The Journey Day 13

11/5/17

It's been almost 2 weeks since I started the program, but it feels much longer than that. I've had some major issues with my cycle this week that have caused some bloating and irritability, but all in all the energy continues to be up and I feel great. I told myself at my last weigh in that I would only weigh once a week or biweekly on Tuesdays, but sometimes I just have to know. So despite my feeling bloated and fear that the scale had gone up, I weighed myself yesterday morning just to see and I'm down 3 more lbs since Tuesday. So I'm down to 345 now from 368 13 days ago. Woohoo!!

One of the most interesting things about this program is that I literally can not sleep in anymore. My body is used to getting 7 hours of sleep now and just pops awake in the morning when it's time to eat. I feel like my body is driving this journey, I'm realizing that more and more with each day. When I wake up in the morning it seems to nudge me out of bed to go downstairs and eat. I try to close my eyes and reposition to get a little more sleep, but in the end my brain just does not shut down. I've never been a morning person so it's weird, but exciting to now be one. I used to be able to stay up all hours of the night and I just can't now. When it hits 10:30, I'm no good...I lay my head down and I'm out.

I'm leaving for Texas next week for work training and then I'll drive down to see Nephi in San Angelo for the weekend. I'm very excited to see Nephi and to hang out with him. I miss him so much sometimes. We were face timing last Sunday and he was shocked to see the difference in my face. I told him about what I'm doing and he said he would find good places for us to eat where I could have a healthy meal. I have also prepared a plan for meals and will pack everything up. I usually buy all my meals on these trips because I get reimbursed with a per diem, but I'll be saving a ton this time and still getting paid with a per diem. bonus!

One thing I look forward to is working out again. I feel like it will be a different experience when I go back because I feel a lot lighter and have a ton more energy. I might even go early in the morning which I've always wanted to do, but could never get out of bed to do. That's my plan once I get back from Texas and hopefully this cycle will have ended.

Today is Sunday and for to'ona'i I'm making seared tri-tip steak with sautéd veggies and a green salad...and rice for the kids. I'm trying to find a good balance between what we eat and what the kids need to eat. So far they are champs...they are growing and eating more healthy and it makes me happy.

The Journey Day 11

11/3/17

Despite some health issues this week with the birth control pills, I'm going strong. I know I'm in fat burn mode because I can barely eat the meals when it's time to eat. I'm sleeping really well except for the all night bleeding. With my cycle being so off I actually felt cravings for the first time yesterday in addition to the backache and abdominal cramps. I drank a propel and ate a sugar free Jell-O cup and that curbed it really well. Later, even though it was a 1/2 snack extra - I made the chocolate peanut butter cup in the freezer with the brownie and the PB powder. OMG! It was like eating a real peanut butter cup it was so good!

I also shared a comparison photo yesterday with Shannon and she posted it on Facebook. I wanted to see for myself the change...sometimes it's hard to tell just looking in the mirror, but it is really apparent here.

This top pic was taken at the pumpkin patch on Sina's birthday last month - nearly 3 weeks ago. The bottom was taken in my office yesterday. I'm so proud of the differences I see. It's one thing to feel the difference, but to see it is so empowering! Belle has asked about the program and I sent her some information on it. I feel like my success story will prompt others to want to be on it. It truly has changed my perception of food and nutrition and I can't see myself ever going back.

I'm thinking of maybe even becoming a health coach after the holidays. I think my progress will give others hope...our Polynesian culture around food makes it so difficult to sustain any type of eating program, but this definitely feels different and I'm excited to share it with others.

I've been enjoying cauliflower pizza crusts lately and so far I've made 3 different types of pizza. Today I think I made my best crust and pizza yet - balsamic shrimp and spinach pizza...so good!

back-tracking . . .

Old unpublished post....

I discovered a cool lil site as I was checkin' out Francine's blog, as I often do. I found out that I can make this whole blog thing a book whenever I want to. That discovery has gotten me very excited to write more and to post more pictures because I'd hate to regret not putting more pictures in. So these pictures a bit dated, but I wanted to show Sina in her "earlier days".

Sina at 2 months and then 4 months

The Journey Day 8

So the weekend was a little interesting. With the sleep schedule shifting a bit to staying up later and getting up later I had to adjust the eating times a bit,  but all in all I stayed with it. Sunday I wore a puletasi to church that I stopped wearing because it was getting tight. It fight so well and felt so good.

During toonai after church, Becky mentioned that my skin looks really bright and clear and that I look happier than usual. I told them about the program and how much it has changed the way I think about food and the goals that I have. They asked me about Thanksgiving and I told them I would probably do a cauliflower mash and eat turkey. Before I started last week I had some concerns about the holidays, but those have all gone away now.

I weighed in this morning at 348.2 exactly 20 lbs down in 1 week. I can feel it in my body and bones. It's easier to walk and get up and down the stairs. I have more energy and actually want to get things done around the house. I worked from home yesterday and went up and down the stairs during meal times for exercise.

I had a check in call with Shannon and Heather last night. Heather is the one I reached out to first when I saw her posts on LinkedIn. She referred me to Heather who got me started. They continue to emphasize the importance of the health community and making sure to stay connected for support. I see others post so freely on the Facebook pages and I am just not ready to do that yet. Perhaps in time I'll feel more comfortable, but right now it just isn't something I want to do.

I have joined multiple lean and green meal support groups and have found some amazing recipes. I think that is the most exciting part for me...looking forward to what I can make for dinner. Some people are really creative in the things they come up with. I found a recipe for making a bagel out of the mashed potatoes. I'm totally trying it to eat at a on plan sloppy joe or chicken sandwich. Someone else shared a frozen peanut butter cup they made out of the pudding and pb powder. I might have to do that for my holiday treats.

The Journey Day 5

10/28/17

We had a late night last night, first at the ward trunk or treat activity and then all of the older girl cousins and Veni came over for a movie marathon of Guardians of the Galaxy. I think I got to bed at like 1:30 am.

This was the first time I had gone to bed that late on this program. I had seen some videos on youtube saying that if you don't go to bed within 2 hours of your last fueling that you need to eat another one. I wasn't sure so I didn't do it. Plus we had a hearty salad from cafe rio which I think may have been a little more than I should have had. Anyway, I'm learning to adjust to the weekend schedule and it's a little harder than I thought it would be.

Because we went to bed late last night, I didn't get up until 9:00 am. I ate my first fueling right away and I noticed right off the bat how much energy I had. In fact, it is 8:15 and I have had the most energy today than I have had in a long time. It feels kinda weird actually. I'm also finding that I am sleeping more through the night, even with the need to pee more often, I am really getting good sleep.

We started our Saturday chores and I decided that today I was going to organize the pantry and reserve a shelf for my food. I cleaned my room while sipping on my water, of course. I took a shower, loaded some laundry, and headed to the Dollar Store to buy some containers to divide the food. I was quite happy with what I found. It took me about 2 hours to organize and clean out old food, but I'm really happy with the results. 

I've also been finding some really good recipes on Pinterest so I was super excited to go to Costco today to buy some ingredients. Now I wish I had a bigger fridge because it's getting hard to fit everything in, however, it's probably a good thing so that we use up all that we are buying before loading up on other things. I'm pretty proud of what our fridge looks like now - 

One recipe I have been dying to try is the cauliflower crust pizza. We bought 2 bags of cauliflower rice from Costco today to try a few different things this week. I made a pizza for me and a pizza for Miracle. The recipe said it would be 2 servings and as I was making it I was like...now way is that 2 servings. I can't possibly just eat half of that. But low and behold I couldn't eat more than half. It was right on the money for my appetite and taste buds. I give my first pizza an 8 out of 10!

The toppings were ground turkey, spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms. I experimented by grinding down the turkey burgers I had in the food processor. That worked out really well. I'm going to ground the rest of it tomorrow to prep for the coming week. I'm leaving the other half for Anthony, but guarantee he will want another whole one. Next time I'm gonna do chicken, spinach, and mushrooms.

Tomorrow I plan on making Mongolian beef and broccoli and green beans. That should be good. Now that I have a better understanding of the program and what is allowable, it will be easier to plan dinner menus for the week.

I think I am now in full fat burn mode because of the level of energy I have and because I found it a bit difficult to eat some of the meals today (except for the pizza). I wasn't hungry so it was a little harder to finish a whole bar. It is now 9:12 pm and I am due for another fueling. One thing I want to start doing is reviews on the fuels. I tried the spinach/pesto mac and cheese and I'm not a fan. I need to figure a way to beef that taste up. I'm thinking a 1/3 of a lean added to it might help, but I don't think I can eat it plain again without gagging.

Some of my favorites include the dark chocolate shake, the creamy chocolate shake, the mint chocolate crip bars, the brownie, the pancakes, and the silky peanut butter bars. My least favorites are the mac and cheese, the peanut butter crunch, the strawberry shakes, and the bbq crunchers. I'll have to try the crunchers again tomorrow since I've been on for almost a week now...I think it my taste buds might adjust to it. I still have more to try, but so far that is where I am.

Anyway, some fuel reviews to come...

The Journey Day 4

10/27/17

For future reference...I was transferring a lot of what I wrote from documented thoughts from previous days so the dates are off that is why I put the dates in the blog....

I started this yesterday, but didn't finish. It was Day 4 yesterday and the morning text I got told me that I should be getting in to "fat burn" mode which means more energy, less hunger in between meals. I definitely started to feel that. My body is changing in terms of how it responds to the fuels. I feel more satisfied after having a fueling and it's easy to drink water as well. I am able to drink a ton of water without any problems.

We ate at cafe rio tonight. I was pretty proud of what I had - steak salad - no rice, no beans, no tortilla, just the meat, lettuce, pico, and guacamole and a little bit of the dressing. I'm finding that I look forward to the daily lean and green meal especially since I am finding good recipes. I found a ton on pinterest that I want to try.

I noticed the swelling in my body especially my hands and feet have gone down a lot. I think the first 15 lb loss was a lot of water weight, but I can totally feel a difference. 

That's my water bag...I take at least 4 bottles of water, a propel, and a powerade zero to work with me along side my fuels. 

That was me this afternoon...feeling really good. I sent that pic to Anthony and mama! Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like pics and I don't randomly take them like this so this is huge for me. I can see a difference in my face and I love it.

The Journey Day 3

10/26/17

They say that your taste buds start to change and I'm definitely experiencing that right now. The food is starting to taste good, haha. Shannon asked me tonight if I'm struggling with wanting food and I can honestly say I'm not. I get more excited thinking about the lean and green meal I can eat and how good it will taste. I also started looking on Pinterest for lean and green meal recipes and that got me really excited. I did get a sight headache today, but I'm not sure if it was because of the meal plan or due to the pill. Regardless, I tried propel for the first time and it really helped.

Tonight we ate lettuce chicken wraps and it was super good. I am so proud of the girls eating with us without complaint and just enjoying the experience as well. I am also noticing some differences in my skin. I typically have very oily skin, especially my face. I use a charcoal face wash every day and oil free moisturizer to keep the zits and blemishes at bay. I noticed today that my skin was not oily. I thought it may be due to the water intake. I have never drunk so much water consistently ever so my body is probably in shock with all of the hydration. Shannon also said that the minerals in the food will help with skin, hair, and nails. That's a definite side bonus!

I weighed myself this morning. At first I didn't think I would weigh every day just in case it didn't move in the direction I hoped, but after seeing the drop in 7 lbs yesterday I thought it would be good to just check. So I weighed in at 357.4...another 4 lbs down for a total of 11 lbs. I am super excited about that.

I'm finding that I am letting go of a lot of fears and old beliefs I had about myself. I have always hated scales. I can count on one hand how many times I've weighed myself in my life. I feel like that is changing a bit as I see the number declining each day. I used to believe it defined who I was as a far person, but now it is adding definition to my success story. It is empowering to feel this way and let go of the old out of site, out of mind mentality in terms of knowing how much I weigh.

I used to not eat breakfast in the mornings...like, at all. I was never hungry in the morning and I would often times go all day without eating if I was busy at work or didn't have time. I would then come home and eat everything in sight because I was starving. This program is helping me to think differently about food and the word "fuel" for the body. Now that I have to get up and eat right away, I am seeing the difference it makes in my morning and my whole day. I have started to keep a fuel bar next to my bed so that I can wake up, read my scriptures, say a prayer, stretch, and eat my fuel bar within 30 minutes of waking up. I am really liking this new routine and I am seeing the difference it is making.

I love the holistic approach of this program as well...balancing physical, mental, financial health, for an overall optimal way of living. I would add spiritual to that balance. I am reading my scriptures daily now which I never had time to do before and being more prayerful which has really helped me to be successful up to this point.

I have loved doing this with my sweetheart. He has been a strength to me since day 1 and to be on the same journey (different program) is really empowering as a couple. We've been married for 13 years this year and we've always struggled with fertility. I can't help but think that my weight has been a huge contributing factor. I often feel guilt because of the fear I have always had in addressing my weight. I often think of how things could have been different if I had been more healthy. While I've always pushed the thoughts and feelings to the back of my mind and hidden in them in a dark corner of my soul, I am finding that my thought processes are starting to change. I'm more grateful now for the children we do have and for the blessing we have received. I am truly grateful for this renewal of both body and spirit that I am blessed to experience. It has only been 3 to 4 days, but it feels longer than that. I am excited to see where it goes from here.