Desperate Times...Desperate Measures

Okay...I absolutely have to blog about this for all my sisters in the struggle...

Has anyone else read the book 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox, by Roni DeLuz?

It was published in May of this year and got lots of exposure on women's shows and in magazines. DeLuz was on The View and Extra. She received quite a bit of publicity when she worked with Robin Quivers (Howard Stern's co-host).



Now...all of this passed me by. I happened to see the book when I was in Barnes and Noble browsing last July. It caught my eye because 21 pounds in 21 days is quite a promise! As I have mentioned before, each time I gained this weight - 15 lbs and then 15 lbs again - it happened extremely quickly (within 7 - 10 days). Which I think is extremely unnatural for someone of my size and former weight and habits. Because this was so discouraging, I have wanted to lose the weight as quickly as I possibly could and still do it safely, without starving my body and getting into that unhealthy eating disorder zone.

I have been known to lose 15 lbs in as little as 10 days...so I know it can be done...anyhow, I picked up the book - back then, in July - expecting it to be the same knowledge and sound bites you find in women's magazines (eat grapefruit, drink cranberry juice) repackaged and expanded upon to fill 200-odd pages. I had no intention of buying it, but I did pick it up and flip through to see if there was anything novel about her approach.

I wanted to skim the diet plan and see what the recommended foods were. Well... I was quite surprised because the first hundred pages or so were actually educational. Although it has been marketed as a book that unlocks the secrets to quick weight loss (supposedly without feelings of deprivation), it is actually about cleansing your mind, body, and spirit and learning to be in tune with yourself - strengthening the mind/body connection through establishing various routines and disciplines.

I determined then that it would not be a quick read or a quick fix, and honestly, I knew I wasn't ready. I think I was still looking for a quick-fix and an easy out. She was preaching lifestyle changes and I was not ready to hear it. I was not ready to learn or make changes and all of it would have rolled off my consciousness like water off a duck's back.

But lately I have been feeling extremely unwell and not just unhappy about my weight. I know everybody has been like: hey, cheer up, you'll do fine, exercise, eat right and the weight will come off. I have conveyed so much of my unhappiness about the way I look, I don 't think anyone understands (because I didn't express it clearly, I am sure) how much of my unhappiness is about the way I feel.

I feel sluggish and tired. My circulation has gone to pot. I used to be able to sit cross-legged for hours (not that one should), but now, I can sit cross-legged or with one leg under the other for 10 minutes and the leg falls asleep to the point where I have to stand without moving for nearly a minute waiting for the blood and feeling to return so that I can walk on it without having it buckle under me. I am experiencing other symptoms that make me feel like I am dangerously close to being pre-diabetic and I know that I am on the path to obesity and the myriad health problems that accompany it.

So...as unhappy as I am about the way I look, I am actually much more concerned about the way I feel...so unhealthy. I am desperate to turn it around.

I have blogged before about how angry I am with myself because I know better. I have done so many of the things that I know better than to do and I have forgotten how to live the routines that kept me healthier and consequentially thinner. Simple things like mindfulness when eating, so that I recognize when I am full and stop - whether or not it tastes good or my plate is still more than half full.

This book is good because it is reminding me of the things I used to know how to do. It is making me remember things I learned long ago about how the body works and why certain habits run contrary to healthful living and weight loss efforts.

DeLuz is a naturopathic doctor and writes extensively about the body's ability to heal and regulate itself. Her advice and methods are non-traditional to be sure, so it's not for everyone, but I think many of us with locks (and the subset that is inclined towards juicing and vegetarianism and raw/live foods) will find it a good read. Even those who are not may find it an interesting read whether or not you actually agree with her theories or can see yourself adopting the lifestyle she recommends.

I would really appreciate comments from anyone who has read the book already and would encourage anyone who has not (and is constantly struggling with dieting disappointments) to look it over.

As I was saying, back in July, I knew I wasn't ready for it, but I filed the title and concept away as something to revisit later. Well, last week I decided the time had come, so I bought it on Sunday. I am only on page 70 so far, but I am really enjoying it. I will continue to blog about my impressions (which may change) and my success (or lack thereof) in following the detox regimen.

Recommended Reading

45 minutes; 2 miles; 300 calories

The same way I've done with my Sisterlocks blog, I've decided to pass on articles of interest that relate to weight loss and women. Because I have had so many body image issues of late, I found the following article to be a good read and thought my would appreciate it as well. From Newsweek: Why Women Lose Weight - Or Don't.

Incidentally, today I came home from the office at noon, changed into my workout clothes immediately and did 45 minutes on the treadmill. I walked 2 miles and burned 300 calories!

Yay for me!

I did not work out yesterday. I just let time get away from me and before I knew it, it was 1:30 a.m. and I really needed to get to bed, but I decided not to let it get me down, and not to beat myself up about it. I have told myself that while it is my goal to workout each and every day, I should recognize that sometimes that will not happen and I should not belittle myself or let it discourage me entirely.

I will simply make it a point not to skip two days in a row without good reason (like illness - simply being tired or not making time are no longer acceptable excuses.)

I will still be checking in regularly and updating, but I will not be recording my weight just yet. I never minded to weigh myself daily before, but once it got up over 150 (and stayed) the weigh-ins began to get terribly discouraging. I am now focusing on what I eat and my exercise routines.

I will post my weight again when I get into a more pleasing weight range and see more results - trending down. I just started exercising in earnest a week ago and I can already feel changes in my body. My muscles feel like they've been used and my body moves more easily. Still huffing and puffing on the treadmill, but if I stick with it, that should go away within the next couple of weeks.

Needless to say the January half-marathon is out, but I still have participation in a marathon as as a long-term goal. I just have to pick another date and a different city...stay tuned.

But I was saying...I feel changes in my body, but they are not showing up on the scale and I am not putting too much stock in the numbers or how my clothes fit just yet. I will see where I am in 10 more days. I feel like will take at least 2 weeks for my body to get used to the new program because I have been lazy and eating poorly for so long.