Cleanse complete!

Day 33  10/23  170 lbs
I know what you are thinking, I thought it was only a 30 day cleanse.  It is...I don't like to jump back into regular old eating right away, I am too fearful of my stomach being uncomfortable again. 

The things that I have added in are strawberries (I have a nice green apple right here waiting for me to eat it and I am going to love it!)  and green tea.  So far so good. 

I am still a bit bloated but I am hopeful that the allergy test will be an "ah huh" moment...seeing that I consume something that makes that happen.  We shall see.

Oh and I created something fantastic that you can do on the candida cleanse, don't over do it of course, but you can do it. 

1TSBP Ghee melted in the saucepan
add in a handful of pecans
once all pecans are coated with ghee
throw in a bowl that has 2 TBSP cocoa powder, TBSP xylitol and tsp of cinnamon
coat those very well together.
Toss in the oven (on a baking sheet and on parchment paper) on 350 for about 5 to 7 minutes.  YUMMMM!

Almost done!

Day  26 10/16 171

Alright the tough part is all behind me.  I went through quite a bit of sour tummy during the second set of 10 days (the GI detox).  Now I am refilling my body with the necessary probiotics. 

I have lived off zucchini most of this detox and I am actually growing tired of it!?   Soon I will be able to add in the things I took out...in SMALL doses though. I have no desire to start feeling icky again.  I am REALLY excited for an apple!!  I always crave apples when I detox.  Your probably thinking, really no fruit...yes really. No sugar in any shape or form is allowed when doing a candida detox....no fruit, no tomatoes, no carrots, etc. 

I am going to have a full allergy panel test done in the beginning of the year.  That will be awesome to see what my body is dealing with also.   Overall this "renew" makes me feel so good.  It is pretty simple too, natural supplements offered by doTERRA and eating clean, super clean.  Listen, if I can do it, you can do it.  The first time was a battle but the 2nd time was like no big deal...I think because I know how good it makes me feel in the end and how extremely good it is for my body. 

Stay tuned for final update this week!  Have a great weekend!!

Keep following...

Day #13 10/3 173 holding

Day 10 is when I started the GI detox part of it all...simply add in another pill for morning and evening meals.  This 10 days is really the very strictest of them all. 

Alright, I have been off coffee since Monday.  Haven't really craved it until this morning, but I am keeping myself occupied so that I don't dwell on it. 

This being the 2nd round of this detox, I am enjoying it a bit more...not craving near as much.  I am however getting tired of the same ole stuff, but I have been too busy to create new stuff.  Hopefully this next week.

Seriously I have been living off of salads (obsessed with them right now) consisting of leafy greens, green onion, sunflower seeds, walnuts, avacado and lemon juice.  I had found this amazing chicken italian sausage links at Vitamin Cottage that don't have anything but seasonings so they are safe...slice it up, brown it up and throw on the salad. 

Also living off of random vegetable hash, whatever I can find, I throw it in there...cooked with coconut oil.

I haven't had any red meat since last Thursday and don't plan to...also no pork.  Just chicken, turkey and salmon.  Last time I had cut out all grains (quinoa, brown rice) and also eggs.  You don't have to cut out eggs but with my crazy digestive issues I wanted to see if that was part of the issue, it seemed to help.  In between detox I didn't get 100% back on eggs, just here and there...but decided to cut them out again.

Ok so all in all, doing awesome!  Monday is half way! :)

doTERRA Renewal Cleanse

doTERRA Renew
Day #1 9/21 177 pounds  (When I did the cleanse earlier this year I had lost 12 pounds which brought me to 177, so I am very happy to still be there!  I haven't weighed since then so wasn't sure where I was)  Can not believe I am publicly announcing my weight...You know, I work out and eat exceptionally well so I guess I have nothing to be ashamed of.

The only thing I need to cut out this week is alcohol (NBD) and wein off the fruit and any treats I am used to.

Day #5 9/25 173 pounds (really? I haven't even worked out except Mon and Tues due to some damn cold!)
I am weining off coffee, instead of 2 cups I am only having a half cup and the other halfed filled with water.  I did have an apple each morning until today, because I had 4 in the fruit bowl and wasn't going to let them go to waste.

Went to dinner last night and had 6oz steak (red meat isn't suggested on this detox but hey) topped with sliced avacado, roasted cherry tomatos and garlic with greens...was pretty good!

SNACK that I have created and am completely obsessed with, brussel sprouts sauteed with coconut oil and coconut aminos, then topped with sunflower seeds and walnuts...OMG!!!

I am re falling in love (got wore out on it a while ago) is cooked veggies for breakfast.  Need to be creative yea know!  Suggestions for veggies to toss together: zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, peppers, onion...to name a few.  You get the idea...then top with some avacado.  Try to cook with olive oil, avacado oil and the best of course is coconut oil.  Small amounts though.

Ok so all in all, feeling good...cravings are subsiding very quickly.  I think not having a lot of toxins to being with definitely helps with side effects.  The first time you do one, or jump back on junk in between, you will experience some withdrawl effects so keep that in mind. 

DIGESTION

I got this article from a highly respected Naturopathic Doctor, great information that I wanted to share. 

I am constantly learning about my guts and digestion, it is vital to our optimal health...believe it or not!

Digestion 

A strong digestion system is vital to maintaining good health throughout our lifetime.  If your body cannot properly digest and absorb nutrients and eliminate waste products, then it’s nearly impossible to achieve optimal health. However we live in a culture that does not promote mindful eating.  Instead we ingest all kinds of foods, liquids, stimulants, relaxants, drugs, etc. We expect our system to magically sort it out, absorb the good, eliminate the bad –all without any noise or complaint and leave us with lots of energy. Many of us got away with this habit for a long time.

Your gut is home to 80% of your immune system.  It has been called the second brain since it produces a large amount of our body’s serotonin.  Serotonin regulates mood, appetite and sleep and is involved in cognitive functions such as memory.

Optimizing digestion involves many factors including deciphering whether the issue is with the stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, liver or intestines.  Inflammation caused by stress, incompletely digested foods, food sensitivities, allergies and/or intolerances can all lead to inflammation in the gastro-intestinal tract.  Not just physical factors impair digestion,  mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social influences can all play a role.

In addition, we are beginning to understand the important role that our intestinal bacteria play in our health and vitality.

Here are ways to help your digestive system work optimally:
 

• Eat nutrient dense foods and eliminate processed foods.  The ideal eating plan for you is individualized according to your constitution, stage in life, health history, and genetic predisposition.
• Chew your food thoroughly. Mechanical digestion takes place in the stomach.  Large particles of food can make your stomach work harder and potentially irritate the stomach lining.  Smaller particles help enzymes reach more of the food to so that it is thoroughly digested.
• Temporary elimination of foods that may be compromising your health.  Allergy testing and elimination diets can be helpful starting points.  If you cannot tolerate many foods then addressing leaky gut is essential to healing your intestines.
• Establishing eating habits that support proper digestive function.  Overeating big meals can tax the stomach and lead to hiatal hernia. Drinking a glass of water in the morning with a slice of fresh lemon can help you cleanse your liver and promote digestive secretions. Avoiding cold drinks with meals can help your digestive juices do their job of breaking down food.
• Understanding when you are truly hungry and why.  We eat for many reasons: physical hunger, emotional, environmental, social, etc.   Sometimes we can mistake thirst for hunger.  Eating with awareness of what you are eating and why and when can help break habits established over a lifetime.
• Establishing and maintaining healthy gut flora.  Recent research into the human microbiome has uncovered many illnesses that can manifest as a result of poor gut bacteria population and diversity.  Dysbiosis or low diversity of intestinal bacteria has been linked to autoimmune conditions, Type II Diabetes, irritable and inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, psoriasis, eczema, autism, and obesity.  Simply adding fermented foods regularly to your diet is very helpful and includes; kefir, yogurt, kambucha, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, and miso.

Remembering to be thankful for the abundance and quality of food that we have access to in Colorado can go a long way towards your journey of good health.

4th of July celebrations and GRATITUDE

I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe and COOL 4th.  We had a great time surrounded by friends and family oh and good food!  DANG IT I should have taken a photo!!!!  We had hamburgers stuffed with chopped up jalepenos, 100% organic potato salad and 100% organic brocolli salad (if you want the recipes I am happy to share, the brocolli one I got off of Pinterest and the potato one is my own creation).  Baked beans, corn, chips...YUM! 

On the holidays, as I get older, I stop and realize that every holiday is surrounded by food and alcohol..not a bad thing.  I just wonder how many people stop and think about the holiday they are celebrating.  Do you? 

This week I am going to focus more on gratitude, gratitude for one another, gratitude for our Creator, for everything in my possession, everything!  I  would like to challenge everyone reading this to do the same this week and post on the comments of my feed, what you are grateful for in the moment of reading this. 

Happy 5th of July everyone and have a wonderful week.  I am grateful for YOU!

New places and creations oh and GMOs!

Have you heard of Ready Fit Go?  AH MA ZING!  It's a great alternative to fast food, on the go places to eat.  Go there on a Monday and get your lunches for the week.  Someone is brilliant!!

I have now started to do that for myself and another friend..seriously genious!

  On a different note, something that I forgot to emphasize in any of my posts so far...I think a large part of my healing is that I have mostly cut GMOs out.  I am not sure what your opinion out there is or if you know much about them, but they are not our friend!  They are the leading cause of gut disease and some cancers, that is from research, not just my opinion.   The fact that I physically feel better when I don't consume them and that I feel icky side effects when I do, is reason enough for me!  

Check out this link for some reading material on GMOs.  It is a constant and ongoing battle to get GMOs removed from our lives!

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education

So what was the shift with what was going on?  Well I had started diving into essential oils more and more....if I am going to live a healthy, natural life, why not right?  So I joined doTERRA to get started, now side note, I started with the oils 100% for Kevin and I and it has spiraled into a lot of goodness.  Right out of the gate I did their 30 renewal...I thought "I have done every cleanse, detox, etc, out there, why not try this.  Sure it is a tad pricey but I am serious and what do I have to lose".  So I tried it and not that I immediately started to feel better or started shedding pounds right away, but it was the baby steps through the 30 days.  I won't even say after the 30 days I felt 100% better BUT I had noticed that my tummy wasn't as bloated, I had lost 9 pounds and to me...after 3 years of trying EVERYTHING, that was amazing.  I started seeing shape and tone in my muscles again, I felt like I could fit comfortably into a pair of pants again...there were/are days that I don't feel bloated at all.

In the midst of the renew, that is when I stopped eating eggs and grains (quinoa, millet, etc)...
Also went to 90% organic and non GMO, everything.  I get our meat from Whole Foods and do the local, organic, no GMO.  The rest of our food I get at Vitamin Cottage.  I know that is expensive and if you don't have the budget for it, I completely understand...simply do what you can.

Here is a link to info about the renew, it is another gals website but the best laid out info for it that I could find.
http://www.essentialoilsabc.com/cleansing-with-doterra-ndash-a-30-day-renewal.html

Here is my doTERRA site if you are wanting to learn more about oils in general, or just ask. :)
www.mydoterra.com/cheribrandon


About 3 weeks ago I decided to weigh myself again..I was down a total of 12 pounds. About 2.5 months ago I had went shopping because I needed some capris for summer, I was down to a 9/10 (from a 11/12)...THEN I went shopping the other day to get a couple more pairs and I am down to a 7/8...SERIOUSLY!!!  I am beside myself after going through the trials for 3 years!!!

Ok so anyways, I am overall feeling pretty good most days.  I still can't eat a lot of foods and if I do, I pay greatly for it.  I am figuring that hormones are still playing a huge role in my tummy and inability to feel unbloated all the time.  A week before my period starts that same bloat returns (as most women experience), it makes me panic briefly but then I am able to let it go.  I think that if I consume too much sugar (I still don't eat regular nasty sugar but sugar from fruit or cacao flavored stuff) that intensifies it.  So I am working on that.

I won't let my obsessions with all of this define me BUT I am a healthier person...wait, I do let this all define me.  It's who I am, it's what I love and what I am truly passionate about.  I want to continue to grow with my health, learn by trial n error and learn from others.  I also want to help educate on how to be healthy.

Please stay tuned for updates and I am always loving feedback on how or what I can post.
Blessings to you!!