I herd cats, wrassle ponies, and toss flying discs. Its what keeps me going.

Everyone at work this week has commented about my strong resolve for sticking to this Elimination Diet. I'm not going to lie, its been hard. Today has been especially difficult -- someone brought in delicious looking cinnamon rolls this morning... oh, they smelled decadent. I avoided the kitchen and told myself my collard green smoothie was better. Yeah. Right. To top it all off, someone polled the office for lunch and everyone got teriyaki. And I ate raw veggies wrapped in nori.

I feel like I am being tested by the food and weight loss gods. Its terrible! On day two of the smoothie cleanse, the 2 boxes of girl scout cookies I had orded from my boss's daughter arrived. Self control made me place them in the back of a cabinet I never open and put them out of my mind. Well. Until n0w. Hmmm.... Samoas. Tagalongs... But oddly enough, its not really sugar I am craving, which is unusual for me. I can satisfy my sweet tooth with dates rolled in unsweetened coconut. But, smells are the worst for me. I can pass up doughnuts, I can pass up the candy bowl that brims with Butterfingers and Twix's on the front desk, but I am a little girl when it comes to delicious savory smells. My cousin and I were at a schooling show last weekend and actually had to leave the show because everyone around us was eating chili, we simply couldn't stand it any more.

So, I thought I would write a little blog about what keeps me going through the day. Other than the obvious goal of dropping the poundage. Though that is a great goal -- its a very intrinsic motivator. Its my goal, and I WILL get there, but on the way, I need some help from extrinsic motivators... distractions - things I love to do and that will keep me busy and active.

1. Herding Cats

So, obviously I don't herd cute little kittens around with my cunning Border Collie or anything like that. Its oh so much worse. I coach basketball to a team of 6 and 7 year old girls. Yup. I think I would rather herd cats any day. In all seriousness, I have a great group of girls I get to work with a couple times a week. Most days it tries my patience, and I swear to myself that I will never have children, but its so these kidlets. They keep me going. I have to run around after them in practice, and often get involved in a raucous game of Sharks and Minnows or Queen of the Court. They love it when I get involved. One of them yesterday challenged me to a game of one on one. Seeing the game through their eyes has made me love it even more (if that was possible). Its inspired me to put together an adult team and start playing in a womens league. I am so excited. I hope enough individuals are interested to we'll have enough women to form a decent sized team. Anyhoo... back to my team of cats. They are some cute kids - and its refreshing to take a step back twice a week and look at the world from the perspective of a 6 year old. Who wouldn't get a kick out of these munchkins?!

2. Pony Wrasslin'

I am fortunate enough to get to work with a sweet young off the track Thoroughbred named Denali. She's a doll. I make a concentrated effort to get to the barn 5 nights a week for some time in the saddle. Its a great whole body workout, but more importantly, its therapy for my soul. It revives me. I need it. I think I would slowly waste away without it. Horses are hugely important in my life and always will be. Hopefully, I get some video of me riding up here soon! For now, here's a picture of my little sweetpea - I am so excited to go to the barn tonight!

3. The Handsomest, Smartest Pup Ever

If I haven't mentioned my dog before in this blog, I am sorry. He totally deserves mention. The pup is my best pal, my partner in crime, and probably the one living thing I spend the most time with. I can't explain how cool he is, you would have to meet him to get it. I know a number of people who would take him off my hands in a heart beat (as if I'd ever give him up!). In fact, I like him better than a lot of people I meet in my life.

There is no way a person can rest with this kind of dog. He requires constant activity, whether it be chasing down a flying disc - his most favorite activity EVER - or just taking a walk. He likes to be out doing stuff, not just relaxing in the house. On a nice day, I have to get outside and get moving with him, otherwise I feel like a bad dog mom. Just the other day, my cousin and I took our dogs up to Bellingham with us, and hiked all over Larabee State Park with them - such a fun afternoon spent enjoying the wind, playing in the rocks and finding secret trails.

What about you? What extrinsic motivators help you get through the day??

Elimination Diet: Intro and Day 7 Update

Hello readers! Sorry we have both been so absent, but you know how life is - sometimes things are out of our control. But both Ally and I have been keeping up with our Starfish goals, and working hard towards a better us. We've both embarked on some fun things (soccer, basketball, elimination diet) recently so we can't wait to tell you all about them!

I mentioned it in an earlier post, but never really explained the Elimination/Detox diet that I (along with my cousin, Jenn) started last Monday, February 15th. Its a grueling 28 day "cleanse" during which time you abstain from caffeine, alcohol, all refined sugars, meat, dairy and pretty much anything else that tastes delicious. It's strict but everyone who has done it claims it so worth it. Essentially, its a 2 day smoothie fast followed by three phases in which foods that are irritating to your system are slowly introduced back into your diet. The goal of this is to allow your body time to create a decent healthy base by only consuming hypoallergenic foods and then to introduce the foods that have potential to cause reactions back into your diet to gauge your bodies response to the particular foods.

During the first 2 days you can only drink green smoothies comprised of apples, pears, kale, collard, cranberries, blueberries, ginger, cabbage, mint and parsely. Smoothie for beakfast, lunch and dinner. And lots of water and herbal tea. By the start of day two, you really want to eat something chewy, but no dice, just keep drinking the smoothie. Yum. Days one and two sucked.

During Phase 1 (which lasts from day 3 - 9), you can freely eat fruits and veggies (except citrus fruits and nightshades... I miss tomatoes....) and you can't have nuts. And still no meat, dairy, wheat or anything along those lines.

We are currently on Day 7. I am stoked I have made it this far. The hardest part thus far was the caffeine, or more accurately, the lack of it. By the end of Day 1 I had a raging headache (and can't take any OTC headache pills -- caffeine in those), and Day 2 was horrific. For 24 hours, my head/body yearned for caffeine, and practically throbbed because of the lack of it. But... I made it through. I drink copious amounts of herbal mint tea throughout the day and chamomile at night. Its actually quite pleasant. It makes me think it I should probably always be abstaining from caffeine, or at the very least, not drink the gallons daily that I do.

As we progressed into eating real food, my cousin and I had a blast trying new recipes and finding things that we could eat and still be compliant with the rules in Phase 1. I bought the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook to aid us in this "quest," and it has turned out to be such an amazing resource. Its written by Ali Segersten and Tom Malterre (both Bastyr grad's and Bellingham residents -- Go Washington!), and it will forever be my kitchen bible. Its more than just recipes... Its a way of life. Honestly, the best $25 bucks I have spent in a long time. They also have a great recipe blog where they are constantly posting new, healthy and delicious recipes, as well as tips and tricks to get through their elimination diet. Many of my past "Tasty Tuesday" recipes are from their site.

So, we're onto Day 7. We eat a lot of brown rice, quinoa and greens. Yesterday I made a yummy pesto from scratch, its got a great garlic kick, and its been a great substitute for ranch or hummus with veggies (we can't eat garbanzo beans yet, but homemade hummus is definitely in my future when we get to Phase 3!!). Today's menu consisted of: smoothie and teff for breakfast; broccoli and carrots for a snack; Apple, Avocado and Seaweed Salad for lunch; and I am making Nori sushi rolls (with avocado, carrots, cabbage, green onions and cucumbers) with a Ginger Plum sauce I made. I love love love these Nori Rolls for dinner. I will be sharing the recipe with you all tomorrow, so you can enjoy it as well!

Other than the fact that we seriously have to plan meals and exercise self restraint when it comes to morning lattes and glasses of wine after work, I am so happy with this detox so far. I feel great, have much more energy that normal, and have lost 6 pounds in 7 days. AND I didn't ride or get to the gym last week because I tweaked my back and spent a few evenings getting acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments, so I am even more excited to see what the next couple of weeks brings as I start riding 5 nights a week and working out in the mornings again.

Wish me luck!

I need to cut myself some slack

If you've been reading past posts, you know that I am on this whole total body wellness kick. I recognize and embrace that being healthy isn't just reaching your goal weight and fitting into the coveted size 8 skinny jeans you're been salivating over for months. Its more than that. A lot more.

For those of you who don't know me personally, let me enlighten you a bit about my personality. I am one of those people who loves to have a million things going on at once; the challenge of juggling a variety of things at the same time really excites me. The more you put in front of me, the more focused and determined I become. However, if left to my own devices, without a list of things I want to do that day (yes, I am one of those people), I will spend the day on the couch with Rodeo, catching up on past episodes of Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy. Wasting away. Ugh. So, I make a list for myself each night, and its the first thing I review in the morning. These lists are usually super basic, like:

1. Up at 5:15

2. Go Coffee

3. Don't forget: Lunch, Gym bag, Work clothes

4. Gym at 5:45

5. Work at 7:50

Somehow, writing this simple list down before I fall asleep helps me out. I look at it in the morning, and it just starts me off on the right foot. When I get to work, I start a new work list for that day. Extremely nerdy, but hey, it works for me. Needless to say, I thrive on routine. My lists keep me sane, and keeps me going on the same routine. Every now and then I stray from the black and white of my lists into the forbidden gray area. When I am hanging out in the gray area, I tend to lose track of my goals. And when this happens, I tend to beat myself up. In a big way. And then I figure that I have already fucked up, so there is no point in trying. I failed.

I am learning to cut myself some slack. For example, this weekend my old roommate was in town and we went to breakfast. I was craving a Bloody Mary (this is unusual for me, I really don't care for them), so I allowed myself to have one. And then another one. They were delicious. But I felt guilty for the rest of the weekend for going off my 'No Drinking' goals. Is it the end of the world that I had a drink? No. Did I over indulge? No. Was a bloody mary a better choice than a beer or a margarita? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Hell yes. And as well I should. I didn't do anything wrong, I was just so stuck in my 'don't drink' mode that I had a hard time giving myself a break.

Worse, on Sunday I ate a donut. And then I puked.

I knew I shouldn't have ate it, I knew I shouldn't have even bought the stupid thing. But it was almost 11, I hadn't eaten breakfast and I was at the grocery store. It was a quick fix to my hunger. I felt like absolute shit the moment I ate it. I am not sure if it was the overwhelming guilt I felt about eating something so bad for me (wheat products plus sugar overload) or just that fact that my wasn't used to the richness. Either way, it made me sick to my stomach. Ish. So not worth it.

The visceral response (whether it be from guilt or the food itself) was a step in the right direction in my opinion. Obviously my body (or mind) was rejecting the donut. And believe me, I never want to eat a donut again. They definitely don't taste delicious when they are coming back up. Sorry, TMI. Yet still, I berated myself for hours about the stupid decision to purchase the donut in the first place. AH. The trials and tribulations of dieting and being a more healthy person. Next time, I will walk right past the donut case and purchase an apple. A delicious juicy apple.

Baby steps.

All you need is Posimicity!

Posimicity = a state of being when one is both positive and optimistic

Yes... I made this word up. But I like. So it works.

So, in a New Year's cleaning frenzy, I recently dismantled three bulletin boards that had graced the walls of every house I have lived in since sophomore year at EWU. It was like taking a brief jaunt down memory lane. I remembered afternoons spent skipping classes and sledding on the hill behind the dorms; 2 am trips to Zips; and many other typical small college town activites. At the end of my reminiscing, I put the majority of those memories into cute, brightly colored boxes. While those were amazing times that I will never forget, I am looking forward now. To whatever lies ahead of me.

The most intriguing part of the whole experience was gauging my own reaction to photos of myself that were 6-8 years old. What did I think of myself? If you are like me, you have that photo framed or pinned up somewhere in your house. You know, that one that you love the way you look in. Where your eyes are bright, your smiling and you radiate youthful exuberance. The picture we look at and think... I wish I could look like that again. Well, I am going to share mine with you all...

I remember the day - it was senior year in high school - at Girls State. When Alanna, Alice and myself took Ellensburg by storm. Or something like that. I have had this picture on my bulletin board for what seems like forever. Truthfully, its only been 8 years. What strikes me most about this picture is my reaction to it now. My sister saw it last weekend and commented how long and lean I looked. Do I remember ever feeling long and lean? Nope. Not at all. I wish I could have seen myself then through my eyes now. Because, rather than beating myself up for needing to lose 10 more pounds, and be a step faster on the basketball court, I would have embraced the following things about myself: My abililty to run a 7 minute mile; my ability to bench press my body weight (which was 160 at the time); the lack of bra bulge; the fact that I could see every muscle in my quadricep; and lastly, the minimal belly fat around my midsection. Ahhhh. Wasn't life a bit better when we were young and carefree?

Instead, I distinctly recall hating my body. It was NEVER good enough; and as such, I thought that I was never good enough. In the last 8 years, I have learned a lot. A big life lesson is that negativity breeds negativity. Its like a cancer of your mind, heart and soul. You need to be positive, otherwise, what else is there? I have a quote that I try to keep foremost in my mind when things get rough, or I start to get down on myself:

"Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't plan on
harvesting Golden Delicious." ~ Bill Meyer

It's so simple, and so true. Alice was my best friend for years throughout and after high school. She has since passed on to a better place in the universe, but I have held on to single piece of paper that used to hang on the inside of our shared basketball locker since sophomore year. I think she must have gotten it from seminary or something -- where ever it came from, it is faded piece of paper with edges that have gotten fuzzy over the years. It has a simple statement: Think a good day, Plan a good day, HAVE a good day. Each morning I try to embrace these words. Its reassuring to my subconscious. I convince myself that it will be a good day, and most of the time it is. There are mornings when I am too rushed to do this, and I feel like those are the days when get started on the wrong foot and everything goies downhill from there. I need to take these words, this mantra, and extend it to my fitness and weight goals. And to myself. A simple, 'You CAN do this. You WILL succeed,' can have a transforming affect. Its crucial to know that you are on your side. If I don't believe in me, who else will?!

How about you all? What do you do to combat the bad self talk and poor body image issues?Are there things you could change that would improve your outlook on you?

Utter Disgust... Complete and Utter Disgust...

In myself. I am disgusted.

I had a mini breakdown today. Well, not so mini. I ranted (to/at myself) for 15 minutes. It was a bit of a tirade. Cursing everything. Cursing everyone. Cursing myself.

I have been feeling uber sluggish lately, my energy is lacking, and the pants are getting noticeably snugger. For the last two weeks, I have casually walked past the scale in my office; knowing in my gut what the truth was, but sneakily avoiding it. Last week, in a far too rare conversation with Ally, she asked me, "Do you think you could lose 10 pounds by Christmas?" I confidently replied, "Sure. No sweat." Yeah. Riiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhtttttttttt.

So, after a weekend filled with basketball practice (in which I discovered if you don't use those defensive stance muscles, they will HURT you... I can barely walk today), splitting 1/2 a cord of wood, stacking previously mentioned wood, raking leaves and spreading 9 yards of gravel... not only do I feel as though my body was hit by a Mack Truck, I am disgusted with myself. I SHOULD be able to do those things. Physical work used to be a piece of cake. Wait... I was in better physical shape then.... therein lies the major problem. Oh. And I stayed up until 4:30 a.m. on Saturday evening celebrating the 27th birthday of one of my oldest and bestest friends. Sidenote: we have since concluded that we may be too old for those kind of evenings anymore. In short, my body is beaten. And bruised. And still screams in pain when I stand up from my chair. But... its coming back.

I have been avoiding the scale in my office. Like the plague. Since I don't own a scale, I try to hop on the one at work once a week or so. Yeesh. So I hopped on today. Not good. My self-esteem wasn't ready for this this morning. I am going the gym tonight. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Cheerio!

Just a Little Bit Chubby ~ A 'Mudgetfish' Post

The following post was written by my little sister, affectionally dubbed Mudget by me (this was a nickname created in our childhood years. Mudget = midget + pudge... Yes. This was cruel. In my defense, she used to make fun of my legs by calling them frog legs. Ahhh, aren't sisters great? It's character building my dad always said.), known as Natalie to the rest of the world. For those of you that aren't familiar with my family, Natalie (see the knock out photo at right) has been an aspiring actress since, well, I cannot remember an exact date, its just always been a fact. Natalie wanted to be on the silver screen. She was born to be famous. So, after college, the girl saved up some money, moved to LA in January of 2009 and is working towards her destiny. She has always been just a little bit chubby (as her post title suggests), but has made some amazing lifestyle transformations recently. I asked her to share her story with us, and the Mudget was so kind to oblige. Enjoy her post. Hopefully we can get her to write a couple more with us...

Just a Little Bit Chubby

An easy way to sum up my struggle with the great weight battle is that I have always been just a little bit chubby. With 20lbs over my average weight, I started my college career and made it my goal to drop the excess poundage. I started slowly to become a morning runner. Then I became competitive in collegiate club sports. True, I lost the fat but gained the muscle making me look bulky in size and I was left feeling still “just a little bit chubby.”

After graduating, I made my move down south to California to achieve my dream of becoming a silver screen goddess. They say that size does not matter in the valley of the stars. But please let me be the first, if you don’t already know, to tell that that is a whole lot of B.S! So here I am starting a new chapter of my life and this time I need to get serious about shaping up but rather bulking down. I still had some fat around the muscle (too many nights at the Tav in the Burg), so I needed to start from square one.
Being in the land of the “Thin and Beautiful,” I started my research on all the Hollywood Fab diets, detox, new eating habits and lifestyle changes. I admit, most I tried, but who hasn’t been tempted? Honestly, I did drop the weight off of these quick fixes, feeling great for about a week, but always regaining. So on with new research!

Reading through REAL health magazines, meaning ones that do not supply the quick fixes but the long term fix, I began my quest for a healthier lifestyle. First the exercise plan. Every morning I get up and work out, some days up to three hours! I have routine that helps me burn fat and the excess muscle. I begin with cardio everyday then two days a week I do cross training (i.e. lifting light weights and calisthenics). However, most days I focus on abs and the core. The core for me is essential! I spend at least 15min a day on my core. Also, a great little fat fighting tip is, if you are every hungry, or in my case just bored, before I walk into the kitchen to find a tasty treat I do 25 crunches,10 lunges on each leg, drink a glass of water and then decide if I’m still hungry. More than likely I’m not, but if I am I just did a little mini workout to boost my metabolism and help burn those calories I will consume.

Now onto my eating habits! My favorite part, because honestly, I love to eat. Food and I have a long time relationship, plus I’ll admit it, I’m an emotional eater. My sister, aka Spunky Starfish, says I have a metabolism like a racehorse. I didn’t use to have this type of a metabolism. In the past, I would not eat because of my extra poundage, making my body hold on to everything. But after doing a LOT of research about how the stars eat, I learned its better to keep your body working like a machine and a machine needs fuel. So every 3 hours I give myself a little snack usually between 150-200 calories, mostly fruits or veggies, making my body WORK! Of course I up the calories for the normal meals of the day.

Having this change in my life I dropped 20 pounds in 4 months!! I was stoked. Now I’m at my healthy average weight. However, I’m still “just a little bit chubby” for the Hollywood scene. So on with my healthy lifestyle, to stay fit and just drop a little more to compete for the roles and my dream career. Be sure not fall into those fab diets and dangerous detoxs. They, like some of Hollywood fame, come into the spotlight then slowly fade out.

Be your own Starfish and SHINE ON, with a healthy lifestyle!
Best wishes,
Mudgetfish

Mama's Diabetes Story

The following is a post from my (Ally's) mom and how she's reached a point to where she can control her diabetes with diet and exercise. My mom has always been a cute and petite lady but when she found out about her diabetes she did such an amazing job at controlling what she ate and getting back in shape. During my high school graduation everyone commented on how great she looked and how much weight she'd lost. One would think I was jealous at her attention - but she deserved it. She worked so hard.

We will be featuring more guest bloggers with their inspirational stories to tell.


My whole family has diabetes. I knew before I got married I would be a canidate for diabetes that's why I stress on you to always check your blood for diabetes (my mom's telling me to do this).

I found out six years ago about my Typ 2 Diabetes. My doctor set an appointment with a nutrionist, to set a goal and weight for my diabetes. Next we set up a daily menu with a 1,500 calorie a day. Then foods that I can have and foods with sugar like sweets & carbs. When it comes to carbohydrates it's wise to choose a certain amount of grams for the carb intake. I chose to have a daily intake of 15 grams of carbohydrates but to exceed 20 grams.

Pasta and rice product is your enemy! and must only be eaten in small portions.

My doctor prescribed some diabetes meds. So with the medication and daily menu I went from from 180 to 160. (Go mama!)

There are times that I did get tired of doing and sometimes I would slip but I always felt really guilty . Thankfully I had a great doctor that I consult with and he told me it's alright that sometimes it get stressed doing the same diet over and over but that I had to know it was for my well being. He told me he liked my numbers and I was doing a good job and that it was ok to go off on your daily menu but not make a habit out of it.

My husband and I returned from a 3 week cruise around Europe. I gained 10 lbs while on the trip from eat all of the delicious European cuisine but have lost 4 lbs. Just six more pounds to go until I am back to 160.

I'd like to lose another 10 lbs and this will be on steady point. I do find that exercise is big help with the diet, if I can exercise at least 30 min a day then I'm doing good. The long exercise routines aren't necessary - especially if they make you fatigued for the rest of the day. Just a nice enough workout with some sweat and increased cardio should suffice. That way one can still function for the rest of the day.

I am not the perfect diabetes patient but I am perfect for what I need to do for my diabetes problem. If I can help anyone in anyway who is having a problem with their diet I would gladly do it.