Okay, well it’s been over a week since I last posted. Part of that is because I’ve been busy. Part of that is because I haven’t felt like there is much to report. I ended up getting a bit sick at the beginning of last week with my asthma really kicking up. You know, like, of course. I blast out of the gates my first week on the eating and exercising plan and go gangbusters. Then my body says, “Whoa Bessie! Slow the hell down!” It’s kinda difficult to exercise when you can’t breathe. So, this meant that I missed some of my planned activities. Not all, I still made it to some cardio, but I missed evening activities. My lips turning blue on my lesson with Ivan on Monday and getting winded just taking a few basic steps, well, they were a clear sign.
So, I guess it’s good news/bad news for those of you curious about my progress. The good news is I haven’t gained any weight with my little detour. The bad news, it’s slow going. I’m not dropping weight like I would like. And part of that is due to the aforementioned breathing problems. Back to good news, I had a lesson this morning with Ivan, I’m going to Inna’s tonight, and the work-out buddy will be meeting me at the gym tomorrow morning. I plan on doing the belly dancing and Glee cardio as well. Basically, back in the saddle. As for eating, I’m doing an Isagenix cleanse starting Thursday. It will be 9 days. I am committed, and kind of dreading it, but also kind of excited to see what kind of results it will create. I feel like I constantly need to “trick” my body by doing different things with my eating and exercise so that it will change. It’s frustrating not seeing much change outwardly.
However, I will say, that I think perhaps I “feel” a bit lighter. It may be slightly easier to move. This is a good thing. I just wish it were, like, dramatic.
So, no grandiose results to report, which kinda makes me feel like not reporting anything…ergo blog silence. Ah well, good thing I can’t hide out forever! I’m committed to the blog and I’m committed to my transformation. I already declared myself into these games.
One game I haven’t yet declared myself into is the upcoming Galaxy Dance Comp here in Phoenix in just over a month.
I got the go-ahead from Ivan. He’s fine with focusing on just doing quality dancing, not caring how we place, just having fun. And it’s not like a major competition like Emerald or something.
The thing is, I’m not sure I want to do it.
Part of me feels like I’d be sad if I don’t participate. Part of me thinks that my mom and mother-in-law would like to see me dance.
Part of me feels like I haven’t changed enough to make an appearance just yet.
So, that is another nothing-to-report kind of detail. I’ve yet to gain clarity around this question just yet.
But I want to acknowledge my friend, The Spinning Dancer, here. You should check out her her post today. It may have a funny title but it is actually all about committment. Taking committed action. And boy did she ever! And boy am I so proud of her! And boy isn’t it inspiring to see others take a big bite out of life, declare what they want, and go after it like no kidding, even through fear!
As an interesting aside….look at the picture of her in her new dress and compare it to the pictures in this post. Is that wild or what?
Anyways, I guess it kind of inspired me…The Spinning Dancer’s actions, I mean. Inspired me to actually write a dang post. Inspired me to examine my commitments. Reminded me that a person can’t cross a chasm in two small steps.
Well, step one is to go to Inna’s class tonight and work my butt off. Next up is to complete my intended exercise plan for the week. Third is to start the Isagenix cleanse Thursday and complete it in 9 days while navigating my mother’s birthday dinner.
It’s time to take a stand. A stand for me. A committed stand. And this is what it looks like for the next week or so. (Defective bronchi don’t stop me now!)
I’ll keep you updated on how things go. And, well, I may be “venting” a bit more than usual if necessary while on the cleanse. I’m gonna have to find ways to distract myself, you know?
Alright, off to Imperial Ballroom….Class starts in 14 minutes.
Beautiful Girl In The Ballroom 
Stef – it may or may not work for you, but DH has reduced his asthma meds by about 90% by going off wheat. Since you will already be doing a cleanse, it might be worth a try.
My advice for treats and things like birthdays is from an odd source – Dolly Parton. She had to lose a lot of weight some time back and she said she just ate whatever she wanted. She just had one bite! Still takes some discipline, but I don’t feel deprived if I can at least taste something.
We are all rooting for you:)
Hang in there, Stef. For me, weight loss was a spiral process. I’d be on an upward trajectory for a while, and then overeat or get lazy and lose some ground on a downward phase. The main thing is to not lose heart on the downward sections; know that you will spiral upward again. A helpful strategy for me was keeping a food/ exercise/weight diary. I wrote (and still write) in it everything I eat, everything that qualifies as exercise, and I record each morning’s weight. I’ve found that it takes two days for the results of a given day’s eating/exercise to show up on the scale. The diary helped me maintain some faith in the process and in myself – my ability to keep going after a backslide.