I have decided to move my blog to a place where we can begin anew. My new blog entiteld "The Journey" will be a place where we can inspire, encourage, and lift each other up throughout our weight loss, maintenance and lifetime journeys together. I hope that you will join me. It's going to be an exciting ride.
I first wanted to thank everyone so much for the tremendous outpouring of care, concern and support that I have received over this last week after announcing my decision to leave the Kimkins program. I want to assure you all now that I am still in very good health. Many were concerned about my previous post's statements regarding the side effects that I encountered due to my quick weight loss. The doctor's bill of clean health that I received approx a month ago was accurate and not manipulated. All of my symptoms have been addressed and corrected. My hair is no longer falling out, and I have lots and lots of new growth. My mensus are normal now as well after working with my OBGYN to regulate my cycle.
I know there are lots of questions flying around for me and my friends as to why we did what we did in regards to the Kimkins program. I wanted to clarify something for those of you who may think we have an "inside" and know things that led us to our decisions. This is not the case. In my instance it was a lack and refusal of information which brought me to the decision that I felt was necessary to make.
As the Public Relations representative for Kimkins I had compiled a list, from my own experience and concerns, of questions for Kimmer. I felt as the PR rep for Kimkins I could ask these questions for my own clarification and need to be able to address any issues that may arise. I do not feel at this time that it would be appropriate for me to publish the questions that I asked because I do not want to add to speculation or gossip that seems to be abounding right now. Maybe in time if it becomes relevant I will summarize them. However, I asked my questions and Kimmer's immediate response instead of answering me, was to terminate our relationship with me as the Public Relations director for Kimkins, with an offer to continue as a moderator which I refused and left.
Again, I want to appologize to anyone I may have hurt or discouraged in my departure. It was the people of Kimkins that kept me going many many times. You are all wonderful and I love you very much. Please know that my leaving had nothing to do with you. I still believe in the program as a valid basis and foundation for what has the potential with some modification to be a good dietary regime.
I am still out of town vacationing with my family and will write more when I have the opportunity. Take care my friends, and continue the journey with strength!
To all my dear friends at Kimkins,
Over the last several weeks I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, researching, praying, crying, reading, and reaching to confirm and determine for myself thoughts and viewpoints that are my own. God places each of us specifically where He wants us to be at given points in time so that, unknowingly even, we can have tremendous impact on this world. Such a time came for me when I discovered Kimkins.
I was at a point of desperation that many if not most of you know all too well. I had lost control of my life and my eating habits. I was centered in a lifestyle that served me. I ate what I wanted because it felt good. I turned to food as a comfort and a friend when I should have been looking up. I titled my blog when it began “My Total Transformation” because I truly believed that is what the Lord was going to be doing through me. And it has been.
I do not and have not ever denied that Kimkins worked for me. I was elated that it worked. FAST! I followed the plan to the letter, measuring weighing, counting carbs, proteins, fats, and yes even calories. The quick loss just fueled my motivation to want more. The compliments flew at me as quickly as the pounds were flying off and my head swelled. People were noticing me and I wasn’t hiding any longer. People liked what they saw when they saw me. For those of you who have struggled for so long like I have, you know what an amazing feeling that must be. But, what was I doing? Really? Had I traded one selfish obsession for another?
My reasoning was that because the program was working so fast that it had to be good. Never having low carb dieted before I never even considered doing “research” and blindly accepted the first thing that sounded reasonable to me. After all, we’ve all been raised that Low Fat is good, and now Low Carb is the way to go to really get those pounds off. But, I also have discovered that I believe there is a certain order to the way that God created our bodies to function. He would not create something for us that was not healthy. After all… didn’t He look at His creation and say “IT IS GOOD.” So while I do agree and whole heartedly support that there is everything to be said for protein sources to be lean, and eating fresh vegetables, there is also something to the fact that God created things like whole grains and fruit for our bodies as well. However, I saw those things as a short term sacrifice for a long term gain. But sacrifice at what cost?
I must confess to you at this time that I did have some side effects of my drastic weight loss. Neither one was of concern to my doctors and were reasoned out and treated. But, I feel as if I do not disclose them to you, it would not be honest. My hair began falling out the month before I began maintenance. I upped my biotin intake to no avail. Becoming concerned I started asking different stylists and they recommended a certain scalp treatment which after increasing my biotin levels even further seem to have stopped my hair loss. The other side effect I had due to the loss of estrogen was a loss of my monthly cycle for about 5 months. Again, this has been corrected by my doctor and is no longer of concern.
My time with Kimkins was filled with love, support, encouragement, and most of all friends. I love you all dearly and I hope at this time you can accept my reasons for needing to move on, some of which are my own. I want to encourage you all though. Do not let my leaving discourage your weight loss efforts. Many, many of you have told me that I inspired you and showed you that there is hope that you can lose weight and finally have a chance at a “normal” life. This doesn’t have to change. Please continue in your journey, however, I do want you to be safe. Please make sure you run your eating plan by your doctor. Show him your menus and guidelines. Just because you are eating low carb does not mean starving yourself. Your body does have certain needs which for your health you cannot ignore. Low carb does not mean high fat. It does not mean no fat either, though. Really look at how I inspired you. It was your heart, the way you view weight loss. I showed you that it is possible, but YOU have done the rest. You made up your mind and determined that this would be your time. It still is. Don’t lose hope, you can make a better healthier life for yourself.
God brought Kimkins into my life at just the right time. He taught so much from my time there, things that are good that I had never known or forgotten. Portion control, learning to listen to my body, and the phenomenal strength there comes in numbers are just a few of the amazing things that I discovered during my journey. Believe me when I tell you that God has used each of you to touch my life in a way I never dreamed possible. I know that with each of your support maintaining my weight loss is not just a pipe dream, but a reality.
Weight loss maintenance is not about the program. It is about the person. True maintenance begins in your heart. Learn to listen to your body and feed it what you know is good for you. Know what will only take you back down the path that you do not want to go.
There is so much more to say, but I do not feel this is the time or place.
I am not leaving my friends. Please do continue to contact me through my blog here, and via email. I would love to speak with you. This is not the end…. But a bright new beginning. I have so many things that God is working in my heart to share with you all. I am excited and joyful over what He is going to accomplish in my life. I will eventually find a new home to begin posting on again, but for now, I am going to take some valuable reflection time with my family and a time to discover all that He is bringing to me. I look forward to a new journey with all of you!
I love you all,
Christin
How many times during our weight loss journeys do we think this? We're faced with seemingly impossible situations and end up caving and giving in... then we think... "I blew it." But how often does it stop there? In "The Thin Commandments" Dr Stephen Gullo refers to this as the "I blew it" Syndrome. We fall down and instead of getting right back up, it turns into a spiral straight downhill. One bite, turns to a whole meal binge, which turns to a whole day, which leads to a whole week and before you know it, you're right back in your old habits and way off track. Then one day you look up and wonder how on earth you got there!
No person gets fat off of one pasta dish or a few hors d'oeuvres. What happens is though that when the "I Blew It" Syndrome kicks in we lose control... the problem is not with the food.. it's with the mindset and behavior. Dr Gullo lists the issues that arise when we let this mindset take over.
"
1) Sets up an impossible tension in your life: that you have to be either perfect or a failure.
2)Lets your mental screen go blank, so you shut down everything that you've learned about food management.
3)Lets mistakes pile up, which drowns your motivation, skews your perspective, and overwhelms your willpower.
4)Destroys focus on your eating and weight control. (Studies all show that staying focused on your eating behavior is what makes you a winner.)
5)Is self-defeating. It cuts off learning from the mistake and locks you into a pattern of repeating it.
6)Only helps you learn that you're gaining weight, which is obvious.
7)Ruins your chance to cut off the mistake and keep any weight gain small and temporary
8)Keeps you from proving to yourself that you can stop and correct the error.
9)Turns a few minutes of unwise eating into something that will take days, months, or even years to make up for.
10)Paralyzes you into a mode of helplessness that lets one mistake end up becoming thousands of calories
11)Doesn't do justice to your intelligence, your life smarts.
12)Doesn't make you lose weight; it only makes you lose hope.
13)Doesn't answer the most important question of all: What went wrong in this situation and what could I do differently?"
When you feel the "I Blew It" Syndrome taking over it's time to take a step back. Physically tell yourself - "STOP IT!!!" By doing this you regain control. You remind yourself that YOU not FOOD has the power. You have control of what you put in your mouth. That bag of chips does not open itself up and pour itself down your throat. So you ate 1 handful... so what.... STOP! Get right back on track and you will succeed knowing that you have overcome a potentially very detrimental situation.
Make yourself a strategy for what to do next time you start to slip. Plan out daily menus and activities. Bordom is never a good thing on a new way of eating. Get out and get moving! You'll get your mind off of what you had wanted to do in the first place. Determine to yourself that no matter what you do or where you are, good choices will be availble. If you are going to be somewhere that you KNOW there will not be an acceptable option, eat something before hand so that you won't be tempted to give in when the opportunity comes. Even if it is not necessarily on your program or way of eating, having the mentality that you will find a way can be empowering. A good choice even when not the "best" choice is better than a bad one!
So promise me something... Promise you'll never say "I Blew It" again... you didn't blow it... just STOP.
Well I have another menu to share with you today! I am so thrilled to be living this maintenance lifestyle with you. It is such a freedom to be able to eat healthfully and love what it is doing for my body and lifestyle! I have so much more energy now. I love to excercise and get out! This afternoon actually we're planning on going for a family bike ride when my husband comes home. How exciting to actually plan on something like this and know that I can participate and enjoy the time together instead of huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf not 10 minutes into it!
So here we go.... My Maintenance Menu for today!!!
Breakfast: Berry and Cheese Crepe and 3 slices of Lean Turkey Bacon
Morning snack: Dannon Light and Fit Carb and Sugar Control Vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries, 1 slice of GG Scandinavian Crispbread w/ Organic Peanut Butter
Lunch: Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad w/ Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil and Alfredo Chicken
Afternoon snack: Whey Protein "cookie" w/ FF cream cheese, celery sticks
Dinner: Grilled Steelhead Trout, steamed brocolli, organic brown rice
Dessert: Faux Peach Cobbler
Calories: 1509 Fat: 54 Carbs: 79
Even desserts can be fun and exciting on this new way of eating without being laden with sugar or extra white carbs. Here's one of my favorite summer time treats w/ a low carb twist!
Faux Peach Cobbler
1 medium fresh peach (or sliced frozen unsweetened peaches, about 3/4 cup or 8 slices)
0 Calorie Butter Spray
Cinnamon and splenda (or liquid stevia is good too) to taste
Fat Free Whipped Cream
Slice the peach into a microwave safe bowl and spray a few times w/ your butter spray. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sweetener to taste and toss lightly to coat the peaches. Microwave for approx 1 minute. When you remove it, stir once more to make sure the peaches are nice and tender. Top with a little fat free whipped cream and enjoy this light and refreshing summer dessert!
