Fired and Fired Up, Week 36, Day 4

Okay, so after hearing on Monday that I have a nasty bad hormonal imbalance and need to eat, I've been eating like a good girl. The first couple of days I lost five pounds. Now today I see I have gained seven. So I guess it's a net gain of two. I give up trying to figure this stuff out. I think too much worrying about it will not help, so I'm just going to do my best and keep moving forward. I've lost so much weight already, so I know I can make it all the way to my goal.

The crying jags have been replaced by incessant shaking. I look like I have the beginnings of Parkinsons, but since I feel anxious all the time, I'm sure it's just more of the hormonally-induced mood problems. Or maybe the first week at the new job. Or maybe being fired today from the new job (I dared to ask for some additional training...shame on me). So now what are we going to do for money to pay the bills? I don't know. It's enough to give a person the shakes. On the upside, I made a new friend at work this past week, and I'm grateful for that. Plus, I had an interview yesterday, and today I had plenty of time to fill out more applications. So here I am, fired and fired up all in one day. Please keep us in your prayers.

I've had plenty of exercise this week, mostly walking since the job was in a large building and everything seemed to be far away from everything else. Plus, a couple of trips to walk around Walmart before coming home from work. As for food, I've eaten a bowl of high-fiber cereal each day before work, a turkey sandwich on 12-grain bread and a cup of yogurt for lunch, and a bowl of veggies for dinner. I did splurge and have a soda once at work and a small bag of animal crackers. So...there's my accountability. All in all, I think I did pretty well this week.

Today's Tip:
You know I'm a big advocate of organic, natural foods, and shopping more on the perimeter of a grocery store rather than getting anything canned or packaged. But I know sometimes life gets busy and ready-to-eat foods are really what our lifestyles demand. Prevention.com has a great article on the 49 Best Ready-To-Eat Foods, an aisle-by-aisle guide for healthy eating. I think it's got some great suggestions. They even suggest some organic items! But they also have some great things like Uncle Ben's whole grain white rice. Who knew there was such a thing as whole grain white rice? Plus, SunSweet -- the raisin people -- has just come out with a mix of dried fruits that sounds yummy and is focused on antioxidants. It includes blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and plums. What an awesome idea! The list has some great budget buys, too, so it's well worth taking a peek. You can access it here>>>> http://online.prevention.com/bestfoodawards/?cm_mmc=Spotlight-_-052102010-_-Health-_-Here%27s%20what%20to%20buy%20at%20the%20supermarket

Week 35, Day 6

Oh man, hormones are nothing to mess around with! I just found out today that I have a SEVERE hormonal imbalance. Yes, it's important to eat. Or you will end up like me. Depressed, not sleeping, lacking energy, crying ALL day, unable to think clearly, and unable to lose weight in spite of the lack of eating. I'm so glad I got so desperately sad that I finally went to the doctor in a last-ditch effort to find relief before giving up completely and resorting to plunging myself off a bridge. I heard once that if you can't be a good example, at least be a horrible warning. Yup, that's me, and this is your warning. Eat, and make darned sure it's a well-balanced diet. Your life truly depends on it.

Soooo...what to do to fix this? No hormone supplements yet. We'll see in a few weeks after I've been on antidepressants for a bit. This way, if there are any side effects, we'll know for sure what's causing the problem. Aside from the antidepressants to lift me as quickly as possible out of this dangerously low mood, my doctor suggested the following steps, which I think are good to do on a regular basis anyway:

• Eat a well-balanced diet EVERY day. Keep a diary to make SURE it is balanced -- particularly important until everything in the body is in balance again and eating right becomes a habit again.

• Take a multi-vitamin EVERY day.

• Consider supplementing diet and a multi wtih vitamin B, C, and D and with Omega-3 complex.

• Exercise, preferably something like walking, which engages most of the body. Exercise helps elevate the mood and regulate hormones.

I went from the doctor's office to the pharmacy to pick up my happy pills to the first day of my new job. Yup, that's right -- the job I didn't want and am pretty sure they made a mistake in hiring me. They may think so, too, if they had known I had a new prescription of happy pills in my purse. Oh well. Too late now! At least with fresh drugs in my system, it is easier to slap a happy smile on my face and pretend to be happy to be there. And I am pleased to be earning money again. We had the 2-mile tour today, and I didn't keel over. Yayee for 60 pounds of weight lost and better fitness! This week is training, and we get tested at the end of each day to see if we are worthy to come back the next day for more training. So far, so good; I'm allowed to come back tomorrow.

Today's Tip:
Jillian Michaels (one of the trainers from NBC's Biggest Loser) has written a book about hormones. I have the book, but I haven't read it all yet. I probablly could have avoided a lot of grief and my current problems if I had. If you're interested, here's a link to Amazon. You'll get a better price here than you will at a bookstore. Just click on this link Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!
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