by Tish MacWebber | Aug 11, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 25
I had a rough week last week. It was one of those “hard on my head” kind of weeks. I am struggling to dig out from under the stuff that was dragging me down. It is hard to focus on living a healthier lifestyle when the world is crashing all around you, and pulling the rug out from under your feet. This week was not much better, but I am turning things around. I have made some decisions.
Sometimes there are too many things to deal with and I get overwhelmed. Or frustrated. Or angry. I did some thinking this week, and I made some decisions. My anger may have got the best of me in the last two weeks, and I am still finding ways to deal with it. Eating is not one of them. I have struggled to make healthier choices when it comes to food. I went to Zumba. In Zumba, I realized my abs were not going to be happy with me the next day. I decided that was OK, because I am really not too pleased with my abs, either.
Instead of spiralling out of control, I spent some time dealing with my feelings. They are not all resolved, but I decided that I was not able to control some things. I also realized that there are some things that I can control. I did some cooking. Tonight I made Bangin Ranch Drums. THM is a source of healthy recipes and food. I have been making some of the recipes over and over, and I need to get back to it.
Tonight was a good start. A week from tonight, I will meet my new doctor. I finally made an appointment. It will be good to get it over, and I am hoping that it will be a good experience. If not, I will ask for a different doctor in the clinic I go to. I am really hoping that it works out.
I do not have a lot of information or inspiration this week. So I will just encourage anyone that is reading this to keep going. Keep fighting for yourself. Keep working to let your inner beauty shine so bright that the monster doesn’t stand a chance. Because it is a never ending struggle, and no matter what your issues are, we can only tackle the ones we have a chance at winning. That doesn’t mean that you should throw in the towel and give up. What it does mean, is that sometimes you have to choose your battles. This week I took my time about it, but in the end, I picked me. And that is the best choice I can make.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 4, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 24
Life is funny. Today when I got up I expected good news here on my blog, as I had published an introduction and my second guest blog post on another blogger’s site. I was not wrong. The day turned dark on me this afternoon, and I came home and posted on social media that I was having a hard time. Friends asked if they could help. One person sent a friend request. That person I had never chatted with before helped me turn my night around. I am not saying that I am not still having the feelings I had earlier, but just having a cry wasn’t enough, either. I had to do something different.
I have been using this blog to help myself and to try to help others. Whether it is to share a laugh, or tips, or explore my inner thoughts and demons, I have a purpose here. It has grown since its beginnings under a different name until I was challenged to rethink things and make it better. I like to write, that is obvious, and I have rediscovered my passion for writing since I started this adventure last November. I am working hard at it, to set and keep deadlines, and practice my writing skills. I am proud of what I have done so far.
I am working on myself too. On a day like today, there were too many emotions to keep under the cork. The cork popped, and my tears flowed. I was sitting here unashamedly crying my beautiful blue eyes out, trying to understand why I wasn’t good enough for something else I wanted to do. I am working on a lot of me and there is a lot of me to work on. I am trying to find my gumption every day, not every other week. I am trying to maintain the cleaning I have done thus far in my home, and improve on it. I am doing well with the Blog writing, but not so well in the book writing. I am busy socially, both online and in real life. I am going to Zumba when I can. I do some prep cooking, but admittedly not enough. As I am often told, sometimes I am too hard on myself. The truth is, and I think I have shared this before, I don’t know how to be any other way.
I have issues with self-esteem. I often feel like I am good, but not good enough. This is part of what happened to me today. When I am rejected, it is like I am taking a kick in the teeth. I try not to let things show all the time, but there are days like today that I am frustrated, and my only way to get it out is through my tears. I try really hard to not speak out impulsively in anger. I lost that one today, on both fronts. I really feel like I am being treated unfairly, with a few different things that are happening in my life. All of these things added up, and in time, they have to be let out. Some people yell. Some people become quiet. Some people hide. People like me, well we cry and eat. Trying to fill the hole caused by whatever triggered the feelings. I am trying to change that.
The new friend I made today said to write a gratitude list. Write down five things that I have gratitude about in my life. In a private message, she also invited me to write down 3 things that are causing me to have my issues I posted about. I did. I shared what was going on with a few close friends. My new friend agreed with me that I had a reason to be upset. I didn’t need the validation, but there it was. Without telling this person everything that was setting me off today, they still saw that there is a lot going on for one person to deal with. Keeping those three things inside was a part of what made it so hard for me to cope today.
I need to make some changes. I can’t fix every problem that I am facing right now, but I am trying to work on the ones I can. Tomorrow is a new day. I will try to face it with my best foot forward, but right now, I am feeling a little nervous about that. People that know me know that I am not good at hiding how I feel. It’s going to be a bad day tomorrow because what happened today was bad news for me, and it will be good news for some other people tomorrow. That is going to be hard to swallow. Considering I would rather avoid it all and just make poor choices for what to eat and drink avoid real life tomorrow. I am going to end with my gratitude list. It didn’t fix my problems, but at least it got me thinking about something else. For a little while.
1. Discovering my passion for writing and realizing it is what I am meant to do.
2.My husband is my rock and my hero.
3. The joy I get from working on my blog and watching it grow.
4.My stubbornness.
5. Friends and family.
6. My blue eyes.
7. My sense of humour.
After I calmed down a bit, my final entry to the list for the day was:
8. I still have my teeth. Nobody actually managed to kick any out yet.
My new friend was right. It’s all about perspective.
#TrustYourGut.
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 20, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 22
Well, folks, it has been a fantastic day! I didn’t start off too well, I started the day with a sugar low. I didn’t let that stop me, not for too long. I ate my banana in the car and had a juice box when I got to work. My sugars, of course, went up from there. As usual, I chased the banana with a black coffee. That’s how my days start. I don’t usually have the juice box, and I don’t usually have the low at that time of day. So what is going on?
I have worked hard this week to find my way back to working on me. I have had to make some decisions and some changes. I have started cooking meals that are on plan this week, and I am letting myself enjoy what I make. That is how Trim Healthy Mama is supposed to work. I’m not an expert, and I stray a little here and there, but I am getting my groove back, and the scale is responding the right way.
I am also happy to say that I am sitting here melting in my living room. It is said to be the warmest day of the week, and it is more than warm. I am not just warm because of the temperature in here, but also because I have made it to Zumba twice this week. So when I write that I am melting, it is literal. I worked out in this heat, hydrated, and now I am relaxing in my little almost sauna. It sounds better than it is, but I am not here to complain.
I am here to try and help people. I have been lacking in that department, lately, because I was not trying very hard myself. I have had enough of that noise! I am back and working hard to make more progress than before! I am seeing it, and when I see it, I know it is real. I am cooking. I am planning. I am working with recipes that I really love because that is what keeps me going back to this plan.
My sugars are coming back around. That is one of the most important things I can do for my health, is to monitor my sugars, and eat so that they stabilize. I am working on that, and THM is the way for me to do that. When I add in exercise, it is a remarkable difference in how I feel, and how I attack every day. Planning is so important for me when it comes to food. I have worked hard this week to make food that is on plan so I can start winning this thing called life we all play at here.
I am breaking away from the bad habits again. Only I can do that, I have to believe that I am worth the effort. Now that I am back in my routine, and back from vacation, it was time to start working on things that help me feel better, and live life better.
After my on plan supper, I was wanting a little something extra. I tried the new Good Thins Beet crackers. They are OK, but I saw the ingredients and decided to not eat too many. I was debating making an on plan shake or smoothie when my husband showed up. He had picked up his own supper, and cinnamon rolls. But the best thing he brought home was a bag full of fresh cherries. I indulged in a bowl full of cherries. Because let’s face it, life really is based a lot on your perspective, and in what you make of it. I am making the most of things tonight, and having the bowl of cherries, because who wants to choke on the pits? Not me. I’m back, and I am feeling great!
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 18, 2017 | Events
Once in a blue moon, I get the idea to buy makeup. Usually, there is an event that I will be attending as the reason for this thought to cross my mind. This time my motivations were different. I am spring cleaning my home, and I had decided that I have too much makeup for the rare occasion that I wear it. I decided it was time to purge it.
I made it official. I shared my plan on Facebook. Then I got scared. Full on panic. I was worried that if I threw it all out, I would not be able to replace all of the components within my budget. So I gathered it up to have ready to purge after I bought the new makeup.
Since I had made this a public announcement, I started getting comments. I decided that I would make use of $85.oo in Optimum Points and buy my new makeup at Shoppers Drug Mart. I was advised which store to choose in the city, there are two, and then I was asked if I went yet or not. A few friends wanted to help. I felt at this point that it was becoming more of an event than a shopping trip on the other side of the city.
One of my friends is trained in makeup application. She was joining me to get a few hours break from being a full-time Mom. She had asked me a few weeks ago that if there was anything that I was doing, she would gladly join me to get a break. She lives outside of the city, and we don’t see each other as much as we used to, so I thought it would be a perfect girls day out if she was available. She made arrangements, and I would be picking her up the next day. We decided that if our mutual friend felt up to it, that we would take her too, or if not, we would visit her before the day trip was over. By this time another friend had asked if she could join us. So, a party of 4 showed up at the store the next day.
I had decided before we got there that I was going to need a skin care routine. I don’t really have one, and I wanted to replace the skin cleansers I had been using because they had expired. The lady I was consulting with helped me with all of my choices. She was amazing! She walked me through the basics and helped me pick colours and brands that some friends had recommended, but I had never heard of before. It was an adventure! One friend joined the shopping spree and found the store to be quite impressive, as I did. Our other friends were with another consultant, and one of them, the friend I was giving a day out of the mommy land, she was getting a makeover.
Those of us that were shopping got a bonus lip gloss and 2 free movie admission tickets. That was really great! His & Hers gift for her shopping. Win-win!
When we finished there, it was time to really take a hard look at the old makeup and force me to purge it. There was a Starbucks next door, so we went in there with my 2 large Ziploc bags full of my older makeup.
We got our drinks and snacks and found a table. When we were settled in, we made a plan of attack. Certain things needed to be tossed. Others could be donated, my friend has a teenager. As discussed in detail on my Facebook wall, you can clean powdered makeup with alcohol. 90% was recommended, the kind you have to ask for. You wet the powder and wipe off the top layer of the powdered makeup with a tissue. The rest of the powder is then left to evaporate the alcohol, and it is clean and able to be used safely again. Makeup that was in decent shape was put into a donate pile.
All the old mascara was tossed, as it was all more than 3 months old. Any colours or products I wasn’t certain about, were set aside to compare to my new makeup at the end. I would say that the donate/toss makeup amounted to 2/3 of the total makeup I had there before I went shopping.
Left: to toss Right: to donate
After we all went home, I then began planning phase 2 of this plan I had hatched. I needed to find a way to keep all of the new and old makeup organized. I went on a few different trips to some local stores and found bits and pieces to pull together my very own cosmetics counter in my Master Bathroom.
This is the final result of my organization phase:
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Tish’s Organized Cosmetics Counter
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Tish’s Organized Cosmetics Counter
Obviously, I did not buy all of the product shown here for $85.00 in Optimum points. With the points, you have to pay the taxes when you redeem them. So I think I made good use of the points, and I am using the cleansing routine now on a daily basis.
The pic below shows what I kept, in the Ziploc bag, and what is new is placed on the counter. This is the final result of the purge and purchase:
New and To Keep Makeup.
I have also purchased Vichy Skin Cleansing, Toning, and Moisturizing products, not shown. I am happy with my purchases, although I find the new lip stain ( the 2nd tube from the right) to be a little bright. I guess that means I will have to go shopping again…
When I take the time to actually do my makeup and have a reason to put it on, I will write about the experience, with before and after pics. I have lots of before pics to choose from. What a fun afternoon we had. Do you have any organization tips for your cosmetics? What product is in your must have list?
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 6, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 20
Vacation. It is that time of year when people are travelling and going to celebrations with friends and family. Vacation time can be a tricky thing on days when you aren’t in control of the food and drink that you may consume. This can pose a difficult problem if you are committed to your plan and goals.
You want to be invited to all of the events. You want to participate in the fun. For me, the fun includes eating and drinking the same things as everyone else. So it is a tricky tightrope to walk on when you are trying to fit in, even though it may not be the best way for you to stay the course.
I have to constantly check my blood sugars. That is helpful. I can adjust the insulin I have to take to adapt to what I am eating. But as I have written before, sometimes that dosage is a guessing game, at best.
I experienced a low last week. It was a bad one. Maybe more because it caught me by surprise, and also because of how long it has been since the last time I had a low. It isn’t a simple fix, it takes time for my body to recover from a blood sugar low. This time it took me two and a half hours to feel normal again.
Highs are no better. I feel really tired, to the extreme of me not being able to physically stay awake. There are times that I am literally fighting with myself to stay awake. It is not because I am needing sleep, this too is a side effect of the high sugars, and it is a little hard to explain. The closest I can come is that it is not something that you can control, only fight it. I am usually aware of what is happening at the time it is happening to try and recover. But it is not an easy thing to do.
When you have to think about the effects of everything that you eat and drink, it makes it hard to fit in at gatherings. A lot of them have sweets and cake and even alcoholic beverages are a source of empty calories. So what is a person to do when faced with all of these temptations?
Think about the occasion. What would be acceptable to participate in? What choices can you make? Skip the cake or the ice cream? Or eat salads earlier in the day so you can indulge a little at the celebration?
After all, only you control what you eat or drink. It is up to you. It doesn’t matter to anyone else whether or not you eat that cake or not. It really only matters to you. When you are planning a vacation, keep in mind that sometimes you will have complete control over what you eat and drink, and sometimes you will have to go with the flow. The trick is proper planning and to not go overboard when you do participate in celebrations. Remember to drink your water too, it can help speed up the recovery time of eating or drinking off plan. Really, it is all about balance, both on and off the scale.
#TrustYourGut
