Hmmmm....I've been learning something about my wonder drink that I should probably think about. I have been drinking a blend of organic apple juice, blueberries, chia seed and spinach almost every day for many months now and have felt like that was the best way for me to get my greens. I knew (vaguely) that "greens" have high oxalate levels that can build up in your system but I didn't think that spinach could be a bad guy. We got a batch of produce this morning that included a bunch of collard greens. I had seen a video recently that touted the use of a daily green drink but that you should vary your greens - spinach one day, collard greens the next, kale another day, etc... You get the picture. I wondered then how good that could be for you because I understood that some greens should be cooked well, sometimes even multiple times to decrease the amount of oxalate. I googled "collared greens eating raw" (something like that anyway) and found an interesting article that validated my questions. Click here to read the article. I think I need to rethink how I get my veggies every day. Too bad, really, because as a chronic procrastinator the idea of throwing that stuff into a drinkable concoction really appealed.
***So I just googled "does lettuce have high oxalate leves" and what did I get? This article that completely contradicts the first article that I linked to. What will I do? The first article suggests that people with candida (me) should limit exposure to oxalates because it has fungal properties. AAAARRRRRGH!!! Why can't people just agree on truth. I wish that I knew just what to do for my body. It's frustrating to not know. So what am I going to do? I think that I'll experiment with other veggies in my "green smoothie". Maybe cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce... I really like the idea of pouring whole fruits and veggies into my system every day. Maybe I just need to do a better job of adding variety and giving in to the principle of chewing.
Interestingly I went about a week without my green drink and my stiff joints have improved to the point that I can now kneel for prayer without pain. Coincidence? I really don't know. My exercise level has also been ramped up and it's the second week of no sugar, no dairy, and no white flour. Who knows?
I'm also melting fat like I stuck my gluteous maximous in a hot oven. Weird to think about. I got on the scale (after no BM yesterday) expecting to see 207-ish only to see 205.4. WHAT!!!? In my mind these are Biggest Loser kinds of numbers. I still really worry about baby girls' health because of what's floating around in my blood stream and being added to my breast milk (I sincerely hope that by adding the word "breast" that my blog isn't inundated with odd people of ill-repute and shady purposes). Baby girl had a HORRIBLE night last night but I THINK it was from mosquito bites...16 or 17 of them, about 6 on one little forearm and hand. I feel like a terrible mother to have exposed her to those venomous little buggers.
This morning I ate 2 of my miracle waffles with almond butter and my sugerless strawberry preserves, 1/2 an avocado cut-up and placed onto slices of European cucumbers. I feel pretty darned good right now considering my hellish nigh with baby girl. It was one of those tortuous nights that feels like a really bad dream and will....not....end......... It even included my 5-year-old boy with an earache. I couldn't really wake up enough to take care of him so he just writhed on the couch next to my recliner moaning and crying. I felt terrible about it but could not wake up all the way. Plus, I had a sleeping baby on my lap that I just knew would start crying again if I moved. Finally, at about 4 am I tried to instruct him on how to find Netflix on the PC. After a half an hour and his starting the crying routine again I bit the bullet and got up to help him. Turned out the computer had completely shut down after automatic updates and I needed to log in again. Poor boy. I got him situated and went and laid down with the baby. Couldn't stay asleep after 7 because of all the noise generated by a house of children waking up, so, I've been up ever since trying to make something out of this day. Why did I write all of that? Because I feel tremendous considering how little sleep I got. Tremendous...and a bit tired, but happy-ish? I've had worse days this week so I'll take this and be content.
Positives this morning? 205.4 on the scale (down from 216), buttoned a shirt that I have never been able to wear since I bought it because, well, it was just too tight for my liking, washed a few dishes, made sweet potato puree for baby girl and froze 2 ice-cube trays worth. Feeling pretty good...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
I'm feeling ultra emotional right now. I went to bed last at at 7:45. I cannot tell you how tired I was. Just before I dropped into bed I bawled to 4 of my youngest children about how hard it is to get up at 4 in the morning to exercise and try to feel better and stay up until 11 at night doing their kitchen chores. I laid it on pretty thick because that's how I felt. I ended up causing my 7 and 9 year old girls to feel so bad that they begged (one of them through tears) to have me wake them up before I left to exercise so that they could clean the kitchen before school. I slept solidly until about midnight and then I kept waking up every so often. Bothersome. When I woke up about 3:48 I decided to get up and see if I could work up (maybe down is more appropriate here) a good poo by drinking a quart of water and sitting still for a while. Hey, I used to do it all of the time. Didn't work so well today. The plumbing is still backed up and I've had almost a half a gallon today.
....... I'm tired. So, energy level today is so very that I want very much to crawl into bed and sleep
low, low
the day away. Hmmm...can't, I have a baby to take care of and, even though they made a very good elementary school effort (not really a good college try yet), the kitchen now looks like a disaster zone complete with a new batch of dirty breakfast dishes. "Thanks for tryin' girls!"
I did have some positives among the constipation, emotional crises and endless work like...I was the "coach" this morning for exercise with the girls at the track. I worked our butts off...at least I worked MY butt off...and maybe K's but S, even though she's almost 5 mo prego is definitely in the best shape and has done yoga. Me and yoga?...we are more like acquaintances than pals. I can do a plank for about 20 seconds. That's how far our relationship goes. I do, however, plan to get to know yoga a bit more. OH, and pilates. Haven't been real great friends but that is going to change. So I got a good workout AND I actually read my scriptures AND an inspiration talk from the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormons). And I walked the two youngest school kids to school about a mile away. And I watered our struggling lawn. So I'm a little frustrated that I don't feel on top of the world today.
Food? I'm still on the plan (no dairy, sugar, white flour). I did succumb to two and a half homemade tortillas last night that didn't have all that much whole wheat. Other than that I'm still spot on. I need to focus on more veggies, though. I think I'm backed up because I haven't been eating nearly as many veggies this week as I did when I first started. Also my green drink has been absent this week since I ran out of greens. I'll remedy that first chance I get because I NEEEEEDDDD my green drink!!!
I made some killer waffles yesterday morning. No dairy, multi-grain, coconut oil. I painted them with unsweetened almond butter and my homemade xylitol sweetened strawberry preserves. I was in heaven. I splurged and ate 3. It's amazing to think that a person can over eat when there is so much off limits.
I feel okay overall. I'm emotional, constipated, low energy and lacking motivation but I still feel that quiet sense of determination. I won't quit this time. Writing about it helps. Knowing that my (0) followers are watching and waiting makes a difference as silly as that sounds. So I'll keep pluggin' along, it can't stop for feeling sorry for yourself.
...and joy of joys!! I feel a poo coming on!!! Will miracles never cease?
....... I'm tired. So, energy level today is so very that I want very much to crawl into bed and sleep
low, low
the day away. Hmmm...can't, I have a baby to take care of and, even though they made a very good elementary school effort (not really a good college try yet), the kitchen now looks like a disaster zone complete with a new batch of dirty breakfast dishes. "Thanks for tryin' girls!"
I did have some positives among the constipation, emotional crises and endless work like...I was the "coach" this morning for exercise with the girls at the track. I worked our butts off...at least I worked MY butt off...and maybe K's but S, even though she's almost 5 mo prego is definitely in the best shape and has done yoga. Me and yoga?...we are more like acquaintances than pals. I can do a plank for about 20 seconds. That's how far our relationship goes. I do, however, plan to get to know yoga a bit more. OH, and pilates. Haven't been real great friends but that is going to change. So I got a good workout AND I actually read my scriptures AND an inspiration talk from the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormons). And I walked the two youngest school kids to school about a mile away. And I watered our struggling lawn. So I'm a little frustrated that I don't feel on top of the world today.
Food? I'm still on the plan (no dairy, sugar, white flour). I did succumb to two and a half homemade tortillas last night that didn't have all that much whole wheat. Other than that I'm still spot on. I need to focus on more veggies, though. I think I'm backed up because I haven't been eating nearly as many veggies this week as I did when I first started. Also my green drink has been absent this week since I ran out of greens. I'll remedy that first chance I get because I NEEEEEDDDD my green drink!!!
I made some killer waffles yesterday morning. No dairy, multi-grain, coconut oil. I painted them with unsweetened almond butter and my homemade xylitol sweetened strawberry preserves. I was in heaven. I splurged and ate 3. It's amazing to think that a person can over eat when there is so much off limits.
I feel okay overall. I'm emotional, constipated, low energy and lacking motivation but I still feel that quiet sense of determination. I won't quit this time. Writing about it helps. Knowing that my (0) followers are watching and waiting makes a difference as silly as that sounds. So I'll keep pluggin' along, it can't stop for feeling sorry for yourself.
...and joy of joys!! I feel a poo coming on!!! Will miracles never cease?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The end of another "clean" day. I feel pretty good. I'm dead-on-my-feet tired but content in the knowledge that what I'm doing is right. It's interesting how once you start doing good things in your life, actually changing your thought processes and habits in one area, it bleeds over into all other areas of you life. I just finished cleaning my kitchen for the second night in a row. It's like a dream to wake up to a sparkly kitchen - no dirty dishes, no crumbs sticking to bare feet, and a clean canvas for creating good-for-me-and-my-family meals.
I hit a milestone today...I dropped another pound!!! I'm down to 207 from about 216. I was weighed at a doctor's office about a month ago fully clothed with shoes on and I was 216. It's okay to start there anyway, right? Can I tell myself that I've lost 9 pounds? I can't accept it, it feels very dreamlike to me - not reality. I'll wake up tomorrow and the scale will say 212 again.
The girls I exercise with in the morning (I'll call them K and S) and I have decided to each take turns being in charge of the morning fitness routine. K started out this morning. We meet at a local HS track at 4:30 and bring towels or a mat. K and I have towels, S has a yoga mat. I'm getting excited about preparing my routine. It'll be fun to be trainer for a day or two each week. I think it'll be good, too, to have the variety that each person will bring.
Energy level today was pretty high considering less than 5 hours of sleep I had last night (tonight isn't looking any better I'm afraid). I managed to make a pretty detailed plan for today and I think managed to finish almost all of what I set out to do. We had company for dinner so I made wheat tortillas, cranberry/bacon/chicken salad, watermelon cubes, sliced cucumbers and strawberry lemonade. I actually managed to have the meal ready on time, quite a feat considering...well, considering me! I was quite happy with the final product and everybody seemed to enjoy dinner. I didn't actually eat everything on the table. I snacked on the chicken salad before I added the cheese (I also tasted a teeny bit after it was added to check if it needed salt) so when I sat down at the dinner table all I ate were cucumbers and watermelon. The watermelon was a little teeny seedless one and boy was it tasty. I'm really, really picky about watermelon. This one was goooood.
So, energy level is definitely improving over last week. My face is threatening to break out but that could be because I failed to have my shower and wash my face until middle of the afternoon. I did notice, too, this morning that my stretches are getting deeper (I am, by birth, a totally non-stretchy person so this is a big deal) AND when I kneeled for family prayer this morning I could actually sit on my feet instead of leaning forward because it hurts my ankles so bad. It still hurt, just not as bad so it was possible where it wasn't possible before.
I worked my butt off today and I'm pleased with the results of my labor, not just for today but what's happening in general. I'm on the path and it's clearing out before me so that I can see the end more clearly. It can be done!!!
I hit a milestone today...I dropped another pound!!! I'm down to 207 from about 216. I was weighed at a doctor's office about a month ago fully clothed with shoes on and I was 216. It's okay to start there anyway, right? Can I tell myself that I've lost 9 pounds? I can't accept it, it feels very dreamlike to me - not reality. I'll wake up tomorrow and the scale will say 212 again.
The girls I exercise with in the morning (I'll call them K and S) and I have decided to each take turns being in charge of the morning fitness routine. K started out this morning. We meet at a local HS track at 4:30 and bring towels or a mat. K and I have towels, S has a yoga mat. I'm getting excited about preparing my routine. It'll be fun to be trainer for a day or two each week. I think it'll be good, too, to have the variety that each person will bring.
Energy level today was pretty high considering less than 5 hours of sleep I had last night (tonight isn't looking any better I'm afraid). I managed to make a pretty detailed plan for today and I think managed to finish almost all of what I set out to do. We had company for dinner so I made wheat tortillas, cranberry/bacon/chicken salad, watermelon cubes, sliced cucumbers and strawberry lemonade. I actually managed to have the meal ready on time, quite a feat considering...well, considering me! I was quite happy with the final product and everybody seemed to enjoy dinner. I didn't actually eat everything on the table. I snacked on the chicken salad before I added the cheese (I also tasted a teeny bit after it was added to check if it needed salt) so when I sat down at the dinner table all I ate were cucumbers and watermelon. The watermelon was a little teeny seedless one and boy was it tasty. I'm really, really picky about watermelon. This one was goooood.
So, energy level is definitely improving over last week. My face is threatening to break out but that could be because I failed to have my shower and wash my face until middle of the afternoon. I did notice, too, this morning that my stretches are getting deeper (I am, by birth, a totally non-stretchy person so this is a big deal) AND when I kneeled for family prayer this morning I could actually sit on my feet instead of leaning forward because it hurts my ankles so bad. It still hurt, just not as bad so it was possible where it wasn't possible before.
I worked my butt off today and I'm pleased with the results of my labor, not just for today but what's happening in general. I'm on the path and it's clearing out before me so that I can see the end more clearly. It can be done!!!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Most of my handwritten journal entries starting with the very first (age 8 or 9) begin with "it's been a long time since I wrote last." I'd like to blame my inactivity on having been enveloped by the weekend and all it's sundry needs - date night, 8 dozen rolls for a ladies church activity, the church activity, a second date night, church, not to mention the needs of 7 children including a nursing 5-mo-old. So...it's been a long time since I wrote last...
I have had a relatively good time of it with the dietary restrictions. I feel like the Lord has literally taken away my "need" for these foods. It's never happened like this before and I've done this numerous times in one form or another. Usually the first 3 days are HELL, feeling like you're being punished every time you see a delectable treat or a craving attacks you like a wild dog. Not this time. We ate at a function Friday night that had take out from Panda Express and a couple of beautiful red velvet cakes for dessert. I went in knowing that I was going to "cheat" a little but not be blatant about it. I felt good about that - in control. My "cheat" was two deep fried bites of chicken. The rest of what I ate was meat and veggies. I know that there was a little sugar in the sauces but not enough for me to feel bad about. Mostly I ate veggies and rice - no fried wantons, no egg rolls and definitely no cake...AND I DIDN'T FEEL BAD ABOUT IT!
Saturday I made a ton of bread in a very stressful environment (bread is definitely a trigger for me) because I was supposed to do it on Friday and have it ready to go by 10 am. I rushed it to the place at almost 11:30 with half of it still hot. I chose to eat a white french bread roll as part of a meat sandwich - no cheese, no mayo, yes lettuce, yes tomato, yes mustard (I love mustard!). I also ate fruit and chips (chips aren't exactly health food but, hey, no dairy, white flour or sugar, right?). That night my husband and I ate over at another couples house. The "cheat" there was barbeque sauce (I have NEVER eaten such good pork), maybe dairy in the smashed potatoes and definitely dairy in the very small portion of angel food cake and strawberries topped with whipped cream. The strawberries were not sweetened (so much better than traditional sugary strawberries!) and my piece of cake was less than an inch thick. I was delicious I enjoyed every bite and I marked my calendar in black on that day.
A quick note about the calendar - I printed off 3 pages of blank calendar grids and then filled them in with the dates. Since I started last Tuesday I drew an "X" to mark that as a "clean" day. I red X'd each following day last week in red and then X'd Saturday in black to indicate a "cheat" day. I feel like if I can choose at least 6 "clean" days a week then 1 "cheat" day is still healthy. I worry that if I don't give myself a little room to eat something yummy when I'm out in the world then I will cave and fail. So I feel good about my choices over the weekend. Sunday was totally "clean" and I felt great this morning.
Overall I feel good right now. I have been a bit hungry this morning after a breakfast of quick oats, flax meal, fresh peach, xylitol and almond milk (oh, and a little handful of soaked almonds early this morning), but I've been so busy that I haven't really had time to think about it. That's good, right? I was kind of groggy on Friday and Saturday, even Sunday wasn't a real peak energy day but today I feel like I could conquer the world if my house wasn't in such disarray. So I've been learning about how to make laundry soap (we ran out and getting more right now isn't an option but the towels and rags didn't want to wait), reading up on baby's first foods so that I don't destroy my baby's digestive tract, and folding and hanging laundry. Pretty busy morning but you wouldn't know it for looking at my house. There is still daylight left for getting things done.
I felt really good exercising this morning (up before 4 am, at the track by 4:35), I had a shower and got myself looking cute before I ever had to take kids to school. I even managed to eat my oatmeal before my chauffeur duties began. That's a first since the diet change. Usually I haven't eaten anything by the time I've got everyone gone at 8 or sometimes 9. When you're up at 4 that's a long time too wait. As far as symptoms go My mood is pretty steady (even survived some words from hubby about finances), my armpit/gland swelling has noticeably decreased, my energy level has also increased dramatically today. My weight isn't moving much and my bowels aren't moving as quickly as I thought they would but I didn't really drink enough over the weekend. Now the baby's mad at me so I'll be done analyzing myself for now.
I have had a relatively good time of it with the dietary restrictions. I feel like the Lord has literally taken away my "need" for these foods. It's never happened like this before and I've done this numerous times in one form or another. Usually the first 3 days are HELL, feeling like you're being punished every time you see a delectable treat or a craving attacks you like a wild dog. Not this time. We ate at a function Friday night that had take out from Panda Express and a couple of beautiful red velvet cakes for dessert. I went in knowing that I was going to "cheat" a little but not be blatant about it. I felt good about that - in control. My "cheat" was two deep fried bites of chicken. The rest of what I ate was meat and veggies. I know that there was a little sugar in the sauces but not enough for me to feel bad about. Mostly I ate veggies and rice - no fried wantons, no egg rolls and definitely no cake...AND I DIDN'T FEEL BAD ABOUT IT!
Saturday I made a ton of bread in a very stressful environment (bread is definitely a trigger for me) because I was supposed to do it on Friday and have it ready to go by 10 am. I rushed it to the place at almost 11:30 with half of it still hot. I chose to eat a white french bread roll as part of a meat sandwich - no cheese, no mayo, yes lettuce, yes tomato, yes mustard (I love mustard!). I also ate fruit and chips (chips aren't exactly health food but, hey, no dairy, white flour or sugar, right?). That night my husband and I ate over at another couples house. The "cheat" there was barbeque sauce (I have NEVER eaten such good pork), maybe dairy in the smashed potatoes and definitely dairy in the very small portion of angel food cake and strawberries topped with whipped cream. The strawberries were not sweetened (so much better than traditional sugary strawberries!) and my piece of cake was less than an inch thick. I was delicious I enjoyed every bite and I marked my calendar in black on that day.
A quick note about the calendar - I printed off 3 pages of blank calendar grids and then filled them in with the dates. Since I started last Tuesday I drew an "X" to mark that as a "clean" day. I red X'd each following day last week in red and then X'd Saturday in black to indicate a "cheat" day. I feel like if I can choose at least 6 "clean" days a week then 1 "cheat" day is still healthy. I worry that if I don't give myself a little room to eat something yummy when I'm out in the world then I will cave and fail. So I feel good about my choices over the weekend. Sunday was totally "clean" and I felt great this morning.
Overall I feel good right now. I have been a bit hungry this morning after a breakfast of quick oats, flax meal, fresh peach, xylitol and almond milk (oh, and a little handful of soaked almonds early this morning), but I've been so busy that I haven't really had time to think about it. That's good, right? I was kind of groggy on Friday and Saturday, even Sunday wasn't a real peak energy day but today I feel like I could conquer the world if my house wasn't in such disarray. So I've been learning about how to make laundry soap (we ran out and getting more right now isn't an option but the towels and rags didn't want to wait), reading up on baby's first foods so that I don't destroy my baby's digestive tract, and folding and hanging laundry. Pretty busy morning but you wouldn't know it for looking at my house. There is still daylight left for getting things done.
I felt really good exercising this morning (up before 4 am, at the track by 4:35), I had a shower and got myself looking cute before I ever had to take kids to school. I even managed to eat my oatmeal before my chauffeur duties began. That's a first since the diet change. Usually I haven't eaten anything by the time I've got everyone gone at 8 or sometimes 9. When you're up at 4 that's a long time too wait. As far as symptoms go My mood is pretty steady (even survived some words from hubby about finances), my armpit/gland swelling has noticeably decreased, my energy level has also increased dramatically today. My weight isn't moving much and my bowels aren't moving as quickly as I thought they would but I didn't really drink enough over the weekend. Now the baby's mad at me so I'll be done analyzing myself for now.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
I have now been off of white flour, sugar and dairy for more than 24 hours. I am starting on a quest for (almost) perfect health. I am going to journal (hopefully) daily here my progress, feelings and symptoms for the world to see. I want someone somewhere to see how it works, how hard it is and how it can be done.
I am 36-years-old, I have 7 children ages 13, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5 and 5 months. I have been married for almost 14 years (really?!!!) to a wonderful man that supports my efforts even if he doesn't fully understand them. I am an aspiring artist who can't seem to find the time to finish a piece of work but can always start one. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a home baker and a food and sugar addict.
I'm listing my symptoms so that I can see where I'm starting from and also so that others can see where we have similarities. They are in no order, just as they pop into my head.
fatigue
weight gain
blister-like acne on my scalp
gas
constipation (chronic)
anxiety
memory loss
thinning hair
blister-like sores on the bottom of my right foot that eventually dry up and flake off (5 years or more)
enlarged glands in right armpit (used to be my left)
sore and stiff joints when I first start to move after being stationary for minutes or hours
cravings (sugar and carbs)
depression (not as bad as it used to be but still lurking like a silent monster waiting for me to cave)
headaches
backaches (mid and lower)
ringing in my ears (happening more and more often)
mood swings
inability to think at times/cannot process my environment/confusion
constant sinus/nasal ...snot (there's probably a better word but I can't remember it :)
chronic phlegm
slight swelling/maybe water retention in my lower legs and feet
I think that's everything. If I remember or discover another ailment later I'll come back and add it onto the list. I think it's enough for now.
I was seeing a naturopathic doctor about 4 or 5 years ago and he put me on a restricted diet immediately. I went from eating about 4000 calories a day to maybe 500-800. I just didn't know what to eat and therefore didn't eat anything. I was starving and when my husband and I went in for the second visit and told him that I was struggling to eat he mentioned Luna Bars as a quick source of food for times when I couldn't get anything else that was better for me. I went out and bought two boxes of the bars and ate them in a matter of a few days. I am better prepared this time to feed myself the kinds of whole foods that will heal me.
One issue I have is that I am breastfeeding my 5 mo old. She is a big girls weighing in at 19 pounds and I worry about a) having enough milk for her and b) releasing too many toxins into my milk. I don't know how it's going to work but I have faith that if I want to get healthy God will help - He'll help with the motivation and He'll help with the knowledge when it's needed. If I didn't think I had His help I wouldn't be able to go for more than a few days. This is long-term for me - a lifestyle change. Do I think that I'll never eat another piece of cake or another hamburger? No - I'm not that naive. I just need to plan that kind of thing carefully into my diet instead of caving into cravings with wild abandon.
So that was my preface, if you will. Here is my first log:
(I decided that it would be easiest if I log entries the morning after so I'm writing now on the morning of my 3rd day)
Yesterday was hard. I was draggy all day, like working through a thick fog. I took a bunch of cat-naps while laying on the floor next to my baby girl. My ankles kept getting tight, my fingers froze during my naps on the floor and were very painful to move at first. I did no chores unless you count running my 12 and 13 yr old girls to different stores so that they could spend birthday money. I did manage to get up and exercise for about 45 minutes early in the morning. As far as food went I did manage to stick to my "diet" but I don't think that I ate enough calories. It's funny how when I don't have any restrictions anything is fair game for sticking in my trap but with a few restrictions now I am struggling to find enough calories. I know that once I get a bit more of a routine then it will be easier.
I ate a small handful of raw almonds, a serving of quick oats with olive oil, avocado, tomato and raw garlic (I seasoned it with s + p, cayenne and onion powder), two Larabars (is that how you spell it?) because I was desperate and needed energy to make dinner for the fam, brown rice covered with bell peppers, tomato, onion and mixed greens, and finally - for dessert - a green drink made up of organic unfiltered apple juice, chia seed, flax meal, wild frozen blueberries and more mixed greens. I usually make a yummier green drink but I didn't put in enough apple juice and did put in too much of the seeds. It was like drinking sludge (not the taste but the consistency, the taste wasn't great either but I could get it down). If I had to calculate the calories I would say that I didn't go over 1500 all day. Good for loosing weight, bad for nursing a baby. I'm also taking Rainbow Light brand prenatal vitamins. I slept well/soundly.
I'm hoping after my good night that I will be much more productive today... maybe?
I am 36-years-old, I have 7 children ages 13, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5 and 5 months. I have been married for almost 14 years (really?!!!) to a wonderful man that supports my efforts even if he doesn't fully understand them. I am an aspiring artist who can't seem to find the time to finish a piece of work but can always start one. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a home baker and a food and sugar addict.
I'm listing my symptoms so that I can see where I'm starting from and also so that others can see where we have similarities. They are in no order, just as they pop into my head.
fatigue
weight gain
blister-like acne on my scalp
gas
constipation (chronic)
anxiety
memory loss
thinning hair
blister-like sores on the bottom of my right foot that eventually dry up and flake off (5 years or more)
enlarged glands in right armpit (used to be my left)
sore and stiff joints when I first start to move after being stationary for minutes or hours
cravings (sugar and carbs)
depression (not as bad as it used to be but still lurking like a silent monster waiting for me to cave)
headaches
backaches (mid and lower)
ringing in my ears (happening more and more often)
mood swings
inability to think at times/cannot process my environment/confusion
constant sinus/nasal ...snot (there's probably a better word but I can't remember it :)
chronic phlegm
slight swelling/maybe water retention in my lower legs and feet
I think that's everything. If I remember or discover another ailment later I'll come back and add it onto the list. I think it's enough for now.
I was seeing a naturopathic doctor about 4 or 5 years ago and he put me on a restricted diet immediately. I went from eating about 4000 calories a day to maybe 500-800. I just didn't know what to eat and therefore didn't eat anything. I was starving and when my husband and I went in for the second visit and told him that I was struggling to eat he mentioned Luna Bars as a quick source of food for times when I couldn't get anything else that was better for me. I went out and bought two boxes of the bars and ate them in a matter of a few days. I am better prepared this time to feed myself the kinds of whole foods that will heal me.
One issue I have is that I am breastfeeding my 5 mo old. She is a big girls weighing in at 19 pounds and I worry about a) having enough milk for her and b) releasing too many toxins into my milk. I don't know how it's going to work but I have faith that if I want to get healthy God will help - He'll help with the motivation and He'll help with the knowledge when it's needed. If I didn't think I had His help I wouldn't be able to go for more than a few days. This is long-term for me - a lifestyle change. Do I think that I'll never eat another piece of cake or another hamburger? No - I'm not that naive. I just need to plan that kind of thing carefully into my diet instead of caving into cravings with wild abandon.
So that was my preface, if you will. Here is my first log:
(I decided that it would be easiest if I log entries the morning after so I'm writing now on the morning of my 3rd day)
Yesterday was hard. I was draggy all day, like working through a thick fog. I took a bunch of cat-naps while laying on the floor next to my baby girl. My ankles kept getting tight, my fingers froze during my naps on the floor and were very painful to move at first. I did no chores unless you count running my 12 and 13 yr old girls to different stores so that they could spend birthday money. I did manage to get up and exercise for about 45 minutes early in the morning. As far as food went I did manage to stick to my "diet" but I don't think that I ate enough calories. It's funny how when I don't have any restrictions anything is fair game for sticking in my trap but with a few restrictions now I am struggling to find enough calories. I know that once I get a bit more of a routine then it will be easier.
I ate a small handful of raw almonds, a serving of quick oats with olive oil, avocado, tomato and raw garlic (I seasoned it with s + p, cayenne and onion powder), two Larabars (is that how you spell it?) because I was desperate and needed energy to make dinner for the fam, brown rice covered with bell peppers, tomato, onion and mixed greens, and finally - for dessert - a green drink made up of organic unfiltered apple juice, chia seed, flax meal, wild frozen blueberries and more mixed greens. I usually make a yummier green drink but I didn't put in enough apple juice and did put in too much of the seeds. It was like drinking sludge (not the taste but the consistency, the taste wasn't great either but I could get it down). If I had to calculate the calories I would say that I didn't go over 1500 all day. Good for loosing weight, bad for nursing a baby. I'm also taking Rainbow Light brand prenatal vitamins. I slept well/soundly.
I'm hoping after my good night that I will be much more productive today... maybe?
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