Anxiety, depression, laziness...Can the nameless wonder change? page 236

[jenn26point2]

Hey! Did you ever find out for sure what's wrong with the car? Brad says if you have to have it towed, it's a head gasket not header gaskets.

[namelesswonder]

Yeah, gasket for cylinder head, I guess. Not that difficult to replace, but a bit time consuming because of the parts that need to be (re)moved to get to it. I also bought new head bolts and a thermostat, at Boyfriend's dad suggestion (and cause a walk-through guide on how to replace the gasket recommended new bolts just in case).

[namelesswonder]

Grain-free pumpkin muffins. I used butter because the recipe said the flavor would be better (than my refined coconut oil).

[canio6]

They look good How do they taste?

[namelesswonder]

They were moist and delicious. I really want to eat them all, but that's a lot of fiber in one meal. Then again, they were a "test" batch...

[namelesswonder]

Phew, it's been some time since we had spam this bad.

Sleep: This is possibly the 3rd week now that I haven't been able to get up as easily in the morning. I was on time with my evening supplements and in bed just after 10:30, so I am not sure what's going on with that. I ended up sleeping in till about 7 and not having much of an appetite, which will be problematic later.

Food: I ended up eating the rest of the muffins yesterday. Probably way too much fiber than I should be eating in one go! I think I could handle having a treat like that on weekdays, because my meals are "pre-defined" and I don't forage. Saturday night, we went to a friend's belated graduation party. The food was excellent and there was even some gluten-free stuff (his mom apparently knows that I'm gluten-free so she told me what was definitely "safe", I was surprised when I told her it's not an allergy and she said, "Oh you just feel better when you don't eat it?"...why yes!). I was stuffed at the end of the night (after having a couple servings of gluten-free cake, chocolate mousse with real whipped cream, and coconut balls, after dinner of course) and it reminded me once again that I generally don't eat enough. Maybe it was the muffins, or maybe it was the excess (or type?) of food, but I ended up having some unpleasant bathroom trips this weekend.

I'm excited for Thanksgiving next week. I probably will wait until Monday or Tuesday to get my side-dish ingredients. I will either prep it Wednesday or Thursday, in the morning, and cook it at Baba's when we get there. I just don't want the brussel sprouts to wilt, and I also don't want to get stuck in ridiculous holiday shopping (I'm sure the grocery stores will be nuts next week). I didn't do any major grocery shopping this weekend, so that means I don't have anything in the slow cooker today. I did pick up some yogurt last night and had a bit for breakfast this morning (with a mug of bone broth). I also got a bottle of digestive enzymes. It's low in lactase, but I figured I'd give it a shot along with the yogurt to see how that goes. So far, so good, aside from some gurgling.

Mood/brain: Doing okay-ish. I think it was Friday night that I was having a really bad time and Boyfriend got home and I basically acted out a scene in a YA novel (falling into his arms crying). I felt pretty pathetic, but he took care of me and we went out and saw Skyfall. Probably won't splurge on anymore films in theaters this month (doesn't look like anything is coming out that we'd want to see anyway). The rest of the weekend was fine aside from some boredom. We actually spent time together chatting and then going out to that party, which felt really good after being lonely for most of the week. We're up to season 7 in Supernatural now.

Supplements: I can't really put my finger on it, but I feel like I should try reducing my 5-HTP dose by 50mg. Maybe my sleep issues are from too high of a dose. Or maybe it's just the sugar that I've been consuming. It's not always refined sugar, sometimes it's just high carb and low protein (but probably still fairly high fat), but that's probably not good. I don't really know where to start because I'm pretty tired of having to regulate my diet (beyond sticking to Primal).

Other: I'm still taking the car to work, despite absurdly warm temps today. It's a waste of gas, but I'm paying for it and I would rather feel totally comfortable right now. I have a Vitacost order expected Wednesday (Pau D'Arco & oil of oregano), and the car parts are estimated for delivery tomorrow! If we can sort out the towing...I wonder if we could work on the car this weekend. One step at a time: I'll discuss it with Boyfriend once the parts arrive, then we'll talk to his dad.

[namelesswonder]

Hm. If I never get around to making applesauce this Winter (I still really really want to. I just suck), maybe I can just make my family some grain-free gingerbread cookies. I would need to get blanched almond flour and palm shortening, but probably have everything else I'd need.

Edit: Just to note, I am down to 2 tsp of Vitamin C at each dose (~4.3g). That's only down by 1/4 tsp, but it's a change, at least.

[Pebbles67]

Has 5htp ever made you sleepless? I was falling asleep in my chair last night at 7:30pm. So I got ready for be, took my evening supps (100mg 5htp, GABA and 400mg magnesium) and went to bed. I lay there tossing and turning for 2-3 hours until I finally fell asleep. Any thoughts?

[namelesswonder]

No, it usually has the opposite effect for me. If I don't take it spaced out, though, it doesn't seem to work as well (for falling asleep and then waking up not groggy). I take half of the dose at dinner and half about an hour before bed.

[namelesswonder]

Supplements: I took my supplements on time last night, except that I'd forgotten to take my Vitamin and multi in the AM. I wonder if taking the D at night might be affecting my sleep. It's also in the form of cholecalciferol... I think if I take it with a meal/fat, it should absorb fine. I've definitely felt that it's been effective when I take it in the morning, as opposed to days that I don't take it at all. In the future, I'll probably stick with the drop form, even if it's more expensive, so I don't have to worry about taking it with food/for maximum absorption.

Sleep: Still having trouble getting up in the AM. I reset the alarm for 7, but ended up getting up at 6:46AM. Something about having a 12 lb cat sit/walk on your stomach will do that, I guess. I felt pretty groggy this morning, but feel like I'm slowly waking up as the morning goes on. The sleepiness feels like when my cortisol levels were out of whack at the beginning of the year. I think keeping Vit D for the mornings and keeping on track with bedtime will help resolve that. I have not been consistent about bedtimes for the past few weeks, especially not on weekends.

Food: On a whim, I swung by the grocery store on my way home from work last night to pick up a few things. Organic carrots, organic celery, a couple of russet and sweet potatoes, bananas, and pre-sliced mushrooms. Boyfriend had left chicken breast to defrost in the fridge, so I made chicken soup! I used the russet potato in it, a splash of my homemade chicken stock, two chicken breasts, and a container of Whole Food's 365 organic chicken stock, along with the veg matter I bought. It was excellent, but unfortunately there was only enough leftover for one lunch. I left it for Boyfriend and I'm seriously considering making it again tonight, I could leave out the mushrooms since I used them all...but that would use up most of my chicken stock). I took another digestive enzyme capsule last night (just some blend from Whole Foods, I don't remember the brand) and ate the rest of the yogurt I picked up a couple nights ago. Some gurgling, but no gas problems. Next test will be yogurt without the digestive enzyme, I suppose. This morning, I made a pumpkin mug cake. Appetite is absent. Lunch is sardines in olive oil & a banana. How thrilling.

Hm... or I could leave out the potato and serve it with rice (Boyfriend could mix it in if he wants, I might have a sweet potato). I think it was tasty enough to have it two nights in a row, plus it was super easy. I took a couple pictures of the prep last night, but the lighting is awful in my kitchen.

I have some coupons to use at Whole Foods. They're good until the end of January, but I'll probably use some of them soon, for Thanksgiving baking/stocking up. $2 off spectrum refined coconut oil? Rocking.

Mood/brain: Feeling pretty good. I felt really good yesterday. Making the soup kept me busy for a little while after work, then I played Fallout: New Vegas till I was tired of it, then watched Casablanca till Boyfriend got home. I managed to completely avoid feeling lonely. I have a new book that I could read tonight, since I don't have any movies downloaded/in mind to watch. I could also bake.

Exercise: Thought about doing some kettlebell swings this morning, but forgot. Oh well!

Other: Why is it that the car parts, being shipped by Fedex, are going to arrive today, leaving from a warehouse farther away from the Vitacost order shipped by UPS, which won't arrive tomorrow and got to the warehouse last night?

It might be possible to work on the Mustang this weekend. I think I could afford to pay to have it towed. It looks like I can get it exempt from sales tax, with an extra form, since the car is a gift. I don't know if I'll have to take time off work to get it insured and registered. I want to also sign up for renter's insurance with the same company.