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Using Food to Fill the Void

Angela C. — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:47:29 +0000

Hey, folks!

It’s Sunday, stats day, and I’m behind on the blog. Before I begin, I just want to say thank you to each and every person reading this blog! I know we’re all busy, and I appreciate the time you take to read, comment, Tweet, post, and otherwise engage with me online.

That being said, I could use a little encouragement! Some of you may recall my post in November where I talked about the measuring tape being the most effective way of demonstrating my progress.

Well, today, I barely squeezed my tush into a size 12 bathing suit and went off to a birthday party. Later in the evening, I tried on some size 14 “designer” pants, and was mortified. My hips don’t lie. I’ve fallen of the wagon.

A while back, I was talking to a personal trainer who had lost a huge amount of weight. He mentioned sometimes still feeling and acting like that person carrying all those extra pounds.

It’s hard to imagine myself looking like this:

When right now, I feel that I look like this:

I don’t want to give you the impression that I think there’s anything bad about being my size, and ladies, if you got it, work it!

I’m just struggling with consistency, and that’s likely fueled by my inability to imagine myself anything but where I’m at right now.

To help me visualize a new me, I took a minute to reflect on the old me! In 2003, I left a well-paying job and began a venture in independent sales. Concurrently, I changed my eating habits and made the decision to never again work in a career where I had to sacrifice my personal health and well-being. In 3 months, I lost 30 pounds.

Although the business didn’t work out, I did stay on the renegade track for 2 years. I quit drinking alcohol, and for a while, even stopped drinking coffee! I switched to soy instead of cow’s milk, and began a vegetarian lifestyle.

At the time, I infrequently would take hikes, long walks and the occasional aerobics class. When my car finally gave out, I started walking everywhere, and taking the bus.

The picture on the right is of me, three years into this change (Spring 2006). A little while after this photo was taken, I became pregnant!

As a single working mom of a child with a major developmental delay, my lifestyle since then has completely changed. And I know I’ve resorted to the older habits that got me into trouble in the first place.

I started eating meat again when I was in my 1st term of pregnancy. I started drinking alcohol again when I moved to Honolulu. I’ve been using sugar and caffeine as “uppers” ever since I had a newborn!

But the bigger threat to my health and well-being is comfort food. My vices can be salty or sweet, creamy or crunchy, dark chocolate or milk chocolate. It’s just too easy to ignore the consequences and choose something that feels good in the short term.

I’m filling the void with food!

I suppose I’m jumping on the blog today to reach out, and ask for some encouragement. I didn’t even want to weigh in or take my measurements today. I know I’m back in the 190′s, and I know that my measurements last week were 39, 39, 43. And I’ve had only one workout with kettlebells in the last 9 days.

The first practice that I believe will make a difference is starting my day with an attitude of gratitude. One of my friends exchanges e-mails with me every day. We share one or two sentences answering the question: “What are you grateful for?” This helps me frame my day with positive expectation.

I asked another friend to do the water challenge with me. We’re going to shoot for 64 ounces of water a day (although another friend of mine suggests 1/2 my weight in water, which would be a whopping 95 ounces!)

As for accountability, I may need to ask Dwayne Perkins to do another blog-a-thon with me. I found that when I had to check in here daily, I wanted to report progress!!!

Maintaining a positive attitude is where you come in. Sometimes I’ll just spend a minute looking at Facebook or reading other people’s tweets to see what good news they might bring.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and I promise, there will be blogs with more “action” to come! Please take a moment and give me a shout out! I appreciate it in advance!

Sunday Stats

Angela C. — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:23:58 +0000

Hey folks!

It’s been a strange week. I either had the stomach flu or food poisoning. I didn’t work out all week. I counted calories every single day, using my blackberry. And I ended up with the exact same measurements as the week before, but a pound less:

I’ll do a video progress update soon. For now, I’m just happy that some of my clothes are fitting me loosely!

Thanks for following! Be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list with the link above, or just by sending an e-mail to subscribe@kettletell.com — you’ll get updates whenever I send one! (And remember, kettletell does not spam!)

Stressful Snacking?

Angela C. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:38:40 +0000

Hey kettlefolks!

For the past week, I’ve been in various coffee houses around Honolulu, working to a deadline. One of the joys of working for yourself is that you get to work anywhere! (Conversely, you don’t have an office or regular workspace.)

Lately, I’ve been looking at this: And this has been looking at me:

What’s that in your hand, Angela?

I’m glad you asked!

It’s an Ice blended mocha, no sugar added, extreme.

What does extreme mean?

More coffee.

I’m running on less sleep than usual, my eyes are tired and bloodshot, and I just want to complete this project so that I can move on to the next. (Not that I’m complaining– I do love working in the field of education– albeit, independently!)

In the past few days, I had not worked out, had not eaten healthy and nutritious meals, and for a second I thought I was back in finals week during my undergraduate college career.

As I’m sitting here sipping this bittersweet drink, I started to review the other things I’ve been putting into my system. Everything that I’ve had a craving for falls into one of four categories: salty or sweet, crunchy or creamy. Sometimes, it’s two of the four, like crunchy and salty — popcorn, or those veggie tubes we got at COSTCO. But usually, I have a very clear idea of what I want, and I when I’m working up to the last minute, like now, I’ll go and get it.

I think this is stressful snacking; an insidious form of emotional eating. It’s insidious because I almost don’t realize I’m doing it.

For example, the graham cracker I was snacking on with my son. (Sweet and crunchy.) I didn’t have a whole cracker… or wait, did I? I can’t remember, because I wasn’t paying attention. What about the salty barbecue chicken I had for lunch? I usually can’t finish the mini-plate. Today, I ate the whole thing.

About the only thing saving me so far this week is the fact that I did get into the FitPro Hawaii gym today. After swings and suitcase squats with the 16kg kettlebells, Bill busted out the benches. Liz and I did presses and various weight bearing activities with two 12kgs. I’ve been typing all week– my shoulders are taut and my wrists are thrashed! I’m so glad I got in there!

We also got homework for the next four days– complete a total of 200 clean and presses (the long cycle) with two 8 kgs. I can do 100 over two days (yeah, right) or 50 each day. We also have to continue our cardio on our own.

I’ll keep in touch! In the meantime, can you please let me know what kind of healthy snacks you eat that are satisfying?

kettaloha!

100 Snatches

Angela C. — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:38:27 +0000

I’ll take positive reinforcement wherever I can get it. Today, I had two things to celebrate.

I didn’t feel like working out at all today. The kids were napping at about the time we were supposed to pack up to go. I had little energy and was feeling a bit moody… and the little voice in my head kept saying, “Take a rest day, you need rest!”
Fortunately, my trainer’s voice rang in my ears, “Fat doesn’t take a day off!”

I got my butt in the car and took the 9- and 2-year olds with me to the FitPro Hawaii studio. Yay, me!

After a series of turkish get ups with the 8kg and my favorite obliques-killing exercise, the twist press, Bill announced it was time to practice our snatches.

To review, a “snatch” is sorta like a one-handed swing that ends with the kettlebell resting on the back of your wrist. If done properly, the kettlebell floats its way up and over your hand, lightly resting on the back of your wrist.

I’ve had a mental block with snatches, ever since my failure to complete 100 snatches on my own. Since I couldn’t master the “pull” part of the swing, the kettlebell would land pretty hard, bruising the back of my wrists.

Today would be a different day. With my nephew standing by and my son playing the alphabet song, Liz and I completed a series of snatches with the 8kg kettlebell:
10 on our left, 10 on our right (times 3)
5 on our left, 5 on our right (times 4)

Holy cannoli! That was 100 snatches- 50 per arm! Woo hoo!

Final Results of Cleanse!

Angela C. — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:37:38 +0000

Clean living is the cardinal principle in the lives of the world’s greatest athletes. Marshall “Major” Taylor

I finally finished! The 9-day cleanse, that is. When I began the two pre-cleanse days, I was weighing in at 202.5 pounds. Two days later, I began the Isagenix 9-day program, and this is where this video recap begins:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FVrJY_iZIE

What you might not get from the video is that it was difficult for me to complete my first ever cleanse, although this wasn’t the harshest of programs.

I suffered from a major caffeine withdrawal on the first night of the cleanse, and was incredibly irritable and unable to put together a clear thought. I felt like I had to sleep just to get through it. (Therefore, there aren’t any video from those two days.)

My back started to spasm, and I had to sleep with my feet up against the wall. For two days, I was shuffling around like a senior citizen.

I was HUNGRY. You can look at my recent posts to see my few indiscretions. I also ended up breaking out, getting weird white stuff on my tongue, and (I spared you this) my hair shedding. I was a lot weaker than usual, so I had to take it easy with my kettlebell training.

Mid-way through, my energy came back, and at the end of the cleanse, I felt completely awake and energized. I didn’t even want a coffee!

From pre-cleanse to the end of the cleanse, I lost 8 total pounds, and an inch in each measurement.

I would recommend that everyone tries something like this, especially if, like me, you’re in a plateau. I have a better understanding of food and how it works with me. I discovered that my vitamins make me nauseated, so I started drinking them. I learned the effect of discipline, and I’m happy I broke through the 200 pound mark.

I learned empathy for people living with chronic pain, whether it be migraines, arthritis, or the result of injury. Most importantly, I realized the importance of positive relationships. There’s no way I can make it to my ultimate goal without great support.

Thank you for being part of that network! Feel free to comment on the blog!

Cleanse Day #8/ Kids and KBs

Angela C. — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:19:27 +0000

I feel great! Today has been the best day on the 9-day cleanse yet (and let’s not forget those 2 “pre-cleanse” days)!

I had so much energy, it was strange. I didn’t have hunger pangs or hunger pains! I wasn’t extremely tired, and I was craving a workout.

Today was family day, for sure. While my older nephew (who plays high school football) was training at home, I took my little guy to the park. It’s interesting; when I’m not thinking about eating, I seem to fill my time with other, more “active” activities.

Later in the evening, I was able to workout… with my entire family by my side, it seemed. My 9-year old nephew paid me the biggest compliment by asking if he could workout with me and the kettlebells. I broke out the trio of 5/10/20 pound kettlebells, so my 3-year old nephew could join us.

After a minor incident while jumping rope, we were on our way. We did suitcase squats, tricep curls, some work on our obliques, and my nephew got to swing a kettlebell for the first time ever!

He’s hooked. At the end of the evening, he said, “This is actually fun!” Not to mention, he has a little more respect for his aunty’s workout:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ul2ea0WQY

Stay tuned for the last day of this cleanse! I can’t wait!

Cleanse Day One and Fun in the Sun

Angela C. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:44:01 +0000

Aloha! And a great big good morning to San Francisco, Austin, Washington D.C. and Raleigh!

My first day using the Isagenix Cleanse for Life was bearable. I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I’d be… but boy, do I miss food.

I like eating. I realized today that one of the consistent sources of satisfaction in my life is a good meal. Add good company to that meal, and it’s a great day.

My family and I plan our LIVES around food. Any occasion worth celebrating is an occasion to eat something yummy. When I visit with my friends, chances are, I’m bringing food, or we’re going to eat. That’s just the way it is!

Today, I concentrated on spending time with my son and staying active. We went to the park, I did a brief workout, I gave myself a pedicure-- I tried to stay busy. Ultimately, I succumbed to sweet sleep next to my napping child. But heck, I was tired!

Here’s a quick recap of my day:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kh9ZJ6OLHo

The song in the background is India.Arie’s “Strength, Courage and Wisdom,” something I hope I’m gaining over these eleven days as I shed some tears… I mean pounds.

When I reviewed the video, I started to feel a bit discouraged. And then I took a closer look at one of my before and after pics:

I can see a difference. And who knows? In 9 days from now, maybe I’ll see an even greater difference. Curiosity alone is enough to keep me motivated.

At the end of the day, I saw coffee brewing, and I had the experience of missing coffee. I can’t say I’ve missed drinking coffee, since I’ve become accustomed to having it whenever I want. I guess it is true- absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Well, tomorrow (Thursday) is my second cleanse day. On Friday, it’s back to meal replacement shakes and one luxurious meal, yahoo! I’ll need it, since I’m hitting the gym again on Friday.

Thanks for joining my journey. Feel free to comment here or on youtube! Mahalo!

When Half A Workout Works

Angela C. — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:05:58 +0000

Hi, everyone!

I write to you today on a blustery night in Honolulu, with the full moon lighting up the sky. (I bet it’s just beautiful at the shoreline behind Koko Crater right now!)

Unfortunately I am feeling more blustery than beautiful, fighting and ultimately losing the battle to keep my family’s flu away. Today was the worst!

It actually started coming on Sunday, July 5th, but I didn’t identify myself as getting sick. I have that problem, as I’m sure many do. I have the opposite of hypochondria-- like, I think I can never get sick.

I mention this at the start of this blog because I gave my 45 minute workout a shot, but was totally unable to complete it. I think I did half of what was on my sheet. Since that night, I’ve pretty much been bed-ridden.

I thought I could sneak away to get a workout in. It took almost all night, but I finally settled my curious toddler in front of his babysitter (Curious George) and scurried away to the garage.

Not even 15 minutes later, he had climbed up on the television stand and wedged himself in the window sill, unable to get down. My sister rescued him and I brought him out with me. It was actually nice to have such a cheerful companion!

I noticed that I couldn’t complete my exercises with even the lighter weights, and my form was starting to degrade. I felt myself pulling my left calf and the tendon behind my right knee. Not cool. I was so fatigued, even though my heart rate was what it normally is-- ranging from 145 at the beginning of a new exercise, up to 165-ish, and recovering quickly during rest.

It wasn’t until Monday that I started getting flu-like symptoms, and Tuesday, the no-holds-barred flu. Armed with antibiotics, I should be just fine!

Enjoy the brief video, and, as always, take care of yourselves!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdg78gbO1kw

And a shout out to Florida, where my god daughter is for the summer!

Fast Food and Slow Progress

Angela C. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:51:47 +0000

Hi! For those who celebrate it, I hope you enjoyed a Happy 4th of July!

The past week has just been KILLER. Two family members ended up in the ER: my 3-year old nephew had an asthma attack; and my mom was hospitalized for 5 days with pneumonia.

My sister, the matriarch of our household, ended up with a horrible flu, passing it on to her entire family. As of today, all four of them are sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, headachy and have had fevers.

Thank goodness my son and I have managed to get by with just allergies and some congestion. Sheesh! I thought the hot summer would bring some relief from colds!

I’ve been to the hospital every day my mom was in, including the 3 hour bout at the ER. Consequently, I’ve been eating a looooooot of fast food– and by a lot, I mean– grilled chicken chipotle bbq wraps with extra lettuce three times this past week, one trip to get a bean burrito and a (gasp) crispy taco, and one trip to Zippy’s for won ton min. (For those not in the know, it’s a ramen with dumplings).

Add at least one diet soda every single day this past week, sometimes two, and guess what happened? I increased in width.

I could actually feel the difference between this week and last, because I couldn’t fit into a pair of pants I was so proud to wear near the end of June. One inch makes a huge difference in the hips, let me tell ya.

So, here’s what I’ve learned. I like to have something sweet every day, and I’ve been getting by with my morning medium-sized iced vanilla latte (no sugar added powder) with an extra shot of espresso.

When I’m stressed out, however, I crave salty, fatty foods. Although I managed to keep my calories and sugar intake at a relatively acceptable level, I guesstimate that I increased my sodium intake by 100%. Add to that a more than occasional diet soda, and it’s no wonder I feel bloated.

I included my goal sheet below my measurements so that you can see the difference between my progress and the goals I’ve set. And here’s the disturbing thing… I have 12 pounds and 4 inches to go… in exactly two weeks from today.

So, now why is my weight less? I have a couple of theories:

My scale is totally broken. (I’ve more or less discounted this because I checked my weight with my trainer’s scale twice this past week.)
I’m totally dehydrated. (I’m always dehydrated, so I’m not sure about this one.)
Fat weighs less than muscle, or, I actually gained fat. (Hm. Interesting theory. I need to track data to hopefully disprove this.)
I’m bloated. (Fast food + diet soda? This is very possible.)
I’ve actually been doing more strenuous workouts, including more swings and cleans, and walking for longer distances, sometimes jogging, resulting in burning more calories than usual. (This is the theory I like the best!)

Theories aside, I need to take action! The only way I am going to be able to lose the pounds is by increasing my metabolism and decreasing my caloric intake.

If I don’t meet my first goal, I’ll re-evaluate my progress and potentially, need to change my birthday goal. Which doesn’t sit well with me.

For now, I am going to avoid the “convenience” of fast food, pack snacks at all times for myself and the kids, stop drinking diet soda (wah! okay, I’m over it), and start jogging (Sad. I don’t like high impact exercise. But hey, if that’s what it takes, then I’ll do it)!

Please join me as my journey continues. Today, I could use a little extra encouragement. Also, if you have any tips or tricks, I’d love to hear them. Please post to this blog! Thank you and as always, aloha!

Weekend Blues?

Angela C. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:56:19 +0000

This past weekend was pretty hectic. I started off on the wrong foot by showing up extremely late to my training session on Friday. Why have a blackberry if you’re not gonna look at it?

Okay, enough griping. The good news is that I was extremely focused for 20 minutes, and learned a killer exercise called the “four point touch.” It’s so simple. Aren’t the killer ones always simple?

Placing the kettlebell on the ground, position yourself in a plank above the kettlebell, with the handle lined up just below your hips. This is a pretty sensitive area-- all the more reason NOT to break your plank position to rest!

Keeping your body in as close to a horizontal line as possible, (don’t make an inverted “V,” that’s cheating!), touch the kettlebell with your left hand, then your right hand, then your right foot, then your left foot. Don’t open your legs in a V either-- keep them perpendicular to the floor, as if you are cycling.

The key is to tighten your abs and concentrate on keeping the plank form. It also helps to groan when you are working hard! You will NEVER see video of me doing this… okay, maybe you will, but not today, because I only had 20 minutes to workout.

The 4 point touch was merely a “rest” between swings and cleans, with a few push presses thrown in for good measure. Even though I spent 1/3 of my usual time working out, I have to say, I felt like it was an hour’s worth of work.

I left FitPro Hawaii with homework- complete the same circuit over the weekend, adding 20 minutes of cardio. Unfortunately, I was unable to do it. And that’s why I have the weekend blues.

I did manage to get my cardio in- hiking until I got rained out, and walking 1 1/2 miles the next day. (Which is not bad for someone who never got out of the house to exercise just two short months ago!)

As you will see, Saturday began with a rainstorm, which matched my mood. Later that morning, I attended the funeral of a family friend, Honolulu City Councilperson Duke Bainum, MD. He watched over the island, its people and resources, and of course, he worked closely with my sister. I imagine that he is watching over all of us now.

Enjoy the video, and I’ll see you soon!