Posts made in July, 2010

143.6

Posted by Lindsay C on Jul 17, 2010 in Me | 0 comments

143.6 pounds today! (144.8 yesterday. Click here to read the original post of what I’m doing.)
-L.

A whole new woman

Posted by Lindsay C on Jul 16, 2010 in Featured Articles, Me | 1 comment

Has it really been over a month since I blogged last? I’m very sorry – thank you for sticking with me.  There really are thousands of great blogs out there so I’m sure you’re not too upset!  Anyway, I have just been so busy and really haven’t felt like I’ve got a lot of great design-blog-worthy things to talk about at the moment, so I’m going to talk about a few other things that I think are cool! Like how I started this post on  my iPod Touch.  Amazing.  If Likely had AT&T cell service I’d insist on an iPhone, but this is the next best thing.  Plus I don’t have to pay extra for data service!  And yes, I started this post on the iPod, but had to get my laptop out to finish it as pictures and links aren’t so easy on it, but I’ll update you with it on other things (as I’ll be explaining below!).

So, as the post explains, I’m undergoing a process of change.  Mostly physically.  Don’t worry, Glenn and I are fine.    I am approaching 30 very quickly, and have realized the importance of taking better care of myself, and I’ve finally found a few things that work so I’m going to share them!

First off – my teenager-in-puberty-skin.  Ugh.  I’ve never been one of those lucky girls with a great complexion.  So after reading about the Wonderbar on another blog I read, I followed the company on Facebook and then it couldn’t be avoided.  Side Note: if you want to get your product or service out there, Facebook is amazing! You can’t miss all of the wall posts in your feed and it works!! So with the Wonderbar, I kept seeing all of the great testimonials from other happy customers and then I had to give it a try.  Which wasn’t easy because the thing cost $40!  $40 for a tiny little bar of (non-)soap.  It’s seriously hotel-soap size.  But it says it should last 3-4 months because it is clay based and doesn’t melt away like soap.  Plus it replaces all sorts of other products so you only have to use this one bar.  And I was desperate so I clicked “Buy It Now.”  Yes, I bought mine off eBay.    From a Wonderbar retailer, though, and it was still $40, but the shipping was a little cheaper this way.  They seem to be only selling the 4-pack on eBay right now, instead of the single bars, but here is the link.  Anyway – for my 2-week Wonderbar review!

So I’ve been using the Wonderbar for 2 weeks now (religiously.  Which means 2x/day.) and I’m definitely seeing a change.  I went out of town for 5 days and came back (not wearing makeup) and my husband immediately commented on my clear skin when he saw me!  I without a doubt went through their “Healing Crisis” they warn you about, but I think I might finally be coming out of it.  I broke out after starting to use it, but I’ve noticed that the acne heals faster.  My all-over complexion is more clear and even.  The redness I have isn’t as bad now, which is a major factor in my decision to buy it.  I also felt like I had a bumpy, colorless rash all over my face a few days ago, but now it’s drying up and flaking off to reveal softer skin.  My pores are smaller and less clogged and my skin feels tighter.  I’ve also noticed a lot of dry spots where I did have blackheads (under my lower lip, sides of nose), so I’m assuming that means it’s being targeted and going away soon.  I still have a lot of splotchy pigmentation (thank you, pregnancy!) and freckles all over but they’re supposed to fade as well.  I had to ditch my old makeup as you can’t use mineral based makeup that you buff into the skin, but I have stopped using foundation all together and just use a tinted moisturizer and loose powder now (Physician’s Formula Organic Wear, if you’re curious – I bought it at Rite Aid).  I ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORE FOUNDATION.  ALWAYS. This is great because normal foundation never lasts and ends up looking horrible by 1:00pm on me.  I think I also have gained some confidence to go without makeup, as it’s looking better and better every day.  So thank you, Wonderbar!  Maybe someday soon I’ll feel good enough to post my before and after photos – waiting for the “after”, though!

Next up…I’m on a diet. And I’ve never dieted a day in my life.  I’ve watched what I eat, tried to eat healthy, and know how to eat healthy, but lately I’ve started to get uncomfortable with my weight.  A good friend of mine has lost over 50 pounds recently, so after hearing her story and talking about what she’s been doing I decided to give it a try.  Now before I tell you what I’m doing, please note that I really don’t want to hear any negatives about “the diet.”  I have worked in the nutrition field before, and I’m sure a few of my dietitian friends will read this and have something to say, but if it works like it’s supposed to, then great!  I’m doing it and that’s that!  So please don’t try to talk me out of it.  I’ve read the book cover to cover and re-read and re-read what I’m supposed to do multiple times, and so far it’s working and I don’t feel deprived or low-energy or am being unhealthy.  It takes willpower, for sure, but the bases have been covered to help with it and I’m hoping to have to do the strict part for only a month.

You might recognize that guy from infomercials.  He is not a doctor.  He just wrote this book.  But the diet is based on a doctor’s work (i.e. he did not write the diet, a doctor did.).  It is called the “HCG Diet” and I am following the protocol from the Banyan Biofeedback site (which the book and author no way endorses or probably even knows about).  My weight-losing friend knows someone who sells the products from Banyan Biofeedback, which is how she started the diet.  It is broken down into 4 Phases and I am just starting Phase 2.  Phase 1 consists of various cleanses and do’s and don’ts, “practicing” for Phase 2.  You do as many of these as you can – it’s almost impossible to do all of them, but the more you do, the better results you’ll have in Phase 2.  I did a parasite cleanse, a colon cleanse (not as gross as you’d think – not gross at all, actually) and a yeast cleanse.  I also walked a lot, drank a lot of water and tea, and ate a lot of organic grapefruit and organic apples.  I’m not sure how the first 2 cleanses worked, but I firmly believe the yeast cleanse delivered.  If you crave sugar and sweets, do a yeast cleanse (the name brand is FiveLac or ThreeLac – I used FiveLac).  That is the main thing that I noticed from Phase 1 – I’m not a slave to chocolate or ice cream anymore!  This has helped me feel confident about fighting off food cravings in Phase 2, which is very strict.  I’m only 2 days into the diet, and I’ve only felt some mild hunger even though I only eat 500 calories a day.  And the mild hunger is only supposed to last a few days in the beginning.

You’re probably thinking – WHAT?!?! 500 calories?!?! Yes…500 calories.  And I’m not ravenously hungry.  I also played softball for an hour and a half last night and I’m fine.  You eat meat, vegetables and fruit, and drink a lot of tea and water in a pretty strict fashion – you weigh the meat and can only have a certain amount of the fruits and veggies, and you have to eat them at certain times of day.  No cheating!  Usually eating a very low calorie diet will burn muscle and not fat and leave you energy-less, but that is where the HCG comes in.  It stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.  It’s a hormone made in the placenta (they get it from pregnant women) and helps you release stored fat without burning muscle.  It’s what allows starving women in third world countries to give birth to big, healthy babies.  The book talks about HCG injections prescribed from a doctor, but I use the drops from Banyan Biofeedback.  Anyway, enough of that.  If you’re interested, e-mail me and I can help you contact the right people to get started!  Please do not follow any advice I’m giving – this is what I’m doing and how it’s working for me and that is what the experts are for!  Do your homework and do it right.

So, the reason for telling you this is I plan on updating you all (via my iPod on this blog) with my daily weigh-in to keep me motivated.  Yesterday my weight was 148.4 pounds and this morning I weighed in at 144.8 pounds.  I lost 3.6 pounds in one day – the weight loss will slow down as I get further along, but I thought that was pretty darn good for one day.  I hope to weigh around 125 pounds when I’m done.  I have no idea what I’ll look like at that weight, as I haven’t been that light since high school, but I’m looking forward to finding out!  Then on to Phases 3 and 4, which aren’t as restrictive and reset your metabolism and hypothalamus (it’s in the brain, people!) and eating habits for the rest of your life.  You lose it fast, but if you do it right you won’t gain it all back as with a lot of detox diets.  I will be able to eat pizza and ice cream again soon!  I just have to keep telling myself I can do this for a month.  One month.  And if I need to go longer, I’m sure the results will help motivate me to do so.  You can do anything for a month, right?  Again, I wish I was brave enough to post my “before” pictures in a bikini, but I need an “after” to feel okay about it. 

Wish me luck and feel free to e-mail with any questions!! lindsay@lindsaychristensendesign.com