Day 48: Cheater?

It's been 9 days since my last post. Time gets away from all of us sometimes, I suppose.  A quick look back.

I finished my triathlon!  My two goals for this endeavor were to not drown and to finish, in that order. A secondary goal was to not finish last! I obviously accomplished the first goal as I can assure you I am not typing this from the great beyond! I finished, too (and I have the medal to prove it!).

I originally thought I could finish in 1:40:00. Then when I factored in the transition times I was hoping to make 1:45:00.  Then I read that the race would be completely over an hour and fifty-five minutes after my start time. So I was questioning if I could get it all done in 2 hours. Nerves!! Finally time was 1:29:47. And I placed 315 out of 330, so not last! All three goals achieved.

I'd also like to mention my recovery time: ZERO. I attribute this to Isagenix. I was properly fueled and my body had all the nutrients it needed to make adequate repairs. I literally woke up Monday morning with a slightly sore back from the bike portion and by noon it was gone. No analgesics needed.  Love it!

A few triathlon thoughts for those of you thinking of trying one:

• If you are weak in the swim portion, practice this the most! I totally slacked and it sucked during the race. Try to avoid traditional freestyle stroking in a pool. Swimming with your head out of the water every 3 or 4 strokes is beneficial. Try to get into open water if you can. With a lot of people. Splashing and bumping you. If you're a great swimmer, do the above any way. You'll just need less practice.
• Learn the rules of biking for a tri. Apparently there are a lot and they throw them all at you the day of the race. Passing? Drafting? 15 second rule? What?!! Oh, and if it's an official USAT event then no music. What?!
• I'm a runner and it was only 2 miles. Even without running for 3 weeks I did my best per mile time this year. If you're not a runner, prepare yourself early, especially because coming off the bike, your legs will be screaming at you, "What are you doing to us?!"

Now on to more recent events and the reason the cheater title.  Over the course of the past week, a fair amount of people have been posting on our Isagenix Team Facebook page that they have been "cheating". Ever the philosopher, I've been waxing poetic about letting the past be in the past, you're only human, tomorrow's a new day, blah, blah, blah. Then on Saturday night, it was me! I had been on edge all day leading up to a dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday and Father's Day. I did research the restaurant's menu beforehand and made reasonable (delicious) choices. I ordered wine but really had no desire to drink it so, my husband willing obliged to take it off my hands.

We arrived home, kids and hubby went to bed early. And I promptly ate the leftovers. Then made a couple spoonfuls of chocolate peanut butter. Then hit the chocolate syrup. Oh, caramel syrup. Why not? Having satisfying my urge to eat everything insight I begin with the guilt. Why would I do that? Why would I sabotage what I've been working for. Weight loss notwithstanding, why would I sacrifice the good nutrition Isagenix gives me for the crap in a bottle of Hershey's caramel syrup? And then I did it again the next day!! Although this time is was "just" overeating at dinner and not processed junk.

One of the many things I've learned over this journey (and the many failed diets over the year) is that the adage "it's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you" holds true. A bit of introspection tells me I was on edge Saturday for two reasons: money and family. Not going to go deeper into that here, but those two topics trigger emotions in me. Like a lot of us, I have a hard time facing my emotions. Who likes to feel sad, or hurt or angry? I used to eat over those unpleasant feelings in hopes of stuffing them down. But the problems always remained anyway.

Now that I've figured out what was eating me I noticed those feelings have no power over me today. It truly is a new day and I'm back on track being fabulous healthy and energetic. If I keep at it, I might even grow up  to be a pretty cook adult someday!

Peace,

Susan

Day 39

This is it. I can do this. Can't I?

I'm sitting in a hotel room with my family. I'm wondering how I'm going to sleep tonight. Tomorrow is my first triathlon. A super sprint! Quarter mile swim, ten mile bike and 2 mile run. I'm supposed to walk the run due to my injured right leg. I don't know if you've met me yet, but all bets are on that I end up running it. Running is my thing and it's been killing me that I've had to substitute not only walking, but slow walking for short distances. On the plus side, I've developed an infinity for my bicycle.

I used to hate cycling but couldn't figure out why. Until I got my new bike! Turns out my old bike, which was naively purchased when I was in college, was sized entirely wrong for my frame. It's a men's small; I take a men's large. On the plus side, my son now has a new mountain bike sized perfectly for him. I'm looking forward to the bike leg. And it's a flat course so I'm expecting some hills. If you've ever run the Tex Mex in North Wales you'll know why I wrote that...

Then there's the swim. I love the water! The pool with the kids, the waves at the beach. Yes, I love the water. Swimming? Not so much. I have trained over the past several months but not near as much as I probably should have. Which led to much anxiety on the way down to Delaware this morning.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to sign up for the swim safety and warm-up clinic. Unfortunately, the clinic talked about drowning and how swimming is the most dangerous leg of the tri. About pulling people out of the race so they wouldn't be a hazard to other participants. That if you had to you *could* hold onto a kayak or buoy and try to continue. And try to avoid floating on your back to catch your breathe because that makes you look like a floater and they'll try to rescue you.  Uh, thanks guys. And to think I was mostly concerned about the water temp.

Now panicked, I'm allowed to swim a short portion of tomorrow's swim. The water is blessedly warm, about 72-74 degrees. No wetsuit - WooHoo! People start their practice swims and I'm frozen, shin-deep in water. After a few minutes I think, "What the hell." And wade in further so I can dive under. My first lap is horrible as I'm all panicked and rushing and forgetting all I learned about swimming. My second lap I take my time and feel much better. Lets hope tomorrow's swim mimics lap #2.

All in all, I'm looking forward to this experience tomorrow. I have my Isagenix nutrition with me and will be using the e+ shot for the first time tomorrow for a little boost. Assuming I actually fall asleep, I'll be up around 4-4:30 a.m. and at the course between 5:30-6:00 a.m. to set up my transition area and get marked up. My wave goes at 8:30 a.m. I plan on doing my best and have faith that I've prepared enough. But for right now, I plan on trying to sleep.

Peace,
Susan

Month 2, Day 3

I began my second month with a 2-day deep cleanse. I really like cleansing! I know, this seems weird.  Two days of drinking adaptogens, botanicals, herbs, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.  The only solid thing I eat are Isa Snacks - those little wafer things I couldn't describe in the beginning. Turns out they're kind of like astronaut ice cream! - and IsaDelights. I purposely save the IsaDelights for only cleanse days. Maybe that's why I think these days are special? But besides those little chocolate squares of joy, I feel free.

Two whole days of being free from making choices. To just take it slow and do my body some good. For how little I take in, I have pretty much energy. The first day I usually have to hold myself back from doing exercise.  This time around we had a graduation party on my second cleanse day.  I'm not going to lie. It was tough. I can still smell the food. Some of it healthy, some of it not, all of it gorgeous! But I made it through with pre-planning and a sense of priority. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I was there to celebrate the graduate and her accomplishments, not the food.

Now after my last two cleanses I've had a ton of energy the following day. I wake up, take my Ionix, drink a shake and go for a run or bike ride of a respectable distance. This morning I just wanted to lay around and read (truth be told, it's a really good book!). Yes, I just didn't feel like myself. I was lethargic in fact. Or so I thought. Because even though I continued to feel lethargic on my bike ride, I rode the farthest I've ever gone and posted my best time. When I got home? I took the dog on a 2+ mile walk. Uphill.

Needless, to say, I'm enjoying this journey. I still can't get over the fact that I am very rarely hungry. In fact, I wasn't able to get in all my calories today (which is a bad thing!). I'm going to have to do better with that, especially with my first triathlon right around the corner. I'm excited and nervous. (Please, God, I just don't want to be last!)

Tomorrow is a new day. Even though the energy was there for my exercise, I'm hoping the lethargic feeling (For whatever reason I have it) passes for tomorrow. I'm going to go through my own triathlon staging to get the feel and transitions down. Maybe I'll sneak in an IsaDelight even if it isn't a cleanse day.

Peace,
Susan

PS if you aren't a Facebook friend then you don't know my results. In 30 days I released 14 pounds and 20.25 inches! My body fat was down 3.3% and I dropped 2+ BMI points so I am no longer considered "obese". Now I'm merely "overweight".  Duh!

Day 27: Beware of Sabotage

It's been a week. Things are going well. Except for the pharmacy mix-up of my meds (that's another story!), I'm loving life!  But one thing I'm aware of as my energy remains high and I start to noticeably slim down is that sometimes others try to sabotage my efforts.

Nothing confirms that more than a holiday weekend. To be perfectly honest, I don't have any cravings for sugary, fatty or junky foods anymore. True story!! In the past I would occasionally have a diet soda as a "treat" but even imagining drinking an icy cold diet Pepsi or Coke evokes no yearnings. Making s;mores by the fire? Nope!  And I've let those around me know that not only do I want to live a healthy lifestyle, I have no desire to go back to what I was doing before. It obviously didn't work!

So why do my kids ask me, "Mom, want a bite of my cupcake?" "Have a piece of my candy!" My husband, "I'm running to the store. Want me to pick up a diet soda for you? It's a holiday weekend." My dad, "Just have one little bite. It won't hurt you." Yet it has hurt me in the past. One bite leads to two. Two to three. Then I spend a month bingeing.

I'm not saying these acts of sabotage are mindful or purposeful. Maybe people are just trying to be nice. I'd like to think I've raised my kids to share. My parents polite. But why is it when someone is eating healthfully that others feel the need to offer something less than nutritious? Do they feel I'm missing out and don't know it so their pointing it out to be helpful? As someone who eats healthfully, I can never imagine myself going up to someone and saying, "You're eating potato chips? Want a carrot?" "How about an IsaLean Bar instead of that apple pie? It's a holiday after all!" I would think that if anyone is entitled to interfere with another's eating habits it would be the healthy eater interfering with the junk food eater.

If you are reading this and you're on the road to health, your best bet is a plan of action. Because sometimes we are tempted. I'm fortunate enough that Isagenix affects me in such a way that I no longer crave those things that made my moods fluctuate and my weight soar. But if you have a hard time saying, "no", a plan is the way to go.

I'm gathering with my family this afternoon. They'll be enjoying their cookout (with organic, all-natural hot dogs and burgers on organic whole-wheat rolls). My plan? Garlic Tilapia with Wilted Greens and Blueberries.  What better way to pay tribute to the men and women who died securing freedom than to live the best possible life I can? It's time to celebrate the reason for the holiday, not the food.

Peace,
Susan

Day 20: Mourning

Today I lost an old friend from high school. He graduated one year after I did with my brother. He was always overweight but it didn't define him. He was kind, funny, goodhearted - an all around nice, likable guy. Dead of a heart attack at 42. So I mourn my high school friend, gone too soon.

But his passing solidifies my reasons for this journey into wellness. As far as I can tell, his was a preventable death. Life is so precious, I want to do all that is in my power to stay here on this Earth. And certainly good nutrition and exercise are part of it. Is the taste of McD's and donuts and fried chicken worth an early death? I used to think healthy eating was expensive but isn't a heart attack at 42 the ultimate price to pay? Is habitual overindulging worth not seeing your kids graduate or get married? Worth not meeting your grandchildren? Not to me. I'm glad I'm doing what I need to do to make it to the future I envision for me.

Which brings me to my second reason to "mourn", albeit in quite a different sense.

My lower right leg and ankle have been giving me trouble for the best 4 weeks. In fact, the pain has been getting worse and the physical therapist is having a tough time getting my muscles and joints to cooperate. So, I have been put on a running restriction for two weeks. It seems comical to me that this overweight gal likes running so much that it's like breathing to her. Especially because I used to hate running. I even failed gym in college because I refused to run a mile as part of the class. But somewhere along the road of my adult life, I started running and I didn't stop.

Now I've been stopped along the way before. Injuries have a way of derailing even the best of intentions. But I've always mourned the loss of my running time and this time is no exception. Running is simply freeing for me. It's an appreciation that I have been given the gift of movement and I refuse to take that for granted. So when I'm told I need to take a break from running, I mourn my loss. It's been a sad day.

Hopefully I'll be back on the trail soon. Until then I'll continue using my new bike, aiming for a minimum of 10 miles at a time and working up to reducing my time. I have a triathlon scheduled for June (my first!) which means I'll be in the pool, too. Keep your fingers crossed that I'm able to run by June 9. I don't like being sad and don't want to mourn the loss of my first tri, too.

Peace,
Susan

Day 16

Cleanse days. You'd think I'd hate them. I'm 50 pounds overweight so, I obviously enjoy food.  It's how I normally deal with good things, bad things, boring things, exciting things... you get the picture. I'm an emotional eater. But, there is something so soothing on a deep level about limiting what goes into my body. It also helps that the little that does go in is nutritious and occasionally involves chocolate!

These past two weeks I have really been enjoying my journey. The change that I think has had the biggest impact on me probably isn't what you'd think. It's not the weight release or the extra energy. It's not the sound sleeping. It's my mood.  After years of my mood being all over the place, I find that my temperament is now fairly even. In fact, I feel a sense of calm at all times. Don't get me wrong, I have a preteen and I'm pretty sure there is nothing out there to cure that ailment except time. But I find I can manage situations with a clear head.

This week I received distressing news (for me). After weeks of physical therapy with my leg ailment continuing to worsen, I've been ordered to not run for two weeks. I know most people think "Great! And excuse not to exercise!" But I truly enjoy running. I like how it makes me feel. I like that I have the ability to move as I want. And I really like running with my girls, the Sole Sisters! So to be told to take time off is distressing to me. But for once I'm going to heed advice and hope that the rest will make my muscles, tendons and ligaments a bit less angry so I can continue on again.  In the meantime I'll be on the bike, swimming and working on my yoga practice.

My next weigh/measure day is in two days and I'm hopeful I'll have great news to report.

Peace,
Susan

Day 11 and 12: What's going on?

Settle in - she's a long one!

I no sooner write in my last post how I seem not to be hungry, when I start to get hungry. Really hungry. Ravenous. It's Friday late afternoon and I can't figure out what's going on. I skipped my usual Friday workout to finish Mother's Day favors for church that I've left for the last minute, so it can't be that I haven't replenished energy spent. I'm baffled and try to ignore that I'm hungry. Grrrrr.

My IsaLean Savory Tomato Soup Mix has arrived!! Someone else had warned me that there's not much taste. I'll admit, I haven't tried it on it's own but used it to make chili Friday night. We loved it!! The recipe said it made 4 servings but it easily made 8 healthy-sized portions. The chili seems to keep me full which makes me happy. No one wants to feel hungry...that's dieting and that's not what I'm doing! I'm reclaiming my health through good nutrition. Losing weight is my prize.

By the time I go to bed I'm feeling ravenous again. What the heck?! I go to bed early in anticipation in my first 5K in goodness knows how long. I'm kind of nervous. That part of my brain that keeps me down and says, "You can't do it." is pretty active and tries to keep me up and convince me not to go in the morning. I fall asleep.

Saturday morning the doubter in me is pretty strong. My leg does ache, the one I've been going to physical therapy for but the part of me that wants to live a healthy, active lifestyle is stronger than the doubter. And then my "Aha!" moment. Now the hunger and tiredness make sense. Hello, Aunt Flo. How nice of you to show up unannounced this morning! Apparently, I've been feeling the need for extra calories because it's that lovely time of the month. I never keep track on a calendar or anything like that. I always know when it's time. I have cravings galore and I'm the bitchiest person on the planet. But since on Isagenix I haven't had cravings or mood swings so there were no signs. Interesting!

I feel like crap at the race. Full of doubt, lacking energy, and in pain. I do my best to mobilize the joints that give me problems and start the race with a fairly pronounced limp. By Mile 1 the limp seems to be subsiding (or I'm getting used to the pain). The timer tells me I've reached Mile 1 at 11:44. I think he has it wrong. If I hadn't said it before, I'll say it now. I am NOT fast! My nickname is Turtle. There is a reason for this. But I do like to run, so I do...even though I'm slow.

I'm enjoying the course, a residential area with gently rolling hills. It's in the 50's and overcast, perfect for running.  There are a ton of kids. I cheer them on. At mile 2 the timer tells me I'm at 22:04. Obviously this guy has some Bailey's in his coffee. I've calculated it will take me 26 minutes to hit 2 miles! By 2 1/2 miles I'm feeling spent. If that timer guy is right, then I went out too fast. Not impossible, but I've done a ton of races in my lifetime and know better. I'm still anticipating finishing around 39:00.

The voice in my head that says "I can't", "Just walk" and "Back down" shows up often and is very persistent.  If you run by me, you'll probably hear me mutter, "Shut up" and "I've got this". I do not walk and press on. At mile 3 I have nothing to give finish the final 0.1 mile faster than my current pace. Until I see my husband and daughter. I pick up speed and cross the finish at 36:28 - 2 1/2 minutes faster than I've ever run in my 40's! I'm proud of myself and limp to the runner's buffet to get my daughter some of the brownies, soft pretzels and other goodies they have out. Me? I enjoy a Want More Energy and IsaLean shake. Heaven.

I spend most of the rest of the day battling the hungries but I stay true to my Isagenix program. I need to be better prepared next month. I'm not craving any one thing in particular but I feel like I could eat everything in an attempt to identify if there is something that *would* satisfy me. This feeling carried into today. Which was dangerous because it's Mother's Day and we're heading to a buffet.

Yes, the same buffet I was at last weekend. The choices are somewhat better but not by much. My choices include a huge plate of peel n' eat shrimp followed by a huge plate of turkey breast and plain salad. I was full and the only person at the table who didn't stuff her/himself. I had told someone else this week that going out to eat for a celebration was about celebrating people, not the food and I took that to heart today.  I used my time to enjoy spending time with my mom and kids. The desserts didn't look appetizing to me which made them very easy to pass up. I treated myself to an IsaDelight when I got home.

And then I took a nap. Apparently even Isagenix can't beat out all the tryptophan in a humongous plate of turkey!  I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular routine tomorrow.