A Small Rant about the Scale (Crystal)

    I tell my patients this all the time... "Check your weight once a week on the same scale. Your weight can fluctuate daily and it is just going to cause more emotional issues if you check it every day."

    This was easy for me to say when I didn't own a scale! I am starting weight loss programs for women and I also do school physicals, so about 3 weeks ago I finally had my office manager/sister go get us a scale for the office. She brings back this fancy weight watchers one that measures your weight perfectly to the ounce! So what do I do? I step on it within minutes. 165.5. What?!? I've been on this cleanse again for 2 weeks and have gained a pound and a half?

The logical woman in my head is going "Ummmm... you know every scale is different."

I don't stop here. I have been stepping on that scale every day ever since. A few days later it read 164.9 and stayed there for a week. Then it was 164.0 for a week. I started to get really upset about this.

When I started the cleanse in January I wasn't doing it for weight loss. I was really trying to get to the root of health problems I was having and weight loss was just a nice side effect. Now that the way I eat is just the way I live my life and not a diet, I really don't have to try too hard to stick with it. I thought that being strict again was going to bring me down to my goal weight pretty quickly. (152 pounds is my goal weight.) I have never even been under 170 as an adult, so already I am feeling pretty good about the way I look and feel, but I am a woman just like any other and of course the emotional reaction was "I eat sooo healthy and excercise all the time. What more can I do?!?!I might as well eat whatever!"

To answer my own question- RELAX!!!! I know that when you make positive changes in your activity and diet this is how it goes.... The first 2 weeks you loose water weight and toxins. The next several weeks your cortisol and blood sugar levels out, you gain lean muscle for a while and THEN you see some weight loss.

So yesterday I stepped on the scale and it was 162.9. "So I'm NOT doomed to be 164 FOREVER?!?!"
It has been 30 days on the candida cleanse. My body finally understands what I am trying to do. Today it was 160.9. I may have to lock that scale somewhere. I know I am doing the right things for my body, so I just need to take my own advice and listen to my inner physician.

One Thing Leads to Another.... (Crystal)

There comes a time in any relationship when long after the break-up there is still some connection that still remains. You know what I am talking about... that sweater, that box of pictures..that chord you haven't cut. Even though I have been working on this emotional release since January I have to admit that there are a few things that I would call "crutches." As I find non-toxic options in my relationship with food these are the things I find myself willing to go to the store late at night for.

1. Coffee - those of you who know me well, understand that this is my absolute favorite food product. I gave up my cream and sugar and drink it with a splash of almond milk and cinnamon, but I can honestly say I am very unhappy when I don't have coffee.
2. Almond Butter- I wait all day to have this 300 calorie snack. It's full of protein and fat- something I shouldn't be eating at 10pm while watching the Big Bang Theory.
3. Vodka. The Candida Cure says to eliminate alcohol and if you do drink, to make it vodka. For some reason in my brain this gives me permission to drink as long as its Vodka. I definitely have improved in the frequency of alcohol consumption, but I haven't fully let go of this crutch at the end if stressful days and it really only lengthens my journey of curing candida.

So I guess I still have some old sweaters hanging around that I need to find the strength to let go of as I sever emotional ties with food. No part of this is easy, but just like pushing yourself through a workout, you have to move past your comfort levels to become stronger. I am in no way going to give these all up at once and tell myself I can never have them again, but I have to get to a point where I don't "need" these things. They are just choices like eggs or an apple. I don't get upset when I am out of apples or asparagus.


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Pizza Time! (Crystal)

I thought I would share one of my favorite "quick meals." Veggie Pizza! There are many variations if this that I have made and each one has been so delicious it feels like cheating.






Ingredients:
Sami's Bakery Millet and Flax Pizza Crust
Organic (no sugar) tomato or pizza sauce
Oregano
Olive Oil
Veggies of choice (this one has Kale, red peppers and tomatoes, but I often use onions, spinach, green peppers and fresh basil)

Preheat oven to 350
Cook onions, green or red peppers on stovetop over medium heat in olive oil
slightly wilt kale or spinach
spread pizza sauce on crust and sprinkle oregano
add cooked veggies and raw tomatoes
drizzle olive oil over top
Cook for 11-15 minutes until crust is slightly golden on edges

I promise you won't miss the cheese!

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Good Morning Sunshine (Dawn)

Even though I have never been "addicted" to coffee, I do enjoy the warmth and ritual of a mug off organic coffee with sweetened soy milk on the weekends. I had my version of a "healthy" latte that was just sweet enough and emotionally satisfying. Well it still had lots of sugar and soy which are not part of the candida cure way of life. (Actually I was quite surprised at how much sugar it was in my little bit of soy milk) So here is my new version which I find almost as satisfying! I love the warmth of the chai spices and I still get to enjoy the comfort of the relationship with my mug :)
Unsweetened almond milk, 7 drops of stevia, 1 chai tea bag in my mug and a couple paleo biscuits watching the rising sun is very satisfying!








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