Facing your fears: A post on what scares me and the power of fear

Fear is a debilitating necessity of life. If we did not have things to fear, we would not have obstacles to overcome. Without obstacles to overcome, we would not improve ourselves, learn about ourselves, and then inspire others with our stories of success to face their own inner demons. Nothing that is worthwhile is easy; life in general is a journey full of trials in which I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that I am worth a lot. More than I have thought I was. And that I can do this. There is a shirt I bought recently (it is a Nike shirt) that says “Make Your Self!” . It doesn’t fit yet- but it will.

 

“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.” SENECA, Epistles Having made my peace with fear, I have started looking back at all of the silly, ridiculous things I spent my life worrying about. Things I was afraid to do because of my size.  I have spent a good deal of my life not living because I let things terrify me due to my weight. One thing that I always had anxiety about at 330 pounds was fitting into a restaurant booth. Most booths in restaurants aren’t made to fit a bigger sized person- often I would have anxiety about where we would be seated; should I ask for a table? Will the table in the booth move so that my stomach will not press up against the table? Will I be able to squeeze in there? Will people judge me if I order a dessert? Wow, you didn’t realize that just eating out created such anxiety, did you?

 

At my highest weight, I stopped riding roller coasters. When I was in my early 20’s and at Kennywood with my friends, I distinctly remember the day when the bars/holster that comes down to hold you into the seat of the ride would not lock. I sucked in as much as I could, and still I couldn’t fit. I had to be moved to a seat for “bigger sizes” while everyone waited impatiently for the ride to start. This is one of the most mortifying moments of my life. I have had several more, unfortunately. I have been asked many, many times when I was “due.” Telling people that you aren’t pregnant, and that you are just plain fat is probably one of the most demoralizing things that can happen to person. Having to explain this over and over beat me down emotionally. There was one particular time that I was out with my father in a grocery store. An older lady in front of the line was talking to my dad. She started asking when I was due, and whether it was a boy or a girl and going on and on. He tried to explain to her that I wasn’t pregnant. She didn’t listen so my dad warned me this nutbag was going to say something to me. She did, and I patiently explained to her that I wasn’t pregnant. She said “are you sure? You look like you are caring a boy since your weight is down further. You are caring the child low, like it is a boy.” I told her again, and added “nope, I’m just that fat. Thanks for reminding me.”

A year and a half ago a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She wanted me to visit. I was still pretty heavy, at least at 300 or so pounds. She lives in Texas. I looked into the trip and expenses were definitely a factor- but the greater factor was my size. I didn’t think I would fit in an airplane seat. And I wasn’t going to be put in a situation again, like the ride at Kennywood where I couldn’t fit in the seat and be kicked off the plane. Full of worry about how I would travel at that size, I started looking into taking a train down to Austin. A railroad is smaller and costs even more. My options limited, as well as funds, I gave up. My friend now has a few weeks to live. Now, no longer being afraid of my size- having gone from a size 26 to a size 16 in the past two years and having lost 40 pounds this year alone- I am not afraid of traveling by plane or riding on a rollercoaster. But I am sad and feel guilty because I will never see my friend again. Not until the next life or whatever lies beyond. Life is short and life is cruel; live it to its fullest or succumb to your fears. Either way, time waits for no one.

I am not afraid of going to a restaurant or fitting in a booth anymore. I recently took dancing lessons with my husband as I am no longer afraid of dancing in front of people and putting myself out there. I was, for a long time, determined to not exercise or go to a gym. The part of me that was afraid to work out or look silly is long gone as I celebrate my one year anniversary at galaxy fitness. My friend, who I was speaking about above, is an amazing person. She was never afraid to be herself, and spoke her mind. She didn’t apologize for who she is. She is loud and her laughter is contagious. She was one of the first friends I had that accepted me for who I was and taught me that I was worth something. She lived up her in PA for a little while and then went back to Texas. She left me with several important lessons: I am worth something. And more importantly- not to be afraid. Being confident in yourself and speaking your mind takes courage. Admitting your faults and then doing something about it takes even more. I imagine in her weakened state (as she is now in hospice) that if she could see me, she would be proud of the person that I have become.

There are still a few things that scare me. I am afraid that my thyroid will go nuts again and I will gain 50 pounds for no reason. This did actually happen to me a few years ago and a great deal of the weight I have to lose is because of my hashimoto’s thyroid that I have struggled with my whole life. I am afraid that I won’t lose the other 40 pounds that I want to lose this year and that will discourage me from trying harder. I am afraid that my body will continue to fight me every step of the way as I desperately try to discover more foods that will work for me. Like I said in the beginning, fear can be debilitating. Choices are to do something about your fears or miss out on your life. I missed out on precious time with my friend. My message to all of you readers: go live your life.  It is precious and too short to waste on insecurities, anxiety, and fear. Go. Right now. Do what makes you happy, see your friends and family, and live! I’ve overcome all of these things and so can you! Until next time! - Sarah

Running 3 miles and talking about my current trainer, Brad!

Not that I am a big fan Arnold, but I am feeling quote happy today and do enjoy this quote: “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger It is safe to say I am focusing on not surrendering. So as the “Post Plan” days have continued, I have been a little frustrated. It is hard to find things that I am not having reactions to- it seems like most things I try cause me to gain weight. Meats of various types continue to be OK so far. I still feel like my body is fighting me the entire way. I have 46 pounds left to lose this year. I know that it is crazy to put that kind of pressure on myself, but I just can’t help it. Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t do anything “half way” so to speak. It’s all or nothing; balls to the wall; do or die; do it and exceed expectations or don’t do it at all sort of attitude with me no matter what it is that I am doing. So other than trying to eat well- and figure out what that means for my body- what else have I been up to?

 

I continue to do personal training at the gym, with my third and most recent trainer, Brad. I was paranoid at first (I over think things a lot) about him being younger, in his 20’s out of school/ how could be possibly understand me or all of things I’ve been through? Would this just be another person who thought I was crazy? These thoughts ran through my head for awhile- and he took over somewhere in February where I was having some difficult times. I was coming off of a great peak with my second trainer, Matt. I had been seeing great results and went to no results and everyone saying the evil “P” word to me (if you don’t know what the P word is, read my previous posts, I rant on about it a lot). I also started to have serious issues with food (unbeknownst to me). When I had my “check in” or measurements done at the end of March, I had actually gained a pound (not lost any weight in two months) and was working out 5 days a week, 2 hours a day, and did not lose any inches from my body either. I was seriously frustrated and confused. I thought I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing.

 

As you may have read in my previous posts, a trip to my PCP encouraged me to pay attention to foods that affect my thyroid, and read "the plan." In the past two months, since approximately March 30^th or so, I’ve lost 26 pounds- that’s not the total for the year- that’s just in April and May alone. Holy Shit! That’s 13 pounds a month??!! I knew that I lost significant weight while doing the plan, but I didn’t realize that I lost that much in the past two months. In addition, I lost 2% body fat, 3 inches from my left leg, 2 inches from my right leg (don’t ask me why it’s not the same for each leg I have no idea LOL), 1 inch from my waist (who doesn’t like to hear that?), 3 inches from my hips ( ! ), and an inch from my chest, and 2-3 inches from my shoulders. Wow. I know (and several people are trying to break the news to me slowly, and are breaking out the P word again) that I can’t keep up this level of weight loss forever. 13 pounds a month is a ridiculous amount and I am happy to have been able to do it and grateful for the help that I had. How long will I be able to keep up this level of weight loss and how long will my body continue to fight me before I figure it out?

 

For the moment, I have good support and help in figuring out the answers to these questions. Aside from my friends and family, I have a great personal trainer. And while I was worried that Brad wouldn’t understand me, and that frankly, I was worried I would be an emotional mess and difficult to handle. (Me, difficult, never!) Up to the point before Brad took over, I had actually cried and had a few mini meltdowns at the gym and several at home (that my poor husband can attest to). But, alas! No more tears to be found here! I greatly underestimated him, and he is actually I think my favorite trainer so far. I wrote a testament early on in my bloggin career to how good Brenton was (he was my first trainer and had a lot of convincing to do to get me with the program so I give him a lot of credit). But, I will say, Brad has really impressed me. Brad is very approachable. He has taken extra time to show me how to do things correctly and make up workouts for me to do when I am not personal training with him.  He encourages me on and off the clock and I never feel like I am bothering him when I ask him a question. I will also say that he safely but effectively pushes me harder than any of my previous trainers and has helped me to realize my full potential.  I didn’t try to hard sometimes with my previous trainers, and if they didn’t catch me, I didn’t try to make it more difficult. (Don’t look at me like that! Everyone cheats sometimes!) I just went with the flow. I never thought I could run. I have written about doing sprints in the past- and I enjoyed doing sprints and have become addicted to having a “runner’s high.” I would never have tried or even attempted to do any long distance running. As Brad pointed out, I have been doing intense workouts full of “suicides” and “hurricanes” (and even if you don’t know what those are, you can imagine that they don’t sound good)  which have led me to be in great cardio-vascular health, and aerobically my body could probably handle it he said. My legs would not be used to running, and would probably ache but the rest of me could probably do it. This implanted the idea in my mind that maybe I really could run some distance. My workouts with him had prepared me to find out exactly what I could do.

 

 A few weeks ago I decided that I would see if I could run 1 mile. And I did, easily much to my surprise. The next week after talking to Brad, and having encouragement from my yoga teacher, Meghan, I decided to run and run and see if I could do 3 miles. You see, running is more of a mental challenge, in my opinion. Convincing yourself that you can do it, and will do, and are doing it, etc, is part of the challenge. The feeling afterwards of success and how energetic and amazing you feel after running is the reward. I did run the whole 3 miles. It was more like a jog to be technical and it did take me 39 minutes to do the whole three miles (not that I care about time at this point- at this point I just wanted to do it). But I did it. There wasn’t many people in the gym that day, and I had to keep giving myself pep talks as it went on. The first mile was easy. The second mile was the hardest because my legs started to ache.  After I finally finished the second one I knew I wasn’t going to quit so the third went fairly fast. During this 39 minutes (I wish you could have seen it, it was hilarious), I clapped my hands together, told myself “we’re doing this,” and sang Iron Maiden out loud in order to see the goal the whole way to the end. At the end, when I got off the treadmill, there was no one around to tell! None of the trainers or friends I have made were there and I felt like I was having my Rocky moment or my Titanic moment and I was literally jumping up and down and wanted to just yell at the top of my lungs “I’m queen of the world! ” It was definitely one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I want to run a 5K, but for now am taking it one day at a time. Pittsburgh marathon someday? Who knows?

 

I will end on the note of saying that having positive reinforcement and visibly tracking results as you progress is imperative to keep up a high level of motivation. On my worst days, I still went to my personal training sessions and always felt better when I left. After seeing my results today, I didn’t even realize how much I have accomplished. There are so many things I might never have tried to do or thought I couldn’t have done if I didn’t have Brad pushing me a little further and a little harder each time, telling me I could do it.  He taught me that if something is easy, I’m probably not doing it right. And that the quality of the workout is important not how long it is. I have had many conversations with him my food issues, and “The Plan,” and he has always listened with patience and been somewhat in awe of all of the crazy foods that I am having issues with now. Thanks for believing. I have said it before, and I will say it again- having someone believe in me always makes me believe in myself. I give props to all of the people at galaxy fitness in Irwin- that place has been like my home away from home- and all of the people there have been nothing but supportive and downright cheerful in regards to my success. A shout out to (in no particular order) to Josh, Laura, Meghan, Nate, Janeen, Rachel, Forrest (and any of the other girls/guys at the desk who know my name before I even check in), and all of the members there in my yoga or other classes who take the time to tell me how good I am doing. Another quote on mental strength I enjoy goes like this: “You know that little voice in the back of your mind, telling you to stop? Well you can train that little voice. I taught mine to shut up.” – (By Unknown) All of your encouragement helped me to tell my voice to shut up. Thanks.

Days 12 – 20 and beyond

My final weight loss number during the 20 day period was 12 pounds. 12 pounds in 20 days is more than half a pound a day- AND- I actually exercised less during this time period than I was before. I would just like to point out to all the people who told me it was a plateau- it obviously wasn’t. All the people who told me that I couldn’t try to figure out the food intolerances by myself and that I was ‘just crazy’ well LOOK AT ME NOW. Figuring it out. By myself.  What never ceases to bewilder me is the number of people who think I am just plain nuts. Maybe I am nuts. But, I started the beginning of this year at 283 pounds and I am down 34 pounds already. Just this year alone- and 12 of it happened in the last month???? Just from paying close attention to how food interacts with my body? Unbelievable. In 2011, my weight soared to 330 pounds. I gained 50 pounds that year alone- I have the doctor’s records to prove it-  and now I am down 80 pounds. Call me crazy if you want. Numbers don’t lie. Keeping weight off for 2 years is one of the biggest achievements of my life. And while I’m tooting my own horn, I’d like to add that many people haven’t had their body fighting them THE ENTIRE TIME. My body fights me even now that I am through with the plan- amazing how something simple like potatoes or mozzarella (any dairy product really) just freaks my body out. So what did I learn during the final days of the plan?

 

Well first of all, I learned that I can’t make any type of vegetable soup. Something I’m really going to have to work out. My talent for making soups seems to be limited. I learned that overall any type of meat isn’t a big deal for me. I need to retest steak and see just how much the reaction was on that- but everything else I’ve tested pork, ground meat, chicken- don’t seem to bother me. Potatoes were a big one. Even potato chips as well caused so much inflammation I had to add an extra rest day at one point into the plan just so my body could calm down. Crazy. I tried mozzarella recently and it seems that my body will not tolerate dairy anymore. Again, it took several days for the weight to come down again. Almond milk is fine (as suspected). I can eat tomatoes (yeah!) which I have added to my vegetable mix of stuff since the vegetables seem to be my most difficult area. Kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli, potatoes are all out. Most of those (except for the potatoes) actually block my thyroid function as well, making it a double whammy.

 

I’ll summarize days 12-20 and what I learned. There are some interesting tidbits that I discovered. Day 12 was when I tested potatoes (and I blew up). Day 13 was a rest day, although now adding a new recipe of a chia seed smoothie for breakfast instead- which is just up my alley! Chia seeds, avocado, blueberries, coconut milk, and cinnamon create a breakfast smoothie which is great since breakfast is a big challenge for me. Day 14 I tested an egg. I was fine and had no reaction- but, I did not eat another animal protein that day. Egg and another animal protein together in one day is a separate test (which I haven’t gotten around to yet) because eggs can be hard for your body to break down, and if you add more animal protein on top, it can be difficult (for some people, not all). Eggs on their own checked out. I found out that most people can’t eat eggs every single day (it is best every other day) and that hard boiled eggs are again, harder to break down because they are more dense. (who knew?) At one point I was eating eggs every single day a few months back, and also another point I was eating hardboiled eggs. A lot. Yeesh. My habits of eating the same thing over and over really backfired! Day 15 was no test, although it had a recipe for chicken with Indian spice rub which is not something I would normally eat, but that I did enjoy.  Day 16, two animal proteins were tested in one day. I ate chicken for lunch and dinner this day with no problems. Later, after the 20 day period was over, I would eat pork and chicken in the same day with no issues either. Day 17 was no test. Vegetable Timbale is a good recipe that I also enjoyed that included vegetables in layers (something like lasagna) with cheese in between and olive oil. It was a great recipe! Day 18 was supposed to test a new restaurant. Since one of my favorite restaurants closed, I decided to go ahead and test bacon instead. Bacon tested fine. Day 19 was no test, and Day 20 was when I finally tested tomatoes with success!

 

Since the plan has been over, I indulged some at a cookout eating dip and hotdogs (I paid for that for 3 days)! Also, potato chips were tested and I had a bad reaction (another 3 days for the inflammation to come down, yeesh!) Nachos were also a no go. The mozzarella I test twice and is supposed to be the least inflammatory of cow’s milk made cheese, but did not agree with me. Ground meat I did recently, making homemade hamburgers, and that went great. Today I drank white wine, which I haven’t had until now- white wine is supposed to be more acidic and can cause reactions in some people. I have been trying to eat similar balanced meals to those laid out in the plan, while having more choice on what to eat (and less soup!). At the same time, you are encouraged to keep testing foods until you build up 40-50 friendly foods. Anything that I enjoy to eat should be tested- whether it is an alcoholic drink, dessert, or condiment such as mustard, it should all be tested. Simple things like mustard and ketchup cause reactions in a high number of people and should be tested carefully with small amounts first. I need to test more vegetables- peppers are on my list coming up soon, as well is tomato sauce, and fish. They provide a recommended number of protein intakes for each meal, and provide counts for how much protein is in everything from 4 oz of chicken to a few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds.

 

The most important lesson I learned is that variety is the key to everything. My tendency of eating the same foods over and over was holding me back. I need to find more vegetables to eat. Particularly ones that don’t block my thyroid- did you know radishes and strawberries are goitrogenic? Seriously. Seriously. How am I supposed to keep up with the stupid large list of foods that can mess with your thyroid? That was the second important thing I learned- goitrogenic foods have properties that may block thyroid function- everyone is different. For me, I learned my thyroid is very sensitive. I learned that I am not that sensitive to animal protein which is a good thing. I learned that I am sensitive to any dairy made with cow’s milk and sodium. Sodium seems to be a big thing for me- it really makes me hang onto the water weight and can affect blood pressure. While I didn’t think I had that much sodium before during The Plan, after going through the 20 day process, I have realized that I need to watch the amount of sodium I intake and use sea salt instead. I would like to say that during the entire time I have been undertaking this journey, and eating my crazy soups and salads at work, everyone there was very supportive. Some of my co workers have given me clothes even and always have something positive to say. (My mom is actually one of my co workers, and is my biggest supporter, so thanks Mom!) Co workers that have moved on to other places, continue to be supportive and stay in touch. If they think I am crazy, they certainly don’t show it. So, just to end on a positive note, I would like to thank everyone past and present at Half Price Books. They see me on my worst days, and yet, they still speak to me. Thanks guys, you’re a special breed of people that can’t be found just anywhere. And I appreciate it.

Days 5 – 11 ~ 9 pounds lost! Whoot!

So I have learned SO MUCH on this plan so far I can not even tell you in one post (ok, we all know I’m going to anyway). First and most important, my thyroid is not as “stable” as I thought it was. The author of The Plan, Lyn-Genet Recitas,  has you take your temperature every morning (I have two thermometers because I’m usually in shock at low my temp is), and temperature is a sign of how your thyroid is doing- or reacting. Other signs for me personally of having thyroid issues include feeling tired- so tired that I feel like I have the flu. Also I feel depressed and have no appetite at all. Around Day 3/4/5, I noticed that I was so tired. I went to bed early and even missed one of my favorite classes at the gym. I slept for over 12 hours. I started to take the temperature thing seriously- the first few days I wasn’t even paying too close attention- my temp was down to 95.5 and I had missed a meal for loss of appetite. I actually thought I was coming down with something because I was so tired. Then suddenly I had a thought: was I eating other goitrogenic foods like spinach that were bringing me down?

 

Apparently I was eating several. Kale and broccoli are also on that list- they are supposed to have less of an effect when they are cooked. The goitrogens are compounds found in some foods that have been proven to interfere with thyroid function by blocking the enzymes that produce thyroid hormones (Recitas, 41). This is supposed to be deactivated when cooking- but, I have found through research on my own that the goitrogens are only reduced by 1/3 when cooked. My thyroid must be really sensitive to these sorts of foods because not only did I have a drop in temperature for a few days, but I was exhausted, feeling low, and had no appetite. I even missed a meal just to go to bed.

 

After a whole day of avoiding these foods, my temperature went back up to 97.5 (my temp doesn’t seem to go higher than this- but over 97 is at least acceptable) and I started feeling better and losing weight again. Steak has been the only other thing I had a small reaction to – but since it was during my thyroid issues, I plan on testing it again to see if I do indeed have a difficult time digesting steak. It seems to be mostly the foods on the goitrogenic list that I have problems with. Pork has tested fine. Interestingly enough, when I went to the doctor after my birthday and he told me about the book and inquired about spinach- I stopped eating raw spinach and lost 6 pounds in one week. The next week after that, before I started the plan, I couldn’t lose a single pound. I have been recording what I eat for some time now so I went back to see what I was eating- I ate sweet potatoes every single day that week. That is also a goitrogen. I plan on testing it, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be eating those often.

 

The author of The Plan, Lyn-Genet Recitas, talks constantly about eating a variety of foods. If you stop eating a variety of foods, and stop testing foods, your weight loss will stall. One of my main problems is that I am pretty boring- I don’t want a variety of foods. I find a food I like- such as spinach or sweet potatoes- and I eat that food every single day. This isn’t healthy. Your body needs a variety of friendly foods to encourage weight loss. I am starting to worry about the amount of variety that my vegetables (which are eating at lunch and dinner) are going to consist of- so far I can eat squash, onion, garlic, mixed greens, romaine lettuce, zucchini, and carrots. I can’t just eat those every day. I have to find other vegetables to eat too or my success after the plan is over will be limited. I guess I’m feeling a little overwhelmed- after the 20 days is over, will I be able to incorporate everything I’ve learned into a healthy lifestyle that works for me?

 

Day 5 was a test for rye that I didn’t participate in- I already have made my decisions regarding wheat/gluten and I stand by them. I did follow the rest of the day which included leftover dinner salad with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds (wow, I didn’t realize how much vegetarian protein was in pumpkin/sunflower seeds. What a great way to get your protein for the day!), soup, apple, chicken with spicy apricot glaze and grilled zucchini with orange oil (not my favorite) and grated manchengo. Also a beet and carrot salad (that I have given up trying to eat now). I made myself eat it a few times, and I realize I’m not following the plan to the letter, but beets and carrots just can’t be done. Sue me.

 

Day 6 was similar except I tested steak with roasted squash, kale and manchengo salad.

Day 7 Was a rest day again- flax granola, leftover dinner (kale/squash salad) with soup, chicken with lemon garlic sauce with mixed greens as well as a vegetable mix of carrots zucchini onions and mushrooms. One ounce of chocolate. Whoot!

 

Day 8 was a bread test. I ate everything else except the bread and was doing just fine. Sunflower seeds, avocado, mixed greens and an apple for lunch (same flax for breakfast), homemade hummus (I added black and red pepper and made it hot. Like mouth burning hot- just ask my mom LOL) chicken again and the vegetable mix from the day previous.

 

Day 9 I was doing fine. This day had the same flax breakfast, baby romaine with goat cheese, avocado, sunflower seeds, and chicken with roasted squash (YUM!) and the plan chopped salad. The plan chopped salad is baby romaine, zucchini, carrot, apple, avocado, sunflower seeds, and cilantro. This was delicious! Are we noticing a pattern here with the greens and vegetables and chicken?

Day 10 I tested a pork roast that I made and it turned out fine. I had flax seed for breakfast (again!) leftover squash and plan chopped salad, then the pork roast with salad/sunflower seeds, avocado, and lemon oil.

 

Day 11 Today was a good day. I loved the food today (except for the flax granola breakfast that will change starting tomorrow, yeah!), then the leftover salad from the dinner the previous day, hummus, chicken with garlic and lemon, mixed green salad, and vegetable timbale.  The vegetable timbale was zucchini, onion, goat cheese, carrots, mushrooms and goat cheese layered together like a lasagna. It isn’t something I thought I was going to love, but I did! I also had some wine, chocolate, and balsamic vinegar (on my salad soo good)! So I am feeling fine right now!!!

 

Eight days to go. Wow. I’ve come so far. This book has really educated me and changed my life. I would just like to take a moment to point out to all the doubters that 9 pounds in 11 days is pretty conclusive that this book does work and that I CAN do this myself. I would also like to point out that ONE of the FIVE MILLION ENDOCRINOLOGISTS I’VE SEEN SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THE GOITROGETIC FOODS. NOT AN ALLERGIST. NOT A GASTROENTEROLOGIST. The thyroid is what endocrinologists are supposed to study- I have seen several (and have appointments with two more scheduled) but NOT A ONE mentioned that certain types of food can block your thyroid. I could have gone to an allergist and a gastroenterologist and chances are- they wouldn’t be able to help me either. I’m not allergic to these foods. You could say that there are  “intolerances”  there- but really most of my food issues are related to my thyroid- so far. There is the questionable steak issue- but being that I didn’t have a severe reaction (no stomach ache or bloating) how would a gastroenterologist ever help me figure any of those out???? None of the endocrinologists figured out it was food related. But, my PCP- just a regular doctor with no extra special training figured out that my issues were probably food related. Go figure.

 

My message is this: Listen to your body. It’s trying to tell you something. Food is everything- and nothing is as it seems. Screw everyone that tells you that it’s just a plateau or that you don’t have any symptoms/you are fine. YOU are the best person to diagnose yourself and help yourself. You can do this. I did it, and I am doing it. I’ve lost 28 pounds so far this year alone. If I can do it- so can you. (I didn’t say it would be easy- but you know where to find me if you need me!) Stay healthy and happy my friends! LIVE!

Days 2 and 3! Today is day 4! Losing weight and feeling good!

Days 2 and 3 were tough. Eating carrot and ginger soup again on Day 2 was difficult, and the Spicy Coco Vegetarian soup on Day 3 wasn't much better. I felt tired both days, almost like I was coming down with something. I was weak and slept extra both days. According to "The Plan" this is to be expected and is a good sign that your body is restoring itself. But wait- I haven't told you the best news yet!

Day 3 I woke up and lost 4 pounds. Yes, 4 pounds. Most likely water weight from inflammation. My body was probably busy restoring itself and bringing down the inflammation and kicking out toxins, which is why I was tired. Today is Day 4, and I woke up today and lost another 2 pounds. That's six pounds down!!! Wow!

 Day 2 is flax granola again, carrot ginger soup and mixed greens with leftover broccoli, a pear with some almonds, and leftover kale with vegetables with brown rice and pumpkin seeds.

Day 3 is flax granola again, baby romaine with avocado, pumpkin seeds, and spicy vegetarian soup, almonds, and chicken with Italian herbs and orange zest with roasted winter vegetables.

Day 4 (which is today) includes cheese, wine, and dark chocolate. Yeah! flax granola/blueberries, leftover roasted winter vegetables with mixed greens and pumpkin seeds, carrots with homemade hummus and for dinner (which I am going to go make now so I'll let you know how it turns out) chicken with mango cucumber salsa, mixed greens with carrots and avocado, steamed broccoli with orange oil and chili flakes. I am also drinking 132 oz of water a day and adding extra water if I exercise (which I did today) or if I drink wine.

I will say those were some of the 3 hardest days of my life. I was tired, and had cravings for different foods that weren't on the menu, and didn't really enjoy either of the soups that much. Maybe its just me and I'm not that much of a soup maker, but the spicy vegetarian soup wasn't that great either and I had to force myself to eat it. Each day is prepared so that you are eating enough calories, fiber, and proteins (from vegetable and meat sources) and also designed so that you aren't hungry. Even though I didn't enjoy all of the foods, I was by no means starving myself. The plans are also designed to have totally non-reactive foods the first 3 days so that your body can catch up and restore itself. It seems to be working.

I can eat as much cheese as I want now, and am allowed to have chocolate and wine as of day 4. Believe me, I am not starving and making sure to eat until I am full. I have really enjoyed the roasted winter vegetables that were dinner on day 3 and lunch today on day 4. I am learning lots of interesting things such as that pumpkin seeds have 9 grams of protein per ounce which is why they show up on the daily meal plans so much. Also, I learned yesterday from checking out Lyn Genet Recita's facebook that she recommends that you eat meat or fish proteins a certain number of times a week to prevent having reactions to them. For example, she recommends that you eat fish not more than once per week- this is another thing I was eating every single day (much like the spinach). I seem to get on a kick and like a certain food, and then eat a lot of it. I need to include more variety in my diet, and I think that this will help me do that.

I've learned a TON already! Stay tuned as I continue on this wacky journey! Stay healthy and happy my friends!

The Plan Day 1

Day 1 of The Plan is pretty hard. I won't lie. The first three days are detoxing your body and if you've read my previous blog about the last time I went through a detox then you'll know that your body is fighting cravings. Lots of cravings!!! Especially for sugar (which could be due to a build up of yeast in your body. A build up of yeast can cause sugar cravings).  After the first three days, the menu is more generous as you can eat chicken, cheese, wine, even dark chocolate. The first three days are possibly the hardest. Especially if you hate carrots.

Breakfast was flax granola (made myself) with whole flax seeds, blueberries, and coconut milk. I actually like flax granola and it is nice for me to have a breakfast food I'm not allergic to (being all the gluten issues I have). Lunch was carrot and ginger soup I made ahead of time a few days ago. Jacob (my son) thought it was good, but I could barely stand the taste of the carrots. Also I ate broccoli with orange oil, mixed greens pear, part of an avocado and pumpkin seeds. An apple was a snack, and then for dinner I had to cook for the first time sauteed kale with vegetables, and put spicy coco sauce (a recipe provided by the plan) on it. Beet and carrot salad (yuck!) was also with dinner.

 This was definitely not an easy meal plan today- it does get easier, especially after the first 3 days as you are allowed to eat more items.. I guess we'll see what the value of it was at the end- because that's the only way to know whether something was worth all the trouble. To give it all you have and put the time into and see. 20 days is not a long time to eat healthy at the very least and try something new.

One day down, nineteen to go. Follow along and join me on my quest! They'll be ups and downs and a few nervous breakdowns I'm sure, but it promises to be an interesting journey! Stay healthy and happy my friends and stay tuned!

Food is everything

For the past week, I stopped eating spinach and eggs. Two foods mentioned to me by my PCP (and referenced in the book The Plan that I’ll get to in a minute) that can cause some people to have weight gain due to a chemical reaction inside your body. I have lost 6 pounds this past week! Every single day this week previously- since my birthday last week, Easter, and throughout every day, I have lost some amount of weight from ½ a pound to a pound and a half. Every single day. So what was different? I am not eating less- if fact I ate more of the things I liked over Easter and my birthday. I am not working out more- In fact, both my doctor and The Plan recommend no more than 4 days a week, so for the past two weeks now I have only gone to the gym 4 days. The deciding factor: Spinach and eggs. I am allergic to spinach, for sure.

 

What kind of dirty trick is that? Tell someone to eat healthy- but little do they know that any food- no matter how “healthy” it is- can have a negative reaction inside your body. Lyn Genet Recitas, author of The Plan, writes all about her findings. She has studied and helped countless people who couldn’t lose weight, had bad arthritis, and couldn’t get pregnant, were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and so on, and so forth. What if food is everything? What if food is the source of 99% of our problems? What if our bodies, each different, when processing food internally, has reactions to innocent foods such as eggs and spinach. And then, the reaction doesn’t show up on our skins or as a belly ache- what if we are having “reactions” to food each and every day but don’t realize it. Every acid reflux or weight gain or acne could be a sign that your body is “reacting” to something that you ate. What if you could find out once and for all what your body reacts to- wouldn’t it be worth doing anything to find out? What if it could drastically reduce your inflammation and make you feel better? Forever?

 

Lyn Genet Recitas has been studying nutrition and holistic health for 30 years and has treated countless patients. She writes, “I’d been studying all the research on inflammation, so I knew that Inflammation happens instantaneously. …I knew inflammation was the basis of all disease, and that it had been linked to weight gain. ” As she goes on to explain, it’s all about the chemistry of your bodies. Not how much calories you eat- if the foods you’re eating “burn clean” or do not have a reaction, then you won’t gain weight. Gointrogenic foods, she explains, have been shown to interfere with thyroid function. Eating these foods raw can cause serious issues- guess what is an example of a gointrogenic food that I was eating raw- every day!!!!-  spinach. I had been eating raw spinach and strawberries (also on the list) almost every single day. I recently just found out that both of my parents (who both have a TON of food allergies) are both allergic to strawberries. My mother is also allergic to gluten like me, and she is also allergic to mustard which is another highly reactive food. My father is allergic to salmon which is another food found to be reactive with people. Her studies and research found that 90% of her clients are highly reactive to farm raised fish, deli meats, sushi, hot dogs, bagels, corn, and thick crust pizza. 85% react highly to hard boiled eggs, shrimp, turkey, eggs, eggplant, greek yogurt, salmon and the list goes on and on.  The only way to find out what foods work for you and which ones do not is to do “The Plan.”

 

Oh yes, we could all go to the allergist and be tested- and I’m sure that would help us to discover some of our reactions- but it wouldn’t show them all. The spinach does not have an allergic reaction when coming into contact with my skin. It is when it is broken down and chemically released into my body that it starts to block my thyroid and also cause inflammation. Some food items will only show up once digested. The plan has a 20 day special meal plan with the first 3 days being a detox. It is designed so that each meal is chemically balanced to restore your body and allow it to heal while you introduce different items one at a time to discover which ones you have a reaction to. It is 20 days of eating things such as Kale and carrot ginger soup. I won’t lie to you- it seems like a daunting task, and you had better have 20 days where you have the time to cook yourself special (if not sometimes unappetizing) meals and not eat out. Not until day 18. I will also mention that the book is geared to mostly people 35 and above- food allergies and triggers worsen after 35 and people become way more sensitive to food which is why it is geared for that age group. There are examples of people my age in her book who have used it to figure out what things they are allergic to. I believe anyone of any age would be greatly assisted by this book- especially people suffering from certain illnesses- just keep in mind that as you age, you will need to do this again because the food allergies will change.

 

The plan has already helped me and I haven’t even started it yet. I lost 6 pounds this week just from cutting out a few seemingly harmless foods that reacted with my body chemistry. I believe that all along- all of my health issues and weight gain- have been tied to food. First the gluten and now other foods as well- there are probably more and will be more as I grow older. I thought that once I discovered my issues with gluten and had my big epiphany, that I was on my way. It didn’t occur to me I would have other food issues. What if I can figure out all of the foods that are reacting negatively? Not only will I fix my weight issues, but I could possibly eliminate my cortisol and thyroid issues as well. Who is to say that those things aren’t reacting out of a chemical imbalance in my body? Who is to say that fixing these issues and reducing inflammation won’t save me from having a hip or knee replaced later in life like some of my other family issues? Who is to say that it won’t reduce my chances of getting cancer? How can I afford to not find these answers?

 

Food is the best medicine says Hippocrates- what if it is also our worst disease?  What we know about medicine seems to be very little. The more I learn about myself, the more I believe that. Since I’ve started to write this particular segment, I’ve gained a pound one day and then lost it and then gained another a different day, then lost it again. So the question is: what was I eating those days that I had the inflammation that resulted in the weight gain? What was the difference? Something (I think it may have been milk) caused my body to freak out, gain a pound, and I had a headache the next day. The guessing game of what my body is or isn’t reacting to is making me nuts. Sunday I start the 20 day plan. I will try to post on my blog as much as I can during those 20 days to give you all an update. The first day is whole flaxseed granola with blueberries, carrot and ginger soup with salad, and roasted kale/vegetables for dinner. It should be interesting to say the least!

 

I would have thought that holistic health was a joke a year ago. I would have laughed if someone told me I was allergic to gluten or that other foods could be causing my problems. But I know this to be true- so the question is- what all is affecting my health? Is it just food? My body is obviously stubborn. It’s kind of funny- when you think about it- my cells, my very DNA, is programmed to be different. To be stubborn. It’s like my body says, “Oh yeah, go ahead eat that bread! I’ll do what I want! I’ll show you!” My very ‘being’ was created to be a pain in the ass (that makes a lot of sense to those of you that know me, I’m sure J )  But seriously, what all foods or environmental things are affecting me that I don’t know about or don’t realize?  I’m about to embark on a difficult journey to find out. Wish me luck! Stay happy and healthy my friends!