I AM DOSEd... SAY WHAT?

This blog is about MY journey through weight loss...
plans, diets, products...
Sensa, WW, NutriSystem, Slimfast, 24 hour fasting, all liquids, no liquids, all veggies, no veggies...

You name it, I've tried it ...
And written about it here...

Well, I have been doing DOSE for about 6 weeks.

I didn't want to post anything until I was sure there was something worth posting...
( Be glad I didn't write about that all veggies all the time diet ... It was NOT pretty!)

For those not in the know...

DOSE is a natural supplement taken daily in the form of either a cup of Happy Coffee or Happy Chocolate and a supplement capsule...

The proprietary blend of botanicals in the coffee  and chocolate and  capsule work together to let your brain naturally release the hormones YOUR body needs in the amounts that YOUR body needs them...


D = Dopamine
O = Oxytocin
S  = Serotonin
E  = Endorphins

So if you are stressed and run down...

     Your body may need more Dopamine to help you stay calm, manage emotions, feel pleasure and improve memory ...

So that is what your brain releases...

Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and just discombobulated?

  Then your brain may need to release Oxytocin which may help you to feel more focused and less anxious...

And it IS called the Love Hormone so...

It may help you to love yourself and others...

Are you sad or depressed? 

Do you binge eat that entire pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey?

( Yep that was me... At least 3 times a week because you know it's almost always a buy 2 get 1 free sale!)

Are you lying in bed desperately trying to sleep, but your brain won't shut off? 

( Again...me!)

Well then...

Maybe Your brain needs a little more Serotonin to help regulate your moods, get that emotional eating drive to halt and get your brain to shut down and stay that way so you can get a full night's sleep!

And then we have pain...

And lack of energy...

And just feeling blah...

You could eat a pound of dark chocolate and then your brain will release a ton of Endorphins that make you feel energized, less pain and more... Happy and satisfied...

Or, you could get the same effect from working out in the gym... 

You know the Runner's High or extreme feeling of satisfaction and general well being you have after a good workout, bike ride or kayaking?

( Ok, ok... The bike ride and kayaking are my activities of choice... Running? the gym?... yeah, NOT happening)

Me?

I get MY Endorphins boosted by drinking my Happy Coffee and taking my capsule and then ..

I have the energy and the drive to DO STUFF!

Like kayaking, biking, cleaning my room, going to work...

And then...

I FEEL better...

More relaxed ...

More IN CONTROL of MY life...

The best part...

My brain is making, and releasing, these essential hormones naturally...

Not because of chemicals that are forcing production like those in antidepressants, antianxiety and anti-inflammatory drugs.

And MY brain is only making and releasing what MY BODY needs to function properly to make me healthy AND happy!

Oh... And the side effects of DOSE?

Because every action has a reaction, or effect...

Right?

Side effects I have are...

Feeling good

Less pain from my fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus...

Oh... And weight loss...

Yep...

THE SIDE EFFECT is I am losing weight... 

Slowly, but surely a pound or so a week...

Down 9 pounds in 6 weeks...

But even more astonishing ???

I am down from size 16 ( ok some 18s were in my regular jeans rotation) to size 14s...

Like, I had to try on 3 pairs of jeans to find a pair I could walk across the room in without mooning anyone!!!

So, FOR ME, this DOSE stuff is working ...

I am feeling comfortable in my own skin..

And even more importantly...

in my own Head!

Want to learn more about Happy Coffee and DOSE?

www.colormethin.us

Please remember... I am only telling you what I am experiencing on DOSE... Everyone needs different things so everyone's experience is as unique they are!

There is all kinds of WEIGHT to lose...

I began blogging on Dawneing in an attempt to figure out where I am supposed to be in life.

Then I began blogging here to find a way to lose weight.

In my mind...
They were different goals...

But now I realize...

They are actually different approaches...
To REACHING THE SAME GOAL!

There is weight...
and then there is WEIGHT...

Weight in pounds...
Weight in your past...
Weight in your Guilt...
Weight in responsibilities...

WEIGHT THAT AFFECTS EVERY PART OF WHO YOU ARE!

Well, through this blog...
which will be host to recipes and success stories of those who are
SHEDDING THEIR WEIGHT....

And DAWNEING...
Where I will continue my journey to FIND MYSELF...

I hope others will SHED THEIR EXCESS WEIGHT...
And find the PERSON THEY ARE MEANT TO BE...

There is all kinds of weight...
But it doesn't have to WEIGH YOU DOWN!

Failing to Plan means...

You've all heard that one...
Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail!

But wait...
Maybe we did make plans and they were thwarted...
you know, those powers that be stepped in and made a huge mess of everything?

It happens.

No, honestly...
IT DOES!

Like the time I went to the doctor for my GI check up...

Needed a colonoscopy and endoscopy...

Apparently they want you to have one more than once every 10 or 12 years...
especially when you have stomach issues...
Go Figure.

So I went.
I got scoped.
I got biopsied.

I got diagnosed with Celiac disease.

I got put on the Gluten-Free diet.
I also got put on the Dairy-Free diet.

What I REALLY got put on was the ....
NO TASTE ...
NO CHOICES...
NO EATING ANYTHING GOOD...
Diet

And that is how the powers that be...
Life and all the stuff that goes with it derails your weight loss plans.

Plan To Succeed.... Go ME!

Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail

I have no idea where I saw that, but it has stuck with me for years.

I have applied that concept to many areas of my life...
But never to losing weight and getting healthy.

How dense am I?

My Fitness Pal  (MFP) is working for me so far.
I have made a new friend...
I have joined an online community of women of like age and life experiences and goals...
I have a place to post my food and exercise that holds me accountable for all of my choices...
OKay, not all, but the ones pertaining to weight loss and fitness.

I have been weighing myself daily but only logging in the weight once a week.
I see a definite pattern in my weight and how I feel in the mornings.
When I am stiff and sore with swollen joints and feeling bloated and yucky...
my weight is up as much as 5-6 pounds in one day!
Conversely, when I wake up feeling good and ready to get right to the day...
I am down that same 5-6 pounds and then some.

I have noticed that ICE CREAM IS NOT MY FRIEND...
Nor is bread...
Or pasta...

So, gonna have to stick to my guns and not eat those.
( I know... like they should be in my diet to begin with)

I am taking my vitamin and nutritional supplements daily...
A HUGE SUCCESS...
which means that I am remembering not to forget to take them! 

So...
MFP seems to be working pretty well for me...
So far.
But, it has only been 2 weeks...
and the problem that most of us have with this losing weight thing...
is longevity.

I'll keep you posted and we'll find out together if MFP is good for the long haul!

Weight Loss is so.... HARD!

Yes, Weight Loss is hard.

And as this blog shows, for me at least...

Not all Diet regimes, fads or latest and greatest gimmicks work for everyone.

So...
Back to the drawing board.

My Fitness Pal.
Yep, that's what I am using to try to make this ...
THE LAST TIME I TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Because, of course this time I WILL LOSE WEIGHT!

My Fitness Pal ( MFP) is more than an App for your phone, tablet or computer...
It is a community with many sub-communities that are designed to let YOU find a place with people that you feel comfortable with.

Me?
I found a forum for women age 50 +...
Yeah, I hate that I am 50...
But I hate that I am 50 AND fat even more.

So- I got the App on my tablet free from Google Play Store on April 13th.
I added it to my phone ( android) about a week ago.
And yesterday I went to the actual website and added the App to my computer.

It is a very simple concept.
You log in and record your food intake for each meal or snack ...
the database is phenomenal and even has Aldi brand and Organic foods that I use already there!
Then you add your water intake and your daily activities...
General gardening
Walking
cleaning house...
they are all in there!
Once you finalize your days food and activity it tells you what you are on track to lose in the next 5 weeks.

It keeps track of your calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, etc...

So far I have been a little high on my fat and sugar intake but it is much less than it was so...
That is a win for me.
AND I have lost 6 pounds since April 13th so...
ANOTHER WIN FOR ME!

As with the other attempts to lose weight I will continue to keep track of my progress here on
COLOR ME THIN...
because in no time at all that is what I will be...
THIN!

Health and Happiness... at the same time?

Can a person be both Healthy AND Happy...
At the same time?

That is a question that anyone who has ever been on a diet, weight loss or physical fitness program has probably had at one time or another.

I was reading something the other day...
Actually, I was reading a book- I tend to read a lot of those since I can get the free eBooks for, well, free....
Anyway, while reading one of the eBooks on my reader...
Please do not ask which one as I read at least a book every few days and they do tend to run together...
So, to paraphrase something the character said...

If you want to be happy you must first like yourself...
To be healthy you must first like yourself...
because if you like yourself you will treat yourself better...
and when you treat yourself better you will make choices that will make you happier and healthier without even realizing it.

That was the basic gist of the statement and it really does make sense in a round about sort of way.

I have been trying to eat better...
I have been trying to be more active...
and I still feel like I am getting nowhere.

The scale moves down 3 pounds....
then up 4.
I feel wonderful one day...
and achy and exhausted the next.

Nothing seems to make a difference...
Except perhaps, my attitude.

I have been feeling like I did not fit in at work, even though I was trying to.
Like I do not really fit in with the Moms of my children's friends, and I have been trying there too.
Like I do not really fit in anywhere...

So perhaps I need to just find a way to feel like I fit in with my self.

This was not a great week career-wise.
I am stressed about money.
I am stressed about the volunteer stuff I do with the high school... mostly that's because I have to rely on others to do their part and ... waiting for someone else to do something is not one of my strong points...
I am stressed about being stressed!

In an attempt to take some control over things before it all goes careening into total chaos...

1- I have begun to take some dietary supplements -- you know the ones that women of a certain age are told to take to prevent bone loss and a healthy heart and stomach and whatnot...

2- I have been looking at jobs online... not that there are any that I want, nor for which I am qualified...

3- I have been researching alternative career paths and options for someone with my background...
You know...
For mothers who have raised 6 children; are self taught to crochet, knit, paint and make jewelry; who have a flair for interior design and decorating; who can speed read and tend to critique, proof read and edit the books she reads; can put on a fundraiser dinner for over a hundred people; can create and print programs and newsletters; remembers random facts and trivia along with the birth dates of people she went to elementary school with- but cannot remember if she ate dinner last night or where she put her daughter's senior portrait photos; and can corral 100 football players into some semblance of order to say grace before the meal she prepared them... and has taught those same football players to edit their behavior and language knowing they will not get a bite of food if they say or do anything she would find offensive...
By the way... as yet, no such career has been found requiring those talents.

And,  I have started to write again.

As evidenced by this blog post... ( and the one on Dawneing and some lengthy Facebook posts)

The result?
This week I have lost 5 pounds without even trying.

Weird, huh?

Maybe, just maybe, there is something in what I read about liking yourself and treating your self well first...

This week it seems to have made a difference...
I am hopeful that next week will prove the same...
And maybe, just maybe, someone will be looking for that mother of 6 who can do all the things that I can do...

Health AND Happiness...
It looks like it CAN happen at the same time...
As long as one is willing to try.

So today I found a new diet...

I know, I know....

Not another DIET!?

This is what happens when BusyMom is up earlier than everyone else in TheBusyFamily...

She watches PBS and sees an interesting show on a diet that is new to her...
but apparently, not new to everyone else in the world!

It is The Fast Metabolism Diet ( FMD) ...
And after careful research...
Meaning I looked at the support community webpage, some blogs by people who did this program, and researched the book and the author and ...

Well, you get the picture....

I spent an hour at the grocery store picking up quinoa, brown rice, fruits and veggies...
while waiting for SIX to be done with lacrosse practice...

Side note- now I know how they do spring training for LAX and Baseball up north...
They do it in the high school court yard!
It was funny to see the baseball team trying to practice running pretend bases while trying not to run into snow mounds along the edges of the courtyard walkways...

So, healthy groceries in hand, I made my way home and into the kitchen.

Where, I started a pre-diet day by eating, as the 1st meal of the day, some lentil soup.

Hey, it was already noon and all I had today thus far was coffee so...

Soup for lunch and in just a little while I will be having a snack of grapefruit since this is a plan
that has a meal or snack every 3 hours.

I will start the day right with breakfast and everything tomorrow, but being a huge procrastinator, I decided that I would go ahead and jump right in....or else I am sure I would find a reason to consume horribly unhealthy stuff the rest of today...

I'll be getting back to you with regular updates on how this works, recipes I try and any weight loss that happens along the way!