Concede, Plan and Moose?

I thought I would share an update on my lifestyle journey that Kirstin, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Owner of Nourish in AZ, is helping me with.   Concede is the word I would describe my feelings right now.  Not defeat or derail but just concede or accept.  I can accept where I am at and work this out somehow instead of  being frustrated and stuck.   You can go back to see what all happened since Dec of 2014 with going Vegan then Paleo then Juicing and see why I now Concede then Plan.

I was so frustrated I  said to myself I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked so I am going to  allow myself a few weeks of eating whatever I want, knowing good and well it would probably make me sick, but I was so tired of not having any resulting weight loss, that I felt I might as well enjoy some “normal” foods and then hit it again in a few weeks.

I am not celiac like some nor allergic to dairy like my grandson.   I just know dairy messes up my gut and so does gluten, they make me feel ill and don’t help with the way I assimilate vitamins and nutrients.  So I allowed myself some gluten from pie crusts and didn’t feel awful…just not well.  Then I allowed myself some dairy and finally last night I said one more day.  I had a large bowl of Tillamook Ice Cream, Vanilla with chocolate syrup and scrambled eggs with cheese.  I know that sounds awful but boy did it taste good.   Then I spent the rest of the night and day nauseated with abdominal cramps.   So  NO MORE DAIRY for me.   NO MORE GLUTEN for me. I had my splurge and I’m tired of feeling sick.

MY PLAN, Step by Step:

• I bought The Forks over Knives Plan which has a 4 week meal by meal makeover!  This book is based on a plant-based diet.   It is just what I need even though I know how to cook vegan and dairy free.  I get stuck in a rut and need  pre-planned meals that I can just go to.   I will be using The Forks over Knives Plan meals with the pescatarian meal plans that Kirstin has set up for me.    That should make the summer go easier for meal planning.  I will keep you updated as to how my weight budges.  I still haven’t gained or lost.  But I didn’t expect to lose going crazy and eating dairy and gluten.
• I  begin taking Cortisol Management, Adrenal Support and B-Complex (all specific brands recommended by Kirstin) this week.  So I will see how this figures into how I feel.   Kirstin, as well as my naturopath, believes that I am suffering from Adrenal Fatigue and these supplements should help balance me so that I can begin to lose some weight.   NOTE:  Just started the supplements.  Has anyone ever taken supplements for Adrenal Fatigue?  I’d love to know what you take and how it has helped you or not in the comments!
• Something to look forward to!  My friend Bobbi and I put a down payment on a winter cruise, Holistic Holiday at Sea.  Included are meals of course, lectures, cooking classes, yoga and more!  I am so excited, I’ve never been on a cruise and this one has fabulous speakers including Dr. Neal Barnard, M.D., president and founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and many more!  If you want to learn about a plant based diet and have fun while doing it, this would be a perfect way.  I get nothing for promoting this event.  You can check out their program here.  The price is very reasonable since it includes everything!  If you live close to Florida it’s a bonus cause we have to travel from Alaska to get to Florida for the launch.

Here’s something cheery to leave you on a positive note!

Today I was out in the garden finishing planting in my outside raised beds.   I unlocked our 8 foot fenced garden and was faced by a moose who was by the boat trailer which was very close to our water spigot.  He didn’t budge and stared at me for quite awhile..I decided to gently make my way to turn on the water.   I hurried back to the garden to water which took me about 30 minutes.  All the while the moose was licking one of our rusty old boat trailers!   When I finished watering the garden plants and was able to turn the water off I ran inside the house to get my camera and to see if I could snap a few photos.  This moose started at the top of the boat trailer and worked his way around back licking everything he could, even stepping into the trailer bed!  He must have stayed an hour before my dogs smelled him from the open bedroom window!  Here are a couple photos I really liked.   Talk to you in a couple weeks!