We've now been on the Atkins diet for one week. The scale that we had was broken, I didn't know that so we haven't really been able to weigh all week. (which is maddening!) Jeremy thought he wasn't losing any weight, but I knew he was because I could see it. Yesterday he went and got a new scale, so we both weighed this morning. Jeremy has lost 7 pounds, and I have lost 5!!! I am very happy about that. Only seven days of eating better. I can't wait till next thursday :) The diet is not that bad. We have actually eaten a lot of really good food. My favorite meal so far was when I made portobella pizzas. They were super yummy. My favorite snack right now is a dip my mom always makes for celery, it has cream cheese, mayonaise, onion, green olives and pepper/garlic powder. Jeremy doesn't like green olives, so I made him some with jalapeno's/bacon bits. It is so yummy on celery, bell pepper, basically any veggies. Last night I found out a lady at my church has the same problem with her thyroid that I do. She goes to the same doctor I will be seeing and really likes him. It made me feel much better to know someone who has their issue under control and is doing fine. (she has 5 boys from I'm guessing about 9-10 years old and down, so she is one busy lady!!!) She did say that every time she has a baby her thyroid flares up. I noticed my heart palpitations and sleeplessness flared up after I took the provera last time. It's not good that someone else is sick, but it's always good to know you're not just imagining things, that someone else has felt what you have felt. Anyways, good news all around :)

So I went to the doctor today and he told me that I have an over active thyroid, or something like that. He's pretty sure that it can mess up my hormones but thyroids have nothing to do with fertility, so he's sending me to a new doctor. The new (medical) endocrinologist deals with things like thyroids, diabetes, etc. I have an appointment for 3 1/2 weeks from now. Waiting is very aggrivating when you just want answers, but I know waiting is the only choice I have right now. My insulin/glucose levels were perfect, so the doctor said he thinks I may have a "little bit" of pcos, but I'm guessing he thinks if the thyroid issue gets fixed I will not have trouble with irregular cycles. Everything is waiting on the appointment in February now. Blah!

So today we're starting Atkins. The first two weeks we are keeping our carbs down to somewhere close to 20 per day. The carbs we do consume will be from veggies. You have to have a monster salad with all the trimmings(as in every veggie topping you can think of) to even hit 10 carbs. Other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower etc. are a few more carbs.

This is what the menu for today looks like:

Breakfast- Eggs, sausage, cheese (Jeremy is eating boiled eggs because we're both too tired to cook when he gets up for work) -you can eat eggs any way you can think of having them

Lunch- Turkey roll ups (roast turkey, swiss cheese and a little mustard wrapped up in a lettuce leaf), a small side salad, and some pork rinds (I haven't tried them yet, so I don't know if I'll like them. They are no carb though, and satisfy the need for crunch :)

Afternoon snack- pepperoni and string cheese

Dinner- Roasted Chicken , large salad and mashed cauliflower

The more I look at it the more I think we might be sick of cheese by the time we're done with this. It's only two weeks that we have to keep our carbs down to 20 though. After the two weeks you start to add carbs back in (in the form of nuts, beans and fruit) and you're still losing weight!!! I know it sounds strange, but it makes sense when you read the book. In the end we will be able to eat bread, bagels, etc. as long as it's the low carb kind. Instead of keeping track of fat grams we will be keeping track of carbohydrate grams. The thing I really like about Atkins is you can eat if you're hungry. I cannot starve myself, and if the diet depends on restraint from food I will fail. The book, as well as my parents (who are doing the diet) says once your body gets used to not taking in as much sugar you are not as hungry and don't have to eat as much to be full and stay full. I know Amber is skeptical of this because she tried the old Atkins diet, but we'll see in two weeks what happens. I just hope I don't gain weight!!! So I've been debating whether or not I want to show my weight, but I don't think we can see a difference if I don't list my starting weight (I also took measurements of my arms, waist, hips and thighs which I will tell only if I lose some inches on them (lol). So....

My weight at this present time is: 139!

Uggghh! So I'm usually pretty happy around 124 which would be 15 pounds, so that's my goal weight right now. I will probably update on weight loss a week from today. Wish me luck!
         

Who needs toys???

Trip to the park...

Hey girls! I hope you all are having a great start to your new year. I've been reading on people's blogs about their resolutions for the new year. My goals for this new year are really just to get to know God better. God gave me the Bible and he told me all about himself in it, so I want to be more consistent reading my Bible and sincerely seeking to know God. Our new Pastor says that love for God helps us to live our Christian life in a way that is pleasing to God, and we grow in our love for God by studying our Bibles and learning more about his love for us. Jeremy and I are both very excited about our new Church and the emphasis that is placed on a personal relationship with God. On Wednesday nights the Pastor goes around (it is a small Church) and asks people what they've been reading/studying for the week and it is so encouraging to be around people who study God's word. It makes you desire to learn more and be blessed by God's word. I have also hopped on the weight loss band wagon. Before I had Jakob I always had my "problem areas" that I didn't really like about my body, but I've never had a weight problem. After I quit nursing my weight went up pretty dramatically (for me at least...about 15 pounds above pre-Jakob weight). We are gearing up for the Atkins diet...dun dun dun. I am really excited about starting. My mom sent me the book (I requested it) and I have started reading it. Since I have been diagnosed with PCOS a low carb/low sugar diet is what they recommend for me to be on anyways. Atkins is so different now than when I heard of it before. They really push for you to eat a lot of veggies, and not so much meat. We won't actually be able to start the diet full fledged till February, because the last week of January Jeremy is going for a week to St. Augustine for work and Jakob and I will be flying up to visit with our family. We will kind of be "practicing" until then. I've actually already cut out most rice and potatoes anyways trying to get us prepared for cutting out the carbs. I really want to eat at Suns (korean) while we're in Niceville though. If Jeremy makes it all the way home he'll want some Danny's fried chicken, it can be his last hurrah :) Jakob is doing good. I have to admit that I'm getting a little nervous about his speech. He just won't talk. Now, when I tell him say drink, or say juice he grunts at me and turns his head away. Things I know he can say he just won't say anymore (like please, or cracker). It is very frustrating. I'm trying not to freak out, but I really wish he would start speaking. Some things Jakob has gotten very good at are opening the doors in the house. We don't have round door knobs in the house we have the long skinny kind and he stands on his tip-toes and pulls the handle down and pushes the door open. It's cute, but it is keeping me very busy because now he cannot be out of my eyesight. He really likes to go in my bedroom and grab all my makeup brushes off my vanity and tote them all over the house. Jakob is also eating with a fork pretty good. He stabs his food with the fork, then usually puts it in his mouth then takes it out and puts it back on the tray so he can stick it again :) lol. I know he is a smart boy, I just wish he'd stop being stubborn and speak. Tomorrow I go for my blood work to test my blood sugar and to re-test my hormones. I will be happy when that is all over and the doctor puts me on whatever meds for the PCOS. Jeremy has started working 10 hour days now so he's off every Friday. It is really cool to have him home 3 days a week. The weather down here in SW Florida has been about 80 degrees every day. Pretty warm for December/January, but today it has rained cats and dogs so I think it will be cooler tomorrow. That is pretty much what's going on for now. I will keep y'all updated on my dieting progress. Hopefully I will lose those 15 pounds  fast so I can order my bridesmaids dress for Kara's wedding!

All in a days work...

Jeremy helped rescue a manatee yesterday. The water down here has been so cold and the manatee got stuck in a canal and was freezing to death. He said it took about 20 people to move the animal and it was still soooo heavy. They relocated the manatee to Sea World. Pretty cool

Christmas pics...

Here's some pics of our Christmas. One thing we realized is it's difficult to help Jakob open presents, video tape and take pictures with the camera. Between me and Jeremy we needed about 4 more hands, so there's not a ton of pictures. As you see from the few family pictures it was quite a chore trying to get a picture where Jakob would look happy. He had too much going on to sit still for a picture! Our Christmas was very nice. Jakob kinda opened presents all day long because he had so many and wanted to play with each one right after he opened it. His way of opening presents was to rip one piece of the paper off and then look into the present. When he saw it was something cool he tried to pull the toy out. I think we spend so much time teaching him not to rip books and things that he thought it was strange that we told him to rip the paper off the presents. He did learn that there was really cool stuff inside the gifts though and liked opening them. I cooked a whole Christmas dinner by myself, so I was actually relieved that it wasn't too hard and happy with the way it turned out. Anytime I ever thought about cooking a whole holiday meal it seemed very daunting (we have big, huge meals on holidays) but I ended up cooking a large meal that was just enough food. We ate left overs on Sunday and finished it off :) It was definitely different having Christmas without all the family around. It was quiet. We played wii golf (which I am getting much better at and actually beat Jeremy once!) and watched some Christmas movies. It was really fun. I have always watched movies and heard Christmas songs and lamented the fact that I've never had a "White Christmas", but sitting on my couch on Christmas day with the doors and windows open I definitely enjoyed 60 something degree weather. Especially once Amber started sending me pictures of her white Christmas :)  I hope you all had a great holiday too!

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas Friends

James 1:17- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

You know how excited we are to give our children their Christmas presents? We've thought and planned and bought exactly what we think they would enjoy. It's such a happy time to see the smiles on our children's faces. Can you imagine God's happiness and excitement knowing that the gift of his son would  forever change our eternity? I have been contemplating the fact that we cannot even thank God properly for the gift that he so lovingly gave us because in our human minds we cannot really comprehend just what that gift means. Still, my heart longs to give God the worship and adoration he deserves. I am so thankful that Jesus came to earth, took on a body of flesh, felt pain, hunger, scorn and hatred from those he came to give the free gift, all for me. I am excited for Heaven, when I can finally truly understand what Jesus went through to save me, and also finally give God the thanks he is worthy of for the gift of his only Son. God gave us the greatest example of giving when he gave us his Son. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas this year, with lots of food, happy memories and time with family.  

♥♥♥ Shauna