Happy Friday my friend! I wanted to give you a health update on myself because I always said I would stay true to my journey! I haven’t lost track or sight of my workouts, in fact, I haven’t missed a beat with them! For that, I am so proud of the consistency I have gained over the last 7 years. I feel great that I can still show up and do these programs to this day!

BUT…..

I haven’t really been feeling myself for about a year or two and the weight just keeps packing on with no real change in my nutrition. I have been feeling defeated, not myself, and just BLAH.

TIP: Don’t let that slide. Get a doctor who listens to you and is willing to do some digging on your behalf. Regular check ups do normal blood work and all mine have been perfectly fine. My A1C is staying at 5.5 which is great and all the levels seems to be in check! So the regular doctor always tells me that I am fine. I kept thinking what am I doing wrong here!?! I didn’t know until I read the book NEXT LEVEL. This book is for a woman as she goes into menopause. It is a MUST READ because everything she shares in that book was happening to me! So I took the book’s advice and went and saw a functional doctor that was willing to go deeper into my bloodwork and check for things that aren’t typically checked.

I saw Lori Wendell and Dr. Darrin VanScoy at Ascent Elite Health (https://totalhealthpros.com) in Hurricane, WV. They scheduled bloodwork and 7 tubes later, I got the answers I didn’t want to hear, but needed to hear. They found several things and I wanted to share what that was:

• My Vitamin D was super low. It showed a result of 15. The minimum result is an 85 for them, so I was deficient in Vitamin D. A prescription was given for this deficiency. They said it could take several months to get that number up. Explains lack of energy, low mood, depression, and muscle weakness.

• My Vitamin B was low. I was given a supplement to help increase it. Explains my indigestion, feeling tired and weak, problems with my memory, and headaches.

• My Progesterone was low. I had to take the bloodwork 10 days after my menstrual cycle and will continue to monitor this hormone. A prescription was given for this hormone to help regulate it. My anger and rage was insane! LOL Sorry Tony - I tried not being a bear but some days I couldn’t help it.

• I am insulin resistant. Carbs and sugar are NOT my friends. I knew this already but I didn’t think it was affecting my weight loss but it sure was! My A1C is perfect but the amount of sugar in my blood is not. He put me on a supplement called LOAD. Plus, he suggested a diet that I am not fond of, so I will go back on my GUT PROTOCOL nutrition program.

• My iron was low. I was given an iron supplement to help.

• I am on Protonix for heart burn, but that is killing my gut health so he suggested taking apple cider vinegar capsules and within a week get off that Protonix. It is messing with my stomach acid and how I digest my foods.

• My cortisol levels are high. That is the stress my friend and isn’t helping my weight loss at all. I was given two supplements for that.

• I will need to be on these supplements and prescriptions for a month and go through another menstrual cycle. Then more bloodwork to test those levels again as well as the thyroid. It was showing signs of being low too. He is hoping that with all these supplements that it helps the thyroid too. So fingers crossed!

So get yourself a doctor that is willing to listen to you and not just tell you that you need to lose weight without actually helping WHY you can’t lose it. Nutrition is one thing I can control but other stuff, not so much. I told them I lost the 50-70 lbs. before and now that has all changed. What used to work for me before, isn’t working now.

I will be 42 in December and according to that book. This is when it starts to happen - in your 40’s. So educate yourself, get the proper care you need, and dig deep to find the root cause of your issues. You know your body best! I will keep you updated as the journey continues!

Shout out time!!!

My fellow team mate Maria has had a fantastic journey and does amazing in her coaching business too.

She is a nurse but still makes the time to take care of herself and work her business.... Age is just a number and when I see her smile in her after photo I just see happiness and great health!!

She is a huge inspiration to me to never give up no matter what. These are the type of people I surround myself with so I will share more every week, but I am so proud of Maria, that I had to share her story with you!!

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"Almost four years ago, I made a huge decision, to remove all the excuses holding me down for too long and focus my new path to better lifestyle.

I knew that, change was going to take work, time and dedication, I was willing to do all that for me.

We all must know that big changes in life take time, nothing happen overnight and we have to believe in the process to give us the chance to achieve what we really want.

Selfdoubt and insecurities can cause too much damage in our lives, but if we Reorganize our priorities they will have no place in our lives anymore, we can finally see hope at the end of the tunnel.

I chose a new path to pursue my dreams along with many others, so that feeling of loneliness went away very soon, and that is one of the best feelings in the process.

Being part of a positive and not judgmental community brought so much growth passion into my journey.

Occasionally I look back, to see how far I have come, making my heart very joyful and full of gratitude.

Is a beautiful transformation journey that gives us the opportunity to help others in the process, and that is something that takes our journey to the next level.

I would love to have the opportunity to help you find your path to better way of living.

If I can do this in the second half of my life, you can do it without a doubt in my mind. "

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Isn't she beyond amazing??

Who likes it HOT!??!

This hot, flavorful chili is so tasty, even meat eaters will love this recipe.

Total Time: 35 min.

Prep Time: 15 min.

Cooking Time: 20 min.

Yield: 10 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. seitan

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 habanero pepper, seeded and deveined, chopped (use gloves to handle)

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• ½ tsp. paprika

• ½ tsp. sea salt (to taste; optional)

• 1 dash ground black pepper

• 1 14.5 oz can black beans, do not drain

• 1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, do not drain

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Preparation:

1. Place seitan in food processor; pulse until it has the consistency of ground beef. Set aside.

2. Heat large skillet, lightly coated with spray over medium-high heat.

3. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent.

4. Add garlic, habanero pepper, and seitan; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until seitan is golden brown.

5. Add chili powder, paprika, salt (if desired), and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 more minutes.

6. Add black beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture is heated through.

Tip: Serve chili on top of cooked whole grain pasta (½ cup). Any remaining chili can be frozen to be reheated at a later time.

Tip: If you find habanero too spicy, substitute with jalapeño.