T-Tapp 60 Day Challenge!

I'm excited about this! Great motivation. :-)

It begins April 11 with pictures, measurements and general info for the entry. There are several categories, haven't decided which I will enter. There is a Youth Division, so Heather is going to enter with me! :-) We exercise daily for 60 days and send photos and measurements on May 11 and then again final photos on June 11 with an essay. We also need to keep a daily exercise log. We could win a trip to FL, discounts to the workshop, or T-Tapp materials.

This is just what I needed to get motivated to exercise!

Next step on eating plan

I am very thankful for eggs, coffee, and baskets full of fruit. They have been my "grab-n-go" foods these last months!


The LifeForce plan says that I could add back the following foods this week (I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already!):

• Vinegar


• Nuts


• Beans


• Dried fruit


• Juices


• Soy sauce


• Popcorn

However, keeping in mind that I want to transition to low carb to continue the weight loss and health benefits, I have decided that I would allow vinegar (olives/pickles/marinades - yeah!), and small amounts of nuts and beans only. I will continue to avoid the dried fruit, juices, soy sauce and popcorn.

Over the next few weeks they also allow you to re-introduce grains, yeast, sugar and dairy. My plan is to NOT add those in, except the dairy on week 16 - and that will be small amounts of raw milk, some farmer's cheese, amish butter, cottage cheese and sour cream. As I add those in, I will decrease the rice and potatoes to make the transition.

I will stick with those foods as a general guideline for life... I just can't have the carbs except on very rare occasions!

Pretty proud of myself

This is my dinner tonight. Mmmmmm.... wild salmon filets cooked in coconut oil, salt, pepper, Bragg's Amino Acids and a bit of black tea with lemon (was out of lemon juice), rice, and wilted spinach.

I have done pretty well with my diet, even amidst the hospital stay and craziness since then. On Wed after Tom arrived at the ER I did run out to Hardee's for dinner before the surgeon got back with a prognosis. I was rushed and worried and decided I'd eat whatever I could get and worry about it later. I ordered a Mushroom-n-Swiss meal with UNsweetened tea... once I got back to the ER I sat in the bathroom to gobble it down (Will was starving but not allowed to eat before surgery and I couldn't eat in front of him but wanted to be close) and make sure I could hear if the dr. came in. I started to take a bite of the burger and just couldn't get myself to eat the bread - in fact, didn't even WANT it! The cheese I wanted, but I went ahead and wiped off everything I could and just ate the meat and fries - still not quite ON plan, but better than falling of the wagon completely!

We have had the church providing some meals, my dad brought pizza out for lunch, I baked some bread and even some choc chip cookies... but I haven't had even a smidgen of any of that. I am so thrilled that my self-control is better! :-)

I exercised this morn!

Quite proud of myself, I am. :-) I got up and did my T-Tapp while b'kfast was cooking and before the kids got up. The DVD did end up cutting out on me before the end, so I tried to remember what was next. I will try the other DVD tomorrow.

Weight loss is kinda at a stand-still right now so I am trying to get it moving down again.

I am supposed to be able to add back a lot of foods tomorrow which is the 9 week mark, but I may not add everything back - I plan to adjust to low carb from here... will type out a game plan soon.

Inches lost!!!

This is me happy dancing! :-) I measured last night and I have lost 3.5" from my waist and 3" from my hips/buttocks. Hooray!

Update

I have been sticking to the eating plan quite well. I am pleased! I have lost 25lbs now total, I think a few more are about ready to shed - they tend to tease me for a few days, popping off and on before staying away.

I have not been doing as well with my water drinking for 2 weeks now. I am going to work on that this week as I am sure it will help. I also am not getting my hot baths in each night. I'd like to start exercising soon also, still haven't figured out the DVDs and how to do it.

Otherwise, I think we are just chugging along... my clothes are starting to fall off of me, which is great - but not sure how to go about getting new or altering what I have. Need to think on that before I have nothing left in my closet.

I need to remember to take some measurements and add a waist loss ticker. Tom also wanted to do some pictures along the way and we haven't taken any yet (do NOT expect to see them posted - at least not yet, lol).

Medical Study for PCOS

A friend gave me a flyer about a study being done for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome at the University of Virginia. I talked to Tom about it and then e-mailed for more information which was followed by a phone interview. The study is being done to determine if acupuncture is helpful to those with PCOS. I would get free treatments (real or placebo?), free testing/diagnosis, $170 (will just cover gas), and some meals. Right now, they have decided that I qualify enough so far to send me the info packet and then call in a week to see if I am still interested after reading all the details. I am a bit nervous about the blood tests (not real crazy about that for various reasons), and I will have to stop the estrogen and progesterone creams that I had just begun using (they could influence the results), it is also almost an hour drive to Charlottesville... so things to consider there. It is a 5-month long study, but I am uncertain right now as to how often treatments and evaluations are done. So please pray for Tom and I as we prayerfully consider this. Thank you!