Operation Inner Thigh (Ladies, you know what I'm talking about)!

Okay, it's time for "Operation Inner Thigh". Part of my journey, as some would know, has been losing 47 lbs (22 kilos) 5 years ago and being able to keep it off (and curing myself of life-long, debilitating allergies and asthma in the process). Interestingly I never even considered the possibility of regaining any of it, which is why, I think ,I've had so much success in maintaining that weight. Until 6 months ago.

All of a sudden, I started to notice a subtle weight gain. That subtle weight gain turned into 7 lbs / 3 kilos. Too much! Time to take action.

Now I can attribute this to several factors and, in reality it's probably a combination of all of these. In June I moved to another apartment and bought a scooter. I started riding everywhere, whereas before I was doing a lot more walking, even if it was only to / from public transport. Even though I do 2 hours of Ashtanga Yoga a day it doesn't seem to be enough exercise for me. So, back to public transport, or at least a 20 minute power walk around the park close to my house.

I also became somewhat careless in what I was eating. Started 'treating myself'' more than ever. Isn't it interesting that the things we 'treat ourselves' with actually do more harm than good? Just what part of ourselves are we 'treating'? Certainly not our bodies. We're treating our emotions, our psychology. In many cases we're comforting ourselves.

Anyway, I digress. Most of the time I found myself eating sweets daily, instead of every once in awhile. I've eaten very healthy for the last 20 years but I let my sugar intake really go up and probably started eating more carbs again than I had been.

And then there is the fact that I'm 48 and my hormones are changing. Although I'm not noticing any changes (and I attribute that to my healthy diet and regular exercise) they are changing none the less.

So, what to do? Easy! Time for The Fat Flush Plan. It's a high protein, low carb way of eating that balances hormones and blood sugar and eliminates cravings. It's how I lost the initial weight and I know it works.

The first two weeks of Fat Flush are really a liver and lymph loving cleanse. I sailed through that and took off almost 8 lbs. The original 7 I wanted to lose plus. So that got me thinking...

Hmmmm, could I lose even more? Could I, at long last, lose the last bit of fat around my tummy and, more importantly, my portly inner thighs that have haunted me since I was a child... Especially after my high school sweetheart called me "pleasantly plump". 33 years and I haven't forgotten that comment!

Now, I'd never really considered going the extra mile the first time around. I reached a weight I was comfortable at and I was happy. I even braved buying a bikini for the first time in over 20 years last year (but that was right after 4 months in India when I weighed a wee bit lighter than my "comfortable weight"). Plus, I really didn't think I could lose all of it. Lets just say genetics are not my friend in this area.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't actually need to lose the weight. By any standards I'm well within a healthy weight range and I've had several men comment on how great I look recently (two even told me I looked better naked than clothed...but that's another blog post). I was thinner than I ever thought I'd be. That's why I never thought about 'going the extra mile' or at least 2 inches.

I had a limiting belief that I couldn't do it. Interesting.

Now, I'm a highly trained Neuro Strategist and studying to become a Certified Strategic Interventionist...so I know what to do with limiting beliefs.

Bonk! Knocked on it's head, the possibility of inner thighs that don't rub together became positively intoxicating.

So, instead of going on to phase 3 of Fat Flush (the maintenance plan and how I've pretty much eaten for the last 5 years...bar the recent naught treats), which was my original intention, I'm now doing Phase 2...slowly adding 'friendly' carbs back into my diet and continuing weight loss. The only thing left to lose is tummy and thigh weight. I figure I have another 2 - 5 lbs. THIS should be an interesting journey!

Well, the universe works in very mysterious ways! Because my decision to do this uncovered a food sensitivity I didn't know I had...and possibily another cause of my weight gain. Food sensitivies, according to Fat Flush, are the #2 cause for 'Hidden Weight Gain'.

I didn't have any cravings at all past Day 1, Phase 1. Wasn't hungry, headachy or tired. Felt great! And I was really excited to add in 1 serving of my favourite toast in the morning. Healthy, sprouted Spelt toast. I've eaten it since living in Oz a year ago.

And whammo! No sooner did I finish it than I started craving more. Interesting...that hadn't happened before. I wonder what it means? No other side affects though...until the next day, yesterday.

Same thing. Piece of toash. Whammo! Cravings galore. All day! And this time accompanied by gas and bloating. The cravings got so bad that I was a wild woman by 7:30 last night and went to the store to buy popcorn. I slathered it with butter and salt and enjoyed every single bite!

Now a word about cheating. I consicously chose to cheat, knowing that I'd clean up my act the next day (today) and cut out the bread. Because I was consciously doing it (and willing to accept the circumstances) it was very freeing and without guilt! When people cheat on things like this they often feel guilty about it. It's my belief that the guilt itself can be very detrimental because of the stress it causes. So my advice: if you choose to cheat, do it with gusto and enjoy every moment of it.

Until you don't. I went to sleep feeling fairly miserable. Overstuffed, bloated, lethargic. And I woke up feeling the same way.

But that's okay. I learned something. And now I can use this experience to get rid of my popcorn eating habit (even on phase 3), something I've been toying with for a long time. If for no other reason that it's hell on dental work.

And today no bread, no cravings. I'll add in a sweet potato this afternoon after most of the yucky stuff leaves my system and see how I do with that.

I'm really excited about this. It's a goal I can't possibly fail. I'm not attached at all to the outcome. I'll still be happy at my current weight. But I'm learning something in the process and that's always good!!!!