A couple changes I've made

I don't think I've mentioned these other changes in our attempt to improve my health and balance my hormones.  First, about a month ago we started making a point to sleep in complete darkness.  Turning off all electronics and any thing that puts out even the smallest amount of light in our room at night.  It has been very nice.  Here is an article about how a woman's fertility cycle can correspond with the lunar cycle.  Interesting!

Also as of about 2 weeks ago, Tom and I have stopped drinking our daily cup (or 2) of coffee.  We have replaced it with tea or hot cocoa (I'll have to share that recipe).  We will still drink a cup socially, but didn't think our habit was healthy.

This week I purchased an ovulite which makes it easier to check for ferning daily.  It also is portable - I about went crazy when we traveled for a week at my peak time recently and I didn't have my microscope with me for observations.

Calendar above

I am adding a calendar which will show details about how I am feeling.

Here I will record my...
- supplements
- how I slept
- foods I ate
- how much water I drank
- exercise
- how I was feeling/ changes in symptoms

Hoping if I track symptoms and other details that more of a pattern will emerge and help me with figuring out changes I should make, what is and is not helping, etc...

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! :-)

Why is it that...

... every other day I am not hungry until late afternoon/evening. But today, the first day of my fast, my stomach is growling as soon as I crawl out of bed??? LOL!

... it is so easy for the calendar year to change and start afresh? I took down last year's calendar and looked through it, filled out the b'days and anniv's in the new one and hung it. I was jealous of the ease of "starting fresh" as I so want that in me, to be wiped clean and have new habits and a new start. I suppose that even the calendar days have "scars"... there were some days with memories of deaths and sad happenings in with the birthdays and other good things. The point is to remember but move on, press forward and be able to look back on a year full of change for the good.

... food is such an addiction for us? We have to eat to live, it is a purely necessary function. God also gave us the joys of flavors and colors and smells - but why do we have to take it to the levels of sinful gluttony?

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.