Feeling Better

Today I woke up with a lot more energy than I've had in a while, and it feels so good. I worked out harder on my treadmill than I've been able to in ages. Maybe my body is adjusting to the diet, etc.

Yesterday I doubled up on my trace minerals, maybe that had something to do with it. I take a liquid fulvic mineral supplement called Vital-Earth Fulvic Mineral Complex. I've been on it about a month but have only taken one ounce per day. Yesterday I took one in the am and one in the pm. It takes the muscle aches away, and I haven't had a migraine for a while either, so I think it's helping with that. According to the information I printed out on it, it is supposed to be absorbed very quickly into the cells, and helps repair the damage of free radicals, or if the cells are too damaged, it helps the body flush them out. Hopefully it will help repair my damaged liver cells so it can work better.

I'm doing well on the herbal cleanse (called First Cleanse) that I'm on. I've taken it before a few months ago, and decided to stay on this one for now because it is gentle. I've come to the conclusion that until my body starts working properly, I should always be on an herbal cleanse of some kind because I just don't metabolize food the way I'm supposed to, and therefore a residue will always be left behind and cause problems. I am going to the bathroom more easily now, without any laxatives, and sleeping pretty well, too, so things are looking up!

One thing that isn't positive (I don't think) is that I tried the "spit test" for candida a few days ago where you spit in a glass of water first thing in the morning and see if there are "legs" that come off the spit when it floats in the water. I've done this test a lot before, and never had anything happen. The spit just dissolved after a short while. I tried it a few times in the past few days, and each time, there are LEGS. At first I was upset by this, but it would explain why my gut hasn't healed all the way. I realize that it also may be the result of all the cleansing I'm doing - just forcing the candida out from its hiding places.

Anyway, I'm looking into getting on pau d'arco, caprylic acid, and maybe some garlic to fight the yeast. I can't do it right now, because I have a trip out of town coming up in a couple of weeks, and I hate to add more to my program when I'm going to be away for a week. I'm already smelly enough right now. Has anyone had any experience taking the pau d'arco or caprylic acid? I don't know what to expect, but since everything seems to affect me adversely at first, I'm expecting to be sick for a while. Wahoo! So much to look forward to!

Staying Motivated

I've been having trouble staying "up" lately, and I know it is the result of lots of toxins in my body moving around brought on by the cleansing I'm doing, but it still gets to me. I also noticed an increase in the b.o. that the Chinese herbs doesn't seem to take away. I should have expected it, of course, there has never been a single product that produced much of a change in my situation. I'm tired of the emotional rollercoaster. I want to wake up every day and say "today, I'll get a little closer to my goal", and most days I can do that, but not everyday. I stopped working out as hard, due to lack of energy, but that has definitely affected my mood. Today I went back to the full work out and even raised the end of my treadmill so it would be tougher, and I'm feeling better already.

I also got back to my meditation/yoga that I was doing every morning before getting on the treadmill. It seems to put me in a better frame of mind and more prepared to take on the day. I just have to stay motivated and keep this stuff up. It really makes a difference.

There was a woman on t.v. who won the show "The Biggest Loser" (a contest about losing the most weight). She is the only woman who has ever won that show, and she said it was so hard to keep fighting and working toward her goal - especially in the beginning. She said initially she had to say the words "I'm going to win" and keep saying them until she believed it, and then keep believing it until she succeeded. For now, I'm in the "saying" phase, but it's still a step in the right direction.

Losing weight

It takes no time at all to lose weight on this very low carb diet. I never realized how carbohydrates affect weight maintenance and energy level until giving them up. It sucks because I've already lost about 8 lbs, and my husband has noticed it and is getting worried like he did before when this happened. I try to explain to him that I have to follow this plan in order to heal. I realize that I look a lot better when I weigh in the 130 range, but I can't seem to maintain that without at least eating nuts, and for now I've stopped those. I was eating tons of raw almond butter all summer, but then I became sensitive to it (a common thing with leaky gut syndrome), so I reluctantly gave that up.

I guess what I need to do is just start padding my clothes so it looks like there is more to me than there really is. I was looking through a clothing catalogue the other day and saw the underwear with the padding in them. I'm seriously thinking of investing in a fake ass. Yep, that's what I need. I can see it now. Move over Kim Kardashian - here I come with some serious badonkadonk!

Problem Fixed

I think the problem has been fixed (thanks to Sherri) and now anyone who wants to comment on this blog can.

I've been feeling physically really bad lately because when I'm following the strict diet, exercise routine, etc. it starts the cleansing process right away, and my body can't keep up with all the toxins being released into my system (can't throw them off fast enough) and I have been getting the usual headaches, body aches and just generally feeling awful. I think my age may have something to do with that - maybe younger people have less trouble with detox symptoms. It makes me feel very blah, too, and it's hard to be enthusiastic and excited when I talk to friends or family. I don't discuss my diet/cleansing plans with anyone except my immediate family, and I'm sure people wonder what is wrong with my mood when I'm going through this. I wish I could talk to more people about it, but I'm afraid it would make them feel uncomfortable, so I just choose not to.

Anyway, it's times like this that make it really hard to stick with this diet. It would be so easy to just have the coffee and bagel and feel a lot better, but I'm in it for the long haul this time, so on I go. How is everyone else doing?

Trouble with the blog

If you have been reading this blog and have tried to comment in the past few days but are having trouble, will you please let me know by sending me an e-mail. My e-mail address is puttinontheritz@comcast.net.

Another person that has tried to comment has not been able to sign in after trying several times and I still haven't figured out the reason why. Let me know if anyone else is having this problem. Thanks!

Chinese Herbs

As I mentioned before, my acupuncture doctor prescribed some Chinese herbs a couple of years ago that I briefly tried and didn't get any results from. I decided to try them again this week because I researched what they do, and it says they help when the liver is stagnate. I've done liver flushes and herbal detox since the doctor gave me these pills (called xiao yao wan), so I figured my liver might be a lot more receptive to the herbs now.

The good news is, I think they are really helping with the body odor. I've been feeling smelly for the past two months, and I know the carbs, etc. that I had been eating played a big part in that. But after starting on the herbs, I could no longer smell my odor in the house. Yesterday I had a real chance to test the theory, and passed the test with flying colors at a meeting I had to attend with eight other people in a very small room that lasted about an hour and a half. No one in the room sat with their hand to their nose. That confirmed to me that things are at least better. So it may be that the diet is helping, but I also think the herbs are responsible for the improvement overall.

As I mentioned, the reason I think the herbs may be working now, is that I've done lots of liver cleansing during the past year and a half. I think that is key. Another benefit I've noticed from the herbs is that I can sleep now that I'm taking them. Insomnia has been a problem for me for years.

It may be too early to talk about results from something I've only been taking a few days, but I think that the more good/hopeful news about this condition that there is, the better off we all are.

Buying organic food

I'm making a commitment to start buying organic food as much as I can even though it does get expensive. There are times when I can't find what I want in the organic version, but I'm not going to make an exception where certain foods are concerned (I'd rather go without), because of the large amounts of pesticides in certain foods. The worst ones according to A.L. Gittleman are strawberries, cherries, apples, Mexican cantaloupe, apricots, blackberies, pears, raspberies and fresh peaches. The non-organic vegetables are spinach, hot and sweet peppers, celery, and potatoes.

I can always find organic eggs, and haven't made the switch totally to organic meat, but at the point the chicken and most of the beef I get for the family is labeled "all natural, no hormones or antibiotics administered", so that's a step up from where we were a few months ago.

I really enjoyed reading Gittleman's book. It has so many good ideas and information in it, I think it will really help me make the change over to a much healthier lifestyle. My other two favorite books are The Cure, by Dr. Timothy Brantley, and The Detox Book, by Bruce Fife, N.D.
I refer back to them all the time for information on a host of topics concerning detoxification.

Soup Recipes

The following are two recipes that are the the A.L. Gittleman book, "Fast-Track One Day Detox Diet": I'm going to make the artichoke soup today. Now that the weather is cooling off here, I am more in the mood for hot food, so these sound good to me.

A Cabbage Soup for All Seasons

makes 12 servings

This soup can be eaten hot or cold, chicken, turkey or beef can be added for a complete meal.



1 head of green cabbage
(tough leaves removed), coarsely sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
6 celery stalks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sweet onion, cut into chunks
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1 medium yellow squash halved and sliced
one 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
one 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
one 28 ounce can tomato puree
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
salt or cayenne to taste

1. Place all the vegetables and the tomatoes, tomato puree, and 6 cups of filtered water in a large stockpot; bring to a boil then cover.

2. Lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are soft but not mushy, about 1 hour.

3. Add the herbs and salt or cayenne to taste.




Absolutely Artichoke Soup

2 servings

1 tablespoon chickbroth or olive oil
1 small onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
one 14 ounce can artichokes, rinsed, drained, and chopped
2 cups broth or stock
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste (optional)
Cayenne to taste (optional)
fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

1. Heat the broth or oil in a stockpot over medium heat.
2. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Stir in the artichokes, broth and herbs. Add the salt, cayenne and/or lemon juice, if using.
4. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.



Gittleman is big on using organic foods as much as possible, right down to the spices, and herbs.