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| image from http://www.moxiebird.com/2011/11/does-talking-about-your-diet-undermine-your-success.html |
I thought today I would tell you about the thing I'm sure was one of the more interesting things I mentioned on Tuesday (even though, yes, it is Thursday and I should probably get back into the habit of Thankful-Thursday posts, 'cause they're a blast to write so... do be doo...) AND even has to do with the supposed SUBJECT of my blog here: 20lbs down in kickboxing!!
WAHOO!!
So, here's how it went down. It being the number on the scale, and definitely my pant size. (Muahaha!!)
You may or may not know about me - I can't for the life of me remember if I've ever written about it on here before or not - that I occasionally suffer from fabulously debilitating bouts of depression. It's just a blast. I totally shut down, stop being able to function properly, if at all - really depends on the day - usually eat a lot... part of my not functioning is my fun inability to get myself motivated to exercise on a regular basis. So, when I throw ridiculous amounts of binge eating together with life on the couch instead of out pounding the pavement with my runners....I pack on the pounds. And the uh, extra-fluffy appearance. It's super nice. And helps me feel just fabulous about my uber-depressed self. sigh Vicious cycle and all that jazz.
I don't know this time around what my trigger was, but I'm thinking it had something to do with all the ridiculous change that happened when I graduated university (which was amazing, by the way. I totally freaking have a degree. BOOyah!) So for like, a year and a half I'm over here, floundering beyond belief, and I packed on...about 40lbs, give or take. First time I hit 198lbs without being pregnant. ;) (Though when I was pregnant my high score was 225 - beat THAT! hahaha)
Anyway, through a series of events and circumstances, I ended up trying a kickboxing class at the dojo where Little Miss started taking jim jitsu in September - she picked jiu jitsu over dance.... is she related to me, you think? And when I say kickboxing, I don't mean an aerobics class with sports-bra Barbie bouncing at the front of the room, I mean boxing gloves, kick the bageezies out of your partner, hitting things kickboxing. I went to class a couple of times and fell in love with the intensity, the fabulous sound of a roundhouse kick smashing into a bag.... and I KNEW I was never going to get better without some assistance, so I took the plunge and committed myself to attending minimally twice per week - I'm paying for it, and people will notice if I'm not there. Two big motivators for me.
So fine, so I take up kickboxing. La dee dah.
Some nights are better than others - I still have serious anxiety - the first class I showed up for I was practically having a panic attack out in the waiting area and Sensei had to literally come, grab my hand and drag me into the room.... - but all in all I LOVE it. And I generally, now, try to make 3 classes per week - class runs minimally an hour and fifteen, we work our BUTTS off, learn stuff, and have a blast.
Anyway, in October Sensei started announcing that he had arranged for some amazing someone to come down and teach interested parties about nutrition blah-de-blah-blah aaaand after some coercion he convinced me to sign up for the seminar.
So one Saturday in November I toddle over to the dojo to meet the guru and learn all about what the heck is wrong with the way I eat.
It was amazing.
Ah. MAZE. ing.
Have you ever had your body fat percentage calculated by skin-fold measurements? Someone takes callipers to all your flabby spots and tells you how fat you are?? Being a KIN major this is a normal occurrence in my experience buuuut I'm learning it's not necessarily so for the general populous. Anyway, THIS technique uses a FABULOUS...I think theory? I don't know if it's a proven whatever, yet... where each skin-fold measurement site is associated with various hormones in the body - increased "fat"ness at a site is an indication of an imbalance. So, for example, a large number at the umbilicus (by the belly button - belly fat) is indicative of elevated cortisol levels: cortisol is a stress hormone so you're probably overstressed (or in the case of athletes overtraining). There's a thyroid site, I think your patella (knee cap) is related to your growth hormone - if you don't have enough of that you're not going to increase your muscle mass very easily - there were ten. It was cool.
On ME, my initial measurements indicated that I may have some trouble with insulin i.e. an insulin resistance. That means when I eat oodles of carbs, as I TOTALLY do, all the time, and my body secretes insulin to deal with all the excess blood sugars....nothing happens. Well, relatively nothing, anyway. Not like, diabetic nothing, but less happens than should, ideally.
The first thing suggested to me seemed a bit radical, but I thought, what the heck, let's give it a try. For 14 days I did a detox - I totally eliminated wheat, oats....pretty much everything from the 'grain' category, fruits (fructose), dairy.... I ate, literally, nothing but eggs/meats, nuts & seeds, and vegetables. And oil-based dressings. It was an interesting experiment, as I am the pickiest eater I know.
By the end of two weeks my jeans were literally falling off.
At the end of two weeks I had a cheat meal - as allowed by the 'plan' - one meal after the detox that lasts as long as you're sitting a the table - once you stand up meal is over. (We had shrimp pasta, cheesy garlic bread, caesar salad with bacon and homemade croutons, cheesecake, cookies, and ice cream - it was divine).
Then there was another week - another week on the detox-type plan and another cheat meal. Chicken parmesan, alfredo sauce.....drool. Heaven on the dinner table.
Anyway, I was having some serious success on this detox plan and actually finding myself able to DO it, which is new for me. Oh, and somewhere along the way I started back up on antidepressants so, the drugs, and the regular exercise with some major health victories.... I was doing great.
So then we had a second seminar - more measurements to see almost what had happened to us on the detox, you know? Like, get the after measurements. I was down 11lbs, 2 sizes, much more capable at kickboxing - no longer having to sit down before the end of class with my head between my knees... it was weird and awesome. And my second set of measurements indicate yes, that my stress hormone levels are high (um, I have a four-year-old, an out-of-work husband, and am in school.... DUH), AND that I have a genetic predisposition for this fabulous insulin resistance.
Translation?
No more bread. Pasta. Flour. Oatmeal (yay - I hate oatmeal - was trying to eat it to be healthy! BOOyah!) It's in my waistline's best interest for me to avoid like the plague wheat, oats, and spelt.
And you know what? It's CRAZY. I spent most of December basically following those guidelines - I eat mostly meat/eggs veggies and nuts most of the time, some fruit now, and yes I eat dairy (Greek yogurt? Who knew? YUM!) I got into my jeans I both when I was my skinniest ever while running... I looked awesome, even if I do brag on my own behalf... O:-) And I FELT amazing. SO cool.
Aaaaaand....then we went to my mom's for Christmas. hahaha I knew we'd be going - I specifically ordered homemade cinnamon buns for over the holiday and there was bread and spaghetti one night.... We arrived on a Thursday and I kid you not, by the TUESDAY I had already started, visibly, to put fat back on around my midsection/lovehandles. It was INSANE. In one week I went from fabulous to being, literally, an inch away from being able to line up the button of my jeans with its hole to do them the heck up! Yes, I overate a couple of days - Christmas dinner and all that jazz - but seriously? I put on INCHES, INSTANTLY!
Wild. Wild wild wild.
So, now we know, like, exactly, what happens when I eat carbs!! hahaha So now I'm home, aaand I'm back to not eating carbs. Been home since Tuesday. Already feeling svelte-er, which I wouldn't think possible exactly except I watched it go SO FAST the other way. I swear you could watch it happen!!
Anyway, so that's the skinny with my skinny. I'm still eating, just totally DIFFERENTLY. Better for ME. It's fantastic. And makes SO much sense that each individual person has different nutritional needs - everything else about interpersonal health issues depends on each individual person, why would our dietary needs not vary slightly person to person??
I can't recommend that you try what I did - it's such an individual thing, and you need whatever measurements to know what your imbalances are. But wow, knowing mine, and being able to tailor my food accordingly.... and I feel like I have total control of it now - if I want to eat a cinnamon bun, that's totally fine and dandy, I just don't want to do it daily because, hot dang it sticks. Like glue.
I'm kinda' half-watching "Men In Black" as I type this, so if this is the worst, most half-butted posting ever, sorry - we had gifts cards for HMV from Christmas, Mr. Man and I, and went and blew them today. :-) $100 between us plus $16.36 over and we scored 13 movies, 1 tv season, a CD, and a $3 points card. Sheer shopping brilliance.
But that, my friends, is the very lengthy, complete tale, of how the heck my waist got back to where I want it so quickly, how it ballooned back out a wee bit, aaaand how I plan to get it back in the next little while. Kickboxing starts back up again after a 2 week hiatus on Monday - I can't wait!
Cheers, all!
(FYI the guy who came to do the seminar was from a relatively local SST location - http://www.sportsspecifictraining.com/ I think they're super-dee-duper expensive, but check it out!!)
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