Let's Talk Food!

I love food. I find comfort in food. I grew up finding comfort in food. Sugary chocolaty food is the biggest draw. For years the one constant in my mind was food. It always surprised me to find that many people don't think about food all of the time. Not me. If I am honest with myself, I would have to admit it was an obsession or addiction as it were. As soon as I was done eating, I was thinking or worrying about my next meal or snack.

At the lowest point in my health, I was using Dr. Peppers to keep me awake and sugar to keep me motivated to finish the day. I had no energy and my health was deteriorating rapidly. I was never officially diagnosed with it, but my natualpathic doctor told me if I went to see a regular Doctor I would probably be diagnosed with MS and fibromyalgia. That still didn't change my habits. I was borderline diabetic. I could feel that. Everytime I ate anything, I would have high blood sugar responses: drowsiness, lethargy, moodiness, etc. That didn't change my habits. Knowing I was killing myself with my own terrible habits didn't change my life.

I tried dieting on and off for short two or three week spurts. I just wasn't motivated. I didn't want to force myself to be uncomfortable. I just kept telling myself that I didn't care if I was fat or not. I really had convinced myself of that. Really.

My kids are very athletic ( they are adopted so we don't share the same genes :-) lucky for them) and dear hubby and I couldn't keep up with them. They were always asking us to go to the park or take a walk and neither one of us wanted to or had the energy to do anything about it.

Well, as it goes, we both got the fitness bug around the same time and we joined the local 24 Hour Fitness. Oh, I remember why. They have a pool and our kids would rather swim than go to the local waterpark, so we joined for the summer so they could swim. I went sporadically the first week. I have been in shape before so I knew what it took and I hit the weights and the elliptical machine with semi-dedicated effort. I took advantage of a free personal training session that the gym offered and weighed in. Dismal.

I still hadn't committed to the diet part. Sugar is very addicting to me and once I take a sip of the Dr. Pepper, I am hooked. So, even on cheat days, I can't drink that stuff. Cause for the next week or two that is all I can think about. I wonder what they really put in that drink?

So, to motivate me, I challenged my hubby, my mom, my aunt and my uncle to a Family Style Biggest Loser Competition. They all joined the gym and so it went for a couple of weeks. Then at a family dinner, I mentioned this to my brother and he told me he would help me win. He is a Dallas SWAT officer and in top condition. But he wasn't always that way. I had seen his body transformation and knew he knew what he was talking about. I took him up on his offer.

Well, everyone else wanted in too, so we have family CrosFit on Sundays led by our Coach, my brother. After our workout, we discuss nutrition and healthy eacting. And now I am motivated. I eat following the Paleo Diet and the zone diet.

My health is better, my cravings are held to a manageable minimum. I will confess, I still have those outrageous urges to eat some chocolatey sugary dessert of some sort. Usually it happens when I am bored or stressed or tired. So, sometimes I cheat. But since I have been working out like a mad women, I can afford it. I don't beat myself up. I try to eat more healthy food than non-healthy food. I read in "Paleo for Athletes" that you should try for 95% clean diet.

Here are 3 easy tips for staying on the program:
- Avoid getting too hungry. Keep protein bars, nuts or veggies on hand at all times.
- Set up a cheat day. Once a week, eat whatever you want and then get back on the program.
- Exercise off more than you eat.

My First Great Bike Adventure

It is back to school for me! Well, at least back to teacher stuff. I have a Math training for three days in a city nearby, 10.3 miles to be exact. So, Sunday night I was getting directions from Google maps and noticed a new feature. There is a button above the directions that you can click to get a bike route! Way cool. I clicked the button and had an idea. I was going to ride my bike to the training location!

 I know the whole point of riding bikes is not only to get in shape, but to go green too. In slight opposition to the green thing, dear hubby and I drove the route right away to make sure it was truly a safe bike route. I packed my clothes, some deodorant, a hairbrush and some pens (for the training). I also packed a lot of food, cause I knew I would be hungry.

Laying in bed Sunday night, I was very nervous. Weird huh? But this trip would take me outside my comfort zone and my quiet little neighborhood. Since I have been riding my bike, I have ridden over 10 miles at a time. I just completed it in my neighborhood - riding all around the parks in the neighborhood. For me this was a big deal. I was feeling very exposed. I never realized how safe and comfortable I feel in my car. I was really nervous about riding my bike alone so far in a strange neighborhood, technically through 3 cities.

I was up and at 'em early. I checked my brakes, got my water, started the tunes and headed out. Dear Hubby rode with me to the first major intersection and watched me safely cross like a nervous mother hen. Then I was on my own.

The ride was beautiful and peaceful. I left myself extra time so I could change when I got to the training center. I was really tired and it took about 4 miles of riding to get warmed up and energized. I played it safe and crossed at the crosswalks and spent time on the sidewalks. At one point, my back breaks had some sort of malfunction, and stopped working altogether. Fortunately, my front brakes were working fine- disaster averted.

I arrived at my destination, made like superwoman and changed in the bathroom. Total ride 10.3 miles. Total calories burned: 1200.

All said and done, I am very proud of myself and of what I accomplished. I was brave. I had an adventure! And I am doing it again tomorrow!