Rabu, 27 April 2011

Clomid and prenatal vitamins

There are pros and cons to trying to get pregnant.

Pro: Prenatal vitamins
. (these are my favorite so far.)

These vitamins are like Miracle Grow for your hair and nails. I cut my hair short back in November, and it's already almost the length it was before I cut it! The time before last, it took my hair 2 stinckin' years to get back to it's previous length! So naturally, it makes me want to cut my hair short again. If it's going to grow back this fast, why not?

I think I'm going to take prenatal vitamins for the rest of my life. That's not bad, is it? ;)

Con: Clomid.(Can I have cruddier photos? No. I can not.)

This is the first month that I'm on the right dosage of Clomid. As you can see, I've taken all my little pills ;) So far it hasn't been as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard... but it's not a walk in the park either.

I've gotten quite a few emails asking me how the Clomid is working, and what the symptoms of Clomid have been, so I thought I would list them for you:

  • Emotional. If the Pampers, and various different cancer commercials didn't make me cry before, they do now. This has resulted in me being ultra clingy to my honey bunny baby bear (that's the Clomid talking;). I need a hug from him like every 10 minutes.
  • Bloated. Since I'm not weighing myself, I count on the way I feel, and how my clothes fit, to tell me how I'm doing. Right now I feel like I've gained 5-10 pounds. I've been good, so that shouldn't be the case.
  • Menstrual cramps. I don't think I need to explain how much those suck.
  • Small Pimples on my forehead. I need to get some Proactive.
  • Muscle cramps. Since I was younger, I've been getting muscle cramps in my legs. You know that pain you have when you get on the floor, put your legs out in front of you, and try to touch your toes? (that question is for the non-limber folk;) Well it's that same exact pain, only constant. When I was younger they told me they were growing pains. They never went away, but as I got older, they only came when it was that time of the month. Since I've started the Clomid, I've gotten them every night :/

In a nutshell, taking Clomid is a lot like PMS.
If it works, it will all be worth it.

Moral of the story:
I'm an emotional girl with long hair.

Are you a vitamin taker?

If you would like to share you experience with clomid, you're welcome to leave it in the comments. I have lots of readers who would like to know more :D

Sabtu, 23 April 2011

What's inside my Easter basket?

Instead of eating a basket full of Peep's, Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and egg shaped Reese's and snickers bars this Easter, I thought I'd pick just one Easter sweet to enjoy.

I thought about it for a few days. I wanted to be sure I picked the right one. The one that would hit that Easter sweet tooth just right.

In the end, it was the chocolate Easter bunny that stole my heart. I just couldn't resist it's candy eyes, and those hollow milk chocolate bunny ears.I shared it with my hubby. I love him that much ;)
If you had to choose just one Easter treat, which would you choose?

Happy Easter!


I Know that my Redeemer lives.

Rabu, 13 April 2011

The truth about artificial sweeteners

I saw this incredibly informative video on FaceBook. Gotta love FB.

What makes this video so awesome, is that it breaks down all the chemicals in sugar substitutes. It explains what those chemicals actually are, and what they do to our bodies. Chemicals like aspartame, acetone, methanol, among others:

What did I get from this video? Oh, just that artificial sweeteners are basically just sugar with chlorine, nail polish remover, gasoline, windshield washer fluid, and formaldehyde in it. Sweet (pun not intended, but welcomed:).

It's amazing to me how many "diet" cook books include these artificial sweeteners.

And I can't believe how much diet Dr. Pepper I used to drink. It's crazy.

Here are Dr. Freedmen's picks for the 3 best sweeteners:

***
A couple weeks ago we decided to put a patio in the backyard. When the patio was finally done, we realized they had made a ton of mistakes. Now they're having to tare it out, and do it again. When it is all said and done, it will have taken them almost 2 weeks from start to finish. That's 2 weeks of not being able to let the dogs out back to do their business. That equals a ton of walking for moi. I've had to take them on a walk 4-6 times a day. sigh.

Moral of the story: putting in a patio is the best thing to ever happen to my diet and exercise plan.

Kamis, 07 April 2011

Free

It's been a while since I stepped onto the scale.

I was never the kind of person who would step on the scale multiple times a day. When I first started on this weight loss journey, I would only weigh myself once a week. Then that became twice a week, and eventually, I weighed myself every morning. Soon, the scale and I developed a bad relationship. It was so discouraging to see that all my hard work, was only giving me a 1 pound loss each week. Doubt would set in as soon as I stepped on the scale, and last with me until I fell asleep that night. It's always been my goal to be 150 pounds when we get pregnant. Every morning I stepped on the scale, that goal seemed so far out of reach. I would spend the entire day subconsciously trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and what I was doing wrong. I would try to figure out what I could do to get to 150lbs before we got pregnant, and always getting discouraged when the weight didn't come off quickly enough for me to get to my goal. That discouragement would always lead me into a day or two of bad eating, which of course resulted in me gaining back the pound I had lost. Then I finally realized that 1 pound a week is great. It is a heck of a lot better then zero! So, I ditched the scale.

I am starting to realize what a huge burden it was on me, to obsess about the scale everyday. I suddenly feel freer. Happier. Since I'm not spending as much energy thinking about the scale, my weight, and how slow it's coming off, I suddenly have more energy to go to the gym. To go grocery shopping, to cook, to clean... to live life. I simply feel good about myself when I eat deliciously healthy, and stay on track. It's nice to not step on the scale, and have it take those good feelings away from me. I am living a healthy life for me. Not the scale. I choose to eat healthy, workout, take my vitamins, and drink lots of water, because I love myself, and I want to be healthy. Not because I am trying to lose X amount of weight each week.

It feels like a breath of fresh air, and it makes me happy.
P.S. At my doctor appointment this past Wednesday, my doctor looked at my chart, and said "Oh, you've lost weight since your last appointment!" Luckily she didn't say how much, because I don't know how that would have affected me. But at least I know that it's working, and that I can be successful without the scale.