Well I'm Finally Doing It...- Toledo, OH

Hi all!
So I was chatting with Fixit225 about all the sugar and processed carbs I've been stuffing my face with over the holidays and about doing a short-term detox cleanse and clean-eating after. For me, it always helps if I know somebody else is doing it along with me - it keeps me somewhat accountable and less likely to say, "Ah, forget it..." after a day or two. :) My biggest goal for the year (now that my implants are history!) is to improve my health as much as I possibly can. I hope in doing so, my energy levels will start to increase and my joint pain will go away permanently...none of this "feel great one day, hurt a lot the next" nonsense. :) So, the definition of clean eating for me personally is cutting out (or limiting I should say - lets be honest here) sugar, processed foods, and buying organic produce whenever possible and organic, grass-fed meat. I wish I could also say "cutting caffeine" in that definition, but I frankly love my morning coffee way too much and that just ain't gonna happen. :) I know consuming caffeine is really bad for me because of my adrenal issues, but I have long ago admitted defeat in the battle of coffee addiction. Its definitely my vice! :) I've at least limited myself to a maximum of two cups a day.

So anyway, if anyone else wants to jump on board, I just wanted to throw it out there that I'm doing it and you're welcome to join me! Nothing strict, nobody will be held accountable here, I wanted to put it out there. Do whatever is best for your own bodies...some people don't eat meat or dairy or whatever else, so just saying eat whatever is healthy for you.

Oh, I'm also starting infrared sauna treatments soon to help my body detox and I'm eliminating all nasty chemicals - that means whatever goes on my skin or in my hair is 100% pure. I've started using Henna Maiden plant-based hair color to get rid of my grays and pure shampoos and conditioners. The only thing that I'm going to continue using that isn't 100% pure are my "Its a 10!" hair products because I love them so much. :)

A quick word about exercise...I'm going to start doing moderate exercise 3-4 times a week at first (walking mainly - I have quite a few "Walk Away the Pounds" DVDs) and then after a couple weeks, I'm going to bump it up...will add Zumba and The Firm DVDs (if my knees don't hurt too much), which are a bit more intense. My crazy thought is that once spring comes along, I might try to start jogging outside. I am not a jogger - my joints always hurt when I tried before and I frankly hated it, but I am still drawn to it and admire people that do it. Who knows, maybe now that the toxins are out of my body, I'll find that I really enjoy it this time. :)

Let's hope these changes and resolves will result in shedding some pounds and gaining superb health and energy!!! I'm starting Monday (Jan 6th) and just as an afterthought, for anyone who is still waiting for their surgery...eating healthy and eliminating toxins now will only help you heal/recover and bounce-back that much quicker! :) Much love to all of you! XX

My pics from the last post didn't attach due to technical difficulties. Here they are!

Hello Ladies! :)

Well, its been awhile since my last update, so thought I'd take a few minutes and let you all know how things are going. I'll list the highs I've experienced over the last month and then I'll admit the lows. But the good stuff first...let me just say I am feeling a definite improvement in my health since the explant...yippee! The joint pain is rapidly subsiding, although strangely some days it reappears for reasons I don't quite understand. But I definitely have less pain and some days I don't notice it at all, where as before I had it all the time. My hair has stopped shedding, which is awesome...I used to find my hair everywhere! It was all over my clothes, the furniture, the kitchen counter-tops, all over my bathroom, and I would even find it in the refrigerator (yuck, right?). Now I only notice it in the shower when I wash my hair. I find I am more clear-headed, but again, some days are better than others. I haven't noticed a significant spike in my energy levels, but I imagine I still have a bit more healing and adjusting to do before I notice improvement in that area. I sleep so much better because I'm comfortable again...no massive, painful implants are in my way anymore. :) My breasts are so soft and squishy - they feel so foreign to me after being firm and fake for so long. I can lift and carry my toddler around again and I only have just the tiniest amount of soreness around the sides of my breasts, but I really only feel it when I massage them. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty fantastic. I love that I can comfortably hug my loved ones again - I gave my father a big hug the other day and that means a lot to me because I would always hug him rather gingerly before. He never knew about my implants and I didn't want him to find out, so I always hugged him with a bit of worry, where as now I can hug him fiercely without a second thought. I finally told him about the surgery the other day and he was stunned...he had no idea I'd ever had it done. I said to him, "Its just crazy to me that you never suspected it all this time." He admitted with an air of awkward embarrassment that he just assumed I was a late bloomer...ha ha!

Okay moving on, lets talk about the negative side of things....booooo. I still haven't fully adjusted to the appearance of my breasts. They are obviously 2 different sizes and the left breast hangs down a lot lower than my right. I was wearing my compression bra 24/7 for over 5 weeks after the surgery, but I noticed that my breasts just kept sagging down as the weeks went by. It's like once the stitches dissolved and the scar wasn't as lumpy and hard anymore, the skin kind of "released" and drooped down. The line across my left breast has become more noticeable and things don't appear to be fluffing...more like falling. My nipples are flattened and "sad"...they seem to have given up trying to stay perky. Oh and someone PLEASE recommend a good freaking bra to buy!! I went to Kohl's the other day to buy a new bra for the first time and I was ready to punch myself in the face by the end of shopping experience. I must have tried on about 20 different bras and NONE of them fit me nicely. I finally settled on a bra that I only half-liked just because I couldn't stand the thought of being in front of that mirror a second longer. I cut the tags off after I got home and put it on to see how I looked in different sweaters and shirts in my closet. But after a couple minutes of moving around, the bra felt really strange and uncomfortable inside my shirt. I lifted my shirt to see what the heck was going on and the bra was practically resting under my chin! WTF? I had the straps on the loosest setting possible, so it wasn't like things were too tight, but apparently I am now so small-breasted that they cannot anchor a 36-A cup bra well enough to rest properly on my chest! I was angry and disgusted and ended up returning the bra and haven't tried any others on since. Can anyone recommend a bra that has molded cups or something to help give me the illusion of perky figure, but is also comfortable? I would adore any suggestions...the thought of going back and trying on 47 different bras again is horribly depressing.

So that's it in a nutshell...obviously I am ecstatic that my health is improving and still loving how light I feel now. Now if I can just find a bra I'm happy with, I imagine things will continue to improve. :) Couldn't be happier that I did this and I'm looking forward to a fabulous year ahead! I wish you all the best in 2014 as well! :)

Take care everyone!