All of you that are following my blog know that I have been trying to lose wight for a while now and the struggle is hard. I have not given up, but I am almost running out of options it feels like. I used to shed weight only by thinking of it... well to be honest, I have never deeded to lose weight before but once I tried I would always succeed with little effort.
I feel a boot camp is needed in this case! A strict boot camp. The same boot camp I did before I got married... But I ask myself if I can, if I have the energy to do it. Back then I only worked 4 hour days and was able to concentrate on my training and diet with full force. Will I be able to do it again? Without a wedding and a wedding dress at the end?? What motivation should I use this time? My favorite pair of jeans that I haven't been able to ware for years?? (Yes I still have them and I brought them with me to the US when I moved too).
Maybe I CAN do it... Maybe if I got your help... Maybe I should start a SEXY JEANS BOOT CAMP on Facebook?? And people can join and we can fight together??? What do you think - would you wanna join me? Would you want to have a whole group of people trying to reach the same goal?? - Heck LET'S DO IT!! I will post a link to the webpage when I have it done! I need you guys, together we might reach better success!!! I am excited!
Hey everyone... sorry for my absence.
Hope your July 4th celebration was superb! I enjoyed way more Mike's Lemonade than I should have had.. but that is what happens sometimes and it is all good - I had fun!
We did have a little incident in our kitchen though before the weekend: On Thursday morning when I woke up I noticed that there were some spots in the ceiling but didn't think too much about it and left for work. Thursday night when I came home from work the spots where still there, and in fact - they had gotten bigger... so we called our landlord to let him know. He planned to stop by after the weekend and that was fine with us.
But when we woke up on Friday our kitchen floor was full of water and a steady stream came poring out from underneath the cabinets at the same time as it was dripping heavily from the ceiling... GREAT!
6:15 am - we found our kitchen in distress
6:20 am - trying to wake up our neighbor above by knocking on her door
6:25 am - no answer from her, we called our landlord
6:40 am - our landlord comes and starts knocking on her door - still no answer. I should also mention that we know she is home because she has her car parked outside.
6:45 am - our landlord calls the water people to have them come out and shut off the water
7:00 am - the water people comes and starts knocking on her door because they can't turn off the water without her knowing. No answer, and they call the cops because they need to be there for them to turn off the water to her apartment.
7:10 am - police comes by and they also starts knocking on her door, even kicking on her door... by this time the whole building is awake and wants to know what is going on - or at least the two crazy old ladies that lives there do. They are full of ides of what we should do... one says that we should call the cops while the cop stands right there...
7:30 am - the police keeps knocking on her door and by this time we all start to wonder if something has happened to her, or if she is away.. so now we need to get in to her apartment. The police calls a locksmith..
7:45 am - the locksmith comes and before they open up and go in they bang on her door a few more times... no response. They walk in and guess who walks out of her bedroom wearing only a sheet?! Yup, our neighbor!
The cops tells her why they are there and all she says is "why didn't they tell me"? There could be no response to that, we were all amazed that she was still in the apartment sleeping during all that banging on her door... luckily the cop find some words and say "we have been trying for almost 2 hours, mam"...
So... our kitchen now smells like wet drywall with stains all over and hopefully our landlord is going to pick the contractor who thinks we should tear it all down and redo it.. He brought two over and one said "let's just paint over it"... can you say MOLD asswhole?!!
Today is the day... 2 years ago... Mmmmmm.... I want that moment back so bad. It was so much fun and so romantic.
I was thinking that I should try on my dress just for fun, but have decided against it - It will not fit even a little bit! And it will not be a motivator at this point, I am just too far away from getting into it again. I know I will one day but not yet. So today I am just going to enjoy watching the pictures of our wedding from two years ago.
I am so glad to share this with you all!
I am, as you all know a strong believer in supplements - but the right kind of supplements. There are so many scams out there since there when it comes to supplements. In fact, the products does not even have to contain what the ingredient list says it does. And when it comes to many people we don't know what type of the specific supplement that is good... we just go and grab something and think that it is good.
Synthetic is bad - and taking synthetic supplement might do you more harm than good...
I found iHerb.com to be very diverse - meaning that I don't think that everything they have is good, but they have some diamonds in the rough, you just have to know what you are looking for!
I have so far bought a thyroid supplement containing both kelp and some b-vitamins. I feel so great when I take it, I take one capsule in the morning and one for lunch. (I also supplement with only kelp in the afternoon and evening to reach my level of 600mcg of iodine per day). It keeps my blood sugar stable, and my energy UP! I love it!!
I also bought some Magnesium. Previous I was someone that thought, just as I described above, that all magnesium is the same... sadly that is not true. Magnesium is a mineral that is pretty hard for the body to absorb - but also a vital mineral for many people. I started to take it as I was having heart palpitations due to yasmin (birth control) and was from the beginning taking magnesium as magnesium oxide. I have to admit that I was surprised that nothing happened, I didn't see the improvements.. but since I started taking the high absorption magnesium / chelated magnesium I haven't had one little incident!
I recently placed an order on that organic whey protein that I talked about in the previous post and at checkout they gave me a code that I can share with anyone! The coupon code gives all new customers $5 discount!!! And if you spend $40 the shipping is free too (within the US).
Time really going too fast one second and too slow the next - I can't keep up.
I am still working on my colon cleanse and I feel great about it and plan to once I am done to start drinking protein shake in the morning instead. As I was doing research I found a pretty disturbing article about the brands: 'Muscle Milk' and 'EAS Myoplex' apparently they are pretty dangerous to your health!!! Not because of the protein but because of some other horrible ingredients, that is not listed on the package:
EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate contain in 3 servings: 16.9 mcg Arsenic and 5.1 mcg Cadmium.
Muscle Milk Chocolate Powder and Vanilla Cream contain in 3 servings: 5.6 mcg Cadminum, 13.5 mcg Lead, 12.2 mcg Arsenic, and 0.7 mcg Mercury!!!
WOW - and just imagine - some pregnant women are taking this just to try to stay healthy without knowing what it really is! (Find the Report by Dr. Mercola - Warning: Some Protein Drinks Could Poison You).
Dr. Mercola in his article off course offers his advise and tell the reader to buy HIS whey protein... but there is no place where you can read the ingredients... so I decided to look for an organic whey protein somewhere else. This is what I found: Whey To Health by iHerb.com I think I will try it soon...
As far as my weight loss - it is still slow but I manage to break 165 lbs the other day which was a nice step... It goes up and down though and some days I get up to 168 lbs and some down to 166 on a regular basis. I believe that some more protein is what I am missing here. So that organic whey protein might help me out!
Finally - our Princess finally got her Prince!
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria got married on June 19 with her Daniel and I just wanted to share some pictures with you all as this is big in Sweden. I bet at least 50% of all people were following the whole thing on TV from beginning til end.
Younger sister Princess Madeleine and the Queen Silvia arriving to the church
The Groom Daniel who with this wedding becomes a Prince, here with Prince Carl Philip the Best Man
Crown Princess Victoria arrives to the church with her father King Carl Gustaf
Walking down the isle
She is yours Daniel...
Exchanging Rings
Emotional...
They just love each other so much
Married; time to party!
Throw Stockholm to say hello to the people
Boat Ride, Stockholm is built up on islands
To the castle
Congratulations from her brother
Sister Hug
"Thank you all for giving me my prince" was her words to the Swedes
So great... what a feeling!
Dinner and Prince Daniel gave the best speech of them all
This is a summary of what is going on in my mind these days... It has been a lot and it does not slow down. I like it that way, but I tend to overdo things when I get started on something new.
So, since the reprogramming of my brain over the first weekend in June I am starting to grasp what is going on. We are about to start our next step in our journey and tonight is the first online session of a course called Rich Investor. It will basically help us build our Power Team - the people we need around us to succeed fast, safe, and legal. And tomorrow we are meeting with a CPA to set up our business.
Next we need to find an Attorney, then a Real Estate Agent, Mortgage Broker, Community Bank... and the list goes on. We are also looking for Rehabbers in the Philadelphia area, or someone that wants to buy a 'handy man' house.
On the baby clothing part of my life, a life that is getting drastically smaller, I finally got a hold of a baby girl to do some pictures with. I will post some of the items soon on my Etsy shop.
My weight loss is slow but I am still working out 5 days a week and have finally reached 60 minutes on the elliptical. 60 minutes feels like an eternity but lots of calories are burnt and I feel great! I keep my LCHF up and have become a little stricter with what I eat during the weekdays.
I also experienced some horrible bloating and cramps - not sure if they were feminine related or not so I decided to do a colon cleanse and it seems like it is going just great...
That was my random things for today... I just wanted to give you an update. I didn't want you to think that I had given up on things.. I am just busy trying to do everything I need to get done.
My husband and I have had a life changing weekend. This wasn't a 'light bulb' moment but rather a million of spotlights... I feel so overwhelmed but so excited.
Things really have a strange way of finding ways to get your attention. What is happening now is all because of that flight back home from Florida being late a month ago... I have a hard time explaining what is going on mostly because my mind is still smoking from the deep fried I experienced over the weekend. It was system overload! My little brain had to be re-programed into something new. Something that can see opportunities in what is going on in this economy... It has opened my eyes to a whole new world - A world I knew existed but never knew how to get my hands on... now I am beginning to know.
If you have to read only one book in your life, you have to read 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki. It won't make you an expert of any sort but it gives you an idea of what you are missing... then the choice is up to you on how to move on from there. I have chosen, and I have chosen to become the person of my dreams!
I feel like a balloon! I had pasta on Tuesday night and I still feel like shit from it. On Wednesday when I woke up I was up to 172 lbs (higher than when I started my diet). I feel like a failure right now... It is horrible.
I am not giving up, not at all - I am just learning my lesson all over again - NO WHEAT for me!!! Not even my favorite kind of wheat. I love pasta and I try not to eat it too often but sometimes I just have to have it... well maybe next time I will think more than once before going for it.
So the battle continues...
I am trying to drink more water then I normally do in hope of my extra weight is water weight and drinking more might help my body not retain so much of it. I don't know.
My lower back has also been bothering me horrible. Waking up, sitting, walking, working out on the elliptical... yesterday I finally went to my chiropractor, or NUCCA specialist at Bucks County Spinal Care and he made the pain go away with his magic. I am not kidding I step in there and explained where it was bothering me, he did his thing and as I was laying there I could feel my spine slowly adjusting to something new. When he was done he asked me to move around to feel it... I started by bending over to reach the floor with my hands touching the floor.. As I was going down the first time I still could feel the pain a little bit but I was able to reach much further than I have been in weeks... and then I did it again and I could not believe what I was feeling - NOTHING! The pain was gone, really gone!
Later the same night, by the time Flyers was playing the muscles in the area was getting a litte sore from the adjustment and today I can feel it too.. But being sore from that is much better than being in pain! Now I only have to wait until it settles down and enjoy exercising again.
I do not want to feel like a balloon much longer! As a matter of fact I don't want to feel it at all...
Ohh... I think that we all can agree on that ONE single day extra off is amazing and does so much for your soul. I spent most of my Saturday to clean up the week-mess that I always have. Clothes are all over the place and dirty laundry is taking up the whole basket, the refrigerator is empty... you know, all boring things. But then I was free... Sunday and Monday the bikini did it's premier in day light. It is strange but I really don't like showing myself in that bikini at this point. I hate my body! I know I am basically showing my body to the whole world by having it on my blog, but it is not the same. You guys know I am trying to lose weight and the pictures actually shows my progress and/or set backs. It is an inspiration to both you and me... But having people stand there and look at me, who knows what they are thinking... "she really shouldn't wear that bikini" "did she look herself in the mirror"... and all those nasty things people can think or say to each other.
I know I am not pretty, I know I am not the size I want to be, I know all that, I really do. But I have the right to relax by the pool while I am working at it without people judging me. Or maybe the only person judging me is me???
Anyway I enjoyed the long weekend and I hope to be able to spend many days by a poolside this summer. And every time I should be a little bit slimmer.
For me the Memorial Day Weekend does not mean that much. I just remember the first time I was in the US for the memorial day. I was living in Detroit Lakes, a small town in north-west Minnesota, at the time doing an exchange year during my Junior year in high school. The year was 1998 and I was 18 years old.
I remember driving by a cemetery with my host dad (or American dad as I call him, he was actually the one walking me down the isle at my wedding so he is just not a 'host dad' to me) and I could see all these flags everywhere. I had gotten used to seeing the American flag on a daily basis but not like that! That was just crazy - it was beautiful in some way...
Today when I think about it I have more compassion... I realize that most of these people died young, in another country without their loved ones because they wanted to do something good for their country, or the world... It is hard to think that they will never be able to tell their story, the story beyond the media, the story beyond the war...
Been looking at tickets to Sweden this past week... it is so expensive to fly over the summer. I hate it! I still want to go but I might wait and go at the end of August instead of in July. It will not be as warm out and people will be back at work and school, but maybe that is ok... I have to ask myself if it is worth $300 more for me to be able to go in the middle of the summer.
Don't get me wrong I can come up with millions of excuses why I have to spend $300 more just to be able to go a certain time of the year.. it is easy! ;) I just miss everything so much right now. Sweden is where half my heart is and it needs to be filled at least twice a year.
I talked to my BFF yesterday and she told me she is planning to visit me around halloween!! YEAH - I know it is forever until that happens, but that gives me so much to look forward to. And if I get to see her over the summer than it will not be that long until I get to see her again.
We for sure will be visiting NYC and will pay for a few dance classes at Broadway dance academy...
Summer time is around the corner and I start to think about Sweden. I love Sweden in the summer. It is my place to relax and be myself. Hang out with friends, listen to how the language sound, look at the new fashion trends that will come to the US within a year or two, eat things I can't get here, walk in parks and enjoy people watching, see my family, enjoy watching all red cottages, see more blonds in a day then anywhere else, enjoy the sense of style in men, dance at my favorite club, walk in grocery stores and being able to trust the labels, stay up all night because it never gets dark, laugh until I cannot laugh anymore...
As you already know I forgot to give you a week 2 update... so here comes the week 3 instead. Last week I was still experience my lower back pain and after every session on the elliptical I curve myself up like a ball and roll my back on my yoga mat for probably 10 minutes to stretch and massage that area. I truly miss my best friend who is a fabulous massage therapist, she has helped me with some of my worst pains but she is on the other side of the Atlantic...
Weight: 75.75 kg / 167.2 lbs [78.0 kg / 172.1 lbs]
Fat: 21.10 kg / 46.5 lbs (27.9%) [22.45 kg / 49.5 lbs (28.8%)]
Water 52.6% [51.9%]
BMI: 25.0 [25.8]
Chest: 98 cm / 38.58" [101 cm / 39.76"]
Waist: 78 cm / 30.71" [82 cm / 32.28"]
Stomach: 91 cm / 35.83" [97 cm / 38.19"]
Hips: 107 cm / 42.12" [111 cm / 43.70"]
I have given up hope on AHAVA products right now. I still like the bar soap but I am not seeing any improvements at all by using it or any of the other products that I have from the same brand. After my facial on Thursday I received some tester bags and as I kept using them my face kept improving. But over the weekend I used a lot of them up and now I am back to using my ahava moisturizer and my face is back to looking as a teenager.
I don't think that it is the ahava products that are bad, they are just not what my face need right now. I need to get something stronger for my acne, or for my skin infections as they are truthfully... I know; it sounds so much worse but that is what it is, no point in lying to yourself!
I saw incredible impact in using the 'Dermal Clay Cleanser' - it was a bit uncomfortable on my skin, but it really made an impact. I also am looking into getting the 'Active Moist' day cream and the 'Overnight Clearing Gel' I just feel that I am spending so much money on it... but if it works I really have no other choice... And I rather spend some money than look the way I do right now.
Yesterday I was goooone... I had my morning meeting with my elliptical at 5 in the morning and then off to work. I was so bored at work that I ended up leaving a little bit early... I was just thinking about everything else I needed to get done that sitting in my cube was driving me crazy... Then there was the highlight of the day - FACIAL time. I have had issues with acne for maybe four months now and I am trying to find the right products and the right way to take care of it without taking any drugs. It is a very slow process and I am not sure what to do next except having facials. They do make me look a ton better but it only last for so long.
Those 60 minutes of pampering makes me so relaxed and by the time I got home and had dinner I was out! It was only the 3rd inning of the Phillies game and I fell asleep on my hubby's chest... I woke up and it was the 7th inning.. I moved to the other sofa and tried really hard to watch the game but out I went...
Hubby woke me up a little later and off to bed we went. I don't know what happened after that but off I went again! When my alarm rang this morning at 4:50 am I turned it off and fell back asleep again. I was just completely wiped out!
I have been having some horrible cramps and feeling almost like I have had a fever so maybe I needed some extra sleep... I would say that by now I should be rested.
Last day of teaching dance classes tonight, feels strange but nice. I need the break, or I need the time I spend on that on other things for now.
I totally forgot to take a picture on Sunday, and to do my numbers.. it is not like I don't step up on the scale about 5 times a day but I want to stay consistent. I don't want to report my Wednesday number as my Sunday number so I am going to give you an update after 14 days instead of 7 this coming Sunday.
But what I have seen on the scale as been a lot of ups and downs. I have been down to 166 lbs and I have been up to 170 lbs. It all depended on what time of the day and what I was wearing. My officially weigh-in time is at night, since I weigh the most at night time and I weigh myself without any clothes. I would love to do it in the morning, but that would be a fake number to me.
I work out on the elliptical as promised and I have noticed that I no longer can count on 30 minutes to give me a good sweat, but I need to increase it to 40 minutes. I hate the elliptical - it is boring, even if I am reading and listening to music at the same time, and my lower back is hurting so much from it... but I will stick it out because I know it do me more good that bad! And I love getting in shape.
I had a work colleague telling me, when I showed the picture with me and the airplane telling I will own one of those one day, that I will need to keep my good looks and get a little bit more money... Well, good looks will fade with time but money will grow with time... so JUST WATCH ME SUCKER!
Reaching out on Facebook is a good thing! A friend of a friend is letting me take pictures of her baby in my clothes - it is going to be so exciting!! I hope to get it done on Saturday.
My weekend is pretty much booked up, but I will make room for this! On Sunday I have the dance recital for NAC where I have been teaching dance since September last year. It is finally time for the recital. All the kids are so excited for it - not all might be ready, but they are excited!
I am even going to be on stage dancing. It has been a while but I am sure I still got the touch... after all I LOVE being on stage!
Our mind is one of our strongest tool to use when we want to accomplish something, but it is also our greatest enemy! How can one thing be both those things?
Our mind makes us stronger or weaker, our mind makes us do, or not do, and our mind makes us grow no matter what roads we chose to travel on...
First there is you telling yourself what you want, but it is not until the brain understands it or want it too that you actually do. I sometimes feel I have two people inside of me - like the mother and the child. The mother tells me what I should do and the child usually rejects it with some great excuse... I hate it. I want to do what momma tells me - that is why I am telling me to do one thing in the first place! What is stopping me?
Do I have communication issues? Do I need to explain things better to my inner child?
Yesterday when I was on Facebook I noticed one of my friends saying "step 3" and she explained what it was, after someone asked what she was talking about, that she had reached her 3rd step in accomplishing something she wanted to accomplish. I thought that was great - maybe that is exactly how I need to do it too. Define my steps. When am I done with step one, step two, and so on... I thought that was so great!
Off course that is how I would advise others to do, but with myself I usually skip a few steps since my head is already at the finish line thinking that the work is done. Funny and frustrating how I don't walk the talk.
No... I am not a complete failure - I am still loosing weight and I am still learning about real estate investing, and I am still planning for a life in freedom away from the 8-5 job day in and day out... but there are still things missing... Things I need to figure out.
