Biotin for Hair Strengthening

I have had trouble with thin hair for at least the last ten years if not longer.  Around my early twenties, I noticed that I started losing hair.  I have a family history of thinning hair and I also have family history of light Trichotillomania.  Those items as well as a high-stress lifestyle have made it really difficult to grow a thick head of hair. 

On both sides of my family, there is male-patterned-baldness that began in the men early on in their lives. I actually don't remember my dad ever having a whole head of hair although pictures say he once did.  I am probably the worst case of Trichotillomania in my family (most of them just over pluck their eyebrows, something I never have struggled with).  Trichotillomania, often referred to as Trich, is pulling your hair out on purpose. I developed this habit years ago. When I was anxious, I would run my hands through my scalp.  I already have very fragile hair so doing this over and over and over caused my hair to fall out. I now have a pretty thin crown around the top of my head. It requires me to apply sunscreen if I am going to be outside for awhile, invest in volumizing products to amplify the thickness of my hair, and to wash my hair daily to keep it from looking so thin. I am better these days but when anxious I have to make a conscious choice to keep my hands away from my head.

I decided to start taking Biotin supplements by Vitafusion a couple of months ago to see if it would help with strengthening my hair and nails. In the past, I have tried a lot of special shampoos and treatments without much luck.  I am not a fan of pills so when I found Biotin gummies, I thought I could probably stick to it.  I just finished my first bottle and I can tell a difference in my hair growth. The hair isn't necessarily thicker (not sure I am getting any new growth) but the hair I do have has grown faster and my nails are definitely stronger.  I have also noticed less hair in my hair brush after brushing my hair out so it must be doing something.  I think I'll keep at it, it certainly isn't hurting!

Vacation from Keto: Butterbeer and Lard Lad Donuts!

Several months ago, I decided that I would go "off" keto for a week while we were in Orlando, Florida on a family trip for a week.  There were several reasons why I made the decision, 1) I knew it would cause me stress to figure out food while there, especially in the parks which would make me as well as my family miserable 2) I knew I would be tempted more than usual to eat carbs namely sugar 3) There were things I have been wanting to try for quite awhile that I didn't want to deprive myself of and 4) I have worked really hard the last 10 months and needed to know that I could fall off and get right back on.  That second part started the next day following our little trip, right back onto Keto. 

I thought I would share a little bit about what it was like going off physically, mentally, and such now that we have returned.

A couple of days leading up to the trip, I started to waiver on my decision to go off keto.  I started to think I should just stick to it.  Sticking to it hadn't failed me so far so why risk it?  I also started to feel like maybe it just wasn't the right decision for me right now. 

Those feelings started to fade as we arrived in St. Louis to meet our flight connection to Orlando.  Initially, I was really fearful to eat something.  I almost felt guilty like I was being "bad."  It eased up as time went on.  We ate out every meal while we were gone so I had plenty of opportunity to eat things I had been craving or so I thought.  What was strange to me was some of the choices I ended up making.  First, I wanted nothing, I mean absolutely nothing to do with a potato.  Fries? Nope.  Mashed?  Nada. Baked?  No way.  I have mentally equated potatoes as evil (as I have determined they are one of the main causes of obesity in society today) so I just had no desire.  It may all be in my head but that's fine.  I'm not eating potatoes.  I did eat Yuca though and it was excellent.

I found that I really missed fruit.  And previously, I didn't eat a whole lot of fruit. I found myself looking for veggies and fruits as alternative sides to potatoes...  I ate bread and rice quite a bit. I had a Curry dish at Bahama Breeze that had a pineapple salsa on it, it was really really good.  In the past, that's not the first thing I would have gravitated to but I guess my tastes have changed. 

Foods made with real sugar are really sweet. Like I am not sure how I used to eat such sweet things regularly.  There were two things I knew going into the trip I wanted to indulge in, both at Universal Studios.  First was a large Homer Simpson Donut that was big enough to share between the girls and I. I'll admit, it was an excellent donut.  Second was Butterbeer.  Butterbeer was probably the best thing I had on the trip... and I had it twice.  I may not be much of a Harry Potter fan (no worries, the husband and children are so we're good in this household) but I have heard so much about the stuff, well I had to try it for myself.  The best I can describe Butterbeer as is a sweet cream soda that has been topped off with a melted ice cream that tastes like Werther's Originals.  I had the regular version and then I had it frozen.  It is nice either way and I totally see why people go nuts for the stuff.  I believe I can make a keto-friendly version so look for that coming soon!

The bread and rice didn't impact me much as far as how I felt but after eating or drinking something sugary, I definitely felt jittery. And I usually regretted eating or drinking as much as I did. 

Some other things I noticed was that my body felt more bloated.  Not like I was retaining fluid but just more "full." in general.  I ate more but I was also hungrier.  I did do a good amount of walking but I am sure that carbs were causing me to crave eating more.  Nothing other than the Butterbeer was excellent or hit the spot.  It was just food in the end.  And I guess that was reassuring to know that food didn't have a hold on me.  Sure I ate some bad stuff but I could easily have said no and been fine. In fact, after a couple of days, I started thinking I should just jump back on keto because nothing is as good as I thought it would be...

All in all, the vacation from keto has helped to confirm for me that I truly have made a lifestyle change.  I am planning another trip in a couple of months and am considering what I will do then.

On the upside, I did reap the benefits of my weight loss on the trip -- I was able to walk around fine. Sure my feet hurt at the end of the day just like everyone else's.  I had no swelling in my feet or legs.  It was hot but I wasn't a sweaty mess at the end of each day. And I didn't complain the entire time from being uncomfortable or irritable.  All of those reasons is why it is absolutely worth it to me.

Meeting Hello Kitty

 

We just returned from our surprise Orlando - Universal Studios trip with the girls.  I've got several posts planned on our trip and all that we did while we were there coming soon.

But first, the highlight of the trip for me was a priority to post about. 

I got a bit of a surprise myself when we stopped by a Hello Kitty Store at Universal Studios Orlando and was able to meet Hello Kitty herself.  I didn't even realize there was a Hello Kitty store inside Universal! The shop was adorable and I might have spent all my souvenir money there on new pjs and shirts for the girls.  They had several other Sanrio characters (Tuxedo Sam, Pom Pom Purin, My Melody, Chococat, Kerropi, and Badtz Maru) but Hello Kitty was definitely the most prominent character.  They also had a bakery case of Hello Kitty and Friends themed treats just like in Hello Kitty Cafes in Japan and Hawaii, how cool!  I was really tempted to load up on stuff for me as well but I don't really need anything (no more clutter!) but the girls benefited from some new clothing so we minimized the excess!  I will mention that like the Disney Trading Pins, there are now Sanrio/Hello Kitty Trading Pins and had they not been so expensive, I definitely would have started a collection of those.

Springtime Flowers

I have been wanting to get out to a local treasure in Wichita, Botanica, for a few weeks now. It's part of being bitten by the flower and plant bug lately.   Last Sunday, my family headed out for breakfast and for a walk among the gardens. I did lots and lots of picture taking.  The peonies and roses were gorgeous and it was a perfect day for a leisurely stroll. I think we may end up getting a membership because it was just such a nice time.  I can see myself going a lot on my own as well.  (It is also so much nicer to walk around and carry 80 pounds less on my body).

I had been wanting to play around with a new camera lense that I received as a gift from my husband for Christmas. And also wanted to just practice using the camera more.

I got some shots that I am pretty happy with.  I've saved back my favorites for posts in the future and look forward to sharing those with you soon. 

Tropical Tea Party

I belong to a family of tea lovers.  It may have started with my grandfather who had a love for his iced tea year round but generation by generation the love has spread.  My niece, in particular, loves her a tea party.  Over the last couple of years she has thrown tea parties at grandma's house while visiting. My girls and I always join and have as she would say, "a jolly good time."

The theme this last weekend was a Tropical Tea Party complete with grass skirts, leis and tropical décor.  The dogs (well at least Kofi) even tolerated the tea party for awhile.

We had Coral Pies (mini-strawberry pies), Seafoam cakes (mini-keto-friendly cheesecakes), fruit salsa and cinnamon-sugar chips, and white chocolate meringues to go the with tea.

The tea was the highlight for sure.  We had Pina Colada Carmen Miranda from Chelmsford Tea and it was so nice.  It steeps to a vibrant pinky red color and tastes so summery. You could easily drink it without any sweetener.  We all loved it.

Keto (Low-Carb) Biscuits

One of my pantry staples for living a ketogenic lifestyle is Carbquik.  Carbquik is a low-carb version of the popular baking mix, Bisquik. I buy my Carbquik on Amazon for about $13 for a 3 lb. box which lasts quite awhile since I am the only one in the house who eats it. I typically use Carbquik for waffles or pancakes (with sugar free syrup) but lately I have been craving biscuits. My husband whipped up some Carbquik biscuits for me to go with our dinner of baked pork chops and french style green beans last Sunday evening. And yes, he is just that great of a guy to make dinner and make something that I can eat too. The biscuits turned out pretty good.  They definitely are comparable to a Bisquik drop biscuit. They have some flakiness to them and crumble about the same. I think they would be great with sugar-free jelly or jam or to use in a breakfast sandwich with sausage and egg. They could also be modified to use as a shortcake for Strawberry Shortcake.  I might have to try that next.

The End of Another School Year

This year flew by fast.  I'll admit not quite as fast as prior years due to the fact that I was present this year and able to participate more in activities with the girls.  The entire last week of school felt like one big party for the girls, not that they minded.

The end of the school year was celebrated with the 5th grade trip to Rock Springs, 3rd grade Shark Dissection, Field Day for both girls, and 5th Grade Graduation for Tori.  I feels like not so long ago she was headed out to her first day of Kindergarten and now Elementary school is behind her.  I am excited for next year and all the activities she will be able to participate in at Middle School.  She's definitely excited about the technology classes and while she would like to join the music program, they don't offer anything for guitar which is what she has been playing through private lessons for well over a year now.   I'll just leave you with these photos of the our last couple of weeks closing out the school year.

5th grade and 3rd grade, in the books.