The Bedroom

I don’t want to talk about 2016, or New Years resolutions or anything like that. It’s not because 2016 was bad, it was fine for me, except for a few awesome people passing away (Prince, Carrie Fisher, George Michael, etc).  The holidays were great, got to see my nieces and the whole fam and we had a nice Christmas. I’m actually ridiculously excited about something that has become a temporary obsession. That’s sort of how I work. I fixate on something until I accomplish it or get it out of my system. I want it and I want it now!  It can be a good thing, I find it very motivating, but it can also be frustrating when you are trying to accomplish something and you have to wait. So what is the silly thing? I’M REDECORATING MY BEDROOM! I know right? How can I be so very excited about this? Well I am and I think it’s good to be happy about the little things, because the big things don’t happen everyday.

So these are the before pics. Not horrible but not what I was envisioning. Good, I guess that makes it a blank slate to start with! Inspiration? Think really nice hotel rooms, lots of grey and white and silver, with different textures and overall luxurious feel.

So I have all the new furniture set up. We have lovely new white bedside tables and a matching mammoth sized dresser. All my Ikea stuff in there previously is being put into the guest bedroom downstairs, and we took the bed from down there and put it in our bedroom.  This was a nice change because I previously had a low platform bed, and this bed is of normal height. It was weird the first couple of days getting out of bed because I wasn’t used to it!

So there are still a few things I need for the room, but that part is mostly done. I ordered this gorgeous grey headboard online from Wayfair and it gets here in about 2 weeks. (I’ll be biting my nails till it arrives!)  I would like to get some type of lovely panoramic sized canvas print for over the dresser, so I’m currently scouring the net (does anyone say the net anymore?) for one. Other than that I just need 2 new wall light sconces, but I know which ones I want, so I just need to pick them up.

The real holdup is the actual renos we’d like to do in there. I’ve picked out a dove grey color for the walls and I want to wallpaper just the one wall behind the bed. A feature wall if you will!   See below an example of what kind of wallpaper I’m thinking of. At the moment I’m really into the whole arabesque tile/moroccan print thing.

Also will have to put down new laminate as the current carpet is 15 plus years old and gives me nightmares. I hate carpet, no matter how much you clean it, you never know what grossness is lurking there in the depths! We are going to put in all new white baseboards and paint the closet doors as they are currently poop brown. (not a fan) So that’s fun! Hopefully Joey will be home long enough one of these days that we can get a proper start on it all! Super excited and will have to do a blog when everything is completed.

My Weight Journey

So I’ve decided to share some of my progress, as it were. I’ve said before that I don’t really like to do a progress report, play-by-play type of blog or facebook posts. I prefer to post it all at the end when I have the results. So yay! My progress right now is that I have lost 11 POUNDS! Some people would argue I’m sure that I didn’t need to lose weight. And they’re actually not exactly wrong. Not like I was super overweight or anything. It’s just been since I started my desk job, I’ve gone from active waitress to sedentary office worker. Didn’t change my eating habits at all from when I was more active, so that’s how that happened. At my heaviest I weighed 143 pounds, and I’m 5’5. Like I said, not huge, but it still bothered me. My clothes were all tight, and I didn’t feel good in my own skin. I did notice I was a little rounder in the face and I was losing my waistline. I know what I’m used to and I know what I like and when I’m not at my healthiest. Was also feeling more tired. So I decided to make a change. I went on the Ideal Protein diet, which worked really well for me. I’’ll attach a link below to their website if anyone wants to know more about it.

http://www.idealprotein.com/

Basically, it’s very similar to a paleo diet. No rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes, no bread or pasta, no dairy, no fruit and NO SUGAR. I know that sounds horrible, but it isn’t that bad. I got to have things like chocolate shakes and maple oatmeal for breakfast, vegetarian chili and cream of broccoli soup for lunch, and chicken stir fry and steak with roasted cauliflower for dinner. Plus a snack like a chocolate bar or BBQ chips. They have a lot of the food pre packaged and you eat a lot of fresh vegetables. It only took about 1 and a half months for me to lose the weight.

So now I am down to 132 pounds, and I have about 5 more to go for me to be where I want to be. But I feel great! My pants fit me again and I’ve got my waist back. The other great thing that I noticed was that because I cut out the SUGAR, I have improved skin, energy and have lowered my yeast levels (if you’re a girl you’ll know how helpful that is!). Something surprising that I noticed during this diet was what I craved a missed food wise. Not pasta or mashed potatoes, but sugar! Which makes sense if you are on a no sugar diet. But I was still amazed with how much it impacted me. I’ve never been a real sugar person, more of a salt person, I don’t eat much chocolate or sweets or ice cream. I don’t even let pop in the house, and I recently stopped drinking juice except occasionally. So I was really surprised when I realized my biggest craving on this diet was sugary things. Cakes, cookies, muffins, chocolate bars, things I never had much interest in before suddenly looked so incredibly good to me. I always knew that sugar was bad for us, and that sugar was in everything, but I started to do more research. Boy is it really in everything! Ketchup, soy sauce, salad dressing, pasta sauce. Now mind you I did know some of this and don’t use too many condiments and try to cook mostly from scratch, but still! Think it’s those fries or cheeseburgers that are making you gain weight? Well they are but it’s likely sugar that’s the main culprit. I watched a couple of really incredible documentaries that explained it, which I will attach below.

I also started going to the gym 3 times a week, usually 2 days of cardio and weights and one day of yoga. The yoga is really the thing that is taking it to the next level, do I ever feel it the next day, but it is a great feeling, that achy sore feeling of knowing you gave your muscles a challenge. I’m not shredded or anything ….yet, but I do feel better. I’ve noticed I’ve been sleeping super hard lately, I think because the workouts just tire me out, but in a good way.

Since I’ve first gained weight, I’ve had a family member comment on my weight in a negative way (or rather that I perceived negatively!) That really surpised me because most people thought that I was a pretty good size just the way I was. Of course that statement did hurt my feelings a little, but in no way is it why I decided to lose weight and eat healthier. I did it for me. Instead of taking it personally, I decided to take a different approach and have it motivate me. Every time I was tired, and didn’t want to work out or wanted to cheat on my diet, I envisioned that family members face, telling me I was fat, or telling me I couldn’t do it. And I would plow right through and succeed! Not that I didn’t ever have any slip ups, but it sure helped encourage me.

Pictures of my transformation to follow!

 #1 - SUGAR COATED

http://putlocker.sg/watch-sugar-coated-online-free-putlocker.html

#2 - Jamie Oliver 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpr20BdngSY

#3 - FED UP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y647tNm8nTI

Life Changers

Things I actually care about.

I realized, looking back on my last blog post in 2013, that I was just at the beginning of an awesome, mind bending journey of knowledge and experiences that changed my life forever. Wow! So many things have altered the course of my life permanently and wonderfully. There were a few that stung a little, but those were more of “ignorance is bliss” occurrences. (which I will commit an entire blog to separately!)

Where do I begin? Point form seems to be the way to go:

#1 – The beginning of my journey undoubtedly started with food. I had been getting increasingly more and more ill as time went by, finally realizing that feeling this way was not the norm. I was having horrible stomach problems and mood swings constantly to the point where both were interfering with my life. I decided I’d had enough, and started trying new ways of eating; omitting all the things I thought might be bad for me. It was quite the process of elimination; I went vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten free, etc. All different diets. I also educated myself about food. That, coupled with the difference I saw in my health, led me to realize how poor my food education had been, and how the general public has been bamboozled about food their whole lives. Many facts we know to be true about food are wrong. So it led me to wonder if we are being lied to about something as basic as food, what else are we being lied to about? Therein lies the reason for #2.

#2 – Conspiracy theories. Well yes and no. It is only called a ‘conspiracy theory’ in my opinion if you don’t believe it. Now I’m not saying I believe in all the stories floating around, but there are a few that to me, have merit. Like I said, if we are being lied to about food, we are being lied to about a whole lot more.  When I started to have an open mind, and do some research and talk to people; educate myself so to speak, I found out a load of things that blew my mind, and not in a good way. I’m not going to go on about them. For me, it’s important to just put forth the information. If someone has an open mind and wants to look into it further, then so be it. I think the most important factor is that we have access to the information. From there, we can decide if it’s something we’d consider or not. Knowledge is power and the whole thing. Keep in mind though, that most people don’t really enjoy bursting the bubble of comfort and safety they’ve been living in, and so tend to refute anything that conflicts with that. Think matrix, blue pill, red pill paradox. Ignorance is bliss. Until it’s not.

#3 – Self Reflection – Now I mean really getting down to the heart of things. Think microscopic. I really have found that the more the years go by, my default is to really reflect on my actions, right or wrong, and what makes me, well, me. I think in small ways, we are always changing. No one always stays the same. Or they shouldn’t. I know that no matter how much I figure things out, I’ll always make a mistake (which I can’t stand sometimes but have to accept). I’m always finding out new things about myself, which I find fascinating. Lately though, I’m really trying to be a better person. Not that I’m normally an asshole (although I’ve had my moments), but I just really want to work on being a more patient, well rounded, kinder human being. Patience isn’t always my strong point, and I also tend to have foot in mouth syndrome at times. That being said, I’ve noticed as per my previous blog that limiting my drinking has really helped with that. I’m enjoying the results, so I’m just going to keep moving forward in that direction.

Each of these points will I’m sure at some point have their own blog. There’s just so much content to cover and I don’t really feel like writing a novel today.  I will put all the links below that started me on my path, and hopefully some of you will be interested enough to maybe take a peek at some of them. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it never hurts to get another viewpoint, right?

DOCUMENTARIES:

#1 – FOOD INC (easy to watch and very informative! – good intro to start with)

http://documentary-movie.com/food-inc/

#2 – FORKS OVER KNIVES

http://www.putlocker-movies.website/871-forks-over-knives.html

#3 – SUGAR COATED

http://thevideo.me/310a2nr0mjyn

#4 – FED UP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y647tNm8nTI

#5 – EARTHLINGS (hard to watch but if I can do it you can do it!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opj0_3L1l88

#6 – THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE (only 7 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnJ1rOFK7o#action=sharettps://youtu.be/cfnJ1rOFK7o

LINKS:

#1 – WHY MILK IS BAD FOR YOU (no one ever really wants to believe this one!)

http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/

#2 – YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE

http://presscore.ca/when-you-were-born-your-government-forged-your-name-and-created-a-birth-certificate-bond

Why I'm happy to drink less.

If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be happy to barely ever drink, I wouldn't have believed you. It all started with having a couple drinks at home after work to destress a couple times a week. Then it was 4 or 5 times a week and I couldn't wait to get home to have my drinks. I started to realize I was looking forward to happy hour just a little too much and I wanted to figure out why. I wanted to be high on life. I also wanted to eat better and lose some weight. There are a lot of calories in booze!

So I stopped drinking for a month. The first week or so was the hardest. Life seemed so boring without it. I know how ridiculous that sounds! The good news was I really started to fill my time with other things that were more productive and interesting. Don't get me wrong I still craved a glass of wine and some cheese now and then (did I mention I'm not eating any dairy right now either?) But the cravings weren't ruling my world. I was feeling better every day.

I finally had a couple glasses last Saturday with dinner. The first glass was nice. After that it was just meh. Then I had 3 glasses last nite with some wings with friends. The first 2 glasses were nice but I really didn't need the third. I wasn't hungover or anything  but I realized how it impacted my behavior. I didn't get rowdy or say anything bad but your behavior does change when you've had a few. I'm learning I really don't like that. I'm an expressive person on a normal day and drinking just amplifies that to an annoying degree. So it was great to have that reminder because I don't need to drink to have a good time anymore. If you need to have a drink to have a good time there are some issues that need facing.
You know what I don't miss about getting drunk? Falling down and hurting myself, embarrassing myself and others, saying something mean or hurtful to someone and binge smoking to name a few things.(pretty much quit smoking as well too!) Only time I want to smoke is when I've had more than 1 or 2 but it's slowly getting non existent. I don't care if you can say this but I am proud of myself! I want to be healthy and happy and have as little regret as possible! Im trying to keep the foot in mouth comments you get from drinking to a minimum! I tend to be hyper critical of myself. Spending half the next day regretting/analyzing stupid drunk things I said is a horrible way to spend my time.

It doesn't mean I'll never enjoy a nice glass of wine. It just means I'm keeping it to once a week and maybe 2ish glasses. There's always the odd special occasion of course. In general though, I have to say I'm much happier now that I've made this change. Now if I could just do something about my hormones and hit the gym more I'd be set. (Physical health wise anyway;I'll say nothing about my mental health!)

Here we are again

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last blog. I tend to get really caught up with life, as we all do, and then I don’t take the time to do these things. Well that’s only really half true. The other half is that when I’m not fully satisfied with something (or many things) I tend to go inward and don’t really feel like sharing. I’m also not one of those people who feels the need to share every little thing in my life: what I ate this morning, 30 pictures of my dogs, etc. I’m not bashing people who do; it’s just not for me. I do enjoy seeing my friends post details of their everyday lives, especially when I don’t get to see them very often, I just can’t be bothered to do the same lol. But I digress.

Now this may sound like I’m saying the reason I haven’t blogged is because I haven’t been happy with things. Not at all. I just didn’t feel like it. Also I’m not really into sharing the journey, I’d rather just skip to the end when I have things how I want them. I feel like I see people chat up their intentions all the time (of course it’s great to have goals and strive for them), but I feel like a lot of the time it’s just blah, blah, blah the same thing over and over again but no results are going to come, or if they do, they don’t last. For me personally, I’d rather just do it rather than talk about it endlessly. Then, when I share the results at the end, it’s a surprise. I don’t have to worry about people asking me, “Oh, how’s that going so far?” and feeling discouraged because my results aren’t where I’d like them to be. Now this is relevant to everything from losing weight, to redecorating the house or even knitting a sweater. I do these things to please myself, not others, but sometimes the stress of explaining your progress can be a buzz kill. (To me, anyway)

It just so happens that right now I’m in a sharing mood, lol. So I’m going to try to blog more. We’ll see if that actually sticks.