Fighting PCOS Naturally

I think that one of the most important lessons in the Personal Nutrition course I took in January was how to set a SMART goal. I've mentioned it in my monthly goals post, but never went in depth. SMART stands for: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic/Relevant Timely (Yes, you might find other words replaced in the SMART definition, but for the most part, it's all the same.) A word about SMART goals - Because SMART goals force you to set a timeframe, this isn't always the *best* way to set a goal. Sometimes a goal isn't always realistic in the beginning, because you don't have everything you need. For example, having a goal of being a parent is a great goal, but not necessarily a SMART goal - because nature plays a big part in your success, you can't put a specific timeframe on it without the fear of failure. Believe me, I had my parenting goals down before I was a teenager. But life said otherwise, and I'm three years past when I was supposed t...

Here were last month's goals. February: - Complete my Personal Nutrition final - Done! Finished with Distinction - Start and finish the Interior Design course so I can decorate an entire house in March - Nope. But the house in need of decorating isn't happening anymore, so no rush. - Proofread a friend's new novel - Hell no. And this makes me feel bad. - Set up some SMART goals and achieve them! I need to add more veggies in my diet, and add more physical activity! - Nope. I mean I did eat more veggies and hit my step goals more often, but didn't actually set the goals. - Do something fun for Valentine's - Yes! We waited til the day after V-Day and saw Deadpool with a good friend. - Get the February newsletter out fast. - Never did it. - Start the Couch to 5K program - Didn't even download the app - Get some more junk out of the house - This was actually successful! Hubs spent a few days rearranging, and we got some crap out. My house is almost liv...

It's February! Damn. January went by really fast, and Feb will likely go faster, even if it has an extra day this year! So how did January go? Not half bad. I got a lot accomplished, even though they might not have been on the goal list. I didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money. I took Hubs to Mellow Mushroom so he would quit nagging me. I got a FitBit! My support group had the 2nd annual clothing swap and that went well too! The fitbit story is great. I've wanted one for a while, but haven't been ready to fork out the money for what I felt was an overpriced pedometer. But surfing the facebook garage sale groups can prove beneficial. I managed to score 2 fitbits, with chargers and bands for $40. Yeah, I made sure to type that right. Other people wanted it before me, but when you have a husband that doesn't work, you can make him do things immediately that other people have to wait until after work to do. So when I told the seller that I could have the cash in h...

I didn't get the results I had hoped for, but I didn't really try so I can't expect miracles. December: - Finish at least 2-4 more modules in my Dyslexia Therapist course - Well.... I finished 2 more on Jan 3, and it was before I started my goal list for January, so that counts, right? I'm going to say yes. - Yoga! - Ugh no. - Finish wrapping all gifts - Yup - Finish my Christmas card to a special couple - No. But I am sending her a late Christmas present, so I'll send the late card at the same time. - Visit Hubs' grandmother a few hours away - Nope, we're doing that soon, after one of the board games that Hubs wants to take with us finally shows up in the mail! - Finish at least 1 week on the McDougall Plan - I did. I'm a little iffy, and still trying to find something that works for me. But it has been very beneficial for me, because I have learned how to drastically reduce how much oil I use in cooking. - Sit down with Hubs and get our 2016...

I'm in a couple of vegan groups on Facebook. They have really helped me out while getting over the hurdles of eating animal products. One of the groups is a weight loss group ran by some nurses. I love this group, because everyone is so nice, and shares lots of recipes and tips. It was here that I was introduced to the McDougall Plan , devised by Dr. John McDougall. Most people are very used to me preaching that certain carbs are bad for people with PCOS and diabetes, like rice, potatoes, corn... I have always said to stay away from white potatoes and corn altogether, and use a limited amount of brown rice. This has been due to all the research stating that these types of carbs would increase blood sugar and just mess you up. But.... The McDougall plan has shown great promise over the last several decades, helping people with severe auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia reverse their symptoms completely. This goes for diabetes as well. But why am I talking...

HOLY CRAP IT'S THE END OF 2015. I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never! Here were November's goals: - Finish Nutrition course final by Nov 15 - YES YES YES! And I scored a 96 overall! - Start Dyslexia Therapist course on Nov 16 - Yep! 2 of 10 modules complete - Visit family for Thanksgiving - Nope. Family cancelled, and I had a horrible migraine (damn gluten). So we hung out at home and ate mashed potatoes. - Get most (if not all) handmade Xmas gifts completed - Yes! I'm fairly certain all I have left is to put some of those handmade gifts in the proper containers for distribution. - Get the Christmas Card exchange lists out to all participants - Done! - Get Christmas cards ready to mail - Mailed! I have one more card to make, but I've been really slow because I want the wording to be PERFECT. - Go to yoga at least once - Nope. But I did buy a groupon for another studio close to home, and I have one prepaid class at my favorite hot...

October goals were a bust. I'm starting to think that my list of goals should be things I don't want to do, so I can accomplish not doing things. October : - Pay someone to clean my kitchen - NOPE - Get kitchen organized - NOPE - Go to yoga at least once - NOPE . Paid for the class, but didn't go. - Work enough to not stress about next month's paycheck- OH HELL NO. - Get some items listed for sale on eBay / garage sales- NOPE - Work on eating healthier again - YES . - Sit down with Hubs and make a plan to change things up over the next few months - NOPE . He thinks that nothing needs to change. - Use the October 12x30 Cooking Challenge to focus on food - SORTA . I did 2 posts. That's better than none. - Finish the review guides for my final exams - EHHHH ... I finished one page of 5. - Write up a proposal for custom appointment software at Mom's job - NOPE . Decided it wasn't worth my time because I know they can't and won't pay what I...