Confessions of a Sugar Addict page 20

[AbigailLyn]

Ha it seems that every time I have an emotional post a spammer comes through to let me know I'm not alone. Or at least that's what I'm going to assume he was saying, as I don't understand whatever the crap language he was speaking in.

[AbigailLyn]

Thanks for the birthday wishes Jenn! Wow - building your own house! Impressive! I totally agree that life would be easier simpler, but then that takes all the fun out of it sometimes, with rising to challenges and improving on yourself. That, I'm told, is the essence of life anyways...

Okay, so my last ditch efforts and desperations at new friendships may have led to me scheduling two quasi dates in the same night. Um...this should be fun to navigate!

Today was interesting. I woke up NOT HUNGRY! Bizarre after I didn't eat dinner last night. I ate anyways, and then my lunch was super light. I decided to bring it to work with me so that I wouldnt' have the opportunity to munch on chocolate afterwards, but I only brought a salad with steak and feta cheese and no dressing...and not enough fat to keep Abigaillyn satiated! Bad move. So by 4 I was shaking I was so hungry and grazed on really unsatisfying snow peas for the next 2 hours. Got home to pork roast and no matter how much I ate I could not satiate myself. Covered EVERYTHING in butter, ate potatoes and carrots, and after 3 pieces of dark chocolate and a tablespoon of almond butter I was almost calm. Still feel like I could snack but don't want to because it's time for bed.

Didn't get to yoga today. Yesterday was so fabulous and i really wish they had yin yoga classes offered every evening. It's exactly what I needed. I went in all anxious and shaky and upset because of my talk with my brother (nothing he said really, more just all my shit spilling out...metaphorically of course) and by the end was falling asleep in half pigeon. I wish someone could've just magically transported me to my bed, because by the time I got to it it took me a while to fall asleep again. Today was exhausting at the farm (it was CSA pick up day) and more emotionally exhausting because I always feel like my boss is disappointed with me...more specifically that his wife is disappointed with me. I'm trying to meditate more to get over this complex, because at the end of the day I can only do the best that I can do and need to be satisfied with that.

Perky this morning, could have been caffeine induced, and then faded by the afternoon and very tired. got a little mopey but better now. A little concerned about how tomorrow night his going to go (with two quasi dates) but am trying to open myself up to new friendships and experiences. Huzzah.

Going to bed now so I can get 7sih or so hours and wake up early for yoga. Have yet to decide how I'm spending my birthday Friday, but I think I need to take some time to dedicate it to me. Do some yoga, maybe go for a long walk, maybe just taking half a day off work and lying out in the sun. We'll see.

Thinking about just having bp coffee tomorrow morning and then having my standard egg breakfast for lunch. I know it sounds stupid...but if I have dates I'd prefer not to be bloated and huge, and skipping a meal seems like the fastest way to ensure temporary body confidence.

[Primal-JoJo]

So I'm up late and it is technically tomorrow - lol really it's "today" which is Friday - but it's not tomorrow til I sleep. Anywho, I thought I'd wish you a happiest of Happy Birthdays!!

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing day celebrating your quarter centennial! If the desire occurs please do gorge yourself on some primal goodies! I highly recommend a steak with some candles in it

[his_chick]

Happy Birthday! Best wishes for a wonderful new year of beginnings, middles and ends!

[AbigailLyn]

Thanks for the birthday wishes folks!

Despite being an emo 15 year old, I actually had a fairly enjoyable day. Left work at 2 per boss's orders (kind of) and took a birthday nap, then had dinner with the parents - grilled GF lamb chops HOLY YUM MY GOD - and then my boss and his family came over for cake. My mom got my friend who is a pastry chef to make me a cake decorated with pink ponies and dinosaurs. It was awesome, and my 6 yo best friend got me a my little pony toy and we played with it all night. Then I passed out on the couch watching newsies with my dad. Yesterday I celebrated in the evening with a friend who was in town for the weekend. Went to the restaurant and my friends brought me up plum cobbler, plus lots of free alcohol (I really should stop drinking) and then I had more cake at home. Had some for dinner tonight too.

SO this post is to mostly say that I was no where near primal this weekend. I accepted it, it's my birthday weekend, and today I went to the beach and actually still looked pretty good in my bikini. I ate so much sugar, between fruit and birthday cake and ice cream, and WHOA am I feeling the results.

Here's what happens (and what used to be daily occurrence for me) when I eat too much sugar and floury things:
1. Headaches. Yea. Hangovers 10x worse too.
2. Acne (obvious)
3. EXHAUSTION! OH my god I forgot the feeling of just being so completely and utterly wiped and sweating and passing out for hours on end only to wake up even groggier. Hasn't happened in a while, and made me realize how often it used to happen
4. painful poops. Not like, really painful, just relief after they're done. I used to think this was a sign of my fast metabolism. Nope, it's a sign I'm putting things into my body that my body wants to reject.
5. Bloating and grossness
6. Muscle soreness when I haven't worked out
7. difficulty getting up in the morning (exhaustion again)
8. Yea, just misery.

So back on track starting tomorrow. I realized I haven't been totally honest with you all about my chocolate consumption, as it's such a habit that I usually (conveniently) "forget" to report it. So this week I'm going for none of my dark chocolate shenanigans. It's really just out of habit, I don't even enjoy it when I'm eating it and it gives me a headache. Done.

Also have been drinking too much alcohol lately, including beer. My problem is that when I'm out with friends I like to appear low maintenance and chill, and beer gives that illusion. Ordering tequila soda waters with lime makes everyone's eyes roll, even though I really do prefer it. Sometimes you just need a good cold beer though. Oh well, here's to a better week, and to being 25 and having no direction in life!

[AbigailLyn]

Forgot 3 additional points that came out during yoga last night:
9. GAS! wowzers this is unfortunate during yoga. Nothing like trying to hide that noise during all that deep breathing.
10. Congestion. I was practically snoring when I fell asleep in pigeon pose (happens every week) but I get SO STUFFY and have such a difficult time breathing
11. I have no idea whether this is just correlation or actually causation, but allergies were nuts this weekend. I could not stop sneezing when I was out working, and this hasn't happened all season. Could've just been a super polleny day but I've never had issues with allergies before. Maybe I'm allergic to sugar???

[me2]

Well, at least you had a blast!

Rain on parade:

Maybe I'm allergic to sugar???

There are few true food allergies, and these allergies are histamine reactions, similar to a reaction to a bee sting allergy. Food intolerance are caused my leaky gut.

The following symptoms you have describe are symptoms of gut dysbiosis:

-headaches
-unexplained fatigue
-irritable bowel symptoms including constipation and diarrhea
-bloating
-muscle aches
-gas
-mucus
-seasonal allergies
-sugar cravings
-mood swings, depression, impulsive behavior

Your gut is messed up my lady. Do your own research if you doubt me. You will thank yourself times a million if you take time to fix your fucked gut before it gets any worse.

[me2]

I typed this up for a friend, thought I would share:

A healthy gut contains billions of bacteria, including beneficial bacteria and opportunistic bacteria. When in balance the beneficial bacteria keeps bad bacteria and yeasts in check, helps our body assimilate nutrients, ensures low levels of inflammation, and helps process toxins that come into our bodies.

Unfortunately there are many factors that are now effecting the health of our guts. They include:

1. Birth control pills
2. antibiotics, steroids, pain killers
3. formula feeding
4. stress
5. Caesarian
6. Processed food and excess sugar

These all disrupt the beneficial bacteria, causing an overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria, which effects digestion, infamation, and toxin processing. One starts to struggle with assimilation of nutrients, and they pass right through without being absorbed. Also, when our guts are out of balance they can become leaky, allowing parts of food to leak through and enter the bloodstream. The foods that you detect as being intolerant to first are gluten and dairy because they are the most difficult to digest. Many find that as they eliminate one thing they find an intolerance for something new. That is because a leaky gut is the culprit, not a true food allergy which is actually quite rare. Over time this will effect our immune system until it is seriously compromised. A person with a truly healthy immune system would get sick about once every two years! Additionally your gut has a direct line of communication to your brain through nerves. Beneficial bacteria give your brain calming signals, when it is absent it can make things go neurologically haywire. Additionally you may find autoimmune diseases in GAPS patients due to gut permeability.

So here is what is happening; We are putting all of the aforementioned items into our bodies. They are disrupting our guts and causing gut dysbiosis, but if you are the first or second generation who is going through it maybe you just have some seasonal allergies, or light asthma. Then that person has a kid. When a child is in the womb their gut is sterile. As they move down the birth canal they receive their first mouthfuls of bacteria, which serves to begin the population of healthy gut bacteria. Basically your child has your gut bacteria, as well as bacteria from people who help raise them. When they receive bacteria that is already compromised, meaning fewer than 85% beneficial and more than 15% opportunistic they begin their lived with dysbiosis. In the case of caesarian the child's gut is populated with bacteria from the hospital and from the outside of the parent's skin. Now that we are reaching the 3rd and 4rth generations of gut dysbiosis we are seeing the more severe issues on the spectrum, like autism, colitis, Crohn's disease, behavioral issues, etc.

Reminder:

If you eat the best most expensive food in the world it will not matter unless your gut is healthy. Your body just won't properly absorb it.


The bare bones of the diet include:

1. Cutting out all grains, sugar (you can have honey), most legumes and starchy vegetables (potatoes)-these feed the opportunistic bacteria (we are trying to starve them into smaller more manageable populations).
2. Drinking bone broth (meat stock) with every meals-helps seal the gut and digest food.
3. Eating lots of healthy fats - saturated fats from animals, butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and raw olive oil. Eliminating vegetable fats (which are processed with chemical substances such as hexane, unstable and oxidise easily in light and heat).
4. Eating fermented raw dairy-yogurt, kiefer, sour cream, cheese (dairy is slowly reintroduced), pill form probiotics
5. Eating antibiotic and hormone free pastured animals and eggs including offal if you can bear it (I swallow it like a pill)
6. Eating Nuts
7. Eating and juicing fresh fruits and vegetables
8. Eating and supplementing large amounts of probiotics and fermented foods to repopulate the gut.
9. Supplementing with digestive enzymes, codliver oil, and vitamins.


Whew, that's a lot, I know. Tell me if you have any questions. Here are some resources if you want to continue your research.

Books on GAPS:
http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psychology...&keywords=gaps

Amazon.com: GAPS Guide (Simple Steps to Heal Bowels, Body and Brain): Baden Lashkov: Books



GAPS Cookbooks:
Amazon.com: Internal Bliss - GAPS Cookbook (Recipes designed for those following the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet) (9780615409313): GAPSdiet.com: Books

30 Days on GAPS Intro Handbook | Health, Home, & Happiness

Web sites:
Home Page
GAPS Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) - Natural treatment for autism, ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression and schizophrenia
http://www.mommypotamus.com/
Grain Free, GAPS, SCD, Primal, Natural Remedies & Recipes - Health Home and Happiness
GAPS Guide

Mainstream:

NY times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/sc...ted=1&src=dayp

Radio Lab Podcast:
Guts - Radiolab

Scientific American:
How Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health: Scientific American

[Primal-JoJo]

Me2 - thanks for this info. I think many of us suffer from this without even knowing it. It took going primal to even see that I had problems with my gut, since all these things are so normalized.

[AbigailLyn]

Wow Me2 - thanks so much for all the info! Might take me a few days to sift through it all, but part of what I love about all this stuff is learning. I feel like I'm back in school again and I miss it!

so as far as these go:

The bare bones of the diet include:

1. Cutting out all grains, sugar (you can have honey), most legumes and starchy vegetables (potatoes)-these feed the opportunistic bacteria (we are trying to starve them into smaller more manageable populations).CHECK! I do this! Sweet potatoes are in my diet, as well as carrots and other root veggies of the sort, but I've actually toned them down a lot in the last few days, and I also think (correct me if I'm wrong) that with my level of physical activity a little isn't bad
2. Drinking bone broth (meat stock) with every meals-helps seal the gut and digest food. I did this a little in Guatemala but never have the time to make it, or the bones. Haven't been able to find grassfed bones, and to be honest I'm really anti conventional meat now
3. Eating lots of healthy fats - saturated fats from animals, butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and raw olive oil. Eliminating vegetable fats (which are processed with chemical substances such as hexane, unstable and oxidise easily in light and heat). CHECK. My breakfasts have been cooked in lamb tallow lately which was super exciting. Where does one find "raw" olive oil?
4. Eating fermented raw dairy-yogurt, kiefer, sour cream, cheese (dairy is slowly reintroduced), pill form probiotics Don't do this. Probably should. Need to get my fermentation on. Maybe when I come home with goat's milk today I'll make some goat milk kefir
5. Eating antibiotic and hormone free pastured animals and eggs including offal if you can bear it (I swallow it like a pill) CHECK. Lucky for me I have a new found love for offal. Tomorrow's breakfast is lamb's heart in my scrambled eggs
6. Eating Nuts These don't make me feel great, so I'm trying to cut back
7. Eating and juicing fresh fruits and vegetables I need a juicer
8. Eating and supplementing large amounts of probiotics and fermented foods to repopulate the gut. Need to eat more of my dad's homemade sauerkraut
9. Supplementing with digestive enzymes, codliver oil, and vitamins. Took a spoonful of codliver oil after salmon the other night just because I knew the satiation wasn't going to last long. Maybe should make this a habit.


Anywhose, I think I'm on the right track, just need to stick with it and stop caving to sweats and the likes.

I had NO chocolate yesterday. Hoo rah. I actually didn't even have lunch which is when I usually feel that craving (got too busy farming). Dinner was rushed, and as such not enough, so I ended up sharing sweet potato fries with my friend. Nasty, yucky, vegetable oils, but I did avoid having anything to drink (which I was severely made fun of in the aftermath by bar tender. I hate being seen as cheap).

Killer day on the farm weeding. My back is SO SORE and my shoulder is cinched up after landing on it hard in beach vball the other day. Rats.

Today should be worse at the farm.

Also, maybe I forgot to mention that I quit the pill! My copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility is at the library as we speak just waiting for my card, and I'm super excited to get all in touch with my feminine side. Wondering if my period will be regular, as it never has been before when not on the pill. Funny...when I had issues with it the first time the most obvious solution was to go on the pill. No discussion about dietary changes or anything. We're all so set on a quick fix instead of solving the underlying issues.