Quiet

It seems like just yesterday I posted my weekend in review and now here it is Friday already.  It has been a fairly quiet week punctuated with doctor visits.  Ornery and I both went to see Dr. G on Monday and had good reports.  Ornery had been working through a cleanse on his kidneys and has much more energy now that the toxins are gone -- or at least reduced.  I mostly went just for a general check up since we were scheduled for our annual insurance physicals on Thursday.

He said I am doing well other than some non-specific signs of stress.  Since I live the least stressful life of anyone I know, I don't know what that is about, but possibly caffeine.  I plan to cut back on my coffee consumption, and possibly stop altogether while Ornery is gone to Florida the first part of April.  It is such a pleasurable morning routine that I every time I stop, I miss it enough to go back to it despite my questions of its health value.  I suppose I need to fill it with something else non-caffeinated but equally as pleasurable if I am to successfully alleviate it from my life.

As I thought about the notion I might be under some stress, I decided I would take some action on that front.  Tuesday I did an exercise from an EFT summit we attended online a few years ago.  It encourages you to ask yourself questions about how you feel when you remember certain events or time periods in your past.  It was a lengthy (and emotional) exercise.  I wrote a little about it on the Letters from Zoe Cottage blog.  I spent a lot of time working through the main issue that was uncovered, and feel like it was a good thing to do, even if I didn't feel like doing anything else all day!

Thursday's physical was okay other than an episode with the blood pressure machine.  We were both declared as healthy as we would allow him to test--we are both very resistant to all the routine exams they seem to think are mandatory to monitor health.  Considering the thousands of people who live to a ripe old age without ever even seeing a doctor, I am not in agreement with their program.  After waiting over an hour to see him, the exam was very brief, and he gave his obligatory recommendations which we calmly received, we paid our co-pay and left.

If it didn't reduce our out-of-pocket insurance cost so dramatically, we would not go at all--unless we had a broken bone or something like that.  Had we known all along that we were not required to do the blood tests, we would not have submitted to that torture for the last several years, but since he told us they were not required, we even opted out of those this time.  We certainly feel confident that any serious health issues will be much better cared for by our chiropractor/naturopathic doctor.

Since we have stopped going to the doctor for any small complaint, we have been remarkably healthy, and since we have started ignoring all the "healthy eating" advice, we have felt remarkably healthy!  Donuts, waffles, cereal, ice cream--we have indulged in any and all carbs that appeal and eating to appetite or slightly beyond at breakfast and lunch.  We have both gained weight, but seemingly with the weight gain has come some rather startling health gains as well.  Achy joints and fitful sleep are distant memories. I especially have a sense of overall well-being, and just a very calm demeanor in almost all circumstances.  If this is related to eating sugar, it is no wonder dieters are often angry!

We are still sticking with the light meal in the evening--maybe just a carton of yogurt, a slice of cheddar or a bowl or salsa with some corn chips--and avoiding pork as much as possible, but overall we have decided to just "eat the food" and kill the guilt. Negative emotions such as guilt and shame are apparently the worst things one can do for their health and weight loss. I have to say, though, that giving up my fixation with what is "good for you" has been more challenging than any diet program I have ever been on, and I have been on many through the years!

The hardest thing about it has been accepting our bodies with these new shapes and larger sizes.  Our metabolism had been shot to pieces by dieting--especially low carb and low sugar.  Mine is finally getting better, and I do believe that I will eventually begin to drop the weight as my body figures out it is no longer going to be starved or abused.  I am looking forward to that, but not stressed over it.

The main sign of a low metabolism (and a hundred other signs of malnutrition and poor health apparently) is low body temperature, especially first thing in the morning.  Yesterday at the doctor's office mine was 98.2, which is significantly higher than the 97.6 I had been seeing.  The best way to raise it is by eating a lot of carbs and sugar, and cutting back on fluids, especially water.  Who knew?

I used to be pretty obsessed with all this stuff, but despite the challenge of changing those thoughts, I am finding myself finally settling down and eating just what I want.  Sometimes this is a lot, sometimes hardly anything at all.  I try to not ever get really hungry, and when that sudden urge to run to the bathroom to pee hits, I always try to eat something salty and/or sweet to help offset the metabolic drop in sugar.   The clearer the urine, the worse the sugar drop is. (one of the tidbits I learned from my aborted RBTI experience)

I had really thought that once I finished my last editing project I would feel free to do some art, but the muse has left the building--maybe even the city!  I have glanced in the studio, spent an hour or so putting a few things away, and that has been the extent of my time there.  Sort of sad, really.  I have absolutely no desire to make another card, and I boxed up almost all my etsy shop items to donate to Mickie's church for their booth at Rooster Days.  They are raising funds to produce on-line live streaming of the Sunday services so they can be broadcast into a local bar.  That is what I call innovative spreading of the Gospel!

So we are into another weekend.  Elizabeth has plans to go Saturday to Oklahoma City with Michael to a tattoo convention (of all things) to help support one of her co-workers who plays in a rock band.  They are performing in a battle-of-the-bands event at the convention, and he asked if she would come add her voice to the noise that is required for them to advance.  Neither Elizabeth nor Michael have loud voices, but it is support, nonetheless.

Ornery and I don't really have anything planned--at least not that I know of.  I am a little bit at loose ends since we have most of the homeowner projects done.  NOT that I am complaining about the length of the short list of remaining items, but I am rather lost without a big project to occupy my thoughts.  I am pretty sure Ornery does not share that feeling!