Bumps In The Road Are Not Roadblocks………

In the past, whenever I hit a bump in the road, I would see it as a road block and allow it to completely derail my weight loss or health goals. It is time to remember that a bump in the road does not mean you have to give up. Speed bumps are there for a reason, to make us slow down and be more cautious and observant of our path.

A week ago I woke up with a new and unusual pain in my abdomen. Pain and I go way back, so it takes a lot or a new type of pain to even get my attention. This got my attention! At first I thought it would go away and I went about my normal routine. I am very much a creature of habit and tend to do the same things everyday at the same time. But after a couple of hours the pain was not going away and it was intensifying. So much to my dismay I made the decision to dial 911. After the paramedics ruled out anything life threatening like heart attack, they recommended transporting. This was 2 days before Christmas and I was not going to miss spending Christmas with my sons. But I reluctantly agreed to the transport. It was nice to get in the ambulance and get pain medicine but I was still not happy about going to the hospital. This time of year the hospital ER was completely full, everyone was crazy busy and no one had time for me. The hospitalist decided that I had an intestinal blockage which I knew was not possible but who am I to argue with doctors, right? Although I tried they didn’t listen to me. Fighting being admitted I finally agreed to stay overnight as long as I went home the next day. After being admitted and having a tube shoved up my nose and down my throat and receiving more pain medicine, I had a decent night sleep, as much as you can in the hospital with them coming in and waking me up every hour. The next morning I felt better and decided to go home. Had a nice Christmas with my sons and thought everything was fine. However life has a way of surprising you. The day after Christmas I continued having problems with my innards. It took 4 more days of pure hell but now I am feeling pretty much back to normal.

The lesson here is to not let something like this stop me from continuing my journey of healthy eating, exercise, and regaining full functionality. In the past every time something like this happened I thought “oh well I guess I can’t do this” and I would give up and re-gain all the weight I had lost. Not this time! Now that my insides appear to be working normally again, I am right back to eating the food that contains the most nutrients with the fewest calories, and exercising as much as is physically possible for me.

I hope that this will inspire anyone going through a difficult challenge. Do not give up ever! Always keep trying and always keep focusing on maintaining and improving your health and well being.

Wishing all of my readers and followers the happiest New Year and may 2020 bring you closer and closer to perfect health.

Motivation

I get a lot of questions about how I stay motivated, or people say things like “I just can’t get motivated to lose weight”, or “I can’t give up (insert your favorite food)”. I thought I would share what gave me my motivation to get started and what keeps me focused on continuing to eat healthy and exercise.

When my desire to be healthy and strong, and to eliminate my dependence on the medical establishment overcame my desire to indulge my cravings, it became an easy decision. Fear of not being able to care for myself, or ending up in an assisted living situation, is much stronger than my desire for the temporary pleasure of eating something that is not healthy or nutritious.

As for being vegan, that one was super easy. When the light bulb went off and showed me that animals ARE NOT FOOD there was no more desire to eat beautiful, loving beings. The hard part was making the healthy choices, not eating vegan junk food. That is where the motivation comes in. And that is where the desire to be healthy is a daily choice, a daily, meal-by-meal decision to be the very healthiest I can be.

It is really as simple as finding in yourself the desire to be healthy, to have the best quality of life you can, to be the very best version of YOU that you can. It is not about living longer, it is about enjoying living every single day. You have to stop thinking of food as a reward and think of it as fuel for a healthy body.

Which is more important to you? Enjoying ten minutes of pleasure from a piece of cake or being able to be stronger, healthier and able to do more for yourself? Make the choice that helps you be the person you want to be.

Healthy and Thriving

I am beyond thrilled and proud to have reached this major milestone.  As many times as I have lost and gained weight I never was as sure as I am this time that it is permanent.  Eating a whole foods, plant based diet is not only the easiest way to lose weight, but also the healthiest diet on the planet.  The benefits are beyond my wildest dreams!

Diabetes is gone for good!  Not only am I no longer diabetic, I am not even pre-diabetic!  My doctor is supporting my goal of getting off all medications.  No more diabetes drugs, no more statin drugs, and reduced dosage of blood pressure meds.  That will continue to come down as my weight continues to come down. I am healthier than I have ever been in my entire life!

The changes in my life are beyond amazing!  After not being able to walk more than a few feet for the past 20+ years, I am now walking a mile a day!  My goal was to walk 15 minutes. I smashed that goal and keep  pushing it further and further!  Other little things like being able to cross my legs, going to a store and walking, not using their riding cart.  Being able to cook, to do housework and stand up for more than 2 minutes.  I am a fully functional person again for the first time since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1997.

Never underestimate the benefits of a plant based, whole foods diet.  And never, ever underestimate yourself!  The first step is convincing your mind that you CAN then following through.  I was never one to be very disciplined but this way of living does not require that much discipline.  The food choices are unlimited and the energy and health you receive make it so easy to continue.

If I can go from being in a wheelchair, on oxygen and daily insulin to being healthy, exercising and thriving, SO CAN YOU!

Choose to be Happy

Learning how to be happy can take someone a lifetime, or it can be a sudden revelation. Either way the steps to understanding are the same. It depends on how stubbornly you hold on to the belief that happiness is something external.

The first step is understanding that things don’t make you happy. The next step is learning that other people do not make you happy. Then you need to understand that only YOU can make you happy. Once that truth is embedded in your soul, you will understand that happiness is not a destination. Being happy is a choice and it is completely up to you, not anyone or anything else. Once you truly understand this you will stop blaming other people, circumstances or things for your lack of happiness. You will understand that the only way to be truly happy is to choose to be. Living in a constant state of gratitude creates a sense of joy that no one and no thing can disturb.

I CHOOSE to be happy because it is good for my health and well being. A lot of people have asked me “How?”. This is the simple, but for some difficult, truth.

Major Milestones – Plant Based Wins!

I can’t believe I have not updated in over a year  It has been a crazy roller coaster ride but I have settled into a quiet, simple life and feel very content and grateful.  Plenty of wins and losses, but that is in the past.  I have learned to focus ONLY on the present and look forward to the future.  Anything else is wasting the precious time we are given on this earth.

I refocused my efforts on plant based, whole foods, and eliminated the vegan processed foods. I have now achieved TWO major milestones!  My weight just dropped below 200 for the first time in 23 years! And diabetes is CURED!!!!!  Off all diabetes medications and my A1c is 5.1!!!!  For all you carb haters that fell for the lies about carbs causing diabetes, I am living proof that is WRONG! It is caused by animal fats from meat, dairy and eggs.  I eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and bread.  I do stick with whole grains and unprocessed carbs as much as possible, but my A1c was way higher when I was on insulin and eating a low carb diet.  AND ALL of my bloodwork is normal!  I am healthier than I have ever been at 66!

So if anyone is interested in being your healthiest self and needs any tips and tricks, hit me up on FB or PM me.  I am always glad to share the knowledge I have learned about plant based eating.

Guide to Going Plant Based

She Remembered Who She Was…………

Wait just a damn minute…..NO! This is not who I am and this is not what I want. I can do anything I put my mind to and giving up is not an option! I am strong, I am powerful, I am capable, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to stay in my home. Period. End of subject. Just because I am older does not mean I am useless! If no one wants to hire me because of my age, I will work for myself. I have owned several businesses over my many years of working. I have always been resourceful and I know I can find a way to make a living, to make enough money to not only cover my house payments, but to thrive! I don’t need a 9-5 job for that. I have been down this road before and I know that I can do anything, that I can create the life I want. All it takes is determination, belief in myself, faith in what is to come, and a lot of hard work. Since when have I ever been afraid of hard work? And besides, my house has told me that it does not want me to go. Just as I was about to go sign the lease on the senior apartment, my house told me it has foundation problems. Which means I can’t sell it until that is fixed. Bye bye apartment. And you know what, it was a huge relief. Because now I know what I have to do. And it does not involve giving up! So stand back and watch me roar! Time to go from Racoon Poop to Pansies once again!

Here We Go Again………

After 3 months of unemployment, and facing forced early retirement, I got the final approval for an income restricted, 55+ apartment community. But instead of being happy, I cried most of the afternoon. Even though this is only for one year, I still can’t imagine walking away from my beautiful home that I love so much and moving into senior housing. I know it is the sensible thing to do, but this house is the culmination of 50 years of blood, sweat and tears. I worked so hard, and pushed through so much pain and fatigue over the years, prior to going vegan, to keep working, keep getting promotions, to make enough money to afford a house like this. When I moved in here I truly believed this was my forever home. Everything in my soul is telling me to stay here, not sell my home, that I can find a job and keep my home. But the reality is that no one hires people over 65.

I have always been so strong, and so independent, and so much a “you can do anything you put your mind to” kind of person. I can do this! I have to figure out the logistics of this transition. So much packing to do, so much planning to do. I need to schedule the movers. I need to be sure I have help the day of the move to setup my computers and TV. Whatever day me and the cats move, I need my computer, my TV and my Internet. I have to get the utilities setup, Internet arranged, change of address done.

I am going to improve my attitude, stop crying, pull up my big girl panties, suck it up, and do what has to be done. Just not sure that is going to be today. I am not my usual positive self today, just feeling very fragile and broken right now.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the ongoing saga of my life. Once I am settled in my new apartment, and this house is sold, I will begin the next journey of planning and building a tiny house to spend my retirement years in. It will be a very interesting and exciting journey. I just need to get from here to there…….