What I Found Surprising About My New Meal Plan

I'm not exactly sure what my diet would be labeled. My goal in the day is to eat a lot of high fibre vegetables, 2-3 green smoothies, and plant based protein (soy, nuts, seeds). 

The most surprising thing I've found is that I'm loving cooking and recipe experimentation. Before going plant based, our family ate meat at every meal. I'm a germaphobe and didn't realize how much stress this was causing me. Since eliminating animal and animal products from 90% of my meals I've become less stressed in the kitchen. I don't worry about washing my hands a million times because I'm worried about spreading e. coli, and I'm not constantly washing utensils that have touched raw meat.

When looking for recipes I search Vegan Keto. Keto recipes tend to have low to no carbs and sugar. If you're looking to recipe test, I recommend Googling, Youtubing, or Pintersting "Vegan Keto Recipes."

Below I share a bit about my restrictions, incase you are thinking of trying something new :)

This is a list of the foods I don't eat:

Starchy and High Carb Vegetables (Potatoes, Yams, Beets, etc)

Tropical Fruit

Grains (Wheat, Quinoa, etc)

Sugar

These are the foods I eat sparingly:

Carrots

Onions

Apples

Blueberries

Strawberries

Raspberries

I Reversed my Type 2 Diabetes in 6 Weeks

The summer of 2018 was the greatest summer. It was filled with sun, fun, and sweets!

But the fun needed to be reigned in when I realized that I couldn't sustain the sweets I've been consuming and controlling my blood sugars without medication.

Most diabetes medication makes me sick. The fillers in all types of insulin give me welts and rashes, and most medications makes me violently ill...

The main option for me in controlling my blood sugars is to control my diet and exercise.

My doctor gave me a bit of an impossible task. He said that he would see me again in 6 weeks, and at that time if my blood sugars didn't drop to 5.5 mmol before every meal, I'd need to go on insulin. Well... it was either control my blood sugars or live with rashes at every injection site.

I was excited and nervous to be tasked with something so crazy. He was basically saying that I needed to reverse my Type II diabetes in 6 weeks! I was to drop my medication and figure it out with diet and exercise.

I did A LOT of research. I watch youtube videos of success stories, and read the book "How Not to Die" by Michael Greger, M.D.

My conclusion from all my research was a plant (more green veggies than fruit) based diet with low carbs and starches; and tons and tons of physical activity.

I recently went back to the doctor and the results were positive. I lost 10 lbs, and my blood sugars stabilized to 5.5 or lower at ever reading. I started with 9.0 - 8.0 mmol readings at the beginning of my journey.

I can't believe it was possible for me to reverse my diabetes in 6 weeks, but with a lot of hard work and self control anything is possible.

Friendships that Spark Joy

The last few years have been tough on my friendships. Friendships ended with people who I thought were going to be in my life forever.

After going through some major changes in 2016 I learned that I didn't want to hold on to friendships that didn't spark joy. It was a hard decision to let go of people who I cared so deeply for, but knew our friendship had come to a natural conclusion.

I have never been a person who makes lasting connections easily. I don't let many people in. I used to think that I would prefer one deep friendship over numerous superficial ones. This opinion has since changed.

I think in the past I put too much on my friendships and not enough on myself. I needed to learn how to not use people as my social safety blanket. I needed to learn how to be by myself.

When I let go of my friendships in 2016 it was hard. Really hard. But I did my year of yes in 2018 and now I have people in my life that I truly enjoy.

I don't share every part of my life with a single friend. Instead I have different friends to meet different needs. I have Mom friends, Cooking friends, Work friends, Casual Friends... The list is endless.

What I learned the most from my meeting new people is that I don't need a handful of people, I need a whole village.

Lone Wolf'ing It

TheDapperGentleman is in London for a couple of days.

Things that I'm currently thinking about are:

1. Is that noise a mouse...

2. Is that noise a mouse...

3. How about that noise...

As you can tell, I'm paranoid about mice. 

Oddly, this mice paranoia has seriously increased starting the minute TDG left 

for his flight.

I'm so lonely that I'm rethinking if sleep training TheLittleBear was such a good idea.

When she goes to bed, I finish up the chores, but then I'm left with so much alone time.

This alone time is definitely something I crave when it's scarce, but now that I have an 

abundance, I'm so lonely. 

Wish me luck in surviving the next couple of days in my solitude ;)

More Dork Jokes

TheDapperGentleman and I were walking around our neighbourhood one day.

TDG commented: Is that house still for sale?

B.i.t.G: No, it's sold. The sold sign is on the bottom. It's just not that visible because we're far away.

TDG: Why do they leave up sold signs for so long?

B.i.t.G: I know right, it's like show me the paycheque, not the pay stub. LOL, LOL, LOL!!!

...

...

...

TheDapperGentleman did not laugh as much as I did...

So, I had to explain the joke to him.

B.i.t.G: It's funny because no one wants a pay stub, they want the money. So leaving the sign up is like taunting people. Get it? ;)

TDG: I understood the joke...

B.i.t.G: You understood the joke because I explained it, hee hee hee.

p.s. I told this joke to an accountant friend and she laughed hard!

p.s.s. You see TDG... I am hilarious. I just need to find my audience.

Organized Obsessed

As you may have already known...

I'm organized obsessed!

My obsession has now taken over TheLittleBear's snacks.

I line them up in rows...

And I even reorganize the snacks as they get disorderly as she eats them :)

Fun Facts... About Me :)

1. I love reading. I love reading fiction, non fiction, cartoons, everything. If you follow me on Instragram you’ll have seen all the books I’ve devoured lately.

2. The one thing I crave when I’m feeling sad is a nice run. There is something about running (even in circles) that calms me and helps me work things through.

3. I took up sailing a couple of summers ago and it has become my happy place. Whenever I hear water, I’m instantly brought back to the peace of a sailboat.

4. When I see Shelties, I tear up. My first family dog was a Sheltie. His name was Meister (pronounced My-ster). My bedroom door didn’t close all the way unless you pushed really hard, and he knew that and would sneak into my room at night. I miss waking up and almost tripping over him.

5. I have kept a journal ever since I was twelve! I still have them all and occasionally will re-read the drama that was my life as a teenager. It's crazy that more than half my life has been documented. I hope upon my death, someone burns them all. No one should have to read the thoughts that went through my head during puberty ;)
               Fun Fact (within a Fun Fact): Any time I ended an entry and I was in school,
               I would always end by writing, "I have to go and do some homework now." Yup,
               I was 100% a nerd :)

Sewing is My Adrenaline Rush

Some people drive fast cars...

I sew fast to get the same rush ;)

This is from a blanket I'm sewing for TheLittleBear.

p.s. minky/velour fabric is the worst,

but the softness is irresistible to me.

My love of softness outweighs the test of my patience it creates.

p.s.s my seam ripper and I have become very close friends 

since I started working with minky and velour fabrics. 

My New Job as a Book Surgeon

Dr. B.i.t.G and Surgical Nurse TheLittleBear performed Book Surgery today.

I'm happy to report that all patients will make a smooth recovery. 

As you can see from the pictures, I don't think my career 

should lead into plastic surgery... ;)

If you're interested, 

tools used were:

Packaging Tape

Scotch Tape

and Scissors 

Hold Your Baby As Much As You Want

I am definitely one of those people who fell into the trap of, "Don't hold your baby too much or you'll spoil him/her and they'll always want to be held."

When TheLittleBear was born I would hold her, but then immediately be scared that I might be spoiling her. I worked on helping her learn to be put down and not held too much.

The thing I realize months later is...

apologizing to my baby

So... 

We've been navigating the waters of biting while nursing.

A friend of mine told me that when her child bit her she made a loud reaction and that scared him enough to never bite her again. Remembering this story, I tried the same tactic. My result was much different. 

The first time TheLittleBear bit me, I was caught off guard and shouted, "Ouch!" I didn't mean to startle TLB or to cause a fuss. I was startled myself. The next couple of times I purposely made a loud fuss hoping she would see the negative reaction to her biting and stop. This was not the case. 

We ended up in a nursing strike because TLB was upset that I was scaring her with my reactions. 

It was hard not to react when sharp little teeth would bite me. 

I should have done my own research and not reacted.

KellyMom has a great article about this. 

I spent a day pumping and coaxing her back to the breast. When that didn't work, I was heartbroken. I truly thought that my breastfeeding days were behind us and I would never share that bond with her again. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to end the cuddles. I wasn't ready to not see her cute little face as she nursed. And I wasn't ready to have to clean numerous bottles at the end of the night. 

During a deflated moment when I was changing her diaper, I looked into her eyes and apologized. I apologized for scaring her and not reading up about appropriate reactions. I gave her a hug and a kiss. 

After that moment, things started to turn around. She first let me hold her in our normal nursing position. I started with nursing her to nap (which I never usually do). After that nap she started nursing like usual again. 

I believe that apologizing to her was the key. Sometimes as parents we make mistakes. I think it's important to let our children see that we make mistakes and show them how we fix them. Learning how to handle different situations is more important to me than to have my child think I'm perfect :)

Are You Obsessed With Your Phone?

I read this article about someone boycotting their phone for a week.

I've never been an avid user of cell phones. I very much dislike being interrupted by the constant bing and hum of alerts.

However...

Wow, It's Been A Long Time

Hello Friends,

Yikes, it's been a long time since I've updated everyone. So many thing have happened since August.

TheLittleBear is growing up so fast! When she first came into our lives I thought the newborn crying all the time stage was never going to end. As she gets bigger and stronger she becomes a more pleasant person to be around. I think the reason she was so upset before was because she couldn't do what the bigger humans were doing.

The crazy thing is, no matter how tough my days are sometimes, I would not change one thing. I love the tough days and the amazingly joyful days. I have never been so happy in my entire life. When I hold her and sway her to sleep, I think about how amazing she is, and how amazing it is that I get to be her mum.

I hope everyone is having an amazing winter.

Spring is just around the corner!

Hugs and Kisses,

B

The Oddest Compliment

When most people get complimented it's on an amazingly awesome personality trait.

For me, I get complimented on how I'm really good at making awkward silences less awkward.

I guess sitting in front of me and not talking really works for my tea drinking companions. On multiple occasions I've been complimented on how being silent around me is so refreshing and comforting.

I'm glad I could help friends ;)

I love being silent with others. Their energy is all I need sometimes.

Here's a great article about how silent pauses are very much welcomed in Finland.

This is somewhere my tendencies would be well appreciated.

The Pressure of Doing Well

I always endeavour to be honest, so here goes.


I can't wait until school is over because the pressure I put on myself and the pressure put upon me by others will cease. It's debilitating sometimes to have the pressure of past well performances looming over you. It's like a benchmark of my life that I'm not allowed to go below.

People around me always dismiss my feeling when I'm in a moment of self doubt. Sometimes a strong person needs someone to listen. School is tough, and sometimes in moments of stress I doubt that I'll be able to pass a course.

I've been known to do well, but that isn't always a benchmark for the future. Let me fail. Let me not be perfect at school. Lend me your ear in moments of stress and self doubt. Please don't dismiss my feeling because I've done well in the past.

My past performance is not a benchmark for the future. Every situation or course is new for me and self doubt is natural in new situations/courses.

An empathetic ear is always better than dismissiveness and advice giving.