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A Gutsy Girl®

Heal your gut. Heal your life.

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Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain

Filed Under: Eat, General, IBS IBD, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

It’s been almost a month since I had 65 of 101 gut healing days left. Here we are today with gut healing 35 of 101 days remain.

Yes, you read that correctly….just 35 days are left.

Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain

This past month

  • had surgery, and even though I thought it would take me a really long time to recover (drugs), it honestly has been so much easier than I thought
  • have had more days with bowel beauty (c’mon…that’s what the goal here is, yes?!) than lack thereof
  • have added even more raw spinach
  • enjoyed a glass (albeit a small one) of red wine
  • stayed on 100 billion probiotic with all other supplements
  • tried a whole egg
  • had a baking day with coconut and almond meal flour
  • added pumpkin
  • added spaghetti and butternut squash
  • ate an Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage (but removed the casing)
  • completely changed the way I “play” (i.e. workouts. post coming soon)

Results? 

  • shocked that I recovered so quickly from surgery
  • stoked that I’m really beginning to go to the bathroom like a normal person -> please don’t think anything less of me that I am “stoked” about this 🙂
  • spinach – even raw spinach – is working for vs. against me now (watch out Popeye)
  • my small glass of red wine = success
  • the whole egg was for baking purposes only, and it was included with the coconut flour, almond meal flour and pumpkin. I struggled a little after that with gurgling and overall a little blah, so at this point, I can’t pinpoint it on any single one of those (that said, I know the food “properties” of each one and why they could be affecting me). I haven’t had any since, so I’ll be trying again soon.
  • spaghetti squash, in moderation, was good for me
  • Tuesday night I went way overboard on the butternut squash (I was just craving it – it’s my candy) so my upper digestive system was loud yesterday, but no bloat
  • Aidell’s was a success (I was at an event and that was all I could have, so I was thankful. I don’t buy these on a daily basis.)

And even though I’m sweaty here, my new “playing” is working phenomenally for me!

Gut Healing 35 of 101 Days Remain Working out at home, no #bloat, feeling phenomenal via www.sarahkayhoffman.com IBS IBD

Rounding out the 101 days

Proceed with caution.

This is the motto I’m going with.

It was hard for me to hear (based on my surgery) that the pains I get while running are likely stemming from the proctitis (my form of Colitis).

Since I have been feeling so awesome, I am proceeding with caution and not doing much different. I won’t even drop to a 50 billion probiotic quite yet.

If it ain’t broke, we ain’t about to fix it.

I’m playing with the fall foods and easing into things.

I feel more at peace with my Colitis and this bum tum than I ever have before.

I thank God for my will to understand that this is not a diet; this is my life.

I’ve learned a wild amount of things during the process, and for this reason, there is so much to come.

Xox,
SKH

Bent Not Broken

Filed Under: Inspire, Love Tagged With: , ,

Bent not broken…..this can pretty much sum up the current situation.

Pink said the way I’m currently feeling best,

We’re not broken just bent

I’m having surgery tomorrow.

There. I said it.

And after my doctor’s appointments this past Monday, I’m scared.

There. I said it.

Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.

I found that quote by Paulo Coelho on Monday, right after my appointments.

Such a nice quote for one to stumble upon, especially if current circumstances are calm, cool and collective.

Those circumstances are not where I find myself this morning, at 6 am.

Bent not broken bent, not broken via www.sarahkayhfofman.com

Life is happening all at once.

I can’t speed it up (believe me, some things I wish I could), and I certainly can’t slow it down.

Bent Not Broken

Today I feel bent not broken. 

My surgery tomorrow will address what I hope to be this final battle.

My mission around this blog has always been to show women the determination and fight and how we pull from the deepest part of ourselves – you know, Gutsy.

I have never run away from women’s issues, and I’m not about to start now.

I’m looking forward to answers, and more importantly, I’m looking to finally move forward from this.

After all, everything is happening at once and most of it is truly the most amazing thing of my entire life.

I can’t wait to share. (p.s. I now can share because the last important person that I wanted to tell in person, I was able to see, tell and share everything with on Monday!)

After this rain comes the rainbow.

I’m bent not broken and because I will not break – I cannot break – this, too, will only make me stronger….er, Gutsier.

Wish me luck….I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Xox,
SKH

Getting Nowhere on this Gut Treadmill

Filed Under: IBS IBD, Inspire, Love Tagged With: , , , , , ,

I’m getting nowhere on this gut treadmill.When you run on a treadmill, you’re working hard and perhaps even making progress. But even when you’re moving, you’re not going anywhere.

When you run on a treadmill, you’re working hard and perhaps even making progress. But even when you’re moving, you’re not going anywhere.

When you hit the roads outside, you take real strides moving forward; the scenery changes and at the end of the run, you can say you’ve run past x, y and z.

Getting Nowhere on this Gut Treadmill, the Road to Healing via www.agutsygirl.com #ibs #ibd #colitis

Getting Nowhere on this Gut Treadmill

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My gut has been on a treadmill for far too long.

I’m desperate for the road.

I promised myself that today would begin 101 days: healing.

Here I find myself, almost a month after that promise. 

I find myself in such a different place than I was exactly a year ago today when I proclaimed: just relax.

I find myself desperate to kill the voices that tell me “101 days is ridiculous.” In his book, Start., Jon Acuff says, “Simply put, if you don’t kill your voices, they will kill you.”

I find myself extremely bloated. I’d love to show you the pictures I took this past weekend, but the truth is that today is just not the day for it.

I find myself more tired than usual, with joint pain and an overwhelming uptight and not right attitude.

I find myself wanting to make excuses.

There are none.

I brought myself to this place, and only I can get myself out.

I found myself questioning:

Could I truly heal my gut for good if I put as much time, energy, resources and focus on it as I have been known to do with my workouts and other pieces to my life?

The road to healing is not found in a diet book, and it is certainly not found in a doctor’s office.

The road to healing is found deep within.

The road to healing is found in true commitment. 

It’s not going to be easy. At all. Not even a little bit. But I have not felt 110% since 2009. And I want that back, desperately.

For the record: No, the next 101 days is not going to be a journal of everything I eat every single day. For one, I’m out living, not blogging 24/7. And for two, Gut Healing is not a Diet – and I’ll tell you all about that later this week. 

Time to jump off the treadmill….

And back on the beautiful road.

Xox,
SKH

Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs

Filed Under: Eat, General, Gluten Free, Grain Free, IBS IBD, Low FODMAP, Recipes, Sugar Free, Unprocessed Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

I have a Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs recipe for you today.

But first…our baby is 5 today. The following words have nothing to do with her, but I know this face will put a smile on your own….

Reagan's 5th Birthday - our Great Dane via www.agutsygirl.com

I promised somefollow-upp action from yesterday’s Raw Dairy: information and thoughts.

Upon leaving Organic Pastures, I bought several things to take home with me.

Organic Pastures Bought Product www.agutsygirl.com

  1. Truly Raw Cheese
  2. Raw Milk
  3. Raw Cream
  4. Raw Kefir
  5. Pasture-Fed Ground Beef
  6. tiny milk jug

That night, I made burgers on the grill. Actually, I put them together and Ryan grilled. I don’t grill – just so we’re clear 🙂

Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs sarahkayhoffman.com

I was craving the Organic Pastures beef with their pure raw cheese.

Organic Pastures Raw Cheese www.agutsygirl.com

How could you not?

Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs sarahkayhoffman.com

Making a quality burger is not hard.

Fresh Rosemary for Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

It will not complicate your summer eating habits.

Chopped Herbs Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

If you do it right, you will need minimal ingredients, with minimal prep.

Mixture for Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

Pre-cooked burgers Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

And what will emerge is a dinner (or breakfast, lunch or snack) that will keep you satisfied and have your taste buds bouncing. Juicy! Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

Worried about not getting your greens? Simple. Chop up your burger and add it to a ginormous salad. I do this nearly nightly.

Burger Spinach Salad Pasture-Fed Burgers with Raw Cheese & Fresh Herbs via www.agutsygirl.com

Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs

Print
Burgers with Raw Cheese and Fresh Herbs
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. pasture-fed beef (I promise it will change the taste of your burger)
  • ¼-1/2 c. raw cheese (if you don't have access to a quality one like this, get the very best you can find), cubed
  • 1 tbsp. rosemary, fresh from the Farmer's Market if possible, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. thyme, fresh from the Farmer's Market if possible, chopped
  • sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together by hand.
  2. Form into burgers.
  3. Grill.

(My spinach salad included: spinach, grilled zucchini, burger and olive oil.)

You have to act upon your wishes and wills to see them to fruition.

This post is linked to Sunday School at Butter Believer!

Xox,
SKH

Infertility Advice is Not Needed

Filed Under: Infertility, Inspire, Love Tagged With: , ,

I’m going to go out on a limb here and just say infertility advice is not needed. Like, maybe at all.

Yesterday in church we began a new series titled: Pain Management.

This could not have come at a better time in my life.

Infertility Advice is Not Needed

Infertility Advice Is Not Needed sarahkyahoffman.com National Infertility Awareness Week and Month

April is a month I’ll always hold a special place for in my heart.

It’s National Infertility Awareness Month, but coincidentally it’s also the month where my own story reached its climax.

April 2012.

I will never forget that long cycle leading up to the days when I was so certain a couple new blessings would be given to us.

Today is just a preview. 

National Infertility Awareness Week is the week of April 21. That is the week I’ll share some of my own infertility story. 

When people find out about this “Gutsy” side to me, they typically find out after they feel they have offended me by asking something like,

So when are you and Ryan having kids?

Or,

You guys have been married quite awhile, any talk of children yet?

Here’s the thing: I’m never offended by that. I do believe people have the best of intentions. Not knowing is not knowing; there is no fault in that.

There are just two things that people (who do know) say to me (and many other women who struggle with the same) that I have to sit back, bite my tongue and simply think, “Lovely, but your infertility advice is not needed.”

Scenario A

Just stop trying. Think about adopting. Go on vacation. Do anything to make yourself completely stress free. Well….that’s what happened with my friend, “Jenny,” anyways.

Thanks but no thanks. I’m not “Jenny.”

Scenario B

You workout a lot. When my sister-in-law, “Pam,” stopped working out, she got pregnant the first month.

Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not “Pam.” (Updated in 2018 to add: Why are We Blaming Fitness for Infertility?)

Advice Probably Not Needed

If I ask for advice on the issue from someone (which I never do) and I get feedback that doesn’t fall in line with what I think, shame on me.

But if I’ve never asked for advice, swallowing your advice is tough to do.

The truth is that for many months I rarely worked out. I took the advice people gave. I plotted and planned down to the second during each day for the tasks and “do not’s” given by my doctor.

Infertility typically yearns for an outlet; someone who will listen, someone who will let you let it out and someone who will understand when you don’t want any of that.

For me, April – this April – is the month where I am doing a lot of things for myself.

I am reflecting on a new question that God brought into my life during church yesterday: HOW vs. WHY.

So much more to come…..

And for the love, please do remember when you’re talking to childless women: your advice is (probably) not needed.

p.s. If you are reading this years after the fact, then you know how it all played out for us. You can start with….by the Grace of God.

Xox,
SKH