Sunday, July 24, 2011

1 Week Without Refined Sugar

So it's been exactly a week since I've knowingly had anything with refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup. I don't really miss it and I don't have any cravings for it either.

I've decided that I really want to clean up what I'm eating as far as additives and chemicals. I want to go to eating very clean, which in my definition means that I cut out HFCS and any foods that have things on the ingredients label other than what can naturally be grown.

For example, I opened a jar of cinnamon applesauce the other day and after I'd already eaten part of a serving, I notice the label said it contained apples, cinnamon, and HFCS. I was looking at it thinking why is the HFCS necessary? Apples are sweet enough as they are.

There are a lot of foods out there that you would would just look at and think there aren't any additives to them, but if you read the label they're there. I'm also determined to cut out meats and dairy products that are given excess hormones. So, I'm going to start reading labels and making sure everything is as natural and with no additives/chemicals as possible.

I don't think I've actually lost any weight, but I don't really mind because I know that I'm already healthier than I was a week ago. We also started doing my bellydancing DVD, The Goddess Workout (beginner) with Dolphina. It's 45 minutes and is really a great workout. I remember now why I used to love doing it.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Getting Healthy

My mom and I have come up with a plan for us to get healthy gradually instead of making a lot of changes at once and increasing our odds of cheating. We are going to make gradual changes over the next year and implement a new change every 3 months.

The first three month's change is multi-part because we have to get used to doing all of these things. We are cutting out all junk food and refined sugars from our diet. We are also going to start weighing and measuring our food so we can eat proper portions. Not really me, but my parents and Mike are big on buying junk food, and the only way we are all going to get healthy is if we eliminate the junk food. I implemented this change on Sunday, July 17th. I believe if I cut out all of the junk food and refined sugar I may be able to get my estrogen dominance/insulin resistance under control.

The second three month's change is eliminating white/refined bread products from our diet and sticking with whole grains. I don't really eat a lot of bread and what I do is usually whole wheat/whole grain. Often we don't think about the fact that most pasta is made from white flour and when we go out to eat we eat the white bread/buns and don't even think about it.

The third three month's change is to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. By this time, we should be eating plenty of fruits and veggies anyway but we should have made the first 2 changes habits but may not always get 5 servings of fruits and veggies in per day.

The final three month's change is to focus on getting in at least an hour of exercise 5 days a week. Hopefully by this point we would have integrated exercise into our lifestyle change but if not, we are really focusing on it in this phase.

By doing these phases to focus on getting healthy instead of losing weight then it won't be a constant thought in our head. It would be nice if we do lose weight while doing this but right now I just want to eliminate the foods that are causing my hormonal issues, which are mainly the high sugar foods.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Disappointed

Ok, I have to admit I'm more than a little disappointed in my friends and family when it comes to my AVON sales. I hate depending on friends and family to order from me and I know times are tough (and I don't really expect people to order from me every time a new catalog comes out) but this is just pathetic.

Yes, there are some friends that I know simply can't afford to order from me and I'm not disappointed in them, but it's the rest of them that I know can afford to order (and order things online similar to what I'm selling). Heck, my mom and SIL order from me and they have little to no money to spare but they are doing it more to support me than to keep my business going.

I think the reason I'm really disappointed is because I am donating $1 for every online sale I get from my facebook AVON Naturals Feeding America event and I've only had 1 sale. This charity is very important not only to food banks in this area but to food banks all over the country. There are people out there just like me and Mike who have lost everything and depend on those food banks for every meal. The only reason we aren't in that position is because of family. The reason this is a big deal is because $1 equals 7 meals. I guess it's easier to ignore the problem when it doesn't affect you personally.

Yes, I will admit I want the sales, but I want to make the donations too. I don't wish bad upon anyone but I do wish that every one of those people that can afford to buy from me but have decided not to buy anything because they don't want to feel obligated to make future purchases from me could experience for a day or two what it's like to wonder where their next meal is coming from. Mike and I have been there more than I'd like to admit. We had months when we first got our own place where we weren't sure how we were going to pay our rent, buy groceries, or even get gas and we couldn't imagine how we could pay for all three at once.

Those are the times that I am most thankful to God because I know He was watching over us. We went to church 20 miles across town every week (in Vegas) and even though we didn't really have the money we'd donate a few dollars or whatever change we had. Every time that happened and we didn't know what we were going to do, somehow God provided the money we needed. There are people who aren't as fortunate as we are and I think it's time to give back even though we don't know if we can afford the few bills we still have to pay. Mike and I can't afford to donate much but I am still donating this money and I make very little with AVON even with these sales. I think that's the reason I am disappointed the most because we are willing to give back even though we can't afford it, and there are people out there that can afford to spend $10 to donate $1 but won't do it.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

4th of July

We had a great time on the 4th. It was very different for Mike because in Vegas there aren't many places that do actual firework shows. We would usually go to his parent's house and do our own fireworks after BBQ if they didn't have to work that day because they usually cook all day the day of the holiday (no matter the holiday). There weren't many kids around other than our 2 year old niece Kristin.

We went to my brother, Josh, and SIL, Yvonne's house for BBQ along with my mom (dad had to work), grandma, uncle Lloyd, Yvonne's sister Bobbie, her husband, Yvonne's dad, Yvonne's cousin, Malissa, and her husband Rob, Malissa's dad, Malissa's brother, Dallas, his wife Jen, and their baby Ranson plus my nephews Ash & Jax, Bobbie's kids Ginny and Aiden, and Malissa's kids Tyler and Logen. It was a crazy day.

Mike and I bought Ash and Jax a little inflatable seal that has a built in sprinkler, so all of the kids were running through that, screaming, and in general having a blast. That's when it hit me just how left out Mike and I were with our angelbabies. It was sitting there watching them and trying to imagine what it would be like if our 4 year old and almost 3 year old were out there with those kids, that did it. We were the only people there at this age who don't have kids and it makes you feel almost invisible at times, or like you're trying too hard to be part of that.

I love being here and getting to do the things that Mike and I never got to do together before or that are done differently here, but it is also a big reminder of just how left out we both feel because we don't have living children yet. I also feel like everyone is watching us and waiting until it happens, I mean it was kinda that way in Vegas, but we weren't around Mike's family as much, so the pressure about it wasn't there like here.

Overall it was a great holiday, but now I'm beginning to feel like Mike and I are living in a fish bowl with this.