There is quite a list of symptoms I've been dealing with both before I started eating so healthy and after due to the major transition to healthy food from a high fat/highly processed diet (can you say "self medicated with food?"). I guess I'm feeling like I should be improving faster but I woke up a few days ago with severe pain in my left first 2 fingers and knuckles - like arthritic-type pain. It went away after a day but then it was back yesterday morning with even more intensity.
I got a hand massage yesterday that helped somewhat and the pain was less intense this morning. It's a very strange feeling because I have diabetic neuropathy in my feet and a little in my fingertips. This seems to be getting worse, not better after starting the new lifestyle. This is why I need to consult with a doctor who knows the whole body and fat free vegan lifestyle.
I was talking to a dear friend this evening who told me about a spa in the Czech Republic that he went to in 2009 for 7 weeks to get healthy and lose weight through eating healthy and exercising throughout the day - he highly recommended it to me especially since he reads my blog and is aware of my struggles. Believe me, the thought of going to a beautiful European-esque place to focus on nothing but my health sounds heavenly. Once I find the website I will provide it in a future post.
The thing is, I would love to go for 7-8 weeks because that would allow me to get used to being in another place and for my body to get used to the exercise and weight loss but it would be nearly impossible for me to take that kind of break from my life. I have been looking for a reason to travel abroad again (it's been a few years now) and this definitely would be worth it. We'll have to see how things go over the next few months of my life (ex., preparing for grad school, fully launching my small creative business, internship with child welfare and/or women & children's shelters) - my family doesn't plan travel at all especially when finances are an issue but I'm sure they'll support me if I can keep my life running smoothly when traveling.
FOOD
I didn't eat enough food yesterday and I knew it before going to bed. I snacked on thin pretzel sticks very late at night even though I knew that would mess with my diabetes and colon. As expected, I didn't eliminate this morning as I have been for several weeks now. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) I had a few IBS-type episodes this afternoon that I attributed to the small amount of avocado in my cucumber and avocado sushi roll at lunch. I'm not used to eating anything with a fair amount of fat, even naturally occurring fat.
I really don't understand why Dr Esselstyn doesn't allow even small amounts of avocado - in my research I found that they raise good cholesterol and decrease the bad. I thought they had cholesterol in them but I couldn't find any evidence of this - all the food labels listed online state 0 cholesterol so I'm even more confused - I WANT TO EAT AVOCADO! That's it for the rant for now - I know better than to second guess a heart surgeon who has dedicated his life to the prevention and reversal of heart and artery disease with great success...
What I ate today:
- Gala apples
- Pretzel sticks
- Carrot, cucumber, avocado sushi rolls
- Soy gingerbread latte
- FF Fast & Easy Mexican-style Chili (see recipe below)
- Oatmeal
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RECIPE
FF Fast & Easy Mexican-style Chili
Ingredients:
- 1 can organic FF Chili Beans
- 1 can FF Refried Beans (any flavor as long as it doesn't have fat)
- 1 tub (16oz) Salsa (pureed or chunky)
- 1/4 cup Chili Sauce (or 1/8 cup ketchup/catsup + 1/8 cup taco sauce)
- Onions - any type (I like red for this recipe) - diced - to taste (I use a whole one but then again, I live alone)
- Jalapeno - fresh - finely diced (can omit if you don't like this type of heat)
- Poblano Chili - fresh - roughly chopped - to taste (I use a whole one)
- 1 packet Chili Seasoning (make sure it doesn't contain fat or whey)
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients into a pot with a lid; loosely combine; cover
- Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes
- Uncover and stir well; cover and turn heat to low
- Cook for 10-15 minutes; remove from heat
- You can let this sit in the pot for up to 30 minutes but is ready to eat at any time
- Serve and eat!
Serves 4 (as the main course - goes further when using it as a topping)
Notes:
- You can easily add other vegetables but chop to similar size - corn provides a great taste and texture as do chopped or sliced mushrooms
- This makes a great topping for baked or mashed potatoes, rice and pasta.
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