Small victories...Day 10

The food find for today is going to keep me going! I told my mom how bored I was getting with eating the same meal combinations with buckwheat and quinoa. I am supposed to have a protein and a veggie with each meal. She told me to try turkey sausage with cabbage. I laughed a little inside and thought that sounded a little strange.  (Sorry I doubted you, Mom!!) She gave me a head of cabbage and I graciously took it home. She told me how simple it was to make and I thought I might try it if I couldn't find something else to eat. Well, I was bored with the food choices I had, so I tried it. I am HOOKED!  I really can't believe how good and how satisfying it was! AND simple! I've had it twice already! This diet is definitely challenging my creativity and my patience. I have some really frustrating moments and some small victories. I know this is what I need right now and the changes I am already seeing are amazing. I have been headache free since I started eating this way and many of you know I have been having headaches/migraines DAILY! My neck has not been hurting AT ALL. I have not had to take ibuprofen or Tylenol to make it through the day. I haven't had to take medication to sleep at night. My blood sugar is lower than it has been in 1 1/2 years and is holding pretty steady instead of being all over the place. Most importantly, I have energy to play with my kids!! I know I will just continue to improve!

Turkey Sausage and Cabbage
(2-4 servings as a side dish...I ate it as a meal with a side of fruit)

Turkey sausage (ground, patties cut up, whatever you want and how much you want-mine was pre-cooked patties)
Cabbage
Seasonings...I used garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, and dried basil
Light Olive Oil

Heat the sausage in a little oil in the frying pan. Cut the cabbage into small squares and add to the turkey sausage. Add seasonings. Cook it all together for 5 minutes or to desired consistency ( I liked it still a little crispy).

I have been thinking of variations to this dish and maybe other things to add. I will post if I change it!

Water...Day 9

     My daily intake of water has increased so much that I think the amount now outweighs my previous daily intake of Diet Dr. Pepper...I know...NOT good that I was drinking SO much! I think that was how I coped with not feeling well. I love water but only if it is ice-cold. I have a cute plastic cup I refill with ice and water throughout the day and I feel better about drinking it.  I did think about going to Maverik, filling up a plastic 44 oz cup with ice and water and seeing if going through the motions of getting a drink would trick my brain into thinking I was having a "drink". I don't even go into gas stations right now...too much temptation!
      I think going off diet soda has been the most difficult part of this experience, and not necessarily because I crave it. I really just want a drink...of something sweet...anything! I have been using fruit to flavor my water and that helps a little, but I am just getting used to drinking plain water. I also tried coconut water. I like it ok...don't love it...not sweet enough. :-) I know water is good for me! Not having sugar, sweetener, splenda, etc. is really going to help me feel better. However, even though I know the logic AND medicine behind it, I am still looking for that secret drink that will satisfy my sweet drink cravings!

Day 8

     Time is an interesting creature! When I first started this 21-day journey, it felt like forever! Now that I am already on day 8, I am starting to feel like I can handle this. I look back at where I was and realize 21 days will pass SO quickly and is nothing compared to the years I haven't felt good.
     There are a few changes I believe may be permanent. For example, milk. I LOVE almond milk and didn't know what I was missing. I don't love regular milk but I never thought about other options. I went to Natural Grocers (yes...again!) and I discovered a whole aisle of flavored milks. Almond, coconut, etc. and in vanilla, strawberry and on and on! Awesome!!
      I also love my breakfast of buckwheat, almond butter and blueberries. It isn't difficult either if I make the buckwheat ahead of time. I will continue to eat this for breakfast...and maybe lunch. :-)
     One more change I am loving...fresh fruit! I have to be careful with my blood sugar and it is a delicate balancing act but fruit in the summer is delicious! 
     Dinner and lunch are both feeling a little boring, but I am ready to venture back into the world of internet-land and search for more ideas. Coming soon...

Hunger and faulty can openers...DAY 7

There is nothing worse than a growling stomach while looking at food you cannot open and NOTHING else in the house that fits in with your diet! I came home from summer camp and started to prepare my salad.  I got out the ingredients to use with my salad. Tuna fish (in water) and salad beans. I opened the tuna and got it ready. Then my can opener stopped working! What I mean by "stopped" is it just would not run anymore...it is battery operated...one of those automatic ones. It is also my only can opener since my manual can opener broke a couple of months ago. At this point,  I had the lettuce ready, the tuna fish was smelling pretty good and I started at the unopened can of beans. While debating if the lettuce and tuna were enough veggie and protein for my meal requirement, the cat smelled the tuna and came running. She started howling so I gave her a little bit of tuna fish on a plate. She gulped it down and then stood on her hind legs and clawed at me trying to get more. I also had kids running around wondering what they were going to eat. It was a MESS!! I ended up using some leftover white beans with the tuna fish and it turned out ok. So now I just need a recipe to use up the salad beans and I definitely need a new can opener.
I tried instant buckwheat this evening...not nearly as good as the regular. Blueberries are my best friends right now!

Day 6

I faced the most challenging temptation so far and handled it MUCH better than I thought I could! We went to the movie as a family and I drank water and ate sunflower seeds ( sorry...I did sneak them in!) while my kids each had an Icee and popcorn. I also curbed the desire to munch on popcorn with Spry gum. It is sugar free, soy free, tastes good AND is made in Utah. Yay!! This was a major hurdle and I am one step closer to good health!

Daily posts moved to main page...

I decided to move my daily posts about my anti-inflammatory diet to the home page so it will be easier to find. That way, each day will show as a new post for those of you who are following. If you are new here, scroll down to read about my reasons for doing this diet.

Pre-Diet

I went to a consultation with Dr. Swindlehurst at Red River Health and Wellness and he determined I was a good candidate for treatment there. I went through a variety of testing and started the program last week. In addition to supplements, I have a HUGE list of what I can't eat and a TINY list of what I can. :-) I spent a lot of time researching, planning, and preparing for this major life change. I just have to keep reminding myself that 21 days is nothing compared to 4 years of feeling yucky.

DAY 1

I started a strict anti-inflammatory diet today. It is already an interesting experience and have already been in contact with the doctor three times today to make sure what I am experiencing is normal. The following posts will provide details about what I am doing and feeling. Here goes nothing!! My mom came over yesterday and helped me prep some fruits and veggies. She also got me going with quinoa and buckwheat. I didn't know anything about either one of those until now. I am going to be learning how to eat differently and hopefully I will learn more when I can start reintroducing foods into my diet.

DAY 2

Today was harder in some ways and easier in others. I thought I was going to die from my caffeine headache yesterday. After talking to the doctor, I realized I can't go from drinking gallons of Diet Dr. Pepper to nothing. Rob brought me a small drink from Maverik and I felt like I would live. I have a few days to taper off. He said I could just ride it out but three kids won't allow me to do that.

My breakfast of buckwheat and almond milk was better with blueberries rather than the raspberries I had yesterday. We grilled some chicken last night and I heated it up with cooked carrots and quinoa for lunch. It wasn't bad. I feel so tired and weak. I feel like I am starving. I also feel like I might be able to make it. It will all be worth it when I have a better quality of life in a few more days. Hopeful!!

My favorite thing is the fruit-infused water I made. Makes me think of the spa! :-) Thank you Pinterest for the idea!

Day 3

I feel like I am weak and tired today but I have been able to finish more projects in the last two days than I have in months. I had my appointment with the doctor today and it went well. He asked me how my energy level is and I was completely prepared to tell him I am very tired and have no energy but I had to stop and think about it for a second and realized I do feel better. I am on the right track. I still have many moments of extreme weakness and I hope they will be less frequent as time goes on.

I spent a good part of today researching and trying out new and different foods. I am starting to feel like this time period in my life is manageable. I am SO grateful to my mom for helping me with food-finds and my husband for his patience with my crankiness. My kids are starting to understand a little about what I can and can't eat so that is helpful. I will post some recipes and foods I find are helpful when I have more time tomorrow.

Day 4

Today started out as a challenge because I woke up hungry. I had the immediate realization I am really doing this!  The first few days were manageable because I was researching and trying new foods and looking for ways to make this lifestyle change. Even though it is only 21 days before I start reintroducing foods into my diet, that feels SO far away. Just a few things I have learned so far:

1.  I have to keep busy or I want to snack.
2.  My kids are recognizing the changes and are very supportive for being so young.
3. I could not/can't do this without my mom helping me with food suggestions and ideas.
4. Pizza isn't worth feeling yucky for days.
5. I CAN live without diet soda
6. I love smoothies!

Even though I am still tired, I am starting to see some positive changes and I am more optimistic this evening than I was this morning!

 Day 5

Caffeine free!! I had to have a small diet Dr. Pepper the other day for my caffeine headache and I only drank half of it and put the rest in the fridge. My son D saw it and said to me, "What is that? That is the SMALLEST drink I have EVER seen you have!" Definitely seeing some results in how I feel. No headache and no neck pain today. This morning was easier than yesterday morning. I am actually excited about some of the recipes I discovered today. My mom made me some AWESOME "cookies" with instant buckwheat and applesauce. They help me feel like I am having a "treat". She also made me some crackers. I will post those recipes later. I made my own salad dressing. It is better than my last two attempts but I still don't love it.  I made a smoothie today with frozen fruit from Costco. I blended almond milk with strawberries, papaya, pineapple and mangoes. Next time I will do coconut milk and I will feel like I am back at the beach in Hawaii! It wasn't as sweet as I am used to but I loved it. Dinner was a HUGE success! I mixed ground turkey with white beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder (because onions make me sick) sea salt, and pepper. I used romaine lettuce for "taco shells" and I felt like I was having a feast! I feel like I am getting the hang of it. Here are some pics of what I have been doing:

1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, ice, and water

Berry Almond Salad...thank you Wendys for the inspiration!

On my way...the history!

    My mother (Laurel Dodge) is such an inspiration to me in many ways. Her and my dad have always been my cheerleaders and biggest fans! I just started a strict anti-inflammatory diet this week and I decided to follow in her footsteps and blog about my journey. So here it is!
    It all started in 2008 when I found out I was pregnant with my third son. I started contracting at 18 weeks and was put on bedrest for the rest of my pregnancy. Not being allowed to do anything for almost 4 months was hard and a HUGE learning experience for me. It also caused the downfall of my physical body. The summer before this pregnancy, I attended a fitness boot camp and lost 40 pounds with Weight Watchers. I was healthy and strong at the beginning of my pregnancy but it didn't matter. Things were going to happen the way they were meant to....
    The first medical challenge I faced was 8 months after J was born. Kidney stones...lots of them and BIG ones. I had Lithotripsy twice and it wasn't fun for about 4 months. I finally recovered from the kidney thing and realized I wasn't feeling better. The doctor did blood tests and said he couldn't see anything wrong or out of the ordinary so he prescribed an anti-depressant. That wasn't working so I switched doctors for another opinion. That doctor did bloodwork and told me the problem was my thyroid. I was SO tired ALL the time and didn't have any energy. I had constant headaches and frequent migraines. I thought the problem was weight since I gained 40+ pounds with pregnancy but I just couldn't find the energy to exercise and the weight wasn't going anywhere. After several blood tests, I started taking Synthroid. That helped for a little while, but I was soon right back to where I was two moths prior. I was struggling with pain and body aches every day....and depression. I couldn't make it through the day without a nap. Fibromyalgia and arthritis were words thrown around but the symptoms didn't match up. I started seeing Dr. Kris Hansen and he treated me using NAET. I felt amazing after my treatments, but only for a couple of days. I went back to my family doctor. After some more testing, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I HAD to lose weight. The Meformin helped for awhile and I started Weight Watchers again (I had given up about 3 times before this). I slowly started to lose weight then stopped losing and felt bad again. More bloodwork...more Synthroid...no help! My neck was hurting all the time and I didn't have an injury, just stress from not being able to handle my work life and home life while not feeling good. The doctor referred me to physical therapy and that was awesome! Until my insurance cut off my treatments. I scheduled a treatment with Dr. Dutch Workman, chiropractor, for my neck and after several treatments, I was able to make it through work and my headaches went away. He is great!  I still see him every other week or so and my headaches are less intense and less frequent. But what is the real problem? What is keeping my body from healing? Stress is a major culprit and I am trying to work through my sources of stress but it is more than that.
     I went back to the doctor about 6 weeks ago to let him know I am still not feeling good. More blood tests showed my blood sugar was back in the normal range. Yay! The tests confirmed that even though I had lost 25 lbs. my cholesterol was dangerously high. He prescribed another medication. When I picked up the prescription, I thought about it and talked about it with family members. I dumped the medicine down the sink and called Red River Health and Wellness Center and here I am. This has to work!

Here is the link to my daily posts...you can also find under "Pathway to Wellness"

http://www.stamfamilyhappenings.blogspot.com/p/pathway-to-wellness.html