One day late last year was my lucky day; a new co-worker was introduced to me on her first day on the job, and she is also a Homeopathic Practitioner. Yeehawwww!! I bet I looked like I'd just won the jackpot! :)
Naturally, we started talking about it and covered the basics of how I'd (for the most part - I'm an addict, what can I say?) cut grains and sugar out of my diet and as a result lost some weight that has stayed off as long as I stay away from that crap. A quick touch on candidiasis and my preference for natural personal care products and we connected. It's not often you meet someone who understands the need to avoid the chemicals and toxic concoctions in everyday items that are EVERYWHERE.
Of course I wanted to know more and to sign my ass up for treatment. I have quite a number of issues that I want to do something about, and last night we had my intake appointment. She had a lot of great, probing questions about my issues, such as when did they first appear, what were the conditions then, where did you feel it at first, what did you do to treat it, then what happened, etc. Many of my issues have been around for so long it was difficult to think back to when I was a teenager and what I was doing and feeling. What the scenario was, even. Holy moly.
Helen is such a kind and gentle, happy soul, though; very easy to talk to, and we had a great time. I even showed her my ugly big toe nail. I look forward to hearing her recommendations for treatment and seeing what is in store for me and my being this year.
Now to change the too-bright light bulbs in the dining room fixture, as they made me frown the entire time.
2013 - a year of change.
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Taking charge...day 4
You know what? I've always hated food journals. Why the hell should I post, for the world to see, what all I've been inserting into my (former) pie hole, anyway?? Nobody cares but me, right? And these are a bit of a pain in the arse to do, mostly because I can't update from work; we're expressly forbidden from posting on message boards using company computers (but I think everyone does it anyway). Blah. Anyway...
Today's eats:
- 3x coffee with almond milk
- Obligatory bag of plantain crack
- Leftovers from last night/Easter dinner; two chicken thighs with plenty of juice, with some mashed potato
- A bunch of blackberries
- A good amount of water
...Pause...
- For dinner, a panzerotto from Pizzaville (the result of lack of planning/defrosting, but oh so delicious!)
...Un-pause...
- Vitamin D3, fish oil, cal-mag
- More water
Shit, I gotta go take something out of the freezer for tomorrow night's dinner!
Today's eats:
- 3x coffee with almond milk
- Obligatory bag of plantain crack
- Leftovers from last night/Easter dinner; two chicken thighs with plenty of juice, with some mashed potato
- A bunch of blackberries
- A good amount of water
...Pause...
- For dinner, a panzerotto from Pizzaville (the result of lack of planning/defrosting, but oh so delicious!)
...Un-pause...
- Vitamin D3, fish oil, cal-mag
- More water
Shit, I gotta go take something out of the freezer for tomorrow night's dinner!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Taking charge...day 3
Have to post this before I forget!
Today's eats were:
Breakfast/Lunch (at work):
- 3 x coffee with chocolate almond milk (always the unsweetened flavour, so I'm not going to repeat that again)
- Bag of spicy plantain crack (chips)
- Small piece of prime rib (leftover from my dinner the other night)
- About half a cup of mashed potatoes
Dinner:
- 7-8 vitamin D3 drops
- Two tsp fish oil
- One tsp cal/mag
- Two chicken thighs, lightly coated in EVOO and seasoned salt (OMFGYUM)
- Water the rest of the night (after the 3 coffees with almond milk at work I was put off enough to not crave any at home)
Today's eats were:
Breakfast/Lunch (at work):
- 3 x coffee with chocolate almond milk (always the unsweetened flavour, so I'm not going to repeat that again)
- Bag of spicy plantain crack (chips)
- Small piece of prime rib (leftover from my dinner the other night)
- About half a cup of mashed potatoes
Dinner:
- 7-8 vitamin D3 drops
- Two tsp fish oil
- One tsp cal/mag
- Two chicken thighs, lightly coated in EVOO and seasoned salt (OMFGYUM)
- Water the rest of the night (after the 3 coffees with almond milk at work I was put off enough to not crave any at home)
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Taking charge...day 2
All in all, yesterday wasn't so bad. The worst part was after dinner when we were downstairs playing darts and watching everyone else munch away on popcorn. Pretzels never did much for me, but the popcorn was tempting me something fierce. I did not touch one kernel.
Hubby's making our usual Sunday breakfast this morning, which will consist of bacon and eggs. I will not be eating any of the bacon, as that is not allowed on an anti-candida diet. Boohoo. I've done it before and will do it again.
He also made my coffee with cream, but it was still made with love so I will drink it and be merry. He now knows that going forward my coffees will need the chocolate almond milk instead. Such a sweetie - me so lucky. :)
So, breakfast was eggs, a tsp of calcium/magnesium (which, unfortunately, has fructose in it...nice) and two tsp of high-quality fish oil. Oh yeah, and about 7000 IU of D3 drops.
Later...
Ok....so after Hubby left for his mountain biking date with his buddy it was time for me to get busy in the kitchen! I got some beefy bones into the oven to brown before throwing them into the slow cooker to make some bone broth. While they were in the oven I started peeling potatoes to do my part for Easter dinner at my sister's.
Of course I had to sample the product to make sure it was good enough, but I didn't have much.
At dinner I ate:
- A turkey leg
- My mashed potatoes (made only with butter and 18% cream, with a bit of salt)
- Mashed turnip
- A bit of stuffing
- A whole lot of homemade gravy (you don't pass up my mom's gravy for ANYTHING) ;)
- A glass of water
- A small goblet of lemon pie filling (you know, the Sherriff brand that you make a pie with), which had some pineapple tidbits on top with a green maraschino cherry
I think that's it...and once we got back home we went for a quick walk. Only water for me until bedtime.
Hubby's making our usual Sunday breakfast this morning, which will consist of bacon and eggs. I will not be eating any of the bacon, as that is not allowed on an anti-candida diet. Boohoo. I've done it before and will do it again.
He also made my coffee with cream, but it was still made with love so I will drink it and be merry. He now knows that going forward my coffees will need the chocolate almond milk instead. Such a sweetie - me so lucky. :)
So, breakfast was eggs, a tsp of calcium/magnesium (which, unfortunately, has fructose in it...nice) and two tsp of high-quality fish oil. Oh yeah, and about 7000 IU of D3 drops.
Later...
Ok....so after Hubby left for his mountain biking date with his buddy it was time for me to get busy in the kitchen! I got some beefy bones into the oven to brown before throwing them into the slow cooker to make some bone broth. While they were in the oven I started peeling potatoes to do my part for Easter dinner at my sister's.
Of course I had to sample the product to make sure it was good enough, but I didn't have much.
At dinner I ate:
- A turkey leg
- My mashed potatoes (made only with butter and 18% cream, with a bit of salt)
- Mashed turnip
- A bit of stuffing
- A whole lot of homemade gravy (you don't pass up my mom's gravy for ANYTHING) ;)
- A glass of water
- A small goblet of lemon pie filling (you know, the Sherriff brand that you make a pie with), which had some pineapple tidbits on top with a green maraschino cherry
I think that's it...and once we got back home we went for a quick walk. Only water for me until bedtime.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Taking charge...day 1
So! Today's eats have (so far) been:
- 7 drops of Delicious D (vitamin D in cinnamon flavour)
- A small (85g) bag of spicy plantain chips
- Coffee with only un-sweetened chocolate-flavoured almond milk
- A few left-over scraps of delicious, fatty prime rib from last night
- Sips of water here and there
Later:
- Dinner at friends' house consisted of ham (the pre-cooked, small-ish, football-shaped ones that are honey-baked or whatever), a EVOO'd baked potato/onion/bell pepper concoction dish, and multi-coloured green beans. It was damn tasty!
- Water with my meal
- A small shot glass of my friend's port wine that she made at some wine-making store. It's a dessert wine, so it's best in a tiny glass with a big ice cube.
- Did NOT partake in the popcorn or pretzels that were sitting there on the bar while we played darts
Now that we're home I smell the sweet aroma of plantains getting fried up in butter with cinnamon and a touch of vanilla. Wow.
- One butter-fried plantain with a touch of cinnamon on top. OMFG I could die now. :)
- 7 drops of Delicious D (vitamin D in cinnamon flavour)
- A small (85g) bag of spicy plantain chips
- Coffee with only un-sweetened chocolate-flavoured almond milk
- A few left-over scraps of delicious, fatty prime rib from last night
- Sips of water here and there
Later:
- Dinner at friends' house consisted of ham (the pre-cooked, small-ish, football-shaped ones that are honey-baked or whatever), a EVOO'd baked potato/onion/bell pepper concoction dish, and multi-coloured green beans. It was damn tasty!
- Water with my meal
- A small shot glass of my friend's port wine that she made at some wine-making store. It's a dessert wine, so it's best in a tiny glass with a big ice cube.
- Did NOT partake in the popcorn or pretzels that were sitting there on the bar while we played darts
Now that we're home I smell the sweet aroma of plantains getting fried up in butter with cinnamon and a touch of vanilla. Wow.
- One butter-fried plantain with a touch of cinnamon on top. OMFG I could die now. :)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Dairy
The only dairy I've consumed for three weeks has been butter, and I've recently noticed three things:
1. My sinuses are clearer than they've ever been; the only times I really need to clear them are first thing in the morning, after I sneeze, or after walking outside in the cold for a bit (wet, cold schnoz).
2. My mild rosacea has suddenly gotten a bit worse; this week I have small bumps and more redness on my cheeks. My face feels warm and flushed a lot of the time. It's NOT menopause! LOL
3. I'm getting my first pimple in a LONG time. :(
Prior to starting the YeastBusters program I didn't drink a lot of milk but I would have (higher-fat) yogourt and put cream in my coffee. I actually don't miss the yogourt (surprising, because I LOVED the really thick stuff!) and I'm fine having almond milk in coffee (unsweetened, chocolate flavoured variety preferred).
I wonder if I'll ever go back to using cream.
1. My sinuses are clearer than they've ever been; the only times I really need to clear them are first thing in the morning, after I sneeze, or after walking outside in the cold for a bit (wet, cold schnoz).
2. My mild rosacea has suddenly gotten a bit worse; this week I have small bumps and more redness on my cheeks. My face feels warm and flushed a lot of the time. It's NOT menopause! LOL
3. I'm getting my first pimple in a LONG time. :(
Prior to starting the YeastBusters program I didn't drink a lot of milk but I would have (higher-fat) yogourt and put cream in my coffee. I actually don't miss the yogourt (surprising, because I LOVED the really thick stuff!) and I'm fine having almond milk in coffee (unsweetened, chocolate flavoured variety preferred).
I wonder if I'll ever go back to using cream.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
After 8 Full Months...
...my weight is still hovering between 150 and 152 (has been since early July) and this must be because I've been lazy (lack of exercise) and it's birthday season and I just can't resist a piece of homemade birthday cake made from scratch by my step-mom. There are more birthdays to come (mine as well), so we'll have to see what happens.
This week I decided to join the Mark's Daily Apple forum since there is so much support on there from other people who are on the same journey to health as I. Reading everyone's success stories and especially seeing their progress photos really gets me motivated. So much so that I attempted a burpee blitz the other night. Silly me, I thought I'd see how long it took me to complete 50 burpees. L.O.L. I managed 22 of them before having to stop. This was at the 2-minute mark.
Shame on me, my form wasn't perfect, either, but I did what I could without throwing my back out. There was minimal pain the next day and I could feel the presence of some muscles I'd never felt before. which felt really good. On the second day, however, my stomach and back muscles reminded me that I'd worked them a little too hard. They'll get over it. ;)
I meant to try a few more burpees today before my MIL came over for dinner, but the timing just wasn't right. I don't think my muscles were ready for another go at it, either, so I'll do it tomorrow.
I'm really not one to post pictures of myself on the net, but here are the first photos showing my progress so far (click the pic for a higher-resolution version):
I tried to recreate the scene/pose as close as possible because I couldn't find a better pic where a) my chunkiness was visible and b) I could find the same clothing to wear. Next time there will be progress pics of me wearing my for-private-home-use-only bikini. Now aren't you excited about that! HAHAHAHA!
Another improvement I noticed, which is likely from being soap-free, is that I no longer get a nasty rash after shaving my bikini area. It was a guaranteed annoyance prior to this summer, and now it just doesn't happen. Nice. :)
This week I decided to join the Mark's Daily Apple forum since there is so much support on there from other people who are on the same journey to health as I. Reading everyone's success stories and especially seeing their progress photos really gets me motivated. So much so that I attempted a burpee blitz the other night. Silly me, I thought I'd see how long it took me to complete 50 burpees. L.O.L. I managed 22 of them before having to stop. This was at the 2-minute mark.
Shame on me, my form wasn't perfect, either, but I did what I could without throwing my back out. There was minimal pain the next day and I could feel the presence of some muscles I'd never felt before. which felt really good. On the second day, however, my stomach and back muscles reminded me that I'd worked them a little too hard. They'll get over it. ;)
I meant to try a few more burpees today before my MIL came over for dinner, but the timing just wasn't right. I don't think my muscles were ready for another go at it, either, so I'll do it tomorrow.
I'm really not one to post pictures of myself on the net, but here are the first photos showing my progress so far (click the pic for a higher-resolution version):
I tried to recreate the scene/pose as close as possible because I couldn't find a better pic where a) my chunkiness was visible and b) I could find the same clothing to wear. Next time there will be progress pics of me wearing my for-private-home-use-only bikini. Now aren't you excited about that! HAHAHAHA!
Another improvement I noticed, which is likely from being soap-free, is that I no longer get a nasty rash after shaving my bikini area. It was a guaranteed annoyance prior to this summer, and now it just doesn't happen. Nice. :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Sister and the Long Hair
As you've read, I attended my nephew's 8th birthday party this past Sunday, and that was the first time in a few months that my sister and I saw each other. (She had really pissed me off by treating our mentally-ill mother badly.)
She really noticed how long my hair had gotten and tonight on the phone she asked me how my hair got so long so fast; was I taking any supplements?? I then proceeded to tell her that it's probably related to our diet improvements and the fact that I haven't used shampoo or conditioner (save for a couple of times) since January 1 of this year.
Her reaction was common: "What?? What do you wash your hair with? No conditioner? I couldn't do that. My hair gets too tangled."
I explained the baking soda and ACV regimen and I'm sure she'd heard of it before (at least my mom had, when I told her awhile back), but she actually sounded interested. When she mentioned her tangle-prone hair again I mentioned that it's because of what she's been using. The shampoo strips way too much of the natural oils away, making you depend on using conditioner, which in turn makes your hair feel really dirty soon after, making you depend on more shampoo! "They've got you by the balls," I said. She agreed.
I forgot to mention the coconut oil as a treatment. Oh well, next time.
She really noticed how long my hair had gotten and tonight on the phone she asked me how my hair got so long so fast; was I taking any supplements?? I then proceeded to tell her that it's probably related to our diet improvements and the fact that I haven't used shampoo or conditioner (save for a couple of times) since January 1 of this year.
Her reaction was common: "What?? What do you wash your hair with? No conditioner? I couldn't do that. My hair gets too tangled."
I explained the baking soda and ACV regimen and I'm sure she'd heard of it before (at least my mom had, when I told her awhile back), but she actually sounded interested. When she mentioned her tangle-prone hair again I mentioned that it's because of what she's been using. The shampoo strips way too much of the natural oils away, making you depend on using conditioner, which in turn makes your hair feel really dirty soon after, making you depend on more shampoo! "They've got you by the balls," I said. She agreed.
I forgot to mention the coconut oil as a treatment. Oh well, next time.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Odour-Free Pits! It works!
Instead of using deodorant after a shower, I've been trying a smidgen of coconut oil followed by a very light dusting of baking soda. After a full day at work with wet pits, NO SMELL. Yeehaw! :D
Thursday, July 1, 2010
13 Pounds and Counting
After all the "diet cheating" I'd been doing over the past few weeks (a small piece of cake here, some homemade bread there), I was pleasantly surprised yesterday morning when I stepped on the scale. 152.8! Holy crap, I'm almost into the 140s again! I don't remember the last time I was in the 140s, it was so long ago! Yeehaw!
Just over a week ago I started doing small amounts of crunches and lady push-ups during my evening stretch session on the bedroom floor. I did 5 of each for a couple days, then raised it to 10, and then 20 each. I can now do all 20 of each straight without needing any rest time.
Today is Canada Day so I have the day off and I slept til 10am. The stupid cat woke me up at that point - how annoying. I hope she isn't one of those ones that will live til 28 years old...she's already at 19 and I love her but I need a break from cats for awhile.
On another note, an update on the poo-free life! The skin on my face has never been smoother and I haven't had a huge monthly zit in a couple of months (I think I've had one since returning from our vacation). My scalp was a bit smelly (at least to me) last weekend so I did a good cleaning with diluted baking soda with the ACV rinse. Aaaaaah, much better.
Otherwise, it's going pretty well. Mark Sisson at Mark's Daily Apple posted about this "way of life" and his post has a ka-jillion comments on it (it's a fascinating topic for the masses!). Someone mentioned making a deodorant from coconut oil and baking soda so I'm trying that sporadically for now. Once my deodorant stick is finished I'll re-fill it with this new mixture.
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I haven't felt much like blogging but I'll try to post more often now that I'm getting some positive results!
Just over a week ago I started doing small amounts of crunches and lady push-ups during my evening stretch session on the bedroom floor. I did 5 of each for a couple days, then raised it to 10, and then 20 each. I can now do all 20 of each straight without needing any rest time.
Today is Canada Day so I have the day off and I slept til 10am. The stupid cat woke me up at that point - how annoying. I hope she isn't one of those ones that will live til 28 years old...she's already at 19 and I love her but I need a break from cats for awhile.
On another note, an update on the poo-free life! The skin on my face has never been smoother and I haven't had a huge monthly zit in a couple of months (I think I've had one since returning from our vacation). My scalp was a bit smelly (at least to me) last weekend so I did a good cleaning with diluted baking soda with the ACV rinse. Aaaaaah, much better.
Otherwise, it's going pretty well. Mark Sisson at Mark's Daily Apple posted about this "way of life" and his post has a ka-jillion comments on it (it's a fascinating topic for the masses!). Someone mentioned making a deodorant from coconut oil and baking soda so I'm trying that sporadically for now. Once my deodorant stick is finished I'll re-fill it with this new mixture.
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I haven't felt much like blogging but I'll try to post more often now that I'm getting some positive results!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Itchy Update
I didn't bother to update this past Saturday because my weight was exactly the same as the previous Saturday. Boohoo.
To update on the soap/poo-free "lifestyle", I must say the condition of my skin (all over) is not one bit different -- still fucking itchy as all hell! The heat rash from our trip is still visible and is itchy again for some reason. For the past two days I've been scratching my forearms too much and now have some bigger bumps and such. I'd just trimmed my fingernails, too, so I have to scratch harder to get relief.
Dammit.
I haven't been rubbing coconut oil on myself, other than on my face, which has gone back to acne breakouts in the usual areas. Is it my pillow?? Is it because I don't sweat through my pores on a daily basis that the zits just keep re-occurring in the same damned spots?? UGH!!!
My hair, on the other hand, feels very nice and it's getting long. I haven't used shampoo since our trip (had to a couple times, to get the sea smell out) and have been brushing thoroughly with the boar bristle brush every other night or so. I barely need any aloe vera as gel, and I'm not rinsing it every day anymore, either.
It's going okay. I'd wished for better by this point. Oh well.
To update on the soap/poo-free "lifestyle", I must say the condition of my skin (all over) is not one bit different -- still fucking itchy as all hell! The heat rash from our trip is still visible and is itchy again for some reason. For the past two days I've been scratching my forearms too much and now have some bigger bumps and such. I'd just trimmed my fingernails, too, so I have to scratch harder to get relief.
Dammit.
I haven't been rubbing coconut oil on myself, other than on my face, which has gone back to acne breakouts in the usual areas. Is it my pillow?? Is it because I don't sweat through my pores on a daily basis that the zits just keep re-occurring in the same damned spots?? UGH!!!
My hair, on the other hand, feels very nice and it's getting long. I haven't used shampoo since our trip (had to a couple times, to get the sea smell out) and have been brushing thoroughly with the boar bristle brush every other night or so. I barely need any aloe vera as gel, and I'm not rinsing it every day anymore, either.
It's going okay. I'd wished for better by this point. Oh well.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
This Stinks!
After the diet changes we've made, I was hoping that our underarm scents would kind of, you know, GO AWAY. Well, that didn't happen, so after trying coconut oil as a deodorant, we've gone back to using our previous favourites (mine is "Sweet Bliss" by Soft & Dri Pulse).
Maybe I'll try again later once I've been off the sugar for awhile (not counting maple syrup here). We'll see.
Maybe I'll try again later once I've been off the sugar for awhile (not counting maple syrup here). We'll see.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Burn, Baby, Burn!
After eating a delectable dinner of broiled salmon and veggies, Hubby and I went for a nice walk. I was feeling pretty energetic (I've noticed I have more energy lately and no longer get sleepy at work), so after a few minutes of warming up I asked if he was into jogging to the second lamp post ahead. He said sure, so off we went at a gentle clip.
*huff, puff, we're finally there*
I am severely out of shape. Never mind the fact that we don't have proper running shoes (those Vibram Five Fingers sound intriguing, but I'm not sure if they'd be warm enough in the winter, even if the sidewalks are bare and dry) or proper posture. Regardless, we alternated the walking and jogging until we were home and it did get easier as we went.
Can't wait to do it again. :)
Today I also tried my tea with only cream in it; no sugar. It was actually drinkable, so that's it! No more sugar in my tea! Yay!
*huff, puff, we're finally there*
I am severely out of shape. Never mind the fact that we don't have proper running shoes (those Vibram Five Fingers sound intriguing, but I'm not sure if they'd be warm enough in the winter, even if the sidewalks are bare and dry) or proper posture. Regardless, we alternated the walking and jogging until we were home and it did get easier as we went.
Can't wait to do it again. :)
Today I also tried my tea with only cream in it; no sugar. It was actually drinkable, so that's it! No more sugar in my tea! Yay!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
On My Merry Way...
...to 140 lbs! Woot!! I could have done better, but I'm happy with this week's weigh-in. Hubby just made chocolate chip cookies so I have to avoid those (had to taste-test them already, of course). We ran out of apples a few days ago and I'm missing them. I really love gala apples.
Last Sunday I finally tried a homemade granola cereal recipe that turned out really well. The yield was huge so it's lasted us through the week, having some each day as breakfast and occasionally on top of some yogurt. Hubby and I will have to share the kitchen tonight as he makes bread and I make more cereal. I'm so happy we have the ability to make our own stuff rather than buying boxes of granola bars from the store. They're so full of garbage it's not funny.
To update on the no poo side of things, I cheated and used a touch of shampoo this past Thursday, but only because I had a job interview. I really didn't want to risk having an off scent. It was only a touch, but I really feared that I'd blown this whole thing by doing so. I'm not sure if it stripped all of the natural oils I'd painstakingly brushed through the ends of my hair, or if I just thought it did. Either way, I'm off the poo again and back on track. Still no soap on anything but my hands, which are dry and itchy as usual. The coconut oil isn't helping so much, it turns out. My legs are itchy again as well.
Just less than 3 weeks til BARBADOS!!!!!!!!
| Date | Weight | BF Weight | BF % | Body Water % | Bone Mass % |
| 02/13/2010 02/20/2010 02/27/2010 03/06/2010 | 162.5 161.9 158.7 157.2 | 50.9 51.1 48.6 47.6 | 31.4 31.6 30.7 30.3 | 50.0 49.9 50.5 50.8 | 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.4 |
Last Sunday I finally tried a homemade granola cereal recipe that turned out really well. The yield was huge so it's lasted us through the week, having some each day as breakfast and occasionally on top of some yogurt. Hubby and I will have to share the kitchen tonight as he makes bread and I make more cereal. I'm so happy we have the ability to make our own stuff rather than buying boxes of granola bars from the store. They're so full of garbage it's not funny.
To update on the no poo side of things, I cheated and used a touch of shampoo this past Thursday, but only because I had a job interview. I really didn't want to risk having an off scent. It was only a touch, but I really feared that I'd blown this whole thing by doing so. I'm not sure if it stripped all of the natural oils I'd painstakingly brushed through the ends of my hair, or if I just thought it did. Either way, I'm off the poo again and back on track. Still no soap on anything but my hands, which are dry and itchy as usual. The coconut oil isn't helping so much, it turns out. My legs are itchy again as well.
Just less than 3 weeks til BARBADOS!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Scratch That...Ugh!
In one of my earlier posts I stated that my "winter itchies" were getting better every day. Well, that isn't turning out to be the case after all. Yesterday I scratched my legs almost to the point of drawing blood (which, unfortunately, isn't a rare occurrence).
It very likely has something to do with the hotter than normal showers I'm now taking, and/or not having enough olive oil on my cloth after the shower. I don't want to have cooler showers at this point, as the heat is needed to rinse the day's "dirt" off me since I'm not shampooing or using soap (except on the "bits"), so as of this morning I've started using more oil on my cloth.
I really, really hope this improves things. I can't go to Barbados in March looking like my cat used me as a scratching post!
It very likely has something to do with the hotter than normal showers I'm now taking, and/or not having enough olive oil on my cloth after the shower. I don't want to have cooler showers at this point, as the heat is needed to rinse the day's "dirt" off me since I'm not shampooing or using soap (except on the "bits"), so as of this morning I've started using more oil on my cloth.
I really, really hope this improves things. I can't go to Barbados in March looking like my cat used me as a scratching post!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Gotta Start Somewhere
With all this talk about changes to diet and motivation to get healthier, it makes sense to post a starting point, right? Well, we recently cashed in some of our Air Miles in exchange for a fancy weigh scale, which does more than just give you a weight readout. It also does a body analysis to show you your (approximate) body fat weight, body fat %, body water % and bone mass %.
Here are my initial measurements as of just a few moments ago:
I know I have lots of room for improvement (my goal is to lose 20 or so pounds so I can fit into my work clothes again) and I actually started last night. I went down our "workout room" in the basement and went on the elliptical trainer for between 5-10 minutes while hubby made dinner. (Yeah, I know this isn't an optimal time to "work out" but hey, it was better than sitting there and eating chocolates while waiting!) We really need to put some sort of clock down there.
I also did some weight training with the lightest free weights I have. Note that I haven't touched these things in too many years, so I'm starting out small. I did two sets of the following:
- 8 lateral raises
- 8 front raises
- 8 bicep curls
- 8 tricep kickbacks
Then I got on the floor and did 32 stomach crunches followed by 8 (girl) push-ups, 24 more stomach crunches and 8 more push-ups.
Dinner was ready at that point (an omelet made with love) so upstairs I went to eat. Holy shit was that omelet ever tasty!
Here are my initial measurements as of just a few moments ago:
| Date | Weight | BF Weight | BF % | Body Water % | Bone Mass % |
| 01/30/2010 | 163.2 | 50.7 | 31.3 | 50.0 | 6.5 |
I know I have lots of room for improvement (my goal is to lose 20 or so pounds so I can fit into my work clothes again) and I actually started last night. I went down our "workout room" in the basement and went on the elliptical trainer for between 5-10 minutes while hubby made dinner. (Yeah, I know this isn't an optimal time to "work out" but hey, it was better than sitting there and eating chocolates while waiting!) We really need to put some sort of clock down there.
I also did some weight training with the lightest free weights I have. Note that I haven't touched these things in too many years, so I'm starting out small. I did two sets of the following:
- 8 lateral raises
- 8 front raises
- 8 bicep curls
- 8 tricep kickbacks
Then I got on the floor and did 32 stomach crunches followed by 8 (girl) push-ups, 24 more stomach crunches and 8 more push-ups.
Dinner was ready at that point (an omelet made with love) so upstairs I went to eat. Holy shit was that omelet ever tasty!
Friday, January 29, 2010
REAL Food. You should eat it.
It takes more time and energy to feed yourself well, yes, but it is definitely worth the effort. Having never been much of a cook, it's actually exhilarating to be able to say that we made a dish using real ingredients instead of heating up some pre-processed, boxed concoction loaded with chemicals and artificial flavours by some company that really doesn't give a crap about YOUR well-being.
We don't want to waste what food we currently have in our cupboards (packaged or canned items, laden with sodium and sugar, among other things), so we're using that stuff up while we transition to an "all real food" diet. As I type I'm eating some hot oatmeal that came in a package, which you just add hot water to. It says "reduced sugar" on the packaging, but there are still lots of unpronounceable ingredients listed. Can't wait to be rid of this stuff.
My next step is to make my own oatmeal breakfast cereal as well as healthy, fruity fibre bars for snacks (recipes, anyone?). Obviously I haven't cut grains out of my diet (as I mentioned before, I'm not going full-on-paleo at this point...not sure if I ever will be able to), but things definitely are a-changing in our house.
We don't want to waste what food we currently have in our cupboards (packaged or canned items, laden with sodium and sugar, among other things), so we're using that stuff up while we transition to an "all real food" diet. As I type I'm eating some hot oatmeal that came in a package, which you just add hot water to. It says "reduced sugar" on the packaging, but there are still lots of unpronounceable ingredients listed. Can't wait to be rid of this stuff.
My next step is to make my own oatmeal breakfast cereal as well as healthy, fruity fibre bars for snacks (recipes, anyone?). Obviously I haven't cut grains out of my diet (as I mentioned before, I'm not going full-on-paleo at this point...not sure if I ever will be able to), but things definitely are a-changing in our house.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Introductory Post
Greetings and welcome to my blog.
I created this blog mostly to discuss how December 31, 2009 was a day of revelation for my boyfriend and I. On that day there happened to be a Fark headline that linked to a particularly interesting post written by Richard Nikoley, which was a progress report after he stopped using soaps and shampoos. After spending most of the evening reading all of the reader comments, we decided we would also try going "'poo free." (The part about the Paleo diet was very interesting too, but one thing at a time...)
As of January 1st, we pretty much went "'poo free". We have daily showers, usually just rinsing our hair with hot-as-we-can-stand-it water, but if I feel the need to do more with my hair I use a baking soda rinse as "shampoo" with a chaser of diluted cider vinegar as a "conditioner." (Don't get this in your mouth...it tastes awful!)
Now, since we haven't made any drastic diet changes, we still use soap on "the bits", meaning the crotch, bum and armpits, but the rest just gets a good rinsing. Once finished, I turn the temperature down and have a cool rinse. After a light drying-off, I dampen a face cloth, add some olive oil to it, and gently rub it over my face and body. I usually get severely dry, itchy skin in the winter, so the oil helps moisturize. I still have the "winter itchies" so far, but it's not as bad now, and getting better every day.
Rather than glopping all kinds of hair gel/product on my curly (head of) hair, I use a couple of pumps of 100% aloe gel. I don't blow dry; haven't for over a year now. My hair is much more hydrated and the brown tones seem richer. It feels nice, too.
We also stopped using toothpaste (after just stocking up, too, dammit!), brushing only with water and rinsing afterward with mouthwash. (Yes, I know that's cheating a bit, but this is a gradual behaviour change and I haven't yet figured out what to substitute instead.)
As for changes to our diet, we've stopped buying pre-made (sodium-packed!) meals, most canned foods, pre-packaged snack bars, etc., and are making an effort to make our own meals and snacks. It's not easy when you're not a natural in the kitchen, but we are managing thanks to family advice, the internet, and a Betty Crocker cookbook. "Real food" is SO good for you.
Tonight, the boyfriend is making his first solo attempt at making homemade bread. This should be interesting.
I'll be writing more about how things are going with the "'poo free" lifestyle and life in general, and may post some favourite recipes as well. We'll see.
Mouse
I created this blog mostly to discuss how December 31, 2009 was a day of revelation for my boyfriend and I. On that day there happened to be a Fark headline that linked to a particularly interesting post written by Richard Nikoley, which was a progress report after he stopped using soaps and shampoos. After spending most of the evening reading all of the reader comments, we decided we would also try going "'poo free." (The part about the Paleo diet was very interesting too, but one thing at a time...)
As of January 1st, we pretty much went "'poo free". We have daily showers, usually just rinsing our hair with hot-as-we-can-stand-it water, but if I feel the need to do more with my hair I use a baking soda rinse as "shampoo" with a chaser of diluted cider vinegar as a "conditioner." (Don't get this in your mouth...it tastes awful!)
Now, since we haven't made any drastic diet changes, we still use soap on "the bits", meaning the crotch, bum and armpits, but the rest just gets a good rinsing. Once finished, I turn the temperature down and have a cool rinse. After a light drying-off, I dampen a face cloth, add some olive oil to it, and gently rub it over my face and body. I usually get severely dry, itchy skin in the winter, so the oil helps moisturize. I still have the "winter itchies" so far, but it's not as bad now, and getting better every day.
Rather than glopping all kinds of hair gel/product on my curly (head of) hair, I use a couple of pumps of 100% aloe gel. I don't blow dry; haven't for over a year now. My hair is much more hydrated and the brown tones seem richer. It feels nice, too.
We also stopped using toothpaste (after just stocking up, too, dammit!), brushing only with water and rinsing afterward with mouthwash. (Yes, I know that's cheating a bit, but this is a gradual behaviour change and I haven't yet figured out what to substitute instead.)
As for changes to our diet, we've stopped buying pre-made (sodium-packed!) meals, most canned foods, pre-packaged snack bars, etc., and are making an effort to make our own meals and snacks. It's not easy when you're not a natural in the kitchen, but we are managing thanks to family advice, the internet, and a Betty Crocker cookbook. "Real food" is SO good for you.
Tonight, the boyfriend is making his first solo attempt at making homemade bread. This should be interesting.
I'll be writing more about how things are going with the "'poo free" lifestyle and life in general, and may post some favourite recipes as well. We'll see.
Mouse
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