Year Three, Day 84: The Promised Land

I had a dentist appointment this morning. For a cleaning. It is not my favorite thing to do. But my teeth are happy. I was reclining in the chair while the dentist and her assistant had my mouth propped open, that air blower drying my gums and that high pitched, ultrasonic cleaner frying my every nerve. I was slowly breathing in through my nose and out of my mouth (thank God my sinuses have cleared), but I couldn't help flinch when it hit my gums. She stopped and asked if I was ok. I told her I was sensitive to that thing.  Maybe it was the high pitch noise, or the vibration, sensitive teeth, or just sensitive me, but I wanted to run out of the room screaming!

She laughed and said she could do and "old school cleaning". I exhaled and said that would be nice. So she got out her scraping tools. Gave me a good cleaning.

And then...

The polisher!  She put the past on the tool and it started whirring and whizzing. I shuddered.

"Sensitive to this too?", she asked with a grin.

"Yup", I gulped.

She did a quick polish. And I was outta there! X-rays in 6 months. But hey, happy teeth!

I had a good night's sleep last night.  Woke up about 4 a.m. feeling congested. Coughed a bit. But no wheezing! I hope this is the end of the wheeze!

After I got a drink of water, I lay in bed and read from my bible for a half hour or so. Finishing up Deuteronomy. I am so looking forward to Joshua. That book depicts Joshua finally leading Israel into the promised land.

And that's where I feel I am heading! The land of health, happiness, and peace of mind. I am on my way!

I inhaled a bowl of steamy water with fresh oregano leaves and eucalyptus oil before bed.  And the saline nose rinse seems to be helping. Yay!

I am being much more mindful of what I eat. Following Dr. Davis' advice to avoid fast food restaurants and read the ingredients on every label.

This was my dinner last night. A turkey patty topped with melted blue cheese and chopped black olives on top of fresh steamed green beans bathed in melted butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

I can get used to eating like this!

My tummy has been hurting a bit lately.  I believe I need to get more probiotics in my system. I bought a lovely package of sauerkraut yesterday. And a package of "Alfresco All Natural Chicken Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago.  I read the ingredients!  No sugar. Only 1 carb per serving and all natural ingredients. This will go well with my sauerkraut!  I also have a big dill pickle, some Greek olives and a grapefruit.  Oh and one of my cream cheese/orange fat bombs. I think my mistake has been eating a bit too many of these!  They are tasty, but only meant as a snack maybe once a day to ward off the hunger and get good fat in your system.

Oh! And most excited am I! I made chia seed overnight pudding last night! It turned out really yummy!  Basically I mixed coconut milk, chia seeds and a bit of honey, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and a splash of almond extract together in a jar with a lid. Refrigerated it overnight and then had a small bowl with 1/2 of a sliced green banana on top. I also tossed a bit of my homemade grainless apricut nut granola on top. Delish!

I used the recipe from wellnessmama.com https://wellnessmama.com/59344/chia-seed-pudding-recipe/  for the chia pudding.

The grainless granola recipe I got from Dr. Davis' book Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox.

 It consists basically of chopped dried apricots, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflowers, raw walnuts, unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon and bit of Stevia extract. I think I will use honey next time.  During the grain detox we use zero added sugar, but I don't really like Stevia.  It's a bit too sweet for me.  But other than the that, I love this granola. I do not even miss the oats one bit! I usually have it in the morning with unsweetened almond milk.

Grain Free Apricot Nut Granola!

Several of my FB friends on the 10-Day Grain Detox page have suggested cutting dairy. My roommate/friend has also suggested it.  I have been drinking almond milk for years. I used to drink soy, but now there is a lot of evidence that it is not healthy. Unless organic.

So,I may give in and nix the cheese. If I must! Sigh.

Now that my cough has subsided, I would like to work on cleaning up my diet a bit more. And working out more.  It is still hot and smoky today.  I am tired. So for today, my hoop workout and a bit of walking will have to suffice.  Tomorrow I will hoop before breakfast with Mom and a full day of teaching.  Then Sunday, after church, the gym. Look out belly fat - I am on a mission and taking no prisoners! You're outta here!

Speaking of which, today is Friday. Stats day!

August  4, 2017

Current Mood:  7 (On a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being depressed, 10 being ecstatic!)
BP: 100/71

Weight: 182

Chest: 39"

Waist: 35"

Hips: 41.5"

Thighs: 21"

Calves: 14.5"

Biceps: 12.5"

Ankles: 8"

 Compared to last week:

July 28, 2017

Current Mood:  6 (On a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being depressed, 10 being ecstatic!)

Weight: 181

Chest: 40"

Waist: 35"

Hips: 42"

Thighs: 21"

Calves: 14.5"

Biceps: 12.5"

Ankles: 8"

 So I gained a pound, but I have lost 1/2 inch in my hips and 1 inch in my chest.  I'll take it!  I have a feeling next week will show more progress.  Now that I am feeling better!

Well, let's just go all out and compare today's stats to two years ago!

BP,Weight and Measurements 8/31/2015

BP: 96/74

Weight: 193 lbs

Chest: 43"

Waist: 38"

Hips: 45.5"

Biceps: 14"

Thighs: 22.5"

Calves:  15"

Ankles:  9"

Ok!  That makes me feel better! The change is slow, but it is sticking!

Today was day 50 of daily hooping. 50 days!  Time does go by, whether we record it or not. Whether we exercise or not. No matter what. Time just keeps ticking along.  Might as well make the most of it!

I have noticed something about my relationship to food.  I am not so inclined to have to go out to eat and celebrate each minor victory in life. In fact I am starting to prefer to make my own.  Especially since I have become super aware of what goes into packaged food, and am not so sure what is in restaurant food!

It's a freeing feeling. Perhaps I have finally cut the chord!

On that note, I wish you a happy Friday. It is hot out there, but slightly cooler than yesterday. And a bit less smoky too!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Peace and love and happy teeth!

Zita