Category Archives: Weight Loss

FMD Food Journal Motivation

I am hoping to do the FMD method of eating again. As I get older, I realize I need more motivation to take charge and get my weight to a healthy level. I recently shared a post about my efforts to improve my health called Improving My Health One Day At A Time. FMD is a proven method of eating that still falls in line with the principals I shared that were important to me.

However, I haven’t used FMD for a couple of years. It has been on my mind to start again. It is a wonderful way of eating and rotating the main sources of energy: carbs, proteins, and fats during the week for a total of 4 weeks or 30 days. However, I struggled the last time I did the program. I had challenged myself to do 90 Days, but I was going through some health challenges that I couldn’t figure out, I struggled to eat as planned 5 times a day, afford the amount of protein, and I desired my favorite comfort “foods” which are sweet creamy coffee, honey, and dairy.

I first used FMD in 2013 and had lost 18 lbs in 30 days on it. I saw several improvements in my health from the nutrition program and fuel source rotation. Besides the rotation of fuels (carbs, proteins, and fats) each week, there are a few foods (corn, wheat, white potatoes, sugar, honey, dairy, and coffee are the main ones) that are completely eliminated for 30 days to help give the thyroid and adrenal glands a rest, remove candida overgrowth, and rev up the thyroid which increases the metabolism. Hence the acronym FMD stands for Fast Metabolism Diet.

At one point while trying to figure out what was going on with my health, and desiring more sweets and comfort foods, I tried a different meal program called THM that is similar to FMD, but it includes cycles through the carbs and fats more often as long as they are spaced at least 3 hours apart. THM also includes more food varieties including lots of deserts, comfort foods, and ice cream, and only eliminates sugar, wheat (unless it is sprouted first), and white potatoes, but still includes lots of dairy (cheese, butter, yogurt, etc) and creamy coffee. It really is a terrific program and I was able to loose some weight (at about 1/2 the rate of FMD but more satisfying) but my my health issues, hives, continued and I suspected I was also allergic or intolerant of the main sweeter used in that diet called Stevia and a Stevia Erithrytal Blend. I also tried the Low Carb plan that so many folks have been able to loose lots of weight on and is similar to Phase 2 of FMD for a little bit that keeps carb intake below 20g a day, and again it brought my weight down a few more pounds. But on Low Carb (LC) it was really hard to go with only 20 carbs per day, all week, with no treats, and my allergy to something I was eating continued. So I gave up trying the different diets / meal plans for a while.

FMD focuses on eating 5 times a day, with a focus on protein. It divides a week into 3 Phases alternating pairing proteins with the other fuels of fats and carbs. It is generally considered a 4 week plan to help you rev up your metabolism but can be a forever plan if you desire. I’ve listed out what is in each Phase below under the heading “Meal Plan For 1 Week”.

Below is also a food journal entry I made last time I followed FMD in 2015, and I thought I would share it online today to help motivate myself (and anyone else who might need a little push) to get started again and make health a priority. Sometimes just putting something in front of your view is enough motivation to move forward. I used to record my foods, supplements, and how I felt about the day in my food journal. Sometimes I also noted how much water or exercise I had. I should have been more diligent to record more details at that time because it helped me succeed back in 2013. As you can see from the meals I ate, if I repeat a meal plan like this, I will need to make adjustments for the elimination of eggs when I make the new meal plan. You can see more food journal entries and goals from that season of my life the post meal planning strategy and my 15 Goals for 2015. You can see lots of food photos of what I am ate on my Instagram account if you are interested.

When I journaled this particular week back in 2015, I had joined an online challenge group for FMD and was really excited about it. However, I failed at getting through the full 90 day challenge (three sets of 30 days). 30 days is the normal length of the program, and I struggled to make it an ongoing lifestyle vs. just a 30 day or 90 day plan.

The main problem I was having doing FMD (and THM and LC too) at the time was an allergy to eggs that I didn’t realize I had developed. You can use several different sources of proteins on FMD, but sometimes you need a protein with a fat such as whole eggs, and sometimes just a lean protein such as egg whites. I was relying on eggs for protein as they are inexpensive and I had my own flock of chickens that gave us fresh eggs daily. However, without realizing the cause of my health issue, I believe I made it worse. I was having hives on my hands and fingers that worsened every time I put them in water. Doing dishes literally made them crack and bleed as well as itch like crazy. It took me a long time to solve the riddle of what was happening. After a couple of years of trying to figure it out, and having given up following any specific diet plans, the last thing I eliminated from my meals was eggs and that finally stopped the hives.

I would have never guessed that could happen to me. I loved eggs. I loved having my chickens. The irony of being back on the homestead, with my beautiful chickens producing wonderful eggs, and I couldn’t have them. It truly was bitter sweet. I suspect the egg allergy is related to a flu shot I received while pregnant. I learned through doing research into various medical studies that people can develop allergies to proteins that have been injected into the blood stream. When the blood comes in contact with a foreign protein in the blood stream, the body creates antibodies to attack those proteins and increases the histamine and inflammation response. So every time I ate eggs, my histamine went into overdrive.

It has been a huge adjustment in my life to cut eggs out of my diet for the past year and a half. I wasn’t sure I could ever do FMD or any meal program again as I didn’t know how to substitute the eggs and not violate the rules of when to eat proteins with fats and just egg white protein. The main egg substitutes I found that actually work for use in baking are flax seeds (fat), or bean water (carbs) and neither of these meets the requirement on Phase 2 for lean protein only, and flax could only be used on Phase 3. So right there I could not longer use boiled eggs on days for protein in my snacks and whole eggs for protein and fat, or any baking, or even using egg whites in tuna salad. So I couldn’t quite figure out how to solve this dilemma.

Because I really want to do FMD again, and repeat the success I once had, I recently wrote to FMD and asked them what they would recommend. Their simple answer was to eliminate eggs and find some other source of allowed protein. Simple solution. I just need to accept my limitations with the diet and try again and use only recipes that don’t need eggs or if a substitute for eggs works during that phase without working against it, then go ahead and use the recipe and sub the eggs. Frustrating to have to make these changes, but doable if I put my mind to it.

One other thing about FMD is to include some exercises. During phase 1 it is cardio focus, Phase 2 is weight resistance focus, and Phase 3 is a stretching focus. Once again, I felt like I had a roadblock to using this part of the program. I have a foot injury and haven’t been able to walk long on my foot. It has made getting any amount of exercise that involves walking difficult. When I did the program before, I was able to take lots of walks, and also went to YMCA. But that is not an option now. I think combining the low impact program called Ttapp for regular exercise will meet this need.

Meal Plan for 1 Week:

Here is one of my journal entries on FMD from 2015.

Phase 1 (Monday & Tuesday)

Breakfast:

Fruit
Grain/Bean

Snack:

Fruit

Lunch:

Fruit
Protein
Veggie
Grain/Bean

Snack:

Fruit

Supper:

Protein

Veggie
Grain/Bean

Phase 2 (Wednesday & Thursday)

Breakfast:

Protein
Veggie

Snack:

Protein

Lunch:

Protein
Veggie

Snack:

Protein

Supper:

Protein
Veggie

Phase 3 (Friday & Saturday & Sunday)

Breakfast:

Fruit
Protein
Fat
Veggie
Grain/Bean

Snack:

Protein
Fat
Veggie

Lunch:

Fruit
Protein
Fat
Veggie

Snack:

Protein
Fat
Veggie

Supper:

Grain/Bean

Protein
Fat
Veggie

Monday:
Phase 1 Day 1 (FMD)

B- Rainbow Turkey Chili
S- Clementine
L- Tuna and Green Apple Salad, Sweet Potato
S- 1/2 Serving Strawberry GGMS (2 strawberries, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 Tbls Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp ginger, 2 cups water, stevia to taste)
D- Red Onion Spinach Sage Burger with Tomato Romane Lettuce on 1 slice of Sprouted Bread, cucumbers, radishes
S- 1/2 Serving Strawberry GGMS (2 strawberries, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 Tbls Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp ginger, 2 cups water, stevia to taste)

Supplements: 2 tablets Kelp, 3 tablets Spirulina, 2000mg Vitamin C, and 500 mg Vit D

I was so hungry at breakfast, I decided to eat the chili for breakfast that I had planned to serve for lunch, and then I had to make something else at lunch. I know it wasn’t exactly correct to eat for my breakfast that was supposed to be a grain, protein, veggie and fruit. It was legumes instead of grains. But it was so delicious and nutritious!

I put the recipes and everything I ate into My Fitness Pal to help me keep track of my progress. I love this app. It calculates so many great things for me and lets me know if I am under or over my goals.

Also I know I am not going to bed early enough, and I am also not drinking enough water so these are things I need to change this week.

Here are pictures of my main meals today, but not the snacks. Recipes coming soon!

Rainbow Turkey Chili

Tuna and Green Apple Salad seved with a sweet potato.

Red Onion, Spinach, and Sage Turkey Burger
Served with lettuce and tomato on sprouted Ezekiel bread, and a side of cucumbers and radishes.

Tuesday:
Phase 1 Day 2 (FMD)

Repeat meals from Monday

Wednesday:
Phase 2 Day 1 (FMD)

B- Mini Frittatas, cucumbers, and bell peppers
S- 0
L- Grilled Chicken and Turkey Bacon on Salad.
S- Lemon Lime GGMS (lemon and lime juice, water, raw vinegar, ginger, on plan sweetner to taste) basically a fancy lemonade.
D- Sirloin Steak and Egg White on Salad
S- Off plan: Tiny bite of son’s 10th birthday cake and ice cream.

Supplements: Spirulina, Kelp, Vit. C, Vit. D

Good day. I drank 64 ounces of liquid plus the GGMS.
Still need to increase it more, but I am pleased with the progress.
I did have a bite off of son’s cake and icecream that was not on plan,
but it was important to him that I share a bite, so I am just going to trust
that it will not throw off my progress. He wanted me to eat a bite with him, but I did not have a plate or bowl, I just took a bite with my finger and then took a bite of his icecream from the scooping tool. He was satisfied with that. First thing this moring, I created a Phase 2 Mini Frittata recipe that I was happy with too and have extras in the fridge for tomorrow. But I ended up eating breakfast later than I should have and didn’t feel up to eating a snack before lunch. I had so many veggies in my meals today that I could not get down snacks in between the meals. My stomach is so full, even now at bed time.

Thursday:
Phase 2 Day 2 (FMD)

B- 2-Mini Frittatas, cucumbers,
S- 1-Mini Frittatas
L- Stuffed Mushrooms (from the FMD book)
S- Lemon Lime GGMS (lemon and lime juice, water, raw vinegar, ginger, on plan sweetner to taste) basically a fancy lemonade.
D- Groundbeef with veggies
S- O

Supplements: Vit. C,

I felt very tired today. This always seems to happen to me when I eat meals on Phase 2 which are low-carb and low-fat on the same day. I find Phase 2 the hardest of the three Phases. I had hoped to create a great breakfast and make homemade chicken sausage, but I was too tired. I did not want to cook. So I just ate leftover frittatas from yesterday, and I was really glad to have them on hand or I may have skipped eating altogether.

I did make one easy recipe called stuffed mushrooms, that I had prepped the day before so the only thing I had to do was remove it from the fridge and bake it. I was so glad I did because the flavors are so wonderful.

I drank 80 ounces of liquids, a lot better than I have been drinking for a long time. Still need to increase more fluid, but I am pleased with the progress.

Here are a few pictures of my food today.

Mini fritatas

Stuffed Mushrooms

Lemon Lime GGMS

Friday:
Phase 3 Day 1 (FMD)

B- Chicken sausage patty, eggs, zucchini and mushroom saute, sprouted toast, blueberries
S- 0
L- Coconut Chicken Curry (from the FMD book)
S- Greek Chicken Garden Meatball
D- Grilled Chicken Breast on sprouted bread with bacon, lettuce, and tomato
S- GGMS (sugarfree lemonade with ginger and raw vinegar)

Supplements: Vit. D, Vit. C, Kelp, Spirulina, Redwine Extract, Bilbery Extract, Coconut Oil, Accidophilis, Enzyme blend.

So excited today to get back to fats, fruits, and sprouted BREAD!
I ate breakfast late and skipped the morning snack and went right into lunch. Somtimes it is hard for me to work in a morning snack in the winter if I ate a big breakfast. I am just not hungry inbetween breakfast and lunch.
I drank 48 ounces of liquids, and I need to do better.

Here are a few pictures of my food today.

Chicken Sausage, Overeasy Eggs, Sprouted Toast, Zucchini Mushroom Saute, Blueberries

Coconut Chicken Curry

Greek Chicken Garden Meatballs

Grilled Chicken & Sprouted Bread Sandwhich

Saturday:
Phase 3 Day 2 (FMD)

B- Berry Green Smoothie, egg salad, turkey bacon, sprouted toast, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery, carrots
S- 0
L- Pizza on sprouted tortilla (beef, mushrooms, pepper, onions, pepperoni)
S- Bulletproof Coffee (black coffee, butter, coconut oil, truvia, vanilla) This is my cheat food today and is not FMD approved)
D-
S- 1/4 cup roasted cashews, Lemon Lime GGMS

Supplements: Vit. D, Vit. C, Kelp, Spirulina, Red Wine / Grape Extract, Bilbery Extract, Coconut Oil, Accidophilis, Enzyme blend. Missing all this week was my calcium supplement and liquid herbal iron supplement. I should have taken them, even though I don’t like the taste. I want to add in cod liver oil during phase 3, but I forgot to do it. I normally would take CLO every few days or so, but since I am on this plan I would like to be sure and include it during Phase 3 when fats are encouraged.

Sunday:
Phase 3 Day 3 (FMD)

Repeated leftover meals from Saturday.

Phase 3 is my favorite phase. I love the comforting feeling of healthy fats, nuts, seeds, fruits, and sprouted BREAD! I Love Phase 3!

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Week 14 Update: Yes We Can!

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Update! It’s week 14 and I have lost a total of 21 lbs so far! If I can do this anyone can!

I have always been a healthy eater, and live an active live, but I still gained weight over the years. I have always been interested in natural health and nutrition too. But it took me time to understand how my body responds to various foods and nutritional supplements.

Life has a way of getting in the way (moving, pregnancy, raising kids, coop, relationships, jobs, etc). Many times I had to put my desire to work on myself on the back burner to focus on daily life.

But I was shooting myself in the foot so to speak because when I had a health crisis, I found it really hard to get back on my feet. It took too long to recover and I knew something was missing, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

I began to make my health a real priority in January. I just told myself it has to be now. I can’t wait any longer.

I am really glad I did because in addition to the weight loss, my skin is healthier, I have more energy, my immune system is stronger, and I lost 4 inches around my waist. I have achieved a monumental goal already this year, and I feel healthier than I have in a long time.

I will keep going in my journey to better health. My body is healing. There is balance. This method uses plants that God created, and it is natural and nourishing. It works with my body the way it was designed by my creator.

I am going to continue on this journey to better health, and I want to take you with me. I want to help my family, friends and extended family achieve their goals and live a healthier, stronger, vibrant life.

Will you join me on this journey? We CAN do this!

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Week 12 Update on the 90 Day Challenge

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Life is changing fast around here. Winter has gone and spring has arrived. Snow and ice is no longer my enemy keeping me captive indoors! So it is time to get outside and move. Yeah!

I have completed week 12 (90 days) of this health and wellness journey and I can’t believe I have reached the end of the challenge. Be assured I will start another health focused challenge, as I am not done with my “getting healthy make over”!

As a matter of fact, I am so excited about several things I have implemented during this challenge that have really helped me more than any thing else I have ever done, with the exception of attending the Zumba classes at the Arden North Carolina YMCA two years ago. I do wish I could still attend that class, and believe it would make the outcome of this healthy makeover even more amazing. My instructor in that class was my hero!! She’s the mom of a special needs child, and her life testimony was so inspiring to me. I hope to find a good substitute for that dance class here in rural Indiana soon, but up to this point I have not found it.

What WORKED?

I am so excited to share with you that I am down 2 pant sizes and have lost 19 lbs on this challenge. That is about a 1.5 lbs per week average. Slow and steady wins the race, right? RIGHT!

So what have I done during the 90 days that worked for me?

I think the two most significant improvements in my lifestyle were that I joined:

Juice Plus+ and their Transformation 30 program,

and doTerra essential oils and supplements.

Combining these two amazing all natural strategies with my on going strategy of creating healthy meal plans with the Fast Metabolism Diet, incorporating some Trim Healthy Mama and Low Carb Paleo recipes is the pieces of the get healthy puzzle I needed to move forward.

I am getting in a little exercise. It was so hard this winter to do anything as I was snowed in for most of it. I have joined a plank challenge with my Juice Plus+ friends. A plank is a strength exercise where you stretch out on the floor and then hold yourself up off the floor with the strength of your own forearms (arm is bent and the entire forearm touches the floor), and toes. It works a lot of the muscles in the body just by holding yourself still in that position. You start off with doing 20 seconds and slowly increase your time a few seconds longer each day.

Another “little” activity I finally got motivated to do is walking on the eliptical for a few minutes each day, just enough to get my blood pumping and move my lymph fluids. I am glad to start using it again as it usually just collects dust until one of the kids notice it and play on it. My husband has wanted to get rid of it many times as it takes up space, but I usually say “hey I plan to get on this thing” and then it sits. Speaking of sitting, sitting at the computer is very unheathy as it doesn’t promote the movement of either of my blood flow (nourishment of cells and organs) or my lymph fluids (immune system, detoxing, and prevention of disease). We have a small mini-trampoline and I like to jump on it, but it is outside on the porch and it was too cold all winter to use it. Hopefully I will get motivated to use that some each day. I definately need to increase my exercise level. Now that the weather has warmed up a little (we are still in the 40’s during the day and 20’s at night), I can get outside and walk around and work in the yard soon.

I am so excited how these programs are pieces of my health puzzle and are coming together as a wellness makeover strategy to bless me on my journey.

Things I am accomplishing:

1) nourishment to the whole body

2) healing vital organs and body systems:

liver, digestive, lymph, immune, skin

3) weight loss

4) energy

5) renewing my red blood cells and DNA (takes about 5 months on Juice Plus+)

Sharing my journey isn’t about making a buck, or sales. However, I am excited I can earn money sharing health and wellness products and give my testimony how they have helped me. I also like the benefit to help my family out financially and be able to purchase these products to better my health. But sharing this journey is about health. This is serious. This is my health. It is your health. I am 45 years old. I don’t have any more time to Mickey Mouse around with fads or gimmicks.

It has to be real. It has to heal.

I am doing so much better with the healing of my body and having more energy. Once I incorporated doTerra Mito 2 Max, and LifeLong Vitality Pack (vitamins, minerals, herbs, probiotics, omega fatty acids), and Terrazyme enzyme blend that promotes cellular function and communication through out the body, it began helping me detox and helped me digest my foods so my gastrointestinal system is working at its best. These are the best vitamin mineral health supplements I have ever used. I am really pleased with the quality and the results.

I figured out that I had a weightloss stall for a few weeks while my body was making some serious repairs. It takes time to heal! I don’t think you realize this when you are young. I didn’t figure it out until I was over 40 and went through major sugery with an emergency C section. I know I have a damaged thyroid and adrenal glands, in addition to being over weight. So I wanted to increase the nutrition to those organ systems, but how? I already eat a healthy diet and it wasn’t helping me heal or loose weight.

So what could I do that was all natural (I am not a fan of synthetic pharmacuticals), to heal? It is nearly impossible to eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables to heal adequately when you are dealing with a healing crisis. However, once I incorporated Juice Plus+ and thier Transform 30 program I began to see more healing and my weight has continued to go down as my body has detoxed and organs have been nourished with over 30+ fruits, veggies, grains, and herbs in the Juice Plus+ Trio Blend, and over 20+ plant foods in the Complete.

Yes, I do get frustrated when the scale is slow to show progress. When I started this challenge I expected more. I seriously thought I would have accomplished a 30lb loss by now, but that didn’t happen. Instead the scale went down and back up a pound and down again over and over and I didn’t feel that I was making very good progress. The progress seemed so small some weeks that I was embarrassed to even tell anybody I was working on it. But even though I may not see it on the outside, or even on the scale, I am making progress. My body is healing on the inside. I can see little things like the improvement in my fingernails, having more energy, sleeping better, thinking clearer, pooping healthy, and even the integrity of my skin has improved and there is healing of my cracked heels. That is progress!

It is happening. Slowly. Change is taking place.

In 12 weeks, I have lost 19 lbs.

My Next Get Healthy Makeover:

I am dedicating this whole year (and the rest of my life) to getting healthy and staying healthy. So I am going to do this again, on a 30 day cycle now. I have everything in place and have made the big changes these first 90 days, and now it is about making little tweaks.

The Transformation 30 program helps you implement one simple healthy change in your life every 30 days while using Juice Plus+. A small tweak here and a small tweak there adds up to big results! That is do-able!

So for the next 30 days I will be focussing on:

1) Meal Planning

I will continue with recipes from the Fast Metabolism Diet, Trim Healthy Mama, and Low Carb Paleo strategies. The biggest help in these programs is to not overload on carbs and fats in the same meal, either focus on carbs and proteins this meal, or focus on fats and proteins in this meal and alternate the meals every three to four hours, but to always incorporate nutrients dense veggies and proteins into each meal.

2) Staying hydrated.

I am trying to drink 3 quarts of water per day. I am adding in doTerra essential oils for flavor and a boost to my health. So far Lemon or Lemon and Lime are my favorite oils to use for flavor. I am also drinking the Trim Healthy Mama beverages called Good Girl Moonshine (ginger and apple cider vinegar lemonade and sometimes adding in fresh fruits for more flavors) and the Shrinker tea for even more hydration.

3) Juice Plus+

I will continue to take Juice Plus+ Orchard, Garden, and Vineyard Blends (Trio Blend), and Complete for nourishment from over 50 plant foods with all the nutrients and vitality intact.

4) Transformation 30 program by Juice Plus+ for health and vitality and weight loss.

If you decide to enroll in the Transformation 30 program, be sure to get in on the $100 Cash Giveaway I am doing with some friends. We want to motivate you to get healthy and what better way to get a little motivation than some free cash in your pocket that you can spend however you want.

5) doTerra essential oils and Life Long Vitality vitamin and mineral and healthy supplements.

I am continuing to use my doTerra supplements because I know it is a part of my healing journey. I am helping repair my body and recover. The doTerra oils are superior to other essential oils. They are Theraputic Grade and work better than pharmecuticals to keep me healthy. I love the way God had designed the human body to respond to natural methods of healing. It is an ongoing conversation with our creator.

6) Healthy Activity

Incorporating healthy activity into my personal time and into my family’s day too.

7) Spiritual Healthy Activity

Pray and talk with the Lord daily. Spend time each morning reading his word before I start my day. He is my daily bread. Sing praises to him daily for He is worthy to be praised. Thank Him each day for my life because He is the Author of it and He is the air I breathe. His mercies are new every morning and I am greatful. His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven will endure forever and ever.

Praise the Lord! I know I am healing and making progress to achieve my naturally healthy weight and I have confidence that God has given me wisdom and resources, and I will get there!

So there you go.

What have I been up to the past few weeks since we talked last? Are you working on your health? What are you doing to reach your goals? Please leave me a comment and let me know. I love to read your comments!

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Transform 30 and $100 Cash Giveaway

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Let me ask you a question.

What is your health worth?

What would you say if I told you that saying “Yes” to one simple change you can make today to take care of yourself, and repeat it for the next 30 days, can transform your life?

My friend Amber shared her health story with me. She said “Yes” to her health, and her life has been transformed. We have been friends for six years, sharing so much together about education, faith, parenting, marriage, healthy living, and meeting together for playdates for our kids. I have watched her grow in knowledge and her health, but something changed in her recently and she is vibrant! When I asked her how she got healthy, she shared her Transformation 30 journey with me. She has inspired me so much. She gave me permission to share her before and after photos with you.

“I lost 22 pounds,lots of inches, and my energy is through the roof now. But the biggest thing for me was just liking what I saw in the mirror again, and feeling so much better.” Amber Neal

This is the real deal. She is a real person I have known for a long time. I see the change in her. The transformation is happening right before my eyes. I said YES! I joined her on the journey because I want this too! I want a life transformation and to be at my best.

What is Transform 30?

The Transform 30 is saying “YES” to:

 Juice Plus Capsules and Juice Plus Complete Shake

 Drink 3 liters of water

 Exercise 30 minutes,  4 times a week

 Zero Wheat

 Zero Dairy

 Breathe deep 3 times a day for 3 minutes each

 Get 8 hours of sleep every night

 Assist digestion by finishing all food by 6 pm if possible.

 Balance

Tell me more about Juice Plus!

Juice Plus is a whole complete food. It is made from whole fruits, vegetables, grains, enzymes, and probiotics, and has been dried and powdered and is served in easy to use capsules, chewables, powders, and food bars for convenience. It is a complete food, with all of its life giving vitality in tact.

Juice Plus has repeatedly been studied by at least 30 medical studies in leading hospitals and medical journals all over the world showing its amazing ability to transform peoples lives for the better. In clinical studies it has been shown to affect so many of the diseases Americans are facing. In addition to the clinical studies, I have been listening to real people tell their testimony. I have heard people say their immune systems are stronger, their blood tests are perfect, they lowered their cholesterol by 200 points, and several who their doctors gave them weeks to live with end stage cancer and that was 7, 10, 15, 19 years ago. Can you believe? I also heard a woman share her story that in 5 months, proven by her doctor and lab tests, she cured her incurable inherited sickle cell anemia disease. In 5 months her body rebuilt, re-engineered new DNA that was free of the disease. I listened to an incredible woman who healed herself of lung cancer after the doctor told her it had metastisized and only gave her two weeks to live. Juice Plus transformed her life. It is amazing!

So what do you say?

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Would you like to get healthier and improve your energy levels?

You can do it!

Join me on the Transformation 30 challenge. Let’s do this together and take back our health and take back our life!

Ready for the $100 Giveaway?

How do you win the giveaway for $100 ???

SAY YES! Ask your Juice Plus rep what you need to GET STARTED on the Transform 30 program.
ENTER on the Rafflecopter below
You SHARE YOUR JOURNEY on your Facebook page with all your friends and family!
Gain more entries several ways, see options at the Rafflecopter links below. Some entries you can complete daily for more chances to win! The more you SHARE the more you chances you have of winning $100 CASH!

Rules for participating:

When you sign up for the Transformation 30 challenge, you can enter this giveaway for a chance to win $100 cash!

***You must be 18 or older and your Juice Plus rep must also be participating. I would love to be your rep if you don’t already have one!

***this giveaway is sponsored by a few Juice Plus Reps who came together to bless you with a great prize!

***check with your rep if you are a member of JP before entering, because your rep must be participating in order for you to be eligible to win the giveaway.

***this is NOT a Juice Plus Sponsored giveaway,

***winner is chosen from eligible entries randomly picked by Rafflecopter.

***incomplete entries will be disqualified for the prize.

***contest runs from 3/15/2015 to 5/15/2015

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This post is for information purposes only and not meant to diagnose or treat your disease. Please contact your doctor to discuss your situation before making lifestyle changes.

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Week 4 Update On The 90 Day Challenge

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I can hardly believe four weeks have passed since I started this challenge. I am happy to report that I am making progress with my goals and I am down 14 pounds!

No dieting, well unless you believe what Hailey Pomroy says that diet stands for Did I Eat Today? In that case then YES I am eating and eating and eating! There is so much food on this meal planning strategy to rev up the metabolism that I can’t hardly eat it all. I’m always stuffed! How can I loose 3.5 lbs a week, or about .5 lbs a day on average, when I am eating so much food?

This strategy is about eating 5 times a day, including lean proteins at each meal, and separating carbs and fats in different meals. That is it in a nut shell! I can find all the ingredients to create delicious meals in my local grocery store that fit right with my budget. What I choose to eat is up to me, as long as it is on the list. The list is divided up into three phases.

I keep meals focussed on either:
Phase 1: protein and carbs (high glycemic fruits and veggies and grains),
Phase 2: protein and low glycemic veggies,
Phase 3: protein and fats with low glycemic fruits and veggies, and grains and nuts.

Hailey Pomroy, a clinical nutritionist, has designed this strategy called FMD (Fast Metabolism Diet) to help rev up the metabolism and help the body focus on one fuel source at a time. The THM strategy (Trim Healthy Mama) works the same way too. Both of the strategies are awesome!

When the body has an over abundance of fats and carbs at the same meal, it burns one fuel type and stores the other one. By feeding the body one fuel source, it burns up that source and this doesn’t lead to weight gain, but effectively helps balance out to a healthy weight. If you are over weight, then this strategy efficiently helps the weight come down to a normal level creating a balance in the body. If you are at goal weight, then this strategy will help your metabolism to stay efficient and healthy and maintain your weight.

A few tips that have helped me get this far:
I posted my food list on the fridge, and it shows me what foods and ingredients to combine on what days. That has helped me overcome any last minute confusion about what foods to reach for.

I posted my goals on the wall in front of my computer too so I can look at them often.

I fill up a quart jar with liquids to drink through out the day. Sometimes it is filled with water, other times a fancy lemonade, and sometimes a fun fruity smoothie or a delicious homemade dairyfree sugarfree shake.

I am eating a huge variety of awesome foods made right at home! For the past 10 years or so, I have taken some food based supplements like kelp, spirulina, vitamin C, vitamin D3, probiotics, enzymes, etc. to naturally help my body get all the nutrients it needs. I use a green food powder a couple times a week in a morning Green Berry Smoothie too.

I set small goals for myself to progressively reach the bigger goals.

I am really pleased with my progress so far, and I can’t wait to see my outcome after the next four weeks. I am so excited about challenging my self at the beginning of this year so that I can attain to a healthier version of me this year. Lord willing, this new me at a healthy weight by making healthy choices is going to happen!

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Week 3 Update on the 90 Day Challenge

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I started my 90 Day Challenge on the morning of January 5th. It’s now the evening of January 25th and I just completed my 3rd full week of the challenge. I’m plugging right along on my goals to better health and wellness. You can read about my goals and my menu planning strategy to learn more about what I am doing.

Since I have completed 21 days of the challenge I thouth I would give you an update on my weight loss. I have lost 12 lbs to date. I had lost a few additional pounds, but I kept gaining and loosing those pounds, so only 12 lbs have stayed off so far. I am very happy with this weight loss and I am looking forward to where I will be at the end of this next week! I re-set the weightloss ticker at 0 for the start of this year so it can keep track of this years progress.

I am focussing on protein filled meals, but also focus on seperating fats and carbs at meals. Five meals and snacks are eaten each day and are eaten 3 to 4 hours apart. This method of seperating fuels in meals works to help you loose weight while eating tons of food. As a matter of fact, there is so much food to eat, I can’t eat it all. That may be hard for some to undertand, but it is true and it works. It is a good problem to have, so I am not complaining at all.

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Meal Planning for 90 Day Challenge

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I have listed my 15 Goals for 2015. I am doing a 90 Day Challenge to help me jumpstart reaching my goals this year. One of those goals is to eat healthy nutrient dense foods to live. I will be posting my meal plans / food journals during my 90 Day Challenge for better health and wellness to give you an idea of what I am eating and where I am at on my journey. Sometimes I will include nutritional data if I have had time to calculate it, and I will post some of the delicious recipes I use too.

I am using recipes from several different “camps”. Some are common recipes I will re-make into a healthier version. Nearly all recipes will comply with the Weston A Price Foundation and Nourishing Traditions foods, FMD, and THM. Some recipes are gluten-free, sugar-free, some are grain-free, dairy-free free, some are low histamine, and many are found in the FMD, THM, Lowcarb, Paleo, Raw Food, etc. strategy camps that go along well together. My main focus will be a merged FMD and THM strategy.

I have learned a lot about healthy foods and natural remedies over the years. But even though I ate healthy, and avoided many of the common cultural pitfalls of medications and used natural methods, the pounds still continued to add on each year. Though I was generally healthy, I could not stop gaining weight. I didn’t know there was a strategy to seperate fuels in meals to promote a healthy weight. But over the past two years, I learned from both the FMD and THM camps that I don’t have to deprive nutrients to get achieve weight-loss, I just have to know what foods to combine and when to use them. This knowledge is completely liberating. There is the light at the end of a long tunnel, it is a hope for a better tomorrow, and a basic truth that everyone can achieve a healthier version of themself if they have and apply this knowledge.

How FMD and THM diets are similar:
Both of the Fast Metabolism Diet (FMD) and THM diets encourage eating a lot of food. You are not eating small portions. You are reving up your metabolism by eating a lot of healthy foods, and burning the fuels. Both stratgies recommend gluten-free meals, soy free meals, sugar-free meals, and promote eating healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. Both diets encourage eating and discourage focussing on calorie counting. Both also encourage protein at each meal. Finally, both programs encourage you to either focus on protein and carbs, or protein and fats for each meal, and to eat meals at least 3 hours apart to be sure your digestive tract has emptied of the previous meal, and helps to keep the body’s focus on using one type of fuel at a time. Otherwise, when consuming a high amount of both carbs and fats together in the same meals, your body will use one fuel and store the other fuel creating a vicious cycle of weight gain. Both programs also encourage you to consume half your body weight number in ounces of fluid to stay hydrated and promote detoxification, healing, and weight loss. Both programs encourage mild exercise, every other day with days of rest built-in, but also state that exercise is not a requirement to weight-loss and that you can cause a stall in your weight-loss if you exercise too much every day.

THM suggests alternating between different meals and snacks (S, E, and F) every 3 hours:
S Meals (protein and fats)
E Meals (protein and carbs)
Fuel Pull Meals (low carb and low-fat).
There are also some crossover meal options for maintenance.

FMD suggests alternating meals and snacks (in phases 1, 2, 3) every 3 to 4 hours:
Phase 1 2 days a week (Monday and Tuesday)
High Carb-Lean Protein (grains / legumes, lean proteins, veggies, high and low glycemic fruits);
Phase 2– 2 days a week (Wednesday and Thursday)
Low Carb/Low Fat-Lean Protein (lean proteins, non starchy veggies);
Phase 3 3 days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
Medium Carb/Healthy Fat/ Protein (grains / legumes, proteins, veggies, low glycemic fruits, and fats including nuts, oils, avocados, fatty proteins and fatty cuts of meat, etc).

How FMD and THM diets are different:
FMD focusses on switching fuels from Carbs to Low-Carb/low-fat to Fats every two to three days. It also eliminates all dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. THM focusses on switching fuels any day or any meal you want to as long as you have had a 3 hour break in-between each meal. So you don’t have to wait days and days to get your fats or your carbs, as long as you have spaced them out, you could have them both in the same day. Ahhh…that is so much more refreshing to me than waiting 5 days to get in my fats for 3 days on rotation. I really struggled with this before, and I feel it is a little bit too strict for me. THM allows certain dairy products like yogurt, kefir, real cream, butter, cheese, and allows coffee, etc. too. They both use different low-carb / low-fat / high-carb / high-fat versions of foods to comply with their specific meal type S,E, or F and Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. So, for this dairy loving gal, I enjoyed many of the recipes in THM and felt much more emotionally satisfied with my meals after eating the THM way.

THM was developed by two very smart sisters who have self trained themselves in the science of food, health, and wellbeing. Through their collaborative efforts and years of experimenting and studying the work of various doctors and specialists, they developed a strategy of seperating carbs from fats, and a long list of recipes that clearly made a difference in helping themselves and their friends be at a healthy vibrant weight while carrying for the needs of their families. Since they published their book, they have successfully helped thousands of women loose weight and acheive a level of health they could not reach on their own. But there are clear advantages to following FMD too. FMD is more restrictive than THM by excluding dairy and caffeine, but it works quicker, and it is a proven healthy lifestyle that was developed by a certified clinical nutritionist who specializes in healing the thyroid especially, and also include healing adrenal glands, the heart, and brain while getting to a healthy weight. The author of FMD has had tremendous success in her long career with four nutritional clinics, a long long list of lives that have been changed, as a practitioner of healing the body through nutritional foods.

Most of the foods I plan to choose for the next 90 days will comply with the 3 meal types and phases of both the Fast Metabolism Diet (FMD) and the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) programs of eating 3 to 4 hours apart, eating within a half hour of waking, separating carbs and fats in my meals, etc. However, looking ahead, I do plan to cheat from the FMD program occasionally by using some of the dairy recipes from the THM deserts which may contain dairy or peanut flour (not allowed on FMD), but are still sugar-free and gluten-free, and highly nutritious. I hope to work one or two of these delicious treats a week during Phase 1 when higher carbs are allowed, and during Phase 3 when higher fats are allowed. I think it is better to start out acknowledging a plan for healthy treats / cheats built-in.

For example, I love THM (S) shakes and THM (E and F) GGMS (Good Girl Moon Shine: glorified ginger lemonade recipes that change based on what fruit you add or leave out).

The GGMS has made a huge difference in my ability to stay hydrated as I do not like the taste of plain tap or well water.

The THM style (S) Shakes taste just like the real milk shakes I grew up with, but they are a much healthier version. They are high in protein, and moderate in healthy fats, and sugar-free.

I also enjoy coffee with cream or bulletproof coffee with butter and coconut oil, so I may work in at least one, and maybe a few of these coffee treats a week. Coffee is not conducive to healing the adrenal glands, that is why FMD has removed it from the diet, so it needs to be used wisely. But I read recently an article in the Weston A Price Foundation that said one cup a day or even a few cups of bulletproof style coffee a week can be a healthy choice if not used as a breakfast replacement and also if paired with a protein. That is good news, as I love a creamy frothy coffee and could drink it all day long, but that would be a bad idea. But I am not ready to give up dairy and coffee completely because I believe there is great health to be acheived in using them correctly. So even though FMD does not encourage use of dairy, or coffee, I plan to use them from time to time in the similar appropriate phase (fats). I do not want to sabotage my progress, so I will have to re-evaluate this plan as I go along and be careful not to over indulge, and be sure that I am achieving the results I am hoping for.

I have tried both of these strategies in the past, and I am confident they both work.
On the FMD program, I was able to achieve a weight loss of about 18 lbs a month, or about 4.5l bs a week, or about .6 lb a day. That is incredible! I slept well too. I started FMD in April and by mid May I saw a huge change in myself. I felt energized and I was truly excited about this way of eating Friday through Tuesday, but felt out of energy by the evening of Wednesday and all of Thursday I was completely exhausted. I do not do well on two days of low-carb/low-fat eating. It was devastating to me to give up my farm fresh milk, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and butter I loved. We moved across country the end of May 2013 and I was not able to successfully repeat the program in our new location. When we first moved, I didn’t have a stove or dishes until mid July (about 6 weeks). Then my husband was without work for several months and I could not afford the ingredients. So I felt defeated. By December 2013 I had gained back the weight I lost on FMD. A supportive friend kept telling me about her success with THM and that it was more affordable. She suggested I give it a try. I found out I was pregnant in January and I started THM in February 2014. I miscarried the baby in April 2014, but kept going with the THM diet. With the THM program, I was able to enjoy my dairy, and achieve a weight loss of about 22 lbs in four months which equals about 5.5 lbs a month, 1.4 lbs a week, or .18 pounds a day. However, by the third month on THM, my weight loss had slowed to .8 lb a week and then stalled for many weeks on end before losing the next .8 lb and during that struggle to get it moving again, I lost my desire to continue after following it successfully for four months. I felt desperate to find a way to jump-start my weight-loss again, even though I loved and continued many of the recipes, and I then switched to a low-carb focus, and lost a few more pounds and then maintained the weight I lost for three months, but again I seen maintaining as a long stall, and then went off dieting altogether. I should have jumped right back on either THM or FMD when that jump start happened, but I didn’t have the foresight to see it. Over time, I slowly re-gained the weight and was back to where I started by December. So from February of 2014 to December 2014 I lost 22 lbs, lost an additional 3 lbs, and then gained it all back by the year-end. Talk about a yo-yo, HOW AWEFUL!

Why Try Again?
I had my 45th birthday in December 2014. I had decided once again that I don’t want to be this heavy and I must do something about it. I want to be a healthier version of me for 2015. I am tired of the constant ups and downs of my weight. The only way I know to achieve this healthier me, is to implement the FMD and THM strategies again, with some much-needed modifications to keep my energy and my desire to persevere while on them. If you take away all the joy of my creamy shakes and treats, or the hydrating wonder power of GGMS, or my love to enjoy the whole egg, not just the whites, then I would not make it long on FMD. But I still want to use the FMD plan to organize my days, and see a quicker results for my efforts.

Both programs are great, but in my opinion, the FMD helps the weight come off faster and focusses on healing the thyroid, which for most of us, especially me, is so important on our journey to better health. I definitely feel my thyroid needs healing. THM is great too, and helps address the needs of the adrenal glands and is calming because it provides lots of comfort foods, deserts, and emotional and spiritual support in your Christian faith, support in your duties as a wife and mother, and helps to heal the emotional side of why people over eat and are malnourished. THM even has a an awesome Trim Healthy Mama Pregnant and Nursing support group to help you along your journey. I wish someone would combine both of these amazing programs, FMD and THM, in a proven weight-loss strategy, because they are both great and both seem to contain an amazing key of wisdom to helping people lose weight. But I don’t know of any combined approach out there. So I am going to experiment with somewhat merging these programs for 90 Days, and see if I can achieve a healthy well nourished body that includes weight loss, healthier skin, healthier hair, more energy, and a more normal size for my 5’2″ frame.

For 90 days I am following a merged plan of both the FMD and THM strategies, and using great recipes from both. You can follow my pictures on Instagram for the most current photos of my meals. It is easier for me to wrap my brain around the FMD method, with my days organized with the same phase meals, but I love the freedom in eating desserts and treats that are allowed on the THM too. So I will evaluate some of the THM recipes and fit them into the FMD plan on the appropriate phases as much as I can. I will also be supplementing my diet with a few herbs, superfood supplements, and essential oils which I will post in my food journal.

My daily food intake goal is to eat 3 nourishing meals and 2 nourishing snacks, 3 to 4 hours apart:
Phase 1 (FMD) and E (THM) Meals: Monday and Tuesday
Phase 2 (FMD) and F (THM) Meals: Wednesday and Thursday (if I can last the full two days)
Phase 3 (FMD) and S (THM) Meals: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

I will start posting my meal plans and food journal soon, and keep you informed of my progress on this journey to health and wellness during the 90 Day Challenge.

I realize my plan to combine these approaches may offend the purists, those who only believe THM works, or those who believe only FMD works, or those who believe on Paleo or LowCarb diets work. I have known many of these folks who can only believe in the one diet that has benefitted them, and I don’t have any desire to convince anyone to choose one over the other, or to even try this combined approach. Not everything works 100% for every person, as I found out when I did these different programs by themselves. I realize why all of these programs work, and why each of these programs have shortcomings for people with various different needs. My journey is different from someone else’s journey. I am on a journey to find out what works best for me. I hope my readers, and everyone desiring a better healthier 2015 can find what works for them too.

Be blessed!

I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

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Walk and Talk Wednesday

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Week 6

Family Fitness

If you are looking for some fun physical activities to do with your kids, I have a few ideas for you. I hope through out the stories I am sharing on Walk and Talk Wednesday you will glean ideas and projects that will work for you and your family to reach your fitness goals.

One of our favorite places to get some exercise is the park. We visit several local parks each month. We have different ones we like to visit on different days of the week too. It is a lot of fun to mix and match and the kids look forward to this activity. I feel good knowing they got in some PE time, but often they get so much more from this. They get to meet new and old friends, they learn about the outdoors, and more. It is a win win situation.

There is so much variety at different parks. Some parks have playgrounds, some have paved walking paths, some allow bike riding, skating, skate boarding, and some have tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball and soccer fields, areas to fly kites, play frisbee, frisbee golf, or play kickball, and some have wooded hiking trails too. There is so much variety available at different parks and almost anyone can find a park that is a good match for their family to exercise at.

We often go site seeing on the weekends as a family and this is a great way to ad in some family fitness. Most of these outings are within a two hour or less drive from home, but sometimes we venture farther. Most of these sites (zoo, museums, state parks, plantations, lakes, natural formations, fairs, festivals, etc) require us to do some walking to enjoy the experience. Most of the sites we visit are free or very low cost. If there is a cost, then sometimes we buy a season pass. With our size of family (8 people), as season pass works out good. My husband and I got started doing this in Kansas and Indiana in the early 1990’s when a lot of states put together booklets on places to see called “One Tank Trips”. Gas was much cheaper then, and now it costs a lot to burn up a tank of gas. So we try to balance how much we are spending in gas with the value of the learning experience and quality family time together.

You might be pleasantly surprised to learn about free or low cost places your family can go see within a short drive of where you live. Check your local area newspapers, and visiting center for places to visit. Great websites to find activities in your local area are google searches for one tank trips with your state or metro area . So folks in Charlotte NC might find things to do at charlottenews/one tank trips and so on. Another site to look up is grandparents.com and the words visit and put your state or nearby state name in. So if you lived near Charlotte NC your search might read visitnc.com or visitsc.com to find exciting places in North Carolina and South Carolina. Just pick the state you want to search and you will find lots of great sites to plan your adventure. You can map google any address and map out your trip and calculate the mileage to see how much gas money it will cost you too. Better yet, have the kids look it up and calculate the mileage as a learning activity!

We enjoy exercising at home together. Some days we play in the yard, shoot baskets in the hoop on the driveway, walk or ride bikes on our street. We also enjoy doing an exercise video together. We have a couple that are geared for younger kids, like a Sesame Street video, that we have used in the past. Currently we are using T-Tapp 15 minute Basic Workout and it is going great doing this as a whole family (minus dad as he is at work when we do it). Another fun thing to do at home is use a mini trampoline. These are easy to find under $30 at your local discount store, and it fits under a bed or turned on its side in a closet when not in use. Let the kids jump, count, say their ABC’s or math facts while bouncing.

There are also many gyms that allow children to accompany their parent for exercise too. We have been going to the YMCA this winter, and this is working very well for us. We can walk, run, swim, dance, and more despite the cold (wet) winter weather. Be sure to check out all of our family fitness and outdoor learning stories for more ideas and to see our family fitness progress.

ZOO

Walking at the zoo is a good physical and learning activity for the whole family. We took a trip to the Riverbanks Zoo at Columbia, South Carolina this past Saturday. I’ll post a story soon with pictures of the animals and the fun learning adventure we had, but today I wanted to show you some of the physical activity side of this adventure too.

We walked around the zoo for 5 hours. We brought our stroller for the baby, but didn’t realize how tired the 4 and 5 year old would get. So after about an hour of walking, we had to rent two of the strollers at the zoo for them to use. I am thankful the zoo offers this stroller rental resource for families. I saw several families with wagons for their youngsters too, and we just might have to get one of those someday.

We all got a good workout taking turns pushing strollers and walking around. Besides walking, the zoo offers a train and tram, two rock wall climbing towers, a playground, a long bridge that crosses over the river, picnic areas, a real carousal, and a four story tall climbing challenge called the Sky High Safari.

Two of my boys wanted to take the 44 foot high challenge. They literally journeyed high into the tree tops on this challenge. Oooohhhhh….my babies are growing up so fast. They want to take on monumental obstacles………..

….obstacles that I myself am not brave enough to take on. I am so proud of them.

Some of the animal habitats at the zoo are physically interactive too, like the petting zoo, the kangaroo walkabout, pony rides, the shark tank at the aquarium where kids go inside glass bubble tunnels and watch the fish swim around them, and the penguin habitat where they can climb part of the rocks the penguins are also on, but are separated by a glass wall.

Before leaving the zoo, we returned the extra strollers and went to see another animal exhibit. We also got the baby out of his stroller before leaving and we climbed on some life size animal statues. Then we all (including preschoolers and the baby) walked the entire length from the entrance back through two parking lots to our van. The kids had so much fun at the zoo, they didn’t even realize they were getting lots of exercise. Our trip to the zoo was a wonderful family activity.

YMCA

We did our our Cardio Dance class with Natalie at the Y this week. We love this class. This week was jam packed with lots of folks, the most I have seen in there since we began taking it. Natalie encouraged us all to do our best and I felt physically exhausted 1/2 way through. But I managed to keep going. Here is a picture of my kids with Natalie and Mike who lead the class, and another picture of two of the homeschool families we have met in the class.

After dancing we walked a mile (and the boys ran a few of the laps too) on the indoor track. Then we played basketball for 30 minutes.

Next we spent some time in an exercise room approved for kids ages 7 and up. Though there is not any machines in this room, the room is full of other fun hands on items to use. This week we used these “1/2 ball” shaped steps. It is good for balance, coordination, and Cardio training. Right side up or upside down, it is good for balance and strength training too. A fellah using them for push ups took some time to teach my sons how to use them for pushups. This was very hard to do.

We also used some benches for sit ups / leg ups. I found this nearly impossible. I have NO strength in my stomach muscles. I tried and tried on my own and couldn’t budge my legs up. My son raised my legs up so I could do the legs up move. The next day my back was very sore from stretching while doing this. My boys also used the big balls for push ups and sit ups. They jumped ropes too. They are far more active than me!

Hopefully I will get better and better as I come back each week and try again. Be sure to check out last week’s story, WEEK 5, to see how we used more of the other items from this room. You can also read ALL of the progress through the link on the side bar titled Walk and Talk Wednesday.

Food and Activity Journal

Sunday 2/10

Breakfast

Egg Sandwich: 2 eggs, toasted farmer bread 1 slice, American cheese

Lunch

Taco: corn taco shell, ground beef with seasonings, shredded cheddar cheese, taco sauce, avocado slices

Snack

chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting

Supper

Protien Shake: ½ scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 cup ice, ½ cup coffee, ½ cup fresh raw milk, 1 tsp raw honey, 1 tsp coconut oil

4 bbq chicken wings

¼ cup cashews

Vitamins & Supplements:

2 Raspberry Ketones Blend in the morning (raspberry ketones, green tea, African Mango, caffeine, acai fruit extract, )

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

1 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity : None

Saturday 2/9

Breakfast

Egg, sausage, cheese, croissant

Lunch

Cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, bun

Snack

Chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting

Supper

Did not feel hungry, did not eat.

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

1 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity:

Walked around the zoo for 5 hours with my family.

Friday 2/8

Breakfast

Toast with peanut butter

Banana

Snack

Protien Shake: ½ scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 cup ice, ½ cup coffee, ½ cup fresh raw milk, 1 tsp raw honey, 1 tsp coconut oil

Lunch

Egg salad sandwich

Supper

Raviolis

Garlic bread

Greenbeans

Fruit salad: mandarin oranges, pears, apples, cherry, greek yogurt

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

1 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity:

T-Tapp 15 workout

Thursday 2/7

Breakfast

Eggs

Raw Milk

Lunch

Chicken

Carrots

Supper

Fish

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity:

T-Tapp 15 workout

Wednesday 2/6

Breakfast

Egg, Sausage, Cheese, Croissant

Lunch

Leftover spaghetti

Snack

Raw Milk Protien Smoothie

Cowboy Cookies

Supper

Grilled chicken breast, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, bun

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity: none

T-Tapp 15 workout

Tuesday 2/5

Breakfast

French Toast (bread, egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon,) with Maple Syrup

Lunch

Leftover spaghetti, green beans

Supper

Hamburger, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles (no bun)

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity

T-Tapp 15 workout

Monday 2/4

Breakfast

Waffle, peanut butter, banana

Raw milk

Lunch

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Carrots

Supper

Spaghetti

Greenbeans

Carrot Sticks

Pears

Vitamins & Supplements:

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity

T-Tapp 15 workout

Summary Of Progress

I only lost a 1/2 pound this week. It is discouraging to not see a bigger decrease in my weight after doing all of this activity. But I know that weight is not the only way to measure my progress. My family is getting healthier. We are getting more active and making it a priority, and a routine, even through we are still in the winter months of the year. I am pleased with the activity we had this past week and I am looking forward to more progress next week.

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Walk and Talk Wednesday February Link Up

Please join us and share your fitness stories. You can link up to our monthly link up, or leave a comment to share your progress. If leaving a link up, please place a link on your story back here so others can find us too. I have set this up as a blog hop, and you are welcome to ad the linky code onto your story. I can’t wait to read what you are doing to help your family be healthy. Be blessed!

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Walk and Talk Wednesday February

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Week 5

The past few weeks I have been able to overcome some of the stiffness in my hips, waist, and shoulders that has been bothering me. I am only a young 43 years of age, so why do I have this stiffness? Well, its a sad story, but after an emergency C section in November 2011, I became “frozen in fear” of pain from too much movement. I lost my “gumption” so to speak. I also lost faith in people who I believed were there to help me, but instead betrayed me and set into motion a chain of events that I had no control over. I am still trying to recover.

I was not active at all the first 6 weeks after the surgery. Then slowly, little by little, I became somewhat active, as I walked a little, drove the van and took kids to the park each week, hosted learning programs, taught 4H, etc. All of this was done by moving as little as possible to minimize the pain I felt in the middle of my body where I had been cut in half from one side to the other. After each “day out”, it took days to get through the pain as my body continued to heal.

For nearly an entire year, I could feel layer after layer of the incisions as they pulled and tried to heal. Each layer was cut at a slightly different height and six layers of my body were cut from the left to the right side of the middle of my body during this emergency. Each layer healed at a different rate. I recoiled from the pain and did less activity the next day or two until the pain let up. Plus I was given general anesthesia. That stuff seems to take forever to leave the system and many days I felt I was in a mental fog. All of that combined with being a new mom again of a newborn. This “yo yo” level of activity resulted in stiffness. I have yet to get back to the level of activity and freedom of movement I was at before the surgery.

However, I am positive about recovery. I am enjoying more freedom of movement each passing week, and I know it is just a matter of time until I reach that point of feeling free from this whole ordeal. I have continued to use T-Tapp twice this week. I feel that my limbering up is due to using T-Tapp, walking, and the Cardio Dance class at the YMCA.

We had the most challenging workout yet in our Cardio Dance class at the YMCA. Here is my 10 year old posing with our instructor, Natalie. She does a great job and my son and I both love dancing with Natalie. She can be silly too, and my son loves to be silly and it is a good match. Natalie is a mom of two boys and she relates well with kids in the class.

I felt an instant connection with Natalie from the first day. She constantly made eye contact with me during our first class and encouraged me that I was doing a good job and to keep going. She has consistently done this during every class. I remember telling Natalie after the first class I took how scared I was of the pain. To move my hips and twist and bounce was very scary to me. I just wasn’t sure how much movement I could do. But my desire to get healthy was so strong that I wanted to push through no matter what it took. She was so sweet and encouraging to me. She was a life line God put into my path for a new beginning. She has been a weekly lifeline for 5 whole weeks now.

We have met three other homeschool families from Asheville, NC in the Cardio Dance class. Ellen has four kids, Linda has 8 kids, and Michele has 4 kids too. All of them bring two or three of their kids into the class and some of their older kids play basketball in the gym too. I hope to share some pictures of their families in upcoming stories soon and I have encouraged them to feel free to leave their progress in the comment section on these stories too.

Meeting other moms and homeschool families at the YMCA has helped me to feel comfortable, and increased my enjoyment using the facility. There are several more moms who are not homeschoolers, who attend the class with their kids too. There are many more individuals who attend the class without their children. But the class has a good mix of everyone.

Our class is multi-cultural too. I love this. There are folks from many different ethnicities: Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Korean, Vietnamese, India, and more. There are both males and females, a couple of pregnant ladies, kids, teens, and there are folks with special needs including Down Syndrome too. Natalie is helping all of us and touching all our lives in a special way.

I am so blessed my children are getting to meet so many people from different walks of life in this class. The family friendly YMCA classes are open to kids ages 7 and up. The YMCA also provides child care for children 7 and under too.

After the Cardio Dance class, I walked a mile (18 laps) on the indoor track. When I first started walking at the YMCA a few weeks ago, it took me 30 minutes to walk a mile. Now it takes me about 20 minutes to walk it. Yeah, I am improving! Walking the track here is pretty fun. You can watch people playing basketball down below, or many people bring their MP3 and listen to music. I don’t have an MP3 so I just watch the folks play basketball as I walk.

While I walked, my son practiced punching the speed bag and kicking the heavy bag. The speed bag helps with eye hand coordination. The heavy bag helps with strength training. Two fellahs running on the indoor track stopped to teach my son how to use the heavy bag. This was great! I am thankful folks are willing to help a young person learn how to do things.

Then we played basketball for 30 minutes. We like to compete with each other and see who can get the most baskets. The rule is 1 point per basket and you must dribble the ball in between shots. This helps us get more exercise and builds coordination too.

Then we used the pool. There was hardly anyone there. I did not know the last Tuesday night of the month there is no open swim time, and they only have lap swimming on this day. The reason is there are Kayakers there who are “flipping” their kayaks and learning how to resurface safely so they are safer when out on the rivers. So they have use of 1/2 the pool on the open swim side. BUT….the lap side is open to everyone. So we practiced swimming laps. I am so proud of myself. I swam 10 laps. My shoulders gave me a little trouble as I swung my arms over each time, but I persevered. The pool is 25 meters (75 feet) long. I was really proud of myself.

I let my son swim laps for a while and I enjoyed the steam room. I love this room. The air is hot and steamy at 105 degrees. Every few minutes, the air fills with steam. Sweat, and condensation from the steam, just drips off of your body. It is very relaxing and it is my favorite way so far to end my workout.

A Second Trip During The Week

My husband blessed me with some time on Saturday to workout again. I was so excited to add in a second workout day. Both my 8 year old and 10 year old went with me. There are no classes on Saturday after 11 am, but the facility is open until 8 pm and that is plenty time to get in some good exercise.

I started with 20 minutes on the recumbent cross trainer.

Next we used the BIG balls for some exercises. These are a lot of fun. We stood in a row facing a big mirror and lifted the balls above our heads, then to the left, then to the right, then set them down. We did 20 repetitions of these movements. Ouch! Then we used them to lay back on and with feet on the floor do sit ups, then lay our stomach on the ball and hands on the floor and do push ups.

Then we tried doing repetitions with the medicine balls (weighted balls), but this proved to be difficult. We managed to do five repetitions and we were maxed out. Then we did jump rope for 10 minutes. The boys thought this was really fun. Our jump ropes at home are flimsy and not much fun to jump with. But the ropes at the YMCA are real sports equipment and they work fast and accurately. This made jumping rope a lot of fun.

All three of us walked 1 mile on the track. Several times the boys would run a lap or two and compete with each other of who could run the fastest. This was really good for them. I kept a steady pace and completed the mile in 20 minutes.

The 8 year old finished first because he ran several laps. He practiced punching the speed bag while he waited for us to finish. Then we did a few “laps” up and down on the stairs. We were really sweating now.

Then we headed to the gym and played basketball for 30 minutes. We stayed until the YMCA was closing. All together we worked out about 1 hour 30 minutes or so. It was a nice evening with the boys.

Food and Activity Journal

Sunday 2/3
Breakfast
Eggs

Lunch
Waffle topped with peanut butter and sliced banana
Raw Milk

Supper
Hamburger, provolone cheese, dill pickles, sweet pickles, lettuce, NO BUN
Carrot sticks
Raw Cauliflower
Cheese cake Brownie
Kids had “football” ice cream cake, but I skipped it.

Vitamins and Supplements
2 Fiber
1 Enzyme

Water x 6

Activity:
Supper bowl party with kids

Saturday 2/2
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs
Bacon
Cantaloupe
Oranges
Fresh Raw Chocolate Milk

Lunch
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Chili
Fresh Pears
Greenbeans

Supper
Hamburger, lettuce, red onion, tomato, ½ bun

Vitamins and Supplements
2 Fiber
1 Enzyme
Water x 6

Activity:
YMCA walked 1 mile 20 minutes, cross trainer recumbent bike 20 minutes, played basketball 30 minutes, various workout moves with large exercise ball and medicine ball, jumped rope, 20 minutes.

Friday 2/1
Breakfast
Egg Scramble: Eggs, Hashbrowns, Kale
2 cups hot herbal tea: African Robios Tea with Orange Blossom honey

Lunch
1 slice left over pizza
Sliced apple
Carrot sticks
Juice Feast

Supper
Chicken breast
Carrot Sticks

Vitamins & Supplements:
Multi Vitamin powder packet
2 psyllium fiber
1 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity

Thursday 1/31
Breakfast
Eggs x 2
Mocha Latte

Lunch
Leftover Hamburger, pepper jack cheese, mayo, alfalfa sprouts, bun
Sweet potato chips

Supper
Pizza (to celebrate National Pizza Week with the kids!)

Vitamins & Supplements:
2 psyllium fiber
1 – enzyme blend

Water: 6

Activity
T-Tapp 15 minute workout

Wednesday 1/30
Breakfast
Oatmeal
Banana

Lunch
Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets
Peas
Carrot Sticks

Supper
Hamburger, Gouda Cheese, Lettuce, Onion, Bread and Butter Pickles, mayo, mustard, bun
Veggie Chips (potato flour, sunflower oil, salt, spinach, tomato, beet, onion, sugar)

Vitamins & Supplements:
Multi Vitamin powder packet ( Emer-gen C)
2 psyllium fiber
1 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity

Tuesday 1/29
Breakfast
Oatmeal

Lunch
Chicken Sandwich: Chicken Breast, Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, mayo, bun

Supper
Angus Burger, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Mayo, Whole Grain Bun

Vitamins & Supplements:
2 psyllium fiber
1 – enzyme blend

Water: 6

Activity:
YMCA- cardio dance class 1 hour, walk 1 mile on track (18 laps), steam room 15 minutes, pool 5 laps up and back (25 meeters x 5 x 2 = 250 meeters = 7500 feet (over a mile!), steam room 15 minutes again (love this room!)

Monday 1/28
Breakfast
Juice Feast (vegetable, fruits, keVita blended in the blender)

Lunch
Left over beef and cheese enchiladas
Salad
Carrot sticks
Grapes

Supper

Vitamins & Supplements:
1 probiotic 15 strains
2 psyllium fiber
2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity
T-Tapp 15 workout

Summary Of Week 5 Progress

I took a break from most of my supplements this week. I plan to give my body a break and then start taking them again. I hope to increase my T-Tapp activity to daily. When I will get a new schedule implemented I don’t know. Why is it so hard to change? But I need more days started with T-Tapp. I hope to put together a T-Tapp routine every morning with the kids. The kids love to T-Tapp with me. They challenge me too. Soon I hope.

I feel more comfortable in my pursuit of my Fitness Goals now. When I started 5 weeks ago, I was scared. Scared to try, and scared to fail. I was scared of pain. I am not scared anymore. I am on my way…… I am looking forward to change….. I am looking forward to being healthy.

I’ll be posting 4 new fitness stories for February on Wednesdays. Be sure to read about our ongoing progress, and check out the previous posts from January too. Sign up for updates and new posts by email in the side bar of the website.

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Week 4

This week I started T-Tapp and did two 15 minutes workouts (30 minutes) twice with my children. If you haven’t heard of T-Tapp before, you might want to give this program a look.

It was developed by a woman named Teresa Tapp. She is a physiologist and rehabilitative trainer. Over many years of research and practice as a physical therapist, she developed a system of movements that focus on using all of the muscels in the body, increase flexibility, and increase metabolism.

This program is a rehabilitative and health maintenance program that promotes alignment with your spine, and movement of the lymphatic system. This is not the standard exercise program. Teresa Tapp also recommends no diet change for people using her system. These body movements are not what you have heard about before. They are specialized movements that target key areas of the body. There is very little bouncing or jumping and is easy on the joints and has smooth movements. Please read The Difference Between T-Tapp and other excercise systems to learn more.

My muscles were so tired after doing this video. I could feel the burn after a couple of repetitions of each different movement. I couldn’t believe how much can get accomplished in just 15 minutes.

I have wanted to start T-Tapp ever since hearing Charlotte Siem’s testimoney. She is a homeschool mom of 12 children. That’s right, 12 children! She went from a size 22 to a size 8 in one year and now maintains a size 4/6 and has kept the weight off for 4+ years. What is so remarkable is that the only change in her life she made was using the T-Tapp program for 15 minutes a day, several days a week, and no dieting.

I bought Charlotte’s e-book first, downloaded it, put it in a three ring binder, and read it cover to cover. I decided to turn this binder and book into my weight loss planner. I also started following her blog, This Lovely Place. Then I was so amazed and moved by her story that I decided to give T-Tapp a try and ordered the T-Tapp program. Some of the items in the T-Tapp box I purchaced include DVD’s, Teressa Tapp’s autographed book “Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes”, and a skin brush to help promote the movement of cellulite and toxins to drain from the lymph system. There is also an herbal skin toning supplementand alfalfa that I have not opened yet, but may someday, but I can only plan to do one small change at a time for now.

Our time at the YMCA on Tuesday was great! We worked out for one hour with our instructor Natalie. Here is a picture of two of my sons posing with Natalie after the Cardio (Zumba and mixed dance) class. The room looks empty in the picture, but there are about 30 + folks in this room during the class and it is really full.

Next the boys played basketball………..

While I walked a mile on the indoor track.

And though it is not an “official” piece of exercise equipment, I like to do several repetitions of going up and going down on the 29 stair steps when it is not busy. I feel like I get a lot of good natural movement from doing this instead of using a piece of equipment. The equipment room is very busy with lots of people body building. I haven’t felt comfortable to venture into the larger equipment room yet.

Next we went swimming. The boys love using the open swim area to swim and play and ride the water slide.

I also spent some time in the steam room, the sauna, and the hot tub. This is so relaxing. I have to be careful because a person could easily fall asleep in anyone of these soothing activities, especially after doing the earlier exercises. The steam room is by far my favorite! It feels very good.

Nutrient and Activity Journal For Week 4

Sunday 1/27

Breakfast

Blueberries, Strawberries

Yogurt

Cinamon Roll

Lunch

Salad

Carrot sticks with ranch dip

Apple slices

Supper

Baked chicken legs

Boiled potatoes and carrots with a tbsp butter, salt, and pepper

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 4

Activity:

Saturday 1/26

Breakfast

Egg

French Vanilla Latte (coffee, milk, demera sugar, French vanilla creamer)

Lunch

Grilled Cheese (buttered bread toasted with Gouda cheese)

Sweet potato chips

Sliced cucumbers

Snack:

Homemade Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips)

Supper:

Tacos: Taco shells, ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce

Carrot sticks

Grapes

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 4

Activity:

Friday 1/25

Breakfast

Oatmeal

Lunch

White Chicken Chili: Great Northern beans, chicken broth, ground chicken, canned jalapinio peppers, salt and pepper, curry spice mix

Snack

Homemade Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips)

Supper:

Homemade beef enchiladas (beef, seasoning, sauce {made with salsa, flour, oil, salt, pepper}, corn tortilias, safflower oil, shredded cheese).

Lettuce Salad

Sour Cream

Corn

Green Olives

Grape Juice

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 4

Activity:

Thursday 1/24

Breakfast

Oatmeal

Lunch

Salad

Supper

Hamburger (beef, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, bun)

Vanilla ice cream (all natural milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla)

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 4

Activity:

Grocery Store with 5 of the 6 kids. Walked around for 2 hours.

We continue to have rainy, and cold weather and not many good days to be outside.

Expecting an ice storm tomorrow.

Wednesday 1/23

Breakfast

Egg

Chocolate Milk (fresh raw milk, ovalteen poweder)

Lunch

Chicken Sandwhich: Grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, may, whole wheat bun

Vanilla ice cream (all natural milk, cream, sugar, vanilla)

Supper

Salad: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, shredded chicken, honey mustard dressing

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity:

Tuesday 1/22

Breakfast

Oatmeal

Mocha Latte

Lunch:

Egg Scramble: Eggs, Hashbrowns, Spinach, and left over crumbled meat and veggie patty.

Snack

Vanilla cookie

Supper

Salmon Patty

Mashed potato

Peas

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 6

Activity:

T-tapp

2 sets of 15 minute T-tapp workout

YMCA 3 hours

1 hour cardio dance class, walk 1 mile on indoor track (18 laps), 29 stairs x 4 sets, steam room 10 minutes, sauna 10 minutes, hot tub 15 minutes, swim laps in the pool 45 minutes, then steam room again for 10 minutes.

Monday 1/21

Breakfast

Eggs 2, Spinach, Hashbrowns

Juice Feast 1 cup

Lunch

Pizza 1 slice

Salad

Snack

Chocolate banana parfait

Supper

Beef / vegetable burger patty: (sauted red onion, garlic, spinach, shredded carrots mixed into ground beef and cooked like a hamburger patty).

Lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, swiss cheese, bun.

Sweet potato chips

Snack

Vanilla cookies

Vitamins & Supplements:

Multi Vitamin powder packet

1 tsp. Elderberry extract

1 probiotic 15 strains

2 psyllium fiber

B-complex

1-kelp capsule

2 – enzyme blend

Water: 5

Activity:

2 sets 15 minute T-tapp workout

Summary

I am more flexible this week than I have been over the past year since having my surgery. I noticed during the first YMCA class I took, that my body could not turn very well from side to side. The instructor would tell us to wiggle our hips and also to use the hip to turn one direction or another. I could not do it. It was as if my hips were locked in place. I could bend forward and back, but not thrust my hips in either direction at the waist. After doing the T-tapp workout, I felt more flexible. During the week I felt one hip unlock and allow a little movement. My instructor at the Y noticed I had more movement during the class this week. I told her I had started using T-tapp. By the end of the week I felt both hips unlock and I feel more flexible, though I am still not able to move them as far as I want to yet. I want to include T-tapp three days or more in my activity routine for next week.

I didn’t plan out my menu as well this week. I felt really hungry all week and ate a lot of comfort foods. I want to increase my consumption of fresh produce and Juice Feast (vegetables and fruits in the blender) to use when I am hungry for a snack for next week instead of cookies. I want to increase my intake of fermented foods: yogurt, kefir, etc, and fresh milk next week. I need to increase my water intake. The heat in the house is beginning to dry my skin this week and there were several days I did not drink enough water. I hope to do a better job of menu planning next week and eating healthier snacks too.

I am disappointed that I did not have more weight loss this week. I think I am holding some water weight, but the rest of this battle is a fight with my metabolism. It is sluggish and no matter how much effort and workout I give, I barely notice any decrease in my weight. It is adjusting and re-adjusting to my activity level and not yet allowing me to shed much of the weight. I have been offered to review a product through Creative Bio Science, and I have given it serious consideration to jump start my metabolism. I will post an update on how I will proceed soon.

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Walk and Talk Wednesday Link Up

This is the last Walk and Talk link up for January. The link up will be open for a few more days. We will post a new Walk and Talk link up for February next week. Please feel free to join us and post your stories about your family fitness progress. Be sure to link your blog story on your website back here so others can find us for more inspiration. If you don’t have a blog post, feel free to leave your update in the comment section.

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