Saturday, February 22, 2014

Here we go again . . .

Hmmmm . . . Okay, so I admit it, I did not do the 21 Day Sugar Detox AGAIN! Ugh! I did wind up having to have surgery February 10 to have some additional tissue removed from the areas where I had some moles removed in January. The surgery went well, and the doctor says my healing is on target. However, I wasn't sure how that was going to go, so I just decided to postpone the healthy eating. In all truthfulness, I probably did that so I could continue to eat my feelings. I am sure I had a better excuse than that at the time I made my decision to put off my healthy eating. I wanted to get back to healthier eating this week, but I found out that I am going out of town for work next week. It is so hard to eat healthy while traveling so I am just going to go for the first Monday of March.

Brad and I have been eating out way too much lately, so I definitely want to get back to cooking more frequently, etc. Spring Break will soon be here so I am definitely going to have to plan really well in order to stay on track! It is a gorgeous day out today, but it is a little chilly to really be outside much. I think I am going to open the doors to let the sunlight and fresh air in, and get in the kitchen and do some kitchen cleaning and organizing. I need to see what I have, and what I may need to purchase. I will be in Tallahassee next week so I plan to stop by Trader Joe's,  Whole Foods, etc before heading back home. That way I can start March off right!

I'll keep you posted. Sorry I have been so lazy, but I think I am ready now! Surgery is behind me, and summer is ahead. No excuses! I am ready to feel and look better. I am hopeful that will be the motivation I need to keep me going in the right direction! Have a happy weekend!


Saturday, February 1, 2014

But, Moonlight's Not Really My Thing . . .

Hello! I have not been making good food choices lately! I truly did want to start out the new year with a newer, healthier me, but life just seemed to get in the way. However, I am starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox (again) on Monday, February 3. I am excited and looking forward to it. I honestly think I will stick to it this time! Unfortunately, there is a not so happy reason why. :-(

As you probably know, I have a very light complexion, and I am VERY mole-y. My dad has worked in the sun a good part of his life, and he tends to have sun spots, etc. He goes to the dermatologist quite frequently, and growing up my parents made sure I did as well. However, as I grew older and moved around and such, I found that I went to the dermatologist way less often. I have been saying I was going to go for a check up for YEARS, but I just haven't. It was nearly impossible to get an appointment with a dermatologist in Georgia. However, I was given a great recommendation for a guy to see in Panama City, and I was able to make an appointment with little issue at all. . . . yay . . . I guess. :-)

My appointment was set for a couple of Thursdays ago, and as expected he found some spots that he didn't like. (I don't think I have EVER been to the dermatologist without them finding something to remove . . .haha). What I didn't expect was for him to get out his knife and start cutting on me right then and there! It wasn't a big deal, but I did walk out with four band-aids that I didn't have when I got to the appointment. As is typical for a dermatologist I was warned of the dangers of being in the sun, and told to get all the moonlight I wanted. Anyway, this past Thursday I got a call, from the doctor's office. Everything was fine until I was asked to hold while they went and got the PA that I saw on my recent visit. I don't think anyone has ever gotten better news from the doctor than from the secretary so needless to say the next few minutes were not fun. As I sat on hold, I prayed and did my best to convince myself that everything was going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine, but I do have to go to a plastic surgeon to have more removed from three of the spots they removed in the office a couple of weeks ago. Lab reports suggested getting more of them out so the doctor's office went ahead and made an appointment for me to see the plastic surgeon this Tuesday for a consultation. I don't know what that entails, but the PA assured me that I will be fine. He just warned me again that under no circumstances do I need to be in the sun in a bathing suit. He said I should always be fully covered AND slathered in sunscreen. Boo! Me no likey.

This news is completely a bummer for me! I am not excited about such. I absolutely love the sun. My happy place is sitting in my beach chair, feeling the sun rays warm my skin, listening to the ocean waves while reading a book or hanging out with a friend. The beach is a place where I can feel God's presence and see His majesty. I can experience peace, joy, happiness, renewal and relaxation on the beach. Too many cloudy, rainy days and I get down. However, give me a warm, gorgeous, sunny day like today, and it just puts me in the best mood. I know it is not the end of the world. I know I will survive, but I will have to say this is not the best news I have ever gotten. I am believing that God is teaching me something through this, and I just hope that I have the ears to hear it and the heart/mind to understand it.

All this being said, I believe that a healthy lifestyle is key to a healthy life. I have been doing research, and it does seem that there are things that you can do to help prevent getting melanoma, etc. I definitely want to do what I can to help prevent any issues that I can! Of course, there is the usual warning to use sunscreen and stay out of the sun, but much of what I have read has to do with food choices. There are lots of foods that can help your body fight off cancer cells, reverse them and prevent them from forming. So, I plan to start this journey of prevention now!

Many of the recommended foods are not an issue for me, and they fit hand in hand with a Paleo lifestyle or the 21 Day Sugar Detox. It is recommended that you eat green leafy vegetables as well as yellow and orange vegetables. Peppers, broccoli, cauliflower are recommended and so are artichokes and foods with selenium. The list goes on, but the one little item that I am not excited about is seafood. I have read that you should eat at least one serving of seafood per week. I pretty much avoid anything that grows in the water, but I am going to start experimenting to see if I can come up with some form of seafood that I like well enough to eat once a week. If you have any great seafood recipes that a non seafood lover may like please do share!

I'll keep you posted so that you know how my appointment goes Tuesday, and how I am doing on this journey to eating for health and fuel! In the meantime, I am going to try and talk myself into loving moonlight as much as sunlight! :-)