Archive | August 2016

Foods That Help me Feel Better

Aug22

What foods can I eat?
Maybe we better talk about what I can't eat first.

   Everyone wants to know — I get questions and emails all the time saying: What can you eat?  How did you do it?  How in the world did you lose over 110 pounds? 

So, today I thought it would be appropriate to talk about what foods I do not eat because this plays such an important part in living with Fibromyalgia.


The Three Biggest Problem Foods For Me!
Wheat – Soy – Milk

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods Which Contain Gluten
But… Unfortunately There are Many More!

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Okay…. okay, I'll admit it.  At first this new way of eating was HARD!  I thought I couldn't do it.  I wondered what I would be able to eat.  Nothing?  Well, that's what I thought as it's what you are probably thinking too!  

   But… OH MY GOSH!  This has changed my life! 


Truthfully, God changed my life through my new "healthy" life style and through the marvelous doctors my husband and I found who knew immediately what was killing me (yes, you did hear me right), and who knew what immediate and major changes I needed to make in the foods I ate .

You see, I was born with Celiac and that is what caused my fibromyalgia.  Celiac is a severe allergy to many – well… most of the foods I was eating when I got sick. As I kept eating them, the sicker I got.

Celiac affects the large intestines.  There are little extensions on the inside wall of your intestines which are called "villi."  These villi stick our and move around to grab hold of and absorb fat, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from the foods you consume.  With celiac, these villi are flat against the wall of the intestines, so they cannot absorb any of the nutrients you need to survive – to be healthy – and to flourish.  I was hardly surviving at all, and I certainly was not healthy in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Thank You Lord!  I am as healthy as I can be while still fighting fibro and celiac – as I will for the rest of my life.  I began starting to to flourish at the "young" age of 60…feeling better than I had felt since I was 29 years old!  And, it is all because of what I eat (and some natural supplements). 

These are the foods that I COULD NOT eat when I started this new lifestyle!

NO Gluten (wheat, barley, oats, Aramanth and glue on envelopes – don't lick it!)
NO Lactose (milk, cheese, yogurt)
NO Soy (soy is in everything… even coating some of the medicines you take)
NO Dairy
NO Canned Foods
NO Processed Foods
NO MSG
NO Sugar
NO Eggs
NO Tomatoes – or only very little

I have now been eating this way for almost 8 years.  I have been able to add back some dairy, like cheese on salads, and sometimes in a casserole, or even in gluten free pizzas.  I have now added back an egg for breakfast every morning.  Before the diet, I had a stomach ache every morning of my life.  I didn't know it was from eggs until I left them off…

I do eat bread every day, but it is bread that I make in my $10.00 yard sale bread machine.  Pamela's bread mix which is made from rice flour.  I buy this from Amazon and make it a couple of days a week — because my husband is now wheat free also.  (His arthritis got better when he left off wheat.)  I eat pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, etc. made from rice flour also.  If you were to come to dinner at my house, you would not know that you were eating gluten-free!  We can eat pizza which I make using Kinnikinnick gluten free or Udi's gluten free pizza crust.

 I I now know that I will probably NEVER eat soy again!  Turns out it made me VERY sick.  This really didn't show up until I had been off gluten for a month or so.  That's okay…. I truly can live without gluten and soy for the rest of my life — more than happy to, as a matter of fact!  With some of these other foods, I sneak a little every now and then, and although I don't feel great afterwards, but I am not deathly ill.
 

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods That are Really GOOD for you!

GOOD FOODS FOR YOU

 The above food are great to eat!  Fruits, greens, nuts, legumes and many more options can literally change your life!

HEALTHY FRUIT

If you have fibro or celiac… or even think you have this, try eating as healthy, natural, and organically as possible.  This was not a disease, or even a problem 100 years ago.  Do you know why?  They didn't have all of these chemicals, preservatives, and insecticides in their foods then.  A good rule of thumb is; if you couldn't find that food 100 years ago… then don't eat it now!  Simple, huh?

 The weight loss?  Well, obviously I was overweight from being sick for so long.  I didn't change my way of eating to loose weight.  I changed my way of eating to be happy and healthy and to be able to enjoy my life and my family again.  The weight loss was a plus…. an amazing plus!  When I first began this new way of eating, I went down to an 8 petit!  Never been that small in my life – even as a child.  lol  But, now I have gained some of that weight back.  There are starting to be too many gluten free cookes, cakes, and muffins on the market now which taste REALLY good.  So it is a constant battle for me to leave those off!

Until next time…. think healthy, happy, and be very grateful that you have a chance to change your health and your body just as I did! 


Blessings & Smiles… Nancy  

  

   

My Strength is Made Perfect in Weakness

Aug20

A Verse I've Come to Embrace

My strength is made perfect in weakness. –2 Corinthians 12:9

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Through the years of my struggles to overcome fibromyalgia and celiac disease, weakness would overtake me at many different times. I's grip would hit with such force at times that I could hardly hold my head up. Don't confuse this to the pain – the depression – and the anxiety.  No… it was different.

Most would call this chronic fatigue. Yes, I have been diagnosed with that too, at times when the overwhelm of it all would grasp my very being.

After being sick for close to 4 decades, it was only in the last 8 years that I finally began to see and believe that "my own strength is definitely made perfect in His weakeness."

Almost all of us suffer some sort of health issue, or physical limitation. It could have been something you were born with just as I was, or maybe hit with later in life.

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, it was a thorn in his flesh which kept him humble. He wanted it removed just as any of us do. His answer from God was: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

God uses us to accomplish His will for our lives
Through our imperfections – our weaknesses…

This forces us to reach toward Him in our weakest hours. That is the only way we will grow close enough to God to fulfill His will for our lives.

I have now found my strength in Him more times that I can count. I have found His will for my life only through my weakest times.

 

 

My Book; My Story

Aug12

Writing My Own Story is Hard!

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I didn't think it would be this hard.  After all, I have written and published several books; seven as a matter of fact.  

But when I began writing this book things were different. Of course writing is all consuming. I have spent many hours sitting at the computer, laying out chapters and then choosing words which speak from my heart to yours.  

I've lived many experiences that we (Steve and I) believed can make a difference in the lives of others. To hold them back would be like not giving you the opportunity to find a way to overcome, no matter what you're going through right now. I want you to know, you DO have a chance of hope and a brighter future.  It would be wrong to not share this with you. God has spoken to us in so many different ways that this is His will for our lives and my story.

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During these last five years, I found myself having to walk away for months on end before I could come back to the story of me.  I have said, "no more – this is too hard – I can't talk about this – I don't want others to know."  Those were the times when Steve and I could both hear God's voice stronger than ever. This book needed to be published. 

So many hours have been spent weighing the impact of my words – choosing ones which can and will influence the way you deal with unforseen circumstances in your life.  After all, I am sharing with you 'forever memories' that are in my mind and my heart always. 

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I looked back the other day to see exactly when we began this journey. I don't know why I was surprised, I shouldn't have been!  It was 2011 when Steve and I together finally made the decision that this was what God was calling us to do. Little did I know that writing about me — my life — my marriage would take over 5 years.

You see, that's what "My Journey Through Fibromyalgia"  Rumors, Ravages & the Rescue is. It is up close and personal.  I found myself having to make decisions about what to tell and what to hold back.  Which parts of my life should be kept personal and which parts, if shared, could make a difference in your lives.  That's the reason this journey was begun… to help others … to give them hope for overcoming seemingly tragic circumstances, and to know that our God is one of "overcoming".

 

I’ve Missed You!

Aug5

I've Been Busy!
I can hardly believe it's been so long since I posted!

Way too much has been going on all at one time, and most of you know when that happens, Fibro flares up.  Well, that's just what mine did.

Let me tell you what I've been doing. 

First, we finished all the last-minute details on my latest wreath-making book: 
"Make Your Own Wreaths"

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This book was released just about 6 weeks ago now.  I can hardly believe it, but over two thousand copies have been sold already.  Not only that, but Hobby Lobby has ordered 900+, and Michael's has ordered a sizeable number. 

I haven't seen them in the stores yet, have you?  If you see it, I would absolutely LOVE for you to take a photo of yourself holding this book right in the store and send it to me.  We are going to have a contest where we pick a winner from this group – you may be the one to win a great prize!!

 

So, After My Book Came Out
I Hosted a Tea Party at our Home!

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Everyone had a wonderful time!  We really went all out with tables filled with 'Southern' food!  Over 30 people attended as we all learned so much from our two special presenters.

First there was Sims Pottery.  Stacey Sims and their designer Laura Miller put on an amazing demonstration about a new and different style of deco mesh wreath design.

Then, Lauren Schuman and her husband Tom were here to tell us how they have grossed over three quarters of a million dollars on Amazon in less than two years.

 

Next, I had to Jump on Finishing My Story:
"My Journey Through Fibromyalgia"
Rumors, Ravages & The Rescue

It is finally finished!  I am thrilled!  I am tired!  I am excited! And… I am a little scared of putting the book about 'me' out there for sale. I'll be receiving the edited copy back from my editor today.  Hopefully it will be out for sale sometime around the first of September.

I hope you are doing well!  I have missed blogging about life, health and loosing weight!  I guess you can tell that the weight part was sort of put on the side for a while. 🙂  Now, I have to get back at it.

Thanks for joining me on my personal blog.  Watch for more information about my latest book.  I may share the new cover design with you soon, and see what you think!

Nancy