Are You Real or Fake?

Interesting question, isn't it? 

The point of this blog? Getting there.  Next paragraph.  Keep reading.  :)

I've been thinking a lot about oil pulling (still doing it, still loving the benefits I get from it) and this has led me to think about more natural alternatives for health, healing, and general well being.  Don't worry, I'm not "going hippie" on you.  However, I have been giving some deep thought to what I eat.  Especially with my recent weight gain.  I'm attributing it to stress eating and lack of exercise.  But, also to WHAT I eat.  So much of it is processed garbage. 

Thus, I'm working diligently at making changes.  Eating "real" food and less "fake food.  Food less processed.  Food without everything removed from it - like fat or sugar - and other less healthy things added into it. 

So, I'm using more butter vs margarine.  I will probably never totally convert to butter, but I have noticed it takes much less butter to cook with and the flavor is wonderful.  Using a small amount of butter, saves calories, satisfies my hunger and is healthier in the long run.

Sugar - this is more difficult. Due to gastric bypass surgery a few years ago, ingesting regular sugar causes some rather unpleasant side effects called "dumping" and is not fun. So, I have to be careful how many grams of sugar I take in each day. Thus, I use the fake stuff in my coffee.  But, I use raw sugar, honey, molasses or other alternatives the rest of the time. 

I'm also using more olive oil, coconut oil and butter for cooking vs canola oil or spray oil (propellent anyone??) when I need added fat.  Have I stopped using canola completely?  No.  I will probably always have some around, but the more I read about it, the more I believe the others are better alternatives.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are also getting top billing in our diets.  I'm baking more of our treats vs buying cookies, etc. I even make hamburger rolls when I plan ahead.  They are tasty!  Homemade pretzels, while time consuming, are incredible.  Just a few minor changes.  When I find the local farmers market (next weekend, I hope) I plan to start buying vegetables there.  Fresh, local, home grown vegetables.  Yum!  I can't wait. 

Speaking of buying local, I am so into supporting local businesses vs chain stores.  Small Mom and Pop places from cafes to furniture to clothing.  I think these places are what keeps each town unique and special.  Plus, it's fun to find them. Do you patronize your local shops too or do you stick with the chain places?

Coffee:  Oh yes.  A wonderful cup of Gevalia is at my right hand.  It keeps me going.  It is flavored with the fake sweetener, but has a splash (seriously, just a small amount, maybe 1 TBSP) of real half and half - no fat free stuff - in it.  That's another small, but wonderful change I've recently made.  :)

Are you considering any changes?  What are they? 

Guilty Pleasures

Grabbed your attention, didn't I? 



No, it wasn't just a tease.  I really am going to discuss some of my favorite guilty pleasures.  Guilty tv viewing pleasures, that is.  Come on.  Admit it. You watch things on tv you don't want to admit to anyone.  So, let's dish today on what we are watching, that we enjoy, but somewhere deep down we know we probably shouldn't enjoy it quite as much as we do.

*sigh*  Okay, here is my list.  In no particular order.

American Idol - I love people pursuing their dreams and getting to be part of it by watching and voting for who I believe is BEST.  To me this means whose music would Ibuy if they made a cd.  I love some of their voices (Joshua, Jessica, Elise) but I doubt I'd pay for a cd.  Sing along with them on the radio, yes.  Spend money, no. 

America's Next Top Model - Drama, drama, drama.  They also have a dream but these girls are mean!  They talk behind each other's backs.  They are vicious.  But, it's so much fun to watch the train wreck. 

Toddlers and Tiaras - Yes. I watch this show.  I am a bad person. But, those pagent Moms.  Oh. My. Goodness.  The kids make me laugh - especially when they act their ages.  But, the Moms are crazy!  I love watching them say things like "she's so mature for her age.  She really gets it. She understands so much about what it takes to win."  Um, hello?  You are talking about a two year old.  How much can she really understand?  Seriously? 

Fashion Star - I adore the behind the scenes drama as they prepare each week.  All the tantrums, talking about each other, etc.  However, I LOVE this show and what they are doing.  Again, another bringing a dream to life show, with drama on the side.  How perfect can you get??  Plus, I want some of those outfits.

The Bachelor and/or The Bachelorette (spelling?????  None of the ways I spelled it passed spell check and none of them looked right either.  Whatever.)  Everyone loves love.  And, watching someone fall in love is awesome.  Dating 15 people at once.  Hello drama!  Awesome.  Except for Chris Harrison telling us even 10 minutes "this is the most dramatic episode/season ever".  And, do we really need all the teasers before each commercial break?  Get on with the show!

Paula Deen cooking shows - I am a Southern girl so I "get" her.  Plus, I love all the butter and mayonaisse and sugar.  Yum. However, when I make the recipes - and I frequently do - I lighten them dramatically.  Sort of like Bobby's "Not My Mama's Meals" versions of her recipes, only I did it before he started his show.  So there, Bobby!  :p

Say Yes To the Dress - Brides.  Bridesmaids.  Opinionated Mamas, friends, brothers, Dads, etc.  It's awesome.  I love it.  Plus, there is a 'happily ever after' element to it to warm your heart.  Love the weddings they show at the end where you see all the hard work come together.  Ahhhhhhh......  And, all the bickering, tears, multiple dresses, frustration, misunderstandings, well, there you go.  All the drama you need packed into 30 minutes.

What Not To Wear -  I love the ambush.  The people who think they "dress okay" and it's everyone else's problem.  What does fashion matter anyway?  Etc.  The shock.  The disbelief.  The tears.  "I can't find ANYTHING."  Wah wah wah.  Been there.  Done that.  Wish I could go on the show!  I love the  snarky but true comments from Stacy and Clinton.  I love the way the subject eventually comes around and sees themselves differently.  The outcomes are usually GREAT.  Win win. 

Castle -  All around great show.  Love it.  The tension.  The silly one liners.  The gruesome parts.  The love story, that's a back story. You want them to get together, but you know when they do, the show has MAYBE one more season, because once all that tension is gone, it fizzles.  He is so cute.  She is so smart.  Okay, so maybe I don't feel guilty watching it.  LOL

I know there are more, but these are the ones that immediately popped into my mind.  Other than Paula's show, the rest  are filled with drama.  I love drama.  Is it okay to admit that? I know some have slightly redeeming qualities, like winning a prize, having your dream come true or getting a desperately needed make over.  But, the tears, the anger, the disappointment, etc. - I love it.

In my real life I don't like drama.  But on tv? Love it. It's there to make us feel good about ourselves.  I really AM smarter than a 5th grader.  But, not if I watch that show.  So, I don't.  I hate when tv makes me feel stupid.  I infinitely prefer feeling superior.  Don't you?  Come on.  Be truthful.  It's okay.  We are in the blogosphere.  It's okay to be honest here. If you believe that, I've got some ocean front property in Waco to sell you.  Call me.  Now.  Really.  Here's my number 555-123-4567.  Gotcha again <---Lion King reference.  Did you say it like Nala??  I did. :)

What are your guilty viewing pleasures?  Come on.  I told you mine. 

Writing update:  I have made it to Chapter 8.  Still working on it.  Sort of.  It's been ages since I sat down to write.  Life has been interrupting. 

Coffee:  None yet.  Must be why I'm out in left field today.  LOL  But, I will be drinking some Gevalia soon.  Promise.  With REAL half and half, not the fat free stuff.  Why not?  You only live once.  Might as well use a little splash of the good stuff vs a big splash of something that doesn't taste as good and probably isn't as "good" for me as the real thing. :)

April Showers.....

It has been almost a month since I last blogged.  I can not believe it!  Where has the time gone? I am a bad blogger.  A very bad blogger.  My abject apologies.  Sincerely. Now that I have completed my grovelling, let's move on. 

They say April Showers bring May Flowers.  Well, it has been raining in my world lately.  Huge torrential downpours of stress, aggravation and mind boggling change.  I won't go into all of it, but I will hit a few high lights and update you on the things we often discuss.  :)

Oil pulling update:  Still going well.  I have played with it a bit, going a day without to see what happens, etc.  Using only olive oil or only coconut oil.  I sometimes get tired of it.  Some days I gag.  Somedays I don't want to do it and don't. I am pleased with the results.  I can tell a difference when I don't do it.  I have made it part of my routine and will continue.  Feel free to ask questions.

Writing update:  Eh....  Going well. Sort of. I haven't written much the past couple of weeks. Life has interrupted. 

Last week.  Wow, last week was distressing. Now life should be a little less stressful. Up next, finding a new place to rent for the next year and moving.  Yippee. I have until the end of July to find the place, move in, situate everything and clean this house.  Can I do it?  Yes, I can!!!! 

Fashion:  Oh my.  I am slipping.  Dreadfully so.  Skinny jeans, yes.  I have some great shoes, but rarely wear them.  Sometimes, I manage to wear one of my designer outfits, but not as often as I should.  I am often wearing skinny jeans and loose, oversized t-shirts. Sad but true.  I need a make over in the worst possible way at the moment.  And, I need to lose 10 pounds.  A.S.A.P.  Thus, no OOTDs for a while.  A long long while.

Hair.  Ick.  Currently waiting for it to get long enough to do something cute.  I'm also in desperate need of a stylist.  A good stylist. *sigh*

So, this is my update.  Lots has happened over the past month.  Lots. 

Coffee:  Oh yes.  Lots and lots and lots of coffee.  Coffee by the pots full.  Gallons of coffee. Most of it really good.  Some of it, less than.  I didn't drink much of the less than tasty coffee....

OP Update and Life Stuff

As promised, I am posting to update on how my Oil Pulling (OP) experiment is going. 

OH... I haven't changed my routine except to begin the OP regime and to drink a cup of hot lemon water first thing each morning.  Skin care, diet, etc are the same.  Oh, I stopped taking my allergy meds.  :) 

So, where to start? 

Which oils and how long seems appropriate.  :)  I started with Coconut Oil in the morning and Olive Oil in the evening and doing the process for 5 minutes each time.  Over the past 9 days I've slowly worked up to 10 minutes each time.  My plan is to work up to 15 minutes by next Friday.

The first few days were a bit difficult.  Holding and swishing oil around in my mouth for ANY length of time seemed gross. *shudder* I couldn't wait to spit it out, rinse my mouth thoroughly and brush my teeth.  Once I became accustomed to the whole process, it no longer bothers me.  And, if I'm busy, the time goes quickly.

The benefits?  Are there benefits?  I know this is what everyone is wondering.  ;)

Yes, I can see benefits after a short 9 days.  Specifically:

1.  My teeth are whiter.  I attribute this to brushing my teeth with a mixture of baking soda and sea salt after I OP plus using whitening toothpaste other times.  I wasn't sure they were truly whiter, so I asked my hubby if he noticed a difference.  He assured me there is one.  YIPPEE!!

2.  My allergy symptoms are gone.  Gone.  Did you see that?  GONE!!  I was dealing with nasal congestion, post nasal drip, runny nose, cough, really bad headaches, and I couldn't sleep at night without taking extra meds (Nyquil to be specific).  Now, I have a tiny bit of nasal congestion (left nostril) and sometimes I have a slight cough due to post nasal drip, but ONE cough drop takes care of it immediately.  I've only had to take two cough drops since starting this.  Two in nine days.  Before, I was taking two every half hour - at the very least!  No more Nyquil at night, no more zyrtec during the day.  No more Afrin so I could breathe thru my nose.  No more bags of cough drops in my purse!  No more headaches.  Well, maybe an occassional one, but not daily, verging on migraine ones.  Usually, if I have one it's because I need to eat - or drink more coffee.  :)

3.  My skin is no longer dry.  I was beginning to look like a reptile!  The backs of my hands were so dry it was ugly and awful.  I also had extremely dry cracked heels.  Also, my forehead was dry with large pores.  I noticed after 3 days that my heels were not as dry.  Today, the deepest cracks are still there, but are healing from the inside out (best way I can describe it) and they look and feel so much better.  My hands are so soft and feel so much better.  I was using lotion constantly prior to OP.  I can't remember using it in a week.  My forehead is no longer dry and the pores are smaller.  Overall, my skin is moister and softer.  Wonderful.

These are my initial observations.  If these are the ONLY benefits I ever see from Oil Pulling, they are enough.  Seriously!  I am going to continue this.

In other news, we are starting our house hunt.  We've identified our wish list and our must have list.  We've even been on-line and pulled a few listings that have peaked our interest.  Over the weekend we drove past a few just for fun.  Today I'm meeting with our realtor to start the process.  I can't wait!! 

Writing has stalled.  Life has been happening and writing has gone by the wayside.  Hubby finally read my last chapter (the emotional crisis chapter) and gave me some helpful feedback I needed to bring honesty to the male character.  He said I was close....but not quite there.  Once we talked, I understood where I veered off track. 

Coffee.  Oh yes, every day.  All day.  Either Gevalia Traditional Blend or Community Coffee Breakfast Blend.  Splash of half and half and some splenda.  Yum.  I need to go pour another cup.  :)

So, have YOU tried OP?  How's it going?  Have you seen any changes/benefits?  If you already OP, which oil do you use?  How often?  Benefits you've seen?  Let's discuss!!  :)

EDITED to add links!!!  These two links have the information I read before deciding to try Oil Pulling.  Hope they answer some of your questions and help you decide if you want to try this technique.  And, before you think I'm extremely gullible, NO, I do not believe all the claims they make. :) 

http://www.oilpulling.com/
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html

Do you OP?

Have you ever heard of "Oil Pulling?"  Have you tried it? 

I first learned about it last week from my friend Vicki in Corpus Christi.  She mentioned it qhen we were discussing our allergies and subsequent sinus problems.  She has been seeing it mentioned a lot on Pinterest. 

When I got home, with allergies running rampant, I Googled it.  Wow....what a plethora of information is out there on Oil Pulling!  After reading a ton of testimonials about it, I decided to try it and started Sunday night. 

Let me say this is not for those who have weak stomachs or easy gag reflexes.  A tablespoon of oil in your mouth that you gently swish for 5 minutes (and up to 20) can make you feel quite ill if you think about it too much.

Guess I'd better put the Warnings out here first.  Do NOT gargle.  Do NOT swallow the oil.  Just swish it around your teeth and across your tongue.  After spitting it out, immediately rinse your mouth with fresh water and then brush your teeth. 

After my hours of research, I decided to start slowly, swishing for 5 minutes at a time and slowly building up to the 15-20 recommended minutes.  One of the reviews/testimonials I read stated by doing this she had fewer "detox" symptoms. Also, my research revealed Oil Pulling will quite often cause an increase in mucous and it tells you to NOT take medications to lessen it as that is counter productive.  Thus, I put away my allergy medications and decided to give this a dedicated try for two weeks. 

How is it going? 

I started Sunday night.  Wow, they are right when they say it increases your saliva and mucous.  I coughed, blew my nose and spit for 30 minutes afterward.  But, once I did that, I felt so much better!  And, after brushing my teeth with baking soda and salt (as they recommended), I thought my teeth looked whiter - a good thing for a coffee drinker like me.

Monday morning, I used coconut oil.  If you gag easily, this oil is not for you.  It starts as a solid and melts in your mouth.  Yes, it's gross.  But, it has a much better taste than EVOO.  I did the OP for 5 minutes, brushed my teeth and wondered, "Are my teeth really whiter?"

Last night, I OPed again with EVOO.  I read on one of the testimonials about using complementing oils to "pull" different impurities from your body and help you detox.  Since I had those two on hand, I thought "why not?" More of the same mucous reaction.

BUT, this is HUGE to me.  When the cold front came through, I didn't get sick.  Normally, I have a massive headache and am down for the count prior to a major weather change/storm like we had last night.  It didn't happen this time.  The only change I've made is Oil Pulling.  Makes me go "Hmmmmmmmm????"

Once again, I started my day with Coconut Oil.  Adding a second OP before lunch using coconut oil.  Tonight I will OP with EVOO. 

The early results:  I think my teeth are whiter.  And, I'm doing quite well without zyrtec and afrin every morning and Nyquil every night to be able to breathe.  If the only real benefit is whiter teeth, I will take that.  I was seriously considering a professional teeth whitening, they were getting so yellowed from coffee.  But, if it helps with my allergies, headaches and various other problems (hair, nails, cracked heels, skin, etc.,) all the better.  If not, the worst thing I've done is waste a little bit of various cooking oils and time.

So, I'm going to continue with the experiment for 4 weeks vs the 2 I originally intended.  As one of the testimonials said, and I paraphrase, "what's it going to hurt?  You are swishing oil around in your mouth and spitting it out."

Writing.  Yup.  At Panera as I kept getting side tracked at home.  Managed to get 1350-ish words written in 1.5 hours.  It was some heavy duty emotional stuff.  I almost cried in the restaurant as I was writing.  Obviously, I identify with my main character too much!

Coffee:  Of course.  Community Coffee, splenda, half and half here at home.  Light Roast coffee (2 big mugs of it) at Panera.

So, what are your thoughts on OP?  Let's start a discussion!  :)