I also want to report that yesterday we were meeting family for brunch in Encinitas & we arrived way earlier than everyone else so we took a walk around the neighborhood & along the bluffs by the beach.  I felt so good!! I was easily walking up steep hills & running & playing with our son–what a fantastic change from 6 months ago, and a tremendous relief to my family. We had a wonderful morning & I was more than ready to sit down to a delicious 6-veggie omelet with feta cheese, fruit, & decaf.  Afterward I was primed & ready to get all those pesky last-minute Christmas details finished, plus have an informal BBQ with my mom & one of our friends last night.  Boy it feels good to be back in the land of the living!

Finally, I had a very informative physical therapy session with Dr. Kevin on Wednesday which really helped my with understanding & preventing my low back pain.  Since I have 3 broken vertebrae in my lower back, I have too much mobility in that area which causes me a lot of pain at times. We realized that when the muscles spasm in my hips, glutes, & interior muscles inside the back and sides of my pelvis (where many of the back muscles attach to the bone) my lower back must be extra-mobile to compensate-OUCH!! This is something I never realized before.  I’ve been working on strengthening & loosening these muscles but they always seem to seize up every day or so.  Well, Adam showed me some killer (literally!) pelvic/hip mobility exercises & just that 30 minute workout made me feel better than I had in a couple of weeks! Yesterday morning I was a little stiff but I did the mobility moves again & felt 90% better!  This morning I’m still a bit stiff but again, do the moves & life is good once more.  So now I’ve definitely added another fantastic tool to my ‘health toolbox’ to whip out whenever I feel tight in the hips & lower back–if I catch it sooner rather than later I can prevent a world of hurt!

Well, I’m off now to get ready to go down to the familial gathering so I’m wishing all of you a happy, healthy holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas or other special holiday.  My hope is that you’ve gotten some inspiration &/or information from my blog that has been helpful for you, & your health journey!  (And the new year is coming soon . . . what will your resolution be?)

At the last minute a friend of my mother in law decided she would bring apple & pumpkin pies, so all I had to do was make one blackberry-cherry pie & a slightly-modified  pumpkin pie for own enjoyment, as well as fresh cranberry sauces; one with Splenda for half our group & one with low-glycemic agave nectar for me (and anyone else). I was pretty tired yesterday morning and as the day went on I really didn’t feel like doing much cooking, even though I really love to bake.  I guess we’d done too many field trips, driving, & what-not because we were all pooped.  So I decided that I’d rather enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving than make pies (I can hear gasps from those of you who know me!) so I rested & then made the cranberry sauces. I highly recommend the agave nectar version (I hate artificial sweeteners):

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup blackberries (I used frozen)

1/2 cup hot water + 1 heaping tblsp orange juice concentrate (or fresh orange juice + some zest)

1/2 cup agave nectar

Pomona’s Pectin (follow the directions for using honey or other sweetners, it’s super-easy!)

I had a delicious dinner of turkey (my brother-in-law cooked a killer one on the BBQ) with gravy, a large tablespoon of stuffing, lots of my yummy cranberry sauce, unsweetened yams with butter (yum!), roasted brussel sprouts (just toss in olive oil, sea salt & pepper, then roast in oven at 425° until fork-tender–you’ll be a convert!), lots of iced water with lemon, & fresh-brewed decaf coffee with cinnamon.  I was very well satisfied as everything was very good & really hit the spot!

What really surprised me though, was my behavior. Usually I have at least seconds, then prowl the dessert trays all night–I mean, Thanksgiving comes only once a year so I see no reason to be stingy, since I don’t eat like that every day. But now, I didn’t feel that way at all!  I had one solid plate of dinner, then sat back and just enjoyed myself while everyone else ate 2nds & 3rds.  I did look at the dessert trays several times–pumpkin pie, apple pie, lemon bars, pumpkin cake with frosting, chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies, ice cream–all things I really like. But I honestly didn’t feel a pull to eat. I did taste a teensy bite of pumpkin pie, just to see what I was missing, but it honestly didn’t taste the way I expected it too–it was too sweet!  I guess my tastes really are changing, for my own good!

I did feel a little strange without dessert though, as if I was interrupting some cosmic flow.   I didn’t want any of the desserts on the table (except for the cokkies, just a little bit) but I still wanted something.  So I drank my cinnamon-laced decaf, & when I got home I had half a Cashew Cookie Lara Bar with a favorite decaf tea–aaaaaaah.  I think next time I go to a meal function I’ll make sure to have a sweet treat with me thaat I like, & then everything will be just right.

Now this is the kind of progress I can live with!!!    ;-D

This opportunity has meant everything to me, and to my family! Being chosen, and partnered with Renew Integrative Health Center, was exactly what I needed, and what I had been praying for. Renew’s  fabulous team of doctors and health practitioners  have given me the tools to:

Overcome my fibromyalgia. Dietary changes coupled with chiropractic, acupuncture, and the correct supplements and exercises, including yoga, have virtually eliminated my symptoms.  It certainly didn’t happen overnight, and I still have mild twinges in my elbows and wrists at times, but for all intents and purposes I consider myself cured.  Super-Yay for me!!

Regain a significant portion of my stamina and strength, and I’m still building! I’m not almost blacking out anymore when trying to exercise and I’m getting stronger and can do more each week.  Last week I went to Julian (in the mountains) and was able to easily walk up and down small hills with no problems!  And the elevation is 4000 feet!! My body is stronger and I carry myself with correct posture again because I have the energy to do so, and my spine is aligned properly.  My pain is 80% less!

Have energy again, with a clear and calm mind. After undergoing the Biology of Function, including in-depth blood tests, exam, & history, the dietary changes and correct supplements prescribed by Dr. Hedayat combined with the pain relief from Dr. Buchel‘s chiropractic adjustments and Dr. Jackson & Dr. Pansky’s physical therapy  have virtually eliminated my symptoms! Discovering my issues with thyroid and adrenal function, my over-worked liver from too many prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and my unhealthy coping mechanisms (sugar + caffeine) have been crucial.  Changing this dynamic has been the key! (In fact, my 8 year-old son just woke up and came in to see what I’m doing.  When he saw my blog he said, “I”m thankful for you getting better!  You’re a much better mommy now because you have more energy to play with me and do all sorts of things!”)  Not much I can add to that except that I’m doing it all caffeine-free and with healthy sweeteners!  Whooda thunk?   ;-D

Discover and address my current risk for cancer. Pre-cancerous levels of abnormal cells were also found as part of my blood tests for the Biology of Function. (I wrote about this and my previous removals of pre-cancerous lesions in my October post, Test Results, or I Want Another 50 Years.) The diet and supplements prescribed by Dr. Hedayat address this issue as well. Hopefully I’ll be here for many years to come to see my family grow and change.  (Maybe I’ll even see grandchildren!)

Have the bonus benefits of dropping excess weight and improving my skin and hair. I’ve dropped 24 pounds, most of it before I was able to exercise very much, and I get daily complements on how healthy my skin looks–no more black circles under my eyes either!  My hair continues to grow back and a significant portion of it is coming back brown, not grey as it did at first.  (Weird, but true!)  Less weight has also helped increase my energy level–I’m not toting it around all day (and my joints thank me too).

Help my family and friends make their own healthy changes. My husband and several of my friends have seen the progress I’ve made and have been inspired to improve their health, beginning with healthier diet and exercise.  My husband is now willing to change his eating habits in ways he wasn’t before (poor cholesterol tests continue to haunt him) so I feel our son will also benefit from a healthier dad!  Yay!  My goal for this next year is to improve my family’s dietary patterns and for us to spend more time outdoors together like we love, but have been unable to do with mom in such poor health.

So, for all these reasons I’m thankful to be chosen as part of ABC10′s Half-Year Resolution Challenge and for my Challenge partners, my team at Renew Integrative Health Center.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime gift I’ve received and I decided on Day One I wasn’t going to waste this God-given opportunity.  I feel I’ve pretty much achieved all my goals (except for the swimming the mile part-brrrrr!!) and  I’m well on my way to going on all-day hikes in the mountains.  I’ll have some maintenance and fine-tuning visits with my team at Renew to continue to stabilize my health and I will continue to cement my permanent life-style changes at home.

I’ve gained all I dreamed I possibly could and for all these things my family and I are truly grateful.  Thank you all for giving me my life back!

But as I said, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about food this year.  And as I’m typing all these yummy things, I do say yummmmm, but not really a whole-heartedly as I’ve done for all these years past.  Strange?  Yes!!  But true none the less.  I recognize that I want the same flavors, the same feelings of special indulgence, the just-a-little-guilt-’cause-it’s-only-once-a-year enjoyment of that sinfully rich dessert, or nibbling all afternoon on a deliciously rich cheese, nut, & fruit plate while sipping a delicious shirraz or merlot.  But I’ve learned a lot over the last 4-1/2 months & I can’t go back to what was, even if I actually wanted to.

Now, I’m totally addicted to feeling good!!  That’s what it really comes down to. Right now I’m able to have teeny amounts of refined sugars or grains (we’re talking teeny-nibble size here) & about 1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa 2 or 3 times per week, but much more than that & my body isn’t yet sturdy enough to process these without several days of feeling tired, sluggish, mentally foggy, & basically just yucky.  I don’t feel sick, per se, just not ‘well’.  And I’m really enjoying feeling well!  So I’m thinking how I can literally have my cake (or reasonably facsimile thereof) & eat it too!

I’ve already been planning my Thanksgiving dinner, knowing that I’ll actually have very little input as to the food since we’re blending four different family traditions this year & all of them will have a super-abundance of foods that I will want to eat on one level, but will not eat in actuality because I’m just plain selfish & want to keep feeling good!  (I’ll be extremely tactful & polite but if it comes down to bruising anyone’s feelings by not eating their specialties, so be it.)  So I’m deciding which foods I can eat without worry & how I’ll create a new tradition & make my other necessary ‘comfort flavors’ in delicious but healthy ways.

Number One: I must make pies!! This isn’t just for my feasting enjoyment, I’m the designated pie-baker & I truly love making the pies for my extended family & friends.  So I will make pies!  But I’ll make a special pumpkin pie just for me (& then I’ll have my delicious post-Thanksgiving breakfast right at hand as well!).  I’ve already decided I can make my traditional filling with only one change–no refined sugar or molasses.  So I’m making an experimental pie this week (no, I am not just making this pie so I can have two to pig out on–don’t be rude!)   < snarf, mumble, gulp >  I’ll use Agave Nectar instead, maybe with some maple flavoring, & I figure if I use an extra egg not only will it up my protein/carb ratio but it should help the filling  set well since I’m changing the liquid/dry ingredients ratio.  (If you have experience with this sort of thing, please tell me!)  Then I’ll make a crumb crust instead of flaky pastry & use finely chopped pecans, ginger, some Agave Nectar, & coconut oil–hopefully it’ll hold together.  If not, it’s been suggested I use dates to make the crust more sticky, but I’m going to wait & see how my test pie comes out first.  I’ll keep you posted!

Number Two: There must be cranberry relish! To me, turkey isn’t turkey without it!  So I’ll make my usual fresh cranberry & orange relish but instead of sugar I’ll use concentrated orange juice, maybe add a few raspberries, & use Pomona’s Pectin to make it set up nicely.  If I feel I still need some sweetener I’ll use my alternate, a Xylitol/Stevia combo I like, since I never have liked artificial sweeteners & don’t use them.

Number Three: There must be yams, and stuffing! Instead of my yummy yams with pineapple, brown sugar, nutmeg, & orange, I’m opting for a nice yam baked in it’s own skin until it’s nice & caramelized.  I really like these anyway so I’m choosing this & hopefully I can have a small scoop of stuffing without tipping myself over into several days of yukkiness.

So, with my must-haves taken care of I’ll have plenty of turkey, some gravy, skip the mashed potatoes (yeah, I know but they’re not as high on my priority list), & have all the vegetables I want that aren’t covered in wheat/corn/msg laced sauces.  We all love roasted brussel sprouts so if nothing else I can pig out on those too.  (I know, but even those of us who hate ‘em like brussel sprouts tossed in olive oil, salt, & pepper, & roasted until crispy outside & tender inside.  They taste nutty & sweet!)  I’ll  have lots of my delicious teas that I’ll bring & share with whoever might want some & I’ll forgo the alcohol, or have decaf if it’s made.  I can nibble on fresh veggies, nuts (not too many), & cheese, & have a very nice meal that will actually leave me completely satisfied & not feeling deprived.  (OK, maybe just a little when I smell all the sugary pies I’ll be making, but only a little.  That’s when the cherry pie Larabars come in handy!)

And I must report that today I had a test-run when I went to a Ladies’ Tea fundraiser for the Breast Cancer 3-Day.  I was somewhat tempted by all the luscious-smelling goodies but ate only smoked sausage, salad, tea, & half a cherry-pie Larabar.  Yay for me!  Just having something sweet that’s good for me is really a help.  Larabar makes some chocolate varieties that are awesome too! Yum!!  The sugary goodies do tempt but not really that strongly since my reason for holding back is wanting continued & increasing good health.  More & more I look at these foods with diminished enthusiasm.  Strange.  I wonder if this will continue?

I’m feeling so much better this week!  My energy level has picked up a little each day, & Friday & today were great!  I’m riding my bike for 45 minutes now (still fairly low resistance) but I’ve started interval training & I’m still having just minimal dizziness after the aerobic work!!  Yay!!  The dizziness has been such a huge obstacle to working out that I hope it’s gone for good.

I’m also being very good & sticking to my cleansing diet, even when I get cravings for pastries, pasta, etc.  Today was my 51st birthday & I didn’t even have cake (although my friends did)–I had a lovely bowl of fresh fruits with my favorite gourmet vanilla yogurt on top, with a sprinkle of cinnamon & a handful of toasted pecans.  YUM!  I truly didn’t miss the cake (well, maybe only when I was smelling it while I cut & served it!).  I know how good I feel now, when I’m careful about what I eat, so I want to keep feeling good.  Cake & other yummy things will come back into my diet later, but not at this stage.

And, today several friends noticed I no longer have those huge black circles under my eyes I’ve had for years! I still have some darkness in the corners but they’ve faded to less than half what they were & the rest of the circles are completely gone.  Folks also noticed that my skin color was very healthy looking, not strained & sickly-looking, & that I had  much more energy!  I guess I’m not the only one noticing the positive changes I’m going through now, & it feels good.

I’ll write more tomorrow but now it’s time for me to stick to my bedtime schedule (it’s becoming very important for me to go to bed when I feel tired & not push myself to stay awake).

Now I think I’ll just go to sleep & dream of my next 50 years;  feeling good, regaining my health, & of all the adventures that await me!!