A Good Report!!

Don't you find it a bit funny that we can live our whole lives and still be learning how to care for ourselves, still being "rerevelated" to the simplicity yet complexity that is our body? ("Rerevelated", I made this word up: to experience the same revelation over and over with zeal and purpose) Well at 54 years old I am still learning and reinforcing things I already knew. It is true that our bodies are constantly changing, though usually subtly. As we age things can get quite interesting. I have been blessed to not really struggle with weight most of my life. That does not mean I have had ideal fitness only that I have not been on the scale in angst very often. This has been not the case in the last few years. I am really happy to report that things are looking up!

I am feeling and looking great! A good report constitutes a great day!
I have now been in the program at Blue Skies for 10 weeks and I have had so much success. Going into this I couldn't allow myself to think out beyond a weekly plan so as not to be intimidated by the long term challenges. Now at 10 weeks, looking back it is really wonderful. I have acclimated in a way that looking out in the future at a changed lifestyle is feeling great and not intimidating.

Recently, I got a lot of good medical news! Here goes..

1. I have lost 28 lbs. and am now considered at a very healthy weight. ( I will lose 10 more to be at my ideal which I have maintained most of my adult life)
2. My blood work was mostly positive.
3.My hormone levels are very good. They had anticipated giving me more testosterone (osteoporosis treatment) next month but I am holding great at a mid range level so we have pushed that at 2 months. Great! Less is more here, financially and intervention wise. I am praying for a miracle, that every time we check it my level is still normal. Can you see it!!
4. Blood sugar, was getting high, now it is great!
5. Thyroid, great! Was stressed, and so was I but not now.
6. Not so good news, Cholesterol is still high. Ok we will watch that. I am going to become more aware of high fatty foods.

So, I desire to incorporate this small portion eating habit into a lifestyle. This is a challenge but I know that if I stick with it I CAN establish NEW behaviors.

I have to thank my husband and friends so much for all the encouragement and support. Now my lifelong friend, Cat is on the program too and it is so wonderful to share the journey. I will never forget the peanut butter birthday cake created by my friend, Lori. It was a sculpted mound of chilled peanut butter. I did eat it over many days with a spoon. I have great friends!!

If you are thinking of making some changes in your life with health and food, I give this word. Share what you are doing with others. It opens the door for support and creates a wonderful accountability. You will be "rerevelated" as to how much your friends love and care for you.

I look forward to 2015 when I can say "I don't have osteoporosis and I am in great health!"
Can you hear it? I can!

Blue Skies Christmas Report 2013

Happy Holidays Fellow Blog Readers,

I have been on this new regime for six completed weeks at this point and so far I have been very focused. Having successfully followed the council of Dr "Dave" Lamond OD (Blue Sky MD), Kensy my nutritionist, and Karla the nurse practitioner, I can report that their predictions have been completely correct so far. This is very exciting on many levels.

 Here are list of a few things they shared up front and have proven true to date.

1. I would probably have rapid weight loss in the first 2 weeks and then it would taper off.
I lost one lb. a day for 14 days and then it slowed to 1-2 lbs. a week. This was less exciting but I know it is more appropriate than huge rapid weight loss.

2. Dr. Dave said my hip pain while walking would probably begin to go away 2 weeks in. Yep, it did.
This is exciting on so many levels.

3. Dr. Dave said my "sense of well being" would be very increased in 2 weeks. Yep. This is logical because anytime we experience consistent focus and it is followed with success that =  "a sense of well being".

So, if you have read my beginning blogs then you know that some good reports I will have to wait for but that's OK. I am full of faith: "the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things unseen" Hebrews 11:1.

Here is a shout out to my dear friend, Charlotte Rhymer. Thanks for living out loud and sharing your story with me. xoxo You are the reason I am on this path!!!

Emotional Condition: Rested and centered
Spiritual Condition: Loving Jesus and full of faith
Bodily Condition: Stronger, smaller, and more energy

In all things give thanks!!!

"On a New Regime"

 

Journey into Blue Skies “On a New Regime”

(week three)

Our plans to go on vacation trumped my timely blog entry, which I am attempting to do every Tuesday.

So forgive me this lapse but the sea was calling and I forgot. I did stay focused and food in excess was not part of our glorious event. Yah me!

As of Monday I was just .6 away from losing 14 lbs. in 14 days. This is really remarkable and I don’t believe I have ever achieved that rapid a weight loss in my lifetime, which has been fairly long and I have traversed many seasons of restrictive eating. To quote my Mom, “I am starting a new regime”. These were her words whenever she began a new approach to eating.

Well there are many reasons why this regime is working. I will attempt to list

 The Top Ten

(…in deference to David Letterman)

1.       I am actually doing it

2.       The condition I was in physically left me no other option.

3.       I have  a lot of accountability

4.       It is coupled with good information which helps me stay focused

5.       It is costing me money

6.       I have lots of friends supporting me

7.       George is doing it too, so I am not alone in it

8.       I believe the hormone replacement has helped my metabolism

9.       I have an appetite suppressant

10.   I am actually doing it

 

So I feel good. Hungry, yes. But I am beginning to become accustomed to it. I thought when I went in last week they would up my calories, but no. 600-800 and 40 carbs. The nutritionist did say that my rapid weight loss will slow down now. I know it needs to but I love this almost instant gratification of a pound a day. Yes I am not that mature yet, I still love instant gratification!

So sitting on the seashore with a spoonful of peanut butter is quite lovely.

Tomorrow we will ride our bikes! That will be introducing exercise into my “new regime”.

I get by with a little help from my friends....

Have you ever noticed the inner strength that you experience with just a few words of encouragement coming your way? They are like "power balls" hitting you by surprise, catapulting you up in the air and then landing firmly on your feet.

This week my husband and friends have been just wonderful. I must be the most blessed women alive. One of the reasons I get so much encouragement is that I let people in my life. I share what I am going through. When you live out loud, letting others know your struggles you are very often richly rewarded.  It is risky because you are revealing weakness. But guess what? Your friends and family already know them. Sharing openly just lets them love you well. So I feel really loved today!

This past week I was eating only 500 calories a day. It was hard. But I received a different kind of  nourishment in "power balls" like "I am proud of you", "you are doing so great", "hang in there it's just a few more days". Thank you dear loved ones for being my support.

This week I get vegetables and they have never tasted so good.  Each day I was more aware of the plight of hunger that so many face and I have never known. Selah!

I have lost 9 lbs. in 10 days which frankly is astounding. The weight loss should slow down a bit now that the cleansing fast is over. I am adding calories and carbs. 800 cals. and 40 carbs. A salad has never looked so good:)

Feb 10th 2014 as my goal date for weight success and Feb 10th 2016 as my goal date for Osteoporosis victory farewell.

I know who my healer is, Jehovah Rophe. I praise Him for this journey. He is my greatest encourager. The Holy Spirit sends me "power balls" all the time and He is the reason I am strong and can live out loud!

The Holy Spirit is my best friend and He surrounds me with people who love me and support me. Today I woke up grateful!

Proverbs 18:21 "The power of life and death is in the tongue."

**The picture is just some of my amazing encouragers, The Village Potters. Other encouragers are my husband, George, my family, my friends and all my Facebook friends! Keep firing "power balls" out there it brings life!

A path to wholeness!

I am so encouraged as I launch into this new journey of health. The information I have received has been what I call "gloriously stupendeous bad news". Its a paradox to be happy to hear that your body has problems However when this information comes with hope and a plan it's welcomed.

I have discovered that I have a considerable hormone deficiency. As a 53 year old women, this is not too surprising. However, I expected it to be estrogen but it is testosterone. Yep, I knew women have low levels of testosterone but I did not realize that it is very important. My doctor believes this is the cause of my diagnosis of osteoporosis. Wow! The sad news is that research into women and testosterone levels is limited. Excuse a short rant but medical science for women is only a few decades old and unfortunately less than extensive. Medical research is driven primarily by a plan for profit not plans for total health. There, I said it.

So here is my new strategy. I have had a Bio Identical testosterone pellet (George and I call it "The Chicklet")  inserted under the skin and it will release low doses of necessary testosterone into my body. My doctor has encouraged me that I will not be morphing into a man. Yah! Rather I will experience normal sleep patterns, lose weight, increase BONE MASS, and lean muscle mass (ie. strength), decrease my risk of breast cancer, normalize high cholesterol, remove stress on my thyroid and have an increase in overall sense of well being. It does sound too good to be true. But, I have close friends who are having incredible results under this physicians care and I have begun my own research and I am finding a lot of positive information on his science.

So after a B12, B1 and B6 shot I have launched into eating 500 calories a day for a week, all protein. I am so encouraged. I will be adding vegetables to my plan as I go along.
I am taking all kinds of wonderful supplements. The journey has begun.

I weighed in fully clothed at 179 lbs. on Friday and had the "chicklet" put in on the same day. When I returned on Monday I had lost 2 lbs. weighing in at 177 lbs. I had not dieted this past weekend, in fact I had a few farewell food meals that included a lot of pasta and chocolate. I have said my goodbyes to goodies and hello to lean meats and eggs.

I have a super husband encouraging me as well as my great friends at The Village Potters. All are praying for me and believing with me that I am on the road to physical and bodily wholeness. So after a wealth of information I am on my way!

A wise man is full of strength and a man of knowledge enhances his might. Proverbs 24:5

Before the start...

I am a planner, intentional, purposeful and a thinker. I discuss openly my weaknesses and my plan for change. As I approach my 54th birthday I am facing it head on that one of life's greatest challenges is changing human behavior. I remember my mother saying, "I am starting a new regime". Well I have said that many times and I am in fact saying it again, "I am starting a new regime". Hopefully this time I am a bit more alerted to the difficulty of making regime a way of life, a behavioral pattern.

I woke up joyful this morning, in love with my husband, loving my family, happy to share the life with my father in love Bill and my mother in love Joy, so grateful that I share this life in relationship with my heavenly Father, Jesus and my greatest friend, Holy Spirit (HS).

Now it is a season to again learn how to take care of me in the middle of all this life. So next week I am following a path of many of my friends to Blue Sky. Blue Sky is a group medical practice that will assist me with a healthy lifestyle of eating custom fit for my specific health challenges. Namely, Osteoporosis. Why follow my friends you might ask? Well, because I have learned to judge a thing by its fruit and these folks are really getting healthy all the while navigating difficulties and hardships in their lives similar to my own. Let's face it if you have lived long enough you know that challenges are not ever going to go away. The great challenge is how to navigate!

So here goes, 2 1/2 years ago I weighed 130 lbs. and walked approx. 21/2 miles 5 times a week. Today I weigh 172 lbs. and can hardly walk a mile without intense hip pain. I have had chest pain, stress related and just went through the mammogram with an issue and am given the OK. So osteoporosis is not a pretty picture of the future so what to do?

OK so I am paying attention. I cannot keep this pace and lack of care for myself up and expect to walk this season of life out in health. So, Blue skies here I come. "I am starting a new regime".
Living fit and trusting God!!!

I hope you will track with me on this blog, be an encourager to me and perhaps some good things in this can become part of your journey too.
I will blog weekly and report how it is going and what changes I experience. I am sending out a special thanks to my dear friend Cintia Listenbee who has mentored me through her friendship and her blog on consistency, intentionality, transparency, accountability, social media and so much more.


11/3/13 Sunday
Spiritual condition: Loving and trusting God
Mental Condition: Encouraged and planning ahead
Bodily condition: Achy, tired and overweight by 40 lbs.

"Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, lean not on your own understanding and He will direct your path" Proverbs 3:5-6