It's all Grey...

Just not 50 shades of it, so don't go getting any ideas.

We spent most of the long weekend in Pinawa with Erich's family. It was good to be out of the city, but, as it almost always does when we were there, it rained. It wasn't so bad though, I got in a few movies and a little extra reading time. I spent a lot of time going through Aglaee Jacob's Digestive Health with Real Food. It's a great read as far as health/food books go-very thorough. Yet, it all leaves me feeling like I'm no further and no closer to a solution. There is so much symptom overlap. As I was saying...it's all grey. 

I'm told to try an alkalizing diet, while trying to eat a low FODMAP diet at the same time. It's almost impossible-there is so much overlap! I'm finding it incredibly difficult to know which one to be more diligent with. Beans are a no-no for FODMAP sufferers, yet meat is highly acidic. That leaves no protein...if you were to be diligent with both (I've still been eating meat). When trying to alkalize your body it's best to follow an 80/20 rule. What the heck does that look like?? 

So, what have I been doing?? I have had either a green juice or smoothie every morning. I am really enjoying this and after a week I am starting to notice more sustainable energy throughout my day (although I will take the option of a nap if possible). I have been trying to do more at home exercise...this has involved some Youtube videos, walks, a run and a bike ride this week. This one will be mentally harder to maintain. I can talk myself into and out of a lot, especially when I feel tired. It initially feels counter-intuitive to get my body moving when all I want to do is not move. It's also learning the fine balance of work vs rest.

I have also been avoiding the major FODMAP triggers like onions, garlic, asparagus, leeks, apples, mangoes and pears (to name some major former players in my diet). I think it's helping...when I compare this past to week to my initial elimination I am feeling significantly better. But I still don't know. I've had lots of 'cheats' and I have had lots of 'acidic' foods. I know I do better when someone tells me exactly what to do! I'm useless when left to my own devices!

I also run to my comforts when life gets hairy (or possibly when i'm left to my own devices:)). As it decided to do this Tuesday after the long weekend morning. It was a rough start after a great weekend. One of those kids are screaming, and/or having a meltdown so I have a tantrum too kind of morning. So naturally, after getting bleach on my two new favourite pieces of clothing I went and got an Americano with cream. It hit the spot that's for sure. I don't feel guilty about it-I just don't know if I'm causing major setbacks. We're back to the grey on that one. So, if someone could please just come and tell me exactly what to do...that'd be great. :)

Here we go...again

I am officially 4 weeks into my initial elimination. That's crazy! I thought I'd be feeling awesome and ready to reintroduce foods. Instead I'm not, so I cheated and ate a lot of crap this weekend. Oi. But oh did it ever feel good to eat food I love eating. I love eating. I love food. Had I felt better I would've loved that more. But I haven't yet. So I ate. And now tomorrow is a new week, a refreshed budget and a new plan.

This past Wednesday I met with my nutritionist again and we decided to scrap the old elimination. I was so relieved. Not only to be done with the restrictive eating but that she was willing to explore more options. Sometimes I find people can come from one school of thought and then you're hooped. So now I will still eliminate gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugars. That list at one point would've done me in, but now it's like freedom! I will also focus on getting lots of greens into my diet-to combat the fatigue i've been feeling. I realize I have two young children and that in itself is cause to be tired, but this is different. This is a more constant exhaustion. So I will eat a more alkalizing diet (again really focus on the greens) and I need to sweat more. Not just the nervous sweaty betty sweating I tend to do but real working my butt sweat. I work out at an amazing fitness place twice a week which has been awesome for myself on so many levels (but it's only twice/week). It has taken the mental pressure off working out for me which was and continues to be my biggest obstacle when left to my own devices. I am the strongest I have been ever in my life and that feels so good! But I'm still fighting fatigue and just feeling like my body hasn't been getting the nutrients I've been putting into it.

So I need to sweat for 30 minutes every 48 hours. I need to move. To tell my body that it needs to produce more mitochondria's (??I think??). This will help with my energy connectors. When my body is tired and I'm not moving as much those mitochondria's die off, I'm telling my body they are not needed. When I'm moving, and these babies are being produced then my body is producing more, energy is increased-connecting my systems better in my body. When my body is functioning on a basic energy level it can then do what it needs to do. That was the detailed, scientific description. If you need me to dumb it down for you I simply can not, it would beneath me to do so.

Moving, sweating and eating an alkalizing diet, with a big focus on greens is the next step. I feel a lot more motivated to try this route. Especially with it being spring, farmers markets are around the corner, juices and smoothies are easy to make as well as refreshing and energizing. I'm really hoping that this will address the root issue (fatigue) and that my body will respond positively. I'm still going to try and maintain a low FODMAP diet. I really don't want those to be trigger foods for me, but it is definitely still on my radar that they may be. So I'm putting my weekend waywardness behind me and starting afresh tomorrow.

What the FODMAP?

I have hesitated to post this week because I have changed up my elimination and I wanted to give it a few days to see if i'm on the right track. Remember a few posts back (i.e. the beginning of this blog) and I was on this crazy elimination diet where I could hardly eat anything? It turns out I was wrong...I could eat tons! Because now I can hardly eat anything! I'll explain that in more detail later.

Let's journey back together...two weeks in and I was seeing no digestive changes. I was actually having more digestive symptoms. Aside from feeling more stable (thank you sugar for making me a crazy lady...before! I'm totally fine now) nothing was different. I have been eating SO good, yet my body was like 'you are?'. So I started to do some research. This is an exhausting feat when you feel blah, and you have two kids. Life doesn't allot me the time to think a full thought these days, let alone research anything. So this did feel a bit tiring and time consuming. Anyways, my nutritionist had mentioned the word 'fodmap' in my meeting with her and something about not needing to eliminate those (whatever they were anyways), so I paid it no attention at the time. But since I wasn't feeling great and seeing no changes I looked into it. Well, it appears to be the closest thing to pinpointing what could be going on with me. I will post a link at the end of the article that will describe in greater detail what exactly FODMAPs are.

Anyways, long story short they are not a specific food group. It is essentially your bodies inability to absorb fructose in certain foods. Your small intestine doesn't really know what to do with said food and passes it along to the large intestine where the food ferments, causing gas etc. The foods have also leached water from the small intestine on their journey down causing (here we go...) watery, gross pooh's. So now you know too much about me. Which reminds me I should write an 'about me' bio so you know that there's more to me than just that. 

There is a list in this article of foods that are safe, foods to be careful with and foods to avoid. I was eating so many foods on the avoid list. Plus, having cleaned up all my other eating it made sense that I was feeling the way I was feeling. I started this past Tuesday. These past few days I have not had the same symptoms as before. However, I have been super tired this week (a new level of detox perhaps?), and I did treat myself to a little glass of wine last night. Which was amazing! Except for today when my body said 'no it wasn't'.

I'm hoping I'm on the right track. I have found myself more discouraged this week, even with this new found knowledge. There are a lot of safe foods that were on my original elimination (like nightshades) etc., so there are a lot of gray areas right now as to what I should and shouldn't be eating. I go back to see my nutritionist this week and I'm hoping for more clarity.

I struggle with the idea of doing this for a long time. I really hope to gain habits and skills that I will WANT to take with me beyond this. I trust that I will, it's just a matter of remaining committed to this journey and knowing that it is only for a time.

And I am eating eggs again...and potatoes. Holla! Breakfast is back on!

As promised, here is the article on FODMAPs

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance.html