Tuesday-10am

It's been colder again up here.  Below freezing a lot.  It's 22 degrees right now (-6 C), but sunny with the typical clouds we've had for days.

So it may be chilly... 

...but they have been pretty days. 

Miss Karma has been keeping me company while I've been reading The Plan by Lyn-Genet Recitas and taking notes.  All you T-Tuesday folks might notice I have a thermos of plain water instead of my usual coffee thermos mug.  ;)

The Plan is a very different approach than the diet information I found online for cleanse, elimination, detox and the like.  It is supposed to work like an elimination diet to find out what you can and can't eat, but you follow this specific eating schedule for three weeks and weigh yourself every morning.  If you gain, you ate something reactive that added to the inflammation.  You have to drink half your weight in ounces of water every day and take some supplements.  But you're supposed to lose half a pound a day (when you're eating non-reactive foods, of course) until you get back to your natural weight you should be!  And it's supposed to help you get rid of the chronic inflammation--and, therefore, many health issues that are caused by that inflammation.

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The difference is that after your initial detox type days you pretty quickly start adding foods to see what happens.  No foods are off limits to try because every person is different and what is bad for one person might not be bad for you.  For example, there are foods that 50% or 75% or 90% of people react to eating, but you might be in the safe percentage, you know?  So you find out what specific foods are the best just for you.  The initial diet days are based on 90% not being reactive to those foods.  Interesting!

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I could add back my coffee and such fairly soon and test them.  The testing will take a long time because it's one at a time and it can take 24-72 hours for your body to react...but adding something new every three days doesn't sound so bad to me.  You wouldn't be hungry because you eat three meals and snacks!  (That's more than I eat now!)  I just need a digital scale.

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There are things I hate in the food plan for those first few weeks (like pears and beets).  Maybe I can gag them down--LOL!  You're supposed to eat pretty much exactly what she tells you, I guess, for the safe, non-reactive foods those first few days, especially.  (There may be some strong "reactions" over here to those pears and beets, though--LOL!)  After a while you can start to make choice substitutions.  I can switch apples for the pears, thank goodness--but I don't know about the beets.  Whichever foods pass the test are added in, too.  

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I am not done reading.  Just last night I found some recipes and eating plans online on their website to download for vegetarians and vegans that I haven't looked at yet (but we know that won't eliminate pears and beets--sigh).  

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I'll have a lot of things to buy next month.  Might have to start in June because I won't have all the foods for the three weeks--but I didn't plan to start the even stricter elimination diet until June, anyways.  I am excited to try this.  I sure as heck will tell you if it works for me, without a doubt.  All the foods are safe and healthy, so they sure can't hurt a person.  Just not what I am used to eating, that's for sure.  They claim the cravings go away pretty quickly.  Hope so!  I can't even imagine being back to my natural, normal weight, for one thing!  Or not having IBS issues!  Or needing BP medication!  Makes it worth a try right there, eh?

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So, you know what I'll be doing today--reading the book and taking notes--and making up the grocery list....which I can't check out to see if Cashwise has everything I will need because I've been bumped off again and can't get back on until Dagan and Leah come tomorrow night and clear my browser cache again.  (Yup!  Still happening after every third time I have been to my cart.  Sigh.)  I'm going to write down the instructions as to how to clear my browser cache this time so that I can do it myself. 

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Anyways, that's what's happening up here.  When it was still warm and spring-like Karma was appreciating every moment of morning sunlight.

We were actually able to open the porch doors up all the way for a few days! 

 So spring really will arrive eventually...she's just such a tease--LOL!  ;)

I forgot to tell you that I reluctantly had to cancel my membership for Ink Drop over at Goulet Pens.  Only because I have so many samples (and I'm using them all the time) that I have an entire drawer full of them--ROFL!

When I have whittled down my stash I may sign up again.  But I have plenty to play with for a good long time, don't I?  Who knew a person could actually have too much ink!!??

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Caroline comes this afternoon.  Dagan and Leah come over tomorrow night.  So I also need to cut and fold card stock for Leah's cards before Wednesday night.  

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Oh, and Dagan and Leah went down to Minneapolis to IKEA this past weekend for a bunch of things.  We both wanted the same shoe bench and they were in stock this time.  So, if they remember to bring it, might be putting together a shoe bench for me!  Which means I am going to shift things around in the entryway--whoohoo!  I'd better take a before picture--hehe!  Not too often anything big gets moved around here.  ;)

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Anyways, that's what's happening up here in Fargo.

Have a good one!!  :) :)

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"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

J. R. R. Tolkien