Day 5 - No Sugar & Cancer Sucks!

I've been sugar free for the past five days and it's amazing how difficult it can be. I had dreams last night that I accidentally ate sugar in several different scenarios. It's the same from when I stopped smoking. I would wake up in a panic that I had smoked, only to realize it was only a dream. I guess it's further confirmation that I was addicted to sugar.

Also for the past five days my jaw has been hurting! I know it's just a coincidence that it's the same five days of giving up sugar, but it's really starting to worry me. I started wearing a bite guard the past two nights to prevent me from grinding my teeth at night, but it doesn't feel better yet. I am going to give it a few more days and then break down and see a dentist or doctor.

I think I am feeling stress from not being able to help my friend diagnosed with cancer. I take pride in being organized and efficient and love to solve problems. This is a problem I can't solve. They can't seem to figure out what the primary source of her cancer is. At first they thought it was ovarian that spread to her liver. Now they are thinking it isn't ovarian, but rather bone cancer that spread. The whole reason they found the cancer is because she was experiencing tremendous pain in her back and leg and went to the doctor to find the source. They scheduled some tests and told her to stop taking all pain relief medication for two days prior to the tests and that caused the pain to get so intense that she went to the emergency room. They did a scan of her and found lesions on her liver. How quickly life can take a turn.

So, I am focused on doing what I can for her. I gave her my recliner I bought after I had surgery last year, so she could get comfortable when not in bed. I'm running errands, calling regularly and praying like crazy. I still feel very helpless. Cancer really sucks!!!!!!!!

Some good news is that I've lost three pounds this week and I know it's just water weight, but at this point, I will take it!

I meditated a couple of times, too. Took a yoga class (in addition to my regular workout schedule of 8 hours per week) and tonight I've scheduled a deep tissue massage, which will hopefully help me to unclench and feel better after the fact. I am clearly carrying a lot of tension in my jaw.

So, I am back on track and that feels good!!

Thank you so much for your comments - they mean the world to me!

Jillian

I've Been MIA - But I Am Back

I haven't been following my one year plan or working on the things I wanted to work on, so I've been radio silent on this blog. Life has a way of getting in the way and I let it. A good friend got diagnosed with Cancer, I went on a business trip to Las Vegas, visited with family (which is complicated), it was Halloween....you name it and I used plenty of reasons why it was ok not to be taking care of myself or focused on my goals.

Well, I am tired of not making myself a priority and I've decided to get back on the horse. First goal is to stop consuming sugar. I've been eating sugary crap WAY TOO MUCH and am clearly addicted. I don't even like the way my body feels after eating sugar, but I've been doing it anyway. So, I am currently on day one of going cold turkey.

Once I get the sugar consumption under my belt, I am going to focus on eating only complex carbohydrates and in smaller quantities. My body feels great when I do this, I sleep better and all is in harmony. I need to get back on track!

Food has always been a complicated part of my life and I really want to get back some semblance of balance!

Blog Entry from "Whatever"

I just read this blog entry written by Jennifer Koppelman Hutt and related to it so much, I wanted to share it here:

my mother tortured me about my weight. or is it tormented me. or is it both! although my mom wasn't a waif, and never felt good about her body, she had utmost control over what she did and did not consume. and my mother was, ultimately (after many years of trying), super thin.

and i suppose my lack of control or my inability to be so controlled made her crazy...more i think because she wanted to save me from the pain of being fat than for any other reason. maybe my mom's intense desire for me to be thin made my actually getting thin that much harder...i couldn't be thin and give my mother what she wanted (even if it meant giving me what i wanted too).

i know (now) my mom's intentions were only good. as a mother i so get the want to protect your child from herself and spare her any pain..but my mom's delivery of this message was wacky. and i suffered plenty. and i spent so many days/nights wondering why my worth was contingent upon the number on the scale.
don't misunderstand... in every other way i knew my mother was proud of me and loved me intensely. and lived for me. i mean really... in her core she wanted nothing more than to be with me and provide me with a happy go lucky life and make me feel loved.
but my weight enraged her. and as well as she could control her food intake, she could not control this rage.
i believe mothers become mothers with the same issues they had before they were mothers. and i suppose my mom's own body issues made it very tough for her to teach me how to love and nurture my own body in an appropriate manner.

growing up and well into adulthood, i didn't feel ok about my body. as a child, my "overweightness" fluctuated within the normal realm...more fat some years, less fat others...but always a little bit fat. i was plenty cute without knowing it. had lots of friends. liked some boys who liked me back...and many who did not! and i blamed every moment of sadness and/or failure (practically) on my not being built like a ballerina. and although the rational part of me today knows how nutty a mentality that was to have, that mindset lasted a very long time.

when i graduated college, i came home fat...not as fat as i was in recent years, but fat. (probably 25 lbs heavier than i am today) and it was understood that i would spend that summer getting thin. this was of utmost importance because my sister was getting married...and there was NO way i was going to be a fat maid of honor. so i got a personal trainer...ok my parents got me a personal trainer and i exercised every day for many hours a day and lost 25 lbs in about 10 weeks. and at 22 years old...i looked good. i had a hot body. and i had NO idea. and i was nervous and insecure and so not feeling like all of my problems were solved by my being thin. and i was a complete head case. i would wake up in the morning and get on the scale. then i would pee and get on the scale. then i would poop and get on the scale...and then i'd eat something or exercise or drink something and get on the scale. and throughout the day it was like this. on the scale and off the scale and all moods determined by that fucking number on the scale. and thin, i believed, meant no more boy troubles. but while i was thin, the boy i loved said he loved me back and then promptly loved someone else at the same time. and we broke up. and i exercised. a lot. and then i jumped in an aerobics class, landed poorly and tore a ligament in my leg. 2 days later the scale read 5 lbs heavier and i gave up the scale.

the next 3 years are a blur weight wise because i didn't go on the scale. and i am certain my weight must have fluctuated 20lbs... but the next time i did get on the scale i was not happy with what i saw. but i was not obese. technically. according to bmi or whatever i was just fat. close to obese but not. and so i started dieting. and didn't lose all that much but enough to feel better.

and i met my husband during this time. i was 25 years old. and he loved my body. as it was. and he found it hot. even though i didn't.
and he nourished me in a way that made me not need food...HA! KIDDING! I WISH! i ate with my then fiance now husband. too much. and gained weight. and laughed. and lived. and because i was getting married to a wonderful boy, my mother wasn't as obsessed with my body... and i got married. at a NOT thin weight. and i had 2 babies pretty quickly.

and i wound up clinically obese after both babies...and did not do enough to deal with it. and although i cared about what i looked like... i didn't really want to see what i looked like. for me the reflection in the mirror was always fatter than i felt. i mean i felt plenty fat. but the reflection and the photographs were always way worse than what i expected to see. i exercised and i dieted. but i did both without intensity nor determination. and so...without results.

and then.. at 35 years old i started working. and suddenly so much changed for me. my mother was getting to know me from a different perspective (she was a daily radio listener from day one!) she was so proud of me. so not focused on my body. and my self worth seemed to triple. i was still fat. but not dwelling on it really. aware and insecure but not worried my weight would kill me or cause me to not really live... and then in 2007 i started to take better care of myself and move in a positive direction.

then i lost my mother. and i blew up like a balloon.

then i started to deal with it. really deal with it. in a "i'm going to lose my life if i dont deal with it" kind of way. (read here for details)

and now, 1.5 years after i started, i have lost 65lbs.

and the irony of my mother's being dead and my finally being thin is not lost on me at all...in fact, it is probably not at all ironic...just kind of sad. she would've derived such pleasure from seeing me now.

and the weirdness of people who haven't seen me in months...their reactions...oy. i don't know how to respond...if i just say "thank you" am i an asshole? if i respond with "i feel terrific!!" is that gloating?!
people say to me "i didn't recognize you!" or the "you're a different person" or the "don't lose anymore" or the "how much more do you want to lose" or the "what's your goal now" or the "you look great!" or the "you must be so happy!" or the " you were so fat!!!!" (yep people say that!)... and i am part of this club where the anti fat people can be open around me and express their disgust for the overweight...because i won't be offended anymore...ummmm...once a fattie always a fattie!
and the disbelief at how quickly i've lost weight...when in reality, it has taken me a long time. i haven't lost more than 6 lbs in any one month.
don't get me wrong. i appreciate any and all compliments. it is of course validating and super cool to be referred to as tiny or a peanut or pretty or not fat or thin! those are words that were not used to describe me for many years... someone even called me hot. shocking!
though way out of my comfort zone, i am learning to accept these compliments and let them wash over me. i'm working hard. it should be ok to admit that and accept the positive feedback.

but the other side of these compliments is the knowledge that many are waiting for me to gain it back. statistically most people gain weight back. i don't want to be that statistic. i'm so afraid of gaining it back. and so when someone asks if i want to lose more or what's my plan...crap! the only plan i have is to do my darndest to not get fat.

and again, i don't follow any one program. (although i am a huge fan of weight watchers) my food choices are random but always mindful...meaning i may eat candy but i count all of the calories and just have a little or ill have healthy salad of some sort. my exercise is always at least an hour (often more) almost everyday. and i weigh myself almost every morning.

i don't see myself as a weight loss success story. 5 years from now when i am (gd willing) still this size then i'll shout my success from the rooftops.

and although i know i will always be struggling and working hard to do right by my body, i do feel great where i am now- 40 years old and thin with a belly in need of a tummy tuck that i am SO not ready to get!

xxx
jennifer
fb: jennifer koppelman hutt
twitter: jenniferhutt

Some Good, Some Improvement Needed

I've been working on my goals and I'm doing good on some and others need great improvement (trying to be gentle with myself).

Meditation isn't going well. I need to find a set time to do it when I am not tired and just end up falling asleep. I know the benefit of being able to get quiet and just be with yourself. I've always had positive outcomes when I've managed to do it. I will make more of an effort.

I've been working out really hard and my Pilate's instructor has really kicked up my exercises a notch, so I am feeling sore in places I haven't in a while and feeling physically tired. Both of which are good things. I've also made progress on working towards my teaching certification, training a few people this week. I also finally bought some index cards so I can create my own anatomy flash cards in hopes it will help keep the information in my brain. The anatomy coloring books alone aren't enough.

Working on negative thoughts is an ongoing process, but I do catch myself frequently throughout the week stopping myself from negative thought patterns and re-directing myself. I've also noticed that the negative thought patterns are always around family members. My family dynamics are complicated. I've always been the odd man out being the only person in my family that is introspective, analytical and always striving to better myself. My family thinks that I am "different." :-) I wouldn't change me for anything, but feeling odd man out can be a challenge.

On a completely different subject, I was recently published in Pilates Style magazine and my Pilates instructor added the article to her website today. I really like the write up she did about it because Pilates Style magazine really did a hatchet job on my article and made it sound like I accomplished other-worldly goals with simply participating in one class, when in fact, it was one class added to already established healthy habits. Here is the link for those that are interested.

http://exerciseindisguise.net/press.aspx

As far as the goal of trying to eat fewer simple carbohydrates is concerned, I've really sucked!! I've been stressed lately and been eating way too much sugar. I swear sugar addiction is a real thing. I eat it even though I physically feel crappy afterwards (and I know this) but the initial gratification is a strong pull. I'm not going to buy anymore sugary things for the house. It's to the point that I am getting tired of feeling icky, so I need to detox and am getting very motivated to do so.

Well, that's my progress thus far. I hope others are doing well. I've tried to become a follower of several people's blogs, but it wouldn't accept my gmail account. Not sure why. I am reading though!

Jillian

In Defense of Eat, Pray, Love & Self Discovery

OK, this might seem to be off topic, but stick with me, I think it will all make sense in the end.

With the recent release of the movie Eat, Pray, Love, there has been a ton of media coverage and media backlash about the book and Elizabeth Gilberts story. Some seem to be annoyed that she left her marriage without sufficient explanation, others are annoyed that she had the means to travel for a year and live in such exotic locals. There are any number of people that are expressing annoyance with her story and I can't help but think that it isn't Elizabeth Gilberts story that they are responding to, but their own stuff instead. Some of it is bitterness, some of it is envy, others are probably just sick of hearing about it (which I get).

The book Eat, Pray, Love really resonated with me because I too had to go on a journey of self discovery. Here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to a friend explaining why I loved the book so much and why it still resonates with me today:

We all come from our personal experiences, right? I see leaving an unhappy situation as courageous. I am the product of a long line of women that stayed in unhappy/abusive relationships because they didn't feel like they could care for themselves and didn't have the opportunities available to women today to live alone and support themselves. There are countless reasons why I wish my Mom and my Mom's Mom (and many more) had the self esteem and opportunities available to leave their bad marriages. Their staying caused unspeakable damage to my family, for generations, and those decisions still reverberate and are felt today. My Mom still doesn't have a clue who she is or what she likes. As a young adult, I was on a similar path. I was living for other people (men) and didn't have a clue of who I was or what I believed, loved or wanted out of life. It wasn't until a pivotal moment in my life when my current boyfriend screamed at me out of frustration "What do you like?" that I realized I didn't have a clue.

So I set out on a personal journey to figure it out. Granted, I didn't travel to three different countries, but I don't see what I did as being any different than EPL. This is why the book resonates with me. I was depressed, clueless and scared to death of who I might become. I was terrified of getting to know me better because I wasn't sure I would like what I found. Despite this, I made a plan and stuck to it.

I moved into an apartment by myself and lived alone for the first time ever. I threw away my television because I didn't want to numb myself with mindless entertainment. I stopped doing drugs, I stopped smoking, I stopped dating men just because they wanted to date me. I stopped giving me up to please other people. I gave myself time to really figure out what moved me, what I loved, what I responded to positively. This went on for years and it wasn't without growing pains. I read a ton of self help books, read every book written by Maya Angelou, went into therapy, tried out different forms of meditation, took yoga classes, went vegetarian for a while, you name it. It wasn't without it's realizations either, I realized I was terribly lonely for most of my life and ate in order to feel better. There is a lot more, but I won't bore you with more here, you get the idea.

So, I honor Elizabeth Gilbert's own journey of self discovery. I honor everyones and I respect the courage it takes to go on a journey that is so open ended. I think it's brave to give up the trappings of life that most people would kill for because it doesn't work for you. I think it's brave to chose to live life on your terms and not succumb to societal pressures.

This is why Eat, Pray, Love feels so personal to me and why I love it so much. I had to step away from everyone in my life in order to find myself and had I not done so, I would be a very different person today. I've come a long way baby, as they say!! And I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now (Maya Angelou book quote).

So, that is the end of my letter. The reason it's appropriate here is because this one year journey project that everyone is taking together, along with Rosie, is really a continuation of the journey I mentioned above. We are all works in progress, right? My weight (in addition to everything else previously mentioned) has been a total work in progress as you can tell from my before & now picture at the top of my blog. I honor everyone that has decided to join in on this journey of self discovery and improvement and I can't wait to follow everyones progress.

Thanks for reading!!

The Beginning

Coming off the holiday weekend, my goal of lessening my simple carbohydrate intake didn't fair very well, but I am ok with that for now. I have been weighing myself for a baseline and to make sure my crazy body dysmorphia thoughts don't get the best of me. I swear, sometimes I can be convinced that I gained 20 pounds in a day, so using the scale keeps those thoughts in line.

I am still working out 8-9 hours a week, doing Pilates mat and equipment classes and taking Zumba. Since I am working towards becoming a Pilates instructor, my teacher has raised the bar on my exercises, so I am feeling a new kind of tired. That is the one thing about Pilates that I love. You are never finished and you never arrive. There is always more you can do to challenge your body and get stronger.

I have to get more consistent with posting my daily food on fitday. com, but I am doing pretty good.

Things to work on this week, is getting more anatomy studying done for my Pilates certification test and to attempt to meditate at least once. I tried over the weekend and fell asleep!

I am doing better with negative thoughts. When I catch myself in the midst of something negative, I say "stop" and redirect myself. I will continue this and try to stay aware of when it's happening. It's amazing how much negative programming resides within me.

I did have some fun this weekend. Went to the Cubs game with a group of friends. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time! Also, Notre Dame won their season opener. Life is good! (I am not a sports nut, just love the occasional live baseball game).

I look forward to reading about other people's journeys and reading Kelly's blog to see what Rosie is planning for herself.

Joining Rosie & Rosie Radio Fans One Year Plan

I love the idea of setting goals for myself, so I've decided to join everybody on the Rosie Radio Blog and Rosie herself and set some goals for myself for the coming year. I will make some additions after I think about this more, but this is what I know I want to work on for now:

1. Eat fewer simple carbohydrates
2. Track my food daily on fitday.com
3. Weigh myself daily
4. Continue working towards Pilates teaching certification
5. Meditate 2-3 times weekly for 20 minutes
6. Focus on changing/eliminating negative thoughts

Well, that's enough for now, I will be adjusting as necessary.

I really look forward to going on this journey with everyone!