I'm Back!!! :) :)

Season's Greetings Y'All!
Oh my gosh it feels like it has been forever since I've been on here!  Well, it has been.  Basically Oct/Nov/Dec were up and down and all over the place for me.  I had gained 15 lbs back (man, it sure doesn't take long!!) and was going into December not seeing any end in sight.  I was really really having a tough time and I was binging again.  Not good.  But, I recognized that and knew I needed to take some serious action before it got too too much worse.  At the same time, I realized I had 144 hours of vacation time of which 100 needed to be used by 12/31.  So, I scrambled to try to find a wellness retreat/resort I could go to, to start breaking the bad cycle I was in.  I really wanted to go to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, but they were booked all of Nov/Dec.  I then found Red Mountain Resort in Utah which looked great.  Only problem was, it was difficult to get to (plane plus 3 hour drive) and it was going to be way too COLD!!!  No way.  I needed something semi not winterish. :)  Then, I stumbled upon Shane Fitness Resort in San Antonio, Texas.  I knew nothing about it, but I asked a lot of questions, and it seemed like what I needed.  A getaway with structure, no Starbucks, no desserts, and lots of fitness!

Well, I just got back from an 11 day stay there!  Wow, it was great.  I really needed this and it did exactly what I needed it to do.  I broke the binge cycle!  The food was so clean and healthy, and fantastically good!  Amazing how you feel when you don't put crap in your body.  I ate salads twice a day with meals, tons of fruit, complex carbs, and good lean protein.  No diet soda or sweets.  No sweeteners or preservatives.  Only natural stuff went into this body!  I also limited the caffeine to 1 cup of coffee in the am, 1 cup of tea in the afternoon.  And then 80 oz of water a day.  And now for the fitness part.  OH MY GOSH!!!!  We did 3 workouts a day of 1-2 hours each.  I didn't know I had it in me to do this!  We did circuit training, boot camps, hikes, treadmill intervals, and we walked Walked WALKED everywhere!!!!!!  The resort was HUGE.  I have never walked so much getting from one place to the next.  I opted for no elevators, and took the stairs the whole time. I was sweating so much, I had to shower twice a day and change my shirt twice.  It was nuts!  By Day 2, I thought I had been hit by a truck.  Every muscle fiber in my body was screaming.  It finally calmed down by about Day 5 and I wasn't as sore.  I even did 3 miles today before I left to catch my plane!  My biggest success is that I have never run before.  It's so weird, but I don't know how!  I've tried a few times and it feels awful, is weird, I can't describe it.  I was mentally freaked out by it.  The trainer worked with me, and by the end I was able to jog some intervals. :)  Now, to try it on the treadmill which also totally freaks me out!

The Shane Fitness Resort was like having a private trainer and nutritionist by your side.  The ladies were awesome!  So caring, knowledgeable, fun, and just fantastic people.  There was only 1 other woman in the program with me, so it was just all around great!  There were also a few behavior classes, cooking classes, and clothes styling.  The other woman had been 3 weeks.  I will definitely consider going back next December again as the holidays are my most difficult time ever!!  Oh, and I came back 6 lbs lighter and several inches smaller!!  I FEEL GREAT!!! :)

While I was there, I read a really great book by Deepak Chopra called What Are You Hungry For.  For anyone that struggles with weight or food issues, I cannot recommend this book enough!  It has been a really wonderful read with lots of good, sound insights.

Finally, over the past several months I found a new OB/GYN and a holistic practitioner that specialized in women's issues.  I had been having a lot of very weird random symptoms over the past year and after talking to a friend (thanks T!) and doing some internet searches, I was pretty certain I was in peri-menopause.  I finally saw these doctors (who were great!) and they ordered a bunch of tests.  Low and behold, I am very low in DHEA, low in testosterone, not converting thyroid well, still very anemic, and low in Vitamin D.  Guess, what?  Yep, in peri-menopause.  Whoopie!!!!!  Welcome to the 40's.  I have a follow up appointment tomorrow with the doctor, so I will find out all the lovely supplements I must start.  Anything to help me feel better and be able to lose weight.

Well, now it's time to crazily get ready for Christmas in 2 days.  Yikes!  Hope you all are doing very well.  I may not be getting Christmas cards out in time this year, so if not - Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!  I cherish each and every one of you, and value our friendship!!  I hope the new year brings you much joy, happiness, good health, success, and prosperity!

It is good to be back.... for good this time! :)  Love and hugs to you all!

Cheers,

Jessica