New blog for ROAD TRIPS!

Hey y'all, just stopping in to invite you to check out my newly created blog about the alive and well American road trips we will be taking, starting with one in 34 hours! Check it out...

Road Trip Blog

Enjoy! All is well here in the Life of Cordes... but moving too fast to blog much. Peace to all, and Happy Independence Day!

Ciao!
Michelle

I feel like crap.

I have promised much blogging I have not delivered on. I have pics and ideas ready for a post on how to cook and use an entire chicken, recipes I've created out of necessity, and gluten free news I've discovered. I have not forgotten, and I have plenty more food and nutrition information to share. But....

Right now, I'm trying to figure out why I feel like crap. I have taken all of my regular supplements. I have had plenty of sleep... In fact, I have been so fatigued and exhausted that I have been sleeping almost 15 hours a day. For a week. I ate some food I shouldn't have (aka doughnuts and too much yummy Starbucks), but I have gained 8 pounds in 10 days. That is 10% of the weight I have lost since my surgery!! I'm foggy headed, no concentration to study, no attention span, and zero energy. I am usually pretty in tune with my body, but I don't know what it's trying to tell me. (Unfortunately, it doesn't talk as much as my mouth... lol!) 

At first, I thought I was hungry again, which is weird since the part of my stomach that produces ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is no longer there. So, I ate some bad for me shit because I was lazy. In the last few days, I've deciphered that it's not hunger. It's a craving. But I can't figure out for what. Nothing has worked yet, but clearly my body has been trying to tell me what it's missing. 

I think I have narrowed it down to two possible deficiencies. (By the way, all of my labs were normal 3 months ago, so anything abnormal would be new...). My problem could be one or both of these, and possibly more I haven't thought of. (Don't suggest to eat bananas... Lol... They make me sick...)

First, an iron deficiency. I was anemic a lot as a kid, and none of my supplements have iron (my old crappy Centrum did), so I began taking an iron supplement tonight. I can't eat red meat well, I don't have room in my tiny tummy for dark leafy greens, and I haven't eaten many eggs lately.... So I'm sure my iron is probably low. 

Secondly, I think I am lacking in Vitamin D. My It's Vital has vitamin D, but I can't drink milk and with being gluten free, I don't generally have fortified grains and cereals. Plus those same leafy dark greens are good for calcium and Vitamin D... So the spinach, kale, and broccoli I've been missing are a double whammy! I've been bad about my Greens, so I am going to add that to the extreme priority list, and I am going to go tanning for a few days and see if that helps....

Alright, before the indoor tanning attacks begin: from age 16 to 21, I tanned 5 days a week. I went to a tanning salon, tanned and then ran on the treadmill they had. I was healthy and thin, and in excellent shape. I don't burn with "normal" sun exposure, and I wear sunscreen if I'm going to be outside for a length of time when burning could be possible. I have a lot of melanin which, statistically speaking, makes my risk of melanoma minimal. (Notice that melanoma rates aren't higher in Africa and other equatorial societies?) I do skin checks, so I am always on the look out for basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, both of which won't kill you if caught early, and many times they are. During the winter in the northern states even a blue sky day doesn't yield strong enough sun to make our bodies produce Vitamin D and increase serotonin production. This is the first winter in yeeeeeeears I haven't tanned at least once a week. So, I'm going to go for a few days and see if it helps... If it does, I will tan until the year I can move south. I just can't hang with this lack of energy and low brain capacity. 

So hang in there with me, guys. I'll let you know what I figure out and get to those blog posts. I promise :)

Hasta luego! 

Michelle

Cranberry Pumpkin GLUTEN FREE Muffins!

By request (and since I am dilly-dallying going out for my run since it's a lazy Sunday...), here is the recipe for the yummy muffins that I posted on Facebook 2 weeks ago! Happy baking!

Cranberry Pumpkin Gluten Free Muffins

2 cups Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps xanthan gum
1 tsp GF baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup softened butter (I used Organic Valley pastured butter, YUM!)
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (C&H pure cane... non-GMO)
2 eggs (from a local egg farm, just sayin')
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup organic pumpkin puree (Trader Joe's is the best price)
1/3 cup soy milk (you can also use regular, almond, or coconut...)
1 cup fresh cranberries (you can break them up a little with some sweetener if you find cranberries too tart on their own...)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease 24 mini muffin or 12 regular sized muffin tins.
3. In a large bowl, use a whisk to mix together GF flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until well combined.
4. In another bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter until its white and fluffy.
5. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and beat.
7. Put aside the mixer and stir in the pumpkin puree with a wooden spoon.
8. Stir in half the dry mix, then half the milk, then half the dry mix, and the other half of the milk.
9. Stir in the cranberries.
10. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Tap the tin to settle the mix.
11. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.
12. Let cool... if you want it more like a cupcake, mix together powdered sugar and cream cheese to make a cream cheese icing for them :)

Enjoy! I put mine in individual freezer bags so I could grab one in the morning and it would be defrosted by afternoon snack!

Freelance nails and wraps!

Hi guys! Longer post later... As you know, life at light speed! 

I am officially done with my time at Gene Juarez, and am doing some freelance nail appointments in addition to my wrap business... Around school of course! I am also able to do events like wedding parties and fill in at salons for event parties :) 

Call or text me at 253-753-4009 or email me at michellecordes@me.com... DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR FALL WRAP SESSIONS BOOKED TOO AND PERSONAL NUTRITION ANALYSIS!!

Talk to you soon! More to come!

For those of you that aren't my "friend" on Facebook...

Just so you know, you don't have to be a facebook member to see my posts on Facebook... for the most part. The vast majority of my posts are set to public so that you can see without being a Facebook member. :) If  you want to look, this link will get you there, and then you can bookmark it. I put a lot of useful information on there because it is easier than updating my blog, most days.

Here is a copy of a lengthy post I just put up... I will expound more later as time goes on, but there are some really exciting things coming up with me, and you don't want to miss it!

REPOSTED FROM MY FACEBOOK PAGE: I know you guys may get sick of all the "It Works!" and "crazy wrap thing" that you keep hearing about. Let's face it, we all get inundated with everyone we know selling something! Let me explain to you why you should pay attention to this FROM ME- AND WHY I AM BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE AT PLACES LIKE GNC:

1. I have had a lifetime of experience dealing with weight loss, like many of you. I get it. We think we have heard it all... and many of us have. I can help guide you NO MATTER what your goals are.... read on...

2. You want health? I'm a junkie for it. I have now had a REAL Human Nutrition class, so I am aware of how what we put in our mouths affect our bodies on a cellular level. I can use what I know, combined with what you have tried, to come up with a custom plan that will get you maximum health benefits.

3. You want fitness advice? I have that too. In fact, I am considering taking a course to be a personal trainer this summer. And if I don't know, I know people who do. I can help you come up with a plan that will work in YOUR life- and I am not affiliated with a gym... no membership fees and no commitments. It all is a perk of being my customer.

4. You have tried everything, and you are healthy as a horse but are still gaining weight? Considering weight loss surgery? But maybe no insurance or your insurance won't cover it? Let's work together to get you where you want to be. Being a distributor for It Works could get you to the knowledge and income to get that surgery done... IT'S LIFE CHANGING.

5. You have made it to your goals, or close, but are not quite looking the way you want? I can help guide you to the products that will get you there, combined with the support to make it work for you....

IT REALLY WORKS... NOT JUST THE PRODUCT, BUT THE SUPPORT SYSTEM TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU. YES, YOU. I get not having time for parties, I am working on a "virtual party" to make that happen where you get to wrap in the privacy of your home and watch my presentation on video. See, I am interested in your success and will do ANYTHING it takes to help you get there...

As a loyal customer you get to buy at my price, get rewards points for future shopping, and get free shipping on certain orders! Plus the convenience of auto-ship to your door every month of whatever products you want... doesn't even always need to be the same things!

I think I may get my Masters in Nutrition... I am the real deal. I have managed a team of people before, so I am not an "upline" who will sign you and leave you on your own... This is my business and this is my life... not my hobby. I will help you every step of the way.... Inbox me for more details. Share this with your friends on your wall. Help me help you and everyone you know. I have been a distributor since September and ain't going anywhere- this is by far the best product I've found. It just happens to be an individual distributor product not sold in store fronts! (Which is a better business model, by the way... take it from the former salon owner and business major, storefronts are expensive!!) Click on my "About" section and check out my blog, YouTube video blog, and It Works! personal webpage....

Inbox me... right now... let's get you to where you want to be... YOUR WAY.

GO TO MY FACEBOOK PAGE. CHECK OUT MY VIDEO BLOG ON YOU TUBE. READ MY OLD BLOG POSTS HERE. TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR NEW LIFE... LET'S DO THIS TOGETHER!!!

<3 Michelle

I'VE LOST MY MARBLES! And nutrition tweaking by the numbers...

Well, hello again! Here is an updated pic of me... no makeup, but I thought I would show you guys that I look much different than my 1 week post op video! It has been about 8 weeks since surgery now. Below, you will see my new visual aid... 115 glass marbles for 115 pounds to lose (more on how I got that number in a minute...) and there are 38 in the "LOST" jar and 77 remain in the "TO LOSE" jar. I am super excited about this! I am only recording my weight once a week now, so this is a good reminder of how far I have come in between weigh ins....

So, here is how I calculated my weight goal. I started out at 255 pounds which was a BMI of about 45. After doing some pounds to kg conversions, because us Americans can't seem to get on board with the metric system like EVERYONE else (lol), I determined that I would be happiest with a BMI at the upper limit of "normal", which is 18.5 to 24.5. I have always been a little "dense" for my height, usually "heavier" than other people my size, so I think this is realistic. So, at a BMI of 25, I should be about 140 pounds. That is a 115 pound difference from my beginning weight of 255. Since I have lost 38 pounds so far since surgery, that means that I am 33% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL!!! ONE THIRD OF THE WAY TO THE FINISH LINE!!! How freakin' cool is THAT?!? My BMI as of today is 38.64. :)

However, my diet has needed some tweaking, so I am going to share those plans with you now:

The docs said to consume between 400-600 calories per day, and of that, I should be upward of 70+ grams of protein a day. Now, I won't bore you with the math, since you aren't in a nutrition class by choice I assume, but that all just didn't seem quite right to me. Time to listen to my body....

And my body is telling me I am WAY. TOO. ACTIVE. for that low of a calorie intake. I had next to zero energy at that level, and that seemed like too much protein to me. So, I have been closer to the 800 calorie a day range, and losing about 3 pounds a week. However, I have still been feeling very fatigued if I even exercised for more than about 5 minutes, and walking up stairs at school was putting the burn on my muscles. Time for that math now (because you know I am a "why" girl...)!

I calculated my basal metabolic rate to be approximately 2,264 calories per day. That is just about what my body needs, based on my current weight, to keep breathing and my heart beating etc. If I am eating about 800 calories per day, then I should be losing about 2.9 pounds per week just through calorie restriction. That seems about right. As I lose weight and my body composition changes, this number will go down, but no worries, because I have calculated activity level too. At 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 times per week, at my current weight, I will burn an additional 1,950 calories per week for another .5 pound of loss. That puts me at 3.43 pounds per week, and I am perfect with that. Now about the energy thing.

I have been right about in "normal" ranges for fats, carbs, and proteins... but I am not normal. (Shush.) I am very active, and I need my muscles to have immediate energy storage for things like going up stairs and doing squat challenges. I determined I needed more carbs. And as much as I hate to admit it, that 70 grams of protein a day was probably closer to right for what my body needs physiologically right now. And fat? Yeah, I learned about FAT this week in nutrition. We all know that once your body makes a fat cell, it never goes away... it just deflates. As if that is not depressing enough, that empty fat cell is calling out for fat to fill it back up. Little assholes! And fat cells have a loooooong life, so they don't die off as often as we would like. Crap. Turns out that empty fat cells also send out a hormone to pull fat out of the blood to fill up their little tanks... so in the state that I am in, almost all dietary fat I intake will go directly into those little empty fat cells. There's some good news... :(

So, I had to tell you all THAT to tell you all THIS:

NEW DIETARY PLAN....

My diet of 800 calories a day will now be split approximately like this...
70 grams of protein a day for 280 calories---- approximately 35% of my calorie intake.
9 grams of fat a day for 80 calories------------approximately 10% of my calorie intake.
110 grams of carbohydrates per day for 440 calories- approximately 55% of my calorie intake.

I am going to try this for a little bit. I WILL get this damn post-surgery diet perfected so that I can tweak other people's post surgery diet to get them maximum health and weight loss! The 9 grams of fat is gonna kill me, lol, but I need those little asshole fat cells to STARVE! I need the carbs to fuel my muscles and give me some more immediate energy, and the protein to give my body the building blocks it needs to repair stuff so I don't lose muscle tone.

I started wrapping this week, so I took before pics the other day. I just did my second ab wrap this morning. After 4 wraps, I will put up pics of before and after. Only 12 days will have elapsed, so what you see will be mostly due to the wraps and not the other weight loss. I really want to keep my skin toning as I lose weight. Also, to keep my protein up and fat down, I am now mixing my PROFit shakes with half soymilk and half water, and making sure I get at least 2 a day. I take It's Vital morning, noon, and night, along with New You in the morning and night. I usually mix my Greens in somewhere with a fruit and protein drink to keep my body detoxed as my fat stores empty.... Seems to be working well so far! Don't make me bust out some Fat Fighter to keep those hungry little fat cells starving!!!!!!!!!! Don't forget you can get on my It Works! diet plan by ordering off my website <-- click here!

As soon as I can find a damn camera man, or can get to my friends to pick up a tripod they are giving me, I will get another video up! Sorry, but without Raingirl around to hold the camera, it is just too hard!

Well, peace out! I have a project on MSG due in 32 hours.... lol....

Cordes out! :)

YO! What is UP?

Hey yo! Things here are fantastic! I have been back to the gym and have started the process of jogging again. Tomorrow is my first day of Couch to 5k. Again. This time I am set up for success though... the surgery, my It Works!, and feeling the workout bug again.

Haven't gotten my post-op labs done yet, with no insurance anymore it just isn't in the budget this month. But as soon as I know, you'll know! However, as of this morning I am 218 pounds, down from a high of almost 255 before the surgery. My weight loss has slowed down now, but I am ok with that so my skin has a chance to catch up :) I am 45 days post surgery now, and feel better than I have in years!

I paid to promote a post on Facebook for the first time today. I am interested to see how it works out. I just had a lot of info on my post and I wanted maximum visibility. I am going to include the verbiage of the post here...

"Here is the dollars and sense of it... Weight Watchers is $40 a month, includes no food, and requires meetings that nobody has time for. Nutrisystem is $397 per month, has some food, but you still need to buy veggies and fruits, and does nothing for your health because it's full of crap. Jenny Craig, same story only more expensive yet: $500 a month, some food like Nutrisystem, and meetings that nobody has time for. A dietician will run you about $160 a month, no food, and appointments you don't have time for. Slimfast is convenient and cheap at $90 a month for the shakes, but they are gross (more chemicals than food) and no suppletments for your health, plus you still need ADDITIONAL food.... AND NONE OF THESE HANDLE SKIN TONE, CELLULITE, FITNESS AND DETOX!!

It Works "Ultimate Pack" is $279 per month, shipped directly to your house, and only has a 3 month minimum commitment to get that price (retail price totals $559!!!) MY IT WORKS plan includes one high quality shake a day of PROFit shakes, a snack bar daily in It's Essential, Greens for detoxing as you lose, Advanced Fat Fighter for blocking the fat and some of the carbs you eat at lunch and dinner, Thermofit for cranking up your metabolism, It's Vital to get all the nutrients you need for max health and weight loss, Defining Gel to help minimize the appearance of cellulite, and the Ultimate Body Applicator 4-pack to tighten and tone that skin as you lose. Complete, convenient, and 24-7 email support and encouragement from me with no meetings to go to!

What are you still waiting for?! http://michellecordes.myitworks.com and inbox me, call me or email me with your questions. Will you invest in a 90 day challenge with me? Let me show you how It Works! I'll even help you design a custom workout plan to enhance your results... I can't wait to help you achieve your goals!"

Of course, you don't have to do the Ultimate Pack to get started... get in touch with me on Facebook, by commenting below, or through my website to find out where is best to get you started with what your priorities are and what fits in your budget...

My personal products I'm using right now :)

I really hope some of you will take me up on this! If you are a Vision Quest member, we can even meet at the gym! My experience with diets and nutrition to date,

My tummy at 45 days... scars are getting better every day!!

and the Human Nutrition class I am taking is putting me on a path to becoming a diet and fitness coach I think. I love nails, but I can do that too... this is making people feel good and look good in a different way!! As soon as I can find someone to video me, I will be doing a new vlog....Gotta get back to calculus now (yuck)...

Hasta luego!

Michelle