My Color Street Truth

The close of a chapter. I’m not cut out to be a Color Street Stylist. More accurately: things are happening and being a stylist doesn’t fit into it anymore.

I love Color Street Nail strips. They’re how I’m going to do my nails. I’m just not going to sell them.

The company is incredible. The support and training for stylists is impressive. If you work the system, it works amazing. And the companies charity is beyond impressive. They are continually expanding and growing.

I genuinely love the product and the company.  But I recognize when I’m better being a customer. So I’ve closed up shop and will focus on bigger goals. Here’s to adjusting accordingly.

Wintertime Refocus

Nutrition/Diet/Lifestyle/Eating/Exercise. Currently not succeeding in this area! Am I doing horribly? No. Do I feel I could be doing better? Yes.

Yeah my A1c is amazing: 5.9!!!! 🤯 That is all being bold with insulin & lots of correction micro-dosing. Doesn’t bother me but I’d love it if I didn’t chase the alarms (that I set at 130 as my high limit) so much. I hate that I’m not stoked about my A1c. I’ve been working towards results of less than 7…with what I thought was a pipe dream goal of less than 6, for years. I want to be over the moon. Instead, I’m in my head about my weight.

Current weight is 184.5 lbs. This is over shadowing my successes. Or, it has been. It’s the first of the month so I’m paying bills and planning my groceries for the month. Yes, I try really hard to do this monthly and it does save me money. Another perk is that I don’t eat as much crud.💁‍♀️

I follow Wicked Woman Old Soul on FB and it fills me will encouragement and motivation and peace and focus. And reminds me that it is okay not to be perfect.

Since this popped up in my feed it’s really been helping me get back to how I am best. Motivated with grace for myself. This past year, that grace has manifested as excuses half the time but I’m ready to work again. This is how I am with health. I’m never just horrible but my level of excellence ebbs and flows.

I’m ready to be better. Are you?

P.S. I think I do this about this time every year. New Years resolutions aren’t as solid as winter resolutions IMO.

Dinner

Hey y’all! I realized it had been awhile since I’d written something so I thought I’d share tonight’s dinner.

Taco meat and steak bites. 😋

I’m basically lazing through low carb right now. I want to cut back from roughly 90g 😱a day to about 20 or 30g a day. I just haven’t. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner… 💁‍♀️

I’ll try to focus on the turkey but of course I’ll have some of the rest. So I have a plan of action! Starting now I’m going to eat as low carb as possible. On Turkey day proper I’m aiming to only eat once that day. Yes, OMAD is my plan.

I do it on the weekend without thinking about it. Unless I haven’t been eating enough protein. Or my blood sugar drops. I always treat my lows but I’ve been having fewer of those too.

Enjoy your festivities! The taco meat is calling to me. With cheese. In a bowl. Mmmmm 🤤 yes please!

Hello & surprise: I’m a stylist!

An Independent Color Street stylist that is! Something new & pretty & practical & completely outside of my comfort zone.

First things first, let me introduce myself since I haven’t done that in a long while. I updated my bio at one point but how long has it been since I did that? I don’t even know. 🤣

👋I’m from Midwest City, Oklahoma. I work as an editorial assistant on the Administrative Rules for the State. I earned my B.A. in History 3 years ago. I’m a spoiled wife of 2 years with no kids. We have a cat and a diabetic alert dog. 💙 I’m type 1 and have had diabetes for (hang on, I’ve got to count) 25 years. It seems like I’ve been acting as my own pancreas for far longer than that. I try to be active and move to workout and eat healthy for me (varies between low carb {less than 100 g carb total per day} and ketovore {less than 30 g of carb per day} which is why I post on social media about work outs and food.

So… I recently did a thing & I’m super excited about it! 🤩

I joined Color Street on September 10 this year. My deepest, biggest dream is that everybody who wants fast & gorgeous nails gets involved with Color Street! It’s nail polish with no dry time that comes with designs or glitter or both or super creamy solids that are glamorous on their own! And it’s made in the U.S.A. 🇺🇸 The company donates regularly to charities that I care about and provides a way I can help, and show my support with awesome nail designs (even a type 1 that’s pretty darn cute)! So reach out to me on IG or Twitter or Tumblr or even FB (or here but let’s be real, I’m on IG the most 😉) if you’re curious or want some samples or sets or to host or join my team.

You can also find me at https://colorstreet.com/HeatherRileyCahill

#BeBrilliant #BeColorful #BeColorStreet

Sardines

Have you ever wanted to (or maybe just thought you should) try them?

I tasted Sardines as a kid and thought they were just canned fish… no big deal. We tried all kinds of food. I didn’t give them another thought. We would eat tuna salad some but I don’t remember fish being a big part of our diet. Then I started hearing that Sardines were nasty and so I just kind of wrote my experience off as a kid not knowing better or maybe they were just fixed extra special. My Grandpa would mention eating them now and again but he also occasionally craves a taste of buttermilk – mostly for nostalgia.

Sardines straight from the can (packaged in water)

Fast forward to 2019 and my flourishing interest in health. First came regular exercise then a better way of eating and boom I rediscovered the ketogenic lifestyle. I didn’t trust then that a human can and does thrive with no carbs or sugar and varying levels of vegetables.

So last year I finally bought a can of Sardines! And it sat on the shelf as I furiously searched YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram for recipes and instructions on how to make them delicious. I found 3 things: make sardine salad instead of tuna salad, eat them plain or add mustard. I have no doubt there are more options but those were by far the most common.

Proof that ate them. And my initial reaction.

Today I was snacky but wanted something different and easy so why not? I figured if I just couldn’t, both the cat & dog would enjoy the treat. So, first taste is plain straight out of the can. Then I tried with mustard (regular then garlic & herb) and plain mustard is my preference. They don’t have the head, fins or tail but the rest is all there. I may not make it a bi-weekly staple like calf liver but maybe every other month. We’ll see!

Saving 1/2 for the hubby to try if he wants to.

Moral of the story is to just go for it! The old saying that you never know until you try, really is true!

Side notes: yes that is a Christmas hot pot holder on the wall – I always end up leaving something out. Yes it is crazy cold here right now with inches of snow and drifts, & yes I had a rolling blackout but nothing like Texans have dealt with. I was just without power for weeks after the last ice storm, last October. I’ve been lucky to dodge the busted pipes (had one freeze but thaw without harm). Oh and I have a tiny head, despite the camera, that’s why the headband is sliding back. They stay on for an hour or 2 then slip off, sometimes kid sizes are better sometimes they’re worse. I’m used to it by now.

Nutrition

Let’s start by saying that I’m not a dietitian, I’m not a medical professional, my degree is a Bachelor of Arts: HISTORY degree.

That being said, I believe the academic and mainstream systems don’t support in-depth research on aspects/theories that fall outside of the accepted realm. This concept crosses genres. Not meaning to step on anybody’s beliefs: spiritual/religious/evolutionary etc. (we really don’t know – we all just have beliefs & theories – nothing has been proven as modern society demands, it comes down to faith in one or another path). My blog here isn’t about that though, it’s about nutrition.

Historically speaking the accepted theory that the middle eastern breadbasket and agriculture were fundamental in the explosion and spread around the globe of humanity. Mainstream thinking refuses to examine, or accept, evidence for previous cultural (and catastrophic) cycles. Another example is found in weather science – specifically how mainstream scientists refuse to take solar weather into account in forecasting (earthquakes too: see https://suspicious0bservers.org/ for details). Both areas are seeing grassroots movements to change this. Nutrition and health also follow this trend.

The most noticeable aspect is through the popularity of the vegetarian, vegan, ketogenic, paleo, carnivore, low carb high fat diets, as well as a resurgence of the South Beach Diet and the whole foods (we’re talking not processed food rather than the store) trends. In addition to high protein versions of Weight Watchers et al, the IIFIMM (if it fits in my macros) approach and so many more. America has been running on the food pyramid and the portion or “plate” method for decades. There are diets put forth by leading associations for specific diseases (and “options” with narrowly varied specifics for ‘new’ diseases) like the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association and even leading hospitals (think John’s Hopkins). [Sidebar: have you ever carb counted a hospital “diabetic” lunch?!?!?! It’s ridiculously not diabetic friendly, granted the approach for “control” is eat whatever just take enough insulin for it. Big pharma anyone?]

Something with the status quo of nutrition has not been working. People are struggling with health issues, and often obesity (and the trillions of side effects aka diseases/disorders); thus society has begun looking for something better. Right now the vegetarian, ketogenic and whole foods approaches are seemingly the most popular.

Due to type 1 I’ve been trying to talk myself out of carbs and into at the very least a low carb version of eating. I do good for a little bit then I start having a rash of low blood sugars so I have some juice to immediately correct then rebound then am on a roller coaster for a few days. Not to mention the cravings and falling off the bandwagon for just one day. No strings attached meals are important but sugar addiction is a really hard thing to kick. I’ve attempted to adjust my basal rates to avoid lows (by 1 setting option at a time) and that helps for a few days, then, with no change from day to day, I get thrown off. I either start creeping high or have a random low and the roller coaster again. <<This is just my experience, every body’s experience is different.>>

I like meat, so vegetarian doesn’t work for me. Plus I have to bolus for lettuce so guesstimating all the counts for non-starchy vegetables as a way of life, not worth it for me. It’s great for some, just not me.

Ketogenic was super scary because Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a super dangerous by product of having no insulin. I got lucky and haven’t had DKA and I don’t want to. I broached the subject with my specialist and (even though she’s pretty amazing) she scared me away from anything that results in ketosis. Looking more into it ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis are very different things. The details always make the difference. As I’ve been researching I’ve run across quite a few diabetics who live keto (or carnivore) and their results are what I want. Super steady blood sugars in normal range (we’re talking in the 80s) with great A1c results.

As I’ve been discussing this with my husband, we think the difference between D(iabetic)K(eto)A(acidosis) and Ketogenic diet or nutritional ketosis is the protein source. DKA stems from a lack of insulin to get fuel into a cell and the snowball effect of your body breaking down it’s own muscle because it thinks it’s not getting nutrients through eating. Then the acid levels build up along with high sugar levels and no fuel getting in. Bad all around. Nutritional ketosis occurs when you take in no carbs or sugar but you are eating plenty of calories from protein, veggies, fats etc and your body breaks down the animal proteins et al you are eating. So you’re not breaking your own body down producing acids AND you still have (are giving in my case) insulin to get the fuel into the cell.

So, what is keto? It’s basically extra low carb (20 grams or less per day) with higher fat intake and moderate protein. The goal is to switch the body into running on fat instead of sugar. KenBerryMD on YouTube/Facebook/Twitter etc really breaks this all down in his videos – which I linked to in my previous post. I’m still working juice and fruit which is not (generally speaking) keto friendly into my keto plan. Because, really, this is what I want to do.

Then, I happened upon the carnivore diet and a type 1 who has been living it for a year. Shoutout to Andrew Berger “@type1berger” on Instagram and Twitter. His results are phenomenal! Do I really want to eat only meat? No, but wow, if he can successfully live on the carnivore diet (we’re talking phenomenal A1c, great steady blood sugars, no mega cravings or mood eating etc.) and reduce his insulin dependence – surely I can do the low carb/keto thing!

Really long blog short: I got re-energized about trying to actually live low carb/keto. Further keto (and even carnivore for some ancestral groups) is pretty ancestral if you look into how ancient humans lived – as far as we can tell from the oldest records we have combined with archeological evidence. And I may even try carnivore sometime!

Working Out …continued

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Is your workout plan today lifting a pint? Mine is a short HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout. 15-20 minutes a day and I’m good! I love squeezing in a workout when I don’t think I have time because I feel way more energized and productive afterwards.

Well I was doing phenomenal AND THEN I slacked off. It happens. It does. And it really is okay. For a long time I had a beginning and end approach to working out. If I missed more than one or two workouts in a row it was all over and I thought I had to start again. Not true.

Recognizing that working out is a process. And that there will be an ebb and flow, is life changing. For me, it took the slacker or lazy component out of my self talk. (Self talk can be a huge bonus or detriment in exercise.) Gotta tip my hat to the Betty Rocker for teaching me this.

The point is: if you are moving, you are doing good. The bottom line is that you need to work. You want to work (because you feel better [sense of accomplishment, endorphins, etc.]). Your body also can use rest periods.

I’ll be completely open here. How did I get started on actually doing something everyday? The 30 day (completely free, & I get nothing for mentioning this) #makefatcrychallenge by The Betty Rocker. So, her adds kept popping up on Facebook last year. Ya know, the ones in January that appear because you and everyone you know decided to actually “do something this year”… those. Only this time I clicked on it, then I ‘joined’ by adding my email. And following her on Instagram. You want to talk about motivation?!? This lady is like my big sister/coach/workout buddy. She and her team are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I still haven’t paid for any products although I want to. 🙂

It is more than working yourself every day. It is deciding to get into it. It’s creating a routine that helps you work. A routine that reduces stress, builds confidence and helps you feel better. That’s the important part.

I’ve taken some time to rest (a few weeks). I’m accountable to myself. Now I’m ready to get back into working out. I’m ready to take the time for myself again. I’m ready to find beast mode. Are you?

One thing I’ve learned from a Year of Working Out

As you can tell by my Instagram widget, I work out. A lot. I wouldn’t classify myself as a fitness junkie – but others might. I’m also Type 1 diabetic.

So why did I start working out? The usual, I wanted to loose the jiggly part of my midsection and the pounds that it signified. Very specific, very weight centric. Very common way of thinking but not the best goal for me. In case it helps you understand me, I’m a Capricorn (sun and moon sign) so I’m astrologically goal oriented. Add managing diabetes with my personality and you get a person who likes to plan, likes their plans to happen as planned, and gets a fantastic sense of accomplishment when plans come to fruition in achieving those goals. Weight by number is not a good goal.

Okay so maintaining a healthy weight is important, don’t get me wrong, but its not a good standard to mark my progress with. I spent months on months on months telling myself (and not really buying it) that muscle weighs more than fat. Which is true.

It wasn’t until I ran across a pin that side by side compared fat and muscle. It showed (and captioned that) 5 pounds of fat takes up about the same space as 3 grapefruits, while 5 pounds of muscle takes up about the same space as 3 tangerines. Read that again, grapefruits versus tangerines.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have that number in my head that would be nice to see pop up on the scale. But I’m learning that when the guru’s and coaches and people who have been doing fitness for decades say “pay more attention to how your clothes fit and how you feel than to the number on the scale” – they may know what they’re talking about.

I still have goals. That whole “strong is the new sexy” movement? I dig that, I’m just not willing to discipline my plate that much yet. And I’m okay with that. I’m still trimming, building, sculpting, and jiggling less overall. I’m eating better (like much much much better) than I was. And my A1c is better, especially if I stick to actually counting my intake to accurately dose, which in turn helps me choose better nutrition. But that’s 2 totally different posts and the title of this is “…1 thing…”

I’m going to try to give you other things in future posts. There’s a lot of options. I’m thinking a post on consistency. Perhaps one on the types of exercise that are available. Maybe even some on living with diabetes. For now, trust the method that relies more on the fit of your clothes rather than number on the scale – it really is more accurate!

Drawbacks to the job I love

So I work as an editorial assistant. Which means I grade papers, kinda, and only for format and to make sure the text matches what is currently in existence. It’s a very particular process which means that I’ve trained myself to catch irregularities in text.

This bites me in the peach when I read a lot of things on the internet. Mainly because I turn into a spelling and grammar taskmaster and can’t do anything about it. I totally get that more than occasionally a finger misses a key. But, proofreading, and having a proofreading buddy, is vital to good writing.

I implore writers to let the creativity flow. Don’t be constrained by “proper” writing if the story calls for something else! However, unless it’s to be written colloquially, please let the piece set for at least a day before revising. And find a fellow blogger or kindred spirit to glance over your work before you hit that beloved Publish button. If they’re slacking on keeping up with your pace, find a second person who can help. Unless you’re a poet – then the rules just don’t apply. Do what you do!

I know I don’t have any room to lecture; I make more than my fair share of errors. But please, plan ahead and write accordingly. It’s well worth the time in the end.

Learning

I’ve obviously been out of the blogging game for a few years. So when it comes to getting back to blogging I have to learn what feels like a whole new platform. I can do it, it just takes more effort than hopping back on that bike and riding, so to speak. Further, I find I am way lazier than I used to be. That I blame on the structure of tradition learning. Someone want to create an outline for me and I’ll blog like a good student? That’s a rhetorical question… mostly.

As for the platform, it is more intuitive and does seem to make the process run more smoothly. Like switching to a ten-speed. It definitely makes the editing process easier.

Perhaps it’s the change of the new platform that had me complaining about learning something new. I generally enjoy learning. Change takes time, energy, and effort. Which is a big part of why I stopped blogging years ago. I had a lot of changes happening and 5 years later I feel like my life is settling down. Here’s hoping that means my blogging persona is back! And that whoever is reading this, is forgiving.