I will keep it short and sweet today. I’ve lost 9.8 pounds and I have a before and after picture. Look what changing your diet and some exercising can do for you in just 30 days:
Tag Archives: weight loss
Cliff day 14: Another Pound Bites the Dust
And Another pound gone and another pound gone, another pound bites the dust. Weighing in around 140 and down 7 pounds, woot woot!
Our approach to this detox has been much different on the second go around. The first time we did it, I was pretty miserable. We were incredibly strict, had 0 slip ups and it just wasn’t fun. The point of all of this, is not just to eat healthier, it is to lead a healthier happier life. I used to hate the shakes I made, they were bland and not the sugar filled ones I was used to. The thing is, I like peanut butter as much as I like sugar (mmmm Reese’s, my old go to treat). So even though peanut butter was not part of the original plan, it has allowed me to look forward to my morning shake instead of dreading it. My shake is now banana, unsweetened almond milk, strawberries, hemp protein, flax seed, and just a touch of vanilla extract. If there is one lesson you take from this blog, it is you have to do what makes you happy. That hypothalamus needs to be kept satisfied in some way. Did you know broccoli doesn’t stimulate it one bit? Shocker. So, if you’re having issues adjusting to all this, throw in something you love, whether it is a fruit or something you can’t live without (NOT CANDY!)
As for how my detox is going, I slipped up a little bit, although I’ve said from the beginning it would happen. I went out with coworkers on Friday and I had a scotch, it was glorious. I was proud I was able to stick to just one. While I was worried it may affect the detox, I didn’t regret the decision. I woke up yesterday below the 140 mark and Today I am 140.4. The weight is melting off as I guess my old metabolism has decided to emerge from its hibernation, realizing I’ve taken a break from abusing it. As of now, I consume 1600-2000 calories a day but I would like to up that after this month to stimulate the muscle growth (Did someone say second lunch?!). I’ve also decided to introduce a healthy electrolyte drink in the morning, as I have been a tiny bit shaky and this should help.
Enjoy the long weekend everyone!
Dena Day 15/ Cliff Day 13- Weight is just a number, but…
I am quite shocked actually just how much weight Cliff and I have lost in such a short period of time. In about two weeks, I am down 6.2 pounds and Cliff is down 7 pounds. I mean, I can more understand Cliff losing weight because he loves his sugar, triple espressos, bagels, and sandwiches. So, if he is eliminating added sugar, processed foods, caffeine, gluten, grains, and dairy, it makes sense for the scale to move, right? The good news is he’s been eating real food and is not hungry. We will see what he introduces back after this month and see how it affects the way he feels. Me on the other hand, I was already avoiding gluten and dairy (my allergies) and aware of my added sugar…Maybe I was eating too many grains and complex starches for my body? Maybe I was eating too late at night? Maybe I was getting cross contamination of gluten from eating out which was causing inflammation? Everyone is unique and reacts to foods differently and food sensitivities can play a major role in inflammation and weight gain. I do know that cooking at home for the past couple of weeks has really helped my digestion. I can be 100% sure what is in my food. Of course, after this detox, real life will continue and I will have to do my best when going out to eat with friends and find a nice balance. Until then, I am definitely excited to see how far this detox will take me.
-Dena
By the way, Seamless just sent me an e-mail about how they missed me. HAHA
Cliff Day 10: I pick things up and…
I put them down. My first trip back to the gym was a good reality check. I had dreams that I had not lost that much in the months while I was healing, but I was so so wrong. I did a basic chest workout to get my muscles into the groove of things and nothing seemed to go right. I was constantly worried about my elbow and I’m not even going to discuss how little weight I could do. I have always been a skinny guy, and while this has its perks, it also has its downfalls. Building muscle has been a huge challenge throughout my whole life. I have tried many different supplements, and nothing has ever gotten me to the point I’ve dreamed of. I am avoiding any until this detox is over, but I will list out my favorites at some point. When I have ever come close to a muscle-building goal, I have sustained some sort of injury. I mean once I had to take a 4 month break from working out because I hurt my wrist while playing soccer. That’s right folks, I hurt the thing you are not even allowed to use in that sport. Now that I am fueling my body with the good food it can actually use, my hope is my gains will go up up and even more up.
NOW, onto the good stuff. If I told you, you could make pizza out of cauliflower, would that be something you’d be interested in? WELL, thanks to that magical girlfriend of mine, we had exactly that last night. Not only that, due to Dena’s allergies, we had to substitute eggs in it with a flax-seed mixture. It took a LONG time, a bit of “bickering”, and a huge mess in the kitchen, but after all was said and done, it came out great. I’ve also learned, to never tell anyone I was a dishwasher in High School because my mom’s favorite line, and now Dena’s is…”But we need a professional to do the dishes!” But I digress. We used Tomatoes, Basil, and Ground Turkey as toppings. While i would not call it your every day pizza, it certainly was pretty darn close. And the best part was we had leftovers. I haven’t been this excited for lunch since yesterday’s lunch of leftovers! My weight has grown stagnant, which I am okay with because I am still looking and feeling better every day. The world needs to understand weight is just a number, and that it is about how you feel, how you look in your eyes, and how you’re treating your body (although I wouldn’t object to weighing 170 built of pure muscle). Napoleonic Complex much?
Dena-Day 11-Time to Move!
I am not going to say that binge watching 7 seasons of Dr. Who this past Fall caused my weight gain, but there was sure indeed a correlation! While Cliff was going to physical therapy for his Tendinitis, my workouts went from hour long intense gym classes with Cliff at a new gym we were trying out (Epic Hybrid Training) to sprinting several blocks to catch the morning subway as I saw it approaching the station. When Cliff’s elbow starting bothering him, I thought he only needed to rest up for a couple weeks and I saw this as a little break for my muscles! But that turned into three months of physical therapy. I know I could have gone to the gym by myself, but I was in a serious rut and I was secretly enjoying my evenings alone watching Netflix. I could not wait to get home from work, make or order dinner, lay my expanding buttox on the sofa and watch some eps!
Everyone goes to the gym for different reasons. For me, it’s not only for weight maintenance, but it really helps me with my moods. In addition, I have loose ligaments (perhaps from doing years of dance and gymnastics as a child?) and it is important for me to keep my muscles strong around my joints or else I suffer from subluxation-mainly in my shoulders (This condition is known as shoulder instability and may result in the upper arm bone (humerus) moving partially or completely out of the socket during certain arm movements). Since I stopped working out, I have experienced a multitude of issues with my shoulder. But for some reason, it was just sooo hard for me to get back into my routine.
As the new year approached, of course one of my goals was to get back to the gym. The idea of a packed gym filled with people beginning their New Years Resolutions was a bit daunting to me. On top of that, the first week of the detox left me pretty exhausted and I could not get up the motivation to get to the gym. After about a week though, I began sleeping better and my energy went way up (especially at night for some reason). This combined with the numbers decreasing on the scale has given me that extra boost of motivation to get back to the gym! I only did a quick work out today but I am on the right track to getting back in a routine
-Dena
Day 5 for me/Day 3 for Cliff
You may be wondering why Cliff and I started the detox on different days… We originally agreed we would both start this past Monday and that would be our “Day 1”. Well…You see…I got on the scale last Friday night and got a reality check! I know everyone weighs more at night but the scale was reading higher than I hoped. At first I was totally convinced that the scale was off and that it was not zeroed before I got on it to weigh myself. I demanded that Cliff “fix it” right away! After removing the batteries over and over again and restarting this scale, I came to the realization that it wasn’t the scale that needed fixing. After some sulking, I am now no longer in denial about my weight gain. I can no longer blame my tight fitting pants on water retention. I knew I had to start detoxing pronto and decided to start the next morning. The good news is I have lost 3 pounds so far and I am really excited for the process and seeing where I am at the end of January. Unfortunately I haven’t been sleeping that well the past few nights. I have been waking up several times during the night and therefore do not wake up feeling refreshed. I took melatonin last night and listened to a meditation tape before bed.. but I still woke up in the middle of the night. I am rather foggy throughout the day and feel like I am on the verge of getting sick. Is this my body detoxing? Since I have been feeling under the weather, I decided to not increase my exercise at the moment and just concentrate on eating clean and not snacking at night. Well.. that’s all for now. My brain is a bit foggy and it’s time for me to get to bed! Night !
Clenaeating 