Week 5 and 6

At the end of week 5 I was very discouraged and not feeling any results from the change in diet. So, I took a week off and for week 6 I felt awful. So, I am going to get back on the diet knowing that though I don't feel perfect on the diet, I feel better. So, I'm back to it with some flexibility in the plan. I'm not going to be as strict, but I am going to stick with it pretty well.

week four

Not a great week. Mild pain all week long, which made the diet feel meaningless. I cheated one day with a cookie. I'm trying to keep in mind that this really may work, but it will take a while. So a new week has come and I am back to it.

ouch

Flare in my right toes, hurts pretty bad. Totally frustrating. I really thought this was helping but I have been in pain all week. I'm not giving up...

small flare

Quick note to self...I have a lot of stiffness and some pain today. I had some nutrasweet yesterday (a no-no) and I was without my supplements for two days. Not sure if the two are connected but I wanted to take note anyway.

Week 3

So this is the beginning of week three, and though I am not ready to make any conclusions, I have to say that I am very happy with how I have been feeling. It's been a great week. We went on vacation and it was really hard being surrounded with food temptations, but I stayed strong. Phew! We also did a ton of activities and I didn't flare at all! It was exciting. Then yesterday I did an event at my mom's work and was on my feet in bad shoes for 7 hours and my toes felt pretty normal the next day! Amazing. Today is "shot day" and I feel pretty good. My hands feel a little tight, and my pinky toe hurts a little but not too bad. Nothing much else to report!

New yummy fish recipe...

2 lbs tilapia

2 T ginger, chopped small

2 T shallots, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro

a few shakes of soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Spray grill pan with olive oil and put tilapia on. Top with ginger and shallots. Cook for about 20-25 minutes (depending on thickness of fish) until fish is flaky. When fish is done, top with cilantro and a few shakes of soy sauce. SO YUMMY!!

Week two

Shot day, and feeling pretty good! I don't have any joints that feel flared up. I DO have some sore muscles from my yoga/pilates class, but that is great. After a rough week of adjusting I am finally seeing some possible results from this self inflicted torture :) And it isn't really even torture any more. The first days of no sugar and no coffee were rough, but I figured out some alternative sweets and hot drinks that helped, and made a few yummy meals that I could eat.

We leave for vacation today and I know it will be nearly impossible to stick to my diet on vacation. But I am going to try to do it at about 75%. I don't want to be a pain and a burden to those cooking (I'm just thankful I am not doing the cooking!) so I am going to relax a little.

I lost three pounds! A nice side effect :)

Week one is done!

AhhH!

Oh my goodness this is quite an adventure! I have experienced a severe caffiene headache, sharp stomach pains, flare-ups in my hips...my body is rejecting this new diet! Actually I think it's just adjusting, but its been a rough adjustment.

I tried a yoga/pilates class and it really really felt good for my joints. I am going to keep it up and see how it makes me feel. I felt weird and uncoordinated doing all the movements, but oh well.

So, thats the update for now.

Today's details

Suppliments:
Fish oil, 2 per day or 6 if I have a flare.
Kaprex, 2 per day or 3 if I have a flare.

Diet:
Eat mostly fish, nuts, fruits, and veggies (and a little chicken). Stay away from white flour, sugar, potatoes, tomatoes, and dairy.

I accidentally drank a cup of coffee while I was still half asleep. When the coffee woke me up, I remembered the new diet!

Food: I ate a banana for breakfast. Then a a strawberry spinach salad with some poppyseeds, vinegar, oil, and a touch of honey for dressing. And 1/2 cup of oatmeal with a touch of maple syrup and about 10 wild blueberries. Am I enjoying this bland bowl of oatmeal? Nope. It needs some walnuts and more sweetness. Oh well, it will fill my stomach for now. Tonight's dinner is "easy baked chicken" from my new recipe book.

I got lost going to Trader Joe's this morning so I missed my yoga/pilates class. I will have to get to it tomorrow for sure.

Weight: Nope, not posting that. But I am at my most normal low (for me) weight that I can never quite get under. It ends with a 5. Ha!

Week one

I am not starting the whole deal-e-o yet, but I wanted to log a few things down...
It's shot day and I still hate giving myself a shot, but it is of course worth it for the results. On the day of my shot my body tends to feel achy.

Current Pains: My right knee hurts a tiny bit. The toes on my right foot ache - maybe a 3 on the pain scale (a 1 is a small ache, a 5 would be very painful causing a wince with each movement, 10 would be having no use of aching limb). My fingers are stiff.

Eric and I had Blizzards tonight. Yummy. Soon I will cut out sugar (and dairy, and everything else) so I am treating myself a little before that happens.

I have been reading my book and looking at recipes. I have new feelings of empathy and sympathy for those who have to change their cooking and diets for allergies. To my sister, if you read this, I am sorry for the struggles you face in cooking for your family. You handle it all so well.

Another season of blogging here

I am back to using this blog to keep record of my rheumatoid arthritis. This time it is to see how the naturopath approach can help. I was able to visit a naturopath doctor this last week and I am going to try her suggestions and see what happens.

The approach is going to be pretty brutal, but worth a try. What sold me on it was the idea that I could change the course of my immune system to start working FOR me instead of constantly attacking me. I am sticking with my current medicine, enbrel, also because it is awesome. Maybe i will talk about it's awesomeness someday. I still have flare-ups even with the miracle in a syringe, but nothing like what I have without any meds.

New diet and supplements and yoga start next week :)

I need to make this blog a little prettier so that I am happy when i come here! The black background is so blah and sad.

Oh, and I was reading some old posts from when I was off Enbrel and pregnant - I was sleeping around 13 hours in a 24 hour period just to survive! CRAZY. Good to remember reality though.

New Year's Resolution

Well, for the past two years in a row I have considered giving up sweet treats for the year.  And I have always decided against it because it seems too hard, too long.  Well, I have decided that this is the year. But I am taking it month by month.  So, January is a sweet free month.  At the end of the month I will decide if I want to make February a sweet free month.  I am doing it this way because it seems a lot less daunting.  (I also decided that if, no when I reach my weight loss goal, I can have sweets again.)  I love sugary treats.  It will be good to free myself from the cravings.  

Merry Christmas...

I lost another pound :)

I lost one pound this week and did pretty well with my goals.  For this next week, I am going to keep two of my old goals and add one new one.  So, my goals are:

1.  Drink 8 glasses of water a day

2.  Read my motivating weight loss book

3.  Exercise 3 times this week  

Focus on the good

When I have dieted in the past (like after Jenna was born), I noticed something.  I focus on my failures.  I felt like a failure every single day.  The only time I ever felt good was if I was PERFECT all day.  Doing that can really put a damper on being healthy and fit.  So, this blog is focused on three good things I did this week so far...

1.  I exercised twice!  I found a workout video for a dollar (it is cheesy, but pretty good) and Jenna and I worked out two different mornings.  

2.  I started reading a book that I know will motivate and educate me to be healthy and to live a self-controlled life.

3.   At Jenna's snack time, I only ate if I was hungry.  We share that time together, her eating some applesauce or a different healthy snack, and me drinking my coffee.  It's a nice time sitting together.

So, there you have it.  I will not focus on my failures this time.  That will cause me to give up before I even give myself a chance.  

I will be blogging again on Monday, with a weigh-in and new goals.  

Starting now

It's time.  I tried to start my diet when Elsie was only 3 weeks old, but that backfired on me and so I decided to wait until 6-weeks post-baby to begin.  And here we are.  It is time.  My plan is to weigh in and post new goals each Monday.  I also plan to post an additional time during the week with something that motivates, hopefully something the Lord is teaching me as I practice self-discipline.  I pray that the Lord really teaches me through this, and that this site can be helpful and motivating to anyone else on this journey.  

Here are my goals for week one...

1.  Drink 8 glasses of water per day

2.  Eat a healthy lunch that involves protein

3.  Track diet on Sparkpeople

4.  Exercise 3 times this week

It starts!

I joined a free website called "Sparkpeople" where you can track calories, water intake, weight loss, etc all for free. It is always good to see just how many calories I intake for certain foods that I love. Helps me to know what to give up being that it just isn't worth the amount of calories it costs. Sparkpeople suggests that I intake around 1300 calories, but I am going to add an additional 300-500 calories since I am breast feeding. So, off we go.

Weight loss starts soon!

And it all begins with birthing a baby in a week! That is an "easy" 8 pounds to loose :) So, this website will not be updated for a while, until I feel good enough (and get the okay from the doctor) to start dieting and exercising. Soon though, very soon.

Not as good

This last week was not quite so good. But tomorrow is Monday, and Monday is a great time to refocus and start fresh with good attainable goals. I liked the idea given by a friend to do some sort of sit-up or leg lift three times a week, so that is going to be my main goal this week. I also want to be eating well and drinking more water, but I will focus on leg lifts or arm exercises this week. I'm pretty sure sit-ups are out, since my stomach muscles have seperated and are no longer helpful for things such as getting up off the couch or out of bed, let alone sit-ups.

This Wednesday marks 36 weeks, and Friday is my next appointment! This is the home stretch!

Doing good all around...well, for the most part

Fall is a good season. Something about being back into schedule and Bible Studies and regular routine helps me to be more diligent all around. Housework is going well, eating and exercise are better, my spiritual life has been recharged.

I am still in nesting mode but slowing down a little bit. It has felt so good to have healthy joints. Ah, healthy joints. It is sometimes hard to remember the pain of the flares even though the last one was less than a month ago. I am sure I will quickly remember with my first good flare up after Elsie is born. I have heard that RA comes back like a storm after pregnancy. But I trust God with my health.

This last week I was able to exercise twice. It wasn't early in the morning, but it still felt great. I ate better, but not perfect. This pregnancy sugar craving is tough! (okay, maybe I can't blame it on pregnancy...I just love sweets). Water intake it getting better and better.

I have tons of goals for this week, but very few of them are about eating and exercise so I don't think I will list them right now. If anyone out there wants to share some of their personal eating/exercise goals, that would be great.

Have a good healthy week!

New Goals

My goals for this week are...
1. Wake up EARLY and go walking two times this week!
2. Place some verses around the house to remind me of God's power and strength. Battle sin with TRUTH!
3. Less sweets, more iron rich food.
4. MORE WATER!