Still tinkering with the higher protein, calorie refeed....and some pics of Holiday lipstick and Numsy Breakfast...also don't drink LEAD with your CALCIUM, and a heads up for CDCC Challengers (read CDCC blog, please)

Tanita-san: 178.2

The tinkering goes on. I had hit 179.4 earlier in the week (almost two pounds higher than lowest number I'd seen on the scale in 21 years--177.6). So, going down from 2000-2200 to 1500 to 1700 is a good move for now.

Experimenting to see at the highest caloric level at which I can lose again, so I don't cut down any more than necessary. And I want to see if I can reset that setpoint and be able to eat MORE (not crazy more, just reasonably more) than my effed up numbers allow.

Healing is tough. Healing the metabolism is ubertough. We plunge ahead and move on and keep learning and tweaking and keeping the faith, right?

Anyway, splurged on a holiday lipstick, LANCOME's Absolute Rouge shade (from the Rouge L'Absolu line). I got it in the mail yesterday, so even though my face was unwashed, no makeup, etc, I swiped it on to test out:

Absolute Rouge by Lancome

I like it. Looks "cooler" in real life, but  I think the warmer/gold tones in my skin makes it reflect warmer. :) Super pricey. Super self-indulgent. But it makes me happy to have creamy holiday red on the lippies! (I'm such a brat.)

Now, BREAKFAST--

Plate: egg whites topped with sauteed broccoli slaw and mushrooms (cooked in ghee,with spices), shredded cheddar on top.
bowl: papaya with lime juice
glass: iced decaf green tea with lime juice
cup: fresh coffee....(had 2 cups)
Not shown: 2 glasses water before eating...

Between meals, I do up my whey protein shakes with flax (sometimes I use Aroy-D coconut milk and water, sometimes almond milk and water, sometimes just water).

And I prefer my calcium this way, and, one hopes, without lead. (If you take calcium supplements, get one that ain't toxic, K? But best if you eat well. Get it naturally. Wish I had access to primo, superduper raw milk.)

Hope everyone is doing fine.

If you're in the challenge, please read about the two prizes we'll be giving away at Challenge's finale.

Thanks, be well....

Got Hashimoto's Thyroiditis? Get Rid of the Gluten!

Auto-immune wackiness runs in my family--AITD, Lupus, Alopecia Universalis, autoimmune aplastic anemia, and the gamut of allergies/sensitivities....

So, if you have this stuff, too, I feel  your pain!

Anyway, READ THIS if you have AITD/Hashimoto's and you're still eating those recommended 'healthy whole grains' with gluten. Seriously, look into it. Read WHEAT BELLY by Dr. Davis, while you're at it, too.

And if you already know you're sensitive (Debbi, Deb Willbefree, etc), put down the dang gluten!!!!! Stop that!!!  Ditch it!!!! Don't look back!!!! :)

Hashimoto’s often manifests as a “polyendocrine autoimmune pattern”. This means that in addition to having antibodies to thyroid tissue, it’s not uncommon for Hashimoto’s patients to have antibodies to other tissues or enzymes as well. The most common are transglutaminase (Celiac disease), the cerebellum (neurological disorders), intrinsic factor (pernicious anemia), glutamic acid decarboxylase (anxiety/panic attacks and late onset type 1 diabetes).

It's not your thyroid. It's your immune system whacking your thyroid (and, maybe, other tissues). Take care of yourself from the gut in.

And be well...

CDCC Update #9: Refeeding to follow the SSofS Plan is Fricken TERRIFYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But....I will work this out and make this work! Plus a look back at November 2010 vs November 2011 (for perspective) ...and the challenge particulars. And some pics at 178.0!!

Tanita-san: 178.0

That's minus 0.2 lbs from last week's official weigh in.

Looking back at other Novembers close to this since I began my blogging to lose weight (after a high of 299 in June of 2004, I didn't start blogging until 2007 at 279 lbs, I'd lost 20 lbs  in those 3 years):

Nov 15, 2007: 274.8 (-24.2 from high weight)

Nov 09, 2008: 271.8 (down 27.2) (Can see I was struggling, right?)

Nov 14, 2009: 268.6 (down 30.4)

Nov 17, 2010: 245.2 (down 53.8, and after new blog begun in 9/2010)

Nov 13, 2011: 178.0 (down 121 pounds....and yes, changed a lot!)

I kept experimenting all those years. Sometimes just gave up and binged again. Tried something new. Kept going. I never totally gave up, even when I took hiatuses in frustration. I kept going back to try something. My old blog is still here, at http://onceuponadiet.blogspot.com. It catalogs my steps back and forward. My beginning with Pilates in June of 2008 (a turning point in how damn serious I was getting about healing.)

You can click on PROGRESS PICS on tabs section under the blog header to see how I looked at those approximate weights/times.

What does 178.0, 121 lbs lost, look like on me today?

Here ya go, me, after I was done dancing with the hubby, no makeup, before breakfast,  wearing my NETRITION tank, size M (men's, I'm guessing)....the living proof:

Got a blow-out Thursday and I woke up looking
like this! Didn't even brush it out. Nice!

Yep. My belly is still my fatty spot,
but dang, my legs are hot! Not so bad for
a chronically ill, 2 decades plus
obese/morbidly obese,
almost 52 year old dame.

Oops..tank is too loose and bra is showing!

That 178.0 is a bit higher than the lowest number I saw on the scale a couple days ago (177.6).

This is not surprising, btw. I've been following the plan in THE SMARTER SCIENCE OF SLIM (to heal my whack metabolism and restore normal fat-burning) for several days. It's a bit different from my regular eating pattern.

Let me recap:

Previous eating patterns in 2011:

~~Hardcore Phase: 2 meals or 2 meals and a protein/fat-rich snack for a total of no more than 1200.
~~Then Lesser Hardcore: 2 meals or 2 meals Plus Snack for no more than 1400
~~Then same as above but no more than 1500. Which has been my recent pattern (the last month or so)

But this past week, without a lot of exercise (the healing ankle), I added the whey/flax combo 2 to 3 x a day. That's anywhere from 600 to 900 extra calories just from the added protein/flax/almond milk between meals. I was doing 2000 2200 cals a day for the last 3 days. 1800 the day before that.

That's a boatload of calories. I had to force myself to do it, cause I had no appetite. I really could have gone all day without eating until supper. No appetite, zip. BUT...not eating would defeat the purpose of this phase. It's more like REFEEDING to stimulate the system.

I find this utterly terrifying, and I'm going on faith here. I may need to backtrack, reassess, and see how I can refine it to be less terrifying. Sort of go through in increments to the total recommendation in the book. When one is used to eating lower cal and losing, to eat a lot more calories becomes an anxiety-producing, scary enterprise.

I'm pooping my pants.

I kid you not. I'm wary. But I move on faith, believing my system CAN heal.

So, I've gained. And I will be looking at the book again, my eating, find a way to get the protein/veggies in in the recommended intervals with only a lesser rise in calories.

I know the book says DO NOT WORRY ABOUT CALORIES...but the fact is, that I will feel better progressing more slowly. I just have to look at the info and personalize it. I know I was maintaining at about 1600, so maybe start the program at 1500 and work it up slowly. I will have to figure that out, and it's gonna be tricky. I will need to find a different whey protein (I am using PaleoMeal and the Swanson's, because they are from healthy, grass-fed cows with minimal processing.) I ordered some Jay Robb's to see how that works for me--no weird sweeteners, grass fed cows, no hormones. It's expensive, but using food as medicine tends to be expensive at first. Economizing can come when I get the system down.

My actual meals are the same as always--protein and veggies at core, fruit for dessert, some nuts, sometimes yogurt for a snack or mini-meal, minimal starches. I bought some Beef gelatin to use for snack/protein/supplementation.

I'm already used to drinking a lot of water (which Bailor recommends strongly) and I've added the decaf green tea for metabolic enhancing purposes. Really like it iced with a splash of lime. I make several cups daily and refrigerate to drink ad libitum.

I feel great, btw. Wake up wanting to sing and dance. I pulled hubby off the couch after I woke up (he was watching soccer) and we started dancing to SEPTEMBER's new dance cd (thumbs way up). I was just bopping and laughing. Started bumping him and he goes, "Um, are you fertile???" hahahah. No, I just feel really good. Ankle is better.

I return to Pilates tomorrow (will test the leg there and see how I've progressed. Less numbness is nice.)

I intend to get back to walking, and I've begun some upper body eccentric exercise.

In all, just trying to heal. So, I'm willing to put up with some refeeding regain  SOME. (I've seen some metabolic healing bloggers refer to a period of regain before the body revs up and starts burning at higher caloric levels and weight loss resumes.) Some experts say healing of the metabo can take years. Oh, lawdy. I honestly don't know how much I will tolerate other than a few pounds. I won't tolerate above 184. That's my, "Screw it zone." Psychologically.

I guess it's guinea pig time for me. In the hopes of a greater, healthier, newer me. It's scary and it's exciting.

But other than the protein addition, I'm pretty much eating the clean way I've eaten for months and months. No gluten. Low starch. Moderate carbs. Lots of fresh (ideally organic) veggies. Good protein sources. Healthful fats daily. Some fruit. Lots of water. And a bit of a treat now and then (dark chocolate, fruit/nut bars).

Here's to going boldly where others may have gone before, intrepidly, but not me. And I go like the worrywart wuss I am. Yet with lots of faith and curiosity.

Challenge particulars:

Calories: 1500 early part of week, 1800, then around 2000 last couple days. Intentional. Despite low appetite. Really low appetite.

Fluids: great

Exercise: some, but still in healing phase. Dancing, some eccentric push-ups and shoulder presses. Stretching (Pilates and yoga-style). Balance exercises for knees/ankle.

Support: Yep. I've commented (and sometimes quite at length) on some (not all) challenge blogs. I hope I was able to be of help.

Books: Finished THE SMARTER SCIENCE OF SLIM, and am gonna reread it. Have read some of THE END OF OVEREATING again.

Mood: EXCELLENT. And I will not quit. Not ever. I will grow and learn and try and continue on this tough journey to health and self-discovery.

Goals for this week: To stay at or above 1500 cals while following the SSofS protocol (in my seque-ing modified way). Keeping an eye on scale. To up exercise (especially muscle-building, with walking for joint health). To dance when I want, cause it makes me happy! To keep the faith. To keep going. To be someone who encourages others on their journey. To....heal.

If you're in the CDCC and haven't updated yet. Please do so before end of today, EASTERN TIME, and go link up on the official challenge blog.

Later. Be well....

Heads-Up For Those Who Pre-Ordered (or Plan to) THE SMARTER SCIENCE OF SLIM!

As I plan to be a guinea pig for the plan (to see if I can fix my metabo some), and enjoyed the book, I liked the FB page.

Today, Bailor offered to give online access to folks who preorder through Amazon. That means you read it NOW, not in January. And online (right on your puter). Like I did. :D It'll look like this, only it will be the whole book

He put the message up on  his FB.

I am going to reread it and try to fully implement the plan beginning next week. I am incorporating some stuff already (whey, flax meal, more decaf green tea). The exercise for anything having to do with my lower joints has to wait a bit, as I want to consult with my trainer for safety reasons,  but I am doing the eccentric arm exercises. :)

Okay, may update again later...but now...I wanna dig my new cds from Japan. :D

(Oh, and if you go to Amazon, do me a favor and click HELPFUL in my review --I'm "Mir" and a top 500 reviewer.I try to make my reviews long and helpful, and I appreciate the clicks. ) My review is currently the first one showing on the left, but amazon can change that around. THANKS.