So Determined!
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I have tried to do a whole30 and the mental approach isn't good for me. What I mean is "one bite of something off the list and you have to start from the beginning." That mindset can be detrimental, as it is for me. Far better for me to feel good about the day even if I ate a bite of eggplant or even some dark chocolate amongst the otherwise "perfect" day than to feel like I 'blew it' and have to start over.
Good enough is better than not at all----at least for me, at this time.
So this morning I am heading off for my annual appointment with my primary care doc. I am going to ask for a panel of labs to include inflammatory markers and I want to come back every 2 or 3 months to be reevaluated on this program. She's open-minded and flexible, and I like her.
I AM NOT HUNGRY THIS MORNING! THIS IS A MIRACLE! I usually wake up feeling like I'm starving. But in general, I can actually feel my blood sugar stabilizing. Yippee! And my 1.67 mile walk this morning was a piece of cake, you should excuse the expression!
Rosey
Oh, how I know that mindset! The benefit I got from the Whole30 was the wide list of foods to choose from. i tend to fall into ruts and eat a very narrow range of foods. I've never actually stuck to a Whole30 all the way through (I mean, I didn't legalistically start the count over, I just reminded myself I was in the Whole30 mindset for the period marked out on my calendar, even if I had done something non-Whole30 the previous day) because I still weighed myself once a week, and special events (like birthdays) always seemed to fall during one, so I treated the Whole30 in an 80/20 manner... which I'm sure they probably wouldn't appreciate at all.
(edited to add, oh, yeah, I also was 100% on avoiding all grains during my "Whole30" periods. I do have grains, even gluten, on occasion now, but not often, and I don't crave them the way I used to)
Still, it gave me a framework to work within, and as long as I wasn't all-or-nothing or legalistic about it, it worked for me and gave me a jumping off place. I *did* avoid dairy, nightshades, sugar (even honey and coconut sugar), eggs, and nuts 100% for that first 30-day stretch, and that was valuable in figuring out what sorts of things were impacting my body and contributing to joint pain.0 -
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I'm no big fan of Whole30. However, the benefits from this lifestyle, especially when there are serious health issues to resolve, DOES rely on a full commitment. Stop focusing on what you CAN'T have and focus on trying all the new wonderful foods that you CAN have. Try new foods and new recipes.
Sometimes one bite of something is a big deal. For me that one bite that I refuse to ever have is anything containing wheat.
No don't throw in the towel over a bite of something (for me one bite usually becomes a binge), but shift focus to the positives of this lifestyle and everything will be much easier. Later on, when you are pain free and feeling awesome is the time to see what can be re-introduced and how much. Get well first. No food is worth being sick or in pain over imo.
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I have to agree with you on the gluten/wheat connection. I have found this for myself over and over again. This last flare was so bad that I feel absolutely committed to a GF lifestyle. I don't think dairy has ever bothered me, but then again, I only eat grassfed butter and once in a while, whole fat yogurt I make myself from grassfed organic milk when they have it my coop. I'm avoiding it for now until all my pain is gone, then I will test it carefully.
Rosey0 -
Doing well.....finding my groove....feeling settled and calm.
I'm going to Maryland overnight so I won't be online until late Sunday night. I will keep a paper journal of my food.
My son Matt, 22, is home temporarily after spending two months in Europe. He lost weight there, and this morning he expressed what is different in Europe: people don't snack. They eat real food. They eat three meals at the table, with company most of the time. They don't eat out all that often, except for coffee or tea. They might eat one meal a week but it's a good, nice meal. Not fast food.
For the most part, anyway.
Just interesting!
Rosey0 -
Really enjoying following this thread.0
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Down a little more on the scale but more importantly, starting to feel better----less pain, less morning immobility, more energy. The one thing that seems a little "off" is less deep sleep. That could just be because I have a lot on my plate (metaphorically!) or I have this idea that I have gone too low-carb, and maybe need to eat some plaintains, yucca or sweet potato. That's what I am craving, anyway, so it could be self-serving to imagine that would help me sleep better.
However, one of my intentions to cultivate the art of not being at war with my body. Here is one thing I believe: there are vastly different food culture all over the world that have better health profiles than the US. And the ONE thing those cultures all have in common is real food. I also know that I have gotten myself into a state in the past few years, and that I need healing, which calls for a more thoughtful approach than just eating well. I also know that for me, a gentle, obsession-less approach is in itself healing. So finding balance in healing can be an engaging and ever-shifting act.
Today I have to spend some time in the kitchen seeing what I've got on hand and what I need to shop for.
Carrying on! Be back later with today's Health Report.
Rosey0 -
Got a call today from my primary care doc. Seems my thyroid hormone levels are wacky----she says I am "very" hyperthyroid. I don't believe it: my thyroid hormone levels are always wacky, I always run a low TSH and high thyroid hormone levels. I am NOT clinically hyperthyroid by a long shot. This happens every year and every year the endocrinologists scan my thyroid, run tests, do ultrasounds and always tell me not to worry about it.
She did tell me that my cholesterol levels are moving in the right direction....:) Total down, LDL down, triglycerides down, HDL up. All good.
Walked 45 minutes today. Will walk again tomorrow.
Today:
B: can of sardines, V8 juice
L: cole slaw, broccoli salad, organic pastured goal cheese
beef liver with onions, corn on the cob, butter
snack: whole milk organic grassfed yogurt, almond butter, maple syrup
Feel good.
Night*
Rosey0 -
Got a call today from my primary care doc. Seems my thyroid hormone levels are wacky----she says I am "very" hyperthyroid. I don't believe it: my thyroid hormone levels are always wacky, I always run a low TSH and high thyroid hormone levels. I am NOT clinically hyperthyroid by a long shot. This happens every year and every year the endocrinologists scan my thyroid, run tests, do ultrasounds and always tell me not to worry about it.
She did tell me that my cholesterol levels are moving in the right direction....:) Total down, LDL down, triglycerides down, HDL up. All good.
Walked 45 minutes today. Will walk again tomorrow.
Today:
B: can of sardines, V8 juice
L: cole slaw, broccoli salad, organic pastured goal cheese beef liver with onions, corn on the cob, butter
snack: whole milk organic grassfed yogurt, almond butter, maple syrup
Feel good.
Night*
Rosey
Do you mind sharing your thyroid numbers? Did they run the full panel or just TSH?0 -
I don't know the full numbers...I will ask when I see the endocrinologist. I know from history that my TSH runs very low. Last year my endocrinologist was unimpressed but my primary care doc freaks out. I have a goiter but I am not clinically hyperthyroid. It's just lab values. So I don't know what to make of it. They will probably do an ultrasound scan, thyroid antibodies, and maybe another biopsy (which in the past is benign nodules).
Ok, so this morning I walked what I call my "double eagle" route: 2.4 miles. It all felt good with no pain! I am not at all hungry this morning, so I am not forcing myself to eat. What I notice in myself, and what I want to continue and encourage, is a healthy, natural relationship with my body's needs.
Here's how I think of it: it's like a telephone connection. Eating crap---especially sugar and the "whites"----put static on the line, by causing hormonal havoc, so hunger and thirst signals get screwed up. By eating whole, real foods and avoiding those static-causing foods the signals from body to brain are clearly discerned and easy to respond to. AND I AM NOT HUNGRY THIS MORNING and I am choosing to trust that signal.
It's all good...:)
Rosey0 -
Boy do I feel different. Better. My out of control appetite is way normal now----I think it from smoother blood sugar issues. Hunger is hunger, not that light-headed, gottaeatNOW feeling that I used to get sometimes 30 minutes after a meal.
Saw the endocrinologist today. My thyroid seems to have grown since last exam, and has thrown off another nodule. But doc agrees I am NOT clinically hyperthyroid and no need to panic. He does say, however, that the gland is now so big it seems to be causing a deviated trachea. I am aware of my goiter's mass and I do have difficulty swallowing pills. So he is recommending I have surgery to remove my thyroid and then go on thyroid hormone replacement for the rest of my life.
I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, my thyroid is growing. I can feel it. But man oh man......you hear all kinds of horror stories about not getting thyroid replacement right and people feeling really crummy.
So I did the smartest thing. I made a follow up appointment for January and said let's see what my condition is then. I can always have the surgery and it isn't urgent. I have a lot of things yet to get through----my disabled adult son's transition to supported housing, my elderly parents and MIL's care.....ME losing some weight first.....so I punted!
Good day. I am eating to satisfaction. I am able to walk for 45 minutes without a problem and I am already feeling better!
Rosey0 -
I've just been busy as all get out but I'm hanging in there! We've got a few very pressing items in our lives right now----like getting my son's living situation squared away. I notice I struggle more around food when I am stressed, but I do realize that taking excellent care of myself when stressed means eating well. And I know from experience that eating the Paleo/Primal way helps me feel better.
So, onward!0 -
Met with a nutritionist today and liked her. She encouraged me to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks and she's completely on board with me using a Paleo framework. She also doesn't want me to count calories per se, but to concentrate on have meals and snacks with some veggies, some protein, and some fat. She uses a plate model, so I'm to focus on filling my plate half with low-starch veggies, 1/4 of the plate with starchy veggies (or more nonstarch veggies if desired) and 1/4 plate with meat, fish, fowl, or eggs. I am to use 1 fat exchange for each snack, and 2 for each meal. (An exchange is about 1 tsp of fat.)
This fits in beautifully with the meal plans in THE AUTOIMMUNE COOKBOOK so tomorrow I am going to start batch-cooking and freezing items from the cookbook, like meat patties, chicken patties and salmon patties as the basis for meals. It's all good!
Rosey0 -
I hope you're still doing well, Rosey!!0
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I fell off the wagon, but have picked myself up and am back, more determined than ever. My life should soon change for the easier----my disabled adult son and his brother are moving into an apartment together; my younger son will be there for a year while studying languages in college and his brother will be getting some staff support for his independence. I will have more mental and emotional room for ME in short order.
The good news is I have significantly less pain from remaining gluten-free, so I was able to go out for a walk this morning with NO PAIN. That is huge!
On Monday I start a 2 month program at the local Y for diabetes prevention. I'm looking forward to making an exercise buddy or two.
Other than that......all is well. Thank you for caring!
Rosey0
