Peak Season for Guava

[guava]

Today is another happy day.

I feel like I am finally at where I want to be.

So, a new journal for a new me.

Some before and after pics.

1st pic - 9 months after my youngest daughter was born, October 2001
2nd pic - 2 years after my youngest was born, January 2003
3rd pic - today

[guava]

And here's how I got to where I am:

Guava's Diet
This "diet" is a gradual building of sound nutritional practices. It's what I personally did; I made it up all by myself, so it's not perfect. If you follow guidelines like this, you don't need to count calories to lose weight.

Weeks one and two: Cut out pop and alcohol. Swap with diet pop, or, ideally water. Reduce dessert consumption.

Week three: Reduce fast food meals to once a week. If you have to eat at a restaurant, eat half the entree only.

Week four: Reduce red meat intake to no more than once per week. Replace with chicken or pork. For breakfast, eat barley or oats instead of boxed cereals.

Weeks five and six: Replace at least half pork or chicken intake with beans, fish, and nuts. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less rice, potatoes, and pasta.

Weeks seven and eight: Replace white bread with whole wheat, white flour with whole wheat, white noodles with whole wheat, and white rice with brown.

A typical day:
Breakfast
Oatmeal or granola mixed with milk and a cooked diced apple.
OR
Homemade baked good (eg. orange bran flax muffin or pumpkin bread or sugarless bars) with a sliced orange and a large glass of milk
OR
homemade flax bread with peanut butter and a banana and a large glass of milk
On the weekend, usually pancakes with fruit and whipped cream or spinach ricotta pancakes and ham
OR
whatever I like

Lunch
large fruit salad AND
Barley Bean Salad with or without diced chicken breasts
OR
Insanely Easy Vegetarian Chili
OR
Salmon in a pouch (with red pepper, carrots, and oranges)
OR
tuna sandwich
OR
whatever I like

Supper
Usually a salad of cucumber, tomato, green onion, and red pepper
AND
roasted chicken
OR
spaghetti and meat sauce
OR
beef soft tacos
OR
breaded pork chops with oven fried potatoes
OR
shrimp noodle stir fry
OR
whatever I like
Fridays is usually pizza

Snacks
Whenever I'm hugry.
Usually carrot sticks and a diet Coke, or an apple and a glass of milk, or a homemade baked good, or pudding.

Note: I don't often record, but I estimate that my daily diet contains about 1700 - 1800 calories. About 30% of the calories are from fat (about 60g) , 50% from carbohydrates, and 20% from protein (about 90g).

[guava]

I started out with this circuit about three times a week:

12 push-ups
12 lunges
12 plie squats with bicep curls
12 dead lifts
12 bent over rows
12 ab crunches on stability ball
12 tricep extensions on stability ball

Then repeat this circuit 3 or 4 times.

I didn't use anything other than dumbbells.

On weight days, I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike. Non-weight days, I did 20 minutes on the bike and attended an aerobics class.

This was good for about two months.

Now I'm doing something more like this:
Weights every second day:
dumbbell curls with plie squat set of 8
backward lunges set of 8
tricep exensions set of 8

rest, repeat, rest again, repeat, rest

wall slides
butt lift set of 12 right leg, 12 left leg, 12 together
leg lifts or crunches

rest, repeat, rest, repeat, rest

pushups set of 8
upright row set of 8
side laterals set of 8
bent over row set of 8

rest, repeat, rest, repeat, rest

Then, if I still haven't had enough, I do a thing where I tie a resistance band around my ankles, walk forward, pull each leg up forward four times alternately, walk back, each leg up four times, forward, legs up, backward, pull each leg to the side alternately four times, walk backward, pull to side, walk forward, pull to side, walk backward, pull each leg back alternately four times, walk forward, pull back, back, pull back, then put the whole thing all together.

Twice a week I try to get to the gym to do straight arm pulldowns, wide grip lat pulldowns, close grip lat pulldowns, rows, and dumbbell bench step ups. I feel like I should be doing squats, bench press, and deadlifts, but I'm not particularly fond of them.

On weight days, I usually go for about a mile-long walk in the afternoon. Non weight days, I jog for 45 minutes on the treadmill in the mornings.

[Shadow12]

Guava you look Soooo goood and your recipes although sometimes I wonder how you come up with some of them they are great to. Keep it up.

[guava]

I've been playing around with the new bodyfat scale that I got and noticed an interesting trend. When I weigh high (in the evening) it shows a very low body fat percentage. (13.8% last night ). I've never heard anyone mention that before.

One reason I know I'm where I want to be at: It used to be that if I tried on a pair of pants and said "these pants are too small for me", I was actually thinking "my hips are too big to fit into these pants". Now, I can understand that "these pants were made for someone smaller than I am," as I would think for a pair of size seven shoes.

Today we celebrate Canada/Italy Day in Romania. As children's event coordinator, I have organized a potato sack race, water balloon toss, mom calling contest, egg and spoon walk, fill the cup relay, face painting, balloon animal folding, and lots of other fun stuff. It will NOT rain.

[FionaMaeve]

Wow, Guava! You are a knock out! And you look fit as heck.

Thank you for sharing your diet and fitness routines.

[djjohnson77]

Originally Posted by guava

Today we celebrate Canada/Italy Day in Romania.

You're in Romania? If so, how cool!

[ABguy]

WOW!

What a transformation. You're really toned in the last pic. Can definitely pick up on your weightlifting in your arms and ab.

I've got to show my wife. She started a program today.

WTG !

[guava]

Canada/Italy day was a big success. Part of the fun was a soccer game with the moms against the kids. I was proud to be one of the few moms that could actually keep up to the kids. I took a few tumbles, but it was fun to run so hard. I must have twisted my ankle a bit because I felt it this morning on the treadmill.

Thanks for the compliments Freemason and ABGuy. For clarification, I started changing my diet in September 2003. I'm 5'4.5'", and was about 130 pounds. (Same as in the second pic). I slowly started increasing the cardio at the same time, and added weight training about mid January 2004. I don't have any pics from January, but some of my abs and bicep progress are posted in the media gallery I'm at 116 today and have never felt better in my life. A year ago, I couldn't have worn the outfit I have on in the last pic. Mid January I could have worn it, but would have been very self conscious about my abdominal fat. Now, I can wear it and don't even have to think about sucking in my stomach. I was tired of thinking "I'm too old for that," so I made a change.

Funny enough, the biggest change is NOT in how I look. I am a HAPPIER person, and feel good about myself. Sometimes it's just a matter of deciding to be happy.

"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing." --Michael Pritchard

"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth." --Evan Esar

[guava]

Crazy things are going on in my personal life and it's hard to stay sane. That's why fitness is so important to me; it gives me such a sense of control, when the rest of my life feels so random. I used to eat when I got stressed out; now, when my head starts pounding, I say "I've got to go to the gym."

We took the girls to the beach today. They had a great time collecting shells and playing in the sand. Next week we might go to a water park.

My thighs are killing me. I can't figure out what I might have done to them. Either the soccer game was rougher than I thought, or my high heeled sandals somehow put a strain on the front of my legs rather than on the calves that they normally irritate.

Food shopping is really not that much fun anymore. I can completely skip the cereal aisle, the chocolate aisle, most of the frozen foods, all the snack foods.... I bought some tofu because I just had to get myself something unique. I've never cooked tofu before, so this could be interesting.

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." --Frank A. Clark

"It isn't what you have or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about." --Dale Carnegie

[woeisemma]

You're one hot momma, Guava!

Originally Posted by guava

Today is another happy day.

I feel like I am finally at where I want to be.

So, a new journal for a new me.

Some before and after pics.

1st pic - 9 months after my youngest daughter was born, October 2001
2nd pic - 2 years after my youngest was born, January 2003
3rd pic - last week
4th pic - today

[jRS]

I dont reply often, but WOW!!! you look ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

[Destiny]

Originally Posted by woeisemma

You're one hot momma, Guava!

/agree!

[guava]

Stress = sugar cravings

If I crave sugar, I know I'm going to eat sugar, so I just cut nearly everything ELSE out of my diet for the day

Breakfast
apple, granola, milk

Snack
fruit and quark dessert with 0.2% fat (like a yogurt)

Lunch
peanut butter "dog biscuits", banana
cucumber, red pepper salad with a bit of pastrami and potato salad

Snack
watermelon, coffee with sugar

Supper
cucumber, tomato, red pepper, hard boiled egg, chicken thigh
instead of dressing, I mixed in a bit of potato salad

Dessert
whipped cream cake with strawberry grand marnier sauce
coffee with lots of sugar and (gasp!) Coffee Mate

Today's diet will be similar I'm sure. It started out with swiss musli and a yogurt. Normally, I hate yogurt, but this pineapple flavor was awesome.

My husband says it's time for a vacation. I pick Italy or Greece, but he wants to either drive to a resort in Bulgaria, or take the train to Austria or something.

I figured out the aching thighs. It's from trying to do the splits. I thought I was gently stretching, but I guess I pulled too far.

[TheLemonSong]

Keep up the good work Guava! You're an inspiration to us all!!

[Reno_1ted]

Ive been with you a while mate, and i must say your new pics make u look 1,000,000 dollars. Its been a yoyo ride to get here, but hear you are, Your a credit to yourself.

Whats your new goals in this journal ?

[guava]

Thanks TheLemonSong, Reno_1ted, Destiny, jRS, Freemason, djjohnson77. Everyone's comments mean the world to me.

Goals for this phase I'm really not sure about. It's so weird to be really and genuinely happy with the way that my body looks. (Most days I even love my thighs, and I honestly never thought I ever would.) It doesn't sound quite right to say that my goal is to stay where I'm at. I suppose my goals are more performance related now. It wouldn't hurt to gain strength, to gain flexibility. I don't think the form on my exercises is right, and I really need to see a personal trainer. I will maybe try to get an appointment while I'm in Canada. I'm still wavering on whether increasing my dumbbell weights is a good idea, or if I should stick at what I'm lifting, since I'm happy with my bicep size.

I had a great time playing soccer on the weekend, and think that I really should take up a sport or two. There's a group of ladies that play tennis in the mornings and it would be fun to do that instead of a couple of my cardio sessions. However, the last time I tried, about four years ago, it was more exercise than I wanted. I miss the ball such a large percentage of the time that the sport turned into run and get the ball, bend over and pick it up, instead of hit the ball with the raquet. Baseball is more to my liking. I never really played much since junior high, partly because I'm a little shy and feel uncomfortable around people I don't know well. There's no baseball team around here unfortunately, but I'd like to promise to myself to look into it whenever we move.

Besides that, I like TheLemonSong's idea. I might put some more effort into learning more about nutrition. Maybe take some university courses. I did read a textbook back in January, and, unfortunately, I thought it was pretty boring. Maybe I'll think about writing a cookbook instead.

It's also time to concentrate more effort on the body parts I've been neglecting. My first stage was with the "show" muscles, which really worked well for me. Perfect biceps and abs is great motivation to tone my back, chest, and strengthen wrists, forearms, etc.

Some bodybuilding could be in my future, but it doesn't look probable right now. I don't want to be any bigger, so I'd have to check out what the current ideals are for women's bodybuilding.

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." --George Eliot

Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person we become. --Jim Rohn

[Buchy]

Congratulations Guava, you really have made a big change and you look fantastic
I understand why you're struggling now, having spent so long focusing on a huge personal goal you must feel on top of the world now, and wondering what to do next.

[woeisemma]

Guava, I remember you saying how all of your neighbors said you were too thin and sickly looking..after seeing your photos I can honestly say they are jealous. If you were my neighbor my first reaction to your body would be "omg she's fit!"

[guava]

emma, my neighbors didn't say I looked sickly, they told my husband they were worried about me. Sort of the same though, and I also choose to believe that they are jealous.

Buchy, I'm struggling for other reasons now, but, yeah, the journey has been a long dedicated path, and I feel I don't know where to reach for anymore and how to continue to grow.

My sugar addiction is still going strong, so I'm trying to put myself on a mostly fruit diet. I'm taking some St. John's wort, but it doesn't do much for my stress. For anxiety, however, I highly recommend it.

Must drink more water.

I'm wondering why I bought a bikini. I'm afraid to put it on because I'm worried people will stare at me. Actually, I bought two bikinis. What was I thinking? I can wear them to the beach, but here, at the pool, around people that I know.... I've heard people talk about others in bikinis "Oh, she's showing off, blah, blah, blah...."

Today's advice to myself:

" Don't worry about how others think of you. Thinking of you shows they're already worried about being compared to you."