My Favorite Blog To Follow

About a week or so ago, I stumbled across a tweet on Twitter about a personal trainer who purposefully gained wait so he could better sympathize with his clients. Of COURSE this caught my attention and I checked out his site. I was IMMEDIATELY sucked in. Why? Because it only took a few weeks for him to change, and I'm not just talking about his size.

Just reading his blog makes my heart ache and jump at the same time.  It's sad to see how someone is effected by their health, but I was excited to see that it's not just me.  The feelings I get when overweight make be feel so alone.  Know the feeling? The negative habits and self talk can really make a gal nose dive into the dumps. Reading his feelings just validated my own.  When overweight, all the feelings that come with it; physcially, emotional, spiritual as well as every other aspect, are actually symptoms of a lifestyle, not the person.

Just turning my thoughts around, to realize it's not me but the choices I make, the lifestyle I'm choosing to live, makes me feel more in control.  I instantly want to make better choices, to live a different lifestyle, to create a different reality for myself.

On November 5th, Drew Manning is going to be starting his journey back to health and I'm so excited to be able to follow along.  Be sure to check out his site at www.fit2fat2fit.com and his most recent YOUTUBE video. His blog is as insightful as it is entertaining.

GO DREW!! :)

Skeleton Lake is out TODAY!

Want to read a chilling book, perfect for Halloween? This would be the book.  It's my dear friend and critique partner, Angela Kulig's first book and it's out TODAY!! 

You can grab it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99

Also, head on over to another dear friend's blog: Ali Cross.  You can read Angela's guest post there.

Skeleton Lake

First and foremost, my critique partner, Angela Kulig, has her very first book coming out this week!! I am so incredibly excited and proud of her!!  Want to check out her book? Yes? YAY! Click on the cover and it'll direct you to her blog where you can read the first chapter!  :) 

I'm NOT dead, just busy!

I knew it's been awhile since I posted on my blog, but I had no idea until I looked at the date today.

TWO MONTHS!?

Eek! That's something to be frightened about!

I'll do a quick update--like bullet point quick.

• School started.
• Adjusting to different homeschool program.
• Garden decided to go into full production. (Picking, cooking, picking, cooking, dehydrating, picking, canning, etc.)
• Time to plant a winter garden (Plant, water, water, plant, water, transplant, water)
• Organizing and preparing for a new Sunday school year (As president, I'm in charge of this)
• Adjusting to hubby's new job schedule. (This is a YAY, of course)
• 3 kids started taking piano lessons. 
• Boy Scouts (Son is working towards his Eagle & hubby is now the Scoutmaster)  
• One week into supporting hubby's BIGGEST LOSER challenge at work.
• Kinda got sucked into Dr. Who on Netflix--and watched every episode of the new series. Yeah, I typically don't watch TV, but I somehow managed to watch 5 seasons of this show in less than a month. It was that good. What? I watched it mostly with the family. ;) The 10th Doctor is the best! 

Oh, I have so much to write about, yet I've had to make a list of priorities and blogging, I'm afraid, isn't high on the list.  I AM trying to go entirely paperless in my life scheduling, which is, ironically, killing me. I'm very much a notebook type of gal, I LOVE sticky notes, but even that system hasn't been the most efficient. (I've kinda run out of room to post sticky notes) 

So, I've uploaded EVERNOTE to my PC and phone and I'm hoping that it and Google Calendar will help me get back on top of life so I have more time for the fun stuff, like blogging and social media.  

Also, have you seen the new iPhone 4S?  Yeah, the ad had me at the jogging guy.  Yeah, I need that. My life needs that.  ;) 

Day 3 on the Juice/Veggie Diet

Eating this way feels GREAT!! After three days of veggies, I don't have cravings, I'm not hungry and the only discomfort I find is that I'm thirsty. You would think with juice, you wouldn't have to drink water, but you do. In fact, juice doesn't replace water at all! So, I'm probably a little on the dehydrated side.
We bought a few bottles of Odwalla juice to get started so we didn't have to personally juice at every meal. Our favorites are the Original SUPERFOOD and Mango Tango We bought them at our local grocery store for about $8. Which seems like a crazy amount for juice, but it's lasted us for several servings.  We've also tried a few juice recipes here.

I know my body, and just juice wouldn't swing, so I've been putting a tablespoon of Chia seeds in each glass and it's been no problem.  The added protein, Omegas and fiber help balance out the carbohydrates.  It truely is a blanced meal.

I have also been making my current favorite dish every night. (recipe below) No one is getting sick of it either so I'll probably make it again tomorrow night, or until we get through this pile of eggplant.

Spicy Thai Eggplant

Cook the following in 1 Tbs. olive oil until soft and nearly cooked through:

8-10 Japanese Eggplant
1 onion
3-4 Jalapenos, seeded and demembraned

Wait on the garlic until the end or it could burn.

Add:
1 -2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sugar (optional) <--I've skipped this
3-4 sliced garlic cloves

Finish cooking.

Add:

A BIG handful of basil leaves.
Stir through and turn off heat.
Let sit for a few minutes so the basil leaves wilt.

Juice Fast, Spirulina & Chia Seeds

Please forgive my shoddy video quality. I decided last minute to vlog and I failed at making sure the background was right and that the lighting was pointing in the right direction OUT OF VIEW. If can you can ignore the obvious, I have some great links to look at! :)

Another Thought-Provoking Documentary

My cousin has been recommending these wonderful gems on NetFlix and I thought I'd share with you too! :) 

The information coorelates with my studies in Holistic Nutrition.  I like how they presented and explained nutrients and how they need to be the focus with disease, not medicine.  It's true, our society doesn't support this sort of thinking because, after all, there is no money to be made with health.

I've actually heard Charlotte Gerson speak before. She's amazing and so youthful, an excellent example of healthy living.  I'm always inspired after hearing her wisdom.

For me, I think the most difficult thing for me to work through is getting enough fruits and veggies on days where we aren't home.  I feel a differece when I am getting them, yet they aren't the easiest to grab when on the go.  (And apples wrapped in celophane at the golden arches isn't going to cut it.)

Official Site

Interesting Documentary

Recently, my cousin sent me an email about a documentary she had seen titled, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." I'm always interested in nutrition and how others find success, so I sat down with my hubby and watched it. Instead of reiterating what I watched, I decided to post a video from the official site.

My husband and I planning on doing a juice fast to jump start our health efforts.  I know the hydration and nutrients will give my body the boost it currently needs.  I am a little hesitent since there can be a bit of a detox period, but considering how I've felt recently, I'm willing to try something I haven't done before.  You never know if an action of health is what you've been needing until you try it.

Recently, I've noticed if I eat--or don't eat--certain foods, my neck and shoulders are stiff by the end of the day.  On the days I have plenty of servings of fruits and vegetables, I don't have stiffness, but on those busy days where it feels I'm running all over the place, I tend to neglect my eating and my body reminds me.

I look forward to bloggin/vlogging the progress of this fast.

Day 180: Never underestimate the power one week can bring.

This past week I cut out a few items in my diet: salt, man-made carbohydrates and sugar. It always surprises me how quickly my body changes if I'm persistent, even for a short period of time.

Salt: the first day I didn't add salt to my cooking, I felt like I was sacrificing a lot and was surprised that it's easier to give up sugar than salt.  Everything I ate tasted bland, and I had to actually put some mental effort not to grab the salt shaker--at one point, I noticed I reached for the shaker without thinking.  I had no idea I had become such a salt fiend.
Surprise: After a day or two, I started to discover the flavor of foods. Things tasted differently to the point that I didn't even miss salt.  Scrambled eggs, homemade salad dressing and sweet potatoes taste fine without salt.  I'm shocked that I noticed a difference after a day and am considering putting the salt shaker back with the rest of the spices in the cupboard.

Man-made Carbs: At the beginning of the week I had a bit of a challenge wrapping my head around finding carbs that were not man made and gluten free.  Bread, we take that for granted.  It's super hard to find gluten free bread that doesn't look dry and cardboard tasting. I plan on making some with rice flour one day soon.  (Note: gluten free is only for a few months to rule out a gluten sensitivity.)
Surprise:By the end of the week, I found that I needed heavier carbs for my energy.  Not being able to grab bread or tortillas or a bun, I noticed that fruit alone wasn't enough carbohydrate load for my body's need.  Adding sweet potatoes, beans and brown rice did the trick.

Sugar:  This is a no brainer.  When is sugar ever a good thing to put in our body?  Sure, it does so much for the soul, but really, we can live healthy without it.  At the beginning of the week, I noticed I did have cravings and I actually took a bite of something the kids were eating, but that was it.  (I won't spend much time on this since I have oodles of other posts on my thoughts and struggles with sugar.)
Surprise: By the end of the week, I once again found the strength to be stronger than the cookie.  We went to a Arrow of Light Cub Scout Ceremony last night and there were some wonderful desserts I would have liked to have a plate of.  I was shocked that I didn't look twice.  (Okay, I'll be honest, I did.) I was ecstatic that I actually took a moment to visualize what I would feel like if I indulged.  I thought about the sugar coated throat I will feel after eating my weights-worth, and I found that a simple whiff of the gooey goodness of Smore brownies was enough to satisfy me.

I feel good.  I feel empowered.  A week ago I felt a bit out of control, like I couldn't say no to the things I loved and that brought comfort.  I honestly started this hormone balancing program with severe doubts since the first month is a bit strict, for obvious reasons.  In weight loss, it's not just about your brain making the decision, it's the way your body reacts to the food you feed it.  Just removing three things from my diet, I can feel my body responding, and this helps when my brain is weak. I am honestly surprised that I feel strong enough to make changes that are going to better my health, only after a week.  Never underestimate the power one week can bring.

Day 176: Programs vs Pills

I don't like programs. As much as they have worked for me, even more have failed and left me frustrated.  I'm a black/white thinker and a perfectionist, and  it can help or hurt me when doing a program. It can be ugly at times since I can sabotage my efforts with, "Since I messed up on lunch, I may as well blow the rest of the day and start fresh tomorrow."  

I was very successful when I did Weight Watchers after my second child. I hit Lifetime (at the highest weight I could be to qualify) and I maintained until I was pregnant again a year later.  But after my third, the program no longer work for me.  Circumstances in my life had changed (husband's shift changed, favorite leader wasn't there, gym got expensive, etc. etc. etc.)  What was there for me to make it successful the first time, wasn't there for me the second time.  I failed. I kept sabotaging my efforts, because I could.  For me, I got into the habit of thinking, "What's the most amount of food I can have for the least amount of points?" Answer: Heaps of fake food. With fat-free this and sugar-free that, it's amazing what you can eat for low points. 

But what's missing in this type of thinking? Nutrition. Nutrition is everything.  It's the whole reason for eating in the first place, to fuel the body so it can work effectively.  This is why I don't like programs.  They often have me thinking about everything except what I should be focusing on.

After my last child I made the decision: no programs, just nutrition and healthy habits. I was successful. I firmly believe the more pure a person's diet is, the better they will feel and the better their body will work for them instead of against them.

Avoiding chemicals gives a body a better chance to stabilize and balance itself.  I try to use natural remedies first.  Often they work, but when they don't I will take the medicine that is needed.  Bodies are a miraculous thing. Have you ever really thought about the healing process?  Ever heard of homeostasis? <--I already looked it up for you. :) It just makes sense.

So what is this post all about? Well, I'm on a new program. Now wait.  Before you start thinking I'm a total hypocrite, please let me explain. ;)

I have PCOS  and I'm just starting to get symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Science doesn't know how or why a woman gets these ailments, so they simply treat the symptoms. There is a prescription for every symptom and if I used them for each one I have, I'd have a cabinet full of little orange bottles.  I'm also the lucky one.  I don't need any meds for my heart or blood sugar at this time, but many who have these ailments do.  If I don't get this weight off and balance my hormones,  I'll have to use medication in the future just to avoid a heart attack or deal with type 2 diabetes. 

So, I have two choices.  Follow a program for a few months in hopes to balance my metabolism and endocrine system naturally through food & lifestyle changes or take necessary medication in the future.  Since I prefer to be natural in all things, I'm going with the healing program. :)