Cleanse complete!

Yeaaah it's over!! I've completed the 7 day cleanse and guess what?

I feel exactly the same!

Other than the occasional poops and my urine being a really dark yellow from the vitamins, I don't feel like it did much! I mean, it wasn't a lose-weight cleanse.... it was a detox cleanse, so now I'm all detoxed!!!

Yeah healthy body!!

I must warn you though... the green gunge I mentioned in a previous post that you have to take for the first 2 days (the diuretic) made me stink! It was coming out of my pores!! I could smell it in my sweat!! Yucky! But at least it was only 2 days of that... and nothing a nice shower didn't get rid of!

Exercise is ok - been staying pretty active (except for Wednesday and Thursday of last week)! Been doing my spinning classes during lunch! Prepping my lunch at home and bringing it in too.... it's definitely helping me avoid the mall food court and all it's tempting treats!

I haven't weighed myself yet, I'll only do that monthly, but I did grab a tape measure yesterday and measured my waist, hips and bust!

Waist - same
Bust - same
Hips - minus 1 inch!!

YEAAAAH! so maybe the cleanse did help? of maybe it was all the retained water I had collected during my menstrual week!

Whatever it was, it made me feel great! It makes me motivated to continue!

no yoga...

Yesterday I didn't go to yoga class! :( Was still too sore!!

Besides that, the cleanse which I started on Wednesday really kicked in and I was living in the washroom yesterday!

Update on that... here's how it works!

The first 2 days (of the 7 day cleanse) you take 5 vegetable pills in the AM and at noon before meals AND have to mix 120ml of this yukky green goo with 120ml of water & drink it slowly throughout the morning! After one gulp, I couldn't imagine having to drink it little by little, so I plugged my nose and down the hatchet it all went!

I was fine the first day on the goo.... no probs, didn't even really go to the washroom (the pharmacist said to be prepared because there is a small diuretic in it) but nothing... then yesterday........ BAAAAAAAMMM like a ton of bricks! Ouuuuch! Let's just say, thank God for baby wipes and baby oil!!

Today is day 3 so no more goo! From here on out it's just the 5 vegetable pills in the AM and at lunch!

4 days left to go! Will keep you posted on how well it worked!

Owwwwwwie!!

Today I'm hurting... bad!

Yesterday was my first "boot camp" session, as I'd like to call it and OH BOY!!!! I am sooooo sore!

I guess that's a good thing eh? Shows how hard you worked? But today I'm walking at a snails pace and can barely move! My thighs are killing from squats!!

SQUATS are the devil!!!!!!! ugh!

overall, I'm happy with the experience! Minus the fact that I could hardly run a minute without dying and can only squat for a few seconds at a time!

Boo!

But it's ok... with time, I'll get better.... my cardio will improve.... and I'll be able to kick some serious butt!!!

Other than that, the only other thing to report on is the Omega 3 pills...... omg! They smell horrible (like fish!!) and when I took them, I spent the entire afternoon burping up fish oils! Later a friend told me that people who are lactose intolerant have a problem digesting omega 3! Woulda been nice to know before I spent the $12 on them!

Got a good multi-vitamin for general morning intake! And taking the Green Source for the 2nd day.... so far the only difference I notice is that my pee is a more greenish yellow then normal!

I've up'ed my water intake and seriously need to consider flavouring it from time to time so that I don't get bored with it! Crystal Light offers a wide variety of flavours at 5 calories per packet, and a packet is good in a 500ml water bottle!

Ok...... off to day 2 of boot camp!!

Wish me luck....

*walking away.... "ouch... ouch.... ouch!!!"

Detox cleanings!

I've always been very hesitant about cleanses! I've heard horror stories from colleagues and friends with their experiences and mishaps! One friend did a colon cleanse and ended up quite sick for a while! I don't know if these people put their healths into their own hands, or took advise from friends and family instead of a medical professional, but I did not want to venture into something like that without knowing it was safe!

I found this product at Shoppers Drug Mart! It's from Bodylogix, who works exclusively with Shoppers and their Life brand products. I read over it and thought it seemed ok, but to be safe I checked with the pharmacist!

The pharmacist at this particular Shoppers is a small, tiny, young Asian girl. She's been there for years and has always filled my prescriptions. Knowing she's trustworthy, I asked her to go over the ingredients of the cleanse with me and asked her honest opinion on cleanses.

She was very supportive of the idea and said that they are a good idea, although they should not be done more than twice a year. They are a great way to kick start a new diet and exercise regime and detoxify the body of crap (well, she didn't use that word) that we store up do to poor diets! She went over all the ingredients, checked the dosages, etc.... She gave me the thumbs up and only had one warning.... be careful the first 2 days cuz I'll be on the pooper for a while! A mild diuretic will do this! I planned to start this today, but since I'm starting "boot camp" as I like to call it, I'll wait until Wednesday! (there might not be toilets in the park where we're going to work out... and can you imagine... one push up, two push ups.... eeeek! I need a toilet!) Below is a pic of the cleanse product! It'll run you $29.99 at Shoppers and lasts for 7 days!


She also advised on taking an Omega 3 supplement. Our bodies need this essential fatty acid, but don't produce it naturally, so we need to implement it into our diets! It aids in building new cells, clearing up the skin, and works as an anti-inflammatory.

Another one she recommended for a good start to a new diet health regime is a Green Source. Let's face it, hardly any of us get the right amounts of greens in our diets. I need to poop more regularly, so this should help!


I'll keep you posted on my progress! Wish me luck with getting my ass kicked tonight! ;)

weekend!!

Soooooo TGIF!!! It's the weekend!

I won't be blogging over the weekend - I know my little followers, how sad... will you miss me?! ;)

Not because I don't wanna blog, it's just that my comp at home is busted! So no net for me!

But I have a weekend full of fun things coming up!

UFC Saturday night!! Bday party on Sunday! Helping someone move some stuff too!

So have yourselves a wonderful weekend!

I'm off to a facial after work....... aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Memory Lane......

awwwhhh memory lane....

Just thought I'd share with you a few photos of yours truly, Me!

This is me currently.... the picture was taken at the AGO when my sexy bf and I went to the King Tut Exhibit!



If you recall, in my first blog I mentioned a baby picture of me where my daddy is holding me up and all you see is a Buddha belly! well.................

Now you can all say you've seen me naked!

Here is one of me at my biggest.... 202 pounds, 21 years old!

Yoga time!

I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I took the day off work.  I woke up, got semi-dressed, and just felt sooo dizzy!  I called in sick and went straight to bed!  Slept until 12:30pm.  I think it's exactly what I needed....  that, a a major vacation!!

Yesterday was my first yoga class at Yoga Space by my house!

I loved it!  Lots of people!  20 of us, she counted!  A mix of genders, races, and ages all looking towards a better goal... to improve oneself!

The funniest part of class was when the teacher was teaching us how to breathe properly, making a noise with our mouths open... she proceeded to tell us how this is the amateur way of breathing and that master yogis will breathe and make the same noise, but with their mouths closed!

She took a deep breath and did, in fact, do the noise with her mouth closed!  But then she burst into a 10 minute coughing fit!!!

HAHAHA!!   I'm so mean!! She was so embarrassed!!  I turned to the girl next to me and said, pointing at her, "Master Yogi!"  lol!

I had a good time!  Did some new stretches I didn't know of before, and felt great after class!  Even slept better... (and I've just been the WORSE insomniac the last 3 weeks!!)

Yeah Yoga!   Looking forward to next class!

Thursday night YOGA!!!!

Yeah!! Super excited right now!

Just signed up for Thursday night Hatha Yoga classes at the Yoga Space by my house!!

Those who know me, know I've bee toying with the idea of taking up yoga seriously and maybe working towards being a teacher of yoga in the future!

This course is an introductory course to Hatha Yoga.... (no, I'm not a beginner to yoga, but I do want to start right from the beginning being taught everything the right way again!) .... and this class will assist me in correcting anything I may have been doing incorrectly as I followed the instructors along!

Classes are every Thursday for 4 weeks from 7:40 pm- 9:10 pm.

I can't wait to start all over, fresh and new, and really determine at the end of the 4 weeks if yoga can be something I'll be interested to teach in the long run!

on that note... anyone looking for Restorative yoga classes, Yoga Lounge on Richmond and Church offers one of the best instructors EVER in it Wednesdays at 5:30pm! I looove his class! Right now he is away from the studio traveling but when he's back, I suggest giving him a try!!

on a different note... Hot Yoga! Omg! I convinced a friend of mine to try this new yoga style by buying a $20 unlimited monthly pass to a new studio! Problem is, we didn't realize how far it was from us! We only went 3 times that month but wow what a work out! You do your normal yoga class but instead of in a regular studio, you're in a sauna-like room! You sweat like a mofo!!!! I'm not kidding you! By the end of class, you will be able to take off your shirt and ring out a bottle full of sweat! It is such a great, detoxifying workout and I suggest it to everyone! As for myself, due to low-blood pressure issues, I nearly passed out... twice! I think I scared my buddy the last time since it took me over 10 minutes to recover at the end of class! Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to try it again! I think it's all in the breathing and maybe once I finish my 4 week intro course and learn the correct techniques of breathing and moving from pose to pose, I may be able to go a whole class without seeing little black dots and wanting to pass out!

Boot Camp..... eek!

A buddy of mine who recently read my little adventure blog here sent me a message offering his assistance with goal of losing weight, keeping fit, and changing for the better!

He, who I shall name... uuummm.... Yoda! Yoda runs an exercise group after work out in the west end of the city on Mondays and Tuesdays! He warns me to expect some serious working out and vigorous boot camp style grrrrrrr training sessions!

I'm excited about this! I really am! I'm much better working in a group than on my own! And I'm not expecting him to be nice or even lenient to me! I want an ass kicking and I think I'll get one! He's the man for the job! ;)

Two simple requests from him.... be committed and determined!

I can do that!

Keep you posted on my progress with that.... I start next Monday! Wish me luck!

p.s - I hate running! Still don't understand why people run "for fun"! hhhmmm how will I ever do this!? :p

Goals.....

Goal: the aim or object towards which an endeavour is directed

Everyone needs goals! Something to look forward to in life... something that makes the worse day ever seem like it's ok... it's just something you needed to get through to get to your goal!

You set them in school... to graduate!
You set them at work.... to be promoted!
You set them in life ....... to be happily married and/or have children!

You set them for small things, big things, things that may seem like nothing to someone else, but to you, once achieved, you'll know you accomplished it and feel great about it!

I have a few goals I can think of just off the top of my head:

1- I will continue with my writing! I used to write all the time! Short stories, long stories, articles, blogs... but eventually I get bored, or stuck, or develop writer's block! But I love expressing myself through words! So I will sit down and finish those stories I'd stop half way through and start another... I will write in my blogs and even if no one ever reads them, I get everything I need to say out into the universe! How does this relate to this blog? Well I'm writing it am I not?!
2- I will become conscience of what I eat... I will be good to my body and stop feeding it so much sugar! This will help me in my goal to live a healthier lifestyle overall!
3 - I will work towards kicking off these last ten pounds that drive me nuts! I will stick to my exercise regime and not get discouraged or lose faith!
4 - I will start dance classes! I want to waltz, fox trout, Samba and Salsa!! This will be another form of exercise that will boost my confidence and I could have fun with!
5- I will get fit and healthy and go to Aradia Studio and take a sexy photo of myself! This goal is more for my self-esteem then anything else really!

Now, let me explain number 5 a little better! For the last two years, I've sporadically taken pole dancing lessons at Aradia Studio in Toronto! Pole dancing is one tough bitch of a sport! People would never guess it, but you need A LOT of strength to hold up your entire body on one arm when you're sliding down that pole! The instructors make it fun and you get a one hour class that works all your muscles to the point where the next morning, you have a difficult time reaching around and tying your bra!!

Aradia works with a photographer on something they call "Sexy Photo day"! You get to book a one hour session with the studio and professional photographer and you get 10 pics of yourself in a "sexy" way! *Pervy inside thought note coming up..... now! I've always loved pin-up girls!! I've had a fascination with them and have always wanted to pose like one of them in a pic!

Hence goal number 5!

I've seen some of the work they do and it's so tasteful and fun! I don't wanna do it for my boyfriend (although I think he'd get a kick out of it!) but more for myself! I want something that'll show my flirty, fun, wild and sexy side!

So I will continue my workout regime and watching what I eat until I feel "sexy" enough for that pic! It'll be a treat for myself! ;)

The Dr. Berstein Diet/Nightmare part 1......

So like I mentioned, I will be discussing a few of my dieting "ventures" with you guys!

Diets are such a taboo word! There are millions of them and all give some promise of weight loss or metabolism boost, but the truth is it's all a bunch of shit! It's companies sucking the money out of desperate people, who really do what to change their lives, but go about it all the wrong way!

I think of it as one of those get-rich-quick schemes! You do a diet like Slim-Fast, for example, where you buy the powders, shakes, snacks, and whatever else they "require" you to, then you in fact do lose some weight! But the minute you stop and reintroduce real food... or sometimes, go back to your unhealthy eating habits, you gain it all back! And what have you learned from it all?? That get-skinny-quick schemes are just a bust! Then you find yourself depressed and disappointed all over again. And this time, even with a few more pounds then you had before!

Dr. Berstein's Diet was something I had read about and seen commercials and advertisements for everywhere. I've been lucky in life to not have surrounded myself with people who have made fun of me, put me down, or made me feel less of a person just because I was over-weight. That is until I worked at my first office job ever! My manager was a skinny, mean old bitch who would throw comments out that stabbed me like a knife! Never in my life had I heard someone refer to my ass as it's own serving tray! I was appalled, I was mad, but most of all, I became insecure and sad! How could someone be so mean? But maybe I needed someone to be mean! Maybe people have been too nice to me? Is there such a thing! No one ever told me I was model material! No one told me I was beautiful growing up. My own mom would make me feel small sometimes, but she says that, as my mother, if she wasn't honest with me, who would be! So I got desperate.... I was 22 years old weighing 202 pounds, avoiding cameras, parties, and events where I would have to go out and face the fact that I was now wearing size 16 clothes! So off to my first consult I went at the Dr. Berstein's Diet clinic in Yorkdale mall...........

Enough of that story for today.... I'll continue it tomorrow! Leaves you in suspense eh?! :p

Here's today's (April 6/10) progress report:

Breakfast - instead of my usual 300 calorie latte, I had office coffee with lactose milk and one spoon of sugar! I know this is NOT a breakfast, but last night I ate late (I knoooow, another no-no!) and wasn't hungry this morning! bad bad me! :S

Exercise - went to Spin class today during my lunch break... what a killer! The cords from the stereo had been stolen and there was no music for the class... so for the first 15 mins, we just sat there peddling and waiting! After they found replacement cords, the class started BUT because it was behind, the instructor went full force! Oh man, I've never sweat so fast in so little time! Overall, it was a good, strong class! I worked up an appetite!

Lunch - went to Subway and got myself a 6 inch whole wheat (instead of my usual Italian herb and cheese) turkey breast sub with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, mustard and light mayo! I guess I could cut the olives and mayo but since breakfast was, well, nothing, I allowed it this time! One thing about the whole wheat bread they use is that it has seeds, and one of them was so hard it nearly broke my tooth! That tooth is still hurting!

Snack - uuuummmm..... nothing yet! I ate at like 2pm and it's holding me up pretty well! I'm sure I'll be munching on something before dinner though!

I said I'd be brutally honest and so I intend to! Come on people! Give me feedback! I don't care if you're mean! I need to hear it!

Veronica "Yo-Yo" weighing in at.....

174 pounds!

That's right... although I've been told I don't look it!

This is my first blog on how I plan to kick some serious ass and beat this yo-yo diet/body weight issue I've had for years!!

Let me introduce myself! My name is Veronica and I'm 27 years old! I've always struggled with weight, even as a child! I have this one picture where my dad is holding me up and all you see is a Buddha belly!! Yes, I was born with one! How could you get rid of something you were born with right!?

haha! This has been my excuse/argument for years! and this blog is not about becoming a size 2 with 0% body fat! This blog is to help, myself really, to challenge my own body type and try to be a healthier me!

When I was 20 yrs old, I graduated from college and couldn't find a job! I sat at home, depressed, alone and feeling hopeless, applying for job after job and being rejected! This lead to gaining weight, eating all the wrong things, and becoming a miserable human being!  I ballooned up to 202 pounds!!  I avoided cameras left, right and, center! I don't think there is a photo out there of me from the age of 20-22! I felt horrid and gross and so disappointed in myself!

That's when I took extreme measures and tried out the Dr. Berstein diet! Not a diet I advise anyone to try, unless you really are at the brink of giving up! You need massive motivation and A LOT of self discipline to go through that diet! Let me tell you, I tried it again once after the first time and COULD NOT do it again!

I lost 40 pounds in 2 months!

Any doctor would tell you how insane and unhealthy that is! and they are right! (I'll talk more about the Berstein diet as I go along....)

So this time, I'm not gonna do some get-thin quick scheme! I'm going to try and do it all by diet and exercise!

I believe when you change your lifestyle, you change your outlook! I want to be healthy! I want to eat healthy! I want to exercise! and I want to do it all, not for the sake of losing weight and showing it off, but for the long haul! So that my life regime changes for the better! I want the gym to be fun and a place to go for a break! I desire the will to give myself self motivation and not need someone to push me!

Come along with me for the ride! I'll weight myself every month and see where I stand! I'll remember that weight training will also make me gain muscle and the pounds may not look like they are coming off but that the inches might be! For this, I will take measurements once a month also!

Let the games begin!

Stats:

Age - 27
Weight - 174 pounds
Height - 5'2
Measurements - Chest: 41 inches, Waist: 31 inches, Hips: 45 inches