day 98 - ONE HOUR RUN 3.5 to 4 miles (still not sure on mileage)

almost 100 days since my 'better health' journey began. wow. one hundred days. over 3 months. i am very proud of myself.

since changing my diet i have gone from a size 8 down to a size 5/6, my nails, skin and hair glows. my energy is amazing, my periods are lighter and barely noticeable discomfort wise, and i have started my running again...along with some strength training, squats, sit ups, and lunges/toning exercises.

i have allowed a little more sugar than usual the second half of june to creep back into my diet. i notice with the sugar, my left breast begins to ache a little a week before my P. it is a challenge to omit sugar completely from my diet...and i have also been a bit more lax on the coffee.

i enjoy certain things in my diet and will have those things when i desire them...but not daily :) only when i have a craving. i refuse to deprive myself of anything :)

RUNNING :)
tonight i took off at 8pm for a run....and i ran a whole hour non stop....almost. i ran too soon after eating a big meal...and paid for it with both a stitch and a sour stomach thru the run, but i pushed through it and finished the hill up to my house one hour after leaving :) it was beautiful.

i pushed thru the first 15 to 20 minutes and soon after discovered that high that i had lost all these years. my body tingled and i felt as if i could run forever. i got into a beautiful rhythm and i felt so happy to be running again. i promised myself that this would be my 'inner space' time at least 4 nights a week.

running from 8-9 is perfect for me. the kids are in bed, and david is usually doing his own thing. i have recommitted myself to my first love, running..and i think i have found a great time to run :) the mornings are a bit hectic and i find that i am not able to enjoy the run because i am pushing the stroller. however, i think that all that pushing really strengthened my cardiovasc. b/c when i run alone, i have so much more endurance than i ever have :)

i have also taken my measurements - june 22.

size 6

bust 37
waist 30
hips 38
thigh 21

my goals are a size 2 and

bust 36
waist 26
hips 36
thighs 19

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i hope to lose a few inches by july 22...since i am upping my running and committing to a 4 to 5 day run week...i am prayerful that i will attain these goals by at least summers end.

i am looking at a long term goal and keeping next summer in mind....my biggest goal by next summer....wear a 2 pc bikini...or at least one of these;



I am ever so hopeful...

and yes. i will get there.











TRAINING LOG:

what i ate today:

saturday morning coffee time with david - some sugar and ff half and half...about one cup max.

hemp/cocao smoothie (G&B's) with half water half almond milk/ frozen banana and jp's, stevia
wahoos salad with appx 6 to 8 oz mahi on bed of greens, with tiny amount of cheese, some guac and low fat dressing. about half cup of black beans

water

frozen yogurt, nf with 4 tsp of crumbled pb cups

hungry by bedtime, so i had half cantalope, half granola bar and banana with 2 tsp of almond butter.

RUN:

by about 20 minutes in i was relaxing into the run. food had not digested by the time i left for run...note to self...don't do that again. side stitch was baaaad, but i am proud to say i pushed thru. i stopped and walked about a minute, 3 times into run. stopped to pee at the park, and ran duration home without stoppping, even up the hill on carnation back to the house.

i left at 8 on the dot and returned 9 on the dot. i wanted to cry...i did an hour long run for the first time in my life and felt fabulous the entire time ::mentally:: - physically it was a bit of a challenge...but like i said, i pushed thru.

day 87

still going :)

ok. so today i went to target to try on some bikinis. 3 words. oh.my.gaaaaaawwwwd!

the bad news.
i have serious cellulite on my thighs and tummy...ugh.

the good news.
i am working out again and running/toning.

so ok. i am 41 now and have had 4 babies. one of them less than 2 yrs ago. i have to give myself a little break here. i know that i will not be at my optimum this side of summer. i will deal with it.

BUT! and this is a big but! by next summer, i will more than just 42. i will turn every freeking head on the beach!!!!! yah baby! yeah!

my weight has slowed a bit. and i re-thinking this raw food thing. yes, i have been high raw for 87 days....i am a size 6, and when i stand naked in the mirror, i see at least another 10 to 15 needs to come off in order for me to feel comfortable in my body again. this is just being honest. my friends are kind and tell me that i look good now....and in my clothes, i feel nice again. :) but on the beach is another story.

i am surprised that being high raw has not offered me more weight loss. i was hoping to be a size 4 by now. it is coming off slowly....and i am getting a little frustrated. as a high raw, food combining vegan, i was hoping for a little more weightloss at this point. it has almost been 3 months. i have lost inches....but boy....i must have been alot fatter than i realized when i began. i still do not know my weight....but i do know that most of my pre wedding clothes are baggy now on me...which would put me under 130. and i started this thing at 144. so i have lost 15 lbs almost to date. about a lb a week :) i am doing good.

i just wish to lose 2 lbs a week. now that i am working out 30 to 60 minutes running/walking/ and toning daily...i hope to be on that track. i am also going to stop eating a whole avo and go back to the half a day :) fruit mostly til 2ish...smoothies with one banana only, and greens greens greens.

today:
jp smoothie with frozen banana, tbl udo's oil, jp fruits, and stevia

about 100 cals of rice cakes (shopping with girls at target)

work out: 20 minutes of video/ 10 minutes of elliptical followed up with upper arms/squats

half of coconut water
half a melon
2 apples
handful of almonds

for dinner, i am planning on a big veggie salad with hard boil egg whites.

day 81

just this week i have began my running again....also lifting/toning and riding the bike too. my legs are killing me and i did the 10 min. abs as well...

my body started to feel less and less inclined to 'cleanse' and i noticed my regularity slowing down alot this past month. since running again, the past 2 days, i have begun cleansing and have 'gone' quite a few times today :)

this is of great interest to me since i ate black beans yesterday, and they usually stop me up...
hmmmmmmmmmmm...something to take note of...running has been great for my cleansing :)

i have put myself back onto less sugar...i was getting a little lax there with the sweets...just b'day party foods....brownies, ice cream...not alot, but a few bites here and there.

i have decided to renew my commitment to my running..and adding weights and sit ups to my daily regime. i will run every day / every other. i feel so good when i do and my body is responding :)

my food is down pat now, i am balancing out as a 'vegan'...no caffiene or sugar or dairy or meat. :) yay.

day 74

odd: my period made it's presence, and then quickly dissappeared. however, i feel it...like i have not felt it in a while since beginning E2L.

another thing, i am becoming a bit bored with 'raw'. i love sharing and breaking bread with my family and eating separate from them has some emotional disadvantages for me. i am going to stay with vegan, high raw til dinner and eat with my family....i am still avoiding flesh with the exception of fish. and i enjoy making dinners we all enjoy together....on the nights i will do salad only for me, i will prepare them a chicken dish.

i enjoy eating fruit til lunch, and then munching on raw salads or more fruit...or smoothies. i do however think that i will be incorporating saturday morning 'pancake' breakfasts - vegan style at least 2 times a month or so.

tonight we are heading out to bucca's for my 'bday dinner' with the kiddos. i am looking forward to having some pasta or their wonderous veggie pizza...they do that the best :)

day 72

*period: 25 day cycle

*feeling bloated and unusually constipated for about a week

*i have had a little more seeds and nuts than usual on top of eating cooked dinners and some cooked lunches.

*feeling 'out of control with my emotions and my diet.

*depression - caused by external circumstances

why do i allow myself to get off balance with my morning walks (aka fitness + sunshine = happiness/balance)

this past week was more about food combining, and 'cooked' vegan than raw. also alot of sugar was added back into my diet as we celebrated austin's bday, my bday and i was feeling rather defeated emotionally.


my period is here again. this time around i feel it in my legs and back. and also my breasts feel tender. oddly, i have slowly began my descent into more cooked lately...just the holiday, bdays' and emotions that have really got me off track. i am struggling to stay connected to this way of eating.

i found a wonderful new blog today that has been a little shot in the arm of inspiration for me...and here is a snippet of goodness that i know i will refer to in order to stay on track...;

My Top Ten Health Factor List
1) Diet - yes, it DOES have significant importance!

2) Exercise/fitness - if put together with diet, you're likely to see incredible results.

3) Sunshine - no, the sun is not bad for you. It is crucial for you, despite the taboo about it.

4) Fresh air - may seem impossible for some of us, but try your best anyway.

5) Clean water - Distilled or reverse osmosis preferable. And get nature-distilled water as much as you can from fruit!

6) Rest - In years past I have been very deficient in this one, and the next one:

7) Sleep - deep rest - next to impossible for Moms of young children, but since I'm useless when I'm sleepless, I did pro-actively guide my children to sleep through the night. No flamin' please. ;)

8) Emotional wellness - I feel that many of us only give this one lip service. I have realized that even if I master the first 7 health principles listed, if I get stressed, angry or troubled, that these emotions will overtake my entire body and soul. These health principles aren't necessarily in order, but if they were I'd put emotional wellness in the no. 1 spot.

9) Spiritual connectedness - There is a grounding, a safe comforting peace that comes with being spiritually connected to something bigger than yourself. I find this peace essential for my overall health.

10) Purpose in life - If I didn't have a purpose in life, I wouldn't care about my health. :)

also, i had an epiphany about the 811 diet...(basically fruit all day till dinner of greens and veggies) while i was on the fruit flush, my itchy scalp/dandruff came back. i was reading a raw food gurus' sight about dandruff being caused by meat and dairy consumption. oddly, the first 5 weeks of my E2L diet had cured my scalp problem apparently. soon after being on the fruit flush for one week, my dandruff came back.

so i wondered, was i just not getting enough fat in my diet doing fruit all day? was this diet wrong for my health and wellness? or was i just going into a deeper well of detox and the byproducts of the meat/dairy still residing coming up at a faster rate? hmmm. i wonder.

all in all, i have loved eating fruit all day til noon...by about 2 ish, i am ready for low sugar fruits like my toms and avo's and cucumbers.

*i am also happy to report that as of this week i have added dulse and arame into my diet :) also, sesame seeds (roasted cus i love them that way) and tofu too :)...but i try to get these into my diet about 3 times a week....which has been a challenge the last few days because every one has been sick and i have been overwhelmed taking care of everyone....ontop of it being my bday.