Healthy Me Post #2

I have decided to start my "diet" August 1st, but before then, I wanted to play around with juice/water fasting and some exercise routines. Just to see how I can create an actual regime. Yesterday, I tried to due a 100% 24 hour juice fast. I went to Fruitilandia (a restaurant that has a bar of fresh fruit and vegetables, you pick what you want them to make... salad, smoothie, or fresh juice; mix and match; unlimited additions, no added crap) and had them juice a combination of only carrots, apples, and celery. But then I got sick! I wasn't sure from what. I felt fine all day, but I think the carrot juice had upset my body. I got dizzy, nauseated, and tired. Each time I sipped water, I felt a pang of nausea. SOMETHING wasn't right. So I took a nap and that helped a bit. Then I involuntary threw up all the juice I had from the day. That helped quite a bit. But I ended up having to break my fast. :( I was so disappointed and I was so very motivated to continue, but mom was nagging and forced me to eat something. I said, "You're ruining my colon cleanse, mom." She rolled her eyes, "just eat something! What's wrong with my cooking? Tofu and shrimp is not fattening." She kept thinking I was trying to starve myself to lose weight. But I wasn't. I mean any pounds I shed from detox is great, but it wasn't my first priority.

Today didn't go so well either. I found out we had a fairly new juicer that dad had from two years ago when he did wheatgrass detoxes for his liver cancer. I was relieved and excited, so for breakfast I juiced a glass of nectarine, green grapes, basil, cucumber, and a few tablespoons of yesterday's carrot juice (I have like 2 pints of that crap). Tasted pretty good, but then I had some water. Pang of nausea AGAIN. So I'm led to believe there's something wrong with the water. Ugh, maybe it's me?

I also bought a scale yesterday from Wal-Mart for $17. Anyhow, I broke my fast again today with a small piece of tuna. And Nick was right, I should ease myself into the detox fasts. I usually have three meals a day and snacks in between. That's fine, but not when you're stressed out and verbally fighting most of the week.

I have decided that I would ease myself into it by slowly replacing each meal with a liquid meal. Maybe I can start a 100% 24 hour juice fast by August 1st. When I finally do the real juice fast, I'm thinking to do a vlog about it. Nick and I are working on our blog, it's up but there aren't any posts yet.

Feel free to visit: http://outofgumfitness.blogspot.com

It's hard to be so public about weight and actual body shots. But I think if it's always private (like I have usually been), it's easier to fall off the wagon because no one really knew and there wasn't anyone to disappoint.

I'm gonna do this! Aja aja, fighting!

The Road to a Healthier Me!

Alright, so I know it's not too long before it's 3am. But I'm just so excited on this new journey that I am about to embark on.

First of all, I had a realization... an epiphany... that I need to fucking DO something about my health. Not only have I gained weight, but the largest concern is what you can see happening to my body as I am becoming unhealthier each day. My allergies have been out of control, my womanly cycle isn't regular and something is always inflamed.

Recently, I've had an allergy on my hands and fingers (vesicular eczema). They don't itch, they are just very uncomfortable and sometimes stings. I usually only get these when I'm having a severe allergic reaction to something (which is generally hot spicy, Indian tandoori that contains cumin) and goes away after a couple of days of treatment. But this time, they have stayed for two weeks.

My doctor claims nothing is wrong with me and I'm just paranoid. If I had better insurance, I would get a few more opinions. Anyhow, I did some reading and here is where my epiphany occured. My body is suffering from an overload of toxins! I read all of the symptoms and I have them all.

So then I did a lot of reading on detox and how to do it without spending hundreds of dollars a day in a spa. The solution? According to the raw foods diet, a "master cleanse" is done to give the body a break from toxins through fasting. Whether if it's just juice or water fasting, the break from solid foods and/or unnatural foods will allow the body to release toxins faster and more sufficiently. Blood cleanses itself, illness within cells shrink, fatty livers shrink, colon and skin and even the mind becomes clearer, and so on and so forth. Some people do different types of fasts and what not, which ranges anywhere from 24 hours to 60 days.

I thought starting the road to a healthier me would have a great start by detoxing first. Another great thing about fasting is that the body burns off fat because fat is considered very toxic. So I'm thinking to do a fast that is a mixture of water and juice (I don't have a juicer!) that is about 3 to 5 days. I wanted to do one day, but I read that one day isn't enough which makes sense because I've done fasts before for religious purposes and one day doesn't really do or feel like much. They say that the body doesn't really detox until the 10th day. But I'm just testing the waters as I've never fasted without any solids before.

So we all need TRUE support when doing something as serious as making a transformation in one's life. And my friend Nick has agreed to do fasts and exercise with me in order to create more healthy lifestyles for ourselves. Plus, Nick is an organic/spiritual freak like I am so it makes it more easy to endure!

Cheers to health!

Random Bunches of Oats

Hello world,

I am tired and sleepy, but I ate a bunch of cherries and am trying to wait for all of them to digest. Anyhow, I'll give you a brief update of mi vida loca.

Just now:


I am a pathetic 63%.

Last couple of days, I have also been debating on what cell phone carrier to switch to. I'm thinking either Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile. Although the people from Howard Forums are trying their hardest to get me to with Page Plus Cellular, I don't want to make a drastic decision to move to a company I had never heard of. Even though the little bit of research that I did do claims that it began back in 1998 and is therefore older than all of the cell phone companies (Cingular, Boost, VM, Verizon, etc.).

Anyhow, I'm leaning towards Boost Mobile because they are what Cricket Wireless used to be just minus the lack of coverage Cricket suffered.

Although I just recently bought the Virgin Mobile X-TC off of Craigslist, I think I may resell it just to move to Boost. So what should I do, readers?

On another note, I feel in love again. It's beautiful because the communication always saves us when the magic dissipates. And as usual, misunderstandings and outside factors interrupted what was truly and naturally there. At least there's effort, right? Right. *heart*

I feel like writing in brown.

** 10 minutes later **

I just realized that the color of all my posts are in brown already.
Wow.

Quick Fix for the Lone Hearted

Starbucks' Vanilla Bean Dark Chocolate Truffles. I guarantee you that when the lonely heart strikes its worst, these babies will shine light on some hope. Binge eating? If you eat the whole box in one sitting maybe. Is it ok? Who cares! Your life depends on it!

Recommended treatment: vent your feelings to those you are upset at, have a close and trusted friend reassure you, eat two of these, voila. Things might not be cured or might not have changed, but life sure does look a hell of a lot better.

The Lack of Significance in a Significant Other

How does one express their sense of insignificance? With life, love, friends, and everything else that we believe is supposed to make us feel whole? And when it comes to the point that enough bravery, guts, and gloomy glory has been gathered... there is no one there to unleash yourself for. No one who will reassure your significance in their life. No one who will listen and help create an idea or plan of action for change. Change. Why is change so often spoken of, yet never enforced? Accepted? Maintained? Why is love exchanged for lust? Why is trust traded with guilt? Having the willpower to speak up is brave, but expecting a different outcome each time is idiocy.

Am I the idiot?

More could be said, but less would be understood.
Peace and acceptance could be done, but shedding tears is a truer reality.

Or at least it is mine.

More wants to be said, needs to be said. But the words seem to hold no value. No price. No significance.

Finances...

I'm not as stressed out as I used to be. I think the idea of not being able to afford anything has settled in and my "eh, whatever" morale has finally come. I've been trying all day to e-sign what was left of the loans, but I guess their servers are still down.

I also keep writing down how much a year of college will cost and guess what, I keep losing the paper! So I figure I can just post it here and not worry about if I threw it away or not.

San Francisco State Univ.'s Cost of Attendance is $22,158/year or $11,079/semester.

Break down (per semester):

Registration Fees ...$2,034
Books ......................$867
Housing+Meals ......$5,985
Personal Expenses $1,557
Transportation Ex...$636
Total........................$11,079

But what they don't stress to everyone is that the COA is an estimate and not every student will spend the same amount in transportation and personal expenses. I thought it was sad because instead, they stress you out (or least I was) on having enough to cover fees. You have no idea how many e-mails and letters I've gotten in BOLD RED CAPS saying my admission will be revoked if fees aren't covered.

Another stress was the amount of loans I almost took out. If I hadn't realized that the COA was an estimate, I would have probably taken out an extra $2,503 in loans, which excludes the borrowing fees and the accruing monthly interest.

Available moolah: $19,655/year or $9,828/semester

Break down (per semester):

US Grant/Scholarship...............................$2,675
SFSU Scholarship.....................................$1,677
US Academic Competitiveness Award....... $350
Financial Need Grant................................ $776
Work Study............................................ $2,000

Perkins Loan (interest after grad.)......... $600
Subsidized Loan
(interest paid by gov't while in school)... $1,750

Total Aid .....................................................$9,828


So I figured I should add up all the important things (registration fees, books, housing) and subtract it from the available moolah.

$9,828-$8,886= $941
$941/2 items (personal & transportation) = $470.50
$470/4 months in Fall semester ~ $117

So $117 is how much I would have for each. I thought about this and I'm really thinking I wouldn't be using the bus much. Not $100 worth anyway. I was thinking to cut it down it $50 and give myself $150 for personal expenses (pads, FOOD, etc.). Well, what do you think? The financial aid office said I could take out the other loans I was granted at any time. The ones I declined are tricky and I really don't have the means to pay for the interest on those.

Moments like these are when I wish I had loaded parents. lol, My journey to weight loss begins!

College: What I REALLY Want

Alright, so I have never asked or said what I wanted (in terms of luxury living) for my dorm. I've been pondering light storms on how I could keep my tea regime in the dorm room. And then it struck me. An electric kettle. I thought of it while in the bathroom washing my hands, funny, I know. I hoped and prayed that such a thing existed. And apparently it does, especially in Europe! America was just slow to catch up (go figure).

I found one on Amazan.com for under $20. It's cheap and gets the job done and I love the idea of it because it boils water, meaning it's versatile and I'll be able to make other things like ramen and oatmeal!

Product Description
Housed in a smooth, modern-looking design, this 1000-watt electric kettle rapidly boils up to 1 quart of water for coffee, tea, instant soups, and more. The unit features a detachable cord and a nonspill spout for graceful serving, plus a generous handle with a secure grip. Its immersed heating element provides a rapid and quiet heating process, making it ideal for the office, home, or college dorm. Dual water-level indicators allow for convenient filling, and the unit's easy-open lid is designed with a security lock to prevent spilling. And there's no need to worry about leaving it on, the kettle automatically shuts off when the water boils, and its boil-dry protection keeps the unit from boiling when there's no water left

It must be a great product because it has 400 customer reviews and it still maintains 4/5 stars. I really, really want this! Ahhhhhhh! Going away gift, anyone???? :(

Midnight Tricks

OK--so it's not quite midnight... hell, it's almost 1AM. I've been looking around, reading reviews on Windows Vista (may buy a cheap laptop for school, but Vista is the only option as an operating system). I love Windows XP Professional, especially now with its sturdy Service Pack 3 (yes, I am indeed aware of Windows 7 coming out in October, but I can't wait that long). So all this reading and asking around on Vista's performance, I was really diggin' the look of it. And so here I am, satisfying my curiosity on tweaking my desktop...

Before the "hunt"



After the "hunt"



I feel so dorky, lol. As far as Vista goes, it's kind of 50/50 on its stability. People who have reliable inputs say it's alright and will "grow" on me. I think I'll consider it and return the OS and go back to XP if it doesn't work out. I just really hate the common note that, "Vista uses a lot of resources to function."

Meh, let's just hope I even have the financial means to make such a purchase. (It's free to window shop, right??!)