~*~Witchy Weight Loss & Support ~*~ "Losing" to Lughnasadh

[_ktg_]

Blessed Be and Welcome All!

Welcome to the Beltane to Lughnasadh 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 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 am currently down to 185 and my next goal is to lose this last 5!  

How are you going to get there?

I'm on track finally with a system so here we go!  My goals for Lughnasadh:

• Get a solid night of sleep
• Bike to work 4 out of 5 days a week
• Do meditation for 30 minutes a day
• Remind myself that I am fabulous no matter my shape and love me for me.
• Eat healthy and keep the sugar/carbs low in my diet - and tracking my calories to stay on track!
• Get out into my garden everyday to enjoy it (the flowers, plants, critters!) and the wonderful food which is being cultivated

I am stoked to see how close I am to my goal of 180 and that I am 1 month away from 35lbs in a year!  WOW!!  I'll see if I can dig up my measurements from the previous threads to see how I have changed as my clothes are all baggy on me

Edited by _ktg_ - 5/11/11 at 1:15pm

[Valerie.Qc]

Subbing

[spughy]

Hello all - sorry I haven't been around much, it's been a bit of a non-existent spring here (temps are still around 12C - a balmy February day, NOT what we want in May!)  I have been sick for about a month - there was about a week there, when I was feeling better, and I biked around a bit, went to the outdoor market, sat around in my sweaty clothes for a few hours in the "spring" air, then went to the gym and walked home with no jacket... and bam! oh hello again Mr Flu.  Ugh.

Soooooo anyway I'm Sarah, I'm 38, mother of a 5-year-old girl and a mostly secular sort of pagan.  I like to lift heavy stuff, play in the woods a lot, I eat sort of paleo-ish and I've lost about 30-40 lbs since this time last year.  Still hovering at around 130 (probably a little up right now since being sick involves days of forced sedentarism, no gym, and sometimes, the only thing that feels good going down is toast.)  Goal weight is in the neighbourhood of 120-125.

[Aubergine68]

Thanks for starting the new thread, ktg! I'm excited!  Subbing!

[Valerie.Qc]

I'm not feeling like going back in old threads to find my info so I'll start fresh.

Starting weight: 158

Goal: between 120 and 128 + feeling fit and full of energy

Means: Gluten-free diet, choosing nutrient-dense food, walking and doing yoga, adding some strength exercises, drinking more water/herbal teas, might add kelp to stimulate the thyroid (or might just stick with Herbamare on my veggies/in soup)

Summer is coming so I plan on indulging on Mother's Natures goodness with lots of fruits and veggies.

Want to make ice cubes with juice/herbal teas to help increase my water consumption.

[Aubergine68]

Hello!

 I went to the original thread because I couldn't remember what my weight was then.  I was 186ish a year ago, my high was about 196 a year previous to that.  I feel like I've stalled a lot this year because of health issues (I feel you, spughy!)  but I was 168.3 last weekend (at the gym, after lunch) and 165.2 this am (at home, before breakfast).  So I have lost 28 pounds in total, 18 pounds in the past year. I'd thought I'd be at my goal weight of 145 pounds by now, but I am more than half the way there!  Go me!

A lot has changed in my methods and ideas about eating in a year.  I'm now gluten-free, close to sugar-free, eating high-fat, high-protein foods like baked beans and roast chicken with lots of salad.  My breakfast has been brown rice baked with eggs and milk (sometimes coconut milk), walnuts and bananas.  I eat a scoop every morning with stevia-sweetened rhubarb sauce.  Dh (aka the diet saboteur) bought me a bag of my favorite gourmet potato chips and I've discovered I can actually eat one serving crumbled up on my salads like croutons and not scarf the whole bag.  I've also gotten through a whole pms week without even wanting chocolate.  Small victories.

I reorganized my playroom so the exercise bike is in the corner.  I pull it out during naptime while older children in my home daycare are free playing, and do a 35 min program. This cuts into my former online time but I am getting a decent burst of exercise in every day and I have so much more energy.  I'm also hooping and walking a lot and taking my dd to the gym to do weights on the weekend.

My motivations - attending a  family wedding this fall and would like to be at my goal weight by then so I can buy a new dress and have fun dancing with my daughter at the reception - and I want her to be comfortable dancing, too!   A year from now is my 20th wedding anniversary, and I'd like to wear my short-sleeved, off- -the-shoulder wedding dress again and have buff arms and back so that I look even better than I did the first time around.  Also the thought from a year ago about wanting better sex through weight loss still applies, lol!

I'm focusing on weight loss again right now because my dd has been upset about her weight gain during her first year homeschooling - with a more sedentary lifestyle, she put on the freshman 15, about a decade ahead of schedule.  She is a young teenager and still growing so we are being very conservative, just trying to give her good tools.  Introduced her to sparkpeople.com - which she loves -- and she's learning a lot about portion sizes etc.  Dh and I are taking turns trying to get out exercising or just going for a walk with her every day if we can.

Edited by Aubergine68 - 6/27/11 at 12:15pm

[Indigo73]

I've rather stalled myself, again.  But I am getting to the gym sporadically which I guess is better than never.  I had to buy new shorts and workout clothes because my sweats & the shorts (DP's) I wore last year are too big.  So I am doing something right. 

I have an appointment with a personal trainer at the gym tomorrow morning and I want to talk about my goals with him/her.  I have not idea what I weight at the moment, our scale died a couple months ago and I haven't replaced it.   I have never been in my gym's locker room, I should check and see if they have a scale tomorrow.  LOL

I am dreaming of new roller blades again (taking kiddo to a rollerskating party tomorrow, will see what he thinks of it, might become a family activity).  And found a hula hoop instructor that gives one on one lessons for slightly more than yoga classes.  Since I can't seem to find many Friday yoga classes, I think it's going to be hula hooping.

[spughy]

Hellllooooo everyone!  Sorry I've been taking a bit of a break from MDC.  In reality this means that things are going pretty swimmingly on the kid-front, no issues that I need the accumulated wisdom of other mamas to deal with!  It's her last day of kindergarten today (sob!)  But I kinda miss this thread.

I'm back in the swing of things, food-and-lifestyle-wise.  Got knocked off by home renos and illness for a while there, but the past week has been awesome.  I sent the child to Camp Grandma yesterday and managed to do a 2-hour hike with the dog, and this morning I even got up early and did a workout with a friend who lives down the street.  We used the kids' playground to do bodyweight exercises and the adjacent field for sprints - it was good (but omg Tabata sprints are HARD).  I've done 2 weightlifting sessions this week as well. 

I was have a very bad time sugar-wise prior to this week so I'm giving myself a full week of more sane eating before I even think about getting on the scale.  I know I was up quite a bit just from how my clothes were fitting, but sometimes it's fluids so it's less demoralizing to give them time to flush out. 

And now the kiddo is awake and I can run the blender for a smoothie!  Happy Friday everyone!

[Aubergine68]

Hi Aimee!  Hi Spughy!

I miss this thread too - last summer sucked for me personally, but looking at the old witchy weight-loss thread reminded me how much fun it (the thread and beginning to focus on losing the weight and getting my body back) was.  

Well my scale showed me a 164.8 this am, which was nice to see, but my dd had a serious pout on because she got a reading 1 pound up instead of the down she was expecting because she's been doing everything "right".  This is why I don't like having a scale at home - dh bought a new one -- I'd have been happy just weighing at the gym when I wanted to.  Gave the whole speech about inaccurate scales and water weight gain at certain times of the month, etc....heck, I get different readings depending on where in the room I move the scale on the uneven floor.

Hooray for too-big workout clothes!  I need to go through my drawers and really get rid of some too-big stuff, mostly shirts that look stretched-out and sloppy on me lately.  Will have to start visiting the thrift store - don't want to buy new and don't really need new clothes to fingerpaint in with the kids.

Hooray for the last day of kindy!  My youngest goes to k in the fall and he is SO ready.  

Tonight, my middle child has a birthday party at a venue downtown in the nearby larger city.  The whole family is going and we hope to walk around the legislature grounds/public gardens while the party is in progress.   If the rain holds off.  If not, we may walk in the indoor mall complex.  Dh is talking about Denneys for dinner, and I'm kind of thinking 'ew'.  But we will have my five-year-old along and family diner is about his speed.  I want sushi, myself. 

Drinking my afternoon coffee/snack right now - coffee, a tsp of coconut oil, almond milk and orange flavored stevia.  I am finding I really need to consume snacks on a schedule or I really get tired-feeling.  Maybe I need to look at increasing my calories.  I want to get back to my upper-body exercise, but pushups sound boring to me right now.  I should go back to the library for more yoga vids.  

I would love some hula hoop lessons.  I have solid basic hooping skills but I want to hoop dance, or at least, do them with more grace.

I've been going for long walks in my neighborhood, just enjoying the green and the flowers.  Last winter was *soooo* long and cold - I still haven't gotten over the wonder of spring and it is summer now!

Edited by Aubergine68 - 6/26/11 at 10:46pm

[Aubergine68]

A very encouraging day - weighed in at the gym on the accurate scale, wearing the same clothes as last week, and I was 165.4 - down 2.9 pounds for the week.  My dd is also making progress towards her goals, but mostly is just looking more fit and confident - better posture, etc.  And I bought her a new t-shirt that fits and flatters her instead of the stretched-out ones she's been wearing.  

I pulled out a new-to-me shirt that my sis gave me a while back and it actually fit! Something pretty that actually fits!  I want to lose another 15 pounds or so before I start looking at new clothes, so this was a lovely feeling.

We went to a bbq this evening at her music teacher's house and she just seemed so much more confident than I've seen her lately, which made me happy.  The teacher's rather handsome hs-aged sons were there and one of them was obviously quite taken with my dd - I don't think she noticed though.  She's younger than she looks and I sure don't want her to start noticing boys sooner than she will, but I think she will not lack for attention when she is ready for it.

We  took a veggie tray to the party and ate a pretty balanced meal.  We also did some hooping and some just plain dancing after we got home - my younger kids joined in.  I'm just happy tonight about how I feel and look, and about how well the whole "healthy diet and lots of exercise" plan is working out.

So, how is everyone else doing this week?

Spughy, what are tabata sprints?

Aimee, did Ryne like the rollerskating?

 How are you doing, Val?  I have been making sun tea in gallon glass jars, using up some herbal teas I don't drink much and keeping a gallon cold in the fridge for a flavored, no-sugar drink.  I wish it were hot enough to really make me want to start working on herbal ice cubes!

[Indigo73]

Ryne hated Roller skating, hated it.  Oh well.  Rob says I should still get some new blades though (when I find some that fit).  Which could still work, me at the a local park with lots of paved trails & Ryne on a scooter.  Hmmmm...

Fingers crossed that I'll get to the gym at least twice this week.  Not going to be able to do it today (forgot sneakers) or tomorrow (little league practice), but looking at somewhat free evenings so as long as I don't leave gym bag on porch again, I should be able to get there a couple times.

[spughy]

Tabata sprints: Sprint hard 20 sec, rest 10 sec. Repeat X 8 (ie, for 4 minutes).  Rest 4 minutes.  Repeat.  Brutal.

Crappy day today food-wise, but I did get a dress finished for my dear sweet girl whose fashion sense is stuck in about 1860.  Floral calico, below-knee length with a high collar, and a lace-trimmed apron.  It's what all the cool kids are wearing.

[Aubergine68]

Indigo - too bad Ryne doesn't like the wheels!  Has he ever been on ice skates?  How are you doing making it to the gym?  Here is a song for you as you contemplate those blades:  Dire Straits, Skateaway.  Do you know it?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAYcBNAu6ik  

spughy - my dd would have loved a dress like that.  She still would, actually.  I am thinking of taking the family to a local medieval faire tomorrow and hoping that sparks some interest in her in handsewing some garb for next year.  That would be a fun hs project for the summer and fall!  Oooh.  Tabata sprints sound painful.

I've been doing ok with the exercise, still losing weight, though not as fast as I'd hoped.  Maybe I'm putting on muscle...maybe I'm just hitting the hormonal week where weight doesn't come off.

So, I was 163.2 at the gym last night, 162.4 at home this morning....I'm excited because 159;5 is the point at which I will no longer have an overweight BMI and I hope to hit that within a couple of weeks.  I'm going to treat myself to a good haircut and a visit to the thrift store looking for some new-to-me tops and maybe a pair of pants when I reach that point.

When I reach 153 - the weight I was at my wedding -- I'm going to try my old wedding dress on and see how it looks!  And I'm going to clean out all the size 14/13 clothes from my closet and donate them. And rummage through some of my old clothes and some of  dd's clothes to see what I can wear of hers.  I may try and find a new swimsuit.

When I reach 148, I will officially have lost the baby weight, as that's the weight I was before I conceived my 5 yr old.  I want to treat myself to a pretty dress and new bra that fits right and have a picture of us taken together.  And I'll assess at that point whether I want to lose more or just figure out the next step to maintaining the weight and feeling strong and healthy.

 I was 135 when I met dh, but had no muscle at all and was too thin for my height, I think.  I don't want to go back to that body  

[Millie Ivy]

I want to join in, mamas.  I'm shelley, pretty much at a healthy weight, though I would like to get back in the 120's (130-135 now, 5'2'')

I eat Primally, lowish carb, but I do get carbs in from fruits, potatoes, nuts, etc.  Pretty much all  my produce is local, eggs are local, meats are sometimes great, somtimes not, depends on budget.  I run a food coop for all this goodness. I am almost all the way dairy free, have been eating butter.

I walk a lot, 2-5 hours a week,  practice yoga a couple times a week and lift heavy things (myself, usually.  I do body weight exercise) a few times a week. 

I am about to start my yoga teacher training, so that will switch things up a bit too. 

Goals-

get down to 125 but not by losing weight, just fat.  I'm at a healthy weight right now and I don't want to lose muscle.  I'd rather stay at my weight and go down in bodyfat % than lose muscle, make sense?

begin and maintain my daily yoga practice, for myself and also for my teacher training

manage the stress going on in my life (more on that later)

get back off or lower on caffeine, I was off for a couple  weeks and then started the coffee again on vacation.  I do better all around with little caffeine

same with alcohol. lol

More later, gotta get kiddo to basketball game.!

bb

[Aubergine68]

Hi Millie!  Welcome - good to see you here!

Your diet sounds a lot like mine, except I do some cheese and yogurt in addition to the butter as dairy.  Lots of beans and eggs, for sure.  I fell asleep thinking of French Onion soup last night -- will have to dig in the freezer for some of the good organic beef to make some for tonight., I've got local onions and some good cooking wine....will leave out the crouton, trying to decide what to do about the cheese.

I have been doing about an hour of exercise a day - walking (pulling littles in a wagon, usually), biking, exercise biking, hooping, weightlifting, rowing and eliptical.  I really want to get back into yoga.

I feel the same way about losing fat vs. losing weight.  

I was off coffee for about six months but have started back.  I want to cut down again.  I don't like the staining on my teeth and find black tea is worse.  I'm trying to find a good way to wake up in the morning - would love to cut out the coffee and the internet, which is how I start my day lately.  I find the internet to be really scattering and fragmenting to my energy.  I used to be able to stay offline until my afternoon break and that worked much better for me.

What is the stress in your life? Hope it improves!

[Millie Ivy]

Hiya aubergine!  I was once a more active member on the Pagan circle here but haven't been around in forever. :(

Stress=this whole year has been one big stress ball.  It's getting better.  Think death of loved one, big stuff with business, rough time with dh's business, ex wanting to take me to court, mediation, etc. etc. It's been a ticking time bomb of tension since March. I'm doing ok and we are working on making it better on all fronts, but whoa.

French onion soup sounds DIVINE.  Except I cannot imagine eating soup in the 105 degrees we've got here. And I can't be sure yet, but I think the air conditioner just broke. le sigh.

I did just make 48 hour broth with some turkey backs, that is going to be awesome.  I'll stick it in the fridge and make a crockpot soup later this week.  Maybe when it's cooler than 82 in the house I'll feel like soup.

Now a smoothie ?  or some coconut bliss ice cream?  hell yes, please. :-)

[Valerie.Qc]

I'm still here... I kind of fell of the wagon but I'm not quiting. Taking small steps.

There are activities for the kids at the park so I get me-time! Yay! I intend to use some of this time to exercice. I can't leave home so it will be a mix of DVDs and treadmill... Then, when the park activities will end in August, I hope I'll be hooked and exercicing will be a natural part of my day. ;-)

Love water with a splash of lemon juice, lime juice and just a little bit of stevia... Must get liquid stevia to make this mix even easier to do.

[Aubergine68]

I do remember you, Millie.  "One big stress ball" and a  "Ticking time ball of tension", eh?  Sorry to hear that, but you do have a way with words! Hope the stress ball unwinds and the time bomb defuses.....I vote for something coconut, mmm, coconut!  

Hi Valerie!  Nice to "see" you.  The lemon/lime water with stevia sounds great!  Our local grocery has begun selling the liquid stevia for a fairly good price (for the area I live in, anyway) so I bought one of every flavor.  The Valencia Orange Stevia is actually really good, my new favorite in coffee.  I didn't enjoy the chocolate raspberry as much as I expected.  

Good luck  on the exercise routine!  I need to get done this post so I can go do mine (I've been on the exercise bike in the basement during naptime pretty regularly.)

The soup was wonderful!  I splurged (both financially and diet-wise) on some grated swiss cheese to sprinkle on top.  Very rich, just what I wanted, and I have some leftovers for later in the week.  We're having a rainy month so far, so definitely soup weather.

161.2 on my home scale today!  Probably a couple pounds lower than I really am, but I am at the stage where scale numbers I haven't seen for a while turn me on.

PMS struck yesterday, but I still managed to eat dinner before six (eating later in the evening is my bane) and to get out for a walk afterwards.  I will be having some family and friends visit next week, besides being in the red tent.  I expect to be easing off on the exercise and diet plans a bit.

I

[Millie Ivy]

Your soup sounds absolutely wonderful. :-) 

My ac WAS broken.  it's fixed now, to the tune of 430 bucks.  I think my dh died a little inside.

we made a lovely pot roast tonight, beef, onions, potatoes, red cabbage, carrots, sea salt, chicken bone broth and sofrito sauce.

(sofrito sauce, you ask?  OMG.  produce day this week mom and I blended green peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, sea salt, olive oil, and coriander all raw.  makes like this blended salsa/sauce to add to roasts and stews that is AMAZING flava!)

it was really good and even my daughter who is really picky with meat loved it. score.

I've been great on the exercise front and on the quality of food front. I've eaten more than I was, but I've been working out more so that's ok.  Drinking a little more than I need but not feeling bad either.  I feel like I'm in a good little holding pattern right now, which is actually really nice.  I did the Whole30 (well, halfway) and traveling a bunch and just getting into a great groove feels delicious. Even if it's not as hard core as Whole 30 was, enjoying food/fitness/life is really nice after all the months of stress we've had.

And.... I have officially enrolled in yoga teacher training. I'm way more excited than I thought I'd be, even.  I can't wait to get more classes in. :-)

bb

[HeckedyPeg]

Hi all, I'd like to join in! I have not visited many of the Pagan threads, but I've been following the Kitchen Witch one for a while now - anyway, I'm Marcelle, my DS just turned the big ONE  :)

I'm 5'5" and somewhere between 180-185 (we have an unreliable scale!) and my BMI is just too close to the "Obese" category for my comfort. I actually lost weight during my pregnancy and when my DS was born last year I was so excited because I was actually thinned out and I thought I had a great head start, but I've gained about 10lbs since. My "ideal" weight is 140 - still the weight listed on my drivers license, lol!

I'm a full time student, and I spend a lot of time sitting- in class, studying, commuting (about 1 hour each way on a good day, sometimes longer with traffic); I used to work as a massage therapist which is a pretty physical job, and now I'm not, and I've noticed that has contributed to my overall out-of-shapeness. My biggest issue is making healthy eating choices- I am addicted to sugar and fat and I suck at time management so I often find myself needing to rush off and haven't eaten so I get something cheap and terrible for me, or I don't eat at all (bad!!).

In the past two months I have really improved - eating way less fast/convenience food. I've pretty much cut soda out (I come from a hard core soda drinking family), and I'm drinking a lot more tea, specifically green tea. So yummy. DS is also at the point where he wants to eat all the same foods DH and I are eating, and that has been very motivating as far as making time to prepare healthy food, however there is still much room for improvement. (Ironically, I'm nearing the end of my Masters program in Trad. Chinese Medicine, we have training in both Western and Eastern nutrition ... I KNOW how to eat healthy, I KNOW which dietary changes would benefit me from a TCM point of view ... and yet ... I'm not doing it! I need to walk the walk, IYKWIM?)

On the spiritual side ... well, I've been struggling a lot with my spiritual identity, I won't go into it all now, but I really feel like I have been disconnecting with nature lately.

Goals: 

- Eat at least 3x/day ... make time to make food. 

- Do a daily grounding meditation

- Exercise more! I try to walk at least once a day (for at least 45 min). DH and I want to start a weekly hike (we have some beautiful hiking around here) - this helps me with stress and moves my Liver Qi! :)

- Stop drinking frappaccinos. Just stop. STOP!