goal #1 for 2010--a clean slate!

hey friends and fam!

if this is your first time here, welcome :)  AND, thanks for taking the time to get a password and all that fun stuff.  in the past, my blog had always been available to read for anyone surfin the net; but for now, i’ve decided to keep it open only to people i know (and who know me!) and a few select very good online buddies as well.

i’ve been blogging off and on for several years and you’ll find that i have an extensive archive if you ever get super bored ;)  haha!  you can type in random words in the search box, pick a month or even click on a subject tag word in the side bar to find ramblings that may interest you.  and btw, i DO do a lot of rambling, but sometimes i have important things to say, too.  well…at least about things that are important to me!  but hey, this is MY blog! (hrm, rambling here already…haha!)

so this year (similar to the past several years) i didnt make resolutions.  i am so over resolutions!  i have goals i want to reach that are on-going.  in the last 3 years, i’ve really hunkered down on focusing on my health since finding out i have endometriosis.  the endo has thwarted my ability to have babies, and before i get too old i am determined to overcome that—on my own with no fertility drugs or procedures.  so far, i’ve made a lot of progress.  but still…close, but no cigar…for now.

so the clean slate literally involves a 10-day cleanse i am beginning TOMORROW!  before you freak out and think i wont be eating for 10 days, read on ;)  i did one a little less than 2 years ago with excellent success.  i’ll be chatting daily about it in my health journal!  there’s also a link up top there so feel free to visit anytime. 

i want to also direct you to my original post (back in 2008) about that cleanse, entitled spring cleaning :) .  if you want to understand what in the heck i’ll be talking about for the next 10 days in my health journal, i recommend reading that post! 

i’ll also hop over there today and post a little more, as this cleanse is a little bit different than the last one.  definitely stay tuned for lots of fun health-nut ramblings!!   bwahahah!

one last thing.  the clean slate also involves ridding myself all of my expectations, previous emotional and mental blockages relating to getting healthier and my worn-out-run-down motivational issues that i’ve so miserably dragged along all these years i’ve been improving my health.  i’m trading them all in for positive, well-oiled working models!!  hehe!  yeah, it’s scary, unfamiliar territory not being too hard on myself like i always have been.  while it wasn’t beneficial, it was comfortable.  you know how it goes. 

so how did i rid myself of all of those drag-me-down things, you ask?  oh, i just decided i was going to. and i did.  end of story.  i’m tired of screwing around with negativity and over-analyzing and having to have a “process” in order to gain any healthy emotional ground.  it’s a waste of time! 

okay so maybe it didnt *poof* go away in an instant. hehe.  however, i’m not going to think about it!  i’m just going to visualize myself already at my goals, deal with emotions as they come instead of worrying or anticipating them and continue to implement a daily practice of prayer, meditation and visualization.  focusfocusfocus on the things that will bring on positive outcomes!

alrighty!  welp, i hope to see you over at my health journal over the next 10 days.  at any rate, i hope you stop in again soon :)

happy weekend!!

~josey~

a mini-health journal!

happy saturday morning :D

to help me stay on track on my journey to better health, i decided to create a little mini-health journal within my website :)  it’s the second link from the top called “my 2008 health journal.”  you can find the archives for it at the very bottom of the navigation bar!

i’ll still be talking about health, nutrition, weight loss, endometriosis and FOOD (of course! hehe) in sillygolucky :)  so dont think you’re off the hook. BWAAHAHA! >;-D

the health journal is for more of a daily basis check-in place for me.  i’ll post what i eat, my weigh-ins, how im feeling physically (probably TMI for some of you, but oh well! its a good way for me to track the association of certain foods to my pain levels!), and talk more specifically about my diet and my endo treatment.

if any of you are curious about anything i mention, have questions about certain foods i eat or just general health/nutrition questions/comments, PLEASE indulge me ;)  i love learning more about these things and helping others do the same!

and i would be overjoyed to help you reach some of your own personal health goals along the way =D

~josey~ :) 
 

the evolution of (me and) my blog

hey, folks! :D
back at the beginning of december, tish over at the kat house did this really cool meme that chronicled the “evolution” of her blog by choosing 5 of her landmark archived posts.
i commented on her post, but being the doober i am, i wasnt paying attention and put my comment on the wrong post. LOL!!
but, being the nice gal she is, she replied back anyhoo and suggested i do the meme when i gotta chance!  well, now i have the chance…so, here goes! (oh and btw, they arent in perfect chronological order, but i think you’ll still get the point! LOL.)
i started blogging in december 2005 on Yahoo 360.  blogging, for me, was (is!) basically a replacement for a hand-written journal.  i’ve been on a quest to lose weight and get healthy for ohhh about 7 years now…so it was obvious that would be the thing i’d yap about most.  my very first blog post EVER was a great start to the end of the year!.
that was basically my introduction.  and i’m not gonna count it toward the 5 posts im supposed to feature in this meme. HEHE! ;)  even to this day, i dont think i could ever change a word of it and say it any better!
having my blog on the big Y kinda kept me sheltered from the REAL blogosphere (at least in my opinion)—i wasnt aware of all the commenting, the memes, and all the fun stuff that really gets your name out there.  i just wrote when i felt like it and “closed the book” and hid it back in my drawer when i was done. hehe!
i really didnt start semi-seriously blogging again until january of 2007!
i’m guessing most of my readers dont really know that im completely and totally obsessed-submersed-bookwormed into learning about and applying holistic nutrition and health stuff into my life.
the reason why i’ve dove in head first into this stuff is because in march of this year (2007), after a diagnostic laparoscopy, i found out i have endometriosis. <—-btw, that’s my fave endometriosis site. hands down.
in fact, IRL, healing my endo (aka endometriosis) through proper nutrition is what i talk about, think about and read about a lot.  i mean LOTS a lot.   . o O (hmmm, probably why i dont have any good friends. LOL.)  especially because i believe the things i’ve learned can be applied in a myriad of ways to everyone. (yep, even men!)
i wrote time to heal the week after my laparoscopy.  i dont think i really revealed how scared i was about having endo and how big of a step it was to take a greater responsibility in my own healing by not choosing the typical path of treatment through my doctor.  but, there was just something in my gut that said—YOU have to do this.  you CAN do this.  your body WANTS to heal; you just have to give it what it needs.
the gears in my brain started churning and i knew my diet was due for an overhaul at this point.  i then found and read a book called Endometriosis: A Key to Healing through Nutrition.  this got me thinking quite a bit about what i eat and how it effects my body on a cellular level. *totally nerdy pose*
at this point, i couldnt get enough info—i was (and AM!) a total sponge!  i just kept reading and reading…about food…our bodies…about amazing things i’d never thought about before. 
after reading books like Real Food: What to Eat and Why and Nourishing Traditions i felt moved to write pass me the olden days, please…probably the most telling post i’ve written thus far about how i feel about nutrition, health and the industrialization of our world. 
then i revealed a little more, embarrassingly, in crying over chocolate cake.  this was a time, in the midst of coping with the drastic hormonal shifts, i asked myself “am i doing the right thing?” and “how much more of this can i handle?”… in addition with grappling with the fact that i may never have biological children of my own, which especially bothers me on those most hormonal days. :(  this post was a recount of one of many times i’d have days like this—days where i swore i was losing it.   days when it didnt seem fair that i had to have this disease and i let it get the best of me.
this year i’ve had a lot of doubts, but also a lot of revelations.  what’s the real reason is my reassessment of why and how i’ve come to be where i am this year…in my health, my emotions, my goals.  it felt good to admit all my grossly gluttonous habits…most of which i am thankfully tackling full-force ;)  it also feels good to look at my life by taking a step back…and truly realize where i’ve screwed up, then use that knowledge to turn it into something positive!
and finally, something that’s become quite apparent to me after all the physical and emotional pain, desperate pleadings to God, confusion and feeling alone…after all the things ive read and studied to educate myself so i can take responsibilty for my health, THIS is what it all boils down to for me:  nutrition + emotions = health. (and tho i failed to mention it—for me, spirituality is the foundation of that equation!!  that post would have been pages and pages longer had i included that aspect.  i venture to guess one of these days it will all come out. :D )
maybe most of the stuff in that last post seems a little new-agey, or far-fetched or like im getting scammed over.  but until you go through a time in your life when nothing else makes sense…when something comes along that clicks in your gut and you just know…then, well, you know…you JUST KNOW you have stumbled upon something that can—AND WILL—change your life.
and if you share it, it might change someone else’s, too.
and this, my friends, is the evolution…of me. (through my blog.)
i’m very, very grateful you stopped by :)

i wanna be in ONEderland by 2008!

happy monday, folks :)

i believe my poor, nutritionally abused body is having chocolate cupcake/pumpkin pie with whipped cream/mashed potatoes/dressing withdrawal today.  i feel like crap!  headache, body aches, acid reflux, general malaise...bleh.

this is what usually happens after i've eaten "irresponsibly" for more than a few days in a row. *hehe*  i'm positive im not getting the flu or a cold; i havent had one in over two years!  i actually ate some HEALTHY food last nite and today, so now my body is ticked-off and rebelling cause IT WANTS JUNK.

fortunately, last nite i also planned out our menu for the whole week--every single meal.  its been rough sticking with it today, because im a little grumpy and wanting sugary/carby junk.  i usually give myself a "transition day,"  but i have to stick it out!  i'm tired of letting myself slack.  just a few more days or less, and i'll feel normal and energetic again.

my weigh-in this morning was 208.6! EEEEEP!  i suppose i'm not toooo shocked, but man.  what a big ole dork i am for going nutto with the food over the holiday.  i have a goal to lose 10lb by the end of the year.  i will be sooooooo happy if i do!  no wait...i'll be sooooooo happy WHEN I DO!! 

i wont even go on a tirade on how im such an idiot and i could have been under 200 and well below over the summer.  i'm just too tired to type that much right now ;)  hehe.  i suppose the best thing i can do is to keep focusing on the positive and making good food choices and getting in my exercise!

here's my plan for the next several weeks:

• yoga 3+ times/week
• cardio 4+ times/week
• strength training 2-3 times/week
• continue incorporating my blood type dietary changes
• avoid refined carbs and fast food!!

AND most importantly...loving myself and being kind and patient with myself.  even tho i havent lost tons this year, i know i would have GAINED had i not stopped my self-trash-talkin-train-of-thought as much as i have.  stinkin thinkin has no place in a healthy relationship with ones self!    

i should be proud that i have at least maintained most of what i've lost despite the physical and emotional things i've had to deal with this year.  i'm sure the hormonal imbalances (esp thyroid) have thwarted even my best efforts so i cant completely say it was a total lack of motivation.  its just soo hard to give yourself ANY credit when you've failed so many times at something you want SOOO BADLY.

okay!  enuff rambling for now...;)  time to go rest for a while and i will see you all back here tomorry!

enjoy your monday!!

~josey~ 

 

scatterbrainededness

yo!

happy almost friday!! WOOT.

so wow, we're 15 days into NaBloPoMo.  i am ON FIRE. LOL!  it really hasnt been too hard for me to come up with junk to yack about.  altho i do have to admit the last few days have been a little harder, cause i've had a lot of stuff on my mind and i couldnt make up my mind what to blog about!  OHhhh the agonies of life!! ;)

like right now, im sitting here playing with my retro-plastic-rainbow slinky. *slink-clunk. slink-clunk*  listening to Orleans groovin on satellite radio.  doot doot doot, dance with meeee.  and watching my perpetually hungry cat, cadet, eye me, waiting for me to get up so he can run meeeeoorrrwwwing to the kitchen even tho he just ate. 

distractions, distractions!  

OKAY. well i'll settle on something that kinda got me ta thinkin today.  i know, you're saying "OH YAY. here she goes again, another rambling novel!"  of course you know that's always possible ;)  don't act so shocked! LOL!

today i was reading over at Beenzzz's.  her post today made me rethink (for oh...prolly the 100th time at least!) my obsession with food, nutrition, losing weight, and health.   

i am frustrated.  plateaued.  inconsistent.  not to mention too often emotional and ticked at myself. 

i have been trying SO HARD in the last year to lose 10% of my body weight.  i started at 220 last christmas, and have gotten as low as 201.  my goal was 198.  GOSHDANGIT how come i just CANT seem to get under that freakin 200 mark!!??!?!  i was doin so awesome for a while, and then all summer i fluctuated between 201 and 206ish.  what in the heck!?!?

im starting to wear down now.  let me reiterate that i am not obsessing about "being skinny."  i am 5'3", and weighing over 200lb is NOT healthy.  i have ankle issues, sometimes achy knees, i get tired of getting winded or having my gut rolls in the way or using my boobs as a shelf for my dinner plate.  SORRY for the visuals, but this is life as a BIG GIRL.  its hard some days, harder than you know. 

i NEED to lose weight because i have endometriosis.  there's more than one good reason to get rid of some of that extra fat im carrying around.  less fat = less estrogen = less endometriosis = less pain.  simple as that! (well not really, but i'll spare you the details for now.) 

im beginning to wonder if i need to switch my focus.  Beenzzz's post reminded me about how so stinkin confusing it is these days to choose a path to health and wellness. there are SO many opinions, plans and diets out there.  one minute something is good for ya, and the next it contributes to ill health.  and of course all these sources are professional and proven.  yeah, right.  can deprivation and self-denial really contribute to holistic health?  I DONT KNOW!

are they just trying to make money or are they truly healthy and legit?

is something that's right for one person right for me, too?

is it wrong to just want to go with my gut feeling? 

HOW MANY FREAKIN OPINIONS and PLANS and BOOKS and DIETS and OPTIONS do i need to find THE REAL ANSWERS??

guh, i could go on and on.  i realize i have a problem...it's my nature to keep searching and searching and reading and educating myself and reasoning and weighing this opinion against this one...and ultimately, i will never find the REAL ANSWER cause there is no real answer!  and so the cycle goes...

(LOL. man i am SO rambling.)

(((SIGH))) (turns off the radio.)

okay anyhoo.  when it all comes down to it, i honestly believe that what we eat determines how healthy we are holistically.  yes, cause when we eat well, we feel happy mentally too.  then usually we dont feel like sitting on our tuchases all day long and zoning out in front of the tv or puter.  then we usually spend more time with the people we love more often, so we're happier in our relationships...see where i'm going with this?

of course that's obviously not the ONLY path to being healthy.  there's other things to factor in as well, like spirituality and addressing special health issues (like pain in my case, so i can feel physically able to do the things i need to do). 

why do i want so badly to be more healthy?  because i still want to try and have children, without using artificial means.  because i want to have a great quality life and do a lot of things i have planned for myself.  because i dont want to die like i've seen many of my family members suffer and die.  because i want to make all of my husband's dreams come true.  because i am so TICKED at the world for screwing up our food, our land, our air, and every thing else...

...and i know i am still wearing that long, red cape when it comes to these issues...and that hopeful, positive, i-want-it-oh-so-badly, innocent kid part of me thinks that i can somehow figure out a way to beat it all.

AAARRRGHHHHHH!!!  i think i need help.  professional help! LOL!!! ;)  is this your area of expertise, i dont know? LOLOL!

...so what's my point here?

i dont know. (no, not the girl, but really, i dont know. hehe!!)  LOL.  hey, this is just scatterbraindedness.  but its stuff i think about a lot, and its all so interconnected that sometimes i just have a hard time separating it all out into logical conversations.     

im gonna go make some kombucha.

~jos~   

 

what's your type?

tall, dark and handsome?

 

cute, bubbly and chatty?

 

whoooaaaa wait a minute here!  im not talkin about your type of date...*teehee* 

i'm talkin about your blood type ;)

i know, i know, how mean was that??  super CHEESEY, guh!!  well dangit, i had to get your attention somehow!  LOL!!!  you know all i do is yap about food and health, so how could you possibly believe i was going to yap about something as exciting as your date type?? hehe!!

i'm reading Eat Right For Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo.  both naturopaths i've seen this year follow this theory of diet personalization.  back in april when i saw my first naturopath, i checked the book out from the library and turned to the type A section, read it, and promptly dropped it in the return bin saying, "I DON'T THINK SO!" 

i read that A types are best suited as vegetarians!?!?! :-O  hello, i was raised in small town Indiana--meat and potatoes, please!  TOFURKEY??  BLECH!

so there i was, thinkin i'd never have to go there and read that again. hehe.  this time around, i'm a little more desperate to find what foods really do work best for me.  since i have endometriosis to throw in and change it all up, it's been that much harder to decide what i should follow.

to educate myself on what sort of diet i should adopt for the best healing, this year i've also read:

• Endometriosis: A Key To Healing Through Nutrition
• The World's Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating
• Wild Fermentation:  The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat:  The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
• Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

in some ways, all of these books have something in common.  in other ways, the last two (maybe even three) books are much different than the rest.  this is where im having some brain clutter.  the biggest difference is that the blood typing diet steers type A away from saturated fats.  the last two books (written by Sally Fallon) say that high quality saturated fats are what we are lacking and that vegetariansim is unhealthy!  im torn!

i know what you're thinkin--just keep trying until you find what works for you!  well, i've been doing that for like, oh, 5 years now. LOL.  obviously i havent found it yet!

hubby and i were chatting about the "eat right for your type" diet during breakfast this morning.  i was getting discouraged because for type A, there's some things i should try to avoid eating AT ALL.  foods that're staples in my daily grub--like butter, tomatoes or any tomato product, black pepper, oranges, bananas, anything coconut, peppers, potatoes, wheat, and any meat except chicken or turkey.   

there's good reason to avoid these foods, explained in logical scientific detail in the book.  and it does makes sense--i will even admit to being a bit sensitive to many of those foods!  but they TASTE good...so duh, i wanna eat em!! :P

anyhoo, i told hubby that this time i just have to buckle down and follow this dietary change.  too many times in the past i just throw in the towel if i cant believe in a nutritional plan 100%.  but who can??  well, at least i can't!!  i'm just notta one-size-fits-all kinda gal when it comes to my food!!

so, in order to find some continuity in my health and healing of endo, im gonna try to stick with this.  BUT, im not going to jump in head first, either.  the book itself even recommends NOT doing that.  i think that's smart!

since right now my supplement program is focusing on detoxing me--that's including removing all the crap that's built up in my liver, gall bladder, and digestive system to start with--it's important that i eat foods that wont upset that delicate procedure. hehe. 

now mind you, my detox is not one of those, "scuse me, i gotta use the lil girls' room!" kinda detoxes. LOL.  its a slow process, gradually integrating nutrients (via supplement) that my body needs to rid itself of heavy metals, gunk and more gunk, in addition to giving my body lots of chances to be able to utilize nutrients that support my endocrine system.  cause right now, my endocrine system is saying NO WAY to uptaking any sort of nutrient it needs.  i am so TOXIC that my body rejects some of what it needs.  man, that really sucks!

i feel that Eat Right For Your Type is closely related to Endometriosis: A Key To Healing Through Nutrition, so that makes me feel a little better.  when i read the latter, i felt like i had found all my answers.  that book is a MUST READ for anyone with endo...it not only educates you, but comforts you as well.

but i also want to follow what my naturopath suggests for now, so when i go back in a few months for a re-balancing they can get a good picture of my progress.  so, im hoping as i reread the former i can somehow integrate it into the latter and satisfy that need of not following just one single program ;) LOL!  am i pathetic or what! HAHA!

yikes, okay this post has been a lot of randomized rambling!  i'm sorry if you're lost and confused! LOL!  i suppose i am just trying to reason with myself and tell myself that IT'S OKAY to question these things, and that it's not going to kill me (hopefully. LOL.) to follow a plan for a while and see how i feel. 

before i know it, it will be a year since my diagnosis, and it has been my goal to see a marked change in my health by then.  so ive gotta get my bum in gear!!

thanks for attempting to follow along my very disorganized train of thought tonite!!  teehee :)

ttys!

~josey~    

nutrition + emotions = health

yesterday i had an enlightening and comforting appointment at a holistic health and wellness center.  as i’ve discussed before, i’ve been to a naturopath a few times this year, but since i have suspicions about a returning cyst in my ovary, i decided to get a second opinion just to make sure i’m covering all my bases in treatment and healing.

this time, instead of seeing a holistic practitioner operating on her own, i decided to visit a “center” that employs several different holistic/complementary therapy people.  the center also employs a true M.D., so they offer TONS of tests/labwork that can be done to help zoom in on your own specific biological needs and so they can get a true picture of your health. 

i chose to have a nutritional balance done, which is also what i had previously with my naturopath, but this center does it a little differently and more comprehensively.  after talking to one of the staff members (whom i was acquainted with before this appointment), i decided this was a good place to start!

two practitioners performed the balance.  i lied on a table with my feet slightly hanging off the end.  while one applied a magnet with a light touch to every the major organ area and energy meridians all over my body, the other practitioner, at each stop, held both of my feet under my heels with equal pressure and lifted lightly.  if the magneted area was weak, my right foot would rise quickly and higher than my left.  it was really weird—but you can tell they are not making it move.  you’d be able to tell if they were pushing it!

after the initial testing, they collaborated and decided what supplements may help my body find balance.  at this point they retested each area, lying the actual supplement on my stomach so my body’s energy fields could sense them.  now this is where i have struggled in the past with having a true belief that this method works, so i flat out asked them to explain it to me! LOL! 

what they described is that our body is made up of energy fields—essentially and scientifically, electromagnetic fields.  this is how our heart beats, how we have circulation, how our synapses work, everything!  those energy fields are outwardly sensitive as well—even moreso than our sense of touch with feeling hot or cold.  for example, you know how you can walk into a room or building or group of people and just “have a feeling?”  like a vibe if you may…whether it be bad or good…we’ve all had them in one way or another. 

acupoints for energy meridians.well, this is the same “sensing” your energy fields do during the nutritional balance.  the balancing procedure encouraged my body to tell them whether it has a “good vibe” or a “bad vibe” about the supplement.  then they experimented with the dosage until my body responded “YES! that’s it!”  to me this makes perfect sense! (tho honestly, my explanation does the experience no good! LOL!  its hard to explain if you cant be there to feel it!) 

at one point near the end, when most all of the supplements i’d needed were lying on me, they started testing me with some essential oil blends.  they layed the unopened bottle on me—there was no scent.  but suddenly i started feeling dizzy and i told them.  it was almost kinda freaky!  i wasnt hungry, or nervous, or anything like that.  they smiled and reassured me that it was normal, and actually very good—a sign that my body’s energy fields were attempting to balance. 

but then shortly thereafter, i felt like crying!  it was like that one time in yoga class when i just couldnt hold back the tears and there was absosmurfly no reason to cry!  i told them, and they nodded to each other in agreement that the essential oils they were testing on me were the ones i needed.  they handed me some kleenexes and told me to cry away! heehee!  my body was literally crying out that this was something i need.  they reassured me that i shouldnt hold back the tears—it’s part of healing, not just mentally, but physically, too. 

after everything was complete, they showed me a book that lists connections between the essential oils, a certain emotion or feeling, and areas/organs of the body.  i cried again and asked, “how can you know this??”  over the years, i have had unexplained pains in certain areas of my body in addition to the pain endometriosis has brought.  all 4 essential oil blends coincided with the areas i’ve had those pains. 

and then when i saw the emotions that were attached—loss of identity, fear of rejection, disappointment, need of recognition, just to name a few—i lost it.  it just made perfect sense, and i was at the same time comforted that i now have a way to release these emotions i’ve been harboring and that have been contributing to my ill health!  mentally AND physically!! 

the flower of cananga odorata, or ylang ylang, the mother of one of my favorite essential oils. negative emotions we hold inside our hearts and minds not only
effect our attitudes, but directly effect our health as well.  i now sincerely believe this!  a build-up of those negative emotions eventually leads to illness and disease.  of course its not the only factor; there are environmental and nutritional factors, too.  but the emotional one is the one we most forget about because we just stuff things down and try to forget about them!

i truly believe working with our bodies and how they were made to find homeostasis is really where we should start.  today i am starting on my new supplemental program to help my body heal!  i am also re-evaluating my diet and making some changes again.  i’ll update you on that soon :)

if you’re curious…what they found during my balance is that not only do i have emotional baggage to free, but i have a HUGE toxin overload in my organs, especially my liver and gall bladder.  they were shocked that a 33 year old woman could be as toxic as i am. LOL!!  i am NOT proud of it! ;)

there were several supplements my body needs to balance, but because of the high level of toxicity i cant even process it.  it would make me pretty sick.  my poor gall bladder and liver are coughing and sputtering and crying out for help!  and my adrenal glands are shot from pumping out cortisol like crazy (from anxiety and stress), and in turn its whacked out my thyroid and pituitary glands as well. 

the adrenal glands also use B vits to function…and ive had this horrible crack in the corner of my mouth off and on for over a decade, which now i know is a sign of B vit deficiency.  i’ve been deficient for THAT LONG! and my adrenals have been exhausted for THAT LONG!  that’s a long time for someone who’s as young as i am.  its scary! 

im glad to know these glands can be nourished and healed—i have begun to wonder if i have the beginnings of senility! LOL!!  i struggle a lot finding the right words when i talk…i forget things a LOT…and its not “natural aging.”  it frustrates me quite a bit.  im way too young to be senile yet! LOL!!  improperly functioning endocrine glands make ya feel like you are losing it—literally!!

we really have no clue how horribly we treat our bodies, and we expect them to stay healthy.  yikes. 

i venture to guess that many people of my generation are headed toward the same toxic overload if they havent already.  we’re the fast food generation, and the one that uses more chemicals in anything and everything than any so far.  but to our advantage, we’re curious and intelligent, and we want to be healthier, and many of us are willing to be open-minded to natural methods of restoring our health.

wow, i guess i’ve blabbled on forever, eh?? ;)   hehe!  well, yesterday’s experience honestly hit home with me.  i feel like i’ve got a new path to blaze and that there’s hope.  there’s TONS more to my new plan, but to avoid more novel-length posts, i’ll spread it out a little. ;) *hehe* 

so i suppose in a nutshell i’ve learned:

poor nutrition + negative emotions = ill health

and

balanced nutrition + stable emotions (and removing negative ones) = good health!  

i’m on my way to good health, and i’m glad you’re joining me by stopping by my blabby blog :)  i appreciate it.

~josey~

a bit-o-this & a bit-o-that!

happy monday :)

dang i have been doing so many different things today, and have been wanting to blog, but i just cant make up my mind on what to blog about! LOL!  i think the cogs and sprockets are gonna blow soon if i just dont put SOMEthing down ;)  heehee. 

so first, i’ve been doing a buncha bloggy-type research today.  looking around at others’ blogs, reading up on some tips-n-tricks sites, etc…i have to say im a bit overwhelmed.  i feel like ive broken all the blog etiquette and rules as far as the way i’ve set up my site, and especially the crazy, wacky color scheme. LOL!  but i couldnt help doin it up that way…im always drawn to those bright colors and what is fun—it’s built into my personality!  but i dont want my page to look too busy, either.  i need to work on my organization, maybe make the layout more spacious, and study up on bloggy-type-site lingo.  guh, im sucha newb! (or noob! whatever the heck it really is. i donno. *rotfl* does spelling it one way or the other make me that even moreso??)  anyhoo, whatever!  i know i’ll never have the polished looking site of the professionals, but oh well.  i suppose if it reflects me and at least a few people read it regularly, that’s what matters :)  right?? right!  okay enough of that before i start feeling sorry for my newb self! LOL! (thanks to my hubby tho, for answering my goofy questions all the time!! xoxox)

alright now for the weekend.  well, as you might know, my weigh-in day is monday.  until recently i have never been scale-obsessed, but i have approached the 200 mark and am impatiently trying to get below there and stay there!  i want to prove it to myself so badly, and it would be a victorious turning point for me, cause its been nearly a decade since i’ve weighed less.  anyhoo, we visited my fam in Indiana this weekend and i am so disappointed in myself i cant even think of a good, witty metaphor for how badly i ate those two days.  part of the problem is that i let old emotions creep in (long story, but its family related!) that led me to feel sorry for myself and i ate a buttload of ice cream and cookies, plus i felt completely like a bottomless pit—i never felt full so i just wanted to keep eating!!  aaaaiiiieeee i hate those days!  i know i just need to get over my childish needs for approval from people, and be the adult i am and just be a quiet example.  my desire to share what i am learning and trying to do with my life and health just ends up annoying everyone else because we are all on different levels of understanding and desire and motivation.  hopefully that makes sense—i really dont want to expand on the story much more than that for the moment :)  at any rate, i feel better venting it out!!

on another note, i have to say im superdooper excited because all summer i’ve volunteered at a biodynamic farm/gardens and the organization has tons of other programs as well.  this week and next (and possibly more after that) im helping out with an urban agriculture program affiliated with a school in inner city milwaukee.  this is right up my alley—it’s what i wanted to do once i got out of college, but circumstances have just not played out for me to pursue it career-wise.  i’m more than happy to volunteer my time toward programs like this!  i just love working with the kids, and helping them discover and learn things they’ve never been exposed to.  its so awesome!!  i’m going to pull out all my old college outdoor education curriculum i had written, plus i have tons of project wild resources, as well.  it will be so fun to help contribute to this program.  i’ll let you know how it goes!

im finding the ag institute is involved in other things i’m passionate about—a school lunch program for one.  in a previous blog i mentioned the UK’s jamie oliver and his series on TLC i watched last year about this same thing.  it really got me interested, and now i cant wait to check into what they are doing in my own state and local area!

alrighty, i need ta get back to work for now!  and um, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas for my site, set up, or anything, i’m all ears!!! =D *cute innocent helpless smile*blinx* LOL!

enjoy the day!!!

~josey~ :) 

life's good :)

heyyyyy :D



i know i know, its been a few weeks. honestly, ive thought of blogging tons of times, but what i thought of to say was just so repetitive. redundant. the same ole. hehe. i have finally (mostly) gotten out of my stressful-thinking-about-what-if-about-my-health rut. obviously i am still doing some reading and working on tweaking my diet, but i am busier, and it helps! hubby and i started going to a SNAP Fitness nearby and it feels awesome to do some weight training!! i despise cardio machines, but i force myself to walk on the treadmill at least while usually watching some goofy HGTV show or game show that gets my mind off how much i hate cardio machines. LOL! i have also been doing yoga at home (cant afford to do classes and SNAP both!) and it feels good to be sticking with that again.



what really helped me get out of my rut was going to see my naturopath a few weeks ago for a 6ish month checkup! as soon as she saw me come thru the door she said, "JOSEY! oh my gosh! you look so wonderful!" i guess i just thought i had a bit of a tan, and that's it. LOL. but the last time she saw me was a month after my laparoscopy, and i was pretty beaten down. she commented that my skin, eyes and even hair looked "vibrant and healthy." sounds cheesey, but i REALLY needed that!!



i mean, we look at ourselves every day in the mirror and dont say things like that to ourselves. heck, i would guess most of us dont make it a point to notice if we DO look better. i suppose i have lost another 10lb or so since seeing her last.



she spent 2.5 hours with me chatting about the changes i've made and finding about how im feeling now. right away during the exam she mentioned me having digestive issues, and i was so glad she figured that out. its basically caused from all the years of eating crap--mainly FAST FOOD --and has just built up inside me and is causing lots of ickies. so, for the next month i am focusing in on that cause having those problems is no fun!!!



in fact...im seriously thinking about just ditching fast food forever. ohhhh the pain of thinking of no more big mac special sauce or oreo sundaes from BK!! :'(



but here's the thing--in the last month, every single time i eat out (usually fast food), just a few hours later i go on this funky sneezing fest! then for the next 2-3 days i am miserable--sneezing, stuffed, chapped nose, headache, etc... i told my naturopath about it and she said as time passes and we rid our bodies of built-up toxins (or even sometimes if we are just wayyyy too overloaded with them), we become more sensitive to when we consume them (or even use them on our bodies). i believe it!!



so, this is a VERY good deterrent for me to NOT eat fast food. in fact, i was telling my hubby just last nite that im almost to the point of not feeling as if it is a "treat" anymore. it just makes me miserable after snarfing it! in many ways i am thankful for this because my battle with fast food has snowballed into a lot of stress for me lately. not only do i not want to participate in the sneeze-fest, but it is more apparent to me that what is in that "food" is not being accepted by my body. its trying to tell me something!!



so let's see. what else is goin on here...? *thinks*



well, one thing that has really helped me this last week especially, is a good old buddy of mine whom i've gotten back in touch with this summer. she moved away my senior year of high school and we've not seen each other since (15 years if you MUST know. )!



i am actually going to visit her at the end of october and am SO EXCITED! how she has helped me is to completely re-inspire me to be enthusiastic about eating healthily and just getting healthy in general. despite her own limitations because of weight, health issues, and habits, in the last few weeks she has gone from eating fast food 2 or more times a day and not being able to handle walking around the grocery store to shopping once a week for almost all her meals, COOKING, and going on walks or 15 minute dance sessions around the house!!



...and her mood has drastically improved, and she doesnt feel as winded walking up stairs...and she is totally stoked about eating home-cooked food! ISNT THAT AWESOME??



and here i am, miss "i know all about nutrition and exercise," whining that i cant have fast food, making excuses to skip exercising, and crying about poor-me-why-is-life-so-unfair!!!



i have absosmurfly NO REASON to be like that!



kelly has helped me reassess my thinking and realize how fortunate i am to have the knowledge i do. what a waste for me to not follow thru. i am so thrilled to be here for her and help her along her journey, but she has no clue how much she is inspiring me as well. she has many more limitations than me, but she is doing it anyway! we'll both have bumps in the road, but i couldnt be happier to be able to share struggles AND successes with her in this area of life!! it is making a difference in her happiness already!!



welp alrighty, i should head outta here. gonna skip on over to the gym soon! have an AWESOME week!!!!



~jos~

new month, new goals!

hey!! =D



no, that isnt scrambled eggs...its BUTTER! real, freshly made from unpasteurized milk, from an old-fashioned jersey cow that feeds on nothing but nutrient-dense green pastures and has never been injected with hormones or antibiotics.



did you know this butter is RICH in antioxidants--vitamins A & E, selenium & cholesterol! YEP, surprise. cholesterol IS good for us! it gobbles up those free radicals just like your green tea or vitamin C. this butter also contains lecithin, which helps the body use the cholesterol to keep us healthy.



in addition, the fat supplies our bodies with a means to utilize all the fat-soluble vitamins and provides nourishment for our endocrine system. that's to name just a few good things about this traditional, healthy food!



so pitch your margarine laden with rancid, chemically process oils, void of healthy nutrients and pick up some real, old-fashioned butter. its pretty hard to find the raw milk butter, but even organic cultured butter is good for you :) (it's what i use!) (and no, im not a dairy farmer, nor am i being paid by one to post my opinion about butter! LOL)



okay okay, so enough of the cheesey commercials. hehe!! but i wanted to throw that in there, cause eating butter is just one of the ways i am changing my diet this fall. more on that below!



FIRST...some big news for me! my weigh-in this morning was 201.6!! :D:D YAYYYY!! so i lost 2.2lb last week--and it was even my birthday week! GO ME =) *lol* i think the secret to my success last week was NO FAST FOOD. i even worked in going out to lunch once, out to breakfast once, and having dessert out once (all at nice restaurants, no fast food)! i tried really hard to practice moderation and it paid off. WOOT.



soooo in light of my FINALLY approaching "one"derland *hehe* i have set some specific goals for september. the one i want to discuss is my weight loss goal--i want to finally reach that original 10% loss, which will put me at 195. im positive i can do it! to do this, i have a few objectives:

• MOVE at least 15 minutes EVERY day, doing anything i want! (gardening, yoga, walking, video, biking, etc...)

• do my Zone exercises (from the Paul Chek book "How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy!") every day to reduce stress and build strength
  

• stay away from fast food as much as possible, and when not possible, make the healthiest choice available

• focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods at home including lots of good fats, veggies, fruit and lacto-fermented foods

• take whole food supplements daily (desiccated liver, nutritional yeast, amla, dolomite)

• 
  drink bone broth or homemade kombucha each day before/during meals to aid digestion

• track food on FitDay for the first week of the month

so whew! sounds like a lot of things to keep in mind, but i have really already been doing it, just not so consistently except for the past few weeks. which has obviously reaped benefits! so you're probably wondering what the butter dealeo is, and probably what in the heck my supplements are, and lacto-fermented stuff is and what is this bone broth and kombucha?? well...read on to find out!



a few blog posts ago i talked about coconut oil. the book i read was by Sally Fallon, who is the founder of the the Weston A. Price Foundation. this website is packed full of interesting, intriguing, and ah-ha! bits of information that have really got me thinking!



basically, this foundation and its idea of how we should be eating is based on traditional ways of preparing and preserving foods, in addition to consuming traditional foods (raised organically and pasture fed) like organ meats and fat, eggs, butter, lard, etc... of course in our lifetime, most of these ideas have been shot down by organizations claiming this traditional way of eating is bad for our hearts and causes cancer.



but what they purposely fail to mention are the studies done by Dr. Price, in addition to tons of other studies they've "hidden" from the public eye, that prove those diseases have only progressed since we have become industrialized, and eat "industrialized" foods...this should make it clear to us that those "industrialized organizations" are only out to get our money! (that's the quick way of saying it. LOL) i dont want to go on and on here, so if you're interested, you really need to check out the Weston Price website yourself.



i will admit, had i not been at this point in my life where i am educating myself on how my body works and how i can heal myself from endometriosis and other ailments, im sure i would be quite skeptical about this traditional view. however, their school of thought has fulfilled that need of mine to get back to a simpler way of living which includes knowing exactly what i eat and where it comes from--and that it is REAL food.



i realize not everyone feels this way, as we want to trust the big health organizations, our doctors, and maybe even what our parents know and how they raised us.



but we also want convenience, and many dont realize it but even our taste buds are "brainwashed" hehe...all the artificial sweeteners, preservatives and flavor enhancers have dulled our ability to appreciate real food as we were meant to consume it. it has taken me nearly 5 years to enjoy eating things like peppers, tomatoes, onions, spinach, and TONS of other COMMON produce, and i still have a long way to go to totally embrace this traditional way of eating (organ meats? EWW! LOL).



soooo anyhoo, moving on...i still trust and respect my naturopath's advice when she advised me of nutrients in which i am deficient. but instead of taking the synthetic forms of vitamins as supplements, i have now switched over to the following whole food supplements!

• calcium/magnesium: dolomite powder (i add it to my coconut milk smoothies at breakfast)

• B vitamins: nutritional yeast (NOT the same as brewers or baking yeast! so far, i add it to my smoothies as well or dissolve in a small glass of water)

• B12: desiccated liver

• vitamin C: amla berry

• omega fats, vitamins D & A: cod liver oil (i take it straight right before a meal)

• thyroid function support: tincture of dulse, bladderwrack, wild lettuce and irish moss

• endometriosis scar tissue "clean up": tincture of greasewood, red clover and bucho

in addition, i have began making bone broth (aka chicken stock!) to drink with meals and my hubby and i also make kombucha at home. (i guess kombucha is the latest craze at health food stores--dont buy it! LOL! its expensive, plus usually pasteurized which kills all the beneficial bacteria. we can make a gallon of it at home for about $1!!!) both of these drinks are very beneficial for digestion and also help our bodies better utilize all the nutrients we consume, in addition to providing nutrients themselves!



i have also started cooking with butter and ohhhh man do things taste good *lol* i really dont cook with olive oil to fry anymore, and instead i use coconut oil because it is more stable at high temps. i use olive oil "raw" in salads or to marinate veggies or meats. dont forget, i lost over 2lb last week eating this way!! so to me, even just that says quite a lot :D



but even better, i feel fuller faster and for longer, so im not feeling like i need to snack all day long. woohoo!



WHEW okay! i have blabbed on long enuff ;) of course you know me, i have gobs more i could say *hehe*



so there ya have it, my new, revised BETTER plan for reaching my health goals and living a happier, higher quality life!! i think finding what is right for each of us takes time, educating ourselves on what works and what doesnt, and knowing and listening to our bodies and our gut instincts.



dont fall for every quick-fix pill, fruit juice, special diet and fad out there! there are ways to slowly change our habits to form a way of life--something we can do long-term and continually reap the benefits :):)



be well and have a safe labor day!



~josey~

pass me the olden days, please

howdy <):-)



i do a lot of reading--books, magazines, articles, websites--about health, nutrition, and just about anything and everything related.



i'm not really sure where my unquenchable interest in gaining knowledge in this area comes from; i think its mostly my personality. im one of those kindsa peeps who has to know the intricate details of how things work, and i ask a lot of "why...?" questions!! its just interesting to me to know the "behind the scenes" details that the average joe (or jo-sey? LOL) usually doesnt think about, or even care about. it makes me feel secure knowing exactly how things are--like when i go to the dr., i make sure i get my $20 copay worth of information! LOL!!!



anyhoo, tonite i was reading some stuff about water. it was just an article slamming one of the major soft drink companies and their version of "purified" water. ya know, the normal stuff. hehe ;)



of course they were saying how sometimes bottled water is really just tap water...and some of it is, btw...and how the plastic from the bottles leeches into it and the host of health issues that causes...and also how all the plastic is piling up in our landfills and polluting our ground water and wildlife!



AND how much all the shipping/trucks/delivering is contributing to air pollution and globabl warming, not to mention being a large source of depleting natural resources...and it goes on and on and ON...really ON...



so drinking water is just one thing to think about when we're trying to get healthier. at the same time, want to be responsible stewards of our finances (i mean, who can afford to pay a couple thousand for a whole-house water filter?), we want to be contributors to a better earth and future for our kids, grandkids, etc...



...and just to have plain old healthy water to drink we may feel inclined to consider all these complicated, political, ethical and financial things i mentioned in the previous paragraph??!! INCONCEIVABLE!!! (no but seriously, think about it! its absurd.)



sometimes i just get so mad at the world today. we have screwed things up so badly, and there are some things we can reverse and some things that can never be repaired. technology has brought so many blessings to our lifetime, so many awesome things for us to experience and be thankful for. but it has all happened so fast, and no one can ever predict the impact those conveniences might have on our world hundreds of years later--or even as little as decades!



its really easy to get overwhelmed and just say SCREW IT, or feel really hopeless like there's no possible way our generation can have a long, healthy lifespan. all the cancer, diabetes, obesity, disorders, addictions, heart disease, and heck even just everyday health issues we deal with like allergies and skin problems in my opinion have all developed from a multi-faceted source of pollution, preservatives, petrochemicals, antibiotics, and synthetic hormones that bombard our bodies everyday!!! ARRGGHHHH!!



*raises hand* pass me the olden days, please!



dealing with my endometriosis has led me to educate myself so much on things that i put in and on my body, or come into contact with in other ways. im sure that's why this year especially, my thirst for knowledge in health and nutrition--especially naturopathy and alternative health--has taken a good deal of my free time.



i have come to feel that the generally largely published research/studies on these subjects aren't much to be trusted, especially from maybe the past 75 years or so...(yes, 75 years!)...because so much of the motives behind publishing those studies is to drive CONSUMERS.



yes, consumers! not PEOPLE, with lives, children, feelings, health issues, looking for answers, wanting truth and integrity. so many institutions/companies/governments are just finding sneakier ways to empty our bank accounts and fill theirs up. to me, this is so easy to see!!!



just look at the rate of disease in this country!!! look at the sucky quality of health care, and how so many people hop from doctor to doctor, pill to pill, feeling miserable, helpless, and BROKE!! i mean, this isnt even scratching the surface!!!



whew okay, dont get me started :-O oh yeah, you didnt ask for my soap box. ;) LOL! well, im hardly a political type person, so i will be the first to admit that i'm not too good at defending my own opinion with tons of citations, resources and junk like that...



honestly, its just a gut feeling. i read and hear all sorts of opinions--like AND unlike my own--and take it all into account. what i believe is a bit here and a piece there that fits my gut feelings, and no, its not the easy way out; i think its smart to listen to all sides and then form an opinion that fits your life, your ethics and morals, and your needs.



i get tired of hearing all the "important people's" opinions (important according to the media!) and how they try to push it on everyone else. to me, going back to simpler times when life was more free of complication, disease, and greedy companies presents plenty of sound "research" for me to follow my gut. putting it into play into our modern-day lives is the challenge.



to me, the olden days sure seem like common sense. dont you think?



what happened to good, old-fashioned whole foods? what happened to kids knowing where their food really comes from--and its NOT from a plastic bottle or designer box or the best fast food joint's toy selection, but instead from the garden or a tree or a cow in the barn!!



what happened to YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT??? (sadly, that means most of us are MSG, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats!!)



personally, i think the modern food industry is getting really scary--we are depending on farms across the globe for some of our food, shipped in who knows what dirty truck, handled by who knows who, sprayed with who knows what, and mixed and preserved with ingredients we cant pronounce...contaminated with deadly who knows what...



if we would make more of an effort to buy locally we wouldnt have to worry about any of that! *DEEP BREATH*



dang, i wish somehow i could live like, lets say, Laura Ingalls Wilder did, only with the best of her world and the best of ours. is that even possible? i know, i probably am living in a bit of a dream world, but i see little pockets of it in the small community where i live in WI. this town and surrounding area is very eco-minded, with responsible local biodynamic and organic farmers. there's a lot of sustainable farming and living even, and tho a lot of folks (maybe even you!) see it as stone age living, i see it as such an opportunity!



its so sad more people dont see how it can benefit our health, our happiness, and then even farther-reaching--our communities, our water and earth, and future generations.



okay, so all this was a little heavy of a topic for me...maybe boring for you? LOL! let me know what you think!! im not always good at putting down exactly what i think, but hopefully you got the gist of it. hehe! i probably left a lot of things unsaid, but hey, my fingers can only type so fast ;)



anyhoo, this is all something i think about nearly every day--as part of living, learning, and searching for betterment of body, mind and spirit and i figured i'd share it with ya!!!



nitenite.



~josey~

i'm a coco-nut!

hahaha! (this is my cat cali, AKA "coco"-lander...derived from cali-CO...how original! haha!!)


okay, so i am a big fan of my cat cali coco-lander, but that's not what this post is about! hehe!! i wanted to drop ya'll a line and let you know the book i am currently reading-- "Eat Fat Lose Fat" by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. its mostly about how using coconut and coconut oil (not cali "cocos" heheh...altho pets do help keep us healthy, but that's another blog topic! ;) pardon the mid-sentence tangent! but hey, you're used to it...hehe!) can help you get healthier--lose weight, recover from illness, etc... well, im not one to fall for fad stuff or things that seem to good to be true, and i was skeptical when my hubby decided to check this book out from the library, especially when i saw the cover of the book said something about "coconut diets!" :-O



so let's back up a bit. as i have progressed along my journey to better health and have become more educated about current studies and opinions on food and nutrients, i have really changed my own view about FATS in general.



i mean come on, when you're fat, it seems like fat is the last thing you should be eating, right?? WRONG!



for the last year or so, i've been focusing on eating more healthy fats and trying (let me stress TRYING *lol*) to get away from eating those addicting trans fats. olive oil, nuts, eggs, fish/cod liver oil, primrose oil, flax oil (usually ground seeds, not the actual oil--its too unstable and goes rancid quickly), coconut oil--those are all ones i consume on a pretty normal basis.



i have NOT gained weight from it, having even up to 40 or 45% of my calories coming from these fats on some days. i have noticed clearer skin (coconut oil is now my ONLY moisturizer for my face and body), softer hair and my dry skin is gone. woohoo!



and it goes WAY further than the weight issue or outward stuff. because of the low-fat craze of the 80's, most of us dont have a clue that healthy fats are not our enemies. sure, people lose weight going the low-fat route cause they are consuming hundreds of calories less.



however, they're also robbing themselves of nutrients, and in addition losing out on many other nutrients they are taking in from their salads and slim-fast bars because our body needs fats to use many of the vitamins in minerals in our foods.



(fyi--any salad you have should contain at least 8g of fat so those greens are actually worth eating!! LOL so if you MUST have low-fat or fat-free dressing, throw some walnuts and pumpkin seeds on that salad!)



we need fat to make hormones, lower stress (hormone related!), have energy, feel full, aid digestion, and heck, we need fat to BE HAPPY! everyone who's gone on a fat-free diet knows that! ;)



anyhoo...back to coconut oil! we have actually been using coconut oil off and on for a few years in our smoothies and to cook with. its solid at room temp--yep, its a saturated fat! now, dont freak out! ;) here's some of the great things about coconut oil:

• its VERY stable (takes a LONG time to go rancid/slow oxidation) and has a high smoke point, which makes it great for cooking/frying at low/med temps

• the saturated fats in coconut oil are medium-chain--which means our bodies use it differently than normal saturated fats (for example, butter). it is metabolized more quickly, which is why it also helps boost your metabolism! in addition, it's not converted into cholesterol like animal-based saturated fats are in excess.

• it's rich in lauric acid, which is anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal! this has given coconut oil a good name in the treatment of many diseases and also prevention. (it even helps clear up acne and get rid of warts!! i speak from personal experience!)

• and most of all, it enhances and supports our immune system with the nutrients it contains! (and boosting your immune system will solve many-a-physical ailment, as i have personally experienced in the last few months!)

so, ya think my list is boring and bookish? 8-) check out this site for an interesting and humorous read on the benefits of coconut oil! (side note on this link: at the end she mentions Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. that's what i use!)



so ta kinda summarize my point of this post...it will take me a few more days to finish this book, but i can tell it is going to be a great source of information on getting healthier in general, and i am starting to see how adding a little more coconut oil (and a LOT less trans fats) will really help me with my recovery from endometriosis.



(i love to read all sorts of health books--even if they are somewhat one-sided--so i can take out of it what i feel applies to me and just add it to my opinions and use it!! anyhoo...hehe...)



i need to lose weight, which will help my body get rid of all that extra estrogen being stored in all my excess body fat! coconut oil will help boost my metabolism and help me feel satiated so i dont crave junk. and this means i will want less fast-food-evil-trans-fatty crapola, which will indirectly help my immune system function properly!



and with my immune system purring like a kitten, my poor adrenals can normalize and my anxiety will lessen even more.



oh and one other thing, the book reallly loves cod liver oil, especially when taken with the coconut oil because the nutrients in each help the body use the other. i take cod liver oil every day and it has greatly reduced my anxiety, among countless other benefits! (the best brand IMHO--Carlson's!)



one last thing! the other day i was reading thru the website of one of my fave places to get skin care (every once in a while, for a special treat!). and found an interesting concoction i am going to try starting tomorrow! it's called "morning brew." here's the recipe (also in the link):

• 2 tea bags of organic white tea

• 1 T cold pressed organic virgin coconut oil

• 1 T organic unsulphered black strap molasses

• 1 T organic raw honey

• 1 T organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar

however, im going to use fresh lemon juice instead of the apple cider vinegar (personal preference lol). since im not having smoothies much these days, i thought this might be an easy way to get some coconut oil while i have my tea every morning. plus, i've read lots of good things about blackstrap molasses in helping women with reproductive issues by providing extra iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium! all stuff i need!! i'll let you know how i like it ;) haha!



there's so much info out there about why we need fat to be healthy, so if my blabblings intrigue you, PLEASE go out and do some of your own research and see what works for you! :D you will be healthier for it!!



and remember, even for the most healthy of foods, MODERATION is the key. getting a great variety of whole foods (AND FATS!) will give your body a chance to heal itself of all of what we consider "normal aches and pains," function at peak performance, and live longer more fulfilling lives!! and that's what we all want, right?



~josey~

almost...there...!

hay, happy monday =)



gosh, can you believe summer is half over??? it has flown by!! i sat here eating my brekky (which btw was oatmeal w/blueberries, walnuts, ground flax, cinnamon and a touch of real maple syrup! ), thinking how many months this year my goal was to get to "one"derland...below 200lb...and hmmm, i think it was probably the last 4 months. LOL!!!



i have been sooooo close, just hovering around 205 and im positive my body is saying, "are you kidding?? if you get me under 200 that means i have to lose more!!"


well, somehow by the grace of the Almighty, my scale said 204.2 this morning!! that is the official lowest weigh-in of the year! WOOT :D i keep telling myself if i just stick to eating all those nummy fruits, veggies, homemade bread, nuts, good fats, eggs and a little meat i should EASILY meet that goal this month.



but i dont wanna get my hopes up *teehee* so, im just gonna keep on truckin and if i dont quite make it for july, i will just give myself an AWESOME bday gift by reaching the goal for my bday at the end of august!! hehe!!



by the way, i never told you how my bread turned out a while back! well, since it is not 100% "wheat," there's less gluten to give it that airy texture like store-bought bread, but honestly i LOVE dense bread as long as it is chewy and not dry.



i have been using oatmeal, oat bran, and whole spelt flour. spelt is what they call an "ancient" grain--it is the ancestor of modern wheats. so, its essentially wheat in its most primitive and best form :) it has a slightly nutty flavor as compared to wheat, plus it is more nutritious! its a great source of B vitamins, fiber and protein, and even those who are sensitive to gluten may be able to have it as a wheat substitute.


dont worry tho, if you wanna try it it is easily available! to me, its not really one of those hippy trendy health foods like so many are...its something that's been around for thousands of years. but of course, all us over here in the West take a while to catch onto these things ;) hehe!



anyhoo, i have made 2 batches of the bread so far (it makes 3 loaves!) and the second was better than the first...so hopefully it keeps getting better! each time you make it, you remove a chunk of it to add to the next batch, so the flavor and texture is supposed to improve over time. i think i may add a little more yeast to this next batch, to help it rise a little more and reduce the density just a tad bit.



my hubby likes it, and i do, too, and it does make great little sandwiches and toast. so, i'll keep on making it! it freezes great as well! if you are feeling adventurous and need a good upper body workout ;) here's the link to the recipe! (the only difference is that i substituted the whole spelt flour for the bread flour.)



wellllll, i should get going!! we have a lot going on at our house in a few weeks--LOTS of visitors!!--and i have oodles of projects and a list of to-do's that need to be tackled. have an awesome day and enjoy some sunshine!!



~josey~

more food blabblings ;)

yep, im back again already =)



welp, i woke up today feeling all cry-y.



yep, another hormonal fluctuation of some sort! i wont go on and on about it, but thankfully i have a sweet and understanding hubby who doesnt make me feel even worse on days like today! he is just his calm, comforting self and doesnt say or do much extra, except the little things (which ARE the most important!) like extra hugs and checking in on me...



...and im finding that's the best thing for me. it keeps me from feeling like i deserve "super special" treatment all the time, which would probably promote childish whiny behavior if i know myself! hehe! instead it just leaves a neutral aura for me to deal with my fluctuations and by the advice of my naturopath, i am just going to lay low for the day. she told me a while back that if i can, just stay home or do whatever i need to to ride it out...take it for what it is and dont worry about tomorrow and how i'll feel, because most likely i'll feel fine.



so, even tho i wanted to eat junk today for brekky, i was very good and just finished two eggs over veggie-stock sauteed kale, shiitakes, and garlic. i know, you're saying YUCK! well, i'll tell ya, its actually pretty dang good ;) (believe me tho, it took me a LONG time--like a few years!-- to get to this point of eating these kinds of things!!) i got the idea from my World's Healthiest Foods book and it only takes about 10 minutes to make.



i have never been much of a mushroom girl, especially fresh ones, but cooked this way they really blend in with the texture of the egg so they dont bother me. they are actually kinda cute *hehe* and they are soo good for your immunity as is the garlic!!



i prefer sauteed swiss chard or spinach, but i had some kale i needed to get rid of so i used that instead. its a great way to get a couple servings of veggies out of the way--a few cups of raw greens cooks down to almost nothing! and the best thing of all is that the method of cooking these foods as shown in the WHF book preserves the nutrients and in fact, boosts them in some ways depending on the food.



and i had some fresh, organic LOCAL strawberries to wash it all down. *drool* i've read eating fruit at the end of your meal really aids in digestion from the fiber and all the enzymes fruit contains. AND for me...it prevents the bad-for-me carb/sweet craving i sometimes have after meals! WOOT!



another thing the WHF book suggests is having green tea w/lemon before your meals. its a great punch of antioxidants and the lemon makes it a potent detox as well. i have been having it almost every day for about 3 weeks now, and i have to say im quite enjoying it :)



normally i drink Numi brand organic gunpowder green tea, but it is a little pricey to drink 2-3 times a day (esp if hubby is drinking it, too!)...so, i found a diff kind at WalMart called Uncle Lee's Organic Green Tea for only $2-something for 40 tea bags. that's really good! i was worried about the taste quality, but so far its great! i just make sure to boil the water and steep for 3.5-4 min MAX. turns out great every time :)



oh, and i always use FRESH organic lemons (nothing bottled), and just squeeze about a tsp in to the cup. very good, very healthy!



okee well i think im headed out to the garden for some outdoor/vit D therapy i have a cherry tomato plant that is out of control! its almost 5ft high and about 4ft wide. i have it on a mini-trellis, but its getting so big its blocking sun for my cukes and pole beans *hehe* have a great morning and let me know how you like the breakfast if you try it!



ttfn!!



~jos~

gettin it together this week!

good morning :)



well geesh, its monday again already. but ya know what--im kinda excited! now before you think im some sort of freak since im glad its monday, let me tell you why!


okay...well...its a little anti-climactic, but im glad because its the last week of the month and i am going to try really hard this week to stick to my guns with food and exercise. my hormonal issues last week, i believe, are a direct result of all the crap i'd been eating. sometimes i hate WI...bombarded by all this friggin frozen custard that is SO ADDICTING!! heheh!! durn you, Culver's!!!



so, this week i am not going to tell myself "no, you cant have that" but instead, "oooohh you should eat THAT!" *points to yummy fresh nutritious organic fruits and veggies*



normally i dont go to yoga on mondays, but this morning im going! after the crappy last week ive had, i really need it today. one of the great things about yoga is how it cleanses your body...AND mind. i always feel so much better when i go and really focus on perfecting the poses and breathing.



strangely enough, when you do the breathing correctly, you almost forget about the little aches and pains of balancing and even more strangely, its EASIER to balance. its like the karate kid or something *LOL* ;) you just totally blank everything else out. its so good for my mood; it gives everything a rest from the normal daily trains of thought and rejuvenates me!



now remember, im definitely not a yoga-bodied-looking-gal :D (did that make sense? LOL) so if you're overweight and think you cant do it, YES YOU CAN! i weigh over 200lb and if i can do it, anyone can at some level. of course your size and fitness level will determine what limitations you have, but that's okay. doing anything that's good for your body and mind is...well, good for you! hehe!!



so if you're not a strenuous exercise person like me, i recommend giving it a try! go to a class if you can, tho. its much much much better than a video, especially if you're a newb like me. having someone there to help with your form is really important.



and dont worry, im finding that yoga class isnt like other exercising where people are looking around and comparing themselves. people do yoga for a lot more reasons than looking good!!!



for the last several months i've been using a website called the World's Healthiest Foods and it is awesome! last week i got the book the site author put out. its amazing. i am finding out things about certain foods that i never knew!



did you know that romaine lettuce is one of the healthiest lettuces out there? i mean, knew that it was better for you than iceberg ;) but seriously, its a great source of folic acid, vits A, K, & C and some trace minerals that are hard to find in other foods.



heck, even potatoes (dont cringe, low-carbers! hehe!) are great for you in moderation...they have lots of B6, C, fiber and potassium. steam some up with some olive oil and garlic, and you have a super-healthy, super-yummy side dish!! okay okay, i'll stop talking about food--its making me hungry! hehe!



i should prolly head out...i need to get to yoga class :) i hope you all plan to have a healthy, active week and are enjoying all the awesome and delicious fruits and veggies that are now in season! (can anyone say spinach and strawberries?? YUM!)



talk to you soon!



~josey~

oatmeal bread, forgiveness, and other deep (or not-so-deep!) thoughts

good eeeeevening *lol*



so hey, this week is going great! i hope the same for you. i ate out some over the weekend but i tried to shy away from the worst--burgers and fries. and it paid off not piggin out--my weigh in yesterday showed a 2.4lb loss last week. YAY!!!



yesterday and today have been GREAT as far as food goes...and im not craving the fast food. *whew!* today i had yoga class for an hour, and then this afternoon i rode my bike around town for about an hour running errands and getting some ingredients for bread! so i got a good workout today :D



so, this bread im making...i hope it turns out! i actually didnt cheat and use my bread machine, either! i gotta freakin good upper body workout kneading this stuff...for a total of nearly 15 min! (in 2 sessions lol, but still!!) it was a flippin huge wad of dough, so i was dang tired afterward. LOL!



anyhoo, i decided that even tho my naturopath doesnt want me to eat wheat, im going to allow myself to have spelt and kamut as long as its organic. they are wheat's ancestors, per se; IMHO the better, un-messed-up versions, esp when organic! so, i am making (yep, still workin onnit...on the final rise!!) oatmeal bread!!



i used organic rolled oats, organic oat bran, and organic whole spelt flour. the recipe i found was enough to make a loaf in a pan, a free-form smaller loaf and 8 sandwich buns. im really excited! i LOVE oatmeal bread , and i am hoping this recipe is really yummilicious so i can make more and freeze it. i'll let you know how it turns out!!



okay, so one last thing i have to yack about. have you ever been in a situation in your life where you exit from someone else's life, with a lot of things unsaid? i mean, drastically removed yourself and severed the relationship completely, but have regrets and just always have this nagging feeling now that you've had time to chew on everything that you should ask for forgiveness so you can move on even tho the relationship will never be the same?



well, i have been struggling with this exact situation for a few years now. i really dont want to go into personal details, but let me just convey this core thought: whether or not the other person was at fault, whether or not you feel deep down they deserve YOUR forgiveness, whether or not you feel you should be so meek to ask for their forgiveness--THINK ABOUT IT. do you want to play tough guy and live your whole life never feeling your full humanness?



well, i asked for forgiveness and received it. i admitted my mistakes and didnt point out theirs...that's not what it was about. it was about doing the right thing in God's eyes and finishing the human heart healing process. it was such a liberating feeling to receive that blessing of forgiveness. it felt so good to admit i was selfish and less than mature at one point in my life, and then to be genuinely, completely forgiven for it.



and most importantly...after all this, i had a realization about how God forgives us. see, i had asked God's forgiveness for my mistakes in this relationship a long time ago. but i always had that less-than-forgiven feeling in my heart. when i asked this person to forgive me just recently, i thought that's what i needed to get rid of that feeling.



but it wasnt--altho yes, it was the right thing to do in this situation--what i needed was to truly believe God had forgiven me. sometimes when we look back and see stupid things we've done, its hard to believe God will say, "okay no problema, slate clean!" but he does!!



but i also believe he is pleased when we can go to the person we've wronged and admit it and ask THEIR forgiveness, as long as we can determine that it will not further hurt that person. hopefully God is clapping for me, that for once i learned something important in life.



we should see forgiveness as a gift, unconditional and finite, between both God and man, and ourselves and fellow man. its what hope and truly joyful hearts are made of.



~josey~

makin' plans for may :)

hidey-ho, folks! :o)



*lol* how ya been?? busy here!! last week we went onna mini vacation and this week has basically been recovering from it (food-wise and work-wise). i think i'm finally caught up now tho! the weather this week has been SUPERDOOPER, and it feels good that...*whispers*...it's finally spring =D



welp MAY is THE MONTH! yah, you heard me!! (: may's the month where i finally get my butt on track. i have so many health issues riding on how consistent i can be with my food and exercise. hubby and i have made a checklist spreadsheet for the month for all things we need to be doing each day.



so wanna know what the first BIG one is? NO FAST FOOD! yep, ive done it before and im doing it again.



except this time, there's a few exceptions so once june 1st gets here i dont have a fast-food-snarf-down. we can have one mcd's salad each week (haha yep, the ones i just tore apart in my last post...like i said, you gotta pick the best of the worst!) and also each friday we can eat out at a sit-down restaurant. there's pretty much no limitations for that, except of course no wheat or dairy for me.



i think going fast-food-free is going to help me feel pretty empowered that im not hampering my good efforts (like taking my mountain of supplements every day!) by filling my body with junky food!!



next is being more active! i've already begun going to a yoga class twice a week. i absosmurfly LOVE it. im the youngest one in the class, but actually i like that better. no sexy young chicks to make me feel like crap! HAHA!! i know, i shouldnt compare myself, but dont we all do it from time to time?



anyhoo, on most other days i'll be either walking or biking for 30+ minutes. just today i rode my bike to the local farmer's market and brought back groceries in my backpack. it was about 45 minutes of riding, and an excellent workout!



im positive that the activities i'll be doing will help my anxiety so much, and obviously will help the weight come off. not too mention all the other health benefits so GO ME!!!



some of the other things on our checklist include not eating after 7 (just to help us sleep better, plus i like to take a probiotic just before bed and you need to have an empty stomach), eating only when hungry (no mindless munching!!), and hydrating my beeaauuuteeful young skin and body with 8+ glasses of water a day *hehe*



i really do notice a difference when i dont drink enough water. i feel kinda lightheaded and my lips get dry, and sometimes i even get light headaches. ive also been trying to drink a glass of lemon water most days (.5 fresh lemon squeezed into about 16oz water). its good for your body's pH, and if you dont know much about that--most of us are too acidy, which isnt good! surprisingly, lemon water is an excellent alkaline drink!! so anytime you're at a restaurant, always say yes to the lemon in your water =D



so there ya have it. my plan for may! it might sound like a long list, but as i've told some other people, they are all things i've been doing anyway...just not consistently! so this month im gonna make it all stick. im really excited about the prospect of being in less pain from my endometriosis, and i KNOW i will be if i treat my poor abused body with some respect and lots of nutrition!! i want to be a success story!!



oh, and if you're wondering how the no wheat-no dairy has been going, well, its not too bad. of course on vacation last week i ate whatever i wanted...but hey, even my naturopath said dont deprive yourself at special occasions (within reason of course!), and when you get home, just get right back on track. i think over time i'll begin to be more consistent at choosing healthier options on special occasions,



anyhoo. since GENERALLY i eat well, ive already started to really feel like crap after i eat a few bad meals, so one day i'll learn my lesson. and remember it. *LOL*



ya know, i've always admired those people who can eat a plate of fruit, cheese, and crackers instead of a second helping of cake or the graham cracker & pudding dessert. ya know??? *LOL* its true tho!! and it always seems like its the people who look healthy and fit. so they must be doing something right!!



moving on, i made a gluten & dairy free loaf of bread from a Bob's Red Mill mix. its pretty durned good. i like it much better than some premade almond-rice flour bread id tried, as the Bob's didnt contain rice flour. seems like brown rice flour is the big substitute for wheat, but guh, ya just get kinda tired of all the ricey taste! LOL! plus it really doesnt have a lot of fiber. the Bob's had garbanzo bean flour and some other ones so i think its a better choice all around!



okee, well i gotta split! for dinner, since its nice out we're grilling out some cilantro-lime chicken and asparagus, and also making some nummy wild rice with onions! hope youre able to enjoy the weather wherever you are =)



latah gatah!



~jos~

choosing the best of the worst

im back! =D



*hehe* i just had to blab about something for a bit. sunday i had a bit of a dilemma! hubby and i have been going to subway for lunch almost every sunday afternoon this year. its just our thing. i almost always got the oven-roasted chix breast on honey wheat, baked lays, and a cookie (no meal w/pop). okay, obviously a super-carby/sodium-packed meal, but DEFINITELY better than cheeseburger and fries!!



well obviously my dilemma was, what in the heck do i get at subway now that doesnt contain wheat? they have salads, but they're a bit pricey and pretty much the same as what i'd make at home. so we thought, how about mcd's salads? with grilled chicken, they're pretty darned healthy really. and with newman's own as the dressings they use, they're much better than most. and their website claims no trans fats in the salads with grilled chicken! well...soooo...for fun i did a little mcd's salad research! *nerdy look*



part of my goal is to also avoid high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup of any kind, preservatives (MSG and the like) as much as possible, and obviously trans fats. and the trans fat thing is tricky since the FDA only requires labeling to show over .5g of trans fat per serving. otherwise, companies can claim zero. sucks, cause if its something you eat more than one serving of, you could still be getting a decent amount of trans fats thinking you're getting NONE! that's why its a good idea to become label-savvy and look for the word "hydrogenated." if you see that, there's trans fats in it no matter what the nutrition info says!!



anyhoo, i wanted to have mcd's new southwest (grilled) chicken salad. i had it a few weeks ago and loved it, so let's take that one for our example! here's the main ingredients found on this page:



Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken:
Salad Mix, Grilled Chicken Breast Filet, Southwest Vegetable Blend, Cilantro Lime Glaze, Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese, Limes, Chili Lime Tortilla Strips, Liquid Margarine



okay, so the things that alerted me to possible bad stuff are "glaze" (possibly sweet--corn syrup?), the tortilla strips (seasoned with what and fried in what?) and obviously the margarine. so here's the ingredients for those ingredients *hehe*: (i hilited in red the stuff that i knew was either in my no-no list or looked shady/didnt know what the heck it was. my motto is if ya cant pronounce it or dont know what it is, its probably not health-promoting. *lol*)



Cilantro Lime Glaze:
Water, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, distilled vinegar, olive oil, soybean oil, freeze-dried orange juice concentrate*, cilantro, salt, freeze-dried lime juice concentrate*, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), garlic*, propylene glycol alginate, spice, onion*, citric acid. *Dehydrated



Chili Lime Tortilla Strips:
Corn, vegetable oil (corn oil and/or soybean oil and/or sunflower oil), salt, maltodextrin, sugar, dried tomato, dextrose, spices, onion powder, green bell pepper powder, citric acid, autolyzed yeast extract, malic acid, paprika extract (color), disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, natural flavor (vegetable source), lemon extract, spice extractive.



Liquid Margarine:
Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN



i also happened to look at the grilled chicken ingredients, which obviously people choose to stay away from trans fats...note what it is "prepared with"...



Grilled Chicken Breast Filet:
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates. CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT. Prepared with liquid margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN


then the dressing:



Newman's Own® Creamy Southwest Dressing:
Water, corn syrup solids, soybean oil, distilled vinegar, egg yolks, corn vinegar, corn starch, whey, salt, cilantro, sugar, spices, paprika, onion*, garlic*, apple cider vinegar, sour cream* (cultured sour cream, skim milk solids, whey, sugar, citric acid, lactic acid), natural flavors (animal and vegetable sources), xanthan gum, lactic acid, parsley*. *Dehydrated. CONTAINS: EGG AND MILK



soooo...whew! what a lotta work!! so i guess on studying the ingredients of the ingredients in the southwest salad, i was a bit disappointed! i naiively figured since it was a salad, and the chix was grilled, that it was nearly perfectly healthy for you! WRONG!



HOWEVER!!! the salads are definitely the BEST of the WORST choices. that should be pretty obvious. you're getting greens and there's no refined carbs (aka buns!) at least...and the dairy is at a minimum (shredded cheeses).



the chicken isnt fried and breaded at least, which is certainly muchmuch worse for you than the grilled.



the calories are lower and even the salad dressing for the southwest salad has a "readable" label--i knew what every single ingredient was at least!!



so, to end my little dilemma-filled story, i ended up having the salad! haha! ;)



my reasoning is, obviously we cant avoid every single bad thing for us unless we grow our own food organically and never cook anything! the foods i eat at home are trans fat-, HFCS-, and preservative-free...so i dont feel too badly eating one or two meals a week that contain that junk.



my point in sharing this experience is to be smart when you make what you're thinking is the better choice in eating out!! there's always the potential of a lot of hidden crap in even the healthiest foods offered at restaurants. the more educated and aware we are of what companies and restaurants put in our foods, the healthier we will be in the years to come!!



here's a few links you may find interesting regarding some of the stuff i mentioned in this post. they are all from mercola.com, and to view some or all of them, you may need to sign up for the newsletter.

• MSG info (the part that is most useful i believe is the listing at the bottom of the article)

• BK takin a step in the right direction

• good info about corn and HFCS

• see and hear "The Merc"--that's what i call him *hehe*--in action about trans fats

i hope you found this post intriguing, and i hope it makes you think about what you order next time you eat out!! good health is something we all deserve, and for goodness sake, its tough to be healthy in today's world once you learn what you "grew up eating" wasn't very good for ya!!



take care and eat your veggies today! heheh!



~josey~