Happy new Year!

Yep, it's that time of year again. Time for a new resolution.
“New Year's Day - Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” - Mark Twain

However, this time I do have a plan and the intention of sticking to it. I know, I know, enough of the gab, let's get to the resolution.

Well, as a background, I've done some reflecting and discovered that I have an unhealthy addiction to coffee, chocolate, simple carbs, especially sugar, and dairy. When I get angry, depressed or happy I reach for a piece of chocolate, a bowl of mac n cheese or something like that to celebrate or help me get through the rough patch. I need coffee to function in the morning and mid-afternoon. This can't be healthy.

Symptoms I've experienced over the years include fatigue, muscle and joint aches, dizziness, mental confusion and forgetfulness, sleep problems, anxiety and depression. This past year everything has just become magnified in intensity especially right before my period. In addition, I've experienced a lot of bloating/puffiness and just look pasty and ill. I've been sick almost nonstop since September with colds and infections. This is not the way I want to look or feel and eating the way I have been may be contributing in a small or large way to my symptoms. I eat the food I love and instead of feeling better afterwards I feel unhappy with the choice I've made, the amount I've eaten and the numbers on the scale. I've also had some sharp stomach pains and my face and ears flush and feel really hot. It's time for a change.

A few years ago when Joshua was over a year old I started seeing a health practioner who advocated a diet that eliminated dairy, grains, starchy vegetables and sugar, and all processed foods. I should eat fruits, vegetables (except for potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams), meat and fish. I could use honey for sweetener and coconut and olive oil but no other oils or sweeteners. It sounds crazy but my nutritional needs were being met on this diet (I tracked everything I ate using an online tool called www.fitday.com) and I think it would've worked really well for me. I lost almost ten pounds in two weeks and lost a lot of my puffiness. However, I was still breastfeeding Joshua at the time and I just didn't feel strong enough to overcome my addictions at the time.

I'm ready to give this another shot now. Starting tomorrow, January 3, I will eat only fruits, vegetables, meat and fish, and olive oil. I may try out eating walnuts when Joshua isn't around as I'm worried about exposing him to tree nuts (he's allergic to almonds and his doctor told me to limit his exposure to other tree nuts and seeds). Unfortunately, I'm allergic to eggs otherwise they would be a great addition to this diet. However, I'm confident that I can still do this. I'm going to give it a full month's try to see how I feel. I also plan on making some lifestyle changes to see if they'll help too. In essence, here is my plan for each day:
Wake up at 7:00. Do some yoga, push ups, sit ups and some light weight lifting - alternating arms and legs days. Shower afterwards.
Breakfast
A.M. snack
Lunch
P.M. snack
As I feel better I hope to do some cardio in the afternoon. I'll probably start with Wii Fit and work my way back into doing EA Active on the Wii. When the weather gets nicer, perhaps a walk outside.
Dinner
Meditation, writing, sketching or painting (to nurture my soul and help me return to more of the person I value)
Evening snack
In bed by 11.

My goal is that by the end of two weeks I'll have gotten over my cravings and will have lost four pounds. I'm hoping for more energy, reduction in puffiness and over my coffee addiction. At four weeks (end of January) I hope to have lost eight pounds and to have more energy, less aches and sleeping better. By June, I hope to have lost 15-20 pounds, to have more lean muscle and to fit into my vintage Van Halen concert T-shirt that I haven't been able to wear since 2004. Hey, it's the little things. LOL!I want to have the energy to play outside with the kids for more than just 30 minutes at a time. By the end of December, 2010, I hope to have found my ideal weight, to be stronger and healthier. I would love to see my thyroid healed but since I've had this problem for 12 years, I understand it may take longer than a year to heal completely. I don't dare to hope for a cure of my chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia but it would be nice to see a huge reduction in my symptoms with less flare ups.

Basically, I'm going to be following what's called the paleolithic or caveman diet. A great source of information on it can be found at http://www.paleodiet.com/. One thing that appeals to me is the argument that it has been successful in healing autoimmune diseases. I have autoimmune disease of the thyroid and lately I've been fearing that I have more autoimmune issues going on.

Anyway, I know this will be hard to maintain at first with two little ones in the house but I'm going to give it my best shot. It's high time I took my health into my own hands. I don't want to continue down the road I've been traveling. It's not working for me and I'm cheating my husband and kids of the wife and mother they need. I will try to update you on my progress every couple of weeks as I take this journey.