Healthy Eating Influences

Let’s just say I haven’t done well with sticking to my healthy eating plan over the weekend.  I’m afraid that the scale shows it.  I am just amazed at the impact a day or two makes.  I didn’t eat anything “horrible”  a little sugar, a little gluten, and definitely did not drink enough water.  And I feel awful.  Bloated, nauseous, and already sore.  Woke up this morning very stiff and my hands were aching.  I don’t normally wake up like that anymore.  I just don’t want to believe that food has such an influence on my body, but it surely does.

It is my goal to eat a clean diet.  Free of processed foods, free of sugar.  I have felt lead to this type of lifestyle for a long time.  It actually started when I was pregnant with my first child.  Back then the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting was THE guide for pregnancy, and they had a companion book about nutrition, What to Eat When You’re Expecting.  The book promoted a very natural diet, and I went all in.  For the most part I followed that plan through pregnancy and breastfeeding my first two kids, around 5 years.  After that things started to go downhill for me and I wasn’t as faithful in eating right.

Whether going back to clean eating will solve all of my problems with fibromyalgia I don’t know.  But I do know that it makes a difference.  I want my body as healthy as it can be.  Here are some books that have influenced me over the years.  Maybe you will find some inspiration and support for your own healthy eating.  In my opinion all of them deserve a spot on your bookshelf.

The Makers Diet

I read this book years ago and at the time thought it was way to extreme.  Now I'm more sold on the idea of eating food as close to the way God made it as possible.

Made to Crave

I read this book last year and really didn't think much of it.  Then over the summer I joined a Bible study group where we followed the book and watched the videos weekly.  I LOVED it.  I also highly recommend the companion devotional book.

Food That Helps Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia

Ok, I haven't read this one yet, but it's on my list.  I have checked out their web site extensively, and when I signed up for their newsletter, received a free e-book!

Perfect Weight America

This book is by the same author as The Maker's Diet.  In this book are the instructions to the cleanses that made such an impact on me.  On their web site you can sign up for a year of free support, and meal planning.

Beat Sugar Addiction Now

This book was an eye opener for me.  I had no idea how addicted to sugar I was.  Everyone needs to read this book, healthy or not, and break their sugar addiction.  (little tip from a friend, don't get the cookbook)

The links I have created are to each of the books companion web sites, full of free and helpful information to help you decide if each book is something that you want to read.  All of the books can be found used on Amazon, and most of them in Kindle edition.  Happy reading!!

 

Cleanse Day 10 - I'm Clean...now what?

I made it!  I wanted to do this 10 day cleanse for a few reasons.  I needed to jumpstart weight loss, I wanted to clean up my diet, and I wanted to see if it helped my fibro symptoms to eat better.  How did I do?

1.  I lost 6 lbs!
2.  I am really encouraged that I can now eat healthier!
3.  I am feeling really good!

I'd call that success.

So what now?  Well I've come up with a plan.  I have more weight to loose, so I'm still going to be fairly strict with my diet.  Since following this cleanse, I know I'll do well with the diet from Perfect Weight America.  I'll be in Phase 1 for awhile.  On their web site you can sign up for a FREE year of meal planning and support and plenty of other resources.  I signed up and played around with the meal planner, cut out all the icky stuff I know I wont eat (like fish and eggplant and their meal shakes)  I like that it's customizable.  I may not follow all of their recipes for lunch and dinner, but I have a good idea of what is acceptable and I can make that work for my family.  What is most important to me is that there are no processed foods.  I'm sure that is what has made the biggest impact on how I feel.  Which is very, well... clean.



To recap, I did the 10 day Perfect Cleanse from Garden of Life.  The instructions for the cleanse can be found in the book Perfect Weight America.  The author is Jordan Rubin who also wrote The Makers Diet years ago, in which he writes about his journey healing from Crohn's Disease.

Cleanse Day 7 - I think I'm getting used to this

Another good day.  I was thinking this afternoon I wonder what it will be like to eat other foods next week.  Trying to come up with a plan of what to eat next.  I'm really liking Perfect Weight America and think I might give that diet a try.

The last few days I have really noticed how things smell.  Like bread.  I just smell it while making the kids lunches.  I don't think I'll be eating white bread anymore anyway, but I've noticed that it is very satisfying just to smell it.  Same with pizza that I made for the boys the other night.  Just smelling it was fine.  And then while in the grocery store they were baking brownies.  Just stopping to think about those foods & smell & enjoy just that was enough.  I didn't take a bite, I didn't need to!

New fruit tomorrow, and YOGURT and fish!  (not a fan of fish, but I will stomach it for 3 days)

I am feeling really good today.  Not too tired, not much pain, my mind is very clear and I feel...well...clean. 

Cleanse Day 6 - keep on truckin'

Great day today.  Slept in (probably too much) so I was late eating, but got caught up.  I was very happy to hop on the scale and see that I have reached a goal!  Over 5 lbs lost so far!  That really made my day.

Loving the nuts & seeds on my dinner salad.  I changed up my salad dressing tonight and did an oriental salad dressing.  I didn't over do it tonight either, so I feel good.  Even went for a walk tonight after dinner.

I actually have to leave the house tomorrow, so planing ahead and bringing my fruit with me.  Going to Bible study where I will be avoiding the breakfast buffet and enjoying my peaches!

Cleanse Day 5 - Half Way There!

Yay for Day 5!  Didn't start out so good.  Days 5-7  I'm supposed to have cantaloupe for breakfast and I picked out a bad one.  So sad.  I ate a few bites but couldn't even think of anything else to have, so I just waited until my first snack of peaches.  Thankfully those were good!  It was nice to change up the fruit today.

I had about the same energy level as yesterday.  I'm having some low back pain that has been bugging me, but I don't think it's related.

I was super excited to add nuts and seeds to my dinner salad!  I choose pecans and sunflower seeds and I added a lot!  Probably a little too much.  The meal was very filling and I think I ate too much!

For those that are interested in the directions for this cleanse, you can find it in the book Perfect Weight America. 

Cleanse Day 4

Had some internet issues last night, so wasn't able to post, but here were my thoughts;

Today was a good day.  Feeling not so tired (other than my normal Monday beginning-of-the-week tired)  Had some energy to get a few chores done.  Looking forward to tomorrow where I will have different fruit to eat (and yes, I already went shopping so no excuses) and NUTS & SEEDS on my salad!  Yum.

Cleanse Day 3 - yup, it's hard

Well, day 3 was the hardest by far.  Mostly that was my fault though for getting it off to a bad start.  Slept in (which is always nice) but since I hadn't gone shopping Friday, I didn't have a mango to eat.  Decided to run up to the store "real quick" and grab what I needed for the day, which turned into weekly shopping.  By the time I got home it was around 11 and I hadn't eaten.  Had a little mango, but it was even a chore to get that cut up, so I opted for watermelon (which I was late on eating for my 2nd meal anyway.)

The rest of the day went by pretty fast, but I struggled.  I couldn't wait for my dinner salad.  The part I was most looking forward to was the avocado.  Boy was it good!  I had a hard time getting to sleep too.  Definitely the hardest day so far.

Cleanse Day 2 - the challenge begins

Winding down day 2.  I prayed today to be satisfied with what I was eating.  Deuteronomy 8:10 says "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you." 

I hopped on the scale this morning "just to see" and was down 2.5 pounds!  That made me happy and gave me some motivation for the day.  Ate lots of yummy fruit today, mango for breakfast, watermelon for a snack, pineapple for lunch, then cherries for another snack.  This afternoon it clicked in my brain about eating these foods more often.  I was certainly not eating enough of them before.  And I discovered that yes, a small bowl of cherries is a great snack and will fill me up PLUS give my body the nutrients it needs.  Win win.

We went to church tonight so dinner was late.  That threw me off a bit.  I got pretty weak and a little dizzy.  Stopped at Subway on the way home to get my dinner salad since I hadn't made it to the store and I knew they had what I was allowed to eat.  Yummy salad with lettuce & spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, avocado & dressing.  Boy was it good.  Made the rest of the family Chicken Parmesan.  I did want to eat it, but again was completely satisfied with my salad.  Praise God!

On to day 3 tomorrow!  From what I hear days 2 & 3 are the hardest, so I'll be praying I can make it through. 

Cleanse Day 1 - Graperific

I've never done any type of cleanse or fast before.  This was a little scary for me!  I was worried I would be cranky, hungry, have a headache, not have the will power to follow through.
I prayed this morning for God to give me the strength for just today to endure.  And He has!  I'm in a great mood, I am hungry and have a slight headache, but confident that I have made it through Day 1 of 10.

The cleanse I am following from Perfect Weight America teaches that on day 1, I need to drink lots of water 3/4 oz per pound of body weight, and 4 meals of grapes (any kind, I got both) throughout the day.  Along with some special supplements that you can get at Perfect Cleanse.  It's a good thing I like grapes! 


I did alright during the day.  Around 4pm I was starting to get hungry and was worried that grapes for dinner wouldn't be enough.  It was just fine, even though I wanted what the rest of my family was eating.  

I'm feeling pretty good tonight.  My tummy is growling (for the first time today), but I'm heading to bed (it's just after 10) as soon as I finish the last of my water for the day, so I wont be tempted by leftover dinner or popcorn.  I'm looking forward to my mango for breakfast in the morning!  Night!

Diet – there’s no ing

A big part of my life that I know I need to work on is my diet.  It’s not that bad, but it’s not great.  For some reason after my last pregnancy 3 years ago I have had a hard time loosing weight.  The year before I got pregnant I lost 40 lbs.  Stress, counting calories and running, got me there.  I assumed I could count calories again, exercise and I would see the pounds fall off.  Well, that was far from what happened.  No matter what I tried, that scale wasn’t budging.  I had ZERO willpower.  The fatigue from fibromyalgia caused this cycle of wanting to change, but not having the energy to really do anything about it.  A couple of months ago I knew I needed a big transformation.  Not just a diet, not just counting calories, but I was being called to really change my eating habits.  No more processed foods, no more sugar, lots more vegetables.  Eating natural, organic, whole, clean foods is where I know I need to be.  So how do I get there?

I started by cutting out sugar.  I noticed after a few weeks my energy increased, and my pain was reduced.  But it was hard.  I failed time after time.  I would stop for a while, and then have a treat.  And well, if I had a treat, might as well forget about not eating sugar the rest of the day, or week.  The cycle would continue.

Same with counting calories.  I used an app, so it was super convenient.  I made sure to enter everything, every day.  Being so strict and seeing no results on the scale would send me out for a double cheeseburger and fries (and might as well add a sweet tea to that.)  At least it’s not soda right?  That’s the ONLY thing I’ve been able to successfully give up.

What did I do next?  Well, I asked for help.  From everyone.  A friend was on her own weight loss journey, so we teamed up and started meeting together to set goals and encourage each other.  I was in an online group for weight loss.  Another friend started up a Bible study group going through the book Made to Crave and I was in!  (look for a book review coming soon!)  I scoured web sites for different “healthy lifestyle” plans, and diets for people with fibro.  Paleo, the Anti-inflammatory diet, Food’s for Fibromylagia.  It was all quite overwhelming.  Then this week, I met with another friend who has successfully changed her family’s diet to RAW, vegan, gluten free.  Out of that meeting came peace.  She was a REAL person living with a healthy diet, depending on the Lord.  She showed me that it can be done, and it IS worth it!  Our health is worth changing for.

Check out my Good Eats board on Pinterest for the great ideas people have given me and more!

So here is my plan.  I’m going to do a 10 day cleanse starting tomorrow, Friday, August 17th.  Get my body to re-boot.  Get rid of all the toxins I’m storing, and after that, nothing but food that is good for me.  Made to Crave gave me so many tools to get through a change like this, I highly recommend not only reading the book, but finding others and going through the study with the videos.  Very inspirational.  There is even a devotional for daily encouragement.

The cleanse I’ll be following is Perfect Cleanse from Garden of Life.  I also got the book PerfectWeight America which includes all the instructions.  I’ll be posting how each day is going for the 10 days, so I invite you to come along on this adventure with me!

I’m not going to recommend a specific diet to follow.  I do encourage you do your own research and talk with your Dr. about diet and what is best for you.  Even though it seems overwhelming, I know it’s what is best for me, and you too!

Priorities - Where Does Fibromyalgia Fit?

It sure takes a lot of time and effort to revamp your life.  Lots of reading, studying, testing and practicing.  I feel sometimes like this is a new job.  I guess it is.  I have spent hours and hours reading, and talking with others who are living with fibromyalgia, trying to find what God leads me to put into practice in my own life as steps towards healing.  This can quickly take over your whole life,  putting God and family responsibilities on the back-burner!  I KNOW that is not what God wants for me, so where does getting healthy fit into my priorities?

Here is an illustration that shows the Circles of Priority for a Christian Adult according to
Bearing Fruit in God's Family by NavPress:

After talking about this with my husband we came up with the idea that for me, fibro should fall between “Work” (I should point out that "Work" does not necessarily mean a paying job) and “Other."  We’ll call it “Self/Health,” not “selfishness,”  but “Self/Health.”  This is the place to work on getting healthy.  My list for “Self/Health” would include; 

-reading/research on my illness

-healthy eating

-supplements

-exercise (which for me includes lots of prayer time & scripture meditation)

-Dr. appointments

-resting (which could lead back to God)

-blogging (which could also be helping others)

Maybe you would add massage, chiropractor or acupuncture.  Whatever you do that surrounds your illness and healing.  All of these are important and have a place on our priority list.   Here is my new visual which you can grab, print & customize with your own priorities:

 

Certainly there are times in people’s lives where health needs to be moved up on the list.  If you are hospitalized, or going through something like Cancer, your priorities may look different for a season.  When your illness has you so down (physically or emotionally) that you can no longer do the things on your priority list, that is a problem that needs to be addressed.  You should seek help to get things under control.

As I spoke about in a previous post, Job - Help for the Hurting, God allows things to happen in our lives for the purpose of bringing us closer to Him.  Don’t let anything get in the way of that relationship!

My point is this.  Let’s not let fibromyalgia (or whatever illness you have) take over our lives to the point where we are ineffective Christians.

Let’s put it in its place.

New Habit – Supplements

I hate pills.  Always have.  I’m not one to take them unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Just the idea usually turns my weak stomach.  Let’s face it though; we are not getting the nutrients we need from our food.  People with fibromyalgia are often deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, and may need some help getting our bodies back to the right levels.  It IS necessary.  My Dr. recommended a few for me, and like I mentioned in a previous post, Figuring out Fibromyalgia, one of the things suggested was to take a few supplements.  So I decided to give it a try and see if it made any difference for me.

I began to do a little research on the supplements I should be taking and quickly became overwhelmed.  There are so many to choose from, so many different brands, dosages, different kind of pills, powders & drinks.  I had to walk away from the computer in frustration many times.  I had no idea what the best way to take each one was, the best time of day.  BLAH.  Then one day I was out shopping at Costco & just decided to go get what I needed there, give it a try and then change later if I needed to.  I stood there in the isle with a very unhappy 2 year old in the cart (he hates shopping) and read through the supplement chapter of Figuring out Fibromyalgia on my Kindle.

1. Triple Omega

     2. Super B Complex 

        3. Vitamin D3

 

Got it!  Now I was committed.  Those Costco size supplements are no joke.  It was around $50 for all 3.  I'm getting close to running out of the Triple Omega now, but the other 2, I still have plenty!  And it's been months since I bought them.  Little tip, keep them in your fridge!  (They keep longer & no fish smell from the omega)

I devoted myself to taking them every day.  And for the most part I have!  I forget some mornings, and there was a month that I stopped as a little test to see if they really were helping, and about a week when I was pretty sick.  Other than that, I have been faithful since January 2012.

Another thing I wanted to try was herbs.  My sister is studying to be an herbalist.  She took some time and knowing what was going on with me, made up a few different things to help.

For me, just doing this small thing with just these few supplements & herbs has made a HUGE difference in my life.  It took about 2 weeks to really kick in.  Taking the Omega Blend has helped tremendously with my brain fog.  I would say I have about an 80% improvement.  The B complex has given me a little bit of my life back.  Instead of heading downhill at around 4pm every day, I’m usually just fine until bed time.  Having more energy is such a blessing.  I would rate it at about 50% improvement (and getting better).  I don’t feel any difference with or without the Vitamin D3, but from what I’ve read, this is worth taking.  And it’s just a little easy pill.  The herbs that I take have helped me with a few other health issues, not necessarily related to fibro.  The more I read & learn, there are probably some more supplements that would be helpful for me.  I have just started taking MagnesiumGlycinate.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

I urge you to talk with your Dr., get some testing done to see if there are deficiencies, and do a little reading for yourself.  It is worth it!  I am VERY pleased with my experience & will continue to take my pills every day.  Hey, it forces me to eat a little breakfast every morning so I can stomach taking the pills.  There’s another good habit.

Good Read – Educate Me!

I love to read and I’m really picky about what I spend my time on.  I don’t trust just anything, so it was hard for me to choose my first book about fibromyalgia.  I searched, asked in groups, read reviews, and settled on Figuring out Fibromyalgia by Ginevra Liptan M.D.

I bought it on my Kindle from Amazon for $9.99 so I could start reading right away & was very happy with my choice.  Dr. Liptan developed fibromyalgia herself while she was in medical school and has spent her time in practice with fibro patients.

She is the Medical Director of “The Frida Center” in Oregon, where they treat and educate about fibromyalgia.  So I felt like I could believe her.

I like that the book has very current information, published in April 2011.  I also appreciate how fibro is explained.  I really had no knowledge as to what was happening to my body and this book helped educate me to where I can now even explain it to others.  It made perfect sense!  Not only does Dr. Liptan explain the syndrome, but she talks about causes, and then treatment.  The treatments suggested aren’t just “take this prescription”, but really talk about healing your body.  Just what I was hoping for!  Direction!

The 5 main treatments recommended are:

diet

exercise

sleep

manual therapy (myofascial massage)

reducing the “fight or flight response” (stress)

She also reviews treatments such as supplements and prescriptions, and includes a chapter on alternative treatments that may or may not be worth your time/money (cleansing & detoxifying, acupuncture, magnets, microcurrent therapy, cold laser therapy, bodywork, vitamins, minerals, supplements, hormones, etc.).

I haven’t taken all of the advice, some things are expensive and seemed out of reach (like specific food allergy blood testing), but for me it was a place to start.  I know that God is leading me to become a healthier person and treat my body better.  "Let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."  2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT.  This book is a great guide.  I started by deciding to focus on the 5 main treatments and add the few supplements she suggested.  I dedicated a week for each one and read and studied and practiced.  I’m not there yet, after 6 months I’m still working at it (diet has been tricky and to be honest I haven't done anything with Myofascial massage), but I can tell you I have had a GREAT improvement in my symptoms.  I have gone from living every day in pain and in a fog, to having good days and bad days and have a greater understanding of what is going on inside.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who has fibromyalgia, or wants to understand it better.

Get it.

Read it.

Do it!