Puttin' It Out There.

Happy New Year everyone!!  I hope you guys had a few wonderful weeks celebrating the holidays...I know I did.  It was filled with friends and family, and we certainly made some wonderful memories.

For most people, the new year is a time to hit the reset button and start over.  As cliché as it sounds, I’m joining everyone and doing just that.  I’m starting my second round of Whole30.  I had such wonderful results after the first time, that I knew I’d be dying to take on the challenge again...especially after a ton of indulging over the holidays.

Everyone’s Whole30 journey is different.  Most people ask me if I do it for the weight-loss aspect, and I’ll be 100% honest...that’s just not why I did it the first time around.  {But boy was it a fantastic perk...}

I took on the challenge of changing my eating habits purely for health purposes.  I’ve been struggling for quite a long time with health stuff, but of course, you never see that here on the blog.  Sure, I have no problem keepin’ it real with you guys and letting you know that our home is nowhere near perfect or styled like a magazine.  It’s a home.  We live in it.  Yes, we tackle things every day to make it the prettiest and most functional it can be, but come on.  Most of the time it’s a mess because of the 45 projects I've started, but not yet finished.  Our guest room is so crammed full of to-be-projects and other junk that you can’t even walk into the room.  {One of my goals for this year is to get our house purged, organized, and finish projects before I take on something new...which, I admit, is tough for this girl who is constantly dreaming up new things.}

But, I digress…back to the health stuff.  It’s hard to get so personal for all the world to read, but I’m hoping I can help at least one other person who may be struggling.  If I can touch one person, then my job is done…so here goes nothing!!

In short, I hated to talk about it.  In fact, it took me a super long time to talk about things with my hubby, who is my bestest friend ever.  Before I opened up to him, I pretty much just confided in my parents because, well, they made me, so they can’t think less of me!!  I used to think people would judge.  Don’t get me wrong...some do, but not everyone.  And one day, I heard someone else open up about their struggle.  It moved me so much that I literally burst into tears.  Her words were my words.  I felt like she was speaking for me.  She was going through the exact same thing as me, and from then on, I didn't feel so alone anymore. I became more confident in my own struggle because she vocalized hers.  She has no idea how much she helped me by courageously telling her own story, so this is my own version of trying to pay it forward.

Here is the {not-so} condensed version of what went wrong….

Growing up was great…I was healthy and social and all was right with the world (or as right as a girl’s world can be while going through middle and high school...am.i.right?).  But then I got into college and things started to change.  I battled a nasty parasite for well over a year and had some suuuuper stressful relationships {putting it lightly}.  Then when I graduated, my parents moved 12 hours away.  For some, that may not have been a big deal, but my parents are my best friends.  It was a huge adjustment for me, and simultaneously, I bought my first place and started a stressful "big girl" job that involved more commuting than any person should have to deal with.

Notice a theme there?  STRESS.  After years and years of chronic stress…I broke.  I remember the month things really changed, and it was of course, smack in the middle of my busy season.  I started getting awful dizzy spells, which really scare the heck out of someone who drives 3+ hours a day.  I began getting sick after every meal I ate.  My heart started having funny rhythms.  Basically everything was just off, and I broke down.  I started having major anxiety from all of these things happening and I began to see every type of doctor under the sun.  I’m pretty sure most looked at me like I was crazy.  They just wanted to write me an Rx for Xanax and send me on my way.  But something physically wasn't right.  I knew me, and I knew it wasn't just in my head {no matter how many people and doctors wanted to tell me differently}.

Fast-forward a few years, and my symptoms hadn't changed much.  Anxiety had become the norm for me, and it completely warped my social life because, ummm, hello…I was terrified I’d go out and get sick in unfamiliar territory.  I just wanted to hang home in my safe zone, with people who I was comfortable with.  I can’t even explain how sick and tired I was of feeling sick and tired.  I. Was. Not. Myself.  Something had to be wrong, even if no one else was seeing it. 

Finally, my life started to change when my mom looked into alternative doctors who deal with thyroid, adrenal, etc. conditions.  She herself was having some issues, and was going to see a doctor recommended by the Broda O. Barnes Research Foundation, and told me I should get their doctor list and find one near me.

I did just that, and have been thanking God for it every day.  My new doctor (Dr. Michael Doyle) is the first doctor who has looked at me as a whole, and ran extensive tests to get to the bottom of things.  He looks at numbers differently than most doctors and examined things others wouldn't even think to look at.  He found that I am hypothyroid and have adrenal insufficiency {hello major stress and anxiety}…I also had such low iron and magnesium.  With his guidance and NATURAL treatments, I have started to feel like myself again.  I truly believe he has given me my life back, and in the quest to continue my journey of health, I started looking into food for healthy thyroid function and stumbled onto the book “It Starts With Food”.  The book was so interesting and informative, and confirmed my suspicions that the Whole30 challenge was right for me.

After my first Whole30 experience, the system-wide inflammation marker that came up in my first few blood tests with Dr. Doyle, was completely normal.  The constant bloat, problematic skin, low energy, ravenous-sugar-cravings, elevated anxiety, trouble sleeping...all improved or disappeared.  Through proper treatment and nutrition, I've regained so much!!

2013 was a wonderful year where I began my journey to become healthy again, and I’m continuing that into 2014!!  So basically {if you are even still reading} this is why I’m taking on the Whole30 challenge again.  I want to feel as good as possible, and that starts with the food that I put into my body.  So today is Day 1…here’s to the next 29!!

And since I’m getting all personal on the blog today, I just want to thank all of you for letting me share my story!  And a major thank you to my hubby, parents and friends for all the support you give me every single day.  You guys make life pretty darn amazing!! Xo! :)

One Week to Go & Random Sneak Peeks...

I seriously cannot believe I have only one week left of this program.  Now that I have reached the 23rd day, time feels like it flew by.  Past day 16 or 17, things became easy and almost automatic.  I was no longer paying attention to how many days had gone by and how many where left...things just became routine.

I fall asleep and wake up SO much easier than I used to.  My energy is present and consistent through most of the day.  My post-lunch and post-dinner ravenous cravings are non-existent or easily satisfied by eating a piece of fresh fruit.  I haven't had a headache in who knows how long, I haven't had an upset stomach since I started the program and my mood/outlook has greatly improved.  My irregular heartbeat that I felt quite often {I have SVT} hasn't occurred since I started this program, and dizzy spells that I would frequently get have not reared their ugly head either.

I didn't start this program to lose weight, but it's happened without trying.  I don't stop myself from eating "too much" and I haven't exercised for a single second...yet I've still managed to drop 8 lbs.  Yes, I know...they say don't weight yourself during the 30 days, but I'm not doing this for the weight loss.  I'm doing it to improve my health...so I have been weighing myself quite often since I took on this challenge.  Even if I didn't step on a scale, I would have know I lost something because NONE of my work pants fit me anymore...a belt can't even remedy the situation because the gap is too big.  It makes dressing for work each morning quite difficult, but it's a problem I love to have. :)

So far...this program has been TOTALLY worth it!

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And while my life may seem like it's been all about food, I have been getting some other things accomplished too!!  Here's a little sneak peek at some in-progress projects I have going on behind the scenes {or not so behind the scenes if you follow me on Instagram ;) haha}.

Happy Tuesday, friends! :)

The Whole30...1/3 Of The Way There!

I've been chronicling my days doing Whole30 here, but since I reached a little bit of a milestone yesterday, I thought I'd go further in depth in case you guys are interested.  For those of you who couldn't give a hoot about anything non-decor-home-related, my apologies...and feel free to skip this super wordy post. ;)

The end of day 10 meant I'm 1/3 of the way through this process!  When I thought about starting this program, I thought there would be NO WAY I could resist certain sweets and foods.  I thought I'd surely fail within the first couple days, but here I am.....no cheats and 11 days in.

Taking on this program certainly isn't an easy task, but in all honesty, it hasn't been crazy hard either.  I thought my cravings would be the toughest part, but so far, I've been able to get through those by venting to hubby and other supportive people...or just eating something that's "approved".  After all, the program doesn't restrict how much you eat, but WHAT you eat.  I've realized if I put myself in the right state of mind, then I can make it through the cravings.  I remind myself that I'm not doing this to deprive myself...rather to heal my body.  I want to give it a break from any abuse it's gotten, and restore it's proper function.  Rather than harping on what I canNOT eat, I think about the beneficial foods I can eat.  I change my focus from the craving to finding new recipes or foods to try...even a hot cup of tea or taking on some sort of task is enough to distract me from the nagging pull of unapproved foods.

Since the cravings haven't been too difficult {yet....I know this can change, eeek!}, I'd have to say the hardest part was meal planning.  Having 3 solid meals a day, with go-to snacks, that are all approved....well, that was super overwhelming for me, especially before I even started the program.  To solve that, I did a large shopping trip and purchased a bunch of "approved" items off of the shopping list they provide. Good meats, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, eggs and oils all went into my cart.  If I could freeze certain things, they went in the freezer to stay good....and then I just dove in head first.

I knew eggs were my go-to breakfast.  I also knew I liked peppers...so I started buy cutting up a bunch of them.  I'd wrap them in a paper towel and place them into a zip lock baggie.  Every day I need breakfast, I go into my pepper stash, and dump some out into the pan.  Then I wrap the peppers up in a FRESH paper towel and back into the baggie they go.  I learned this trick from my mom, and it keeps the cut-up peppers nice and fresh for quite a few days.

For my lunches, my and hubby have gotten into the habit of grilling a bunch of chicken on Sunday night. Then I always have a good protein source for my lunch, and I can supplement that with a salad or leftover veggies from the previous night's dinner.  Also, another fab time saver is to make a ton of dinner.  Hubby usually eats what I eat for dinner, although I add a rice or couscous side for him, and then I put the leftovers into containers for my lunch.  That way, all I have to do is grab the container, some fruit, some nuts...and head out the door to work.  I love it!

I haven't noticed any of the "magic" they talk about in the book, but I'm also not at that point in the program yet.  Just because I haven't seen any of this "magic" doesn't mean I haven't had some awesome results though.  So far, I'm down 4-5 lbs, and my pants fit so. much. better.  I also don't have a crazy bloated feeling after every meal anymore.  It's amazing to lose the bloated 24-7 feeling.  I'm falling asleep quicker and I wake up earlier, without my alarm clock.  My energy has been a little "eh", but I hear that happens in the beginning because your body is changing from being a carb-for-energy fuel system, to burning fat for energy. Hopefully my energy levels rebound soon because I have a lengthy to-do list for our house! ;)

Any questions...just ask! :)

The Next Month of My Life...

For anyone interested, I'm keeping a short journal for each day of my Whole30 experience.  You can check it out here.  I'll try and update it daily! :)

Happy Hump Day!!

So Fab.

It is no secret that I love fabric.  It can transform a room, tie elements of design together or add a much needed pop to any space. Thankfully, in this age of technology, our fabric options are endless thanks to online fabric stores.

One of these awesome fabric stores is U-Fab, a locally owned place in Richmond that just launched their own e-store.

They have a great selection of fabric and trim, and their site is super easy to navigate. Sometimes I find it overwhelming to hunt down a fabric I have in mind, but not on their site.  There you have the option of searching by 1) color, 2) fabric use or 3) pattern.  I was able to zero in on exactly what I was looking for. {And if you aren't sure what you want, you can view all fabrics and take a look at everything they have to offer!}

I've been smitten with this gorgeous geometric print fabric for quite some time, so it was about time I brought it into my home.  I knew it'd be perfect for some pillow covers for our master bedroom.  I love that the beautiful pattern is reversible!

 I made my envelope pillow covers using this tutorial.  First, I cut my pieces to size.

Then I pinned and sewed my end seams.

Then I pinned and sewed my side seams.

And then I was done!  Easy-peasy.  I just had to flip my pillows right-side-out, and use something pointy {I had a screw driver laying around} to fully pop the corners out.  I love the bold statement in makes in our room!

Anyone else have a pattern obsession that you just can't forget about!  That means only one thing...you should head over to U-Fab and bite the bullet.  You won't regret it! :)

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Major side note...I'm starting the Whole30 program today.  I know I rarely talk about personal stuff here on the blog, but I'm mentioning this as a way to hold myself accountable.  Let's hope I survive the next month! ;)