Only a few more days

This coming Sunday, September 12th - I will start my first progesterone cream treatment. I still have NO idea if it will help or not - but I am hopeful. It feels like this is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Today I also called a Holistic GYN - that I feel I could trust with symptoms and recovery techniques far beyond the regular medicine world. But I have not decided if I should go for it now or not. It will most likely not be covered by my insurance and the first visit is $280... that is almost half a ticket to Sweden over Christmas.

I don't know what to do. Maybe I can go to my regular doctor and have them do some hormone testing on me and that will give me a starting point? But that will mean that I need to get in on Monday so that the progesterone cream does not give a too false starting point. And maybe after a month on the cream if things are still the same I might look for more answers. I don't know... I would love to have someone to talk to that I trust and that would understand...

This past month have been a little set back month for me. I have experienced minor anxiety, heart palpitations, gas, depression, insomnia. food cravings and my cycles have not been on the mark lately either... and I ask myself if it is because I am truly getting a little worse as far as hormone imbalance or if it is because I have been slacking with my supplements eating habits and exercise regimen?! Can it be a little bit of both??

Sunday will be a whole new start for me. I am not only going to attack my issues with the progesterone cream, but also start taking my Thyroid supplements, Vitamin D3, Fish Oil, Vitamin C, and Magnesium along with eating less carbs and sugar and jump back on my exercise schedule again... I have to make it work, I just have to!

Back on track

Mood called me Friday last week after receiving my letter with a piece of my fabric and told me that they will be shipping some more!! And I received it yesterday. I hope to be done with the dress over the weekend and have decided that instead of doing a short sleeve I am going to make it long and fold it up when needed.

Hopefully there will be enough fabric over for me to make a skirt I was looking at, at GAP:

And on the health aspect of my life I am trying something new and would appreciate any comments on experience with progesterone cream from everyone that have tried it. Please click here and leave a comment, I would really appreciate it.

Mood-y

So I went to Mood with my sister and got this super great shirt fabric that I started making a shirt dress out of 2 weekends ago and was going to finish up yesterday.

I should add to the story that I usually NEVER follow a pattern I buy 100% - I always need to change something here and there... but buy the pattern that is closest to my own designs, I usually only have in my head so my progress is a step by step thing.

So I bought this pattern: Vouge V8613

But this pattern calls for a fabric with a light stretch - I was using a 100% cotton fabric with no stretch so I had to use a size bigger than what I would have picked normally and I wanted the buttons and front opening to go all the way down the skirt as well... I was planning to change the oak as well but changed my mind as it was just a little too much fixing back and forth and I just wanted to get the dress done before summer is over.

So last night when I was cutting the skirt parts out I was running a little short on fabric so I had to use all the tricks I knew to get the most out of it... and I got it all on there... except for that I cut out two right sides instead of one right and one left.... whaaaaat?!?!?!!

My mojo just disappeared and I was so upset - now what!?!
Today I called Mood and will send them a little sample of my fabric and HOPE that they still have it and can send me some more because I simply LOVE this fabric and I need to have this dress done!

I hope this is it

I think and I hope, even pray, that I have found the last piece to the puzzle when it comes to my recovery from yasmin (birth control).

It is hard to know for sure, and before testing I can still only hope and pray, but I think that I have excess estrogen and not enough progesterone in my body and that combination is making me gain weight simply by blocking my perfectly healthy thyroid to perform what it is supposed to do. And that will make the body store estrogen in the fat tissue making it even harder to lose, and will keep me feel like I have blood sugar issues. I say that it makes me feel like I have blood sugar issues because I feel really shaky and warm from some kind of foods high in sugar but every time I test my blood sugar, it is perfectly normal...

And I have stopped looking for answer at the doctor's office. If my thyroid test comes back normal then it is 'just me' and I have to 'get used to my new body'. Well gaining 25 lbs in less that 2 years (where over 15lbs happened in just 2 months) is NOT normal no matter if I still look like a 'normal' woman. Even the most ignorant person should notice that... but no... unless I am half dead no one will even pretend to be concerned. 

I would LOVE to hear from anyone that have tried natural progesterone cream, both good and bad experiences are welcome. Please?

Baby Model

I just have to post some pictures of when I had a little baby girl wearing my clothes. She was a great model and here are some samples:

This dress is not for sale on my Etsy store yet - so if you want to buy it you can send me an email at CandieInk@live.com - Sizes range from about 9 months to 2 years (I will give interested specific measurements)

This one is also unavailable on Etsy for now, so once again if you want one - send me an email. 

Sizes available are: NB, 6M, 12M, 18M, 24M

Also available in Baby Blue for the boys

Soft Jean Romper - fits so great!

Sizes and more picture available at my Etsy shop

Could it be?

Last post I wrote was about that book recommendation... today's post will have something to do with it. Many women are suffering from different things without having their symptoms confirmed by a test of some kind which throws these women in a bracket of "it is just in your head - you are doing fine". Making us think we are crazy.

Now, I do admit - we have our crazy moments just because we are women, we can go crazy over a pair of shoes and we feel complete with a fancy Coach bag on our shoulders... but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about constant pain, physical or mental, that is just there without reason or explanation.

I don't believe that I am sitting on the answer but the book I recommended have a lot of information that might clear things up for you or someone you love. The book is a great investment! But if you are not sure yet if it will speak to you and your symptoms, why don't you first take this online test to make sure!?

Hormone Balance Test

New Book Recommendation

For all of you women out there I have to recommend ONE book and I want to say this with it:

If you or someone you know is suffering from ANY of the below listed symptoms - read the book!

Acceleration of the aging process
Allergy symptoms, including asthma, hives, rashes, sinus congestion
Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, erythematosis and thyroiditis, and possibly Sjögren’s disease
Breast Cancer
Brest Tenderness
Cervical dysplasia
Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction
Copper excess
Decreased sex drive
Depression with anxiety or agitation
Dry eyes
Early onset of menstruation
Endometrial (uterine) cancer
Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs
Fatigue
Fibrocystic breasts
Foggy thinking
Gallbladder disease
Hair Loss
Headaches
Hypoglycemia
Increased blood clotting
Infertility
Irregular menstrual periods
Irritability
Insomnia
Magnesium deficiency
Memory loss
Mood swings
Osteoporosis
PMS
Polycystic ovaries
Premenopausal bone loss
Prostate Cancer
Sluggish metabolism
Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism
Uterine cancer
Uterine fibroids
Water retention, bloating
Zinc deficiency

The book is: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause - written by Dr. John R. Lee M.D.
Dr John R Lee website

First Visit to Mood

My sister was here at the end of July and we did our required visit to NYC - I absolutely LOVE that city and to be there with my sister just made it even better! I had promised to show her SoHo but we just had to stop at Mood. I am ashamed to say it, but I had never been there before this summer... and I was overwhelmed! I absolutely loved it. I didn't really have a plan in mind of what to make so my mind was spinning in millions directions when I was looking at all of the wonderful fabrics! I ended up buying just one... but that is ok now I know what to expect when I go next time.

Even though I have never really done any major interior designs - the fabrics that I was the most crazy about was the interior fabrics - there was so many of them, and they all could have made any home a fabulous home!

The fabric I ended up buying is a blue and white striped fabric for dress shirts and I plan to get inspired by Ralph Lauren and make myself one of my favorite attires for the moment: a shirt dress! What do you think?!

My Sexy Jeans - Here I come!

It has only taken me a few weeks, maybe even months.

Sis was here and I enjoyed every little thing I really should not eat, but I let myself indulge... ice cream, cheese cake, fries... you name it I have had it all... But it is now time to say good bye to all that.

If you are ready to join me then let me know - I even started a separate blog for it Sexy Jeans Body - 30 Day Bootcamp Check it OUT!!! My start date is August 16 - which date is yours? 

Weight Struggle - Want my Sexy Jeans Figure Back!

All of you that are following my blog know that I have been trying to lose wight for a while now and the struggle is hard. I have not given up, but I am almost running out of options it feels like. I used to shed weight only by thinking of it... well to be honest, I have never deeded to lose weight before but once I tried I would always succeed with little effort.

I feel a boot camp is needed in this case! A strict boot camp. The same boot camp I did before I got married... But I ask myself if I can, if I have the energy to do it. Back then I only worked 4 hour days and was able to concentrate on my training and diet with full force. Will I be able to do it again? Without a wedding and a wedding dress at the end?? What motivation should I use this time? My favorite pair of jeans that I haven't been able to ware for years?? (Yes I still have them and I brought them with me to the US when I moved too).

Maybe I CAN do it... Maybe if I got your help... Maybe I should start a SEXY JEANS BOOT CAMP on Facebook?? And people can join and we can fight together??? What do you think - would you wanna join me? Would you want to have a whole group of people trying to reach the same goal?? - Heck LET'S DO IT!! I will post a link to the webpage when I have it done! I need you guys, together we might reach better success!!! I am excited!

Sexy Jeans Here I Come - Again...

Messy weekend

Hey everyone... sorry for my absence.
Hope your July 4th celebration was superb! I enjoyed way more Mike's Lemonade than I should have had.. but that is what happens sometimes and it is all good - I had fun!

We did have a little incident in our kitchen though before the weekend: On Thursday morning when I woke up I noticed that there were some spots in the ceiling but didn't think too much about it and left for work. Thursday night when I came home from work the spots where still there, and in fact - they had gotten bigger... so we called our landlord to let him know. He planned to stop by after the weekend and that was fine with us.

But when we woke up on Friday our kitchen floor was full of water and a steady stream came poring out from underneath the cabinets at the same time as it was dripping heavily from the ceiling... GREAT!

6:15 am - we found our kitchen in distress
6:20 am - trying to wake up our neighbor above by knocking on her door
6:25 am - no answer from her, we called our landlord
6:40 am - our landlord comes and starts knocking on her door - still no answer. I should also mention that we know she is home because she has her car parked outside.
6:45 am - our landlord calls the water people to have them come out and shut off the water
7:00 am - the water people comes and starts knocking on her door because they can't turn off the water without her knowing. No answer, and they call the cops because they need to be there for them to turn off the water to her apartment.
7:10 am - police comes by and they also starts knocking on her door, even kicking on her door... by this time the whole building is awake and wants to know what is going on - or at least the two crazy old ladies that lives there do. They are full of ides of what we should do... one says that we should call the cops while the cop stands right there...
7:30 am - the police keeps knocking on her door and by this time we all start to wonder if something has happened to her, or if she is away.. so now we need to get in to her apartment. The police calls a locksmith..
7:45 am - the locksmith comes and before they open up and go in they bang on her door a few more times... no response. They walk in and guess who walks out of her bedroom wearing only a sheet?! Yup, our neighbor!

The cops tells her why they are there and all she says is "why didn't they tell me"? There could be no response to that, we were all amazed that she was still in the apartment sleeping during all that banging on her door... luckily the cop find some words and say "we have been trying for almost 2 hours, mam"...

So... our kitchen now smells like wet drywall with stains all over and hopefully our landlord is going to pick the contractor who thinks we should tear it all down and redo it.. He brought two over and one said "let's just paint over it"... can you say MOLD asswhole?!!

Two Years goes by fast

But I love him more today than the day I married him.
Happy Anniversary my One and Only

Happy Anniversary Honey

Today is the day... 2 years ago... Mmmmmm.... I want that moment back so bad. It was so much fun and so romantic.

I was thinking that I should try on my dress just for fun, but have decided against it - It will not fit even a little bit! And it will not be a motivator at this point, I am just too far away from getting into it again. I know I will one day but not yet. So today I am just going to enjoy watching the pictures of our wedding from two years ago.

Love you my dearest!

iHerb $5 Coupon

I am so glad to share this with you all!
I am, as you all know a strong believer in supplements - but the right kind of supplements. There are so many scams out there since there when it comes to supplements. In fact, the products does not even have to contain what the ingredient list says it does. And when it comes to many people we don't know what type of the specific supplement that is good... we just go and grab something and think that it is good.

Synthetic is bad - and taking synthetic supplement might do you more harm than good...

I found iHerb.com to be very diverse - meaning that I don't think that everything they have is good, but they have some diamonds in the rough, you just have to know what you are looking for!

I have so far bought a thyroid supplement containing both kelp and some b-vitamins. I feel so great when I take it, I take one capsule in the morning and one for lunch. (I also supplement with only kelp in the afternoon and evening to reach my level of 600mcg of iodine per day). It keeps my blood sugar stable, and my energy UP! I love it!!

I also bought some Magnesium. Previous I was someone that thought, just as I described above, that all magnesium is the same... sadly that is not true. Magnesium is a mineral that is pretty hard for the body to absorb - but also a vital mineral for many people. I started to take it as I was having heart palpitations due to yasmin (birth control) and was from the beginning taking magnesium as magnesium oxide. I have to admit that I was surprised that nothing happened, I didn't see the improvements.. but since I started taking the high absorption magnesium / chelated magnesium I haven't had one little incident!

I recently placed an order on that organic whey protein that I talked about in the previous post and at checkout they gave me a code that I can share with anyone! The coupon code gives all new customers $5 discount!!! And if you spend $40 the shipping is free too (within the US).

Protein Shakes - Watch out!

Time really going too fast one second and too slow the next - I can't keep up.
I am still working on my colon cleanse and I feel great about it and plan to once I am done to start drinking protein shake in the morning instead. As I was doing research I found a pretty disturbing article about the brands: 'Muscle Milk' and 'EAS Myoplex' apparently they are pretty dangerous to your health!!! Not because of the protein but because of some other horrible ingredients, that is not listed on the package:

EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate contain in 3 servings: 16.9 mcg Arsenic and 5.1 mcg Cadmium.

Muscle Milk Chocolate Powder and Vanilla Cream contain in 3 servings: 5.6 mcg Cadminum, 13.5 mcg Lead, 12.2 mcg Arsenic, and 0.7 mcg Mercury!!!

WOW - and just imagine - some pregnant women are taking this just to try to stay healthy without knowing what it really is! (Find the Report by Dr. Mercola - Warning: Some Protein Drinks Could Poison You).

Dr. Mercola in his article off course offers his advise and tell the reader to buy HIS whey protein... but there is no place where you can read the ingredients... so I decided to look for an organic whey protein somewhere else. This is what I found: Whey To Health by iHerb.com I think I will try it soon...

As far as my weight loss - it is still slow but I manage to break 165 lbs the other day which was a nice step... It goes up and down though and some days I get up to 168 lbs and some down to 166 on a regular basis. I believe that some more protein is what I am missing here. So that organic whey protein might help me out!

A Royal Wedding

Finally - our Princess finally got her Prince!
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria got married on June 19 with her Daniel and I just wanted to share some pictures with you all as this is big in Sweden. I bet at least 50% of all people were following the whole thing on TV from beginning til end.

Younger sister Princess Madeleine and the Queen Silvia arriving to the church

The Groom Daniel who with this wedding becomes a Prince, here with Prince Carl Philip the Best Man

Crown Princess Victoria arrives to the church with her father King Carl Gustaf

Walking down the isle

She is yours Daniel...

Exchanging Rings

Emotional...

They just love each other so much

Married; time to party!

 Throw Stockholm to say hello to the people

Boat Ride, Stockholm is built up on islands

To the castle

Congratulations from her brother

Sister Hug

"Thank you all for giving me my prince" was her words to the Swedes

So great... what a feeling!

Dinner and Prince Daniel gave the best speech of them all

Cutting of the over 3meter tall wedding cake

Looks pretty good!

Wedding Dance

The King and Queen during the wedding dance

Let's hope for a Happily ever after...

Random things

This is a summary of what is going on in my mind these days... It has been a lot and it does not slow down. I like it that way, but I tend to overdo things when I get started on something new.

So, since the reprogramming of my brain over the first weekend in June I am starting to grasp what is going on. We are about to start our next step in our journey and tonight is the first online session of a course called Rich Investor. It will basically help us build our Power Team - the people we need around us to succeed fast, safe, and legal. And tomorrow we are meeting with a CPA to set up our business.

Next we need to find an Attorney, then a Real Estate Agent, Mortgage Broker, Community Bank... and the list goes on. We are also looking for Rehabbers in the Philadelphia area, or someone that wants to buy a 'handy man' house.

On the baby clothing part of my life, a life that is getting drastically smaller, I finally got a hold of a baby girl to do some pictures with. I will post some of the items soon on my Etsy shop.

My weight loss is slow but I am still working out 5 days a week and have finally reached 60 minutes on the elliptical. 60 minutes feels like an eternity but lots of calories are burnt and I feel great! I keep my LCHF up and have become a little stricter with what I eat during the weekdays.

I also experienced some horrible bloating and cramps - not sure if they were feminine related or not so I decided to do a colon cleanse and it seems like it is going just great...

That was my random things for today... I just wanted to give you an update. I didn't want you to think that I had given up on things.. I am just busy trying to do everything I need to get done.

New Beginnings

My husband and I have had a life changing weekend. This wasn't a 'light bulb' moment but rather a million of spotlights... I feel so overwhelmed but so excited.

Things really have a strange way of finding ways to get your attention. What is happening now is all because of that flight back home from Florida being late a month ago... I have a hard time explaining what is going on mostly because my mind is still smoking from the deep fried I experienced over the weekend. It was system overload! My little brain had to be re-programed into something new. Something that can see opportunities in what is going on in this economy... It has opened my eyes to a whole new world - A world I knew existed but never knew how to get my hands on... now I am beginning to know.

If you have to read only one book in your life, you have to read 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki. It won't make you an expert of any sort but it gives you an idea of what you are missing... then the choice is up to you on how to move on from there. I have chosen, and I have chosen to become the person of my dreams!  

Ahhh

I feel like a balloon! I had pasta on Tuesday night and I still feel like shit from it. On Wednesday when I woke up I was up to 172 lbs (higher than when I started my diet). I feel like a failure right now... It is horrible.

I am not giving up, not at all - I am just learning my lesson all over again - NO WHEAT for me!!! Not even my favorite kind of wheat. I love pasta and I try not to eat it too often but sometimes I just have to have it... well maybe next time I will think more than once before going for it.

So the battle continues...

I am trying to drink more water then I normally do in hope of my extra weight is water weight and drinking more might help my body not retain so much of it. I don't know.

My lower back has also been bothering me horrible. Waking up, sitting, walking, working out on the elliptical... yesterday I finally went to my chiropractor, or NUCCA specialist at Bucks County Spinal Care and he made the pain go away with his magic. I am not kidding I step in there and explained where it was bothering me, he did his thing and as I was laying there I could feel my spine slowly adjusting to something new. When he was done he asked me to move around to feel it... I started by bending over to reach the floor with my hands touching the floor.. As I was going down the first time I still could feel the pain a little bit but I was able to reach much further than I have been in weeks... and then I did it again and I could not believe what I was feeling - NOTHING! The pain was gone, really gone!

Later the same night, by the time Flyers was playing the muscles in the area was getting a litte sore from the adjustment and today I can feel it too.. But being sore from that is much better than being in pain! Now I only have to wait until it settles down and enjoy exercising again.

I do not want to feel like a balloon much longer! As a matter of fact I don't want to feel it at all...

Memorial Day Weekend

Ohh... I think that we all can agree on that ONE single day extra off is amazing and does so much for your soul. I spent most of my Saturday to clean up the week-mess that I always have. Clothes are all over the place and dirty laundry is taking up the whole basket, the refrigerator is empty... you know, all boring things. But then I was free... Sunday and Monday the bikini did it's premier in day light. It is strange but I really don't like showing myself in that bikini at this point. I hate my body! I know I am basically showing my body to the whole world by having it on my blog, but it is not the same. You guys know I am trying to lose weight and the pictures actually shows my progress and/or set backs. It is an inspiration to both you and me... But having people stand there and look at me, who knows what they are thinking... "she really shouldn't wear that bikini" "did she look herself in the mirror"... and all those nasty things people can think or say to each other.

I know I am not pretty, I know I am not the size I want to be, I know all that, I really do. But I have the right to relax by the pool while I am working at it without people judging me. Or maybe the only person judging me is me???

Anyway I enjoyed the long weekend and I hope to be able to spend many days by a poolside this summer. And every time I should be a little bit slimmer.