Update on my weight loss...

Today I hit another milestone! I'm down to 215# Which is a loss of 35# total since July of this year. I am also down 2 sizes from a 22 down to an 18. I am SO psyched. I have hit my 'New Years Resolution' to lose at least 2 sizes! I've still got a long ways to go (about 65 more #) until I am 'happy' with my weight...but I'm making progress. I couldn't have done it without the support of my hubby nor the support of my friends at www.choosing2lose.com which is an AMAZING weight loss support forum with TONS of amazing ladies who are all in the same boat, yet are VERY super supportive. Anyways just wanted to 'toot' my horn!

What I've Learned from Santa

Encourage people to believe in you.
Always remember who's naughty and who's nice.
Don't pout.
It's more fun to give than it is to receive.
Some days it's ok to feel a little chubby.
Bright red can make anyone look good.
Wear a wide belt and no-one will notice how many pounds you've gained.
If you only show up once a year, everyone will think you're very important.
Whenever you're at a loss for words, say:
"HO, HO, HO!"

Working at moving our blog

We are working on moving our blogs to our own server so we will be able to have more things on there, more pictures etc.....so I've been using that for the past few days here are some of the entries, So come on over and see our new blog...it's still a work in progress as I will be 'moving' everything over there.

This is our "Animals" Blogs
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php

Baby birds at 3 weeks:
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/title-1
We've got a new 'FID'...new budgie/parakeet
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/we-ve-got-a-new-fid-maybe-1
My Daddy's boy...Sebastian our chihuahua with Dad
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/my-little-daddy-s-boy
Pictures of my Budgies:
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/title-3
Pictures of Baby Lovebirds at 4 Weeks
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/pictures-of-the-baby-birds-week-4

This is Rob & Heather's New Blog:
http://blogs.rnht.net/robnheather.php
Come read about Thanksgiving!

New Pictures of baby birds!

The oldest is now 3 weeks old! They are getting so big! "Boo" who is the oldest is starting to get colored feathers. Boo likes to be held which is good. I was worried about how 'tame' they'd be seeing as how they are 'parent' raised. But they seem to be doing good with the daily handling I am doing with them.

Another niece or nephew!

Danny called us last night, Kristy is expecting their 6th child in April! Since they don't find out what it will be before it's born it will be a surprise! Rob's comment was "Give us one We'll take Nate!" (Specifically he was meaning Nate....Rob just loves his "buddy Nate".)

It's funny because Rob has a 'buddy' at work named "Nate" too :)

We are still trying and although it is painful to deal with we know that when the time is right we will be blessed with a child of our own. It seems like everyone around us is being blessed with children right now. Family & Friends. Congrats everyone!


It is a challenge but I know (both our Patriarchial Blessings) that we will have children in this life, It is hard to be patient and accept things according to the Lord's timeline but I know it will happen.

Addendum: I forgot to mention that Danny surprised me by telling me how bonded his family is to Duncan, the little toy poodle we gave him a couple months ago. He said that he didn't know what they'd do if anything happened to him. Which made me feel really good. He came for a visit at the Clinic when Danny & his family went to Disney Land and he was excited to see me, but Danny said he was excited to see them when they got back which really makes me happy. Danny also said he is 'mellow' Rob and I just chuckled at that, he was in constant motion at our house, but Danny has the advantage of having 5 kids to tire Duncan out...and one more on the way! I don't think we could have asked for a better home for Duncan! While it was hard to give him up, I know he's in a GREAT place and is doing great in his new home!

My Mom & Dad's Blog

My mom and dad now have a blog if anyone wants to see it:
http://danjanicesims.blogspot.com
Go leave a comment or two :)

Miracles of Modern Medicine

Meet Meiko aka Pipsqueek. He is an adoption kitten at Camelot. He was born with a bad heart, he had/has Patent Ductus Arteriosis We have had him on Enalapril, a special heart diet, and Rimadyl (Prostaglandin Inhibitor) since Sept 27th. We researched it and someone on one of the groups I am on suggested the Prostaglandin Inhibitor as it is tried in children with PDA before surgery is considered. Pipsqueek was rechecked last Friday and we can't hear a heart murmur or rapid heart rate any longer. (Well we had to 'distract' him with alcohol on a cotton ball so he would quit purring so my dad could listen to his heart) He is doing better! We are going to recheck it again in a week to make sure, but he may not need the surgery after all! Rob is in love with Pipsqueek. He has a cute personality is a little bit nervous, but is a sweetie, and loves attention. He is 6 months old right now and is just the size of a 10 week old kitten.

Update on the Baby Birds

4 out of the 5 eggs were fertile: They are now 10-14 days old. The one on the right is the oldest the one in the upper middle is the youngest. It appears that we have 1 blue factor bird and 3 green factor birds.



Dad and Mom enjoying their daily greens. They LOVE getting their daily greens. I give them broccoli, kale, red & green leaf lettuce, carrots, and a 'cooked' birdy mixture of nuts/beans. The African Grey only really devours the broccoli and carrots. The Lovebirds and Budgies (Parakeets) like just about everything except the rice in the birdy mixture.

What is a natural Dr?

In layman's terms, they tend to lean more towards diet/exercise adjustments as well as 'neutraceuticals' instead of 'pharmaceuticals'. Rob calls them a 'witch' Dr. but I don't think they are. His comments on my loving my new Dr is "Of course you love them, you're the supplement queen." Yes I take a LARGE handful of vitamins/supplements each day/night but I know they help me (glucosamine/chondroitin, vit e, flax oil, fish oil, vit c, prenatal vitamins (in case we do get preggers), Magnesium, vit d....yah the list goes on but I know they help me. When I don't take the glucosamine I can feel a difference. I think they also help my energy levels etc. I do a lot of research on the internet, and a lot of the 'supplements' I take for more than one of my list of ailments, such as the PCOS, Arthritis and Depression ones tend to help other ailments besides the main one.

The difference I've noted is instead of saying "You have allergic rhinitis, maybe I should add a steroidal nose spray that's addicting and if you stop it it makes it 10 times worse" They say
"You have allergic rhinitis, I would recommend that you flush your sinuses with a saline solution twice a day" I haven't been told that by ANY of the Dr's I've gone too, not even the ENT I went too. Guess what I'm 10 times better since I've been doing that. Or even telling me about the fact that Prevacid (Gastric Reflux Drug) causes Osteoporosis. I've been on it almost every day for the past 3 years. NOT a good thing!

To explain more about what a 'natural' Dr is, I'm going to 'borrow' what is in my Dr's brochure/website:

Our Approach:
The human body is capable of healing itself if given the proper direction. This is accomplished by supplying missing biochemical intermediates (usually derived from nutrients) and avoiding interfering substances.

The increasing amounts of toxins in our environment (food, water, air) act as interrupters in our bodies and are primary contributors to the heavy burden of chronic disease in our society.

We believe that patentable pharmaceuticals act to block normal physiological pathways in a variety of ways, producing changes in symptoms. Sometimes these effects are needed for acute problems. However, because drugs are foreign to the body and do not support normal physiological pathways, they do not lead to true healing.

We focus on the contributions of 7 factors related to health which may need to be balanced or corrected.

1. Nutrient sufficiency
   We want to make sure the body has the raw materials to heal, and that nothing is missing. This includes adequate protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, oxygen and pure water.
   
   
2. Muscle strength
   Loss of muscle mass as we age has the highest correlation to declining health. Exercise is indispensable.
   
   
3. Neurotransmitter balance
   The loss of this balance plays a big role in many of the functional problems that interfere with living a happy, energetic and pain-free life.
   
   
4. Hormonal balance
   We look at gonadal, thyroid and adrenal hormones to see which may need to be supported, replaced or tempered.
   
   
5. Toxins
   We have recommendations on limiting exposure to environmental toxins such as plastics organophosphates and heavy metals. We also recommend protocols to help the body detoxify.
   
   
6. Allergies
   Food and environmental allergies and sensitivities often are greatly responsible for common uncomfortable symptoms.
   
   
7. Infections
   Bacterial, viral and fungal organisms may be important triggering factors in persistent symptoms.

Update on Heather (Natural Dr Visit)

I had my follow up visit with the Natural Doctor today. I am still very i impressed with him. I weighed in at 231 there today which was depressing but I know on my scale at home I weighed in at 219.8# this morning.....so that's keeping me happy. I am down 4# according to their scale (which is one of those inaccurate sliding ones). He was happy with that. I know I'm down as I had to make a new notch for my belt this morning and my pants are practically falling off...yet I'm still not 100% ready for the next size down...at least in my levis.

He actually took the time to discuss all my lab results and explain what they meant. He was a little concerned with my Glucose as it was 94 normal is 65-99 however since I was fasting it should have been down around 70. I do have PCOS/Insulin Resistance so that is what is causing the elevated Glucose. He discussed more about my diet and really wants me to cut back on the carbs by quite a bit, increase protein and vegetables. He doesn't want an extreme low carb diet but I need to do 'lower' carbs. Which is gonna be tough for me as I LOVE my pasta. I have done a low carb before and did quite well on it (lost 70#), so we'll see....my problem is the funding for the low carb diet...it's expensive to eat lots of meat and veggies. ARGH So I need to go research low carb I guess....if anyone has any good website feel free to share

We discussed my Vit D deficiency as well. My levels are at 30 normal is 32-100 he likes to see it at 80 so it's got to come up quite a bit. Right now he wants me on 5000 I.U twice daily for 2 months! So I'm taking 5 pills twice a day.....trying to find a higher dose Vit D pill.

My gastric reflux is doing AWESOME! I'm only taking 1 Prevacid a week now and going to try and get off of those this month. I take DGL Licorice Root after meals, and before bedtime and for flareup, but I'm down to just 1-2 flares a week and that is because I love my tomatoes. The local college (BYU) is doing a study on the risks of osteoporosis from taking longterm Acid Reducers. Here is something I found on that: http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/heartburnosteo.html SCARY Stuff...glad I am getting off of it! I've never had a broken bone and don't plan on it! Knock on wood So in one month I've gone from 1 Prevacid and several Ranitidine Tablets as well as tums as needed and puking about 1-2 times a week to not puking at all and only having the DGL Licorice Root. YEAH!

Also discussed Caffeine, and I told him I am cutting back, told him yesterday I did not even have 1 Diet Coke and haven't today so far either. He was excited. He told me that In order to prevent the caffeine withdrawal headaches I needed to make sure to drinkof lots and lots of water. He was saying it simulates the dilation of the vessels/flow that the caffeine causes....I can't remember exactly what he said.

Overall I am VERY happy with this Dr. He knows his stuff and is into full education of the patient something that I've NEVER had before. He shows genuine concern. Also I'm feeling better so that's good too. Now if I can just find something good for my arthritis/joints I'll be in great shape. He said the Vit D will help with that some, rechecking me in 2 months and at that point we will see how I am doing, but may find something to add to help joints.

My next plan is to find a Podiatrist, I have an toe nail that's been bothering me off and on for the past 3 years, but now it's persistant painful and swelling....

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I got this recipe from www.choosing2lose.com (a weight loss forum that I am on). It is VERY simple and REALLY yummy and for those watching the points it is only 6pts for each muffin. Which I think is really reasonable. The original recipe called for Devils Food Cake 1 Box and 1 15oz Can of Libby's Pumpkin. Since Rob has asthma we have to really watch the chocolate so we opted to make it with Spice Cake. Heres the recipe:

1 Box Spice Cake (or Devil's Food Cake)
1 Can Libby's Pumpkin 15oz

Mix 2 ingredients together. Then put into Muffin cups/tin. Makes 12 Muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 18 minutes. (we had to add about 7 minutes to this time because our oven isn't 100% accurate---just do the toothpick test on them).

These Muffins are literally TO DIE FOR! They are VERY VERY TASTY! To make a special treat we added Cream Cheese Frosting to a couple of them. Which only added 1.5 Pts to the muffin.