Week One

Wow. It has been a long time. I have kept up w/ the yoga but sort of let my eating habits slip back towards being way less than ideal.

I have 12 weeks starting today until I head back to the mainland. Today I stumbled upon Jim Dee's "Get Down and Do It" Challenge and got inspired.

http://foxhanger.com/getdown/?page_id=2

I am already doing yoga every day. But I decided to follow his lead and commit to doing 100 crunches 5 days a week for 100 days (which is 10,000 crunches in 20 weeks). That's in addition to whatever ab work might be part of my daily yoga. ;))

I also decided to begin a food challenge to help me develop some better eating habits before I leave. In the diet dept for the next 20 weeks I commit to:

32 oz green smoothie every day/5 days per week
2 oz wheat grass every day/5 days per week
1 green salad every day/5 days per week
8 oz kombucha every day/5 days per week
20 oz fresh squeezed juice every day/5 days per week

I want to be in tip-top shape before my move and this plan is going to give me a giant push in that direction. I will try to post before pictures and measurements in the next day or two.

Today's Weight: 200.5
Highest Weight: 236
Goal Weight: 150

Day #50

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 196.0
Highest Weight: 236
Goal Weight: 150


That means I have FINALLY hit 40 pounds gone and the halfway mark towards my weight loss goal. So very exciting!!!!

There are only 4 weeks left in the Raw Food Rehab project I am participating in and 7 weeks left in my yoga experiment. I want to kick things up a notch from here on out. So I am going to *try* my best to adhere to the following routine: green smoothie for breakfast, a big salad for an early lunch, one of Alissa Cohen's recipes for an afternoon snack, and fresh-pressed juice for dinner.

Day #20

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 199.5
Highest Weight: 236
Goal Weight: 150


YAY!! I broke 200!!!! I am so very excited. And today is my birthday. What a fantastic way to start my personal new year.

I know that I may fluctuate up and down for a few days, because that's usually what my body does when it reaches a new low. But I hope to be out of the 200's *for good* very, very soon now. YEHAW!!!!!

Day #12

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 201.5
Goal Weight: 150

Again, I couldn't help weighing myself this morning. I'm feeling skinnier every day and I want to relish in it. ;))

Today I wore a pair of capri jeans that haven't fit me in about a year and a half. They're still a little snug but I am tickled that I can wear them at all. They show off my ankles which I have been contemplating all day. The edema from my tattoo has *finally* gone away and it gives me so much joy to look at my ankles now because they look so small!! Oh the silly little things that have the ability to totally make my day.


Yesterday's Food Choices
32 oz green smoothie
w/ spinach, mint, mixed berries, bananas, coconut oil
8 am - home
iced coffee w/ almond milk
blueberry muffin
11:30 am - Starbucks
veggie & avocado sandwich on a croissant
BBQ potato chips
2:00 pm - Baile


Today's Food Choices:
glazed doughnut w/ chocolate frosting
cafe mocha w/ soy milk
9 am - The Patisserie
1 banana
10:30 am - work
fruit salad
w/ pineapple, melon, & grapes
12:30 am - The Patisserie
6 pc falafalel
hummus & pita bread
Greek salad w/ no cheese
3:30 pm - Leo's Taverna

I know that I am not eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables. I try to make a green smoothie every morning but have been getting up late a few days a week so don't have time. Still this week is a big improvement from last week.

6 days NO DAIRY!!! I can feel the puffines leaving my body little by little every day. And of course the sweaty yoga sessions help to flush it out, too.

Day #10

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 204.0
Goal Weight: 150

Yeah!! 10 days down!!!!

I couldn't help weighing myself this morning. And lo and behold I am down 2.5 lbs from yesterday!!

I believe that there are several reasons for this:

For one, I know I've committed to writing down my food choices and this makes me think twice about what I put in my mouth.

Second, I have been without dairy for 4 whole days now(!!)

Third, and probably most significant, I have been back to the Bikram studio for 2 super-duper sweat-drenched workout sessions this week!!!

I really believe that getting back into the studio is key for me. There's something special about practicing in 105 degree heat with 20-30 like-minded students and a competent teacher to guide you through those magical 26 postures. Of course, I do like practicing yoga at home, too. And I will continue alternating studio/Bikram days w/ home practice/Baptiste days. So far I think that cross training w/ different styles of yoga is making me stronger. At the very least it is giving me a good variety. And that makes it a lot easier for me to practice every day. ;))


Yesterday's Food Choices
32 oz green smoothie
w/ spinach, mint, strawberries, bananas, coconut oil
8 am - home
chai w/ almond milk
blueberry muffin
11:30 am - Starbucks
6 red/yellow mini sweet peppers
2:00 pm - work
chopped veggie wrap
4:00 pm - Salad Creations

Today's Food Choices:
glazed doughnut w/ chocolate frosting
cafe mocha w/ soy milk
9 am - The Patisserie
1 banana
10 am - work
fruit salad
w/ pineapple, melon, & grapes
11:30 am - The Patisserie
special fresh veggie roll
1:30 pm - Safeway
1 slice double fiber bread w/ peanut butter
6 pm - home

Day #8

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 206.5
Goal Weight: 150

I decided that I will go back to recording my food choices and times. I feel like this holds me accountable and helps me to see patterns. As you can see I haven't really been doing the raw food program. I didn't get a chance to make the recipes over the weekend which left me a little discouraged. Awareness is the first step, I guess. And I haven't had dairy for 3 days now - so that's something to be proud of.

Yesterday's Food Choices
32 oz green smoothie
w/ spinach, mint, strawberries, pineapple, banana, coconut oil
10 am - home
Kona chocolate chip pancakes
coffee w/ almond milk
1 pm - Mulvadi Cafe
dynamite roll
8 pm - Times Supermarket

Today's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie
w/ spinach, mint, avocado, pineapple, banana, blueberries
8 am - home
glazed doughnut w/ chocolate filling
cafe mocha w/ soy milk
1 pm - The Patisserie
green salad w/ vinagrette dressing
1 slice whole grain bread w/ peanut butter
6 pm - home

Day #6

Wow. Almost a full week into this raw food experiment and 101 day yoga challenge. Penni decided to change the name to "Raw Food Rehab" - which I think is a more catchy title.

I have done yoga 6 consecutive days! 3x Baron Baptiste video and 3x Bikram audio cd. And tomorrow I go back to the studio after a 3 week hiatus.

Today also marked my first day of no dairy. Yesterday I decided that I am going to give up dairy cold turkey for a full year. Now I'm probably going to have to play it by ear as far as items that contain dairy as an ingredient. And I may have butter occasionally. But definitely no cheese and no milk, or really *any* obvious dairy, for that matter. I know that I can do this. I gave up diet soda for a full year and now it's not even an option for me. It's time to give dairy the boot as well.

I am planning to make a couple of Alissa Cohen's recipes tomorrow. Maybe I will post a couple of pictures if they turn out well. I want to have yummy raw food choices on hand so that it's easier to stick with the program.

Anyway, so far so good. I will be weighing in tomorrow so we'll see just how good. ;))

Day #4

Well, still struggling a bit on the diet front. I seem to keep making excuses for why I want to eat things that I know I shouldn't. The good news is that these deviations are limited. And I have been doing yoga every night.

But I know that to get the results I want I really need to get my eating habits in line. Exercise is only half of the equation. I have been drinking a green smoothie every day for breakfast. But then today I had Mexican food for lunch complete with the cheese I've intended to swear off.

HMMM. I know that planning plays a big role in whether I succeed or fail. So this weekend I will try to make a bunch of recipes from Alissa Cohen's book so that I have yummy raw things on hand to eat at all times. I will also get back on track with eating a big raw salad for lunch every day.

I am committed to doing this. Now or never. So what the heck have I been waiting for!?!!

Day #2

As you can see I have posted some very scary before pictures. I shudder to look at them now but I know that I will eventually want documentation of the dramatic changes in my physical appearance. I am completely confident that I will lose all the weight I want to. And I will do it in a healthful manner so that it never creeps back to bother me again.

I got off to a little bit of a rocky start on the diet front. The past couple of days have been a little rough. But I'm pleased to report that I am full speed ahead on the workout front. 2 days of yoga under my belt and 99 to go. ;))

My Big Fat Raw Experiement

So tomorrow I will begin Penni Shelton's "Big Fat Raw Experiment". She will be advising a group of us guinea pigs as we embark on a 10 week journey into cleansing and weight loss through eating raw foods.

The backbone of my meal plan will be:

32 oz green smoothie every morning
Big raw green salad at lunch
20 oz raw juice in the evening

I will also be trying some of the raw recipes from Alissa Cohen's book, the Pure Jeevan e-book, the Raw Fu website and, of course, from Penni's website. I am going to try to eat high raw for the duration of the experiment.

The timing is perfect because I was already toying with the idea of doing 101 consecutive days of yoga starting June 1st. Now I've decided to go for it and to combine a high raw diet with the yoga.

My weekly workout schedule will be:

Bikram - 4x per week at the studio
Baptiste - 2x per week at home w/ dvd
Bikram or Baptiste - 1x per week at home w/ dvd or cd

I had such a great visit with my family but I ate and drank a little too much. And I got my ankle tattoo, so I haven't been doing yoga. I guess that I should be happy that I only gained back 5 pounds because it could have been a lot worse. ;))

Today's Weight: 207.5

Here are my starting measurements taking fully clothed and wearing a bra:

Bust (around fullest part): 42"
Waist (around smallest part): 37"
Hips(around fullest part): 48"

I promise that I will post before pictures in the next couple of days.

MC Day Eight

The cleanse is still going well. I didn't have lemons to make my lemonade yesterday morning so I bought the MC Lemonade premade from Umeke Market. They clearly used bottled and not fresh lemon juice. As a result I felt kind of tired and cranky and wanting to eat all day. Weird. Today I made my own lemonade and I feel fine. Proof positive that it DOES matter that you use the correct ingredients and not cut corners.

I didn't do yoga last night because I was feeling so low energy. My skin kind of smells funny today. Probably detox or build up of dead cells. I plan to do yoga tonight - so the sweat will help flush it out. I am also going to begin dry brushing every morning so that my skin can better release all the toxins that have built up.

I did some research on the internet and I found a tattoo similar to what I want to get when I go to SF. I will be sure to post it once it's finished. I hope to lose12 more pounds so that when I gain back a few from having food in my system again, I'll still be at or very close to 40 pounds down from my highest weight. ;))

My recent progress:

Day Seven (5/7/09) - 204.0

Day Eight (5/8/09) - 202.5

That makes 15 pounds lost in the last 8 days!!!

TOTAL OF 33.5 POUNDS RELEASED!!!!!!

MC Day Six

Still doing great. SWF every morning. Green/peppermint tea mixture when I get to work. MC lemonade throughout the day. Monday I went to Jamba Juice during lunch and got a 2 oz wheat grass shot and a 16 oz carrot juice. I won't do that every day, just when I feel like I need a pick-me-up. Yesterday I had 4 oz of Kombucha, Gingerade flavor. YUM. I am actually really liking the taste now. Or maybe I am just glad to have something different from the lemonade.

I did Bikram's beginner series at home the last 2 nights. It's a totally different experience from going to the studio. It's a lot less intense without the heat. But I am also able to focus better without the distraction of the mirror or the other students. No dizziness or fatigue. Overall I feel really, really good.

My progress over the last few days:

Day Four (5/4/09) - 207.0

Day Five (5/5/09) - 206.5

Day Six (5/6/09) - 204.5

That makes 13 pounds lost in the last 6 days!!!

TOTAL OF 31.5 POUNDS RELEASED!!!!!!

MC Day Three

OK. I totally backslid on both my eating habits and my yoga program over the past couple of weeks. It started because my blender gradually stopped working and I could no longer make green smoothies that were palatable to drink. (I've got my eye on a couple used Vita Mix machines on ebay to replace it, though.) Then I had friend and family visitors back to back so what little free time I have was spent going out to eat, going out drinking, and doing fun tourist stuff. Unfortunately, most of my good intentions went out the friggin window.

Not to worry, I am back on track. In fact I am on Day Three of a 15 day Master Cleanse. I want to wipe the slate clean. I also want to get down below the 200 lb mark before my trip. I know that it's doable I just need to focus. I am doing the Salt Water Flush every single morning. I will do yoga at home w/ Bikram's audio cd in the evening at least 10 out of the 13 days left before my trip.

I didn't begin with the yoga right away because I thought it would be better to give myself a few days to get into the swing of the fast before adding exercise. The first couple of days are the hardest and I wanted to make it a little bit easier to stick with.

I'd also like to incorporate a couple swim sessions next weekend and I'm scheduled to get body wraps on Day 7 & Day 14 as well.

Here's my progress so far:

Day Zero (4/30/09) - 217.5

Day One (5/1/09) - 214.5

Day Two (5/2/09) - 212.0

Day Three (5/3/09) - 209.0

That's 8.5 pounds lost so far on this cleanse!!!


I am drinking plenty of the MC lemonade and pure water. I am also having green tea once a day and herbal teas as needed. I feel good physically but have a very short fuse emotionally. Things just seem to annoy me a lot more than usual. But I think that's because I am used to stuffing my emotions with food and can no longer do that.

When I am finished I plan to get back to my green smoothie routine and will most likely eat a high raw diet. The month of May is my new beginning into Raw Foods. I've built the foundation of yoga and now it's high time to quit slacking and commit to eating well once and for all.

Day 6: Green Smoothie Challenge

The challenge is still going really well. I was running very late this morning and didn't have time to make a green smoothie. So I brought fruit with me as a substitute. But I did have a big salad for lunch and veggie juice later in the day.

Today's Weight: 208 lbs

My weight is up a bit but I am still happy with my progress. I know that fluctuating a few pounds day to day is completely normal. In this case it could be in part that I didn't eat enough calories yesterday throughout the day before going to yoga. And I also didn't have nearly enough fruits and vegetables. But the biggest culprit is most likely that I had sushi pretty late in the evening, with wasabe and soy sauce - so a lot of sodium. I find that I lose better when I do yoga in the evening and then just have juice or fruit after instead of a full meal.


Yesterday's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
strawberries, kale, spinach, mint & apple juice
(11am - home)
Kona chocolate chip pancakes
(3 pm - home)
1/2 a dynamite roll
1/2 a veggie tempura roll
1/2 a spicy veggie roll
1/2 a regular veggie roll
(9 pm - home)

Today's Food Choices:
2 apples
3 clementines
(10am - work)
32 oz green/peppermint tea
(throughout the day - work)
wild Alaskan salmon salad
w/ spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes,
sunflower seeds & vinaigrette dressing
(12 pm - Salad Creations)
8 oz Kombucha
(4pm - work)
carrot, apple, beet , ginger juice
(7pm - Jewel or Juice)

DAY 4: Green Smoothie Challenge

I can't believe how well the combination of green smoothies, fresh juice and Bikram is working on my body. I started this challenge at 217 cause I gained about 6 pounds back from eating badly and not going to yoga for almost a whole week. So I knew that the weight would come off quick because it went on pretty quick.

Today 1st thing in the morning I was 208 and then a few hours later after yoga I was 206.5(!!!) Holy freekin cow - that is 10.5 pounds in 4 days(!!!!!) Faster than the Master Cleanse, faster than juice fasting. This is "Biggest Loser" weight loss and those guys work out a minimum of 4-6 hours a day. It's the kind of weight loss you'd expect from a weekend of doing a bunch of speed, dancing like a maniac every night, and not sleeping for 3 days straight. Not that I'd know anything about that. LOL.

The thing that gets me the most is that I am not at all depriving myself. I even had a big veggie burrito for lunch yesterday w/ black beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, salsa - fried on the grill and then covered in enchilada sauce. I'm only having one actual "meal" during the weekdays, but I feel like I am still eating plenty of calories.

I read somewhere that a 90 minute Bikram class burns 1400-1500 calories at my weight. So I am definitely burning off a lot. But still, this is pretty dramatic. Really, I am completely blown away. Hope I can keep this up. Just another 10.5 pounds before I go to SF and I will schedule to get my tattoo. I am certain that I will achieve that and probably even more in the next 4 weeks. ;))

Thanks for listening to my rant. I am pretty gosh darned fired up right now. In case you couldn't tell.

Today's Weight: 208 lbs - before yoga

Today's Weight: 206.5 lbs - after yoga

THAT'S 10.5 LBS LOST IN JUST 4 DAYS!!


Yesterday's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
red leaf lettuce, romaine, mint & orange juice
(9am - home)
20 oz green/peppermint tea
(11 am - work)
veggie burrito w/ black beans, rice,
lettuce, salsa, guacamole & enchilada sauce
(1 pm - Taqueria Ramirez)
Dove milk chocolate w/ almond bar
(3 pm - work)
carrot, apple, beet, ginger juice
(5 pm - Jewel or Juice)
16 oz green smoothie leftover
(9 pm - home)

Today's Food Choices:
1 apple
1 banana
(10am - home)
32 oz green/peppermint tea
(11 am/12:30 pm - during yoga)
Naked Juice "SuperFood" green smoothie
(1 pm - home)
4 clementines
(3 pm - home)
1/2 a dynamite roll
1/2 a veggie tempura roll
1/2 a spicy veggie roll
1/2 a regular veggie roll
(5:30 pm - Sushi Man)

DAY 2: Green Smoothie Challenge

So I haven't really been doing the Green Smoothie Girl Challenge verbatim. At least not to start. She is my inspiration and I do take her recommendations to heart. I want to incorporate all ten of her points eventually, but for the next several weeks these are my personal goals:

1 green smoothie per day
1 green salad per day
1 green tea per day
1 fresh vegetable-based juice per day
1 gallon of water per day
workout - yoga, swim or The Firm - every day

Today's Weight: 211.5 lbs

THAT'S 5.5 LBS LOST IN JUST 2 DAYS!!

I kinda knew that this would happen, though. It seems that pounds that come on fast are also fast to leave once I eliminate the junk food that caused them to creep back.

Yesterday's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
red leaf lettuce, romaine, mint & orange juice
(9am - home)
Kona chocolate chip pancakes
(1 pm - home)
2 apples w/ chyawanprash
(3 pm - home)
carrot, apple, beet, ginger juice
(5 pm - Jewel or Juice)
carrot spice muffin
(7 pm - Coffee Talk)

Today's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
red leaf lettuce, romaine, mint & orange juice
(8am - home)
wild salmon fillet
salad w/ spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes,
artichoke hearts, sunflower seeds & vinaigrette dressing
(1 pm - Salad Creations)
peanut M&M's
(3 pm - work)
carrot, apple, celery, beet, ginger juice
(8:30 pm - home)

Green Smoothie Challenge

After much deliberation, I have decided to start the Green Smoothie Challenge tomorrow. I've got about 4 1/2 weeks until my trip to California and I'd like to make some big changes in my diet before then. I've been reading/watching a lot of raw food blogs/videos and think that Green Smoothie Girl's approach is one that I can live with long term.

These are the 10 Points she advocates for weight loss:

1. Drink 8-12 glasses of water daily (between meals, not during) starting with two glasses of water when you first wake up.

2. Drink 1 quart of green smoothie daily—this is the minimum, you can drink as much as you want!

3. Eat 8-10 raw vegetables and fruits daily (with most of those being vegetables including plenty of greens).

4. Eat freely of whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds—soak them whenever possible for maximum nutrition.

5. Eat 1 oz. or more of coconut oil daily.

6. Add kelp, dulse, nori, or seaweed to a green smoothie, soup, or salad every day.

7. Take a good probiotic daily, and digestive enzymes with any meal that isn’t mostly raw.

8. Avoid processed sugar, white flour, animal flesh, and coffee/soft drinks (including diet drinks) or other stimulants using NutraSweet (aspartame) and caffeine.

9. Eat three meals daily that are 60% raw or more. Try to avoid snacking but if you must snack as you’re transitioning to three meals a day, have a green smoothie.

10. Break a sweat once a day, 5-6 days a week—do both aerobic and weight bearing exercise, and push yourself.

To read more about it check out her website: http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/weightloss.html

I will be doing Bikram Yoga 5-6 days per week. I also want to try to do The Firm Vol 4 (45 min weight workout video) 2 mornings during the week and swim at least 1000 yards on one of the weekend days. And, of course, I usually take my dog Buddha for a 30 min walk weekdays and to the park on weekends.

I will record my weight and food choices here. I will discuss my yoga progress and insights to my practice on my "Ellen's Yoga Journey" blog.

I am very excited to see how much weight I can lose and how my body responds inside and out to this regimen. Wish me luck!

Starting Weight: 217 lbs