throat in a not so pleasant way... (batch two taught me this!)

Okay gotta go run and pee again... This is so funny!
I think this will certainly do wonders for my Liver and Kidneys...
Have a great night friends!
PS.. Thanks Jammin Jan for writing my cutie! It made his night!
PPS... He is learning to play a jazzified version of lots of cool Christmas tunes like Silent Night, We three Kings, and Winter Wonderland!
Can you believe that he is actually able to sight read and play these songs right away????
Both Premik (his teacher) and I are floored by his progress!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:26 pm

Has anyone ever had to drink a saltwater enema???

This is most definitely the most disgusting and revolting beverage known to humankind!!!! Ack!!!!!

So, still feeling good, just a tiny bit queasy from that oral flush this morning... and this is a natural part of the detox, as the waste products which are ususally trapped and stored in the liver, finally get a chance to release into the bloodstream to get eliminated.. This can cause minor headaches and nausea.. I'm only a bit queasy.. It's okay.. I'll live...

Was supposed to drink a quart of warm water with two tsps of sea salt, but I could only stomach three cups worth before I felt like I was going to hurl!!!!

Blech!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm also drinking green and peppermint tea...
I plan on doing this for the full ten days...
This is now my mission!!!!
I feel good, so why not go for the whole time?

But, that being said, in the future, I soooooo look forward to coming back to NoS eating.. And I miss my lovely coffee!!!!!!!!!!

I think after living without solid food (man the spaghetti and meatsauce I made for Richard almost killed me yesterday!!!)for a substantial time
I will appreciate what I have in a much different way..
This is definitely changing my perspective on lots of things...
I am also using James "Jedi Mind Trick", though, he never did look like Obi Wan to me!

LOL....

Thank James!

Have a lovely day all and I'm off to the gym..
Yoga at 12..
Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:16 pm

As someone with a deep-seated fear and thorough hatred of having to do a 'Technicolour Yawn', I can say with some conviction that your saltwater drink is *DEFINATELY NOT* for me.

I think I'd rather pull out my toenails with a pair of pliers than do anything to induce such a thing!

I think I'll forgo your 'master cleanse' fast, personally. Best of luck with it though, and please be very careful.

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 8:28 pm

Thanks CJ!
Technicolour Yawn???
Is that some kind of goofy euphemism? LOL...
Well yes the saltwater part was horrible, but it's all over now!

I had Yoga today and was able to finally do a headstand without Larry holding me in balance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I kept up there for a whole four seconds and then lost it again! LOL...

I used the scale and with all that peeing like crazy yesterday and last night, I am down 4 pounds already....
Thanks so much for your concern CJ! As long as I keep hydrated and keep that stuff in my system, I feel just fine...
I got a bit hungry around 3 pm, but that was because I lingered at the gym after the class and sat in the hot tub for a while, when I probably should have come home sooner... I'm drinking up now, so I'm fine..
Hey, I was even finding Yoga to feel lighter than usual.. I had no problem practicing Yoga for 90 minutes, in fact, I feel very relaxed on this fast...

It's mental at this point... If I think of food, it's a bit tough, but I just have to maintain my focus and not think about it...
I can do this, and I am doing it

But when I'm done, I'm having sushi and salad!

The really nice thing about all this, is that when I go back to food and NOS, I know I will be able to maintain my weight loss from this, as well and as I said before, will probably have a whole new perspective and appreciation for eating well and eating healthfully~
Have a nice afternoon!
Peace and Love and Lemons,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 1:39 am

Okay folks... The Lemon Deb made it through two fast days and just broke the fast! LOL...

I was just too sad looking at Richards dinner tonight, and thinking about licking the plate when he was done so I could get the taste of the potatoes and butter with garlic!! LOL...

I'm a bit down because I thought this would be more doable, but I really felt like I wanted food tonight, and so I'm done...
For the record though, I didn't feel bad in any way shape or form...
Just wanted to eat something besides the pulp in the bottom of my bottle of lemonade!...

But I am human... So I'm moving on and still very proud that I made the effort! I also dropped four pounds since yesterday!!! I feel really good..
Perhaps if I stick with healthy foods I'll be lucky enough to keep it off..
Hope so...

Oh ps.. Doing this fast has made going back to NoS seem like an unbelievable banquet! I will remember this experience and possibly try it again sometime when it's warmer weather... I think juices would be more interesting because I could make a variety of different ones so I wouldn't get tired of one flavor... Now I have to wait till Sunday and use that good maple syrup on some beautiful silver dollar pancakes

Well... Soup's on!
Gotta run now...

Peace and Love,

Deb

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:24 pm

Hi Deb,

Not to be a downer, but don't be surprised if those juice fasted poinds make a sudden return....

Next time you want to try such an experiment, read Kafka's "The Hunger Artist." Great stuff, even better, I'm sure, on a very empty stomach.

Sounds like the no midnight fridge raiding is going pretty well? Looks like only one slip up since your resolution? If so, that's pretty amazing. I like your idea of not even opening the fridge because once you do you'll eat whatever garbage is in there. Maybe get an "open/closed" sign for it like they have in stores.

Reinhard

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 4:07 pm

Hi Deb,

Not to be a downer, but don't be surprised if those juice fasted poinds make a sudden return....

Thanks Rein,
You could never be a downer! I always appreciate when you write me, and I know it comes from a sincere heart!
(Not to mention a very smart one too...

)

I will certainly take out the Kafka from our library soon...
I bet it's very cynical... LOL...

Sounds like the no midnight fridge raiding is going pretty well? Looks like only one slip up since your resolution? If so, that's pretty amazing. I like your idea of not even opening the fridge because once you do you'll eat whatever garbage is in there

It is going pretty well, yes... I don't really keep garbage in the fridge..
Usually that's under the sink..

Yeah, it's a hard habit to break but I have been avoiding looking for stuff pretty successfully!
Thanks for noticing

Maybe get an "open/closed" sign for it like they have in stores.

That's cute Rein, but I think that if I haven't been scared by Cerebrus and Zeul, then I doubt that an open/closed sign will not be too intimidating and I'll ignore it too..
But if I can remember how much better I will do, if I don't eat anything at night, and that I will lose weight much quicker that way, I will make that my focus... Negative reenforcement doesn't ever seem to work for me...
I need to put a positive spin on it or it won't work... As far as Spiritual pushups, well I feel that this fast was a wonderful experience for exercising willpower and will bolster my future efforts to resist night time eating... I'll just go for the H2O....

I will definitely try juice/lemonade fasting in the warmer months or maybe just once a month, to clear out the system, but boy oh boy was I happy to have my cup of hot coffee and granola this morning!!!

PS... Reinhard... You have three weeks left for that 2005 picture! Come on already.. I have nothing fun to stare at on my computer these days..
LOL...
Annnnnnnnd,,,,,,,, are you ever going to do a podcast?????
I can't wait to hear what you sound like!
Computer geek voice, or low and rumbling fm dj type???? LOL....

Thanks for writing me, again...
It made my month

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:06 am

Happy S weekend to all!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:38 pm

Hey Guys

I had an early start to S days yesterday evening with Richie, as we partook in some turnovers...
This evening I am going to make Tollhouse Chocolate chip cookies!!!
Woo hoo!

So I am soooo happy because since Thursday I have had a normal day of eating real food, but didn't go overboard, though I couldn't resist seconds on the steak I made yesterday evening... (Booooo...LOL....)
And I checked myself again today, after doing a massage at my office and then running to my Yoga for an hour of good hard sweating, and I have gone down another quarter pound... I wasn't expecting that at all..
I expected to see a minor gain since my two fast days on Wed and Thursday, but I am still holding strong there!!!!
And everyone who has been seeing me over the last week or so has been giving me comments like "You lost weight didn't you???"
Ha ha ha!!!!!!!
Yeah baby!!!!
I am stoked to the max!!!

I am going to have a nice lunch now of some scrambled eggs and later I'm making clams and salmon for dinner!
Hope you all are having a nice and relaxing Saturday!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 3:28 am

Next time you want to try such an experiment, read Kafka's "The Hunger Artist." Great stuff, even better, I'm sure, on a very empty stomach.

Reinhard, I just read "A hunger artist"...
Yes, very powerful....
But I only fasted for two days! LOL.....
Don't worry..

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:50 pm

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

Richard and I decided to go to this Chinese buffet for lunch, and although I had no soda and no dessert, by choice, I did have two very full plates of semi heavy foods and a small bowl of New England clam chowder...(Yes this is a big hit in Hong Kong! LOL....)

Well both of us felt like we needed to get our stomachs pumped by the time we were driving home... Blech!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL.....

I simply can't believe there was *ever* a time when this felt like a normal amount of food or a normal body sensation....
How unpleasant!!!!!!

So that's it for me today... It counted as two meals in one as I'm skipping dinner.... And I don't plan on going back there for at least a half a year more! LOL....
Richard had too many sweets at once and was complaining that he felt like he was going to barf....

He's practicing a very lovely jazz rendition (ala Charlie Brown Christmas) of Silent Night, on Sax right now...
Wow... I am sooooo blessed!

He sounds awesome!!!
Wish that I could make an mp3 so you all could enjoy this little jazz cat!

Have a nice night yalls...
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:06 pm

Chinese buffet post script here:

My large intestine was assaulted by the sheer amount of food in it from yesterdays afternoon buffet...
I wasn't very happy this morning

I know what you are thinking now...
"Thanks for sharing!" LOL....

Well I'm sold... Gluttony stinks....

I'm going to be nice to myself from now on and remember the repercussions of going overboard on *any* foods...

I am not stepping on any scale for a good week folks...

Today I had two coffees and oatmeal for breakfast, and scrambled eggs with a slice of american cheese and some salsa for lunch...
Tonight we are having vegetarian corn dogs and green beens...
Oh I also ate a very tangy clementine!

Oh my darlin....
LOL...

See you all latah..
Peace and Love,

Debbie

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 3:00 pm

Hey People,
I haven't written too much here for a few days because I've been a bit tired.. For the first time all year I've been really working more.. I'm thrilled to announce that since I started promoting my office in November, I've had more business than I can remember in a whole two years!
Finally I am seeing weekly earnings numbers which are sufficient to live off and I am just going to keep it up... That's the key!
Boy but my arms are getting a bit tired as I went from zilch massage for months, to three days of Yoga and about three days of massage each week... Yo! I need a massage now!!!!
I also stayed out really late the other night and still feel beat from it!
Those all nighter college days are truly a thing of the past...

So, NoS wise, I've been a bit lax but pretty good overall... The two deviant moments for me this week were on Tues evening when I indulged in one soda at the bar I went to, and *half* a dunkin donuts hot chocolate in my car on the way home... It was cold and late and I had to drive..
I think it wasn't too bad of a choice.. Again I'm proud that I didn't buy any muffin or donut to go with it... I wouldn't have even thought about that pre NoS... The other thing was yesterday... I had a long day of massage and Yoga, and I was so tired out from getting in at 3:30 the previous evening, so when dinnertime came I made a snacky choice to go with dinner,,,, a medium bag of cheetos which we ate while dinner was in the oven... I weighed myself the other day, but not at the morning weight and it said I had gone up about two pounds from that last weigh in after the lemonade... Well, considering that giant Chinese thing this weekend and the fact that I weighed in mid day, I'd say it looks pretty good...
This weekend I look forward to arranging my home and neatening up around here.. It looks like a tornado hit...
Anyway, kudos to all you guys who go out every day and work hard and then still find the momentum to make your health a priority!
It's a tough balance for sure... I am really getting into it, though my brain seems a bit overwhelmed and I'm feeling a bit tired, at least since my late night out! I guess in the real world, people don't go out to three am when they have day jobs! LOL... Today I'm doing thee hours of chair massage at a company which is throwing a Christmas party... I hope some people ask for my cards.. Interestingly enough, I had been trying to get a corporate chair massage gig at another company which is in the same exact industrial park... This one came to me by referral and hopefully the people will all say "Wow, do you have an office?"

~

Soon I'll be posting a couple of new pictures, once I get my msn account active again... I have the internet but not msn because it was linked to my old and expired account...
I'll write more by the weekend...
Peace and Love,

Deb

cvmom · Post by **cvmom** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 6:07 am

Hi Deb.

I'm so glad to hear things are going well with business. That is exciting. Yes, you cannot stay out until 3 am and then get up and go to work.

Since I have had the puppy I have been really tired. It is like having a new baby again. So, I can relate to the fatigue. Plus, this is a very frenetic time of year for most people. I'll give you the advice you always give me: just breathe.

I basically have only tommorrow to finish up wrapping and making my gifts to send to England. Pathetically I am shipping the Fed Ex since I am so far behind!!!

Hang in there. I know I am trying to.

D.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:18 pm

Thanks Dru!!!
Sounds like you need to summon up Santa!!!

Hope the present project goes down as planned!

Yes, I am breathing!!!!
Hhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Actually, I got about two nights now where I've averaged ten hours of sleep since that wild sleepless one!
The body expects you to make up for it ya know...
I went to see Premik and a bassist friend of his named Edgar Mills, play music last night at a Yoga ashram... The crowd was very receptive and all a bunch of healers and hippies! It was a nice vibe and we had a potluck vegetarian buffet before the music.. I discovered that I love kale!
The music was really great too! They do a thing called "Buddha on mars" which was music intended for a dance performance a few years ago, and they have continued doing it with a slide show in the background.. Pictures of trees, flowers, dancers, the sun.. It was cool!

I would love to see a photo of the puppy once the holiday madness winds down...
Hope the boys enjoy all the fun!

Hugs and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:20 pm

Curly Kale is my mega all time favourite vegetable! One of my 'comfort food' dishes is a large bowl of steamed kale with a little gravy on it.

Over here, they make a thing called 'Stamppot' which is boiled potatoes with finely shredded kale, some salt and pepper to taste, a blob of butter and a dash of milk. The whole lot is mashed up together and then served with a 'Rookworst' (a kind of large Dutch sausage, but a couple of wieners will do instead).

This stuff is also super good with fried steak and onion gravy, or lamb chops.

Mmmmmm. I'm having me some kale for dinner with my Tuna steak and Asparagus. And a Honey-Soy dressing. And some toasted sesame seeds....

*drools*
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:18 pm

That all sounds great CJ! Thanks for the good ideas on Kale!
Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:28 pm

Well, I ate a lot yesterday and the day before...
Here's to some sanity this week!

I am realizing that I'm beginning to fall into the trap where we look towards food as entertainment, somewhat, now that Winter is really commencing... I need to get a really good coat and find some time to get out and go walk or something...
I practiced Yoga on my own yesterday, for about 25 minutes.. Honestly, it was soooo not the same without being in the class and without Larry..
But I'm also expecting my period on Wednesday this week, so I'm probably feeling a bit blah from pms, as well... I had a lot of heavy foods yesterday... Some soup with sausage, but too much, and a lot of ice cream... I ended up having some freaked out dreams, which weren't all too fun.. Blech...

I'm starting a 21 days on habit run today... I know I need to watch the seconds and night time eating..
Those are my demons!!!

Maybe this would be a good week to do a bit of SG too! Without Larry, Yoga just isn't the same... Plus, I get very distracted by all the home surrounding stuff... ie: dishes waiting to be washed, stuff needing straightening up.... etc... It's pretty interesting how the enviornment changes the experience for me... Not to mention when I'm in class, I get the energetic support of all the others present and it's not as lonely!

Richard's home today too with a minor cold so I will be cooped up too.. Rats...
Sorry to bitch and moan... Things really are okay, but I am feeling a bit cabin fever ish...

I'll check in later to chart my success... I will make it so!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:32 pm

PS.... I think we are all pretty lucky to have this forum to share our feelings with each other!!!
Thanks guys for listening, and thanks to Reinhard for providing us with this wonderful resource..
It's really a great group to be part of!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:19 pm

Hey Deb!

Hope Richard feels better soon and that he *doesn't* share his cold with you

Take some Zinc and Vitamin C to ward it off.

I know what you mean about all the household stuff distracting you. There's a mound of washing up waiting for me right now.

Well, if I will go baking on an N day, what do I expect?!

If I were you, I'd grab that hammer, put the 'dead on nice and loud and swing it to beat all your cabinfever demons

You could also try running 3 times around your house just to feel the sting of the winter air on your cheeks. That usually cheers me up when I'm stuck at home for some reason. And if Richard needs you, you'll not be more than a few meters away the whole time. Of course, I don't know what your neighbours are like... they might think you've lost the plot - then again, they may have thought that already for several years!

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:28 pm

Of course, I don't know what your neighbours are like... they might think you've lost the plot - then again, they may have thought that already for several years!

Cheeky gal eh???
LOL..

Yes, they don't know me yet, but if given the chance, they would probably come to that conclusion!
LOL..

I've been drinking my homemade lemonade every day.. I think the lemons are a good antiviral.. Also, the Yoga, no matter how weak it was yesterday, is still going, so that really keeps me from stress and sickness..
Since I've practiced Yoga on a regular basis, I think, maybe, I might have gotten one cold in about seven months!

Nice work on the apple syrup too... I have this maple syrup laying around but I've managed to only use a teaspoon in each cup of coffee... and I have about 2 to 3 cups per day.. Not too shabby...
I am proud of both of us!!!
Okay, gotta stop procrastinating on settling my finances for the month

I'll feel better when that task is done and I'm not shooting in the dark as to what bills can and can't get paid this week...
I will, indeed blast some Dead later on and do my SG! Thanks babe!!!

Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:26 am

Day One is done...good one!

No exercise today at all though.. oh well...

Breakfast 2 Coffees and soymilk, one slice of french toast...
Lunch frozen single serving entree of Chicken Tikka Masala with rice
Dinner Two sausages, rice/orzo pilaf and baked beans...

Richard and I both committed "virtual vegetables" by eating some baby carrots before dinner was ready...
No biggie!
If he eats veggies, at *any* time of day, I consider it a blessing!

Have a great evening all..
Peace and Love,

Deb

doulachic · Post by **doulachic** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 4:07 am

Deb, you sound like you know your own self and are in charge of things!

I think the 21 day thing sounds like a good idea if you are having trouble...sometimes we just get sloppy and need to recommit, eh? (ok, mostly talking about me here!

)

anyway, keep up the good work and i hope all goes well.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:37 pm

Hey Tricia,
Not that I've been sloppy, but I just figured it would be interesting and helpful to really track myself in regards to the rules...
I screwed up last night at bedtime when I remembered that there was some dark chocolate toblerone in the fridge.. It kept knawing at my willpower... If I hadn't known it was there, I wouln't have screwed up!
Dumb chocolate!!!
I ended up eating about two square inches of chocolate...
I know this isn't okay, but I'm still giving myself a success rating on the day because I feel that minor screwups are something that happen.. Now if I had a whole bar.. I'd give myself a failure...
Funny.. It really didn't taste great.. I don't even like that brand of chocolate, and it was a gift from my Mom
Therefore it's *her* fault!!! LOL...

I have my period coming on Wed and I feel like it was a pms craving, more than something I really wanted to eat..
Weird...
Okay, today will be candy free!
Hope you have a great day too Tricia..
Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:36 pm

Hi Deb,

Good on you for only eating a couple of square inches...

I've been a little naughty today. I had two chocolate cherries with kirsch liquor in them. My inner brat is really whining cos it's nearly christmas and there are so many goodies "pleeease can I have one? Just ONE...?"

, but was mostly appeased with the above as a 'desert' after lunch. I figured that way I'm not actually going to end up with a sugar crash. At least in 2 weeks time the whole lot will calm down, all the visitors will have been and gone and there won't be so many yummy treats lying around.

Have fun and good luck today.
C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:23 pm

You know what? I really think that if they aren't around, I don't really actively go out my way to consume these things much anymore...
Wow!
Great use of grammar!
LOL...

Hey CJ... Can you post a couple of new pics of me and Richard to this thread???? I still don't have any clue how to do that!

Love,
Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 4:06 pm

Okay.. I just decided to make sure I don't eat the remaining three inches of Toblerone this evening.. So I combined NoS and EDS exercise spirit, and chucked the thing over my neighbors hedge!

LOL..
I'd have to be pretty desperate to go and search for it now!
Hope there aren't any diabetic squirrels hanging around....

Have a nice one.. See yalls later

Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:34 pm

OK... am I spotting a theme here? Do you not like your neighbours or something...?

Deb, I'll see what I can do about posting that pic of you and Richard that you sent to me by email today.

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:43 pm

Ha ha ha!!!
I don't even know them yet! LOL..
Actually, I sent you a total of three pics! I hope you don't charge by the minute!

Two of myself and the cutie boy, and one with me and my Yoga teacher Larry...

Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:50 pm

Deb and Richard at home

Deb and Richard 2005

Deb with Guruji Larry

There you are folks! This public service was brought to you by Carolejo and http://www.flickr.com

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:54 pm

Carolejo you rock!!!
Thanks honey

Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:19 pm

Hey all!

I had a good NoS day yesterday, but wound up eating about four or five teaspoons of sour cream in the middle of the night!
I had bought it to go with our S dessert over the weekend of Blintzes.. Yummmmm.....

Well I'm still giving myself a 90 percent rating on success despite that minor snack...
Note: Newbies this is infact "cheating"
But hey, I figure a 90 percent version of the 21 days is still going to be radically better than not trying to structure these Winter months at all...
So there...

I'm dumping the rest of the sour cream, although I really hate wasting food and money.. But I figure, if I don't, then I'll probably be gulping it down tonight, so in this scenario, with S days being three days away, I'm going to be a tiny bit of a wastrel in defense of not getting a fat butt!

Workwise, things are really coming to a standstill, so I'm really happy that I had a good month in December and have enough money to make it through till probably mid January... Also, I'm feeling sluggish waiting for my period to come, but once I'm less sluggish, I will go nuts and plaster my signs and cards all over town..

Yogawise.. I just took out Rodney Yee's "Am/Pm" yoga... from the library to see if it would make a decent substitute while Larry is in California (incidentally, doesn't he look like a darlin dude? And how about his kooky fuzzy hat??? His daughter made it for him! LOL...)
Well... Rodney may have an amazing bod, but it was soooooo boring!!!!
Also it's way too easy for me...

I'll be hitting the club in a few minutes to go weigh in and sit in the steam room for a few minutes... I've decided that the new manager is a big hosebag too... Oh well... More evidence that working for yourself is sometimes the nicest option!

Okay... Going to dump the sour cream now...
Funny... I remember eating sour cream when I was a kid too... I don't seem to go for candy as much as real foods when it comes to "noshing"...
LOL.. If I ever had a party and made onion dip, I would usually eat half of it before the other people got a chance!
Oy... Well I'm changing for the better... It's just gonna take time!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

ps.. If anyone is looking for an adorable Holiday video to check out for the family, I recommend "Elf" with Will Ferrell.. It was great!
Makes me want to find the original "Miracle on 34th street" to play for Richie

Ho ho ho!!!!!!!

Pork Chop · Post by **Pork Chop** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:53 pm

Is that your son, Deb? He looks like a great, happy kid. I'm suprised he hasn't gotten stingy with his hugs yet... It must be Christmas season.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 1:18 am

Thanks Tyler

He is a great kid, and thank God, not stingy with hugs so far! I sooooo don't look forward to that "stage" of development as he is too delicious!
Our nightly ritual usually consists of intense tickle sessions and high pitched laughter!
Richard will be ten in March.. Oooh.. Double digits!

Well, I kind of decided to eat a few S's today..
For dessert tonight we had about three Rice crispy treats each!
Oh well..
Two days into my 21 days on habit and I already failed! LOL...
Oh well... I think I'll blame my wishy washy resolve as a result of still waiting for my monthly "friend" to arrive..

Have a nice evening~
Peace and Love,

Deb

doulachic · Post by **doulachic** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:04 am

Hey Deb, i had a question for you...what exactly does yoga exercise help? flexability or more than that? just curious...the health clinic here in town is offering a free yoga class and i was thinking of checking it out...of course it is free so i don't know how good it will be..

You just never know...anyway, anything you can tell me about the physical benefits would be appreciated...I know it is relaxing too, but i really don't go in for the rest of the "spiritual" aspect of it...no offense.

take care!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:24 am

Yoga quiets the mind.. It strengthens the muscles and makes them more open, and if done correctly, unifies the body mind and spirit through synchronizing the movements with the breath... It increases your life force and, no offense either to you, but I very much believe that it can tap you into your deepest levels of existence...
Now, that being said, not all teachers are alike and not all are for you..
But I say, go and give it a whirl.. There are lots of forms of yoga, but I suggest that you start with vinyasa or hatha.. Some are very challenging.. and not for beginners, such as Ashtanga...
It is a chance to practice "Ahimsa" or "Non violence" and the being you practice that goal towards is you... You honor where you are and then, through careful and continued practice you develop new levels of strength and flexibilty...
Plus it's just downright cool and groovy to be able to do poses like "Warrior" "Tree" and "Cobra"...
And what is more cool than doing a headstand???
But that's pretty advanced so you probably won't do one in the first class! LOL..
If you are curious, then perhaps you should go with your feeling..
As they say in ancient Buddhist proverb:

When the student is ready, the master appears...

Who knows... Maybe this free class will bring you in touch with your destined teacher?
Hope so!
Love,
Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:03 pm

So, amid much offline discussion, here's another picture of Deb and Larry:-

The 'Krishna' Tree with added Bhudda-Belly!

Deb thinks this is unflattering, but I think it's a great pic cos it looks like everyone is having so much fun. I will remove it at any time if you change your mind though Deb, no questions asked

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:28 pm

Nah,,, it's only a bit embarrassing, not really offensive, but let's keep it up anyway as a nice "during" pic! Buddha told me to do so!

Hey, what do you expect??? I was 250 lbs the night before I went into the hospital to have a c section birth of an
*ELEVEN* pound baby boy!
And hey, I'm still 206... This is an accurate portrayal of where I am now, minus the color! LOL...

Richard took this picture, and yes we were having quite a fun time, as I always do with Larry! But no one told me I was hanging out there quite that much!!!
Thanks a lot Richard!!!!

LOL!

For those of you wondering why I made myself blue in the face???
I was trying to be funny by saying I look like a Krisna Tree!

Usually, Krisna is depicted as blue skinned...

Okay, off to do some Yoga now.. LOL..

Have a great afternoon, all you non blue people

Peace and Buddha Bellies,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:48 pm

Merry Christmas all you guys!
Hey.. Here comes a classically long and manic one from me! In my style.. LOL... Get ready okay.....

I'm having a pretty interesting day...
As you know, I tried the lemonade fast a few weeks back and only made it about 2 days... Then I didn't tell you guys, but I tried to do it again this week, but again, no sticking with it, simply, I believe, because it's Winter and I need warm things in me and I feel the elements are a bit against me... I will try it again in the Spring when the temps go above sixty...
Last night I was reading through a bunch of online info about both the Colon/Kidney cleanse, and what is usually recommended to follow... a Liver cleanse... So my mind was in cleanse mode... You should see some of the photos out there showing what flushes out of you when you do a Liver/Gallbladder cleanse... It's shocking... Not for the weak!
But today, I feel, retroactively, that even the few days I did it, have had some profound effect on my system..

Well...forgive me for rambling on.. I will get to the point! LOL.. sometime!

All year now, I've been noticing that I am pretty addicted to my morning fix/afternoon repair combo of coffee with chocolate soymilk...
Last night I had about half a pint of Chocolate Haagen Daz, and I have to say,,,, it didn't taste all that wonderful...
"What the heck is going on here???" I thought? And then this morning I didn't have any chocolate soymilk left, just plain, so I added the remaining chocolate icecream into some soymilk, and thought it might do the trick for the coffee...
Well I honestly can say I thought it made me ill... Blechhhh...
I got nauseous, and had a mild stomach ache...
Again I thought, "What in the world is happening to me???".....

So I tried a cup of coffee with just a teaspoon of sugar and some plain soy... Blech! Tasted like water with chemicals!!! Okay... Added one more teaspoon of sugar... Still yuck!! Maybe I really didn't even like the coffee, just liked the hot taste of chocolate soymilk???
At this point, my stomach was just almost ready to barf... I was getting nauseous at the mere thought of drinking that coffee..

"Who is this person?????" I thought??? LOL...

So now.. Back to the combination of the cleanse thoughts and the mornings events... Two of the items mentioned as being very harmful and difficult for digestion were coffee and dairy... I think ice cream falls into this category... LOL..

Well, as one of my teachers once said (and I'm sure she was probably quoting Buddha or Confucious)
"Where the mind goes, the body follows..." My mind was on cleansing and my body was saying.. "it's time..."
They just ganged up on me!!! LOL..

I gave up coffee about ten years ago when I was pregnant with Richard (I think??? ) but that was motivated by the fact that his dad didn't drink coffee and was encouraging me to quit... But I wasn't really ready...
I didn't give it up for the right reasons... Someone else shouldn't ever be a motivation for doing anything... You have to decide for yourself.
I went back to coffee after that, and have been fairly addicted to it for the past ten years...

I think that since I've been using chocolate soymilk this last year, I have really been doing a bit of a disservice to my weight loss efforts... Although it's semi borderline, I realized that if I have enough cups of it a day, in my coffee, it really isn't anymore.. It's an S.. 140 calories and 23 grams of sugar per cup...

Well.. all at once it just hit me.. All those thoughts all together.. And I decided to make Chocolate soymilk an S for S days, and give up coffee, except on S days... (maybe altogether if I don't really miss it..)
And as soon as I had that thought I turned around and (cue the Heavenly Light musical sound effects...)

I saw my "sign" which I've come to trust as God's little hint, just between he and I, LOL.... I can't tell you my sign because it's our secret! LOL...

So, this Christmas Day... My Body Mind and Spirit are all in agreement and I am finally going through with kicking my coffee/chocolate soy addicition!!!!!

I can't wait to go and buy a bunch of fun and healthy teas and start having more fresh juices and teas instead...

I expect there to be some rebellion against this idea, therefore I made the items S's instead of totally eliminating them... That way I know I can have them occasionally... But the fact that my cravings for coffee are sooo strong, points to it being a Spiritual and Physical addiction...

I think this has really hindered my weight loss, and really expect a big change, once I stop having so much chocolate soy and drinking healthier things like fresh juice and occasional fresh lemonade (I have truly developed a taste for this...)

I feel content and peaceful with my decision, and know that my divine body wisdom was making sure that I really listen up this morning...
I am listening...

Thank you Lord!

(cue Handel's Hallelujah Chorus...)

Here's to a Healthier Debbie yall!!!!
Peace and Love and Good Will to all.....

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:52 pm

I expect there to be some rebellion against this idea, therefore I made the items S's instead of totally eliminating them... That way I know I can have them occasionally... But the fact that my cravings for coffee are sooo strong, points to it being a Spiritual and Physical addiction...

I think this has really hindered my weight loss, and really expect a big change, once I stop having so much chocolate soy and drinking healthier things like fresh juice and occasional fresh lemonade (I have truly developed a taste for this...)

Okay folks, update here: Twelve step Deb made it one step!

There was major rebellion this morning...
So I am just going to cut down on the whole shebang, not cut it out..
Oh well! I felt so inspired!!!
I'll cut back on the amount of chocolate soy I use and add more plain soy..
Or maybe I'll experiment with just using plain cocoa powder to get that taste...
Either way... I will not be giving up my morning coffee yet! Or possibly ever, it seems

I fished out the container from the trash this morning out of desperation!
Pathetic eh???

But all that stuff happened yesterday, and I know my body was telling me something important...
Maybe just that ice cream isn't for me anymore???

Oh this is all crazy!!! LOL...
By the way, please feel free to laugh at me and my rant yesterday..
I am... (but with a bit of embarrasment!

)

Hope you all had a great day with your family's yesterday!
Enjoy the kids weeks off from school..
I know I'll enjoy my Richie being around!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 2:02 pm

Speaking of coffee...

Husband and I are unashamed in our love for those brewed beans, and so for Christmas, he gave me a Black & Decker Home Cafe...one of those gizmos that uses little pods to brew one perfect cup at a time. He also bought a separate accessory that uses little filter papers so you can just use your regular ground coffee in it (in my case, cheap Walmart brand). Holy schmolly, what a cup of coffee it makes! Even the cheap stuff tastes like expensive Starbucks! I know this is supposed to be "my" gift, but once he tastes the results, he's not going to want anything else. I think our little Mr. Coffee is going to end up in the storage room!

Good luck on cutting back!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 4:26 pm

Thanks a lot Jammin Jan!!!
Enjoy your lovely new gift!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:40 pm

Okay, it's official.. I have some kind of blechy virus...
That's been causing the gross queasy feelings for the past few days...
Richie has had a longstanding cold for over a week now, and I guess, rather than making me sneeze, in my case the virus is making me
"quease"... Just enough to be slightly gross feeling, not out and out kill-me-now bad...
I started the day with Yoga, and felt like certain poses just didn't want to happen... Like shoulder stand... unless you are super strong in your abs and back, this tends to smush the stomach a bit, so it didn't feel right to me... I also couldn't muster up "The Wheel" today... Too weak.
But I did about 15 seconds or something, of headstand, in my special headstand corner... Here and there I was able to move away from the corner and stay up for a few seconds at a time.. It feels so great!

So, in the spirit of NoS, today is a sick day for me and so,,,,
I'm making some brownies! LOL...
Why not!

I'm going to the gym tomorrow and am somewhat curious to see what my weight is.. I will be more than happy if I stay anywhere within a two pound gain (I don't expect any losses this week!)
It's been a while since I weighed but my jeans are exactly the same as they felt about three weeks ago, so I couldn't be up too much...
We shall see..
Surprisingly, I am starting to enjoy Yoga practice at home! So, when Larry comes back, I plan on going to class with him at least three days a week, and practice at home for the other days...

On a "I am proud of myself" note,,, there were some fried chinese noodles laying around on the counter which came with dinner last night
(Ha ha, what does a Jewish family eat on Christmas eve?? Chinese! LOL..)
and they were tempting me just now... I saved them for Richard, but he told me he didn't want them, so I dumped them down the toilet!
Sadly I didn't trust myself enough to put them in the garbage, because I thought that I might fish them out later!
But that felt good! And they surely would have been unnecessary calories and grease... Brownies are worth it.. Those weren't...

I'm missing reading other peoples posts! Where is everyone!???
Please someone else report on your holiday weekends or something!
Hugs and Love,

Deb

navin · Post by **navin** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:13 pm

eat on Christmas eve?? Chinese! LOL..

That also sounds like "A Christmas Story".

doulachic · Post by **doulachic** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 6:50 pm

I love Chinese on ANY day!

Christmas Eve is always pizza here...also good on any day!

good for you Deb on resisting! hope you feel better, maybe chocolate will help.

oh Navin, i LOVE "A Christmas Story"! A true classic on so many levels...

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:17 pm

Thanks Tricia!

Actually, the virus is really taking hold and I am feeling pretty bad now..

I'll write more when I'm feeling better..

Have a nice day!
Peace and Love,

Deb

doulachic · Post by **doulachic** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 1:46 am

Deb, it may be too late for it now, but maybe you should try some "Airborne"...i know walmart carries it...it is a tablet that you dissolve in water and drink..it is herbal and it is supposed to boost your immune system...anyway you are supposed to take it at the first sign of a cold and it is supposed to help....a few days before Christmas i was definately coming down with something, so i took this three times a day for about three days and i never came down with it fully...i still felt kinda yucky in my sinuses, but not nearly as bad as i have gotten it in the past!

anyway, it comes with ten tablets and you are supposed to take it every three hours, but i took it less and still felt good...anyway, get the lemon lime flavor, it is the best. not sure if it will help you if the virus is too attached, but it's a worth a try and maybe next time you will get the cold by the throat before it gets you!

feel better soon!

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:58 am

Hi Deb,

Get well soon!

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:48 pm

Thanks CJ and Tricia

I've just been napping all day..
We are going into the city later to see the 40th anniversary of PDQ Bach live at Symphony Space in NYC (not at Carnegie!)
It's billed as

"A Retrogressive" LOL...

So I expect to be laughing so much I won't notice I'm sick...

Coffee tasted vile to me this morning, so I skipped it.. Made some fresh orange and grapefruit juice...
Did it all by hand without a juicer, just had a spoon and a sieve..
And my massage therapist hands of steel! LOL..

See you manana...
Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:32 am

I thought this was funny enough to warrant posting... But don't tell Richard.. He will be mad at me! LOL..

I dumped another three bags of fried noodles into the toilet the other day..
We are finally getting better today, but both Richie and I have had a blech virus for a few days now and needed good old wonton soup..

So the funny thing....
Yesterday he told me that he was using the noodles as targets to aim at while using the toilet... LOL!!!!!!!
You know... Like an aim game... LOL..

I guess I forgot to flush all them down...

Don't know if I'll ever be able to eat those type of noodles again!

We had a fun time going to see PDQ tonight and ate lots of candy in the theater.... It was still a sick day, but tomorrow we aren't breaking or bending any rules as I'm officially feeling much better!
(Maybe all that candy! LOL...)
I saw a few friends in the concert who I knew back in my music days at
Queens college... Actually the choral group in the program was a group I used to sing with in the late eighties.. Very good group called Canticum Novum, led by Harold Rosenbaum.. They sang the "Liebeslieder Polkas" LOL... And they all dressed in polka type outfits, complete with goofy shorts and suspenders, and caps with feathers in them! LOL....
But really, the highlight is just Peter Schickele himself... he is hilarious!!
See www.schickele.com for details..

Hopefully I will muster up a few minutes of Yoga tomorrow.. I really hate being so completely sedentary... Winter! Viruses... Blah!!!
Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:15 am

Some of the public Urinals paint a fly on the back wall... It gives the boys something to aim at as they try to wash it off the wall, and they get less general 'mess'.

A friend of mine always puts a cork in the toilet bowl whenever she has a party. The blokes will try to 'sink' it, (especially the slightly drunken ones who would normally have a wonky aim). When you flush, it usually just bobs straight back up so you don't lose it, but if it does get flushed it's not big enough to cause any trouble to the sewerage pipes. She swears that the bathroom floor is in a much better state whenever there's a cork!

It would seem that Richard is not alone. Most men cannot resist a target

C.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:12 pm

LOL!!!!!

Hugs CJ!
Have a great day!!!

Love,

Deb

3aday · Post by **3aday** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:04 am

Deb,
I hope you feel better soon.
Just wanted to thank you for your support again.
Hopefully you will be up and running soon and spreading joy everywhere!
Becky

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:00 am

Thanks Becky!
I do feel a lot better this evening... In the morning I wasn't quite right and had a doozy of a headache and no appetite..
This evening I made up for the lack of appetite...

Big time!

Hoping to get to my Yoga and meditation again tomorrow...
I need it bad..

Have a great night!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:13 pm

Hi Folks...
Boy I am a bit aggravated with myself for bending the rules a bunch of times this week... Not really mad, but perturbed...
Still, it's been a bit of a rough week with Richard and I having a virus that kept us in a lot and we are also getting cabin fever too...

Well my goal for the rest of the season, is not to fall into the Winter slump and not to finagle around at all with the rules... I want us to eat reasonable and delicious meals at reasonable intervals and totally completely restrict S's in a very strict way...

Snacks hasn't been a problem, even with Richie off of school this week..
But we have been virtual plating a bit (me not a bit but a lot, like having a dinnner and then soup and then some more dinner...) which is really like having seconds... Then, the sweets this week were too much... Each time we rationalized them as special days, a few for sickness (and we were pretty darn miserable) and then one for Special, since we went out to see PDQ..and brought three candy bars to eat during the performance! LOL...
But yesterday I allowed soda when I really didn't feel it was necessary, since Richard begged me, and I had a fairly big cup of 7/11 Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate...
We didn't need that extra S day...

So I chalk that up to habit... or that mentality of
"We just had three sick days in a row, so what's another going to do??"

Well the answer lies in the very tight feeling of my pants seat today!!!
LOL.....

I can't wait till Richard is back in school.. I feel really nuts being home so much... Hopefully this weekend we will get out more, but it's been really tough because he really has a longstanding virus and his glands are like golf balls...

Well I hear it's supposed to snow tomorrow.. I wonder if we will get anything shovelworthy...

I am dying for Larry to come back too because I miss class with him so much!!! Somehow I get involved in home chores or distracted by stuff, like a sink full of dishes and working out at home hasn't been regular at all!

Oh bother.. I think I'm in a bad mood or something and just going on and on...
Sorry!!! LOL..

All will be well and this too shall pass...

Just gotta get a handle on NoS, big time and keep holding that handle all year long!!!
Ha ha!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:59 am

Happy New Year Yalls!
Today was a very good NoS day... and I practiced an hour, at least, of Yoga at home...
My headstand is getting better and better!!! I can stay up without touching my feet to the corner of the room for a few seconds at a time!!!!
Soon I'll be able to do it without the corner at all... well maybe not *soon*...
But most people take about a year to be able to do a headstand, and I have only been practicing for about five or six months!!!

I'm all over my illness, finally!!!!!
Whoa! It was turning me into a very crabby apple!

I'm starting my 21 days today, just for fun and for some discipline as well...
Yes it's an S day, but it was a very moderate one... Almost N like! LOL..
(minus the 1/3 cup of m&m's I had after dinner tonight! LOL..)
Also, had one chocolate covered strawberry, since my Mom came over to give us some leftovers from a party she had during the day...

Breakfast before Yoga.. 2 coffees with chocolate soymilk...

Lunch: Homemade cold curried carrot soup and three chicken drumsticks..
and then I had half an orange for a late lunch "virtual" dessert...

Dinner: Penne pasta with baked beans and a mix of brocolli and potatoes..

Yoga was pretty hard today, at least the strenuous poses, like Wheel and shoulder stand.. That virus really knocked the *bleep* out of me, energywise... My muscles were sore, and I found myself saying
"I'm so weak!!!" in frustration... Then I got sad, and started crying a little bit because I realized that I am too quick to judge myself, in a negative way (see my long spiel to Shameless Hussy today! LOL..)
I mean.. Big deal! So what if today I feel weak? It's only to be expected after a week of illness! I was disappointed in myself for having such a harsh and hard attitude at first, towards my weak state... And I said, to Richard, "Sometimes it's hard to love myself" or something like that..
Again, I was crying, because it was a kind of cathartic thing happening for me...
He said,,,
"It's alright... Deep inside you always love yourself"....

Boy, then I really cried!!!
Tears of Joy!
What a great Son I have!

Praise the Lord I am learning to be friends with myself and have a wonderful friend here with me now, to help me when I am weak!

My personal weight goal/ size goal, since I'm not sure which will come first.. is to lose about 40 lbs this year or go down to a size 32 pants...
I weigh around 208 now that the holidays are over, and I measured in at 37.5 inches at the waist (the bellybutton line is way different, so no need to mention numbers there!!!

)
If I end up losing less weight and more inches, I'll be completely happy..

I figure that this is a very ambitious goal... Nearly twice what I lost last year... But it's doable... I figure a pound a week minus, lets say 12 weeks out of the year where I don't lose, comes to, about 40 lbs...
Even if I only achieve 50% of my goal, I'll still be plenty happy...

I'm shooting really high though! I would love to feel light and airy and energized!!!

Wish me luck people!!!
With five good N days a week and regular exercise 5 days a week, I think I can really do this!
And the best part is knowing that when I finally get down to a size and weight I am truly healthy and happy with, NOS will keep me there
FOR GOOD!!!!
What a relief to know that I'll never have to go on any other stupid weight loss "crash course" again...

Oh, and another New Years resolution is that on Sundays we will go Urban Rangering for at least 2 miles each week... Maybe when the Spring hits we will do it more than that...

Have a great week everyone!
Peace and Love,

Debbie

Lane · Post by **Lane** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 7:46 pm

Hey Deb!

I'm sure that EVERYone on this board agrees with me when I say:

You're awesome
You're such an encourager
We KNOW you're going to do great this year
We all want to celebrate YOUR success and health and happiness
THANK YOU for the insight and encouragement you give each of us

Now go give 2006 a kick in the booty!!!

Lane

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:05 am

Ha ha ha!!!!!!
Thanks Lanie girl!!!
I will, indeed, kick 2006's booty!!!

Big time!!!

Today was Day 2 and it was very healthy and NoS approved!
Just about to practice some Yoga now...

Thanks again, for that nice post!
Hugs!
Have a great night!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:50 am

A little pre-bedtime post here..
I feel proud of my "listening" skills tonight..

At Dinner, I did a bit of virtual plating, because I had soup on the menu...
I didn't fill the soup bowl completely (as they are oversized bowls anyway...) though it's one of my favorite kinds...
My Moms potato soup... Then I had *one* chicken drumstick, not two...
And I had two large stuffed mushroom caps... Boy did I want a few more, but I stopped, knowing that I still had fresh pineapple for dessert...

I cut too much pineapple, as my eyes were larger than my stomach, and even imagined if it would fit on my leftover space on the plate... The answer was "NO" but I kept on and at first, ignored this red flag in my head... (Not so easy to get these rules into my habit brain yet, even though I've been practicing for some time now...)

But by the time I had finished the hearty dinner and got up to the pineapple, my tummy was plenty satisfied with half of the pineapple and I ended up leaving the last "extra" slices, which originally, were "pre-disapproved", as Reinhard would put it...
I didn't shove them down my gullet and stuff myself to overflowing...

I was really happy about this!!!
I listened to my fullness signals and was able, with ease, to put the remainder away for another time...

Felt like a major accomplishment!
My problem hasn't ever really been candy or cake.. It's always been just plain old eating too much of anything... Pineapple is healthy, so my old self could easily rationalize eating twice as much as I did tonight, or even five times as much.. "It's healthy" would be the rationalization for allowing me to overeat..
That sure doesn't add up anymore!

I'm happy I'm trying to go for the 21 days again.. It's really a great way of "spying" on yourself, and trying to catch those bad habits redhanded!

On the other hand, my Mom had a Diet Center journal, laying around her kitchen, this week... I notice she didn't write anything in it!!!
(Yes I'm a bad girl for peeking into her journal! LOL..)
No doubt, the mere idea of journalling every calorie has already become a huge chore, since there wasn't anything written in it!

I wish I could convince her to try out NoS... Maybe if I truly stick to the rules and drop some more pounds, my example may convince her..
It sure is cheaper than Diet Center... I bet they're trying to sell her their patented expensive "supplements" as well... LOL...

My virus is still percolating in me somewhat, as I was queasy and tired for most of the day...
Go away virus!!!!!!

Richard goes back to school tomorrow, and I hope to get into the swing of things again... We've been in the house a bit too much these days..
Mostly catching up on watching Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies! LOL...

I hope to eat more homemade soups and salads this week, as that's what I really feel cravings for!

Okay!
Good night everyone

Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:48 am

Good NoS day today folks!

Had 2 cups of coffee, half a banana three whole wheat crackers and one slice of american cheese for breakfast..

Lunch was four large stuffed mushrooms

Dinner was two chicken legs and pasta with sauce... Pineapple for dessert!
Also had a small glass of chocolate soymilk...

Well today I drank about 3/4 of a gallon of water and I think it helped me feel a bit less hungry.... Hoping to flush the last few virus thingys from my system...
I'm *almost* all better, but still have a nagging headache and nauseous feeling all day...

I am really happy that I'm on a good run of days!!!
Only three more days to S days again... It's cool that we get weekends off! LOL...

I went to an 8 am Yoga class today, thinking that Guruji Larry would be there again... but we had a sub!!!!

An awful Yoga instructor... I had to leave after about 20 minutes...
I really miss Larry!!! *Sob*!!!

Have a nice night friends!!!

Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:17 pm

Holy dysfunctional family gatherings!!!!

LOL...

I just got back from my Moms..
She mentioned that she wanted to use an old gift certificate for a Pilates session, which was over a year old... When she passed the location, they had closed!!! LOL... Then she found the new one, but immediately she started saying that she is already getting help (as in an excuse not to go to Pilates) with Diet Center...
Well I couldn't resist... My moment to mention NoS...
It was Hell!!! LOL...

So after the initial "shutting me out" and resisting which I expected at first, I told her to just let me have one minute to say what I wanted to say, as I really felt she would benefit and I wanted to *help*.. not nag or force her to do anything...

I just told her to consider trying NoS for three or even just *one* week...
And then I threw in the whole deal about how pleasant it is that it makes you want to stay on it, and therefore you avoid the horrible non-maintenance friendly ends, most other diets come to.. ie: gaining it all back three to six months later... Plus I threw in that it's totally free!!!
I can guarantee you that she is spending upwards of 60 dollars a month for Diet Center.. Though she admits that this time she wasn't going to buy any of their products...
Then I threw in how Reinhard calls the diet bars "Deception bars" LOL...
Since in essence, they are candy in disguise..

Wow... When I mentioned the issue of S days, and that she could have some ice cream or frozen yogurt (which she used to have almost ever other day, last Summer, so I know that's her thing!) she said,,,,,,

"I don't like that anymore" !!! LOL..
Then, when I started to laugh, she said, "Well, I just don't eat that anymore"...

So then I posed the question to her about "what will you do when you feel like having it occasionally?" No answer... LOL.. But clearly, it was totally obvious that she was in huge denial mode...

We'll see... The only way I could get her to listen to me to begin with, was by going back to the same point a few times, that I had lost and maintained about 25 or 30 lbs since I started a year and a half ago...
And also, I mentioned that this is a way to conquer the bad habits we have that Diet Center won't do for her... She has been back and forth with them for about 3 or 4 times over the past 2 or 3 years, and each time she leaves she gains it all back.. This is evidence that it doesn't change any of her habits... And it's sure not free!

She did agree that NoS was a very healthy sounding way of eating..
Hope she trys it!!!

As for me...
Today I'm in promotion mode... I had a big self realization this morning, which is spurring me on to make promoting my office the main focus of my work... I've given way too much power away and mentally put the responsibility to make money through outside "extra" jobs... First it was the gym, and that fizzled out after they changed the rate for massage..So the only reason I stay is the free membership which entitles me to limitless classes with Larry! LOL... (That's a $50 a month savings!)
Then I thought of working for another gym, and no one calls back to get an interview.. Then I tried to get something going with my teacher Larry's friend, the colon hydrotherapist, and lo and behold, he is really not keeping in touch and doesn't seem to know how to return a phone call..
Well.. it's up to me...

I need to use Reinhard's general theme of "Self Responsibility" to make my dreams come true!!!

I just got off the phone with my friend Todd, who owns a vitamin store one block away from my office.. He's one of my clients too, and we barter with each other...
So we are going to do "Massage Mondays" at his store now.. I figured we will compliment each others business... I'm going to create a little coupon which entitles people to a small discount at his store for people who buy my new client package (a three pack of massage..)
If I go there every week, it will be good exposure for my office and hopefully we will both benefit... I'll do chair massage in the store for a few hours every week...

I really need to remember that it's up to me to create my own success!!!
Both in diet and in my professional career!
Thank God the Sun is out today.. It was really messed up yesterday with freezing rain all day.. Bleh!!!

Ahhhhh!!! Sun!!!!!!
Let's all of us Nosser's unite and have a great day!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

carolejo · Post by **carolejo** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:59 pm

Wow, Deb. That's really good news about Todd's shop. I need to do something similar here and take control of generating a social life!

That's definately IT. I'm going to the Hash on Sunday and I'm also going to Aerobics this Tuesday. No. More. Excuses. I don't even care if Steve won't come with me!

Glad you're pretty much totally well again. Hope Richard is feeling better too - it can get really nasty when you have a virus that just won't take the hint and leave.

love and Hugs
C. xxx

3aday · Post by **3aday** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:56 pm

Hi Deb,
Glad you are feeling better : )
Becky

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:21 pm

Thanks CJ and Becky!
We rock!!!!
LOL..

Have a great day!
Peace and Love,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:05 am

Hmmm... let's see...
Day four!!!
I'm on a roll!!!! Woo hoo!!!
LOL.....

What was for breakfast? So long ago!!! (I have a baaaaaad memory!)
Okay, weird but yummy breakfast..

Two cups of coffee with soymilk
Five slices of pinapple and about a half a cup of black bean chutney with onions and mango, my Mom made..
It's good!

Late lunch, partially virtually plated..
Had about 1 and a half cups of blended cold carrot/buttermilk soup...
then we went to Premik's house for Richards saxophone lesson and all three of us split a 10 inch personal pizza with spinach and garlic..
I had two "mini slices"...

Dinner hasn't happened yet, but I think its' going to be some pasta and chicken with some mesclun salad... Maybe an orange for dessert...

I've really been cranking up my intake of fruits and veggies for the past week.. I have to say that this is a resolution that I didn't make but I am so happy this has happened!
I intend on eating this way from here on.. It's really satisfying and fun!

I think this will be the weekend that I make Freakwitch Chili, depending on how much of a paycheck I have tomorrow...
(this week is so tight that I am going to the gas station and asking for *one* gallon of gas! LOL... OY VEY!!!)

I also bought a few of those "oodles of noodles" simply because they are dirt cheap! LOL...

Can't wait till tomorrow...
Larry is finally back, as reported to me this evening, by the front desk of the health club!
Yoga at noon!!!!

Only two days till S days.. LOL...

Yay!!!

Peace and Love,

Deb

Everyday Systems

Deb's Check-in

Day One/21 days in the pen.... LOL..

Day three, Go Me!!! LOL...

Use your SG for a massage today! LOL..

massage tips

Day 4 gets 4 Stars!!!! LOL...

Wish you the best

Day Nine and feeling fine!

Day One, successful...

Day 2

Biting the Coffee/Sugar Bullet.....

12 step Deb made it one step!!! LOL...