I made the decision after finding out what my end cost would be after insurance (yep, they actually kick in some coverage on this) and also weighing the importance of health to other things.

While it’s true that I want to get out of debt so badly I can taste it, I realize also that delaying my debt-free-dance by approximately 1 month is worth the sacrifice for improving my overall health & fitness.  This is something I’ve been struggling with quite a bit since I started overhauling my eating habits.

One of the areas I was scrimping as much as possible (in order to pay more towards the debt payoff) was food.  As a result, I was eating horribly…well, maybe not horribly, but not well either.  I didn’t become a frequenter of fast food restaurants (I’ve never felt right going into one since watching “Supersize Me” and reading “Fast Food Nation“), but I was just making the cheapest food choices.  Once I started eating appropriately and incorporating organic foods into my diet, my food budget has shot way way up.  This is forcing me to rework my whole budget and has thrown off the system I had for the last 18 months,  but I have no doubt I’ll figure it out.  What it boils down to is eating healthy is NOT cheap…but I believe the rewards certainly outweigh the cost – especially in the long-term.

As for this 8WW program, let me start by giving a quick summary of what will be happening over these next 2 months:

Each week I will be going into the office approximately 3 times.  2 of those visits will comprise a chiropractic appointment followed by an hour of time with one of the personal trainers.  These are not your typical Bally’s-type personal trainer, mind you.  These guys are hard-core, Jillian/Bob-like trainers.  I expect full ass-kickings.  But when they’re done chewing me up at the end of 8 weeks, I hope to see myself back into my Alaska/UK/NYC physical shape.  Can I get an amen?

The third visit of the week will be that of a 1-hour massage appointment.  Yeah, baby.  I also will be having more sit-downs with the dietitian I met with the last time.  (She was great, by the way – really helpful and basically told me that I’m doing everything right from a nutritional standpoint.)

The program is truly holistic and looks at the spiritual as well as the physical components of health so the final piece of the pie is meditation (not to be confused with medication) which I have to do on my own time, but there’s also a class and they teach yoga if I’m interested.

So, with the overall plan, I have to commit to my weekly visits, daily meditation, eating appropriately, drinking all my required water, and doing at least 20 minutes of cardio exercise on my own each day that I’m not with the trainers.

Yeah, it’s a lot and definitely a big commitment, but I’m really excited about it.  I think the hardest part for most people would probably be the eating and water, but thankfully I’ve been pretty steady since doing the detox so I’ve already been eating pretty much the way I’m supposed to for the program anyway.

The challenge for me will be making sure that all my meals “balanced” meaning they contain a protein, a carb, and a fat.  I struggle with getting the protein in…well, that and leafy greens.  I really wish I didn’t hate leafy greens so much…  The only one I can tolerate (and even enjoy) is spinach, but spinach doesn’t carry all of the same benefits as the other leafies.  So I just have to suck it up and power through arugula, Swiss chard, and the rest.

This first week is technically the hardest as you’re not allowed any carbs except for veggies.  Not a huge deal for me at this point, however I am going to miss my fruits.  But it’s only a week.

Tomorrow after work is my first personal training session with another on Thursday.  Then on Friday comes my massage.  I have a feeling I’m going to be needing the massage after Tuesday & Thursday…  I doubt the pain will be as severe as what we experienced after hiking the Inca Trail, but I’m sure there will still be pain…but hey, “no pain, no gain” is a saying for a reason, right?

Turns out my 8 weeks will actually be interrupted by my annual Seattle trip which I’m taking this year from September 17-24, but we’re going to work around it.  And don’t worry Jel, while I’m out with you guys, I won’t suddenly turn into some sort of crazy high-maintenance chick.  And, by the way, there will be coffee…oh yes, there will be coffee.

Aside from Seattle, it would seem I’ve actually timed this beautifully.  As it happens, the last Friday of my 8 weeks (and the day after I return from Seattle) is the date of the U2 concert date at Giant Stadium!  What better finale could there possibly be?

But now, to business.

The detox. Let me begin by saying that there was definte actual “detox” involved. I had a definite reaction to not having caffiene or sugar or both. The first two days contained a mild and irritating headache. On Day 3, the headache subsided, but I was still feeling kind of “off”. Day 4 I started feeling…well, fantastic really. By Day 11 I had lost 6 pounds (5 of which are still gone) and I felt like I had been given new life. Seriously, I felt THAT good. So good, in fact, that I haven’t really stopped yet. I’ve reintroduced some foods that I wasn’t permitted on the detox (cheese, for instance) but I still haven’t had caffeine or sugar or anything else “refined.” This isn’t just because I feel so great, but also because I’m suspicious that I may have some food allergies or intolerances that I wasn’t aware of previously, so I’m trying to reintroduce foods slowly to see if I have any sort of adverse reaction to them. So far I’ve been good with dairy. Wheat is next on my list to try, but I’m not there yet.

So let’s recap.

The 11 Day Detox managed to…

• Detox me from caffeine and sugar (which killed my sugar cravings completely)
• Clear up my skin
• Get me off of allergy meds (I haven’t even remotely needed a Zyrtec since I started)
• Help me shed 6 pounds

You might say the detox was a success, and I would agree…mostly. But I still have some work to be done.

See, one of the things I was hoping the detox would assist with is the near-constant digestive trouble I’ve had since having my gall bladder removed.

I’m told most people don’t have these issues. Most people can go back to eating completely “normally” after the surgery with no adverse affects. Sadly, I am not most people. What I am, though, is sick of dealing with it. I was hoping that the detox might give my liver and colon a fresh start and perhaps they would begin to function more normally. They definitely seem to be a little better, but definitely still not “normal.” This has been discouraging to say the least.

Having the detox not make much of a dent in this problem area marked the end of my proverbial rope.

And so now I’m taking the next logical step and am going to see a registered dietitian. I have to work from home on Tuesday due to an impromptu dentist appointment, so I’m actually hoping to make my first appointment with the dietitian for the same day since I’ll have more flexibility.

I’ve found a dietitian in the area that works for an organization that actually has a variety of services – nutrition, massage, personal training, etc. So who knows – maybe I can couple the nutritional stuff with something else…like massage. Hm. Now there’s an idea.

Anyway, so next steps are calling them on Monday to see about making a Tuesday appointment if I can. I’ll continue to keep you guys posted, but in the meantime, I really do feel AWESOME and would highly recommend even a short detox like this one to anybody.

In the last few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about health and nutrition.  I’ve got a number of little annoying health issues that have been bugging me (e.g. allergies, digestion due to lack of a gall bladder, arthritis in my foot left over from when I broke it, etc.) and I’ve been looking into ways to help these issues by doing something “simple” like changing my eating habits.

This of course isn’t a bad thing to do…in fact, it’s something I should probably be a little more conscious about anyhow.  I’ve already made changes in my lifestyle over the past few years between not eating any artificial sweetners, cutting out soda, hydrogenated oils, etc. but I’m feeling more like maybe something more radical is called for.

I expressed this interest/desire to a friend of mine at church who had some fabulous insight and pointed me to a detox plan that she and her husband have been doing for years now called “The Fast Track Detox Diet“.  Yeah, I know, sounds a little hokey, but she loaned me her book and, upon reading as well as listening to her story, it has prompted me to give it a try.

At its core, the plan is a liver/colon detox plan.  As everyone knows, we’re bombarded with toxins day-in-day-out in our normal environment.  With cancer, diabetes, and obesity on the constant rise, it certainly can’t hurt to employ a little more deliberate action into our eating and even going through a periodic detox, right?  So I’ve decided to give it a go.

This plan seemed a lot more feasible to me than others I’ve read about…  For one thing, it doesn’t require a unrealistic eating regimen to be followed for weeks on end.  It’s 11 days.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t control my environment and pantry for months-on-end, but 11 days I can certainly handle…

So this week has been about reading, gathering intelligence, and getting myself psyched out to start the plan.  My friend has been a huge help since she’s as excited as I am.  Since I recognize that the stage for success is set by surrounding myself with everything I need so I’m also working through my shopping list, meal plans, and all that jazz.

Thursday is the day I’ve set aside to hit the farmer’s markets and hook myself up with all the veggies I need.  The fruits are best gotten frozen, so I’ll probably make run to Whole Foods or the like to make sure I have plenty of organics in that department.  Veggies on the list include those which are known for being especially good for the liver & colon like artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.  Of course there are supplements involved such as whey, flaxseed oil, and other fun items like that.  In addition I can’t neglect my proteins which will include free range chicken, grass-fed beef, and farm-fresh eggs.

Another aspect to this whole process is the clarity that seems to come with detox so I think journaling will certainly be in order…  Not sure how much of it will be appropriate to place on the blog, but I will post what I can just so I can share with you all how the whole process goes.  I’m even looking at possibly getting a massage in during my detox day – it’s been over 2 years since I’ve had one of those so it would most definitely be a welcome addition to the day.

In particular I’ve been told/read that the juice fast day is one of particular mental and spiritual clarity and renewal.  Have to also admit that I can’t wait to see what God chooses to use this time for and what insight He might provide me during this time.

In essence, I am committing to “eating clean” for a solid 11 days including a one-day full-out juice detox day (7 days before the fast, and 3 days after).  The more I’ve read and researched, the more excited about the prospect I become.

Detox…bring it on!

It’s that time of year again…  Time for cookies, trees, gifts, snow (if you’re lucky), songs, mistletoe, ornaments, lights, and joy at celebrating the birth of Jesus.  It’s also time for yearly updates.  Every year I receive tons of letters from my friends telling me all about the seemingly endless amounts of awesome things their kids accomplished – Johnny took his first steps, Billy said his first word, Jane walked on the moon, Susie found the cure for cancer…  And each year as I sit and read through these letters, I’m struck by just how much I have NOT done.

Or at least, the past few years have been like that.

Prior to 2005, I typically felt like I had a lot to say come December.  I was moving to or living in or traveling through amazing places – Alaska, Europe, Asia, New York City…  But then I moved back to Bucks County – not far from where I grew up – and the excitement seems to have ceased.

I debated as to whether or not to even write something for this year having felt outdone by just about everyone else out there…after all, how can you beat out someone taking their first steps?  But after some thought on the matter, I decided that perhaps it was more important do go through this exercise for 2008 because it would help me focus on finding the things that were worth mentioning.

So in the name of hoping 2008 was worth it, I give you…

2008: Year of the Rat

(I’m not making that up – check the Chinese calendar if you don’t believe me)

Let’s begin with 10 “stills” in my life (because it would be more depressing to end there – not that they’re all negatives or anything, but you know what I mean):

1. I’m still in Pennsylvania
2. I’m still single
3. I still live in the same townhouse
4. I still have the same fabulous roommate
5. I still have Chena the Amazing Dog & Brighton the Great Bird – Chena turned 2 this year and Brighton turned 10
6. I still work for the same company
7. I still have the same job…or in this environment, perhaps it’s most meaningful to say I still HAVE a job
8. I still have debt
9. I still love coffee
10. I still hate raw tomatoes

Below is a summary of 2008…such as it was:

January

I went to Atlanta to visit my family while Jo & Josh were there. I also found Dave Ramsey and decided set New Years Resolutions to lose weight, start living on a budget, and begin a plan to pay off my debt.

February

I started my budget.  I also found out that my foot which I broke in Vermont in 2005 was, in fact, still broken so I was going to have to treat it by wearing this weird bone stimulator (no, it’s not like that – get your mind out of the gutter)  10 hours/day for 6 months.  Yay.

March

Gas prices really started soaring, but I still managed to budget in a trip up to Boston to visit Esther & the girls for a long weekend over my birthday.

April

I started attending a Financial Peace University class that was being held locally and I found an amazing church…FINALLY.

May & June

Absolutely nothing of note took place.  Nothing.  May & June were a total waste this year.

July

I discovered I had a nest of yellowjackets my attic.  That was it.

August

Like its predecessors of May & June, August failed to contribute anything of interest for 2008.  I think I saw a movie.

September

The most exciting month all year!  I went to Seattle to visit Jel & Co.  A blast, as always, made even better by the fact that we had a full week to relax & hang.

October

Not as fun as September, but pretty.  Great foliage this year.  I also had new hardwood floors installed on the ground floor of my home. Oh, and I handed out candy to a lot of princesses & vampires with a few Harry Potter’s thrown in.

November

The removal of all the election paraphernalia from yards & TV was a highlight of my month, second only to the birth of my first nephew – Ronan Powell Rogers.  Yay!  And then of course there was Thanksgiving.  Yum.

December

I calculated that by the end of this year, I’ll have paid off 52% of my unsecured debt (36% of my overall debt) thanks to my budget, Dave Ramsey, and God.  I’ve lost 20 pounds of the untold amount I put on after moving out of NYC – still some to go, but I’m on the right track!  I got a Wii & a Wii Fit.

I really can’t underscore the importance of this task.  It’s huge and has required a lot of sacrifice which, in turn, has made for a relatively boring 2008.  And perhaps I should go ahead and warn everyone now that 2009 & 2010 will be going up against 2008 on that front.  In 2011, I’ll be sure to give the title of Most Boring Year to one of these 3 contenders because, let’s face it, until I get my debt paid off, I may not being doing much else between now and then…although I do foresee a trip to North Dakota to see my nephew this coming year and perhaps a smaller getaway or two if I can manage it – we’ll see if that budget will allow me that!  I became a moderator in December of last year for the GAP Adventures travel forum called The Watering Hole which, while a technically a volunteer position, carries with it some other nice perks like credit towards GAP trips which I might be able to leverage towards this end.

In closing, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I sincerely hope your 2008 was more interesting than mine…  But now look out 2009 – here we come!

Here’s the thing – I’m a writer.  No really, I am.   I’m not a writer in the sense that I actually publish stuff (unless you count my blog – my blog would probably count itself, but I would disagree because I control the printing).  So maybe I’m not a writer in the Pulitzer-Prize-winning-New-York-Times-Bestseller-Hollywood-wants-the-movie-rights sense, but I do write and always have.

I wrote my first full-length book at age 11 called “Dana of Warm Springs” which was inspired by and shamelessly modeled after – you guessed it – “Anne of Green Gables”.  I should probably mention that my first full-length story at age 7 called “The Oddness of Andrew” was inspired by and shamelessly centered on a boy in my 1st grade class named – you guessed it – Andrew.

Given these real (and somewhat embarrassing) facts, I feel like it just shouldn’t be that hard to string together enough words to create a new blog post.  And yet, it somehow is.

This is partially driven by the fact that I know I have readers, and I don’t want to disappoint you.   I don’t want to bother writing something that would either offend, annoy, or cause any of you to fall into a coma or wish for death.  I would hate to think that anyone would read my ramblings strictly out of a sense of duty either – I want this to be a fun and (dare I say) engaging experience for all. It would break my heart to think that reading one of my posts would be second only to a root canal in the amount of pain and anguish caused.

My blog is now telling me to shut-up and change the subject or it’s going to walk.  Fine.  Maybe if I just keep typing, something of interest will come to me.   I can’t believe I’m listening to a stupid blog.

Okay, so I’m just going to aimlessly type now.  Here goes…  Wish me luck!

So, the bulk of 2008 is behind us (phew!) and the future is in front of us (isn’t it always?), and I find myself again staring at the calendar in bewilderment wondering where the time has gone.  Seems to me I do this every year.  How very déjà vu.

I love November in general, mainly because it’s Thanksgiving month which is one of my favorite holidays. Christmas would be top of that list, but Thanksgiving is just plain fun with its pre-Winter weather and fabulous food. Yum. I think Americans (or at least this one) tend to see Thanksgiving as the official start of the “Holiday Season” which of course runs through New Years.

Since we’re nearing the end of the year, I’ve been taking a look back and trying to see how I’m doing on my 2008 resolutions overall.

For those who haven’t been following along all year, my resolutions were:

• Lose weight
• Live on a budget

To-date, I managed to get (and mostly stay) on Weight Watchers since January.  From January through July, I got myself almost  back to where I was when I moved from NYC.   To be totally honest, I fell off the proverbial wagon and into a vat of junk food for about 2.5 months, but a couple of weeks ago I got my slightly-fatter ass back on track and am almost back to where I had landed in August.  Of course the holidays will be tough, but I think I can do it.

The budget has been even better.  For quite possibly the first time in my life, I can actually tell you where every single cent that has come into my possession this year has gone.  I know what I’ve spent and where.   I know how much I have currently, and I know exactly what my last 3 paychecks of the year are going to do.   It is an amazing the control & peace that comes with being able to say that!  Part of this budget living has been with the objective of paying off as much debt as possible this year.  As I’ve said previously, my ultimate goal is to be debt-free by the end of 2010 (if not sooner) and I’m definitely on track to achieve that having gotten almost 50% paid off in 2008 alone.

Can I get a “WOW!”?

Now I know that 2009 will probably not allow me to make as huge a dent in this mountain – we’ve already been told that bonuses will be down and we may not see any raises this year.  Additionally, it’s looking like thanks to a miscalculation on my part, I may end up owing taxes as well.  But none of that matters right now because 2008 will still have been a smashing success in this area, and I am primed to at least keep moving forward.  Considering I have acquired no new debt since January and my credit cards were hacked to pieces in February, I think it’s safe to say that I will end in a much much MUCH better place than I did last year.

It’s still too early to start writing my 2009 resolutions as 2008 isn’t over yet.  But for what remains of the year, I just have to keep playing that line from the end of Star Wars where Luke and the other members of the Rebellion are out to destroy the Death Star and the one fighter pilot keeps saying to the others in this oddly calm voice: “Stay on target, stay on target.”

That will be my mantra for the next 7 weeks.  I promise I will write before then, but in the meantime, “May the Force be with you.”

Let me explain.

Last September I was visiting a friend out of town and, while waiting for her in some doctor’s office lobby, I had picked up a health magazine and had started reading a fascinating article on the benefits being found in dairy products from grass-fed cows. You mean organic? No, grass-fed. And yes, there is a difference.

In brief, cows that are raised on pure-pasture diets (read: absolutely no grain or horomones – in other words, the way God intended) create much less milk than the average giant corporate dairy farm cow, but everything coming out of what the grass-fed cow produces (cheese, milk, butter, and yogurt) is far healthier. Grass-fed dairy products contain more beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E for starters. They also have less fat, fewer calories, more balanced output of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, and carry as much as 500% more CLA than grain-fed cow products.

CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid which, studies are showing, may lower the risk of cancer as well as heart disease. And if that isn’t enough, they’re also finding it helps reduce body fat. Most of the references out there are highlighting the weight-loss benefits – let’s face it, there’s big money in peddling products to help burn fat – but I think the other two far outweigh.

Tack onto all of this that to support the grass-fed dairy industry is to support sustainable farming which, in our green-conscious society, makes for a nice side benefit.

Okay, so back to my story about the amazing milk that I started off this longer-than-intended post…

So I read this article and immediately set out to see what I could find out about possible grass-fed dairy products in my area. Naturally there are no products on the shelves in the grocery stores, so I started looking for dairy farms. I live in Bucks County, after all – there must be a dairy farm still in existence around here.

Sure enough, I found one. Birchwood Farm Dairy is located in Newtown not 15 minutes from my house and they supply a full-range of grass-fed products from their Jersey cows which munch happily on the pastures covering the farm. Thrilled, I headed over there to buy some milk only to discover that I had to be put on a waiting list! On one hand, I thought this is great because it shows that their supply isn’t as great as their demand and high-demand is a good thing. On the other hand, I wanted some milk.

Instead, I went on the waiting list.

My waiting ended last week when I got a call from the farm saying that they could move me onto their pick-up list if I was still interested. Yay!

So last Saturday I went over to pick up my first gallon of insanely fresh, grass-fed milk. Let me tell you – this milk is the most incredible milk I have ever tasted. It’s almost sweet and dessert-like…and yellow! Yeah, apparently milk isn’t supposed to be that pure white color we’ve all gotten used to. Who knew that cows raised on genetically engineered corn and dried hay would produce milk that’s less nutritious, less tasty, and then also be the wrong color?

Anyway, I can’t say enough good things about this milk. It’s a little more expensive, but man, is it worth it. And of course it’s just me, so it’s not like I go through milk that quickly – a gallon will likely last me a good 2 weeks so I’m set for a twice-a-month pick-up. Incidentally, I also tried some of their cheese. Double-yum.

A quick word of advice – if like most of America, milk is a staple in your fridge, check out Eat Wild – their site is filled with interested facts about grass-fed products as well as a directory of farms by state. If there’s one near you, go check it out. You’ll be doing your health, the environment, and a local business good.

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Anyway, I’ve been having a tough time the last few weeks.  I’ve haven’t exactly fallen off the wagon (read: gone crazy eating pints of Ben & Jerry’s), but I haven’t been journaling or keeping track of my points.  Again I say, bad, bad Deb.

And so the last weigh-in I had (a week and a half ago) I had gained a pound.  This past week I didn’t go b/c I felt sure there would be a similar outcome.  I will definitely go this Saturday, but in the meantime I need to try and get my head back in the game – I’m just not sure how to do that.

Anyone have any suggestions??

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I was horrified to discover that the Vitalize Fuze drinks have a whopping 100 calories of almost pure sugar per serving (that’s 200 calories per bottle) making it equal to 4 WW points per bottle!  If you choose a Slenderize Fuze, you’re a lot better off.  Those come in at only 20 calories per serving (40 calories per bottle) and are billed as “low carb” as well (read: “low sugar”).  So WW points per bottle of Slenderize Fuze: 1.

I ended up deciding that the bottle I had gotten was not worth 4 points of my day, so I drank about 1/3 of the bottle and saved the rest for later.  Next time I’ll be more careful and will definitely pick up a Slenderize if anything at all.  Clearly it’s important to remember to stay away from sugary drinks – even ones that seem “healthy.”

This episode was only week 2 of this season which is good because I’m only in week 1 of my own attempt to become a big loser.  At one point they had something I think they called “The Hall of Truth” where contestants had been recorded before the start of the show and asked about their eating habits.  The show then took those habits and quantified the results.  For example, if Susie drank 3 cans of soda everyday, this would translate roughly 100 pounds of sugar per year.  It was pretty sobering stuff.  At one point, a husband and wife team that was in there listening to themselves and seeing these numbers flash up on the screens just started to cry.  The husband turned to his wife towards the end and said, “We are killing ourselves.  This has got to stop.”

The second thing that absolutely made me cry was when one contestant who won a challenge got to make a call home and completely lost it at hearing his baby boy’s voice over the phone.  His own voice-over from the video diary said that, as much as he missed his family, he knew that he was taking 4 months away from them now so that he could potentially have 15 more years to spend with them.  Wow.  Talk about a tearjerker.

Again, what a great show.  If you go to the website, they have before and after pictures of previous contestants.  Pretty amazing stuff, and very encouraging.  I may just watch it again next week.

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