Full Body Recovery because Illness + Fatigue = Binge

This has not been a good food weekend...or a good workout week...

My immune system crashed this week...I woke up Tuesday with a head cold, yeast infection AND my 1st ever cold sore - you have GOT to be kidding me!! Needless to say, I felt like crap and struggled to eat healthy because when I'm sick I ALWAYS reach for the carbs. Also, due to my lack of energy being so run down I forced myself to get to the gym a couple days earlier in the week, but couldn't do anything except work Thursday, Friday and Saturday because that's all the energy I had.

Yesterday was probably the worse. I spent the afternoon/evening napping and eating. I was so full, but just couldn't stop. I really don't understand why I do this. I had a bad week of feeling ill and dealing with stressful people, ended up feeling bad about myself and hopeless towards life and then took out all of my emotions and self-hatred in the most disgusting way - by stuffing my face. Writing it now makes me sigh, shake my head at myself and feel so guilty and stupid. Yet in the moment I can't stop it from happening and this is something I NEED to change...

This morning I woke up feeling a lot better. I had energy and a desire to turn things back around. I had decided Friday evening that I needed to do the Cinch Diet again this week because during the week I struggled so much to keep on track and the Cinch is just really easy. I also know that the diet is effective...I am considering doing an every other week Cinch week...but we will see how this week and the one after go before I make that hard commitment. I know my blood sugar is going to be low if I follow it completely, which didn`t let me exercise as much as I wanted to last time. Because of this, I have decided to swap the Almond Butter in the evening for a Peanut Butter Cookie Lara bar, which includes dates for extra energy.

For one, I am totally addicted to PB and this is a HUGE treat to get to have one daily. PLUS, without a jar of nut butter in my fridge to turn to I will definitely eat less fat and condensed calories. I am also allowing myself 1 cup of raw baby carrots daily for extra carbs and calories and bought apples in case I want to swap one of those for raspberries as a pre-workout snack. I will continue to allow myself the Chia and post-workout Vega Protein Shake.

SO....basically I have re-invented the Cinch Diet, we`ll call it the Calorie-Enhanced, Variety-Increased Cinch Diet ;)

I restarted my exercise regime this morning with a full-body workout I found on the Fitness Rx Website. This is a fantastic magazine, which I have been reading and doing workouts from for at least a decade. It ties for my favorite workout magazine with Oxygen Magazine because they both have great workout, fitness tips, research-based articles and diets. I need something to keep me occupied during all the cardio I do, so I always have some magazine on the go. I`m looking forward to the September issue of Fitness Rx, as online it advertises a ``30 Day Total Body Transformation Program`` inside that may be fun to try!

Here`s the workout I did today...I did it 2 times through because the last time I attempted it with a girlfriend of mine, we did 3 cycles and my Ass hurt for 4 full days after!! This is by no means a bad thing, but I want to be able to get to the gym tomorrow and do Pump Class on Wednesday, which I was unable to do last time due to insanely sore muscles. That does tell you what an amazing workout it is tho...  

Bikini Body Fitness Plan

Written by Gina Aliotti Saturday, 23 June 2012 01:00

Gina’s Workout Plan:

Cardio: 5-6x/week 40-45 minutes. No matter what, just get your heart rate up for a minimum of 40 minutes a day, 5-6x/week. Walk, run, bike, jump rope, use your favorite cardio machine, no matter what just move daily!

Three to four times a week, work out in the gym or outside. Consider my Summer Circuit Training Plan to help you get in your resistance training while increasing your heart rate and burning calories!

Summer Circuit Training Plan

*All exercises are done for 15 reps, moving from one exercise to another until workout is complete. Repeat two to three times based on fitness level or time allotted. Have fun!   

Alternating lunges holding dumbbells (12.5 lb bilat)

Wide deep squats with combination shoulder presses (12.5 lb bilat)

Water break

Lunge with combination side lateral raises (I did walking lunges with 7.5 lb bilat)

Bench step-ups (12.5 lb bilat, I added a leg lift at the top of each rep)

Water break

Assisted pull-ups (50 lb on assisted machine)

Assisted triceps dips (I did unassisted with 10kg weight on my legs)

Floor crunches (I did incline sit-ups with a 10kg weight or used the crunch machine with 20 lbs)

Water break

Bicep curls with combination front presses (palms facing face, 12.5 lb bilat)

Push-ups

Jump squats (I combined these 2 into 15 blurpees - KILLER!!!)

Water break

Repeat 2-3 times

Doing it twice instead of 3 times made for a much better workout! I was still totally beat afterwards, but didn`t feel light-headed or unable to do my post-workout cardio. Tomorrow I will go back to my Jamie Eason LiveFit workout doing Day 48 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-phase-2-day-48.html. I am hoping to workout Monday through Wednesday and depending how I feel will do Thursday or Friday, giving myself the other as a rest that day.

Now...I start my Revised Cinch Diet Prep!

Because I Require a Meal Plan and Training Schedule

Yesterday I tried to go without a meal plan, I figured last week went so well that I could eat appropriate portions and stop when I was full...epic fail!!

By the end of the day, on top of the food I should have eaten, I had consumed 2 crunchy granola bars (which means they each came in a package of 2), so much of raw oats (ya, weird I know, they don't call it a binge for nothing), popcorn, 2 yogurts, basically WAY too much food. I went to bed totally stuffed, looking like I was 6 months prego with a food belly and feeling like crap (about myself and physically in general). Lying in bed I came to terms with the fact that I still am unable to control what I eat if I haven't prepared and counted the calories in advance.

So last night before I went to sleep I used my iPhone Lose It app to plan out my meals for the day. Lose It is a free app that's really easy to use and enables you to input food and exercise from a large list of items and even gives you the option of scanning the bar code on some packaged foods. I have used it for a few years now and have been really happy with the options available and ease of use http://www.loseit.com/.

I had previously developed 2 different, yet similar Meal Plans to use post Cinch Diet, based on foods that I regularly consume and enjoy. Because they are similar in calories and food items I am able to interchange the foods slightly depending on what I have on-hand, which I can then confirm when I input my meals into my iPhone Lose It App.

Daily Meal Plan: 1300-1400 Calories

Meal 1- 2 tbsp Chia cereal                                                                                              130

                ½ c Almond Milk                                                                                              20

                ½ c Diet Juice with water                                                                                   10

                Coffee with Hot Chocolate mix                                                                          50

                                                                                                        Total                      210

Meal 2- 3 oz. of chicken                                                                                                  142

              1 c steamed veg                                                                                                   70

               3 c Salad                                                                                                            20

                                                                                                        Total                      232

Meal 3- 4 oz. of tilapia (4x a week) or Salmon (3x a week)                                               146

1 cup spaghetti                                                                                                    42

               1 cup Steamed vegetables                                                                               50-70

                                                                                                        Total                      238

Meal 4- ½ c beans                                                                                        120                        

              Celery 5 stalks                                                                                                     35

1 cup baby carrots                                                                                              53

                                                                                         Total                      208 

Meal 5- This meal is for immediately before and after workout, no matter when you put it into schedule make sure you continue your regular meals and hour and a half later.

                 Before: 1 piece fruit                                                                                          95

After: Protein Shake: 20 grams of whey protein                                              130

                                                                                     Total                      225 

Meal 6- 1/3 cup egg whites                                                                                                50

               1/3 cup of oats, splenda and cinnamon                                                               100

1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed                                                                           37

                                                                                          Total                      187

                                                                                                               

1400-1500 Calorie Fat-Loss Plan

Meal 1: 257 calories

½ cup egg whites (60)

1 small slice bread or 1/3 cup raw oatmeal cooked with 1 tbsp ground flax seed (137)

Mocha made with Carnation lite Hot Chocolate (50)

1 cup diet cranberry juice (10) 

Meal 2: 265 calories

3.5oz steamed or baked chicken breast or fish (150)

1 cup veggies steamed or stir fry with Bragg (60)

¼ cup steamed brown rice (55) 

Meal 3: 195 calories

3 cups salad greens (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, etc) (25)

½ cup beans (garbanzo, lima, pinto, etc) (170) 

Meal 4: 230 calories

Pre-Workout: 1 piece fruit (banana, apple, 1cup berries, etc) (100)

Post Workout: 1 scoop Vega One protein powder (130) 

Meal 5:  292 calories

3oz cooked extra-lean ground turkey (176)

½ cup sugar-free, low-sodium spaghetti sauce (54)

1 ½ cups cooked spaghetti squash (62) 

Meal 6:  220 calories

6oz fat free cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with cinnamon and stevia (90)

2 tbsp chia/hemp seed mixture (130)

With my Meal Plans in place on the fridge and my food being put into my Lose It App nightly I have the advanced planning I know I require to succeed on my diet in conjunction with the "Hard Rules" I previously created. My commitment to my exercise program has never been a problem as I love to work out and am obsessive about getting to the gym to complete my weights and cardio. At the beginning of the summer I'd switched from a weight program that focused on one or two muscle groups per day to full body workouts in my attempt to lose fat. Unfortunately, as I didn't have my diet on track my weight didn't budge...and some weeks even increased.

This week I decided on more of a combined program, where on weights days I will either do a single body part or a full body workout. My daily cardio consists of at least 30 minutes prior to my weights or at least 60 minutes on straight cardio days, but most days I do more to blast more calories. I also allow myself 2 rest days if required by my schedule or body fatigue. Wednesday and Thursday are the only 2 days that are typically the same each week. Wednesday I do the Cx Works abs class followed by Pump class at the gym with cardio either before or after and Thursdays are runs with my girlfriend and we try to add to our distance or time each week.

The weight program I am using comes from http://www.bodybuilding.com/. 

Jamie Eason, my fitness model icon developed a 12 Week program for the site that includes weights, cardio and meal plans http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html.

I have used the program in the past, never exactly as described, resulting in amazing strength gains and was doing it again before I switched to full body workouts at the beginning of Summer. Yesterday I jumped right back into the LiveFit program where I left off on Week 7 and will do these workouts for a couple weeks, along with my full-body days, before moving onto Week 9 (the program stays the same for 2 Weeks at a time). As I never follow anything perfectly :P yesterday (Monday) I did Day 46 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-phase-2-day-46.html and today I did Day 43 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-phase-2-day-43.html. Will keep updates on what Week I`m on and will provide details on full-body workouts for those out there who`d like to try something new!

Cinch Diet Success!!...Celebrated with a Carb Fest

It was 5 1/2 days of starvation, low blood sugar, and the related extreme exhaustion...but when I stepped on the scale Saturday morning I was delighted to weigh-in at 118.8 lbs!! This is a HUGE milestone...I have been attempting to hit 118 lbs since last summer when I surpassed this weight...one that had been my high for the whole year and a total devastation to my self-esteem and body image. I have tried desperately all year to stop the binging, get control of my food intake and increase my exercise enough to lose the weight that I was able to deplete due to the Cinch diet...and a whole lot of diuretics...

Now there is no way that I would ever call this diet healthy...although, one may argue that all food groups and major macronutrients were covered...The major issue I had with the Cinch diet is how low calorie the plan is. With less than 1200 calories in its base-plan, there is little room for expending extra energy through exercise, which is a huge part of my life and identity. This was especially true on the days I worked at the hospital...running around the Units for 8 hours blasted tons of calories, left me majorly light headed and a tad hangry. On the days I worked in my clinics, where I sit at a desk, it was much easier to get through the day, but even then I needed to add extra food to keep myself from feeling like I was going to pass out. 

At the beginning it was an extra 1/2 cup at least of almond butter...yikes that's a lot of extra calories and fat!! So, I left the jar at work on Thursday, portioned out a little extra for the remaining days, and instead focused on eating extra berries, spinach, slivered almonds and unsweetened almond milk. I had a goal in mind and needed to get there, so going to bed hungry meant taking an imovane sleeping pill to help me forget my swimming head and empty belly - again not the healthiest addition to an already unhealthy anorexic-inspired diet.

BUT...due to my starvation and bullheaded ways I exceeded my goal weight goal of 120 lbs (I was only looking to lose 2-2.5 lbs), allowed me to fit into my beautiful salmon-colored, frilly, strapless dress & feel totally confident at my friend's wedding. I knew I wasn't as thin as I'd been in the past, or even as skinny as I'd initially hoped to be when I saw my friend next, but the flatness of my stomach related to the lack of carbs and diuretics allowed me to walk in with my head held high and proud of my accomplishment.

I stayed pretty good with my food for the whole weekend, despite being away from home and attending multiple family gatherings. It was last night when I got home...hot, tired and craving a good meal of carbohydrates to replenish my depleted reserves...that I really let go. I stopped at Safeway for a roasted chicken (something WAY too high in sodium and fat for my regular eating regime), a HUGE baked potato (I actually looked for one smaller, but they were all big), corn on the cob (we somehow missed out on this at a TABER wedding whose food consisted of BBQ pork, potato salad & coleslaw??!!), and also made some oatmeal for my bedtime snack. I did go slightly overboard by eating not 1, but 2 containers of Greek yogurt that were totally unneeded - BUT I was able to prevent myself from walking to the corner store for a chocolate bar because I'd already had my "treats" in accordance with my "Hard Rules" (a Starbucks sugar-free, light Frapp and a Marshmallow square). For this I am extremely happy with myself. I did have more then I should have this weekend between the wedding and yesterday's "cheat day," but today I was able to get back on track, back to the gym, and onto my new meal plan.

My Next Goal...I was to see 116 lbs again!! I have a pair of distressed Silver Jeans that I really want to be able to wear again...and Ultimately a gorgeous pink and black Betsy Johnson dress that I've never worn that I dream to be able to fit into (I estimate my final goal needing to be 113 lbs to reach this milestone).

From Glorification to Demonization: My Hard Rules for Food & Exercise

I have just finished reading "The End of Overeating" by David A. Kellser, an insightful look into the powerful effect of fat, sugar and salt on our appetite and current obesity epidemic. I can totally relate to the author's discussion on how the mere thought of a food can create an intense, almost obsessive desire to have it, which is only relieved when I eventually cave and eat it.

http://www.theendofovereatingbook.com/

The book concludes with what the author calls "Food Rehab," which is essentially changing the way you think about foods and your eating behaviors, creating rules around eating to prevent the constant battle I feel inside my brain: "I really want this...but it's not good for my diet...maybe just a small bite...you know you can't stop once you start...but I've been so good this week...maybe it'll be different this time...I deserve a treat...it'll make me feel better...I don't care anyways...which results in EITHER no, I do care, I don't want it, walk away OR fine, whatever, I give up, I'll eat it." My goal is to change my mindset so that I don't feel deprived because I'm missing out on a food. I need to take away the belief of food as a reward and replace these thoughts with hard beliefs that the food is "bad, "off limits," not part of my meal plan," "unhealthy fuel," etc. I need to free myself from the all-consuming thought sequence between the Angel vs. Devil battle in my mind. This cognitive-behavioral therapy approach reminds me of another book I've read "The Beck Diet Solution" by Judith Beck, which I think I need to become reacquainted with as it offers lots of ideas beyond the "Hard Rules" to help me restructure my food and eating perceptions.

I've had rules in the past that have been quite successful in helping keep me on track, but somehow, somewhere along the way I forgot them or threw them away, which ultimately led to my current mental anguish with my unsatisfactory weight. SO, today I am creating a new set of food & exercise rules. One of the rules will hopefully be modified over time as I gain control of my binging. Rule number 2 contains the foods I currently cannot control myself around, they cause me emotional turmoil to have in my house and have been major binge-triggers in the recent past. The other rules are permanent shifts I need to make, which I will live by, not in the short term, but as a lifelong dedication to my health and wellbeing.

Hard Rules for Food & Exercise
1. The ONLY foods I will eat at work are fresh fruit, vegetables and sugar/salt-free nuts (aside from the food I bring for my lunch/snack)
2. Foods that I will not even try to keep in my house right now: gluten-free bread products, rice cakes/crackers, nut butters, soy cheese slices, rice roll wraps, granola/energy bars, cereal, and cashews
3. I will exercise at least 3x/week - weights & cardio
4. I will not eat any baked goods containing Wheat
5. I will not get up after I've gone to bed to eat, if I can't sleep or think I am hungry after eating a bedtime snack I will take a sleeping pill
6. I will not stop at the corner store for unplanned snacks
7. I will allow myself 1 cheat day per week where I can go out for a meal, have a wheat-desert/treat item, stop at Starbucks or Tim’s for a specialty coffee and drink wine

My next step is to print off this list to tape on my fridge as a constant reminder of my commitment to myself and my health.

Cinch Diet 5 Day Fast Forward Day 1...I made it, I think...

My girlfriend and I are known for tackling weird and crazy "fad" diets and cleanse plans...we've been doing it since we met 6 years ago...so when she mentioned doing the 5 day Cinch Fast Forward Plan designed by Shape Magazine's weight-loss coach Cynthia Sass I was instantly intrigued. She'd purchased the book after hearing about the plan on a morning talk show a while back and thought it would be a good way to transition back to solid food after doing the "Glow" juice/nutrient broth cleanse for 4 days (which I was too scared to participate in at this point in time I may add...).  

I have recently regained 3lbs that I worked so hard through diet and exercise to lose and have been feeling very discouraged. I was 1lb away from my 1st "milestone" mark of 118lbs and then I lost it and binged on the weight in less than a week that had taken me over 2 weeks to lose. Needless to say I was willing to try anything to get rid of those pounds...especially since I have a wedding on Saturday. Not just any wedding either...the wedding of a friend who was inspired to lose her pregnancy weight and compete in a fitness competition after seeing me on stage...a friend who has not gained back the weight as I have...a friend who I feel embarrassed to be around knowing that she looks so great still and I don't.

The diet seemed easy enough...5 foods...really low calorie (it's a fad diet, it's too be expected!!)...and you eat the same thing every day for 5 days...but most importantly, the diet touts a possible 10lb weight loss in 5 days...impossible...maybe...but worth a shot! I did a little research online and found a great blog that listed the diet and amounts of each ingredient I'd need for the week - perfect! (Here I give credit to thebubblybean.blogspot.ca for the diet as listed below). My friend photocopied the required pages from her book and I was off to Costco and Superstore to buy my bulk Yogurt, Egg Whites, Slivered Almonds, Spinach and Raspberries. Being on a budget I needed to do this the cheapest way possible so it looked like frozen raspberries were a definite must for most meals.

Due to my high LDL cholesterol (which I believe is a combination of REALLY bad genetics and my recent crap eating) I'd discussed with my friend needing to maintain my 2tbsp daily of Chia - this ended up being a life saver today because those little seeds keep you full for hours...which is SO needed on a diet that's less that 1200 calories per day!!! I also have to thank The Bubbly Bean for her slight typo on the diet plan...I was instructed by my friend this morning that the extra serving of yogurt she has listed under the 1st meal of the day is in fact not supposed to be included. Without it, I don't think I would have survived. As it is, when I got home from a meeting at 8:30pm I ravenously devoured my final meal (in pieces because my ex hasn't retrieved my blender from his basement as requested), along with some extra spinach (which I madly stuffed into my mouth with my hands) and more than a tbsp extra almond butter.

I'm pretty sure this plan is NOT designed for someone who works out as hard as I do. My 1 hour 15 mins on the elliptical, where I worked up a good sweat and pooped myself out, probably burned 1/2 of the calories this diet indicates you are only allowed to eat per day - YIKES!! But, health means diet & exercise so I'm not giving up my gym time, even if that means I need to have that extra serving of yogurt and spinach. Luckily my friend is very accommodating and totally admitted to having more than a few extra berries and leaves of spinach then she should have as well!

SO...day one is down...only 4 to go...and another friend decided to join in the "diet party" after weighing in at her highest to date. It's only 9:30pm and I'm headed to bed or I'm going to end up getting famished again and needing more food! PLUS, these low calorie diets along with exercise are exhausting!! Below I've copied the post from The Bubbly Bean in case you want to try this 1st crazy plan on my road to being FitProud...

Cinch 5 Day Fast Forward Meal Plan

• The 5-Day Fast Forward that jumpstarts your results - up to an 8 pound loss in 5days. The Fast Forward calls for four simple meals a day, made from clean, delicious, detoxifying, filling, nutrient-rich foods shown to support weight loss. I’ve even included a grocery list that specifies all the ingredients you’ll need, (and recipes!) so preparing for the Fast Forward (which is vegan and vegetarian friendly) is a breeze!

• 15 cups of raw spinach
• 20 cups of raspberries
• 2 cups of sliced almonds
• 10 Tablespoons of natural RAW almond butter
• 60 ounces of non-fat PLAIN yogurt (you can use Greek for added protein if you like, which I do)
• 10 large eggs
• 4-5 tangerines (for flavor & salad dressing)
• Seasonings - herbs (salt-free) cinnamon and nutmeg (plain, without sugar), balsamic vinegar. NO SALT!

So here we go... :)

• Meal 1 (7:00 am) - scrambled egg with spinach; raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.

one egg plus one cup of spinach scrambled
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
pepper

• Meal 2 (11:00 am) – yogurt parfait with raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.

6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
dash of cinnamon

• Meal 3 (3:00 pm) – spinach salad with raspberries, almonds, boiled egg, homemade tangerine balsamic vinaigrette . 2 cups water.

2 cups spinach
1 cup raspberries
1 hard boiled egg
2T almonds
balsamic vinegar, squeeze of orange juice, pepper

• Meal 4 (7:00 pm) – smoothie with yogurt, raspberries, almond butter, ice. 2 cups water.

Meal Four
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almond butter

And so it Begins...

My battle with my weight began early on...I remember counting calories, watching portions, and beating myself up for eating too much before I turned 10...I battled anorexia & bulimia in my late teens/early 20's...after that even though I've continued to exercise (sometimes/often to the extreme) my weight has been a constant yoyo fight...almost 3  years ago, in an effort to get my desired body, I lost 20lbs through a strict diet and exercise program to compete a fitness competition...I placed 4th, one of my proudest moments, I was in the best shape of my life, and I felt great...but because I had yet to conquering my binge eating, the weight slowly all came back on.  I know I'm not the only woman out there who has struggled for years to obtain the "perfect" body. I'm hoping that through blogging my thoughts and feelings I will finally be able to lose the weight, stop binge eating and find the healthy, fit, balance I need. And hopefully in the process I can help a couple others...