Struggling

It doesn't take long before the excitement of a new start wears off, life invades enthusiasm and I feel like I am back to square one.  I had an injury to my left leg.  I don't know what happened but I was in extreme pain so I rested and stopped walking for a while.  Negative thinking left me feeling bad about  myself but then I thought of the positive changes I have made since January 2.  I used to be addicted to Diet Pepsi..I drank it every day, instead of water.  Since that time I have only had two diet drinks and now drink water regularly.  I have become a TEA drinker, and use honey instead of aspartame or sugar.  So those are two great accomplishments for the month.   I will be back to walking tomorrow and realize I need to be flexible and patient with myself. 

My last walk was soo exciting.  Remember the green house? Well I was walking by and a couple  were about ready to view the home so I asked if I could join.  What fun!  So here are the pics of my exciting tour. 

It is a sin to combine ARTS AND CRAFTS PERIOD DESIGN WITH PLASTIC!  I wanted to rip it off!

Even the garage is interesting.   Someone mentioned the ceiling was painted to ward off evil spirits or mosquitos.

 



This house was for auction on February 2, starting bid of  $19,000.  I am sure it sold for much more than that.  It was fun to WALK through such a beautiful home.

~ Elizabeth

No, I didn't fall off the wagon, but I did fall!

See, I told you the truth.  At first I am intense, working on pictures, thinking of exciting places to walk and now look almost a month later and I am writing only once a week!  So the writing every day went out the window early on but I AM STILL WALKING and DOING the FLAT BELLY DIET!!! This is an amazing accomplishment!!!    And I have so much to tell you!

First I will start by letting you know that there is (OF COURSE) more than one diet focusing on BELLY FAT and the dynamics of subcutaneous versus visceral fat.   The new life style I am trying is the, "Flat Belly Diet" which I am ecstatic about because you can eat "DARK CHOCOLATE and NUTS".  It seems to be working.  The book starts with an acknowledgement from Dr. David Katz, Director of Prevention Research Center of Yale University School of Medicine and that's good enough for me.  I was telling one of my co-workers about the diet and she said, "Oh so and so is on that too", so later in the day I saw so and so told her I was on the Flat Belly diet.  She said, "Oh low carbs high protein? (Sounds like ATKINS) and I reply, "NO, MUFA'S" (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids)... You have to read the book.  So there you go.  This will be the decade of belly diets and despite what kind of food you are told to eat the focus will be on getting rid of visceral fat.  We all know the basic recipe for that is Calories eaten versus Calories burned.   I have a big bum as well,  but I don't think any diet that  is going to just burn off my butt and nothing else.  So then I googled, "belly diets". There is the Flat Belly Diet, The Belly Off Diet, The Belly Fat Diet , The Belly Fat Cure... well that enough for me..  I think the real cure is finding an eating program where you are satisfied, eating natural foods and not stimulated to binge eating.  So as we continue following my progress.. I let you know if have have found my cure!

On the weekend I took a walk and saw this beautiful home.  Brace yourselves, it's going to be auctioned on February 2 with a starting bid of  $19,000!  I want it!

Discipline and Flexibility, what an ODD combination!

It's been twenty days and I am still exploring this walking  experiment.    In the first days, it was fun,  my thoughts were of adventures, walking through St. Petersburg.  The heights of my imagination have now come back to reality.  Walking can be boring, when you have to do it for health sake rather than pleasure.  The exceptional part of me wants and expects everything to be beautiful, fun and inspiring, which has led to successes and failures.  An intense, all or nothing kind of person, I must do it 100%, do it right or (in my eyes) I am a failure. Then I stop trying.  This is not only related to activity but other areas of my life as well.  This is a well developed behavior that hopefully will change this year.  I have learned that  I must be disciplined to expect to walk everyday but also flexible., if I just can't that's alright.  I haven't had the time to take my fun walks but I have taken my 1 mile walk every night. And that is a great success for me!

Yes, I have survived the first four days of "The Flat Belly Diet".  I think it's funny most of these diets have a beginning cleansing.  Most will go to great lengths to tell you the scientific bodily mechanics of why such a cut back is so good for you.  I think the real motive is to have in a state of  "Oh My God, I can't do this forever!" so when you transition to the main plan, you think, "Oh this isn't so bad".   

Finally, I love the Sparks People website but I just haven't had the time to coordinate the "Flat Belly Diet" with the Nutrition Section.  Again this is my lesson in flexibility.  I can not change in one day!  I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I want to be instantly changed.  All of my life I've been eating for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way.  I guess when you totally embrace that you can change and accept that the process is long term,  then permanent change will come.   

~ Elizabeth

Jake = Steak

                                                                                                                                                                    All our friends know Jake LOVES steak.  When he comes to town, it's a given that we will go out to ate steak.  Just to let you know I have been walking a little over a mile EVERYDAY!  It's hard to change but I am willing to give the Flat Belly diet a whirl.   Well, Friday evening I went to the store to buy the ingredients for the first 4 days, and the store closed before I had gotten half way through the list! So what could I do but be thankful the next day, when my friends TOLD me they were taking me to the Brazilian Steakhouse, and I hadn't started yet.  We all know that routine.  So I had a great time with my friends and my new way of eating is starting tomorrow. By the way the food there is GREAT!

Once you post this information for all to see, it does help keep up the motivation.  The Flat Belly Diet is a 32 day plan to change one's eating lifestyle.   I will start drinking my Sassy water tomorrow, so watch out! 

~ Elizabeth

Day 12: Taking the Initiative

 

I had Chinese food for lunch today.  I don't usually pick a fortune cookie but today was my lucky day.  What an inspiration,  "Take the initiative and others will support you!".   I am an easy going person, sometimes to the point of being passive.  I usually need my friends to support me first, then I'll take the initiative.   That little piece of paper with just a few words changed my perspective today.  I am going to continue to take the initative to become more fit.  I truly thank all of my friends and family who will support me!  

I work late, so I had my usual walk to the park and back. Local scenic tours will have to take place on the weekend.  If you haven't noticed, I LOVE ST. PETERSBURG, FL., especially the Old Northeast! I'm excited about taking walks on the weekend so I can show you this beautiful area. 

What is  happening to me?  I decided my half hour walk at night is not enough, so starting tomorrow I am going to walk the Hamster Trail to get my salad for lunch.  I just have to remember to bring my walking shoes!

~ Elizabeth  

Day 11: Information Overload

Most of my friends know that I can read a subject to death.  Instead of walking, I might get 10 books on how to walk and never leave my lounging spot!  Constantly in self-improvement mode, one friend said, "You need to stop reading books and forget about it", helpfully meaning .. get on with the ACTION of DOING. 

Again thanks to this forum I am still walking but I just can't help myself I am also still reading. 

Linda and Oscar  Photo by Jennie Thunell of St. Petersburg

I thank my sweet mother for her inspiration.  She takes walks everyday, and tries to keep up with my father, who still bikes, goes to spin class and I don't know I lost track.  In addition, she reads EVERYTHING.  Books you would never think of, titles that make you laugh and some that just make you frown and say, "WHAT!".   

My love of architecture, art, history, reading  also comes from my parents.  Look at their beautiful Bed & Breakfast, Gansevoort House Inn and Galleries.  On the web page you can visit all the interesting things my parents are doing!

Oops, got off track again.. My point started out.. there is so much information.  I'm torn between the Sparks Program. and the new book Mom sent, " Flat Belly Diet!".  The Spark program is  awesome. you must try it.  Just plug in your information, how much you weigh and how much you want to lose,.. and it makes not only a menu but a grocery list.  If you don't like what is on the list you have many alternatives to choose from.  You enter your progress with the fitness as well and everything is documented, graphed and measured, easily.  I think vanity, as I have, well I'll  kindly say, " I do not have a flat belly" will win. I am looking forward to reading the book. Thanks, Mom.  And many thanks to all the people cheering me on.  It is inspiring.

Oh by the way I did walk today, measured and I walked 3 miles per hr!  Did a little over a mile. Until I walk again!

~ Elizabeth

Day 9 AND 10: Do you talk to yourself?

I was just wondering because I had an argument with myself.  It was Monday, I was still recovering from my tree climbing activities and well,... I just did NOT feel like walking.  Distracted by doing all the things that keep me unfit like eating, sitting around and finally LAYING DOWN!  Some how I ended up in my room and the internal conversation went like this... "DON"T DO IT!", "But I'm tired.. just fifteen;...,", "Oh NO, DON'T'.... "TOO LATE",,,,, OMG this bed feels so good."  "BUT YOU Have to walk" "But I don't want to", "But you have to..:" ..After fifteen minutes.... (and I was afraid I would fall asleep),  the stronger side up me said "GET UP!" and I did.  I took a walk but it was just a walk.. I didn't want to... wasn't happy about it but I did it.. Then I came home and went to bed. 

The next day, I realized I  had fans.  Friends at work were saying, what happened., my mother had been emailing me, anxiously awaiting the next adventure in Elizabeth's Experiment. Who knew? But then again maybe the absence of my blog entry was more noticeable because of my previous entry, "OMG, that's gonna hurt tomorrow"  and my conclusion to let everyone know how I would be the next day.  So just to clear everything up, I have recovered from my tree climbing.  Everyone at work loved the star fruit but I cringed when I saw the big thank you from management with a little note, "Can you bring more, they went really fast!"  The sweet side of me took over and I wrote, "I'll check the tree on Wednesday".

The great local news journal, The Northeast Journal, stated and I quote, "It's easy to become a devoted walker in the Old Northeast".  I am definitely not alone in my love and admiration of the architecture and landscaping in the area. Candy Lenderman, wrote and excellent article "Totally Zen-ful" and now I am ready to take walk to Cherry and 10th Ave. to few another beautiful home.

I am still getting wonderful advice from friends.  I read an  article stating you lose this much in a year if you walk this many miles per day at a certain speed per hour.  Well I don't know how fast I am walking! Perplexed, I pondered the ways to figure out my walking speed. Then a friend sent me a link to Spark Peoples Walking Guide  and what do you know, a fitness map that calculates not only how fast you walk, but how far and how many calories you burned. Is that not AMAZING! 

And yes I did walk tonight. My usual late night quick walk. So now I am going to plug in my numbers and found out how fast I was walking.  Give it a try.  Oh, by the way I may not write every day, but I WILL WALK!!

~ Elizabeth