Monthly Milestones 2016 {1}

Happy New Year!  Today is the first Monthly Milestones of 2016.  If you want to share a milestone post, just leave a comment below with a link to your milestone post, and I'll pop over and visit it and leave a comment, and hopefully some of my other readers will, too. :)  Normally, Monthly Milestones, where I will be giving you updates on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., will go live on the first Saturday of every month, though sometimes I may be a day early or late depending on circumstances.

As you can see, I have a new look for this year.  I can't believe this will be the third year that I've been doing this!  Hopefully, this year will have more progress to show than just a few pounds lost overall.  As long as I go down vs. up, though, I won't be too upset if my progress stays slow.  Here's hoping my weight goes down this year in a bigger way! :)

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me as of today, January 2, 2016, at 228 lbs.

1. My weight went up a little!  I had hoped that my weight would be down again this month, but it's not. :( I'm up 2 pounds from last month.  I know it has to do with all the holiday food choices (I've had the gut ache, bloating and body pains to prove it), and I am working hard to get back to better eating choices now that the holidays are done.  Hopefully my weight will go down again starting this month so I have a weight loss to share the beginning of next month.  Overall, I can't complain, though, because I started off this journey in 2013 at 235, and I'm at 228 now.  Seven pounds lost is seven pounds lost. :) Hopefully I'll lose more this year, too. :)
     
2. December was pretty full!   Between holiday travels, dealing with more illness, my sister having a baby, holiday festivity, finishing up school things before break, etc., I've not had the time to breathe let alone blog.  I've got a plan in place now, though, that should make blogging more possible, but I'm not sure that it will be more than once a month on here or Natural and Free.  I will try, though!
    
3. We're still plugging away with our new lifestyle choices.  I haven't been able to walk as much as I'd like recently due to a lot of rain and then snow and cold, but I get out when I can.  We're also doing a lot more gluten-free cooking, too, though the last few weeks have been a bit off normal, as I mentioned above.  I'm finding that gluten-free helps me a lot, but I also have to watch sugar amount and grains as a whole.  Looks like I have another angle to approach as I go into this new year - less sugar and grains.  We'll see how it goes!
        
4. I will be keeping an eye on the weird things my body does.  Well, I've decided that (for now) my random symptoms - muscle spasms (especially in my legs at night), dizziness/lightheadedness, joint pains, IBS, muscle weakness - can be watched and reported to the doctor at my next physical.  There is nothing that is consistent or severe enough to report just yet, though I will be keeping a close eye on things.  If anything becomes more consistent or concerning, I'll see the doctor sooner than my physical.  We shall see!
   
   
5. Blog updates have begun!  As I mentioned before, I have a system in the works to make updates on this blog and Natural and Free more of a reality.  I can't promise more than once a month, but it's a start! :)     

That's about it for now.  How are you doing?  Are you reaching your goals?  Have you tried something new?  Come up with a new recipe?  I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will leave a comment sharing your thoughts and/or milestones (with a link to your post, if you wish).  As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)