Crisis Averted... Somewhat.

Last week, I had been put against a very harsh ultimatum: I lose 3lbs in one week or I was out of the Navy’s Delayed Entry Program.  I sought the council of my friends and was suggested a rather frighteningly unhealthy diet for the next week: magnesium citrate, OTC diuretics, along with juiced meals and vigorous walking.  Given my plan, I assembled the items needed at CVS and began my mission.

Immediately, after walking through the door of my house, I cracked open the bottle of magnesium citrate and began to guzzle.  The taste was a lot better than I thought it was and I’m no stranger to foul tasting laxatives (Epsom salt has got to be the worst tasting I’ve had so far).  It was a lot gentler too than what I was expecting; again, quite akin to laxatives that induced cramps and turn your insides into knots.  It was so gentle, I almost doubted that it would be any way close to being effective for me.  Yet, I was quite wrong.  The next day, the purge began.  I’ll spare you all the messy details, though, I’ll just say, all in all, it was the best experience I had with a laxative… ever.  And that’s probably not a phrase you hear very often.  The diuretic I took Saturday since the pharmacist my mother and I had talked to said taking them both simultaneously would ruin my kidneys.
While, I’ll admit, I did not stick to the liquid diet that was proposed to me, from Friday to Wednesday (excluding Saturday and Sunday), three times a day, I walked for thirty minutes; 1 minute at a normal pace, 3 minutes at a brisk pace.  I did religiously, though, forgoing walking outside in the rain and doing some intense step cardio on Tuesday.  I made sure to keep myself hydrated and fed, though, of course, making sure not overeat.  I noticed that I did trim down a little bit, especially around my hips.  I’m definitely gonna chalk it up to the walking.

Yet, this morning, around 2 or 3, I woke up to go to the bathroom and I stepped onto the scale.  I had actually gained two pounds.  Desperate and full of panic, I rushed to the cabinet where we kept the vitamins and reached for a really, really strong laxative.  My mother stopped me just in time before I did anything that could have done some serious damage.
Again, like she did a few weeks ago, she sat me down and prayed with me.  She told me that not joining the Navy was not the end of the world and that if it didn’t happen this time around, there may be a next time, or even a better opportunity waiting.  I, of course, did not want to hear that.  I was at a point where I was tired of giving my everything into something and not getting what it was that I ultimately wanted because of someone else.  Whether it be because I gave into their pressure or, in this case, because someone didn’t think I was trying enough.
After we finished praying, I went to bed, still rather glum.  I crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up over my head.  And I sobbed.  I boohooed, cried, and wept.  I sniffled to God and asked why he would bring me up so far, only for me to be turned away, just like that?  If this were the case, then there was no point in waking me up in the morning, because just to go and weigh myself only to be humiliated was pointless.  I pleaded with him for a while until I went back to sleep, not waking up until late in the morning.

I was awake, so apparently he was going to fix this problem.  Yet I weight myself and I was back down to 167lbs.  I wasn’t 170lbs, yet the 167 didn’t show any progress.  I trudged onto PT, ready to get my expulsion over with.  Yet, when I saluted myself in, I noticed the my LPO was no where in sight!  He’s the guy I made the deal with and the only guy that can sign my “get lost” papers.  This was awesome!  I still had time!
I tried my hardest during PT (we played football), just to show them that just because I was “overweight” did not mean I could not keep up.  I put my all in with no complaints.  I was so grateful to God that he had managed to buy me more time.  I had all of Christmas break to do it the right way and show some actual progress and I think he’s showing me that, because using shortcuts would not put me in the right kind of shape to do any sort of physical activity while in RTC.

In addition to running (which, unfortunately, is an absolute bore), I’m going to try to do some HIIT workout videos, as well as the walking, so as to mix up my routine.  I want to mix up my routine, get my weight down, increase my endurance, and just get in shape all around.

This is my dream and I’m in charge of the scenes!

Weightloss Crisis

So, I may have mentioned before that I was having trouble with my weight, yet never actually went into detail about it. It’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it simple:

I’m quite a curvaceous cutie (not bragging, just stating facts) and standing at 5’5″ (65 in), my appearance often betrays my weight.  Comfortably, I weigh a healthy 165lbs (quite proud of this number), though to get into DEP I had to weigh below 160lbs.  I lost the weight and got down to 157lbs.  Yet, since getting into DEP, my weight’s been playing the indian rubber ball and has been bouncing all over the place, though never going back down toward 160lbs.  The heaviest I’ve been since DEPping in has been a whopping 170lbs.  Yikes!
Like everyone I had talked to about it, I was convinced it was water weight due to PMS and possibly being back up.  So, I’d been going the natural diuretic route with caffeine and water, with little success.  Yet, today, I had a rather frustrating conversation with my Leading Petty Officer.  Before today’s DEP meeting, I weighed in at 167lbs.  He pulled me to the side and brought out the bottomline: I lose at least 3lbs by next Thursday or I’m out of DEP.

Well, upon hearing such news, you could probably understand the frustration I felt.  I had forgone Thanksgiving just so I would avoid such an ultimatum (I ate, on Thanksgiving, I just didn’t gorge myself).  Yet, when I left the meeting that day, I did the best thing I knew to do in situations like this: I panicked and called my best friend, Kenny.  Like always, he managed to calm me down and he laid out some suggestions for a full body flush that included magnesium citrate and OTC diuretic.  My other friend, Brandi, also suggested a liquid diet and a brisk walk three times a day in conjunction to flush for the next week.

I’m super desperate at this point, so I’m willing to withstand a week of bulimia just to keep my standing.

New Hair and Skin Regimen

So, as stated before, I when I got my new cut, I wasn't at all happy with how my skin looked and made plans to promptly fix it. Weeks previous I'd be exfoliating everyday until I looked rather faded and dull, so I receded into doing it a few times a week.  The scars and dark spot faded slightly, but not they did not disappear.  Disappointed, I needed a different way to bleaching them out without breaking the bank and exposing my fairly sensitive skin to harsh, man-made chemicals.  So, that's when I hit Google.

Google, as many people know, is an extremely useful tool that leads you to things you never knew existed or ever thought would work.  For example, I read Chamomile tea, the same tea that's good for a relaxing, sleepy time moment, was a natural, non-acidic approach to skin lightening.  Yet, as with all things in nature, this method takes time; like, 2 months.  Ugh!  Two months is too long and I'm too impatient!  I wanted these spots gone, like, three months ago.  So, I kept searching and found some citrus methods.  Of course, lemon came up in numerous places, yet we had no lemons in the house (lame).  Yet, I read that a lime's acid content, though less, was comparable to that of a lemons and I could also switch out lemons with apple cider vinegar.  Those two, we always had lying around the house. (Mom uses both to wash and disinfect any bacterial residue on meats like chicken and beef.) So, I set to work.
I've made a concoction of both apple cider vinegar and lime juice and applied it to my face after washing it, along with rubbing the lime peel all over my face.  The smell was weird and made me hanker for some salt and vinegar chips (in the same minute made me feel like a washed drumstick).  After 15-20 minutes, I rinsed it off.  I could already see the spots fading slightly, though my beauty marks are little lighter. That I don't want to go away.  So, I'm making it a plan to be a bit more mindful as to the amount and the places I apply it.  As I write this, I am three days into this regimen, and the spots lighten a little bit each time I use it.  Yet, now I'm going to incorporate it into my usual routine of exfoliating, deep cleaning, and normal cleansing.  More on that in another post.

Speaking of concoctions, I've also done a little research on how to keep up with my new 'do.  Though this was done even before going into the big chop.  I wanted to make sure that I was doing it properly at the start and was creating a good foundation as well as forming new habits for whenever I decide to grow my hair long again.  I tend to have really a dry scalp as well as hair and wanted to, first and foremost, figure how to moisturize it properly.  Through meticulous research and hours of back breaking research (and by back breaking, I mean, pointing and clicking), I've found several tips to help keep my developing mane healthy and shiny:

1. Exercise- Yes, exercise.  I know, not along of people want to hear that they have to get of the couch and move just to take care of the strands sitting on your head, but you'd be surprised at the benefits of just one hour of sweating will do for you (Ugh, I know, a whole hour).  I didn't even understand it when I started running, but I noticed that the flakes in my hair began to diminish and my scalp was less itchy.  This was because while I was sweating, my pores were opening and the sweat that I was producing was bringing forth some of the natural oils in my skin, keep my scalp moisturized.  It was like keeping my scalp greased without having to sit in front of the mirror and pass Dax through my head.  Aside from keeping the scalp moist, the sweat is great for the skin as well.
2. Sealing- While it is good to wash and add oils to the hair to get it moisturized, sealing it is what locks the moisture into the hair shaft and keeps it from getting dry and breaking.  Shea butter seems to be the favorite amongst most as well as Coconut oil since it moisturizes too.
3. Mixing Both Oils and Sealant- Saves a lot of time when you're constantly on the go.  You can mix them in a spray bottle, add a little water, shake it up, spray and go.  Easy as that!  This little tidbit I actually heard prior to even thinking about cutting my hair, but it is very good advice.

I'll update this post as I find out more, yet I've already found this stuff beneficial.  While I'm not  fighting for time just yet, I'm still thinking ahead for when I go to boot camp.  I'll be pressed for time to shower and get dressed in the morning, and I can't slow myself trying to take care of my hair (it was one of the reasons I cut my hair in the first place), so mixing sealants and oils was awesome advice.  The exercise thing was a big motivator to keep me running.  Not only am I doing good things in trying to get my weight down and prepping my body for boot camp, but I'm taking care of my hair as well.
For some reason, I'm kind of excited.  I can't wait to see what happens if I continue with what I'm doing.