Happy Birthday, Layla!

Layla is 10 years old today! I can't believe she's already 10!! Layla has her disabilities but she's a strong little girl that doesn't let any of them stand in her way! She'll have surgery this summer and like everything else, she'll be the warrior that she is and get through it! She's an absolutely WONDERFUL big sister! She's always trying to be so grown up! She tried telling me she was 13, she's trying to age faster- really she could slow down before I lose it!! :P I love her so much, my first baby girl! <3 I need to make her cookies today because she was wanting them! :D 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAYLA MCKENZIE!

My Story starting with Keto

Why did I start the keto diet?

           Well, I have multiple problems that I thought if the keto diet could help me on- that’d be great! I have PCOS, Plantar Fasciitis, Acid Reflux, Degenerative Disc Disease, Obesity, Low Blood Sugar and trouble controlling how much I eat- especially when I’m bored or distracted- I used to much on a lot but not because I was really hungry for it. I don’t have specific expectations but I’m tired of feeling fat! I don’t mean specifically the number on the scale, but you know when you go to lean over and your rib bones are trying to poke through to other places and it just makes you feel all around lousy? Yeah, THAT feeling I don’t like! All in all, I wanted to be healthy and I figured be healthy first and the weight will follow, happily.

What changes have I noticed so far at 1 month in?

           For starters- I’m feeling good. Like I don’t think that I’m physically thinner, but mentally I feel thinner. I’m not sure if that might make sense to any of you, but that’s how I’m feeling. I’ve lost 12 pounds in the last month, but only really 2.5 in the last 2 weeks, which is perfectly fine- I’m not pushing to lose a specific number by a specific day as I think that can just throw me (or anyone) off on the real goal which is still to eat a healthy amount of food! I haven’t had a problem with acid reflux since I started doing keto. I’ve noticed that I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the foods I shouldn’t be eating. Since I’m making myself something different from everyone else in the house, I’ve noticed I’m eating better than I was before. Not just from doing the keto-lifestyle stand point but I’m making better eating choices or eating more in general. I used to skip breakfast and lunch most days and then eat “crap” for dinner. Now, that’s not saying that I’m making the BEST choices in food but I feel I’m doing pretty good! I’m staying below my carb limit and meeting my protein goal for the day or pretty darn close! Oh! I’ve also noticed my energy and motivation levels are really up there! I have so many goals. My ambition to cook more things is going up each day, I’m actually finding it fun!

Is it hard to stay keto or have you struggled at all?

          I don’t feel that it’s hard to stay “keto” for the way I’m happy doing it. I hope to improve my food choices as I go but I’m pleased with how I’m doing right now. I’ve struggled to drink as much water as I should be. It’s not like I’m drinking pop instead- I just have never been the kind of person who drank a lot… of anything. I don’t mind drinking water at all, just trying to build up to drinking as much as I should be. At first, I struggled more not eating the snack cakes like Little Debbies, but the more time that moves on, the less I really want to snack on things. I was snacking on some pork rinds the other day and I didn’t even really feel like snacking on them so I stopped. So at the moment, I’d just say that my biggest struggle is drinking enough water but I’m making a conscious effort to drink more!

Do I plan to do keto for forever?

           I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t. I don’t plan to try to lose weight for forever, eventually I’ll want to maintain when I get to a healthy weight, but I don’t see any reason why I would even want to stop living the keto-lifestyle. I’m enjoying it being the way that I eat and that’s not to say I won’t ever eat a food or meal that isn’t “keto-friendly” but right now, I see no reason to be off of it.

Do I plan on switching to just low carb at some point?

           I don’t have a definitive prediction on this, but again, at the moment, I don’t foresee going off the keto-lifestyle. I don’t know what the future holds, but it’s one of those, don’t fix it if it’s not broken things but we will see.

Am I tracking weight or inches?

     
           Right now, I’m tracking weight, Fat Percentage, and BMI. I’m not very good at doing the measurements or I would probably track it too. I’m not putting too much thought into the number specifically as again, I think that’s just going to throw me off on the real goals here, but I like tracking them to see the overall progress later looking back. I’d like to look back on it and see, this was the journey and only the start.. I have the rest of my life to live- my adventure has only begun!



          Well, that’s all the questions that were come up with right now, if you have any of your own, I’d be happy to answer them :) This is just me starting on the keto-lifestyle. I'm only a month in, I'm not claiming to be perfect- in fact, the opposite but this is my journey so far.

Who Am I?

        Well, my name is Sara. Nickname is “Icey” and it’s been my nickname for so long that I got it tattooed on me when I turned 18. I’m now 30 years old and I have 2 daughters. Layla, who will 10 in 2 weeks. She has gone through a lot more than I’d ever care for, but we’ve gotten through it and she’s a pretty tough warrior. She’s had surgeries for Chiari Malformation Type 1 (decompression surgery that was considered brain surgery because of where it was located) and a few years ago, her appendix had ruptured. That was quite a bit scary because it could have been fatal, but she really lucked out that an abscess had formed around it and contained it. We (her doctors and myself) didn’t think it was her appendix at first because we expected her to show signs of being in a lot more pain than she acted like. But like I said, pretty tough warrior! She has a surgery already planned for this upcoming summer. She has scoliosis and it’s now at a 62 degree “S” curve. She also has an intellectual disability so while she may almost be 10, she doesn’t act or think like a typical 10 year old. She can be hard to understand what she’s saying if you’re not around her enough. She also has a sensory processing disorder mostly tactile. She has a problem with brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, touching her feet, touching her hands sometimes unless it’s on her own terms. Next, I also have a 4-month old daughter, Rosalie. She’s teething like crazy right now drooling everywhere. She spits up/throws up all the time. I’m not sure why yet but I’m mentioning it at her next doctor’s appointment which is in a couple days. She’s starting baby foods so that’s fun. She wants SO bad to be on the move- trying to do things that she’s just not supposed to be doing yet but she acts pretty determined to do them if she can! I’m also married to Jed. We’ve been married for 9.5 years so far. :)  Rosalie already seems to be a Daddy’s girl because he can walk into the room and she instantly smiles! Layla can be a little bit of both Mommy’s girl and Daddy’s girl, but really, she’s a Papa’s girl for sure!!

        Recently I’ve started doing the Keto “Diet.” To be clear, this isn’t a temporary change for me so feels weird to say diet because that’s what I think of when I hear the word. I’m changing my eating habits though however to a keto-lifestyle.
         I’m a photographer when the opportunity arises, but I’m definitely not “established” and that’s alright. I still enjoy doing it when I get to. I’m getting into card making a lot more as well as making envelopes and stationary and I’d like to make postcards at some point as well, but not sure if I’ll do that so much as have them made with photos that I take. We’ll see.
         I used to extreme coupon, but I had a lot of stock of a bunch of things, but I just got wore out trying to do it so much so now I just coupon more like a normal person. I also used to product review a bunch, but when we found out that Layla needed her first surgery, I got into a pretty big funk that I’ve had a lot of trouble getting out of- more than just blogging and product reviewing. However, that’s one thing that I’ve noticed since having Rosalie and starting Keto, I’m feeling more motivated and energized again to do things again! I also used to make money online- nothing huge but sometimes could be very nice & helpful around Christmas time and I’d like to actively get back into that when I’m able. One thing at a time though so I don’t overwhelm myself with every single thing that I’d like to be doing. I need to utilize better time management. :)

So many changes

Since the last time I've wrote, I feel like so much has changed. I have added a new baby girl into our family this year. Layla will need surgery on her scoliosis this upcoming summer. I'm no longer going to the gym and have started the ketogenic lifestyle. I have so many goals and things to accomplish and one is to get back to blogging and reviewing products like I used to. I used to love it, but then Layla had the brain surgery and I had trouble shaking that sudden news and it scared me- even after she had it, I just stayed in a blogging funk that I just could NOT shake off! It's time for more changes just as there have already been so many. I need to make a new banner for the page too. :) I look forward to the next chapter with you guys! :)

New Beginnings

Well, I'm sorry that I've neglected the blog for so long but I hope to actually get back with it now. <3

We moved last weekend so just feels like a bit of fresh everything! :D I think it helps to get out of a rut. I hope to get back a lot of things in order. More like I'm determined to do just that! Sometimes it just feels like it's all coming together! <3 I'm very excited about things coming up! So try to stay tuned... those that may still be here ^_^

Week is Ending!

Well, everyone likes Fridays... I'm not sure that I'm going to like mine... I have leg workouts tomorrow and it IS rough! I'm looking forward to doing it though because I know how much its helping in the long run! Dan, the gym manager asked me today if I made another blog post SOOO here I am- making a blog post! :P I do truly love all of the support that the staff at the gym give! They root you on while you go even when you yourself don't think you can go anymore. My first day training, another member, didn't know me but passed by and said "Keep up the good work!" I was amazed! Whenever I thought of the gym, it was always very intimidating to me. The fear to be judged. Then I thought, well, if they judge me for trying to change- that's on them- not me. BUT I didn't need to worry anyway or at least not at my gym. I got welcomed to their gym family and I feel at home <3

On the road to healthier me

Okay so at the beginning of this year, I decided to make a change. While everyone else was making New Year Resolutions- I was not. I didn't want to make a New Year Resolution and then feel pressured that that was why I was doing it! No! I needed to make a change, I'm obese and it doesn't feel good. I didn't just *need* to make a change, I wanted to! That's the biggest thing for me... I always thought, "I need to eat healthier....... buuuuuuuuuutt I really don't want to stop eating all the good stuff" Well, now I'm too the point in my mind set that the good stuff while I still enjoy the taste-- isn't good for me and it'll take some adjusting but I'm willing to find other foods that I can like just as much (or will learn to love as much) that are healthier for me. I do not *just* want to LOSE the weight... I want to be thinner, yes, but what happens after I've lost all the weight that I want... do I go back to old habits?! ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I'm making a lifestyle change... 'til death do us part! I'm looking forward, not back. 

So I started changing how much I was eating. I have a big problem with when something tastes super yummy to not go back for seconds... and I also have an issue with wasting food so if I got a bunch of food on my plate-- I felt that I needed to eat it until it was gone, not just until I was satisfied. Then I added working out with videos, but I began to learn quickly while they're great.. I currently need some guidance on what I need to doing. So, my next was to get a gym membership. It was especially nice for me to be able to do that because my insurance pays me back so much a month if I go at least 8 times a month. So seemed like an extra perk even since I wanted to do it anyway! I signed up at Anytime Fitness (that is 24 hour gym so no excuses, right?) and the next day I met with the Fitness Director. We did a training session and I quickly realized that at least for awhile, I really did need a trainer. It's not that I wouldn't lose weight without one but I wouldn't lose it in the right places and gain all the muscle that I want too. Like I said in the beginning, I don't want to be just skinny. I want to be healthy but to also get fit!

There was a woman on the news this morning for here in Indianapolis, who was 347 pounds and lost 170 pounds in 1 year! I want to do that! Not so much about the 1 year but she was heavy and got thinner and now she's leading Zumba classes and such. She talked about how much pain she was in that she could barely walk. I didn't get that bad but it is painful to walk sometimes in the morning when I wake up or whenever I stand up from a sitting position, but once I get moving it goes away.  I'm kind of hoping that I'll do something with my success once I reach it like that! Either way, I'm not giving up on me and I feel really good about it!!

I started at 260.8 on January 5th. I just weighed myself tonight and I'm at 252.4. Normally I wouldn't be so open about how much I weigh and need to lose but again, time for a change. I need to own it. *BUT* I'm moving away from it so I don't mind so much too.

This was me over the summer.