Book Review: Love Yourself by Lawrence Crane

Not even a week ago, on Tuesday December 2nd, I was discussing on the LCHFApprentice Facebook Group the difficulty I have been having for the past few months.  Here is my comment with regards to my habit of weighing in daily:

"Everyday I tell myself, don't look, its not worth it. But I feel like its a loss of control. But then again, I have been weighing in almost everyday and continuing to gain a pound a day. I am so stressed, out of control, and can't fight off the cravings, even though the other side looks soooo much better to me. My body will not allow me to make the correct decisions. "

Eli, another member, posted the following:

"Jenny, I feel so bad for you. I know that feeling so well. I felt like I had a self destruct button and I didn't even understand why I would want to undo all the hard work but yet I felt powerless to stop. I know it all starts with self love and acceptance. It is tough to get to that place but in truth it is what flipped the switch for me.

I am going to recommend a book.http://www.amazon.com/Love.../dp/B00342UKYC/ref=sr_1_1.... It is a very easy read and it is what helped me more than you can imagine."


That night, I downloaded the book and read for about 1.5 hours.  In that little bit of time, I was able to gather enough information that I felt empowered and able to start changing my life.  

"When you love your enemies, you have no more enemies"

The book discusses how to have love for yourself and love for others by releasing all the negative thoughts and only thinking acceptance.  The book also discussed that our thoughts of love, formed by TV, is not real love at all.  We must stop thinking "What can that person do for me", but instead "What can I do for that person".  This book put the information into a way that I had not thought of previously.  First thing Wednesday morning, I started putting the recommendations into practice....

- I thought "I love you" and "You are Perfect in God's eyes" to every single person I seen - including strangers.  (The book does not discuss God, but I felt it would help to include my beliefs in the practice.  Afterall, God is the only Judge and made all things perfect)

- I thought "Every single person deserves to be loved", regardless of their shortcomings/faults. 

- I continuously thought "I love you" and "I am perfect in God's eyes" about myself.  

- Every time a negative thought appears, I tell myself that it needs to be released and "I love myself" regardless.  

By Thursday afternoon, I noticed a few things had changed.  I have a co-worker that drives me bonkers because she is incapable of doing her job and causes much stress to our team. By Thursday, I no longer stressed when I seen her sitting at her desk (next to me), instead, I found myself smiling and feeling loving.  I even joked with her all day and vice versa.  I no longer feel negative towards her, I feel love towards her.  

Wow!  

This alone has proved that my thinking has been all wrong.  I have been looking back at situations and realizing that I may have caused the entire thing due to my negative thinking about myself and others.  

They say you create the world around you, so I am hoping that by changing my thoughts to positive and loving, I create a more loving world for myself and others that have to be around me.  

I highly recommend reading this book.  But I will warn you, it is not well written.  There is a lot of repetition, but sometimes repetition can be good.  There is a lot of great information, and I hope it makes a difference in your life as it has mine.  

Love,
Jenny

Week 52 Results! 1 Year in Review!

One year down, the rest to go!! 

Week 49, 50 & 51 Results!

Week 47 and Week 48 Results

Week 46 Results

Weight Gain Rebound: How I Lost the Most Weight in One Day

As most of you know, this past weekend, I ate and drank horribly (aka high carb) for 5 days in a row starting last Thursday night.  I enjoyed myself and even before today, had no regrets.  It’s not like I didn’t know what I was doing.  I knew I was going to gain a bunch of weight, I knew I would have to report it in my weekly videos, and I knew I would have to report it during my weekly weight loss club meeting.  It was inevitable, and I didn’t mind. 

Why didn’t I mind you ask?

Well, I didn’t mind, because I knew it was temporary and that I would get back to normal in due time.  That’s right, I now feel that eating low carb, high fat, moderate protein (in a state of ketosis) is my new normal.  It is quite the amazing feeling, that something as powerful as a changed diet to gain health and prosperity can become your normal diet. 

When I woke up Tuesday morning, after having finished a pint of Ben & Jerry’s the night before, and gaining over 5 pounds, I knew what to do.  But this time it was different.  I didn’t dread it.  I WANTED to go back to my new normal.  I had not one negative thought about eating low carb, and no longer indulging in the so called forbidden foods.  During my indulgences, I always told myself to enjoy it now, because I will be going back to normal to continue my journey of health and weight loss.  What an amazing, empowering feeling. 

So this Tuesday through Thursday I have ate exceptionally well.  I even tracked my food on Tuesday just to see how well I was doing and had the following stats:

Not bad right?

Every morning I woke up with a weight loss between .5 to 1.5 pounds. 

Then it happened. 

This morning. 

The LARGEST weight loss I have EVER had in a single Day:

4.2 POUNDS!

I know this is a rare moment for me, but my easy work (face it, this “diet” is super easy) has paid off! 

What have I been doing?  

Below I will talk about what I have been doing, some of which are different for me:

SMALLER MEALS:

I’ve read so many accounts of people eating very large meals at breakfast which keeps them full through lunch, sometimes even until dinner.  Those people are lucky.  This is something I simply cannot do.  Not only do I feel bloated, but I also feel extremely tired.  Not good when you have to put in over 8 hours at work, then go home and actually do something more productive than sit on your butt. 

So now, I simply eat a very small breakfast, as you will see in my daily record outlined below. 

ONLY ATE WHEN HUNGRY

I am trying out this new thing (Insert Sarcasm) – it is based on the idea that your body knows what it needs, and when it needs to have it.  Therefore, I am waiting until I am hungry.  The low fat method teaches that a growling stomach is a sign of weight loss (due to under consumption of calories).    If you are reading this, I’m hoping you already know that this is definitely not true.  By waiting until my body tells me that I should be eating, I am not taking a chance on over stuffing my body with excess energy not needed.  And we all know where that ends up! 

COCONUT OIL

I gave up the coconut oil eating for a few reasons.  One is that I just don’t like the taste of it.  But on Tuesday, I went to my local health store and bought a brand that I am pretty sure blows Tropical Traditions (as far as taste) away.  It is called Tree of Life organic Virgin Coconut Oil.   The other reason is that I was just being lazy.  Enough said on that subject. 

I have been having this in my coffee again, along with Ceylon cinnamon and a tablespoon or so of heavy cream.  It is such a wonderful and pleasant taste.  I will not be adding butter into my coffee, like I had done months ago.  I get enough butter with the rest of my meals, that I don’t feel the need for the excess fat.  I am saving this moment for the coconut to do its magic. 

FERMENTED FOODS

About a month ago, my husband made up 2 mason jars of sauerkraut to attempt our first try at Fermented foods – something neither of us have ever ate let alone made.  We also made spicy dill snap peas, which were ready much sooner (about 2 weeks ago) and absolutely addictive.  This week  we opened the sauerkraut and I have eaten about a ¼ cup to ½ cup every day.  In addition to that yesterday, I also had a taco salad, and I used an organic fermented sour cream.  It was delish! 

I can’t be sure that the fermented foods have done any great things in my body, but I can tell you that everything I have read says that I will absorb my nutrients much better when also including fermented foods in my daily diet.  So I’m going to assume they are right.  Plus, I feel much better than taking those probiotics pills, that I am pretty sure gave me anxiety! 

DAY IN MEALS:

8:30am  = Egg Salad (2 eggs, 1T mayo, 1tsp Mustard, Smoked Paprika, Salt & Pepper);  7 Slices of Bacon

9:00am to 10:30am = 1 Cup of Coffee (Ceylon Cinnamon, 1T coconut oil & 1T heavy cream)

12:15pm = Leftover boneless Pork Chop (cooked in bacon and butter);  Veggie medley (green beans, red pepper, yellow squash, onions, broccoli sautéed in butter and extra butter added); and ¼ cup sauerkraut.

6:00pm = I got hungry, but was at a meeting and could not eat at this time.  Hunger left after about 30 minutes or so.  No sugar drop feelings from not eating.  Felt great.

7:30pm  =  Taco Salad made with 1/2c broccoli sprouts, 1/4c shredded cheese, 1c taco burger meat, 1/4c fermented sour cream; 1/4c guacamole (fresh made); 1T onions, 1T chopped jalapeno.  YUM!

8:30pm = Small bag of pork rinds dipped into fermented sour cream.   (eating another snack is not normal, but I was hungry and there was still an hour before bed)

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So I hope this information helps you.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!  

Week 45 Results

Here is your hint for this week's results (notice the steep cliff, going UP)!  

Week 44 Results

Week 43 Results!

Week 42 Results - No Video!

Sorry folks, but I'm just not up for a video this evening.  I am very tired and didn't sleep well last night.  

My results:

Week 42
Down .2 
Total loss of 42.0 
15.61% total body weight lost


See you next week! 

Why I changed my Mind with Probiotics

I listen to the podcasts, I read the books, I read the blogs. Probiotics are the thing these days. Whether it’s in pill form or food form (fermentation), getting those good strains of bacteria in the stomach seems to be key. But is it really just a fad?

This is where shit gets real. Yeah, I said it… Shit….

Since eating low carb (high fat) starting in August 2013, I have noticed a huge change in my bowel movements. If you follow my blog/videos, you know that I have also “slipped” and gone off of low-carb twice since then. When I eat low carb, my bowels are more like watery bullets, shooting out at top speed. But as soon as I return to eating high carb, things slow down, although still a constant daily chore.

Fast forward to last week, when I noticed my lady parts weren’t feeling… how do I say it…. Up to par? I knew it wasn’t something as bad as the feared yeast infection, but it also wasn’t normal. For 2 weekends prior to this, I did have a few drinking nights, which we all know is laden with carbs/sugar. So I instantly thought that maybe the sugar eating bacteria/yeast were taking back over with full force.

(What do bowel movements and yeast overgrowth have to do with each other? Don’t worry; I will draw the two subjects together shortly.)

Continuing on….

So this past Thursday night, I decided to do a little research. Something that drives my husband crazy, but keeps me entertained many of nights. So there I was, lying in bed, when I came across quite a few forum threads of women discussing their girly parts, and how they went back to “Normal” after taking probiotics. Probiotics you say? No way! Woman after woman claimed that they were taking these probiotics (pill form), and all cleared up. Some even noticed other symptoms clearing up like acne, moodiness, etc. (which we know can be caused by yeast overgrowth).

So that was all the proof I needed. It was my turn to join in on the fad and buy me some probiotics. One of the main probiotics recommended in these threads was called “Vaginal Support” by Ultimate Flora. Friday after work I rushed to my local health food store and there they were, in the refrigerated section, in all its glory. Total cost was about $35. Not too bad, but hopefully worth it.

Fast forward to today….

I have taken the probiotics for 6 days now (1 pill with a meal per day), and I have noticed the following:

- Girly parts back to normal! YAY! No further explanation required.

- Bowel movements completely changed! (I told you I would make sense later.) Although I have been regular, they were watery and loose. No more. I have not had a loose or watery stool since this weekend sometime. Also, I feel like I’m actually going more, when I do go. Like maybe things are processing better?

- Less Hungry! Oh yeah, this is a huge benefit for me. I believe my body is getting its nutrients much better, and therefore, I am less hungry. Typically I eat breakfast around 6:30 and by 9:30 I’m hungry again. I didn’t get hungry the past few days until around 1pm. That is awesome. Seriously awesome!!
Who would have thought I would benefit from something as little as a pill? I am going to finish the bottle of pills, and do a test trial without taking them and see if the bowel movements change back to loose and watery. We shall see.

But trust me, sometimes when it sounds too good to be true, it’s not. It really is good!

Week 41 Results

Week 40 Results!

Another successful week!   I can't believe it has been 10 months already.  Wow time flies!

-- Exercise via chores
-- Lightheaded
-- 1 Day's worth of meals

Where to get good nutrition? My garden of course!

One of our dreams of moving more into the "country" was to not only have our own chickens (eggs and meat), but also to have a big garden.  Although I am a certified Master Gardener, my husband is the true gardener to heart.  In reality, he is actually a soil enthusiast, and the vegetables are his prize.  He takes special care of the soil ensuring the right microbes, bacterias, enzymes, nutrients, macro nutrients, micro nutrients, etc. are all aligned correctly.  

And this is what you get when it is done correctly.... LOTS and LOTS of beautiful plants:

WELCOME TO MY PARADISE GARDEN

We have been eating broccoli and cauliflower every single day for about 2 weeks now.   So yummy steamed with Kerrygold butter! 

PEAS

   

Compost is essential for great soil!  

MMMMMM...... Cabbage! 

Dropping the Beat.... I mean BEETS! 

Soon to be sweet potatoes galore:

Thanks for visiting!

Week 39 Results

- Eating nutrients from the garden
- Eating slow
- Leaving food on the plate
- What to do when you normally were snacking at night
- Getting more sleep

Week 38 Results

Week 37 Results

Week 36 Results!

I cannot believe it has been 9 months since I started this journey.  Although I haven't lost as much weight as most people report losing, I HAVE lost weight.  And for me, part of the journey is learning and growing, which I have done tremendously.  I have learned a lot of things about myself - physically and mentally.  Had I just stuck to it straight and narrow, and lost a ton of weight like everyone else, I don't think I could have learned all these lessons at the same time.  I have to make my own "Mistakes" to learn, and I have successfully done that quite a few times.  

Thank you for your support.  The messages I get weekly are extremely helpful and motivating.  

Is it maple pancakes and bacon? Nope, its Cheese!

I have found a secret way to eat pancakes, low carb, without any flour.  

Okay, they aren't really pancakes, but they are really low carb, and taste just like the real thing - maple syrup and all! 

Since I'm curious and love trying new cheeses, I bought a cheese called Yancy's Fancy - Maple & Bacon Cheddar Cheese.  

This morning, I fried up a few slices of ham (in butter of course), and 2 eggs.  I took a slice of this yummy cheese and placed the ham over it so that it would soften.  I then cut the cheese into little pieces and ate each bite of ham with a bite of cheese.  It literally tasted like a decadent pancake, egg, and bacon breakfast.  It was "off the hook" as the kids say.  

Speaking of kids.... My 7 year old son has been begging me for this cheese everyday.  And at only 1g carb per 1oz serving (typical of cheese), we can have our pancakes without the guilt.  


Now obviously there are a lot of "ingredients" (aka "chemicals"), so this is not something I will have very often. But it is a wonderful treat that I'm happy I accidentally came across.  

Have a great Low Carb Day! 

WEEK 35 Results

Continuing on track and the future is looking very positive.  Thank you for your support.  

Week 34 Results!

Week 29 through 33 Results!

After checking out of the Low Carb Journey for 5 weeks, I am back!  

Week 28 Results

This has not been a good week, or even month for that matter.

I had a big gain, a lot of stress, and failed Intermittent Fasting experiment.  And did I mention my period came early, a whole week early?  

Ugh!

I have decided to take the next 28 days off from weighing in.  I have handed over the scale to my husband, whom will hide it and not allow me to weigh in again until the morning of April 7, 2014.  

Wish me luck!

Intermittent Fasting - Day 4 - FINAL Day

I woke up with GREAT Difficulty.  IF did not help on my first day of my period and that "groggy, I can't get enough sleep" feeling I get every month.  

But, I started out this morning with full intention on continuing IF, with doubt that I should be.  I didn't eat my first meal until 11:45, and couldn't even wait another 15 minutes for my eating period.  And what is 15 minutes really?

So I ate my lunch, which was satisfying.  Then something happened.  All those chocolates, jelly beans, trial mix, etc. started looking REALLY good.  And I caved.  I caved hard.  

I left work, stopped at a store and happened to see Sugar Free chocolate covered almonds.  So I caved on those too.  I was so stressed out about going to my TOPS meeting and weighing in, that I ate those things all the way to the meeting, where I showed a 3 pound gain.  NO surprise there.

So I believe it is safe to say that I DO NOT belong on an Intermittent Fasting strategy.  I will continue to eat when hungry, and no other time.

I feel good having done this experiment, because that is another "what if" that I can scratch off my list.  

Been there, done that.  

Intermittent Fasting: Day 3 Results

7:00am:   Woke up with ease

8:30am:   Fatty Coffee (Coffee, heavy cream, butter & coconut oil)

10:00 - 12:00pm:     2 more cups of fatty coffee

12:30pm:     Started with a romaine lettuce salad with blueberry fayre cheese, oil & vinegar.
Ate leftovers from yesterday:  Chorizo patty, cheese, chipotle mayo, 1/2 avocado, sauteed cabbage.

I felt very full.  I actually felt that I ate too much.  Started to feel tired, unmotivated, etc.  My mind is telling me that I should eat more in a smaller timeframe.  I am going to try and slow it down so that I can make sure I am chewing adequately and not overeating.

5:15pm:     Boneless/Skinless Chicken thighs cooked in duckfat and bacon grease, seasoned with thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.  A homemade gravy was made with left over grease and heavy whipping cream.  Broccoli  with butter.   2 Fat bombs

Felt very satiated.  I did not feel that I overate.  BUT, I wasn't that hungry and knew I had to eat anyway because it was getting late and I had to leave for an event.

I did not feel hungry the rest of the night.

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My Mood:  

Again, it is very frustrating the first part of the day being so hungry.   I am questioning continuing this experiment.  It doesn't feel right physically or mentally.  

I stress out very quickly, and IF seems to be adding to that problem.  


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RESULTS:  (Weighed in Thursday, March 06, 2014 @ 5:30 am)

LOST/GAIN = 0.00  (Stayed the Same)

Another day without good results.  

Is IF right for me?

Intermittent Fasting - Day 2 Results

Day 2 Results:

Waking up this morning, I felt it much easier to get out of bed than usual.  I typically can sleep an easy 9-10 hours without hesitation.  I actually could not fall back asleep after waking up at 6:55am.  Normally, I can fall asleep VERY quickly after waking up this early (on a non-work day of course).  Maybe because I had an empty belly before going to bed?  

I am home today since schools are closed due to the 5+ inches of snow we got. Temperatures haven't gotten high enough to melt the snow yet.  

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6:55am:     Woke up

9:00am - 10:00am:  1.5 American size cups of Fatty Coffee (coffee, coconut oil & grass fed butter)   I felt MUCH fuller this time and could not finish my 2nd cup. 

10:50am:     Very Hungry.  Drank a glass of water. 

12:45pm:    Ate a salad with the following:  Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli Sprouts, crispy bacon, blue cheese crumbles, blue cheese dressing, avocado oil, and balsamic vinegar.    Also ate 2 chocolate/coconut fat bombs and a few little slices of aged cheddar.  

5:30pm:     Ate Dinner as follows:  Hamburger patty, ground chorizo patty, monterey jack cheese, 1/2 avocado, sauteed cabbage, chipotle mayo & green chiles.  

8:00pm:    I was so hungry I almost caved and ate some pork rinds.  But I stuck with it and didn't eat anything.  

10:45pm:  It took a little while to get to sleep, but not as bad as Monday night.   


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My Mood:   

Its very frustrating being so hungry in the a.m.  I'm also hungry about an hour before lunchtime, which is frustrating.  An hour before dinner, I am also very hungry.  And although I can eat something at that time, it would spoil my dinner, and then I'd be even hungrier in the evening.  

In the evening, I am going to bed VERY hungry.  I'm not sure how else I can get more food in my system without overeating and being uncomfortable.  Not sure that IF is right for me at this point.  But it is only the 2nd day, I still need time to adjust.  

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RESULTS:  (Weighed in Wednesday, March 05, 2014 @ 6:55 am)  

LOST 0.4 Pounds

I was hoping to see a bigger loss for the 2nd day, especially following 2 large gains.  Hopefully day 3 will be much better.  

Intermittent Fasting - Day 1 Results

Yesterday (Sunday) I did not do as well as I should have.  It all started with Famous Daves Restaurant, and ended with chips and root beer.  

In addition, I believe I am starting my "shark week" a week early.  Not sure yet, but it is possible.  

So with those two things batting against me, I thought this would be a perfect week to attempt a 7 day experiment on Intermittent Fasting (IF). 


I know IF is not for everybody, so what works for someone else may not work for me.  There is only one way to find out.

What will I be doing?

I will be fasting for ~18 hours every day, starting at about 6pm and ending the following day at 12pm noon.  I will only eat in a 6 hour window from 12pm noon through 6pm.  The times will fluctuate with my schedule, because sometimes dinner takes longer than planned ;)

I will weigh in every single morning and report it on that day's results (not the next morning).  So.... bare with me, as my posts will be a day behind.  But you can see why and excuse my tardiness, right?  I hope so ;)

The idea with IF, is that the body needs time to re-adjust the hormones, clear the colon, keep insulin levels in check, etc.  Its a natural reset that happens every day.  

I found a great site for an understanding of what I am doing, and why: 
 A Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting

I will be reporting what I ate and when, as well as how I felt throughout the day.  

My hypothesis (this is an experiment after all), is that I will adjust very quickly, with only a day or two to adjust to not having breakfast.  I will then have to focus on slowly eating so that I don't overeat and that my food gets chewed properly, since I will be hungrier than normal.  I also feel that I will lose a higher amount of fat this week, than I have in the past few weeks, especially compared to the "week before my periods" of the past.  

So here it goes.... 

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8:00am:     Woke up

9:00am - 11:00am:  2 American size cups of Fatty Coffee (coffee, coconut oil & grass fed butter)

12:15pm:     I started to get hungry enough to make lunch.  

12:30pm:     Ate a salad with the following:   Romaine lettuce, broccoli sprouts, crispy bacon, blue cheese crumbles, blue cheese dressing, salt and pepper.  

I love eating my salads on a plate vs. a bowl.  There is something more appealing about the way it looks on a plate.  

2:00pm:     Ate 2 Chocolate/Coconut Fat Bombs

5:30pm:     Ate Corned beef, cabbage, a little slice of parsnips, and 2 little slices of carrots.  I feel EXTREMELY full.   Completely forgot my photo.  Sorry, I was a little hungry, but not hungry to forget the photo.  

7:50pm:   VERY hungry.  

10:00pm:  Attempted to go to sleep.  I had a hard time, felt very alert and awake.  I have read this could be a side effect to IF for some people, but this is also how I feel when I start my menstruation, so its hard to tell right now.  

11:45pm:  Finally fell asleep.  I fell asleep a few times from 10pm to 11:45, but the puppy kept waking me up.  

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My Mood:   

I was not so hungry I could eat my own arm, which is what I thought would happen.  Today was rather easy to get through.  Although, I do not recommend watching the Food Network on the first few days of trying this experiment.  

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RESULTS:  (Weighed in Tuesday, March 04, 2014 @ 6:55 am)  

GAINED 1.4 Pounds

(Keep in mind, I feel that I am starting my menstruation 1 week early, which is VERY unusual)

Week 27 Results.... Not So good

Week 26 Results are IN!

This week had its moments, but I was able to conquer.  I believe adding in the Coconut oil allowed me to regain control and lose the weight more quickly, after the last 2 weeks gains.    I watched some great documentaries which were emotionaly, but most importantly motivating.  

I highly recommend http://mayibefrankmovie.com/ 

I am continuing to struggle with binge eating, emotional eating, etc., and just need to free my mind, body and spirit of such negative responses.  

Thank you all for your support. 

Week 25 Results

Not so good this week.  

I covered a lot, but had a lot to say.  

Week 24 Results!

I don't have the best news to report, but I am staying positive and moving forward. 

Let me know what you think!

Week 23 Results!

Meals for the Day Week 23 Day 3

I've definitely noticed that the broth in the mornings makes for a happier Jenny during the day.  It is very taste, very healthy, and very easy on the stomach.  I cannot recommend having a homemade broth based, low carb soup every morning to kick start your day! 


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BREAKFAST:  

Homemade chicken broth with 2 eggs and soy sauce.  YUM!!! 


LUNCH:

I forgot to get a photo of the actual lunch, but wanted to see how I reheat my more liquid types of foods.  I try to use the microwave as minimally as possible.

Lunch was leftover Green Curry with Beef ribs.  


SNACK:

I'm addicted to this guacamole and its ridiculous convenience.  I had chipotle chicken lunchmeat wrapped around cream cheese and dipped in this guacamole by Moe's.  

DINNER:

Hard to tell in this photo, but this is a roasted chicken with andouille sausage and homemade cajun spice rub.  In the juices are sweet potatoes, onions, and bits of the sausage.  The rest of the sausage was stuffed under the skin.  You can see the sliced link at the top of the photo.  I ate a chunk of chicken in a bowl of the juices surrounding the chicken.  It was AMAZING!  I can't wait to make broth with this one!