I Am On A Diet Progress Report
WIP=Work In Progress Update
Warning
Every Person Is Different. This Is My Personal Journey
I am used to being on a restricted diet because of my health problems. I have fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease that has no cure but symptoms/pain can be reduced with stress management, diet, and exercise. I can't eat large amounts of foods high in lectin content like grain, nuts, and legumes because the lectin in these food groups causes inflammation. If you have a healthy gut more than likely, you have no problem eating foods high in lectin. I eat a small amount of these food groups for my gut bacteria; they love the lectin and fiber. I use intermittent fasting as a way to mitigate inflammation, which is what fibromyalgia is all about. I lost 55lbs in 5 months 3 years ago with this diet and kept it off until this last winter.
I went to a doctor who is also a nutritionist, and he gave me the 800 calorie diet. I will be on this restricted diet for the next two months. My nutritionist aid weighed and measured me as well. I go in once a month to talk to my doctor, and we check my weight and adjust my diet if needed.
I think I weigh around 147lbs, I'm going to try and lose another 10lbs in the next two months. Weight-loss has slowed because my muscle mass is growing from lifting my weight with my yoga routine and walking. That is where I can see my body mass tightening up. One of the most significant positive from yoga is my balance has improved, most likely because of my stronger core muscles.
This last week I haven't wanted to eat and have to remind myself to eat. My biggest meal is in the morning after I take my walk and my second and last meal is made at 3 pm. I eat two meals a day and one small snack consisting of fruit or vegetables steamed or raw.
My new set of habits have been established, and I no longer have to struggle to get up at 5:30 am to take my 4-mile walk, it's a nice way to wake up and start the morning. Before I walk I drink 2 cups of water, and when I get home, I drink another two cups of water, feed the animals and clean the house, I drink around a 1/2 gallon of water a day. Around 8:30 am I eat breakfast, today I had three soft-boiled organic free-range chicken eggs. I like eggs because they fill me up and also help me sleep because of tryptophan. I don't eat eggs every day. Usually, I eat them three times a week. Because my body's immune system is hyper-sensitive, I try and avoid chemical laden foods, and I drink filtered water. I do take supplements for my minerals, which are crucial for a healthy immune system. Most foods we eat today are depleted in minerals because of poor soil management. Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?-Scientific America
I've found through the years that consistent sleep habits and sleeping 8 hours a day help me maintain my weight and also help my body and mind heal and repair, helping me find balance both mentally and physically. Also, I am now in menopause, my hormone system has changed, and I had to adapt my diet and exercise program to accommodate the change. I gain weight easier, but I don't stress as much as when I was younger. When I sleep, I easily wake up. I've read this is common for older women. I don't read from a digital device before bed, and I don't have digital devices in my bedroom. I don't have electronic digital lights in my bedroom, which helps me sleep. Sleep, diet, exercise have become my best friend as I age. Sleep and Fibromyalgia
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1993 and tried the traditional protocols my doctors prescribed me, nothing has helped reduce the symptoms except diet, exercise, and meditation. When I was going through pre-menopause symptoms, I had a difficult time figuring out what was fibro symptoms and what was menopause. When I look back through my 50s, my knowledge gained from working with my fibro symptoms have helped me figure out what my older body needs to stay healthy and fit.
July 22 2018
I've lost 20lbs since May 1st, walking, yoga, and keeping to my nutrition program.
May 1st 2018
A link to My Blog
@reddust,
Loosing 20 lbs in 2 months time is a pretty cool thing! Willing to see the next progress report of yours! This is good guidance for the people who suffer by fat and heavy weight!
Cheers~
I started May 1st, June, and now we are at the end of July, so I have been on this diet for 107 days, divide this by 20= 0.18 worth of fat loss a day. I have slowed down in weight loss because I am building muscle mass which weighs more than fat. Since I've done this before I don't mind, muscle is not as fluffy as fat and burns more calories, which means I can eventually eat more food...hahaha
@reddust,
My wife also going to a Yoga class now and trying to reduce her weight as well! I hope your guidance might be very useful to her! (Anyway, I didn't allow her to go for a gym)
Cheers~
It's slowly becoming a finished work really, I didn't know you had this condition, did the doctor recommended a process that may slow it down since you said it's incurable?
This lectin that causes these inflammation they must burn really painful, yes?
I'm well glad you list 551lb all together really, I'm happy you're in shape keep up the health eating
People who have a healthy digestive system can easily handle lectins from potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, grains, nuts, and beans. Preparing these foods per-traditional methods reduces the negative impact lectins interaction with our digestive system @josediccus. The inflammatory nature of lectins can trigger migraines, malabsorption of nutrients, muscle, and joint pain.
Of particular interest is the implication for autoimmune diseases. Lectins stimulate class II HLA antigens on cells that do not normally display them, such as pancreatic islet and thyroid cells.9 The islet cell determinant to which cytotoxic autoantibodies bind in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is the disaccharide N-acetyl lactosamine, ten which must bind tomato lectin if present and probably also the lectins of wheat, potato, and peanuts. This would result in islet cells expressing both class II HLA antigens and foreign antigen together—a sitting duck for autoimmune attack. Certain foods (wheat, soya) are indeed diabetogenic in genetically susceptible mice.11 Insulin dependent diabetes therefore is another potential lectin disease and could possibly be prevented by prophylactic oligosaccharides.
Do dietary lectins cause disease? The evidence is suggestive—and raises interesting possibilities for treatment-Us National Library Of Medicinal and National Institutes Of HealthMy goodness! I didn't know a healthy digestive system is really protection to this lectin. As a result you have to be very selective of diet in order not to induce the inflammation, thanks you for the URL I just learned an incredible deal viewing this.
Please stay safe and stay healthy I really wish you well
Thank you @josediccus, also traditional cooking protects our digestive system eco-system (microbiome). Most high lectin foods from traditional cultures are prepared through soaking in lime, cooking, and or fermenting. Our modern food system can't afford the short shelf-life, so most of our food is dead or soaked in chemicals for a long shelf life.
over here in Africa chemicals are so used used in the food processing, except a tiny percentage as well.
I think boiling, fermenting like you said cooking as well too, because I think these too much chemical are also used to preserve food from spoilage
Next month I will start writing up some of my fermenting articles. I have a bunch of recipes that includes grain-especially corn, beans, bread, fruits, and vegetables.
Wow I will be looking forward to it as always
I wish people would stop lying to young men and women and telling them they can be healthy at any size. That is just not true. Being slim not only makes you feel better and look better, but it also means you learn to make better choices in other aspects of your life. People who are obese have no discipline, they over indulge and are ignorant of the consequences. Eating healthy food and not picking between meals together with fasting every day for at least 12 hours (time restricted fasting) will not only make you feel better physically
I agree @shihabieee, and I don't know of any medical doctors who tell their patients obesity is healthy. I do see a lot of online articles about accepting your body as it is, but if you are unhealthy, I don't think this type of mindset is healthy. I know when I get 20lbs over 140lbs I feel awful and my physical health is impacted, which also impacts my mental health.
It is a lot of hard work and will power. I was on a 1500 calorie diet as a 5 grader and lost 33 lbs. I had to weigh my food. It takes life changes to keep it off. Mom has had Fibromyalgia for many years. She is 88 and suffers a lot of pain in walking. You know 40 years ago you never heard of Fibromyalgia. You're looking good. @reddust.
@enjoywithtroy, if you ever have a weight problem as an adult all you have to do is remember your success as a kid, you are so lucky to have parents that helped you. Because of my success in the past finding my health and losing weight, every time my body changes and I have to change my eating habits it has become easier to move on and change.
So many children are obese today, its crazy, kids can free range and eating anything they want any time they want. Food has never been so accessible to humanity and obesity is a global epidemic, plus most of us have no choice to buy cheap food. I have experienced by interacting with people in my life outright hostility because I eat for my health and not for pleasure. I found people are very attached to their favorite foods and will react violently if challenged, it's kinda of scary.
The medication I was taking for fibro made me gain weight, screwed up my gut health and my thyroid, which made my symptoms worse. I was shocked when I read my medication's side effects, which were worse than the symptoms I was suffering!
I think most immune issues are related to the toxic environment we live in, from electromagnetic energy from our digital world, our medicine, our food, our manufactured goods, and the most important, our social systems. The traditional family and community systems are falling apart, but I have read this has been happening forever, it is a profitable business model sewing the seeds of sickness and dysfunction.
Congratulations on all of your success! You a bad ass for taking control of your fitness and for inspiring others all over the world to do the same! I just love how you used your Fibromyalgia as a learning tool and didn't allow it to get you down but instead used it as a guid to live a healthier life!
Everyone can learn from a post like this! :)
Thank you @annemariemay, I feel honored, I checked out your blog, and I will start following you, and you have fantastic articles.
My Buddhist teachers taught me how to develop a particular kind of awareness of the body it knows what is happening before the thinking mind figures out how to put the sense data into habitual, usually blind reactions.
your face more beautiful just my friend, even you almost rival my beauty, ha ha ha ,,
honestly I am very happy to see you more beaming my friend,
@steemitnatural, my face has completely changed. Cutting out sugar and flour, eating smaller meal portions twice a day and intermittent fasting is cheaper than a facelift (Plastic) surgery, and I have so much energy, and my concentration is back to normal. I will be able to interact more with my friends this coming month and support your blogs now that I have more focus and energy. I don't have to be so stingy with my attention and focus.
I am very happy to hear you are more excited and energized with my friends
I am happy to see you the more healthy my friends look, hopefully your day is happier and more meaningful, we always pray for you
@steemitcountry, I pray for you and your lovely family and your beautiful country. I've grown to love the Sufi Religion even more than I used to because of you and your lovely wife.
Because of our friendship, I started reading about Islam and understand the challenges you all face right now. It seems radicals are terrorizing all of us peaceful people who want to live and let live. I pray we all can make it through these challenging times and stay healthy and at peace.
Every time I read one of your WIP posts I am inspired by your fortitude. It is not easy going against the grain - pun intended - and finding what our bodies need to be healthy. So proud of you my friend and thank you for the persistent example you set!
Going against the grain is so true @lydon.sipe, people have accused me of having an eating disorder because my food choices are very different from the status quo, I hope other people start learning about themselves and stop trying to control people who have different views and lifestyles when compared to their own. So many wise people have said, nosce te Ipsum-know thyself and that's the first step to developing wisdom, which I sorely need to help myself and those around me.
I have never heard of this disease .... but after reading about it .... how do you diagnose this disease?
@bellaibiza, I had to see an immunologist, a doctor of the immune system. I went through a couple months worth of tests. Fibromyalgia is a host of symptoms rather than a disease, doctors don't know the cause and have no cure.
I thought so .... I also have many of these symptoms ... but the doctors have suspected cancer ... That's why I find it very difficult to identify the disease... Even with this disease life is not so easy...
I read the best is really to pay attention to nutrition, exercise and balance.
Which would be good for us all .... but it is not easy to find balance in working life..
I wish you all the best and much strength and joy in your life 🍀🌞✌😘
I wish you the best @bellaibiza, if you handle your chronic immune system issues wisely they will teach you how to live in your body in a healthy way. I see my problems as road signs telling me which way I need to go.
I'm trying to be really hopeful right now ... and to see it as a sign of necessary changes in my life....The first and most serious change in my life is quit smoking.... I never thought it would be so hard to stop 🙄