Been 2 years huh....

Well so it looks like from the blog that I gave up.  Confession:  I did for a moment.  So what all has happened with in that time?   June 2013 after being at my job for nearly 9 years I started a new job.  July 2013 I did the "Electric Run" with my husband, of course I walked the whole thing.  Learned a ton from that, specifically the type of socks you should wear when walking distances.  I wore some neon "Dalek" socks (I love Doctor Who), and got the gift of blisters within a half mile.  I began having reoccurring knee problems.  In September not only did I have a knee giving out on me I developed massive pain in my shoulder.

What does this mean?  I quit.

It was meant to be temporary like maybe a couple of months well then I continued getting sick and was unable to shake it.  I developed walking Pneumonia and Bronchitis in March of 2014.  This effected my breathing for over a month.  I also gained a good 15-20 pounds from steroids which I needed for breathing.  By this time my stomach problems became worse (IBS) and developed stomach viruses nearly monthly.  All of this effected my emotions, my work, my relationship with my husband, my relationship with God....etc.  I went "PRN" (as needed) at work but was still working nearly full time hours.  For the past 3+ years I would work and be too exhausted for anything else; weekends were spent in recovery in bed.  I knew this was part of my hypothyroid but was in denial.  I also didn't realize that my levels were not in a mid-normal range, in other words the medication for my thyroid made me "just" in the normal range.  My doctor wanted me more in the mid normal range.  I was discouraged by my weight as I was pushing 300 pounds.  Omigoodness did I seriously just confess that?!? feels nauseating yet freeing, people can judge all they want, it is MY BATTLE not theirs.  My doctor explained to me that she still wanted me to adjust my diet and exercise but to know I will be spinning my wheels for a while as I have NO METABOLISM.  Don't know why it took me so long to truly understand but I complained to her that my mom in her 60s can lose weight easier than me.  She was not surprised just repeated that I have NO METABOLISM, not just a slow metabolism that I have always had.  None,  Zero, Zippo, Zilch.  So the question of bariatric surgery came up again.  Talked it over with my husband who does not want me to go through this and decided to try to do this Paleo/Primal thing (uh huh....yup I wrote about that earlier, and I was still not 100% committed,  I am not stubborn at all).  According to research I have done those with Thyroid problems can not tolerate gluten (I see your eyes rolling cause it is the new fad to  be "gluten-free" it is fine, I probably roll my eyes at something you do so it is okay).  What I understand is that gluten can cause "leaky gut" (remember those IBS problems I have that would keep me out of work monthly?)  Gliadin is the protein molecule in gluten, this closely resembles thyroid molecules.  When this breaches the intestinal wall the body goes into full on defensive mode and has the immune system attack these molecules but attacks the thyroid too as it cannot differentiate between the two.  Oh did I mention that 90% of those with Thyroid diseases have autoimmune disorders?  Sounds believable doesn't?  Not to me.  I thought "oh goodness here we go with pseudo-science, Yay!  So what did I do?  I went mostly gluten-free but had some things occasionally like beer.  So March of this year came and I decided since I am not working much (well....they got rid of my position) I was going to take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather and go for walks in the park.  I discovered my Samsung Pedometer app and became hooked.  One of those walks I walked with a friend who has an allergy to gluten and dairy (she gets massive hives when she eats them).  She is also a big fan of holistic medicine.  She asked me when the last time I had gluten adding the side note of, "I mean with no cheating, because you can't cheat with hypothyroidism."  I initially thought it was 4 days ago but then later remembered I cooked my Bratwursts the good German way: in beer.  Well that started the lecture of the importance of not cheating and really looking at this as being a poison to my body.  The words that really struck me were "Would you cheat on your husband? NO! Then why would you cheat on yourself."  So since that day I have been just about 100% gluten free (there is a learning curve, like onion dip....never knew some of them have soy sauce which has wheat).  I also started training again twice a week along with my walks.  It isn't as intense as last time as I lost a lot of stability in my knee and the shoulder (that has bursitis) can act up.  I did see someone about my knee and started doing dry needling, which has allowed me to be able to climb steps again (yes it got that bad).  Now it may still give out but the longer I walk on it typically the better it does, before therapy it would give out, hurt and would be very unstable to walk on.

So all seemed great and then on May 11th we lost our house to a house fire.  Unfortunately it was due to grill ash that reignited.  My husband felt them and poured water on them, then threw them out in our garbage can outside.  Well all it takes is one hot ember.  So if you are reading this and use a charcoal grill, dump ashes in a metal trash can, take a hose and hose them down, THEN stir them. This helps be sure water gets to all of the ash.  My husband and I were both home, we heard the noise of "Snap, Crackle, Pop" and  I saw smoke in our backyard.  I opened the attic and it was pure flames.  We went running outside (I left my door open for my cats to escape) and then the smoke detector was heard going off right before the fire fighters arrived.  Nala my oldest cat allowed the firefighters to carry her out.  Vinnie, my middle cat, hates being picked up so escaped in our woods.  The third cat, Beaker, was never found, but neither were her remains.  We are in an apartment until the house is rebuilt.  I try to leave food for the other cats as often as we can get back to our property.  I was told by firefighters and insurance adjusters that many pets come back after the house is rebuilt.  I tried trapping them but with no luck.  Just grateful they are fixed and have all of their claws for survival.  Also very grateful my husband and I made it out.  It was sad to lose the house and the majority of our stuff but we were so grateful God spared us.  So what did that have to do with my weight loss?  Well I was sad to find out I gained 3 pounds of my weight loss back 2 weeks ago.  We did have a lot of stress and dropped off of gluten-free one day (the day of the fire).  Despite all of this I lost 5 pounds this week so I am back to losing weight.  Oh I also lost my Fitbit in the fire that was all of 2 weeks old, sigh, it was really helping me to move more.  It will be replaced, and hey now I have stairs to climb daily to the apartment.  Sometimes you have to look at the little things in life to get your hope.  Heck those little things are spectacular, just don't take advantage of anything in life. Everyday is a new day filled with great and terrible things but let that not ruin any of your joy.

Reviewing Old Posts is Interesting

After reading my past posts my goodness I kept talking about Paleo but never jumped into it.  Woohoo!  Goal accomplished we are now jumping into it.  A little update of exercising abilities I had NO knee pain today.  None....Zero.....Zippo....Zilch.   I was able to do lunges because of this my goodness I hope this no knee pain continues.  I don't think I updated that I can now do jumping jacks again.  I could not do them until late January.  Honestly saddened me to know a basic PE exercise I could no longer do.  It is eye opening when you see how much you neglected yourself.  No longer neglecting myself.  I cannot, I need to get healthy I depend on it.  If I don't get healthy I will not have a job, nor a full life. 

I Refuse to be Addicted

I have talked about going Paleo for months now.  Hearing how great it would be to my health blah, blah, blah.  The more and more research I did the more I felt the need to go to a Paleo lifestyle.  What exactly is a Paleo lifestyle?

Read about it here: http://www.practicalpaleoliving.com/what-is-paleo/

I call it the "Caveman Diet"  but.....I hate that word "diet" at the end.  This is a lifestyle change NOT a fad diet.  It is NOT a glorified Atkins!  I eat meats, nuts, veggies and fruits.  It isn't a low carb diet it is about eating the healthier carbs with proteins.

I am now on Day 3 of complete Paleo.  When I say complete I mean: No Dairy, No Grain (corn and rice are grains), and No Sugar.  Let's just say along with hormones right now I am irritable, exhausted, restless (as in I just feel jittery).  Now I have done the South Beach Diet before (yes a fad diet) and went without the grains for 2+ weeks.  I thought that was bad but no cheese.  Now as much as I keep on looking at how awful and weird I am feeling I think of the activities I cannot do due to being sick all of the time:  many church activities, spending time with friends, singing, hiking....and I am sure the list can go on.  In about 14-21 days of strick Paleo I should be feeling energized and better.  Looking forward to less stomach problems.  Now the goal is to be 85% of the time.  This means I can have grains, dairy etc. occasionally.  I just don't want the "occasionally" to start until I am about 21 days done with strick Paleo. It is teaching my body not to crave these things so often.  Today was a little interesting as Pizza was provided for everyone today.  I ate my Chicken Egg Muffins and an apple but the smell and sight of pizza made me want some.  Tomorrow we are supposed to be having Olive Garden....ummm....yeah....I'll be eating at my desk as my will power for pasta is non-existent so out of sight out of mind.  Now the cool thing about the Paleo lifestyle is that there are substitute recipes for many grain recipes like pancakes....you would use Coconut Flour (made only of dried ground up coconut) and Almond Flour.  You can still eat dark chocolate.  Honey, Stevia and Maple Syrup (pure maple syrup) are used for sweetening.  No artificial sweeteners.  So far I have an amazing support system I think it is because all who know me know what I have been through with being sick the past couple of years and since testing has produced little results I am trying to see if it is a food intolerance.  When you are intolerant to a food you crave it.....I crave pasta and bread.  I can eat spaghetti everyday and have before.  I also have symptoms later that go alongside with the food intolerance: headaches, intestinal issues....

I have not given into the jitters.  Trying to prove to myself that food does not control me.  Seriously it really shouldn't if I have problems saying no to a food for an allotted time I am allowing food to control me.  No bueno.  I think of 1 Corinthians 9:27.  Need to beat my body into submission....be disciplined not be controlled by anything like an addict.

Paleo Begins

So we are hoping to truly be on this journey of eating like a "caveman" also known as eating Paleo.  Mainly this entails meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts.  Now there are special recipes like "Paleo Pancakes" using Coconut or Almond flour.  Tonight to prepare for the weeks breakfasts I made "Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins"

Yes the muffin shape is odd....they are dinosaurs.  I do not own a "normal" muffin tin.  When Chris and I registered we wanted a dinosaur tin and a butterfly tin (okay fine he couldn't care less I wanted those tins).  I only received the dinosaur tin so....dinosaur muffins it is.  The recipe was simple and quite tasty. 


Here is the link: http://fastpaleo.com/buffalo-chicken-egg-muffins/#comment-97456


I'll be sharing more pics and such as time goes by....after all my blog is very boring as it seems to really only have words.

Oh....Blogging That's Right....I Forgot

So I really did not mean for so much time to pass between blogs my goal was to blog AT LEAST once a week.  So what has been going on....well lost a total of 15 pounds so far and several inches just knowing some of my old clothes are fitting is encouraging enough.  Our computer I thought was going to die but amazing what canned air can do to it.  Poor little Toshiba thanks for continuing to be a faithful computer.  I still haven't changed my eating habits completely.  Confession:  Eating 3 meals a day with snack in between....has not been happening.  We need to plan better and do more prepping for the week.  I HOPE to have some breakfasts and lunches made out for the week on Saturday (will freeze them of course).  I am going to have another trainer because my current one is mean ;-)  (nah not really just wanted to throw that in there to see if she is reading this).  She is going to still be in my life and heck she is a Facebook friend, I have her phone number and email so there is no escaping me muwahahahahaha.  Anyway my new trainer was telling me she had issues with IBS and she highly recommends a book called "Wheat Belly"  I have been interested in this book for quite some time and told her I really wanted to start Paleo....go figure that is what helped her problems with IBS.  Okay, Okay I get it.  I bought the book tonight and hope to truly study it out.  I thought about it today....I study subjects for school, and the Bible soooo.....why am I not studying out a healthy lifestyle?  Now I have watched some documentaries that have been great.  I highly recommend "Fresh" (it is a low quality film so bear with it) this one tackles why I really only want to eat organic and grass fed meat and/or free roaming as chickens don't really eat grass.  +Chris Esquilin  and I just watched "Hungry for Change" on Sunday; I will be watching this one again and taking notes as it is a plethora of information.  It explains that our bodies crave sugar and fat, the importance of positive mentality and much more.  As for working out it's been rough couple of months getting sick with bronchitis along with the "normal" health issues.  Here it goes changing my diet hoping my health is due to food intolerances.  One thing that I need mind change about going "Paleo" is that I cannot look at any food as being forbidden or I will lose all control.  I must learn that I "can" have anything but learn not to "want" that food item.  The next couple of weeks will be hard but it will all be worth it.

Frustrating Yet Satisfying Day

It was a frustrating day.  Let's just keep it at that to be safe never know who is reading and I do have this public.  Anyway...I had training again today and before I go into the I am feeling some muscles in my arms WOOHOO!  Okay....back to the training I got to use the punching bag for kicks today (to help me release some of that frustration) kicks are A LOT higher I am thinking about waist height now.  I have to do a semi side kick....kicking with my laces not my toes. They are also a lot more forceful of course that may be because of my day but I'll take it.  Also I am now able to do 15 pounds in curls.  I started at 5 pounds and am not up to 15...we did have to drop weight after 5 on one arm and go to 12 but it is so great.  I remember looking at the 5 pound dumbbells and then looking at the 15 pound dumbbells and looking forward to getting to that level.  I have come to the conclusion I am stronger than what I have EVER been.  I was more in shape in High School but weaker.  I think I could do 10 pounds in dumbbells.  My legs were strong in High School but my arms were weak.  Looking forward for the weight to come off to see some muscles in my arms as my arms have always been big....my guy friends thought it was muscle (it was discouraging cause no it wasn't).  Okay this was a short update but an update nevertheless. :-)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays etc.

Well it has been almost 20 days since my last post (at least it wasn't months).  I go thru my times of feeling good about changes in lifestyle and then have my downfalls of wanting things to happen faster.  Well....yesterday being Christmas I was actually thoroughly encouraged about the changes happening.  My in-laws were making comments about the changes and to be honest anyone who gives me a compliment I don't totally believe I think it is just that they are being nice.  Chris is becoming more diesel.  Seriously his arms are getting pretty crazy.  He dead lifts over his weight now so of course the changes he is seeing are crazy!  His trainer has made comments that Chris will become stronger than him.  Chris built to be strong.  He is built like a football player (which I love it....had dreams of him playing Polamalu in a movie if that says anything).  I am not obsessed with the Steelers at all (cough, cough).  So I know I went on a tangent of my handsome beast of a husband.  So of course I notice changes in him. Myself eh not as much however like I shared before I can get up off the floor without using an item to help me up.  This is MASSIVE improvement.  I also can bend over and pick things off the ground now without a problem.  LOVING IT!  SO my trainer has asked me if any more of my clothes are fitting (in particular my dresses that I bought for pre-wedding festivities early last year.  I LOVE these dresses.  I bought them from the big girl store....Torrid.  I like these dresses enough to hope to tailor them smaller as I get smaller.  The Problem earlier this year:  They did not fit, I tried spanks I tried anything to try to get these things zipped up.  They zipped half way up my back and stopped.  I REFUSED to get rid of them well I am glad that they are sill around cause they zipped up with ease WITHOUT SPANKS.  I am officially the same size before and during my wedding.   Here's the kicker: I weigh more.  I did report months ago that when starting this new way of life I gained weight...nearly 6 pounds if not maybe even more.  I have now lost a total 13 pounds....3 of these pounds were just this month.  About that last statement my goal for the month was not to gain weight.  With the Holidays I thought I can't completely restrict myself that is why gluten free has not totally happened.  Limiting too much has caused me to fail so trying to learn the self control thing...you know like eat one cookie and savour a flavor instead of eating a whole dozen of cookies.   Also I was able to use the bike at the gym.  Not a big deal?  Actually back a few months ago my leg could not go high of enough to get on the thing.  Changes are happening.  They will happen faster as I have more consistency and can get over getting sick all the time....why I need to try gluten free lifestyle, specifically Paleo/Primal.  I am just excited that I already have a start to getting healthy and it isn't 01/01/2013.  No New Year Resolution for me cause it is happening.