Monthly Milestones 2017 {3}

Today is the third Monthly Milestones of 2017.  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.

Here is how I am doing as of today:

1. My weight is down another 6.5 lbs.!  I am beyond excited about this!  I have not been down to 213.5 lbs. in nearly 6 (Yes - SIX) years!  It seems my hard work of trying to stay active and eat right is paying off.  And, just a side note, I really started losing steadily after I gave up coffee, and I drank it black.  That is definitely something noteworthy.  If you are struggling to lose weight and drink coffee, maybe consider giving it up.  I drank 1 to 2 cups of regular coffee a day and then decaf (if that), so I didn't really drink much.  I even struggled with weight loss when I drank only decaf.  I would have never dreamed that it made a difference in my weight, but it seems it did!  Anyway, something to keep in mind for sure!
             
2. Winter is having a hard time letting go.  We've had a lot of ups and downs in our weather.  It goes from cold, snowy and blowy to warm, rainy and windy.  The wind has been the worst part of it, and it makes it very hard to be outside for too long.  At least more sun is coming out now, and temperatures are starting to be higher vs. lower, so I'm hoping to start getting some regular walking in more often very soon.  For now, I stick with housework for my main exercise, and I've started putting the clothes away an item at a time as I fold them.  It's what works. :)
    
3. Dietary/lifestyle changes are still basically habit.  Sugar and I are not friends, though I find that I do better in my daily eating choices if I allow myself a daily treat of sorts.  Generally it is 1 serving of something "bad" like a cookie or the like (and I am picky on the type, because I can't tolerate a lot of these options, so generally this is a homemade goodie or a limited ingredient/less processed ingredient one).  This keeps me from overdoing the sugar for now, but I am finding that I crave lots of sugar/processed foods less and less.  This is good!  I am also finding that the foods I shouldn't eat make me a lot sicker than they used to, so I avoid them a bit easier (soy is the worst).  It's amazing to me how when you eat better more regularly, the junk just doesn't taste good.  I am very happy about that! :)  Keeping track of what I eat and being honest about what I eat and the portion sizes helps a lot, too!
       
   
4. My health is still basically stable, though I do have issues with weakness and other issues off and on.  I have not had any major weakness for a few months, but every now and again I will have some slight weakness/heaviness in my legs, especially my left leg, and I have had some real issues with my back at times that require me to do a lot of stretching to correct (and that sometimes takes days). I still have hearing issues in my right ear most of the time, and sometimes my vision will be off.  I also am dealing with insomnia now and then which is generally helped by drinking some chamomile tea, but not always.  I think the brain fog/emotion issues I mentioned last month are better, but not completely gone (I'll continue to monitor that, and report all these things to my doctor the next I see him).  Overall, I would say I'm doing well, though the weather fluctuation have caused some drainage issues (and I have a tea that helps with that, too, so that's a plus).  We're hoping to be able to get back to the chiropractor sometime this month or next, too, so hopefully that will help with the intermittent issues at least. 
   
   Also, thank you to all who continue to pray for us.  It's hard not having any real answers when it comes to my health issues, but knowing you are all praying and that God is there means more than you know!  Thank you!    
       
   
5. I have not been able to post as much as I would like on my blogs, and I'm not sure when that will change.  I want to post at least monthly to this blog and Natural and Free, but have not been able to, though I have been able to do some more on Natural and Free (I just did a review on some amazing chocolate for one company, and hope to have a review on some wonderful natural skin care products this coming week).  Other than that, Monthly Milestones is about all I've had time for.  Things are still crazy busy, but I'm hoping that they slow down in April enough for me to get more to a regular schedule.  We shall see!

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!)