Banana Shake Using Pearl Meal Replacement

I am absolutely in LOVE with this shake/smoothie. I have it almost every morning. I love the Pearl from Professional Botanicals, it has amazing nutritional value and the Vanilla flavor is delicious by itself...but also makes it easy to use and add flavor too. This recipe is really really easy....take a moment and watch the video, and if you must go ahead and laugh out loud at how silly I look. I am not one to like being in front of the camera, ha! But I wanted you to see how fast and easy it is to make :)

Also, don't forget that you can buy Pearl Meal Replacement HERE, and remember to use discount code KELSIE20 to get your 20% off your product!

Naturally Getting Rid of a Stomach Ulcer

Hey all. SO I haven't really shared what I have been going through these last few weeks, not because I haven't thought about it. But because I wanted to wait until I could honestly tell you what has worked and not worked for me. 

Before I dive in let me get you up to date. Because I had a more traumatic labor with Greyson I was in A LOT of pain during my recovery. I was taking ibuprofen several times a day for weeks. Like I mentioned in THIS post, I was able to finally switch from taking Ibuprofen to a more natural pain reliever. 

About this same time (approximately 3 weeks postpartum) I started getting extreme pain in my stomach that would appear out of no where and last for hours before fading away. This pain started showing up 2 or 3 times a week. Because I was still in that brand new mommy phase, walking zombie stage of life I didn't spend much time thinking about what could be wrong. My full focus was on this new baby of mine and making sure he was ok, I put myself on the back burner. I also thought that I should just tough it out and it would eventually just go away. This went on for about a month that I ignored my problem I was having. 

By the time I was about 2.5 months postpartum I was still having issues and decided something had to be done. I couldn't take being in that much pain several times a week anymore. I made an appointment to go see a gastroenterologist (stomach doctor) to see if he could tell me what was wrong. I was with the Dr. for maybe 10 minutes at the most. He asked me a bunch of questions and then said I either had gallstones or a stomach ulcer. In order for him to find out I was going to have to go back the next week and have an ultrasound, as well as have a stomach scope. The scope was going to involve me "going under" and having them drop a small camera down my throat and into my stomach. I don't know about you but that was the LAST thing I wanted. I left the Doctor's office extremely frustrated. First off, he couldn't do anything about it for at least a week (probably more since he would have to wait for results), I would have to fast for almost 24 hours, because of the medication to put me under I was going to have to pump and dump for a couple of days, and because of the pump and dumping I was going to need to breast pump A TON to save up so Grey would have enough food. Everything about this visit stressed me out. 

I decided to take a deep breath and head to Veo Clinic to go see Dr. Millet and see if there was anything he could do to help me. I told him that the Gastroenterologist said I either had gallstones or a stomach ulcer. Dr Millet took my arm and muscle tested me, within 30 seconds he was able to tell me that I had a stomach ulcer. No waiting a week, no fasting, no saving up breast milk, and best of all no scope! 

Stomach ulcer's are usually irritated by spicy foods, fatty foods, or foods that are in general harder for your body to break down and digest. The advice I was given by Dr. Millet was to avoid as much of these foods as possible and then to up my intake of Lipozymes (enzymes that help break down fat) and to start taking DiAide Enzymes (enzymes that help the body to break down food). 

It has now been a month since I have started doing this and I feel AMAZING! Honestly, I can't believe how quickly I felt better. In this past month I have only had one, yes only ONE time that I had my stomach pain and it wasn't anywhere close to the amount of pain I was feeling before. 

Dr. Millet truly is amazing and Veo Clinic has been extremely helpful in keeping me healthy and helping me to live a more natural life.

Postpartum Weight Loss Update: Kelsie Millet

Hey friends! So it has been awhile since I have actually updated you with how I'm doing. This week my little babe will be THREE months old..time goes way too fast! I took my picture this morning and wasn't feeling too confident until I compared it to where I started. You need to take pictures!! You will feel so much better when you can actually see how much better you are doing rather than taking someone else's word for it.

A recap for those of you who haven't followed along...I had a pretty traumatic labor and wasn't allowed to start exercising until 12 weeks postpartum (so almost just barely). So you wonder how I've been losing almost all my baby weight??? EATING HEALTHY and taking all natural supplements to help my metabolism.
Starting 1 month postpartum I decided that if I couldn't exercise I was going to make my best effort to eat what my body wanted. I went into Veo Clinic ( a herbal supplement company/chiropractic clinic) and was muscle tested to see what types of food my body didn't want and DID want.
I was given a diet plan which consisted of drinking lots and lots of water, unlimited veggies, one fruit a day, unlimited protein, and 1-2 servings of carbs a day. The only carbs my body "wanted" when I was muscle tested were "smart" tortillas ( I ate whole wheat tortillas with a high protein count) and sweet potatoes.
Also, I ate within 20-30 minutes of waking up to boost my metabolism and then throughout the day I ate every 2-3 hours. Most importantly every time I ate I ate a true protein with something else or alone.
Along with eating according to this diet plan I also took two different supplements. Lipozymes and Burn, which you can read more about Lipozymes HERE and Burn HERE. These products have been amazingly helpful and are safe to take while breastfeeding. After talking with the owner I was able to get a discount for any of you that would like to purchase these products. Use code KELSIE20 at checkout. Go HERE to purchase. Or if you would rather I can also get you a free sample, if you want to try the product out first. Please email me at kelsieandjess@gmail.com if you are interested and I can mail one out to you!

Supplements Instead of Ibuprofen

If any of you have taken the time to read baby Grey's birth story you know that he was posterior and I ended up pushing for 3 hours. (If you would like to read it, click here. ) Because of him being in the birth canal for so long it really did some damage to my body. It has been 9 weeks today since I had my little boy and I am still on my road to recovering. In the past 2 weeks I have finally seen leaps and bounds of improvement, which has been extremely encouraging, but before that I was still in immense pain.
I was very uncomfortable 90% of the time. Sitting hurt because I had fractured my tail bone. Standing, was a joke because of all my scar tissue...I could only stand for about 15 minutes before I had to sit down because of the pain I was in.
I DO NOT tell you this for pity or for anyone to feel bad for me. I still to this day would not change anything about my labor and delivery and am thankful I was able to deliver my son naturally. With that said, why I am telling you this is because I was taking a TON of ibuprofen.
When I was sent home from the hospital I was given a prescription for 800 mg Ibuprofen. I would count down the hours until I could take my next dose because of the pain I was feeling. After my prescription ran up about a week after the delivery I still would take up to 4 pills (800 mg) of Ibuprofen. It wasn't until about 3 weeks after that I reduced the amount I was taking each time to 400 mg.
If you can only imagine what I was beginning to do to my body. I was starting to get dry mouth and stomach aches as result of having so much Ibuprofen in me. On top of that I was feeling like a terrible mother because I knew Grey was also receiving a lot of Ibuprofen from my breast milk. I was torn on what to do because I couldn't pick him up and rock him back to sleep or calm him if I wasn't being helped in someway with my pain. I knew though that somehow I had to find a way to stop taking the ibuprofen.

Luckily there is a Professional Botanicals Supplement called "Total Pain Support" that had the same results in helping with pain as Ibuprofen with out all the bad side effects that come along with Ibuprofen. I switched to taking "Total Pain Support" and was amazed at how well it actually worked. I would recommend this to anyone. If you are interested in learning more (click here) about it or purchasing (click here) it for yourself, check it out on their website (click here).

*Professional Botanicals is owned by the same owners of Veo Natural/Veo Clinic

Children Chiropractic Adjustments

I haven't been one that has been seeing a Chiropractor my whole life, but now wish I had. I started getting adjusted about two years ago, and I feel like it has made a huge difference in how my body feels. The biggest thing I have learned from being adjusted is that your body doesn't have to be hurting to need an adjustment. Getting adjusted helps with several areas in the body and it's not always something that you can be aware of by pain.
I found this video of Dr. Millet at Veo Clinic adjusting this little baby and I love it. I knew I wanted to share it immediately because Dr. Millet adjusts my little baby whose 2 months old. He adjusted my little Grey for the first time when he was only a day old. Dr. Millet is awesome with kids, as you can see in the video. I would highly recommend him to anyone that is interested in adjustments for your kids or for you.

Results after just 4 weeks!

Ok, I am somewhat embarrassed putting these pictures up because I DON'T do stuff like this. The only reason I am now is because I feel like it is important that you see that this really is working and you can get results too! (Don't mind all of my lovely stretch marks...you guys better love me for sharing these, ha.) The guidelines and rules that Jess and I have been sharing with you from Veo Clinic are great, and a healthy weigh to lose weight. The picture on the left is right before we started, this was 3 weeks after I had my baby boy. The picture on the right is after 4 weeks, losing 6 pounds. You can tell I lost weight in my chest, butt, and stomach. The crazy thing to me is how much better my body looks with just losing 6 pounds. I COMPLETELY recommend taking pictures before you start your journey. I hadn't felt like I had lost weight anywhere except for in my chest until looking at these pictures, and seeing it for myself.

Remember if you EVER have any questions about any of this stuff please feel free to ask them in the comments. Jess and I are more than happy to help you guys anyway we can!

Keep Truckin' Along

It is the end the first week of my 90 day challenge and let me tell you it has been a challenge. I started off right. I went to the Veo Clinic and received my evaluation on Monday then began the program on Tuesday. Tuesday was easy. I was dedicated and had my goal in mind. I stuck to the program flawlessly. Then Wednesday hit. This was mine and my husband’s anniversary, our friends birthday dinner, and it was picture day for my seven month old. Needless to say, I was busy. I did it but I wasn’t happy about it. I was cranky! The first few days I must say I found out that husband really loves me. He put up with one moody wife. But after 4 days or so I was on top and was finally starting to not only felt like myself again but actually better than before.

My biggest challenge is now finding food to eat! I got myself in a rut with my meal time. Chicken, cottage cheese, Vibe, Pearl, and salad were all my diet really consisted of. My biggest tip for success right now is to plan some exciting meals and don’t get in this rut. Kelsie and I got the families together one night for dinner and had squash with tomato sauce and turkey burgers without the buns one night for dinner. Random combo but so good! I have been referring to Kelsie and her Pintrest posts lately for ideas. She is a wiz at finding easy and yummy recipes.

My exercise has been anything but conventional, but I say if it gets you moving it works. I have been moving furniture and boxes and packing my daughter up and down two flights of stairs at my in law’s all day long. And honestly, I really feel it has paid off. We also take the occasional walk with the stroller in our new neighborhood.

Below are my result s so far and I will include a few family friendly work outs and meals

Workouts:

Take a Walk! It is something that sounds super simple but so many people over look the opportunity to work out that is right outside their front door. My daughter loves being outside and observing everyone and everything. Have older little ones? Try turning it into a scavenger hunt or an eye spy game. Your kids will be begging to go for walks in no time.

Take a hike. With infants or small toddlers this is an excellent work out. My husband and I take turns strapping our daughter to our back or front. This really gives you a great workout with some extra weight and makes you more aware of your posture and helps to correct it. This is something I really needed after having my daughter.

Just play! You would be surprised how much of a workout it is just chasing your kids around in a game of tag or rolling around with them on the ground is. We use play time as a way to wear our little one out for bed or nap time but usually by the end I’m the one needing the nap!

Meals:

My biggest advice is keep it simple. Take something you know your kids already love and make it healthy. We love spaghetti in our home so I make sliced squash with a homemade marinara that tastes like you are eating pasta but is ten times easier. We also have turned sandwiches into fun colorful lettuce wraps as well as made various forms of veggie fries. We use green beans, sweet potatoes… really anything you can make crunchy and yummy in the oven (No deep fryer!)

10 "Rules" to Help You Stay on Track to Eating Healthy

I think most of us have the desire to be healthy and actually make effort in doing so. I know that one of my biggest problems in the past has been not knowing exactly what I needed to do to have a healthy diet. Which is why I always ended up trusting some crazy diet plan already made. Recently, when Jess and I went to Veo Clinic and received our diet and fitness plans we got a lot of great information. I think it is important that we all have the knowledge of why we are doing what we are. It makes it WAY easier to follow a health plan if you understand why you are eating a certain way. The following 10 "RULES" are simply guidelines that will help you to get started in eating healthier.

1. You need to eat every 2-4 hours. 

I know this seems like a lot, and it is. But you never want to allow your body to actually get hungry. Hunger causes your body to store fat, along with causing an unhealthy fluctuation of your blood sugar.
*Keep in mind these aren't all crazy big meals, these can be small simple snacks.

2. Eat correct portion sizes.

This seems easy enough, the hardest part is knowing how big of a portion you personally need. Go HERE to find what portion size is right for you.

3. Every time you eat a Carb you MUST combine it with a protein. This is crucial people, so don't mess this rule up. You need the protein to keep your body making energy. 

*If you don't know that fruits and vegetables are considered a Carb or that Nuts are actually a fat not a protein then please read THIS post to help you know what a true carbohydrate and a true protein are.

4. Read nutrition labels so you really know what you are putting into your body. 

By quickly looking at a food label you can distinguish whether the food is a carbohydrate, fat, or a protein.

5. Subtract Fiber grams from the total amount of Carbohydrates to calculate True Total Carbohydrate grams. See Example Above.

6. Eat within 15-20 minutes of when you wake up to get your metabolism going. 

This one is really hard for me because I don't feel like eating for quite awhile after getting up in the morning. So what I usually do is make a small shake using a meal replacement powder called Pearl. This stuff is yummy! It has TONS of protein and is low in carbs. I also really like it because the powder mixes really well in shaker bottles, unlike some other stuff I've used in the past. I completely recommend checking this stuff out, you can buy it online HERE. AND you can use discount code: kelsie20 to get 20% OFF THIS PRODCUT!!!

7. Drink water! 

Rule of thumb is 1 quart for every 50 lbs. of body weight daily. This is MINIMUM.

8. Drink fluids away from your meals. 

Drink as much as you would like prior to eating a meal, but once you begin to eat don't drink any more. Drinking with our meals dilutes enzymes needed to break down food causing us to be bloated and gain weight.

9. Do not snack mindlessly. 

Don't let yourself get hungry where this will happen. Remember rule #1? Eat every 2-4 hours.

10. Take alcohol and/or soda out of your diet.

Easy enough right? Hopefully you found some of this helpful. I know personally I have and it really has helped me to shape a healthy diet for myself and know that I am helping my body burn more fat just by eating the right things.