Muddy boots – The difference a year makes

This past year has had ups and down and I would say more ups then downs.

We have made quite a few changes, life and reality has a way of making you look at things in a different light.

Rusty hit a milestone birthday this year, 50, and it was a birthday that was on his mind and heart for quite a while leading up to it. Personal battles to fight and win, and if you know us and our family, you will understand♡.

So leading up to Christmas and during break last year, we had quite a few conversations about making some changes in our lives. If you know Rusty, them you know if he is gonna do something monumental, he gives it lots of research, reads, chews, and cycles through that regime several times before jumping in with both feet.

It was decided that we were gonna make a lifestyle change. The change was to see if, indeed, by making these changes, certain physical issues would clear up. So initially, the changes were to eliminate aches, pain, and some other health issues. The ultimate benefits of weight loss were not primary. It was secondary and not the goal.

The goal was to see if joint pain, back pain, sleep issues, blood pressure and inflammation, and lack of energy could be resolved. Anyone who is in mid-life will understand those things, accepting that you just get this way when you get older is common place.

We set out on our goal in mid-February 2023. We decided from all the research that Rusty had done the previous 2 years that we would change our eating habits, not go on a diet, but change how we eat. I hate/dislike the word phrase “go on a diet.”

We decided to eliminate several food types and adapt a “carnivore” eating habit. So that means no sugar, no processed foods, no complex carbs, no veggies. Just a good selection of meats from beef, pork, chicken eggs, butter, high fat dairy cream, some cheeses. Herbal teas and some coffee, even avacados, after a few weeks.

The difference we felt the first couple days and week was surprising. I did not expect to have results that soon.

We started to feel more energy, started to sleep better. I was almost reluctant to mention anything cause I didn’t think one could reap such positive results so soon.

I was amazed as the weeks went by with the results we were seeing. Rusty went from snoring and sleep apnea issues to barley a snort and no more sleep apnea issues. I started to sleep better because of the changes and because I was not bothered by snoring and tossing in bed…

One morning, Rusty got up and could hardly believe that he was lying on his right side and had his right arm up over his head…. he hasn’t been able to do that is such a long time… the pain from rolling over on his right shoulder would stir him and cause him to lay on his back or left side all the time because of a shoulder injury.

We had so many positive health changes that were noticeable and note worthy. It was hard to beleive.

There were no cravings, no desire to cheat, and the weight was starting melt off. We weighed in every week and started to log our food just to keep track of the progress. We started to do intermittent fasting. Our first meal would be around noon, and our last would be 8pm. That surprised me… I had absolutely no blood sugar issues, no dizzy, no feeling sick to my stomach when I ate my first meal of the day and weird blood sugar issues during the day. I, we were feeling so much more energy, and the joint pain was starting to disappear.

I think the big change or noticeable difference was in the spring. we worked two weekends in a row, tilling up, raking, shoveling, and moving big logs for 27 raised beds in the garden. On the first Saturday, I was bagged, tired, and couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. All I kept thinking was man, I’m not sure how I’m gonna be able to do anything the next day. We got up the next morning, and it was like I hadn’t done all that hard work the previous day, I was ready to go and work again…. in a normal gardening season, I would have been sore for days…. and we both felt the same way.

So when we set out on this journey, it was initially for one month. After feeling so good, we decided together that we would commit to do it for a combined 3 months and then reassess from there and decide what we would do. We ended up doing it for approximately 21 weeks and then took a little break for a couple of weeks as we had company coming, and we felt the treat of eating some of our regular stuff would be nice.

The funny part was that when we ate certain foods, we felt sluggish, had some blood sugar issues, and well could notice a difference. We eat good while on vacation and are back at it again. This time with a couple of goals in mind, but we have added veggies from the garden because that is what we love, but still keeping certain foods as treats or not back in our lifestyle change.

We clearly have seen how our health has improved exponentially, and we see the benefits of this change in our lifestyle. We see the benefits of not being on daily medications because we changed our eating patterns and chose to make these changes so that we don’t have to rely on big pharma for our health. We eat good, take vitamin supplements, and we get out and get lots of vitamin d from the sun and fresh air. We wake with energy in the morning and have little to no inflammation and body aches and pains the change has been so worth while.

The last benefit that I didn’t share yet was the unexpected weight loss. This was the most surprising for us and I have to reiterate not the purpose of the change. Rusty lost 60lbs and I lost 45lbs, that’s huge. I have never seen Rusty the way he looks now, never… he looks healthy and happy, muscular and fit, and it’s different from what he looked liked when he use to work our at the gym, he is lean and muscular.. HEALTHY ♡

So I said we are now after the holidays going back to our say, stricter eating habits. Our goal is to take off some more pounds and to continue on this health journey. We will be eating some veggies from the garden as I harvest them and have the occasional treat, but the optimal goal is to take charge of our health and not depend on doctors and medications to live.

I did also want to say, I am 53, and in the midst of menopause, any woman going through menopause has probably experienced the horrible hormone fluctuations, the weight gain the moodiness, the sleepless nights. Well, this lifestyle change has changed me, I lost the menobelly, I sleep at night, and my hormonal imbalance is balanced. I still have hot flashes, but everything is manageable. I don’t feel like it’s the end of the world.♡ food for thought if you are going through the same it will help and you will feel better.

So below is a side by side picture. The one on the left is a picture we had taken July 2022 and the right side picture was taken 2 weeks ago July 2023.

What a difference a year makes♡