January 4th, Still No Resolutions

As I look at the last several months with no blog entries, no workouts logged and no pounds lost (a few gained back though) my inclination is to start over.  Start a new blog!  Start a new weight loss plan!  Get a new diet!!!  But then I'm falling back into "The Thing That Haunts Me", my feeling that no matter how hard I try, I can't finish what I start.  There are days that I feel like the only things I've seen through to the end are my pregnancies and I even tacked on a few extra days for good measure.  I hate feeling that way, I hate feeling like whatever I start is destined to never be completed.  It could be something small like a scrapbook or big like a home business, I have a plethora of excuses as to WHY I didn't finish something but the bottom line is that it only happens if and when, I quit.  There are a couple of things I've learned about myself in the past 32 years, wait for it, it's pretty profound. I need motivation and accountability.  Earth shattering, I know.  

As I look at this year ahead of me, a year that is only 4 days old, I kind of want to crawl back under my warm covers and come back out sometime next spring.  As a Navy family we're looking a year with a lot of separation, while we've had separations before, this will be the first LONG time apart that the kids will really be aware of.  I'm still trying to get to where I feel pretty good, the roller coaster of Hashimoto's has me constantly wondering how I'm going to feel any given day.  I'm facing major diet and lifestyle changes to help me feel my best and keep the extreme swings of Hashi's under control.  My three munchkins are always busy and each precious and challenging in their own special ways right now.  I could continue but much of what I deal with are the day to day requirements of a stay at home mom, the laundry that I swear reproduces in the hamper and dishes that are always in some state of being washed.  I just want out of the fog that so often seems to settle in my head.  I want to have sharp clear thoughts that I can get down and have people appreciate what I have to share, it's far to easy for me to fall into the trap of feeling like I have nothing to contribute.  

So where do I go from here?  My goal for my day is to set some long and short terms goals and then make my plan on how to get there.  I'm going to try and keep it as simple and attainable as possible.  Maybe for starters, I should get out of my pj's...

Weight Loss

While not nearly complete I've come a long way on my weight loss journey.  As of now I've lost 31lbs, that's 13.14% from my start weight!  Still have about 52 to go but I'm almost half way there!  Here is a little picture to illustrate how much I've lost so far:

That's right, I've lost as much as my three year old weighs! I've worked and sweated off a tiny human!!!

Seemed Appropriate

I haven't blogged in awhile but since we had pancakes for supper tonight it seemed like an opportune time to "get back on the horse" so to speak. My life has been full of getting my man child off to school, adjusting to gluten free living and starting a home business!  In my free time (the oodles of it that I have) I'm still running/walking and trying not to melt in this heat.  I feel like it's been hot since February and there is no end in sight.  I would love a cool Pacific Grove morning with a latte in hand chatting with friends at Caledonia Park.  Oh California how I miss thee!!!

Okay, so tonight was pancakes for supper. The fridge is all but empty and I wanted something easy that everyone (hopefully) would eat. It was actually my first go at gluten free pancakes and with the help of some Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix I whipped up a batch. After a major bread debacle that involved throwing two loaves of utterly inedible bread in the trash and a nearly as unpleasant birthday cake for my wee baby's first birthday I was a little skeptical that 1) the pancakes would be good 2) that my kids would eat them. Not only did my kids eat them, they LOVED them.  My 3 year old ate four decent sized pancakes and I, in my desperation for normal tasting baked goods, ate well, more than I should have.  BUT THEY WERE SO STINKING YUMMY!  I doused mine in organic butter from grass fed cows and molasses and was in heaven.  All that was lacking was an icy cold glass of milk but I can't really do dairy and I just couldn't stomach the almond milk.

My other news of note is that I'm working as an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International. Arbonne has AMAZING skin care, make-up, and health and wellness products the vast majority of which are gluten free. I've had a fantastic opening month and I'm really excited to have a vision for myself and our family.  Not only do I adore the skin care products but I've been using their health products to support my weight loss journey (31 lbs total lost so far!) Check out my website!

The kiddos are good.  We just celebrated our youngest turning one! This past year has been long in many ways but it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.  The eldest is in school now, with the Hashimoto's and my husbands crazy work schedule coming up it was just too much to homeschool him and give it the focus needed to feel like he was getting what he needed. He's really enjoying being in a classroom and having other kids to play with, he bickers with his sister somewhat less than usual now...  Our days are settling into a good routine and it's been good to get more one on one time with the middle child. She tends to be, shall we say, somewhat strong willed and I think her getting more dedicated time with me is helping her immensely.  

As everything is leveling out I plan to get back to blogging again on a more regular basis.  But anyway, I'm back! 

A Farewell to Arms.....errr Guinness

I feel like I should write but I'm having a hard time fighting the brain fog and actually put my thoughts into words.  There has been much to process the last couple of weeks and I still don't feel like I have fully gotten a grasp on things.  This week I made an effort to do what I could, no matter how small, and to see those things as accomplishments not that I was failing at everything else.  Yesterday was my first day of putting forth a concerted effort to eat gluten free.  I'm also giving coffee the boot for the time being *GASP!* and in general keeping better track of what I eat and how I feel when I eat it.  After scarfing lots of pizza and beer the night before I woke up feeling totally lousy and decided it was time for change.  In addition no gluten I've been using some nutritional products from Arbonne.  The last couple of days with no coffee have been aided by the Fizzy Tabs and for breakfast I blended up a banana with the Chocolate Protein Mix. Yummy, and no headaches while I'm coming down off my daily 24 oz of coffee!  This afternoon I wanted to venture out and raid the bulk bins at a health food store and I found Native Sun Natural Foods.  It was made more exciting by getting caught in a major downpour that put going to farmer's market on hold.

With everything going on and with the ridiculous heat and humidity I haven't had the will to muster the energy to give my poor garden any attention recently.  Our lawn mower also died recently so the kids and I went on an adventure to Pep Boys.  There we traded in our old gas mower for a battery powered one and with the trade in it was only $150!  We then went to Lowe's to see what plants they had left and even this late in the season I was able to get some nice eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, and some jalapenos.  The tomatoes I put in at the beginning of the summer were taking over so I got a cage to try and corral them.

This past week was the first of the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge and I logged 11 miles!  Off to a great start!

I know I'm just getting started down the gluten free path but I already felt a little better today.  A little less tummy trouble at least.  There are certain things I will miss quite a bit, I can't imagine there is a gluten free alternative that comes close to the beauty that is Guinness.  That being said:

There once was a girl who loved Guinness,
She drank it like it was going out of business.
But then she got ill and though she wanted it still,
Guinness her glass would no longer fill.


Cheers!

First 5K EVER!

This week has been very challenging for me.  I'm still trying to process the news that I have an autoimmune disease and that I'm looking at a drastic diet change in the hopes of either maintaining a certain level of thyroid medicine or being able to go off of it entirely.  With the diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease I can look back at my past medical history and or how I've exercised and dieted in the past and so much more of this all makes sense.  I wonder what measure of my past bouts of depression can be attributed to the Hashimoto's.  There is still a lot to read and a plan of action to come up with.  I know that at the very least I'll be kissing gluten goodbye.  I'm enjoying this last weekend with one of the great loves of my life, Guinness, before I say adios forever.

All that being said, I RAN my first 5K ever today.  Once before in my life I did a 5K distance on a treadmill but I couldn't walk later that day and I've never run with much consistency until the last three months.  Yeah, I kicked the 5K's butt!  I averaged a better pace then ever before 13.23 mins/mile and I didn't take ANY walking breaks.  My finishing time was 41.31 minutes.  Having my older brother and best friend there running on either side of me helped me push through the walls, the heart palpitations and tingling hands. (Thanks Hashimoto's.)  The last mile actually really challenged me and I kept thinking, "I'm not going to let Daniel and the kids down.  They are waiting to cheer for me."  Then that last 1/4 mile my thought was, "I'm not going to let MYSELF down, I'm going to run, I'm going to train to run farther distances, and this f*****g Hashimoto's isn't going to get the best of me.  I'm going to get better."  So I finished and I finished speeding up and it was awesome to see my husband and kids there supporting me and hear everyone cheering and clapping.

When we got home it occurred to me that I haven't gone back and looked at the pictures Aiden took of me three months ago when I started this fitness journey and the journey to real health.  Wanna see the before pictures?  This was a good moment for me, I've come a LONG way!

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

This week, and by week I mean yesterday, I got diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease/Thyroiditis.  Being new to this disease I'm FAR from the expert but at least I have some answers about why I'm dealing with pretty much everything I've been experiencing from depression to extreme fatigue to the fact that my hair is still coming out by the handful when I shower. (I was still attributing the hair loss to post pregnancy stuff.)

The bare bones of it is that it's an autoimmune disorder where my body is attacking my thyroid gland.  When my primary care doctor got my thyroid labs back his quote was, "Your thyroid levels are off the chain."  Where it gets confusing is that it's not ACTUALLY my thyroid that's the problem, while the levels are off what needs to be treated is my immune system, not my thyroid.  First course of action is to go on a gluten free diet.  Yippy.  I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not giving up beer, warm crusty bread, thick tasty gravy, and PASTA but that I am getting to keep my thyroid gland and hopefully stop damaging it and preserving any function is has left.

All this information is a lot to take in.  I have a plethora of books to read and much research to be done but at least I have some answers and somewhere to go from here.

100 Miles

I really need to get back to blogging more often, I know you're all dying to hear my fantastically interesting life adventures and laugh outright at my little quips.  It has been a busy and complicated 6 weeks.  There has been a lot going on and not enough time to get things accomplished (per usual).  Smallest of All is super mobile now and I need to rearrange the house and put up her corral.  No baby gates for this kid, she gets a whole stinkin' fence.  When she's not crawling around with a ball she's attempting to ride the dog or eat the other kids shoes, both are habits I discourage.

ANYWAY, as the eternal procrastinator I was searching for something easy and free to help keep me motivated and accountable as I continue to work towards my weight loss and fitness goals.  As I don't really want to pay for a gym membership, personal trainer, Pilates reformer, or 6 months at a health spa at the moment so I started googling.  It went something like this.

Step one: Find a challenge.
Step two: Con a friend and fellow procrastinator to do it with me because it's more fun that way.

I was stoked to find this little gem.

100 Mile Fitness

It was pretty easy to sucker a friend to join me, and we're not just going for 100 miles, we're shooting for 128!  Our first miles will be running that 5 K together on SATURDAY!!! YIKES!!!  I actually can't wait, I'm starting to get excited for it.

Anyone else out there want to join us??