What could Plexus do for you?

I went off of the plexus products for a week...mostly because I had let myself run out without ordering some in time. I mostly had given my stock to others who really needed it and was waiting for more to come. I knew they were working amazing for me but after a week of not having them my testimonial of the products grew even stronger. I feel so much better with plexus! I want to share that with others!

Plexus has 14 different porducts that help with overall health, nutrition, bloods sugar stability, pain relief, oxygenation and detoxification, and weight loss. No meal replacement. And tens of thousands of testimonials that support their effectivenss. And in comparison to other products of similar quality the prices are amazing!

I know take them everyday without missing and I give them to my kids and hubby as well!
Don't wait to find out what Plexus could do for you! 

Celiac a no go!!

Did you know Autoimmune Diseases are the leading cause of death in the US? I hate Autoimmune diseases! I wish it was easy to just figure out what one I have. Doctor and I both know I have an autoimmune disease, but which one? I now can rule out Celiac Disease. Although, I am still allergic to Cane sugar, Dairy, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Peanuts, Oregano all being the worst, then gluten, brewers yeast, cabbage, HFCS, lime, grapefruit as well. So, I still have to eat like I have Celiac. Plus with an Autoimmune disease it's important to eat non-inflammatory foods anyway. Blood work has shown for years that my immune system is very low, recent tests show the same. My Blood pressure is low, immune system low, temperature low, blood sugar low and I have a slew of other symptoms that scream autoimmunity. But, to figure out which one? That is the excruciating part! I almost wish it was Celiac because then at least we would know and we could stop the search and just continue treatment. My impatience is growing and this has got to end soon...years and years of this is just so annoying, as I'm sure thousands of people can relate. I'm also wondering if  because of my weak system is why I have big issues with altitude? Makes me so nervous to go camping again in a couple weeks for girls camp as I got really sick just a couple weeks ago from the altitude.

I am hypothyroid, adrenals still off and don't respond well, immunglobulin low low low, prone to hypoglycemia complications if I don't consistently eat for blood sugar stabilization, all the food allergies, etc, all these things causing a million more symptoms. Isn't the body a crazy complicated thing?

Doctor thinks Hashimotos possibly, fibromyalgia, MTHFR (a gene disorder in which the body is unable to process certain amino acids properly which can also lead to other diseases), asked if I've ever been tested for MS, could also be Addison's disease as I still have every single symptom. Could also be more than one disease.

I had more blood work yet again to test the thyroid more thoroughly, test B-12, folate, MTHFR and some other blood panels that I can't remember.

Taking a million pills again including thyroid, low dose naltrexone (given a lot for autoimmunity and immune system), stuff for adrenals, but mostly all other natural supplements and vitamins, plus B-12 injections. I just hate taking pills and injections. But I know being more consistent with them helps me.

I'm just ready to be better, I'm just ready to start treatment, I'm just ready to have energy and feel like I can exercise stronger again!! I'm beyond over this.

Also, still waiting on Mammogram results, feeling hopeful that it's all good though.

So, now that I got my rant over and got out the negative. The only option I have is to concentrate on the positive! :) Thanks for the stress relief blog world! :)

How MY world looks right now.....

I have been struggling so much the last 2 months because I've had to incorporate gluten in my diet. In order to have an accurate Celiac Disease test I have to have gluten in my diet for 4-6 weeks. I've been gluten free for approx. 2 years so I have to have it in my diet for the accurate test. I need to know for sure if it's Celiac Disease or Non- Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS). If it's not one I know it's the other and either way after this test I'll have to avoid it. If it is Celiac my kids will need to be tested (it's genetic), I may not be absorbing nutrients, my gut could be so damaged and that is maybe why I have leaky gut/other food sensitivities. It's a Disease. So, there are many other complications that go along with it. While incorporating gluten back in, everything else that I have been avoiding comes back in.. dairy, sugar...soy, so many other things. Most of the foods with gluten have those things....most, but not all. But, since I feel pretty crappy anyway. While I can eat gluten, in my mind I'm saying I might as well enjoy the cookies, cakes, breads....all things that I miss. This is my last chance! That's what I'm saying in my mind. No matter how horrible it makes me feel, no matter how fatigue, how my brain won't work, how my body aches all the way down to my bones every. single. day of this journey....for that small second it tastes kind of good. And since I have to....I enjoy that small second of it. After that all hell breaks lose and I'm sick...sick for days. I may seem normal on the outside, but I'm slowly dying inside. I'm a complete bummer to my family and kids right now as I have no energy for anything!

Along with all this I also got back the results to my food sensitivity test. So, it just confirms to me some things I've known for a while and also confirms why I'm feeling so horrible during these last 2 months of including all these things back into my diet. I literally can't get out of bed. I want to exercise and I just can't even imagine my body working like that, it's so hard. I can't sleep at night, I can't breathe well, I can't think clearly at all, it takes me so long to think of regular words that I'm trying to say, brain fog anyone?! My stomache hurts, my head hurts, my whole body hurts, I'm retaining water, my whole body feels swollen, I'm depressed. I don't want to eat anymore, but I do for the accurate test, I don't have energy for anything.

Along with all that I have to have a mammogram/ultrasound because of a lump found by me and comfirmed by my doctor. I've just been keeping this all in and I guess today I just had to write it all out because I'm so exhausted and tired of the stress, tired of not feeling well. Writing it all out helps in some way, to relieve alot of what's been going on in my mind. I'm hoping this isn't anything big, I'm hoping it's all good. That its not as bad as it could be, that everything will be ok. It just adds to the stress pile of something else going on with my crazy body right now.

The Results of the Food Sensitivity blood test:

Severe reactions
*Cane Sugar- in everything and other sugars and foods that are derived from cane sugar. This makes complete sense to me as I know how my body has never processed sugar well, even as a kid. That's why I've been avoiding it, it makes me feel completely sick. Not a good thing to be consuming anyway. Now I know there are other things I have to be aware of. Sugar is in everything!
*Carrots- hmmm...no wonder why I've been getting sick worse after snacking on baby carrots. I've avoided them the last couple months because of that reaction. I'm beginning to know my body pretty well. Awesome having this confirmation.
*Cantaloupe- I had no idea. I haven't had cantaloupe in a long time.
*Casein (dairy protein)- another one that doesn't surprise me. Severe severe reactions to dairy. Glad to have it confirmed.

Moderate reactions
*Peanuts- good thing I've been avoiding them.
*Oregano- I had no idea, it's hard to narrow down this type of thing

Mild reactions
*Whey (dairy protein)- so it's not just the casein which makes up 80% of dairy products, it's also the whey. No wonder. Makes complete sense in the ways I have struggled with dairy my whole life.
*Gluten- very interesting. Sugar is in a lot of gluten products, yeast is in a lot of gluten products. Is it a combination of the yeast, the sugar and the gluten or is it because I have Celiac Disease. It will be good to finally know. Either way, I have to avoid it.
*Brewers Yeast- Anything fermented like soy, in a lot of breads, anything with vinegar, in a lot of b-vitamins, probiotics, etc.
*Fructose/High Fructose Corn Syrup- another thing that's in everything and really not a good thing to be eating anyway. Luckily I already have been avoiding it (besides these last 2 crazy months)
*Grapefruit- I had no idea....I don't eat it everyday, but I love it!
*Cabbage- I could care less..haha, but it is good to know as it's usually mixed in other greens.
*Lime- :( I love lime....it's a sad, sad, day.

I feel soooo thankful to know alot of these things. It's been a hard hard road trying to figure out on my own. Although, it's awesome to have a lot of them confirmed to me and that I was doing the right thing for my body. It also confirms to me why I've been feeling that much worse the last 2 months because I've been having a combination of all these things that are doing so much harm to my body. And I still have 5 more days of damaging myself for this stupid but important Celiac test! It's a struggle for sure. It literally make me not want to eat anything becuse I feel soooo crappy already and every bite I take I'm just adding fuel to the fire. I'm doing it, knowing very well what it's doing to me. But, also knowing how bad I want an accurate test for just 1 more answer in the fight of my life. Hmmmm...no wonder my body has been so stressed out and my adrenal glands have been put through the ringer. Hopefully this is just one last step in finally knowing how I can start to feel better! Because I'm soooo ready for that!! I'm in a whirlwind right now and I just want my life back!
So many people struggle in so many different ways so I feel bad complaining about mine. But, it really is a struggle that numbs me so much. I cry, I'm depressed, I don't feel well, I can't just get up and do the things I want to do so bad! I'm allowed to be mad and stressed and cry. And I'm allowed to get it all out there so others know they are not alone in their struggles. Because I know the support and the examples of others who also struggle have surely helped me too.

Next up:
Celiac Test
Mammogram/ultrasound

I guess we will see where I have to go from there.....the results could take me a million different directions. So, I wait, still....not so patiently!

My health journal update

{I like to record my progress for my own journaling so I can keep track}

They say it will take 1 month for every year it took you to get sick to get better. Well, then it still might be a while for me. I definitely have had a lot more good days then bad days lately though. Still the bad days are bad, very fatigue, headaches, blurry vision. I've been able to completely control my hypoglycemia which is awesome. I use to have severe symptoms everyday and not anymore. I do feel more energy than I use to...most days anyway. But, when I start seeing that light at the end of the tunnel I almost immediately get excited to just get back to normal and it just doesn't happen, so then I get a little disappointed. I still have to be very strict in my eating. No eggs, no dairy, no oats, no corn, no gluten, no soy, no peanuts, no rice....{I have been able to have small amounts of white rice which tastes super yummy}, I love brown rice but very hard to digest, no sugar...small amounts of pure maple syrup or honey, {coconut sugar makes me sick}. I can tolerate small amount of beef and pork. I mostly still eat turkey or chicken. I can tolerate small amounts of beans but I don't eat them much at all, although it would be another good protein source since I don't have many options. But, they don't make me feel the greatest so I just stay away for the most part. I really miss eggs a lot, it's very hard to bake gluten free breads and other recipes without them. Plus it's such a great protein and I'm trying to be able to get more protein in my diet because it helps me so much. But, darn eggs make me sooooo sick, nauseous, fatigue, headache...they are the one food that makes me mostly nauseous more than anything else. I'm not on a ton of pills or creams anymore....yay! I just take fish oil, probiotics and repairvit for the healing of my gut. I definitely need to be more consistent, somehow I started slacking off.

I've begun working out again, after a long 9 month break because my body literally couldn't do it.  I started out slowly just doing simple movements, going at my own pace, taking it somewhat easy. I could definitely feel overtime how the energy came a little more and more. I have since started a good lifting regimine and feeling great. After 3 weeks working out 4 days a week plus 3 nights teaching fitness class a week I can see how I might need to not push so hard...my body is really tired at this point. Today I'm completely drained. Life stresses are also hard to deal with. Too many stresses on my body with food, exercise, stresses of life and my adrenals get over worked and eventually break down again little by little. It's been a tough week so I can feel it completely crashing my body. I got so excited to exercise and be back to where I was, but I may need to take it a little easier for a bit longer. :( Not what I want to do. Exercising again feels so good to me. I love it! It makes my mood feel good and my body feel strong, until it comes crashing down when too much is put on it.

The most frustrating part of it all is diet. Diet will make or break me. One small taste of anything that I shouldn't have and it's a wrecking ball. I have slacked a little lately having rice chips or flavored rice cakes. But, I know the other ingredients in them are making me sick. I can feel it. I've also had a few kind bars. Not bad bars but the brown rice syrup and other sweeteners in them make me sick. So disappointing, I just need a little something once in a while but even the "not so bad snacks" is bad for me!

Last night I had the worst stomach pain in my right side. It lasted for about 2 hours. Stabbing pain and it hurt to even breath. The pain would sometimes run all the way up to my collar bone on the right side. Crazy pain! Soon I found a comfortable position just lying flat on my back and it went away. Not sure what that was. I've actually had that a couple times before but didn't seem to last that long and I didn't eat anything bad that day. Not sure what it means....gall bladder maybe??

Life these days....the daily struggle

It's been such a long time since I've blogged.  Life has just been so busy. I've had friends and others that I've seen that have had to deal with similar issues as me and so a lot has been on my mind about it. Writing it all out always helps me too.

Dealing with my own body attacking itself is still very hard to deal with. I try to keep a smile on my face everyday, but most days are up and down. People ask how you are doing and it's a hard question to answer. It's easier just to say "I'm fine" and move on.  Plus it's hard to see from the outside the things that people have to deal with. Most people just don't understand when everything seems great from the outside. Somedays are pretty good and others are not. I'm so thankful to have found Red River Health and Wellness back in April to find more answers and know the things I need to do to help my body. But, still knowing most answers does not make it any easier. It is still a lot to deal with. I struggle daily mentally and physically. Some days are trial and error to help us learn more to see what my body can handle and what it can't. I haven't truly worked out in months. It's the longest I've ever gone without exercising, besides when I was pregnant. It drives me crazy that my body cannot do what it once could. It is too slow of a process for me. I want to be right back to CrossFit or doing my own daily exercise routine. I now need more motivation than ever, I use to be great at motivating myself to get it done everyday. But, now it's not so easy. I can motivate others as  Personal Trainer. :) But, sometimes motivating myself is a whole other issue. That wasn't always the case. It's also very intimidating and scary to try exercising again. I can now start exercising a little, but I have to know how to take it easy, listen to my body and not push too hard. A whole new way for me!

Struggling with Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue (you may see me refer to stage 7 on a different scale, same thing), Hypoglyecmia, Leaky gut, and food intolerances of Gluten, most other grains, Corn, Dairy, Soy, Eggs, Sugar and chemicals/msg has been enough to deal with on its own. I have come to deal with it besides the breakdowns every now and again that I just want to eat what I want to eat without thinking about it and without feeling completely sick, nauseous, severe fatigue, heart palpitations, can't breathe, dizziness, migraine headaches, blurry vision, sores that come on my skin, hormonal issues, irritability and more. Feeling the symptoms every time we try to add a food in makes it all worth it again for me to stick to it better than ever. It's not worth it anymore to waiver at all. Some foods cause the symptoms to stay non-stop for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. I've always loved food. I have not always been this strict and diligent believe me. But, the worse my symptoms have gotten over the years and now knowing how to fix it if I just stick with it has started to be my new way of life.

Managing my hypoglycemia goes hand in hand with the other hormonal and introlerance issues. If I don't eat to manage my blood sugar and my insulin spikes up and down all day then it tries to pull from my adrenal glands and there is nothing more there to grab. My immune system is already down and my body cannot break down anymore then it already is. So, we've worked for months and months to rebuild my adrenals and heal my gut. It's a very slow, frustrating and LOOOONNNGG process. It requires patience which I must need to work on. I can now finally have a little bit of honey, pure maple syrup or coconut sugar once in a while. But, if I make something with that I can only have 1 or 2 small servings otherwise it spikes the blood sugar too much. It takes a lot of control on my part which I don't always have. It's a lot to learn and do and takes a lot of management on my part. It's also important to manage my stress which is hard since I have a million things on my plate as most Moms and business owners do. I'm blessed to have jobs that I love, Let's play music teacher, Fitness Director/Personal Trainer, Brain Balance Nutrition Coach and Perfectly Posh Business Owner/Team Leader and also the YW president and my Husband and Family. It's a lot and I have to try learn to slow down everyday before my body breaks down completely. Hoping to slow down here in a couple months.

I've learned a lot from the process and am so blessed to Start working for the Brain Balance Centers in Utah as the Nutrition Coach. Not only do I love helping other families through similar issues, but when I'm helping them it helps me to continue working hard on my part too.

I've learned to rely on my faith in Christ. That is the only thing that helps me through each day. I don't know why somedays I don't trust and have enough faith. Because that is what he is there for. When I trust and rely on Him and stay diligent in what I'm suppose to do my days are always better. I am actually thankful for my struggles as I have found the through trials that we all go through helps us to become more refined and more and more like the person we are suppose to become.

I know many other people out there are struggling. I talk to people weekly, or read books or blog posts about those with almost the same issues as me.  It's so important to know you're not alone and makes it easier to have support from other people too. So, this is my own effort for somebody else who is struggling. So, there's my deep post for the week.. :)

Have a Great Weekend!

Choose Success NOT Failure!!

It always helps me when I talk to the Doctor. Just had a consult with him and he said I won't necessarily feel a ton different when I take the supplements. They are helping, but the most important thing is the foods I eat right now and stabilizing my blood sugar. I totally cheated last night, I had a handful of yogurt covered raisins! What?! Because I didn't plan well yesterday and I was starving at night so that is what I grabbed. I didn't even cheat on my Birthday during the week and I decided to have that last night....? Well, that caused me to have this headache that won't go away and dizziness, blurry vision, hard to breath and fatigue. Stupid little YUMMY yogurt raisins!!

Stage 7 Adrenal Fatigue is no joke! It could take years to heal this and that is when I get very impatient!! But, it's not only the adrenals its the leaky gut as well. It all works in combination with each other. The food intolerances I have that causes chronic inflammation in my body also taxes the adrenals and having hypoglycemia for 20+ years and only controlling it well the last couple years has done a lot of damage on my adrenals. Years and years of damage can't be fixed that quick! But, I will continue to be consistent and I will continue to have faith, I will NOT have anything else I shouldn't anymore because it only sets my healing time back, even just a handful of something that shouldn't be that bad!

I have felt prayers and blessings tremendously and also Thank you so much always for your super nice thoughts and messages. I know everybody has tough trials, many A LOT worse than mine... but I am being open with mine to hopefully encourage somebody else to continue to try! Take care of your body and use it for what it can do...stinkin' get out there and exercise for me because I can't that much and it makes me mad! 

No matter how long it takes...."Why choose failure when Success is an option!!"

Bad Days and Better Days

I have been really struggling lately.  These days I feel like I don't have many good days. There are some really bad days and some ok days.  The road to recovering my Adrenals is really going to be frustrating.  It seems to be getting worse when I was hoping I would start to feel somewhat better being on the supplements to help my Adrenals.  I've been on the anti-inflammatory diet for over a month now.  This is probably the longest I've ever gone without any sort of Sugar, even honey or maple syrup or anything.  Maybe the longest I've gone without Dairy, gluten, eggs, beef or anything. Originally I did feel quite well the first week I got all the junkie foods out of my system as I was use to feeling that before doing Whole30 and starting Paleo.  I knew I could feel better with the types of foods I ate, but then I just started not feeling well even while eating these foods.  I know I would be much worse if I did, but still I was hoping I would at least feel better by now. I guess I'm just impatient...it took years for me to develop this so it may take quite a while to get back to normal.  If there is a normal.  Knowing that my Adrenals are completely not functioning must be the cause.  I feel like they are getting worse and I was wishing we can turn this around soon. It's amazing how the body works and how the whole endocrine system works together and sends signals to each other.  If one thing is off, others may also be.



I remember when I would just want or feel like going for a run or would be excited to workout.  Now a days it's soooo hard to even think about it, I can't even imagine running in the evening or on Saturday mornings like I use to.  Some CrossFit workouts in the morning I really don't know how I get through them.  I force myself to finish and to finish strong and then I am exhausted for the rest of the day.  That's not normal.  20-30 minutes after a tough workout you should bounce back and feel energized for the day.  I feel like getting in my workout helps me though, helps keep me sane, helps me because it's what I love to do even though it's hard right now, but I pay for it the rest of the day. Smart or not?? Probably not a good idea for me to continue intense exercise.  But, at least its not hours worth.  It's not anymore than 30 minutes long and I only am able to do it 4 times a week if that.

I'm basically just rambling...my thoughts are all over the place right now.  This last week has been tough.  I just don't feel good and I can cry at the drop of a hat.  It's just an emotional thing to know something is wrong with you and you may not be able to do the things you want or think you can for a long time.  It's also very frustrating taking care of my family.  I need to do everyday normal Mom and Wife and work things and it literally takes it out of me.  Fixing meals is a whole other issue because I cannot eat what my family eats and it's exhuasting fixing 2 seperate meals and I literally don't want to do it.  I don't want to cook, I don't want to think about it, I don't want to figure out what to make my family.  I barely can figure out what to make myself.  I usually love to cook, but it's just pretty exhuasting.  My family meals are usually pretty healthy, but these days mine are to the extreme and it's pretty boring and the same ol' same ol' almost everyday. So, my poor family! :(
This is what I can eat:
*Turkey, Chicken
*Fruits, Veggies (no tomatoes, corn or white potatoes)
*olives, avacados, coconut oil, olive oil
*raw nuts, except peanuts
*almond milk, coconut milk, coconut butter
*black beans, quinoa, buckwheat (I don't eat these often though because they make me feel slightly worse)
So far I've had the chance to add in eggs and tomatoes.  They made me feel completely sick, sicker than I already feel, made all my symptoms much worse.  My body is rejecting them at this time.  Inflammation sucks!! These foods cause the inflammation in my body and leaky gut worse so it's a no-go for them for a while. Next I get to try Beef.

This is so true!! I honestly don't know what it feels like to feel good! And I know there are so many more out there that also feel this way.  

Some education I am learning about the Adrenal Glands:

What are Adrenal Glands & what do they do?
The two adrenal glands are located on top of each of your kidneys. They are a part of the endocrine system. While small in size, these glands are responsible for numerous hormone-related functions within the body. Healthy adrenal glands keep many bodily functions in check, as result disorders of the adrenal glands can have a broad impact on the body. Suspected adrenal disorders should be addressed by a doctor for evaluation and treatment.
Each gland is responsible for producing hormones.

Adrenal gland disorders develop when:
*the pituitary gland fails to control hormone production
*benign (non-cancerous) tumors grow within the glands
*infections or malignant (cancerous) tumors develop
*genetic mutations are inherited
*Such disorders can be classified as a medical conditions like:
Addison’s disease- This is an auto-immune disease. This is a self-destructive disease, in which your own immune system may attack adrenal tissues.

Symptoms of adrenal gland disorders may include: (I've had all of these symptoms & more for years & now at a stage 7 Adrenal fatigue disorder)
dizziness
excessive fatigue
low blood pressure (hypotension)
sweating
nausea
increased salt cravings
low blood sugar
irregular periods
dark skin patches
muscle and joint pain
weight gain or loss

I deal with these symtpoms every day.  I can't remember a day when I woke up feeling energized.  I keep thinking... shouldn't a person wake up feeling energized, rested, ready to go on with the day.  I haven't felt that way in years.  I just don't know what it would be like to feel that way.
Everyday I step out of bed I am dizzy, feel like my head is swimming, I have blurry vision, when I drive I feel like so weird like my head is in space...if that makes sense.  I played the organ in church today and literally was so afraid that I was going to fall backwards I just didn't think I could hold myself up on the bench. My head feels so heavy most of the time.  A lot of days I also feel like I can't breath like I just can't get air in my lungs. All day long I am trying to regulate my low blood sugar and hopefully keeping it in check.  I feel extremely exhausted all day everyday with headaches and dizziness.  I've had low blood pressure for years.  When you get it checked it's always like "Wow! your blood pressure is low, you must be in really good shape." Well, now I realize that it's a symptom of something wrong.  I had to stay longer in the hospital with my last child because my blood pressure would not rise and stabilize.  That was 4 1/2 years ago. I've also dealt with Hypoglycemia since I was a teenageer.  So, is this the cause of my Adrenals? Or is this a symptom? And how long has this been going on?? Getting worse and worse year by year?? 

The adrenal glands are essential for everyday health. After diagnosis of adrenal disorder, ongoing care is required. Since these glands are related to other organs in the endocrine system, doctors usually scan for diseases of the pancreas, sex organs, thyroid gland, and pituitary gland.

I will be undergoing more blood work and antibody testing this week to check if I have Addison's disease.  I have every symptom of it.  It is when the Adrenals are incapable of producing the hormones it is suppose to so may be the cause of the Adrenal fatique.  I know there is a lot more to it.  If left un-treated it can be fatal.  If I have Addison's disease I know it's just getting worse, so if I have it It's important to know right away before something fatal happens.  Some are left in a coma and other things.  Those with Addison's disease must be medicated for the rest of their life.  Scary! But, I'd rather find out now than later.  If it is that atleast we will know what more to do and I'm hoping I can start feeling much better. Cause, as of right now....not feeling better....so until then...I wait for the next thing.

This is a helpful Podcast by Balanced Bites.  There are 3 parts. Worth checking out if you have any issues regarding your Adrenals.

This is great info on Robb Wolf's page that goes along with the podcast.

Adrenal Fatique & Leaky Gut

I've been seeing a functional Medicine and Hormone Specialist. My Thyroid is off a little. But, the main cause of all my problems is my Adrenal Glands.  I found out that I'm at Stage 7 of Adrenal Fatigue. So, that is the worse it can get. People at Stage 5 are bed ridden...and I'm at level 7!!! What the...What? No wonder I feel so crappy.  Along with all that I also have leaky gut which causes me a lot of food sensitivities. 

My body has been going through a lot with all of this.  Because of my Adrenals I can't lose weight even the clean way I eat and if I don't stay on the inflammatory diet I have even less energy than I already do. I have to eat every 2 hours (which I have dealt with since I was young) to keep my blood sugar up.  It drops easily and then tries to pull from my adrenals and there is nothing there to use for energy. Because I have low blood sugar and low blood pressure, always, and all miy other symptoms my doctor suspected Leaky gut and the adrenals, but after all the testing I'm glad to know for sure thats what it is so we can move forward. My Cortisol levels are extremely low to what they should be at every point of the day. My Adrenals are taxed!! My immune system is low also and the adrenals are also taking from my Progesterone to try and turn it into cortisol.  There is a lot of wackiness going on with me. Every part of the body has a funtion and when something is out of whack it effects everything else.  It's amazing how the body works. 

Being at a stage 7 it's going to take a lot of dedication on my part and it could be a long hard road. Hopefully I can prove the Doctor wrong with how long and hard it is!!! 
I will continue to do my part and I'm on day 25 of the anti-inflammatory diet. The last couple of days have been hard I just wanted a normal meal or chocolate!!  I finally got to introduce eggs!!! And.....
They made me SOOO nauseous!! Stomache cramps, dizziness, nauseous.  Leaky gut is crazy!!!
Until my Adrenals are healed my body & my gut won't effeciently heal itself in any other way.  So, I am on supplements to help with blood sugar regulation, to work with my gut a little bit, and a lot for the Adrenal Fatigue and to help my body use the cortisol that it does produce better and such.  Until the Adrenal glands are functioning it slows down the healing time of the other organs. Working with the Adrenal Glands will kind of help the organs but once the Adrenals are functioning we will do a lot with healing the gut more. Adding in anything that causes inflammation in my body will cause me to not feel good and be even more tired.  inflammation in the body causes tiredness.  So, that's exactly what happened with the eggs.  Once I balance out again in a couple days and feel a little better I then get to try tomatoes.  I'm really crossing my fingers for my Zuchinni Spaghetti.  Come on tomatoes work with me!!! I never thought I would be begging for tomatoes...haha! 

So, the things that are important for me to do is to take my supplements, eat every 2-2 1/2 hours to not stress out the adrenals even more and continue to eat on the anti-inflammatory diet. 

I will be journaling my journey because it helps me remember what the Doctor says and then I can also see my progress.  And if it helps anybody else out that's a plus! Nobody should have to live like this when there is something you can do about it.  I would suggest if your are having any type or hormone problems or symptoms that you see a hormone specialist & someone in functional medicine. I've been to quite a few doctors & a naturopath and they weren't able to help me much.  I helped myself tremendously with diet and already eliminated a lot of the inflammatory foods myself. If I hadn't I would probably be worse off. My Doctor now figured it out right a way! Thankful I found him!

Diet has a lot to do with how your body functions.  If you want to improve your health start with diet!!

To learn more:
7 stages of Adrenal issues
What is Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal Fatigue Recovery

We all have struggles......

What my stuggles are may be different than others, but we can all relate in one way or another.

My challenges happen to be with Food.....

 I finally learned why I'm having so much trouble with food and all these different symptoms I've been having for years. After years of stuggling, I am so relieved to finally know what's wrong so I can fix it and start feeling better. I've had lots of testing done lately but knowing deep down that food is my culprit has also been very hard for me to comprehend for some reason. It has lead me to want to binge, to get mad and depressed knowing that I probably can't have a lot of the Holiday foods and goodies I make with the kids. It really has been an emotional and mental thing. How can food have so much control over us? 

The verdict by the Doctor is that I'm allergic to Dairy, Wheat, Soy and Sugar. It's crazy how I started finding all this out after eliminating these things and feeling so much better, better than I have felt in a long time and getting so sick when I tried to eat them again. I've always known that something was wrong with me and sugar. My body has never really liked it or processed it well. I never knew all along it could have been the combination of sugar, wheat, dairy and soy. I always had terrible stomache aches as a kid, would get sick after eating sugar (now thinking about it probably a combo of all the things), was tested for diabetes and other things. Now finally in my 30's after a lot of studying and experimenting on my own, I finally knew what to test for and knew what it could possibly be. Your body is your own! You have control over your body! Fight to figure out your body if you feel like something is wrong!! If I can teach anybody anything that is what I have learned. Through a lot of prayer and trying to find the answer on my own. I finally found the answer! 

Now I am learning to be strong in my own way and learning that family functions can be more than about the food! We will see how I do during the Holidays. Believe me I have had these mind games with myself thinking "oh it will be ok, this really isn't what's wrong with my body, this is just a joke," to find out time and time again after I eat just a little bit of any of the culprits, to be downright Sick!! Stomache pains, dizziness, weak, so sleepy, breathing problems/asthma, hormones all over the place, acne, mouth sores, body can't fuction, headaches, tingly fingers, Hot flashes, heart palpitations and more. Why would I continue to do this to myself now that I finally know I cannot have those things? As hard as it may be...sometimes I don't know the answer to that question. If you know what you need to do why not just do it!!!?? In the moment the food seems so great even knowing what it will do to me if I consume it! 

I finally realized that I am more powerful than food. Food cannot control me. I can no longer do this to myself literally for my health and to feel good and be happy. I know the consequences! Little did I know that I found the Whole30 for a reason. This would be my life long guideline for my health. The Whole30 really saved me. So instead of focusing on what I can't have. I'm focusing on what I can have. Although this is a challenge in my life, I am still so blessed in many other ways. I know there are many others faced with bigger and heartbreaking challenges.  Although mine is a challenge for me, it is a small challenge in the whole scheme of things. Whatever your challenge may be, all that you can do is focus on the positive and continue to try!!  

"You are Stronger than you Realize, You are more capable than you can imagine, You can Do it Now!"

-adapted from Pres. Uchtodorf during Priesthood session of LDS General Conference, Oct 2013

Where do I begin?? {& Natural Skin Care}

A lot has been going on lately, between studying for my Personal Training Cert {have my test in a couple weeks...yikes}, studying for the Fitness Nutrition Cert, Studying the CrossFit manual, Planning Music lesson plans with the School year about to start {I teach 8 different classes every week}, planning my own meals and family meals, getting the kids ready for back to school....It can all be very overwhelming!  I wish I could just focus on one thing at a time. :/

I've been sticking to eating Paleo and started Crossfit the beginning of August. I'm loving it! I feel like I'm getting stronger and I feel great! I've been really paying close attention to what I put into my body with also trying to up my Carbs to help my performance and paying closer attention to my macros.  I don't love to keep track of macro percentages.  But, I want to really be strict with it for a while to see if I notice any progress. I get my good carbs from a lot of sweet potatoes, zuchinni squash, bananas and other fruits and veggies. Can't wait to show my progress with CrossFit and Paleo!

 I'm also trying to repair my digestive system and clear up my skin.  What you eat will surely show it's self through your skin.  I've had skin issues since college.  Now that I think about it I ate so horribly during college, Dairy Queen a few times a week, late night Denny's runs.  Oh wow! What was I thinking?! Not only did I gain Freshmen 30, but that is when my skin began to break out bad! {That's been almost 15 years ago} On top of that I have sensitive skin so any break out would also leave behind scar marks. :( So, I feel like ever since then I've continued to have issues with getting my skin clear.  Now I for sure know it has to do with my diet.  I believe I am allergic or have a sensitivity to dairy and Wheat.  I will have further allergy testing and labs done this week to see if any of that is shown. But, anytime I eat Dairy my skin breaks out! :( For over a year now I started trying the Oil cleansing method as a cleansing routine on my face.  I only stuck to it for a few days at a time and then I stopped.  I started and stopped that a couple times until I started it again over a month ago I have stuck to it.  I have just been using Coconut Oil, haven't tried any combinations yet.  I love it! I love the coconut oil from Tropical Traditions.  It's great quality.  I use it to cook with and also to wash my face with. :) Ive been looking into the Skintervention Guide for a couple weeks now.  I will definitely try that in the near future.  Can't wait to get it and try it out! This is also a method and the oils that an online friend of mine does, may be worth a try too. she has also since started the Skintervention guide and says she loves it! So, I'm really excited to try it soon!  The most important thing to do when starting the Oil Cleansing Method is to stick with it.  It may seem crazy the first week or so and it might get a little worse before it gets better (that's why I didn't stick with it to begin with), but keep doing it and you will see great results!

Have you tried the Oil Cleansing Method? You can also swish with Coconut Oil every morning.  It's called "oil pulling."  I do this but not religiously. It's great for Oral Health and Detoxification. Search it on Pinterest and you will find all kinds of stuff. I love Coconut Oil! :)

Making the Switch for good: Paleo Lifestyle!

I loved how great I felt doing Whole30.  Had a few vacations/camps this summer and went back to crazy eating for a while.  Nobody's perfect right!? :) But, you know what? I felt like crap...literally sick! I knew I was having an issue with wheat/gluten and dairy, so I tried not to over do it.  But, seriously after going back to sugar for a couple weeks it was hard not to stop and ICECREAM is one of my favorite things.  After eating icecream several different times during those weeks I felt sick everytime & my face would break out bad.  I do have Hypoglycemia/ Insulin resistance and eating grains even if it's gluten free does not make me feel well.  I learned how well I COULD feel while doing Whole30 and totally eliminating grains.  Trying to add them back in has been a nightmare and I have realized it's just not worth it anymore.  I can tolerate brown rice a little bit and gluten free steel cut oats in small portions, but sticking to lots of veggies, some fruit and sweet potato as my main starchy carb makes me feel so much better!

I recently had some major lab tests done {which is quite depressing} but at least I know I haven't been crazy the last couple years and that I knew I really didn't feel well.  I have had regular labs done a few times that said everything was fine.  But, I knew everything was not fine. I decided to see a different doctor to try and figure things out.

She confirmed to me that I do have Hypoglycemia and Insulin Resistance.  I know I have had that for years, so it was nice to have it truly confirmed though. I do have diabetes on both sides biologically and if I don't continue to control it it can lead to diabetes. I have learned to manage it a little bit with clean eating, but I learned to really manage it better with Paleo/Whole30 eating.  Recommended by the Doctor that is what I should do and I can't EVER skip meals, I have to eat every 2 hours and have to always pair a carb with a protein.  I already knew all that as well, but good to know I've been going in the right direction with it.  I also learned that I have a low thyroid, low progesterone, I have enough testosterone but my body doesn't use it efficiently, low vitamin d, low magnesium, my hormone ratios are flipped completely (kind of like PCOS but different), my immune globuline is VERY low which means something is going on in my gut and my immune system could be affected.  I may have a Dairy allergy and Celiac which could be the cause of the low immune globulin I'm guessing.  I have to have a food allergy testing panel done next to confirm all of that.  I now have to see a specialist, an Immunologist to figure things out.  Crazy!! I'm glad to finally know what's going on so I can fix it.

I have decided to make the switch to full time Paleo/primal/Whole30 kind of eating.  This is what will be the best way of eating for me and my health issues.  I believe that food is medicine! I still have to take different vitamins and supplements to help fix my issues and get my hormones balanced and to help control the insulin.  But, I do believe that the way you eat can fix a lot of problems that most people have with their health.  I'm determined to get fully healthy and feel my best!  I already feel better and my skin has begun to get clearer! If you have problems with your health the first place you should start is WITH FOOD!! This plan will not be best for everybody.  I do feel the healthy whole grains are great, I love them and they are healthy carbs.  But, my body does not do well on them. I may have gluten free grains here and there as long as my body will tolerate it. I'm not saying I will be a perfect Paleo/Primal eater. This is a lifestyle, I won't always eat "on plan" or perfectly, but it's about finding the right balance that works for me. Everybody needs to find what exactly works for them! Please let me know if you need help or have questions!

Being my own detective- Whole foods Heal!

Lately I've really been trying to be my own body detective and figuring out my sysmptoms. I feel like I need to get to the botom of this.  It can get a bit frustrating. I know that I have a sensitivity in some way to grains and/or wheat.  I'm pretty postitive that I have reactive hypolygemia.  I have had that for years.  But, since I really started cleaning up my diet it has helped.  I still would get symptoms until I eliminated grains and sugar completely from my diet.  Not eating grains, sugar or dairy has helped me tremendously with symptoms.  Grains turns to sugar in the body so this might just have do to with the hypolgycemia why I have problems with grains.  But, I also notice that when I eat gluten free grains I feel better than when I eat other grains.  So, it also might be an issue with gluten.  I also get bloating, tingling in the hands, some stomache pains when I eat grains and/or gluten which are symptoms of celiac...plus I get the hypoglycemic symptoms (shaky, fatique, can't concentrate, super hungry, feel like I'm going to pass out, blurry vision, etc).  When I eat Dairy I breakout and I get bloated and have stomache pains.  I love icecream! So, it's hard not to have, but everytime I do, I breakout!! :( I have had bad breakouts for 10+ years now and now I finally realize that it has to do with processed foods and Dairy!! So, I might be allergic or just have a sensitivity to dairy. Might be interesting to find out for sure. Sugar is just plain bad of course because of the Hypoglycemia symptoms I get.  I have thought about getting tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance just to make sure.  But, nobody can tell me that I will feel better not eating it, because I already know!! Celiac is more than that though and can also affect your bones among other things, so it might be smart to be tested.  I have had my blood tested a few times but everything always comes back normal, but I do show my iron is low and a level on my kidneys is low and I'm pre PCOS. Does this all correlate??!!  It's all so confusing, frustrating, but interesting!!

When I was a kid I was tested for diabetes because I would get sick everytime I ate candy or soda or something like that.  I also had stomache aches all the time and I can guarantee I ate a lot of breads and CHEESE was my favorite thing! What in the world...it's all making sense now.  I really would like to get to the bottom of it all.  But, what I do know is that staying away from sugar, processed foods, grains and dairy really makes me feel great!! If I do have any of those things I end up paying for it for sure!! Not sure it's worth it anymore.  Definitely hard to stay away long term, but worth it! That's why it would be good to know if staying away long term would really benefit my health.

Sorry for this boring post, but I find it quite interesting.  Others might be having some of these same problems and I believe it all comes down to food!! By eating Whole Foods you can heal your body!! Believe it!!

What's the verdict? Whole30- Reintroduction

The last 3 weeks now I have been introducing some foods back into my diet.  After going for almost 2 months without Sugar, Dairy, Legumes & Grains I was curious to add them back in one at a time to see what would happen.  

I first tried Dairy.  Greek yogurt actually tastes ok to me without anything in it.  Normally I would have added some honey or stevia to it.  But, it tasted fine without it. But, still not my favorite.  I could live without it. I tried some cheddar cheese on my salad and it tasted so gross.  What? I use to love Cheese.  As a child my favorite snack was cheese.  No wonder why I always had a stomache ache. :) I also had a glass of milk. Wow, almost instantly I began to bloat and I had the worst stomache ache!! Dairy causes me gas, bloating and stomache pains. :( No good! Not sure if the yogurt and maybe cottage cheese would absorb differently than say a glass of milk would.  But, I also tried some whey protein and it did the same thing to me.  Tried some icecream too and I did not feel good after.  Also, could be the sugar. Dairy also causes me to breakout.  I feel like I have had skin issues for years and I'm almost positive now that it's from the foods I have been eating. Besides Ice cream I will not miss Dairy at all.  I'm sure I will have ice cream every once in a while from now on, but I know I won't feel good afterwards.  So, not sure if it will be worth it. :/

I tried grains and also gluten free grains and about 10 minutes after I felt so wiped out.  They drained me and I instantly felt sleepy.  I also had a stomache ache.  I couldn't tell much of a difference between the gluten and gluten free grains.  I may try to stick with gluten free grains for a while and see if I feel good or not.  The only things I really would want to have is Brown rice and Gluten free oats especially for baking.  We will see.
For info on what has gluten and what's gluten free this is a great source.

                              

Sugar gives me a huge headache, brings on the Hypoglycemia symptoms and makes my tummy feel sick!! It also causes me to want more and more even though I feel sick after.  It's an addiction...so bad.  Now I'm at the point where I feel like I can't stop...but I will! Although it's super hard.  I'm afraid that once I go back to the Whole30 way of eating that I won't ever be able have sweets because I won't be able to control myself.  But, we will see. I think having them once in a while in moderation and only when it's something I really like, then I would want it.  But, I want to feel in control!! It's a work in progress.

                                

I tried some Legumes like peanuts, peanut butter and black beans.  I think by this point I was already a mess from everything else.  Even though I spaced this all out trying a little here and a little there for about a week or more.  I still felt like since I was such a mess from a combination from everything that I tried I'm not really sure if the Legumes phased me or not. I may try them again later.  But, honestly after trying peanut butter....I realized I didn't even miss it like I thought I would.  I tried some of my homemade peanut butter and I didin't even have to add honey to it like I normally would.  It tasted fine without it.  But, I realized I like Almond Butter way more.  Weird, I know! I'm normally a Peanut butter girl.

*After reintroducing things back in for a little over a week I then went to camp.  We had amazing cooks that made all of our meals and snacks.  I did have a great time, but ate everything they gave us.  I didn't bring any of my own food and I didn't want to be a pain for them and not eat the food they made us.  And I ate every meal and every yummy snack they gave us.  I admit it was sooooo yummy! I did go a little crazy! I figured I was eating "dirty" all week, I might as well make the most of it...haha. But, I felt sick all week long!  My stomache constantly hurt, constipation, bloating and such major pains that I almost couldn't move...sorry TMI, but it was not good.  I felt so sluggish and tired.  This is a Testament to me that my Body Loves the Whole30 way of eating.  I never knew my body could feel so good.  I am excited to get back to it and  I have got to kick these sugar cravings to the curb again!!