The Orange Rhino Challege

 

(Doing it for these two beautiful people.  The best two things I ever made from scratch.  Look at the fun we have when I'm not yelling.)

I know that there is still a lot for me to work on regarding my health and fitness but bettering myself means seeing and acknowledging all that is wrong with me and making an effort to change those things as well.  Since you have all done such a wonderful job holding me accountable for my food, nutrition and weight loss goals, I hope you don't mind me adding one more thing for you to help keep me honest about.

It may come as a surprise to some of you but I am a yeller.  My parents did the best job they could raising me.  I know that if they could have done things differently, they would have.  That said, when I was growing up, I thought often (I mean really often), about the type of mom I wanted to be, how I would do things differently and the relationship I wanted to have with my children.  It was my life dream to be a mother and to nurture little souls and guide them.

When Taylor was born I was the model mom.  I gave my child options, I taught her everything (every moment was a teaching moment), spoke to her in a way that allowed her to know she mattered, I nurtured her and I explained everything to her with patience (yes, started doing it when she was only a few months old).  I always believed that children were capable of so much more than people gave them credit.  Up until Taylor was 4 I don't recall ever yelling or raising my voice at her.  I recall my mom saying to me, "You love Taylor so much how will you ever be able to discipline her when she gets older?" 

I attribute Taylor talking at 9 months old, using multiple word sentences by the time she was 1 1/2, expressing her feelings instead of throwing tantrums and her extreme affection to how I raised her these critical first few years.  To be honest, neither one of my kids ever threw a tantrum in public or at home.  Ayden tried once or twice but they never grew into full blown tantrums.

Reflecting back on the type of mother I was then and the type of mother I am now, I can see why things have turned out as they have.  When you aren't busy yelling your kids hear you.  When you remain calm you are able to find better solutions.  And when you are not crazily emotional, your kids know what to expect hence they know what to do.

I don't know when this all changed and why it changed.  Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I had no expectations of my kids when they were small.  I knew that their role was to explore and learn.  Now that they are bigger I set a lot of expectations on them.  Sometimes unrealistic expectations which I have neither given the skills or the tools in order to succeed at what I am asking them to do.  For some reason, I magically expect that they will figure things out on their own.

Because I don't like the person I have become.  Because it makes me sad when they are sad.  Because I feel horrible when I yell.  I have decided that I will be embarking on the 365 day Orange Rhino Challenge.  Today is day 1.  So far so good since the girls have been at school all day.  Other personal challenges I may need:  365 Days of Not Being Condescending, 365 Days of No Emotional Abuse and 365 Days of No Over Reaction.  I'll start with this one and see what happens.

Reflections On What Works For Me

Not the most elegant pose or flattering picture but acknowledging that I have come a long way.

Reporting back after my cousin's wedding.

- I only juiced once
- I ate too much
- I didn't work out
- I had some self control issues

Today I am bloated, swollen and feeling icky.  So, instead of sleeping in I got up and did my usual work out.  I will also be biking 9.2 miles today.  Our family decided that after the bad food weekend we would bike to see a movie at Riverview Theater instead of drive.  We also decided no popcorn and no soda.

All of that said, as I worked out today, I reflected on things from this weekend.

1. In a million years I would never have thought to wear a stand out of the crowd, fitted red dress.  Why is this?  Even when I was thinner (many years ago) I did not have the confidence to pull it off.  I was never secure enough in my body to make such a bold statement.
2. Though I am no longer obese, I am still greatly over weight (20 pounds over weight to be exact).  Despite this fact I received many compliments on how good I looked. 
3. I was not wearing spanx (for my men followers that is the undergarment that women wear to smooth out their rolls and give them shape) and wearing barely any make up.  I was told that my skin, not one of my best features, was glowing and my back fat (I wish there was a nicer name for this), was non-existent.

The difference in my shape and my skin I can attribute to the change in my life style.  The juicing has greatly reduced the "fine lines" from aging, has tightened up my skin, and has put natural color back into it.  As for the change in my body shape, it's my new exercise routine. 

I always thought that in order to lose weight I needed to do rigorous cardio.  I would push myself to run, elliptical, bike, etc...for an hour to an hour and a half.  The only results I ever saw were injuries.  Repetitive motion is not my friend. 

About 2 months ago I changed my routine.  I started running 1.5 miles (much less cardio than I use to do) at a steeper incline and added more resistance training.  I lift over 26,000 pounds in each work out and I squat 50 times using a 10 pound medicine ball doing tricep extensions after each squat.  I am strategic about the areas of my body I am trying to slim down and smooth out.  When I lift weights I do so using tabada interval timing (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 8 times).

I always thought that if I burned a lot of calories and lost weight that the shape of my body would just improve.  I know now that is not the case.  Well, that is not the case for me and all I can do is speak for myself.  This has been a long journey of trial and error but I am thankful to finally find what works for me.  Wishing everyone luck on their struggles and their journey.

The Day After

This morning I woke up having lost a little more weight.  After my 15 day juice cleanse I am down 13.4 pounds.

So, what do you eat after a juice cleanse?  My goal was to ease into eating again so I made myself a warm, nappa cabbage infused with garlic, ginger and lemon grass soup.  It was delicious.  Then in the afternoon I ate a piece of cake that I had been saving from a friend's birthday party.  Boy was that a mistake. 
After the cake I did not feel normal the rest of the day.  I knew better and didn't listen to my body.  I went the rest of the day without eating.  I've been mainly drinking water and coconut juice.  I think I'll juice twice tomorrow and stick to simple foods. 

I do have to pat myself on the back though.  Tonight was the Hmong Women Leadership Institute reception.  There was delicous papaya salad, pad thai, chicken wings, and a tofu veggie stir fry and I didn't have any of it.  In fact, I don't think I thought twice about the food.  Yay me.

Taking it one day at a time.  Will see what happens this weekend at my cousin's wedding. 

Day 15 (Tuesday, May 21)

Today is my last day of juicing.  Though it has been a wonderful experience, I am looking forward eating my food versus drinking it.  As of this morning I am down 12.8 pounds.  

Reflection on Day 15
Changes I have observed since I started doing coffee enemas

• I sleep better
• I wake up refreshed and ready to go in the morning
• I need less sleep to feel energized
• I am no longer gassy (those who know me know that this has been an issue all my life - excessive gas)
• My over all energy and mood is so much  more positive (I know, how can that be right?)

Though I am still getting use to doing this procedure I know that it's doing what it is suppose to.

General reflections about being vegan/juicing

• I have noticed that since I have been vegan I no longer have issues with my breath.  Meaning, no more bad breath.
• I also noticed that body odors (feet, gas, under arm, sweat, etc...) either have no odor at all or the odor is minimal.
• My skin has gotten tighter and my wrinkles have been reduced greatly.  (Someone told me the other day they thought I was 28...I had to laugh).
• I have greater clarity in my thinking.
• Most importantly, I have a better connection with my body and how it is suppose to work.

 After following me on this journey I'm sure you know me way better than you would have ever wanted.  I am certain I have shared much too much but I think we are all better off for knowing all the nitty gritty details.  If I don't tell you who will?

Day 11, Day 12, Day 13 & Day 14

Holy man!  Hard to post everyday.  So, lots to reflect on but now that the moment has passed I guess I'll just do a quick report.

Reflection on Day 14
I am down exactly 12 pounds.  I am still feeling great.  No cravings.  I have been tested over and over again with yummy tempting foods.  Each time I am faced with the option to eat delicious but less than healthy foods I have been able to turn way and not give the food a second thought.  I feel more confident everyday that once I am off my juicing cleanse I will have broken my addiction to food. 

I did also try coffee enemas.  Why coffee enemas?  It's probably better explained by practitioners of Dr. Gerson. 

"The coffee enema is capable of removing circulating toxins and partial metabolites for one specific reason, and that is that the coffee enema not only dilates bile ducts - which Gerson knew - we now know, from the work of Wattenberg, Sparnins, and Lam at the University of Minnesota, Department of Pathology, Minneapolis, that coffee stimulates an enzyme system in the liver, glutathione-S-transferase, that is capable of removing a vast variety of electrophiles from the bloodstream. Electrophiles are referred to in popular literature as free radicals."

Here's a link if you want to know more:  http://www.gersonhawaii.us/gersonarticle5.html

Just one more day left and I will be eating solids.  Feeling a little bit torn about it but also looking forward to it.

Day 10

Down 10 pounds.  I don't think I have ever lost 10 pounds in one month so to do it in 10 days is unbelievable. 

I have increased my castor oil treatments to once a day.  I feel like it is making a big difference in how things move in my body.

Juicing Reflection on Day 10
Tonight I attended a surprise birthday party for a good friend of mine.  Of all places, the party was held at the Nook in St. Paul (featured on Diners, Drivers and Dives).  I was surrounded by food and cake and I was not consumed with the thought of eating them.  I was able to enjoy the company of wonderful friends without being distracted by my addiction.

That said, after much thought and consideration on what my natural path doctor said to me, I am reducing my cleanse from 30 days to 15 days.  My goal was never to lose weight but to reset my body and heal myself on the inside. I think I am nearly there.  My addiction has been severely broken (dare I say gone?).  I guess that means just 5 days left to report on.

Day 8 & Day 9

Juicing Reflection on Day 8
The reflection of day 8 will touch on my womanly function so if you don't want to know this much about me, please skip to my day 9 reflection.

For the first time that I can recall, during my monthly cycle, things that normally occur which I have been told are all natural and expected, did not happen.  I did not have cravings the days before hand, my cycle was extremely light, it was also very short (three days from beginning to end), I did not retain water, nor did I have the normal tenderness in my chest.  I wonder, is this how it is suppose to be?  For women who have extreme PMS, could all of it be eliminated through diet?

Juicing Reflection on Day 9
I am now down 9.5 pounds.  I have lost nearly a pound a day.  I noticed today that my body is not asking for as much nutrition.  Maybe the week building up to my monthly cycle required more nutrition because my  body was trying to store "energy" in case of pregnancy?  I don't know.  What I do know is today I have only had lemon water, one juice and coconut water and I seem to be just fine.

On another note, I did want to report that I did not consult with my primary care, kidney or natural path doctors before staring my 30 day juice cleanse.  I finally checked in with my natural path doctor the other day.  Based on her advice, I think I will need to shorten my fast from 30 days to 15 or 20 days.  I guess I've never been one to move slowly on anything. I go all in or I don't go at all.  Maybe where my health is concerned I should take a more cautious approach.  I'll think on it and decide.