Slim Series Rotation Update

I've been doing the Slim Series for almost 2 weeks now and have gone down one size.  Feels great!  I lost 5 pounds the first week and so far have just maintained this week, but feel a teensy bit smaller.  I've been eating a high raw diet too as best I can. 

Usually when I do the Slim Series, I follow the guidelines in their Slim Training rotation which is to do all 5 workouts during the week with a yoga day in place of the Cool It Off (stretch routine) day.  This time I knew I'd have to start off slower.  So last week I did 3 SS workouts with yoga on the alternate days.  This week, I'm doing 4 SS workouts with yoga after 2 in a row.  I've been sore a bit all over, but I'm finding that my quads and hamstrings have been the tightest and most sore (sore-est?) which to me means they were quite weak.

I'm excited about my progress and plan to continue on for 4 more weeks.  Afterward, I'll probably get back into my Cathe workouts.  Hopefully by then, her new Low Impact Series will be out.  Hope, hope!

So many options and opportunities

It seems like when I break away from the way most people eat (or as many say, the Standard American Diet or SAD way of eating), I hear people comment on the foods that they would miss or what I "don't get to eat."  People on diets talk about feeling deprived or having cravings for what they love most and miss.  I've had similar thoughts.  I've been known (in the past, I might add) to walk around the grocery store thinking of all foods that I can't buy or eat anymore (I should be so grateful -- look at all the money I'm saving and all the health problems I'm avoiding).

It's easy to fall into that trap.  First of all, cravings are real and habitual thoughts are hard to erase from your mind (like ice cream is the best thing to eat when out with friends).  But it is possible.  And the more you fill your mind with helpful and healthful information, the more these old thoughts will subside.

An approach I've loved seeing develop in my mind is seeing how MANY options I have for eating healthy and tasty foods and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to live in a place and situation with such an abundance of foods.  Forget all the stuff I'm passing up!  I don't have enough time in the DAY or space in my stomach for all the yummy healthy foods I could be eating!

If my fridge is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables and I have a variety of nuts and seeds in my cupboards, I can think of all kinds of combinations or simple delicious treats to eat throughout the day.  My mind fills with the choices at my finger tips and then I eat one or two until I'm full and save the rest until later.  I never get to them all in a day.  It's a great way to eat!

This only really works when I'm eating a high raw or all raw diet.  When I add in cooked grains/starches (or especially processed foods), I end up craving more than I should eat and get off track with identifying my body's needs.  It's not always easy to get my body away from them, but once I am, it's quite liberating. 

Life is good!  TTFN!

Slim Series -- Back at it!

After who knows how long of sticking to a rotation, I've decided to do the Slim Series again.  (If you're new to my blog, the Slim Series is the more advanced version of the Slim in 6 set that has been on infomercials for years).  I had another pelvic floor surgery 5 weeks ago today and was told to wait a month before I started exercising.  I did some gentle yoga after 2 weeks and have gotten my flexibility back since.  I still can't do high impact exercise or lift over 10 pounds for the next 2 months, so I decided to do Debbie's workouts again.  She has some jogging in place or half-jacks amidst the weight work, but I can easily modify that.  She primarily uses 3 or 5 pound weights, but if I work up to 8s, I can sit down to do the upper body work (which is actually how I'm starting out this week even for the lighter weights) so I don't put too much pressure on my pelvic floor.

When I first did the Slim Series, I took measurements every Monday morning and I started the week yesterday by doing just that.  I've gained some weight this summer, especially post-surgery, so I'm excited to see these workouts do their magic.  They really do reduce inches faster than any other workouts I've done. And they help me regain my strength and firm up a bit.

I'm also recommitting to raw eating.  I just got out Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food book and saw some recipes in there that I hadn't noticed or tried before, such as a spinach dip made with avocados.  I need to go bring in some wheat to sprout so I can start making crackers again.  Oh how I love smelling those crackers in the dehydrator!  Much to do, much to do!  I'll post my progress for these next 6 weeks and will hopefully get my blogging habit back!  TTFN!