Plans (occupying my mind)

Hanging in here!  I am trying very hard not to look for signs, but it's hard!  8dpo and nothing exciting to report, my lp is 12-13 days normally.  We'll see.  I try to use this time to consider the cycle and what worked and what changes, if any, to make for next cycle should it come (that way I have something to look fwd to if af shows).  I am thinking that I will take the soy isoflavones again at 150mg days 5-9 and I also will commit to getting maca in me.  I really, really dislike the taste of maca and just cannot get it down in smoothies or by just guzzling it in a bit of water (that was about disastrous).  I am planning to capsule it and commit to taking 4 capsules a day which should equal 2 tsp.  Starting Monday, I also plan to exercise for 30 min daily whether af comes or not, and work more on eating well - low carb whole foods.  I did get a menu made for this week and did grocery shopping based on it yesterday so that shouldn't be too hard!

Oh, one thing to make note of is that I have had the sciatica pain on my right side and that strange itchy nerve pain in my right hip for the past 4 days.  It seems to be subsiding today.  Very annoying, painful and frustrating!

New Year - something different

Our new year got off to a bit of an unexpected start and has delayed some of my intentions, but not stopped them all together. My grandmother died Jan 1st and we traveled this week for the funeral, it was a quick trip and involved lots of sitting and fast food. Needless to say, we are feeling bloated and blah...

I ordered the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) book and have been quickly reading it. I also joined the yahoo group. It deals with asthma, allergies, eczema, constipation, malnourishment and other auto-immune, digestive, behavioral issues that may all stem from the gut and our digestive systems not being able to function properly due to foods and medications and environmental issues that cause the balance of good and bad bacteria and flora and acids to not be able to digest foods and nourish our bodies properly.

It is not a whole lot different from what I have done with The McCombs Plan but starts a little more slowly and adds food in slowly. We will begin with soups and broths made from bones and meat and vegetables, also consuming fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir and kvass to help establish healthy gut flora. We will take probiotics also. Gradually we will add eggs, raw vegetables and raw fruits. I feel like the whole family needs this at this time, we have all had some digestive issues and the kids occasionally will get patches of eczema and I deal with yeast, so we will all begin this together and look for improvements and find out what we are allergic to individually also.

I have my shopping list ready and we will begin on Monday - stay tuned for more!

A New Year

I have been stuffing down my dealing with dissapointment this New Year and finally allowing myself to feel it this morning. Very emotional as my cycle began last week and was hard and painful, landing me in bed for several days with extreme back and kidney pain, and now getting hit with a cold - yuck!

I know that my goals for myself this year were not what God is waiting on - His timing is perfect and His Will will be, whether I reach my goals for myself or not. However, I want to be a vessel that is ready and the best I can be - a healthy me that is ready for whatever God calls me to, physically AND spiritually fit. Right now I am so NOT either of these, been very neglectful these past 6 months.

So, new resolutions with more understanding, slightly different outlook, growth and stretching happening always. As I reflect on this year, it has been a major one for us - not in ways I anticipated (is it ever?) but lots of positive growth especially with the two men (one grown, 1 little) in my life. Time to move on and look forward to 2009 and the plans God has for us... promises to be an interesting year for sure in many arenas.

Starting again, same goals...

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!

Goals for this Week

Diet is going well, choosing the "yes" foods is super easy after the last few weeks. I have now lost 14 lbs and am feeling pretty good. I haven't done well with exercise, really low on energy the last few days - don't know if it's from bleeding for so long or if I am getting sick or what. Need to do better though.

Tom is going to start Mon waking me up and helping me make sure I am out of bed when he is in the mornings. I want to have b'kfast with him and quiet time in the mornings when it is still quiet. So that is my goal this week.

I am now taking 2 Cal/Mag, 2 B-Complex, and 1 Yeast/Fungus Detox at each meal and the Melatonin at night. I have realized that if I take the Melatonin and then work on relaxing, I actually do fall asleep pretty fast - but if I keep working then I push through it and it doesn't work.

So goals for coming week... up with Tom, Quiet time in AM, Continue with Supplements, Skin Brushing and Hot Bath at night before bed (after Melatonin)!

Good news!

I have now officially lost 10 pounds! HoOrAy!!!!!

Also, AF has finally left the building. :-)

Yeast Detox diet has begun

After another night with a headache and me avoiding the salt water for fear of more severe reactions, I have decided that the Master Cleanse is too harsh/fast for me right now. I hope to do it and other cleanses again soon - but for now am moving on to the Yeast Detox diet from Life Force. I stocked up on meat, fruits and veggies and am going to also watch my portions. This is a 16-week program and I look forward to seeing more pounds melt away!

Good News / Bad News - A needed update

Okay, like I mentioned I started my cycle and so this Friday when I got a great report from my friend that I've been praying for, I decided that due to feeling weak and to celebrate answered prayers, I would go ahead and take a break from fasting for the weekend again. Tom and I actually went out for dinner by ourselves on Saturday! It was lovely - and yummy! Back on track today. GOOD

I have been enjoying my Bible studies and prayer times. I am seeing growth there for sure and thank God for that. Would like to increase / concentrate my prayer times more still, so working on being able to do that. GOOD

I have been doing poorly with getting to bed on time and getting up early. I have done it a few times, but not consistently. BAD

I am not taking my Melatonin as needed - thinking about setting an alarm clock to go off each evening! BAD

Exercise - well, was doing okay and enjoying it the few times in a row I did it - but then my DVDs quit playing. I need to try them on my laptop, if that doesn't work I will start using my gazelle and just order the T-Tapp DVDs. BAD

I am feeling okay, still feeling heavy, yeasty, itchy, achey - not sleeping well and feeling pretty run down still. Hope to get some improvement soon. I am pretty glad that my womb is cleaning out well this time - last was so sporadic. I have to see hope in that! Oh, my face has been breaking out like crazy and my hair is more oily, ick! I have also noticed that my face has been itchy almost daily. Hoping this is detox/cleansing symptoms.

Guess that's about it for now... that's where I am right now!

Cleansing

Okay, so call me crazy... I prob'ly am!

I have done 3 days fasting, 2 days off, 5 days fasting, 2 days off, and started fasting again today. Tomorrow, I will continue fasting but will add in the Master's Cleanse to clean out my colon - I will do this for 10-21 days, we'll see how it goes. I started tonight with Smooth Move tea and will start drinking the lemon juice with maple syrup and cayenne tomorrow with lots more water and a salt flush first thing in the mornings. This means also that I will be giving up my coffee starting tomorrow! :(

The oil pulling is interesting, and pretty gross. I started tonight and will try to do it each evening. Basically, you swish a Tbsp of oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes. I will give it a few weeks and see what happens.

After I am done with the Master Cleanse, I will switch to the Yeast Detox which takes 16 weeks to complete and should seem super easy after the rest of these.

In the summer I plan to do a kidney cleanse also with lots of watermelon and water.

Confessions...

I have done poorly this weekend, for several reasons. We had our annual company dinner Friday night, which I knew about before I started the fast and decided that I would just plan to make an exception for. We had a great time but Saturday morning was also day 10 of my Amish Friendship bread, so I baked it that morning and was weak - very weak. The major reason though was that I was not supporting my weak flesh through prayer. I am restarting tomorrow morning and will be doing the 2 weeks all over again. I am sorry Lord for making promises I didn't keep, I am sorry to my dear friend for committing and falling short, and I am sorry for failing myself. Please pray for my strength in the coming weeks?

Goals for Week One

First Steps - to take as long as needed (time will vary).
(See whole list in left margin)

Spiritual - Blog notes after daily Bible reading.
Sleep - In bed by 11pm, lights out before midnight. Out of bed at 8am.
Eating - Liquid fast for 2 weeks Jan 2-15.
Exercise - T-Tapp More 5x per week.
Supplements - Melatonin @ 8pm and B Complex 2 / 3x daily.