DAY 7 - YEAH CANADA!!!

 

DAY 7 LOG

CANADA WON GOLD !!!

 

THAT IS ENOUGH FOR TODAY!!!!

... darleen & jan

DAY 6 - I WENT TO THE GYM!!!!

 

DAY 6 LOG

  Yes Darleen actually did keep her promise and go to the GYM!!  It was slightly later than 9 am - but she did get her butt there and did a 30 minute cardio workout on bike and treadmill. I even sweated up. And had a protein shake after workout for my lunch. No, I do not have any photos to prove it, but I did have to sign in electronically - oops I forgot to sign out - guess I am still there!

Jan -  busy worker bee, has been clearing, cleaning, and preparing a room in her house for painting and converting to office for husband.
That is moving your butt!!

We both report adjusting to the rules, and exercises in the book

- some are tricky, and the hypnosis.

Darleen is having some troubles in morning, as just not hungry - but may be due to years of starving myself in mornings. Thinking of using breakfast shakes so not in starvation mode. Jan has done amazingly well, with having what she wants and choosing more healthy at times - but did have some McDonald's fries, and did NOT overeat. She has a bit of sweet tooth - darn cravings, but we both do enjoy sweets. As long as we can stop from eating the WHOLE bag of cookies or WHOLE bar of fudge we are getting there.

Sunday is approaching, which is sometimes challenging with family Sunday dinner.

BUT - I WENT TO THE GYM!!!!!  HOO HA!!!!

...darleen & jan

DAY 5 - FITNESS FRIDAY

 

DAY 5 LOG 

 FITNESS!! Exercise!!  Move it or Lose IT!!

Now, we gotta go slow with this - we are over 50 after all.

We have read the chapter on Motivation and are already members of gyms. We have the shoes, outfit and spiffy gym bag. Darleen even has a very snazzy black hand towel and purple log book.  I did drive by the gym today.

Darleen's gym -

 

Popeye's Gym, Kitchener, Ontario

This is the outside view.

                                                      
A group doing Zumba

            I was reading about it getting motivated!!

 Jan's gym  -                          

Millennium Place, Sherwood Park, Alberta

And she also has                             

Glen Allan  Recreation Complex

                                                        
WOW!! Look at that great equipment!

We are preparing, and doing more STEPS per day, with additional walking that we can get in with regular daily tasks. Recommendation in book is to add 2,000 more steps per day to start. hmmm... I think I might be up to 100 steps now, due to sitting at computer for 15 hours a day. Jan has been doing her household projects and is 'moving more'.

We shall get there .. one step at a time ... and maybe even do Zumba or  TRX!!

Millennium Place has TRX fitness  - for people that want to spice up their workouts.

TRX - Total Body Resistance Exercise, relying on your body weight.

TRX,  was invented by the United States' Navy Seals as a way to work out while deployed in ships and submarines.  It uses two nylon straps hanging from the ceiling, and you then  can hook your feet or arms and do a variety of exercises, with your own body weight providing the necessary resistance.  SCARY!!


As I said ... ONE STEP AT A TIME.... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  steps to fridge for my WATER!!

I have worked up a sweat just thinking about exercising and looking at the photos.

Oh and did I mention that Popeye's Gym is a 24 hour gym - so really running out excuses to not find the time to get there.

I Darleen do solemnly promise 
- Saturday morning 9 AM,  I will  do basic aerobic workout at the gym.

Jan?

Have a great weekend everyone ...

 One Bite and One Step at time!!

...darleen & jan
 

DAY 4 - RETRAINING OUR BRAINS

 

DAY 4 LOG

Retraining our brains - with the guided hypnosis CD included with the book, has been a bit challenging. We appear to be resisting. This could be due to a number of reasons, such as we are control freaks maybe? Or for Jan, she believes that is due to her uncertainty of what it is doing to her brain and 'scared of hypnosis'. 

Jan's Experiences:

Jan reports a weird, but soothing experience and did feel relaxed when completed. She has read most of the book now and the 'light is going on' as she sees herself in many of the discussions in the book. The one difference she has noted, is a HUGE  increase in energy. She has been in her words - a little worker bee!! She managed to complete several household projects in just one day. She likes the Energizer bunny feeling, and feeling of positivity that has made itself at home within her. Other than thinking about food a lot and what to eat she has been successful in following the rules. 

WOO HOO!! Progress.

Darleen's Experiences:

Darleen had a good day for the most part regarding eating properly - well except for the 3 martinis for lunch!! Ok, to explain - the company I currently work for has been going through major issues for over 1 year that led to finally sale of company. Wait .. there is more to explain the martinis. This week the sale will be final, and the company as we have known it will end. CELEBRATE!! We had a farewell lunch complete with choice of martinis and beer!! This went along with the New York style sandwiches, carrot cake and cookies. I ate appropriately following the rules almost - ate a bit too fast, which I will blame on the martinis influence. The martinis were ... yummy!!

Darleen's Hypnosis Log:

Darleen has listened to the tape 3 times now, and by the 3rd time I think I have managed to lose the resistance and relax properly.The first time my legs and arms were feeling painful and jumpy, which I think was my effort to try and stay aware and not be controlled by someone else - or as Jan states due to the fear of hypnosis. 

We all seem to recall seeing a stage performance hypnotist that was successful in hypnotizing several volunteers from the crowd and had them do such things as quack like a duck and squawk like a chicken - funny when is someone else, but no way am I letting someone do that to me! There is a trust that needs to be developed before the hypnosis can be truly effective. 

The 2nd time was rather sitcom worthy. I decided to listen to it from my ipod and in my bed before going to sleep. I settled into bed beside my husband Ken, who was already asleep. I very nicely arranged myself comfortably. I was snuggled down,  listening and following the relaxation directions. "SNORFT taa Huuu!!" Or something sounding like a huge snow-blower sound was snorted from the other side of the bed - SNORING!! This interrupted my relaxation. I attempted to regain composure .... after pushing and prodding Ken to STOP SNORING. BUT it quickly became apparent that I was focusing more on the snoring sounds, than the message being transmitted into my ears. Well,  and plus with pulling the covers over my head, I had knocked out the left earplug. I was quickly abandoning my relaxation and hypnotic state. All effort was directed to fantasizing about putting a large pillow over Ken's head to STOP THE FREAKING SOUND!

Deep breath.

I retrieved my pillow and ipod and exited the bedroom.

I  made myself comfortable on the couch and fully achieved relaxed state.

Ahh... life is good sometimes - ugh the couch was a bit lumpy however.

By the 3rd time I was able to fully relax and actually don't recall much of the end as I drifted off to nap land. I did notice that I actively heard more of the instructions than I had noticed in the first 2 attempts. My legs and arms were more relaxed, if not completely.

Research

I did some quick reading and research on hypnosis and exactly what it is, and who is really qualified to perform to get some answers. After a few with psychology mumbo jumbo, I finally did find one that has easy to understand information and answers

http://www.changenowhypnosis.com/HYPNOSIS.HTM

The point that I appreciate is the following excerpt:

Always bear in mind ego cannot be detached in hypnosis. This means you will not relay information during a trance that you would not normally discuss. Your moral and ethical codes can never be violated.
- So you can not be made to do something against your will.

 This  all made sense to me, and I think I can relax fully and allow the instructions to work on my subconscious mind going forward. I am NOT being controlled but allowing direction and reprogramming to take place.

This site I discovered that has a large library of hypnosis mp3 files and scripts that can be downloaded  - for a cost.
I did a quick search upon noticing the list of everything from improving your sexual libido to stop cracking your knuckles.

SEARCH: snoring
And the result?

Download Available: Ignore Snoring  $12.95  OR
Ignore Snoring and Fall Asleep Fast  $19.95  (The Perfect Partner download)
 

SOLD!!!

Tomorrow is Friday 
... DAY 5 success and dealing with emotional  & stress eating pangs!!
- without martinis or beer.

...darleen & jan

 

DAY 3 - NO QUACKING

 

DAY 3 LOG

Notes about CD:

Just a few notes tonight due to being a bit rushed with other activities, but I did want to mention that I have listened to the CD twice now, and it does have an affect.  I am not sure completely what it is doing - while I am relaxing and in a semi sleep state. So far I have NOT quacked like a duck (well as far as I know - I haven't scanned You Tube yet!) or done anything else odd while  transported into a hypnotic state. It does make me feel relaxed and I have noticed that I am standing taller in the mornings now, and I have a general positive feeling. It's not like I have turned into Mrs Happy - particularly as my life at this time is in a bit of limbo due to job uncertainty - more of a calmness.

Jan was listening to the CD for the first time tonight, so will get her report tomorrow. I am interested inf finding out what body reactions she had while listening. Why? Well I had leg and arm twitches and wondered if just me, or if hypnosis reaction. Possibly I was trying dance like a duck?

Today we both have kept to following the 4 rules and so far have not binged out on chocolate or had urges to devour cartons of ice cream. And Darleen stayed away from the beer today!!

I  offered to bake a cake and batch of chocolate chip cookies for farewell lunch at work for Thursday - so that is what I have been doing all evening. All went well, and I managed to only have one sampling of the cookies - yes that is just one cookie,  and kept up with drinking water, and more water, and well I am still drinking water as I write this. uhm .. well I did eat some cookie batter also, but a very small amount. WATER! I need more WATER!!

Baking - I don't tend to eat too much while baking, so was not a challenging situation.  It is when the baking is completed that is difficult and the plate of cookies is calling to me. BUT, I only tasted one!

 TA DA  - cookies and cake

Carrot Cake with Amazing Icing

Darleen's recipe

&

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by Bakerella - do take a look at her blog, as she is the most creative baker I have encountered.

You must click your way over to see the Cake Pops and the Cupcake Pops , and well really do go!!

Day 3 comes to an end 

...  and tomorrow I really do promise to go to the gym. 

Well that is a definite maybe.

darleen & jan

WIN!! Become a Follower!!

WIN PRIZES !!!!! 

Join up or just leave comments. 

Chance to win book and extra prize!!!  Simply leave a comment and you have a chance to win the 

I CAN MAKE YOU THIN book  & additional gift 

- to be announced this Friday, February 26th.

WINNER TO BE SELECTED MARCH 15TH

We would love to hear from you and any similar experiences you have had.

 

The No Bon Bons Girls

...darleen & jan

DAY 2 - BEER, BEER AND LATTES

 

DAY TWO LOG:

Beer and more beer and lattes today!! So today we were presented with a challenge maybe.

Darleen was invited to lunch at local Chicken Wings spot, that also of course features beer. Sounded good -lets do it!!

Well I was able to order 6 wings with veggies and had one glass of beer - that was ok right? I ate slowly and did not eat past being full. EXCEPT for the beer, as one became 3, uhm  or maybe 4. Things got a bit fuzzy. Evening activities - it is 10 PM and we are just managing to eat dinner, due to errands to run and well after the beer have not been hungry. A bit confused as to how should control the thirst - and will read the book with management of cravings and such. BUT Jan says not to worry about it - continue on!! So .. drank more water.

OK - so it was a bit too much beer, that was proven when I texted Jan, instead of husband Ken to pick me up from work. Jan received the text and  she is in Edmonton, Alberta and I am in Kitchener, Ontario. Her response - "I would love to but it will take me a day to get to you :) How many beer?"  Ahh very funny!!

Jan had a rather upside down day due to being in Emergency last night with her daughter, so napped most of morning, but was able to maintain eating only when hungry, ate what she wanted - such as toast with peanut butter and coffee. Later in the day she had errands to run and managed to get a Latte with a shot of espresso!! It is what she wanted. 

We did discuss briefly about how our friendship was bonded with a lot of focus on food - such as the Sunday dinners with roast beef, mountains of mashed potatoes, gravy and of course the infamous chocolate cake with fluffy icing and ice cream. Beer may have been involved along the way as well.

And I suppose it is true about most friendships  - that they start over going for lunch, coffee, wine, etc. Jan and I were introduced back in 1975, and were both young and SKINNY, and loved to eat. We liked McDonald's fries, Harveys,  tacos that you could only get in Brantford at the time, and shared many bottles of wine over the years. I was older and married to my first husband at the time (yes there have been several) - so we had the apartment and hosted the get togethers - beer and chips while the guys watched sports  during the week - BUT always we had Sunday dinner. I enjoy cooking and always believed dessert was a necessity - chocolate cake being my favourite, but also featured apple pie or pecan pie and always ice cream - it is one of the major food groups is it not?!

Now when we first met we wore sizes like 2, 3 and 5 -  freaking single digit clothing sizes! We must have been mere children. We did get a lot of exercise however, without really realizing due to our lifestyles and work at the time. We were constantly on our feet, walked to the bus and farther when missed the bus (well that would be me that slept in), and also danced our beers off when out at the local bars on weekends. And we probably did not over-eat as much, as we really did eat what we wanted and usually only ate until full. Actually there was a time that Darleen was under-weight and was eating ice cream and milk shakes to add weight -- and there were those that said 'just you wait until you hit 45, then the you will be trying to lose weight', 'be careful what you wish for' - and well did they have to be correct?

And chocolate!!  ahh yes we have both always loved chocolate, and definitely this is one food that we can eat until we cannot move - we do embrace the idea of Death by Chocolate. It has cured many pains and been there when we have celebrated as well. Definitely we will need to read the chapter 6 Craving Busters several times.

And then there is the Emotional Eating -- all those broken hearts & hormonal ups and downs along the way, and didn't we deserve that entire chocolate cake? We have much work to still do it seems.

THE BOOK - has checklists for each day 

- Success Journal

1. I ate when I was hungry - check

2. I ate what I really wanted - check - plus beers

3. I ate consciously - check   - still feels odd when eating with others

4. I stopped when full - check

5. I drank water - check check check ...

6. I moved my body - uhm ... half a check  .. I walked through Costco and Walmart
- yes do need to re-read chapter 5 and do the motivational exercises to get going on this!!

7. I listened to the CD - check - and copied it to iPod for easing listening to in bed

8. I did mirror exercise - uhm... what is the mirror exercise?

- okay page 93 has the mirror exercises, which is to readjust how we think about our bodies...

- I can start doing tomorrow.

One POSITIVE THING I noticed today ...

Well for Darleen, it would be that I drank 4 beers  and did not throw up!! Maybe that was not exactly the right positive thing - so how about, I am feeling relaxed and enjoying water, and learning how to determine when hungry and when full.

What I"m LOOKING FORWARD TO tomorrow...

Getting some exercise!! Well maybe tomorrow.

Stay Tuned for more fun adventures as we GET THIN.

I am off to listen to the CD - will report tomorrow what the heck that is all about.

...darleen & jan

 

DAY 1 - START OF ADVENTURE

 

So today was Day 1 of our challenge to focus on weight loss, following the book

by Paul McKenna -  I CAN MAKE YOU THIN.

 

 http://www.amazon.ca/Can-Make-You-Thin-Revolutionary/dp/1402765711

Darleen drank a lot of water  -- like a lot, which really helped with adding some movement to my day. Walking to the bathroom added at least 50 steps :)  Jan had a good Day One and also noticed much more water drinking and less coffee.

What is this method all about? Well it is not about counting calories, or weighing yourself each day - but using your mind through self hypnosis techniques and the book includes a guided hypnosis CD. I have not yet got that far. I have read the book however - quickly once through and on second time reading.

What is this 'revolutionary system', that is going to help us achieve our goal of being THIN again?

The book, as well as in the courses that Paul does first explains why DIETS don't work, and in fact help us to get fatter and feel more like a failure each time. uhuh ... we agree with this, as that is certainly where we are at.  And the MAGIC solution is?

There are 4 Golden Rules to follow - which are explained in the book:

1. Eat what  you actually want.
2. Eat when you are hungry.
3. Eat consciously and enjoy each mouthful.
4. Stop  when you think you are full

  The methods of how to follow these rules and explanation makes up the remainder of the book. It is a short book and to the point, written with humour  and also success stories by REAL people.  And the photos don't have the small print - RESULTS NOT TYPICAL - like you find in the ads for diet pills and many other weight loss methods! It makes sense, although the hypnosis part I have yet to get into.

The CD is to help reprogram our minds- a form of hypnosis - and I hope it doesn't make me quack like a duck!! I am going to listen to the CD tonight before sleep.

Darleen's  Day One with the GET THIN method:

Breakfast - well I could not figure out if I was hungry, so drank water like suggested in book and still didn't really feel hungry. I was feeling 'pressure' that I SHOULD eat, but tried to follow the instructions of only eating when hungry. Therefore, I got ready for work and packed an assortment of food to take with me. On the way to work I suddenly felt hungry - but I didn't have anything to eat. Ok, I was able to relax and recall that I had some fruit and other things that I could eat once I got to the office. COFFEE!! I WANT COFFEE!! ... am I supposed to drink coffee? I guess if I want it.

Arrived at OFFICE - had cottage cheese and papaya - I ate slowly mouthful by mouthful, and had to say I was not enjoying it and really did not feel that hungry. COFFEE arrived and I enjoyed that very much.
Mid Day - what some people call lunch time ( I rarely have ate lunch while working) - I did feel hungry, but drank some water to determine if was thirsty or hungry. YEP, definitely feeling like hunger pangs. I ate a can of spiced tuna in tomatoes that was very yummy, and a large apple and more water. I felt satisfied. I did have some bread as well in my lunch bags of assorted foods and had that a short time after as was feeling still a bit hungry. More water.

Of course with all this water - I was walking to the bathroom several times more often than usual - so I will count this as my additional steps taken today. Hey!! I know it is not the gym workout as promised - but you gotta go slow! Or at least I do.

Supper - upon getting home shortly after 6 I was very hungry- or I suddenly noticed that I was at least. I wanted soda crackers with cheese spread - so that is what I had, slowly until hunger pangs were gone. Felt rather odd, as SHOULD I BE EATING THESE CRACKERS AND HOW MANY?? I drank more water.  My husband and our male room-mate were shovelling snow, while I was enjoying my pre-dinner appetizer. They both came in and were hungry and ready for a nice meal - which I was in process of cooking. Spaghetti with home-made sauce, and asparagus on the side.
I took  a smaller amount than usual, and ate very slowly -- I struggled with last few mouthfuls, as was I full? But there are only a few more mouthfuls, and very tasty - I should eat it. So going against the feeling of being full, I did eat the last 2 mouthfuls. I ended up feeling slightly past full. The guys meanwhile wolved down 2 platefuls in the time I slowly enjoyed each morsel. More water - but still feeling like was missing something. Milk!! I had a nice glass of milk and felt satisfied, with just a bit too much spaghetti. Weird feeling for sure!!

Evening - drank more water, but no hunger pangs so far. Watched my Desperate Housewives most recent episode - ate nothing while watching. Watched  Olympic Figure Skating competition - ate nothing while watching. Now updating blog and feel no hunger pangs at all, and no cravings so far.

Jan's Day One Update:

Jan  -  I do have trouble calling her Jan rather than Janet - but hey she still calls me Ralphie sometimes. That is a story to be shared later :) - is in process of reading the book,  but is 'pumped' for this adventure. She even managed to get some walking in today, and better than myself, was actual walking for sake of getting some exercise rather than jaunts to the bathroom. She drank more water than coffee today, and I found myself doing the same. She had a lunch date - no I don't know who was with, but don't think it was anything elicit - and she reported she managed to eat following the rules. For supper she had a nice salad, along with pasta with meat sauce. She is now sitting in the Emergency room with her number one daughter, who is suffering an allergy attack!! But not to worry, as Jan is a nurse (retired nurse, but always a nurse), and manages this sort of excitement well. If she gets hungry and wants a BOB BON - well as long as she really enjoys it and stops when she is full - that is OK!!

So far so good. No weighing. If we must weigh ourselves - the book recommends waiting for 2 weeks.

How much weight do we want to lose? Well I informed Jan that I would not yet share our current weight, but enough to say that we each have a goal to lose at least 30 lbs. We want to focus on how we feel and how our clothes fit, than actual number on the scale. YEAH right!! We want to get as close as we can to our before children (BC) days of 120 LBS! But we will settle for slightly higher number if we an get to the 'feel good and look good' state.

Photos of our journey through life to this point to come over the next few days.
But I do have to mention one of our followers, and I do have a photo of his lean and trim body - Jan's number 2 son. As he thought I should mention him, since he is one of the our VIP followers.
 Here he is at 19 years old - Jan's 3rd child of total of 5 - 3 boys and 2 girls -  MARK!!

Thanks for following our adventure MARK!!  You are an inspiration!!

...darleen & jan

NO BON BONS !!

So .. here we are. Jan is on the left at age 50 and Darleen is on the right at age 55.
We have been friends since 1975 - that is 35 years long, with at least 30 years being separated by 1600 miles, since Jan moved to Alberta.

When we were young and foolish, with stars in our eyes and illusions of love and grandeur we came up with our ideas of what our pinnacle of success would be. This mostly surrounded having found our Prince Charming, living in a glorious wonderful house - that magically would be perfectly decorated and always in perfect order, 3 - 4 wonderfully beautiful perfect mannered and intelligent children, and of course we would not have to work outside the home any longer. Ahh ... yes we would be able to lounge our days away eating BON BONS and watching our favourite soaps all day, while life ran itself as we would be so surrounded by 'love'. And I do recall we were sober and not under the influence of recreational drugs at the time, we came up with this definition of 'success'!!

Of course the joke was on us, as we soon discovered. Prince Charming was more difficult to capture than we imagined, although Jan did a pretty good job. Darleen had a bit more problems in this area. Both of us did manage to have the wonderful beautiful children at approximately the same time. Darleen had the first child and 2 years later both Jan and Darleen were pregnant at the same time - Darleen due with twins on Nov 29th and Jan due with her first Oct 29th. Oops Darleen's twin daughters arrived Oct 29th, and Jan was left waiting 2 more days for her first son to make his appearance. Needless to say C-Sections, night feedings and all the fun of wonderful beautiful babies left little time to lounge around. We did however still find time to sneak in some BON BONS, while breast feeding or between diaper changes. We were not beautifully coiffed or dressed in designer gowns while eating our BON BONS!! Ahh .. well soon enough we discussed life would get easier.

Well Jan went on to have 5 wonderfully beautiful children, and Darleen had the 3 wonderfully beautiful daughters. Both continued working outside the home at least one full time job - Jan as a nurse and Darleen as a Medical Laboratory Technologist and then Computer Support Tech. Life was hectic, and BON BON times were done on the sly and still no lounging. The beautiful homes did come - but almost always strewn with toys, laundry, pets and other sundry things obliterating any decorating feats we attempted.

As years went by we did manage to enjoy BON BONS amid the chaos of household chores piled up, and our wonderful thin glamorous girlish figures took a beating! Not quite the image we had in our youth.

Fast Forward to the year 2010 -- ugh ... how did this happen? Why are we not lounging in our beautiful homes as our children have grown and left us to purely enjoy our success? Darleen is still working and her home is under complete renovation. Jan still has 3 children at home, at least has achieved 'retirement' - but her Prince Charming is still working long hours leaving her to manage the roost.

Years of eating BON BONS and other delectable treats and maybe too many glasses of wine to soothe our nerves after a rough day with the %%$^* wonderful children - well has caught up with us, and our youthful thin figures have become middle age splurge!!

Texting between us has become a daily habit and engrossed in finding the elusive happiness and TRUE meaning of success. How do we eliminate the feelings of depression, inadequacy and fact we do not feel appreciated? We have had to pull out our credit cards for yet larger sized clothing, after a particularly good batch of Christmas baking - this is truly getting out of hand and in the wrong direction from our BON BON goals!!

So ... we have decided we must get things under control!

NO BON BONS GIRLS was born.

We WILL regain our THIN beautiful bodies & our self esteem.

And appreciate ourselves!!

The CHALLENGE we are giving ourselves - GET THIN!!
Start Date: Monday, February 22, 2010
End Date: As long as it takes!!
Goal: To Look and Feel GOOD!!

How are we about to do this?
With all resources that we can pull together, but it appears that our best success will be had by not putting as much food in our mouths and moving more!!

First thing on our agenda is NO BON BONS!!
Resources:
Paul McKenna - I CAN MAKE YOU THIN
Weight Watchers
EXERCISE - we already maintain gym memberships -- next step is to actually enter the gym.

This is the beginning of our journey to reclaim our thin bodies and find true success along the way.

We welcome you to join us as we log our adventure.

....darleen & jan