Another round...

After 2 weeks of a sore throat & ear aches off & on, I called the dr's office. I am back on antibiotics. I also talked to my friend who got me started on Reliv. She said when she started it took 3 full months before she really felt well. She also said she took extra when she felt really bad, so I have reordered both the NOW and Innergize products. I really want this to work for me. If it does, I want to share it with others. I have heard so many amazing stories. They say it doesn't cure anything and doesn't claim to. What it does is provide missing nutrition that our bodies need. Many of these people have taken every supplement out there & this is the one that worked for them. I am praying this is what helps me!

One week later....

They must use these words a lot on kids' shows because my girls seem to enjoy saying, "One week later...." or "Two hours later...." I know it's actually a week & a day later. I felt worse as last week progressed, but finally started feeling a touch better this week. Yesterday I was totally exhausted. Today we were on the go from 7:30 til 4:15. Tomorrow should be a "Don't wake me up early unless the house is on fire" kind of day. I DID manage to do schoolwork with the girls yesterday & today made them do math when we got home. They got a brief history/language lesson at our friends' house. Ask them what "That's a feather in your cap" means. I'm trying to not go to the doctor & see if my body can fight this off on its own with the help of Reliv & rest.

2 other things I added to my diet: Flax seed and Melaleuca's Fiberwise. I would get the Fibrestore from Reliv, but it has barley in it, which has gluten. M's version has oats, which are "questionable" on the gluten free diet, but I decided to go ahead & get it. I knew flax seed had some great qualities, but had never used it. Not that I hadn't bought it, I just never used it! Bad, I know. One of my online friends, Karen, told me about mixing ground flaxseed with yogurt or sprinkling it on other foods. She gave me a link with recipes, but I need to go back & find it. Today my friend Kathy gave me a bag of gluten free crackers that also have flax seed in them. She gave me a toilet seat, too, which could be tied into taking fiber & flax seed! LOL! Okay, our toilet seat broke & she had a spare she didn't need, but I thought it was funny to put it in this post. I'm pretty sure I have an audience of 1---and only when I read my own blog!

Off to eat some tater tot casserole & hoping my stone didn't break. I had frozen it & thawed it in the microwave, but some felt very cold still when I put it in the oven. I'm sure tater tot casserole is in the top ten most healthy foods. ha, ha!

Wow, that was a long break!

If I have anyone reading this blog still, hello! If not, I will just ramble on to myself as a sort of diary. I can't even remember what I posted last time. I think I mentioned that my iron was too high. I need to do a hemocult test (which sounds absolutely yucky) to be sure nothing bad is going on. To do that I have to be off NSAIDS for a week before starting the test. These are meds like aspirin, iburpofen, naproxen & such. I can take Tylenol. The directions say, "Do not eat fresh fruits and vegetables during the test period, especially radishes, beets, and watermelon." First, I think if it says not to eat them it is silly to say especially those...LOL! Second, having had colonoscopies, I know part of the prep for that is no red food for a certain period of time before the test. The tylenol we had is red coated, so I just got some in plain white today. (I told you I was going to ramble, so don't roll your eyes at all these details! ha, ha!)

I've not been using my Reliv faithfully this past week. Partly because another rule is you can only have a certain amount of vitamin C for this test AND I noticed the Reliv is high in iron, so I think that may be causing the test results. Anyway, I was super tired yesterday & today woke up feeling cruddy. It could be from headaches with new glasses (more on that in a moment) and lack of sleep from a swollen arm over the weekend (no clue how I got that). Anyway, I need to take the Reliv, but suppose I should refrain from taking a full dose til this test is over.

I have finally progressed to needing progressive lenses. That means I am old enough to need reading glasses. However, my distance vision is so poor that I need bifocals. The guy at the eye doctor's office kept correcting me when I said bifocals, "These are PROGRESSIVES." Oh, okay. I'm getting used to them, or trying to get used to them. The day I had them made I had to wear some really old "Steve Erkle" style glasses (as my charming 10 year old calls them). I didn't get new frames, so had to drop those off at the office. I wondered if anyone thought I was some crazy lady with these HUGE glasses on! Boy, were we stylish in the 80's & 90's with those! LOL! I think these are not sitting on my face correctly, so probably need some adjusting. THey also feel heavier. I've had to figure out how to move my head and tend to need to move the glasses, making them sit further down my nose. That gives me headaches. I can think of worse fates and am VERY thankful for having glasses. I saw enough people in need in our one year in Africa that I should never be ungrateful. Sadly, I fall right back into the American trap of things not being convenient enough for us. That's a different post for a different day!

I have lost no weight. None. Nada. I haven't tried very hard. I need to exercise again.

I'll try to ramble some more when I have something new to share!

The Numbers

I had my follow up check up since talking to the Health Coach the first time in April. The only number I didn't like was my weight. I have only dropped one pound (and the doctor & I think the scale at the other side of the clinic is off b/c it said I had dropped several pounds & now would have gained those back). That stinks. The GOOD news was my cholesterol levels are GOOD! My LDL is 73. It was 90 back in April. Less than 100 is optimal, but the health coach wanted to see mine even lower b/c of asthma. The doctor didn't seem to agree with that when I told her that today. My HDL (good cholesterol) went UP 10 points, which is good. You WANT HIGHER HDL. 60 or above is optimal for women. Mine was at 59 before and now is at 69. I told her (fully expecting to find out the numbers had not changed) that prior to the blood draw I had only been watching my fat/cholesterol intake without added exercise. I did mention that we moved into a house with stairs so I was getting more exercise just due to that. Now that I've actually added exercise, I wonder what my #'s will show.

I'm keeping up with the "slimfast" type drinks and also added a fiber supplement for weight loss. I cannot eat so many of the recommended fiber foods because the grains contain gluten. This supplement has no gluten and uses inulin from vegetables as the main fiber. I'm still making smoothies of some sort with the Reliv products.

I mentioned the Reliv products to the doctor and told her I wondered if anything in that caused my cholesterol numbers to change. I forgot to take the cannister in so she could see the ingredients.

I don't go back again until December & will have a physical at that point. I wonder if they do brain scans. I was hoping she could tell me why mine seems to be missing sometimes. LOL!

I let the girls build a fort in the living room yesterday. It has to come down tomorrow. Until then I have no space for my walking DVD. My computer doesn't have a dvd player in it or I'd set it up here to do. Might even make Phil do this walking workout, too!

Stay well!

The "E" word

There are two types of people in this world: Those who think working out is the greatest thing EVER and those who really don't like to be around the first set of people. ha, ha! I went in for my 3 mos. blood draw this past Monday. I don't know the results, but I will on Monday. I know I have not done what I was told to do. At least I HAD not until this week.

This week I found a walking video. That's not a video that walks. It's a video with walking that you can do at home in a small space. I didn't even have that small space in my old house. In the new house, I didn't have it because of boxes, but I took care of that this week and put on that video. I ex.... exer..... exerc..... oh, it's a bad word & I'm not allowed to say bad words, but that thing where you have to actually move around & walking from the fridge to the TV doesn't count. Or to the computer desk in my case (hey, it's upstairs! that should count for something!).

This video came with a belt you put around your waist (okay, where else would you put a belt?). You make it tight (it velcros on). It has resistance bands that hook onto the back of the belt & you use those in your hands from time to time. The first day I actually made it to the 1 mile mark, but I am sure I didn't walk a mile's worth b/c I slowed down towards the end. The second day I was sore. I didn't know my tummy could be so sore from walking! It's that belt that makes the abs work harder. I also was sore in muscles I didn't know existed. Today was day 3 and I did "Mile 2" but at a slower pace much of the time. Those muscles were still not happy with me.

I also decided to try the "D" word. The one where you don't eat as much. I know it's not a life change like using Weight Watchers, but I bought some store brand "Slim Fast" type drinks. They were GF and on sale. I couldn't go wrong with that. I did really well the first day & drank lots of water. Yesterday I did well til night. I had a small bowl of ice cream. Today, well, I had a coke and a candy bar, and later another sweet. BUT, I drank slimfast for breakfast, had a salad for lunch, and had the drink for supper.

The scale hasn't budged one bit. I think someone comes in at night and adjusts it. That has to be it. Hopefully at the doctor's office the scale will be nicer.

I'm still doing the Reliv, so we'll see how it goes!

Until next time, happy exe....and di....., well, you know.

Almost one month on Reliv

I've been on Reliv Now and Innergize for nearly a month. So far, I cannot tell a difference. I will say, though, that I have really enjoyed drinking a "shake" every day because I make a smoothie at least once a day with juice, yogurt and fresh fruit. I feel like I must be getting my fruit amount in for the day! I have gained rather than lost weight. I go to the doctor's office tomorrow for a blood draw (routine for me every 3 months) then to see the doctor the following Monday. Maybe between now & then I can shed a couple of pounds. I have been trying to eat lower fat/lower cholesterol foods to help lower my LDL cholesterol level. I have NOT been exercising regularly as the doctor wanted me to do. I HAVE been climbing up & down stairs which seems to me I should have at least stabilized in weight & not gained any. Sigh.

I may add one more Reliv product (Fibrestore) when I have the money to do that. I'd like to try their diet shakes, but I know I can't get that AND the Fibrestore along with needing a new can of the basic stuff. I also am going to switch to the Reliv Classic & see how that goes. Still holding out hope this will work!

One week

It's been one week since I started on the Reliv Now and the Reliv Innergize. I haven't taken the Innergize daily as I sometimes forget in the morning & am afraid it might keep me up. So far I've not noticed much difference. I did get a sick stomach this week, but that was due to some sausage that just didn't settle well in my stomach. I'm still taking the Mannatech shakes every other day or so in hopes of dropping some pounds.

We'll see what next week holds!

The first meeting

I attended my first meeting last night. First thoughts were, "This is a tiny room," and "There are a lot of old ladies here." My experience in meetings in hotel rooms are based on Pampered Chef. We had a good size meeting room and we were all different ages from college to retirement and everything in between.

I met several people who were all very nice and friendly. This meeting is one they typically do on Tuesday nights. It's an introductory meeting where you learn what Reliv products are & what they can do, plus what the company can do for you financially. Since I've been in the direct sales world for over 8 years and have looked at the financial structure of several companies, it is interesting for me to hear the compensation plan of different companies. Several people stood up and shared stories of what these products have done for them. The main speaker was a guest, a 64 year old woman who was in bed and very ill in her 40's. Once she got started on Reliv, she has been healthier than ever & has even battled cancer without any chemo, and the tumor is gone. Other stories told how health problems had disappeared after using these products. Then some told how much money they've earned at different times. I still don't fully comprehend the compensation plan, but I listened just the same.

After the presentation, I met some more people who told me how this has changed their lives and so forth. Now, these people are total strangers to me. I have no reason to not trust them, but let's be real here. I don't know these people, so I don't know what shape they were in or what else might have been going on. I DO know my friend Jennifer and her teenage son. I DO trust what she says and the products have helped her. Even so, I was impressed, especially when the speaker called a lady in another state who told us she had Celiac Disease and Fibromyalgia. That got my attention. Her husband had to quit his job as a pastor to make enough money to care for his wife who was sick all the time. Now she is well and they minister to people through this business.

I suppose someone who is a gung-ho, let's jump in & go for the gusto person might hear these stories and run out to tell all their friends. I'm a bit slow and cautious. You can start at different levels in the business by how much you buy at first. I started at the lowest level with the smallest purchase. A friend of mine has shared that a friend of hers jumped in with both feet and the products didn't help her at all. Her words to me were, "Be cautious." It made me smile because she & I are both that way!

Today I used the RelivNOW and also some Innergize. The NOW is one of the main products and it has the basic nutrition in it. In fact, NOW and/or Classic (both main nutritional products) seem to be what the company sends to 3rd world countries around the world through it's giving program, the Kalogris Foundation. I did see pictures of kids around the world holding cans of this stuff. Even when they don't get enough nourishment from the food they eat, this helps them.

Back to my trial period. The Innergize is a Vitamin C/electrolyte supplement that is supposed to go along with the main product. The first thing I saw on the package was that it prevented dehydration. I immediately thought of Phil riding his bike in this insane heat. Or is that insane Phil riding his bike in this heat. I gave him half-serving of the stuff in some tea. When he got home he said he could tell a difference with just that one serving. He said by the time he reaches a certain town he is "hurting." This time he said he didn't even feel like he needed a drink, but he got one anyway. I kept asking him, "Really?" because I just don't know how something can work that well. He's as big a skeptic as I am, so I really expected him to say, "It doesn't do anything."

I can't tell any difference yet, but it's only day 1 & it could take a couple of months. I will give it up to 3 or 4 months. If there is NO improvement in my health, then I will try a different road.

In the meantime, I still have some weight loss shake mix from Mannatech, so I've been drinking that this week (just twice). I will say I feel like I've been getting a full serving of fiber and then some. Ahem.

If I am going to be honest about this health stuff, I must say that I'd been really good about not getting sweets at the store (though I have not given up my Coke yet). Yesterday & today I blew it & have eaten candy. My scale says my weight has not budged. I thought with all the blood, sweat & tears (okay, just sweat) shed during our move and having stairs now I'd have lost SOMETHING. The scale at the dr's office says I've lost weight. I'm going with that.

Good night!

Beginning a new health journey

For as long as I can remember, I have had a habit of getting sick. Not deathly, in the hospital, draw up the will kind of sick, but naggingly sick. 99% of the time it starts with allergies. I remember taking "Novahistine" as a child. It was a green minty kind of medicine. In retrospect, it probably had some alcohol in it as I remember a warm tummy feeling when I took it. Any time my brothers or I got a sore throat, we were taken to the doctor's office. My grandfather (my mom's dad) died of rheumatic fever that started as a strep infection. He was sick a lot, too, I've heard, when he was younger. I've been diagnosed with "severe allergies". I did have quite a few, but the severity was due to HOW allergic I was, not how many allergies I had. I've been on shots. I've been on meds. I've tried echinacea and zinc and goldenseal and Mannatech and Melaleuca and Usana and more. I've been sure to drink orange juice (with a prilosec, thanks to a little acid in my tummy, in case you wondered). I found out I have autoimmune diseases: Celiac (gluten intolerance), asthma, and fibromyalgia. My immune system was overactive (maybe still is) but it attacks itself, leaving me run down. Okay, I admit, I also stay up too late at night, but home schooling moms long for just a few moments alone! I was underweight for many years, about right for about 3 or 4 years, and overweight for the past 4 years. Oh, yeah, let's not forget that my I have bursitis in my knees and I am now diagnosed as "perimenopausal" which I think means, "leave me alone for 2 weeks out of the month and no one gets hurt." Most my friends are right there with me, so we have an unspoken understanding about this one.

Reading all this (you DID read it all, didn't you?), can you sum it up in the word, "Unhealthy?" I can. I need to lose weight (for my health's sake, not out of vanity; life is too short for me to worry about that!). I need to feel better. I need more energy. The Lord has not called us to worry at all, nor has He called us to try to look like a supermodel (in fact, in Proverbs, He clearly tells us that beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised). He HAS told us to care for this body we are in, which is our "temple". If we know the Lord, His Holy Spirit lives in this body of mine. I wonder how he fits in there between the fat and bones. He hasn't called us to make our body a god, something we obsess over and/or worship. Okay, okay, enough preaching. I'll stop now on that.

Several months ago a friend told me she knew someone who had chronic respiratory problems and was about to have surgery when he tried a product by a company called Reliv. She told me she used to have chronic health issues until she got on the products by this company. Finally, I decided to give it a whirl. I am officially a Reliv distributor. I got my first order today and have taken a 1/2 daily serving of the main product. I wanted to try this to feel better, of course, but also because their products are all mixes you can put into drinks. I hate swallowing pills. I think I was still asking for prescriptions in liquid form until I was 15 years old! I can swallow pills now, but most nutritional supplement/vitamin pills are HUGE. I gag on them. I avoid taking them. This is a powder I can put into orange juice. I just made myself a milk, o.j., fruit smoothie and drank the NOW product I received. I couldn't really taste the product at all. I tried it with just milk to see if it tasted like a milkshake, but it really had no flavor, so I opted for the fruit.

I will attend a meeting tonight and find out more about this product and business. I have already told people if it works for me they MUST try it! The doctor has ordered me to lose weight, so I will see how I do with just the basic products (NOW and Innergize) then I may add their weightloss products.

Will you join me as I begin this journey and see where it leads me? I'll try to keep posting with how I feel taking the products.

Until I drink it up again.