Day 136

Seems odd that I still am counting the days.  I'm not really, not exactly I actually had to go back to an older post and then count up the days b/c I stopped doing that.  I don't have to count the days b/c this is easy now.  My life is my own.  I control it, food no longer controls me.  It's just food, I don't care about it except that it fuels my body.  Honestly, the only thing that I care how it tastes?  Beer.  I will not give up my beer.  It's become my only vice and I like it.  I just budget for it now... not a monetary budget a health budget.  I only drink my craft brews on the weekends.  That's my budget, my tolerance is low now such that I can't drink too much anymore so it's okay to enjoy it.

Anyway, day 136.  So in that time I've lost 42lbs, I've lost 4 pant sizes, my sleep apnea is gone.  My GERD is gone.  My PCOS seems like it's gone.  I've had 3 regular menses without the aid of hormones or meds.  By and large I feel amazing.  I sleep wonderfully, I have energy and don't feel like a slug.  I've been exercising at least 3x a week and I just don't stress about what I eat.  I can honestly say I'm happy with myself.  That's a far cry from being ashamed of myself.  I also still have a ways to go but I feel good about my path and know I'll get there.

This blog has run its' course I'm not sure I'll keep updating as frequently unless I hit some major milestones.  Thanks to everyone for reading :)  I'm not going away I'm just not going to stress about updating this.  Besides I am far more active in my facebook group than here.  If you want in on that hit me up and I'll add you.

I miss yogurt :(

One of the biggest changes in my life with paleo eating has been the elimination of all things dairy except grass fed butter and cheese.  So, I really miss my greek yogurt.  Not so much for the taste but for the benefits of my gut and the consistency it made my smoothies.  This week I was chatting up a co-worker who is a serious marathon runner and he mentioned he makes his own kafir.  Intrigued by this I thought it might be something I could try so he harvested some his grains and brought them in for me.  He gave me instructions and so I set to making my own kafir.  It's surprisingly easy and I'll go into that in more detail in another post.  For now I'll just cover what kafir actually is and I'm going to leave it to someone who can do a much better job explaining than I can.

Here is my source.

What is Kefir?
Kefir is a fermented milk product that originated centuries ago in the Caucasus mountains, and is now enjoyed by many different cultures worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia. It can be made from the milk of any ruminant animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. It is slightly sour and carbonated due to the fermentation activity of the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that make up the “grains” used to culture the milk (not actual grains, but a grain-like matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars that feed the microbes). The various types of beneficial microbiota contained in kefir make it one of the most potent probiotic foods available.Besides containing highly beneficial bacteria and yeasts, kefir is a rich source of many different vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids that promote healing and repair, as well as general health maintenance. (2) Kefir contains high levels of thiamin, B12, calcium, folates and Vitamin K2. It is a good source of biotin, a B vitamin that HELPS the body assimilate other B vitamins. The complete proteins in kefir are already partially digested, and are therefore more easily utilized by the body. Like many other dairy products, kefir is a great source of minerals like calcium and magnesium, as well as phosphorus, which helps the body utilize carbohydrates, fats and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy. (3)

So it sounds amazing right?  Well... it takes a little getting used to.  It has a nutty flavor and a yogurt flavor but smells awful.  Regardless I added some to my fresh raspberries, coconut milk, and protein powder this morning and I had the combo I had been missing for months. :)

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog.  I hate to cop out and say life is busy but...life is busy.  We've been canning and preserving food, yard sales, and at work I'm in the middle of a huge.... HUGE project that is consuming my time.  The important thing is that I am still paleo and eating good.  I have slip ups but I really pay for them now.  The longer I'm away from grain the less tolerable to it I become.  I know there's no going back for me now.

And I'm back on the wagon

Whew, last week was a blurr of bad eating and lots of alcohol.  I started feeling absolutely miserable towards the end of the weekend. My body was so run down and my digestion was flaky.  I knew what I was eating was bad for me and I'm done with that again for a while as we started a new Healthy Wage competition.  We dropped 2 members and added 2 more members and so far we are all off to blazing start. Being part of a team helps keep me accountable I truly feel this is going to be the way I lose more weight.  That's not to say I don't want to lose for me because I do.  It just means people counting on me tends to make me work a little harder than I normally would for myself.

So, I've been going to Shelly's boot camp in addition to eating better.  I can tell a huge difference in my ability to do the exercises than I could 40lbs heavier ago. :)  I still have to modify ones that put too much strain on my shoulder but otherwise I can actually do about 99% of things.  So, my ortho was right when he told me I needed to lose around 40lbs to be able to do these things without impacting my shoulder or ankle.  It's nice to have muscle pain rather than joint pain these days....muscle pain is good pain.

My mom and I have continued canning and preserving stuff.  We've started doing beans and more pickles but on the horizon is soup!  The experience of doing this with her has been a treasure, I saw her do all this when I was a kid but I never was involved past just being her sous chef.  This time I'm learning all the recipes and tips/tricks.  I have plans to make my garden bigger next year too!  The joy of growing my own stuff is immeasurable.  Sadly all of this has truly kept me from keeping this blog as current as I would like it to be.  I'd love to be showing pictures and giving step by step instructions for stuff but I just cannot keep the pace with everything else and here too so me rambling will have to suffice for now.

What a long strange week it has been

So Friday was the last day to verify for our HealthyWage competition and I verified at 38lbs down!!  My whole team did fantastic and now we wait to see if we placed in the top 3 to earn some cash.  I went off paleo for the weekend and drank much much beer and ate bread the end result? I was up 4lbs this morning.
Today I am going to start boot camp again now that Sgt. Shelly is conducting them in the gym across the street from my house.... I no longer have a valid excuse to skip.  I have 50lbs to go and I'm going to get there!
I have been busy... very busy... between work and things starting to come in the garden I haven't had much time for myself.  I decided to make some time this weekend though and I played hard.  We have made pickles and a few kinds of fruit preserves this week we hope to start canning beans.  I am already planning new things for my garden next year :)
I also plan to make paleo keylime pie this week.  Every since Beth posted hers last week I have craved keylime everything so the only way to solve this is to make my own and make it as healthy as possible so I don't feel guilty for eating it.

Wow! I seem to be really losing fast again

So now I'm at 36lbs down as of this morning.  I really haven't changed much except I'm actually eating breakfast again.  I'm just eating good clean paleo food even some berries!  I think the bulletproof regimen kickstarted my body past the plateau.  I think it also had some negative effects on my body as well, mostly in the fact that it made my digestion completely stall and I had some major issues over the weekend.  But that jolt seems to be what my body needed and I'm cruising again.  I hit my 2nd goal of 35lbs lost and when I hit 40lbs lost I will reward myself with buying clothes that fit.  I'm sure most people are tired of seeing me wear the same things but some of my clothes are just too big and I do not want to spend money until I am well below previous weightloss attempts.

In all though it's been an exciting week.  I've made pickles with ingredients from my garden and also made blueberry jam the paleo way.  Beans and tomatoes are coming in so before long we'll be preserving those.  I feel so good about knowing exactly what's in my food and what I'm eating.  It's such a drastic change from how I used to be.  I started slow and picked up steam and honestly I couldn't be happier with how I feel! :)

Today marks 90 days paleo and...

I've lost 34lbs, 12.9% of fat.  But it's more than the weight that is gone.  I am no longer addicted to sugar or carbs.  I eat sustaining meals that are not processed; they are wholesome, planned, and cooked.  This way of living took quite a bit of getting used to after having spent half my life eating quick easy meals.  We've been duped by companies into thinking that something in a package that says "healthy" is actually healthy.  We've been duped by companies in thinking that grains, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), dairy, and GMO laden soy products are not harming our bodies.

Before these changes in my diet I slept terribly if at all.  I snored, I had acne, I had PCOS, I had high blood glucose, and I felt tired and miserable all the time.  The loss of weight is a nice bonus but all of these things correcting themselves is more than worth the change.  It hasn't been all peaches and cream along the way... in fact it's been challenging.  First trying to plan and cook for a family after not really having to worry about it before presented challenges...I had to actually think about what I'd cook...like in advance and stuff.  I sought out produce and meat that wasn't full of GMOs, hormones, steroids, etc.  But once I got the hang of it this way actually turned out to be easier.  I got to be experimental in the kitchen and just make stuff up and yeah we probably ate more egg scrambles the first month than I'd like to admit ;)  But the point is I stuck to my guns.  If I made some veggies and meat and my mom insisted on still having bread or potatoes I resisted temptation from eating it.  If there is one thing I wish though it would be for my mom to stop eating the grains and sugar.  She is a diabetic and get famished between meals, she also battles yeast infections and she doesn't believe that her sugar/grain addiction is the cause of it. :(

Along the way I have learned some things about myself too.  In the early days I felt like I had stringent rules to follow.  But then I discovered that this way of thinking is what caused me to quit countless other diets in the past.  I now instead view this truly as a lifestyle change and do not just say that because it's catchy.  The thing is once I kicked the addictions it wasn't hard to eat right.  And yes, I say addictions because that is exactly what it was.  Shaking and dreaming about sugar and bread is not exactly clean living, but that's what I experienced.  If I went too long without sugar I would start thinking about it, start craving it, my body wanted it.  Those first days of kicking the habit were the most enlightening in this journey.  I know that I never want to be there again.    I also learned that I sounded like a purist bitch in the early days preaching what you can and can't have.  As more people have approached me about the paleo diet and what I do I've taken a more relaxed approach and try to explain that you don't have to this 100%....just cutting out grains, avoiding GMOs, soy, and refined sugar and upping your veggie content will bring you to 80% and you're going to feel much better.  The other 20% is doing it 7x24x365 and eating grass fed meat and organic veggies.  This just isn't always possible so it's important to realize that not being perfect isn't the end of the world.

My journey has just started, I have many more pounds to lose but I have a life ahead that I want to look forward to one that is without preventable disease. :)

Pulled Pork.... Paleo Style!

So for the 4th I wanted to have something different besides the usual faire of burgers and dogs.  Somewhere along the weeks preceeding we decided on a pork shoulder and making BBQ.  I wanted to make this pork as paleo friendly as possible so I scoured the paleosphere until I found a recipe that appealed to my senses.  That's where I found this gem on reddit.com/r/paleo

Here's a few pics of pork in the crock and then the pork all pulled apart ready for consumption.

The noms had cannot be shown in pics alone it must be experienced.  Here are some things I will try differently next time.  It needs more chilies, I will add chipolte flakes, possibly some chipolte peppers rather than chilies.  I added some large onions and put them in the bottom of the crock, I also think it needs more garlic.  Other than that, this was fab.  It was so tasty and smelled divine.  It has also made some yummy leftovers.

Other than that the 4th was pretty tame.  I also made cole slaw and there were deviled eggs not much was strict paleo though beyond the pork.  Still, even non-paleos enjoyed the pork so it's proof that eating this way isn't bland :)