Hot Blonde Challenge

Quote: FrGamble

I thought the purpose of this whole bet was to inspire HB to get healthy.

The original post was pretty plain and clear. This challenge is not about being healthy this challenge is about losing 90 pounds in 9 months. It's as simple as that.

Quote: zippyboy

HotBlonde: I'd like to encourage you to read a fantastic series of easy-to-read books called Eat This, Not That which can help in a lifestyle change like yours....

Bottom line: drink nothing but tap water, and lots of it, during this time and you'll be losing lots of weight....

Good luck HB! Even if you don't make the deadline, keep at it anyway! Once you're svelte again, your energy level will be through the roof, you'll wake up fresh every day and this self-imposed little contest thread will be years behind you and won't matter anyway. A lifestyle change is not a fad diet. Read those books!

I subscribe to the Eat This Not That newsletter and get emails from them every day. When I have to take a long bus ride or wait at the doctor's office I read through them. Soooooo much useful information in them!

I only drink calorie-free beverages. I buy them all at Whole Foods.
Here's a recent pic of my cabinet:



I drink several of these each day.

And thanks for the encouragement.

Quote: pacomartin

I have to hand it to you keeping to this kind of diet.

Not only do I eat on average 1032 calories per day but they're also split into 6 meals! And I swear, no hunger! Even tonight I had to force myself to eat my last meal. I had to eat it cuz I would've only eaten 944 calories from my first 5 meals and didn't want to go under 1000 calories cuz it could work against me.

I think the trick of me not being full is cuz I eat frequently and before each meal I take a fiber supplement. And the fiber supplement is included in my calorie count. So I'm actually eating less than 1000 calories per day in food before you count the extra fiber intake. I also really, truly think a lot of "hunger" is in the mind. I'm not saying that real hunger doesn't exist. But if I were to think, "Well, damn, I'm only eating 1000 calories and I weigh 189 pounds, I should be starving!" that that kind of thinking would actually cause my mind to "find" hunger within me. But I know that 1032 per day is plenty and I am always satisfied. Funny how powerful our minds are, no?

Quote: HotBlonde

I only drink calorie-free beverages.
I drink several of these each day.

i am happy to hear that your weight loss is proceeding well.
i just thought you might like to consider that excessive soda consumption may not be a healthy choice:
side effects of diet soda

good luck meeting the challenge.

Quote: HotBlonde

The original post was pretty plain and clear. This challenge is not about being healthy this challenge is about losing 90 pounds in 9 months. It's as simple as that.

Very disappointing.

I don't believe that Nareed's sexuality is in any way the subject of this thread.

Back to the point:

HotBlonde, you weigh yourself on Mondays, do you not? Don't keep WoV waiting, how did you come in yesterday?

Quote: FrGamble

Very disappointing.

You're complaining cuz I'm on drugs but I'd be on these drugs regardless of whether I'm losing weight right now. If I wasn't taking these drugs for my back it's possible I'd end up having to go to the emergency room 6 times within a 4 week period for the immense amount of pain. Thank God (yes, thank him) that I am on drugs that can keep me up and functioning and not in constant pain. And going to the gym 8 times in a week is not terrible either. I only went 4 times the week previous and cheated on my diet the 4th of July and the night before that. So last week I went 8 times. For the rest of the challenge I decided to workout 6 times per week. And since I was two short from the week before last I added it to my workout routine last week. And I'm proud of myself. But I don't think taking drugs that help my brain deal with my back pain is "unhealthy" nor do I think that going to the gym 8 tiimes in a week is unhealthy. I could do two-a-days 6 days a week, resulting in 12 workouts a week and I still won't be exercising as much as the participants in the Biggest Loser or Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition do. Would you say that they are being unhealthy?

Quote: Mission146

HotBlonde, you weigh yourself on Mondays, do you not? Don't keep WoV waiting, how did you come in yesterday?

I weighed in at 188.6 pounds. I lost 3.8 pounds from the week before.

Quote: WongBo

it shouldn't be a topic of discussion
and it is insulting that someone even brought it up.

Insulting that I bring it up? Really? That's a stretch.

Quote: Nareed

That's a part of it, and a big part at that.

I apologize for his lack of respect. In reading what he wrote I sensed that his use of "he" was meant to be a jab. And I'm sorry that you have to deal with people, probably too often, who may treat you differently. Regardless of anyone's personal viewpoint on gender identification I believe we can all treat each other respectfully. And I told SOOPOO a couple days ago that I don't want to fight with him, I never wanted to. But if you all remember the two things that have always bothered me about him was the fact that he would insult me and be disrespectful towards me. No one seemed to believe me since most of it was done in person-to-person contact between he and I. We're all human, and we all make mistakes and push boundaries. But I'm hoping SOOPOO is starting to see how he does this. In the past he only seemed to defend himself and claim that he does no wrong.

Congratulations, HB, that's an awesome week!!!

I told you guys that I'd be stealing laying 2:1 on HB at this point, she's money in the bank!!!

Just make sure you go for the throat, HB! I've been averaging 224 (6'4", male) recently, but I usually wake up two pounds off of that one way or another for no discernible reason. I also think it is just incredible that you have the intestinal fortitude to stay in pursuit of this despite all of the back problems. I'd have been like, "Screw the money, where's my double-mint chocolate chip?"

Quote: thecesspit

They are not referring to you. The comment is directly after another.

She definitely was the one to bring it up though (I for one haven't even noticed the pronoun SOOPOO used, until HB drew my attention to it, and I sincerely hope, I am not the only one).
I would not go as far as to say that bringing it up like that was insulting ... but I do think it was judgmental, self-righteous and inconsiderate.

Guys, this is the HB hour, home stretch, focus, focus, FOCUS!!!

SooPoo's alleged personality traits, as relates that individual comment, are also not the topic at-hand. That's nothing against you, Weaselman, I actually particularly like all parties involved (including you, you're a class act) but I'm gearing up for the grand finale! I wish I could be there!

I have decided that I am HB's personal cheerleader.

And, HB, Don't Forget to Drink Vitamin Water Zero!!!

I just realized that at some point during this challenge, HB passed my current weight on her way down. I currently run about 230 as a 6'0" male, so significantly overweight but not in "panic mode" yet. I always say I'm "trying to lose weight" but rarely do I actually commit to anything, especially when summer time yields ample opportunities for overeating at BBQs and the like.

Anyway, I still wish HB the best of luck winning the challenge even though I'm on the line against her! And hopefully I can take some inspiration from this in my own life.

Quote: Mission146

I'd have been like, "Screw the money, where's my double-mint chocolate chip?"

Well that's a lot of money for me to give up! And the difference between the money I could win and the money I'd have to pay is almost $8,000! And the $6,718 i stand to win won't even make up for the amount of income I've lost this year. And I have cheated so it's not like I've been perfect over the last 27 weeks. I've made a commitment not to cheat at all over the next and final 13 weeks. This is hard cuz I'm hearing advertisements on the radio for the OC County Fair and I do want to go!! Beer and wine and turkey legs and chocolate covered bacon and deep fried Oreos... Oh my!! It's gonna be hard to pass it up. But I can't mess up, not even one day. I don't want to risk it. Damn! I'm gonna have to wait until next year to go! :(

Quote: Mission146

I also think it is just incredible that you have the intestinal fortitude to stay in pursuit of this despite all of the back problems.

Sorry, I meant to quote this part too. It's harder to do this using my iPhone.

Anyway, as I'm writing this I'm waiting for my pain meds to kick in. I took them 90 minutes ago. It kinda sucks. I have so much gusto and I just want to get up and go, hit the gym, pound it out, go twice a day, but it's hard to do when dealing with the pain. And the Dilaudid I'm taking has a few side effects too. Not terrible, though, but worth the help it's doing towards easing my pain. It's been over a week now since my back pain has returned. I have to say that I'm kinda weary looking at two days from now cuz then I will officially be out of my Dilaudid and will have to switch to the Vicodin which didn't work very well in the past. I'm gonna try to do 2-a-days at the gym now and until then just in case the Vicodin doesn't work so well and prevents me from being able to work out. I have my first physical therapy appointment this Friday so I'm hoping too that I won't be in too much pain to where I can't make it to my appointment. Ironic, isn't it?

Oh, and I got a call today that I can see the orthopedic doctor August 1st. They shaved 3 weeks off of my wait and I am very thankful for this. I'm curious what the doc is gonna say. I'm guessing he's going to say just do physical therapy and no surgery. Even though I was hoping for surgery, thinking that could just take care of it once and for all, I like the idea of physical therapy cuz they will show me how to get strong. I've always admired the physical feats that the Cirque cast do, and although physical therapy won't get my core as strong as that, I like thinking that I am strengthening my body. It feels powerful.

Quote: Mission146

Guys, this is the HB hour, home stretch, focus, focus, FOCUS!!!

My weigh in is exactly 3 months from today!

Quote: Mission146

I wish I could be there!

Who says you can't? Come join in the fun!

Quote: Mission146

I have decided that I am HB's personal cheerleader.

I do appreciate that, but I have to say that buzzpaff has been a great cheerleader all this time.

Quote: Mission146

And, HB, Don't Forget to Drink Vitamin Water Zero!!!

Um... I take vitamins every day and I drink lots of filtered water. Does that count? :)

Quote: HotBlonde

I've made a commitment not to cheat at all over the next and final 13 weeks. This is hard cuz I'm hearing advertisements on the radio for the OC County Fair and I do want to go!! Beer and wine and turkey legs and chocolate covered bacon and deep fried Oreos... Oh my!! It's gonna be hard to pass it up. But I can't mess up, not even one day. I don't want to risk it. Damn! I'm gonna have to wait until next year to go! :(

Maybe you could think up an alternative destination that has less temptations to help offset not going.

Quote: rxwine

Maybe you could think up an alternative destination that has less temptations to help offset not going.

Well I'm looking forward to living it up during my October Vegas vacation. Even though I only have to lose 90 pounds by then I would love to have lost at least 100. On my trip I plan on boasting about my weightloss success and being able to say, "I just lost 100 pounds since the beginning of this year" just sounds great! Not that I'm not happy now telling everyone I know I've just lost over 62 pounds!

Quote: thecesspit

Nareed, ignore 1BB. She's being a bit of a dork.

(smiley, smiley, smiley).

Now that was funny! Three smileys right back at you!

Obviously I haven't read every page of this thread, so I apologize in advance if this has been mentioned.

Since she can weigh in anytime on the weigh in day, what is the most pounds someone can lose in a day? There are different drugs to get rid of water weight, and she can run in like a special sweat suit to get off another few pounds. I just have a feeling that if it's going to be a win for her, it's going to take something like that at the end.

I know boxers lose like 10-15 lbs before the weigh-in...

Quote: FinsRule

Obviously I haven't read every page of this thread, so I apologize in advance if this has been mentioned.

Since she can weigh in anytime on the weigh in day, what is the most pounds someone can lose in a day? There are different drugs to get rid of water weight, and she can run in like a special sweat suit to get off another few pounds. I just have a feeling that if it's going to be a win for her, it's going to take something like that at the end.

I know boxers lose like 10-15 lbs before the weigh-in...

If HB takes a diuretic to lose weight, which is a very effective short term method, she would be disqualified and forfeit the contest. There are many diuretics that are prescribed for hypertension, and many which are included in over the counter products. The Challenge has the stipulation that HB will affirm that she has taken none of these, and that she also has not had any weight loss type surgery. There was no other oversight of that part of the bet except to trust HB at her word.
As far as 'natural' weight loss by sweating and not replacing fluids orally, I would guess HB could easily lose 6 - 10 pounds in a single day, albeit in a very unhealthy manner. I would guess that if HB wakes up October 17 weighing 165 that she would win the contest later that day.

Quote: SOOPOO

I would guess HB could easily lose 6 - 10 pounds in a single day, albeit in a very unhealthy manner. I would guess that if HB wakes up October 17 weighing 165 that she would win the contest later that day.

How in the world is this possible? And I don't plan on being 165 on weigh in day.

Quote: HotBlonde

How in the world is this possible? And I don't plan on being 165 on weigh in day.

I can lose 2-3 pounds just sweating it out on a run. I could imagine you could easily lose twice that by severe dehydration, an enema, and a close haircut.

Course you don't plan on being 165lb on the day. But if you did, there's options.

And if you do wake up at 162, and sweat it out to 160 (or whatever the target is, I forget) by the weigh in, you win. Nice and simple. I'd refuse any drinks from the betters before the weigh in... ;)

Boxers, wrestlers and other athletes that need to make a weigh-in typically lose 10 pounds or more on the day of the weighin. My college roommate used to lose almost all his water weight by jogging while wearing black garbage bags, then bulk up eating carbs. An athlete weighing in at say 147 might be fighting at 160.

Quote: Mosca

It seemed to me that the term "dork" was used by SOOPOO collegially, in a friendly way, the same way that Nareed was having fun with Mission 146. I feel bad that Nareed took it personally, though. It was pretty obviously meant in fun.

I second this. Given that we communicate in writing on the internet, it is more difficult to pick up on tone, but I believe Nareed took this the wrong way.

Quote: HotBlonde

Well that's a lot of money for me to give up! And the difference between the money I could win and the money I'd have to pay is almost $8,000! And the $6,718 i stand to win won't even make up for the amount of income I've lost this year. And I have cheated so it's not like I've been perfect over the last 27 weeks. I've made a commitment not to cheat at all over the next and final 13 weeks. This is hard cuz I'm hearing advertisements on the radio for the OC County Fair and I do want to go!! Beer and wine and turkey legs and chocolate covered bacon and deep fried Oreos... Oh my!! It's gonna be hard to pass it up. But I can't mess up, not even one day. I don't want to risk it. Damn! I'm gonna have to wait until next year to go! :(

I'm really sorry that you are not going to be able to go to that county fair. Do they really deep-fry an Oreo cookie and that is tasty? The only deep fried candy/cookie I've ever had was a deep-fried Snickers Bar, and I took one bite and found it very strange.

Quote: HotBlonde

Sorry, I meant to quote this part too. It's harder to do this using my iPhone.

Anyway, as I'm writing this I'm waiting for my pain meds to kick in...

My weigh in is exactly 3 months from today!

Who says you can't? Come join in the fun!

I do appreciate that, but I have to say that buzzpaff has been a great cheerleader all this time.

Um... I take vitamins every day and I drink lots of filtered water. Does that count? :)

I'm sorry to hear about the continued back problems, and the PT will make you much stronger for it than a surgery. If the pain gets too bad to do your normal regimen, you can make up for it with some hot tub or sauna time. I remember letting myself go in High School/College between January and June and then hurrying up and busting tail for two months to drop the weight for football. The sauna worked wonders.

I'd love to be able to make it, but my schedule is too hectic, I have to reserve my remaining vacation time this year in case an emergency pops up, and I wouldn't go anywhere that I couldn't take my family, unless it was just an overnight type thing.

Buzzpaff can be cheer captain.

That does not constitute Vitamin Water, unless they are Acai-Blackberry flavored Vitamins.

Posts about both the "geek" and "he" insults have been moved to What does a gal have to do to get a glass of dihydrogen monoxide around here?. Let's try to stay on the Hot Blonde challenge topic in this thread.

Amen Wiz!

Quote: HotBlonde

You're complaining cuz I'm on drugs but I'd be on these drugs regardless of whether I'm losing weight right now. If I wasn't taking these drugs for my back it's possible I'd end up having to go to the emergency room 6 times within a 4 week period for the immense amount of pain. Thank God (yes, thank him) that I am on drugs that can keep me up and functioning and not in constant pain. And going to the gym 8 times in a week is not terrible either. I only went 4 times the week previous and cheated on my diet the 4th of July and the night before that. So last week I went 8 times. For the rest of the challenge I decided to workout 6 times per week. And since I was two short from the week before last I added it to my workout routine last week. And I'm proud of myself. But I don't think taking drugs that help my brain deal with my back pain is "unhealthy" nor do I think that going to the gym 8 tiimes in a week is unhealthy. I could do two-a-days 6 days a week, resulting in 12 workouts a week and I still won't be exercising as much as the participants in the Biggest Loser or Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition do. Would you say that they are being unhealthy?

Now that the Wiz has got us back on track I'd like to clarify. I was not complaining about you being on prescription pain killers, I'm glad your doctor is trying to help you with the pain you are in so you can get better. What I am simply concerned about is the fact that a woman who has to take very strong pain medication and contemplating surgery to fix something that is wrong is working out 6 - 8 times a week. I am not a doctor and don't know for sure but I also worry that your calorie intake is too low.

I know that the contestants on Biggest Loser do a lot to lose weight in a very short time. However, that is their job when they are on the show and they are constantly watched by trained professionals to make sure the number one goal is their health. If they sustained a serious back injury I doubt they would be allowed to continue their two-a-days no matter how badly they wanted to shed some pounds. Again I am not a doctor so I just hope and pray that you are telling your doctors everything so they can give you good and sound advice on healthy weight loss.

Everyone including myself is so excited about you losing the weight, but I continue to implore you to take care of yourself in more ways than just lower numbers on a scale.

Quote: FrGamble

Everyone including myself is so excited about you losing the weight, but I continue to implore you to take care of yourself in more ways than just lower numbers on a scale.

I have to say "amen" to FrG's concern here. That is why I offered, as the biggest bettor, to negotiate a settlement price for just the wagers between us.

Quote: HotBlonde

Not only do I eat on average 1032 calories per day but they're also split into 6 meals! And I swear, no hunger! Even tonight I had to force myself to eat my last meal. I had to eat it cuz I would've only eaten 944 calories from my first 5 meals and didn't want to go under 1000 calories cuz it could work against me.

As we discussed earlier, The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day .

Quote: Wizard

I have to say "amen" to FrG's concern here. That is why I offered, as the biggest bettor, to negotiate a settlement price for just the wagers between us.

At least here on the forum, you have not mentioned how much you would be willing to pay HB to end the bet? Or would you expect HB to pay you to end the bet? Which is it and what dollar value is attached?

Quote: SOOPOO

At least here on the forum, you have not mentioned how much you would be willing to pay HB to end the bet? Or would you expect HB to pay you to end the bet? Which is it and what dollar value is attached?

I recognize that I have negative equity, so I would pay something to get out of it. HB has never asked how much, so I assume she wants to go for the whole enchilada.

Quote: Wizard

I recognize that I have negative equity, so I would pay something to get out of it. HB has never asked how much, so I assume she wants to go for the whole enchilada.

I'm sure she wants the whole enchilada, but she can really only have a tiny rice cake...

So the way I see it, if HB loses 2.3 pounds per week, she will have the last week to try and get a pound or two below goal so she has some wiggle room. Without drinking a lot of water and sweating a little right before weight in she should earn her money. While difficult, that shouldn't be life threatening.

I don't see why she would want to throw in the towel at this point.

At the current pace, it looks like HB will be silencing a lot of nonbelievers, including myself. Hopefully, she will keep it up as there is still a lot of time left and the more weight you lose the harder you have to work to lose even more- your body just doesn't require as many calories to mantain a low weight as it does a heavy weight. Plus there is still the possibility of losing focus and something adverse happening.

And then there is the back problem, which is quite concerning to me if I may add. Dilaudid is about the strongest narcotic you can take, usually for people who do not respond to or get sick taking vicodin, percocet, oxycontin, and other "lesser" narcotics. About the only thing stronger is methadone, which is a heroin analogue used to treat people addicted to heroin. For HB to be taking such a strong narcotic as such a young age is concerning and I definately think that HB should see a spine specialist ASAP. Depending on the problem, I don't think surgery would be out of the question, which would be an interesting thing to see what would happen with the bet if this was the case. My opinion is that the bet should be honored without any extension or any offer to end the bet regardless. When this bet first started and HB was all gung ho about getting people to bet against her she did mention all the possibilities that could happen including accidents and health issues in order to encourage taking the 9:1 odds against her. Yes she should find not find a balance by losing weight without a detrimental effect on her health, but she signed up for this difficult challenge and it is expected that she would have to exert herself quite a bit in order to have a chance at winning. I read this entire thread and personally do not like the parts where individuals have talked about her getting a way out of the bet.

On a separte note I found it quite inspirational when HB talked about how hunger is really a mind game and how an individual can live with 1000 calories as long as he or she changes her mindset about what the body needs to survive and thrive. Could you please provide a few tips on how you did this, especially how you got started along this track? I can imagine that, in the beginning, it was like going through a period of withdrawal from an additiction (ie. an addiction to food).

one thing about spine surgery that they never tell you:
while you may be in intense intermittent pain now,
surgery can either alleviate that condition or make it constant.
DO NOT get surgery unless you are prepared for a life of constant pain

Quote: WongBo

one thing about spine surgery that they never tell you:
while you may be in intense intermittent pain now,
surgery can either alleviate that condition or make it constant.
DO NOT get surgery unless you are prepared for a life of constant pain

Yes but there are problems that can be fixed with spine surgery and if HB has one of those problems than it can change her life to have this surgery. Taking Dilaudid on a regular basis just to be able to function is not a high quality of life in my opinion. It can lead to several other issues with tolerance. Use of pain meds on a chronic basis is a baaaad thing. Even minor procedures and surgeries that cause pain in the future can require high doses of heavy narcotics whereas the average person may not need any prescription pain meds or low dose light narcotics.

At any rate, we are dwelling too deep into HB's health with is off topic not to mention it is a private matter so I will apologize for discussing this any futher except to say that the exceptional job you have done thus far of losing weight despite the setbacks will hopefully help with the back pain in the long run. Normal weight people have a lot fewer issues with back and joint pain compared to obese individuals.

Quote: WongBo

one thing about spine surgery that they never tell you:
while you may be in intense intermittent pain now,
surgery can either alleviate that condition or make it constant.
DO NOT get surgery unless you are prepared for a life of constant pain

Back surgery is tricky, and not always the best option.

Of course one needs to see a competent doctor first, but often many problems can be alleviated or resolved with physical therapy rather than surgery and/or painkillers. I've known a few people, some of them obese, who responded rather well to exercises and massage. None of them opted for surgery in the end.

Quote: Mission146

I'm really sorry that you are not going to be able to go to that county fair. Do they really deep-fry an Oreo cookie and that is tasty? The only deep fried candy/cookie I've ever had was a deep-fried Snickers Bar, and I took one bite and found it very strange.

I have to tell you I was weary about eating a deep fried Oreo. I did it just to try it. I have to say it tasted better than I had imagined. The cookie came out really soft and it was warm and tasted like a yummy warm donut, lol. I don't know if I'd ever have the guts to try deep fried butter though. That just seems kinda gross.

Quote: HotBlonde

I have to tell you I was weary about eating a deep fried Oreo.

They sell fried twinkies (yuck!) at Mermaids Downtown (I've never gone inside, BTW). I think they also have fried Oreos (and sorry, but yuck!) as well. Teddys might know. I think he's mentioned the twinkies.

frankly, an unfried oreo or twinkie is just about as disgusting!

HotBlonde I was at the OC fair opening day. Equally interesting is the deep fried breakfast cereal and deep fried Kool Aid balls. I did not try either one as I too am dieting but I heard good things.

Quote: FinsRule

I'm sure she wants the whole enchilada, but she can really only have a tiny rice cake...

I do have to give you props for this comment. LMAO! :)) And the funny thing is I LOVE enchiladas!!

Quote: QuadCore

Dilaudid is about the strongest narcotic you can take, usually for people who do not respond to or get sick taking vicodin, percocet, oxycontin, and other "lesser" narcotics.

Well you can ask SOOPOO, an M.D., when I was in Vegas the few days he was there I was taking the "other" prescribed medicines like clockwork just as they were prescribed and they weren't strong enough. The last doctor I saw that I asked for the refill of the Dilaudid (and he refused, sadly) said it sounds like I have a high tolerance towards pain meds. Sad but true. I was telling my therapist today (I just started counseling today, yay! But we'll save that for another discussion) that the doctor wouldn't give me a new prescription for Dilaudid since he said it was highly addictive, but that he gave me Vicodin instead. She made a good point when she said, "Vicodin's addictive, he doesn't think that would be a problem?" Smart lady.

Quote: QuadCore

I definately think that HB should see a spine specialist ASAP.

I agree. They scheduled me for August 1st but I was secretly given that appointment. If you remember I said that my July 11th appointment was cancelled and that it was being rescheduled for August 22nd instead. I literally was sobbing on the phone with the receptionist saying that I could not wait that long, that I was originally supposed to be there in June and that I don't know how I'm going to keep dealing with the pain since my back is hurting now again and that I was going crazy, literally. He ended up talking with one of the doctors who looked at my MRI and told the receptionist "Make her wait the 6 weeks." Number one that upset me because he didn't seem to care about my desperation and number two it upset me because it's telling me that the MRI doesn't seem to show a severe problem. I read through the MRI dictation myself and although I'm not a doctor I did read where it said I had a couple "3 milimeter protrusions" or something like that. Does this mean I have bulging discs that are causing my nerves to be pinched which is causing the pain? I guess so, but I have yet to find out. Anyway, the receptionist, knowing how desperate I've been feeling and trying to help, snuck me into an appointment on the 1st instead of the 22nd, shaving 3 weeks off of my wait. What a compassionate soul!

Quote: QuadCore

On a separte note I found it quite inspirational when HB talked about how hunger is really a mind game and how an individual can live with 1000 calories as long as he or she changes her mindset about what the body needs to survive and thrive. Could you please provide a few tips on how you did this, especially how you got started along this track? I can imagine that, in the beginning, it was like going through a period of withdrawal from an additiction (ie. an addiction to food).

Wow, to be honest, I am really honored you asked me for insight! I would be pleased.

Where to begin? You all know I've mentioned Byron Katie about a billion and a half times before. She is my spiritual mentor, and if you haven't checked her out yet I suggest you do. It is likely you will fall in love with her like I have. Katie teaches that we tend to BELIEVE our thoughts without questioning them. A lot of these thoughts we believe because our parents believed them and they would tell us so and so is true and we would just naturally believe these ideas or thoughts without question cuz there was no reason to. She says that thoughts are like clouds, they float in and out of our minds, and it isn't until we ATTACH to these thoughts that they become a belief. And sometimes believing a certain thought can bring about positive feelings and sometimes it can bring about negative feelings. She helps people who suffer from believing their thoughts that cause the negative emotions. Because simply it's the THOUGHTS that are causing the negative emotions, not anything in reality. The cool thing is she said that when we feel negative emotions we can look at it as an alarm clock, telling us to wake up, that we are stuck in dream land.

So what does all this have to do with not feeling hungry any more? (By the way I mentioned that I was happy that I'm back in therapy again because I love uncovering truths within my mind! Life can be so gracious!) Greater than the weight loss, health benefits, hot body ;) that I will get out of this challenge is sincerely the mental aspect I am getting out of this. In the past, before this challenge, I had started a diet probably more than 50 times. Maybe even way more than that, I couldn't count, but I do remember going on my first self-imposed diet when I was 8 years old. Anyway, at least in my adult life, whenever I would start a diet I would, just before starting, think something similar to, "God, this is going to take so long, I don't know how I'm going to deal with the constant hunger, I'm gonna want to eat the yummy foods I normally like and not this crap I have to eat, eating healthy is boring and tasteless, ugh and all the terrible workouts I'm going to have to grunt through, god help me, I don't know how I'm going to survive!" I went into each diet thinking that I was going to be hungry, that I was going to struggle with the hunger, that the hunger was going to be unbearable, and guess what... IT WAS! My mind was already sure that this was going to happen and when I was dieting it subconsciously found ways to prove that it was right. We don't realize this but we all do this and in all areas of our lives, not just with dieting and hunger. My mind "knew" that I would be hungry and it would show me that I was right and I would be miserable.

Since I had struggled most of my life with food and weight and dieting and eating issues, I was happy to see that a certified facilitator of Byron Katie was offering an 8-week teleclass for those who wanted to explore their world of thoughts based around these issues. I paid the money and took the class every week. When I started I would get so emotional over my thoughts and the terrible sadness that I felt because of these thoughts, I more than once would just bust out crying in the middle of the facilitation. These thoughts made me feel so down. And these were thoughts that I had been carrying around for so long, thoughts that I really, truly believed. "I will never be thin.", "I can't control my eating.", "No one will ever love me." (see, thoughts are inter-connected, it's not alwasy about food but it's usually anchored in deeper thoughts and feelings) and even thoughts like, "I love pigging out" or "I can't live without ice cream" (that last one was just an example, not a personal belief I had). Anyway, my emotional responses to these thoughts showed me how deep-seeded these thoughts were inside of me and how much pain they were causing. When I finished the 8 weeks I didn't feel "cured" but was able to question these thoughts, to put these thoughts and others on paper, examine them, and ask the famous Katie question, "Is this true?" This is important: When we just believe our thoughts without questioning them we fail to see that the exact opposite thought could be as true or even truer. And again, this is for any thought we have, not just thoughts surrounding food.

Could it be true that I am full enough, that I'm giving my body enough of the nutrition it needs to survive (while eating only 1000 calories a day)? If I imagine myself months down the road, do I see myself near dead and starving cuz I haven't been giving myself enough calories to eat each day? Is that really possible when I'm feeding myself 6 times a day and taking vitamins and supplements, feeding my body exactly what it needs? I began to see that this devastating "hunger" was really self-imposed. When my friend Chris recently started losing weight, if you all remember me telling you about him, he texted me one day just after I had helped him start and he said, "How do I deal with this hunger in between these small mini-meals I'm eating each day." Hunger?! Mini-meals?! You have to be kidding me! Have you ever experienced real hunger? Do you want to tell some poor, starving child who honestly does NOT have enough food to eat, "Man, I just stocked up on weeks worth of great food from Trader Joe's and I am just having a seriously hard time waiting an hour and a half until my next meal of delicous foods that I am lucky enough to afford, this is so tough!" We don't think about what we think sometimes. You're going to tell me that THAT'S tough???? The human body can go 40+ days without taking in nutrition, and you're somehow gonna convince me that you're dealing with hunger because your next meal is coming up in an hour or so? Because I know what I now know THERE IS NO WAY YOU COULD EVER CONVINCE ME OF THAT.

Anyway, I've written a pretty long explanation above, I hope no one found it to be too long. I do want to say that when my 8 week class was over, I was given the opportunity to take the class again but at a greatly discounted price and took the opportunity, figuring it was just going to be an extension to my previous class therapy. You know what was so cool? I found out, in taking the class again, and answering the same "homework questions" again, that this time my answers were not nearly as emotionally charged as they were the first time I took the class. Even if I answered some of the questions the same, coming up with the same thoughts that I had thought before, they didn't bother me in they way they once, and for a long time, had done. The Work had set me free! What a wonderful thing to have realized. It's true, the best things in life are free! Freedom of mind is such a wonderful gift! You end up realizing it was all in your head all along, that freedom and peace exists always and at all times until we get distracted from it with thoughts that we can come to find out were never really true to begin with.

P.S. I still find myself believing thoughts that aren't right for me. I just wanted to make it clear that although I have experienced this kind of freedom, I, like all humans, still fall into negative thinking without even realizing it. I didn't want to leave you thinking that I'm now this perfectly clear-headed person who can do no wrong. I still have many unuseful thoughts that I need to uncover!!

HB:

Good Luck!

SFB

By mutual agreement, Buzz and I have cancelled our small side bet on the HB challenge. I think Buzz just wants to root HB on without the encumbrance of a monetary stake in this endeavor.

You are right sir. Money is just how you keep score in bets like this. No Less No More

GO GIRL GO

Just as an update:

I woke up yesterday and my day started as normal. I went to the gym and then I bussed it to my 1pm physical therapy appointment, which was my first appointment since my back issues had started up this year. When I arrived I was already in some pain from my gym workout, which was not typical, but probably due to the fact that I was now taking Vicodin instead of the Dilaudid I was on the week or so before. I had found it hard to sit on the buses going out there. Anyway, James, my therapist, had done several tests on me. He is guessing that my sciatic pain is not coming directly from a bulging disk in my spine pinching a nerve but from my piriformis muscle, which is a muscle in my gluteal area, saying that this muscle, which sits on top of my sciatic nerve, is possibly cramped up and due to its contraction it is causing the nerve issue. I had told him that this seems like it could make sense as every time I've been in pain like this I've always complained that it feels like there is a really tight muscle in my glute area that is just all clenched up. He showed me stuff to do at home and scheduled for me to come back next week.

So on my way home I'm noticing I'm still in pain and it seems to be heightened a little bit more from before. I stopped at the store to buy tennis balls and went home to rest and do the things he told me to do. So I used a heating pad for 10 minutes on my left glute area then moved it down to my left calf area where I've been experiencing pain as well and kept the heating pad there while I massage with the tennis ball the area above where my piriformis muscle is. Then I removed the heating pad and massaged with the tennis ball the area in my left calf to try to break up the muscle knots and such. After doing this I stretched my glutes and then did three sets of a core muscle exercise he wants me to do. Finished all that and I showered and got ready and was planning on going out for a bit for a Friday night. Well...

As I was doing my hair and makeup I noticed that the pain was not going away, and in fact seemed to be getting worse. I had someone who was going to come pick me up and take me out and I'm not one to ever cancel plans or flake but the pain was just getting worse. It started to become unbearable and I had to call my friend aand tell him that I couldn't go out because I needed to go to the ER. This is the second time now since the 10th of this month that I've had to go. It hurt pretty bad in the cab on the way to the ER and by the time I got there I was slumped over and not walking properly. Luckily I didn't have to wait long and they triaged me and wheelchaired me to a bed. The pain was really bad and my left side was just all cramped up and I couldn't take it any more and I just started bawling my eyes out, mostly because of the pain but also because I am so tired of this seemingly never-ending issue. The ER doc that saw me was the same doctor I had seen there a week and a half ago and I told him I was in the same painful situation but worse this time. I had explained how I had done physical therapy earlier and how that was probably what made it worse ironically. I asked him if I should stop PT and stop doing the things at home that James had shown me and surprisingly he said no, to continue doing these things. He said, "You know the saying, 'No pain, no gain'", which caused me to laugh but not in a humorous way. I told him that the saying wasn't to mean actual pain. Anyway, they shot me up with Torodol and Dilaudid and the doctor prescribed me Dilaudid again and told me to continue doing what I was doing.

I've been in bed all day trying to sleep through the pain and have been taking my Dilaudid like clockwork every 4 hours. Even with this strong drug I am still feeling the pain, but at least it's not intense, although it is still bothersome. I have had a heating pad on my rear end while I'm writing this and I am about to go through my circuit of massage, stretching and exercise. I am really nervous because I don't want this to cause even more pain now! If I have to go to the ER again there's not much more they can do for me. :(

Do you do any excercise involving a bicycle? If you are, I would switch to something where you're not sitting.

Time to hit the pool, would be my advice. I am no Doctor but whenever I think of you, it is always in a bathing suit >

Quote: rxwine

Do you do any excercise involving a bicycle? If you are, I would switch to something where you're not sitting.

I don't like using stationary bikes for my cardio so I don't use them. I do ride my bike for transportation though, but not for exercise.

Quote: HotBlonde

I don't like using stationary bikes for my cardio so I don't use them. I do ride my bike for transportation though, but not for exercise.

What do you use instead? Hopefully something low-impact, given your back issues?