Starvation Recovery

Still just not feeling like I’m settling into a body that is the balanced size for me. Energy level about zero!

Feeling sick after every bite – That is how the last three or four days have been. Just when I think I’m getting better –BAM! Something else hits me.

I read an amazing starvation study the US government conducted in the 50’s. Men were given the choice to be drafted in the army or join the starvation study. Basically they were given only half their normal amount of caloric intake for three months and then their behaviors were monitored during another 6 months where they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. The results: the men were completely unable to detect hunger within the normal definition. They binged, felt guilty or uncomfortably full, restricted calorie intake to make up for the binge or purged, then because of the lack of proper nutrients, their bodies told them to binge again and the cycle repeated.

What does this mean to me? After having undergone a lengthy period of time when my body was not using the nutrients I gave it… causing vomiting or diarrhea, and falling underweight; my body is now in starvation recovery mode. I’m still having a hard understanding the feelings of hunger my body is giving me. I feel constantly hungry, even right after I eat a big meal. It is now extremely important that I eat on a REGULAR schedule. Three meals, three snacks, no seconds, no grazing, always cleaning my plate. That way I know in my head that I’ve been nourished; there is no need to guess if I need to eat more and perhaps set of a binge/starve/undernourished cycle. When I make a plate, I make sure it has everything I need on it so my head knows I’m full even if my belly doesn’t.

This seems to be working. Sometimes I don’t feel like eating at snack time but I eat a balanced snack anyway.

All the research says that a meal plan and extremely mechanical eating are the keys to re-nourishing a body that has undergone starvation in one form or another. As I write this I have some strange sense of satisfaction in my belly.. .could that be what is feels like to be full?

Bathroom Break Through!

Something is working!

I recently made one dietary change and added three supplements, one or more of them are working!

Dietary change: On an empty stomach I drink 8 ounces of warm water with lemon, ginger and cellulose powder (about 8 grams of Fiber) each morning.

Supplements:

1. Potassium – Probably not too effective because I’ve found out the FDA limits potassium supplements to only include 3% of your DV of potassium. Although I’m taking about 8 a day, I’m still only getting the equivalent of one additional banana per day.
2. Calcium – I read that calcium is really important if you eat a great deal of meat since the body uses calcium stolen from your bones to break down the meat. Half my diet is meat.
3. Glutamine – This is an amino acid, I think this is the right one! Here is what web MD has to say about Glutamine: “Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Glutamine is produced in the muscles and is distributed by the blood to the organs that need it. Glutamine might help gut function, the immune system, and other essential processes in the body, especially in times of stress. It is also important for providing “fuel” (nitrogen and carbon) to many different cells in the body. Glutamine is needed to make other chemicals in the body such as other amino acids and glucose (sugar).” I think it is helping to improve the function of my smooth muscles – the ones that control the digestive tract. They seem to be doing their job all of the sudden!

I ordered all of the supplements from amazon together so I started taking them at the same time. I’m also on an anti-viral pharmaceutical right now for an unrelated issue – curious to see if that is helping my digestive issue????

The result – after only 4 days I noticed a difference. It has been one week now and I’m having no issues in the bathroom! Seriously, I feel like a new person today, I woke up and felt the need to go like I used to. I went…it was as it should be in size and consistency! This is the first time without the help of laxatives or laxative herbs that I’ve had normal bowl function in over 5 months!

On top of that my energy is through the roof and my appetite is normal. I get full like a normal person after a normal sized meal; I don’t need to eat every half hour. Yesterday I had a nice breakfast with protein and didn’t get hungry until 2pm! My body is actually using the food I’ve giving it. What a concept.

We will see how long this lasts for!

Three Months of hard work, Minimal Results

This is me one year ago dancing my face off. Tonight I’m going “out” but my energy is so low it sound like way too work to dance and have fun

It’s not working.

Since December I have changed a great deal of things in my life:

1. Adding carbs and healthy fats back into my diet – Goal gain some healthy fat and muscle mass. This has worked. I’ve gained about 10 pounds and am able to maintain a healthy weight
2. Cut out Coffee – Goal: reduce acid content and adreal stress in order to improve digestion and energy
3. Clean eating – no nitrates, nitrites, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, msg, sulfates, sulfites
4. Juicing 3-5 times per week – Goal: flood the system with healthy micronutrients in a readily usable form
5. Colon and Parasite cleanses – Goal: aid in digestion to increase energy and reduce constipation
6. Fiber supplements – Goal: aid in digestion to increase energy and reduce constipation
7. Digestive enzymes: – Goal: aid in digestion to increase energy and reduce constipation
8. Probiotics in the form of pills, homemade 24 hour yogurt, homemade kombucha –Goal: increase good gut bacteria to aid in digestion to increase energy and reduce constipation
9. Multivitamins, ester C, Fish oil, flax milk, omega 3 eggs,  the list goes on

Result: I gained weight but I still have battles (although not as frequent) with extremely low energy (can’t get up the stairs low energy!). The constipation is worse than ever. It is so bad that when I eat there is no room for more in my digestive track to I bloat and the only relief is to not eat for the rest of the day or to throw up – which contributes to the low energy.

 

WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? Frustrated!

 

 

 

Yoga – Does the Heat Make me look or feel better?

Heated Yoga-
Reasons I love Warm (95 degrees +) Vinyasa yoga:
• Strength –holding those postures when my muscles are screaming requires a great deal of oxygen. The more I breathe deeply, the more oxygen I send to my blood and we know that muscles need oxygenated blood to get stronger.
• Focus – I pay so much attention to what each muscle is telling me, this helps me get the most out of each posture
• Sweat – Gallons of toxins getting flushed out
• Calories –The “flow” aspect keeps you moving, one breath, one movement. Arms overhead also really get the heart rate up. The heat makes it harder, which means the heart is beating faster and more calories are being burnt. Most research says one hour of level 2 power yoga will burn about 600 calories.
• Recovery – the flexibility and stretching help me get more out of the other types of workouts I do
• Metabolism – I can’t explain this one but one hour of yoga and I’m Famished! My appetite after yoga is greater than after a 5 mile run
• Digestion – Twisting and turning in ways we don’t in life or in the gym helps move the digestive system along.
• Mindfulness- being in the moment, present, aware
• Relaxation – your brain can’t wander when your body is screaming at you. The physical stress pushes out the mental stress
• Namaste – Making the world a better place. Yoga is a community experience, unlike the gym, it is all about walking out ready to pass along what you’ve learned on your mat, rather than flaunt your sexy bod.
Risks to consider:
• Dehydration – I have to drink a about a quart (4 cups) of water just before and just after my class to make up for water loss, otherwise I’ll get a head ache
• Lightheadedness – The blood is really thin and all that hands above the heart stuff can really be dangerous. MORE BREATHING. It really forces you to get the breath moving.
• Over stretching – a couple of times I’ve had soreness because I pushed too hard.
• Being a Trendy Sell-Out – get to know what yoga is really about, being a yogi is a way of life, going to “yoga class” is one branch of many branches that make up “yoga”. If you are going to yoga only for the workout, you are missing 90% of the point.
Bottom line, hot yoga forces you to get to know yourself, get to know how far you can push, how much strength you have in yourself both mentally and physically. Not only do I get a good workout, I walk out knowing myself better and really proud of myself. I almost always see progress, I can do some posture today that I could not do yesterday. That is an amazing feeling

So Tired after two days of snowboarding, but SO glad my health has improved enough to be ABLE to snowboard!

Last night I made my daily trip to Sprouts Market. I love this place, tons of organic choices and huge selection of supplements, bigger than even the vitamin shoppee. I love the bulk bins. I’m experimenting with making my own protein powder since they sell plain whey protein by the pound. I haven’t found any protein powder in any store that doesn’t have an ingredient list as long as my arm filled with fake sugar and real sugar. My protein shakes take two forms, one that requires perishable ingredients (Preferred, healthy version) for when I am at home and have time to prepare, and one that comes from a powder that I can take on the road:

Protein Shake (Perishable):

• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 TBS nut butter
• 1 Cup Flax Milk or other milk
• 1 tsp. coco powder

25-30 Grams of Protein, about 275 calories

Protein Shake powder

• 20 grams whey protein isolate (about a TBS)
• 2 TBS dried milk powder
• 1.5 Cups Flax Milk or other milk

25-30 Grams Protein, about 225 calories – not as yummy but it fills you up!

Not feeling so good these last couple of days, fighting a cold and still battling the constant gas. Just all around worn down and tired. This makes me want to eat more carbs which gives my more gas and makes me more tired…Am I Missing something here?

This is not working

ParaGONE Update

So far it has been about 5 days of a 28 day cleanse and I’m not noticing any “cleansing”. In fact quite the opposite. I feel like crap.  Everything I eat makes me bloated, crampy and constipated. I writing this with a heating pad on my abdomen – just feeling so crappy today. It makes me not want to eat anything. On top of this I had the first symptoms of caffeine withdrawals today.

What I really don’t like about the ParaGONE is that I have to take it three times a day on an empty stomach. The problem with this is that I cannot eat a full meal right now because of the bloating, that means I either don’t eat enough of I take the pills when I have food in my stomach. There has to be a better solution. I feel like my life revolves around eating and taking supplements.  Today I had to drive to LA for work, whups forgot my afternoon dose of pills and bam, I got a caffeine headache because eI didn’t take my adrenals.

Feeling better is such a chore, I’m so over this tonight.

Cut the Coffee, DROP THE JOE!

After my quick run to the end of the pier and a strength training circuit on the beach, I looked in the mirror and though, “Wow, I’m starting to look strong again.” And I feel stronger too! YIppie!

Why Adrenal Support?

Stress, caffeine, alcohol – The all destroy your Endocrine System, particularly Caffeine.

“Within five minutes after you drink your morning coffee, the caffeine begins to stimulate your central nervous system, triggering the release of stress hormones in your body, causing a stress (“fight or flight” ) response. The stress hormones are useful if you need to prepare yourself to fight or flee a dangerous situation, but if you are simply sitting at your desk you may feel a short charge of alertness, quickly followed by feelings of agitation. Within the next hour or so, after the stress response dissipates, you will probably feel more tired and hungry. At these low-energy times, many people reach for another cup of coffee, or eat a snack that is often high in sugar to “pep up” and stay alert. “

Active Wellness By Gayle Reichler MS RD CDN, page 12
Learn more:  http://www.naturalnews.com/012352_caffeine_coffee.html#ixzz2IuXHGi1e

Caffeine was my substitute for carbs for the last 6 months. Now I drink green tea until about noon and switch to herbal, it is about 20 times less caffeine than I was consuming in a typically day. I don’t even want to get into the stress factors in my life!

The adrenal support is essentially putting my Overstresses adrenal glands on vacation so that they can get a chance to rest. I’ll begin weaning myself off of the Adrenal supplement in another week, I’ve been taking it for about 5 weeks now.

 

The other night I cheated and had a small Latte – DAMN IT WAS GOOD! But I felt like crap, it had the opposite effect on me. I felt totally drained, stuck in my seat, unable to move. I couldn’t be happier not drinking coffee. I have WAY more REAL energy. Not running on chemicals is an amazing feeling! I consume about 1-2 glasses of red wine per week, alcohol spikes the blood sugar which disturbs your insulin production and once again messes with your endocrine system. It is such a delicate balancing act for me right now, I really need to be careful with my Pituitary, Thyroid and Adrenals –they are all related, when one is off, it effects all the others.

 

Drinking my tea with Flax milk and honey right now, SO YUMMY!