Witchy Weight Loss and Support:, Imbolc to Beltane: Spring is coming!

[Aubergine68]

Welcome to the Imbolc to Ostara edition of the Witchy Weight Loss thread, for anyone who wants to bring an earth-centered/holistic/pagan spirituality to the issue of weight loss and health through better choices in diet and exercise. 

Who am I? I'm a mom of 3 children, school and preschool age, in my early 40s. I run a home daycare, homeschool my oldest, I'm a student, and have a busy family. The home daycare/homeschooling is actually going to work for me because I can build (mild) exercise into my day with the kids.

Goals? I am still trying to lose my baby weight from #3, although he is almost kindy age! I want to no longer be officially overweight, to be healthy and fit and to support my kids and my dh, who was just dx'd with Type 2 Diabetes in being healthy and fit. I want to buy a pretty sundress and feel good about wearing it! I want to have fun, to dance again. 

I was about 196 pounds at my highest, about 183 last June, 181 when I got serious about exercise in August, and 175.5 at Mabon, and after putting everything on hold to deal with some health issues and surgery, 171.6 now. 159 pounds will put me at a bmi that is no longer officially overwieght for my height, and I think 145 will be an appropriate final target weight, but I am open to being happier at a higher weight if I am fit and strong at that weight. So, nearly 30 pounds pounds down, about 20 -25 to go.

How I'm going to get there? Currently doing the 100 pushup challenge - osteoporosis runs in my family and building upper  body strength is a big priority. Using my exercise bicycle and cycling with my children when the weather gets better. I want to be swimming with my family once a week again, snow-shoveling, eating a low carb - high veg,  no processed food, gf diet, weighing every day, not eating in the evening.I am going to try growing sprouts and salad greens indoors to supplement my diet and ease the $ cost of all this fresh food in the winter. I am tracking my diet and will post a food diary here if I feel I'm stalling in the weight loss. 

Edited by Aubergine68 - 2/1/11 at 4:00pm

[_ktg_]

Maia -  This looks to be the closest to the one I had prepared from a special on PBS.  It has sugar in it, but I don't remember using any sugar so just drop it and go easy on the soy sauces if you are concerned about sodium.

Bonus - apparently its a popular dish for the chinese new year!  I'm tempted to go before the stores close today and pick up a head of napa cabbage and make this tonight - just subbing ground beef for the pork.mmmm

[femme_rouge]

Oh my...I just wrote out a long post with all my stats and lost it...Ahh!!!

ktg-That recipe looks super yummy!

Well, I'll try to recap:

I'm a mama of 2 sweet, fun kidlets (almost 5 and almost 7).  Food and weight have been a big part of my defenses since I was a small child.  I've done a lot of processing and dealing with this for years, and now, find myself in a loving, compassionate relationship with myself at any size.   This last summer I felt ready to "do something" to release and shed the weight I no longer need.  I decided to try homeopathic HGC since some wise mamas I trusted were doing it.

Since 9/23/10 I've lost:

52 lbs

5 1/4 in from Bust

9 in from Waist

9 in from Hips

My BMI has gone from: 34.4 to 25.5  *I'm 4.8 lbs from the normal range!

Wishing all you beautiful, strong women health in mind, body and spirit during this season.  Happy Imbolc!

[aweynsayl]

FR, you are amazing, lady! that is splendid! squeee!!

yay fun recipes! i wouldnt imagine needing sugar-- napa cabbage is sweet on its own! i'm probably making orange peel chicken for the 3rd. (i have a recipe, if anyone wants it.... my boys lurve "spicy chicken")

i've lost a few pounds and an inch or so, but mainly my progress the past thread/chunk of time was in healing my belly/digestion/gut. i wont ick you out with details, but that area is going SO much better. ;-)

in fact, i'm getting to the place where i might start looking into something to really get some of this weight off. 

i've been using my belly oils, to detox and firm. i havent been using my FEs-- as i've been focusing on other areas with them. :-) much wonderful healing, though, huzzah!

i've been doing so much better with food/cooking/etc....

i do need to get back to the pool....... as soon as it warms up a bit! hopefully by the end of this week. 

so....... i think i'm up for something else. something new................... open to inspiration/suggestions......... the one remaining thing that was on my TM that i havent done is trampoline. maybe i should look into that?

[femme_rouge]

Thanks Aweyn   You're amazing too!

[spughy]

Well I feel privileged to be on a weight-loss/body-happiness journey with ALL you amazing women!

I'm Sarah, 38, one kiddo who's 5, and my starting weight was 170-something, 42% body fat.  I'm now at about 135lbs and 29% body fat.  I have about 8 lbs to lose to get me into healthy BMI range and my goal is 22% body fat.  But, DH and I are also TTC so if we get lucky there, the fat loss will stop rather abruptly!  I eat a mostly paleo diet (no starch, no sugar is the easy way to explain that) and while I've been off dairy for the past month I'm going to be less strict about it now (but still eat less of it than I did previously).

My current challenge is to cut my coffee consumption back to 1 cup a week, enjoyed on a Sunday morning - but I have to get up before the rest of the family and have it in absolute peace and quiet in order to fully enjoy it. :) 

[Valerie.Qc]

just subbing...

I'll get there one day.

[aweynsayl]

ok, so i had decided that i would give trampoline/rebounding a try, simply because i'd stuck it on my TM. so i started looking it up online, just for kicks, and because it's freaking freezing here and because ds is still sleeping, and i dont know what to do with myself, lol..... and omgs. i think this is my answer! i've been doing the skin oil for detoxing cellulite, and really feeling like that, and lymph movement is key for me..... so, guess what trampoline is supposed to be great for? yeah, of course! i mean, i knew it was linked to detox, because i knew i wasnt supposed to do it til ds stopped nursing, but oh, i've got this feeling........... and, of course i decided it on the new moon. humph. i wanna go get one now!!!!!! squeeee! 

[_ktg_]

Who am I? I'm Kate, a WOHM with 2 boys and a wonderful DH who is turning his life around with better eating habits and exercise.

Goals? Starting at 213 as of 06/2010, I am looking to lose 40 lbs and get back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 180. I've lost 13 and I have 20 more to go! I am now signed up for a work challenge of exercise & weight loss.  I think this is the jump start I am needing to get back into the groove since I'm a rather competitve person

How are you going to get there?

So I have promised everything in the book, more exercise, etc. I am just not doing it though. My goals by Ostara:

• Get a solid night of sleep
• Walk for 60 minutes a day (this will help when I want to walk to work in the mornings!)
• Do meditation for 30 minutes a day
• Remind myself that I am fabulous no matter my shape and love me for me.
• Take my thyroid meds consistently, along with vit d, selenium & magnesium.
• Eat healthy and lose the sugar from my diet - and I'm tracking my calories to stay on track!

Measurements
Black is 08/03/2010
Purple is as of 09/23/2010

Orange is as of 11/14/2010

Green is as of 02/03/2011
Height 5'10"
Weight :203 -> 197->199 -> 200

Upper arms 13" ->12.25"->12.5" ->13
Lower arm 10" -> 9.5" ->N/A ->10
Chest (above the bust): 39" ->N/A ->N/A -> 37.5
Under bust 38", ->N/A ->36" -> 37.5
Bust: 41" -> 40"->40" ->40

Waist, relaxed, 41" -> 39" ->38" ->42
Hips, around fattest part of butt 45" -> 43" ->44" ->42
Upper thigh 24" -> 23" ->23" ->23
Calf, fattest part 16" -> 16" ->16" ->16

Not too much change which is nice given the holiday/feasting season!  Now to jump start this weight loss and healthy living once again :D
 

[aweynsayl]

i went swimming today! i went swimming today! i went..... ok, you get it. ;-)

it was soooo windy, i wished i could stay totally under water, lol, but i DID it. that's the hardest thing-- getting BACK in the habit, once so loved, that had been so utterly broken! 

now, to find a trampoline.................

[aweynsayl]

still no trampoline, but i have started a new exercise regime. it's led by my son (4, almost 5), and involves various forms of sword play and lightsaber training. 

anyone else getting rather... foodily disgruntled? happens to me every year around this time. really craving something new and different, but cant think what! any ideas?

hope all are doing well! 

[Indigo73]

Subbin' before I forget to... again.

[Aubergine68]

Hello!  Repeating week  six of the pushup challenge  (ow my arms). But I WILL make it to 100!

I need to start posting my food, being accountable. And I need a week sugar-free, at least - I have stevia in my cupboard for my tea - there is really no excuse.

So here is what I ate today:

 3 cups of tea with milk - about a quarter cup each.  probably a tbsp of sugar in the first cup (insert bag over the head smiley)

10 raw cashews

! grapefruit blended with water and two tsp coconut oil

Veg stirfry with bok choy, napa cabbage, green onion and chopped sweet pepper, two Thai seasoned chicken strips

6  cheddar flavored rice chips

Three cups white tea with raspberry flavor, stevia

1 chopped red plum, 2/3 chopped pear, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/3 c milk, 1 cheese string (gosh, not having tea with milk and sugar during my break 

 leaves me hungry for actual food!)

1 cup homemade refried beans (mmmmm), 1 oz grated cheddar, 2/3 cups salsa, 1 corn tostada shell, 1 chopped jalapeno

Edited by Aubergine68 - 2/16/11 at 4:00pm

[aweynsayl]

what's everyone up to? why is this thread so slow?? 

havent got a tramp yet, but have been swimming. i need a new swimsuit desperately, because mine is getting to that gonna-fall-off stage! partly because it's so worn, and partly because i've been going down a couple inches at the hip and waist. 

although, i have realized that swimming is more my melusina moment than actual exercise. very very worth it. :-)

now, who wants to hear WHY i've been going down inches? hmmm? diet? nope. exercise? nope. wait for it... cell salts. yeah. i've been taking silica cell salt constitutionally, and one of the things it does is firm things. welllll, it's been "firming" my belly. astounding. no idea how "much" it will do, but wow. 

eating hasnt been going too well... i've been using up stuff, vs. making splendid things. thank goodness i have my belly tea (chamomile, calendula, fennel seed, peppermint), because i do not love digesting pasta two days in a row. <shudder> but with that tea, it's fine. 

my goal is to get a trampoline before aries new moon. should give even slow-to-decide me enough time!

hope everyone's doing well!

[spughy]

Still here... stuck weight-wise, but otherwise everything's ok.  I've been a little low-energy this week, haven't felt as strong or as into working out.  Yesterday I spent the day tromping all over Vancouver with my mom, which was fun, and I bought myself some Vibram 5-finger shoes and they are AWESOME.  It's like getting away with wearing slippers everywhere.  I am very tired now though and I wonder what my leg muscles will feel like tomorrow morning... 

Just realized I have less than 5 lbs to lose, to get me to "not overweight".  Wow.  And it's made me suddenly impatient.  I want to lose those 5 lbs NOW!!! But, as I get closer to a healthy, sustainable weight, the excess is coming off more and more slowly.  I should be ok with that.

[Valerie.Qc]

Still doing a Gluten-free diet, taking Cell Salts and Flower Essences. I weighted this morning and I'm 2 pounds lighter than before! Yay! Movement! I've been told that when gluten is interferring with thyroid, it can take up to 6 weeks to see results... I'm on week 4 (I think). I'll keep going!

Yoga tonight.

[aweynsayl]

ohhh, that's awesome! i am intrigued by the thyroid/gluten link. dont know that i'd heard that. fascinating stuff.

i now have two new swimsuits that FIT. ahhhhh. amazing feeling. :-)

[LionessMom]

i have read that having an intolerance and eating the foods you are intolerant too leads to thyroid dysfunction.

 i am loving this weight loss! a total of 23 lbs down! my pants are falling down and my rings are slipping off. when i walk down the hall i dont feel heavy. i dont feel like i am thudding or bouncing in my hip sockets. i feel lighter and it feels easier to move. i have been doing body flow, yoga and swimming. but not consistently. maybe once a week. i have been making sure to do housework everyday. i cut out dairy and HFCS. i havent been successful at cutting out anything else. but i have to be on a fructose free diet bc i am intolerant. i have more energy too. so i am 150 lbs. i weighed more than that when DH and I met. i weighed 135 when i was 25. i would love to get back to that. so 15 more lbs. but i would still be completely happy with where i am now if i cant lose anymore. i am so surprised that i lost what i did. i bet i can lose more. especially if i start taking the kids swimming again. it is almost warm enough to justify them having wet hair when we leave the y. they have been asking. but it is still only 25 out most times. oooh and walks. i can start that real soon. i made a boot for my stroller. it is fleece on one side and cotton on the other. with elastic and ties and all that. would def keep her plenty warm if it was a slightly chilly day. and it costs no money to go for walks. i am so getting excited for spring!!

[GoldBerry]

  Hello all! Geez, it has been a long time since I have been on MDC, but when I came to search for something today (I still often use this site as a reference book of sorts) and I saw this great thread I just had to post!

I'm a 40 year old mama of three- 10, 6 and 6 months. About two years ago, I realized that my weight was creeping steadily up and I had to do something about it. I started running/ walking three times a week and it made an incredible difference. I didn't loose a bunch of weight but I slimmed down and it was also a huge stress reliever. When I got pregnant last year (Surprise!), I was feeling really good about my body. The pregnancy went well and our sweet baby daughter is wonderful! I began exercising a month after she was born and eventually began running again. This January I got fed up with the extra weight, so I began counting my calories (using My Plate at LiveStrong,com) and that has helped a lot! I've lost about 10 pounds and I have five more to go. Jean shopping yesterday was actually fun!

Right now I exercise about 45 minuets 5 days a week. I usually do a Jillian Michaels workout while DD is napping in the morning. Love her or hate her, her work outs really kick butt. I started with the 30 Day Shred (which has three levels and the work outs are 20 minuets long) and now i prefer "Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism" or "No More Trouble Zones"- they really work! I'm not the gym type- I like to be in my living room where I can sweat and fart alone thank you very much!  Once or twice a week I do a 30- 45 minuet run with the babe. Now, when I get a chance to run alone, I feel like I can fly because I am not pushing an extra 20+ pounds!

 My goal is to keep my daily calories around 1500. I have stopped eating rice or pasta or bread with dinner. I didn't think I could do this, but I have doubled the veggies I eat ( usually with a meat protein of some sort) and that really helps. I limit myself to one beer a week- because I love good beer, but wine has far less calories!

Spiritually, I know that becoming more physically active has put me touch with my body, I love the way it feels when I am really sweaty and my body is just vibrating with energy! Running, especially when I get the chance to do a trail run, is such an amazing way to connect with nature. I usually listen to music and sometimes the beauty of the world and the music and my physical energy come together is a glorious way!

I just wanted to say hi and tell you all that you are awesome! Keep up the great work!!

[Aubergine68]

Hey!  Goldberry!  Lovely to see you here!

Spughy!  Amazing that you are so close to your goal!

Cheers for new swimsuits!  I got one myself, recently - feels good.  I was off of swimming for a while because it seemed to trigger ear infections/itches.  I've been trying the trick of putting a few drops of rubbing alcohol in my ear after a swim and the problem doesn't exist anymore?

What is a melusina moment, aweyn?  Hooray for silica!  I've been putting my family on cell salts for the past couple of months.  My sons take ones for teeth (and just had their first cavity-free dental appnt!) , dd has been on bioplasma, which has helped her skin,  but seems to have led to an odd sulphurous BO for which I am trying silica.  I am taking calc phos for my bone graft, and the other phos's often, others occasionally.  DH bioplasma and kali mur. I'm going to keep on with these ones for a couple months, barring anything new in the way of health conditions, and then try switching us all to the bioplasma, see if the conditions remain stable.  That would be much simpler!

Something funny -- I've been experimenting with a pendulum as suggested in the cell salts thread for minor health questions.  As I've been building my collection of individual cell salts, for example, I'll read the descriptions of say, Ferr Phos and Mag Phos and then use the pendulum to choose which one will most benefit me in individual salts at this time. (They are all much more expensive here, so I have to budget.)

 I have also been reading over the FE descriptions, because I really am interested in them.  But my pendulum emphatically says nay, buy cell salts, stay away from those FEs - but I continue to use the Self-heal and Madia and am happy at the results.  I figure I'm meant to stick with these for a while, before looking at others.  I hope to experiment with making some homemade herbal tinctures this spring and summer, and if I'm doing that,FEs shouldn't be too hard to make.

Today is my 7th day sugar-free (not as strict as Lioness,   no  refined sugar, honey, syrup, or processed foods high in sugar).  I've always had a sweet tooth but when I went gluten-free I ate a lot more sugary foods.  I'm allowing myself stevia and the occasional diet coke and find myself eating a lot of beans - the complex carbs really help the hungries.  I think this is helping my weight loss, although my scale is unreliable lately so I'm not sure.  The main thing is that I am feeling so much better - so much less tired! I'm sure the weight loss will come.  Glad you are enjoying that side effect, Lioness - you have such drastic changes going on in your diet.

 Continuing with the pushups - doing my third go at the same set, but I *am* improving.  I can feel the muscles in my shoulders and my posture is definitely improving.  (battery dying, going to post now and edit to answer posts below:

Originally Posted by aweynsayl 

Originally Posted by Valerie.Qc 

Still doing a Gluten-free diet, taking Cell Salts and Flower Essences. I weighted this morning and I'm 2 pounds lighter than before! Yay! Movement! I've been told that when gluten is interferring with thyroid, it can take up to 6 weeks to see results... I'm on week 4 (I think). I'll keep going!

Yoga tonight.

Originally Posted by aweynsayl 

ohhh, that's awesome! i am intrigued by the thyroid/gluten link. dont know that i'd heard that. fascinating stuff.

i now have two new swimsuits that FIT. ahhhhh. amazing feeling. :-)

Originally Posted by LionessMom 

i have read that having an intolerance and eating the foods you are intolerant too leads to thyroid dysfunction.

 i am loving this weight loss! a total of 23 lbs down! my pants are falling down and my rings are slipping off. when i walk down the hall i dont feel heavy. i dont feel like i am thudding or bouncing in my hip sockets. i feel lighter and it feels easier to move. i have been doing body flow, yoga and swimming. but not consistently. maybe once a week. i have been making sure to do housework everyday. i cut out dairy and HFCS. i havent been successful at cutting out anything else. but i have to be on a fructose free diet bc i am intolerant. i have more energy too. so i am 150 lbs. i weighed more than that when DH and I met. i weighed 135 when i was 25. i would love to get back to that. so 15 more lbs. but i would still be completely happy with where i am now if i cant lose anymore. i am so surprised that i lost what i did. i bet i can lose more. especially if i start taking the kids swimming again. it is almost warm enough to justify them having wet hair when we leave the y. they have been asking. but it is still only 25 out most times. oooh and walks. i can start that real soon. i made a boot for my stroller. it is fleece on one side and cotton on the other. with elastic and ties and all that. would def keep her plenty warm if it was a slightly chilly day. and it costs no money to go for walks. i am so getting excited for spring!!

Originally Posted by GoldBerry 

  Hello all! Geez, it has been a long time since I have been on MDC, but when I came to search for something today (I still often use this site as a reference book of sorts) and I saw this great thread I just had to post!

I'm a 40 year old mama of three- 10, 6 and 6 months. About two years ago, I realized that my weight was creeping steadily up and I had to do something about it. I started running/ walking three times a week and it made an incredible difference. I didn't loose a bunch of weight but I slimmed down and it was also a huge stress reliever. When I got pregnant last year (Surprise!), I was feeling really good about my body. The pregnancy went well and our sweet baby daughter is wonderful! I began exercising a month after she was born and eventually began running again. This January I got fed up with the extra weight, so I began counting my calories (using My Plate at LiveStrong,com) and that has helped a lot! I've lost about 10 pounds and I have five more to go. Jean shopping yesterday was actually fun!

Right now I exercise about 45 minuets 5 days a week. I usually do a Jillian Michaels workout while DD is napping in the morning. Love her or hate her, her work outs really kick butt. I started with the 30 Day Shred (which has three levels and the work outs are 20 minuets long) and now i prefer "Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism" or "No More Trouble Zones"- they really work! I'm not the gym type- I like to be in my living room where I can sweat and fart alone thank you very much!  Once or twice a week I do a 30- 45 minuet run with the babe. Now, when I get a chance to run alone, I feel like I can fly because I am not pushing an extra 20+ pounds!

 My goal is to keep my daily calories around 1500. I have stopped eating rice or pasta or bread with dinner. I didn't think I could do this, but I have doubled the veggies I eat ( usually with a meat protein of some sort) and that really helps. I limit myself to one beer a week- because I love good beer, but wine has far less calories!

Spiritually, I know that becoming more physically active has put me touch with my body, I love the way it feels when I am really sweaty and my body is just vibrating with energy! Running, especially when I get the chance to do a trail run, is such an amazing way to connect with nature. I usually listen to music and sometimes the beauty of the world and the music and my physical energy come together is a glorious way!

I just wanted to say hi and tell you all that you are awesome! Keep up the great work!!