It's been over 6 weeks on this diet and for about a week now I've felt so amazing! I'm down to 139 lbs (measured after a workout in the middle of the afternoon) and I've never felt thinner. I have tons of energy, really have no need for caffeine (other than a craving for the comfort and yumminess:) and I just feel so great in my own skin! Every time I look in the mirror, I can't believe it's me. My stomach is finally flat, the bloating is gone, my pants and shirts are all fitting loosely, and I'm getting comments from everyone. It's all happened so fast! A week ago I was perpetually bloated, dealing with stomach cramping off and on, and feeling like I was doing the diet all wrong.
I realized tonight on my drive home that passing the table loaded with carbs at work doesn't faze me at all. The smell of all those croissants and scones was fabulous as I walked by this morning but the incredible temptation to grab one and shove it in my mouth is a thing of the past. Just last week I was dying and couldn't believe I would have to walk by that table 30 times a day. I was literally putting my hands up as blinders and staring at the opposite wall so I wouldn't have to look at them. And I still haven't cheated!
Another triumph: this past weekend I finally used a gift card my friend bought me 3 years ago! It was for Lululemon who makes the most fabulous workout clothes ever created by man. When I got the gift card I was recovering from a miscarriage and wanted to lose the weight I'd gained, then I had another miscarriage a few months later and needed to recover from that. Then 6 months later I got pregnant and finally decided the gift card would be a treat for myself when I finally lost all the baby weight. Well, now I'm 3 pounds UNDER where I was before I got pregnant. Woohoo! I bought a pair of skin-hugging pants and a gorgeous blue workout top to match. These pants are literally the most revealing I've ever bought, but are also so flattering. And by revealing I don't mean low-rise, I mean they somehow manage to hug every inch of my hips, butt and thighs while still making me look great and being incredibly comfortable to boot. I've been getting all kinds of compliments and let's just say my hubby is very appreciative. :)
Now I want to reassure you that I am not egotistical and full of myself (or correct me if I'm wrong), as it's been a really, really long time since I've gotten regular compliments on how I look. What's great about all this is how appreciative I am of my amazing body. When I was this size before I always found every flaw, couldn't stand the cellulite, wished my butt were smaller, my hips thinner, etc. Now I look in the mirror and absolutely love what I see. What a revelation!
As soon as I take my body measurements again I'll put it in the blog. And I need to get some pictures up, maybe of my new outfit. Can you tell I don't get to shop much?
I also went to my naturopath again on Monday, which was fortuitous as I was coming down with a nasty sinus infection. She gave me a couple of things to kick my immune system into gear and a super-strong natural antibiotic. I also talked with her about how I felt like something was missing from my diet. The topic of fermented foods came up because I'm still stumped on how to integrate more of that. She told me how to make my own sauerkraut but I think I may just buy some to start off with and see how it tastes. I'm also being better about drinking my home-made water kefir.
To address the 'something's missing' question we decided on a smoothie in the morning for breakfast. On her recommendation I bought Sunwarrior Brown Rice Protein that's raw, vegan, fermented and has 98% assimilation. It's even sweetened with stevia which makes it a perfect food for my diet. Also for my smoothie I bought Whole Life Superfoods Alfalfa Juice Powder, which looks just like powdered spirulina but apparently tastes a lot better. It's made right here in the Portland area and is another 'perfect' food. Another purchase was Premier Research Labs Galactan, which the label says is 'Immune-Promoting Fiber & Probiotic Intestinal Support'. Basically it's a very powerful probiotic that's also rich in fiber so it helps with digestive health all around. And last but not least, Shelled Hempseed made by Nutiva. It's high in omega-3's and has 11 grams of protein per serving. I mix all this in with about a cup of unsweetened almond milk (Blue Diamond brand) and about 10 drops of stevia. It's not the most delicious thing I've ever had but I think it tastes pretty good for how unbelievably healthy it is. Jason thought it was horrible but I think my taste buds have changed a lot and the more natural a food is the better it's tasting.
What I ate today:
Breakfast: Erewhon brown rice crisp cereal mixed with Nature's Path Puffed Millet cereal, unsweetened almond milk and 10 drops of stevia. This might not sound good, but it's delicious! I also made the super-food smoothie described above.
Lunch: Large salad with romaine, rotisserie chicken, steamed green beans, red pepper, tomato, feta, scallions, and my favorite olive oil dressing that I've talked about in earlier posts. SO yummy! Just writing about it makes me want some and it's almost 11 o'clock at night.
Snack: Large green apple w/almond butter.
Dinner: Above-mentioned breakfast cereal (I know, weird) and more rotisserie chicken. I had the chicken first and then still felt like I needed some carbs so I went for the cereal. Nothing like food I don't actually have to cook.
I also got in a 30 minute cardio session tonight after work but didn't have time for strength training. I did Mike's crazy circuit yesterday though, so I'm feeling really good about my workouts this week. I made it through the whole workout with energy to spare even though it felt like his hardest one yet. My back is sore today!
Ok, I think that's enough of an update for now. I keep thinking I'm going to be able to write shorter posts but there's just so much to share. Thanks to whoever's reading this, it's always nice to get your comments and questions. Love!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
1 Month Down
So March 14th marked one month of this diet and let me tell you, it's a rough ride. The last few days have been a bit easier, but adjusting to my food sensitivities on top of the normal dietary restrictions has been very challenging. Only in the last couple of days have I finally felt some of the abdominal bloating going down, which is a huge relief.
One of the biggest issues is that it's just so hard to tell if all this effort is making any difference. I just kept feeling more and more bloated, was cranky and frustrated a lot, and was starting to have some nasty abdominal cramping (probably due to constipation). It felt like I was doing everything that my body did not want me to do, eating foods I'm not used to, messing up my whole operating system. All the food and supplements were making me feel like a stranger in my own life. I know that's dramatic, but I didn't realize what a pattern I was in, and now everything is so different. I can't just eat, I have to prepare something every time. Chop lots of vegetables, get the oven or stove going, find recipes that work for me, etc.
I did find some quick things that are working great. A milk alternative that has me in absolute heaven is made by Silk and it's unsweetened almond milk. It's just almonds, water and vitamins. Tastes very blah on it's own but I add some stevia drops and it's delicious. I've been making a mixture of brown rice crisp cereal (unsweetened) and millet puffs and I love it. It's fast, easy and makes me feel like I'm cheating. :)
I'm being much more diligent about taking my digestive enzymes and fiber supplement and I think that's helping a lot. But the biggest challenge so far has been to just stick with it and not cheat or quit altogether. I got very sick last week for about 3 days with the flu and did have to bring back in some carbs. I had some toast with soy-free Earth Balance spread, a couple bowls of ramen, and some bone broth chicken noodle soup. This was all I ate for 2 days as I couldn't stomach anything else. Since then it's been very challenging not to sink right into eating all those foods again. It's such a slippery slope!
2 days after being sick I was still dealing with really painful cramping in my stomach, like a knot that just wouldn't relax. That night was 'girls night' where I got to go out with my new girlfriends from work and to say I was excited by this would be a big understatement. It's been so awesome being back in the working world, being with other adults and getting to know the feisty, hilarious women I work with. We went to a pub and somehow I knew that if I just ordered a plate of fries and had a cocktail that the cramping in my stomach would go away. And I was right! One greasy plate of fries and a cosmopolitan later and the pain was 100% gone. No idea why this worked. Two more cosmos and an ill-advised shot of vodka later and I was feeling REALLY good. :) It was the most fun I've had in years!
I managed to get back on the wagon as soon as I started feeling better, but I've noticed that a little bread here and there doesn't seem like a big deal, or maybe just one cookie. I haven't slipped up, but it's been close sometimes. I was in the grocery store the other day, PMS-ing hard-core and wanted to buy a big bag of cookies and some potato chips with every cell in my body. I think I stood there for about 5 minutes going back and forth with myself. Walking out of that store without any contraband was SO hard, but I did it. Phew!
I did find a sugar-free chocolate bar at Trader Joe's that's made with maltitol, which I don't know anything about. It was the most divine, wonderful taste I've had in over a month! And it gave me terrible gas and bloating. I read today that maltitol can cause a severe laxative affect, so no more of that for me. It's sad really because it was freakin' tasty.
As far as physical progress goes, I need to do a weigh & measure again to see if I've made any changes. I don't think I've lost any weight, but I do feel much leaner and love the way my body is looking. I find myself making up excuses to look at my butt in the mirror just so I can feel that little thrill at getting my old body back. Funny how I appreciate it SO much more now that I've lost over 20 post-baby pounds. I went shopping with my sister today and actually enjoyed being in the dressing rooms. Yeah, you read that right. I enjoyed it. Flexing my abs, admiring how thin my arms are, trying on clothes, the works. Now I'm no skinny minnie here, but I can't tell you how glorious it feels to be comfortable in my skin again! To look in a mirror and be able to recognize the girl standing there. It's a very powerful, positive thing that may be shallow on the surface, but I couldn't care less...it feels great! My husband is also showering me with compliments, telling me how beautiful I look lying in bed or getting ready for work. How's that for a much-needed ego boost? Yeah, baby!
One of the biggest issues is that it's just so hard to tell if all this effort is making any difference. I just kept feeling more and more bloated, was cranky and frustrated a lot, and was starting to have some nasty abdominal cramping (probably due to constipation). It felt like I was doing everything that my body did not want me to do, eating foods I'm not used to, messing up my whole operating system. All the food and supplements were making me feel like a stranger in my own life. I know that's dramatic, but I didn't realize what a pattern I was in, and now everything is so different. I can't just eat, I have to prepare something every time. Chop lots of vegetables, get the oven or stove going, find recipes that work for me, etc.
I did find some quick things that are working great. A milk alternative that has me in absolute heaven is made by Silk and it's unsweetened almond milk. It's just almonds, water and vitamins. Tastes very blah on it's own but I add some stevia drops and it's delicious. I've been making a mixture of brown rice crisp cereal (unsweetened) and millet puffs and I love it. It's fast, easy and makes me feel like I'm cheating. :)
I'm being much more diligent about taking my digestive enzymes and fiber supplement and I think that's helping a lot. But the biggest challenge so far has been to just stick with it and not cheat or quit altogether. I got very sick last week for about 3 days with the flu and did have to bring back in some carbs. I had some toast with soy-free Earth Balance spread, a couple bowls of ramen, and some bone broth chicken noodle soup. This was all I ate for 2 days as I couldn't stomach anything else. Since then it's been very challenging not to sink right into eating all those foods again. It's such a slippery slope!
2 days after being sick I was still dealing with really painful cramping in my stomach, like a knot that just wouldn't relax. That night was 'girls night' where I got to go out with my new girlfriends from work and to say I was excited by this would be a big understatement. It's been so awesome being back in the working world, being with other adults and getting to know the feisty, hilarious women I work with. We went to a pub and somehow I knew that if I just ordered a plate of fries and had a cocktail that the cramping in my stomach would go away. And I was right! One greasy plate of fries and a cosmopolitan later and the pain was 100% gone. No idea why this worked. Two more cosmos and an ill-advised shot of vodka later and I was feeling REALLY good. :) It was the most fun I've had in years!
I managed to get back on the wagon as soon as I started feeling better, but I've noticed that a little bread here and there doesn't seem like a big deal, or maybe just one cookie. I haven't slipped up, but it's been close sometimes. I was in the grocery store the other day, PMS-ing hard-core and wanted to buy a big bag of cookies and some potato chips with every cell in my body. I think I stood there for about 5 minutes going back and forth with myself. Walking out of that store without any contraband was SO hard, but I did it. Phew!
I did find a sugar-free chocolate bar at Trader Joe's that's made with maltitol, which I don't know anything about. It was the most divine, wonderful taste I've had in over a month! And it gave me terrible gas and bloating. I read today that maltitol can cause a severe laxative affect, so no more of that for me. It's sad really because it was freakin' tasty.
As far as physical progress goes, I need to do a weigh & measure again to see if I've made any changes. I don't think I've lost any weight, but I do feel much leaner and love the way my body is looking. I find myself making up excuses to look at my butt in the mirror just so I can feel that little thrill at getting my old body back. Funny how I appreciate it SO much more now that I've lost over 20 post-baby pounds. I went shopping with my sister today and actually enjoyed being in the dressing rooms. Yeah, you read that right. I enjoyed it. Flexing my abs, admiring how thin my arms are, trying on clothes, the works. Now I'm no skinny minnie here, but I can't tell you how glorious it feels to be comfortable in my skin again! To look in a mirror and be able to recognize the girl standing there. It's a very powerful, positive thing that may be shallow on the surface, but I couldn't care less...it feels great! My husband is also showering me with compliments, telling me how beautiful I look lying in bed or getting ready for work. How's that for a much-needed ego boost? Yeah, baby!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Day 18 - ALCAT test results
To catch up those of you who maybe didn't read my first blog entry, I'm undertaking a restorative cleansing diet the goal of which is to rid my body of yeast, heavy metals, and toxins as well as to become as healthy as possible. The food is very restrictive as far as not being able to eat what I normally do and I've introduced a lot of foods that I don't normally eat as a result. I can no longer eat bread, wheat, gluten, sugar of any kind, oils besides coconut and flax seed oil, or fruit except for green apples. There are other restrictions as well but those are the big ones.
I believe I mentioned in a previous blog that when I went to see my naturopath before starting this diet, I also had her draw blood for the purpose of taking the ALCAT test. They take many types of food and test them with your white blood cells to see if there is a reaction. They then place all the reactive foods into three categories: red, orange and yellow. Red are foods I'm extremely reactive to, orange are foods I have a moderate intolerance to and yellow is indicative of a mild intolerance.
On my new diet I have been eating some foods very often as they are tasty, easy enough to prepare, and encouraged by Donna Gates and Almine, the two authors I am using as guides. These are:
Avocado
Coconut
Spinach
Carrots
Flax seed oil
Quinoa
Salmon
Black currant concentrate
Broccoli
Scallions & other onions
Tomatoes
Eggs
Green Apples
Raw almond butter
Sweet Potatoes
Curry
Feta
...and some others that aren't coming readily to mind
In the Severe Intolerance column is:
Avocado
Basil
Beet
Cashew
Coconut
Date
Ginger
Hops
Lentil Bean
Nutmeg
Peanut
Pineapple
Rosemary
Sesame
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Tarragon
So, as you can see, this throws a major curve ball at my diet. I can't have spinach, coconut or avocado which are the three most prevalent foods thus far in my diet. I also am moderately intolerant to carrots, chocolate, flaxseed, quinoa and salmon among many other items. I'm just listing these because they were also major staples of my diet. And in the mild intolerance category I am restricted from using Black Currant, Broccoli, Curry Powder, Halibut, and limes among many other items I won't list here. Also all things I was relying heavily upon to supplement my meals.
VERY frustrating to say the least. So I had a long discussion with my doctor about bringing back in some foods that are not strictly allowed on the diet so that I won't starve to death. We discussed bringing in brown rice, using ghee and olive oil to cook with, and using millet as my main grain choice instead of quinoa. I had a big spinach salad the next day because I'd bought so much of it and didn't want it to go to waste, and was mildly surprised to note that I had major stomach bloating and painful cramps afterwards. This shows me that the test isn't wrong and I really shouldn't be eating spinach. So I've gone out and bought romaine lettuce instead and had a big salad with that today. No bloating or cramping.
I'm hoping that now I have the test results to guide my food choices I can get rid of the persistent painful stomach bloating and cramps that I've been dealing with since starting the diet. I thought they were due to the big changes in my food and possibly the naturopathic medicines I'm taking.
I made a huge pot of Millet & Sweet Veggies 2 nights ago, which is from the Body Ecology book. I've been using the millet in my egg scrambles in the morning and mixing it with other meals to give me some carbohydrates (much needed, especially on my heavy workout days). It's very bland in taste but I might not even need to use brown rice because it's almost exactly the same in texture and flavor, and it's also very filling. I'm also sold on it because for the first time since I started this diet I got through Mike's entire circuit workout yesterday, and I'm attributing that to eating a good source of carbs my body can actually use. Not only did I get through it, but I felt great afterwards and stayed to do some MMA sparring with them. Got some bloody knuckles and bruised feet to prove it, too! Ok, I didn't actually break the skin on my hands but there's streaks of broken blood vessels. Looks pretty mean though. :) And I'm hella sore today, which always makes me happy (in that sick, masochistic way we trainers have).
So my new goal is to slowly incorporate the results of the ALCAT test into my diet. It's so frustrating that I can't have curry or avocado, two of my absolute favorite foods that I was thrilled were included in the candida diet. Oh, well it's just another 4.5 months.
I believe I mentioned in a previous blog that when I went to see my naturopath before starting this diet, I also had her draw blood for the purpose of taking the ALCAT test. They take many types of food and test them with your white blood cells to see if there is a reaction. They then place all the reactive foods into three categories: red, orange and yellow. Red are foods I'm extremely reactive to, orange are foods I have a moderate intolerance to and yellow is indicative of a mild intolerance.
On my new diet I have been eating some foods very often as they are tasty, easy enough to prepare, and encouraged by Donna Gates and Almine, the two authors I am using as guides. These are:
Avocado
Coconut
Spinach
Carrots
Flax seed oil
Quinoa
Salmon
Black currant concentrate
Broccoli
Scallions & other onions
Tomatoes
Eggs
Green Apples
Raw almond butter
Sweet Potatoes
Curry
Feta
...and some others that aren't coming readily to mind
In the Severe Intolerance column is:
Avocado
Basil
Beet
Cashew
Coconut
Date
Ginger
Hops
Lentil Bean
Nutmeg
Peanut
Pineapple
Rosemary
Sesame
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Tarragon
So, as you can see, this throws a major curve ball at my diet. I can't have spinach, coconut or avocado which are the three most prevalent foods thus far in my diet. I also am moderately intolerant to carrots, chocolate, flaxseed, quinoa and salmon among many other items. I'm just listing these because they were also major staples of my diet. And in the mild intolerance category I am restricted from using Black Currant, Broccoli, Curry Powder, Halibut, and limes among many other items I won't list here. Also all things I was relying heavily upon to supplement my meals.
VERY frustrating to say the least. So I had a long discussion with my doctor about bringing back in some foods that are not strictly allowed on the diet so that I won't starve to death. We discussed bringing in brown rice, using ghee and olive oil to cook with, and using millet as my main grain choice instead of quinoa. I had a big spinach salad the next day because I'd bought so much of it and didn't want it to go to waste, and was mildly surprised to note that I had major stomach bloating and painful cramps afterwards. This shows me that the test isn't wrong and I really shouldn't be eating spinach. So I've gone out and bought romaine lettuce instead and had a big salad with that today. No bloating or cramping.
I'm hoping that now I have the test results to guide my food choices I can get rid of the persistent painful stomach bloating and cramps that I've been dealing with since starting the diet. I thought they were due to the big changes in my food and possibly the naturopathic medicines I'm taking.
I made a huge pot of Millet & Sweet Veggies 2 nights ago, which is from the Body Ecology book. I've been using the millet in my egg scrambles in the morning and mixing it with other meals to give me some carbohydrates (much needed, especially on my heavy workout days). It's very bland in taste but I might not even need to use brown rice because it's almost exactly the same in texture and flavor, and it's also very filling. I'm also sold on it because for the first time since I started this diet I got through Mike's entire circuit workout yesterday, and I'm attributing that to eating a good source of carbs my body can actually use. Not only did I get through it, but I felt great afterwards and stayed to do some MMA sparring with them. Got some bloody knuckles and bruised feet to prove it, too! Ok, I didn't actually break the skin on my hands but there's streaks of broken blood vessels. Looks pretty mean though. :) And I'm hella sore today, which always makes me happy (in that sick, masochistic way we trainers have).
So my new goal is to slowly incorporate the results of the ALCAT test into my diet. It's so frustrating that I can't have curry or avocado, two of my absolute favorite foods that I was thrilled were included in the candida diet. Oh, well it's just another 4.5 months.
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