An amazing thing is happening in my body. The pain from the arthritic cervical area in my neck is almost gone. I no longer have pain down my left arm and can stretch my arm out without any pain. I can also do arm curls without pain. And I’m building muscle in my shoulders and upper arms. I don’t know that I’ll ever get rid of the little bit of flab on the back of my arms and in my mid-section. But, hey, I’m looking pretty good for 73!
Dr. Gundry mentions in his book, The Plant Paradox, how many of his patients no longer suffered pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other diseases after being on the program for 6 months to a year. I’m seeing this happening in my own body. I still have some residual pain in my neck and thumbs but not like it used to be. The foot neuropathy is much less than it used to be. It comes and goes, along with muscle weakness in my legs when they are tired from exercise, but again, it’s no where near as bad as it was a year ago.
After nearly two years on this journey and myriads of tests by a slew of doctors and specialists who couldn’t find medical reasons for the pain and muscle weakness, I am proving to myself that what I eat actually makes a huge difference. My body loves this plant-based diet. I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I do love leafy greens and other green vegetables. Avoiding foods such as corn, US-based wheat flour, dairy from US-raised cows, non-grass-fed beef, pork, chickens, and farm-raised fish has had a major positive impact on how I feel and the easy weight loss I’m experiencing.
I’m now ending 10 weeks of this program and my gut biome is mostly cured. When I eat something not on the approved “just say yes” list of foods, my body immediately lets me know. I get a pain in my gut and then gas. My low back gets sore from the gas and the need to have a bowel movement which is stinky and very soft. When my poop is firm and like hot dogs, and not very smelly, that tells me my gut is doing well.
Seventy pounds!
That’s how much I’ve lost since starting this journey in January of 2023. The objective was to get rid of the pain. I started down this path on the New Wave program. It’s a very similar eating program that included drops I took to stop food cravings, Vitamin B12 and D3 drops, and a liquid to eliminate environmental toxins. The diet did not specify avoiding plants with seeds which have lectins which the bad bacteria in the gut thrive on.
However, all grains and fruits were off the list of approved foods so I was avoiding plants with seeds anyway. The diet also did not mention only eating pastured eggs, pasture-raised chicken, and wild-caught fish. It did recommend grass-fed beef and lean beef such as bison, but no pork, dairy, grains, sugar, oils, alcohol, and starchy foods like potatoes, chips, wheat, etc. Only leafy greens, 4 oz of lean protein from fish, chicken or grassfed beef, and 4 oz of an approved vegetable such as broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, spinach, and kale at lunch and dinner. The only fruit allowed were berries as a desert before bedtime, and green apples to break a plateau. Boiled eggs or nothing were suggested for breakfast. I lost 35 pounds on the diet and continued to follow it for the most part afterwards, losing an additional 10-15 pounds.
Moving to The Plant Paradox eating program, changed everything, however. The body pain was returning despite my following the above diet and exercising 40-50 minutes almost daily that included aerobic, core and arm strengthening, and specific physical therapy exercises for my neck and shoulders. I had started to eat gluten-free bread and crackers again, and was cooking with corn and potato starch as a thickener.
On this Plant Paradox eating program, I’ve been able to lose the additional weight and eliminate most of the pain. I want to lose an additional 8-10 pounds and stabilize there. That will give me a safe range of 3-5 pounds of fluctuation which is normal.
Holidays will be challenging
We’ve been invited to a friend’s home for Thanksgiving. The food will be traditional, and most of it will not align with the Plant Paradox-approved list.
The turkey won’t be pasture-raised. She will probably serve mashed potatoes and/or some sweet potato dish. Someone may bring the traditional green beans with fried onions on top. And of course, there will be apple or pumpkin pie with whipped cream or ice cream for dessert, which I can also decline (the apple I could probably eat, but the other ia a squash, and that’s not on the list of approved foods).
I’m bringing Brussel Sprouts so I can control that portion of the meal. She will hopefully offer a green salad, but possibly not. And who knows what the stuffing will be? If it’s a cornbread-based, I will forego that. If it’s herbed rice and mushrooms, I can have a little of that.
I will do my best to stick to my eating plan and enjoy the meal with friends. That’s the important thing. I’m thankful to have loving friends with whom to share these memories. That’s what’s important. And I know what to do to cleanse my gut during the week after.
The holidays are always a challenge, even when not following a special diet. Learning how to adjust and go with the flow of life helps to ease the stress and reduce the fear of screwing up and causing more pain in my body.
Now it’s time to exercise and then get my day started. That includes getting back to writing a chapter about this program in my book that I thought was ready to publish!
I welcome your comments if you want to share your own journey on a similar path of pain resolution, health, and wellness through natural approaches. I’m looking for a tribe of women who are open-minded, creative, strategic thinkers, willing to explore new ideas and concepts.
Is that you?