Whitney's Thread

[Whitney]

guys--the above post from "guest" is actually mine --whitney--i just forgot to sign in first ;o)
Thanks again--whitney

[Gstarsun]

D :D Just wanted to touch base with left hand on hip and right hand in the air with a fist - it's a support cheer for you! That's great - the machine is getting to be habit - it'll get embedded in you - and will just be a part of your routine.

Know that you're always doing much better than you think!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

Cheers, G

[Whitney]

Hey guys!
I am shocked to discover I hadn't posted in a week+. As mentioned in an earlier post I have been moving furniture around and painting. Last Thursday I discovered some damage to my foundation that was caused by the townhome next to me that has been empty for a year--its pipes had burst and spewed water for days and then the guys the mortgage company had assigned to check on the house turned off the water and walked away leaving the water to sit for over a month and cause major damage there and to my home--not sure if I would have discovered it in a timely fashion if the "urge" to move things and paint hadn't been so strong. Listen to those 'urges'!
In discovering the damage last week I did two things that totally derailed me from the weight management--I got horribly depressed and I moved the furniture out of that area and it blocked access to the machine. So this Weds. I moved some of the furniture back and it was like seeing the machine for the first time so checked here and saw I hadn't posted. Then got to thinking and realized I had also quit drinking the drink in the mornings. When my daughter and I 'escaped' to Colorado I financially put myself behind not one or two 8 ballls but probably at least 3 or 4 and have never fully recovered--and I would do so again. Colorado is a beautiful state and I wanted a better life for my daughter and the move got both. This house sustained us in many ways so it just took me as low as I can remember ever being for the damage to happen to it and no fault of mine. Finances scare the hell out of me so the knowledge it meant I would have to fight mortgage company and insurance company etc was depressing enough but it also took me to a place of just being so tired of having to be strong. I reminded myself my daughter is healthy, I work for a wonderful 'genius' boss, my other job gives me the opportunity to help change lives, I have great clients and Springsteen is touring soon.
Good news is I did not gain anything back and still am at 8lbs lost and I re-discovered a truth I really believe in---human beings will recreate the familiar almost inevitably-takes superhuman effort not to. We will get creative in how we do it and it may not at first glance look at all similar(example I married my mom--did my ex and my mom look at all alike?uuuh no but both are terrible bullies with horrible tempers that I learned to live with in fear).....so in this case without trying and because I was so depressed I blocked the machine and quit the drink----the closer we are to make the new behavior the habit the more vigilant we have to be about what can let us slip back to the familiar.
A friend who is going through a divorce after 27yrs of marriage called this afternoon and we went out for 2for 1 margaritas and mexican food. Again --good news---we laughed and talked and blew off steam AND I ate half of what I normally would. Back on the drink since yesterday and back on machine a little tonight and full force tomorrow. When I agreed to do these posts I told Marjolein that what might be as valuable as success for others struggling w/weight to hear about is to hear how one succeeds/ then fails/ then succeeeds--- am sharing pitfalls I hit in hopes it can help you avoid them!
Again guys thanks for the support and your comments and emails!
Whit

[Whitney]

Hey guys!
First--before I forget---I think I am totally sold on this drink---as I mentioned I had somehow forgotten it and stopped it for awhile. The difference in energy and alertness is very noticeable--in a good way--not jittery or anything just more awake feeling. I also lost another pound or two--it is hovering--and honestly I have not really gotten with the eating program yet--not binging just not going on my low carb fully yet.
Second--the cardio board!! if you do not have it yet i really recommend it--i am having to try to remember to do anything else whne using the machine. I am a hard sell on both the drink type thing and machines and when i use the machine i love it and it is slowly working its way to being a true habit. The drink is amazing. Period.
Marjolein is traveling but we have communicated via email/blackberry and am looking forward to updating her when she gets back and to her day on QVC 4/9.
Again thanks so much for reading and especially writing me either here or at sparklingthinking@yahoo.com . More this weekend--been doing some meditations etc on this stuff and will share when able to coherently voice them---I have had some startling confirmations from clients about their readings lately---I have been dead on on many things apparently and wondering if the antioxidents and energy from the drink are making my brain work more effectively in that realm as well. I have also had some questions from some as to the readings and how they are helpful in daily life--which is my goal--that and to expand our thinking outside the realm of the familiar----and plan on writing here about a couple of things.
Thanks and as one wise man said "let's let love give what it gives"---think about that simple statement--we let worries give all that they can give, we let our fears give all they can give but do we let love give what it gives--I don't as often as I would like--do you? Maybe self love is a good start---off to workout on the machine!
Whit

[thx42day]

I'm just loving this thread. I don't have the machine nor am I drinking the juice but I am so encouraged by the REALNESS of your posts, Whitney. This thread is such a reminder to me that whether we're trying to lose weight or save the world one block at a time, we're all in this together. Love it! :D

[jkpjb]

I am so happy to be reading this thread. I am 51 and have been struggling with my weight for years. I am now at the point where I feel so bad about myself. My personal life is full of upheaval also. I hope by being a part of this I can begin to get back on track. I watched QVc today, and bought the TSV. I hope this is the first step. I wish QVC would sell these drinks as well.

[krubinic]

Just joined this message board today AND just ordered myself the Aero Pilates Cardio Rebounder from QVC today. I really don't need yet another piece of exercise equipment in my workout room downstairs. Basically, because I swear I have a whole fitness center already as it is, but after watching Marjolein's broadcast on QVC today, it made me come to terms with the fact that my elliptical trainer has more than gotten its good use for the meager $50 I paid for it two years ago from a friend and maybe it's time to replace it with the Aero Pilates, which I feel will better suit me and the problems I'm having with my knees. My family is disappointed I'm not getting another elliptical..........but hey, this is for ME not them!

So I guess you could say today is the beginning of my new beginning. I'm finding Whitney's posts to be so refreshing and so profound. I too have been struggling with my weight for years and it's all because I keep thinking some "great epiphany" is going to come to me and miraculously help me to find the key to instantaneous success. However, I'm slowly coming to realize there are no "epiphanies" (AKA: quick fixes) and that my cardiologist was right when he told me at last year's "annual" exam (I have a heart rhythm problem called SVT's - supra ventricular tachycardia) that I'm waaaaaaaay too young to not have any hobbies or not to do something significant with what's left of the rest of my life............ AND that if I don't do something SOON, and change my mindset........... I'm going to get to the point of no return. Well, funny enough he's just one year older than me..........I just turned 49 ( and in a strong holding pattern over the next year) and I get to wish him happy 50th in May or June when I see him.

This year I also can tell him how I made an effort on his words from last year ("point of no return") and lost 20lbs doing Weight Watchers from May 2005 through November 2005 and I started to exercise again...........HOWEVER, I also thought I needed to take a "hiatus" as a treat over the holidays from exercising and watching what I eat and now I'm almost back to square one............I gained back 10lbs and now I've had a hard time getting back to the exercising part, not because I don't want to, but because my knees have gone into shock so bad that my family doctor has now had to put me on Voltaren which is an anti-arthritic/inflammatory med and all I did was take a 2 to 3 month layoff!!!!!!!!! So I can surely see what my cardiologist meant by "point of no return". I guess it serves me right going against his warnings. Exercising and healthy eating truly HAVE to be part of a DAILY routine not just a sometimes thing.

So anyway, I'm really excited and eagerly awaiting my Aero Pilates Cardio Rebounder Machine for it's tentative delivery date of 4/17/06. Which is two days after Easter..............and in the spirit of the season..........maybe I too can become [i]resurrected[/i] with my lifestyle changes and my mindset that this has GOT to be an everyday occurence, not just some fad or quick fix.

Best wishes to you all!

~Kathy

[Whitney]

Where in the heck are the days going??? Anybody else feel like they are behind all the time?? Anyway---Kathy and jkpjb--welcome!!! you will both love the pilates---and jkpjb you spoke of personal upheaval(my middle name) and it does help de-stress you and center you as well as make you healthier........and to all of you guys--thanks sooooooooo much for reading this thread and keeping it going-----it is so helpful to 1) have a place to be this open and honest in writing about weight issues espec when most of our lives we avoid the whole subject and try to be invisible or hide 2)to hear and read so many others' journey and their openness and honesty................did you all see Marjolein yesterday---amazing huh?? and those of you like Kathy who did buy it for the first time will love it IF you use it----it does seem to work better when you actually use it instead of stepping over it like i did for years..........
Last week--last time I weighed--I had lost 11lbs and again without realllllllly dieting .......this drink is great and so is the machine.......I am getting muuuuch more in a routine with both and I picked up some tips yesterday in watching Marjolein on QVC---stuff I am sure is in the dvd's etc but somehow I caught yesterday--like usinig 2 cords on cardio board works out lower abs and 3 cords works legs harder----I really love the cardio board. I also decided to try that riseps thing they did yesterday and it isn't easy but felt good.
Somethings Kathy said in the above post hit home---espec the part about taking a break and gaining back 10lbs.........I think we equate taking a break as going back to what we were doing before(at least I do) and it didn't work then and won't now. Am thinking that we have to stick with the machine and losing weight not only until it is habit or closer to a way of life but also til we notice we feel much worse when we do slide back to old habits but I think the trick there is NOTICING----because unless we mentally do a check and say 'do i feel better or worse after eating all this sugar" we don't realllly notice since it is familiar--it is familiar to feel bad after eating sugar etc so we don't stop and think 'do i feel better or worse'.
Conscious living and thinking make things more visible to us and maybe then we can change things more often.
More soon.
Whit

[krubinic]

Excuse me folks for the silly questions....... but some of these accessories are new to me........what exactly is the box and pole? I've seen pictures of it, but I've yet to see it demonstrated anywhere and cannot figure out for the life of me how it works, what you do with it and what DVD(s) does it apply to?

Thanks much to any of you who care to answer my (silly) question.

~Kathy

[marjoleinb]

Hey guys:
I just got caught up on Whitney's thread and wanted to add a word or two. Commitment to anything is key not because we need to guiltily beat ourselves up when we don't keep it but instead because without a consistent image and vision it is impossible to manifest anything. Remember all that stuff we have learned about "life only being the way we believe it to be"? I think it is true.
Make a commitment to your health, your life, your body: not to having to lose weight but instead to treating it with the same respect that you treat that of a small baby you are in charge of. All you ever do for those you love is give them the best of what is good for them. Just so should it be for your body. We are given one body every lifetime and if you treat it with love and kindness it will serve you well. That means good nourishing food, loving thoughts, kind actions and fresh air, water and movement. Pilates is the Godsend. It is gentle fun and works.
Give up the guilt and let's replace it with love. You are already doing this for each other, remember to do it for your self too.
Marjolein
_________________

[Gstarsun]

Hi Whit,

:D Hope all is well. Salute and thunbs up to you in your continued life change.

Wanted to let you know that I joined Weight Watchers today after a 7 or 8 year hiatus. With original lessons on eating (portion sizes) I had kept off the 30 pounds I lost in re-shaping my eating habits and going back to business of working out. In the last 2 months with my brother's death & break-up of a relationship (yup, 9 days after the burial) I had treated myself to daily doses of chocolate because well, I 'deserved" the treat. Inevitably, I've gained about 6-7 pounds - not something drastic but enought to shift my look and feel in clothes. And enough to jolt myself into realizing that I did deserve a treat. A treat to going back to taking care of me and my body...I just needed to mentally re-define the word "treat."

Wow. Commitment. After committing to take care of others, today I have committed to getting back on track. The word "treat" is now back to the gym. Even if it's a "little" work-out. I'm finally happy in my own skin. And I look forward to going back to being my best. I guess the punch-all here is that weight loss is a lifetime thing. Because eating is a lifetime thing. And eating is meant to be an enjoyable lifetime thing. While eating is sometimes unfairly characterized as loss and suffering. It's not. Eating well is gaining for you. It's your visioning that changes - not just the amount the food you eat. Because of you as a great inspiration I'll take a Pilates class and "dedicate" it to you. Pilates is great for the body, spirit, mind and soul. What a treat it will be.

If you win inside yourself first - make that decision and SEE and FEEL your victory as you're walking in that direction you'll get it. It's that law of attraction. And you are on your way.

Whit - I'm here to say that I'm not just supporting you but that I'm in the Body Healthy Arena with you. No self-flagellating if we trip and fall. Just supporting each other and holding out that hand of encouragement with that gentle voice of "It's OK, just get back up. Here's my hand." I do plan to eat my Krispy Kreme dougnut on Memorial Day with my friends...but I'll also commit to my weight training and adjusting my food portions. Fat-free creamer. And a balanced dinner.

It's all good. Cheers to you, to your health and Chenier. Because caring about yourself to even try...and to put IT out there...and to allow yourself the joy of the victory...whether it's 1/2 a pound or one pound...well, the universe will respond...your body will respond....your mind will respond.

Congrats to your commitment and your body victories since you started!

Love,
G

[krubinic]

Very inspiring post Gstarsun....................I'm krubinic and I've been posting on the Weight Management "Commitment" MB. I've been meeting some great people there too. We could use your wise words on that MB as well. Our posts have slowed down on there recently, but I'm hoping it's only because we all have been busy enjoying the warmer spring weather and getting outside for some exercise. That is if your from the Mid-Atlantic region - PA - like me!

I'm getting ready to leave for the seashore in the early AM just for 2 1/2 days and am considering that my "treat" from my hubby. Haven't been there in 8 years. It's going to be a little cool, but I am SO looking forward to the peacefulness and serenity and sounds and smell of the seashore in the "off" season. Not only that, but rates are much, much cheaper before Memorial Day too!!!!!

Best of luck to you Gstarsun, as you continue on your journey. Sounds like it's well deserved that you are getting back to taking care of yourself first. I'm kind of going through some rough emotional things right now too and hopefully this trip will get me on track mentally like I need - instead of gouging myself with chocolate like what happened to you!

Sincerely, Krubinic

Well if it isn't ole Whitney showing back up-------sorry guys i hit a 'perfect storm' of events that derailed me------i pulled my achilles heel on a trip and have had to stay off the machine for awhile altho i think it would have helped but Doc said no for a bit----ran out of the drink about the same time and am hoping to get some more soon..........good news is i maintained my weight so haven't gained but just miss the tightness i was beginning to get in flatter tummy etc........i knew when i started this posting that i would be able to add value even in the way i get derailed ---so many times we get derailed from a commitment to ourselves and never get back on track and just return to the familiar......today is my first day really back on the machine and i am loving it.......i did have one day's worth of the drink left and used yesterday---- in case i wondered if it made a difference it does--energy level was so much better and i just felt better yesterday ------hopefully Marjolein will have a system soon to purchase this drink and people i realllllly recommend it and yes gstarsun is an inspiring poster and writer--i have been lucky enough to know her for several years and been her reader---i love her emails that she sends me--she really works at the thought processes and like me loves deepak chopra's work ........more this weekend

[Whitney]

okay so the guest post above is me again--i forget that i need to sign in twice----sorry.........i want to thank all of you who have contacted me worried about where i disappeared to.......very sweet and appreciated.........as i said above i did harm my achilles heel----uuuuuuh yes i HEAR that significance ;o) ........ i had way too many things hit me at once......i am always guilty of having too much going on and because of the sessions i do i occasionally just hit the emotional wall---after 20 some yrs of being a practicing intuitve there are still some things that i "see" 'feel;" empathically/intuitively that boggle my mind..Of course murder cases are tough but we murder ourselves and each other in sooooo many tiny ways daily that i hit overload and then my own life demands some attention..I always think i am tough enough but of course i am not and know i don't want to be---a friend asked my daughter once to describe me quickly with the first five words that came to mind---guess what the first one was? crazy. at least she laughed as she said it and quickly moved on to honest, sweet, loyal and naive. She and the friend talked about the naive word like i wasn't sitting there--she totally thought she was going to say 'smart' but naive came out and as they talked about it they decided it was correct--i was trusting but not stupidly and that i tend to believe good about everyone but not blindly. ANYWAY--------just a few days back on this machine and i am loving it all over again--love feeling it tighten up those muscles that were starting to flab again. As everything was happening and i kept thinking i would post later that night or next day etc and then looking up to see how much time had gone by I actually thought in a way that it was good--I would be able to tell the difference again but more knowledgeably this time--you know how hyped you get when you first start something---I was interested in seeing what it felt like this time. I do love the cardio board and am loving hwo quickly i can feel it is working without really being sore. There really are some wonderful people on this site and again i thank you for being concerned.
To be honest one of the things I can share that sort of emotionally sideswiped me ---there were many---was Barbaro. It simply broke my heart watching what happened to him. I grew up in a saddle and on a plane before I could even walk and my family always had horses---some race horses--some western--some just old and broken down that we rescued. When I was young my first hero was Man O' War . I would pray that God would let me see a horse like Man O' War and a triple crown winner too----the SECOND I saw Secretariat I knew he was both --a horse like Man O' War and would be a triple crown winner.I so looked forward to the derby that year knowing we had us a great one here......I felt the exact same way the SECOND I saw Barbaro---so I had anxiously awaited the derby etc.........I am not a cry-er.....would be healthier if I was ....but I absolutely blubbered about Barbaro----I know many have no clue why this horse captured so many of us so quickly and can't get all the concern over a horse.......just like with humans there are animals full of light and intelligence. He is one. The nation needed him--we needed something national to feel good about---- just like we became enthralled with Secretariat--both have power, heart, grace, dignity and courage--AND both watched us every bit as much as we watched them. So many reports have been awestruck by how many children drove their parents nuts insisting they send Barbaro something and those in the area cried until their dad or mom drove them there---one little girl i saw was only about 5 and she was dead serious about how much she loved Barbaro and how he HAD to be okay ....or by how Prado cried just yesterday all over again when he visited Barbaro--there is a great pix of Barbaro nuzzling/kissing Prado as Prado kissed him. It's good to know that the children and the animals still have it right----

[Becky]

Hello, Whitney!

I had read your first email regarding your "thread" introduction and, at no surprise, when I went to check out your accomplishments I could not remember how I stumbled on your first email. I just found you again, and this time I have written down the steps taken to find it!

I have been curious about the drinks and have been keeping an eye on replies from anyone that has tried them. I am thrilled beyond words to have finally found your "thread" (for the lack of better words)!

My metabolism is almost zilch. I am not a 3-meal-a-day person. I do yogurt, fruit, or a hotdog for lunch, no breakfast other than coffee, and a pretty well balanced evening meal. My main meal is eaten before 6 p.m. and my problem is that my stomach doesn't even begin to growl till mid-afternoon the following day!!! Even with eating light at lunchtime I really am not all that hungry dinnertime, but instead of the hunger hitting me later in the evenings I do eat.

I have always eaten like this and over the past 12-15 years I have had the weight issues. I have tried passing the blame off to just getting older (I am 48) but truly I know better! I strongly believe that my weight excess is due to the lack of metabolism. My doc has checked the thyroid and blood sugar and those testings came back fine and dandy! After reading your postings I definitely feel that the drinks offered at Lighter Living would truly help me. Have you done both the veggie and berry drink mixes? Also, have you done the 48-hr cleanser?

Thanks, Whitney, and three cheers for your success!!!

Becky