Oil-Free Diet Experience: Days 8-14

DAY 8:

Breakfast- fruit smoothie popsicle

Lunch- black bean burger with lettuce/tomato/pickles, ketchup and mustard, and fries with honey dijon mustard (dijon mustard and honey mixed, honey mustard from restaurants have lots of oils in them!)

Dinner- ramen with veggies

Snacks- granola, tortilla chips, frozen grapes

Exercise- upper body

Thoughts- the black bean burger was actually pretty good!  I forgot to buy buns at the store but I didn't mind too much since I've been trying to avoid bread until my wedding (I've actually seen a lot of results because of this!) so I just wrapped lettuce around the burger.  Very messy but it was very filling!
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DAY 9:

Breakfast- granola with soy milk

Lunch- Einstein Bros. power protein bagel with honey almond spread

Dinner- taco soup (canned black beans, canned corn, canned tomatoes with green chiles, chopped onion/bell pepper, seasonings, veggie stock) with white rice

Snacks- frozen green grapes

Exercise- SNOW DAY!  Lots of snow-boarding and climbing up hills for sledding!

Thoughts- I felt really guilty after eating the honey almond spread because it's obviously dairy and that it had nuts in it as well.  But I just made sure that was my only fat for the day and didn't let it upset me too much!
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DAY 10:

Breakfast- fruit popsicle

Lunch- black bean burger with all of the toppings mentioned above and fries

Dinner- taco soup (no rice)

Snacks- granola, frozen green grapes, banana ice cream with granola and honey

Exercise- lower body
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DAY 11:

Breakfast- fruit popsicle

Lunch- taco soup

Dinner- ramen with veggies

Snack- granola, frozen grapes, banana ice cream with granola and honey

Exercise- 30 minutes on treadmill (ran one mile then was on and off running for the rest of the time just because I struggle with running on the treadmill), 15 minutes stair master, 15 minutes bike, 10 minutes foam rolling

Thoughts- my granola is the ONLY thing keeping me going...oh and banana ice cream for sure
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DAY 12:

Breakfast- fried egg (so hard to cook without butter or oil) with salsa on top of a tortilla with a liiiittle bit of cheese

Lunch- black bean burger with toppings

Dinner- taco soup

Snacks- banana ice cream with honey and granola, can of tuna (yes, I ate the whole can...just heated it up on the stove with the water that came in the can until all the water evaporated), more granola with soy milk (definitely getting plenty of fiber :/)

Exercise- upper body

Thoughts- OMG I'M SO READY TO BE DONE AND NOT HAVE TO PACK MY FOOD EVERYWHERE I GO...it's the little things
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DAY 13:

Breakfast- granola with soy milk

Lunch- 2 waffles with syrup

Dinner- salad with homemade vinaigrette dressing, no-oil fries with hot sauce

Snacks- banana

Exercise- 5k run
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DAY 14:

Breakfast- banana

Lunch- no-oil fries, salad with same dressing as above

Dinner- salad with dressing, ramen with veggies

Snack- banana, banana ice-cream

Exercise- lower body

Thoughts- LAST DAY!!!  I'm finishing up this diet with a fat-free breakfast and lunch tomorrow and then my high fat meal will be tomorrow night for dinner.  I haven't been this excited in a while...
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DAY 15:

Breakfast- frozen mango

Lunch- taco soup, salad with dressing

Snacks- banana

Dinner- rice and vegetables covered in queso, chips and salsa, peanut butter cup ice-cream for dessert (it was heavenly)

Exercise- 15 minute stair master, 30 minute elliptical, 20 minute bike
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Realizations:  I had to compensate my lack of protein (I had a little bit, but not as much as my normal diet) and fat with a LOT of carbs.  This means a LOT of sugar.  I did not feel my best even though I had plenty of carbs to keep me energized.  I felt gross from eating so much granola, honey, and bananas just because of all of the sugar.  I will probably go the next few weeks low sugar just to kind of balance me back out.  I also ended up choosing foods/seasonings with a lot of sodium just because of my lack of really healthy resources.  Keep these things in mind if you're ever considering this diet.

I obviously wasn't doing this to lose weight but throughout the past two weeks I've lost 3 pounds over the past two weeks.  DISCLAIMER: I have lost over 10 pounds over the last few months so honestly I believe that these pounds came off because of my exercise program and still being mindful with my meal choices.

As for the gall bladder issues....I feel no different.  I didn't hear sounds last night after having the high-fat meal, nor have I had any pain or sickness.  I am still tender in my abdomen and hear sounds occasionally.  I am sad because of the lack of results, but I am not sad that I did the diet!  It taught me so much discipline and patience.  I gave up time with friends to make sure I was eating the correct meals.  I brought food to basketball games and even to a restaurant to make sure I knew what I was eating was truly oil-free.

If I haven't answered any questions, or if you want any recipes of any meals I've had over the past two weeks, leave a comment and let me know!  Thank you for going on this journey with me!

Oil-Free Diet Experience: Days 2-7

You will see that I had to eat a lot of homemade foods.  This is because you can't find many store-bought foods without oil or fat.  If you want any recipes, just leave a comment and I'll make a separate post about it!

DAY 2:

Breakfast- 5 strawberries

Lunch- Veggie stir fry with white rice and soy sauce

• All vegetables were cooked with water or vegetable stock
• No butter in the rice! Water/vegetable stock only
• Vegetables included: zucchini noodles (AKA zoodles), mushroom, red onion, and red bell pepper with seasoning salt.

Dinner- Ramen noodles (noodles only, rinsed to reduce starchiness) cooked in vegetable stock, frozen peas and carrots added

Snacks- homemade tortilla chips with salsa, bowl of sugary cereal (it's almost gone, don't judge me) with soy milk

Exercise- It was a weird day for me in the gym.  It was crowded with New Year's Resolutions and I wasn't feeling it, but it was better than nothing.  I did a little bit of legs and abs.

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DAY 3:

Breakfast- bowl of sugary cereal (it's gone now!) with soy milk

Lunch- Veggie Stir Fry

Dinner- same ramen noodle recipe

Snacks- frozen mango/strawberry/banana smoothie popsicle (I bought popsicle molds and they're wonderful) with some homemade granola, homemade tortilla chips with salsa

Exercise- back/biceps

Thoughts- It's kinda boring eating the same thing three days in a row but it's my only option right now since I've meal prepped...
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DAY 4:

Breakfast- fruit smoothie popsicle with granola

Lunch- Veggie Stir Fry

Dinner- canned tuna (seasoned with S&P) with a side of canned turnip greens

Snacks- chips and salsa, more granola

Exercise- weight lifting class
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DAY 5:

Breakfast- black beans and rice

Lunch- chips and salsa and a few vegetables from the stir fry (I was so tired of the rice)

Dinner- 99% fat free canned chicken noodle soup

Snacks- leftover turnip greens, cantaloupe, honey/banana toast

Exercise- rest day

Thoughts- I started going crazy today.  The cravings for anything that wasn't completely flavorless were hitting me hard.  My poor fiancé had to deal with my complaining all day.  I was also really hungry for most of the day, none of these foods would really satisfy me.
Side note- I felt my gall bladder do it's little grumbling thing today, so I think between the turnip greens (which I found out later used bacon grease as flavoring) and maybe some of the soup, I had had a little too much fat today.
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DAY 6:

Breakfast- black beans and rice (I'm starting to really despise black beans and rice...)

Lunch- frozen hash browns, bell peppers, and onions (cooked on the stove with a little bit of water), ANDDD, you guessed it, black beans and rice

Dinner- 99% fat free chicken noodle soup

Snacks- frozen green grapes, homemade granola, banana "ice-cream" topped with honey and granola

Exercise- rest day
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DAY 7:

Breakfast- banana "ice-cream" topped with honey and granola

Lunch- homemade no-oil herb roasted potatoes (I was needing some french fries)

Dinner- ramen with veggies

Snack- leftover fries, frozen green grapes

Exercise- 10 minutes stair master, 30 minutes elliptical
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What I've learned so far is that completely cutting out fat is impossible, and not healthy for you.  So for a few days I would panic if I realized I ate something with fat in it.  The main point of this diet was to avoid nuts and oily, greasy foods.  I have avoided dairy as well as much as possible.

Whenever I do eat a little bit of fat (usually from the ramen noodles), I can hear my gall bladder making the same noises as it used to.  I also will still feel bloating and have tenderness in the area.  I'm not quite convinced that this diet will work but I'm not quitting (even though I really really want to!)

Oil-Free Diet Experience: Day 1

I've been having gall bladder issues for about two years now.  My issues consist of a very loud gall bladder (like I can hear the bile being put into my digestive tract) and pretty uncomfortable pressure and tenderness in the gall bladder area (upper right quadrant of the abdomen).

I know that the gall bladder stores the bile produced by the liver, and releases it into the digestive tract after a fatty meal.  When I learned this, I tried to lessen my fatty food intake or just make sure I didn't have a fattening meal more than once a day.  I have actually been able to lessen the symptoms just by watching what I eat.  For a while I used Nature's Sunshine Gall Bladder Formula before meals just to lessen the pain after eating, but I could still hear my gall bladder working and I still had some tenderness in the area.

Fast forward a few years...yesterday I was seen by a chiropractor.  After examining me and adjusting me, she was feeling my abdomen where my gall bladder is and my body did not like it at all.  I tried to relax for her so she could do her job but my muscles would physically not let her feel around underneath my ribs.  She then put me on a two week "gall bladder saving" diet (I don't want to have it removed if I don't have to!), and I am going to keep up with my progress on here.

Basically, the diet is meant to make you eat foods in which your gall bladder doesn't have to work.  No fats or oils of any kinds, which includes nuts (I love peanut butter so much so this will be a struggle).  At the end of the two weeks, while my gall bladder has been sort of resting this whole time, I will eat a very high fat meal which will cause my gall bladder to work really hard in a short amount of time.  In doing so, it will flush out all of the bad stuff that has been sitting in there this whole time and then I can continue with my normal diet.

I should mention that this is a diet a chiropractor recommended to me.  I have not been diagnosed with anything and this isn't a prescribed diet.  She said she has done this diet around 3 times in her lifetime and mentions it to anyone will gall bladder issues, especially for people with referred pain in the right shoulder and upper right back (your gall bladder could be causing this pain).

If you know me, I am very aware of the food I put into my body so I have no trouble with taking out these things from my diet for two weeks.

DAY 1:

Breakfast- a sugary cereal with soy milk (I'm also avoiding dairy since it holds a lot of fat).  Obviously a sugary cereal can't be good for you but I have a little bit left and I'm just trying to get rid of it, don't judge me.

Lunch- 4 large strawberries.  I was not hungry for lunch which was unusual but I was about to exercise so I needed a little something.

EXERCISE:
I ran 4 miles!  This is the farthest I've ever ran before!  Considering I struggled running a mile this summer, I'm pretty proud of myself.

Post-run snack- another bowl of cereal (the same kind) with soy milk.

Dinner- Ramen noodles (just the noodles...college kid struggles) and frozen peas and carrots cooked in vegetable stock and water.  This was actually REALLY yummy and flavorful with a little bit of salt added.

THOUGHTS:
The amount of discipline that will be required of me throughout this diet might just drive me insane.  I need my peanut butter.  But strawberries and other fruits will have to be what I have for dessert for the next two weeks :/

I will probably make days 2-5 in their own post so stay tuned!  Thank you for bearing with me through this experience and maybe you'll be able to make your own opinions and see if a diet like this could help you!

3 Great Uses for Shea Butter

If you know me well, you've probably seen me carry around a small container full of what looks like yellow gunk.  And if you know me really well, you know that I cannot go a full day without putting that gunk on my lips.

Shea butter is actually used in many lotions and body butters.  What I use is just the pure, raw stuff.  So here are some of my favorite uses of shea butter:

1. Lip Balm- I am constantly putting this on my lips.  But it's not like Carmex or any other lip products that sting and dry your lips out.  I'm constantly putting this on because of how hydrating it is on my lips.  I will admit the taste isn't the best, but after a while you really do get used to it.
2. Blemish corrector- As soon as I feel a blemish underneath my skin, I'll put on a thick layer of shea butter several times throughout the day, especially at night.  Most of the time, the blemish will go away before ever breaking through the skin
3. Deep hair conditioning treatment- I'll take about 1-2 tablespoons in a microwave safe container and melt the shea butter in the microwave until it's a liquid.  I'll flip my hair over and apply it to my ends first, then slowly work my way about halfway up to my scalp.  I'll then tie my hair up and let it sit for as long as I can stand it, but about 30 minutes will do the trick.  I'll have to wash my hair really well after, but it'll be super soft and shiny. *disclaimer: I recommend doing this on a weekend or on a day you don't have anything planned.  Be cautious if you have naturally oily hair to make sure you don't get the shea butter too close to your roots. 

The package of my specific brand of shea butter has a list of other uses such as pain relief, treatment of minor burns, and massages.  Let me know if you've tried any of these uses before!

Studying Methods that Got Me Better Grades in School

     To be completely honest, it has taken me until my junior year of college to really figure out the study methods that work best for me.  I am a verbal and a visual learner.  This means that I learn things better when I write and/or talk things out and draw pictures of what I'm studying.  Once you figure out what kind of a learner you are, you can better figure out methods of studying that can help you learn and understand material better (google "different ways of learning" and figure out which one you are!)
     So if you are a visual and/or verbal learner like me, and are wondering how and when to study, I'm going to give you some tips that have helped me focus in class better and have ultimately led to me earning better grades! 

• Figure out how your teacher runs a typical class session
• Does you teacher just strictly lecture?  Does he or she use powerpoint?  Do they send you the powerpoints before hand so you can follow along?  Do they give you a worksheet with an outline or sheets that have fill-in-the-blanks?  On the first day of class, figure out what a normal class day will be like and then adjust your studying methods accordingly.
• Figure out WHEN to study
• Some people learn better if they study a little bit each day before a quiz or test.  Some people, like me, do best studying at the "last minute".  I put last minute in quotations because I personally over think things and become anxious if I study too much every day until the test.  So I tend to wait until closer to the test to study.  This is a different form of procrastination because I KNOW how much time I need to study and how long it'll take me, so then I'll wait until that time comes.
• In some classes, I have too much information to wait until a few days before to start making notecards.  So as soon as I get the information, I'll begin making notecards and work at it every day until all of my test material is made into some form of a study guide.  At that point, I'll begin to actually study and learn the material.
• Make your own study guides
• I have finally begun to master the art of creating study guides.  Here are my methods for creating a study guide in my Kinesiology class.
• My teacher gives us the powerpoint slides online.  I print these off and bring them to class to make extra notes on if needed. (I have also done this form of studying in another class where my teacher strictly lectured with no powerpoint slides or anything and it worked out fine as long as I took good, detailed notes)
• As he is going over the material in class, I am looking at the slides and making questions out of them.  I write the questions down (with the answers) in my notebook and begin to make my very own test. 
• I will write these questions during class and at home, because sometimes he moves too quickly to keep up in the actual class.
• Once the "test" is made, I will get Taylor or someone else to ask me the questions and I try to answer them as best as I can.  This is extremely hard, because there is no multiple choice to try and jog your memory.  But it is an excellent form of learning, at least for me.  
• First, writing down the material is one form of studying.  There have been many studies about how writing down things instead of typing them makes you remember things better.  Second, having to be creative and think of questions from the material is another form of studying.  And lastly, going over the actual questions is a form of studying.
• Here are my methods for studying for Anatomy & Physiology 1
• My teacher send out the powerpoint for the chapters with blanks on them.  During class, we fill in the blanks.  This class has a lot more vocabulary and isn't as conceptual as Kinesiology, so I actually make my study guides on my iPad.
• The app I use is called "Flashcards+ by Chegg".  It's great because you can add pictures on the notecards.  I create a deck of notecards for each test.
• I use a similar way of making the notecards by making up questions and answers.  This method is an easier way to study on your own because it's in notecard form and it's on your device so you don't have to carry around the cards or worry about the hand cramps from writing so much.
• If it's a slow day at work or I'm just sitting in class waiting for my teacher to come in, I'll pull out my iPad and just go through the notecards.  This is a great method for when you're taking a class that requires memorization.  If you are taking a class where you need to understand concepts and procedures, consider using the make-up test method. 

     Don't be afraid to mix and match studying methods, try methods from other people, or make up your own way of studying!  Find what works for you.

     What kind of learner are you?  Try these tips out and let me know if they have helped, or not!  Or leave me some of your own studying methods and maybe they could help me!

Getting Back into Running...

     I know I've mentioned this before, but I hate running.  I hate the way my back aches after about a quarter of a mile and I hate that I get so bored.  I'm constantly trying to think of new ways to make myself run more, because I know it's good for me.  I try to do strength exercises more than cardio, but I also want to increase my endurance.
     A new style of running that I've been doing the past few days has been my own version of interval running.  One form of interval running could be to walk for a distance, jog for a distance, and sprint for a distance.  My own version is to run a quarter of a mile, perform a strength exercise, and run another quarter of a mile.  This gives my legs and lungs a slight break, but I'm not wasting any energy by walking or stopping all together.  This is how I do it:

• Run 0.25 miles, do 15 squats.
• Run 0.25 miles, do 15 pushups
• Run 0.25 miles, 30 sec mountain climbers
• Run 0.25 miles 15 tricep dips (perfect on a park bench)

     What I love about this workout is that it doesn't feel like you're running far, and by the time you're done, you will have run a mile.  Repeat it once and what do you know, you've run TWO miles!  Mixing up your regular running routine by adding in some strength exercises is not only interesting, but it keeps your body moving in ways other than just a constant run.

     If you're looking for a good running app, I use the Nike running app.  I can set a distance goal, and it'll let me know how much farther I have to run.  It also gives you an approximation on how many calories you burned during your run.  I never go on a run (unless I'm on a treadmill) without using this app.

Why My Relationship is NOT Goals

   As cliche as it sounds, everyone wants to find that "special someone".  While we're patiently or not so patiently waiting for that person to appear in our lives, we see other relationships that we want.  We see our friend's boyfriend buy her flowers and makeup, and they always have the cutest Instagram pictures of perfectly decorated Bibles and a cup of coffee showing that they had a devotional together.  We so desperately want a relationship like that and we appoint that image as our one true relationship goal.  Along with receiving nice things, many of us also want a "godly relationship".  While this is a great and important thing to desire, many of us don't understand what an actual godly relationship looks like.  It is a God-like relationship.  Since we are not God, we cannot live out a true godly relationship.  But we are to strive for one with our heavenly Father.
     People assume that a godly relationship is just one between two people who go to church and read their Bible together.  If you do that with your boyfriend or girlfriend, then you have what everyone wants, and you're doing just fine.  A true godly relationship isn't two righteous individuals without any problems.  It's simply two unrighteous, broken sinners who aren't afraid to accept their desperate need of a Savior and His grace.  People don't talk about that enough.  People don't realize or want that enough.  All we see are the cute pictures and the public displays of affection and think to ourselves, "I really want that."  Or we see the cuddly couples at church and wish we could find someone like that.  But deep down, what our heart really needs isn't that.  Our hearts need Jesus.  Our "relationship goals" should be of one with Jesus Christ.  Once we realize that, and start pursuing a strong relationship with Jesus, the relationships that God has planned for us will start falling into place.
     Taylor and I's relationship doesn't always have the attributes of a godly one, and therefore shouldn't be your "relationship goals".  No one can truly have a godly relationship, because we are not God, and we are not perfect.  We're just people.  We have our own sins we have to work through and ones that we have to work with together.  Taylor and I desperately need God, not a so-called godly relationship with each other.  When we have a close bond with Christ, our bond with one another becomes stronger, therefore strengthening our ability to live out the godly relationship we strive for.
     Pursue God first.  Get your heart right with Jesus first.  He won't break your heart or leave you feeling unloved.  Make a strong relationship with Him your #goals.  Cute pictures aren't goals.  Getting gifts from your significant other isn't goals.  Taylor and I are not goals.  Jesus is goals.  Make Him your first priority.  Make your relationship goals one with Him, because He won't let you down.