Huh. I thought I'd blogged about this...but apparently not.
I wrote a bit about it as it happened on Get Fit Chicks.
I wrote about the new diet it when it arrived here.
But I didn't really blog about completing item number 4. I'm sure I did though. So bear with me. I've been up since 5:00 am this morning.
I did the diet. I stuck with it as best I could given the events going on in our lives. I stocked the house with crazy diet friendly food. I drank lots of water. I ate lots of veggies and fruit and grilled and baked chicken. I was careful. I planned ahead when I knew I wouldn't have much choice so that I wouldn't have to eat much.
It didn't work. It was frustrating. I didn't feel any better.
UGH.
But I did it.
I also found out why it wasn't working. One of the things that was high the last time was my cortisol. I also had an unhappy liver and an unhappy pancreas. This time, my cortisol is low. So low. Usually if you saw a graph of your cortisol, it would start out really high in the morning, then drop quickly and then even out for the rest of the day. Mine is low and the curve is pretty flat all day.
Some of this is called adrenal fatigue. There are other things going on too.
The crazy diet and the GAPS diet have a few things in common, but a lot of things not in common. One likes wheat, the other likes nuts. One likes lentils, the other likes rice. One likes fermented dairy products, the other only likes fresh dairy products. Both dislike soy. Both like fresh meats.
So while the crazy diet didn't work for me (if you're looking it up, the term you want to search is low-tyramine diet) this time, I'm happy to say the GAPS diet is working. It's going to be longer than the crazy diet before we can start adding things in (3-4 months vs 1 month) but I'm game if the results are worth it and so far they are!
Showing posts with label crazy diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crazy diet. Show all posts
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Time to make a big change...
In my list of things I meant to blog about in the last week and didn't (but still plan to), I mentioned big changes coming...and to ward off any and all rumours, I figured I better start there!
If you have been following my posts over at Get Fit Chicks recently, you know more than you ever wanted to know about my crazy diet.
The quick history (imagine the long history!) is that about six years ago I was unwell for months, but for no obvious reason. I had the very best doctor in the world at the time and she was patient and listened when I told her what was wrong (or what wasn't right) and told me that regardless of what test results say, she thinks most patients know their bodies better than their doctors do and if they think something is wrong, well something is wrong. She eventually made me take a good month off work (in part to determine if this mystery illness was environmental - physical or mental. That experiment was a good one, but had no definitive conclusion) and sent me to see another doctor to get a second opinion just in case she had missed something. More tests, more blood work, same answer: everything falls into the "normal range."
Usually I'd be happy with that. But I wasn't. Something was still wrong.
I was too tired.
I couldn't get out of bed when my alarm went off - it was physically exhausting. Depression was ruled out.
I couldn't exercise. After 15 minutes of light walking, I needed four or five hours of rest to recover.
It was a vicious cycle - I'd hang out with my friends and have a great time visiting and feel better - usually something low key, a meal out or tea in someone's living room - but then I didn't see anyone for ages because that made me tired too and I needed time to recover.
I figured I was going crazy and was prepared to try pretty much anything. I had drained my savings by taking a month off work while working at a place that had no sick leave policy. I was worried. What would happen to me if I got sicker and needed to take more time off. I was picturing packing up the Hobbit Hole and returning to live with my parents. Not really something I wanted to do.
But my doctor figured there were a few things left to try. She told me that modern, Western medicine didn't have the tools to figure out what was going on and help me get better, but that complementary medicine might help. She sent me to a massage therapist and suggested I go see naturopath and if that didn't work, an acupuncturist. And thankfully, while I wasn't entitled to sick leave, we did have decent extended benefit coverage.
Through word of mouth I found a naturopath who specialized in fatigue and headaches (with the fatigue came extremely frequent headaches and migraines every 7 - 10 days). I'd never been to an naturopath before, and I thought this guy was quite interesting - he was also a pharmacist.
And I decided he was a miracle worker! He did some testing, put me on the crazy diet, gave me some of those drops that naturopaths like to give, and added a few supplements to my daily multivitamin (some Omega 3s and something else, maybe more Vitamin C?). He told me I'd see an improvement in the headaches within the first week and they should keep improving over the next 6-8 weeks until they stopped almost entirely. The fatigue would take longer, but I should see an improvement within 4-6 weeks.
He was right about the headaches - the change was almost immediate.
And on day one of the 5th week, the fatigue changed. It didn't go away completely, but I was able to take the short 15 minute walk I used to take every morning without feeling tired. But the end of the 5th week, I could do my morning walk and my longer (45 minute-ish) walk in the afternoon. By the end of the 6th week, I felt great, I was walking in the morning and all the way home in the afternoon (just over 4 kms), and I had energy again.
I stuck to that diet like my lift depended on it. On special occasions like Christmas day, I let myself indulge. Everyone was scared of my diet and wanted to try to accommodate it, but after the first six weeks of super-strictness, I could eat small amounts of the foods on the elimination list, as long as I paid attention to what I was eating and in what quantities.
It worked. And whenever the fatigue would set in again, I would completely eliminate the stuff on the list for a few weeks and slowly add it back in again.
Life was good. But the last two times I've tried to do it, there have been no great results.
So, to head off another spiral of unhappy health, last week I decided it was time to go back to the naturopath.
I've been seeing another naturopath since the birth of J - this one specializes in women's health, pre- and post-natal women, and pediatrics, so I felt like she was a good fit.
And the new plan might just be crazier than the old plan. She did a test to make sure my hormones are fairly stable, my thyroid isn't out of whack, and to check a couple of other things, but I'm basically going to be doing the GAPS diet and using a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions. I've been doing some research and there's all kinds of interesting information about both of those. GAPS is often used for people with autism, but seems to also have been effective in dealing with fatigue. I'm glad it's winter because there is a lot of soup on this diet for the first little while. I'm not looking forward to the sauerkraut and animal organs...I think I can get away with not using the organs, but probably am stuck with the sauerkraut.
And, because I do most of the cooking and I'm not prepared to make two different dinners every night, J and Alex are going to have to get used to eating strange stuff too! The naturopath thinks three months should be enough time to sort everything out and then, like the last crazy diet, I should be able to add things from the NO list in small quantities, some more occasionally than others.
There are going to be some big challenges - especially with the holidays around the corner - but I don't want to end up where I was six years ago, so if doing this now will prevent that, well, let's do it!
If you have been following my posts over at Get Fit Chicks recently, you know more than you ever wanted to know about my crazy diet.
The quick history (imagine the long history!) is that about six years ago I was unwell for months, but for no obvious reason. I had the very best doctor in the world at the time and she was patient and listened when I told her what was wrong (or what wasn't right) and told me that regardless of what test results say, she thinks most patients know their bodies better than their doctors do and if they think something is wrong, well something is wrong. She eventually made me take a good month off work (in part to determine if this mystery illness was environmental - physical or mental. That experiment was a good one, but had no definitive conclusion) and sent me to see another doctor to get a second opinion just in case she had missed something. More tests, more blood work, same answer: everything falls into the "normal range."
Usually I'd be happy with that. But I wasn't. Something was still wrong.
I was too tired.
I couldn't get out of bed when my alarm went off - it was physically exhausting. Depression was ruled out.
I couldn't exercise. After 15 minutes of light walking, I needed four or five hours of rest to recover.
It was a vicious cycle - I'd hang out with my friends and have a great time visiting and feel better - usually something low key, a meal out or tea in someone's living room - but then I didn't see anyone for ages because that made me tired too and I needed time to recover.
I figured I was going crazy and was prepared to try pretty much anything. I had drained my savings by taking a month off work while working at a place that had no sick leave policy. I was worried. What would happen to me if I got sicker and needed to take more time off. I was picturing packing up the Hobbit Hole and returning to live with my parents. Not really something I wanted to do.
But my doctor figured there were a few things left to try. She told me that modern, Western medicine didn't have the tools to figure out what was going on and help me get better, but that complementary medicine might help. She sent me to a massage therapist and suggested I go see naturopath and if that didn't work, an acupuncturist. And thankfully, while I wasn't entitled to sick leave, we did have decent extended benefit coverage.
Through word of mouth I found a naturopath who specialized in fatigue and headaches (with the fatigue came extremely frequent headaches and migraines every 7 - 10 days). I'd never been to an naturopath before, and I thought this guy was quite interesting - he was also a pharmacist.
And I decided he was a miracle worker! He did some testing, put me on the crazy diet, gave me some of those drops that naturopaths like to give, and added a few supplements to my daily multivitamin (some Omega 3s and something else, maybe more Vitamin C?). He told me I'd see an improvement in the headaches within the first week and they should keep improving over the next 6-8 weeks until they stopped almost entirely. The fatigue would take longer, but I should see an improvement within 4-6 weeks.
He was right about the headaches - the change was almost immediate.
And on day one of the 5th week, the fatigue changed. It didn't go away completely, but I was able to take the short 15 minute walk I used to take every morning without feeling tired. But the end of the 5th week, I could do my morning walk and my longer (45 minute-ish) walk in the afternoon. By the end of the 6th week, I felt great, I was walking in the morning and all the way home in the afternoon (just over 4 kms), and I had energy again.
I stuck to that diet like my lift depended on it. On special occasions like Christmas day, I let myself indulge. Everyone was scared of my diet and wanted to try to accommodate it, but after the first six weeks of super-strictness, I could eat small amounts of the foods on the elimination list, as long as I paid attention to what I was eating and in what quantities.
It worked. And whenever the fatigue would set in again, I would completely eliminate the stuff on the list for a few weeks and slowly add it back in again.
Life was good. But the last two times I've tried to do it, there have been no great results.
So, to head off another spiral of unhappy health, last week I decided it was time to go back to the naturopath.
I've been seeing another naturopath since the birth of J - this one specializes in women's health, pre- and post-natal women, and pediatrics, so I felt like she was a good fit.
And the new plan might just be crazier than the old plan. She did a test to make sure my hormones are fairly stable, my thyroid isn't out of whack, and to check a couple of other things, but I'm basically going to be doing the GAPS diet and using a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions. I've been doing some research and there's all kinds of interesting information about both of those. GAPS is often used for people with autism, but seems to also have been effective in dealing with fatigue. I'm glad it's winter because there is a lot of soup on this diet for the first little while. I'm not looking forward to the sauerkraut and animal organs...I think I can get away with not using the organs, but probably am stuck with the sauerkraut.
And, because I do most of the cooking and I'm not prepared to make two different dinners every night, J and Alex are going to have to get used to eating strange stuff too! The naturopath thinks three months should be enough time to sort everything out and then, like the last crazy diet, I should be able to add things from the NO list in small quantities, some more occasionally than others.
There are going to be some big challenges - especially with the holidays around the corner - but I don't want to end up where I was six years ago, so if doing this now will prevent that, well, let's do it!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Crazy tweaking time
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
So, a week and a half into the crazy diet and it’s time to tweak it.
It’s been a lot harder than I expected, mostly because of the things I couldn’t control – meetings. There’s also been the fact that I’m cooking for myself, but I’m also the cook for the rest of the family. And the not-enough-carb headaches.
So.
I did what I could at the meetings. One was in a restaurant, so I checked out the menu before I got there and figured out what fit or was a close fit with the diet. That was easier than the day I had to attend a lunch meeting and pretty much the entire menu was off the list.
My family is pretty happy to eat whatever I feed them, but my kid, who never really asks for anything, has been demanding “ma-co-neeeeeeee” for the last few days. Last night I gave in and made macaroni and cheese for her and her dad to have tonight – I’ve got a meeting, so I’ll grab something small when we get home after work and then grab some soup or a salad when I get home. I don’t like to keep things like cheese or chocolate or bananas in the house while I’m trying to get back into the regular routine of eating with the crazy diet in mind, but J’s been insistent. I find that I need a few weeks of eating the way I should before I’m able to look in the fridge and go, oh, I’m hungry, but I don’t want that…
And then there were the not-enough-carb headaches. This was something I should have thought of and just not done this time. Taking wheat out just makes me more aware when it’s back in about eating things like bread. But I need a good serving of carbs at every meal or I end up with a migraine. Carbs like rice, potatoes, bread, oatmeal. I’m not a fan of potatoes which left me with rice (oatmeal was out because I refuse to cook twice for one meal – we make our oatmeal with milk and J won’t eat it if I make it with water anymore). And I can only eat so much rice. So wheat is back a week early. In small quantities. Like a slice of bread with my soup. And that’s pretty much it.
But it’s made a HUGE difference for my head. Because who can function when their head is exploding, stomach is doing back flips, and light and sound are enough to make you want to scream or hide under the desk or both?
So, week two is much smoother than week one…phew.
So, a week and a half into the crazy diet and it’s time to tweak it.
It’s been a lot harder than I expected, mostly because of the things I couldn’t control – meetings. There’s also been the fact that I’m cooking for myself, but I’m also the cook for the rest of the family. And the not-enough-carb headaches.
So.
I did what I could at the meetings. One was in a restaurant, so I checked out the menu before I got there and figured out what fit or was a close fit with the diet. That was easier than the day I had to attend a lunch meeting and pretty much the entire menu was off the list.
My family is pretty happy to eat whatever I feed them, but my kid, who never really asks for anything, has been demanding “ma-co-neeeeeeee” for the last few days. Last night I gave in and made macaroni and cheese for her and her dad to have tonight – I’ve got a meeting, so I’ll grab something small when we get home after work and then grab some soup or a salad when I get home. I don’t like to keep things like cheese or chocolate or bananas in the house while I’m trying to get back into the regular routine of eating with the crazy diet in mind, but J’s been insistent. I find that I need a few weeks of eating the way I should before I’m able to look in the fridge and go, oh, I’m hungry, but I don’t want that…
And then there were the not-enough-carb headaches. This was something I should have thought of and just not done this time. Taking wheat out just makes me more aware when it’s back in about eating things like bread. But I need a good serving of carbs at every meal or I end up with a migraine. Carbs like rice, potatoes, bread, oatmeal. I’m not a fan of potatoes which left me with rice (oatmeal was out because I refuse to cook twice for one meal – we make our oatmeal with milk and J won’t eat it if I make it with water anymore). And I can only eat so much rice. So wheat is back a week early. In small quantities. Like a slice of bread with my soup. And that’s pretty much it.
But it’s made a HUGE difference for my head. Because who can function when their head is exploding, stomach is doing back flips, and light and sound are enough to make you want to scream or hide under the desk or both?
So, week two is much smoother than week one…phew.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Why, oh why, am I more tired now?
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
The crazy diet started on Friday. I’ve been pretty good, considering some of the challenges I’ve had with meals where I had no control over what there was to eat…the best was lunch yesterday – a deli buffet – cold cuts, cheese, buns, cheese, pickles, more cheese, crackers, and huge chocolate squares. Oh, and tiny little fruit platter – not really enough for the number of people at lunch. And there was a tray of rabbit food – sprouts, tomatoes, tiny little slices of peppers – to go with the buns. But no salad.
So, I had to eat what was there. I avoided the chocolate and had fruit instead, but the rest of it…it was a four hour meeting over lunch, there was no way to avoid it (and bringing my own was not an option)…thankfully these meetings only happen every six weeks or so and tend to have different menus every time, so I shouldn’t run into this problem again….
But today I am so tired. I’d love it if they put a nap room in our building somewhere!
I know it’s not just because of what I ate yesterday, but I also know that yesterday didn’t help. I balanced it out with a yummy dinner of salmon, veggies, and brown rice, so hopefully I’ll get a little energy kick later on today.
The crazy diet started on Friday. I’ve been pretty good, considering some of the challenges I’ve had with meals where I had no control over what there was to eat…the best was lunch yesterday – a deli buffet – cold cuts, cheese, buns, cheese, pickles, more cheese, crackers, and huge chocolate squares. Oh, and tiny little fruit platter – not really enough for the number of people at lunch. And there was a tray of rabbit food – sprouts, tomatoes, tiny little slices of peppers – to go with the buns. But no salad.
So, I had to eat what was there. I avoided the chocolate and had fruit instead, but the rest of it…it was a four hour meeting over lunch, there was no way to avoid it (and bringing my own was not an option)…thankfully these meetings only happen every six weeks or so and tend to have different menus every time, so I shouldn’t run into this problem again….
But today I am so tired. I’d love it if they put a nap room in our building somewhere!
I know it’s not just because of what I ate yesterday, but I also know that yesterday didn’t help. I balanced it out with a yummy dinner of salmon, veggies, and brown rice, so hopefully I’ll get a little energy kick later on today.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Soup for breakfast?
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
So besides the challenges I’m facing this week with meetings and food, the biggest challenge I’ve had since the beginning of the crazy diet is what to eat for breakfast.
Our mornings are timed down to the second, well, not quite, but almost – we have about a ten minute cushion. I’m not getting up earlier than I already do to make a special breakfast for me because then I’d have to go to bed earlier and once J is asleep, I’m lucky if I have two hours to get everything done in the evenings before I have to head to bed too…
Do my dilemma was big…weekends are easy – I could have scrambled eggs, an omelette or somethings like that – but I just don’t have time on weekdays. We usually have oatmeal, but I make it with milk so that both J and I get enough calcium. J won’t eat oatmeal with water anymore – it doesn’t matter how much dried fruit and cinnamon I add, she wants her milk. So she can have it. But I still need to eat.
I mentioned that I had control of one meal at our meeting…I got up early on Saturday morning and made carrot and lentil soup. And I was starving. So I had some for breakfast. It was good.
I’ve decided that soup for breakfast is a good choice. This one is warm and creamy and yummy and it kept me full longer than a bowl of stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal. And it didn’t take any extra time. I can make the soup a few days in advance and just heat it up in the morning. So, problem solved, although I’ll probably go back to oatmeal next week when I can have milk again because it’s a pain making two breakfasts.
So besides the challenges I’m facing this week with meetings and food, the biggest challenge I’ve had since the beginning of the crazy diet is what to eat for breakfast.
Our mornings are timed down to the second, well, not quite, but almost – we have about a ten minute cushion. I’m not getting up earlier than I already do to make a special breakfast for me because then I’d have to go to bed earlier and once J is asleep, I’m lucky if I have two hours to get everything done in the evenings before I have to head to bed too…
Do my dilemma was big…weekends are easy – I could have scrambled eggs, an omelette or somethings like that – but I just don’t have time on weekdays. We usually have oatmeal, but I make it with milk so that both J and I get enough calcium. J won’t eat oatmeal with water anymore – it doesn’t matter how much dried fruit and cinnamon I add, she wants her milk. So she can have it. But I still need to eat.
I mentioned that I had control of one meal at our meeting…I got up early on Saturday morning and made carrot and lentil soup. And I was starving. So I had some for breakfast. It was good.
I’ve decided that soup for breakfast is a good choice. This one is warm and creamy and yummy and it kept me full longer than a bowl of stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal. And it didn’t take any extra time. I can make the soup a few days in advance and just heat it up in the morning. So, problem solved, although I’ll probably go back to oatmeal next week when I can have milk again because it’s a pain making two breakfasts.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Here goes nothing...
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
The crazy diet started today.
I planned for it. I kept it away from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I made sure our house and the people in it were ready.
I treated myself to a vanilla latte on the way to work yesterday and savoured it, knowing it was my last for a while.
I bought lots of veggies and fruit that work with the diet.
I have been planning meals in my head for days.
I forgot to look at the calendar to see what else was happening.
Specifically:
The hardest part is that the first three things are on days 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the diet. The hardest days anyway. But I’ll be okay. The people at my Guide meeting are used to the crazy diet and no one seems too upset when I bring my own food. And the baby shower, well, it is just after the initial two week tough period, so while I’m still restricted on what I can eat, I’ll have many more choices than if it was tomorrow.
Nothing like making a tough challenge more challenging. But the results will be worth it. Getting rid of the fatigue makes everything else go so much better as well!
The crazy diet started today.
I planned for it. I kept it away from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I made sure our house and the people in it were ready.
I treated myself to a vanilla latte on the way to work yesterday and savoured it, knowing it was my last for a while.
I bought lots of veggies and fruit that work with the diet.
I have been planning meals in my head for days.
I forgot to look at the calendar to see what else was happening.
Specifically:
- a work lunch where there is very little choice in food
- an all weekend Guide meeting with more choice, but still difficult as I’m only looking after meal preparation for one meal
- another work lunch where there is very little choice (and no option to brown bag)
- a baby shower that I’m hosting (more food choice, but really, why do I do it to myself?!?!?!)
- Hallowe’en (oh wait, no, that factored into my plan…)
The hardest part is that the first three things are on days 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the diet. The hardest days anyway. But I’ll be okay. The people at my Guide meeting are used to the crazy diet and no one seems too upset when I bring my own food. And the baby shower, well, it is just after the initial two week tough period, so while I’m still restricted on what I can eat, I’ll have many more choices than if it was tomorrow.
Nothing like making a tough challenge more challenging. But the results will be worth it. Getting rid of the fatigue makes everything else go so much better as well!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Help please!
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Okay, so as I prepare to start the crazy diet again, I need some help! I’m trying to compile some recipes that fit the diet criteria and I’m stuck. I’ve gone through every cookbook I own and I know I need more recipes! I also discovered that lately we’ve been eating a lot of things that have lots of tomatoes in them and more cheese than I’d like.
After a discussion with my naturopath, this list is modified from the list I used the last time. Beans, peas, legumes, peppers, and small amounts of yogurt are back on the list, which makes me happy because, ugh, it’s hard to eliminate all of those things.
Corn and Soy products
Fermented dairy products including sour cream and cheese, but small amounts of yogurt are okay.
Some nuts including peanuts and walnuts, but not cashews, almonds or pecans
Tomatoes and tomato products
Avocados
All citrus fruit and most tropical fruits including bananas, mangoes, pineapple, papaya etc.
Grapes and raisins, plums, prunes, apricots and peaches
Pickles or dried fish
Liver products including liverwurst (EW!)
Yeast concentrates and homemade bread
Meat extracts including bouillon cubes and Worcestershire sauce
Pickled anything/vinegars especially balsamic
Luncheon meats, sausage and any other meat or fish that isn’t fresh or frozen
Beer and ale, wine and any fermented alcoholic beverage
Liquorice
Chocolate and cocoa
Cola
In addition, for the first week I need to eliminate the following things: sugar, all dairy, caffeine, wheat, corn, soy.
After the first week I can add milk (but no other dairy) and the caffeine back in, but the rest are off the menu. Then, I get to add the other stuff after week two, one thing at a time with a few days in between each addition. I’m not sure what I’ll want first – sugar or wheat.
So. If you have any recipes that don’t contain any of the things up there, let me know! I’d love to see them. As I go through this round of the crazy diet, I will try to post anything I find that turns out well.
Okay, so as I prepare to start the crazy diet again, I need some help! I’m trying to compile some recipes that fit the diet criteria and I’m stuck. I’ve gone through every cookbook I own and I know I need more recipes! I also discovered that lately we’ve been eating a lot of things that have lots of tomatoes in them and more cheese than I’d like.
After a discussion with my naturopath, this list is modified from the list I used the last time. Beans, peas, legumes, peppers, and small amounts of yogurt are back on the list, which makes me happy because, ugh, it’s hard to eliminate all of those things.
Corn and Soy products
Fermented dairy products including sour cream and cheese, but small amounts of yogurt are okay.
Some nuts including peanuts and walnuts, but not cashews, almonds or pecans
Tomatoes and tomato products
Avocados
All citrus fruit and most tropical fruits including bananas, mangoes, pineapple, papaya etc.
Grapes and raisins, plums, prunes, apricots and peaches
Pickles or dried fish
Liver products including liverwurst (EW!)
Yeast concentrates and homemade bread
Meat extracts including bouillon cubes and Worcestershire sauce
Pickled anything/vinegars especially balsamic
Luncheon meats, sausage and any other meat or fish that isn’t fresh or frozen
Beer and ale, wine and any fermented alcoholic beverage
Liquorice
Chocolate and cocoa
Cola
In addition, for the first week I need to eliminate the following things: sugar, all dairy, caffeine, wheat, corn, soy.
After the first week I can add milk (but no other dairy) and the caffeine back in, but the rest are off the menu. Then, I get to add the other stuff after week two, one thing at a time with a few days in between each addition. I’m not sure what I’ll want first – sugar or wheat.
So. If you have any recipes that don’t contain any of the things up there, let me know! I’d love to see them. As I go through this round of the crazy diet, I will try to post anything I find that turns out well.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Diet Decisions
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
So, I’ve made a decision about my diet. I’ve been really tired (I think it’s a combination of not getting enough good sleep, things at work changing, the weather and what I’m fueling my body with) for the last little while and it needs to stop!
It’s time to try to stick to the crazy diet again. For a good month, longer if possible. But I’m not starting until October 15.
Yes, I know, it’s still two and a half weeks away, so why am I blogging about it now? Well, mostly so that I’ll stick to the plan. I’ve declared loud and clear over the internet that the crazy diet is my intention and hopefully that will keep me motivated to follow through.
October 15 is the date I picked because it’s a good date – easy to track and remember. I’m trying to stick to the diet for an entire month, which would take me to November 15. But why not October 1?
EASY!
Thanksgiving. The first week (or two) of the diet involves eliminating a bunch of things and then adding them back in over time. I don’t want to be in the avoidance period or the reintroduction period over Thanksgiving as we will be out of town for five days and other people will be cooking for me. I really don’t need to make the cooks’ lives or cooking more chaotic over a holiday weekend. So, I figure, start the weekend after Thanksgiving. Which means no chocolate over Hallowe’en for me. Which might not be such a horrible thing.
I also wanted to give myself some time to get our lives at home organized again. My husband started a different shift with more “normal” hours this week and J has just settled into daycare and my job is going through a big transformation in the next week or so, so things are a bit off kilter at our house. I hope that by the middle of October we will be back into a routine and that will make the crazy cooking easier.
The countdown to crazy time begins!
So, I’ve made a decision about my diet. I’ve been really tired (I think it’s a combination of not getting enough good sleep, things at work changing, the weather and what I’m fueling my body with) for the last little while and it needs to stop!
It’s time to try to stick to the crazy diet again. For a good month, longer if possible. But I’m not starting until October 15.
Yes, I know, it’s still two and a half weeks away, so why am I blogging about it now? Well, mostly so that I’ll stick to the plan. I’ve declared loud and clear over the internet that the crazy diet is my intention and hopefully that will keep me motivated to follow through.
October 15 is the date I picked because it’s a good date – easy to track and remember. I’m trying to stick to the diet for an entire month, which would take me to November 15. But why not October 1?
EASY!
Thanksgiving. The first week (or two) of the diet involves eliminating a bunch of things and then adding them back in over time. I don’t want to be in the avoidance period or the reintroduction period over Thanksgiving as we will be out of town for five days and other people will be cooking for me. I really don’t need to make the cooks’ lives or cooking more chaotic over a holiday weekend. So, I figure, start the weekend after Thanksgiving. Which means no chocolate over Hallowe’en for me. Which might not be such a horrible thing.
I also wanted to give myself some time to get our lives at home organized again. My husband started a different shift with more “normal” hours this week and J has just settled into daycare and my job is going through a big transformation in the next week or so, so things are a bit off kilter at our house. I hope that by the middle of October we will be back into a routine and that will make the crazy cooking easier.
The countdown to crazy time begins!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Fatigue and Tiredness
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
So, the crazy diet seems to have done the trick…or at least part of the trick. The fatigue is totally letting up. I’m sure the aquafit has a lot to do with it too, but I am certain the diet played a big role!
When I was battling fatigue before, I saw a bunch of doctors, specialists and students…And when there was a student involved I had to tell my story from the very beginning, even if I’d been seeing that particular doctor/specialist regularly and they knew the story by heart (there was one doctor who I saw 2-3 times a week for about three months…she knew the drill!). One of those students was studying to be a nurse practitioner and it was because of her I had to figure out how to describe the difference (for me) between feeling tired and feeling fatigued.
This particular woman was convinced from the moment she started taking my history (the story begins with a sudden, unexplained fever and snowballs from there) that my problem was quite simply “just depression.” Which she told me six or seven times before she had my complete history.
When the doctor came in and the student “presented” me she immediately started off with, this woman is depressed. Now, I don’t think she’d seen my chart because this was the doctor I’d was visiting more often than I saw my friends and the doctor, while she listened to what the student had to say, was not in agreement. Depression was one of the first things they ruled out – in part because of how I felt in the morning.
The reason this student was adamant that I was “just depressed” was because I mentioned that I just couldn’t get myself out of bed in the morning. What I didn’t manage to get across but the doctor finally communicated to the student was that (for me) not being able to get up in the morning wasn’t a psychological, “don’t want to” get up but more a physical, “can’t actually do it” get up AND when the student *still* insisted that I was “just depressed” that the various doctors I had been seeing had all ruled depression out. And what I realized from the discussion that ensued between the doctor and the student was that I needed to be more clear on how I felt. (I also hoped the student stopped telling people they were “just depressed” because depression is a little more serious and real than “just” allows it to be.)
Which led me to my personal definitions of tiredness and fatigue. I’m tired if I can’t keep my eyes open, I feel sleepy, and a good night’s rest (or nap) will take away the tired feeling. I’m fatigued I usually feel sleepy, I may not be able to keep my eyes open, I may not be able to concentrate, I may not be able to get motivated, I may not want to eat, but sleep (a nap or a good night’s rest) will not make me feel less tired or relieve the other symptoms.
So, while I’m still tired (getting up with a hungry, growing toddler at 4:00 doesn’t help things), I feel like I’m fatigue free again! I can be “cured” by getting some sleep…although that’s not likely to happen for another, oh, eighteen years.
So, the crazy diet seems to have done the trick…or at least part of the trick. The fatigue is totally letting up. I’m sure the aquafit has a lot to do with it too, but I am certain the diet played a big role!
When I was battling fatigue before, I saw a bunch of doctors, specialists and students…And when there was a student involved I had to tell my story from the very beginning, even if I’d been seeing that particular doctor/specialist regularly and they knew the story by heart (there was one doctor who I saw 2-3 times a week for about three months…she knew the drill!). One of those students was studying to be a nurse practitioner and it was because of her I had to figure out how to describe the difference (for me) between feeling tired and feeling fatigued.
This particular woman was convinced from the moment she started taking my history (the story begins with a sudden, unexplained fever and snowballs from there) that my problem was quite simply “just depression.” Which she told me six or seven times before she had my complete history.
When the doctor came in and the student “presented” me she immediately started off with, this woman is depressed. Now, I don’t think she’d seen my chart because this was the doctor I’d was visiting more often than I saw my friends and the doctor, while she listened to what the student had to say, was not in agreement. Depression was one of the first things they ruled out – in part because of how I felt in the morning.
The reason this student was adamant that I was “just depressed” was because I mentioned that I just couldn’t get myself out of bed in the morning. What I didn’t manage to get across but the doctor finally communicated to the student was that (for me) not being able to get up in the morning wasn’t a psychological, “don’t want to” get up but more a physical, “can’t actually do it” get up AND when the student *still* insisted that I was “just depressed” that the various doctors I had been seeing had all ruled depression out. And what I realized from the discussion that ensued between the doctor and the student was that I needed to be more clear on how I felt. (I also hoped the student stopped telling people they were “just depressed” because depression is a little more serious and real than “just” allows it to be.)
Which led me to my personal definitions of tiredness and fatigue. I’m tired if I can’t keep my eyes open, I feel sleepy, and a good night’s rest (or nap) will take away the tired feeling. I’m fatigued I usually feel sleepy, I may not be able to keep my eyes open, I may not be able to concentrate, I may not be able to get motivated, I may not want to eat, but sleep (a nap or a good night’s rest) will not make me feel less tired or relieve the other symptoms.
So, while I’m still tired (getting up with a hungry, growing toddler at 4:00 doesn’t help things), I feel like I’m fatigue free again! I can be “cured” by getting some sleep…although that’s not likely to happen for another, oh, eighteen years.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Get Fit Chicks! Good Bye Crazy Diet
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Today is the last day of the four week crazy diet. I’m not sure how well it worked…some crazy things have been going in our lives – work stress, sick toddler, other not-so-fun-stuff – that have resulted in not as much sleeps as I need, so I’m not sure if the fatigue I’m feeling now is really fatigue or just life related.
The diet was okay – I found this time that I really didn’t enjoy being restricted in terms of fruit and there are only so many bananas, apples and pears one can eat…I had an orange this morning and I’m looking forward to the complete and total reentry of citrus into my diet tomorrow. I had more than one “cheat” day – if you can call them that – sometimes I just plain forgot I was not supposed to have whatever until after I ate it and sometime I made the decision to take a break for one meal, usually because it was a special occasion.
I have determined though, that I’m much better at following these types of things if I have someone to check in with. The reason this diet worked so well the last time was because I had to go back every few weeks and see what kind of progress I was making.
And the big question – this was not a weight loss diet – but did I lose weight? I think I lost three pounds over the four weeks, which isn’t horrible, but I’d like to be closer to 1.5-2 pounds per week.
Today is the last day of the four week crazy diet. I’m not sure how well it worked…some crazy things have been going in our lives – work stress, sick toddler, other not-so-fun-stuff – that have resulted in not as much sleeps as I need, so I’m not sure if the fatigue I’m feeling now is really fatigue or just life related.
The diet was okay – I found this time that I really didn’t enjoy being restricted in terms of fruit and there are only so many bananas, apples and pears one can eat…I had an orange this morning and I’m looking forward to the complete and total reentry of citrus into my diet tomorrow. I had more than one “cheat” day – if you can call them that – sometimes I just plain forgot I was not supposed to have whatever until after I ate it and sometime I made the decision to take a break for one meal, usually because it was a special occasion.
I have determined though, that I’m much better at following these types of things if I have someone to check in with. The reason this diet worked so well the last time was because I had to go back every few weeks and see what kind of progress I was making.
And the big question – this was not a weight loss diet – but did I lose weight? I think I lost three pounds over the four weeks, which isn’t horrible, but I’d like to be closer to 1.5-2 pounds per week.
Monday, January 11, 2010
One week down
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
I survived the first week on the crazy diet and now it becomes less crazy. And even though it wasn’t as crazy as it was the first time I did it, I found last week hard.
Besides the fact that J got sick, it was harder to do with a kid and husband than when it was just me. I thought it would be easier because I’d have someone around to ask me how I was doing and remind me that the thing I’m about to put in my mouth has lemon/flour/soy etc in it…but it was harder. And the temptation was greater. I think largely because J still had to have dairy. I never thought I’d want a bite of yogurt so badly!
I guess when it was just me, it was a lot easier because I emptied my house of all those things I wasn’t allowed to have. There was no yogurt or cheese in my fridge at all. I didn’t buy citrus fruit for anyone else…all that stuff.
But I did fairly well on week one, so week two can only be better!
I survived the first week on the crazy diet and now it becomes less crazy. And even though it wasn’t as crazy as it was the first time I did it, I found last week hard.
Besides the fact that J got sick, it was harder to do with a kid and husband than when it was just me. I thought it would be easier because I’d have someone around to ask me how I was doing and remind me that the thing I’m about to put in my mouth has lemon/flour/soy etc in it…but it was harder. And the temptation was greater. I think largely because J still had to have dairy. I never thought I’d want a bite of yogurt so badly!
I guess when it was just me, it was a lot easier because I emptied my house of all those things I wasn’t allowed to have. There was no yogurt or cheese in my fridge at all. I didn’t buy citrus fruit for anyone else…all that stuff.
But I did fairly well on week one, so week two can only be better!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Hurdles
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Day one and day two went the way day one and day two always go…fine, but hard. I had sushi on Tuesday because it was a colleague’s birthday and I know it had soy, vinegar and sugar in it, but I figured it wasn’t a huge amount and it was only one day. Besides, this isn’t an absolute diet…
But then the evening of day two hit and it became apparent I wasn’t going to work on day three…J was sick…again (this is one of the unfortunate side effects of sending your otherwise healthy toddler to daycare…they come home with every bug out there!). J being sick would have been fine, except that she gave me her bug too. It wasn’t as bad as hers, but yesterday was a ginger ale (sugar), cracker (wheat) and chicken noodle soup (more wheat) day for me. I was feeling better by dinner time and today I’m on track, but it sure is frustrating to hit a hurdle like that right at the beginning of the crazy diet…
I debated what to do about the obvious non-diet day and decided to stay with my plan. Things come up and that’s just life. And hopefully when this is over, I’ll feel much much better!
Day one and day two went the way day one and day two always go…fine, but hard. I had sushi on Tuesday because it was a colleague’s birthday and I know it had soy, vinegar and sugar in it, but I figured it wasn’t a huge amount and it was only one day. Besides, this isn’t an absolute diet…
But then the evening of day two hit and it became apparent I wasn’t going to work on day three…J was sick…again (this is one of the unfortunate side effects of sending your otherwise healthy toddler to daycare…they come home with every bug out there!). J being sick would have been fine, except that she gave me her bug too. It wasn’t as bad as hers, but yesterday was a ginger ale (sugar), cracker (wheat) and chicken noodle soup (more wheat) day for me. I was feeling better by dinner time and today I’m on track, but it sure is frustrating to hit a hurdle like that right at the beginning of the crazy diet…
I debated what to do about the obvious non-diet day and decided to stay with my plan. Things come up and that’s just life. And hopefully when this is over, I’ll feel much much better!
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
The Not Quite As Crazy Diet
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
Some time last fall J developed a rash on her cheeks that just wouldn’t go away. Finally in May I went to see a naturopath (not the one who gave me the Crazy Diet!). She specializes in pediatric naturopathy as well and pre- and post-partum women, (she was perfect – I’d definitely go back and see her and I highly recommend her. Email me if you’d like her name).
We had by then decided that J’s problem was probably something she was eating and we were worried it might be her formula. The naturopath didn’t want to make such a huge change to J’s diet right away – she wanted to try a few things first. So J got to go on her first elimination diet – for two weeks she had to avoid all the food on a list, yup a diet list, and then we could add things in one at a time every three days. Eliminations diets are both harder and easier when your baby only eat about twelve foods…not as much to cut out, but also not as many things to replace the eliminated food with! Because I was still breastfeeding and the formula was a supplement, I also had to go on a diet. I had been pretty tired for a while, so the naturopath suggested some modifications to the crazy diet for me to try once we had J sorted out. And that’s the diet I’m going to follow this time to try to get rid of the fatigue. It has more calcium and more fruit and vegetable options than the original crazy diet.
It’s a bit nuts for the first week and then it eases off the second week . Instead of a two week run, I’m going to try a four week run this time. Week one with all the stuff gone and weeks 2-4 with some of the options added.
Week One
All dairy products
Corn and Soy products
Pickled food/vinegar
Citrus
Egg, Wheat/gluten
Sugar
Alcohol, Caffeine
Weeks Two – Four
All dairy except yogurt and plain milk
Wheat (can be added at the beginning of the week but should be limited as much as possible)
Corn and Soy products
Pickled food/vinegar
Citrus (can be added at the end of week two)
Sugar (can be added half way into week two)
Alcohol, Caffeine
And today’s the start of the diet…we’ll see how it goes!
Oh and it turns out J was sensitive to apples – which weren’t on the elimination diet and my mom figured out the day after we arrived at her house for a visit…
Some time last fall J developed a rash on her cheeks that just wouldn’t go away. Finally in May I went to see a naturopath (not the one who gave me the Crazy Diet!). She specializes in pediatric naturopathy as well and pre- and post-partum women, (she was perfect – I’d definitely go back and see her and I highly recommend her. Email me if you’d like her name).
We had by then decided that J’s problem was probably something she was eating and we were worried it might be her formula. The naturopath didn’t want to make such a huge change to J’s diet right away – she wanted to try a few things first. So J got to go on her first elimination diet – for two weeks she had to avoid all the food on a list, yup a diet list, and then we could add things in one at a time every three days. Eliminations diets are both harder and easier when your baby only eat about twelve foods…not as much to cut out, but also not as many things to replace the eliminated food with! Because I was still breastfeeding and the formula was a supplement, I also had to go on a diet. I had been pretty tired for a while, so the naturopath suggested some modifications to the crazy diet for me to try once we had J sorted out. And that’s the diet I’m going to follow this time to try to get rid of the fatigue. It has more calcium and more fruit and vegetable options than the original crazy diet.
It’s a bit nuts for the first week and then it eases off the second week . Instead of a two week run, I’m going to try a four week run this time. Week one with all the stuff gone and weeks 2-4 with some of the options added.
Week One
All dairy products
Corn and Soy products
Pickled food/vinegar
Citrus
Egg, Wheat/gluten
Sugar
Alcohol, Caffeine
Weeks Two – Four
All dairy except yogurt and plain milk
Wheat (can be added at the beginning of the week but should be limited as much as possible)
Corn and Soy products
Pickled food/vinegar
Citrus (can be added at the end of week two)
Sugar (can be added half way into week two)
Alcohol, Caffeine
And today’s the start of the diet…we’ll see how it goes!
Oh and it turns out J was sensitive to apples – which weren’t on the elimination diet and my mom figured out the day after we arrived at her house for a visit…
Monday, January 04, 2010
The Crazy Diet
This post was originally published at Get Fit Chicks. It may refer to posts on Get Fit Chicks that no longer exist. Please email me if you run into any of those and I will break the links. More information about the reposting is available here
When I got the list for the crazy diet five years ago, I didn’t know how I was going to manage. The list was long and was of all the things I wasn’t allowed to eat.
Yeah right.
The list was so overwhelming that at first I thought I was going to cry. And spend a lot of time crying. I had to say goodbye to smoothies for breakfast (no yogurt or bananas allowed), hot chocolate (no chocolate allowed), my staple peanut butter sandwiches for lunch (no peanuts allowed), most fruits and anything for dinner that had tomatoes, lentils or beans…So for the first couple of weeks I ate a lot of oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, rice, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, apples, oranges and baked fish and chicken. And that was about it. But then I stared getting creative and doing things like substituting cauliflower for the peppers in one of my favourite curries. I went home for Christmas and got out all of my mom’s cookbooks and combed through them looking for recipes that didn’t have any of the ingredients on the list.
I expanded my repertoire of cooking and started to feel better. I lost a few pounds. It wasn’t an absolute, no cheating – the naturopath promised me I’d see a huge improvement in my issues with fatigue within 4-6 weeks and eventually I’d get to add some things back in. And that one meal or day of eating that didn’t fit with the list wasn’t going to kill me. Literally on day one of week 5 the improvements started. Not long after I got to add small amounts of some of the things back in. On Christmas Day, the list was hidden out of sight and I got to eat whatever I wanted, within reason, and I didn’t feel horrible the next day. For the next year and half I was very diligent with the list and then it gradually fell off, but I knew what the signs where and when I needed to go back to it. Every once in a while I get very fatigued again and go back to the crazy diet for a couple of weeks and then ease back into regular food. And it works.
I pretty much avoid soy when I can (I do like soy sauce with my sushi!) and corn as much as possible and I have a drink every once in a while, but the rest of it can be found regularly in my diet. A side benefit is that I hardly eat any prepackaged, processed foods. Did you know most of those foods have soy or corn or both in some form!
So here’s the crazy diet list:
Corn and Soy products
Fermented dairy products including sour cream, yogurt and cheese
Beans – green as well as fava, kidney, garbanzo etc, Peas and pea pods and other legumes including lentils
Some nuts including peanuts and walnuts, but not cashews, almonds or pecans
Tomatoes and tomato products
Peppers and pepper products, Avocados
All citrus fruit and most tropical fruits including bananas, mangoes, pineapple, papaya etc. Grapes and raisins, plums, prunes, apricots and peaches
Pickles or dried fish
Liver products including liverwurst (EW!)
Yeast concentrates and homemade bread
Meat extracts including bouillon cubes and Worcestershire sauce
Pickled anything/vinegars especially balsamic
Luncheon meats, sausage and any other meat or fish that isn’t fresh or frozen
Beer and ale, wine and any fermented alcoholic beverage
Licorice
Chocolate and cocoa
Cola
When I got the list for the crazy diet five years ago, I didn’t know how I was going to manage. The list was long and was of all the things I wasn’t allowed to eat.
Yeah right.
The list was so overwhelming that at first I thought I was going to cry. And spend a lot of time crying. I had to say goodbye to smoothies for breakfast (no yogurt or bananas allowed), hot chocolate (no chocolate allowed), my staple peanut butter sandwiches for lunch (no peanuts allowed), most fruits and anything for dinner that had tomatoes, lentils or beans…So for the first couple of weeks I ate a lot of oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, rice, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, apples, oranges and baked fish and chicken. And that was about it. But then I stared getting creative and doing things like substituting cauliflower for the peppers in one of my favourite curries. I went home for Christmas and got out all of my mom’s cookbooks and combed through them looking for recipes that didn’t have any of the ingredients on the list.
I expanded my repertoire of cooking and started to feel better. I lost a few pounds. It wasn’t an absolute, no cheating – the naturopath promised me I’d see a huge improvement in my issues with fatigue within 4-6 weeks and eventually I’d get to add some things back in. And that one meal or day of eating that didn’t fit with the list wasn’t going to kill me. Literally on day one of week 5 the improvements started. Not long after I got to add small amounts of some of the things back in. On Christmas Day, the list was hidden out of sight and I got to eat whatever I wanted, within reason, and I didn’t feel horrible the next day. For the next year and half I was very diligent with the list and then it gradually fell off, but I knew what the signs where and when I needed to go back to it. Every once in a while I get very fatigued again and go back to the crazy diet for a couple of weeks and then ease back into regular food. And it works.
I pretty much avoid soy when I can (I do like soy sauce with my sushi!) and corn as much as possible and I have a drink every once in a while, but the rest of it can be found regularly in my diet. A side benefit is that I hardly eat any prepackaged, processed foods. Did you know most of those foods have soy or corn or both in some form!
So here’s the crazy diet list:
Corn and Soy products
Fermented dairy products including sour cream, yogurt and cheese
Beans – green as well as fava, kidney, garbanzo etc, Peas and pea pods and other legumes including lentils
Some nuts including peanuts and walnuts, but not cashews, almonds or pecans
Tomatoes and tomato products
Peppers and pepper products, Avocados
All citrus fruit and most tropical fruits including bananas, mangoes, pineapple, papaya etc. Grapes and raisins, plums, prunes, apricots and peaches
Pickles or dried fish
Liver products including liverwurst (EW!)
Yeast concentrates and homemade bread
Meat extracts including bouillon cubes and Worcestershire sauce
Pickled anything/vinegars especially balsamic
Luncheon meats, sausage and any other meat or fish that isn’t fresh or frozen
Beer and ale, wine and any fermented alcoholic beverage
Licorice
Chocolate and cocoa
Cola
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