This blog has been a (sporadic) written recording of my experiences living and coaching people to an overall healthier lifestyle.  It is SO hard for me to remember to post on a regular basis, but I still plug away and come back so my commitment can’t be questioned. Right? lol Discipline is an entirely different character trait and one I would wager most of us struggle with. Am I wrong? Since my last post I’ve done a variety of fitness program challenges with my clients and had fun with each and every one! I will do a post in the future about some of the activities we did and books I’ve read over the past few months and my thoughts on them.  The theme of this portion of my journey is progress not perfection.  I am not expecting perfection from myself. To do so is a set up for failure. NOBODY is perfect. Personally, I am striving for overall progress; slow and easy continuous progress.

What used to work for me no longer works I’ve noticed, much to my chagrin.  When I started my healthy lifestyle almost 10 years ago, cardio, healthy carbs, whole grains and lean protein allowed me to lose 50 pounds even with my hypothyroidism in full swing. I recall being on a thread in the Beachbody message boards, at the beginning of my journey, and a woman telling me that her experience led her to believe that people with hypothyroidism couldn’t maintain a healthy weight while eating according the the FDA pyramid guidelines. I blew her off big time since I was losing just fine. Fast forward a decade and about a month ago I had a come to Jesus moment with myself and had to face the fact that there was something VERY wrong with the nutritional choices I was making for myself because the weight wasn’t coming off, it was sticking and increasing! I couldn’t workout any more than I was already doing because I didn’t have time and frankly just didn’t want to! I heard that wise woman’s words in my head and I headed to google. Could anyone really eat totally clean, workout 6 days a week and still struggle with getting to goal weight? The answer is a resounding YES. My research into possible causes led me to discover is, I’m not alone! Hypothyroidism, wheat/grain intolerance, autoimmune illnesses and difficulty losing weight are all very interconnected. I knew I had to make a change.

 

So here are the changes I have made to date.

1.              No processed foods

2.              No processed sugars

3.              No gluten

4.              No foods on my allergy list

5.              No grains (corn, oats, millet etc)

6.              Dialed WAY back on the cardio workouts with a focus on resistance training.

7.              Put my scale in the closet. (This was a mental health decision. lol)

 

I’ll do future posts on the why’s behind my choices. They weren’t random even though some of them are counter to current popular advice on how to achieve optimal health, wellness and/or weight management.

 

Here are the changes I’ve seen to date.

1.              Drastic lightening of the dark circles around my eyes

2.              Less painful menstrual cycle

3.              Lessened PMS

4.              Increased energy

5.              My clothes are getting bigger! 😉 Or is it that I’m shrinking? Lol

6.              Reduced appetite

7.              Increased sense of well-being and peace. Fewer mood swings.

 

I can’t deny that I have my hands full with the food changes. Just this morning I ordered breakfast at my new fav café and forgot what I can and can’t eat! When my plate arrived with the chili I remembered, I don’t eat beans or corn! I ate my eggs and the salad and left the chili. When the waitress came to get my plate she inquired why I left the chili. I explained how hard it is making health changes and that it was my fault for ordering something I couldn’t eat. The chef overheard me and empathized and sent me a yummy salad to fill my belly. It’s amazing how supportive people are of you when you explain that you are trying to choose foods to improve your health and wellness.

 

I believe that it is a mistake to take on more than what we can reasonably handle. Again it is important to be realistic with ourselves and practice slow growth and betterment. One thing at a time.

 

As my grain-free lifestyle becomes more is comfortable and natural, my main goal is to minimize stress.  My main focus will be to relieve stress with the following:

 

·      Pinpoint the things that cause stress in my life by daily journaling and then going back and highlighting anything stressful in my day.

·      Continuing daily exercise of 45-60 minutes 3 times weekly strength training and 30 – 45 minutes of cardio 2-3 times a week

·      Continuing my mindfulness practice for 30-60 minutes every morning.

·      Very limited political news.

·      Very limited television.

·      Being fully present with my daughter in the evenings.

·      Steps to reduce stress in my business through proper planning, using to do lists and very structured business hours working outside my house.

·      Interacting only with people who are positive and supportive of my goals and of me.

 

Have you made any positive life changes recently? How’s it going? Are you waiting for the new year to make a fresh start? Tell me about it in the comments section!

 

Let’s sail into 2014 FABULOUSLY