No more Negative Monsters!

Well another year has gone by....I hit the big 50.  I'm still 50# overweight and struggling with hives on a regular basis. I can't figure out why it has been so hard to keep to an exercise routine.  But today is the day I change my mindset!  I will no longer listen to the negative little monsters that live in my head!  

As of today I will live in the moment, love everyday no matter what it brings and treat my body with all the respect it deserves!  

My goal is going to be setting my mind to achieving peace and Harmony in my daily life.  

07/19/2014 Let's try this again.

It has been well over a year since I made my first two posts, not really sure where that year went.  In regards to the hives there is not a lot of change, but I have not been as diligent with food and exercise as I needed to be.  I will turn 50 next year and my ultimate goal is to be fit and healthy by the time I reach that milestone.  This is a picture of me taken today, I am 176 lbs and 5'3" tall.

In the last week there are three young women in my life that have started "diets" I feel are not going to be good for them in the long run.  I have not discouraged any of them, how can I when I'm not taking care of business.  I want to be able to show them that all it takes is good wholesome food  and exercise.

This is not a "diet", this is going to be a lifestyle change.  I am going to limit alcohol consumption, drink more water, eliminate all processed foods, exercise more especially during the week.  I am in hopes that these changes will not only help me lose weight but also get rid of my hives and the need to take a Zyrtec on a daily basis.

The bonus result will hopefully be the ability to hike the North Sister next year. One of the items on my "Year I turn 50" list.

Wish me well. 

Love & Respect

Michele

05/28/2013

Today was a good day. Had a smoothie for breakfast, home made chicken noodle soup for lunch, dried figs for a snack, dinner is being prepared by my personal chef....Trey.  Thank goodness he likes to cook, it makes it so much easier for me.  No need for a Zyrtec today, but sometimes it takes a day or two to get out of my system, before the hives reappear.

Smoothie consisted of organic greek yogurt, organic milk, strawberries, kale, hemp seeds, chia seeds, blueberries, pineapple  & psyllium (just a sprinkle).  Chicken noodle soup was veggie stock made from scrap veggies, (Trey keeps in the freezer), organic chicken, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, kale, turmeric, and organic macaroni noodles (Awesome find at Costco).  Dried Figs were from Whole Foods....no potassium sorbate used in the drying process.

Hit the gym after work, was looking forward to checking in and seeing what kind of progress I'd made in the last month.  That lasted all of five minutes....weight hasn't budged, but at least my legs don't hurt going up and down the stairs anymore.  I haven't been doing much the last month to help with losing weight, but I feel that giving up restaurant/processed foods will help immensely.  We will see what happens, by this time next week.

Well....just heard dinner is ready...mmmm it looks tasty.

Yes, it was wonderful.  Asparagus, zucchini, kale saute, with chicken.  Kale salad with carrots, hemp seed, pumpkin seeds and lemon vinaigrette.

Dishes are done, laundry is folded, time to relax and read a chapter or two from my latest book.  

Love and Respect

Michele

05/27/2013 Fed up

This is me after only one restaurant meal yesterday.  Everything else I consumed was prepared at home with fresh local ingredients.  My chest and upper back are covered in hives and I'm tired of living like this.

My journey actually began in 1991 when all of the sudden I was covered in hives from head to toe.  Spent 10 days enjoying a cocktail of benadryl, both liquid and pills with no relief.  Finally went to the doctor and was given prednisone and a stronger antihistamine.  Still no relief....off to the allergist I went.  After extensive blood and skin tests all results were negative.  So I was told to change all my makeups, detergents, soaps, etc.  Still no relief....I lived like this for several years and then decided to lose weight....hmmm finally found a little relief, but noticed that when under huge amounts of stress the hives came back and also where present when I ate processed foods. Tried to change my diet, but when you have learned to cook and eat using packaged foods your entire life, it is very hard to change yourself and your entire household.

Three years ago my life changed and I found myself living with someone that enjoyed eating fresh vegetables as much as I did.  We thought we were doing everything right, but I still had hives.  So we started delving deeply into the things we were eating on a daily basis.  We paid more attention to reading labels and if there was something on there we couldn't pronounce, a dye (yellow #5...etc) or two very prominent ingredients, maltodextrin & dextrose, we were not going to buy it or eat it.  It helped to an extent, but find that every time I eat out I look like the above pictures the next day or even a few hours after eating.

In the last couple of months, facebook has exploded with "No GMO's" sites and statuses.  I had never heard of a GMO until reading a status from one of the sites I like "The  Farmacy".  The first thing I read was that GMO's became very prominent in our diets in the early '90's....yes the light bulb came on...1991 the year my hives appeared.  Maltodextrin & dextrose are made from processed corn, Corn is the biggest GMO food out there.  Look at the labels of almost everything you eat those two ingredients are in everything.  I have even decided to stay away from them even if they are in my organic food choice.

As of today, my journey to healthful eating and living starts in a much bigger capacity than it has over the last three years.

I will no longer eat out, this will be hard since so many social activities revolve around meeting friends at a restaurant to enjoy a meal and a drink.  Please understand when I choose to not eat, but attend the function for the social aspect.

I will eat only fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, organic dairy, organic and grass-fed meats.

I am going to start using only all natural products on my body, most of which I will make myself.

I look forward to sharing my journey with whomever chooses to follow this blog.

Love and Respect

Michele Hoekstra