[JULY!]

A post a day for all of July begins NOW.
I'm doing an Instagram photo challenge that I will include here as well, FYI. Here is that challenge:

July 1st: GOAL
Hit 162 lbs. (sitting at 168.8 currently) and run 2 miles without stopping (currently able to run about a mile without stopping).

A couple more photos from today:

Today's weight (PS: 10 weeks ago, I would have NEVER shared my weight with the online world. Today, I don't care. I'm a freaking new woman.)

And you really want to see them, don't ya? Before photos, huh? Here ya go. Long hair, don't care. Taken back in May as the photo states.

 

New bathing suit photos to come ... I'm thinking at my 2 month mark, July 13th?

 

Also doing squat and plank challenges this month. Here are those if you'd like to join in:

 

 

[I figured it out.]

I tried losing weight for years. I was never "obese," but I hated my body. I have always needed to lose 20-30 pounds at any point in time. My highest weight back in 2008 (I think) was 193 pounds. Unacceptable for a woman who was always athletic and weighed 160 when she got married. I tried everything (well, almost). I joined Weight Watchers. I risked my health and took Adipex for 3-4 months while essentially starving myself and sweating to death. I failed at fad cleanses and diets, etc. Food was always the issue. I loved working out and going to the gym, but I could never control my cravings for crap food. And thus it was always to my demise that I failed and gave up whatever weight loss "tool" I was using at the time. Long story short, a little over 6 weeks ago, I got fed up. I was sitting at about 183 pounds, I was always sick, nauseous, had horrible GI issues even with having gone gluten and dairy free, and I felt defeated. I was too young to feel this way. I cried myself silly a lot of the time, wondering if I would ever feel like a normal human being without health issues. Never did I think that I could feel well again in such a short amount of time.

On April 24th, 2013 I began my changes with the Anti-Candida Diet. Click that link and read up, I'm a total believer that most Americans suffer from an overgrowth of candida. I stuck to the anti-candida guidelines for a week and then saw Dr. Fogleman at Center for Advanced Medicine in Encinitas on April 30th. On May 1st, I began a rigorous 8-day cleanse. Days 1-4 were allowed vegetables only along with enzymes and supplements.  On days 5-8, you incorporate one new grain per day and watch for reactions. From their website: "It is designed to provide optimal nutrition so the body can utilize its own detoxification capabilities to the greatest extent possible." Anyways, I was already feeling like a new person, even detoxing. I also found out that I am intolerant to many more foods besides gluten and dairy, the main ones being soy and corn (duh).

By May 8th, I had lost 13 pounds, and my gut felt wonderful. The following is a list of the general foods I eat, nothing else:
- Lean meats including chicken, turkey, and low-mercury, WILD-caught fish (usually salmon)
- Grass-fed beef ONCE per week (which I still haven't had in 6 weeks)
- Non-starchy vegetables (not currently eating tomatoes, avocado, sweet potato, carrots, etc; I will eventually have these back in my diet once the candida is gone and my gut flora is healed). I basically eat a lot of broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, brussel sprouts, chard, kale, etc.
- Raw nuts and nut butters (mainly cashew, almond, and macadamia as I am intolerant to peanuts and pastachios)
- Eggs
- Goat and sheep milk yogurt (plain) and plain kefir in moderation
- Brown rice
- Healthy oils (I use coconut oil and olive oil)
- Water & non-caffeinated herbal teas only
- Stevia as a sweetener in yogurt every once in awhile

Anyways, 6 weeks in and I feel like a new person. I know my body is still healing, and it may be awhile until I am whole again. :) I miss fruit, sweet potatoes, and avocado like crazy, but I know I will be able to have them again in the future.

So, on another note ... I started the Insanity workout program almost 4 weeks ago, and haven't missed a day. I'm sure I'm irritating a lot of people on Facebook and Instagram with always posting workout photos and motivational crap, so I figured I would keep track of my journey here. Those of you who are interesting in following along are more than welcome to do so. :)