Days 11-15
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| My body may have been taking the photo but I'm fairly certain in my mind I was laying on a beach somewhere licking a bag of Kettle Chips after I consumed them all. Crunch. |
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| Looks like I came back to reality here. No beach? Fine. I will eat my veggies. |
This was the week I was dreading. Every month I have two things I have to endure and one of them doesn't include paying bills. Every month thanks to me being a woman I have the honor and privilege of going through a process that gives most women the ability to create life. It is called by many names but I will refer to it as my "moon cycle". When this time approaches I know a headache will be not far behind. One that usually lasts 2-2 1/2 days. Some months it doesn't happen but this month wasn't one of them. I also have the usual physical pain of cramps.
Both of these physical imbalances would have be an excuse for me to have to take Advil's (NSAIDS) or Excedrin's (NSAIDS) and drink a big coca-cola. The whole point to what I am doing is to rebuild my stomach lining and reduce the inflammation in my gut so I cannot take any of these. It was not easy for me, but, when put in a position like that forced me to have to look for alternative solutions. For me the only solution outside of taking Excedrin or ending up in the McDonald's drive through ordering a large coke for the caffeine was to just let time do its thing. Why would I take Excedrin or drink a McDonald's Coke? One word: caffeine. There usually was a 50/50 chance that either the Excedrin or Coke would actually work. Sometimes they did and other times I would take them purely for psychological reasons. I felt somewhat of relief for about 30 minutes resting in the hope that if I took in one of those "remedies" I may get relief. This time I didn't have that. I just had to wait it out.
As for the cramps Advil (NSAID) is the only thing that has ever been able to give me relief from my cramps. Trust me. I have been enduring this for years and have tried many other products. Tylenol doesn't even touch it. The following two rememdies and a change in my diet did touch something. It is amazing what just a small passing of time can actually do along with two natural remedies. I have been taking a product called Zyflamend for my body inflammation. It contains a combination of different herbs to assist in reducing body inflammation including curcumin (tumeric). I had run out of it and not had a chance to pick up more when my first bout of cramps came on. I did go out and purchase a bottle and took my first capsule and I would say that it did help. On that first day of cramps I did an essential oil regimen using Clary Sage. I applied a few drops on my abdomen area, put a warm washcloth over the oil and applied my relax wrap heating pad to assist in deeper penetration of the oil. Within 15 minutes the cramps had subsided. I continued using Zyflamend everyday and can say I only had really bad cramps for one day. I had minor ones the next day and couldn't do the oil and heating pad when they came on. I just let time do its thing and moved through it. Guess what they subsided. I had no more cramps the rest of the week. As for the headache...well....I love my Relax Wrap neck and shoulder heating pad. I heat it up in the oven and wrap it around the base of my neck and rest it on my shoulders. I used that and just did the best I could to move through the pain and eventually it passed. No NSAIDS! No caffeine! I did it!
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| Ahhh..the Relax Wrap. Made right here in Nashville, Tn. |
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I was also really frustrated during this week. Not just from my moon cycle but I was getting sick of cooking and then cleaning all the dishes. Oy! The dishes. It takes alot of effort and time to eat like this. I mean it is how everyone should eat and how we did once upon a time. It can be difficult to take the time to cook every meal in this fast paced modern western world. It really sucked having to cook while dealing with a migraine. I was so over it. I found myself questioning over and over if this was really going to make any difference to my face or health in general. My mind was searching for every excuse there was to give up and give in especially since it was my time of the month and my head hurt. NO! That is why I had myself put up the PDF's on my fridge. It's only 30 Days-I can do it!
Days 13-17
I am experiencing crazy mood swings. I know it is a combination of my blood sugar balancing itself out and the frustration of not being able to eat certain comfort foods. Also I'm just pissed. My headache subsided but I still really wanted to reach out for soothing foods. My brain really wanted me to reach out for chips and when I wouldn't give in then it simply transferred that desire into another food. I suddenly found myself wanting to eat sweet potato fries a lot. I did eat them a couple times during my moon cycle because I did need comfort during that time. They were Whole 30 compliant as long as I roasted them in olive oil. Just like when I knew I was crossing the line from using prescription pills for what they were intended for I also know when my brain crosses the line with certain foods and what they are intended for. I can feel it. It is not only my brain but it is also the candida within me that drives my food choices. It is the candida that craves the carbs and sugars for its food and survival. I am taking my body back you little sh*@ts!
I am trying to change the habits I have connected to food. These 30 days are an opportunity for me to go deeper into these habits and work on shifting them. The brain doesn't know the difference between refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, fruit juice sweetened, organic cane juice, turbinado sugar, fructose, malitol, xylitol, and whatever else they try to pass off as not being as bad as refined sugar. My brain knows:
sugar =getting a high and getting soothed.
I do something good and I get rewarded-with food.
I feel bad and I get soothed-with food.
I get frustrated I reach out for a handful of....something crunchy.
I feel abandoned-food is there.
Doing something like this is enabling me to change these habits and create new neural pathways in my brain. It is giving me a no nonsense way of looking at the feelings that drive these responses. Oh trust me it has been a BITCH!!
During this week I believe there was some frustration come up from my husband. It is not easy being around someone who is so focused on making a change like this. Especially if it involves food. My husband loves food. He can eat pretty much all the types of food that leave me looking like I have chicken pox on my face. Part of the fun of being in a relationship is going out to eat, cooking meals, ordering pizza or Chinese take out, snacking together, etc. So much of life really does revolve around food. That part of our relationship has had to shift and will continue to because I don't want to go back to how I was eating even after these 30 days are over.
He did get mad at me one night and spoke out of frustration. He shared that I was being selfish and self-centered because all I am is focused on is healing, healing, healing. "It's all about me and what I am eating and need to do." I get it. I am very focused on this. I admit that it does take a certain level of self-centeredness and selfishness to navigate through something new and intense like this. I know I have asked alot of him. I have asked him to hide his snacks and I have taken away the fun and "high" of going out to a restaurant and feasting. I understand it can be strange being around someone who is eating a certain way and that way is not a way you are eating. The Whole 30 people do very well to include in their preparation information the likelihood of this kind of thing happening and what to expect. I will not let anyone make me feel bad for making choices that are to support my health and well-being. I will not shrink to make someone else feel more comfortable. I do have to say we were arguing about other things also. It is called being married.
My husband has also been extremely supportive of me through this and I am thankful. I could not ask for a more supportive partner. He is allowed an eruption here and there. I hope the yummy meals we have been preparing have been some kind of pay off for putting up with this:) One thing I do enjoy is that because I am taking myself out of my comfort zone to learn new recipes and ways of cooking I am actually preparing healthy balanced meals for both of us to eat. I have felt more like a wife in these past couple of weeks in the sense that I am able to grocery shop and have dinner ready-most nights.
My face cleared up a bit more more during Days 13-15. My skin in general has taken on a sheen that wasn't there before. The break outs on my arms and chest have cleared. I have to say my energy levels are still not anywhere near what they speak of happens during a Whole 30. Then again I am not doing a normal straight forward Whole 30. I am also using remedies to assist me with candida clearing which requires more energy of my body to assist in the cleansing process. I have to keep reminding myself of that when I feel I am getting frustrated.
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| Love This Photo. No Hiding. All Natural. Self-Love |
Around Day 16 I felt like I regressed. My face flared up again, all of my energy was depleted and my whole body was inflamed. I had just finished up my part time job at a restaurant which calls for alot of physical activity. I had also taught a Kundalini Yoga class on Day 15 and was tending to many other activities at home while my husband was out on tour. I also could not figure out why my face was flaring up again. I was so frustrated. It then dawned on me....there were two foods that I was eating that I don't normally eat on a regular basis but for the past week I was eating them everyday: Avocados and Ghee.
Days 18-20
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| What you say? No more Apple Cider Vinegar Avocado Dressing? |
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| Are you kidding me? Oh. Is that why these darn red aliens are back on my face? |
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| Okay. Okay. What the hell. Just take everything away that tastes good. I'll just keep smiling. Oooh...wow my hair is in a good place. I actually combed it for these photos. Cool. Definitely worth smiling about. Thanks Carrisa:)
Not gonna lie. I am really craving and extremely frustrated. The funny thing is the foods I am craving are not even junk food anymore. In fact if I was following a normal Whole 30 I could actually eat the foods I am craving. If I go into a grocery store now my anxiety level has reduced by 90%. I used to get very overwhelmed in the grocery store. I hated it. I have to always have a list to keep me focused or else the choices would overwhelm me. Now when I walk into a grocery store all I do is stick to the perimeters where most of the real whole foods are. What I haven't picked up at the local farmer's market I finish up at the store. When I do go down the middle aisles now I literally feel assaulted by all of the crap and choices. Seriously. Its ridiculous. No wonder there are so many versions of dis-ordered eating out there. And EVERYTHING has some form of sugar in it. I had to quickly grab my organic olive oil and get back to the perimeter where it felt safe. Fewer choices mean less anxiety. These past couple of days have been tough physically. I want to rest but it seems there is just never enough time. I sure hope the tiredness passes on soon. I am tired of feeling tired.
"A way to tell the difference between actual hunger and a craving is to ask yourself if you are hungry enough to eat a fish and vegetable dinner. If the dinner does not sound appealing to you then you are not hungry it is a craving." -Whole 30
Days 21-30
I will check back in when after I reach the 30 day mark. My focus for the next 10 days is to continue to listen to my body signals of what it can and can't tolerate. I am also paying attention to the deeper issues that are surfacing for me to see now that I don't have certain foods to distract me or hide behind. I am also going to focus on showing up for myself in regards to exercise and not just yoga. I know in order to have energy I need to do my part to assist in creating it. That means not only working on strengthening my pranic and physical bodies, but also increase my cardio. It is important for me to make lifestyle shifts along with these eating shifts.
These shifts include:
1. Getting enough sleep
2. Making time to be out in nature
3. Connecting to others more
4. Making time for play
5. Knowing when to much is just to much.
Right now my body can't do it all and that is okay.
So that is it. I have more revelations to share in my next blog post regarding "letting go"and its not about letting go of almond butter! I will be ending my Whole 30 in ten days and the next day I will be flying out to NYC. It will really awesome to celebrate by being able to attend 5 Rhythms Movement classes. My husband will be playing with the artist he is touring with for one night at B.B. Kings in the city and we will be celebrating a big mile stone birthday of his. I started this Whole 30 on the new moon of June 27th so I would reach 30 days on July 26th right before I leave. I will still be maintaining this way of eating even after 30 days. It really is life changing. 30 Days is really just the beginning. It is an adjustment phase.
Thank you for you continued support! 
Links:
Why NSAIDS are hard on the stomach and cause intestinal disorders Read about the benefits of tumeric as an alternative to NSAIDS for body/joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/26/the-spice-that-actually-doubles-as-a-powerful-antiinflammatory.aspx Additional Tumeric/Curcumin Benefits Relax Wraps For Neck and Shoulders And More |
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