Low Carb, Low Calorie French Toast

I have been craving pancakes!  This is a low calorie, low carb alternative. This is made from Joseph' s Whole Wheat Pita Bread, which is 50 calories and 5g carbs. I sliced it, dipped it in raw egg, and pan fried it.  With the sugar free syrup, the total calorie count is 150, with 15g of carbs. Ten of the carbs come from the syrup. I'm sure there is a healthier option avaliable.

Low carb, thin crust pizza

Less than 250 calories for half the pizza. The crust is made from Joseph' s Whole Wheat Lavash Bread. The sauce is made from diced canned Italian tomatoes that were blended to make the sauce. The topping included ground chicken, mushrooms, low fat mozzarella and onions.

Nearly a Year Later

Here I am nearly 7 months later. I have started my Specialist degree at Valdosta State University, which offers a totally online program. I was able to successfully take the GRE without any preparation, so I luckily didn't waste a lot of time preparing for the test. The program is challenging, mostly because of all the time consuming writing assignments.

I just turned 28. I can recall envisioning my life... years ago. I thought I would be awfully successful with a life that didn't have time for kids, or either a person who's life centered around their family.  My life is far from either of those.  I sacrificed moving away from Columbus and dreams of a lucrative career for love and the hopes of having a family.

I have recently focused on trying to lose weight... At my highest weight, I was 251 lbs. Over the past three weeks, I have become increasingly dedicated to a new life style. One that consists of more activity and healthier food options.

 What brought on the true desire for change?

To be truthful...... complications from my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and the desire to have a child. 

As a side effect of the PCOS, I've developed some facial hair and severe acne near my chin and jaw line. I was tired of feeling frustrated and disgusted when I looked in the mirror.. And I had no one to blame but myself.... Medication is not really an option to treat the complications related to PCOS. However, a corrections can be made to reverse the side effects of the condition. 

My goal is not to be "skinny"... It's to be healthy without the symptoms of PCOS.

The first change that I've made was to get a gym membership... I hate working out.. I find it boring. I'm fat, overweight, and out of shape.. Working out is simply not an enjoyable experience. I find it hard to maintain the motivation to stay on the machines - even though I physically capable of doing it.. I simply get bored. I have recently started to walking in the mornings at a park. That helps to dilute the monotonous motions of walking for fitness.  Now when I go to the gym, I am concentrating on weight training and cardio using various elliptical. I've also tried a few classes, although I've been unable complete a one hour class. At least I am trying...

I am in the process of trying to change my diet. I am eating healthy, balanced meals. I have almost cut out traditional sliced bread. I do enjoy a piece of toast with breakfast every once in while. I have replaced bread with Joseph's Lavash Bread, which is only 50 calories per serving and 7g carbs (4 net carbs if you could those). I found them once at Walmart, but apparently it was "accidentally left there by a vendor"... So I special ordered it a Publix. I've started eating ground chicken and ground turkey. I've started buying turkey sausage and turkey bacon -which is actually better than the original. I frequently eat broccoli, squash, mushrooms, and onions. The biggest change that I've seen in my since I've started eating smaller and healthier options is that I don't have cravings around 3-4 P.M. In addition, I am not craving sweets in the evenings.

Here are a few of my favorite processed products: 

The Lavash Bread makes a great low carb pizza crust

 

Let God's will be done

Well, the second month of trying to conceive came and went. I didn't have any luck. I have been seriously considering going back to school to pursue a doctorate in education.  It is a constant thought. I am considering going to a school that is about 50 miles away, so I would most likely have to commute a few days a week if they don't offer classes online. I am still debating which graduate school to apply to. I just bought some GRE preparation books to help prepare.  I've decided that we will try this month and maybe next month, and if I don't get pregnant then we will put the attempts of conception on hold. Perhaps it would be a good idea to complete at least some course work before I even think about conceiving.  So, if it happens, it happens, but I think I am going to focus on trying to lose some weight and getting into a good doctoral program.


My lack of patience is really seeming to get to me after my ovulation. I want to test every day the week before my period.  It's gotten better since I started back to work. I don't have time to sit around and  THINK about  being pregnant.
My husband's cousin just had a baby. We went to the hospital last week to see her new arrival. He is a cutie. My husband held a new born for the first time. It was heartwarming to see.


I think it's rather sad that I know so many women who are having epidurals, Cesarean's,  and who are formula feeding. I plan on delivering intervention (epidural, induction, and medication free). I would like to see more women educated on the topic. It seems like so many women think that they don't have any other options other than the ones the doctors suggest or recommend.

I only hope that I will be strong enough not to cave into options that I feel so strongly against.

Cycle 2

I guess I should update: the spotting I experienced was random spotting and not implantation bleeding. After the spotting, my period came two days late. I started back to work, and have been feeling really tired and having bad headaches. So, out of boredom and impatience, I decided to take a test. The test was positive. I was so excited and overcome with emotion. I went out to buy more tests - just to make sure. The other two tests were negative. So, the first test was a false positive.
On to another cycle of trying to conceive. Today is Sunday and I ovulated on Friday. We are honestly just trying to enjoy ourselves, and not over-do to the point where we feel like making sex is a chore. But I must confess that I can't help try to seduce my husband in trying to make it to the bedroom. He asked me yesterday why I wanted to get pregnant so badly and said that it seems that I wanted to because so many women are pregnant.... That really hurt me because he doesn't understand that my feelings are a woman's natural instincts. I do feel a sense of urgency because the egg doesn't last long after ovulation, and we can only try for a few days a month. I also feel a sense of urgency because I would like to get pregnant in the next months because of work - I would love to have the  last month of school off and the summer at home with the baby. I will admit that pregnancy and a baby dominate my thoughts, dreams, and even my prayers. I haven't been so hung up on it since I started back to work at the beginning of the month.
I pray that God will allow us to conceive this month. I pray for that miracle to happen. I also pray for God's will to be done in our life and the child that I believe that we will conceive. I pray many times a day, but today was Sunday. Pastor Dan asks for those people who have a need in their life to raise their hand. I raised my hand, but I feel guilty to raise my hand, because God has met our every need and blessed with an abundance in many areas in our life. What I am praying for is not a need, it is something that I want desperately.  I poured out my heart to God earlier and proclaimed my love for him. I will continue to praise and be faithful, even if we are never able to conceive.

1st Cycle Update

I ovulated last week, and wore my husband out. We went to church on Sunday and it was amazing service. The Holy Spirit swept through and made himself known in our place of worship. During that service, I prayed that God would help us to conceive - and that he would intercede if his will was for us to get pregnant this month.  After church I noticed that I was spotting, which is abnormal for me. My cycle's are almost like clock work, and I never spot in between cycles. I am hoping that it might be implantation bleeding - where the cells implant into the uterus. It could be the first sign of pregnancy. I told my husband and he seemed a little surprised. I guess neither one of us actually thought that we would conceive so soon. It's too soon to test, and the suspense is killing me. It's all that I can think about......I wonder how long after implantation the pregnancy test will become positive... I have read conflicting information online.

First Cycle

This week will be my first cycle that we will actually try to conceive. I am scheduled to ovulate on Thursday. I bought a few ovulation predictor tests and am contemplating using them this week. . I know that I can use a thermometer to help pin point the highest times of fertility. If I fail to conceive this month, I may start charting my temperature. I don't want conception to become a stressful event, perhaps the stress alone prevents people from conceiving. I love my husband, and I want our conception to be a representation of that love, not just a "job" that must be done in a short window of time.

I have been looking at various TTC (trying to conceive) pages on facebook. I noticed how many women take fertility medication after  not getting pregnant within a few months of trying. If I am unable to conceive, I know that is must be God's will. I will not rush into expensive hormones and medication. I must be patient. I must remember that God has already planned when I will conceive, and being impatient will not make that time come any sooner.

A friend from work told me to stand on my head after sex. She did  and ended up with twins. I don't about standing on my head.... My sister has 2 set of twins, so I believe that twins are highly likely for me. Hopefully, we only get pregnant with one bundle of joy.

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