The DieDie Blog

So a while back I blogged that I was going back on the Atkins kick. As I had used this method a few years ago I honestly didn’t think I’d have a problem with it the second time around. Boy was I wrong. You see my life has changed since then. When I originally did the Atkins diet, I was single, living alone, and addicted to WoW (World of Warcraft). This may not seem like a significant factor, but bare with me while I explain.

I worked at Time Warner Cable where they graciously had breakfast meals that I could have on Atkins, more specifically a cheese omelet. Then at lunch they had a full on salad bar. So it was easy to have an omelet for breakfast every day and then follow it up with a healthy salad for lunch. When I’d get home I’d load up on broccoli and cheese or whatever quick food I could have on the diet. For example, hot dogs, hamburgers without the buns, and of course my staple Diet Mountain Dew. Then I’d plop myself in front of the computer and be set for hours on end until late am where I’d go to bed. That lifestyle included no one else around me to influence my eating habits and a bad addiction to a video game that ensured small quick meals and lots of substituted calories with the Dew. Not very healthy I know, but I shed a lot of weight.

Now, I have a full blown family. I tried the Atkins diet again, I really did. But as it was only me on the diet I got to watch Dustin eat awesome things that I love, like bread, potatoes, and ice cream. I was a sad panda. And of course I gave in. So Atkins sadly was out the window for me. But we had a back up plan. Counting calories!

Of course that sounds so laborious and taxing. Fortunately, Dustin had his iPod Touch to help us out with a calorie counting app called Lose It. In no time we were calculating what went into our favorite foods and realizing that it wasn’t so much the food that was making us gain weight, but the amount we were eating. What should have been an easy 1 serving size had been upped to at least 3 servings. Especially, when we’d go back for seconds.

So, armed with new knowledge and an application for calories, we started cutting back on the amount we ate. In about a week we’d dropped a few pounds already. It was awesome! All we were doing was just setting a goal and then sticking to it. Exercising would burn calories allowing you to eat more if you desired, but generally I found I was getting used to the new portion sizes. Now sure, we had times where we did still go back for more, but we were aware of the consequences. In addition we’ve been walking more during the day and well I have my Zumba class every Friday. I’m sure that helps.

We’ve also found quick a few tasty low calorie foods to enjoy as well. Skinny Cow Ice Cream has 100 calorie bars. Quakers Rice Cakes are delicious and only 70 calories per serving. Franz bread has special 45 calorie slices which is awesome for bread! Digorno has 200 calorie pizza slices! The list goes on and on. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve started this calorie business on New Year’s Day and I’ve dropped 20 pounds so far. It’s a gradual loss but I know I’ll keep up with it and it’s a healthy way to lose weight. Plus I can still eat ice cream and pizza and anything I desire! I just have to remember to keep it in moderation.

So wish me luck as I continue this. I’ve still got another 30 pounds to lose before I’m back where I need to be. It’s only a matter of time now.

A while ago I was asked by my friend Carly to go and check out a Japanese bath and tea garden. All psyched up to go I made the rather startling discovery that I was pregnant. And so began the new direction in my life. Unfortunately, that also meant I was unable to go to the garden. Recently, Dustin reminded me that Carly and I had, had this plan oh so many months ago. This was how we ended up visiting the Chozu Gardens in Ashland this past Saturday.

We arrived at the Gardens and waited patiently at the counter where we were handed a lamented sheet describing the rules while the lady tended to someone on the phone. They were fairly straight forward. No sexual acts or overtones while in the tubs. No loud voices, people were there to meditate and relax after all and other such fun regulations. Once we had the lady’s full attention we were checked in, handed towels, wraps, flip flops, and given a guided tour of the facilities.

The only other spa like place I had been to was the Jackson Hot Springs and while they are ok with their own swimming pool, the Gardens tended to be a step above. The atmosphere when you enter the “portal to tranquility” makes you feel like you are there to relax. Leave your cares at the door because beyond this point it’s all about you. Even the walls where painted with serene trees and a pastel skyline. Our guide pointed out various things as we made our way to the changing area. Below the pastel tree wall was a small pond, not for dipping in, and a cold water plunge for just in case you get too hot in the springs. Next to this was a sealed off section containing a private bath garden. Now keep in mind that as we’re walking through this area we are exposed to the gorgeous blue sky above us. I can only imagine how beautiful the private bath would be for two with the stars twinkling above.

Onward we went around the corner to the actual public bath garden. It was a wonderfully curved pool complete with a stone waterfall at it’s base. It even had jets you could turn on to work out those particular stubborn muscles in your back. We were both excited now. Next to the pool was a large room for the sauna and a small table containing essential life giving water. Even though it’s a simple concept, the act of providing free water to those that are about to be dehydrated by an hour and half of glorious heat treatments, was very endearing. Sometimes the little things go a long way to making your experience extra special. We were then introduced to the changing/shower rooms.

Fairly simple, the shower rooms provided three areas from which to rinse off and also housed the steam room. Now before this time I had always assumed a steam room and a sauna were the same thing. Nope, I was wrong. A steam room actually uses steam to heat up the room and cause you to sweat like you were caught in a torrential down pour. Whereas the sauna does a similar effect just with plain old temperature. Least that’s what my experiences taught me at the Gardens.

So all prepared we were and after rinsing off we attempted the steam room first. After about 30 seconds, we couldn’t see each other even though we were roughly 5 feet apart. I’d like to say we could stand it for about 5 minutes. Reality would probably tell us we only survived 2 minutes. Either way, we had our fill and I swear my lungs were swimming with fluid. So quickly and with giggles we fled the steam and headed out to the main attraction. Armed with our wraps we descended the steps into the hot springs and I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t actually that hot. It was a decent temperature. The more I sat in the water, however, the hotter it became. That was all well and good for me as I love the heat.

We had positioned ourselves on a slight ledge in the hot spring where the jets were placed. And by jove did they work. Moving slightly we were able to position our backs and massage away any aches and pains in our muscles. Combined with the heat it was pure bliss. But it wasn’t just the heat that made everything so tranquil. It was the fact that we could stare up at the clear blue sky and feel the gentle breeze graze across our faces.

I’d have to say it was just one of those perfect days. Everything fell into place, the world seemed a bit brighter, and we both had satisfying conversations on how content we were with our lives. It’s rare those instances where you find yourself counting your blessings instead of bitching about the annoying things in life.

We sat in the pool for what seemed like forever chatting about various topics; all the while feeling the stress and grime of the past week fall from our bodies and minds. But as with all things our curiosity got the better of us and so we decided to check out the sauna. We made a pitstop at the water table and I made sure to drink a couple of cups of water before entering. Inside it was dark and hot…very hot. We climbed up on one of the back ledges and sat there with a couple of other ladies. Half naked ladies awwww yeah. I forgot to mention that this place is also clothing optional. Bathing suits need not apply. =p

But anyway, about 2 minutes into our foray into the sauna I begin to notice something strange. And to confirm this strangeness I took a deep breath through my nose…biggest mistake ever! The sensation that I had been experiencing was a burning on my upper lip which was only exemplified when I drew in a deep breath, however, the burning then traveled up my nose instead. Ouch! So I turn to Carly and inform her that if you take a deep breath you’ll burn your nostrils. What does she do? Yup! lol Confirmation on two fronts! It was hard not to giggle about it. Eventually, we could take it no more and exited the sauna. The water table was again a most precious resource.

We got back into the hot springs which had gained a few extra people. These ladies were older and completely naked as well. Now, don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against anyone being naked. And one can’t help but glance at the same things even though we have them too. Yes, I’m saying I glanced at their boobs. I couldn’t help it! One of the ladies had a really nice pair and for being as old as her face looked it was quite remarkable how well they held up. I was actually wondering if they were real or not. But either way, the ladies were enjoying the pool just the same as the rest of us, even if they did float by us several times doing the back stroke O.O.

We wrapped up the day with another jaunt in the steam room this time lasting much less than the first time. We showered and rinsed off with the lemon salt scrubs the tour lady had given us and left for the day. But even as we left I felt so incredibly relaxed and content. I had even managed to get some chakra work done while in the pool. The energy was just amazing. I definitely look forward to returning to the Chozu Gardens soon and Carly and I even talked about making it a girl’s night out event. Certainly would be a wonderful time.

So if you are in the area and need a good quiet soak centralizing on peace and relaxation, check out the Chozu Gardens in Ashland, OR. It’s definitely worth the measly $25 for 90 minutes of bliss.

This past Friday I attended our local gym’s Zumba class. I’d been looking forward to this day all week and had even managed to con one of my friends from work into joining me. So as Julie and I stepped into the very purple club with our very purple clothes on (apparently it was just a purple day) we were both giddy as school kids. After a brief stop off at the front desk to pay for our punch cards we were given a brief tour of the Women’s Fitness Company and shown the room for the Zumba class.

It was dark much like a club would be and lit by a foreign ambiance, also very club like. With the promise of burning calories to some awesome dance moves, we quickly shed our purple attire and got dressed in our Zumba outfits. Julie’s was far more appropriate than my very loose shirt and pants, but as I’m the fat one and she the skinny one, I felt no shame in my choice. I was after all there to shed the weight anyhow. We stepped back into the room and it was already going. A woman stood up front on a raised platform and the Latin beats blared out across the room.

The room itself was pretty full and finding a suitable place to gyrate took a minute of adjusting, especially when the arms began to flail about. But soon we were frantically trying to mimic the movements of the lady in front of us. It was clear right from the start that this was not the beginners class or at least most of these people were pretty quick to catch on. There was no audible lead, it was merely monkey see, monkey do. And while that’s all well and good, it took me more than a few tries to get some of the moves down. Luckily, there was a lot of repeating so if the first 2 or 3 times didn’t click the 7th one would.

Before I knew it, I was tired. My legs were bitching at me in the most sordid of ways, exclaiming that they thought they’d been retired. And the rude awakening of jumping around without stretching was a breech of contract. Never the less, I huffed and puffed on. Was I having fun? Hell yeah I was! So while I was sweating up a storm and quickly tiring my rarely used muscles out, I was still enjoying myself. That was the point after all. Get a good work out without the bore of actual exercising.

After about 30 minutes I was dying, so I ducked out of the room and to the most beautiful thing in the world: a water fountain. Slurping up the delicious wetness, I remembered that I hated the taste of water. So back in the room I went. Song after song went by with Latin dance moves, tribal dance moves, semi street moves! It was awesome! Until I saw my jiggly dancing butt in the mirror. I’ve always despised that about gyms. Sure when I’m beautiful I’ll enjoy it, but not when I’ve got belly fat flopping all over the place. Luckily, there were people in front of me and a simple half step slide cured me of that for the rest of the class.

I wish I could tell you in depth what moves or dances we did, but I can’t. I don’t know the names of them and I can vaguely recall some if you’d like me to jiggle it out for you. Honestly, if you’re really intrigued I recommend you go try it out. It is fun for those of you that would like to work out in a dance club type setting. The moves weren’t too hard, but it was the pace and the constancy that made me sweat and then later on hurt. But, it was nothing a nice hot shower couldn’t cure. So Zumba, you I like. I’ll be jiggling and wiggling again this Friday.

Atkins.. My Atkins, not the full blown plan. That’s what I’m going to talk about today. You know why? Because not only do I have fat, I also have baby weight fat. That my friends sucks. It sucks on an extreme level. I had just started to crack down on my chubby butt when low and behold I find out I’m pregnant. So the past year has been nothing but packing on the weight. Now don’t get me wrong after giving birth I did drop 20 pounds, but that’s not enough.

I got stuck around 188 pounds and for a girl pushing 5’1 on a good day, that’s pretty scary. Even the Wii Fit cringed under my bulk. But I had a plan for fat busting. Aktins.

I had done Atkins before when I let my weight get out of hand and it actually worked fairly well. I loaded up on the 2 week program and cut out all carbs, which is what I eat the most. Only I found that my willpower wasn’t as good as I thought it was. So I would sneak in a potato here or a loaf of french bread there and bam would ruin my 2 week carb free stint. But then I’d start it back up again. And low and behold I had created my own version of Atkins. The perpetual carb purge. As I said earlier it worked like a charm.

Now I’m back on it. Just started for two weeks and managed to drop down to about 180. So of course I had to reward myself! Only I kinda went a bit over board. Pancakes! A Potato! And a lot of alcohol. What? Don’t you reward yourself with alcohol? It was a pretty good weekend. Had some friends over, indulged in some carbolicious food, and felt darn good. Til the next morning.

I hop on the scale and bam! Back up to 184! Oh no! My binge had cost me! But how much of that was water weight? I didn’t know so in my frantic obsession I weighed myself twice more and managed to wind down to 182. Thank goodness work took over from there and allowed me to forget about my flux in bulk.

I was determined to get back on track though. And I have done a good job of it today. Yes, all that happened this past weekend and today.

So what have I been eating on this bastardized version of Atkins? Well I’ll tell you!

Salads, broccoli, peas, green peppers, cucumbers, cheese lots of cheese, hot dogs, turkey meat, chicken, pork chops, eggs, and fish. Oh and sugarless carb free desserts. So it’s not a bad diet given the amount of veggies I include. But I do tend to suffer in the snack department. I’m still trying to figure that part out. At least for now I’m back on track.

What’s my next challenge? Facing down the left over All Hallow’s Eve candy. Bring it on!