Day 3: Getting into the Habit

The alarm clock went off at 6:30 as usual this morning, and I was very tired as usual. But, something magnificent (albeit small to most people) happened. I was up and out of bed by 7:05. Tired yes, but no more than usual and my headache was gone. I'm not sure if it is my eating plan or my hope that cured my headache and pulled me out of bed, but I will take what I can get. The morning went smoothly, I followed my normal ritual and even got to read a full 30 minutes  before the kiddos beckoned me, which was fantastic. One really great awareness last night is that my sinuses felt really clear before I feel asleep and I did sleep very well - no waking all night.

I was able to be very productive around the house without pushing myself too hard and this is while babysitting 2 boys. So I am marking that as a victory. As I was busying myself around the house and thinking about this change, I noticed a story I was beginning to repeat in my head, which was "I can't eat these foods because they make me sick" This is very victimizing and makes me feel both powerless and deprived. 


I then realized that I am doing this because I want to feel better and so I am consciously changing that story to, "I want to eat this way because it will make me feel healthy and energized." Maybe it seems silly, but I believe semantics have the power to completely change one's feelings about a situation, and in turn change their behavior. 

This simple shift has helped me to feel enormously better about the whole eating change. I am still not feeling steller, but I am finding myself motivated to work on projects I have been avoiding for weeks. I am also finding I can stave off some of the ickyness I am feeling if I eat something, and I love food so that's not so bad. 

Another awareness I am having is that food needs to be planned in advance if I go out. I suspect my headache got nasty yesterday in part because I went about 4 hours without eating - and possibly went into craving mode. I am a great planner - but following that plan when it comes to food is not my strong point. Good, healthy, real food takes time. And I have learned from our processed and disposable culture that it should not - that food should  in fact be easy and fast. Maybe I am alone in this feeling, but I suspect I am not.


We visited Meijer Gardens today to see the butterflies and soak in some fresh oxygen. It was fantastic! I especially loved that Charlie thought to bring her magnifying glass to see the butterflies closer and then screamed in terror when they came near her. She can be so funny. My mood and awareness were good the entire time, but I was completely starving when we were done because I forgot to bring a snack.


I have had a faint headache since about noon, but it has not really materialized into anything and I am grateful for that. Dinner was very yummy, and I feel very full. Bloated even for the first time since I started this eating plan. Just realizing now that I am not completely exhausted and it is almost 8pm, so that is good. This is all about habit and I once read that it takes 21 days to really change a habit and create a new one - so we shall see where I stand on day 21, but right now this is consuming every waking thought and all of my effort. I'm off to go and sniff some gummy bears - send me strength not to eat them.

Meals:

Breakfast -  Green tea w/agave, Cream of buckwheat, strawberries, coconut milk creamer, agave, and strawberries.

Snack -  Green smoothie (water, kale, parsley, yogurt, coconut milk creamer, pear, banana) Very yummy!


Lunch -  Leftovers from last night. (White chicken chilly)


Snack -  Green smoothie and about 15 rice crackers 

Dinner -  Gluten free linguine, creamy pesto sauce (I used rice milk), grilled chicken, and artichokes.

Snack -  Smelling gummy bears.


Water Intake -  64oz

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate.

Energy levels: 

Morning -  Good, I was able to get a lot done.

Afternoon - Still good, able to go to Meijer gardens without feeling drained afterward.


Evening - A little dip, but feels normal for a long day. I have not daydreamed of my bed until just now.

Exercise: 15 minute walk around the block

Mood: Calm.

Changes:  Complexion looks really healthy and even rosy, and sinuses seem to be clearing. 

Day 2: Tired but Pushing Forward

The alarm clock awoke at 6am this morning, but I did not. I lied half awake pressing snooze until 7:30 - I just could not get myself out of bed before then, despite falling asleep by at 10:30. Nine hours of sleep and still exhausted. In fact, I am more tired today than yesterday. I ran errands from 9am-12:30 and was tired the entire time. On the up side I now have a pantry and refrigerator filled with foods I can eat (including fresh okra - which should be interesting). But to be honest I was completely overwhelmed with my search for new food and  I just wanted to drive home and snuggle back into bed. The exhaustion sets into my shoulders and spine who beg me to lay down, but I resist and push on in the name of getting things done. The kids are getting ready to take a nap and I may join them today. 


The beginning of a headache is threatening my front lobes and I am pretty sure my body is in detox mode. Which makes me hopeful that in a few days I will feel better and my energy will begin to kick in. The prospects of a more energetic future keep me going. I keep telling myself I am just pressing the reset button right now, which keeps me motivated. Also, really being patient with myself and understanding that the refinements will come in later. I am aware that any changes I make right now are beneficial and healing for my body....small steps are a hard concept for this all or nothing girl.


I did get to lay down although there was no sleeping involved. My pre-headache has stayed with me since about noon and makes my eyes feel more tired than usual. Staying on my eating plan was difficult today, but I have trust it will become easier. I did stay on plan with the exception of 2 gummy bears which I spit out before swallowing - they were heavenly. I was fairly productive today in spite of my low energy. My spirits and hopes remain high even if my energy is not. I have faith this will work for me. 


The good news is that I do not feel hungry at all. I am allowing myself to eat as much of the accepted foods as I want for now, so that feels good.


It is now 8pm and I have been daydreaming of my bed all day - I literally cannot wait to climb in and sleep some more! My headache is worsening and peaking, but I am optimistic it will be gone in the morning. I didn't expect day 2 to be harder, but I hear that is very common when changing diets. Some people take up to a week to start seeing benefits. Pray that I am not one of those people - I am entirely too impatient with myself to wait that long!




Meals:

Breakfast - Green Tea w/ agave, Puffed Rice cereal, coconut milk.


Snack - Rice crackers, cashew butter, and handful of walnuts.


Lunch - Snap Peas, Rice, Grilled chicken breast in butter. 


Snack - Green Smoothie (Kale, yogurt, vanilla coconut milk creamer, green apple, banana, water, parsley, and ginger root) Which was MUCH more tasty today - I think I am getting the proportions right :-)


Dinner - White Chicken Chilly (Onion, chicken broth, chicken, black beans, pinto beans, cilantro, plain greek yogurt, rice)


Snack - Apple and cashew butter


Water Intake - 72 oz


Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate.

Energy levels:
Morning - moderate

Afternoon - low


Evening - very low

Exercise: none

Mood: Pretty even keel all day. One spike of feeling overwhelmed as my headache worsened.

Day 1: Hopeful Trepidation

Friday I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (Hypothyroidism), Leaky Gut Syndrome, Candida, and multiple food sensitivities. This blog is my attempt to document my treatment plan over the next few months. The good news is that all of these issues can be healed through supplements and diet. The challenging news is that I need to follow a very restrictive diet for the next 6 months to see the improvements I am looking for in my health.

I plan to use the next 6 months as a catalyst to make changes long over due. I recently read that the 3 pillars of health are healthy eating, regular exercise, and spirituality - and I plan to reach for this trifecta to help me achieve balance and healing. I will be documenting my attempt at this on Healing Bites to see if the diet works to aleviate my symtoms of IBS, mood swings, exhaustion, and headaches. Food intake, energy levels, exercise, and emotional experience will also be logged on this blog. My hope is journaling this experience will help me and anyone else who might be suffering in the same ways as myself. With that in mind, let's get started.

This morning as my body began to wake I felt tired, so tired. I peaked at the clock, it read 7:30 am and I noticed I had slept in and then immediately calculated how many hours I had slept - 8 and a half. Opening my eyes seemed a feat far too great for my mind and body to achieve. It was like they were glued shut. So I stayed there - eyes closed, mind open for a bit. I contemplated my day and the daunting task of preparing a food plan and began to feel excited for the changes that are coming. You see I have been exhausted for a long time now, and the prospect of having more energy is energizing in and of itself. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Slowly I drug myself out of bed and started my morning ritual. Sixteen ounces of water and a probiotic followed by green tea with agave and inspirational reading. I find that if I have even 15 minutes to do these things before the kids wake, my day goes so much smoother. And that is all I was able to get today.

I feel hopeful and yet overwhelmed with what lies ahead. I am hoping to make it through day one with ease and grace, but we will see.

This afternoon proved to be simple for lunch. Which was great and motivating, so I sat down to plan my menu for the week and had a complete meltdown. I have no idea what half of the foods are on my "ok" foodlist and I do not like the other half. This is going to be tough. How do I stay on track with this without becoming OCD? All I can do is try - I guess I should mend my relationship with cooking, looks like I will need to spend time learning to cook in a completely new way. Dedicating time to food is not my strong point. Simple and easy is best for me and my family. I don't know how on earth I will be able to balance my needs with my family's. Beginning to lose motivation and seriously considering adding some foods back in regardless of my reaction to them.

After reviewing the changes I need to make more closely I have decided to take things one day at a time. No need for perfection here, I can build up to the complete elimination over time. Energy wise I felt mostly good today really peaceful and relaxed, I did not have an energy crash until about 5, which is also when I became moody, snappy, and annoyed. I recovered fairly quickly though. Looking back that is actually very good for me as I usually have several energy crashes where I feel like just crawling back into bed.

Dinner was fine, although my after dinner sweet tooth wreaked havoc on my mind. I have had several ups and downs since five with a final realization that I have been looking at meal planning all wrong. I need to just look at replacing ingredients within current recipes rather than looking at the foods I can eat and magically coming up with a recipe - what do I think I am - a chef? Much more ease around the whole issue since then. It is 8:30 and I am spent, so I am off to bed now. Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Meals:

Breakfast - Green tea w/agave, Puffed Rice Cereal, Green apple, and 4 oz coconut milk.

Snack - Green smoothie with yogurt, kale, mango, apple, ginger root, pea protein. I can see where this will take some time to learn the best combo - as it wasn't bad, but it was not delicious either. I kind of had to force it down.

Lunch -Brown rice, scrambled eggs, sugar snap peas, salt, butter and bragg's soy sauce.

Snack - Handful of walnuts, 6 oz. green smoothie

Dinner - Quinoa, grilled chicken, and steamed zucchini with salt and butter to season.

Snack - none

Water Intake - 72 oz.

Supplements - Probiotic, Multivitamin, Fish oil, D3, Mag-Cal Citrate, and antifungal (for candida).

Energy levels:

Morning - Low, but mood upbeat. Slight headache.

Afternoon - Steady energy. Mood, also steady.

Evening - Very low - very tired by 6pm.

Exercise: None (although I researched several options and worked on a schedule to add some into my life).

Mood: Mostly just calm with a few spikes of irritation.