How I lost 8 inches!!!

 

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Most people think that the only way to lose weight or inches is to cut calories and/or exercise more. I too used to be one of those people. That was, until I had my third child. About three years ago, I had baby #3, and I went home thinking this whole baby weight thing will eventually come off, just as it did with the other two. Quickly, I dropped 20 pounds in the first two weeks. Then craziness started as I began to search out work to go from a working mommy to a work at home mommy. I worked crazy hours and the hubby was traveling for work. Things were stressful, very stressful. And the weight loss stopped. In fact, I even started to gain.

So I did what many people do. I started a food journal to see where I must have been over eating. I started exercising more. I even did one of those insane workout programs, yes just weeks after having a baby. And I did start toning up a little, but no real weight loss and no real inch loss. I was just even more stressed and even more tired.

So over the next couple of years, I started changing our diets, eating more real food, cutting out processed foods and that whole thing. Again, I felt much better, but still wasn't losing weight or losing inches. During this time, I decided to throw out the scale. It was doing nothing but making me cry. And I started reading about weight gain caused by things other than over eating and being "lazy".

It turns out that there was a whole lot more to it than calories in and out or calories burned. I saw some of those graphics that explain where you gain and what might have caused it. Something like one of these:

And finally, I was able to let go a little. So many times I was reading about losing weight and someone would say, well you just need to eat less. Well, that is not always good advice, especially to a breast feeding mama already limiting herself to 1200 calories. Or I would read, well you just need to exercise more or exercise harder. Also - not the best advice for everyone. Realizing that weight loss just wasn't that simple, I stopped feeling bad about every bite and every minute I wasn't exercising.

So you wanna know what finally has started to work? I have not been counting calories, I have not been hitting the gym harder. You might not believe this, but it is sleep! Sleep seems to be the key. Or maybe it is feeling less stressed out. I think it might be a little of both. You see, before I lost my full time job and was left with just the part time ones I was also working, I would only sleep a few hours. I was going to bed at 3, 4, sometimes 5 am and getting back up just a couple hours later. I was hating my job(s), hating my life and my brain felt like it wasn't working or that I might have a stroke or something. I was exhausted, stressed to the max, frustrated.... And I was worried that I was probably going to make myself sick.

So when I lost my job I decided I was going to start going to bed the same time as my hubby and try to start becoming a morning person like he is. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but I am on it. I am going to bed earlier than I have in years! I found that my body had a lot of catching up to do. Some days I have been known to sleep up to 10 hours. I don't usually, but I have been trying to just sleep as much as I need. (For anyone that knows me, you know this is crazy. I have been getting next to no sleep at all for the past 20 years!) And I am finding that now, after about a month, I am starting to wake up earlier. I am less swollen. I feel less stressed, I have more energy, my brain is clearer and more creative and my clothes are fitting better.

Since throwing out the scale, I have been still taking my measurements. I took my measurements the day after I lost my job and then again this week. So that is about a month. And I had lost 8 inches. And 4 of those inches were around my belly!!!! I still have some inches to go, but this is the first time in three years, that I have been able to make any progress and it was not hard to do. I just had to sleep and start to relax a little. I didn't limit what I ate. I just ate until I was full and only when I was hungry (and of course it was almost all real food). I don't believe in eating meals just because the clock says a certain time. I eat when and if I am hungry and that tends to be two, sometimes three meals a day and sometimes even a snack. I even ate ice cream a couple times this month and didn't feel guilty. I did not do any crazy exercise programs. In fact, with moving, I didn't even have time for some of the regular stuff I do. But I do try to move every hour when working online because it does lead to a lot of sitting and I work to get some time in the sun everyday as well.

It was really incredible to be surprised this week with what a difference sleep is making in my life. Now that I am starting to feel human again, I will be starting up T-tapp. I will let you know how that goes and if it makes even more of a difference in my inches.

Now I know that this won't work for everyone, but if you are out there, cutting sleep to fit in more exercise, stressed to the max and just not seeing results.... well then I encourage you to give sleep a shot. It can't be a one night thing. I lost these inches over a month and as soon as I stay up too late I can feel myself start to swell and see the tummy coming back. So it is something you have to do to care for your body all the time. It might just be the thing that is keeping you from your weight loss goals as well.

How are you all doing? Are you trying to get in shape or lose weight? What is or isn't working for you? I'd love to hear from you.

My Depression Medication

I was recently reading a post on Facebook  and it was all about the side effects of someone's newest depression/anxiety medication. I was kind of surprised at all the people that I knew that were chiming in on what they take/took and how they were or did react to it. I guess the idea of popping a pill never really occurred to me. And that is not because I have never been depressed or never had anxiety. And this post is in no way trying to bash their decision. I know these people posting are trying to do what they think is best for them. And I know that they just want to feel better. I was just so surprised that they were willing to trade the chance and not feeling depressed or anxious for what was happening instead. And it wasn't pretty...

And the other thing that really alarmed we was the fact that when I google natural depression remedies, the first choices give some pretty bland advice. I see things like "set a schedule, eat right, get enough sleep, etc." And although these are not necessarily bad things to suggest, they are not real suggestions and they don't get into what might be really happening in the body. And they don't give specifics! This is my body and I know that God created it to work just they way he intended. There has to be something better than this random list and popping a not so happy pill.

I am not a doctor. And I am not pretending to be one here either. Let's just be clear on that. This is all my opinion. But to me all these medications for anxiety and depression are just bandaids. They are not helping to fix what is causing the problems. And from those lists of side effects and the things my friends were posting, it sounds like these pills create even more problems.

I have been in a bit of a slump lately. Stress and some of the directions life has me headed really had me all out of sorts. Depression, anxiety, these are very real things in my life. But I have noticed that there are some things out there that work and don't involve any side effects. Here are the things I do when I start to feel myself taking a slide into Debby Downer territory. And really, I try to do these all the time because they just make a healthy, happier me.

1. Sunlight and Vitamin D
That beautiful sun that we were all taught to hide from is actually healing. There is tons of research that shows that low levels of Vitamin D are linked to depression and sadly even dementia. And you can get some sun exposure in a smart way. Just because you are outside, that doesn't mean you have to fry yourself. In the winter I do take a liquid form of Vitamin D and a K2 vitamin to help keep my levels up

2. Magnesium oil 
I would have to say that magnesium oil is my best friend. All the many things that I could write as symptoms go away or at least as less when I am using magnesium oil. It doesn't take much and you can make it yourself. This one is really, really worth trying. I think the oil form is the best because your skin soaks it in much better that if you take it in pill form. And don't worry if you are itchy when you first start using it. That does get better. And I have noticed that when my diet does not consist of ingredients that bother my stomach, I am not so itchy. So when I do get itchy it is a reminder to stop sneaking those things that bother me.... like gluten (unfortunately.... cause I really love fresh bread...) And this leads me to number 3.

3. Repair your leaky gut.
If you are eating a typical American diet, chances are your guts are a mess. And even if you are not, if you have a food intolerance your guts could still be a mess. And there a bunch of other reasons your guts could be a mess too. Maybe you don't show other symptoms besides the depression, that you have noticed, but it definitely could be all starting in your guts. Some researched and doctors are saying that depression is considered an inflammatory disorder. Yes, it all comes down to inflammation. I seem to be reading this all over the place. Inflammation, inflammation, inflammation....) So the key here is to get rid of the foods or somehow fix the other issues that might be causing the leaky gut and then heal those guts. I know that is easier said than done as I am still trying to do it!

4. Sleep
The importance of sleep really needs its own post or series of posts. But seriously, sleep is important. And I am not talking about 5 - 6 hours. I am talking about not watching that TV show at night and getting your butt in bed for 8+ hours. We really love to talk about how little sleep we got. I know I was the queen of it. I was proud that I could work until 3 am and get back up at 5 am and do it all over again. And I did that for WAY TOO LONG. And now I am here. Broken. And trying to fix the awful things I did to my body. I have a long way to go on this one, but I am working on it. And you really should too. It doesn't cost a thing. And the magnesium oil mentioned in #2 will make easier for you to calm your mind and get restful sleep.

Just be sure to put yourself in a good position to get good sleep. It might not be as easy as just hoping in bed at first. There are lots of tips out there for getting better sleep. Here are some that I like.

5. Eating Fat
Yep, I said. I LOVE FAT. Now, don't start going crazy on me. I am not sitting here eating a Big Mac and smiling. I am talking about good fat, like coconut oil, grassfed butter, avocado.....  There are lots of people looking to eating healthy fats to make happy brains and happy people. You might want to check that you are getting enough Omega 3 Fats as well. I try to get mine through cod liver oil but have been looking into maybe using krill oil.

6. Good Exercise
Sadly, I really hurt my body in my over exercising days. Constant cardio for hours and hours a day was killing me, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't exercise at all. There is a lot of research out there showing that exercise works better than the typical anti-depressant pill handed out at the doctors office. In fact, there are studies showing that Zoloft worked about as well as a brisk 30 minute walk, but the people taking Zoloft were more likely to have recurring depression, where the people walking were not.

For my exercise, I am now concentrating on HIIT and yoga or Pilates to help clear my mind and give me that little pep in my step again. I love the HIIT because it takes such a little amount of time to make a big impact and I love the others because they relax me. I also love to walk in beautiful places, soaking in sun and fresh air. This really helps clear my mind and help me feel like me.

7. Stress Management
This one is still something I am working on. I am very very very far from perfect. Did I mention that I am not perfect. Nope. I make so many mistakes it is almost comical. And staying stressed out when I know I should trust in the Lord is one of them.

And I don't know about you, but I feel like these are all really connected. If I do some of them better, others get better too. If I exercise, sleep well and eat well, my stress is way down. I feel like I can handle the day. However, I know that I need to keep growing and bettering myself.

One of the things I would like to do more that I think would help is journaling. Because I am choosing to sleep instead, I have been writing down three things that I am thankful for each day when I wake up. It takes less time and helps me focus on the good right as I am starting my day. And as I pray at night I also like to thank the good Lord for specific and general things as well. I think it is important to sometimes be specific to really open our eyes to all that is good in our lives. I have also been working on deep breathing. More on that and stress management to come.

Do you suffer from depression or anxiety? What are you doing to help feel like yourself again?


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Exhaustion... Adrenal Fatigue?

     

         Photo Credit:  Eugene0126jp

One of the things I have been reading a ton about is reducing stress to live a happier life. I am pretty sure I am in the midst of completely shutting down. I think some might call it adrenal fatigue. (I am not sure that is really technically the right thing to call this, but let's roll with it as the science doesn't seem to have a proper name yet...) I don't know what I would call this. It is pure exhaustion. I don't want to get out of bed, but not because I don't want to face the day. I love life and I am excited to have another chance at it each and every day. I literally don't have energy to move or open my eyes, or even think. I have officially gone too far... I am guessing that there are those of you out there that understand.

Now I am not going to get into all the science. For one, I am not qualified to do so. And two, that is not the point here. I know that there are thyroid, pituitary and adrenal issues going on here. I know that many of my hormones are acting wonky! So let's just talk about some basics.

Some of my signs and symptoms that I can think of off the top of my head:

* Difficulty getting up
* Difficulty handling stress (And this one really stinks, because I was really good at this!)
*  Dark circles under eyes
* Weight Gain (Yet another really sucky symptom, because I eat clean and it just isn't fair that my stress is making me fat! And it is all in the midsection. Oh what fun!)
* Tingly fingers and poor circulation
* Super extreme exhaustion after exercise. (Another that I just don't understand. I used to run 12 miles a day... which probably helped get me to this situation, but anyways... I was the queen of exercise. Now I try to get rid of this belly and I feel like I am going into a coma. What the hell is happening to me....)
*Frequent urination (This with the tiredness and weight gain had me thinking I was pregnant. But oh no...)
* Dizziness.
Lower back pain. Seriously. I think I can feel my adrenal glands hurting. What is this???
* Low Blood Pressure. I have always had this, but I feel like it is worse and that my Type A, stressful nature has just been building and building and building to a final collapse.
* Craving salts and sweets.
* Moody, irritable, constant mood swings
* Body aches
* Trouble concentrating
* Feeling really overwhelmed
* Crazy hormone issues


Now here is my question to all of you out there. How do you fix it? Yes, I understand there are tons of people out there that quit jobs, went on month long vacations, just stopped doing stuff and rested. But what about those of us that this is not an option for? I can't quit my jobs. I support our family. I can't just stop cooking or doing the laundry or cleaning. And let's be honest, I cannot afford to pay someone to do these things either. It just isn't realistic. I have tried to get the kids to help out. But again, let's be honest. They can only help with so much and sometimes fighting to get them to do it isn't worth it everyday. So what do you do?

I guess for now, here is what I am trying:

1. Continuing to stay away from processed sugar and processed foods in general. This includes items with caffeine. NO matter how tired I am.

2. Making sure to get enough healthy fats. (Coconut oil, grassfed butter, avocados, etc.)

3. Using some of my supplements: B vitamins, C vitamins and my homemade magnesium oil, vitamin D, zinc, etc.

4. Saying NO to whatever I can. It is not a long list, but some things I am just saying NO. This is a hard one too. But the extra things just are not happening right now. (Whatever happened to just saying NO anyways? Who decided we had to be superstars at everything and overbook ourselves into oblivion?)

5. Finding fun. This one is also hard. But I am trying to find more ways to have a little fun. A short walk, putting my work down to giggle with the kids for  few minutes, dancing to fun music, trying new recipes, etc.

6. Getting outside more. This is a hard one as the bugs are everywhere trying to eat me, but I am trying. I have been trying to get outside even to work, but sadly this doesn't work all the time.

7. Having a thankful and grateful heart. More to come on this.

Here are some things I seriously need to work on:

1. Eating regularly. Yep, I'm that person with the extra weight that doesn't even eat. I forget in the midst of homeschooling and working 80,000 hours.

2. Getting 8 - 10 hours of sleep. Well, I got to bed around 4 am last night... So yeah.... Not sure when this one will get better. I don't know how to earn enough to pay the bills during regular hours.

3. And I need to stop all the negative self talk. That is another biggy. It is hard when you want everything to be perfect and it just isn't. It is hard when you are trying your best and still gaining weight and losing energy. But this is a big one that only I can change.

How are you doing? Have you suffered from adrenal fatigue or just pure exhaustion? What things helped you? What do you still have to work on?