My Year of No S

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Graham
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Post by Graham » Sun Jun 13, 2010 11:42 am

I really liked that article - great humour. Thanks for stopping by my check-in and the encouraging words Lori, regards, graham

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:21 pm

Graham.....Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!

I restarted my HabitCal today. That's a good sign for me, when my eating is loosey- goosey, I don't like to use it...too many red days. I'm feeling confident that there will be more green than red on my HabitCal for June.

Starting with a green for today. My S days are usually Friday and Saturday. Today,which is Sunday, my husband and I went for a long run (13 miles) then went out to dinner. I always crave breakfast after long runs, I had an omelet with no dessert.

Tomorrow is a fasting day so my eating is done until tomorrow afternoon.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:44 pm

Here's a good blog entry from the doctor on "Weighty Matters"


Food is both a comfort and a pleasure and to live a life that denies the ability to use food for those means is called a diet and it's something that ultimately you're likely to quit.

Dietary indulgences are a luxurious part of life and given we're all effectively the best hunters this planet has ever seen, they're easily obtainable and we can "catch" them anywhere.

While of course there's no such thing as the eat whatever you want, whenever you want, as much as you want weight management plan, blindly cutting out the less healthy (but often yummy) stuff may well over time lead you to abandon your entire weight management strategy.

So the next time you're considering an indulgence rather than blindly saying, "I'm not allowed", or, "Whatever, tonight's a write-off", here are the two questions you might try to ask yourself:

1. Is it worth the calories?

To answer the question certainly knowing the calories is important. The fact is, some indulgences simply aren't worth their calories and asking the question you'll eliminate a fair percentage.

2. How much of it do I need to be happy?

By asking this question you're avoiding the "write-off" situation where you throw caution to the wind, pay no attention, eat as much as your body wants, and then wind up feeling guilty about the amount you consumed.

A followup to this question is that if you've finished the amount you thought you needed to be happy and you're still not, simply ask the question again and again until such time as you're content.

Remember, there are many variables that go into these decisions and some days are worth more calories than others - birthdays, holidays, vacations to name just a few, so the answers to these questions vary day by day.

Ultimately life includes indulgences, and rather than try to blindly restrict them why not work on their thoughtful reduction.

Choose with your brain, not with your body.

Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:11 pm

I'm off to Seattle for my next marathon......
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

lbb (Liz)
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Post by lbb (Liz) » Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:07 am

Thanks for the thoughts from "weighty matters"...good stuff.
Good luck on the marathon! I live in Seattle...I'll be cheering you on!
Way to go!
Liz

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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:05 pm

Thanks for the support lbb. I loved Seattle, what a great place to live.

So look where we are, halfway through the year. Seems like a good time to evaluate my progress.....

Marathons...I'm right on target to reach my goal. My plan is to complete all the marathons on the Rock & Roll series. If I do it, I get a cool Rockstar medal at the end of the year.

Steps....Again, I'm on target. I wear my pedometer everyday, my plan is to do 5 million steps by the end of the year. I'm at about 2.5 million, which is where I should be.

No Snacking.... Pretty good. I've kicked my nighttime eating, which is a big thing. I need to work on eliminating the mid afternoon snack.

No Seconds...That was an easy habit to incorporate.

No Sweets...Not so good. I've got to conquer this monster.

Eat Stop Eat... Sporatic.

So what am I going to do differently for the rest of the year?

-HabitCal..I need to use it.
-Eat Stop Eat...once a week for the rest of the year.
-In an effort to eliminate my afternoon snack, I'm putting myself on a scheduled eating time for my meals. I usually just eat when I get hungry. For the rest of the year, I'm eating at the same time everyday.

Happy Mid Year to everybody!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 02, 2010 7:33 pm

Hey look at me, 2 posts in one day!

My husband is out of town, visiting his parents for the holiday weekend. I usually meet up with a friend of mine, at a spa, for the long weekend. She's my spa buddy, that's where we met and where we do our annual get together. Circumstances have prevented us from doing so this year and last.

In an effort to bring the spa to my house, I ordered spa food from a great organic place called Healthy Chef Creations. I have a slight aversion to cooking so I love ordering food online. Through trial and error, I think this place has the best complete meals. The food is organic and lists the calorie and nutritional breakdown of each meal.

The fedex man dropped off my box this morning. I've got lots of tasty meals for the week, including Salmon cakes, Spinach frittata and Gazpacho Crab Salad. Tonight I'm going to have Mahi Mahi with wild rice pilaf and mint infused garden peas.

It's not quite like being at a spa but it's close! I'm also going to schedule some spa treatments for next week, a post marathon massage will be a must.

I think I'll go out for a hike and pretend I'm at a fancy schmancy resort in Arizona.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:19 pm

I'm enjoying my at home spa weekend!

This morning I went on a long hike. We have lots of great hiking close to our house. I love hiking, the only problem this time of year is SNAKES! Ack! I don't have a snake phobia but I would rather not see any on the trails. The last time my husband and I went on a hike, we saw a big, fat, long one! We were thinking it was over 3 ft long! Today was snake free, lucky for me.

This afternoon I dusted off my workout DVDs and did one that focused on upper body. It's funny that I can do marathons with no soreness but 10 bicep curls kills me! I need to dust off my sledgehammer too.

When I go to a spa, I like to balance exercise with pampering. I wasn't able to schedule a massage so I did an at home facial.

It's too early for dinner. I think I'll relax on the couch with a book. The spa menu for tonight is Mahi Mahi with wild rice pilaf and seasoned peas. For dessert I'm having a cup of cherries.

Life is good!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:21 pm

Spa weekend continues..

This morning I went for a 6.5 mile run. This afternoon I hit the gym for a 30 min interval workout.

My pampering was spending some time in the gym steam room, followed by a salt scrub.

Spa food is Gazpacho Crab salad.

One more spa day before I go back to work, darn it.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by kccc » Mon Jul 05, 2010 12:22 am

Sounds like a wonderful pampering time! What fun!

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Post by LoriLifts » Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:48 pm

My 3 day spa weekend is ending today.

This morning I'm hitting the trails for a long hike. In the afternoon, I'm doing something with weights and maybe squeeze in more cardio.

I have a noon appointment for a facial, that's the pampering portion of the day.

Spa food will be an individual neapolitan pizza from Healthy Chef.

One of the benefits of going to a big time spa is the food. It's always delicious and prepared in healthy ways. The calorie counts are always listed, which is really a wake up call. I'm always surprised when I see a portion of food and see the calories. The portion is never as big as I would have thought it should be!

I'm becoming aware of portions and calories again with my Healthy Chef meals. The mini wild blueberry pie is teeny. Like about 3 bites!

I better get my hike done before it gets too hot outside.
Off I go...
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:29 pm

I'm doing something different for July.

I'm counting calories, even though I hate doing so. I love the No S lifestyle and plan to do it forever. However, I know that my calories have been off the chart, even with intermittent fasting and lots of exercise. I've been maintaining my weight for quite a while. It's time to get some pounds off before my next marathon in August.

I'm going to look on the bright side of calorie counting. If I stick with it for 4 weeks, it will help decrease my love of fat and sugar laden items. I'm going to think twice about using 25% of my daily calories on a whoopie pie.

For the first 2 weeks, I'll be eating food from Healthy Chef. Then the training wheels come off and it will be my responsibility to calorie count.

I'll weigh myself every 2 weeks to check my progress. Maybe if I see the positive changes, I'll add another month of calorie counting (highly doubtful).
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:39 am

Here's another good post from the doctor at "Weighty Matters"...

Simple. You like it.

What do I mean?

Tolerating a diet's not good enough. If you're only tolerating your new lifestyle you're certainly not likely to keep living it.

Food wise - you can't be regularly battling hunger, it can't be making you feel unwell and your life has to be "normal" meaning you should be able to include food for comfort, food for celebration, with no forbidden foods.

Fitness wise - you can't be running out of time, running out of energy, hurting yourself or hating it.

Ultimately you're aiming for a lifestyle where you can't happily eat any less and you can't happily exercise any more.

Sure we can all improve our lifestyles but to use an extreme example, do you really think you can be a tee-totaling vegan, shut-in, marathon runner forever?

If you can't happily eat less, you're not going to eat less. If you can't happily exercise more, you're not going to exercise more.

Your goal should be your personal best recognizing that the best lifestyle you can enjoy and the best lifestyle that you can tolerate are two very different things



This is how I want to live. Except that I want to be a marathon runner forever!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Thu Jul 08, 2010 12:33 am

I'm finishing Day 6 of calorie counting.

I've learned something about myself.

Before this experiment I ATE A BOATLOAD OF CALORIES everyday!

I discovered that a favorite snack of mine had 470 CALORIES PER SERVING!!!

SOMETIMES I HAD 2 SERVINGS!

THAT'S ALMOST 1000 CALORIES AS A SNACK!

Reality sucks.

Staying very active prevented me from weighing a gazillion pounds. Suddenly losing 15 lbs doesn't sound very daunting. I haven't weighed in yet but my face is already thinner.

I'm only planning on calorie counting for a month. I'm hoping that will get my back on track with portions and good choices.

I'll transition back to No S in August. I know one thing though, that 470 calorie snack is gone forever. It's not even worth the calories on S days.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:16 am

I'm still amazed that I'm an emotional eater.

Take today for example. The day started fine. When you're calorie counting, the beginning of the day is always great. You have a whole day's worth of calories to use!

I stopped at my usual coffee place. Before calorie counting, I would get a big english muffin with butter and jam. Now the calories expended don't seem worth it so I just get coffee. No problem, except the counter girl always says to me "You're getting your english muffin?". I have to say no really fast before she puts one in the toaster.

So the day is going on as planned. Then, around noon, I get some news that slightly stresses me out. No too bad, just enough to annoy me. And guess what happens? I want to eat! I want an english muffin! And I want snacks, lots of them! I wasn't hungry but I had the urge to bite something. Lots of bites!

Luck for me, I've got a success snowball going, I didn't want to give in to these rouge thoughts. But man o man, all afternoon I was having mental tussles.

The worst seems to be over. I ate my planned dinner, then took a walk to remove any temptations. A change of scenery did me good, I feel focused again.

Today was a close call but I'm glad it was a successful day.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:15 pm

Every Day We Start At Zero Calories
No matter what we ate yesterday, each and every day we get to start at zero calories...
0 calories

:D It's a new day.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:28 am

One week of calorie counting is done.

I decided that I'll weigh in every 2 weeks so I won't know my numbers until next Friday. I am doing the pant 'o' meter test once a week. I 'll check my progress with a pair of "normal" size pants from my closet. I know I can't fit into the "skinny" pants, maybe by the end of the year!

So today, after 7 days of calorie counting, I can zip and button my pants...just barely. I wouldn't go out in public in them. I'll try them on again next week.

My face is looking thinner. My rings come off with little effort. Yep, I just took them off to make sure.

Onward to week 2 of the great calorie counting experiment....
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:34 pm

Wow, I'm on day 10 of my calorie counting challenge. This is the first time I've gotten into double digits in any challenge involving food. I'm hoping to use the self control I'm developing to cement the No S rules, once the challenge is over.

Today my husband and I did a 13.1 training run. We're doing the Park City marathon in August, then I've got several more planned for fall. I have good incentive to lose these remaining pounds!

I was happy to find that I could stay within my calorie budget for the day. Before we left the house this morning I had a energy bar. That coupled with water and electrolyte tablets got me through our run. Then we went out for brunch. I had a filling meal and still have calories left for an evening snack.

Time to read the newspaper and vegetate on the couch..
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:02 am

I'm actually enjoying counting calories. It's kind of hard to believe.

I'm a spontaneous, fly by the seat of her pants type of gal. I don't like to record stuff. I avoid balancing my checkbook. I have over 10 half written journals sitting on my bookshelf.

And yet..I've stuck to counting calories. I'm on day 11 and still going strong.

When I started this challenge, I set a daily calorie budget but decided to keep the tally in my head. I knew that if I wouldn't maintain to a food log. So far, this seems to be working.

Today I had my haircut and colored. Now I look as good on the outside as I do on the inside.

:)
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sat Jul 17, 2010 3:22 pm

I have a customer that I service every 6 weeks or so. He had always been about 60 lbs overweight, then last year, he was diagnosed with cancer.

He dropped the weight fast, due to chemo and radiation treatments. Another side effect was that he lost his taste and smell for about 6 months.

This year he has a clean bill of health. His strength is back and he's working full time again. His ability to smell and taste have returned.

The only difference is that he didn't gain any weight back. When I asked him about it, he says that he's now in the HABIT of eating 3 small meals a day. He doesn't think about snacks or overeating anymore.

This was a guy who always had a box of doughnuts in his back room. He said he'll eat a doughnut occasionally for breakfast if he wants one. He told me that he eats whatever he wants for his meals, just small portions and no snacks.

Sounds familiar...
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Jul 18, 2010 7:28 pm

Holy crap...it's hot in New Mexico!

My husband and I had an 8 mile training run to do this morning. We started at 9 am, it was already in the mid 80's. It's supposed to get to almost 100 today. Too darn hot!

I've concluded my calorie counting challenge. I'm declaring it a success, it's helped me get my portion sizes under control.

For the remainder of the year I'm going back to my 2 day a week fasts plus No S. I'm also incorporating my 1 glass of wine or 1 small dessert on N days rule. This seems to be the way I can live with rules without freaking out.

I know I won't lose weight very quickly but I'm ok with that. I'll probably weigh in every couple weeks to check my progress. And the pants o meter never lies.

Time to go cool off...it's too darn hot!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:12 pm

This is from The Onion.

It's a letter from food....

That's it. Put me down right now. Just stop for a second, will you please?

Look, I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. You know, there was a time when I didn't mind being there for you. In fact, there was a time when I actually looked forward to comforting you, to cheering you up when you were feeling a little down. But lately, well, this whole shoving huge fistfuls of me down your throat thing is just not working out.

I hate to say it, but you can't come running to me every time something goes wrong in your life. Not anymore.

It's sad, really. Look at what we've turned into. I used to cherish the time we spent together, whether sitting down at the kitchen table to keep you company late at night, or going on long aimless walks through the rain together. Maybe I was being naive, but for years I actually thought I was helping. You'd come home in tears after a long, depressing day at work, and there I'd be, waiting for you in the fridge, or in the pantry, or stashed away in your bedroom where nobody could see, ready to fill whatever emptiness you felt inside. But things have gotten out of hand, and you know it.

Our relationship, if you can even call it that, is just plain unhealthy.

To be honest, I feel a little taken advantage of. You say that I'm your best friend, that I don't judge you like everyone else does, that I'm the only one who actually understands you, but is this how best friends treat each other? Most days, you can't even stand to look at me before shoveling me straight into your mouth. Somtimes, you just leave me sitting out on the counter all night, half chewed up.

And if you should come home drunk at 3 a.m.? God help us all.

It's gotten to the point where I hold my breath every time I hear that front door open. What is it this time, I ask myself. Trouble confronting your roommate? Passive aggressive phone call from your mother? Get passed over once again for a promotion at work?

I want to help you. I do. But I refuse to just sit there and let you treat me like chopped liver whenever you have another soul-crushing week with Brenda.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU ANYWAY? JUST BREAK UP WITH BRENDA ALREADY!

You know what hurts the most? You only turn to me when things are falling apart in your life. When you're happy, when you're feeling content and loved, I'm pretty much the last thing on your mind. But as soon as that latest credit card late fee comes in the mail, or you realize that you're nearly 30 and you haven't done anything with your life, all of a sudden, it's all about food, food, food, food, food.

God, I've been in some fucked-up relationships before, but this one truly takes the cake.

Hey. Come on. Obviously I'm always going to be a part of your life. I would never want you to cut me out completely like your sister did. But things are going to have to change. I can't be everything to you anymore. So let's lay down some ground rules.

I'm fine with seeing you three times a day as long as our interactions are balanced and in reasonable amounts. Hell, I'd even be open to being here for you six times a day for shorter time periods, if that's what it takes. But I am telling you right now that the days of you waking up in the morning next to an empty box of cookies and feeling like complete shit are over.

In fact, maybe we shouldn't see each other until you get your head straightened out. Take a few days off from me, and maybe see a therapist or something.

Trust me. It's for the best.

Now, now, don't cry. It's going to be hard, I know. And you'll definitely miss me at first. But, hey, we'll still see one another. Even if it's just at birthday parties or on special occassions.

What's that? No. No, I don't think we should. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Okay then, fine. One last carton of double fudge ice cream. For old time's sake.

I love you, too.


:lol:
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Excellent!

Post by la_loser » Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:29 pm

This is awesome--and I'm guessing at least a part of Food's comments will ring true for all of us in some way.

I love humor as a way to convey a message. Thanks for sharing!
LA Loser. . . well on my way to becoming an LA Winner. :lol:

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Post by idontknow » Sat Jul 24, 2010 10:36 pm

love this - thank you :D

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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Jul 25, 2010 11:53 pm

I'm glad The Letter From Food brought a laugh or two to my No S friends. That's what I like about our community, we don't take ourselves too seriously. I think it's because we don't have a "diet" mentality. People on "diets" don't laugh too much!

I love how easily No S fits into my life. Today my husband and I had an 18 mile training run to complete. At the end of the week I'll be out of town at a 5 day work conference. If I was on some kind of diet, I'd be freaking out about being able to stay in compliance. Chances are I would quit the diet and start again next month, or after Labor Day, or whatever.

Today I was successful in completing my run and sticking to No S. I know I'll be successful at my work conference too. And the best part is that I don't have to announce that I'm on a "diet". As long as I stick to the 3 rules, I'm good to go.

I seem to be gravitating towards vanilla S again. Maybe it will stick this time. Let's see what happens...
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:55 pm

Besides vanilla S, I'm adding my 2 fasting days back into my schedule.

Today will be the first fasting day in quite awhile. I hope my body remembers that it's only for 24 hours. If not, I'll be experiencing lots of stomach grumbling!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:51 pm

Super crazy busy..just a quick post to mark my spot.

18 mile training run.....check
8 mile training run.......check
Prepare for big company meeting out of town...check
Productive working day with my boss...check
2 fasting days....fail!
No S days...Epic fail!

I've got to pull myself together, I'm beginning to feel like a No S fraud.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:58 pm

Just when I'm getting all grumpy ruminating on my No S failures, I read this on Jack Sh*% Getting Fit's blog....

Worst Workout DVDS

Fidget with Gidget!

Lard Have Mercy: The Sittin'-In-Church Workout
Shake It 'Til You Break It

The Kegelbell Workout

Hair-obics

"Boom Boom" Beaulah's Boogie-Woogie Bootcamp

Gettin' Medieval with Sir Squat-A-Lot

Bodfather - The Cement Shoes Workout

Laughing and Lunging with Floppy the Clown

Sweaty Neddie's "Work Off Them Man-Tits"

Too-Much-Coffee Calisthenics

Skittlebells!

Sweatin' to The Star Spangled Banner

Nude Zumba for Beginners

Wild Bill's Barbell and Cowbell Workout

X-treme Scrapbooking

Cannibalistic Calisthenics

Jillian's 30-day Shriek


:lol:
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:08 pm

Time flies when you're having fun. Or even when you're sitting in meetings all day.

I'm back home from my work conference. It would be nice to say that I succeeded in sticking to No S but alas, this was not the case. Lots and lots of food and wine and...you get the point.

To top it off, I had to drag my swollen body out for the last 20 mile run before the marathon in Park City. It wasn't pretty but I finished.

It's great to be back home, I'm looking forward to getting back into my No S routine. And as crazy as it might sound, I miss my fasting days.

Tomorrow I'm back to it....
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:28 pm

One of the featured speakers at my work conference was a sports psychologist. He works with athletes who are experiencing mental burnout and are in career slumps.

He talked a lot about our thoughts. He said that what we think will dictate what we feel. Our thoughts and feelings will become our behaviors.

He said we can have negative thoughts when we have the perception of having too many demands placed on us, without the resources to successfully complete the task at hand. Even if it's not true, if we think we are over burdened, we'll feel anxious and either under perform or quit whatever goal we're wanting to achieve.

He talked about phrases we use in our thoughts. Words like "should", "have to", "need", and "supposed to" can set up negative thinking, which leads to anxiety and poor performance. We should replace those words with ones such as "want", "can" and "capable".

He also spoke of constructing game-plans for goals. He said that first you make your plan. The you commit to it. He said you don't have to trust that the plan will work (I get stuck on that part), only that you will 100% commit to it. The trust will come later, as you get results.

After you plan and decide to commit, you begin to execute.

Uh oh, gotta go..back soon to finish...
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:29 pm

Me again, marking my space.

I've been a very busy gal. In the past 3 weeks I've..

-Completed the Park City marathon in Utah.
-Been on the road every week for work, it's terrific to be home for 3 days.
-Lost 6 lbs with portion control and a limited amount of sugar.

I hope to be a regular poster soon. In the meantime, I'm off for a 3 hour hike with my husband....
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:46 pm

Hi Blog, it's me again!

Has it been another month already? Let's see what's been going on..

I went on a juice cleanse, using Blueprint Cleanse. They're a company out of New York City that makes all the juices and ships via fedex. In a nutshell, you drink 6 juices a day (they're even numbered so you don't have to think). The company promoted it as a "cleanse" or a way to detox your body. I don't know about all of that, I used it as a way to reboot my eating. I did it for 10 days. Now that it's over I feel back on track with my S habits. Sugar doesn't seem to have power over me anymore.

I feel confident enough to do a 21 day challenge. I'm determined to complete one before the end of the year!

I'm through with marathons for the year but I do have 3 more half marathons to complete. Next weekend I'm doing one in Denver and the following weekend there is one in Los Angeles.

I need to set up my habitcal. My 21 day challenge starts on Monday!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:17 pm

It's a beautiful day in New Mexico. A perfect day for an S day!

Thanks to my recent juice cleanse, it won't be an S day gone wild. My husband and I are going out to dinner. This afternoon I'm doing a 2 hour training run in preparation for next weekend's half marathon.

I'm reading a very inspirational book "The Grace to Race" by Sister Madonna Buller. She is an 80 year old nun who competes in ironman triathlons! She didn't even start running until she was 49. When I don't feel like working out, I read a couple paragraphs from her book. She gets me off the couch!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Sun Oct 17, 2010 2:20 am

It's Saturday night and I'm in a hotel room in Denver. Tomorrow I'm doing the half marathon, the next race in the rock & roll series. After this one, I'll have 2 more races left to achieve my 2010 goal of acquiring all the medal combos.

I'm hit and miss with No S but I'm 100% successful with my exercise goals!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Sun Oct 17, 2010 2:53 am

Hi Blog, it's me again.

Since I'm just hanging out in my hotel room, I decided to read my all my posts from this year.

Holy crap! I've spent the last 10 months stopping and starting and stopping again. Procrastinating and failing. Tweaking the plan or just ignoring it for weeks and weeks.

This lack of any sort of discipline makes me mad. :evil:

It's time to turn things around.

Starting now.

Vanilla S, maintain my HabitCal and update my blog on a regular basis.

The excuses are over.

I feel better now.. :)
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Mon Oct 18, 2010 3:28 am

Denver half marathon....done!

I really enjoyed doing the half marathon instead of the full one. I was done in half the time and my body doesn't feel as worn out.

I even joined an internet group called Half 2 Run. The goal of the group is to complete half marathons in half the united states. This is their statement on their home page...

Why not run 50 states? We've got plenty of reasons. Think of all the places you've never dreamed of going to and never wanted to. By committing to only half the states, you can find 25 pretty nice places you want to visit.

Also, we love running and travel, running a full marathon makes it hard to enjoy the experience of a new city, you worry about not doing to much before … and can’t always do much after. The full marathon requires more taper and recovery time, not great if you love the daily run! It’s true, marathons cut into your running! With a half-marathon, an easy sightseeing run the day before and after the race are not out of the question, in fact, it might just be what the doctor ordered. Race half as far, run twice as much!

On race day, you'll be happy to see the finish line after 13.1 miles. The Party Can Start Early and there is time left in the day for more adventure!! You're done in half the time and if you're running in crummy weather- you're in it for half as long.

Don't get us wrong! 13.1 miles is a serious distance- less than 1% of the population can go that far! By the time you finish this, you'll have raced 327.5 miles and covered 25 states- it's a huge accomplishment!

People will exclaim ... "You're an athletic machine!"



Ha! I like this group, they've got a good sense of humor!

Tomorrow is my first "N" day in quite some time. I'm ready to get it done.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:42 pm

Today was a success.

But it almost was a failure. Here's what happened..

I'm working out of town for most of the week. This morning, before I left my hotel room, I gathered any uneaten "S" food from yesterday and placed it on the counter, for the maid to take away.

All was fine until around 9am. Then my internal chatter began. "Hey, you completed a half marathon yesterday, you deserve a treat!". Or the famous "Why don't you begin with baby steps, don't snack but have dessert with your meals!".

I wish I could report that the rational side of my mind overruled my impulsive one. Not quite.

I returned back to my hotel room (I swear that was working close by). My plan was to put my S food back into the refrigerator. Maybe I wouldn't eat it, I just thought I would keep it (yeah, right).

I was both relieved and dismayed to see that my room was already cleaned (those maids are fast!). My tasty S food was gone.

I was dragged kicking and screaming into an N day. I know it's for my own good, dammit.

Onward to N day #2.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Fri Oct 22, 2010 1:16 am

I feel conflicted.

On the one hand...I want to be committed to vanilla S. I love creating and achieving goals. I know I would feel so proud of myself if I could finish a 21 day challenge, it's been 10 months and I've been unable to do so.

On the other hand...I hate being obsessed about what I'm putting in my mouth. Thinking about food becomes magnified when I attempt a 21 day challenge. I also hate counting the days until the next S day. Maybe I'm not a vanilla S type of gal.

But still....am I settling for "good enough"? And what's worse, obsessing about doing vanilla S or obsessing about not doing it?

Tomorrow I have an appointment for my annual checkup. All the poking and probing, etc. When I get the results of my blood work, I'll make a decision. If everything checks out, maybe I'll relax a bit. If there is a problem, I'll stick to the 3 rules.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:09 pm

I went for my blood work today.

The tech took a couple vials of blood without a problem. Height and weight were done without an incident. Almost done, just have to check my blood pressure.

Here comes a problem.

When the tech reads my number, she casually says "Your pressure is high".

SAY WHAT!!!!

My pressure is high! It's never high! What do you mean it's high!

So she takes another reading and again says it's high. Now I'm seriously freaking out. I'm babbling about doing marathons and wearing a pedometer everyday (I even offered to show it to her). The tech (who is overweight and doesn't seem to be upset about having a high reading), suggests that I sit in the waiting room for 20 minutes. Then she'll try a third reading.

So I'm sitting in the waiting room, alone with my thoughts of remorse and anger. "Why have I been so wishy washy with my diet?" "Now I have to pay the price for all those cookies!"

After the remorse and anger comes the bargaining.. "Please let my blood pressure be lower, I promise to stick to vanilla S, maybe I'll cut out S days all together, just please don't let my health be failing". "I'll lose 20 pounds for real this time!"

"I wanna live!"

After 20 minutes I'm led back to the damn blood pressure machine. I'm as still as a rock, barely breathing. The tech says that I'm close to normal now. I'm ok.

But still...close to normal? I've always been solidly in the normal range. This isn't sitting well with me.

This is the closest I've ever been to a health scare and I don't like it. This may have been the kick in the pants that I needed to stop being so wishy washy about my diet. Losing vanity weight is one thing but if my health is involved, I will get serious. My blood work results will be back next week.

In the meantime, I'm off to Los Angeles for the half marathon on Sunday. The weather looks like it will be in the 60's, which is the perfect temperature. I'm going to have fun and not think about my blood pressure until I get home.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:06 pm

Happy Day After Thanksgiving blog!

Where has the year gone? In a blink of an eye, I'll have to begin a new blog for 2011. So how have I been doing?

Since my last post, I've completed the Los Angeles half marathon. Next weekend I'm in Las Vegas to do the half marathon. Today I completed a 16 mile training walk/run. I would grade myself an A+ for exercise.

I would give myself a solid C for No S. Even though I haven't been 100 % compliant, I've lost weight.

I flunk Habitcal, I give myself an F. I'll do better in 2011.

I did get the results of my blood work, I would give myself an A. All my internal stuff is good, I need to re-check my blood pressure.

That's it for now. Thanks to No S, I'll be sailing through the holiday season..
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Over43
Posts: 1850
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:15 pm
Location: The Mountains

Post by Over43 » Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:30 pm

Congratulations on your half marathon. I trained for one once (Jackson Hole) and they cancelled it a week before. I have found since I don't have the attention span for such adventures.

Don't wigg about BP so much after three readings in the office. They are usually high there. Plus "high" is relative apparently. Airline pilots aren't allowed BP meds (I have read) and they average around 160/110. Last night during Thanksgiving mine was 127/90 (found an at home BP taker) and I figured that was pretty good at my in-laws. :lol:

Continue the good work!
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

LoriLifts
Posts: 996
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: new mexico

Post by LoriLifts » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:34 am

2010 is almost history!

My plan was to keep this blog up through the year, then begin a new one for 2011. I think I'll do that. I'll start my new blog tomorrow...
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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