Resetting My Metabolism

Took me several few months to get back here but here I am folks !!  Let me give you a rundown of what has been happening with me.

After sticking to low carb I was pretty successful then hit a major plateau.  Nothing I did kick started my weight loss.  But on top of that I started to feel really crappy.  Not incredible nasty or anything but far from feeling great. Bloating, on and off body pain, mild headaches, lethargy... my RA was getting bad.  My skin was dry. My hair was dry. My nails were brittle.  I looked old.  And as such I decided this wasn't worth it. And to be truthful, I had grown to hate the entire way of eating.

Without a great deal of thought but rather a gut reaction to put an end to my discomfort, I started to add grains back into my diet - so far so good. Or so I thought.   A starch here, a starch there and the weight started to creep back on. BUT I was ok with that cause I was starting to feel better. Again, or so I thought.

All hell broke loose.

I thought I was feeling crappy before but things took on a whole new flavor. Fast forward to the last 3 months of my life.  Hello major allergen reaction.  I had added back corn, gluten, way too much dairy and lived on caffeine.  I had, w/o really knowing it or consciously doing it,  reduced my consumption of fruit and veggies to such a great degree that I barely ate many of them at all - unless they were loaded with cheese, guacamole, and the dreaded wheat crouton. Oh and drinking water?  When I needed to take Advil for my headaches. And the odd supplement if I remembered. Ya, that's pretty much it. Honest.

Basically to sum it up, it took me a few months of really not giving a damn to end up almost bedridden with pain. I was getting sick all the time too. A flu here, a cold there, migraines were back. The PMS too was getting insane.  And exercise? non-existent.  Once the body pain took over I didn't even want to rebound on my mini-trampoline. And let's not delve into what it did to my mood.  I will just say I was a beast !

Yes, I did this all to myself.  I readily admit that.  It is so easy to fall back into that downward spiral, isn't it?  A little here, a little there turns into a lot everywhere! 

Well as is my typical nature, I have to pretty much let things hit rock bottom before I say ENOUGH and do something about it. And I have done just that.

Last Saturday I was sitting at the salon getting my hair done and mindlessly surfing away on my phone when I decided to see what hot books were out there right now.  I meandered over to the Chapters website and started scanning through the list.  And then I saw a book called The Fast Metabolism Diet.

My first reaction was "oh here we go, another fad diet. been there, done that" but I was still drawn in enough to read the reviews.  I had no idea this has been on Dr. Oz (never watch that show) or that it was highly recommended AND that pretty much all the reviews were super positive.  So I picked up a copy that evening. By Sunday night I had read the entire book and made the decision to start the plan this past Monday.  I did just that and now on day 4.

Guess what?  I am only drinking one cup of black coffee a day and even weaning myself off that - this is a gal who would drink 5-6 a day with cream!!

I am eating more fruit and veggies I thought was possible. I am eating rice bread, oatmeal, lean meats, drinking a ton of water and ...wait for it... I FEEL GOOD.   This morning I woke up and didn't have body pain. Crazy right? but true.   I am also awake - no sign of brain fog.  No smashing headache which greeted me nearly every morning for several months.  No bloating either  - I can actually see ankles !  And I am actually going to the bathroom on a regular basis.  Maybe TMI but I am sure many of us suffer from this so why not share.  Given the fact that I have IBS and regular NORMAL visits to the washroom are pretty much unheard of this is a BIG DEAL.

In addition to the plan I also ramped up supplements.  I am taking Cod Liver Oil, 5000 IUs Vit D, a women's daily vitamin,   Calcium and Magnesium supplement.

This is a 28 day plan but can be restarted if you have more weight to lose.  It does exclude dairy, soy, wheat, corn, nitrates, caffeine (baby steps for me), and sugar ( you can have Stevia or Xylitol) BUT the assortment of foods you can eat is incredible!!  Nuts, seeds, sprouted grain bread, oatmeal, melon, berries, apples, oranges, lean meats, healthy fats, avocado, almond milk, coconut... seriously, it is beyond good!  You don't count calories (good cause I never last on anything like that) and the portion sizes are far from small.  Some days I can barely eat it all.  It is a rotation diet where you switch things up every 2-3 days to keep your body guessing.  The exercise plan is very simple too - 20 minutes 3 days a week. One day cardio, one day weights and the last day is yoga or deep breathing.  Anyone can handle that!  No need to spend hours in the gym , folks.   Everything can be done in the comfort of your home with minimal equipment.  I bounce on my mini trampoline for cardio, use my weights I have here for weight day and don't need a darn thing to breath deeply !!!

Granted, I am only into day 4 but to come from where I started on Monday to here is amazing.  To be able to breath without wincing and to button my jeans without sucking it in...well I am a happy camper. My goal is not to lose weight. My goal is to feel better!  But I will happily take the weight loss too :)

Here are a few photos of what I am eating now and I love it all !

Oranges for a snack

Amazing nut butters

Lots of veggies and gluten/sugar free, no filler, sausages

Here I am fitting in lunch during work.  There is grilled chicken and steamed veggies under that mound of gorgeous balsamic drizzled asparagus spears.  On the side - toasted brown rice bread with organic blueberry jam sweetened with Xylitol. 

 I will try to update you 2-3 times a week on my progress - but be warned, I am staying off the scale. This isn't going to turn into that again.  Nope, this is about basing it all on how I feel, not what number pops up every morning.

Wishing you all great health and hope you keep following me on my journey !!