Greetings Gems!

How is everyone? How is your November so far?

My last blog was 2 weeks ago plus one day. You can read it here. I advised that I was going back into Food Rehab.   Well, I did and I am still hanging in there.

A quick reminder of what I’ve chosen to do to cultivate my health. My goal was to eliminate all gluten, grains, dairy, soy, eggs, legumes/nuts, added sugar/sweeteners, and caffeine. The only oils that I cooked with are olive, avocado, and coconut oil. Once or twice I’ve used bacon grease from organic uncured nitrate-free bacon. The only fruit I’ve been eating/using are lemons, limes, and avocado.

Disclaimer: I’ve had a Five Guys Burger in a bowl (no bun) 2 times. Each time I requested grilled onions, green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and pickles and NO cheese.  Apparently, they frown upon burgers w/o cheese because each burger had cheese. I ate them both…cheese and all.  Then there’s Cassava Chips w/Sea Salt and Plantain Chips with Cinnamon. These are both healthier snacks but I’ve probably eaten at least one bag of each daily.

Here’s an update on my progress. Drum Roll…I’ve lost about 9lbs and 1 inch off my waist…no thanks to the extra carbs from the chips and starchy vegetables I’ve been enjoying such as sweet potatoes and acorn squash. No, we are not concentrating on numbers but I am keeping you up to date on the scale because weight loss just happens to fall into place when healing is in progress.

The inflammation is slowly decreasing. My joint/muscle/shoulder pain is gone. My sinuses/allergies aren’t as bad. My facial acne started clearing up but it seems to have flared back up after the Five Guys burgers which are cooked in peanut oil.

Adrenal fatigue and brain fog still exists but could be a combination of my working 12-hour shifts…completing 48 hrs in 5 days and sleep deprivation.

There is still obvious hormonal imbalance and insulin intolerance which I know is a result of some of the foods I continue to eat. My emotions are all over the place which could be a direct result of all mentioned above or/and the time of year. Seems like the last few years, the holiday season always puts me in a funk.  This is the time that I miss my angel parents and big sister the most.

One thing I do know for sure is that I’m still feeding my candida. What is candida? Well, it’s a type of fungus residing in or on our bodies. Normally they don’t cause any problems but if the yeast is fed or allowed to multiply it can cause an infection called “Candidiasis.” How do you feed candida? Candida feeds on all types of sugar, starch, moldy foods/yeast, dead tissue, and alcohol. This all includes but is not limited to fruit, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes/carrots/plantains, fungus type vegetables like mushrooms or leftover foods, and factory farmed meats. Eventually, I will wean myself off all of the last foods mentioned…hopefully by the end of the year and do a Candida Cleanse as well. I will write a blog with more detail about Candida at a later date.

I’m going to continue what I’m doing to bring about a better me. I want to feel better, to be better, and to do better. This can be accomplished if I put my mind to it and use the control that I have within me.

If you are also taking steps to a better you…good for you! Keep up the good work and no matter how fast or slow you see the results, keep in mind that most of the things you are trying to change, increase, eliminate did not develop overnight so don’t be discouraged if the change doesn’t happen overnight.

What changes are you making to increase your health?

“It’s not about weight loss, it’s about cultivating health.”