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Category: weight loss (Page 1 of 3)

A Year Journey With Intermittent Fasting

February 16, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Disclaimer: This post is about my own experience only and information I have learned. intermittent fasting may not be safe or suitable for you, especially if you have any medical conditions. Please consult with your doctor.

Photo credit: Caroline Attwood via Unsplash

My intermittent fasting journey began one year ago today.

I knew nothing about intermittent fasting (also referred to as IF) until a friend of mine, who also has Sjogren’s (an autoimmune disease), posted about it on Facebook. Since starting IF, she had seen changes to her body and improvement in some of her Sjogren’s symptoms. I messaged her and she pointed me in the right direction to get started.

My friend told me about a book, and a corresponding Facebook group, that she found very helpful in learning about IF. That book is Delay, Don’t Deny: Living An Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle by Gin Stephens and it has honestly been one of the most life-changing books I have ever read.

I started doing some research and to be honest, I was skeptical about this whole fasting thing and the claims that were being made about what it could do for your body. Coincidentally, at the same time, I found out about a one hour seminar about IF that was taking place at Massachusetts General Hospital, which is where several of my specialists are and the seminar happened to be right after an appointment I had that day.

I made a point of reading as much of Delay, Don’t Deny as I could before the seminar so I could better understand the mechanisms of how this eating plan worked. Sure enough, the seminar, which was being put on by the weight management department at Mass General, told me a lot of the same information as the book did. There had to be something to this. An important point I would like to make here is that I did discuss IF with two different specialists, who have known me for a while, and they were both on board with it.

I joined the Facebook group that my friend recommended and I was shocked at some of the results I was seeing online; not just weight loss results, but health benefits as well. At this point, my weight was the highest it had been since I met my husband 9 years prior and I was struggling not only with the joint and muscle pain that comes with Sjogren’s, but the associated complications such as irritable bowel syndrome, reflux, and the overall general inflammation that comes with an autoimmune illness. In addition, I have a history of struggling with sugar addiction and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

So what is intermittent fasting?

Many people have the misconception that it is starving yourself or that if you fast, it must only be for religious reasons or because you have an eating disorder. But, intermittent fasting is just that, intermittent. It is a way of eating that is targeted towards changing your metabolism so that you lose fat, retain muscle, and stop damaging your metabolic system with yo-yo dieting.

When we are constantly eating meals and snacks throughout the day, our metabolism is constantly on the go. This food intake also includes all substances we put in our body meaning that it is not just food; it is also all those drinks and mocha latte whatever they are called coffees we drive through to pick up on our way to work or school.

What does this do to the body? It causes our body to constantly produce insulin, often much more than we need. These high insulin levels then result in preventing our bodies from burning our fat stores and continue to keep adding to those fat stores. More insulin production=more fat.

When we fast for a certain period of time (the time depends on many factors), our body does not produce those large amounts of insulin, the glycogen (which is stored glucose) in our liver starts getting used up for fuel and after a period of time, once it is depleted, our body starts using the stored fat for energy instead. Using that stored fat can lead to weight loss and improvement in health for some people.

My explanation here of how IF works is very simplistic. While I understand a lot more of the science behind IF, there are a TON of resources online and in bookstores that provide a better explanation than I can. I highly encourage you to do your own research and talk to your doctor. I found the book I previously mentioned, Delay, Don’t Deny and Gin Stephens’s second book, Fast. Feast. Repeat very helpful, especially since the second book dives more into the science of IF.

Some of the possible benefits of IF are:

  1. Decreased inflammation
  2. Weight loss
  3. Cardiovascular benefits
  4. Straightens out hunger hormones
  5. Helps with metabolic syndrome/PCOS
  6. Improves brain health

And, the list goes on and on. These are not just random benefits that somebody came up with. There is actual scientific research on the positive effects of IF on the body and I encourage you to check out some of the studies done on the benefit of IF on autoimmunity, as well as other medical disorders.

So the big question I get a lot about IF is:

How do you do IF? That is a very loaded question because there is no one way to do IF. There are multiple ways to follow an IF program. I would say the only exception to that statement is that you must do it CLEAN! Fasting clean means that when you are in your fasting stage, you should only take in the following things: medications, black coffee, plain tea (plain means no flavoring at all), and water. That’s it. Anything else can release the production of insulin during your fast and you don’t want that! 

Like I mentioned, IF can be done a variety of ways, all of which are explained in the two books I mentioned and on various online resources. Some people fast every single day for various periods of time, some fast every other day, and others only fast for a certain number of days per week. The goal is to find what works best for your body and that does take some trial and error.

When I initially started IF, I only fasted 12 hours a day for the first few days and gradually increased my time. I did get headaches and hunger pains in the beginning. I would say that the first two weeks were the hardest. It took me about two months to sit back and say that this was right for me and that I could (and wanted to) do it for the long haul.

I fast every single day, typically for a minimum of 16 hours, but I average anywhere between 16-22 hours a day. My average is 18 hours a day. I never aim for over 20 hours, but since I have been doing this for a while now, sometimes I’m not hungry and when I check my app, I realize it has been 21 or 22 hours since I’ve eaten. That is a rare occurrence though.

I have done this for a straight year, even on holidays. I choose to fast every day because I have multiple medical issues and I am on a list of medications, some of which can damage my stomach, so I have to eat every day and make sure my doctors remember that I am doing IF. One exception to my 16-22 hours is when I am on antibiotics, steroids, or temporarily have to take a medication that must be taken with food; then I drop my fasts to 12-14 hours a day.

With IF, you can also choose when you eat, which is especially helpful for shift workers. My IF schedule is rarely exactly the same. That being said, I do tend to start fasting around 4-6pm on weekdays and then don’t have anything, except water or green tea, until around 11-12 the following day. This schedule makes me feel my best. Often it means that during the week, I cook dinner, eat early and then sit with my husband while he eats after work. Other times we eat together. I have that flexibility because it’s just the two of us. 

On weekends, fasts are typically shorter and/or they start earlier/end later as my husband is home and we’re usually together. That’s the beauty of it though…IF can be altered to fit your lifestyle.

In the year that I have been doing IF, despite a pandemic, some rounds of steroids, a family crisis and many other stressors, I have managed to lose 30 lbs. I think that while most of my fasts were clean, meaning I didn’t take anything in during fasting times, my diet has not been as clean as I would like it to have been in regards to what type of foods I have eaten. But, I’m doing the best I can right now and I am working on improving that area of my life.

I also started taking measurements last February because I know the scale doesn’t always tell the whole story and that can be especially true for people who do intermittent fasting. I took measurements of my hips, waist, bust, and underbust. I didn’t bother with my legs and arms because they don’t hold most of my fat. In total, I lost 14 inches this past year and I can tell the difference by how my clothes fit.

Most importantly, I have several symptoms that I feel IF has improved including reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraines. When I am fasting consistently for 18-19 hours a day, I have ZERO food cravings, and that includes sugar. I have had these cravings for as long as I can remember and there is such a freedom in not having them anymore. When I was doing 12 hour fasts because of a 2 week course of a potent antibiotic, the cravings came back and as soon as I had a few weeks under my belt of the longer fasts, ther cravings went away. I have also experienced that it is easier for me to exercise when I am around the 15-16 hour mark of my daily fast. 

I have tried every possible eating plan to not only lose weight, but more importantly, to improve my health and I strongly believe that intermittent fasting is one of the most important tools in achieving my goals. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, it may not be suitable for everyone and I don’t believe it is a cure all for autoimmune diseases. I don’t believe anything is. However, it is a very powerful tool on the path to wellness. If you have any questions about IF, please feel free to ask them in the comment section below.

Be well.

Nutrition and Sjögren’s

January 28, 2015 / / 0 Comments

I posted on the Facebook page for this blog recently about a visit I made to a nutritionist. I had won, at an auction for the SSF (or rather, my husband won for me), a one hour consult with Tara Mardigan, MS, MPH, RD. She is a nutritionist in Boston, MA and also serves on the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Some of my readers asked if I would post the information about that visit and this is what today’s entry is all about.

Anybody who follows my blog know that I feel very strongly that diet and nutrition play a huge part in dealing with autoimmune illnesses and is a very underutilized treatment option for all patients. I was running into a few issues with my nutrition lately, mostly because I was freaking out over what I was “supposed” to do. Since my diagnosis, I have been vegetarian, gluten and dairy-free, Paleo, and on the Autoimmune Protocol. I have had significant relief at times with the gluten and dairy-free, as well as the Paleo. However Paleo was causing me some other problems physically, so I had to loosen up on that. The Autoimmune Protocol didn’t seem to do me much good except make it so that I became a recluse in my house because I couldn’t eat anywhere else.

I have some emotional issues around food as well, many of which have improved over the past few years, but still come back to haunt me when my stress level is high. This most notably happens when I am stressed out over medical issues. I definitely have an addiction issue around sugar, processed foods, fast foods, etc. So going in all these different directions with my diet was really just making these issues worse over the past six months. I wanted to eat to fuel and heal my body, but it felt like the more restrictions I imposed on myself, the worse my eating habits would get after a while.

I was curious to see what an actual nutritionist had to say about it all, so off to Boston I went. Honestly, I am in Boston so much, I should just move there! The visit went well and the following is the recommendations she made to me in regards to my diet. Please remember, these suggestions are for me; most likely, you will have different needs so these suggestions should not be considered appropriate for everyone. That being said, I think a lot of the suggestions are just a good way to eat for all of us:

* Aim for a bigger, more balanced breakfast.

* Aim for balance at mealtime using the Five Fingers Chart. This chart states that at every meal, you should strive to eat one serving from each of the following groups: fruit/vegetable; carbohydrate, protein, healthy fat, and fluid. You can eat more than one serving of vegetables/fruits (except for starchy veggies and dried fruit). The more color, the better. Choose smaller portions for tropical fruits.

* Aim for a Powerful Plate at dinnertime. Choose the Healthy Eating Plate on days you exercise (50% vegetables/fruits, 25% carbohydrates, 25% protein) and the Less Active Plate on days you don’t exercise or have a very light day (75% vegetables/fruits, 25% protein). Adjust the amount of carbohydrates you take in based on your activity level. Less active, less carbs.

* Count corn, winter squash, parsnips, peas, and potatoes as carbohydrates, not as vegetables.

* Fruit with skin: 1 medium-large piece or 1 cup (berries, apples, pears, grapes, plums, nectarines,oranges, grapefruit.

* Fruit without skin: 1 small banana or 1/2 up (any tropical fruit)

* Consider a high powered blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec to support your efforts and increasing fruits and vegetables (significantly) in smoothies will be a great anti-inflammatory nutrition strategy.

*Try adding an intentional healthy snack between breakfast and lunch and/or lunch and dinner if you have a gap of more than 3-4 hours between. Fruit with 0.25 cup of nuts or unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds is a great choice here. You are looking for fiber, a small amount of healthy fat and/or protein.

*Consider trying some non-gluten free options from fresh-made sources. Refer to FODMAP grocery list for some digestive-friendly choices (not necessarily gluten-free).

* Try fresh cut vegetables, such as cucumbers or carrots with red wine or white vinegar as a crunchy nighttime snack that’s sodium-free and low in calories.

* Consider the “One Bowl” method for nighttime or mindless snacking. You can eat whatever you want (healthy or unhealthy) but you’ll first stop and put the food into a bowl. Don’t judge the food or the amount, but take a minute to pause. This is a mindful eating strategy and may help you gradually make intentional choices that help nourish. This is a difficult strategy but if you’re able to stick with it, it will help you lose weight because you’ll eat less and choose more healthful options. The book that inspired this idea is One Bowl by Don Gerrard.

* Be verbal when eating out. Ask for extra vegetables, prepared without butter or sauces. Ask for a side of pasta or skip it. Skip the bread. Avoid shiny and battered foods. Get open-faced sandwiches. Have the burrito bowl with a small spoonful of rice. Skip or split appetizers and desserts. Choose fish instead of meat. Ask for lemon wedges to add flavor.

* When dressing your salad, use fresh lemons and a small amount of olive oil. If you want creamy dressing, ask for it on the side and use a small amount.

* Continue with consistent (but gradual) hydration throughout the day with water.

* Great job with exercise. Continue with walking and yoga and hopefully you will be able to gradually get back into running again.

Whew! I know that’s a lot of information, but I thought it was important enough to share with all of you. I had the appointment right before Christmas. I did read the One Bowl book she mentioned and started to implement a few of the suggestions, but Christmas eating really threw me off. I did try some non-GMO bread with gluten in it. I found that in small amounts (and I mean SMALL), I could tolerate it, but larger amounts seem to be a problem. I found this out when I dropped my gluten and dairy restriction for several weeks around Christmas. I also developed a lot of digestive issues when I ate a lot of gluten and dairy, issues that I have never had before. I am currently on the last day of a 10 day detox/cleanse which was my own doing; it was NOT a recommendation of the nutritionist. I will be blogging about that tomorrow or Monday. My plan for the few days following the detox is to ease back into eating normally again and then go full steam ahead with the nutritionist’s suggestions.

One of the big things that this visit made me realize and understand is that despite all the different “diets” and eating plans out there that claim to cure or help your autoimmune illness, in the end, it may just come down to great nutrition on a consistent basis for many people. I am not saying that the Autoimmune Protocol or eliminating gluten may not help your symptoms; I know many people who find relief eliminating different food groups, such as with me and gluten. However, I think that for me, the answer may be more in eating whole foods in balance with each other, minus the gluten and dairy I need to limit, as well as limiting processed foods, soy, alcohol, refined sugar, etc. So basically, just eating healthy!

Please feel free to comment below on what nutrition strategies you have implemented to help your autoimmune illness, or even just your general health.

10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse

January 12, 2015 / / 90 Comments

After careful consideration and a lot of research, I made a decision after the holidays to embark on a cleanse/detox. I will start by saying that I have never done anything like this before, mostly because I don’t believe in fad diets, or any diet for that matter, and also because I’m not sure, with all my health issues, how good it would be for my body.

However, I had been having some new digestive issues and some of my other autoimmune symptoms were acting up sporadically here and there. I also really overdid it and made some consistently bad food choices over the holidays and I was trying to get my food cravings under control. The digestive issues were not anything severe that impaired my daily living, but I am slightly paranoid about my family history of ovarian cancer and I am at the age my mom was when she was diagnosed. The most overlooked and under recognized symptoms of ovarian cancer are the digestive issues I was having such as bloating, gas, and constipation. Since I have never had any issues with these symptoms before and was suspicious about my diet being the culprit, I figured I could eliminate the ovarian cancer concern, and therefore another doctor trip, if I tried something like a detox or cleanse.

I did a lot of online research and decided to do the 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse by J.J. Smith. I thought this plan would be best because Ms. Smith is a nutritionist and I already have a lot of green smoothie experience. I also felt that it was a safe approach because it incorporated all the essential nutrients and foods groups (vegetable, fruit, protein, and carbohydrates) that I thought were important. I also liked that the plan included healthy snacks in between the green smoothie meals. I bought the Kindle version, which got amazing reviews on Amazon, and you can find the book HERE. In my opinion, its worth every penny!

I started the 10 days on January 1st; not because it was a new year but because it would be easier to keep track of what day I was on when I was making the recipes. I also knew that in terms of my work and medical appointment schedules, my load was lighter for that period of time.

I am not going to go into every single detail of the plan because I feel that its not fair to the author to put all that information here and therefore risk affecting book sales. But the basic outline of the program is that for 10 days, you drink a green smoothie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each day she gives you a different recipe and you can either make your whole batch for the day or divide it in two like I did. If you have a regular blender, you will need to divide it in two as it will not all fit. I was in the market for a new, really good blender anyways after seeing a nutritionist.I found a Blendtec on Amazon at a steep discount and it was also worth every single penny. This thing is amazing! Anyways, you DO NOT need a fancy blender for this plan or to make green smoothies at all.

Each recipe is specifically formulated to maximize results. This was designed as a weight loss program and even though that was not my primary objective, I was curious to see how the results would be. The book claims that if you adhere to the exact program, you will lose between 10-15 pounds.

In between your meals, you can have snacks and she actually encourages this in order to maximize your metabolism. The snacks are limited to hard boiled eggs (I don’t do eggs at all!), small amounts of unsalted nuts and nut butters, apples, and raw vegetables. That’s pretty much it. Only water to drink except for the recommended detox tea which you can find in any grocery store. There is an option to add a plant based protein powder which I did. I use Vega protein powder. The plan also encourages the use of a supplement to help you go to the bathroom if you are having trouble, but I never needed to use it.

Overall, I was compliant with the program. When I started with detox symptoms, I did add more protein powder than suggested and I was OK with that as I felt my body needed it. I also stopped the detox tea after the first few days as I realized it was causing a severe migraine, separate from the detox headaches I was getting. I felt that it really wasn’t worth it. If I ever do the program again, I would search for a different detox tea. I also had a few extra bananas during the 10 days as there were a few times my blood sugar dropped more than I was comfortable with and I felt like I was already getting enough apples in my diet at that point.

So for me, it was a good program. It was also incredibly difficult, especially days 2-6. I had joined the Facebook page with the same title for some support and I saw that detox issues were not unusual. I had a mild-moderate headache days 2-5, stomach pains days 2-6 (to the point where I took Prilosec every day, which helped), and severe muscle pains around days 3-4. I would read on Facebook that by day 6, everyone would start feeling fantastic but for me, that really didn’t come until day 9, although days 7 and 8 were much better and day 10 was the best day for me. You’re probably wondering why I even stuck with it when I was having all these issues. Well since I had been consuming so much junk, especially dairy, gluten, sugar, etc., I knew that this was part of the process. Also even though I initially felt lousy, I saw those original digestive issues begin to ease up and that motivated me to keep going.

During the 10 days, I also knew that I didn’t have a lot of social obligations and that made it easier to resist temptations. My husband was incredibly supportive of the plan. I told him I wasn’t cooking for the 10 days and he made a huge effort to not bring temptations around me. I did end up cooking on two nights for him because honestly, I missed doing that for him and I missed the aroma of food. Not too much aroma from frozen fruit and vegetables! I also backed off my exercise regime a little in order to give my body the rest that it needed during the process.

The only negatives that I could find with the program were that they added stevia to the recipes. Anyone who makes green smoothies knows that the fruit gives you the great taste and sweetness, and you don’t need stevia. There was maybe one recipe that benefited from it as the fruit used was not as sweet. The stevia is optional so if you do follow this plan, check the taste of your smoothie before adding the stevia. Also, the amounts of fruit used was actually much more than I was used to. Although I read comments on Facebook from diabetics who seemed to do OK with it, I wondered for someone like me, who has PCOS, if that much fruit hinders the weight loss amount.

In the book, there is also a chapter about what to do after the 10 days is over. I am two days out now and gradually, I am reintroducing more foods back into my diet. This phase is very important to me because I want to try and identify which foods may be giving me issues. My plan is to still keep gluten, most dairy, soy, corn, GMO-laden foods, most processed foods, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and a few other things out of my diet for now. I am still having at least one green smoothie a day for a meal and will probably continue that indefinitely as it is such a great way to flood my body with nutrients.

So, here’s the benefits that I got from doing this program for 10 days and then continuing a clean diet afterwards:

1. I am sleeping SO much better, its not even funny. Best sleep I have had without sleep medication/supplements in years.

2. Since day 10, my energy level has skyrocketed. Its almost scary for me because I am so not used to it. It has only been a few days so I don’t know if it is a fluke or not, but time will tell.

3. I got sick out of the blue around day 8 with a cold, including a low grade fever, that has been going around. I stuck with the plan, even though I desperately wanted chicken soup, and less than 24 hours later, my symptoms were gone. It was freaky. I have never bounced back that fast, even pre-Sjögren’s.

4. My sinus and allergy issues have improved some.

5. At this point all my digestive issues are almost completely gone.

6. Food cravings have diminished dramatically.

7. For a variety of reasons, I was having some anxiety issues and right now, the anxiety is significantly better. My mood also seems more even.

8. I have a little improvement in my joint pain. I cannot directly relate this to the cleanse at this time like I can with the other improvements, but its worth noting.

9. Candida issues have improved.

10. I lost 8 lbs. Many people on the Facebook page would be disappointed with that. For me, that is a very reasonable and safe weight loss amount for 10 days. It’s a journey, not a race!

If you decide to try this cleanse, please feel free to contact me or ask any questions in the comment section below. And check with your doctor. I did not, but you know what they say: do as I say, not as I do!

Good luck!

The Paleo Lifestyle

March 30, 2013 / / 8 Comments

I have made a grave oversight. I was planning on writing an update today on how the Paleo lifestyle (I hate the word “diet”) has been going for me. I was scrolling through my blog posts to see what I wrote during my first Paleo blog entry and guess what? I never wrote one!

I meant to, I really did. But I started my thirty days of a strict autoimmune Paleo lifestyle the day before my fiancé’s mother died and it was not the priority. So now I am going to give you the recap of the past two months.

I am not going to spend much time describing the Paleo eating plan because a Google search can give you more information than you ever could possibly want. Basically it means that you eat whole, non-processed foods just like our ancestors did. Meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, certain natural oils such as olive oil and coconut oil. No dairy, grains (even gluten-free grains are off limits), legumes, sugar (except naturally occurring sugars in fruits), soy, and refined seeds oils such as sunflower, vegetable, and corn oil.  Now, I had done a ton of research about this for a good five months before I even attempted changing my eating because I was going to go one step further. I was going to do the autoimmune protocol of the Paleo lifestyle which meant I was eliminating nuts, seeds, eggs, tomatoes and all tomato based products, eggplant, alcohol, potatoes, peppers, and certain spices that are pepper based such as chili powder.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE potatoes? And gluten/dairy-free pizza??

So I embarked on my little experiment and after the thirty days, I decided to add seeds and nuts back into my diet. Adding one food back in at a time from the autoimmune protocol list is allowed so that you can see what you can tolerate. From time to time, I will also have a pepper based spice because I absolutely love buffalo chicken; which I make at home.

I will be honest, this lifestyle change has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life and trust me, I have had my challenges! I went through terrible sugar withdrawals the first two weeks or so and I found it very challenging to eat anywhere besides in my own house. However I was reading anecdote after anecdote of people with autoimmune disorders who were having improvement in their symptoms by eating a Paleo food plan. If there was even a chance that I could avoid going back on steroids or maybe even become more functional because of what I was eating, I had to stick with it. The Paleo lifestyle is also not just about what you eat. It’s also about moving your body, attempting to reduce toxins in your environment, and cutting back on stress.

Before I started the Paleo lifestyle, I had been eating gluten and dairy-free for a year. While I do think that helped a bit with my symptoms, it wasn’t enough. However when I look back to what I was eating, a lot of it was processed dairy and gluten-free foods. I stayed away from anything high in fat because I wanted to lose weight. I would eat a whole bowl of rice for lunch on many days. A food that probably spiked my blood glucose levels. If you are interested in the Paleo concept, I suggest that you do some research on what causes people to get fat and unhealthy. It is not the 85% ground beef you are eating, but rather the copious amounts of starches and sugars we eat in processed foods. There is a lot of scientific theory to it and rather than pretend to know exactly everything behind it, I am going to refer you to two books that I found extremely helpful: The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo, BS, NC. And again, there is always Google!

Bottom line is that I have learned fat is not the enemy. I will admit, I am still skeptical about the whole concept, but I am going for routine blood work next month which also screens my cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. so I will be interested in seeing the results of that blood work.

I guess one of the biggest questions I get is what do I eat? I eat a LOT of fruits and vegetables and I eat a lot of meats including beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, and on occasion, bacon. I now eat nuts and seeds including cashew butter, sunflower butter, etc. I cook and eat only coconut and olive oil as much as possible. Some Paleo enthusiasts say you should watch your fruit intake if you are trying to lose weight but I feel strongly that I need the nutrients of the variety of fruits that I eat and my primary goal right now is to be healthy. If I lose weight, great. If not, oh well.

I have had to completely retrain my way of thinking in terms of meals. No more cereal, pancakes, or yogurt for breakfast. Often I have leftovers from dinner the night before. The variety of food I have tried in the past two months has increased by at least fifty percent. I have discovered a love for sweet potatoes and a hatred for avocados. As often as possible, I eat grass fed and wild caught meat and fish in order to avoid hormones and other nasty things that grain fed animals eat. Eating out is even more of a challenge than when I was only restricting my gluten and dairy intake but is getting easier. We don’t eat out all that often but when we do, we chose a place that will not think twice about accommodating my needs. I have to say that I actually enjoy eating out more now because I am eating higher quality food as opposed to fried and processed food.

Overall, I would say that I am about 75% compliant with eating Paleo in the past month. After the first month, I realized that I had to make this a lifestyle which meant making it doable. Progress not perfection became my motto. Most Paleo proponents state that the goal should be to be eating Paleo 80% of the time. Although my basic diet is meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, I do indulge in a regular meal or food from time to time but I make sure it is something I will absolutely enjoy every bite of. For example, last week I was on a six day course of steroids for non-autoimmune reasons and I decided I had to have a buffalo chicken pizza from a local establishment. And a regular beer to go with it. Typically, when I eat something non-Paleo, I still make sure it is gluten and dairy-free but I needed that one exception on that particular day. I enjoyed it and the next morning, I was right back on track. Some people may say that I am not doing the autoimmune protocol properly. I say that I am living my life.

I did a little experiment several weeks ago where I went off my Paleo eating plan. My fiancé and I were going out of town to visit family and I wanted a weekend where I didn’t want to have to think about what I was going to eat. I even ate macaroni and cheese! After several days of that, I can honestly say that I was ready to go back to Paleo. My joints hurt more than usual, I felt like I had the flu, and I was craving salads.

The bottom line is: Overall, I am eating healthier than I ever have in my entire life. I cannot remember the last time I had a bowl of rice and I don’t even miss it anymore. I am feeding my body whole, nutritious foods. And I have lost weight. Not a lot, maybe a pound every two weeks but what has been more noticeable is the change in my body shape. Fat is turning to muscle. I don’t feel bloated anymore; unless I eat buffalo chicken pizza!

More importantly, let’s talk about my autoimmune symptoms. First I have to disclose than I am also taking a new alternative medication called low dose naltrexone (LDN) which I think has also benefited me so it is hard to ascertain if the improvement is due to my diet, allergy shots I have been receiving, the LDN, or most likely, all of the above. I am currently off steroids and my other autoimmune medication, Arava. That fact is simply amazing. I do have some joint pain but this is precipitated by exercise and/or not enough sleep. My dryness symptoms have improved somewhat which was recently noted by my eye doctor. My asthma is under control and the biggest change I have noticed is an improvement in my reflux and esophageal dysmotility symptoms. Fatigue, unfortunately, is still a major issue at times. I have not noticed any improvement in my Raynaud’s symptoms. I still struggle day to day much more than the average person without an autoimmune illness but at this point, I am struggling less than last year at this time.

Now could all of this be coincidence? Possibly. Maybe I am just in an upswing with my illness. But I am going with the theory that time will tell and meanwhile, I have absolutely nothing to lose.

Partners In A Healthy Lifestyle

September 7, 2012 / / 2 Comments

The very first time I ever noticed my fiance, I was sitting in my usual pew at church. He was walking down the opposite aisle of the church to sit in his own pew by himself. He had a certain presence about him. Maybe it was his long trench coat that hung on his 6’2″ frame or his stylish cowboy hat. Maybe it was his unassuming presence or the gentle way he looked at people when they were talking to him.

The very first time I knew, although I was in denial about it for months, that I was very attracted to my fiance, he was kneeling by my side after church, offering to lend me some of his movie collection as I was trying to recuperate from a very difficult hospitalization. I subsequently fell in love with him for a million and one reasons. Attraction was a part of that love. I was attracted to him on an emotional, mental and of course, physical level. In my eyes, I never saw him physically as anything less than perfect.

So because of this, it came as a surprise to me when last year he mentioned to me that he had lost weight since we started dating in September 2010, that this weight loss was intentional, and that he wanted to lose more. He told me how much he weighed when we started dating and again, I was surprised. I had never thought of him as overweight and to me he had been perfect just as he was when we started dating. I guess that is what happens when the pheromones are in charge! I found him attractive on all levels and his weight was irrelevant to me.

Ignorantly thinking that men are not as concerned about self image as woman are, I didn’t think much of it and 2012 came upon us. I drastically changed my nutrition plan, eliminating gluten and dairy (to help control my autoimmune symptoms) from my diet which meant that at dinnertime, Chuck did too. After my Guillain-Barre fiasco in February, I got more serious about my health. I started exercising regularly and fine tuned my nutrition plan; eating healthier than I had in my entire life. Because Chuck and I are together most evenings and weekends, my healthier eating affected him as well. It was important to him that I be as healthy as possible and do whatever I needed to do to try and manage my autoimmune illness and although I offered, he never considered the possibility of making two separate meals when we ate together.

And as the months have gone by, I have noticed the changes that he has made one by one. Getting to the gym more often. Eating smaller portions at meals. It has been interesting to watch because he is not dieting, but rather just making lifestyle changes, one at a time. It has been great because to be honest, it has made my lifestyle changes a LOT easier when there are not always so many tempting foods in the house and when your partner doesn’t want to eat out all the time. That is not to say that we don’t treat ourselves or indulge from time to time but when we do, it is without reservation or guilt.

He has become my biggest fan and cheerleader in my quest to become healthier and lose weight. For the first time in my life, I have a partner that supports my mission. It is also the first time I have been in a relationship where I am losing weight rather than gaining weight. And he has never ever complained. Not once. He eats every single gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, sugar-free, cardboard tasting recipe I have ever tried. Together we figure out which ones we both like more than others and then I experiment some more so we are eating food that we truly enjoy. When he cooks on the weekends, he cooks gluten and dairy-free. He makes sure the ingredients are measured so that I can then calculate the Weight Watchers points as I do the Weight Watchers program in addition to my gluten and dairy-free lifestyle.

I have come to realize that we have become quite a team. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to nutrition and exercise. He is better at staying away from take out and fast food. I am better at making sure we have vegetables with our meals. He is better at the fitness aspect of things and has been good in helping me construct an exercise plan that is doable with my illness. I am better at meal planning and keeping the kitchen stocked.

I have blogged about and been very open about my health and weight loss journey but here’s the thing. It is not my journey. It is OUR journey.

That man that I was so attracted to two years ago? I realized when I looked at him about two weeks ago that he is NOT the same man. Not physically. I was so wrapped up in my own journey that although I knew he was losing weight and I could wrap my arms around him a lot easier, I was not fully aware of his amazing transformation.

I saw him getting dressed that morning and just exclaimed “Oh my God!”

I exclaimed a lot of other things but well, this is a public blog so we will leave it at that.

He had muscle definition in his abdomen, legs, and arms that I had never seen before. The result of exercising five days a week. The result of eating healthier. The result of losing thirty pounds in the two years we have been together.

I have to admit, it gives me a twinge of guilt now and then when I look at him. I am not any more attracted to him than I was before he lost weight but I cannot lie. He looks great. I fully appreciate the changes in his body and I have to wonder if on some level that makes me a bit shallow.

But then I stop and think about how concerned I was about his elevated blood pressure at his doctor visit last year before he lost weight.

I stop and think about how maybe this weight loss might prolong his life and therefore our time together.

I stop and think about how happy he is with himself and how proud I am of his accomplishment.

And I realize that those are the things I am really appreciating.



August 2012
 
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