237th Penny Pinching Party and UPDATE

I have been silent for a while and haven't posted much, so here is a quick update on what I have been doing for the past few months:

Back in February my doctor told me I had candida (click on the link for more information and symptoms) and put me on a candida diet and Diflucan (prescription anti fungal). I have never had a yeast infection, but I did have a lot of inflammation and water retention which can be caused by candida overgrowth. I didn't think the diet would do much for my weight since I had tried dieting and exercise without any luck. I even had the flu for a week and gained a pound even though I didn't eat anything. I lost 25 pounds during my first month on the candida diet and Diflucan.  A lot of that weight was water and I was so happy to have all of the puffiness leave my face, hands, and feet! I'm back down to a size 2 and I eat just as much or more than I ever did. After 3 months on the Candida diet, I am now doing a mostly Paleo diet and have kept the weight off.

This is a picture of all the food I ate for 1 day during the beginning of my diet:

Sometimes I have zucchini grilled with garlic for breakfast and sometimes I make waffles with coconut and almond flour. I eat my hamburgers protein style (lettuce wrapped around the burger in place of a bun) and I enjoy steak, grilled chicken, and salmon regularly. I eat a ton of vegetables and a small amount of berries (low in sugar). If anyone is interested, I can write up a detailed post about my candida diet and journey. Another motivation for me to stick with this diet is my son who was just diagnosed with a gluten intolerance.

After I lost all the weight and puffiness in my face, I was ready to cut my long hair that I had been hiding behind.

I'm actually really wanting to get a pixie cut, but thought I should try this a-line bob first. So far I love having short hair and am almost ready to go pixie.

Believe it or not, I hate shopping for myself, especially clothes. I needed all new clothes since all of my pants were a size 6 and I now wear a 2 again. I went to the outlet stores and used my smartphone to google coupons which saved me additional money. I got 4 new pairs of pants from Tommy Hilfiger and 5 shirts from Banana Republic all for under $100.

I sold my dining room table and converted the dining room into an office for the kids. I decided to get a bigger table for the great room so we can have guests there instead of the seldom used dining room. The kitchen/great-room is where everyone wanted to hang out anyway and was more suited to entertaining. After searching every store for the perfect table, I found what I wanted in the classifieds for $250 instead of over $1,000 new. I love having a bigger table in the kitchen and the kids are loving the new office.

After having such a good experience finding the table I wanted from the classifieds, I decided to search for a french door refrigerator. I have wanted one for a while, but didn't like the $2,000 price tag. After a couple weeks of dedicated searching, I hit the jackpot and got this beauty for $400! The secret to getting a great deal from the classifieds is first dedication and patience and then pouncing when you finally find it. The good deals go fast so you have to be ready to buy as soon as they go up.

Well, that's all the big stuff for the past few months. I will try and write up more detailed posts about the dining room to office makeover and anything else you are interested in. Just leave a comment.

What have you been up to?

An InLinkz Link-up