What a Day, What a Day!

These last two days have been extremely busy.

So much so that I was not even able to blog on yesterday.  But I will have you know that I am still drinking at least one green smoothie a day, drinking detox tea, and lots of water.

I feel great!..with the exception of my body trying to fight off/grab onto a cold.

I am proud to say that I walked 4 miles the other day and it felt really good.  Now that the weather is back to being more Fall-like, I will have to try another way.

I am also happy to report that today I was able to fit into a skirt that I had not been able to fit into since last year :-))))))))))))  The cleanse is really paying off.  I just have to maintain some sense of healthy eating/drinking while indulging in some of my favorites like fried Whiting, macaroni and cheese and the like :-|.

As I stated earlier, I have been sooooooo very busy and today was no exception.  I was so busy that I did not eat a morsel of food; only water (which is not a habit that I want to begin).

I called myself trying to make some tea while at work.  I got some hot water and placed my spoon in my mug, but that was as far as I got.  A tea bag never made it into the water SMH.

I just got home from work and ate an apple.  But before I eat my 2 fish sandwiches that I have already heated up, I will ingest some detox tea, followed by my green smoothie made with spinach, mixed greens, pineapples, and strawberries.

OH and my husband is continuing to consume the Chocolate Shakeology drink every morning and enjoys it.

Well, enough for now.

I hope that my journey has inspired some of you to look into healthier ways of living.

Be blessed!

One Milestone Accomplished - a Master's Degree with Concordia University-Portland

One milestone that I was unable to accomplish while I was sick was to complete my Master's degree in Educational Leadership.

After three failed attempts, I eventually gave up...until now.

I first began experiencing symptoms in 2004 and they were subtle at first: it started out with a rash on my leg, similar to that of a bug bite.  Over the years, it morphed into multiple rashes, accompanied by joint pain, and eventually led to my being out of work for 3 months because I could barely walk.  Of course this progression spanned 7 years.

In the summer of 2008, I made my first attempt at starting a master's program with William Paterson University.  Unfortunately, the disease was known to flare up in the summertime, and I was forced to withdraw.

I made another attempt during 2009 and again in 2010 to no avail.  I decided to call it quits. I had very understanding professors, and the Department was behind me 100% but that just was not my season.

Well, then I was introduced to Concordia University Portland.  Although I was no longer suffering from the disease, I decided to pursue an online degree, and it was one of the best educational decisions that I could have made.  Why was Concordia the best fit for me? Easy...

• It was a Christian University founded on Christian principles
• It was an online program
• It was only 1-year long
• I was able to acquire many scholarships
• I was able to complete the entire program with a Study Buddy - Erica Dawson

If I told you that it was easy, breezy, I would be lying.  But the fact that I had professors that prayed for me, a Study Buddy that would not allow me to quit (and I would not allow her to quit either), and a truly, supportive husband (save the best for last), it made that year seem like a breeze.

I went from several failed attempts from 2008 to 2010, to finally graduating with my Master's degree in 2015 AND won a free trip to the graduation in Portland, Oregon.  To God be the glory!

Not only that, but I was selected to share my experience with the world.  See here...

https://youtu.be/bOAQZ_U2nEc - my solo testimony about why Concordia is "one of a kind".

I also got to chronicle my experience with my Study Buddy :-))))))))))

https://youtu.be/ITy7xWcKqlY - Why we decided to choose Concordia? Why having a Study Buddy was a unique help.

https://youtu.be/MGKHfXhggrs - What advice would we give? What are our professional goals?

What an amazingly, awesome experience!

On top of all of this, I am a Concordia University Ambassador and can offer huge savings to anyone interested in pursuing their master's and/or doctorate degree.

If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing their degree online, please leave a comment on my page, or feel free to e-mail me directly at mrsthilbert@gmail.com for more information.

Be blessed!

Less I Forget...

This comparison is why I continue to blog and to share my journey.

I suffered from an Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (Google it) from 2004 until 2013, and was at my sickest point when the picture on the left was taken (December of 2011).  I was on 12 different medications, had blown up to 198 pounds, every joint in my body hurt, and my husband literally was beginning to make mental funeral arrangements.  

BUT GOD showed up through a holistic nutritionist named April Chapman, who recommended that I do a full body detox and blood cleanse*, which I began in 2012.  When I tell you that God healed me through this cleanse, that is exactly what he did.  The pic on the right was from December of 2012. What a difference a year makes!  

View my posts from 2012 and 2013 to get a full picture of that part of my journey.

Although I have not been consistent since the healing part of my journey began, I always revert back to what works.  This is why the 10-day green smoothie cleanse was so important.  

I used to do the full body detox every season as is recommended, but after 3 years of doing the same detox, my body now rejects it.  But my body welcomes a green smoothie and daily exercise.

Whatever you are dealing with at the moment, please know that it is only a moment.  It may be the hardest moment of your life but I am a living witness that God is able to do ALL things; even a miraculous healing that STILL has ALL OF MY DOCTORS (and there were many) baffled!

Trust God through your journey, and He will show up and show out right on time.

Be encouraged and stay blessed!

*www.dhealthstore.com is where I purchased the Full Body Detox and Blood Cleanse

The Results Are In

I am happy to report that the 10-day green smoothie cleanse did yield some great results.

I measured my bust, waist, and hips before and after the cleanse and here are the results:

• Bust - BEFORE = 38.75...AFTER = 37.00  That is a loss of 1.75 inches
• Waist - BEFORE = 38...AFTER = 34.5  That is a loss of 3.5 inches
• HIPS - BEFORE = 42...after = 40  That is a loss of 2 inches

I know that if I had incorporated exercise, I would have lost many more inches but this was a great start.

I can also visibly see that my thighs are smaller, and my clothes are a bit looser.

I also took some before and after pics of my face in its rawest form as you can see below.  See if you can tell that there is a difference...

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE ARE NOT BEAUTY SHOTS BUT RAW SHOTS FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES ONLY

                                             BEFORE                           AFTER

Although I have naturally chubby cheeks and a full face, I could tell that my face slimmed down a bit.

                                   BEFORE - pay attention to the whites of my eyes...

                                  AFTER - can you tell that the white is whiter?

Detoxing is known to make the whites of your eyes whiter.

It is amazing what a bit of cleansing will do.

Detoxing is the vehicle that God used to heal me from the auto-immune disease that I suffered with for over 7 years, so I know first-hand the tremendous benefits that detoxing has.

After initially detoxing 3 years ago, I changed my eating habits for a few years and was very close to eating like a vegan.  Then life and stress happened and unfortunately, I often eat for comfort so my healthy lifestyle went out of the window.

I do need to get back to a consistent healthy regiment as my life truly depends upon it and so does yours.

I hope that my journey has encouraged you to at least commit to a a cleanse and/or more healthy eating habits.  

It is recommended that one detoxes every season in order to cleanse out the toxins that our body absorbs on a daily basis.

Until the next post, be blessed!

Back On the Right Track

I am happy to say that I woke up this morning with a made-up mind to do the right thing.

I completed day 21 of the 24-day Ab Challenge by completing 130 crunches, 52 leg lifts, and an 80-second plank.

I took full advantage of this beautiful weather and went for a 3.52 mile walk.

I drank some detox tea and two green smoothies.  Whoo hoo!!!

I feel so much better than I did yesterday.

I fried some fish and ate way too much of it but still did better today than I did yesterday.

The eating of heavy food is making me kind of sluggish.

I am still feeling kind of sick so bought some Thera-flu and will be going to bed soon.

I have documented the results from the detox and will share them in a separate post.

Have a great night everyone.

Be blessed!

Definitely Overdid It Today

Well, as promised, I went ALL THE WAY IN.

I was so happy that today was the first non-cleanse day that I shocked my system and definitely not in a good way.

As a rule of thumb, when you come off of a cleanse, you are supposed to ease into heavy foods by continuing to eat light for at least three days.  Although I know this, I was so hyped to eat regular foods that I messed up royally.

I fasted until about 1:30 PM and instead of easing into my day with a green smoothie or salad, I went almost as heavy as you can get.  Anyone care to guess what I ate?

I wish I would have taken a picture but I was too sick to do so...I ate French toast and scrambled eggs with cheese.  Ughhh!!!  It was a lot of food and I scarfed it all down.  

My husband looked at me while he was eating his chicken salad (LOL he got it right and I chose to get it all the way wrong) and said, "You're gonna be able to eat all of that?"

Being the greedy girl that I usually am, I said, "Watch me!"

Oh my goodness, I wish I would have used wisdom because before I knew it all of my food was on its way back up.  Thankfully I was able to swallow it back down (yuck!) but the fact that this happened just proved why you are not supposed to eat such heavy food so quickly.  

Now I am bloated, nauseous and just feel Blah!

So in an effort to rectify the situation, I came home and drank some detox tea, made a green smoothie which consisted of kale, spring greens, strawberries, a half of a banana, and flaxseeds.  Had I just stopped there, it probably would not have been a problem.

But no, no, no, no, no...I would not be hard-headed Tyeshia if I would have stopped there.  I shoveled some spinach down my throat so that I could make my system ready for some dinner.  Anyone care to guess what that consisted of?????  Fried chicken wings, white rice, and corn.  SMH.  I mean, I am really asking for trouble.

I will tell you this - I messed up royally today so it is a wrap.  However, tomorrow I will force myself to start the day right with my detox tea, a green smoothie, and something light.

My husband did it all the way right - I made him a Shakeology Chocolate shake for breakfast, he drank water, and then had a chicken salad for lunch.  He ate the same dinner that I did but keep in mind that he did the modified version of the cleanse, which consisted of him eating heavier food for dinner anyway.

Even as I type I feel sick!  So sick in fact that I am not even able to share the results from the cleanse.  But no worries, I will do this tomorrow.

Please do not make the same mistake that I willingly made.

Be blessed and stay obedient!

What A Day!

What a day, what a day, what a day!

It is hard to believe that today is the beginning of the end of the cleanse.

Out of all of the days, today was the most off for me.

I woke up this morning feeling so horrible that I contemplated, and even informed my boss and secretaries that I was taking a sick day.  After changing my mind and deciding to go in, I realized that I did not have enough time to make my smoothies...NOTHING has gotten in the way of me making the smoothies this entire time.

Nevertheless, I went to work WITHOUT my smoothies and figured that I could go home during lunch, make and drink them...NEGATIVE.  It was just that kind of day.

So I drank water, green tea, and ate apples.  I did not even drink my detox tea, which I have done every morning since the first day.

BUT I am determined to finish just as strong as when I began so, I just made my Pineapple Kale smoothie which consists of the following:

• 2 handfuls kale
• 1 handful spring mix greens
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peaches
• 2 handfuls pineapple chunks
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

This smoothie is the greenest one to date.

Oh and I just drank my detox tea.  I am getting back on track already ;-)

I have to tell you - with me not drinking my smoothies today I felt out of sorts.  Like, I could not figure out if I was coming or going at times.  For example, when I arrived home from work a few minutes ago, I was looking all over the place for my coat so that I could hang it up...little did I remember that I had already hung it up.  Instead of remembering this, I asked myself, "Hey, who hung my coat up?!"  Mind you I am the only one in the house at the moment 0-0 (wide eyes).

I KNOW I will need to drink at least one green smoothie each day going forward; there are no negatives, only benefits.

SOME RESULTS

OK, my plan was to report all of my results today but being that I really did not begin drinking my smoothies until a moment ago, I will measure and take pictures first thing in the morning before I go IN!

1. One thing that I can report is that my belly is the flattest that it has been in many years - and that is WITHOUT my sucking it in :-))))))))))))))))))  
• This could be partly due to the 24-day AB Challenge that I was participating in, which I took another couple of days off from.  But I know that this cleanse has definitely helped.
2. My mom commented that my face looked brighter.  I joked that this could be because I had on foundation but she usually sees me with foundation and still saw a difference.
3. If you have read my blog in the past, you know that as a result of the auto-immune disease, much of my memory was null and void.  But I have to comment, at least for the last 10 days, I have been able to remember a lot.  
4. I have been able to fit into clothing that I have not been able to wear in years.  Unfortunately my scale shattered so I did not weigh myself before and will not be able to weigh myself afterwards.
5. My wedding ring is sliding off of my finger, which is a sure sign of weight loss.
6. Although my husband does not see any change, I can definitely tell that he has lost weight, and I noticed that his face looks brighter as well.

I am looking forward to sharing more results with you tomorrow.

Be blessed