CANDIDA: I am NOT the Addict. I am the ENABLER!

Today I talk about a very important mental shift that I have made.

Just by recognizing the addictive nature of candida, I was able to

take myself out of the role of victim, and into the role of ultimate

healer over the out of control sugar and carbohydrate cravings and

binges.

I feel really proud of making this mental shift. I feel
like it's really significant. I feel like I just found the keys to my

own wellness and healing. And it only took 39 years. What can I say?

I'm bright like that.

Day 12- GeekedFu: Lighten Up!

The Picture

This picture was taken last June at Matt and Angela Monarch's wedding by the lovely and most adored by many (especially me), Jeff Skeirik, the Rawtographer.  I look back at this picture, and I can remember how happy I was that day.   I met Angie, Tiffany, Cindy, Rawbin, Heidi, Rainbeau, Camille, Kevin & Annmarie, David Wolfe, and so many other amazing people that have been part of my raw food experience. 

Unique

This was a very happy, but bittersweet time in my life.  I had been laid off from my job of 7 years, and was trying to create a job by pulling together a raw food magazine with a handful of people, and with my pitiful savings.  I grossly underestimated the cost of printing, and production, folded the magazine after two awesome issues.  I lost a couple thousand dollars,  still owe people money which I have been chipping away at paying back, and fully intend to pay back every cent when I attract money into my life again.   Some people may have seen this venture as a flop.  I saw it as a life accomplishment, and a very cool learning experience.   That's how we can choose to view our world- as a flop, or as a unique experience to learn and grow.  Or as a unique experience to learn, and stumble a few steps back, only to reground your footing and get back on your way.

Expectations

So often I see people who are eager to start their raw food lifestyle, lose a ton of weight, completely transform their life, and be a bright shiny new person.  Everything starts out with a bang, and then old habits creep in, a friend invites you out for Mexican, or you wind up hitting a drive in after an exhausting day of work, kids, errands, and you know, having a life.   Suddenly you may be feeling the same happy but bittersweet experience of my life last summer.  You're learning new things, you're starting to feel better and lose a pound or two, and you're glad you chose to take a RawFu Challenge.  But maybe you grossly underestimated how much different your new lifestyle would be on your social life.  Maybe it's more expensive than your old way of eating.  Maybe you start thinking that every single thing you do that isn't in the Raw Food Handbook (of which there are SO MANY) is just turning your happy raw food experience into a flop. 

Education

But look at what you've learned, even if you've only been at this for a week, or a month, or six months.  You have probably learned that if you soak nuts they are easier to digest.  You've most likely shoved spinach into a blender, and made a smoothie that was packed with minerals and vitamins.  You've stopped, and at least thought about the food you were about to eat, even if it wasn't the best choice.  That's three unique experiences that you've got under your belt.

Enlightenment

My happy raw food experience has taught me incredible things about myself, even with the stumbles backwards, the days that I just threw my hands up and gave up, and the many times I brushed myself off, and got back on track.  I've learned that I'm very sensitive to the effects of sugar, and that I need to tread lightly on the glycemic index.  I've learned that I'm still a valuable part of a community, even though I'm not perfect.  I've learned that not everybody is going to like what I do, say, or how I feel, but that I can still love them unconditionally.  I've learned that I can be obsessive about food if other parts of my life are out of balance.  I've learned that being able to laugh at myself, and not take everything so seriously is one of my best qualities.

Renewal

Tomorrow is May 1st, and I'm starting my happy raw food experience over again.  Every single day is a chance to lighten up, and love what your life is made of,  even if it's a day of stumbles, and belly flops.   Just laugh it off, and welcome yourself to the human race! 

Send in the Clowns!

Bunny

Day 11- GeekedFu- Live Your Life NOW!

Today I got the opportunity to talk with Amanda, RawDawg's lovely wife about her upcoming Live Your Life Now Trek.  I had to take this opportunity to tell you all about the amazing journey that the RawDawg family is about to embark upon.

Here is more information about Amanda's Journey: http://www.liveyourlifenowtrek.com

If you could drop everything and go on your own Live Your Life Now journey, what would you do? 

The Password for Celiac Testing is Diarrhea!

A funny thing happened today at the doctor's office.  Enjoy! I seriously wish sometimes that my life was being recorded like a reality show. Moments like the one in the hallway of my doctor's office today are just good old fashioned entertainment!

When Reality Sinks In.

This is my son, Beckett. He's six years old now, and just lost his first tooth. He loves Legos, dressing up in costume, but most of all, he loves ME. I am his mother. I am the person that scratches his back at night and pushes his hair back behind his ears just the way he likes it, so that he will fall asleep with a smile on his face. I am the person he comes to when he's proud of a drawing, and wants to tell me all about it. I'm the person he comes to when he scrapes his knee, and needs to cry. I am the person he comes to when he's hungry, and wants a snack. His father and I are his everything. We get up in the morning, and turn on the sun for him, and we wave our magic fingers to bring stars into his night sky.

This morning I was so tired, I couldn't get out of bed. Everything ached. I didn't know what day it was, what time it was, and Basil scooped Beckett out of bed and got him off to school. I woke up around 11, feeling more human, but still in pain. I remembered the two pieces of pizza I ate yesterday, and how I had to get up in the middle of the night to take heartburn medication. And I knew I'd be in pain all day because of those two stupid pieces of pizza. It was hockey night. The Red Wings were playing at the Joe. Let's just order a pizza in tonight. That's what normal people can do once in a while on a rainy Sunday night during the playoffs. Why can't I remember that I'm NOT a normal person.

I have never gotten a doctor to give me a formal diagnosis, but I know that I have Celiac Disease. I know because I've experienced it, and what gluten can do to my body. I know because I've gone gluten free, and had periods of amazing relief, and clarity. After I woke up this morning, I grabbed the blood work I had done recently, and went to find more information online about Celiac Disease and C Reactive Protein. The normal range for CRP is 0-3. Anything over 4 puts you at greater risk of a cardiovascular event. Anything over 10 puts you at risk of that first cardiac event being fatal. Mine is 18.9.

Whenever I eat gluten, and I freely confess that I eat it a lot, my immune system attacks the gluten protein as if it were a virus or foreign invader in the body. It causes extreme systemic inflammation in my blood vessels and arteries. That inflammation is indicated in my CRP levels. I feel an ache in my elbows. I feel a twinge of pain in my back. I can't feel the silent cardiac event or stroke that could erupt out of the inflammation caused by those two pieces of stupid pizza. I am playing Russian roulette with the life of my child's mother. And it's right there in black and white on my results from LabCorp.

My immune system also fights the gluten molecules that make it to my small intestine. They wind up killing the villi that are vital in absorbing the nutrients in my food. Because I continue to eat gluten, I'm sure certain areas of the villi are completely dead. Which means my body is malnourished. Which explains why my Vitamin D levels are low, considering that it cannot be absorbed. Because of the malnourishment, my body thinks I am starving. It craves more food, and stores the food I give it as fat to keep me alive. 40% of Celiac patients are obese on diagnosis. Doctors dismiss obese Celiac sufferers, because their textbooks tell them that a Celiac patient will be wasting away, and have chronic diarrhea. Those textbooks are outdated.

I had a long heart to heart with Basil. I told him how depressed and scared I am about not having somebody working with me to address these very real issues that I know are quietly taking time off of my life. I told him that I want a diagnosis. I want to know, so that all of the pieces of the puzzle can come together, and I can work with a professional that I trust to monitor my CRP levels regularly. I don't want to die of a sudden cardiac event caused by a food allergy. I want to KNOW what we're dealing with here. And I want to know NOW.

I'm not taking no for an answer any more when it comes to get tested for Celiac Disease. I'm not going to just "cut out gluten" because I "think" I might have Celiac. That sort of namby pambiness is not working for me anymore. Reality is sinking in, and I need to get serious about changing my life. I've spent all morning with Dr. Google reading about Celiac and Insulin Resistance. Celiac and Vitamin D deficiencies, Celiac, and C Reative Protein. If I'm wrong, I need to know it. If I'm wrong about the gluten, then I need to know why my body isn't working, and I need to know how to fix it.

This is my year. I am going to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this. I'm going to do whatever it takes to take back control of my body. I am going to fight like hell, and be my own advocate. My family deserves that, and so do I. Whatever it takes, I'm there.

I will not be dismissed because I am overweight. I am Geeked Up about living a quality life. And I want that quality life to start RIGHT NOW.

GFu Day 2- Metabolic Syndrome & Low Carb Raw

Today, I talk about Metabolic Syndrome, and what it means for certain type of metabolizers. I have realized that the same diet will not work the same for all people. During this challenge, I am committing myself to switching my diet out to a high raw diet that is low in carbohydrates compared to a typical raw food diet. I will be replacing the nuts and seeds that my body cannot digest with pastured eggs, raw milk, raw buttermilk, raw butter, kefir, and anything else that will help turn my fat burning mechanism back into high gear!