Not Too "RAW"nchy: First Resolution for the New Year

It has been a rough ride this past year. I was laid off over a year ago. I was Director of Customer Support. It was very stressful and I believe the stress and constant commuting contributed to the return of my IC, which slowly but surely has crept back into my life. It had been noticeable for over a year, but over the past 6 mos it has gotten progressively worse. At this point, I don't even venture out of the house too much. It hurts to walk and I am simply uncomfortable going places. Try to imagine the sensation of a football in your abdomen, well, not just any football, a football that looks and feels more like a porcupine! Seriously. Interstitial Cystitis is an awful disease and I will do whatever I need to do in order to eliminate it from my life.

My big outing is to Whole Foods once a week. Today is the day for that. I am having a little problem motivating myself having only slept 2 hours last night. Yep, I am an insomniac and since I started my "program" it has not gone away....yet. I am sleeping around 5-7 hours about every other night and am grateful for that! But today, I am just plain tired. This does not help with healing or weight loss. My body really needs more rest.

I am feeling better than I was 2 months ago, before I started the "program." But I have a long way to go before I can feel "normal" again. I had tried exercising but when my chiropractor started spinal decompression on me, the IC flared up so bad that I could barely stand for 3-4 days after each session. For now, I have to stop that procedure and focus on my diet, supplementation, and getting my body to function as it needs to in order to retain good health.

Losing weight has always been a problem for me, and it is not because I overeat, or even eat incorrectly. I believe my adrenals are exhausted and my body is constantly in the "fight or flight" response mode. This causes the cortisol levels to be elevated, which causes production of insulin...and then we get belly fat! The problem is your body does not know the difference between physical stress or emotional stress. If I tried to exercise, my body would interpret that as stress, and produce more.....W finally believed it when he saw me go on a program for 6 weeks..no sugar, grains, fats...I was exercising 5 days a week - and at the end of 6 weeks, I gained 2 pounds! And that has been this way for years!

Now I am on the "program" and I have taken off about 10 pounds in 2 months which was great, but am getting frustrated because I keep fluctuating between 8-10 pounds and cannot drop below that level. I need to realistically lose at least 50 pounds more! I am trying to not lose hope and keep the focus on my getting healthy. But now that I am feeling somewhat better, I need to try exercising again, even if it is very very mild to start. I should do a few minutes on the rebounder(which is great for clearing out the lymphatic system and helping with detoxing) and I also have an elliptical machine and free weights. So-ooooo, I need to make a commitment for the New Year to begin an exercise program again and see I can jump start my body into further weight loss! Wish me luck!

I am gathering recipes for New Year's Eve. We have a couple of friends coming by and I need to come up with a few raw appetizers and desserts. Once I try them, I'll take some photos and let you know how they turned out.

I am looking forward to a wonderful turn around this year, filled with many blessings. May peace, prosperity, joy and good health surround you all!! Many Blessings.

Here is a picture of my little angel! Being a Grandmother is about the most amazing thing I could ever imagine!

This picture still brings tears to my eyes. Seeing this little angel running so freely on the beach, her little footprints in the sand and just quietly observing as she literally leaves her little mark on the world. Who will she become? What will she do? What impact will she have on those in her life? It is so amazing to see how fast she is growing.