Years Gone By

 Years pass and days fade.  Life has happened and I’m here to say … I’m still at it. 

Two bio babies and several miscarriages, and almost two dozen foster children.  

I am still in the 4th trimester but I am working on working out.  

Almost daily walks.  Small bouts of jogging.  No real running or pressing myself for a few weeks yet.  

Slow. Steady. Focus on food for fuel. Exercise for overall health.  

Every day is another goal, another reasons to keep on keeping on. So I do. 

Juice Fast

This past weekend I embarked on a journey that I have never been on before.  I did a juice fast.

I was excited, yet somewhat apprehensive.  I knew it would have tremendous benefits for me.  I wanted to do it to prove that I could do it and I was eager to see what kind of health benefits I would reap.

I ordered a 3 day cleanse anticipating doing it Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Life got a little hectic on Friday, so I committed to Saturday and Sunday for sure.  Saturday morning was busy but I got my juice on.  I was not prepared for how much I would dislike the kale juice.  But I drank it.  Followed by a pineapple mint which was amazing.  I ended up only drinking 5 of my 6 bottles on Saturday but I was not hungry at all during the day, nor did I cheat or desire to cheat.  Sunday morning started great.  My energy was level, my mood was stable, and I was ready to take on the day!  I prepped for introducing some broth and protein packed noodles back into my diet the following day.  I prepared a potato salad made with avocado oil and eggs for a protein packed snack the following day. 

Come 4 in the afternoon, I was ready to start introducing solids into my diet and knew that there was no way I was going to be able to make it through the night, or the next day, with consuming only a liquid diet.  I felt great asides from the "cleanse" part now taking effect.

I weaned off the fast slowly.  I had 7 bottles of juice left and I intermingled them with solids.  I lost 6 pounds of water weight and some of my "tight" clothes began to even feel loose.  I have decided to keep grains at a minimum in my diet because those are what appear to cause the most bloat. 

It is now 5 days post fast and overall I feel good.  My mood has been more unstable lately than it has in the past so I am trying to figure out how diet can help with that.  I know that diet can cause hormone unbalance so I am seeking to eat a more plant based, whole foods, type diet overall.  I will still allow for some wiggle room for the occasional ice-cream or cookie, but real foods will be my main go to.  It has been a successful week of eating real, whole foods in addition to enjoying some ice cream with a walk along the lake!

I have been using Endomondo to track my walking habits.  I do not usually walk more than 9/10 of a mile to 1 1/2 miles, but I am moving.  And at this point, that is what matters!

Taking Steps

One whole week and a day of food journaling down.

Sometimes it helps me to make a better choice knowing that what goes into my mouth must go down on the paper.

I have been having headaches all week. I think possibly due to the cutting down on sugar, maybe partly to do with the abrupt changes in the weather.

Running out of coffee creamer is one surefire way to drink coffee with only whole milk. I make a commitment to not buy coffee creamer this week. The one week I make that declaration is one of the weeks that coffee creamer is on sale at the store. Go figure. But I stay strong and committed. I'll be out of town for the holiday and I know a holiday drink will be happening as a special occasion. But I still won't buy creamer.

I haven't noticed any real changes to me yet, aside from the likely sugar reduction headaches.

Pressing on. Determination and dedication and passion are just a few of the strong characteristics that I know I possess!

Back at it

Somewhere along the way I feel off the bandwagon.

I don't want to diet. I want a lifestyle change. Everything in moderation, eh?

Food journaling. It is a thing. A very good thing. I only started 5 days ago, but it is making me far more conscience about what I put in my mouth. I try to watch serving sizes and ingredients now.

Serving size for coffeemate coffee creamer is ONE Tablespoon. I was putting in far too many times that. I knew it was one Tablespoon. I just poured until my coffee was khaki colored. I cut out my coffee creamer use by over 1/2 of what I had been using. I need to cut it down at least another half of what I have it at now. But it is a start. I've avoided going to the store and buying an exorbitant amount of munchies (or any munchies in general!).

One thing at a time. Taking it slow enough to be a life style change. I can do this. I am doing this.

Raise the Roof

So, there have been way too many changes in my life lately.


I keep saying I am ready to start, and then I try to start, and I fall flat on my face. I am so ready for an accountability partner. I am ready for some major mental shifts and ready to embrace a MAXIMIZED MIND!


I CAN do this. I can life a healthy lifestyle. I can live the life I have wanted. I can live healthy and long. I can see myself getting married, raising a family, and watching my own children go off and raise a family of their own. I can see their children have children.


So many dreams. So many obtainable dreams.




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My diet. I don't mean "dieting" but rather a lifestyle change. I want to cut out the crap. I want to eliminate sugars and all the things that make me feel awful.


I had a calzone for lunch today. Against my better judgment. My belly is so bloated and extended that I look like I am carrying a small baby.




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I had to cancel my half marathon. I cancelled it and hopefully I'll try again for it next year. I am so not prepared. I was doing ok, but Foster Care really became my prime focus.




Perhaps Foster Care is what needs to drive me and motivate me to live a life of wellness and health.




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My mom has a friend in her 70s that is still an active foster mom of special needs children. I want to be in my 30, 40s, 50, 60s, and 70s and beyond living a healthy life for these babies in my care. I want to adopt and keep up with the infants and the teens and the ones that grow up and have children of their own.


I want to set the bar high. I want to be an example. I want the children in my care to learn about health and wellbeing. So many youngsters learn by example. I pray that I can be that example to them on so many levels.

Day 9

Exhausted. Lack of sleep. Middle of the night wake up calls.


I love it and hate it all wrapped into one.


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Yesterday was not the best day for me in regards to eating healthy. I ended up going to McDonald's and getting an egg and sausage biscuit for breakfast. There was a battle of good and evil going on in my head -- Get it! But don't! It's tasty! But so bad for you ... You don't do this often! Don't do it!!!!


So I did. Along with a Frappe.


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I almost ordered out for lunch, but a coworker brought in sandwich stuff. I had 2 slices of potato bread with [light] mayo, turkey, pepperjack cheese, and pickles. I enjoyed every single bite of that sandwich.


Making meals on my own this week hasn't exactly happened. So it was nice to NOT eat out and enjoy something far less processed and unhealthy as getting fried chicken -- which was pretty much my first choice. haha.




I ended up having a yogurt for lunch. A friend invited me to her place and we ate papa murphys pizza that had chicken, spinach, feta and bacon. BEST PIZZA EVER. It was also a thin crust, so YUM all around. We also had salad and snap peas with it. She made corn on the cob, but I wasn't hungry for that.


Overall it wasn't awful. It was actually a GREAT day. :)

Day 8

So much has been happening this past week that all the days are blurring together and I am trying to keep track of what I have and have not done.


The 8th started with going to my moms and eating some left over fruit and dip. I don't recall much more of the day. It was my late night at work, so I brought left over meatballs for lunch and munched on some chocolate rice cakes.


I have not been exercising and I am working on drinking more.




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Recently I accepted a foster placement. So that is what has been the main focus of my life the past week. It has been rewarding, yet challenging.


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At this point, I will NOT be running my marathon. I wasn't even planning on showing up, but after checking their website, I can defer to next year, OR switch to the 5.7 mile run/WALK for this year.


I'll see what I am feeling in the next couple of weeks. I have close to a month to decide.


It is hard to make plans with so much unknowns with a baby!


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So that's what my Tuesday was.