As many of you know from the FaceBook page, I "ran" the Warrier Dash yesterday. 45 years old, never ran "anything" in my life, and I choose this to be my first one? What, am I crazy? You bet. For sure. BUT GUESS WHAT? I did it!

Saturday morning, my alarm goes off, and I get up. Kind of putter around the house. What does one wear to the Warrier Dash? What's it like outside? Cool? Warm? Seems a little warm, so, I choose shorts and the neon green shirt that my office chose to wear (so we could keep an eye on each other. We were all Warrier Dash "virgins" and knew to keep close as best as we could. There were HUNDREDS of people there!) Off I go with hubby to meet up with the others, and 1 1/2 hours later, we are in Thompson, CT at the Thompson Motor Speedway, numbers attached, port-a-potty's used, and a little stretching completed.
Me (Jennifer) on the far right with my dental office co-workers and some family members, before the dash.
Next thing we know, BOOM goes the signal for us to start running. 3.2 miles, with 13 obstacles to contend with. Now, I have never run outside, nor have I done rope walls, run in mud, or jumped over fire. One minute into this, I think, what the hell have I done? But, everyone else was running, I guess I might as well keep on going.......

Most of the course is out of view of spectators, so, you will have to use your imagination when I tell you that I ran on the Speedway, up and down a couple of hills, then through tires, over cars, through tires swinging, crawled under barbed wire (yes, it was REAL barbed wire) and rolled under mesh through hay, and then up and over a rope wall. No problem! Easy! OH NO---What is that ahead?!?! A 15 foot (maybe 12) vertical wall with rope to climb up, and slats to climb down. I am DEATHLY afraid of heights. Can't even cross a train tressle over a street if I can see the ground below me. DO I? DON'T I? Hell, I told myself I would TRY every obstacle. I see people fail, succeed, then it's my turn. Do I have the upper body strength? Can I climb up this? Someone I know is at the top of the wall-His name is John-And he is telling me to do it, he will help me. Hand over hand I keep climbing up the wall. By the top of the wall, I am having a good ol fashioned panic attack. DONT LOOK DOWN! John, my guardian angel, is telling me to calm down, take a deep breath, all I have to do is slowly make my way over and then down the back of the wall. Which I do, shaking like a leaf the whole danged way. I DID IT!

I would have stopped then and there, called it a day, but the 3 other ladies I ended up running with (only one of them went up the wall too, I might add!) kept plodding on, so, on I went too. Up a steep hill, over a water obstacle, another vertical rope wall (my angel was waiting there for me-What a gentleman to wait for me!), then mud. Mud, mud mud. Waist deep muddy water. A rope bridge to cross. Is that the finish line? NOT QUITE~~~~
Me coming out of the woods and the mud, mud, mud.
Up and over 3 more walls, each getting progressively higher, then, more barbed wire! This time with 200 feet of mucky muddy water to crawl through, then the fire, then the finish line!!!!!
Me and my office manager emerging from the mud/barbed wire obstacle
1 hour and 22 minutes later, the four of us crossed the finish line, gathered our medals, got some water, sort of rinsed off, and, it was over!!!! I did it! We did it! Out of the 13 obstacles, I did 11. And I survived!!!!!!!!! Battered and bruised, exhausted, adrenaline pumped...And how hilarious to see what they offered to us "Warriers" at the end-A beer and a turkey leg!!!!! (I didn't get either, but the turkey legs did look good-I just wasn't hungry, so, I knew not to get one!)
Warriers after the Dash!!!
The pile of muddy shoes that we donated at the end of the race.
Was I one of the last ones in the heat to cross the finish line? You bet. Did I learn anything new about myself? You bet. Was it a team building experience? You bet. Would I do it again? You bet. Am I hurting today? You bet. Do I have Julie to thank for this? You bet.

Anyone else wanna join me next year? __________ (You fill in the blank)
September 23, 2012
My journey on this program has been full of poetry and prose. It's a beautiful thing. Poetry and prose take time to develop, as does this journey, and along the way unexpected twists and turns may happen. The writing process often turns out different from the first thoughts one had at the start, metaphors and ah ha moments are all part of the process. The same is true for this weight loss journey.
Photo source: English Club.
There are parts of this journey that I didn't plan; that occurred unexpectedly. I hoped sugar cravings would no longer be a part of my daily life, but I could not have known how powerful it would be to not crave sweets; I could not have known how much energy I would have once I was free from sugar (and carbs).

I've written about other things that have happened along the way, things I hadn't given much thought to or that I spent a lot of time focusing on, such as fitting into seats at the movie theater, no longer needing a seat belt extension on the airplane. You've shared some of these experiences (and more) on this blog and the Facebook support group.

Many of these things are no longer an issue; changes have occurred where I no longer even think about things that used to consume me, and tire me without my being aware how much energy such thoughts drained from me. Last week I had an awareness of something I no longer give my energy that is very private, but I know I'm not the only one who spent energy this way. What I didn't know, is that without an conscious awareness I moved beyond the issue. Here's my story...

My nurse practitioner, has been asking me for the past few years to get an updated mammogram and to see an Ob/Gyn and I finally went last month. All is well, as I expected, but it wasn't until I left my dermatologist's office that I had an ah ha moment about all this. 

I've been seeing my dermatologist for over 15 years and I've done some fancy foot work to come up with excuses to get out of a full exam. It's the whole get naked thing that had me doing everything I could to avoid these kinds of exams. 

Sitting in my car outside the doctors office, I realized a major transformation has transpired. I always found excuses to avoid a full body exam, any excuse I could think of to avoid exposing my obese body.  I didn't do that this time. This time, I suited up in the hospital robe as instructed, had the full-body exam, and then proceeded to get on with the rest of my day. Sitting in that parking lot, I realized it was the same at my mammogram and Ob/Gyn appointment. This is a real change! This is liberating!

What about the rest of you? Care to share any naked truths? What kind of changes have you discovered along your weight loss journey that you weren't expecting or hadn't given much thought to until you realized the change?
September 23, 2012
Anonymous posted this on the FAQ page: 
I am almost one week into this journey. I am amazed at how I can walk into Costco and could care LESS what samples are being offered. I walk down near the bakery section of the grocery and I am NOT enticed by the aromas. I feel good!
September 23, 2012
I'm seeing another change in my size this week! Megan gave me some jeans a few months ago and I couldn't zip them up. I remember how bummed out I was that they were so tight. I thought I was a size 18, but not according to those jeans. Now, not only can I zip them up, but they are roomy.
I've been getting compliments all week on my new wardrobe (thank you Megan and Amie). A few people said they noticed another drop in my weight, which is always nice to hear. Yesterday someone complimented me on how professional I looked in my beige outfit on Monday and that I should wear that outfit more often. I have no idea what I wore on Monday!

Every morning this week I opened my "smaller" size closet doors, reached in to see what to wear, and tossed more items into the "too big" closet.  Somehow I managed to find a new outfit to wear every day this week.

I read a question from the Facebook support group a few days ago about whether to keep clothes that are too big or to keep them. Based on previous experiences, she was hesitant to get rid of them, in case she gains the weight back. I have a closet that I've spent the past year filling with clothes as they get too big for me. I'm confident, in a way I never have been before, that I'm never going to need those clothes again. This year they will either get sold on eBay or I'll donate them.

There is no looking back, only forward, and I'm excited to see what's ahead.
September 21, 2012
I said I was going to step up my exercise schedule and the next thing I knew, I was in a kickboxing class.
I wish I looked this good kickboxing.
There are now classes that I can take at the gym during my lunch hour at work and kickboxing came up first so I went. What a blast. It wasn't pretty, but I enjoyed it. I won't be able to go every week, but I'm going to do this every chance I get. We didn't use equipment like you see in the photo above, no head gear, nothing to kick, and we don't fight others. It's definitely a workout and I adjusted parts that I couldn't do.

I also started running again and this feels great. I'm still having stiffness in my ankles and working on stretching more. I do two stretches, every morning and will add one more tomorrow. So far I haven't had any improvement, but I'm hopeful the new addition in the morning will help work out the pain. It doesn't hurt when I'm running or on the elliptical.

I'm loving that Big Y now carrier Siggis yogurt. I even found coconut flavored; yummy. For those of you not fond of the yogurt, it may be something you like after the sugar is completely out of your system. I didn't have yogurt for a long time, so I suspect that's why I like it so much now. I know I wouldn't have liked it before, but I love it now. In fact, I have to be careful I don't eat more than the twice a week quota. Now that I can get it so close to home, I can buy two containers and I'll be good for the week.

You may have noticed, I rolled back the web design. There were a lot of technical issues with the new design. I still want to freshen up the look, but it will be a while. Meanwhile, I'm sorry that it was so difficult to navigate the site.


September 19, 2012
I started this blog on Sept. 25, 2011 and, like the rest of my life, the time has come to change things up a bit. I'm going to change the page layout/design, but before I do, I want to ask all of you a few questions about the direction you'd like to see this blog go in the year ahead. I'm also share a few blog statistics. Meanwhile, I'm working on a piece that I've been chewing on all week and hope to post tonight.
09/18/12 Friends of the Key Hypnosis Blog Pageviews (hits)
Questions for You
I would love your comments on these questions or additional feedback that will help make this blog work for everyone.
  1. How often do you want to see new posts?
  2. What topics do you want to hear more about?
  3. What would motivate you to post more comments to this blog?
  4. Would you become a blog contributor, which allows you to create posts (all other members may only comment on posts)?
 Statistics
  • Members: 58  
  • First Blog entry: 09/25/11 What's this Blog All About?
  • Pageviews today (09/18/12): 165
  • Pageviews yesterday: 349
  • Pageviews last month: 7,587
  • Pageviews all time history: 57,167
Most Popular Posts
  1. FAQ
  2. Meat Crust Pizza
  3. Cauliflower Pizza
  4. Health question
  5. Maintenance
  6. Before Your First Session
  7. Down Another Size
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September 18, 2012

Anonymous asked: 

What about shirataki noodles? Can we have those? They are made from the konjac root.....
September 15, 2012
I found this video online today. It claims to be Julie Anne Kibe, but I can't confirm that is the Julie we see. Do any of you know? Perhaps someone at the office can tell us.



This video is definitely Julie (Dec. 2011)

September 12, 2012
Here is another laugh at me if you want to post, but I bet this has happened to some of you.

I am LOVING going to bed at night! Oh yes, I so look forward to it! Want to know why?!!! (hey, get your minds out of the gutter!!! LOL)

I'll tell you why: because I dream about food.

Ok, Ok, here is the scoop:

I have been having some VERY vivid realistic dreams where I am eating something totally forbidden. I can actually taste it and feel the high I used to get from it when I used to eat it. This is fun!

Then the BEST part: When I wake up, it takes me a few minutes to become oriented and gather my thoughts, I get that first panic that OH NO!! I cheated!! Then comes the most wonderful HIGH when I realize I DIDN'T CHEAT!! I AM STILL ON PROGRAM!!! Oh wow does that ever feel good!!!

Right now I am having the best of both worlds and totally enjoying my 'cheating dreams'!!!!!!!!

September 11, 2012
In regards to my plateau, it's time for me to mend some fences and dig up some truths. I've been asking myself a lot of questions. Am I doing something wrong? Are their foods I'm eating that are not on program or out of proportion? Do I need to kick up the exercise some more?
Sand Hill Cove, RI. Photo by Theresa.
As I think about all of these questions, I've been relating to what Linda talks about: why does it feel like nothing seems to be happening (plateau). I don't obsess on the answer to these question, but I must consider them from time to time and when I dig deep enough, I usually find the answer is yes.

For starters, I'm eating too much cheese. This is a show stopper. Julie gets pretty graphic about how cheese gets stored in our bodies. I've been in denial, as cheese has been an issue for some time now and I need to face it head on. How? I'm not going to buy cheese for the rest of this month. Last night, I started saying "I want to not want cheese".

I've been going to the gym only once or twice a week, I used to go 4-5 days. I've had pain in my ankles and it was a valid excuse for a while, but I have left it untreated far too long. I'm giving myself a month to be on board with stretching exercises to resolve it, or I go back to the doctor for more help. I remember Julie telling a woman if she doesn't exercise, it will take a really long time to lose weight. Hmmm....

On the flip side, Friday night I had a really big dinner, lots of protein with veggies and then Saturday I wasn't hungry all day. This kind of behavior usually signals a weight loss is on the horizon, as does my frustration point ("I'm at a plateau" boo hoo....). Another sign is how much I wanted to get on the scale last weekend at my brother's house. It's one of those full size scales like doctors used to have; all alone in the bathroom and no one else would know. I pushed the thought away and did not step on the scale.

Julie tells us to push away thoughts when we crave sugar or have urges to get on the scale, because when we have these cravings, we're on the cusp of another weight loss. My appetite has been big for the past few days. When I'm hungry like, this I like to have lots of protein in the house. I went to Trader Joe's this weekend and bought organic beef and chicken, and a couple freezer meats (Korean ribs, shrimp stir-fry), so I'm ready. Bring it on.

Some of you have written about your frustration with plateaus. How do you deal with your plateaus?

Thanks Jennifer and Mellisa for your words of support from my recent post The Truth About Sizes. Yes, I have come a long way. This been a long journey (19 months) and sometimes it feels like it's all happening in slow motion for me.
September 10, 2012
This week I've been looking back at my past and thinking about the changes in my life since I started this program. My biggest change: I don't obsess about food. What I ate in the past left me hungry for more because my choices lacked the nutrition my body needed.
Present: I choose to eat in a way that is sustainable for the rest of my life.
Past: I ate for the moment and was in denial of the future consequences.
It's a great relief for me that I no longer spend energy obsessing with food. I want to remember how different my life is now that the food obsession is at bay, so I made a list of my present attitude about food compared to my past:  

Present: The way I eat is my way of life.  

Past: I was either on a diet or off; way, way, way off. 
  
Present: I don't obsess about food.  
Past: I obsessed about food. 

Present: Food no longer knows my name.  
Past: It called out to me. It even knew my middle name.

Present: I appreciate the beauty of a beautifully made dessert without it haunting me for hours or days.  
Past: It haunted me for hours or days because I was either too full, sick to the stomach, or I fell asleep on the couch from so much sugar. 

Present: I feel good after I eat.
Before: I had indigestion on a regular basis. Need a Tums? I always had one. 

Present: I can go to a conference and eat healthy choices when I'm hungry. 
Past: I ate at least one of everything served, especially the snacks. Afternoons were difficult because I would be so sugared out I had a hard time staying awake.

Present: At restaurants I ask for what I want. Yes, I know it's the same price without bread or home fries. Yes, I know extra meat costs more.
Past: I didn't care if it was a "healthy" choice or I felt deprived because there were so many things I wanted to eat but were not on my "diet". I ate those foods all my life and look where that got me.

Present: I blog about my weight loss journey in an open platform that the whole wide world can see and include before and after photos and before and after lists of food habits.
Past: I would never.

What about you? What changes do you see in the way you see food today from how it used to be for you?
September 09, 2012
This recipe comes from Chris, who posted it on the facebook Key Hypnosis Support Group, in response to a question about what to eat when you're sick.
bone broth (photo credit: It's All About the Broth!)
Bone Broth
  • Put some bones in a crock pot and fill to within an inch or so of the top. 
  • Add 1-2 tbsp raw vinegar (to draw out the minerals) and simmer on low for 24-48 hrs.
  • Any sort of bones will do: beef shank (marrow) bones, chicken, fish, or anything else.
  • You don't have to thaw them if they're frozen. 
  • You can add in an onion, a carrot and three stalks of celery, maybe a bay leaf, or whatever you like. 
  • When the broth is done, remove the big solids with a slotted spoon (use a chopstick to push any marrow still in its bone back into the broth). 
  •  Use any sort of colander or stainless steel strainer to strain the broth into a large mixing bowl, from which you can then ladle it into wide-mouth quart-size glass canning jars (get the ones without toxins in their lids). 
  • Let the broth cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. 
  • If you've used beef bones, the beef fat, or tallow, will rise to the top and form a neat disc that you can scoop out almost intact. 
  • Save this valuable tallow in a glass jar or bowl and use it for cooking; as a traditional cooking fat, it can stand high heat (unlike the more vulnerable vegetable oils) and lends a lovely mild beef flavor to whatever you're making. 
  • As for your broth, you can drink it straight up or use it as a basis for a good, tasty, nutrient-dense soup.
Good to sip on those hungry days also!
  
Comment from Theresa about this recipe:
One of my friends, who has maintained her weight her whole life, has bone broth on a regular basis. After she cooks a chicken, she takes all the meat off and follows the above recipe and uses the chicken carcass.

Additional benefits of this broth: (source: It's All About the Broth!)
  • Enhanced sleep
  • Reduced injury pain
  • Stronger teeth and bones
  • Reduced food cravings
  • Greatly reduced “shakes” that are attributed to hypoglycemia
  • Improved hair, nails and skin
Comment from Jennifer:

When you are sick, you do what you do for when you are sick!!!! When I was in Las Vegas, I got sick (tummy sick, if you know what I mean) and had saltines and Pepsi that night, and toast the next morning. That is what I needed to calm my stomach; there was NO way I could put any meat in my belly!!!!!!!. I didn't do it for anything other than to make myself feel better-I did not eat them because of the taste or "wanting them". She said I did the right thing :-)
September 09, 2012
I've been quiet on the blog because I'm feeling at a loss of words to describe what's going on for me. I'm in another plateau. My last drop in size was late June. I don't track my weight loss or my plateaus, but I recently became aware of a pattern in my thinking after my last plateau: I quickly forget I dropped an entire size.

Following my friend Aime's advice, I read the blog from the first entry backwards, to remember my weight loss journey and where I've been. I was looking for inspiration to shake me out of my "boo hoo I am at a plateau again" mood.

I only read the first and second entry before I realized focusing on size can be just as frustrating as focusing on the scale. Neither is an accurate measure of weight loss. Scales can vary, depending on whose scale you're on, and sizes are all over the place, depending on the brand.

In my 9/25/11 entry, I wrote:
  • When I started this journey, I wore size 30/32 tops and pants and I couldn't fit into anything in the women's section of JC Penney or Macy's. 
  • Last weekend I bought a Macy's 1X blouse and it fits perfect. 
  • Yesterday I wore a size 20W front-zip pants (hand-me-downs)
Those statements were all true, but here's the truth about my size clothes today:
  • In June I bought my first dress and it was a size 20.
  • In August I bought two dresses at Lane Bryant (yes, I said I would never go back, but if the shoe fits....). One dress was a size 14/16 and the other was a size 22/24. Both fit beautifully.
  • The clothing in the women's department in Macy's are mostly too big (yes, I went back there too), but there are a few items that fit.
The moral of my story, and my lesson learned: not all sizes are created equal. This is not like any other diet, including how the weight comes off. This journey has been steady: Drop weight. Hold. Appetite increases. Weight drops. Hold. Repeat. Sometimes I forget that this is the process, that my body is healing when I am a plateau, and that if I just keep doing what I'm doing, I will get to my ideal size. It is working. I sometimes get impatient.

When I look at the photos of me below side by side and a year apart, I have definitely lost a ton of weight. I know this, but in the day to day of things of life, it's easy for me to forget where I was, even just a few weeks ago when I was one size larger.
Sept. 2012 (14/16)
Sept. 2011 (4X)


What about you? Can you relate to any of this?
September 07, 2012