Happy holidays! No, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet -- I've just been immersed in law school and have hardly had time to sleep, let alone keep up with this blog. I'm sorry I haven't posted as regularly as I said I would in the beginning (or even once in the last six months, for that matter!)...but a week after I started this blog, I began a Masters program...and then three weeks later started a part-time job. And I grossly underestimated how busy I would be.

But I had a few spare minutes today, so I thought I'd post a quick update and some big news...

First, on January 9th, I'll have stuck to my food plan for a full year!!! I began eating eggs and corn again, but only eat them occasionally...but I have not eaten gluten, dairy, soy, or much sugar in almost a year! And honestly, I feel SOOOO much better on the digestion front and it really is totally second nature. I actually made it through the entire holiday season (Halloween through Christmas) without eating any gluten, soy, dairy or sugar....and that was with incredible food all around me, fancy dinners at restaurants, and celebrations at relatives houses who are great cooks. I honestly wasn't even that tempted...and I NEVER thought that would happen. (But I can't take all the credit -- Earth Balance, Rudi's, Jovial and So Delicious made it a lot easier for me to stick to the plan! :)

Second, I had another ultrasound in September and my doctor compared it to the one I had in November 2011. Just from following the "no allergen" diet (and doing nothing else!) my fibroids haven't grown at all, and the large cyst on my left ovary SHRUNK IN HALF!!! How amazing is that?!

And third, the doctor who ordered the ultrasound is a new GYN surgeon I began seeing in September. I made an appointment with him because although I've felt SO much better, there are still some issues I'm struggling with (heavy, painful periods, low back pain, pain with intercourse, etc.). After talking with him and consulting with my other GYN that I "Fight Mick" with, we decided that it would be a great idea to clear the slate surgically...and then use my new way of eating and supplements to hopefully keep Mick at bay for a very, very long time. So that's what's happening. Tomorrow actually. My new surgeon is at Advanced Women's Health Care in Scarborough, Maine and apparently he's "a genius with a laporoscope." Women come from all over the country to see him, and I liked him immediately. He's able to do my entire procedure laporoscopically (YAY!!!) and is confident he can remove everything that's not supposed to be there, while keeping everything that is. So first thing tomorrow morning, I'll be heading into surgery to have two large fibroids removed from my uterus, a large cyst removed from my left ovary, endometriosis cauterized, adhesions removed, and my appendix taken out. And hopefully it will be the last time this part of my body is operated on...

I have a long break from work and school, so I can fully recover. During that time, if I'm feeling up to it I'll definitely post an update. Until then...

Checking In...Exactly 12 Weeks After I Started Fighting Mick

Hey everyone…remember me?! I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch – life has been incredibly hectic and stressful lately and I haven’t had the extra time to keep up on my posts. I started a new Master’s program in January, I moved a month ago, I recently started a new job and have also doing some freelance work on the side…oh, and I’ve been adjusting to dramatically changing my way of eating – four major transitions happening simultaneously. Throw in an extra-large portion of some other life stressors, and it’s been one doozy of a winter! But since I made a promise to track my progress on here, I’m making it a priority to post tonight…since it is WAY overdue. And since today marks exactly twelve weeks since I started Fighting Mick. Wow…

I suppose another reason I haven’t posted in awhile is because the effects and progress of this eating plan is hard to keep up with – it’s been a mixed bag that seems to be changing all the time. I’m not quite sure how to recap it all, so I think I’ll separate things into the positives and negatives…and maybe wrap it up with a list of things I’ve learned so far.

Positive Effects and Successes

Although I’ve been feeling rather wretched at times as my body adjusts, I’m trying really hard to focus on some of the positive things that have already resulted from my new eating plan and celebrate my small achievements so far. First and foremost, almost all of my reproductive symptoms have already improved! And that actually happened within two weeks. The chronic pain in my pelvis/ovaries/uterus area is almost completely gone and my last two periods were shorter, lighter and far less painful. YAY! The chronic pain I was having in my lower back, hip and knees is almost completely gone too. My guess is the improvements are due to decreased inflammation from no longer eating foods I’m reacting to. And my chronic, excruciating right shoulder pain? SO much better! I can actually sleep on my right side again…for a little while anyway.

When I last weighed myself (after two months), I had lost almost 20 pounds. I’ve lost 4 ½” across my belly button and between ½” and 2 ½” everywhere else. Now the big question is have I lost 4 ½” of fat…or have my uterine fibroids shrunk? I feel a lot lighter – I’m not bloated anymore and no longer have that heavy feeling after I eat every time. My clothes are starting to fit differently…and by differently I mean looser! I’ve been told by several people that my skin looks fabulous and I have a new glow. I don’t ever get heartburn or indigestion anymore, and my chronic daily sneezing has definitely lessened. (Well, at least it had lessened until stupid allergy season arrived in Maine almost a month early!)

I haven’t really had a problem with cravings, which has shocked me. I mean, there are definitely foods I miss, but there haven’t been things that I feel like I’m dying to have. I have almost no interest in sweets, which is amazing. I don’t know if I’m exercising incredible willpower, or if I’m just afraid to eat foods that are on the “no” list. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. I’ve been to several parties (um, most of them baby showers actually) and managed to make it through without starving or being totally distracted by the foods I can’t eat. For the most part, I haven’t skipped meals and have eaten three meals and two or three snacks a day. (I say “for the most part” because when things got really stressful recently, I lost my appetite and definitely wasn’t getting enough food daily). But since January 9^th, I haven’t had any soy, gluten, dairy, caffeine or refined sugar. I did try to reintroduce eggs and corn and have had red wine a few times. The results? Corn seems to be fine (as long as it’s organic and GMO-free), eggs made my joints hurt and gave me slight stomach pains, and alcohol isn’t as appealing to me as it once was…and makes me feel terrible if I have too much of it.

I took a raw food “cooking” class with two of my friends this winter, which was amazing. It was so fun learning new and interesting ways to get veggies and nuts into my diet. We learned how to make almond milk from scratch and it’s DELICIOUS! I’ve been making it 3 – 4 times a week! And in the evenings I’ve been heating and frothing it and enjoying a yummy, creamy warm caffeine-free drink. Almost as good as my English Breakfast tea with milk and honey daily ritual! We also learned how to make yummy desserts (including the most amazing dairy-free, soy-free ice cream I’ve ever eaten), and the class really helped me to get excited about the food I can eat.

Oh, and I’m completely in love with green smoothies. I have a quart of it pretty much everyday…and I can definitely feel a difference when I haven’t had one.

These are all great things…but just so you don’t think it’s all been a walk in the park, I’ll tell you the other side of the story. There have definitely been some major challenges…

The Not-So-Great Parts and Challenges

Well, first and foremost, the detoxing and adjustments my body went through (and probably still is going through) have not been fun at all. My bowels are all over the place (oh not literally! – meaning they’re…well, how shall I say... “irregular” and “not always the most solid”), my brain and thinking have been really foggy, sometimes I’m super tired, my blood sugar has been all over the place, I’ve been having weird adrenaline rushes, my PMS has gotten worse in some ways, and I seem to be WAY more sensitive to things than I was before (caffeine, sugar, fumes, toxins, etc.). While on one hand, I didn’t expect to see such quick and dramatic improvements with my reproductive system (which I’m VERY grateful about and amazed by)…on the other hand, I didn’t expect other things to feel so much worse. The brain fog and fatigue has been really tough to deal with…especially since I can no longer reach for sugar or caffeine to give me “energy.” I guess I had an expectation that if I started eating so well, I would feel AMAZING after a little bit – tons of energy, sleeping great, positive mood from all the happy healthy brain chemicals…but it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m still waiting to really round that corner where I’m like “OHHHHHH, this is how good I can feel!” Other people have told me that it can definitely take awhile – that my body needs time to clean itself out, heal and just adjust to these major changes. So that’s what I’m hoping for…

Learning first-hand about the close-knit relationship between insulin and adrenaline hasn’t been all that much fun either. If I go too long without eating, my blood sugar drops…and then my adrenaline peaks, along with cortisol…then I get anxious and panicky and foggy brained. It’s definitely taken me awhile to figure out how much time is too much time between eating. Also, the food I’m eating now doesn’t stick with me as long as bread and pizza and crap used to…so I get hungry again pretty quickly. Since the one thing my doctor keeps telling me is to not ever let myself get hungry, I basically try to eat all the time. In fact, I look at the clock all day long and force myself to stop and eat every 2 ½ - 3 hours. Some days I’m more successful with sticking to that plan than others. And when I don’t eat enough? Well, then I wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning with adrenaline rushes. I keep a jar of almond butter close by, and have definitely eaten some in the middle of the night on more than one occasion. It’s just really been a huge learning curve.

I miss cheese. A lot. That’s honestly the one food that I still think about all the time. Well, that and pizza. But more than any specific food, I just miss the freedom of eating whatever I want – going out to a restaurant (which I LOVE to do) and ordering what I’m actually in the mood for…as opposed to scanning the menu for the two or three things that would be easiest to modify, and being forced to pick one of those. And of course, that’s after I have to be the annoying customer who needs to ask what’s in everything and request a bunch of different modifications. After years of being in food service, I never wanted to be “that customer.”

I also feel like I’ve been going through a bit of an identity crisis. Overly-dramatic? Maybe. But I used to eat whatever I felt like, and going to restaurants and drinking socially were two things I did all the time and really enjoyed. And when you can’t do those things anymore (at least not as easily) and I have to plan everything I eat all the time and you strip away all the vices we comfort ourselves with and stuff our feelings into (sweets, carbs, lattes, alcohol, etc), you do go through a little bit of an identity crisis. I mean, I dramatically changed a huge component of my life…so I guess it makes sense that I might not really recognize myself for a little while.

And lastly, in the back of my head is always a little fear that this won’t work…that my cysts and fibroids won’t shrink at all, that Mick will beat me, and I will still have to have surgery. Or worse, that the excess estrogen in my body will lead to one of the many estrogen-responsive reproductive cancers. But I try really hard to keep all of those thoughts way, way in the back of my head. I’ll drive myself crazy if I don’t…

So yes, there definitely are some challenges and doing this can be really friggin’ hard at times. But then I think about how just over three months ago, I was supposed to have a full hysterectomy (something I wouldn’t even consider right now based on my level of reproductive symptoms), I was in chronic pain, and my digestion was a total mess. And thinking about those things is what keeps me on track and sticking to this food plan and treatment protocol...because somewhere deep down inside of me, I know that I will round that corner (hopefully sooner rather than later) and no matter what, I will be healthier in so many ways than I would be had I never made these changes.

Top Ten Things I’ve Learned So Far:

1. Homemade almond milk is absolutely delicious and SO much better than anything you can buy in the store.
2. It is imperative to carry nuts with me at all times.
3. Planning my menus out in advance really does make a huge difference (as I’ve learned during a few different weeks when I didn’t do that).
4. Chefs at fancier restaurants tend to be way more accommodating of my dietary needs.
5. It really is true that if you can make it through the first 7 – 10 days, cravings will subside and eventually disappear.
6. No matter how stressed out I get, I CANNOT skip meals…because the spike in adrenaline I get will only make me feel worse and perpetuate the stress cycle in my body.
7. People can be super annoying when they’re drunk and you’re not.
8. If I get off track at all with eating, I can feel a huge overall difference within three days of getting back on track.
9. Living without chronic pain is way better than getting used to feeling crappy all the time.
10. The power that food has over our health is absolutely incredible.

NOTE: To any of you out there with experience following a similar type of food plan, I’d love to hear if anything I’ve been experiencing is similar to what you’ve gone through. Any thoughts, feedback, insights, advice, etc. would be much appreciated!

MENU: Week 3

(I'm sorry I'm a little late getting this out. I started a Master's program last week, and I've been behind in every other area in my life since. Measured progress for this week, along with a more detailed update, will hopefully be posted tomorrow!)

SUNDAY: 01/22/12 (Day 14)

Breakfast

Ginger Mint Green Smoothie

Two all-natural (hormone and antibiotic free!) turkey sausage links

Snack #1

Half a grapefruit with agave and almonds

Lunch

Balsamic chicken wrap (with a red cabbage leaf as the wrap!

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

White Bean, Kale & Potato Stew (http://www.wholeliving.com/151707/kale-white-bean-and-potato-stew?center=152870&gallery=152233&slide=152202)

MONDAY: 01/23/12 (Day 15)

Breakfast

Green Smoothie

Smoked salmon on rice crackers

Snack #1

Clementine and almonds

Lunch

“Eunice’s Beans” (refried beans, ground lamb and veggies) with rice crackers

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Lamb burger on gluten-free bread with spinach and sautéed onions, and a side of steamed broccoli

TUESDAY: 01/24/12 (Day 16)

Breakfast

Green Smoothie

Smoked salmon on rice crackers

Gluten-free granola with homemade(!!) almond milk

Snack #1

Clementine with almonds

Lunch

Leftover white bean, kale and potato stew

Snack #2

Celery sticks with hummus

Dinner

Chicken stirfry with quinoa (onions, garlic, ginger, fennel root, red cabbage, beets, broccoli, garbanzo beans)

WEDNESDAY: 01/25/12 (Day 17)

Breakfast

Cooked amaranth with apples and walnuts

Brown rice protein shake

Snack #1

Apple slices with almond butter

Lunch

Leftover stirfry

Snack #2

Rice crackers and hummus

Dinner

Rice and beans (with veggies)

THURSDAY: 01/26/12 (Day 18)

Breakfast

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie

Smoked salmon on rice crackers

Snack #1

Half a grapefruit with agave and almonds

Lunch

Leftover white bean, kale and potato stew with rice crackers

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Gluten-free pasta with chicken sausage and veggies

FRIDAY: 01/27/12 (Day 19)

Breakfast

Cooked amaranth with apples and walnuts

Brown rice protein shake

Snack #1

Pear and almonds

Lunch

Leftover pasta from night before

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Dinner with my boyfriend – TBD!

SATURDAY: 01/28/12 (Day 20)

Breakfast

Green Smoothie

Clementine and almonds

Snack #1

Applesauce and walnuts

Lunch

I’ll be at a baby shower…so we shall see!

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Black Bean – Quinoa Burgers with baked sweet potato fries

Progress After One Week

I realized that it feel a little funny to list the details of all of my measurements on here (seems a little excessive), so I’m just going to speak generally about any changes in those areas. At the end of three months, I’ll give detailed information about each of them and how many inches were lost.

So here goes…my first Monday Progress Check-In!

All Bodily Measurements:

I measured my chest, waist, stomach (across belly button), hips, across my butt, thigh, calf and bicep…and I lost inches in every one of those areas. Somewhere between ¼” and 1” everywhere.

Weight:

I have lost 6.5 pounds since Day One…exactly one week ago.

Physical Symptoms:

Bowels: no change

Bloating/Gas: slightly better (from a 10 to a 9)

Indigestion: slightly better (from an 8 to a 7)

Itchy Skin: slightly better (from an 8 to a 7)

Knee/Hip/Shoulder Pain: better (from a 10 to an 8)

Congestion/Sneezing: worsened (from a 9 to a 10)

Headaches: better (from a 5 to a 3)

“Mick Syptoms” (pelvic, ovarian, and low back pain, cramping, etc.): better (from a 10 to an 8)

Menstrual Symptoms: N/A

…There you have it! A full check-in and update to come sometime within the next day or two…stay tuned! 

MENU: Week 2

SUNDAY: 01/15/12 (Day 7)

Breakfast

Ginger Mint Green Smoothie (apple, avocado, banana, frozen peaches, spinach, fresh ginger, spearmint and water)

Two all-natural (hormone and antibiotic free!) turkey sausage links

Snack #1

Half a grapefruit with agave and almonds

Lunch

Spicy Black Bean Salad (spinach, cilantro, spicy black beans, onion, avocado, cucumbers, red pepper, cumin, oil & lime)

Snack #2

Rice crackers and hummus

Dinner

Almond Chicken, Sweet Potato and Collard Green Soup (http://www.wholeliving.com/130312/almond-chicken-soup-sweet-potato-collards-and-ginger)

MONDAY: 01/16/12 (Day 8)

Breakfast

Green Smoothie

Celery with almond butter

Snack #1

Clementine and almonds

Lunch

Salad with grilled sliced turkey

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Stirfry with quinoa and chicken

TUESDAY: 01/17/12 (Day 9)

Breakfast

Blueberry Coconut Super Smoothie (http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/birthday-blueberries/)

Smoked salmon on gluten-free crackers

Snack #1

Pear with almonds

Lunch

Leftover almond chicken soup

Snack #2

Crispy chick peas with cumin

Dinner

I’m having dinner at a friend’s house…meal TBD!

WEDNESDAY: 01/18/12 (Day 10)

Breakfast

Cooked amaranth with apples and raw almonds

Brown rice protein shake

Snack #1

Clementine and almonds

Lunch

Salad with chicken

Snack #2

Rice crackers and hummus

Dinner

Grilled Wild Salmon, Bok Choy and Orange-Avocado Salsa (http://www.wholeliving.com/151403/grilled-salmon-and-bok-choy-orange-avocado-salsa?center=152870&gallery=152236&slide=152222)

THURSDAY: 01/19/12 (Day 11)

Breakfast

Smoothie with rice protein and avocado

Half a grapefruit with agave

Snack #1

Pear and almonds

Lunch

Leftover almond chicken soup

Snack #2

Veggies and guacamole

Dinner

Roasted Fall Veggies with Lentils (http://www.wholeliving.com/146164/roasted-fall-vegetables-lentils)

FRIDAY: 01/20/12 (Day 12)

Breakfast

Green Smoothie

Celery with almond butter

Snack #1

Clementine and almonds

Lunch

“Eunice’s Beans” (refried beans, ground lamb and veggies) with rice crackers

Snack #2

Veggies and hummus

Dinner

Whatever is on the menu at my weekly raw foods “cooking” class!

SATURDAY: 01/21/12 (Day 13)

Breakfast

 Beet & Carrot Smoothie (http://www.wholeliving.com/152126/7-detox-smoothies/@center/152870/2012-whole-living-action-plan#/55611)

Clementine and almonds

Snack #1

Sardines and Dijon on rice crackers

Lunch

Chickpea-Brown Rice Veggie Burger (http://www.wholeliving.com/151406/chickpea-brown-rice-veggie-burger?center=152870&gallery=152233&slide=152216)

Snack #2

Veggies with avocado

Dinner

Grilled chicken breast, baked sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts

The First Three Days

So far, so good!

On the first day, I had my delicious green smoothie and smoked salmon on crackers (as you saw on here) and it was a great way to start my new food plan. I also went back to the gym for the first time in……well……longer than I’d like to admit! I have a tendency to push myself too hard when I first return to exercising – I set unreasonable expectations for myself, thinking I should be at the same point I was when I was last exercising regularly. So I decided to not push myself too hard, and to ease back into just moving my body again. For the month of January, I’m just going to walk for 45 – 60 minutes a day on the treadmill, 4 – 6 times per week. That may sound like a lot…but keep in mind I spend the rest of my day on my butt in front of a computer! I started listening to my audiobook, and that TOTALLY helped! I put my sweatshirt over the treadmill screen so I wouldn’t stare at the amount of time remaining, and it worked – I got lost in listening to the story and before I knew it the 45 minutes were up! I did the same thing on Tuesday and Wednesday. As for today? A walk this afternoon in the lovely snow!

I did have a couple of challenges the first day, I’ll admit. Around 4pm, I started obsessively thinking about food. And I know it’s only because there were so many things I could no longer eat – any other normal day and I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But I also wouldn’t have thought twice about eating something sugary at that point either! I was craving something sweet…badly. And then I had a prior engagement at a local brew pub at 6:30, so I had to find something to eat there for dinner. I looked at their menu online ahead of time, and went into the bar knowing what I was going to order. So I got a turkey burger (no bun or cheese) on a bed of lettuce with red onion and guacamole, and a side of steamed broccoli. Not bad…but definitely not as good as something I could make in my own kitchen. I think I’ll need to hold off on eating out for awhile! But the biggest challenge that evening was being surrounded by people drinking alcohol that I can’t have. Hopefully that will progressively get easier…

When I got home that night, I wanted to reward myself for completing Day One with something sweet…so I started thinking about what I could make that would comply with my food plan. I melted some Earth Balance in a skillet (a dairy and soy free blend of organic oils that tastes like butter) and grilled large chunks of pear so they were soft and hot…and buttery. Then I melted a teeny amount of Earth Balance and mixed it with half a teaspoon of agave, and coated chopped pecans with the sweet, buttery mixture. I tossed the “candied” pecans with the hot pears in a bowl, sprinkled it all with cinnamon and drizzled it with a tiny amount of coconut milk. It was DELICIOUS!! I highly recommend it!

But since then, the past two days have been really good. I’ve enjoyed the food a lot (especially my gingery brown rice and salmon burgers last night!) and I haven’t been hungry at all. And I haven’t really had cravings, which is great. But I do miss cheese…a lot. Dairy in general, actually. And I probably will the whole time I’m doing this meal plan. And I miss not having to think about food so much and being able to just grab whatever I want out of the cupboard, or order anything off of a menu. But I’m sure that’s something that will get easier rather quickly. I will say that I already feel lighter. I know that I haven’t actually lost weight in only three days, but I still feel lighter. Maybe it’s just the difference of not having such heavy food in my stomach all the time. But whatever the reason, I like it!

One last thing… All day yesterday and today, my throat has been scratchy and I’ve been extremely congested and sneezey. So I’m either coming down with a cold or it’s my body detoxing. But either way, I’m fighting through it, staying strong with my food plan, and resisting the urge to eat grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Breakfast on Day One!

My breakfast this morning was just way too pretty to not take a picture of. And it happened to be quite delicious and filling too! I made a Green Smoothie (banana, mango, peach and spinach) and had gluten-free crackers with smoked wild salmon, olive oil, spinach, red onion and salt & pepper......m'm m'mmmmm!!!