Sleep: bed by 11, up at 3:30, took 10 mg of Melatonin, back to sleep until alarm at 6. Should have slept later.
Christene and I emailed back and forth on Monday about all of this stuff. She is so reassuring and inspires so much confidence and hope in me. She told me that I WILL enjoy normal food and wine again. It may take a while, but it will happen. She suggested that I start taking an anti-fungal, so I went out and bought that. She also told me that it takes 27 days for yeast loving food to get out of our system... after that the die off will occur. So Day 1 was Monday because of Sunday.
She acknowledges that it is difficult to eat perfectly on vacation and told me to do what I can to plan for not sleeping well - take the melatonin with me, plan for down time on a couple of afternoons, etc. I think that is good advice, however, I plan to continue to eat properly - I am so sick of sleep being an issue, I want this stuff kicked as soon as possible. I can do this.
I'm getting better and better at planning for my day and bringing food with me. Yesterday we picked blueberries with my in-laws and I brought a salad with a piece of salmon, and a dish of cucumber/tomato salad. I was totally fine.
So yesterday's food:
morning: 1 c. coffee
Breakfast: giant breakfast salad - organic greens & spinach / garlic / red onion / cherry tomatoes / 2 fried organic, free-range eggs / 1/4 avocado. 20 oz of lemon water.
Lunch: salad - organic greens & spinach / red onion / cherry tomatoes / 1T (or less) of greek olive vinegrette + leftover salmon filet. Cucumber-tomato salad: cucumbers, tomatoes, yellow pepper, jalepeno, red onion, garlic, little bit of white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 avocado.
Dinner: Salad - organic greens & spinach / red onion / cherry tomatoes / greek olive vinegrette. 1 wild caught alaskan salmon filet (grilled with coconut oil, salt & pepper). 1 c. of brussel sprouts roasted in chili infused olive oil, S&P. 20 oz lemon water.
Snacks: a billion blueberries
Weight today: 128.8
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Day 15 - Monday July 29, 2013
A letter to my health coach - explains it all for today:
Hi Christene –
You mentioned the other day on the phone that you want to
see how I do on a super clean diet. The answer is: I sleep through the
night entirely with no waking at all.
We talked on the phone on Wednesday and I eliminated all
sources of sugar from my diet on Thursday, with the exception of berries.
Otherwise, I just ate greens, proteins & berries. Friday &
Saturday I slept through the night without waking at all.
Yesterday we were at my in-laws for their anniversary.
They are horrible eaters – quite possibly the worst eaters I know. There
is not a vegetable or fruit to be found in their house. Dave and I got
there after a long afternoon appointment and were already running late for
dinner. They ordered me a salad for dinner, but did not get it without
cheese. So I removed as much of the bleu cheese as I could, but there was
still a dusting of it as well as some grated parmesan (I think). I’ve had
this salad before, so the dressing has never been an issue (in terms of hidden
gluten). I also ate 3 Hooters chicken wings, which I carefully removed
all coating from before I ate. And then later in the evening, since I was
starving, I grabbed some potato chips (I know I shouldn’t eat them, but
honestly, it was the only thing in the house that I could reasonably eat and I
was starving… I don’t normally like potato chips, so I wasn’t satisfying a
craving).
And I woke up at 3:45 and didn’t get back to sleep until
5:45… slept until 6:45. I took 10mg of Melatonin. I tried
reading. I tried the meditations. I tried watching boring tv.
Nothing worked – just a solid 2 hours of being wide awake. Not thinking
of anything except a song running through my head. Not upset. Not
worried. Not anxious. Nothing. Just wide awake.
I’m really, really upset. I cannot make even the
slightest mistake in my diet without suffering for it. And the thought of
living like this for the rest of my life is distressing – I’m missing out on
some of my favorite things in life: ice cream dates with my girls, wine &
cheese with my husband.
We are going on vacation on Friday. I am committed to
eating strictly greens, protein & berries from this point forward.
BUT, when I come home I want to be as aggressive as possible in getting rid of
this. If you believe that it is candida and that if we can get rid of it
I can eventually live normally, then I want to get rid of it as quickly and
aggressively as possible. I would do so this week, but I don’t want to
feel crappy on vacation… if you don’t think that will be an issue, then by all
means lets start asap.
Could you put together a plan of action for me so I can
start right away on Sunday the 11th? If possible, I’d like to
be able to have what I need in the house already when I get back – so if you
could do so by Wednesday night, then I can go out on Thursday if necessary.
If you’re uncomfortable with this, then I’ll need to go with
plan B and have you help me find a whole health doctor in my area.
I know this is my fault for straying yesterday. I felt
like I didn’t have any options. But it is still my responsibility.
So I’m angry with myself, but I really need to either get healthy, or be
mentally okay with eating like this for the rest of my life.
Thanks!
Jana
Friday, July 26, 2013
Day 12 - Friday July 12, 2013
Sleep: Getting better! Sleep by 11, up at 4, took 5mg of Melatonin, back to sleep (although kind of restless) and up at 6:40 with alarm.
I am so thrilled to have gotten an idea of what the heck is going on with me and thrilled that we can do something about it and there is hope. It is going to be a long process, but I'm willing to do what I need to do. I've been told by no less than 3 older women (60's) that this waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep thing is an indication and symptom of menopause and there is nothing I can do about it except get meds from a doctor... and deal with it for 10-15 years (like they did).
Bunk.
I'm 37. I should not feel like I'm 57 - achy everywhere and always tired and dragging. I should not have to just deal with sleep issues like that and for that long. And Christene is confident that we will get this resolved and that I am on track to feeling well again.
Yesterday's food:
Breakfast: big breakfast salad - organic greens, raw onions, raw garlic, red pepper, grape tomatoes, 2 organic, free range eggs fried in olive oil + salt & pepper, and 1/4 of an avocado. Large glass of lemon water.
Snack: handful of fresh blueberries, couple of organic strawberries.
Lunch: Hemp chocolate protein smoothie made with organic frozen raspberries, organic frozen blueberries, 1/4 of an avocado, 1/2 T of coconut oil. + bowl of raw cucumber, tomato, pepper, onion salad w/ 1/4 of an avocado.
Snack: 1 large granny smith apple.
Dinner: Big plate of organic greens & organic spinch, topped with baked organic, free range chicken tenderloins seasoned with s&P, 1/4 of an avocado, raw onions, raw garlic, grape tomatoes, minimal greek olive vinegrette (less than 1g of sugar). Plus 1 slice of leftover pork loin from night before.
Before bed: 1 cup of decaf Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea
Weight: 129.6
I am so thrilled to have gotten an idea of what the heck is going on with me and thrilled that we can do something about it and there is hope. It is going to be a long process, but I'm willing to do what I need to do. I've been told by no less than 3 older women (60's) that this waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep thing is an indication and symptom of menopause and there is nothing I can do about it except get meds from a doctor... and deal with it for 10-15 years (like they did).
Bunk.
I'm 37. I should not feel like I'm 57 - achy everywhere and always tired and dragging. I should not have to just deal with sleep issues like that and for that long. And Christene is confident that we will get this resolved and that I am on track to feeling well again.
Yesterday's food:
Breakfast: big breakfast salad - organic greens, raw onions, raw garlic, red pepper, grape tomatoes, 2 organic, free range eggs fried in olive oil + salt & pepper, and 1/4 of an avocado. Large glass of lemon water.
Snack: handful of fresh blueberries, couple of organic strawberries.
Lunch: Hemp chocolate protein smoothie made with organic frozen raspberries, organic frozen blueberries, 1/4 of an avocado, 1/2 T of coconut oil. + bowl of raw cucumber, tomato, pepper, onion salad w/ 1/4 of an avocado.
Snack: 1 large granny smith apple.
Dinner: Big plate of organic greens & organic spinch, topped with baked organic, free range chicken tenderloins seasoned with s&P, 1/4 of an avocado, raw onions, raw garlic, grape tomatoes, minimal greek olive vinegrette (less than 1g of sugar). Plus 1 slice of leftover pork loin from night before.
Before bed: 1 cup of decaf Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea
Weight: 129.6
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Day 11 - Thursday July 25, 2013
Sleep: Asleep by 11, woke at 2:30, took 5mg Melatonin fell back to sleep, woke at 4:30, took 5mg of Melatonin fell back to sleep. Awake with alarm around 7. Best night of sleep since Saturday.
(Sun/Mon/Tue were 2-3 hour in the middle of the night disrupted sleep nights).
I spoke with Christene (health coach) yesterday. I needed to find out if I was screwed for the rest of my life. Given the fact that I had 3 nights of disrupted sleep, I was in a pretty down and discouraged mood and very upset that I may never get to eat normally again.
She believes that I have a raging candida issue. Not just mild. Raging. So we're going to hit it hard with diet & supplements. She said candida can be very tricky and could take 3-4 weeks to get rid of, or 2 years. I'm hoping for the shorter time.
Candida feed off of yeast & sugar. So my gluten issue could very definitely be related to the candida issue. And the wine set it off again on Monday night.
So now that I know what is going on, I feel better equipped to choose food to eat. I need to keep adding lemon to my water, keep loading up on fresh veggies and cut down on anything sweet. I realized that even though I was eating a very plant focused diet, I was choosing the plants that were sweet: melons, grapes, cherries, sugar snap peas, dried fruit, etc. I need to focus more on fresh veggies - rather than roasted, sauteed, or grilled and keep up with the big salads.
I am totally willing to go as hard core as necessary to resolve this issue. I'm so sick of being one bite of food away from not sleeping. And I'm tired of my body holding onto or gaining weight with the slightest mis-step in my diet.
We are going on vacation next month and that is going to be more difficult, however, it is not a kid-less vacation, so I won't miss out on the nice dinners with wine with Dave. I'm really, really hoping that things are resolved by the time we go to Costa Rica next March so I can enjoy nice dinners and wine while we're there.
I can and will do this. Candida: beware!
(Sun/Mon/Tue were 2-3 hour in the middle of the night disrupted sleep nights).
I spoke with Christene (health coach) yesterday. I needed to find out if I was screwed for the rest of my life. Given the fact that I had 3 nights of disrupted sleep, I was in a pretty down and discouraged mood and very upset that I may never get to eat normally again.
She believes that I have a raging candida issue. Not just mild. Raging. So we're going to hit it hard with diet & supplements. She said candida can be very tricky and could take 3-4 weeks to get rid of, or 2 years. I'm hoping for the shorter time.
Candida feed off of yeast & sugar. So my gluten issue could very definitely be related to the candida issue. And the wine set it off again on Monday night.
So now that I know what is going on, I feel better equipped to choose food to eat. I need to keep adding lemon to my water, keep loading up on fresh veggies and cut down on anything sweet. I realized that even though I was eating a very plant focused diet, I was choosing the plants that were sweet: melons, grapes, cherries, sugar snap peas, dried fruit, etc. I need to focus more on fresh veggies - rather than roasted, sauteed, or grilled and keep up with the big salads.
I am totally willing to go as hard core as necessary to resolve this issue. I'm so sick of being one bite of food away from not sleeping. And I'm tired of my body holding onto or gaining weight with the slightest mis-step in my diet.
We are going on vacation next month and that is going to be more difficult, however, it is not a kid-less vacation, so I won't miss out on the nice dinners with wine with Dave. I'm really, really hoping that things are resolved by the time we go to Costa Rica next March so I can enjoy nice dinners and wine while we're there.
I can and will do this. Candida: beware!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Day 10 - Wednesday July 24, 2013
I had intended to update this more frequently so I could go back and read it when I needed ideas or a refresher. Hopefully I'll remember to do so more frequently from this point forward.
I slept so much better last week. Most nights I woke up around 2:30 to go to the bathroom, took 5mg of Melatonin and went right back to bed and slept until my alarm. There was even one night that I slept through the entire night without waking. It was heavenly.
We ate really well on this plan last week and even made it through a weekend away from home at my parents house. It took a lot of planning and a trip to the grocery store, but we were able to stay on plan all weekend.
Then I made the mistake of getting a bottle of wine for dinner on Monday night. I had 1 1/2 glasses. I was happy - I missed wine. And I've spent the last 2 nights waking up and not falling back to sleep again.
I was feeling so good and so positive and hopeful... and now I'm upset and discouraged again. Disrupted sleep really wreaks havoc on me.
I spoke with my health coach yesterday morning and told her about it. After asking a few questions, she decided that I have a candida issue... which is interesting because I thought i had a candida issue a few years ago after taking a round of antibiotics and feeling unreasonably tired all the time. At that time I cut out all foods that had yeast or sugar and felt better within 2 weeks. Now I need to cut out sugar entirely (alcohol, dates, dried fruit) and add a probiotic to try to crowd out the yeast. So I got that and started it yesterday.
An example of my daily meals:
Breakfast: I make a big breakfast salad: saute some onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms in butter and put them on a huge plate full of organic mixed greens. Add 2 fried organic, free range eggs & 1/4 avocado (if I have one). Drink a tall 20oz glass of lemon water & take all of my supplements.
Mid-morning: cup of green tea
Lunch: Hemp protein smoothie made with water, banana & berries. Bowl of some sort of vegetables - usually a cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper salad mixture (add avocado if I have some).
Afternoon snack (if I remember): strawberry infused water with basil & ACV, small bowl of berries.
Dinner: chicken saugsages, chicken tacos, hamburgers, pork, etc. This has been my biggest challenge because we didn't normally eat a lot of meat for dinners... but we're figuring it out. Served with vegetables - grilled or a salad.
Before bed: cup of herbal honey vanilla chamomile tea, sometimes with 2 pieces of dried mango.
I'm enjoying the food, a lot. It hasn't been as expensive as I anticipated. Although the supplements could get that way if I have to continue taking them or keep adding to them.
I have not worked out in probably 3 weeks because of my sleeping issues - that is incredibly bothersome to me, but that issue will get fixed in time, too. I need to do this one day at a time and have confidence that my health coach knows what she knows and can help me.
I slept so much better last week. Most nights I woke up around 2:30 to go to the bathroom, took 5mg of Melatonin and went right back to bed and slept until my alarm. There was even one night that I slept through the entire night without waking. It was heavenly.
We ate really well on this plan last week and even made it through a weekend away from home at my parents house. It took a lot of planning and a trip to the grocery store, but we were able to stay on plan all weekend.
Then I made the mistake of getting a bottle of wine for dinner on Monday night. I had 1 1/2 glasses. I was happy - I missed wine. And I've spent the last 2 nights waking up and not falling back to sleep again.
I was feeling so good and so positive and hopeful... and now I'm upset and discouraged again. Disrupted sleep really wreaks havoc on me.
I spoke with my health coach yesterday morning and told her about it. After asking a few questions, she decided that I have a candida issue... which is interesting because I thought i had a candida issue a few years ago after taking a round of antibiotics and feeling unreasonably tired all the time. At that time I cut out all foods that had yeast or sugar and felt better within 2 weeks. Now I need to cut out sugar entirely (alcohol, dates, dried fruit) and add a probiotic to try to crowd out the yeast. So I got that and started it yesterday.
An example of my daily meals:
Breakfast: I make a big breakfast salad: saute some onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms in butter and put them on a huge plate full of organic mixed greens. Add 2 fried organic, free range eggs & 1/4 avocado (if I have one). Drink a tall 20oz glass of lemon water & take all of my supplements.
Mid-morning: cup of green tea
Lunch: Hemp protein smoothie made with water, banana & berries. Bowl of some sort of vegetables - usually a cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper salad mixture (add avocado if I have some).
Afternoon snack (if I remember): strawberry infused water with basil & ACV, small bowl of berries.
Dinner: chicken saugsages, chicken tacos, hamburgers, pork, etc. This has been my biggest challenge because we didn't normally eat a lot of meat for dinners... but we're figuring it out. Served with vegetables - grilled or a salad.
Before bed: cup of herbal honey vanilla chamomile tea, sometimes with 2 pieces of dried mango.
I'm enjoying the food, a lot. It hasn't been as expensive as I anticipated. Although the supplements could get that way if I have to continue taking them or keep adding to them.
I have not worked out in probably 3 weeks because of my sleeping issues - that is incredibly bothersome to me, but that issue will get fixed in time, too. I need to do this one day at a time and have confidence that my health coach knows what she knows and can help me.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday July 15, 2013 - Day 1
I am a mess. I am not sleeping. Every night I fall asleep quite easily, but I wake up between 2:30-3:00 and am wide awake. I cannot fall back to sleep for 2-3 hours. This is not working well for me and I am miserable. Last night I woke up at 3:00 and didn't fall asleep again until 5:30 and then woke up at 7:00. This morning I am not functioning very well - very tired, impatient and intolerant and I want to cry. I cried all last night and again this morning when I woke up, I just don't understand why my body refuses to sleep and on a certain level, I don't understand why God won't do something about it.
Yesterday I had a consultation with a health coach and she assures me that she get get me healed. I think the issue is my adrenal glands... she has put me on a paleo diet: no grains, no dairy, no sugar. Mainly vegetables, meat & berries. She's suggested that I take L-glutamine which will heal my gut. Also Vit C & B and another supplement to support my adrenal glands. Magnesium for my liver.
Dave is doing the paleo diet along with me. Today is day 1. She told us to eat the cleanest (organic) we can reasonably afford - so grassfed, organic meat & eggs, organic fruit and vegetables.
For breakfast I had 2 grassfed, organic eggs fried in olive oil atop a bed of organic baby spinach, with chopped orange peppers, red onion, grape tomatoes, and 1/4 of an avocado.
Lunch will be a hemp protein shake made with spinach & berries.
Dinner will be taco chicken salad.
I will also be drinking green tea to replace my coffee, lemon water throughout the day, and strawberry basil infused water mixed with apple cider vinegar (which is much more delicious than it sounds).
I was excited about all of this yesterday, today I can't get excited about anything - I feel like I may never sleep normally again. And when I sleep like this, I can't get up in the morning to work out and can't find the energy to do it during the day. So my whole life is kind of thrown off balance by this sleeping situation.
One day at a time.
Yesterday I had a consultation with a health coach and she assures me that she get get me healed. I think the issue is my adrenal glands... she has put me on a paleo diet: no grains, no dairy, no sugar. Mainly vegetables, meat & berries. She's suggested that I take L-glutamine which will heal my gut. Also Vit C & B and another supplement to support my adrenal glands. Magnesium for my liver.
Dave is doing the paleo diet along with me. Today is day 1. She told us to eat the cleanest (organic) we can reasonably afford - so grassfed, organic meat & eggs, organic fruit and vegetables.
For breakfast I had 2 grassfed, organic eggs fried in olive oil atop a bed of organic baby spinach, with chopped orange peppers, red onion, grape tomatoes, and 1/4 of an avocado.
Lunch will be a hemp protein shake made with spinach & berries.
Dinner will be taco chicken salad.
I will also be drinking green tea to replace my coffee, lemon water throughout the day, and strawberry basil infused water mixed with apple cider vinegar (which is much more delicious than it sounds).
I was excited about all of this yesterday, today I can't get excited about anything - I feel like I may never sleep normally again. And when I sleep like this, I can't get up in the morning to work out and can't find the energy to do it during the day. So my whole life is kind of thrown off balance by this sleeping situation.
One day at a time.
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