Queen for a Day!

Today was the first Birthday I have celebrated since starting my Gabriel Method journey.  I really notice the change in me... not just physically but mentally.

My love language is Gifts.. I LOVE to give and receive them.. and its a bit alien to me anyone who does NOT share my passion for it.

In the past my birthday have been the perfect excuse to binge on processed foods.  To delight in the celebration that was always my permission to be greedy.

When ever I have had friends over they will confirm I have always gone OTT with the Salty and Sweet processed junk food goodies that were my old addicted passion.

But this year I opted to exhibit some of my alternative options of making my own home made mostly raw cake.  My friend made some Gluten free scones and we had yummy Tea and just Chilled Water... (no soft drinks or juices).

I didn't want to be depriving and my friends all contributed with yummy sugary goodies but I actually was content with the items I ate, enjoyed them lovingly, actually TASTED THEM.. savoured them.. and felt in LOVE with my food for once instead of chowing down mentally numb to flavour.... and I never felt I was missing out even thought my old nemesis NENISH TARTS were in attendance.

I made my own birthday cake; I researched a great deal for recipes that had ingredients I already had and knew I could make and i must say my end result was pretty darn awesome..

The base was made just with Nuts, dates and coconut oil, the middle layer was Avocado, cacao powder, coconut butter, coconut palm sugar and coconut oil and a little real vanilla.  The top was a gluten free brownie packet mix with added walnuts and pepita's...and it really was AMAZING...

I also didn't feel over occupied in "food" gathering before the High Tea,  and I even spent a couple of hours out on my own spending birthday money and getting my hair cut.  It was just awesome.. to be Queen for the day!

Life should always have moments when we can be Queen (or king).. where the we are the centre of attention.. but I am glad I never let it go to my head and forget my friends and family.  I'm so totally blessed by some amazing women in my life who all make me want to be the BEST me I can be.  They inspire me so much..... to me.. they are my hero's.. .. worth their weight in Gold!  (and Thanks to my hubby who watched 6 very excitable 3 - 7 yr old boys who were having their own play date at the same time - I hardly even noticed them).

Thank you to the 5 gorgeous and fabulous ladies who came and shared High Tea with me and let me be Queen for a couple of hours..   Its an honour to have you in my life!.

xx

HRH Skippy!

Pre-Birthday Ponders

Me and my Daddy in 1972

Tomorrow is my 41st Birthday and I always have a little ponder about the last year and the coming year.

This time last year I was a very heavy weight.  I was anxious and hiding.  I did have an awesome 40th Birthday garden party with very special sweet friends and an amazing delicious cake made exactly how I wanted.

This year last year has been an amazing whirlwind of change.  

In May 2012 when looking for further ways of living a Whole-food life, I found The Gabriel Method for weight loss   I was impressed by Jons testimony and for the first time found a kindred spirit that backed up my belief that Diets Don't Work.

I started learning a lot about Jon's process to freedom from Obesity and the holistic approach he followed (and now teaches)  I wasn't trying too hard and I had not emerged myself into the daily visualising yet but in July I got an email inviting me to consider joining a new Case Study program Jon was offering for 6 months.  I felt nervous and excited.. I knew it was for me but the financial cost was a massive commitment.  But I trusted Jon enough to say YES... 

3 weeks after joining Case Study.. my husbands once secure job was made redundant.  Our world came tumbling down.. Suddenly we had no regular income and thought he got a payout that we had no idea how long it had to last and how we would manage.  

No work was around.. a LOT of people in our City had lost their jobs in the same industry and because of the high level of my husbands credentials he was just too expensive to employ! 

Times were tough..  Stress was high and if it was not for The Gabriel Method and Case Study I would NOT have got through the following months without having to return to medication.

My Gabriel Coach, Marjolijn, was a divine appointment.  A true blessing in my life.  I call her my Mummy Bird.. she held my hand through some tough soul work.  I chose to commit our precious finances to me seeing the case study program through, because the benefit to our family was worth it... even if it meant I had to get fit enough to work.  Im so glad I saw it through.   

The last half of 2012 are a blur and a whirlwind of emotion and memories.  So much has happened yet I feel its disappeared in the blink of an eye.  I think that is what happens when you live in the Present.. you no longer have time to dwell or store up negativity.. which lets be honest I know I had formed a habit of doing.

I was able to release some very painful memories from childhood and as I released these things back to where they came from, I started to find a freedom I had never known.  Freedom to discover ME.  Who I wanted to be, learn who I COULD be and its been amazing!

My journey has been less about weight loss and more about EVERYTHING.  My weight is a symptom of other more important concerns and THOSE are what I am choosing to address!

Part of the Case Study was an all access pass to Jon's events. This including attending his Kiama 4 day Retreat.  I signed up before my husband had found work and I just prayed we would be able to afford travel and accommodation when the time arrived in March 2013.

My husband did find a job before Christmas but his start date was not until January 2013.  Our financial situation was getting dire but at NO POINT did we ever not have enough to pay the essential bills due.. and this continues the to be the case despite the fact that his new job was a huge pay cut!.

Jon's Kiama Retreat was a massive turning point.. and i think all paths were leading to it.  so much of my life's journey came to a conclusion there.  And a HUGE door of New Hope opened. I stepped through it.. sang a welcome song to it and here I am.. writing a blog about my daily journey.

I sometimes read my blog or look in the mirror and say "who IS that woman?"  I know there are aspects of myself that are still evolving.  But I feel the true me has come out kicking, fighting and WINNING.

Since Kiama, my body has started to respond to the detoxing lifestyle I live.  I'm not weighing myself so I can't give my dear readers figures... but my Facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/SkippysTransformation has a few progress photos if you need to proof..   

This coming year is going to blow my mind if I think about it too hard.  I am focusing on the short term... this keeps me grounded.. but my Dreams and Visualisations are limitless..

NO REGRETS - NO FAILURES... JUST A JOURNEY.

I walked!

I walked for exercise this morning.. I am so proud of myself. 

 Anyone who knows me knows I have lived the life of a disabled person for a very long time.  At 16 I had a total hip replacement after many years of suffering from Perthes Disease.    

My hip has defied logic and medicine.  Every Orthopaedic surgeon I meet are dumb struck that I have a 25 yr old hip replacement that looks as healthy and perfect as the day it was done.  

February 2012 I thought my mobility was over when I had a slip on mud in the school car park.  I virtually did the splits and heard a very loud CRACK in my left hip.  I was in a lot of pain and taken by specialist ambulance to the PA hospital in Brisbane.

Put on morphine and CT scans and Xrays were taken.  Specialists were fearing I had broken my hip and I went into a real panic and grieving; thinking my life as a young mother would be taken away from me.. that my kids would forever have a mum in a wheel chair.

The scan returned COMPLETELY CLEAR.. the specialists were amazed.. Diagnosis was that I had severely ripped my Adductor Muscle..  It was the most painful thing I have ever done. Long term prognosis was unknown, and the worst case scenario was given to me to prepare for.  Never walking unaided again!

Three days in hospital on morphine and other pain medication and a hospital Physiotherapist trying to get me mobile enough to go home.   I left hospital using a wheeled Walking frame.  A geriatric at 39 was no life for me to look forward to.  I went to Rehab every week and was blessed with an amazing Physiotherapist who found me fascinating and rose to the challenge to help me.. beyond just the adductor.  They felt my slip has been contributed to by the fact I had a dropped, twisted and tilted pelvic and 3 compressed discs in my lower spine! (L3-5).  I had two lovely Physiotherapist Manually manipulate my pelvis back into some type of normal position (not fun when two grown men are virtually sitting on your pelvis pushing it and you are not medicated and fully awake!!)

Over the weeks/months of adjustments, manipulations  hydrotherapy and massages the Adductor healed and I strengthened my leg and endurance.  I was eventually discharged from Rehab told to use at the very least a walking stick and if uneven or slippery ground or long distance walking I was to use my walking frame.  

And this was the life for me. Until I went to Kiama in March 2013.

In Kiama I was at the Jon Gabriel retreat.  Jon gave us an amazing 3 day retreat of learning about different aspects of health, digestions, our spiritual ability and our brain etc.  One of the seminars I found the MOST challenging of all, was about our bodies ability to HEAL itself naturally.

I cried so long and hard that day... could I REALLY live the life of a fully able person just by CHOOSING to and just by nourishing my body correctly and visualising Health and Vitality.

SO so so many years of doctors telling me I was destined for nothing.  Life never had really begun for me.. back as a 12 yr old girl first losing her ability to walk after a slip on mud impacted my already damaged hip .. suddenly not being able to walk.. then at the age of 39 almost repeating history.. but actually THAT fall almost seems like it was coming full circle and the END of the life I had lived so far.. disabled, fat, fearful and lonely.

What led me to Gabriel Method in May 2012 is another story I will tell one day.. but my mobility was still being rehabilitated.. and my mood til that point was very low.. depressed  and i was on Prozac, high strength Voltaren and the occasional Morphine etc.  but once I started listening to visualisations my life changed.. my physiotherapist saw a change.. a passion to be great! A determination to one day Ride a Bike!

I started taking Omega 3 suppliments and suddenly i no longer had pain.. so I stopped the morphine and voltaren.. and as my confidence grew I suddenly one day said NO MORE to the Prozac and that too was gone.. all because of Omega 3.

So now nearly a year later.. and suddenly believing in myself at last.. and believing in the power of this God Crafted body to heal itself and renew. Every cell one by one can be healed, duplicated and renewed.. I decided to take on the challenge.  If this be true then I have to give my body EVERY advantage I can.. 

I learned that processed foods made my cells rigid and not duplicate correctly.  Processed food make the vital hormones that regulate blood sugar, fat storage etc be ignored by the brain.  

The chain of command in my body was in ruin.  The ONLY way forward was to deal with my Digestion < to me this is the true nervous system of our body.. without proper digestion our body can not get the vital nutrients for cell health.. My body is 100% cellular.. its simple.. crap food = crap cells.   I have a Gastric band that was suppose to save my life but was KILLING IT.

My mind is also the other factor.  Crap food = Crap attitude.  

I'm now feeding my Cells LIVE HEALTHY VITAL FOODS.. that create this body every day.  They feed, heal and mobilise.. 

So.. that leaves TODAY.. after 11 months on the Gabriel Method.. I just did a 1km walk without painkillers, without a walking frame, without a walking stick.. just me and my legs.. my beautiful amazing clever legs.

THANK YOU GOD FOR AMAZING BEAUTIFUL CLEVER LEGS THAT GET US FROM A - B

Sprouts sprout sprouts.....

 I have been learning all about sprouting.. and bought some amazing organic sprouting seeds from my health food store.  

So far I have done Lentils, 

 Wheat grass

Alfalfa

Some one to lean on

Today I was reminded that there are struggles and emotions we all face.. and things will come up that offend or challenge our firm foundation and faith.

How we respond to these times is totally what is more important.  Do we dwell and wallow in the negativity or do we turn our back and draw a line on the drama.  

Today I did just that.. faced something that offended, judged and disrespected me and I chose NOT to respond.  I did turn to a trusted friend and ran by my decision process by her and came to my own answer of moving on and  not giving the actual offending issue any further air time. 

I know I have grown and I gather strength from every trial or event that try to promote drama.  I know for CERTAIN that I am transforming BODY and MIND

GOD BLESS ALL the amazing people in my life I can lean on and gather strength from - you know who you are!!

Here are the words of a song that inspires me.

Lean On Me

Bill Withers

Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow.
But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow.
Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend.
I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long 'til I'm gonna need somebody
to lean on.

Please swallow your pride, if have things you need to borrow.
For no one can fill those needs that you won't let show.

You just call on me brother when you need a hand.
We all need somebody to lean on.
I just might have a problem that you'll understand.
We all need somebody to lean on.

Lean on me when you't not strong, and I'll be your friend.
I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long 'til I'm gonna' need
somebody to lean on.

You just call on me brother if you need a friend.
We all need somebody to lean on.
I just might have a problem that you'll understand.
We all need somebody to lean on.

If there is a load you have to bear that you can't carry.
I'm right up the road, I'll share your load if you just call me.

Call me (if you need a friend)
Call me

Its a process and it takes time!

Today I'm feeling very chilled.  I think its because my new lifestyle is becoming routine and I can just settle into it without fear of failure.

Its liberating to finally be LIVING and LOVING.

It happens when you stop fighting.  You know you have found the right thing for you when its no longer a battle.  I never understood that when I heard others say it.. but I FINALLY understand. 

Its a process and it takes time.

I have ZERO cravings for my old Toxic life and I don't feel deprived or left out.

I'm loving living Processed Food Free.  I'm loving eating LIVE food.  Drinking a fresh veg Juice every day.  Taking my Probiotics, digestive enzyme and Omega 3!  

My body is thanking me by being PAIN FREE!  Parts of me are shrinking and Im finding the new me underneath this layer of Toxin Storage!

Cooking up a storm

I don't want this blog to be a cooking blog as my GM journey is not all about the food.. its just one aspect.. so occasionally I will post a recipe or photo but please don't ask me for more as I am just journaling my daily walk with GM.

Today I felt very motivated to cook up a storm. 

It started with making Nut milk for the first time.. (see previous blog post) 

The nut milk left me with about 2.5 cups of Almond Pulp which I was going to freeze and keep but decided to use.  

So I next made some yummy Chocolate Alternative to coconut Rough..

This yummy slice is Almond Pulp, coconut oil, Cacoa Raw powder and Coconut Palm sugar.

Then I decided to use the rest of the pulp to make Quinoa/Almond Cheese scones

These were delicious slightly warm from the Oven with butter (and my BFF had hers with vegemite!)

Then for dinner I decided to make

 home made meat balls in Tomato and Carrot sauce.. with Udon noodles.

YUM!

I wish I was this motivated to cook EVERY day. Im sure my family do too!