The City Girl Farmer


We Want Results!

My last two posts have been about my quest for health and the latest crazy ideas I have come across in that quest.  Well, I thought you’d like to have the nitty-gritty on how it has worked for me.  So here are the details.  I began the T-Tapp More 10-Day boot camp on January 13, 2012.  On that day, I weighed 172.6 lbs according to my very high-tech scale.  Measurements were as follows:

  • Bust: 41″
  • Pecs (around chest above bust, under armpits): 40″
  • Ribs (under bust):  36 1/2″
  • Waist:  36″
  • Abdomen (fattest part of belly above hips):  42 1/2″
  • Hips:  45 1/2″
  • Upper thighs:  28″
  • Lower thighs (2″ above kneecap):  18 1/2″
  • Calves:  15″
  • Upper arms:  13″

Just so you know, I did not execute this plan perfectly.  Life happens and there were a couple of days where I only did the abdomen toning routine for about….uh….5 minutes.  I never made up any exercise I missed.  Early in the second week of February I caught some sort of intestinal virus that had me in bed, close to a toilet.  I did not exercise at all for the two days I was in bed and for about 3 days afterwards I took it very easy and did not finish the 20 minute workout.  After the 10 day boot camp, I followed the plan and with a few exceptions did the 20 minute workout every other day.  Five weeks later I weighed 173.8 lbs. (gasp! I gained a pound!) and here are my measurements:

  • Bust:  41 1/2 (Woohoo!  Gained a half-inch!)
  • Pecs:  37″  (Happy dance!  Back fat going away)
  • Ribs: 36″
  • Waist:  35 1/2″
  • Abdomen:  40″ (Another happy dance!  Belly fat going away!)
  • Hips:  44″
  • Upper thighs:  27 1/2″
  • Lower thighs:  17 1/2″
  • Calves:  15″
  • Upper arms:  12″

So while I am not yet ready to be seen in a swimsuit, I find these results amazing.  But it doesn’t end there.  While I was in bed with the flu, I was reading Matt Stone’s 180 Degree Metabolism and decided that as soon as I was ready to eat anything again, I was going to start his Rehabilitative Rest and Re-Feeding program (affectionately known as RRARF).   It took me three days to be able to really start over feeding myself, but since then I have been eating 2 to 2 1/2 times what I normally eat and drinking things like this coconut cream concoction, which is essentially a fat bomb sweetened with about a half teaspoon of honey to make it taste like a dessert.

Rachel drinking coconut cream

Now I have never had anything against fat and have always considered butter, cream, cheese and a big juicy rib eye steak proof of the existence of a loving God.  But this has been just the most fun experiment, challenging myself to eat as many of the forbidden foods as I can!   I figured I was so fat that I really didn’t have anything to lose (no, the irony of that statement was not lost on me) so I went all out.  I was absolutely convinced that I had finally found the cause of my weight problem.  It was caused by a slow metabolism as the graph below will attest.

Basal temperatures from 2/7 to 2/19

(I am realizing as I check the preview on my blog that the numbers are so small you can’t see them, so the bottom number is 95.0 F. and the top number is 98.0 F, the goal.)  So I have been eating as much as I can of proteins, carbohydrates and fat and I feel great.  As you can see, my body responded immediately and there is a steady upward trend.  Digestion is great and energy is better.  I have been resting a lot.  Naps are an almost every day occurrence.  I’m doing the T-Tapp More DVD for 20 minutes every other day and finding that it fits in very well with RRARF.  Exercising too vigorously while your metabolism is low is counter-productive.  I’m treating myself as if I were my own patient or as if my body were my child.  The challenge has been letting go other things to find the time to make LOTS of good food and to rest but I really couldn’t be happier with the results.  (Well, actually I could but this is real life.)


4 Comments so far
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This is great, Rachel. Just curious: how, if at all, will Lent affect your programme?

You know, I found similar metabolism issues a couple of years ago. I thought I was eating a lot of food, but was tired, lethargic, sleepy…. Turned out I was eating about HALF the calories I needed each day! Yikes!

Comment by Paula

Hey there! How’s this diet going? Don’t know if this is your last entry but wanted to say Hi! Y’all from the great state of Texas!! Just wanted to say that I’ve lost over 20lbs just since March!! I am convinced it is the lack of snow!! I am getting out & moving around more…very active here much like I was in So. Cal! check out my blog to see our updates! http://thebatesbunkhouse.blogspot.com

We are also working at The Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum here. Jessie is teaching 4th grade public school & Christian school kids for their Texas Histroy classes in the 1868 School house! I’ve really got to update my blog as well…but at least you’ll get to see how it all went as we arrived in Texas! God Bless, Elvira

Comment by Elvira Bates

Wow,you look radiant in that picture!:)
So,did you just consume more in general or did you also pay attention to go higher/lower with macro like carbs,fat,protein?

Do you still eat the amount of what you ate back then?(I’m not a caloriecounter,but what would you say you eat aproximately?Ofcourse you have a physical active job farming,so I guess you’ll need lots of food. A while ago I spoke with a practitioner who basically said I should at least consume 3000cals.of good foods a day!Being a short female,which created lots of mental ‘food exercise/feeling like never doing enough or feeling ‘too good/strong’ bc of my past&body’ issues that kinda scares me)

And what do you eat for Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner(Dessert?) in general?

I’ve been born&raised in a city as well and lately am becoming more interested in wanting to live&sustain on a farm. However I am alone without finances and no clue/knowledge about farming. I really admire (&envy;)) the step you’ve taken.:)

(Btw,you don’t happen to be part of the WWOOF network would you?)

Comment by Dutchie

Rachel-OMG I cannot believe so much time has passed. Really proud of you for doing something j only dreamed about! Call me (510) 435-0418 I don’t have your phone # or address anymore! 😦

Comment by Kim Keegan Banuelos




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