Feeling better and better and better! No, really!

Two weeks ago I hit what I would call desperate straits. I've had fibromyalgia for eight years now but two weeks ago I reached the point where I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I could barely manage to brush my hair because it hurt so much. Getting the kids dressed was a horrible form of torture. My posture was bad because I was hunched over from all the pain. I had been considering going back to a chiropractor who had promised me in the past he could fix my pain but I wasn't sure if I was ready. He insisted on strict adherence to the paleo diet (no sugar, grains, dairy, processed or fried foods, legumes, soy or potatoes) and it was too hard for me in the past, although I did give it my best shot last year before sliding back into my old ways by the end of the year.

However, I reached the point where I figured I had nothing to lose and drove over to the chiropractor's office. He performed some adjustments and handed me a sheet that completely changed my way of eating. Only 3 oz. protein first thing in the a.m. (I choose to eat nitrate-free turkey bacon). An hour later I was to eat an orange and a banana. Three hours after my first protein I had to have 3-5 more oz. of protein. An hour after that some fruit. At lunch I could have vegetables with my 3-5 oz. of protein (I choose to have a big leafy green salad with carrots, cucumbers and avocados). No more fruit after 2 p.m. Mid-afternoon, supper and right before bedtime I was to have another meal of 3-5 oz. of protein with some vegetables. I drink 64 oz. or more of fluids a day.Oh, and I can have one cup of organic coffee as long as it's before 10 a.m. Crazy, but being allowed that one cup seems to make this whole things seem much more feasible!

Over the past two weeks, to my surprise, I have seen an almost complete elimination of my fibromyalgia pain. The chiropractor claims that much of my fibromyalgia pain is due to inflammation in the body. That inflammation is brought on by eating the grains, sugar, processed foods, etc. and is healed by following his diet plan. I was skeptical, especially with some of his hocus pocus, but I can't explain how else my pain would be so dramatically affected. It's nice to see that I've lost the five pounds I gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition, I'm slowly but surely seeing an increase in energy. I'm no longer crashing when I try to do things like take the kids to the zoo for a couple of hours, or doing some shopping. I'm not 100% but the chiropractor is confident that my fatigue won't be affecting me in 2 months. Hearing this is hard to swallow. My fatigue has kept me disabled, unable to work for over nine years. I can't even imagine what it will feel like to wake up feeling refreshed and rested in the morning. However, I finally have some hope that I might.

Unlike my medical doctors he isn't throwing pills and tons of supplements at me. I take two supplements - one with B vitamins and iron and another to repair my digestion - supposedly I wasn't digesting food properly and getting the nutrients I need.That's all and it doesn't cost much compared to all the supplements other doctors had me buying.

Anyway, I'm feeling some optimism for the first time in years. Finally, someone is offering me something constructive I can do to improve my health. I'm not treating just the symptoms, I'm healing my body and hopefully overcoming my illnesses.

This isn't easy. I do miss things like chocolate cake and big bowls of macaroni and cheese. However, I can't imagine anything more valuable than having my health back. Therefore, I am more than willing to make the sacrifice.

I will try to post an update in a couple of months to let you know if I've seen any further improvement.

Paleo Diet - Success by the Numbers

I have concrete proof that the paleo diet has been beneficial to my health. In addition to losing 25 pounds since January, check out my recent blood test results:
Total cholesterol: 138
Triglycerides: 69
HDL cholesterol: 54
LDL cholesterol: 70

This is simply amazing to me because just a few years ago my total cholesterol was in the 220s and my HDL was very low. I would say this is a very positive turn around. And this is happening with a diet that is heavy in the dark turkey and chicken parts, and beef. Go figure. In addition, I was very pleased, and relieved, to see that even my levels of calcium were perfect even though I don't consume any dairy products.

Ok, so why do I still feel crappy? Other than the mysteriously high levels of cortisol my blood test results were all normal. I have my new lab slip now. I will be eager to see what the results of that round of testing reveals. I think I will wait a week or so to get the test done though as Doug is traveling next week and I'll be on my own. I don't need to stress my system during that time.

Two weeks down of the Paleo Diet!

This is getting easier now. It's been two weeks since I've started the Paleo Diet. So, that means, I haven't had any grains, dairy, soy, potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes or coffee in two weeks. I haven't had any processed foods at all. In addition, I've eliminate sugar, stevia, maple syrup and honey from my diet. I think that honey or maple syrup will occasionally make it's way into my diet but for now it's out. In addition, I've tried increasing my activity level. In the mornings I wake up and do some stretching, crunches and push ups and some strength training with some light weights.In the afternoons I do some Wii Fit, trying to get a balance of cardio, strength training and yoga for about 30 minutes. The end result has been a weight loss total of six pounds and counting. I feel less irritable and my clothes are starting to fit a little better. To celebrate I had one itty bitty square of dark chocolate this afternoon. Since it was nearly 80% dark cocoa I felt satisfied even with such a small amount.

I do have some small cravings and I have to fight some bad habits I used to have. The other day there was a smidgeon of homemade bread left on the counter. Like I did in the past, I picked that piece up and started to pop it into my mouth. I stopped myself in time and put it in the trash instead. Another time I nearly cleaned a serving spoon off that had some brown rice on it. Again, I stopped myself before I ate it. However, this made me reflect on something. Whether or not I believe that grains have a negative effect on my body it certainly wasn't helping my weight to be popping a little smidgeon here or a spoonful there of stuff into my mouth. Little things like that really add up over the day. It pays to be conscious of what we're putting in our bodies and to really think about what we're eating.

I got a little creative with my lunch today. It's a cold, rainy day here and I simply couldn't bear the idea of a cold salad - my usual lunchtime choice. So, I opened the refrigerator to see what was there and ended up making a kale soup instead. I came up with this without the help of a recipe and I'm happy to say it was delicious. I heated up two cups of frozen turkey stock (thank you Doug for going to the trouble of making that from the turkey carcass last Thanksgiving and freezing many containers of it), added a choppped up onion, a chopped up garlic clove and a chopped up carrot. Let it cook until those vegetables were tender and then added a whole bunch of chopped up kale, covered it and simmered for about 10 minutes. Then, I added some chopped up turkey bacon (nitrate free!) at the end just long enough for that to get warm. I felt so full and satisfied with this lunch and it was nice and soothing on such a yucky day. This is what my bowl of good stuff looked like:


Here's hoping I'll be posting a similar success story next weekend. My son is having a fifth birthday party on Sunday and I'll be making cupcakes for him and his friends. It may be very difficult to resist that tempation. Regardless of how I do that day I am going to allow myself a small piece of cake on his actual birthday. It will be interesting to see how I feel the next day.

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.