May 4, 2006 - update

Well here is my first "picture" update. I stood on the scales this morning and weighed 233.5 lbs.

I took my picture with the digital camera timer (so It's not the best picture composition!)

I've been following some simple rules to keep me going
1. No Sugar
2. No flour
3. No white starches

Yesterday I had Oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast - raw veggies, hummus, almonds, blueberries and grapes for lunch, and meat loaf for dinner.

One of the suggestions that my Naturopath doctor had was to only have protein for dinner. If I did have carbs with dinner, have only vegetables.

Here are some of the other tips my Naturopath gave me: (by the way, if you can find yourself a Naturopath Doctor - do so! Everybody is different - waht works for me, may not work for someone else - A naturopath Doctor can help you look at you!)

• Add 1 tbsp per day ground flax seed
• Green Tea 2-3 cups per day
• Chromium 200mcg 3 times a day
• Don't eat past 7:30pm
• Last meal of the day should have little if any carbs. Carbs cause insulin to be released into the blood stream. Insulin is the fat storage hormone and counteracts the effects of growth hormone. If you do have carbs, try to take them in the form of a vegetable
• Larges meal should be eaten in the morning, and no meal should exceed 500 calories.
• Water drink ½ your body weight (lbs) in water in oz
• Avoid all artificial sweeteners
• Minimize dairy intake
• Deep breathing - Lying on your back, place your left hand on your upper chest and your right hand on your abdomen. Inhale deeply through the nose, while pushing outward with the stomach so the right hand can feel the abdomen rise. Try not to move the left hand while inhaling (breathe in with your stomach muscles, not with your chest). Exhale slowly, pushing the abdomen inward and upward towards the ribs. Once you have mastered this you can do it throughout the day for relaxation. 100 breaths per day.
• Movement - at least 30 minutes a day
• Free writing- set 10 minutes aside to journal - write for 10 minutes without stopping.
• Spend 30 minutes per day reading a self-motivating or changing book
  

Lunch time - craving carbs! - one moment at a time