Wow! I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last wrote an update. The holidays have been busy and challenging. Between decorating the house for Christmas, baking lectin-free cookies for friends and neighbors, and us, of course, putting together gift bags, learning to make sourdough discard savory crackers, and getting in some form of daily exercise, the time has flown by. Oh, and Zoom and phone chats with friends and family.
Earlier in the month, I had my last doctor visit of the year with a pain specialist. We looked at the detailed MRIs of my spine from the cervix to the sacral area, and everything looks fine. He noticed some stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) at C4-6 and in the lumbar area, L4-5, which likely are the cause of the arm pain I had before changing my diet and following my exercise regimen, and the leg muscle weakness that comes and goes. The spinal chord itself is healthy and nothing is impinging on the nerves so he didn’t see any need for his intervention of any kind. Just continue what I’ve been doing.
My weight has stabilized, bouncing up and down 2-4 pounds. We’ve been gifted too much peppermint bark chocolate which I indulged in, along with the cookies I made. Although those were made with monk fruit, so they were low glycemic on the sugar index. The chocolate is now in a tin in the refrigerator, where I can avoid it.
Plant Paradox Program as a "Diet"
I’m finding with this Plant Paradox program (calling it a diet doesn’t seem right because of the connotation of “diet” being temporary, and this how I intend to eat the rest of my life), that I have more energy and feel strong and healthy. When I deviate too much, my body instantly reacts with bloating, gas, and stomach discomfort. It takes a couple of days to work through my system and then I feel lighter again. During the discomfort, my energy lags as well. There is a battle waging in my gut after all.
New Year’s Eve will be another challenging holiday. Our neighbor is hosting and this time she learned to ask for help from us ladies attending the party. She loves to host parties and prepare everything herself so it’s just how she wants it. But the party she through on the 21st just about did her in energy-wise. She’s 70 and successfully fought a battle with multiple myeloma cancer 2 years ago, where the doctors replaced all the bone marrow in her body with stem cells. It was a horrible, trying period for both her and her husband, but she came through the ordeal cancer-free. She still needs monthly infusions and daily medication to ensure the cancer doesn’t return. But the reality is, her energy isn’t what it used to be at 35.
Neither is mine. I volunteered to bring a vegie tray and plan to prep all the vegetables the day before, so I just have the assembly on Wednesday before going next door. I did something similar at Thanksgiving and fortunately, my husband helped slice. It was too large a tray, but it was beautiful. I plan to do a smaller variation this time even though there will be more people. Our hostess is only doing the mains of stuffed shells and spinach lasagna. The rest of us are bringing appetizers,
champagne, and dessert. It’s more fun all around and less exhausting for her as the hostess.
My challenge will be to fill up on the vegies, Caesar salad someone is bringing, and only sample a little of the pasta. I figure the spinach lasagna will be the least impactful since it has spinach, but I know the cheese, pasta, and sauce will not be Plant Paradox friendly. No telling what dessert will be, but since it’s an Italian theme, it could be something like Tiramisu.
The body is amazing at healing itself!
What I’m learning about this regimen is that I can stray, deal with the consequences, and then get back to feeding my body what it likes and needs to clean out my system. The body is amazing in its ability to support your health, if you just think of it as your health partner and pay attention to what happens after you eat. It will tell you what it needs to support your health and reveal through gas, bloating, pain, inflammation, and weight gain, when the food you are ingesting is not what your body needs and wants.
If you are where I was 16 weeks ago, I urge you to try the Plant Paradox 3-day cleanse. It will be an uncomfortable three days depending on how unhealthy your gut biome is when you start, but once you go through it and come out the other side, you should feel lighter, and your sugar and salt cravings will be gone. After two weeks on the eating program, you’ll have less bloating and gas, and if you had pain and inflammation, it should be nearly gone. That’s how it worked with me. Now it’s my new lifestyle and my friends are curious because of the dramatic changes in my health, not just the weight loss. Even my skin is healthier-looking!
What a great way to start the new year. Healthy and 70 pounds lighter. May you nave a joyous and healthy New Year!