Dear Baguettes…I miss you.

It all started with the arm pain.
We aren’t talking just any arm pain.  At first I thought it was my Carpel Tunnel acting up because of the pregnancy and having Lucas.
I went through that with all three babies.  Hands so numb holding a glass was rendered impossible some days.
Heck, holding a bottle to feed Lucas this go around has been excruciating many a day.
But this go around my elbows became angry…I mean REAL angry.
For the last 5 months I could barely straighten my arms.

I have tried just about everything.
At first the doc put me on Prednisone for a week and that got rid of the pain completely.
The following week it came right back.  Most normal folks would have gone back to the doctor.
Me?  I tried but couldn’t get the childcare down and to be honest I have had little faith in the medical community actually “fixing” this.  After all, in the last year I have watched both Daryl and Jill go through MRI’s for dud knees and ankles…
Both were told wrong diagnosis’s or things that just didn’t fix their aches and pains.
Both ended up with huge lovely bills though…
Add to that…
I have no desire to take a medicine everyday.
I have always been a big believer in Hippocrates teachings of:

“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.
Our food should be our medicine.
Our medicine should be our food.”

I have known for months that there was a possible food “fix” but I just didn’t want to go that route.
I kicked and whined and said “I don’t wanna give up my favorite foods!”
In the end though the pain won out and I knew I had to change my diet and at least try and find out if there was a way to get rid of the pain.
I had tried every other idea you can find on Google and from friends you can think of.
In the end it was time for some “elimination dieting”.

The day I decided to jump off the elimination cliff I sat down and watched “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”.
I had a friend who had recommended it.

Sounds hardcore I know.  But I had to do something drastic to get me off of….everything.
So we broke out the Nija and started making smoothies.

I said I would do the juicing/smoothies for 3 days and then by then the hope was I would be in a better place to go without all the foods I love.  Boy where those three days horrid.

By the third day I knew for sure:

• I am completely addicted to bread and crave Paneras baguettes just about everyday.
• I will never be able to do juicing for longer than a few days….my hypoglycemia just won’t allow it.
• I now know that eating only real foods and no grains or anything processed can give you heaps of energy.

So here I sit two weeks later….
I would still kill for a Panera baguette BUT  I feel so much better right now I don’t see me going for that bread anytime soon.
The list of what I have “given up” for the last two weeks…

• Gluten
• dairy
• meat
• refined sugar
• any kind of box anything
• no caffeine

What a list!  So what does that leave?  All things real.
Sure I have slipped a little here and there but I have been able to stick to it much better than I thought I would.
The effects so far?
I still have the joint pain but not near what it was 2 weeks ago.  That makes sticking to it much easier.
I am down 5lbs…which is a very big deal for me.  I am a gal that gains weight on Weight Watchers and in the last 10 years I haven’t been able to lose a pound on any diet.  Crappy hormones?  Bad luck? Not sure but whatever was the hold up apparently it has something to do with bad food.
Will I lose more?  Not sure….hoping so but since I am eating like this to get out of pain it isn’t my first concern.

Will I keep eating like this?  As of right now the plan is to eat like this until all the pain is gone and then add things back one at a time to try and figure out what is the issue.  Even if I add things back I probably will not eat them half as often since I feel so much better without it.
Seriously don’t think I could live forever without a baguette, Starbucks and ice cream once in a blue moon.  Just won’t happen.
I will keep you guys posted.  I have lots of new recipes to share though!

Back to eating like a bunny…literally.