The results are in… but I am not done yet!!

Ok, so the past 3 months, I have really made some significant changes to myself.  Not only have I learned from an amazing group of people so much about technology and social media within education, but I have also learned specific skills from so many of you.  Some examples of learning were from organizing with Coralee, crocheting from Ryan, designing through watercolor from Jaque, about Whey protein and HIIT workouts from Matt, and some crazy awesome math tricks from Sapna.  I apologize for not naming you all, but I truly enjoyed everyone’s blogs and comments this semester.  What a wonderful, and diverse group of amazing professionals.  I feel honored to have spent these past few months with you.

Beginning this journey of KETO eating, I was extremely nervous and skeptical.  I had tried and failed so many times before at various things that I was again afraid to put myself out there.  But I made the decision…to be honest…and vulnerable.  To show truly what I am going through, and not to sugar coat the journey.

I am proud of myself, for sticking to this, and I really think that my efforts, dedication and honesty to myself, and to everyone have really paid off.

I feel this WOE is my new norm.  I think that the results both physically that I can see and feel, but also in my blood work have convinced me that this is my new norm. Am I going to enjoy carbs once and a while…YES…. but am I going back to what I used to do NO!! All I can do is say it out loud and commit.  This will be a day-by-day lifestyle that I will have to consciously be aware of, and plan for.  I know I can do it. I want to be healthier for not only myself, but for my family.

Thanks everyone…..

The bloodwork results are in…..

Source: Quora.com

Ok, so last week I mentioned that I had blood work taken before I started this KETO journey, and I had the same bloodwork taken again last week. The results are in and they are very interesting. I was really looking for my  cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels.  Prior to me starting KETO, I was considered pre-diabetic, and pretty darn close to being a diabetic.

 

The results are in and they are drastic…. and AWESOME!!

The biggest thing here is that I went from a pre-diabetic to a non-diabetic in less than 5 months, over 3 of those months eating KETO.  I also found it insane to see that my cholesterol levels, even though they did increase, are still well within healthy ranges.  So I can eat all the fat and still be healthy….actually healthier that before.  Its so crazy!! I am diligently taking several vitamins to ensure I am receiving enough.

I take Biotin and Folic acid for hair health, as I have been noticing that I am losing a bit more hair that normal.  My hairdresser indicated that this is normal with a change in diet.  She, as well as my physician, recommended these 2 vitamins.  I am also taking a multi-vitamin, as well as a vitamin B complex. NOTE: cheapest place to purchase all these is your friendly, neighborhood COSTCO.

When I received these results, my physician took me off of three medications that I was on for high blood pressure as well as something for diabetics and another one for acid reflux . Three less meds, which leaves me taking vitamins as well as one that I will take forever, and is not related to diet.  My physician also asked me so many questions.  She expressed to me that she was going to a “lunch and learn” and wanted to present my results to other physicians. Of course I agreed.

So much good has come from this way of eating.

  1. reduced medication
  2. improvement in blood sugar levels
  3. change in cholesterol levels, well within the healthy range
  4. weight loss
  5. influencing people to make positive changes to their way of eating

I will take these improvements to my health with open arms…

Next week, I will have my weight and measurements completed…. I am nervous yet excited….

See you next week for that big reveal….

Until then, I will continue to eat my bacon, and enjoy life.

 

Create your own story with STORY JUMPER….

Great task this week, to explore an app or a website that I have never used that would assist me in my teaching profession. I think I have found a very cool site that can make students published authors.  What a neat concept.  Story Jumper allows people from very young, to very old,  create their own stories.  And not only is the story an original creation, but it can also be printed, and sent to the author.  How cool is that? As a young student, creating your own plotline, then transferring that story online, and then receiving a hard copy, in your hands a few weeks later. This is awesome.

I spent some time playing around with Story Jumper and really liked what I saw.

The first thing I did was created an account as an educator.  I was asked my location and school name.  Easy Peasy. I then went through a quick tutorial for teachers on how to navigate and start class lists. 

I explored the teacher page, and was pumped to find an explanation of the types of books that can be created.  I was also excited how they were link able to the grade level outcomes for the Saskatchewan Curriculum.

 

 

The next thing I did was watch a tutorial, which showed me how to maneuver through the site. .

I then, began playing around with the books, and creating a sample.

Cool…. user friendly things that I found:

  1. Choices of story book formats
  2. Various themes available
  3. Students can start from scratch with an idea, or use some suggestions to get themselves started.
  4. Option to use pre-generated images
  5. Option to download personal images from my own photo gallery
  6. Voice recording option
  7. Option to create animated characters for the storybook
  8. You can order the book – various options from Hard Covered to 1 free black and white copy per user.

Some Cons that I found were:

  1. Graphics offered were not the most appealing; feeling a bit outdated
  2. Does not pick up grammar and spelling errors, which is challenging when working with younger students
  3. younger students may need a little more hands on help to work through the site.

Here is a personal comment from my son Thomas.

 

I would definitely give this site a…..

Zach Reino Thumbs Up GIF by Earwolf - Find & Share on GIPHY

Source: Giphy.com

Some modernizing required, but really liked so many things about this.  I will be using it in my class.

Until next week….

 

 

Show me your keto ways….

So it’s awesome to have people really interested in my growth and development during my KETO WOE.  I have actually influenced people through my blog, various posts and personal conversations to try this woe, and they are seeing great success as well. Check out these testimonials….

Friends are reaching out to learn more about what this way of eating entails, and I am truly welcoming the comments.  I am by no means an expert, but because I am seeing such great success, people want to know….and I want to tell.

 

Some commonalities that people have mentioned who are eating KETO are:

  1. mental clarity
  2. better sleep
  3. little to no hunger
  4. no energy highs and lows (stable all day)
  5. no “hangry” episodes
  6. drastic decrease in migraine headaches

I have experienced all of these…

I am going to continue eating high fat, moderate protein and low carbs, and sharing what I have learned with whoever wants to listen.  Stay tuned…..

 

 

It takes a village of champions….

I have to begin by agreeing with Lindy when she stated on her blog  “This week’s TedTalk video was likely my favorite this semester.”

I am going to take a little bit of a different look at sharing.  I value and appreciate all Open Educational Resources I receive and use in my classrooms.  Without these, I honestly don’t know if I have the creativity to survive as a teacher. OERs are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessment, as well as for research purposes. I have come to realize that teachers at all levels are becoming more involved in the OER movement because they believe in the value of creativity and benefits to sharing.  Its a natural connection.

I want to talk about sharing, outside of the classroom, and more in regards to sharing within the family, community and school.  As a special education educator, I spend endless hours with students, families and community resources, around the conference table ensuring all the needs of the student are met.  Looking past the academic needs, but really targeting the students’ basic needs.

Image Credit: Lookism.net

When examining a students’ basic needs, one automatically thinks of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.  As Steven Johnson stated in his TedTalk “Where Good Ideas Come From” when he spoke of researcher Kevin Dunbar who suggested,  that “all important ideas happened at the conference table.”  I feel this to be totally true.  Monthly, I meet with all the essential people in my student’s lives.  The people that truly care of the success and the well being of the student… and we share. We share the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The environment is safe, and honest.  Everyone understands the goal which is the success of the student, not only in school, but in social settings and outside of school.

To me, sharing is collaborating. It’s a “liquid network where lots of ideas and backgrounds lead to innovation” (Johnson, TedTalk) … and when people think innovation, they think of new items, or amazing inventions, but I think of student success. Locally, there are several agencies which assist in collaborating for the success of the student.  We share resources, and information in order to meet a student’s Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Locally, the major agencies include The Regina Intersectoral Partnership (TRip), 

Randall Kinship Center, Child and Youth, and ARC. 

It is so imperative that as educators we access the village. The village will include OERs, safety agencies, mental health professionals, and various other educators. Every student needs a champion in their corner…champion educators collaborate and share, to not only better themselves, but to better their students.  This is an amazing TedTalk with Rita Pierson and a must watch.

I understand that my viewpoint took a little bit of a different turn, but I truly felt it necessary to think beyond the sharing of lessons, textbooks, and activities, and more towards the sharing of resources and ideas that will assist in the success of the student; mental, physically and spiritually.
Thanks for reading.

CK-12….where have you been all my life??

Alright, so as a current special education educator, I work with students in one classroom, spread throughout 4 different grade levels on “paper” (currently grades 5-8), but who academically are spread from grades 1-8 with their academic needs.  This makes it very difficult to plan lessons that can be taught to the entire class that are meeting curricular outcomes for those particular grade levels.  I am constantly searching for assistance to help my students develop their skills and academics, while continuing to engage them.

The discovery of CK-12 is a perfect solution. I began looking at the website, and what initially caught my eye was the CK-12 MAP. Upon clicking it open, I quickly realized the network of educators and students using this resource.

Source: CK-12 Maps

I mean look at this… it is absolutely amazing how many users are engaged in this resources from around the world.  I did notice there wasn’t a ton of Canadian users, so wondered if the content was applicable to the Canadian, and Saskatchewan Curriculum. But I thought it had to be good, with this many red dots.

Testimonials are important….to hear users opinions really matter to me. I found this video which made me even more intrigued to investigate CK-12 and why I could love it or hate it.

Diving deeper into CK-12 I was able the subjects offered, and the list is extensive.

Source: CK-12 subjects

From various grades, to various subjects, I was intrigued to explore more. th website itself was extremely user friendly. I quickly created an account using my email and password. From there I was able to navigate through the various subjects and grade levels, exploring with CK-12 had to offer.

Looking at several subjects I noticed many student friendly and teacher friendly options.  There are a lot of visual resources through videos, and graphs.  There are also discussion questions which occur frequently to engage students in the learning process. Activities also accompany the lessons which encourage the students to be active learners. The website is extremely clear and visually appealing as well.

Some great things that stuck out to me were:

  1. Flexbooks – online textbooks which were subject specific
  2. Simulations
  3. PLIX

Seriously, these are amazing.  I am very excited to use these in my classroom and with my students.  I am also very excited to share this with my colleagues and co-professionals.  What a fabulous resource!! I suggest you check it out.

Teacher GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Source: Giphy

 

KETO whilst sick…. is no laughing matter!

Ok, so this week has not gone as planned.  I had the ‘not so pleasure’ of getting sick.

Sick Ferris Buellers Day Off GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

SOURCE: giphy.com

Let me tell you that when one is ill, remaining KETO is very difficult.

Think about when you get sick…. what are the things that make you feel better?

  1. Chicken Noodle Soup
  2. Toast
  3. Soda Crackers
  4. Juice
  5. Tea with lemon and honey
  6. Halls
  7. NyQuil

All these items have carbs, carbs, carbs, with a side of carbs in them. So it was extremely difficult to stay on track.  What also happens when you are ill is that you lie around….and THINK a lot, which doesn’t help the “feeling sorry for yourself” attitude that has developed.

So then I started to question…. is it worth staying in ketosis whilst ill?? I thought and thought about this and came to the conclusion that it was.  I suffered last week and shared on my blog about how getting back into ketosis after my sushi supper was so awful, and seriously it is NOT worth it again. No thanks…no way. I will just deal with this.

I had a lot of time to surf the net and found some great sites to support people living a KETO woe and getting sick. I found this blog post, from someone discussing similar issues to mine.

I also discovered bone broth.  Now let me tell you, it is the most fantastic discovery that I have made. I have made homemade soup before, but always seem to add a lot of “stuff” into the soup, which makes it not very KETO friendly. I then found this video, and decided to make it.

My broth ended up being devine, and seriously I sipped this stuff for several days while laying in bed.  While sipping, continuing to think about this bone broth, and where I could enjoy this within the city.  I have (prior to KETO) frequented PHOmilu in Regina, and wondered if their broth was KETO friendly.  Wondering, I made a phone call and asked  some questions:

  1. How do you make your PHO broth?
  2. Are there any added sugars or carbohydrates in your broth?
  3. What are the main ingredients in your broth?
  4. How long does your broth cook before it is served?
  5. Do you sell just your broth (without any added noodles, or vegetables inside)?

I was very happy to receive all the KETO friendly answers to my questions.

2065 Prince of Wales Drive East

I am starting to realize the importance of asking questions to meet my needs, and how lovely people truly are in giving information out. If ever you are in need of some delicious soup, or food in general, PHOmilu is where it’s at. They have 2 locations, one in east Regina, near Superstore and Winners, the second location on Victoria Ave, very close to FreshAir Experience.

639 Victoria Ave. Source: Google Maps

I am so happy that I made it through my sick week, and still remained in KETOSIS. Thanks for reading….until next week.

Sharing is caring and Remixing is creating

By definition, remixing is “to combine or edit existing materials to produce something new – originally to music” (Ze Frank)

When discussing “remixing”, I automatically think of the creativity involved in doing so.  One typically thinks of “remixing” in today’s generation using social media and various technologies, but remixing has been around for many years, and as Ze Frank states in his My Web Playroom Ted Talk  stated “remixing has been around for along as we have been alive”.

I recall, when I was young, I would remix to learn concepts.  From scientific formulas, to memorizing facts, I would remix using a catchy tune, or phrase that I would remember. I would copy, transform and combine, in order to recall information. As a parent I remixed with my kids all the time…teaching them how to spell their names or to remember their address and phone number….remixing occurs for all ages, and for many past generations, but frequently in today’s generation. Here is an example of a remix I found that shows just how useful remixing is for today’s generation.

Today, we refer to remixing as using technologies that are appealing to the younger generation which are driven by social media and various apps.

I Learned From That Justin Bieber GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Using this concept unlocks creativity and allows more learning to occur. Remixing is the literacy of this generation.  It is how this generations speaks, and it’s who they are.  Larry Lessig conquers by saying that remixing is a tool for speaking, and that it cannot be considered piracy, but must be seen as a creative culture that we must encourage and support, not punish and ignore. He also suggests that youth now are very different then us, and it is because of the technologies that exist in today’s society.  He indicated that rather than our youth constantly living life “against the law”, we should embrace this inventiveness.  Ze Frank  agrees and states that “we must be joyful and celebrate the fun being had.”  These new forms or empowerment create stronger voices and should be celebrated as forms of communication. We must “do better for our kids” (Lessig).

Moving on to Sharing – Being a Moral Imperative I have to agree with Roberta when she speaks of the culture of sharing.  As educators, historically we are famous for working in our “own bubbles”, independently closing our doors and teaching our students, but this seems to be detrimental to the education of students. According to Dean Shareski, Sharing – Being a Moral Imperative; “education is entirely built on sharing, and it is our obligation to not only teach students in the building, but beyond.” How can we do this?? How can we create and work within this “sharing revolution”.Image result for teacher sharing I understand that for some it is too much to share, but for others, it is what drives them and they can’t get enough. I feel that there are many ways to share professionally, while still ensuring that recognition is given to those who are contributing.  Websites like Teachers Pay Teachers and Share My Lessons are a few sites, which allow teachers to share their work, while still being recognized for their contributions and creativity.  Rather than “reinventing the wheel” as Roberta stated, why not share our great ideas…ideas that students loved, or maybe didn’t love. As professionals with students needs being at the forefront, it is essential to share in order to make students’ lives richer due to the culture of sharing.  According to Shareski “students are the direct beneficiaries of sharing”…and isn’t this ultimately why we do what we do….for the students?

 

 

A rough week….with a great surprise!!!

Alright… I just have to say…and I am going to say it out loud…. I HATE HALLOWEEN! I truly dislike everything about it… from the ridiculously expensive costumes (and I have 3 boys, so it can get costly), to parties, to horror shows, trick or treating and the candy. Now let’s just talk about CANDY!! I am a sugar-aholic.  I love sweet things, and at Halloween there are so many delicious little morsels of sweetness that I just want to consume.  Now obviously KETO does not suggest consuming sugar is following this WOE because they are processed sugars and of course CARBS, so this week has been rough.

On October 31st, I took my 2 youngest kids (my oldest went with his friends) Trick or Treating, and let me say that they got an INSANE amount of candy. The haul included almost 200 bags of chips, 16 full sized chocolate bars, 3 full sized cans of pop and half a superstore green bin of mini chocolate bars and other candy.  I am ecstatic to say that I have not gone crazy with the candy.  I have eaten 2 small chocolate bars and a piece of candy since Halloween and stayed within my macros for the day.  I say WIN-WIN….and you know what… I have to truly say that I am not missing the candy, nor am I craving it.  These sugar cravings are gone since I started KETOing.

I diligently tracked my macros this week because my husband and I decided that we were going to go out for a SUSHI supper on Saturday night.  I know this would completely kick me out of ketosis, but I really don’t care.  I have to live, and I feel that I can enjoy these things if I plan accordingly.  This would be the first time eating out since I started this KETO woe, so when I woke up Saturday morning I was a bit apprehensive.  What if it kicks my cravings back?  What if all my hard work is ruined?   These questions raced through my head.  I expressed them to my husband and he told me I should weigh myself to see the progress that I have made.  I haven’t stepped on the scale since September, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I know things are changing because my clothes are fitting way differently. So I hesitantly get on the scale and WOWZA…. I was pleasantly surprised to see 20 pounds gone.  a

Source:  https://gph.is/1hcIGyE

So my husband and I went and enjoyed Sushi and a date night at our favorite sushi place.  It was really great to go out, but I really am suffering now.  I am back suffering from the KETO flu. Headache and nauseous.  Not as bad as the first time around, but I am really not enjoying this.  Hopefully this horrible feeling will subside quickly. My plan after Sushi was to eat extremely high fat, extremely low protein and absolutely now carbs. Hopefully this will kick me back into ketosis quickly…. stay tuned.