Thursday, February 25, 2016

Moving On

I have decided to discontinue this blog, and will not be posting at:

https://perfectmennowife.wordpress.com\

Come join me!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

A Heartbeat!

A few weeks ago, when I was almost 8 week, we had our last ultrasound at Heartland. We got to see our tiny little bean who had grown SO MUCH since our ultrasound a few weeks ago. We got to see his heartbeat, which helped to calm the nerves!

This pregnancy has been totally different so far than Tallet's. I still have a lot of the tiredness, but with quite a bit of nausea along with it. I have not vomited at all, but I do spend a lot of my days feeling quite ill. Somedays I would be totally fine, other days I don't want to do anything but lay on the couch.

I have noticed that it is usually the worse after I eat lunch. I have spend more days that I would care to admit laying on the couch. Part of me doesn't really feel too guilty, I am growing a baby and so thankful for it.

I am finding myself getting SO excited about learning the gender. With Tallet I was adamant that I didn't want to know. And I am so glad we didn't find out, it was fun! But this time around I want to sew for baby, and I know I won't have much time after the babe is born.

BUT we do not want to tell anyone, so that will be tricky. I will have to hide my sewing projects.

We have already decided that we will refer to the baby as "he" regardless of what the gender is. It is easier than trying to be gender neutral and slipping up. I am sure some people will figure it out, but they won't get confirmation till this tot is born.

Speaking of birth. I am terrified. I desperately want a VBAC. But there are so many complications that come along with having a prior c-section. Not just about birth, but with even just getting pregnant.

Like did you know that the placenta can attach to where the scar is, and GET OUT of your uterus, and attach to your other internal organs. This is a very life threatening condition. And it makes me even more upset I had a c-section to begin with.

There are lots of pros and cons to VBAC verses repeat c section, but VBAC has been proven to be safer than repeat c section in the long run.

I do tend to be a hypochondriac, so this is something I am really struggling with. I find myself second guessing even wanting to have a second baby. Right now it just feels so unsafe. I am just hoping I can find a doctor that supports me, and an experience doula to be a good labour support for me.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Big News!

 

Most, if not everyone who reads this blog is also friends with me on Facebook, so this is probably old news. BUT, I want to share it here too!

We are expecting Baby #2!

March 23rd, we transferred that beautiful embryo pictured above, and a week later we had a positive pregnancy test.

My initial feelings were relief. It had been such a long, emotionally draining road and it was finally over. We could finally celebrate.

Two weeks ago we had a scare. I started cramping and bleeding. I called Heartland and they had me come in the next morning for an ultrasound. The bleeding had stopped by the morning, and the U/S looked normal for how far along I was.

I have another ultrasound April 27th. We should be able to see the heartbeat by then! I cannot wait.

I have been feeling very tired and nauseous lately. I wasn't really sick with Tallet, so this is new for me. It is an interesting challenge with a toddler to chase after this time around. But nevertheless I am thankful for it. It (hopefully) means this bean is growing strong in there!

Monday, March 09, 2015

The Deal

There has been much discussion in our home lately about doing the Whole60. Eric was not on board, and I wanted to press on. He was willing to do whatever I decided, to be supportive. But he urged me to consider his side.

Eric has some really good points to argue. He wants us to do something that was sustainable for life. He didn't want to avoid social events because of it. He didn't want to keep jumping from diet to diet only to binge inbetween. He most definitely agreed that we needed to have some sort of rules/plan. He wanted something that would work for us.

How could I argue any of that? Of course I wanted to stick to the Whole30/60. It works. It makes me feel fantastic. But why did I need to do it again? I learnt so much on the first time around, did I NEED to do it again? I am still not sure about that. The answer may still be yes.

We made a deal. We will try it his way for 30 days, and it we come out of the month healthier, we know we found something that works for us. If we fall back into old habits again, we know that obviously we still have work to do, and we will do a Whole60.

Our plan is:
-Eat 99% Whole30/paleo style foods at home. The 1% accounts for the small amount of palm sugar in the kale chips I just bought :p . Can't seem to master making these on my own.
-When eating away from home, choose healthier things, but not impose our dietary preferences on others. This does not give us free range to binge eat cupcakes and salt & vinegar chips at the next brithday party. This gives us the ability to attend potlucks, parties, showers, etc without worrying there will be nothing for us to eat, and we will have to explain to everyone why we are not eating. This is the way it is when doing a Whole30, but it is no way to live your life forever.
-Work out together at least 5 days a week
-We are also discussing the possibility of making one treat once and a while. The frequency is still under discussion, but it will probably be once a month. Once a week seems far too often.

We have also talked about how we will define success at the end of these 30ish days. We both agree that weight loss is a goal of ours. We would also like to feel better, and we are going to re-evaluate our habits at the end of it, to make sure we haven't fallen back to old ones.

Now Eric doesn't at all want to do the Whole30 again, so this is motivation for him to keep this up and keep me accountable. So as much as it pains me to "quit" something, Eric has urged me not to see it that way. He knows I am not a quitter when I say I will commit to something. He wants me to look at this like I am taking permanent steps towards a healthier life, and I am trying to see it that way. I learnt so much on my first Whole30. These things I still carry with me, and want to live my life according to them. I am not at all giving up on this way of life. The Whole30 creators themselves have said that doing a Whole30 was NEVER meant to be a permanent solution. There will always be splurges and we need to decide if they are worth it or not!

Now please do not take this post the wrong way. I am SO SO SO happy we did a Whole30. And if you have never done one, I urge you to try. YES it is strict, but I felt that made it easier. Plan out ahead of time when you want to do it, and make sure it doesn't conflict with any major social events, birthdays and holidays that you are just going to torture yourself on. Potlucks and other parties can be handled on the Whole30. Eating out can be done. Being on the go can be done. I have done it all. You just need to PLAN AHEAD. That is the biggest thing. Try to get someone fully committed to do it with you. RESEARCH. Research until your fingers fall off. Read everything you possibly can on www.whole30.com. Join the FB group and ask questions. Stock your pantry. Just commit to it. You can do it!

If I did it once, anyone can do it.

Friday, March 06, 2015

A Work Trip, A New Cycle and A Whole60

This past weekend/week, Alyssa and I went on an impromtu trip to Vegas for a photography expo (WPPI).


We had 4 really solid days there. Our first morning was spent traveling. Getting up at 4 am, gaining 2 hrs flying and arriving in Vegas at 11 am. We checked into the hotel and sat in the sun by the pool. Our first hotel was by Fremont street, which is vintage Vegas. We grabbed some food and explored there for a while, before heading back to the hotel for a 3 hour nap to catch up on lost sleep from a 4 hr night and 8 hours of flying! When we woke up it was still only 7pm! We bought a selfie stick and some supper, and spend the rest of the evening exploring Fremont some more. It was the longest day ever!

On day 2 we rented a car and headed out to the Valley of Fire, about 45 minutes northeast of Vegas. This was the best decision ever. We spent 5 hours with huge smiles on our faces exploring this gorgeous place! It was a cold day, and it rained a bit! On the way back we stopped at a Target to stock up on some groceries, we dropped all of our bags off at the new hotel near The Strip and took the car back to the rental place. Or we tried to at least. There are SO many turn offs, and they don't give you warning, so we missed the sign and had to drive around the ENTIRE airport again. Needless to say the car was returned late, and by the time the bus came and we got back to our hotel we were exhausted. We originally wanted to go to a restaurant for supper, but we were too exhausted. Pizza it was!

Day 3 was for the expo. We spend 5 hours scouring the show floor, looking at products, talking to vendors and listening to speakers. It was a full, but awesome day. We found some really great products that we will be adding to our lineup. The expo ended at 4. We relaxed at the hotel a bit and then headed to Burgr for supper. We spent the rest of the evening shopping at the Venetian, and watching the volcano show at the Mirage and the fountains at Bellagio. We soothed our sore muscles from all the walking in the hot tub and went to bed.

Day 4 we stowed our bags at the hotel valet and headed back across the street to the expo. We mostly sat at the Nikon booth and listened to top photographers speak. We soaked in SO much valuable info from these seasoned pros. We were sorry to have to leave so early. We grabbed a cab to the airport, and had a nice supper before we caught our flight home.

The last day in Vegas my cycle started, so the next day I called Heartland first thing. I have already started medication for another transfer, which will most likely be towards the end of the month.

Because I want to be as healthy as possibly for this transfer, I have decided to do another Whole30, but turn it into a Whole60. I started yesterday.

Today I am SO over it. I just want to stuff my face full of snacks right now. Which is even more reason to keep going, I would be stuffing my face if I was not on this plan. Another 58 days of this just seems so sickening. I am trying to convince myself it's ok to quit. I just might. Where did all my willpower go from round 1?

Friday, February 27, 2015

Flashback Friday


On our drive down to San Francisco, we stopped in Gold Beach, Oregon for lunch on the beach. I am SO glad we did. It was perfection.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

On Babies

Before we had Tallet, I was quite open about our fertility treatments. As we were trying for Baby #2, we wanted to keep it on the DL for more of a semblance as a normal life. Well that has not worked out for us too well. I think that we have finally accepted that we will never have that kind of normal. This is normal for us.

So let's recap the last year or so.

Called Heartland in November 2013. Weaned Tallet and scheduled an IUI for late January.

IUI was cancelled in beginning of February because my body did not respond to meds.

In May, as I have written about before, I got overstimmulated with doubled IUI meds, so we converted to IVF. I ended up in the hospital with OHSS.

I took 3 months off for my body to heal from OHSS.  Mid-August we transferred our first embryo baby. We lost that baby.

Mid Sept, we tried another. We lost that baby.

Mide October, we transferred another. We lost that baby as well.

We were so devastated. We needed to take a break, plus we were going on a trip. So we decided to take a break from transferring until after Christmas.

Two days ago, we cancelled the transfer. I had been spotting for 2 weeks, and my uterine lining was starting to degrade. We were not willing to take that risk on another embryo baby. I was happy to cancel because of that. We will let my body have a normal cycle and then we will try again.

Frozen embryo transfers (FETs) can me medicated or unmedicated. We chose to do medicated because my body doesn't have a good history of being hormonally sound, thank to PCOS.

With a medicated cycle, I take an estrogen supplement (Estrace) for 10 days, to build my uterine lining. I go for an ultrasound at 7:30 AM at Heartland, and if everything looks good I start taking a progesterone supplement (Prometrium) for 5 days. And then we go in for a transfer. I have to go in with a VERY full bladder so my uterus is in the proper position. This is extremely uncomfortable, and the very worst part. Once the embryo baby is transferred, I get to go to the washroom. Then 10 days late I got for a blood pregnancy test (beta).

This whole cycle is exhausting to me. And SO much more difficult with a child. The appts are so early in the morning, We have to leave at 5:30. It makes it tricky to find a place for him. Usually we end up taking him to his Grandparents the evening before so he can sleep until a regular time.

So now, it has been over a year of fertility treatments, with no pregnancies.

I am devastated.

I am frustrated.

I am hopeless.

I feel like a murderer, transferring these babies that aren't making it.

I really struggle with mourning them. I feel stupid about it, because I cannot say that I have miscarried. I feel like I fulfill my blog name when I talk about it. I never got the chance to carry them. They were just gone so fast they never had a chance. I didn't get to know if they were boys or girls. How can I be so attached to such a young little life?

I struggle with bitterness, still. Hearing about new pregnancies is getting harder and harder. I hate that my life is becoming like this again.

Baby #2 has been way harder than Baby #1. I always though it would be easier.

It only helps me to appreciate Tallet more. I am so in awe that I get to be his mother. I get to be a mother. I am so very thankful for that.

But I am terrified about him being an only child. I was one for 15 years and it sucks. There is nothing better than a built in playmate. I want that so bad for him.

I am turning 30 this year. I feel like my clock is really ticking. We have been trying to have babies for 7 years. I should have at least 4 by now.

I know things could be 1000 times worse right now. But its just hard.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Life after the Whole30

Is garbage. Or feels like garbage rather. As soon as you let those questionable ingredients creep back into your life, so does the upset stomach, the tiredness, the feeling of hopelessness.

I was SO afraid to stop eating Whole30, for this reason exactly. I don't think the work in me was finished at 30 days. I think some people need a little bit longer for bad habits to be broken.

I think for the most part, our meals at home have been pretty good. We have had a few totally off the track, last minute meals, and I just hate that. I don't want those foods in my cupboards. I don't want them to be accessible to me when I am in a pinch. I want to be forced to cook from the healthy ingredients I have available in my home.

So I cleaned out the cupboards. Eric and I have had some heated discussions on what stays and what goes. I want everything gone. And he wants some things to stay. Namely sauces and spices that have sugar in them. His main argument is that you are not going to binge eat BBQ sauce, and you are not going to have sugar craving because of a little Piri Piri sprinkles on chicken. My logic agrees with him, but my hardcore all - or - nothing nature does not. I still don't know what to do about it.

I know that sugar is a huge stomach upsetter for me. The second I have even a bit or two my stomach starts churning. I also cannot eat sugar like I used to, which is a good thing. I am satisfied by much less now.

That is all fine and dandy, but I don't think I totally slayed my sugar dragon. And I don't think I changed my afternoon and evening snacking habits. And I didn't cure my mindless eating habits, I just started mindlessly eating healthier things. But just because its a healthy food, does not mean it is a healthy behavior. And it's my behavior and relationship with food that needs mending most of all.

Sooooo, I am going to do another Whole30. Rather a Whole60. I need more time for the habits to sink in. I also need to eliminate snacking, limit fruits & nuts, and totally cut out dried fruits.

I am going to start March 4th, if anyone wants to join I think that would be fun! I have a FB group for support as well. I would start sooner but I am going to Vegas for a photography conference, and that is my first day back! Eric is also excited and anxious to get back at it. And that tells you something because he is not normally excited about all my crazy plans!

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Whole30 - Scale Victories

This morning, I was terrified to step on the scale. I was so used to life without it, and I was terrified of being disappointed. But I took a deep breath, and stepped on.

I lost 7 lbs.

I would be lying if I would say that I was excited about that. I am not. It's disappointing. Especially when your husband loses 18. Men always have it easier. Ugh.

But then I started thinking about why I was disappointed. Why isn't that something to celebrate? Who is telling me that is not good enough? Maybe I wanted to be a size 2 in a month. Maybe I felt pressure to perform for everyone who knew I was doing the Whole30. I don't know.

But 7lbs IS good enough. It took me 15 years to get to this point. One month is not going to reverse that. I love eating this way, and I have no reason to stop. At this rate, it will take me less than a year to reach my goal weight, which is pretty darn good!

And as Eric pointed out, this IS the easier 7lbs I have ever lost. I spent the month eating delicious food, and never feeling hungry or deprived. I don't feel the urge to gorge myself on unhealthy foods the moment the "diet" is done. I have tonnes of Non-Scale Victories to celebrate.

Now this is super embarrassing for me, but I am going to share it anyways. Because people see me in real life all the time. They know what my body looks like.




I do not see any difference in my body in those pictures. It does not looks smaller. But on the right side (After), I look happier, heathier. My face looks less puffy. I feel happier, healthier.

I am so glad I did the Whole30. It really has changed my life.







Friday, January 30, 2015

Whole30 Day 30 - Non-Scale Victories

Amidst my panic that I was not dropping enough weight fast enough, my fellow Whole30ers reminded me that weight loss is not what this is about. They reminded me that the number on the scale is not indicative of my success or my worth as a person. They encouraged me to think of my Non-Scale Victories and celebrate those. So here I go:

Digestive System: Before starting the Whole30, I woke up every morning feeling nauseous, and not because I am pregnant. I had also recently developed this pain in my stomach, especially when I ate something sugary. Taking a Zantac would help. Both of those things are now gone, thankfully.

Emotions: I feel much more level headed. Before it felt like I had lots of highs and lows of emotions. Now I have felt very even keeled. I feel less stressed out, even when I have a large workload. I feel like I have been way happier. Also, I can think clearer. The mental fog I would experience from time to time is completely gone.

Clothing Fit: While my clothes are not hanging off of me, I do feel like my clothes have been fitting better. Even my winter jacket that I just bought is fitting better.

Cleanliness: On the Whole30, you cook a lot. There is a lot of cutting up veggies and such. Which means a lot of mess. I have noticed that I have been more motivated to clean up as I go, and clean up after I cook. My kitchen is much cleaner than it used to be. I am making a habit of keeping things clean and I love that.

Cooking
: I have actually really enjoyed all the extra cooking I have been doing. It has been fun to have a fridge loaded with veggies, all I have to do it look in and decide what I wanted to make for the next meal. I used to always agonize over what I would make. My veggies would always go bad waiting to be cooked. I feel like mealtime has been easier. I am looking forward to trying lots of new recipes as time goes on!

Taste Buds: I think my taste buds have changed. I have eaten salmon twice, and thoroughly enjoyed it. That is a huge milestone. Yesterday when I had a bell pepper I noticed just how sweet it tasted.

Cravings & Snacking: My cravings for sweets have been greatly reduced. I don't feel like I HAVE to have it anymore. We have also greatly reduced the amount of snacking and grazing we do. Especially in the evenings. 



As for Eric, he says that his heartburn that he would often experience is completely gone and that he feels less bloated.

I think looking back at that list, I sure have accomplished a lot in the last 30 days. And some of the things really are more important than the number on the scale.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Whole30 - Day 27

Three more days.

I am excited.  I want it to be over.

I am nervous. I am scared for it to be over.

The last few days cravings have come back real bad. Probably connected to eating snacks again. I need to stop snacking. I don't need it.

I can't wait to eat some chocolate cake.

I never want to eat cake again.

I want some ice cream.

I never want to stop eating Whole30 foods.

Ugh, it's so back and forth today. Driving me crazy. I thought I was past this.

I am frustrated today as well, because I feel like I have no lost ANY weight. I feel like I have gained.

Yet I know that the Whole30 is NOT a weight loss plan. It is a nutritional reset. It's goal is to help you form a healthier relationship with food. I do think it has done that for me, or at the very least it has started one.

Every person's Whole30 will be different. Some people will be able to eat fruit, but some cannot because it might feed their sugar dragon too much. Some people can eat nuts, some people cannot because they end up being "food without breaks".

I have been thinking a lot today about what I am going to do going forward. I know I want our family to eat paleo-style, but I obviously do need something for weight loss. I am thinking of doing another Whole30, but stricter this time. I have stuck to the plan 100%, and at this point it has gotten quite easy. I think I am ready for another challenge. I want to do Round 2 with no potatoes, no sweet potatoes, no fruit and no snacking, just 3 square meals a day. With PCOS, it makes it quite a bit harder to lose weight, so I think I need to be stricter because of that.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Whole30 Days 8-24 - Journey To Health

I was planning on writing every week about my Whole30 journey but I kinda fell behind. The newness wore off, and I got into a groove.

The hardest day was Day 10. They said alot of people quit on Day 10. The newness has worn off, and I just wanted to eat endless amounts of chocolate cupcakes. My mind was focused on all the things I could not have, and I wanted to whine and stomp my feet and have a fit about it. I regetted saying it was "easy" the days before. So I am not surprised people give up on Day 10

After that, things got better. Both Eric and I are really enjoying eating like this. I love having my fridge stocked with veggies. Meal planning is pretty easy. I decide what kind of meat/protein we are going to have then peer in the fridge and grab a veggie or two to cook/prepare. I don't spend hours making meals. We eat pretty simple, but we eat delicious.

I think it is important to keep a wide variety of veggies on hand to avoid food boredom. It's been fun thinking up new ways to have veggies.

Looking back on the past 24 days, it has been quite easy over all. There has been some difficult moments. We shared a meal at a restaurant the other day because it was the only compliant thing on the menu, but it was $30 a plate and we didn't have the money to spend $70+ on a meal. Not only did we feel stupid, we were hungry.

But for the most part, it has been really enjoyable and simple. I could easily live like this!

We only have 6 days left, but I don't feel like it's a countdown at all. I don't want to stop this. In fact I am afraid to stop. I don't think I have a good control on my sugar dragon yet, nor do I think that my emotional eating is under control. I am still looking forward to being able to have cake. I want to be able not thing about that anymore. Not even sure if that is possible.

Something odd that I have experienced is food dreams. I am dreamed about gorging on unhealthy foods, and feeling guilty about it. I wake up feeling disappointed that I have screwed up the Whole30, only to realize it was all a dream! PHEW!

When I get to thinking that I have been doing this for 24 days, I start panicking that I must have screwed up somewhere along the way. I cannot believe that I have stuck to this for 24 days. I have NEVER gone 24 days into anything without cheating a little bit. But I have. I have done this, with not even ONE bite of anything non-compliant. It is possible. If I can do it, anyone can! I have terrible self control.

One thing I love about the Whole30 is that it changes your relationship with food. I look at food a different way now. I THINK about everything I put into my mouth now. I read every label. I ask questions about how things are prepared. I want to be informed about what I am eating, so I can decide if it is worth it or not.

I am not going to say that I will never eat *insert food name here* again. I will eat it again. But I will eat in knowing that it is not going to make me healthier, and knowing there will be consequences. I will decide whether that food is worth it or not. Sometimes it will be, sometimes it won't.

As for results, I don't think I have lost much weight. The creators didn't design this to be a weight loss plan, and I need to come to terms with that. I think eventually the weight will slowly drop off as I continue only eating things that make me healthier. But I am used to dropping lots of weigh fast. But I need to remember that it has always come back. Slow and steady wins the race. It is better if it comes off slow and permanent than fast and temporary anyways.

That being said, I KNOW Eric has lots a tonne of weight already. I can tell when I look at him. He will probably have lost 20lbs at the end of this. I will be lucky to have lost 5. Thanks PCOS!

Thursday, January 08, 2015

Whole30 Days 1-7 & Ranch Dip/Dressing Recipe

Ah! Day 7. It feels great. I am done with most of my sugar withdrawals now and the cravings have lessened.

It has been a fun journey so far. And alot easier than I anticipated. The first 2 or 3 days were the hardest as I had to make myself conscious of not just grabbing a handful of sugary snacks. I got a headache on the evening of day 2, and it lasted until the end of day 3.

I am super proud of myself for making it this far without giving up. A lot of things I would have cheated by now. I am glad the Whole30 is so strict for this reason.

The biggest change in my body that I have noticed so far is clearer thinking and more evened emotions. I just feel really level headed and relaxed, which is super odd for me. I feel like I am able to focus on things a lot better. I love eating like this and I don't want to stop at 30 days.

My favorite recipe to date by far has been the Cracklin Chicken from Nom Nom Paleo. So good and hard to believe it is healthy.

Our second favorite is Ranch dressing. On day 1 I attempted to make mayo, but I miserably failed. I made it in my magic bullet and it ended up a watery mess. (I used this method for my second batch and it turned out perfect) So I used the mixture for ranch dressing. It was our favorite dressing for salad. Today we had none left at lunch and decided to make more.

I already had the fool proof method of making mayo, but I also knew how to screw it up.  So because we wanted dressing, I decided to whip out the magic bullet blender. Well wouldn't you know it, it turned into a perfect batch of mayo! Shoot. We tried making ranch with it anyways and the result was super yummy!

Dueck's Ranch Dressing or Dip:

1  batch of Homemade Mayo, (we use 1 egg, 1 1/4 cup light tasting olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic (we have the prechopped stuff in a jar, but you could press your own)
2 tsp dried parsley
2tsp chives (we used freeze dried)
1 tbsp white vinegar.

Stir all together. Let sit for 10 minutes or so and stir again. Enjoy on salad or with your favorite fresh veggies!

Friday, January 02, 2015

It Starts With Food & The Whole30 - Journey to Health

I am going to stop short of saying I have found the holy grail of healthy eating. I have said that before and life has showed me different. But this just makes SO MUCH sense.

I cannot even remember how I found the Whole30. I think I was just a bunch of googling for low fat high carb lifestyles and came across this plan. I was originally going to start it October 1st, but nobody jumped on the bandwagon with me and I didn't have enough time to properly prepare and research. November we went on a big road trip, and December, well thats the holidays. Sorry but I am going to have treats during the holidays. I will never change this. Ever.

January it was. And why not the 1st. A new year. A fresh start.

The thing I loved MOST about the Whole30 is that the entire plan is available online for FREE. I was tired of investing money in books and special foods. This was just a simple plan with simple food you can find in the grocery store.

Because of this, I originally did not plan on reading It Starts With Food. I did NOT want to spend any more money. But an Instagrammer I follow did the Whole30 in November, and convinced me to read it. And boy, am I glad I did.

I honestly thought I had read it all. I mean, I have been doing so much reading since the summertime, there couldn't possibly be anything new for me to learn. Ah but yes, there was.

One HUGE thing that popped out to me was sort of discrediting the glycemic index. This has basically been my bible on determining what foods are good for me to eat or not. The glycemic index is a one dimensional look at a food. It does not tell you what nutrients are in the food, or if they are healthy. It just tells you how they raise your blood sugar. I do, however, feel that it is still good to know these values about food. But it shouldn't be your only measuring stick when determining which healthy foods to put into your body.

For example, the GI of watermelon is 72, and the GI of peanut M & M's are 33. On a scale of 0 being no blood sugar spike, and 100 to be the same as pure sugar. Which is healthier? The peanut M & M's. But common sense tells us that is not quite right. Obviously watermelon is the better choice. But the GI does tell us that maybe we shouldn't eat the entire melon at one time.

The authors look at food using 4 different criteria to determine if the food is worthy of the Whole30.

These are:

"1.Promote a healthy psychological response. As a rule, we think the foods that are good for your body should also not mess with your mind. And we think the psychological effects of your food choices are perhaps the most important factors to consider during your healthy-eating transformation.

This is why the Whole30 includes rules like, “No Paleo-ifying desserts or junk food” or “No stepping on the scale for 30 days.” The guidelines aren’t just about how these foods (and behaviors) are affecting you physically, but also how they play into our unhealthy relationships with food, eating, and our bodies.
 

2. Promote a healthy hormonal response. Chronic “overcarbsumption” of food-with-no-brakes leads to reliance on sugar for fuel, an accumulation of body fat, triglyceride buildup in the liver, and an excess of glucose and triglycerides in the bloodstream. But you can stop overconsuming, dial all the way back to insulin and leptin sensitivity, retrain your body to burn fat and, to a significant degree, restore normal cortisol levels, by doing one simple thing: changing the food you put on your plate.

This is why our plan includes nutrient-dense, whole foods (no nutrient-poor-but-technically-Paleo options!) and why we include guidelines like, “Eat three meals a day, trying not to snack,” and “Start your day with a breakfast focused on protein and fat.” The food choices and mealtime habits you’ll develop on your Whole30 will start to restore a healthy hormonal balance quickly.

3. Support a healthy gut. We believe you should consume only foods (and drinks) that support normal, healthy digestive function; eating anything that impairs the integrity of your gut impairs the integrity of your health.

This is why the Whole30 is 100% for 30 days—no cheats, slips, or special occasions. If you’re sensitive to a particular substance, it only takes a tiny amount to promote disruption in the gut (and elsewhere in the body). You must completely eliminate all potentially problematic foods for the full 30 days to allow your gut time and space to heal.

4. Support immune function and minimize inflammation.
Your food choices should result in a well-rested, highly-effective defense system. In other words, food should not cause excessive ongoing immune activity, also known as chronic systemic inflammation. Chronic systemic inflammation is at the heart of metabolic syndrome.

This is perhaps the most significant standard of them all, because systemic inflammation is related to just about every lifestyle-related disease and condition you can think of. It’s also sneaky, and can manifest itself in any number of different ways in the body—no two people’s symptoms are alike. And it’s why we eliminate the foods and beverages we do, as they have all been shown to promote inflammation either directly, or indirectly through impaired gut integrity.
"

I love the 4 dimensional look at foods. To me, this just makes so much sense. It seems so natural. It just feels "right".

I highly suggest you take a look at these links:

Whole30 Program Info
Whole30 Downloads - Shopping lists, meal planning guides and more
Whole30 Blog - Tips, recipes, support & more

Eric and I started the Whole30 yesterday. Today I feel fantastic. I feel like I am ON FIRE. But I know this will soon fade, and things will get tough. I will have to be creative with food. It will take a little more work to eat somedays.

But we are committed to this. We NEED to change our eating habits. We cannot keep living like this. I need to get healthier. We have lost 3 of our babies already. I need to make my body as healthy as possible, I cannot bear to lose any more.

Moving On - Paleo & More - Journey To Health

This has gone on long enough, months and months. I have read a few other books but I am going to quickly recap them because I am SUPER excited to talk about what I am doing right now.

Yes. I know. Even my eyes roll back into my head when I hear myself say that. But taking steps towards health is better than doing nothing. I have failed SO MANY times, but it is no excuse to stop trying. I am picking my heavy body back up off the ground, dusting it off, and trying again.


My desperation to read about ALL types of low carb, high fat diets lead to me read these books.

NeanderThin - This book was about the Paleo diet. I think the general idea of the Paleo diet is on the right track, but this takes it a bit too far. We have to be reasonable. We are not Paleolithic people anymore, our bodies have changed, as has the availability of food. This books highly suggests eating pemmican. I don't even know where I would get pemmican, nor does it seam appealing to me.

From what I gather, the Paleo community can be VERY strict about what you can and cannot eat. If a paleolithic person couldn't have it, neither can you. This is too restrictive for my liking. I want to eat foods based on what is healthiest for me. Not on what someone ate 6000 years ago ( or a million years ago according to the book. That doesn't fly for me either, but that is a while other post).

Wheat Free: How I lost 90 Pound in 6 Months by Eliminating Wheat from my Diet & How You Can Do It Too:  Despite this lengthy name, this is actually a really short book. I read it in one sitting. It is not so much about any diet. It really just is a story about a women who when wheat free and found her way to health. There is also not much for suggestions. I also don't like how wheat was the only thing she cut out, and she speaks about going to the gluten free bakery for doughnuts. Wheat free does NOT mean healthy in my mind. Especially if you are changing out the wheat for other carb loaded flours and sugar. It was a cheap book, 2.99. But honestly it wasn't even worth that. I wouldn't recommend that anyone read it. It's mostly about her boyfriend drama.

And with that note, I *THINK* I am up to date with everything I have read, save for what I am going to post about next. Probably today cause I can't wait. :)

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Complete Low Carb High Fat No Hunger Diet - Keto-Hybrid Diet - Journey To Health

After reading THM, Wheat Belly and Grain Brain. I wanted to read more about this low carb, high fat diet/lifestyle. I wanted to read about the different types of diets that there was out there. The two mains ones are the ketogenic diet and the paleo diet.

This book is, obviously, about the ketogentic diet. You may have ready about this diet before, in online articles and blogs about children with epilepsy. It has been proven to reduce the amount of seizures they are having, just by eating a low carb, high fat diet. If that isn't reason enough that everyone should be eating this way, I don't know what is.

I do remember first reading about that diet, and thinking how hard it would be. Now that I have been doing so much reading about this, it doesn't seem so hard. Mind you, if you are using it to help a child with epilepsy, you have to be quite a bit more strict than and adult just using it as a lifestyle change.

I will admit, I read this book (most of these books) in the summer, so they are not really fresh in my mind. I am not about to read them all again, so I will try to give my best opinion on them.

The Keto-Hybrid diet book was written by a mother-daughter duo . They simply wanted to share how this diet change has greatly changed their lifestyle for the better. It is a blend of the ketogenic, low carb and paleo diets, but most of the focus is on the ketogenic diet.

They are all about counting their "Macro" percentages. So keeping track of the percentage of calories that come from carbs, fat and protein. At first they say to record it, but eventually it is supposed to be come second nature and you wouldn't need to write it down anymore.

It was a good read, and I like the general idea of this diet. But there were a few things that kinda bugged me. Like not eating carrots or bananas. I understand wanting to keep the carbs low, but I think getting carbs from veggies and fruit is part of a healthy diet.

Again, this was another "diet". You can make it a lifestyle, but there was so much focus on losing weight. It is also not as well researched as some of the other books out there.

I did record my macros for a week, and I did go into ketosis (where you burn fat for calories), but it's alot of work keeping track of that stuff every day. I don't really have a tonne negative to say about this book, it's just another good read to reinforce the benefits of a low carb, high fat lifestyle.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Grain Brain - Journey To Health

Grain Brain is quite similar to Wheat Belly, except it's focus is more on what grains do to your mind. It's actually quite an eye opening read. Even after Wheat Belly.

I am not going to talk too much about it, because it is so similar in its recommendations. It's dietary guidelines differ slightly, but the low carb, high fat premises remains the same.

Again, I do recommend reading it if you want to do more research into what grains do to your body.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Wheat Belly - Journey To Health

My step-dad had a copy of Wheat Belly laying around for quite some time, slowly reading through it. And then I heard a few other people talk about it, and I was convinced it was time for me to read it.

It taught me a tonne about grains, and especially about our modern wheat and how it has been genetically modified SO much.

Reading this book turned me into a very anti-grain individual. I don't think anyone will ever be able to convince me that I NEED to eat grains to be healthy. 

Will I occasionally eat wheat products just for the plain enjoyment of the food? Bet your sweet tuchas I will.

But I will never eat it as part of my "healthy" diet. There is not one single vitamin, mineral or fiber in grains that I cannot get in veggies and fruit. Not even one. In fact, veggies tend to have the same if not more fiber in a cup by cup comparison to grains. They are just not necessary.

It kills me now to see people grabbing products labelled "Healthy Whole Grains" and consuming them like they are doing their body a favor. That term is no more than a marketing gimmick created by the food industry to sell more products. They don't care a lick if you are healthy, they care if they sell you as much crap as possible.

Anyways, I digress. Wheat Belly build upon the low carb, high fat concept that I was introduced to through Trim Healthy Mama.

My ONLY issue with Wheat Belly, is that he would would say never ever ever have any grains ever again. That, and fake replacement for junk foods. I want real food people. I just want to eat food that is healthy for me. If I am going to eat junk, I want it to be the fully gloriously terrible for me junk. Not a terrible tasting replacement for junk.

Also, I got the message from the book that if you eliminate grains, all your health issues will resolved forever. IBS? Gone! Allergies? Gone. Cancer? Gone. Athritis? Gone. Your dead? Alive! You catch my drift? Don't get me wrong, I am sure so many of these things will improve when you change you life. But it's not a cure-all.

Or maybe it is. Honestly I haven't followed the diet for more than 2 weeks.

That being said. Go read "Wheat Belly". It's worth the read. I own it, I will borrow it to you. It is a great start, and lots of good science!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Potty Training In 3 Days

Tallet turned 2. It was time to start thinking about potty training. I remember hearing about a 3 day method when my bro was a toddler, but I didn't really look into it. I headed to Facebook for potty training advice. I got lots of good advice, and some not so good. Another Mom in a mommy group recommended this 3 day plan, so I went for it. I was skeptical at first. Three days didn't seem long enough. Here is my experience:

Woke up in the morning. Tallet and I had breakfast. Coralee came over for out workout. After she left, we started potty training.

In the days leading up to potty training I made sure we had all the supplies on hand. I made sure I had enough food in the house, and no plans so I could totally focus on Tallet and potty training.

The supplies I found useful were:
-potty
-flushable moist wipes
-20-40 pairs of underwear
-gummy bears
-stickers
-potty training chart
-small toys as prizes for completing a row on the chart

The first thing I did was to take off Tallet's diaper and put on gitchies. I explained to him that he was a big boy now and that he needed to keep those gitchies dry. Then we went and packed up all his cloth diapers into a box. I told him to say bye bye diapers. He helped me pack them up and chanted "bye bye diapers" the whole time. Then we went to the bathroom and I showed him the potty and told him that is where he needs to go potty from now on.

Throughout the day I would constantly remind him "Tell mommy when you have to go pee on the potty" and I would quiz him "Are your shorts/gitch dry?" and give him praise when they were dry. I watched him closely all day. If he started to have an accident I would take him to the potty. It was essential that I catch him in the middle of an accident.  You get sick of your own voice repeating the same things over and over. But it works. I watched him closely for signs he had to go pee, especially before he started verbally asking. He would dance around or grab his crotch.

Rewards:
Peeing on potty - One gummy bear
Pooping on potty - Two gummy bears and a sticker on his chart. Once he fills a row he gets a small toy. We bought a multi-pack of hot wheels and will give him one at a time.

Day 1

10:40 - Started Training
10:45 - First accident. I went upstairs to get him a shorter shirt and when I came back down he said "I need help" and he had peed in his shorts.
10:52 - Large accident
11:30 - Large accident
11:37 - Medium accident
11:52 - Peed on potty, had a small accident beforehand
12:18 - Peed on potty, small accident beforehand
1:13 - Peed on potty, small dribble in pants
1:48 - Accident, caught him in the middle of it and he finished on the potty.
2:08 - Big accident, then finished on potty
3:20 - Peed on potty
3:35 - Pooped on potty
3:58 - Peed on potty. I asked him by accident if he needed to go.
4:55 - Peed on potty, gitchies slightly damp.
5:40 - Peed on potty, one drop in gitch
6:10 - small accident then peed on potty
6:42 - Peed on potty - told Eric to "Hurry, carry you" which means to carry him.
6:55 - Pooped on potty
7:03 - Caught him peeing his pants, then finished on potty
7:13 - Accident - then peed on potty a very small amount
7:35 - Accident, then peed in potty after.
8:00 - Peed on potty before bed.

Honestly, I was EXHAUSTED by the end of this day. I could not wait for him to go to bed. I was tired of staring at his gitch and hearing myself speak. It didn't seem like we were getting very far, but I knew it could take 3 full days so I still had hope. We are using pull ups for night because I don't have a proper mattress cover.

Day 2

9:30 - Wake up. Pull up fill of pee. Refused to sit on potty.
10:50 - Peed on potty. Asked verbally after me reminding him to ask me. Small dribble in pants.
11:15 - Peed on potty. Told me by "dancing" - No dribbles.
12:10 - Big accident, grabbed Eric's hand and showed it to him, then finished on the potty.
12:25 - Small accident, but then asked to go "pee potty" and had a big pee on the potty.
1:40 - * ASKED TO PEE ON POTTY*
2:35 - Asked to pee on potty, small dribble in gitch
3:15 - Asked to pee on potty, small dribble in gitch
3:40 - Asked to pee on potty, no dribbles!
4:25 - Grabbed Eric's hand and pulled him to potty, peed on potty
4:55 - Grabbed my hand and said "Go Pee" and peed on potty
5:30 - Said "I need help" and then peed on potty. Small dribble in gitch
6:50 - Grabbed my hand and led me to washroom, peed on potty.
7:30 - Bath
8:00 - Bedtime. Did not pee on potty before bed.

Today was a much easier day. He was grasping the idea of asking to go potty, and that was the main goal.

Day 3

9:15 - Woke up. Pull up full. Did not pee on potty.
11:00 - Went to bathroom alone, I followed him. He peed on potty.
1:45 - Asked to pee on potty
3:00 - Asked to pee on potty. Small dribble in gitch
3:15 - Pooped his pants. YUCK! Then he pooped and peed on the potty.
3:35 - Asked to pee on potty - dry gitch
4:45 - Asked to pee on potty - dry gitch
5:20 - Asked to pee on potty - dry gitch
7:45 - Eric and Tallet were wrestling and Eric caught him dribbling, peed on potty
8:15 - Did not pee on potty before bed.

This was by far the best day, and I think I could say that he was essentially potty trained. The pooping is hard because he doesn't always poop every day, so there are way less opportunities to teach him.

Day  4

I did not keep a log for this day.  His pull up was dry in the morning. We were heading to stay at Hecla in a hotel for the weekend. It was a good day. I caught him dribbling once when Terry was spinning him in a chair. Other than that he was dry all day, and even pooped in the potty at night before bed!

Day 5 & 6

Were essentially perfect days, except on Sunday morning (Day 6), he peed a bit in his gitchies before asking to go potty.

Day 7 and beyond. He has pooped his pants once at Coralee's house, but other than that has been essentially accident free.

Needless to say, I am a HUGE fan of the 3 Day potty training method. It clearly works. Well worth the money.  We still have a bit of work to do with the pooping, and we need to eliminate the nighttime pull ups ASAP. The method doesn't recommend them, and neither do I. I think it slows the training. I just bought a mattress cover so we probably wont be using Pull ups tonight. Last night he work up at 12 asking to go potty, and went straight back to bed after peeing.

I am sure he will have a few accidents here and there, especially in public when a potty is harder to get to. But that is ok, it will teach him he needs to hold it longer or ask to go sooner.

I would love to hear your stories! What has worked best for you?

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

I Miss You

Lately I have really been missing the blogging world. Sometime in the last few years the shift from blogs to Facebook has happened. I miss the intimacy of blogs. I miss hearing about people's  lives. I am tired of counting likes.

My last series of blogs really dropped off hard. I am going to try to pick that back up, as well as start to post here quite a bit more often. I hope it works out.

And I hope to find more active bloggers to follow again!
© diary of a crazy person. Powered by