The Next New Thing

Alright, so a few weeks ago it was Dr. Amen. Today it's P90X.

Here's the thing. I understand how to lose weight... I think most everyone does. We all need to eat less and move more. But if it were really that simple America would not be caught up in an obesity epidemic. And we are, people. We're fat and we're getting fatter.

So how did I get sucked into the P90X cult? Well, I met a new friend who is a Beachbody Coach. I intentionally set my mind against wanting to sign up for anything he was selling because I wanted to be his friend, not his client. Plus, I'm stubborn like that. No, I haven't read the Harry Potter series and I refuse to in the future... just because everyone else has and I don't want to be like everybody else.

The thing is, my friend never tried to sell me anything. It was me who asked all the questions, wanted to know what he ate, how often he worked out. I guess my subconscious was telling me I didn't have all the answers, that the 7lbs I had lost in 6 months isn't the pace I wanted, and that there might be something to this after all. So I bought into it. Literally- bought. Not. Cheap.

The package came today and I will start my 90 day journey tomorrow. I will work out every day for 90 days (the one rest day per week I will be doing a stretch work out.) I will eat 1800 cals a day, but burn off about 600 per workout, so my net cals will be 1200 like usual. I ordered a shake program to have for breakfast each day, and it is supposed to have a lot of great benefits other than losing weight. I'm hoping it aids in digestion like it claims. (Anyone who has had his/her gallbladder removed knows how iffy digestion can be afterward.) I took "before" photos in my bikini that I will never ever show anyone ever ever. I also put up my scale; I'm not weighing myself again for 30 days.

The reason I am excited about this program is that I know it will be a challenge. Everyone I have talked to says it is hard as hell. But looking back in the past when I have lost a lot of weight, this is exactly what I needed. In high school I maintained because I had soccer practice 4 times a week and games on Friday. (For those of you who don't know, the average player runs anywhere from 4 to 10 miles a game.) When I was in Slovakia (other than walking everywhere) I took pilates for an hour two times a week and dropped 30 lbs. About 5 years ago I hired a trainer who made me cry and dropped the 30 lbs I had gained back after Slovakia. Now it's time to drop the 30 lbs I gained back after the trainer.

There's a community to this as well, and once school starts I will be working out with other Club Beachbody peeps in The Colony. So the support is in place... now all I have to do is press play.

Night Eating Syndrome

I finally have a name for what has been plaguing me since college! Night Eating Syndrome.

I know this must sound funny- just stop eating at night- but it's not that simple. I don't just eat at night. I wake up in the middle of the night- STARVING- and I feel like I can't go back to sleep until I eat something. I try to eat healthily when I get up, but unfortunately all I crave are carbs. This syndrome is the number one reason why I don't keep cereal in the house; I will wake up and have a bowl (or two) every night. I know because it happened for almost a straight year in college.

I woke up and ate again last night, and after seeing a gain on my scale after working out twice a day for a week, I just about gave up. But then I realized even though I had been keeping my net calories to (around) 1200 a day and logging everything I ate, I hadn't really been logging what I ate in the middle of the night.

To give you an example, early this morning I ate three corn tortillas with margarine and jam... 372 calories worth. Add the 3 scrambled eggs I ate at 2am before I went to bed, and half of my daily calories are gone before I woke up for the day. No wonder I'm not losing weight... not to mention what this disorder is doing to my quality of sleep.

I went online and found some ideas on how to hopefully curb this: Make sure to eat breakfast, limit caffeine and alcohol, schedule specific times for meals and snacks, and try to talk yourself out of getting out of bed. Breathing exercises... all that. I'll be taking melatonin, too.

If you are not hungry in the mornings, can go almost all day without eating and then eat almost all your daily calories at/after dinner, you may have Night Eating Syndrome like me. It runs in families (my mom has it) and a large percent of sufferers also have some sort of anxiety/depression disorder (both mom and me.) It also comes out/worsens with stress... which is all of us.

For more info and a book, go to this CBS News link.

And if you or someone you know is dealing with this, please let me know!

Come paint with me at Michaels (Lewisville)

***If you know you want to take my class and you'd rather not read all this, simply call the Michaels Lewisville store at (972) 316-0837. Tell them you want to sign up for a painting class, and they'll hook you up! If you want more information, keep reading.***

This past spring an educational coordinator for Grumbacher sent an email asking if I would be interested in teaching painting classes at Michaels. I jumped on board because I am always looking for ways to make some extra money, plus I think exposing the community to art is essential if we want art education to remain in our public schools.

Tonight I taught my first class and had a really good time. I didn't have as much of a chance to fully complete the demonstration painting because I was so involved in helping everyone else, but this is it anyway:

Landscape Lesson Plan: "Live Oak Lane"

I've had a number of friends ask for more information about the classes, so here's the scoop.

Many Michaels stores around the country offer painting classes from a Grumbacher instructor. Grumbacher is an American art supply company that has been around since the early 1900's. I have Grumbacher oil paints from college that are still good and I still use (11 years later.) Quality stuff.

If you are interested in signing up for a painting class, go here to find a class by state and city. If you are looking for me, click on TX_Lewisville, hit search, and my schedule will pop up. You can then click on any of the classes to see the store address, phone number, curriculum, etc.

There are four categories offered- Floral, Landscape, Seascape, and Still Life- and multiple lesson plans for each category. I like to rotate through the categories and allow my students to pick which lesson to complete, but every instructor is different.

Once you have decided which class(es) you want to take, download the class syllabus from the same calendar page. The syllabus will have general information, class information, and a supply list. Take the syllabus to the Michaels store where your class is offered and an associate will help you find your supplies and sign you up for the class. The classes are $25 per person per class and the supplies are a one-time cost of $49.99. A Michaels 40% off coupon (found here or in the sunday paper) can be used to bring the cost of the supplies down to $29.99.

Here's what comes in the kit:

3 fl oz. tube Academy Acrylic Titanium White

3 fl oz. tube Academy Acrylic Cad Red Light

3 fl oz. tube Academy Acrylic Ultramarine Blue

3 fl oz. tube Academy Acrylic Cad Yellow Medium 014173351258

Bristlette Round #2 Brush

Bristlette Filbert #8 Brush

Grumbacher Small Painting Knife

MacPhersons 9x12 Canvas Board (2)

After that, you just show up! In two hours you will leave with a painting like these:

And again, if this seems like a lot, simply call the Michaels Lewisville store at (972) 316-0837. Tell them you want to sign up for a painting class, and they'll help you out. Feel free to ask questions (by commenting on this post) and I will get back to you. Children 7 and up are welcome, but a parent must be in the class at all times.

Come paint with me!

A couple of weeks later

I went ahead and cancelled my Amen subscription... not because I didn't think it was helpful, but because there is no way I'm paying $30 a month basically for a service I get already on CalorieKing. But I did learn a few things and have put them into place, so I thought I'd share.

1. Take your vitamins.

I do this already- I take a multivitamin- but I've supplemented it with more vitamin D. Some studies have shown a link to insufficient D levels and depression. Since I am already prone to depression and anxiety, I jumped on board. The specific pill I take mixes vitamin D with fish oil- which we all need- but I specifically need it because I have ridiculously dry skin/hair.

2. Slow down.

Tell a teacher to slow down when eating lunch and you're likely to get a spork in the eye. But now that it's summer, I really need to. I've been trying to take my time when it comes to food- observing it, noticing the colors and smells, chewing sufficiently, and putting my utensils down in-between bites. I also need to stop eating in front of the TV, but one thing at a time.

3. Step away from the computer.

The whole idea of Amen's program is to take care of your brain. Forget "This is your brain on drugs." Replace it with "This is your brain on computers/TV/your smart phone." Am I addicted to technology? I don't know, but I will tell you that I spend an EXORBITANT amount of time on my iPhone. I must check my e-mail, Facebook, and WWF 50 times a day... or more. (As a matter of fact, I'm going to tally tomorrow and see what the real number is.) Anyway, I am doing my best to limit my TV time. Computer will come next, then the phone. Baby steps.

4. Exercise.

Like, every day.

Every.

Day.

5. Sleep.

This is probably my favorite one. I love to sleep. While some people are ok with 6 or 7 hours sleep, I could easily sleep 13 hours a night, every night. I really think my needs are up around 9 hours, so I am making sure I get at least that. We'll see what happens when school starts.

There are others- mainly about what I am putting into my body. I am cooking with coconut oil instead of margarine. I'm eating organic. I've cut out almost all diet drinks, but I wasn't a big soda drinker anyway. I've discovered stevia, which is a plant that sweetens without jacking with a person's blood sugar. I try to eat a rainbow of colors every meal- berries for dessert to get in blue and purple- and I really like vanilla almond milk.

So, is it working? Have I lost a ton of weight? No, not yet, but I know I'm healthier when I put these things in place. It's all about taking better care of myself so that I can be better for others. :)