It has been a long time since I have posted. Much has happened. For a year or more, I have not felt my best. Chalked it off to being older. Last summer I started having some adominal discomfort. Pain moved to my chest. I went to the ER and diagnosed w/a heart attack. Still experienced pain & adominal discomfort. 5 months later I am back in the ER and I have a dissected anurism of the aorta type B. Also called called a "Torn Aorta". Can you say "John Ritter"? "Lucille Ball"? Apparently it is hard to diagnose. It was missed last summer. 50% of patients are diagnosed on the autopsy table. God is Good! Currently I am being treated medically. The goal is for the aorta to heal on its own, creating scar tissue to reinforce the wall. At this time, there is absolutly nothing on the internet that offers any personal experiences or encouragement on this condition. Currently, I have to be very careful. Keep my blood pressure down. The goal is to heal. For the forseeable future, I plan to use this blog to post my recovery. Not meant to be medical advice in any way, but to have some information out there to offer encouragement for future patients. These last few months would not be possible w/out our personal realtionship with the Lord Jesus Christ. To know that be be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." means to much to me. God has sustained us throughout. I will post more later! Missy

Soreness

If you exercise, whether regularly or not, while cutting out white stuff, you will find yourself a tad more sore than usual.  Perhaps a lot more sore. 

• Increase you simple carbs (fruits and veggies)
• Increase water intake

I had a charlie horse in my calf in the middle of the night.  Woke me up.  Very sore this morning.  This is caused by toxins.  Sugar, fried foods, snack crackers, candy bars, cakes, etc. are all full of toxins.  As you start a complete fast on these items, by day 2 your body is reacting.  It is not a bad thing.  Just drink more water to flush it out.  And increase your sugar intake by eating MORE FRUITS & VEGGIES which is what God intended for us to do. 

You will feel better for it!  I promise!

God bless!  Let us pray for each other.
Hugs,
Missy.

Need a snack?

Chopped up fruit, veggies, lowfat cheese, cottage cheese, old fashion rolled oats, almonds, all of these are acceptable.  One protein one carb.  Small portions and that will stave off hungar. 

When I go on a fast like this, a serving of melon or a spoon of honey on a slice of multi grain toasted bread is a life saver to get you through those first few days, especially if you exercise a good bit. 

God is good!

A New Sugar Fast!

For our better health. 

On Monday, I want to start a new sugar fast for better health.  I am copying and pasting from an older post guidlines to follow.  Anyone who would like to join and pray w/me for strengh to follow thru is free to join me. 

I do not want this to be a mandatory prayer fast unless you feel lead to.  I personally do not feel lead to at this time.  I simply want to exercise it for better health.  Will you join me? 

Feel free to post prayer needs and words of encouragement. 

I always start out w/a treat day in the beginning, but you will find it makes you feel yucky as the weeks go on. 

Remember to exercise!  God made our bodies to move!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I am so excited!



If you have never done a Sugar Fast before, there are a few things you might want to be aware of. The first week will be a tad bit hard. Days 3-5 will be the hardest. Day 7, you are home free and will begin to feel great!


I know that I mentioned that you could have a 'treat' on the 7th day, but if you can refrain from that for at least another week, you will reap many benefits. This fast is only for 28 days and that is not long.


Speaking of benefits of Sugar Fasting here are a few that I have listed:


Lower blood sugars


Lose weight


Reduce insulin resistance


Reduce symptoms of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome-annoying & uncomfortable)


Improved endurance training and sports performance


Reduce heart disease


Lower lipids


Prevent diabetes


Prevent heart disease


Reduce hunger


I took the above right off of this web site that you can go to for more information - http://www.diabetes-blood-sugar-solutions.com/glycemicdiet.html and something I want to add from personal experience is


ADDED ENERGY!!!!


Days 3-5 you will feel zapped or tired. But that will begin to improve on day 6. Day 7, you will feel great.


MONDAY Weigh and measure your waist. I hope that you have a prayer journal, either a written one or one on the computer. But have one somewhere. When we fast, we pray. God may lay one need, person, situation on your heart, He may lay dozens. You might want to write them down. I am finding that I need to write them down. Start to pray over these needs written in your journal. Ask God to remind you of them throughout the day. He will. Especially when you have that desire for that Mocha Cap, Sweet Iced Tea, Scoop of Ice Cream, that little piece of candy, etc. As you fast on that sugar, pray. When you put sweetener in your coffee, pray. As you prepare healthy foods for you and your family to eat, pray. You will be ministering to the Lord and you will see Him move.


What is included in the Sugar Fast?


Obviously-white sugar, refined sugar (that includes brown sugar. It is just white sugar with molasses added to it.)

Anything with sugar added to it.


White breads


White crackers and ... snacks. Yep. Full of white flour and yeast and sugar


Most cold cereals, especially those with the 2nd and 3rd ingredient listed "sugar" or "corn syrup" or "fruitose" or other fancy words for hidden sugars. Read the labels.


Anything with "..ose" tacked on the end of an ingredient they are mostly fancy words for hidden sugars. By the way, "Fat Free" items are full of "sugars".


Now your whole wheat breads and whole grain breads sold in the stores are cut with white flour. That is mostly what I purchase. It is better than the solid white bread. But if you want to be a purist go with pumpernickel bread. Sweet potatoes better than white potatoes. The occasional white potato is fine, just be careful of what you put on it. Same with sweet potato.


More on what you can eat:


Fresh Fruits and Veggies!


Fresh Frozen Fruits


Fresh Frozen Veggies


Meats


Eggs


Cheese


Milk & other Dairy


Whole Wheat and Whole grain products


Nuts


Brown Rice


Whole grain pasta


There is plenty out there to eat. Just read the labels! :-)


Love y'all!


Sugar Fast Scripture Theme: Acts 13:2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting , the Holy Spirit said , "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. "

I will also add honey to my tea.  It does not seem to have the same effect as sugar. 

Y'all are probably wondering...

...where I have been?  Well busy.  And it seems like this blog attracts spam.  From the first week this blog opened, from being emailed to doing product reviews for merchandise I consider being inappropriate, to spam posts for merchandise (script drugs to rolex watches), seems like we get hit several times a week to several times a day. 

Are spammers the only people reading this blog?

Sorry if this post seems "down". 

Are You Strapped For Time?

Often times find yourself w/out enough time to exercise? I mean a good cardio workout. One that will make you sweat.

Jump. Yep, that's right. Jump! Jump rope, skip rope. To start out jump for 1-3 minutes then step touch for one minute. Then jump rope again.

Do you get the rope tangled up in your feet and ankles or does it hit your head a lot? Me too! So I cut off the rope and just hold the handles. :-) Hey, it works!!! 15-20 minutes later, you are done. You may need a shower, but you are done.

Warm up first. I do some calf raises, a few squats, quad, calf and ham stretches. To cool down, I walk around or step touch for a few minutes then stretch again.

Another fun thing to do is 'Skip it'. You can pick these things up in the summer activity toy section at Walmart. It is a flexible stick about a couple of feet long. There is a circle on one end that you slip your foot through and it gently stays around your ankle. The other end has a counter weight ball. Once you have the "Skip It" around your ankle, using your foot and ankle, you swing the ball around. With the 'free' foot you 'skip' over the flexible stick being brought around by the ball. Be sure to swap legs from time to time. This is really fun to do.

Two similar ways to get a wonderful cardio workout.

Blessings,
Missy

MSG, Migraines and General Health

Other wise known as Monosodium Glutamate. I have discovered is one of the main triggers to my migraines.

I may or may not have shared with you before, but I have severe migraines. Ocular Migraines, Cluster Migraines, Sinus Headaches and Migraines that will last for days. An MRI showed I have something called White Matter Disorder. There is a lot of white matter around the grey matter in my brain. Neurologists know little about this other than the people who have this disorder have Migraines, motion sickness, occasionally being off balance and a few other things in all common.

I have found several triggers. Sun, can't do anything about that. Scents/smells, I try to limit my exposure to those. Stress will sometime bother me, but most of the time it does not. And of course, hormones. For Ocular Migraines the weather and barometric pressure plays a big part. Cannot control that. If I eat something with MSG, the weather changes causing an ocular headache or if there is any other type trigger with when I ingest MSG, I am in for days of a migraine.

I get warning auras, sometimes 24 hours in advance. This always helps and I can prepare myself.

I have been on a neuro medicine for 1 1/2 years as a preventive. My Neuro and I want to start tapering me off the medication. But since taking the meds, it has made a difference in the quality of my life. The script does not completely get rid of headaches, but they are less occurring and more manageable.

Months ago, I read an article in my AFAA (Aerobic Fitness Association of America) American Fitness magazine about MSG. The different ailments and woes that MSG can cause for those who are sensitive to it. And how it is in general unhealthy to most people. I started making an effort to read labels and exclude MSG in our diet.

Guess what? My headaches decreased! I would even get auras, an ocular head ache in one eye and it would move to the other eye and then it was gone.

In fact, when I took MSG out of our diet, I rarely needed more than an a couple of aspirin, if even that. In other words, my headaches were fewer and fewer, very mild and only lasted a few minutes. Many times, went away on their own. At first, I did not fully realize the decrease in migraines was because of taking MSG out of our diet. Then one day we went to one of our favorite deli's and I got my favorite deli sandwich in all the world. I had a 4 day migraine that started in the parking lot when leaving the deli. It was horrible!!!! The sandwich meats were full of MSG's and all kinds of sulfates.

Now my whole family read labels to help me out. My family love me so much. They do not want me to have these headaches. The ones that put me to bed and cause me to have an upset stomach. They will even speak up at a restaurant asking about MSG use in cooking the food if I do not.

My neurologist has decreased the dosage of my script by 50%. Even told me I can 'experiment' now if I want. I am on a safe dosage to do that.

Hidden MSG~
Reading labels is not enough. No it is not. FDA does not require products to list MSG on a package as MSG or Monosodumium Glutamate. A "Healthy Snack" will be full of hidden MSG. FDA allows manufactures to list the ingredients of MSG instead of MSG or Monosodumium Glutamate. Sun Chips is an example. There may be only one or two ingredients of MSG in the product, but if you are sensitive & allergic to it, you are still going to have a reaction.

Here are a few ingredients to look for in all lables:

• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Hydrolyzed Protein: (plant, vegetable, any kind)
• Sodium or Calcium Caseinate
• Autolyzed Yeast, Yeast Extract
• Yeast Food, Yeast Nutrient
• Textured Protein
• Glutamic Acid
• Monopotassium Glutamate
• Gelatin

I took the above off another MSG/Migraine Research site. I question the Gelatin. Some of the yeast I question as well. If you do a Google search, you will find different research papers. Most of them have at 6 of the above ingredients in common as hidden MSG triggers. Including "Healthy Snacks" and foods. I have found whey protein and wheat on lists as MSG ingredients and Migraine triggers. These do not seem to be an issue with me.

I have looked at other research concerning MSG and foods to avoid and it almost reads like it is for someone with celiac disease instead of an intolerance to MSG. I suppose to a degree, many people have to go by a trial and error.

MSG and ingredients that make up MSG are used in inexpensive foods to: preserve, enhance flavor, tenderize, etc. They are in all prepackaged bakery mixes, prepackaged foods, most canned meats and soups. Dales Steak Sauce (a southern delight) is full of it. :-( So are most package salad dressings.

How do you avoid MSG? Read labels. Eat fresh fruits and veggies. Never assume a 'Healthy Snack' is w/out the preservatives. Read the labels. Cook from scratch.

Here is a link to an interesting study that tells more about MSG and explains not only how it effects migraines, but other issues that people may suffer from, including obesity.

I hope that you will find it helpful. MSG & Migraines

God Bless. I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer!

Edited to add this.... MSG & Hypothyroidism. I just happen to be hypothyroid....