Soooo looooooong....

This cycle has been incredibly long and ridiculous. I am on CD 64, 12dpo - I assume af will arrive today. Had a migraine yesterday, low back pain and a bit of cramping, still some of the same today though the headache is much better. Hubby and I both gained almost 10# while we were on vacation, so hitting the diet pretty hard again - eating only meat, veggies and fruits (no beans, grains, sugars, nuts or dairy). We are gearing up for a serious try on the next cycle. I have some new prescriptions, started back to serious diet-watching, and am planning to be very focused this next cycle. I'll keep you posted!

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!

Blessings and update

Thought I would do a quick update here.  We are now on day 23 of charting with CrMS and all is going well so far.  We can tell there is definite low progesterone happening so far.  We meet with LaDean again on Thursday and will learn some more parts of the charting and evaluate everything so far.  I really look forward to our visit, she has blessed us in immeasurable ways already.

I am currently searching for a local care provider that would be willing to work via Dr. Yeung so that we don't have the expense of traveling to see him in NC.  I have some leads, but nothing definite yet.  Hoping to talk with a couple more possibilities tomorrow.  We will make the trip if we have to, but he has offered this as a way to reduce our costs and I am so very thankful.  Please pray that someone would be willing to work with us in this way!

Another unexpected blessing was a LadyComp given to us by our very good friends along with their prayers for our fertility.  I had lots of fun getting it set up this afternoon and can very easily temp my bbt each morning and the computer tracks and evaluates it.  Since my cycles are irregular, it will take a while for it to be able to predict ovulation and menses, but it should help to confirm my other charts and eventually as I stabilize my hormones it should be very helpful.

I have been feeling pretty well.  Thankful my cycle was not longer than 41 days this time.  I have been eating well for the vast majority of the past 6 weeks and have lost a few more pounds, but seem stalled.  Tom and I had decided to start running on the Couch to 5K program and really enjoyed it, but I ended up with a knee injury a couple days after our 2nd run.  :-(  I spent about 10 days in bed but am much improved now.  I was able to walk 1/4 mile this morning while Tom ran and will build up to longer distances eventually.  I am planning to get back to T-Tapp on the other 3 days a week.

So, that's about it for now.  I have some studying to do before our next class and many other pressing matters about the home here.  I will update again in the next week or two.  Thank you for your prayers and support.

Tom's report

Tom sat down a few moments ago to tell me how good he is feeling - without my asking.  He says he feels more alert and "different", that his eyes don't feel like they are closing at the end of the day.  He has not been falling asleep on the couch every evening like he had been regularly.  He has lost 10# and the best part?  His joints are not hurting!  :-)

General update

Almost 3 weeks now since starting our new eating plan. It has been very easy and fulfilling to eat this way. I have lost almost 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I have days when I have a bit more energy, but am still fairly tired - though able to accomplish more throughout the day and not noticing the 3pm slump quite as much. I have not had issues with anxiety, difficulty breathing or heart palpitations recently, but am still taking SAM-e. I have not had severe endo pain, though some minor pain (not debilitating) in the past 3 weeks, but I also have not had a normal cycle since Nov 28. :-( I have not had a migraine in a while either, nigglings that I could get one but nothing serious. I have not any trouble with the tonsil stones for the last few weeks, my scalp has much improved, no thyroid pain. I have had itchiness on my face which I am working to figure out if it is an allergy to nuts or yeast growth, either way may need to cut them out of my diet. All in all, some good improvements.

My cycle is puzzling me for sure though. Have not had a menses since Nov 28 and have had 2 sessions of spotting for 2-3 days, now am spotting again. I get moody and achey and tired beforehand but then only spot. Need to figure that out. I have not used the pro cream since the end of December so it's not that. May need to consider another hair analysis and hormone panel soon.

Tom has mentioned that he has not had any heart burn for the last few weeks - hooray! The kids are doing very well on the plan. They are not complaining much, they are looking healthier. Rose said the other day that her lettuce tasted like candy - they were eating big wedges of it plain! Heather's attitude is much better the last few days, I had to stop in the middle of her grammar and tell her how much I liked seeing her smile and having her cooperate, she said that she felt happier - hooray!

That's it for now...

Day 2 GAPS

Will got hit with the stomach bug today, threw up 4 times but doesn't seem to have a fever and didn't complain of any other leg aches or anything. Rose has been healthy so far, Heather was much better. Tom and I both have had bad headaches today.

I got a salt bath this morning and did a skin brushing - always feels so good. I drank 1 cup of black half-strength coffee this evening hoping it will help my head. I am assuming that stopping my large cup o' joe every morning cold-turkey could cause a headache. My neck and shoulders are pretty stiff from detox and my sciatica is acting up this evening.

We ate lots of soup today, had chicken with spinach and mushrooms for b'fast - yummy. We had meatball and veggie for lunch, and then meatball with a pureed veggie sauce for dinner. It was good too. I forgot to add the beet kvass until dinnertime.

Will did not eat at all today due to his stomach bug but did drink water and some tea.

I have to whine a bit... Tom had gained 10# over the holidays like I did, and he was asking to change our eating habits so his pants would fit well again. He has been eating whatever he wants though, stuff from the fridge that we can't have, etc.... he really hasn't started on GAPs with us. So, today, he just announced that he has lost the 10# over the course of the week. He has not had the stomach bug, so it's not that. I asked him what he ate today, and he says "taco leftovers from the fridge, some pkgs of peanuts, nutty bar and a McFlurry" Uggh!!!! So what has he changed? No burgers or soda. Ugggh, ugggh! Not fair at all.

Update on last couple weeks

A quick update... my cycle started again this past Friday, 29 days since the previous one - that is improvement! I was pretty tense the night before and very tense the morning of, but once started I felt much better. I don't know how my family lives with me some days. It was only about 12 hours this time with the horrible pms - that is a bit of improvement too. This cycle has been very light so far, not sure what that is about. No migraine - woo hoo!

I have had some pain in my thyroid over this weekend, Fri - Sun. Not sure if it was hormonal due to the cycle starting or what, but it has gone away now.

Two weeks ago (Oct 7-12) I had some very bad sciatica pain. It started out the first day in both sides and I was taking it easy, but able to function - the next day was in my right side, horrible pain and pinching and tightness - I could not sit up at all and being upright made it spasm. I was bed-ridden. The next day I forced myself to take the kids to classes, I took tylenol and got through the morning (though near tears for most of it) but was back in bed all afternoon once I got home. It improved quite a bit by Sunday and Monday I was pretty close to normal. I remembered Friday night that a homeopathic blend had been a help to me in the past for relaxing the muscles and allowing the nerve to move out of it's pinched position. I think that helped get me on the mend.

In other news, I am feeling pretty good about the weight loss so far, but definitely need to step up and exercise to get it moving a little faster. I am having very little to none of the panic/anxiety and have started taking 400mg of the SAMe and 1 tsp of the maca. I do think both of these "new additions" are helping me.

Need a booster

Only lost one pound this past week, so time to start making some changes to speed things back up. Shall I drink more water and exercise or cut out beans and nuts from my diet? Hmmmm, think, think, think...

In other news, the SAM-e does seem to be helping my panic attacks/ breathless / heart palpitations. I am managing well currently.

My smoothies have been giving me a bit of nausea right after drinking. The maca seems to give me a headache when I started and when I upped my doseage - only for a day though and not a bad one.

Feeling pretty good overall, been a bit moody this week but starting the progesterone cream seems to have helped some.

Update

I have had a couple busy weeks, went to mom's for a few days last week and have had school, classes, soccer, etc... but wanted to update a bit here.

I have had quite a bit of improvement. In mood and coping abilities and weight loss mostly.

* Anxiety - still dealing with this a bit, depending on the day, usually worse in afternoons and evenings.
* Back Pain - not bad
* Cycle - a week overdue ???
* Exercise - not last week but back to it daily this week
* Food - doing very well with my food choices, digestion and bloating improved
* Migraine - none since Aug 5
* Sleep - when having a bad anxiety night it is hard to fall asleep lying down, but sleeping pretty well otherwise
* Supplements - Pretty consistent, feel like what I am taking is helping, considering adding a couple things soon
* Thyroid - swelling seems to be going down a bit, still wear down quickly but it will take time
* Tonsil stones - pretty much gone, not an issue right now - yeah!
* Yeast - detoxing with diet is causing some itchy skin/scalp, I need to do more brushing and salt water soaks.

I have been feeling better about my attention span, ability to have conversations without losing track of what I was saying/hearing, also doing better with patience with the children and hubby, I find I am able to manage my time better also - don't get stuck doing one thing without being able to see the other things that need attention and how to accomplish them.

Symptoms today

Had a better day today. Tom agreed to take the phones in the mornings for me, the afternoons the kids did independent study/reading. I am tired, not used to being up so early, but it did help to get more accomplished during the day. Hoping I sleep better tonight.

Let's see, an update on symptoms...
*My anxiety/breathing was better during the morning, worsening through the afternoon and is pretty bad again tonight.
*Back pain is pretty much gone.
*Constipation has been much better for a couple weeks now.
*Cycle - felt a bit crampy in the belly and legs today, but nothing so far...
*Exercise - have been pretty consistent for 2 weeks now with some form of daily exercise, woo hoo!
*Food - vacation was pretty bad, just ate more frequently, though not horrible foods.
*Joint pain - not too bad right now.
*Migraine - none since last bout.
*Sleep - was doing pretty well until anxiety started, now tossing and turning but once I get to sleep I seem to do fine.
*Supplements - taking daily per list
*Throat - still get a bit hoarse and feel some tightness upon swallowing.
*Tonsil stones - greatly decreased, what has helped is more frequent brushing, including tongue and gargling with mouth was once a day.
*Water - working on drinking more, got down probably 48 oz today?
*Weight - uggh.... working on that, I started today with my strict diet again! :-)

There we go, a good run-down. Off to bed now.

Monday Update

Well.... okay, so missed an update last week and obviously haven't done so well sticking to my healthy eating and exercise. I am gearing up to get back to it though. Our life has turned topsy-turvy and I have been living in "survival/crisis mode" lately. I have gained 3lbs in the last 2 weeks and also gained some inches. However, that bloating should be going away very soon thanks to AF and I am not too discouraged. I hope to give a much better report next week! :-)

Monday check-in

Alright, so we had a real rough week and my birthday was today, and my little sister is here visiting with her boys, and so I just couldn't control myself - I cheated all weekend. :-( I am back to being good tomorrow - especially since stepping on the scale and having gained 2lbs as of this AM. Oh well, back to it... and starting my 16 weeks over again. I didn't measure my waist, but I am feeling quite bloated and didn't want to know, LOL...

I don't have a recipe to share - but I will say that Kroger has Quaker rice cakes for FREE this week with coupons - woo hoo!!!

Weekly check-in!

Hello! Happy Monday. It has been a very snowy one here! We have had a great time playing and making a snowman and taking pictures, of course. :-)

I did my weigh-in this morning and lost 1 pound and 1/2" from my waist. I had a pretty good week, though still slacking in some areas - I am eating right and that makes a big difference!

I wanted to share a recipe with you for mayonnaise - that's right, completely legal mayonnaise!!! I was craving deviled eggs, so found this one on-line. I made a batch twice this week and we have enjoyed it in egg salad, chicken salad, and deviled eggs... yummy!

Mayonnaise
1 whole eg
2 egg yolks
1 T mustard powder (to taste)
1 T fresh lemon juice (I left this out)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup olive oil

*I don't like the taste of olive oil in my mayo, and have not liked other recipes I have tried that had the olive oil in it - so I used a whole cup of coconut oil and liked it very much.

Directions:
Put eggs, mustard powder, lemon, salt and pepper into food processor or blender. With processor on/blender running on low speed, start adding oil very slowly. Start out with drops and then work up to about 1/16" stream. It should take about 2 min to add the oil. Continue blending until there is no free standing oil. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Week 4 update

I lost 2 lbs this week and an inch from my waist. I am surprised, since I have been pretty much laying/sitting around all week trying to recover from illness. I was hoping to just maintain - so hooray!

I ate well, no cheats. I still have not been able to start my exercise routine, and only did maybe 2 hot baths this week? Been horrible with my water drinking.

I don't have a new recipe to share, if you have one, please send it to me! I did pick up a new kitchen toy from Target this week. It is a chopper that works fabulously! We eat lots and lots of fresh fruit salads, so this makes the chopping fruit a breeze. My sister-in-law Kerry has one and I got to use it while we were at her house, and I loved it, so spent the $ on one. :-) The kids can do this safely and easily too!

Send me a note and tell me how you are doing. :-)

Monday Check-in

My week went pretty well. My husband was very sweet and caring bring home a boquet of tulips and some steaks instead of chocolate! :-)

I was pretty sick with bronchitis much of the week, but feel almost brand new today! I got in 4 steamy hot baths and ate well all week. I was not able to exercise due to the coughing but plan to get started today. I lost 2 lbs and my waist stayed the same. I need to do better with my water still. I know that if I add exercise and water - next week will show more loss in lbs and inches.

One of our fav meals this week (besides the delicious steaks) was burgers with homemade french fries. Here is how I made them (see attached pics): Using a knife (or wavy chopper is extra fun), slice raw potatoes into thin strips. Spread onto ungreased cookie sheet. Get out your coconut oil and place "pats" of oil (using a butter knife) randomly on top of fries - probably 8 or so "pats" for a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle seasonings on top of fries... we like salt, garlic, paprika, oregano and a bit of cayenne. Place under broiler in oven with rack in highest position... do NOT walk away. Watch and listen, once the oil has melted and fries are sizzling a bit - stir on pan with a flat spatula, put back in oven and again stay close... you will want to stir once more and watch for the doneness you desire. We like them to get soft and then crispy and golden. It doesn't take long, so don't leave the kitchen or they will burn! These are yummy with burgers (grilled with liquid aminos, salt and garlic) and a veggie - we had carrot sticks and grapes. Enjoy, and I'd love to hear how you are doing!!

End of Week 1 Update

I was very surprised this AM to step on the scale and calculate a total loss of 11 lbs this week - woo hoo! I didn't expect that. I know it won't all go off that quickly, but it certainly helps. I also lost an inch from my waist too.

I have done very well with my eating plan, following that easily. Confession time: I have not done well with getting the sweating baths in. I just am not making it the priority it should be! I took ONE this week - uggh. I can feel the negative effects of not doing it, itchy skin and tense, achey, heavy shoulders (I have come to recognize that as toxin build-up). [To qualify this, I am showering regularly - it is the 30 minute HOT bath for detox that I am doing poorly taking the time for.] I also have done very badly with my water drinking... I should be doing at least a gallon a day, and I am doing well to get a quart down lately. Also... as if that wasn't enough... I am not exercising. So, those are areas I am working to improve this week.

***I changed my ticker to reflect my total lost, including the last time I did the Plan. I lost 50 lbs in 2008, and regained 25 because I did not stick to any kind of plan for food choices and exercise. I have 15 more to go to get down to where I was at the end of that cycle and start working on the next 50. So, that is why the ticker changed. :-)***

Day 3

Hello! I am doing well with my eating still and have lost 6lbs in the last 3 days - woo hoo!!! I have not gotten back to my routine of exercise, brushing and sweating. I really need to though, had a detox headache last night and very itchy skin tonight - need to give my body a way to get rid of the yeasties safely.

Day 3

I am super sore today. I did T-Tapp Ladybug workout (designed to help with hormones, primarily menopausal women, but should help me too). It felt great, but afterwards I had trouble walking - my thighs are super sore while everywhere else feels just a bit stretched.

I have done great with my eating, my energy is up a bit still. I needed a little motivation today, so stepped on the scale - down 2 pounds so far! I still really, really need to dig out my water bottles and start drinking at least a half gallon a day to start. I know I would start to feel better and be less hungry.

I dry brushed and took a hot salt water bath last night, felt fabulous and my skin still feels good today. I woke up with a headache and shoulder/neck tension - a sure sign that I am detoxing. Got better early afternoon.

That's it for today!

It's not worth it!

While I was traveling I started out pretty careful, we took our food and didn't stop to eat at all - but once we got to my sister's, I gradually let myself eat things I shouldn't. I gained 8lbs back all said - not too bad for 3-4 weeks of eating poorly, but now I have to work at that again.

I have been back on my strict diet for 5 days now and have lost 4lbs so far. I need to get into exercising again as the weight seems to have all settled in my rear end and my skirts aren't fitting the same. Exercise is much needed to smooth and tone.

I started my cycle right before we left on our trip - was quite heavy and a bit long, but not too bad. Right before I left, I started spotting again and that has continued for the last week and a half. It's driving me crazy!!!

So, with all that, I was feeling pretty bad the last couple weeks. I was not sleeping well, felt exhausted and moody, had major breakouts, itchy face, joint pain, got slapped with several migraines in a row, was constipated, etc... After starting back on the diet, I began detoxing. It was worse for several days, I had lots of pain at the base of my neck and shoulders. I did some salt bath soaks and that pain got better but it went into my thyroid which hurt for a couple days but is now feeling better also.

My spirits are lifted today and I am ready to tackle the housecleaning that got behind. Looks like we might get some much needed rain! A good day to be at home.

The moral of the story is: It's not worth it!!! The pain and trouble and moods and pounds - not worth a few cookies, cake, icecream and soda... really it's not!

Weight lost...

... now a total of FIFTY POUNDS!

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!