13 Mar 2012
Daily Life

Update

Note to self: No more ginger honey lemonade. It causes a quite uncomfortable feeling in my esophagus.

:)

So, here I am, back in Sedona already! I literally spent a week in Tulsa before getting an overwhelming urge to come back. I’ve been back since last Thursday evening. I’ve been taking time to settle in and get used to house-living. It’s been pretty interesting.

For those who don’t know, I finally took the last step and took theskinnywebsite.com down last week. It was a bold move, although obviously the site lost some popularity when I stopped updating it. But I feel I did the right thing. It’s part of my past. Now it’s time to move forward with new projects. I have many ideas, one in particular that has been growing for a while and has nothing to do with celebrities, diet or food.

Anyway, my own weight loss journey remains unfinished. In fact, after all the hiking, walking and moving I did last month, for some reason, my weight has increased on the scale. It seems as I’m getting older, the weight just doesn’t want to seem to come off. So, I’m increasing my exercise routine slowly. There are so many opportunities for exercise out here: hiking, walking, biking, and more. I’m going to go for a 24-minute walk around my neighborhood here shortly, a walk that includes a steep hill. It’ll probably take another few weeks or so of me being out here to not huff and puff on the hills (due to altitude).

I also got to do a lot of weeding in the past two days. What a joy! Great earth purification and very grounding and healing. However, I had to call the guy who used to do the gardening here for help, because when I was out of town, the weeds literally multiplied to the point that it would take me eight hours per day of weeding for the next few days to get them all. He’s going to come over today and help me get them under control this one time so that I can stay on top of them from now on. He’s also going to show me a few other things that need to be done around the yard.

There is an almond tree in the front yard that has started blooming:

Almond Tree

(By the way, this almond tree doesn’t produce edible almonds. The former tenant told me they are too bitter to eat. Bummer!).

There are also some berries growing on some bushes in the backyard that I need to ask the gardener guy about, because I’m not sure what they are. (Picture to come).

Anyway, my diet right now is just kind of all over the place. As always, I’m wanting to get back to vegan eating, mainly because it made me feel so amazing. (And because it’s the kindest and most humane diet, which I really do not preach about anymore, for various reasons). Currently I’m not even vegetarian, having consumed organic chicken and wild caught fish in the past few days. Which by the way, I still have adverse affects from eating meat… chicken (organic or not) makes me get rushes of adrenaline in the middle of the night. I know it sounds like an odd phenomenon, and if I eat enough of it, I’ll get mild anxiety attacks. I do have some theories about why this happens though. And unfortunately wild caught salmon makes me nauseated now every time I eat it.

So why do I still eat it?

Because I crave it from time to time and haven’t learned to master cravings. It’s that simple.

:)

Anyway, I’m off to take a walk! It’s a beautiful day here, nice and sunny. I hope you all have a fabulous day.

By the way, I feel as though this blog has gotten incredibly boring. I am planning to start posting pictures and keep people more updated on my weight loss and food intake!

Rian | No comments | Tags: , ,
02 Mar 2012
Daily Life

Change Of Scenery

Hey all! So much has taken place since my last update – and I mean a LOT. For starters, I went on a month-long road trip that culminated in my renting a house in Sedona, AZ. After visiting Sedona near the beginning of February, I fell in love with the place and made new friends pretty much immediately. I met lots of new people (lots of spiritual and metaphysical people), went on vortex tours, meditated at sacred locations and reconnected with the earth. After spending a week there, I went to California (Santa Monica for several days, then La Mirada, where I have family) and spent time walking on and along the beaches and began to get back into good physical shape. During the months of December and January, I was very sedentary and really let myself go. Thankfully a month of walking along beaches, trails and up and down hills, my body has definitely responded.

While in California, I continually thought about Sedona, and decided that I’d try and find a rental house when I went back. I figured if it worked out, I’d move there, and if it didn’t, I’d come home to Tulsa and just visit again soon. What happened was pretty amazing… and so obviously meant to be. I arrived back in Sedona last Wednesday, and by Thursday, looked at two rental houses. Friday I made my decision which one I wanted to live in, and Sunday morning, I moved in! It all took place so quickly and easily that it is obvious I am meant to live there.

The house has a really peaceful and light energy (as does pretty much every location in Sedona!), is spacious and has a decent front and backyard. I have my very own Christmas tree and Christmas holly in the front yard, and lots of other interesting plants on the property.

Here are some pictures…

Plants in front yard, Sedona house

Backyard, Sedona house

Plants in front yard, Sedona house

Backyard, Sedona house

Gorgeous view, Sedona

View from backyard, Sedona House

Front of Sedona house

I’m especially excited because I’ve never solely rented a house before, so it’s a new experience. I also get to do some yard maintenance and weeding! The inside of the house is a little older then what I’ve become used to, as I’ve lived in a luxury apartment in Tulsa for the past couple of years, but I’m up for the challenge.

The best thing about the new house is that I’ll be able to live a much healthier lifestyle. The house has tons of windows and allows a lot of light into the house throughout the day and lots of fresh air. It’s located in a residential neighborhood but is walking distance to tons of places. The neighborhood is great for walking and has plenty of hills and gorgeous views. So, I’ll be able to get a lot of fresh air, sunlight, exercise and peace and quiet. Also, the water company is only a couple streets over and they don’t add chlorine or fluoride to their water!

In contrast, the ‘luxury’ apartment I live in here in Tulsa only has windows towards the east (so it’s dark a lot of time except in the morning) and is not in a walkable area at all. The tap water is literally disgusting and often has really rank smells to it.

I’d be lying if I said I am not going to miss my whirlpool tub or oversized master bathroom, though… but I can survive without them. :)

The spiritual energy in Sedona is off the charts. Obviously that is one main reason I am looking forward to living there… :)

As for food, I am not currently sticking to any particular diet. I ate a lot of fast food and room service during my road trip. I believe room service food is worse for the body then fast food – I always bloat up quickly after one room service meal. I am not sure why! Thankfully all the exercise I got balanced it out a bit.

Right now, I’m back in Tulsa until the end of March. I’m going to Illinois the weekend of March 24th-25th, then coming back here, then heading back to Sedona for April and May. (My lease here in Tulsa is not up until early August, so I’ll have both places for a while).

Anyway, that’s what is going on with me these days!

Rian | No comments | Tags: , ,
23 Jan 2012
Current Diet • Daily Life • Realizations

Grocery Shopping & An Update!

So, after several weeks of really unhealthy eating and a 5+ pound weight gain, I am putting myself back on a lighter eating plan for a while. I’ve also decided to stop trying to label myself as vegan or even vegetarian this year. Of course, my eventual goal is to eat a 100% plant-based diet. However, trying too hard has never helped me. In fact, it’s hindered me, over and over again. So I’m letting up on myself and practicing gratitude for everything I eat.

I cleaned my fridge out from top to bottom to give myself a fresh start. It turns out I had so many old expired things in there. For some reason I had four or five jars of low sodium/organic pasta sauce in the back. Rather amusing, since I rarely eat pasta! After cleaning out the fridge, I headed over to my favorite store, Whole Foods, and stocked up on produce and a few other things. This is what I got:

  • Organic apples (Jazz, Gala)
  • Organic peeled baby carrots
  • Celery
  • Locally-made hummus
  • Organic salad greens
  • Organic romaine lettuce
  • Organic soy yogurt
  • Organic light string cheese
  • Mini Baby Bel cheeses
  • Kashi ‘Simply Maize’ cereal
  • Gardein Herb Dijon Breasts (soy-based imitation meat)
  • Small prepared fresh fruit cups of strawberries, grapes and cantaloupe
  • Organic blueberries
  • Organic spinach

Yum! Adding to the things I already have in my pantry and freezer, plus the few things I left in the fridge (oatmeal, seeds, nuts, some vegan soups, beans, peas, brown rice, veggies, fish, Tofurkey slices, low carb wraps, etc) I’ll be able to put together some light and healthy snacks and meals. Fruits and veggies will be a major staple, obviously. For a while last year I was eating a lot of produce but over the past month or so, it’s been mostly a free-for-all of salty, high-fat foods.

I also have fresh squeezed (unpasteurized) green juice and organic carrot juice in my fridge, plus lemons and a few oranges. I’m taking supplements now – a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement, zinc, Vit D, and digestive enzymes. I love drinking a combo tea of dandelion root and peppermint (cleans the liver and kidneys) and green tea.

A good friend has a theory about eating so-called ‘junk food’ (I am working to move away from labels of all kinds this year, including labeling things good or bad!) when on a spiritual path. Both of us find that anytime we make progress spiritually – have new awakenings, realizations, healings, etc – that we tend to both crave and reach for foods we don’t really want to eat. Her theory is that it balances us out and grounds us. I agree, and have decided to get out in nature more to become grounded that way. We’ve been having a very mild winter here in Oklahoma. Today, for example, is supposed to be almost 60 degrees! So I’m going for a walk at a nearby park.

I didn’t share much on here or anywhere else about it, but from the end of November until just a week or so ago, I went through a really difficult time. I basically hit a rock bottom emotionally, mentally and sort of physically. It was the most difficult time of my life, however, some amazing things came out of it. During that time I hit new lows but also a few new spiritual highs. I won’t get into too many details, (someday I will share more candidly about what happened) but essentially, I had to become ‘broken’ and empty in order to be filled with new light. Since then, I have developed a much stronger connection with my inner intuition and those around me. After a month of literal isolation, this past week, I’ve begun going out and meeting up with people again, and it’s been amazing! In the space of just a few days I have made several new acquaintances and friends.

Out of my month of isolation has come tons of insights and ideas for healing, service to others and many other things. I’m no longer a student at the School of Metaphysics, so I have plenty of time and freedom to basically create lots of new things!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your Monday! I’m off to meditate then make some breakfast. :)

Rian | One comment | Tags: , , ,
31 Dec 2011
Daily Life

My Old Diet Blog & 2011 Recap

Earlier today I was struck with inspiration to read through some of my old diet blog, which I kept from 2007-2010! It is at this link, if anyone is interested in reading it: www.girlonadiet.com. I highly recommend it for any fans of my current blog, because it will show you where I have been and the kind of person I once was.

2011 has been an interesting year, to say the least! Viewing my old diary entries from 2007-2010, I am reminded that I’ve been on a journey to ‘health’ – or rather, ‘weight loss’, for about 5 years now. It is rather humbling to view things in that aspect.

I hope you all have a seriously wonderful and blessed 2012 celebration!!!

Rian | 4 comments | Tags: ,
24 Dec 2011
Breakfast • Food Picture Posts

Oatmeal & Happy Holidays!

I’ve been experimenting with oatmeal lately and throwing in all sorts of different things!

The above oatmeal has:

  • Mixed Himalayan berries (goji, blackberries, blueberries, etc)
  • raw pumpkin seeds
  • honey
  • cinnamon
  • organic banana

It was very delicious!

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Rian | 3 comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
18 Dec 2011
Daily Life • Spiritual Eating

Purification & Food Intolerances

Hey all! A lot has gone on in the past few weeks… life has changed radically and I’ve gone through many ups and downs. Mostly a lot of downs which has led to a much higher ‘up’ than before. (When I say ‘up’, I mean new clarity and awareness). I’ve gone through a period where a lot of inner and outer purification has gone on (and it’s continuing), which has resulted in a lot of old emotions, mental programming, unhealthy beliefs and such being uncovered and dealt with. It was a very tumultuous time and I made some pretty unhealthy choices while going through it. I had what some might call a bit of a mental and emotional breakdown.

However, I have gotten through it to the other side. As a result, I’ve made some changes in my life. In addition to my usual daily meditation, concentration and visualization exercises, (on the suggestion of an enlightened spiritual teacher) I’ve added in some spiritual purifying rituals. One of them involves taking an hour-long bath every day (which I’m still easing into). I never realized before now that such long baths truly purify not only your body but your mind and energy body (aura) as well. It also brings up old emotions to heal and seriously detoxes the body. I am also doing fire purification, which (since I do not have a fireplace) involves me sitting near several candles for at least an hour a day. Breathing exercises and outdoor walks (which I am kind of slacking on) are part of the mix as well. So basically, it’s earth (exercise), water (bath), fire (candles) and air (conscious breathing) purification, which is fabulous for body, mind and spirit.

What these practices also do is raise your spiritual and overall vibration much higher. In response to this and also the emotional clearing that has occurred in the past few weeks, my body has suddenly become kind of intolerant of certain foods, one being meats of all kinds… even fish seems to cause problems, unfortunately! Sugary and/or really fatty foods cause issues as well. I have however been eating dairy again, mainly organic cottage cheese. To be honest it also doesn’t seem to work overly well with my body. It has once again been intuitively suggested that I completely abstain from dairy. For some reason one of my favorite ‘light’ meals right now is organic cottage cheese with organic wild blueberries mixed in and a large serving of steamed broccoli on the side. I am willing to remove dairy from my diet, however, have not taken the steps to do so.

So yes, I completely went off the plan listed in the previous post. I did not exercise the will power and discipline, basically, to carry it through for more than a few days. I honestly and openly admit that I am still working on improving will and discipline. It’s one of my main life karmic lessons, so it hasn’t been easy!

I am now assigned two consecutive fruit days in my metaphysics class, which are either Wednesday and Thursday or Thursday and Friday. During my emotional and mental ‘breakdown’, I had trouble sticking to the fruit days. I was literally eating fast food, cheese and other comfort foods like they were going out of style. I gained maybe 3 pounds back.

Overall, there hasn’t been a resolution to my food or weight situation – yet. I am trying to focus more on the spiritual aspect of things and causing healing, purification and wholeness in my life. That’s one reason I haven’t been around to update here as much lately. It seems the more I focus on food and diet, the more it is an issue.

I hope to one day find a resolution and be able to share it with others! :) As for now, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! Be back soon to update.

Rian | No comments | Tags: , , ,
28 Nov 2011
Current Diet • Food Intake • Spiritual Eating

My Current Diet

Hey all! I thought I’d do a quick update on what I’m eating these days, because I’ve kind of narrowed things down to a specific plan for the next few weeks (excluding holidays and times I’m out of town).

So, here it is:

Breakfast: Gluten-free oatmeal with organic raisins, wild organic blueberries, honey, raw pumpkin seeds and cinnamon; coffee; fruit if desired

Lunch: Some sort of fish or faux meat or a veggie burger, steamed broccoli and/or spinach, fruit if desired; baked potato or sweet potatoes

Dinner: organic brown rice with beans and more steamed veggies and/or greens mixed in; fruit if desired

Snacks: organic apples – at least 2 or 3 per day; raisins; other fruit

Liquids: 2 cups (4 servings total) of a mixture of dandelion root & peppermint tea; (helps release excess fluid retention and cleans the body); 2+ glasses of warm water with fresh organic lemon juice squeezed in (cleanses the liver!); lots of water

One fruit day per week (which will be increased to two in the next week or two. More on this later).

I feel pretty satiated, happy and nourished on this plan.

Another new practice I partake in is to eat my food with concentration. No eating in front of the TV or computer. This was a very challenging change to make, but I expect to see amazing results from it!

I will update soon about my BMI and numbers. There has been further progress made… I spent Thanksgiving up at the College of Metaphysics, and as usual, lost some weight (but gained incredible spiritual insight). :)

Be back to update soon!

Rian | One comment | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
16 Nov 2011
Realizations • Weight Issues

Weight Update & New Focus

I finished my fruit fast! It was amazing. I will definitely be going on another one sometime soon.

So, I’ve checked my weight again this morning and I’m currently 41.8 pounds from my ultimate weight goal. That weight will put my BMI squarely at 20. Currently my BMI is 26.9. (My highest BMI ever was 30.3). I am somewhere between a pant size 8 and 10 in USA sizes.

Speaking of numbers, I’ve decided to be more open on this blog about my numbers and diet. While on one hand I do not want to focus on numbers, at the same time, I know if I really want to get to my goal weight and absolutely healthiest body – which I do – some focus and real effort needs to be put into it and I need to keep track of where I’m at. Of course I’m also adding in some hearty visualization and positive affirmations.

One of the things I’m learning about weight loss and body fat is that the real work needs to occur within. (I know I’ve mentioned this more than once on this blog). There is always a mental reason why someone is overweight and overeats. This is why when people only focus on the physical – dieting, exercise, etc – they often put the weight back on. The long term success rate of dieting is dismal, to say the least! It’s because we need to go to the root of the learning and cause at hand.

In my own case, there are a couple of reasons for the excess weight and difficulty in taking it off: First of all, I’ve been keeping track of what I eat. And for the most part, I don’t really eat THAT much. (Most of the time it’s less than 2000 calories). I’ve had a sluggish thyroid and a strong inner need to protect myself. I realized last week that I have kept myself from a distance from people for years, because it feels safer. I haven’t liked getting too close to anyone (even physically, I would back away from people sometimes). I put on the majority of my weight after a painful breakup in 2007. Somewhere in my mind, I had determined that people were unsafe. So I put a literal and figurative wall around myself, through overeating and alcohol.

Then when I tried to ‘fix’ the problem with dieting and/or exercise, I failed every single time. Because the real problems within were not being addressed!

Anyway, I had a bit of a breakthrough while talking to my metaphysics teacher last week. When I admitted to her that I don’t like being close to most people and could feel an invisible barrier between me and others, she congratulated me for finally acknowledging the issue (which apparently many could see in me but didn’t choose to tell me about! Grr. lol). Since then, some of that barrier and fear of people has dissolved. Actually, much of it. There has definitely been progress made in recent days.

So, does this mean the weight is just dropping off? Not really. (Well, I did lose about 4 or 5 pounds during the fruit fast). For me, there is more… I’ve had a sluggish metabolism and (sometimes inflamed thyroid) thyroid , which I’ve learned was caused from of a lack of expressing and sharing my true inner Self. Which really goes along with my fear of opening up and being close to people. I was keeping people at arm’s length in every way possible and kept my real inner Self hidden away.

Now I’m taking steps to share my true inner Self, and while at times it is frightening, at the same time, it’s exhilarating and joyful. I’m finding when I am totally real and authentic and sharing what I know to be true joyfully and openly, it is the most amazing experience ever! I literally light up, both inside and out.

Another learning that is associated with my own weight ‘situation’ is following through on things. This was one area I was definitely not living up to my full (or even partial) potential. However, through completing the three day fruit fast, I proved to myself that I really can follow through, even when the going gets tough.

And I’m talking about following through in all areas of my life. Often times I would agree to do something or meet someone, etc, then back out or cancel. Somehow it has been a strong pattern over my life. I’m aware of it and have begun working on it carefully over the past few weeks. And trust me, this has NOT been easy! Sometimes I will create plans with someone and then not want to go for whatever reason. However, I’ve been basically forcing myself to follow through. On everything. And it’s been interesting. The great thing is that my teacher is aware of this learning and she is encouraging me and not letting me make excuses for not attending events. I realize when I do actually follow through on the things I didn’t feel like doing, something really enjoyable happens when I do it anyway. It appears I had been blocking myself from enjoyable experiences by canceling plans and gatherings.

Not anymore!

Anyway, I’m going to keep an eye on what I eat for a while and make an effort to keep myself to a disciplined calorie limit. I’m also going to continue with the inner work. I’ll keep you all updated on the progress. Right now it’s time to go take a shower and get ready… I have some Craniosacral therapy scheduled for noon today with that holistic doctor I’ve been seeing. :)

Rian | No comments | Tags: , , ,
15 Nov 2011
Current Diet • Fruit Day • Spiritual Eating

Fruit Fasting, Cravings & Peace

Hey all! Once again I’ve been a bit MIA…

Life has been pretty peaceful lately. I’m on the 4th (and probably final) day of a fruit/juice fast. A week or so before the start of the fast, I had struggled (again) with unhealthy eating. Once again my weight loss stagnated and reversed a few pounds. I started to really get down on myself, but thankfully not for long! I managed to reverse that judgmental mindset rather quickly this time because all it did was make me unhappy. Following the reversal of that attitude I was able to get myself to stick to a lower calorie intake for several days – 1200-1500 calories.

Then last week, I kept coming across people who were fasting (either juice, or fruit, etc) and many other people who wanted to. When I meditated Friday night (on 11/11/11), I received intuitive advice suggesting that I do a three day fruit/liquid fast myself. At first I felt like I couldn’t do it because I had struggled in prior weeks just doing 1 fruit day per week! However, I was willing to try.

So I did. I created an ideal, purpose and activity for the fast and kept my mind on that. And it worked! I was slightly tempted on the 2nd day, and REALLY tempted on the third day but stayed strong. For the first time, when faced with powerful food cravings, I managed to exercise will power and say ‘no’ to myself. It was very liberating. I learned something about cravings after that. I realized that anytime I get major cravings for something, I’ll start imagining how it tastes and how I’ll feel after eating it. Once I do that, it’s all over… at that point I have talked myself into whatever the craving is.

However last night (which was night 3), I tried something different: as soon as the craving hit, I immediately turned my attention to something else. I would not allow myself to ponder how those chocolates would taste. (Chocolate covered cherries is what got my attention, of all things! ) I turned my attention onto something else. And a wonderful thing happened almost immediately: the powerful cravings went away! My discomfort didn’t, however… and I realized that what I was really wanting/craving was the soothing comfort that those chocolates would have temporarily brought.

So anyway, I’m probably going to break the fruit fast today with oatmeal. I’m going back onto my prior ‘mostly organic vegan with occasional fish’ eating plan from here on out. The holidays are coming up but I will definitely not be eating any poultry or dairy. I’ve given the poultry thing an extended and thorough contemplation and have finally decided not to eat it, ever again, unless in dire circumstances. There are a few reasons why I finally made this decision. I may or may not list them here at some point.

One thing I’ve lost the need to do in recent weeks is try and talk anyone into doing anything. I see now that things are exactly the way they are supposed to be, at any given moment, and if someone wants to change the world or do ‘good’ for others, the best way they can do it is to work on themselves.

As Paramhansa Yogananda said:

Remember, whatever you want others to be, first be that yourself; then you will find others responding in like manner to you. It is easy to wish that others would behave perfectly toward you, and it is easy to see their faults, but it is very difficult to conduct yourself properly and to consider your own faults. If you can remember to behave rightly, others will try to follow your example. If you can find your own faults without developing an inferiority complex, and can keep busy correcting yourself, then you will be using your time more profitably than if you spent it in just wishing others to be better. Your good example will do more to change others than your wishing, your holy wrath, or your words. The more you improve yourself, the more you will elevate others around you. The self-improving man is the increasingly happy man. The happier you become, the happier will be the people around you.

This is the motto I am living by these days! And everything is SO much more peaceful and joyful.

Rian | No comments | Tags: , ,
06 Nov 2011
Uncategorized

Update Coming Soon

Full update coming soon! :)

Rian | No comments
« Older Entries   Recent Entries »