About Moi

About Moi
My Name is Brittany, and I'm 23yrs old. I was diagnosed with Lupus when I was 15, and then diagnosed with RA, when I was 18. I also got married when I was 18, and I'm enjoying my happily ever after with my hubby! When I got married, I was slim and trim...But not for long. After getting married, I started to gain a LOT of weight! In 1yr, I gained 50lbs! Finally, I went to the Doctor, where I discovered I have low thyroid. After being put on medicine, my weight gain slowed down, although over the next 3yrs, I gained an additional 26lbs. When I was 20yrs old, I got yet another diagnoses of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. That's 4 diagnoses in a 5yr period, if you lost count. They all effect my weight, in one way or another. Add on top of that, my love affair with food, and every 1 of those 76lbs gained was accounted for. Being 76lbs over weight is unhealthy for anyone, but it was especially unhealthy for me, and my health issues. Since starting this blog, in Jan-2010, I have lost 40lbs! I'm a new, slimmer, and healthier me! Before losing weight, I was told I needed knee replacements. Losing weight was the ONLY tool I had to help me hold off on that life changing surgery. Since losing 40lbs, my knees have never felt better! My husband and I are also trying to start a family, but my PCOS was not going to make it as easy as 1,2,3, as I didn't have periods on my own. My doctor had told me if I wanted a baby, I HAD to lose weight. Since losing 40lbs, I've had regular cycles for the first time in my life! Which is very important when trying to have a baby ;) This journey of mine is more than me simply wanting to wear skinny jeans. It has been a quest to becoming :Deliciously Healthy, so ALL of my dreams can come true! I'm almost half way there! With each new day, I get closer and closer to my goal of 120lbs, and becoming :Deliciously Healthy!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Funks, and Changes

I hate funks, don't you?
The past couple weeks, I've been lost in one.
I've been in a blogging funk, diet funk, exercise funk, emotional funk...just about every kind of funk there is.

I thought it was the stress of getting everything ready for my husband and I to go to the temple. But when that was over, the funk stuck around. Then TOM showed it's face this week, so that must be the reason for my funk.

I think sometimes you just have to fight through your funks. That's what I've been trying to do today. I already feel better, and I think this funk is going to be leaving soon :)

I want to be better.
I know that I can be doing more, in every aspect of my life. So, I have a few changes that I want to make. They deal with my blog, my healthy lifestyle, and my life:

BLOG:


*A while ago, I set Mondays and Thursdays as my blogging days. But sometimes, I want to blog on a Monday, and a Tuesday. For some reason, I told myself I could only blog on Mondays and Thursdays. Weird. So, I'm going to change that. I'm still going to blog every Monday and Thursday for sure, but if there's something I want to blog about on a Wednesday, I'm gonna blog about it! But be prepared for some fairly random posts, from yours truly ;)

*I never really explained what my cooking/baking habits were before I went on my diet.
Before switching over to my new healthy lifestyle, I never spent time in the kitchen. I had a couple dishes I could make, but other then that, we relied on the good chefs at Mc Donald's to provide our dinners. So, when I went on a diet, I had to learn how to cook and bake. There was so much I didn't know how to do, and it took trial and error to get me where I am now. But, I'm still a Deliciously Healthy cook/baker in training. There's still a lot of things I don't know how to do, and things I have never tried to do, because they intimidate me. I want to take you on a journey with me as I concur the kitchen! Every 2 weeks, I'm going to pick something new and challenging to try in the kitchen. I'm going to call it, "Brittany's Kitchen Adventures"! I'm going to do them the 2nd and last Monday of each month. I will blog about each kitchen adventure, whether it was a success or not. Some of the things may not be new, or challenging to you. They may be new to me, but easy to you. But I am starting from the bottom pretty much, and I have a lot to learn! There's bound to be some disasters, but hopefully a lot of Deliciously Healthy successes!

*Why do I weigh in on Mondays? Aren't Mondays already pretty cruddy enough? I'm going to switch my weigh in day to Thursdays for now. I do my sneak peak weigh ins on Thursdays, and for whatever reason, I like weighing in on a Thursday :)

Healthy Lifestyle:

*I think I've gotten a little too comfortable. I love my healthy lifestyle, and eating deliciously healthy, but sometimes I feel like I've made it a little too much of a lifestyle, and not a diet, where I'm trying to lose weight. I feel like it's almost more weight maintenance at this point. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that this is simply my new healthy life, and that I'm comfortable with living this new way for the rest of my life, but I am still in the, trying to lose weight part of this journey. I need to kick it up a couple notches.

*I have been having this nagging voice in my head telling me I need to eat cleaner. I've tried to ignore it, but it just seems to be getting louder... Dawne, has made me feel like this is actually something I can do. I'm going to take a shot at it. I don't think I'm ever going to be a clean eater, but I want to be a tidy eater ;) This isn't something that I'm going to dive right into. I'm going to take it one baby step at a time, and eliminate one thing out of my diet, at a time. I don't want to overwhelm myself. After all, this is a lifestyle change. I will blog about this clean eating journey as well. It will be called... Hmm, I haven't come up with a name for it yet. Any suggestions?

*I eat way too much sugar! I'm going to start keeping an eye on my sugar intake. From now on, I'm only going to allow myself one, deliciously healthy sweet treat a day.

*I have been a major slacker in the exercise department. I am going to go to the gym 3 times a week from now on. If I don't, I need you to kick my butt!!

Life:

My husband got a new job, where he is going to be traveling a lot.
Desperate housewife anyone? I'm suddenly going to have a lot of time on my hands, and I need to find things to keep me busy.

*I'm a pretty shy person. Sometimes I can fake it pretty well, but it's hard for me to talk to people I don't know very well. I'm going to force myself out of my shell, and make an effort to meet new people, and build stronger friendships.

*Charity has always been close to my heart, but sadly, I don't do much of it. I want to amerce myself in service. Because I have been given much, I to must give.

*I got a sewing machine for my b-day, and I haven't done a single thing with it! I wanted one so badly, yet it has been sitting in my basement for 3 months. I want to take a sewing class, so I can start having some fun, and work on projects!

There you have it. Funks and changes. You still awake? ;D

I'm excited to go in this new direction, and I hope you all enjoy the ride!

12 comments:

NAN said...

Good for you! You can have lots of fun finding new recipes and making dishes for your hubby. I have lots of cookbooks but most any recipe you'd want is online. I like your planning- I'm sure it will really help you. As for loneliness, I love to read so I am never lonely or fortunately depressed. I love working though and helping others- my schedule is flexible- and when I'm productive (whether it be sewing, reading or gardening) I feel better about myself. You have lost a lot of weight and accomplished a lot. Be proud of who you are.

divad said...

Funks are all part of the journey, my friend. And - good on you for learning to cook. Your food must taste better than Chef Mc D any day!

Why not eliminate sugar? Find a treat that is sugar free? I bet you won't believe the effect it has on your life!

Jessica said...

Ooh, Brittany...these new plans sound exciting. I can't wait to learn new things from you :)

Becca said...

I think by laying it all out there and documenting your changes you're already pulling yourself out of your funk.

Can i just say that i *love* the term "tidy eater." I may steal it from you :)

Paul and Whitney Rohrbaugh said...

Good for you! I know you'll do great in achieving these goals!

Carina said...

Long-time reader but maybe first comment? W/r/t the kitchen adventures, you should do a little posting about your culinary background -- did you eat home-cooked meals while growing up, did you help in the kitchen with a parent or grandparent? I picked up some very random skills that way! But have also started from scratch on everything else. Look fwd to reading about it.

Tammy said...

Love this post.....can't wait to see what's ahead for you! :)

Jess said...

Love the tidy eater too!

Maybe you could ask a friend at work to do some charity work with you...like a soup kitchen on a Saturday morning or something. That way you would be with someone you know. Or go read to children who are in need...children never meet a stranger!

Love your ideas!

Jenn @ Organic-Mama.ca said...

Can't wait!

Former Fat Bride said...

Brittany I've been in a funk too :( So I'm with you on all the changes. Let's do it together!

erica said...

Funks are apart of the journey and we all get in them. Since my wedding I have been in one. I really need to get back to exercising and eating cleaner. Good luck with all your changes and getting back on track!

xo

ladyofthehouse said...

I've been in a slump lately too. It happens.. but thankfully they pass!!
Love your changes - can't wait to read about your cooking challenges!!

diane :)