Keeping It Simple (pt 2)

This is not going to be all about eating. Not even mostly about eating. But, it will be also about eating.

Basically, I was watching/listening to this video , and, thinking about the "eating window" thing, allergy rotation diets, etc. And, it occurred to me where I was really going wrong in my thinking before.

See, the simplest form of allergy rotation diet is to make sure you always have at least one full day between your eating a particular food and when you eat it again. Even better if you can do it for an entire food family. Or, making sure that you have at least as much time apart from that food as you have had with it.

Well, I had been thinking of such things as having only very simple meals - the easier to keep track of the ingredients; or, fasting every other day; or eating only every 72 hours. But, it has occurred to me that the very easiest way to do it would be to say every other day , on the days that I am eating, will be fruit days.

I could choose one or two varieties of fruit, maybe three including a melon, and, every other day, I would only eat fruit . When I was done with those fruits, I would go get a different kind. And, I mean fruit that I recognize as fruit - so, not cucumber, tomato, avocado or squash.  On the other days, I would have no fruit, but, I would have salads, grains, meat, or etc. Still trying to do a good bit of raw veggies and still trying to mostly keep grains and meat away from each other. And, still having one free day to indulge in whatever.  Which I could also designate as the one day for certain things, like, say, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, beef, cheese, wheat. I'd have to decide on that.

That would leave me with something like this:

Sunday    Monday              Tuesday   Wednesday           Thursday  Friday                Saturday
Fruit        Starch or Flesh     Fruit        Starch or  Flesh    Fruit        Starch or Flesh    Free

Though, the free day would probably be Tuesday. And, of course, if I wanted to fast:

Sunday    Monday  Tuesday   Wednesday   Thursday   Friday   Saturday

Fat          Fat           Rest          Rest             Rest            Rest      Rest

Or, something like that.

Talk about simplicity! It's easy to remember. Every other day eat fruit,  if anything. Every other day eat non-starchy veggies with starches or with flesh, if  anything.  Two days before fasting, load up on healthy, natural fats (like, drinking coconut milk and eating avocados) to fill up my  healthy fat reserves.

On a side note: While letting my sister's dog out, just a wee few minutes ago, I felt like doing some squats. I said a quick prayer for help in doing them well - because, my body is pretty crooked - and it took. They were deeper than I have done, possibly, ever. And, I can feel they worked things that are not normally worked. I feel less crooked.

Anyway, this is about a different kind of keeping it simple:

I'm trying to figure out a palette for a small apartment, which includes making three different people happy and, preferably, not frightening guests or putting them off their feed.  At least two of the people are artistic, two are autistic, there are different age groups to consider, , and, the living room, dining area and kitchen are a pretty open plan. They are also north facing, but, in a mostly warm and sunny climate.

I've been trying to sort this out for a long time.  I thought I really had something, the other day, which involved taupe and some other colors. Actually, it was quite a bit like what is going on above. But, I could not decide on the shade of taupe. And, while I was busy not deciding, I ran into this Caffeine color.

There is someone who might just buy the paint, if I can sort out what I want to do.  There is definitely going to be blue and brown tile involved. So, here are what the paints look like with it. These are some of the tiny glass tiles on a sheet. The reason they will be involved is two-fold. One of the persons involved loves blue. Plus, they are 99 cents per sheet, which means they are affordable, since they can be bought one or a few sheets at a time.

I have multi-colored dishes, if it helps to know. Feedback from people not related to me would be excellent to have.

The rooms I have chosen are not like my rooms, exactly; but, they do face in somewhat the right direction. 

Anyway, something you will hopefully think about and get back to me on. Whether you do or not, I hope you have a lovely day!
             

Keeping It Simple

After doing much more research and considering many things, I have come back full circle to the realization that fasting is the simplest method of doing the most good on all counts. For helping with allergies, IBS (so called), Fibromyalgia,  detoxification, budget, even housework.

Yes, housework. The less eaten, the less cooked, the less needing to be cleaned. Which brings me to going raw vegan.

I have no (current) desire to go 100% raw vegan. Yet, to go mostly raw vegan would also work well for there being less stress. less toxins,  less cost and less housework. Because, the less cooked, the less cleaning needing to be done.

It could also be a great impetus to work on adding in the simplest exercise: walking. As in, I could start walking to the store and getting what is needed for a day or two. Which would mean walking to the store again, a day or two later.

The truth be told, fasting is something I always wanted to do. The first time I heard of "the fasted life" - which was when I was quite young - I was intrigued, deeply and secretly thrilled even. My gut hurt then, too. And, I have a great love of simplicity, even though it is so hard for me to obtain.

I asked Jehovah God to help me find some satisfying information on a certain subject. I believe He did and here it is:  Water Fasting mixed with Dry Fasting 

Talking to my son, yesterday, I told him that I have gotten needlessly complicated again. Even when I opt for fasting, I get needlessly complicated. All I really need to do - instead of working out plans and protocols - is this:

1. Eat and drink as healthily as I possibly can almost all the time when I am not fasting. I can follow a very simple rotation diet just by keeping track of the simple meals I am eating, and, switching out the various items on a schedule where I do not eat a certain thing for "as long as I have eaten it".   I put that in "", because, it's not an exact description, but, I know what it means.

2. Fast when I want to. And, that means asking myself, when there is an opportunity to do something else, if I want to fast or to do that, more.

3. Pray and listen to Jehovah God and my own body.

4. Eat mostly only in the noon and early afternoon hours, as much as possible.

5. Avoid stimulants, most of the time (coffee, sweets, medications).

6. Only eat when hungry and only drink when thirsty.

7. Drink primarily distilled water or herbal tea made with distilled water.

Regarding "", what it means is this: If I eat, say, asparagus on Monday, then, I should skip it on Tuesday and could eat it again on Wednesday, if desired. Or, I could eat it also on Tuesday and then skip it on Wednesday and Thursday, at least. Or, I could eat it on any or all days of the week I bought it and then not bring any into the house or order any, or, eat it at a friend's house or etc., for at least the next week.

That's actually a lot of options and if one is eating primarily simple dishes, it can all happen quite simply.


I am thinking of working up to a fasting protocol of  doing a wet fast on Saturday and Sunday,  a dry fast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and, another wet fast on Thursday and Friday.  Specifically those days, even though that does not give a full 2 days/ 3 days/ 2 days cycle, because, I have to go places on Saturday, Sunday and Thursday and it is best to be showered for that purpose. And, I would prefer, if possible, to do a hard dry fast, not a soft one.

I say working up to it, because, right now, even though I am still not eating before noon (or, close to it and only fruit if I eat before noon) and not eating after 8 p.m., at the latest,  I have not been eating in a super healthy manner, to say the least. In fact, we got right out of control around here.

I need to wean myself off coffee, still. I started to and then I started not to. And, I really need to wean myself off of diet sodas and processed foods.

It's when I start thinking about how to move toward fasting and how to end fasting, however, that I get complicated. I don't want to do that, again. So, here is the simple:

1. Eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, mostly raw, most of the time.

2. Eat processed foods only when necessary. Like, because, I run out of the fruits and veggies and I'm going nutso from not eating.

3. Close the eating window and limit the amount of times I eat, until I am down to one meal per day, which is primarily raw fruits and veggies.

4. Load healthy fats for 2 days, hardcore, when ready to start fasting for longer than approx. 23 hours per day.

Yes, I will still get back to summarizing the Allergy Free COOKBOOK. I  have just been busy going crazy, in more ways than one.

Cake, pizza, coffee, stress and a bit of a mad crush that I have recently been given reason to believe might be at least a little reciprocated.

Well, it's not a mad crush in the usual sense of me having one.  It's not, for instance, just about looks or a hope that some half sentence or another points to common interests and a life time of bliss. It's only really mad in the sense that I am so poor, fat, old, gassy and unwilling to iron clothes, that I can't see why anyone would want me.

But, that doesn't stop me from finding someone desirable and thinking too much.

Anyway ... .

It is time to truly make a bid for being less gassy and overweight, and, making poor work for me better.

Have a lovely day!

I begin (pt 5)

Today, I believe I learned a little more on why the Hilton Head Fast Metabolism Diet (or whatever it is called) had great success for many. Watch this lovely video, because, it is good for you; and, you might, then, know what I am talking about. At least, if you know what the diet is.

Taking notes from it, now:

500 calories per day for 21 days.  21 days on, 21 days off.
For 1 meal, 1 cup of vegetable.  No fat. Can be steamed
3.5 oz of animal product (grass fed, organic, dry spice if desired)  lean
1 piece of fruit.   2 x per day.   Drink a tremendous amount of water. Can have tea or coffee for breakfast.

Body uses proteins,fats, carbs to produce everything.  If you don't take in protein it will break down muscles, if you don't take in carbs it will break down whatever it can to get the carbs. if you don't take in fats, it will go after the abnormal fats.

2 days before treatment FAT LOAD  Healthy fats  coconuts avocados  nuts seeds  So blood is super rich in fats. Then cut it off completely.

This is all to change your brain

Enzyme supplementing:
West African Mango supplements
Pomegranate
Ginger
Garcinia Cambodia
Apple Cider Vinegar
 Cayenne Pepper

BIO THIN (Mercola)
On the 3 weeks off, you can't take in sugars or breads

Then THIS video

3 kinds of fat   structural, reserve, abnormal

Abnormal = not available to the body in nutritional emergency 
Obese patient will lose reserves, structural fat and only after that abnormal reserves. By then, they are usually tired, famished, and they get wrinkled and old looking.

Obese patients feel reasonably well as long as they are stationary or gaining weight.


All this reminds me of things Dr. Berg said about using high amounts of fat at the beginning of a ketogenic diet, but, not to continue using it in high quantities. It's for the same reason, to get your body to burn your fast. And, when I was doing fasting or intermittent fasting, I was losing on my abdomen, which would be considered the bank of abnormal fat. Well, one of them and the main one.

This is me wheedling things down to the simple.

Now that I am more educated, considering varying sources, I feel I can truthfully say that I'd be comfortable with a mostly raw vegan, fruit first diet that is mostly fat free. But, with some fats, at some points.

I'm not going to go into a big list of what I've been having. Instead, I'll tell you that I found out there is a noxious chemical in the tap water around here and they don't know how long that's been true (so they say), but, as I have been wretchedly ill all summer and fall, I will assume it happened in the early to mid-Spring.

Anyway, I am still doing the noon-8 p.m. limit on when to eat. This is three days of it, including Saturday, which was the day I weighed in the morning.  I've been eating fruit and veggies, some, but, have not been dieting.

I didn't drink coffee Saturday, then not until Sunday evening, and, I drank one cup (much almond and coconut milk) around noon today.

I think I am ready to go back to the book.

Have a lovely day!

I begin (pt 4)

Saturday Sept 29, 2018  11:37 a.m. :  I have felt so much more like eating before noon than I did even before I started purposely not doing it. I think my bad bacteria is in overdrive. Regardless, I have not done so, this morning. Not even fruit.

I did get to weigh

On Sept 6  I weighed 255.1 lbs. My height was 5'5.6". BMI was 42. Body Fat Mass was 107. 1
On   Sept  19, I weighed 257.2 lbs. Height and BMI the same. Body Fat Mass was 110.8

That was 2. 1 lbs of total weight gain, but, 3.7 lbs. of fat. Which means 1.6 lbs of something else was replaced by fat.

On Sept. 29 (aka: today) I weighed 256.1 lbs.  Height 5'6.1"  BMI 41. Body Fat Mass 103.1 lbs.

That's 1.1 lbs of total weight loss. A little height gain, which affects the BMI, anyway. But, mostly, it shows there is less stress. 7.7 lbs. of fat lost, which means 6.6 lbs. of something else replaced the fat.

Oh yes. I will keep my eating between noon - 8 p.m., and, I will work deeper into proper food combining.

Which, I have a long way to go on that, I know.. For goodness sake, I just realized that, even though I was okay with relearning cucumbers as melons, I still think of many other fruits as vegetables, still. Especially tomato and avocado. (sigh)

I'm going to do it for a while longer, too, because, I have a lot of spaghetti sauce to prepare.

Sunday, Sept. 30. 2018  6 a.m.   I am watching this video and learning many things. The most important of which is probably that "disease starts at 8 to 1." The video led me, in a roundabout way, to this site. These notes are about what is required for liver detoxification. I am only cutting and pasting the food requirements, not the reasons. Read the article for more details.

a source of choline from the diet (egg yolk for example) is required
 Garlic and cruciferous vegetables, as well as a source of a phytochemical Limonene ( citrus fruits like lemons ( zest especially), oranges, tangerines, black pepper, celery, dill, fennel, caraway),  
 high protein foods such as meats ( chicken, pork, turkey, duck), cheese, yoghurt, eggs, sunflower seeds, legumes and oat bran. and nuts

beans (chickpeas,pinto beans), lentils, spinach, avocado, bananas, wild salmon, tuna and liver)fish,meat,dairy, spinach, kale, cauliflower,cabbage,pumpkin,banana,kiwi, cucumber and beans
hellfish like scallops, clams, mussels, and the dark meat of turkey and chicken

Milk thistle, tumeric, green tea

apples, grapefruit ,broccoli, Brussels sprouts. cabbage, legumes, cucumber, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, almonds, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, oranges, lemons and limes

most detox regimes include fasting, but if you are unhealthy and nutrient deficient and begin fasting it is quite likely that it will liberate toxins that are stored in the adipose tissue which will make your situation worse.  These apply to the fat soluble toxins, but the water soluble toxins that are already in the form for excretion, must be excreted and instead of relying on the urinary or fecal pathway for toxin elimination go out and sweat them out…
Okay, that wasn't food, but, it was, in a way, about food! 


most detox regimes include fasting, but if you are unhealthy and nutrient deficient and begin fasting it is quite likely that it will liberate toxins that are stored in the adipose tissue which will make your situation worse.  These apply to the fat soluble toxins, but the water soluble toxins that are already in the form for excretion, must be excreted and instead of relying on the urinary or fecal pathway for toxin elimination go out and sweat them out…

Solitude is a detoxification of all that distorts our personality and misguides our path in life. It allows us to filter out the foreign opinions and hear our own voice—reach our authentic character—and practice fidelity to self.


So, in other words: Eat a lot of what they try to get you not to eat, eschew most of what they try to get you to eat,  make it all as natural as possible, and, most of the things the Natural Hygiene people say is true.

Interesting.

Somewhere between when I started typing this and 6:42 a.m., I had a nice bowel movement. That's a good sign.

Yesterday, I ate rather a lot, but, some of it was a good sized salad chopped into a smaller size, and was fairly well combined with meat and no bread.

Now that I have established (according to me and for my own benefit) that the noon- 8 p.m. thing works marvelously, even when done poorly and part-time, I intend to stick to it. And, I am ready to begin proper food combining and a little food rotation. Starting with eating only one fruit at a time when I eat fruit for the day.  Like, just strawberries or just mandarins, then waiting for the next day to eat the other. I say those because they are what I have. Oh, and, I also have two grapefruits. There are some apples, somewhere, and, I will try to care about their existence when I find them again.

I know I mentioned that somewhere above. I know that because I scrolled up and saw it. But, that's the charm of Fibromyalgia, my dear!

Have a lovely day!

I begin (pt 3)

I have come to realize that the not eating before noon rule does not work for me. Why? Oh wait ...

Wednesday, Sept 26, 2018  2;34 p.m.    Today, I had 2 mandarin orange and 3 bananas shortly before noon and some taste tests of various things no one should eat shortly after noon. That's all, so far.  My sister is, in theory, taking us for food in a little bit, though

Went to the store and bought Ramen noodles (10 pkgs.) and one cantaloupe (98 cents for the whole thing). So, that's $3 worth of food.  We still have various grains,frozen bits of veggies, a large can of tomatoes and some cans of spaghetti sauce, plus some of the potato soup, some eggs, and, a little chicken. So, we won't starve, yet. But, it's been pretty hard, lately, being able to afford fresh veggies and fruit in any decent quantity.

I have had no coffee today. So, that's something.

Anyway. ..

I have come to realize that the not eating before noon rule does not work for me, if I am going to be trying to eat fruit, until and unless I can get to the point where fruit is the main part of my diet. Maybe not even then. Because, I still do better when I finish eating earlier in the day, like somewhere between noon - 1p.m.  I would like to mostly always be done eating by 3 p.m. at the latest.

Plus, really, if I am having cooked food, I should have that cooked food ready to eat (assuming I am ready) at noon, not start getting it prepared to cook at noon. At least, most of the time. Though, some of this could be taken care of by better preparation WAY ahead of time.

Like, I want to cook up oodles of noodles, grains, etc. Then freeze them in 1/2 cup portions. Make spaghetti sauce and freeze it up, too. And, thusly, shall I have vegetabalized meals almost at the ready, for a while.

4:33 pm: Just got home Went to Pappy's and had a tiny salad followed by a pasta and meatballs dish (minus the Parmesan) with (possibly) garlic bread. Had a sample of See's Candy candy, plus, there are three pieces in the freezer waiting for me.  I don't know if I want them tonight or what.  Better decide soon!

I had been telling my sister about the vids saying to drop ALL coffee,sugar and chocolate - before we went to eat - and, she was very adamant as to how that would take away the greatest pleasures in life and such as that. And, finally,I said, almost as vigorously but less scathingly than she, that it might be true for some people, but,if it would mean I wouldn't feel 100 percent in pain and miserable, like a fat bloated toad that can't get anything done, then it would be worth it to me to try. Or, something like that.

As you can see, I am on my own. I supported her and others, but, especially her.  There will be no return emotional or "joining in" sort of support coming my way. So, it is up to me to develop all the willpower not only to fight against my own body, but, fight against my family and them pretending ignorance of my illness, or,whatever you want to call what they do.

Don't get me wrong. We had fun today. Just saying, I have to put my own limits on what sort of fun we have.

I did not get to go weigh. Just as well, as something really did me in. I was quite achy and bloated all day, gassy, etc.  It could have been from a few different sources. This, basically, has really emphasized my need to continue on with the consideration of the Allergy-Free COOKBOOK, and, to make a plan that is about simple eating that rotates various foods in and out, so that I can KNOW what is effecting me. Or, at least, have a lot less possibilities to investigate if and when it happens.-

Thursday Sept 27, 2018 8:13 a.m.: Today I am having a "Screw you!" day. Which is to say, I -  having come to the realization that I am seriously going to have to work up to eating as clean as possible and then do it for at least a month before doing a rotation diet, and, that  I am going to have to work hard at saying no to everyone, for the duration, etc.,- am going to have breakfast with coffee and sausage and probably something sweet, well before noon, today.

Because, if I have to give up coffee, sweets, etc. I want to thoroughly enjoy it this morning, before I do. That is all.

Oh. I measured my waist. It was really swollen up, yesterday. No idea how big it got. But, today, it is back down to 43".

Part of my realization came from watching these vids that are, apparently, made of//by a professor who teaches chiropractic thingies and gives lectures to other chiropractors. I learned a lot about what chiropractors are, versus what we think they are. I also learned that Natural Hygiene and chiropractic care have a lot to say to each other.  But, also, he said a lot of things related to using pain and inflammation as a guide to understanding what is wrong and helping you heal, and, not using stimulants and drugs to mask the symptoms.

There was something specific said about the adrenals and there being no such thing as adrenal fatigue. He said the adrenals are working just fine. It is something else that is going wrong, and, some of that may be related to caffeine, sugar, etc.  That's a lot of people in various professions, lately, who have harped on caffeine and sugar, and, not always for the same reason. But, all the reasons relate to me and my health issues. So, I gotta listen and not just sometimes.

So, I am thinking of a progressive: thing, something like this:

Stage 1: Clean up.

Step 1: Start with where you are. Add in more non-starchy veggies, before main course, inside main course and/or alongside main course Preferably, all three, unless they are the main course.

Step 2: Cut back on dairy.  Use the most natural alternatives possible more often or simply omit the dairy from the situation, altogether, with or without substitute.  Do not use things with added sugar or Carageenan.

Step 3: Cut back on stimulants. If needed use Xylitol or Srevia in place of some sugar or all sugar in drinks, recipes, sprinkled on food, etc.  Drink less  coffee,  less often.

Step 4: Add in fruits, to be eaten before anything else. Preferably high water content, melons and bananas last (if either or both are eaten at all)..

Step 5: No more snacks. Eat no more than 3 meals per day, without overstuffing yourself. Concentrate on nutrition first.

Step 6: Set yourself an eating window. Give yourself at least 4 hours of not eating before going to sleep.

 Stage 2: Repair

Step 1: Give yourself at least one day a week  of eating nothing but fruit in the morning, one kind at a time, melons first and bananas last (if you eat either or both). On this day, drink only water, black coffee or black tea, if you must drink anything.

Step 2: Give yourself at least one day a week of having a well-combined vegan meal.

Step 3: Eat fruit before anything else, every day, whenever possible. Same rules as before.

Step 4:  At least two days per week, do not eat anything but fruit before noon or after 8 p.m.

Step 5: For at least two meals per week, choose up to 1 concentrated food and have it with a salad or lightly cooked vegetables. IE: a grain or pasta OR meat  OR nut or seed.

Step 6:  Do not eat anything before noon, except for fruit, following the usual rules.

Stage 3: Deeper Repair

Step 1: Except for up to 1 day per week, every meal should be either fruit  or up to 1 concentrated food with salad or cooked vegetables.

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:


Well, I'll work more on it late.r I might be moving way too fast for some people. Also, I am forgetting the moving.


September 29, 2018   7:04 a.m.:  On Thursday morning, I ate before noon. I felt relatively okay, at first, but, not great. Yesterday, which was Friday, I ate fruit before noon and then pie with coffee, but, didn't eat for a while after that. 

It was a bit of an experiment to see how things would go. A reality check. Well, yesterday, I  woke up not feeling as good as I had been and having cravings. As is evidenced by the pie.  I felt more tired all day, more achy and my ears got swollen up, of f and on. This morning, I could barely get out of bed and my face is all swollen up.  And, that's after having had to take allergy medicine last night, because my eyelids are swollen and itchy, a bit.

Today, I shall not eat until noon or later.

And, with that, I post thins. Enjoy my incomplete ideas. Fee free to make suggestions if you care to.


Either way, I hope you are having a lovely day!

I begin ... (pt 2)

Today is September 22, 2018 . It is 7:09 a.m. and this morning is the start of my second full day of following the first rule for me, which is a principle of Natural Hygiene:

RULES FOR ME:
#1: Implemented on September 21, 2018: I  will not eat before noon or after 8 p.m.

Addendum: If, for some reason, I have to (due to emergency or insanity) I will do my best to make it high water content fruit only.

;

I need to rewrite it better. Maybe like this:

RULES FOR ME: 
#1: I will not eat anytime between 8 p.m. and noon. Only an emergency can change this rule, and, if it happens, I will do my best to eat only high water content fruit, or, at least, another high water content food.  Begin date: 9-21-18

Because, I like to have contingencies planned for. 

Anyway ....

I did have  trouble sleeping and a lot of weird thoughts, kind of like when I fast. In fact, this has all felt a bit like fasting.  But, due to the lack of sleeping during my Assimilation cycle, I have decided that I will only drink coffee during the Elimination cycle, if at all. Which means putting nothing in it. Which means it will be that much quicker that I end up giving up coffee. Because, sometimes, I like it black, but, only sometimes.

I did get up a few times to pee and still had a lot to pee out this morning. None of it has been particularly dark, though this morning it was darkish compared to the other times.

I had  almost no cramps. There was one little twitch of a cramp starting in my right calve, but, it didn't go far or last long. At this point, I cannot say there is a major change, but, I can feel that things are changing some. I feel less stiff, less in pain (and, the pain feels more like from loosening up than from swelling  up), less overheated, less foot sore and tingly, more capable of moving -both in mobility and energy.  And, my eyes seem to see a little better.

I feel like I am almost to the point where if I only felt that bad, all the time, instead of way worse for long stretches, I could pretty much get on with my life.  I'd still have to be a little careful of overusing my energy.

I intend to do this until next Wednesday, making no other special efforts to change, then weigh and take measurements and see how it goes. If it looks like it is working quite well, I will work on a different aspect of managing my health. If not, I will shorten the time period so that I stop eating earlier.

I'm hoping it will prove to work well and then I can start working on my food combining techniques.

By the way, I am not even a little bit hungry, right now. As of yet, I have not dranken anything this morning. But, I am about to drink coffee, as I am going on a visit with my granddaughter and I don't want to chance a caffeine headache during that time.

11:41 a.m.: So far I have had two cups of black coffee. Turned out I did not need the energy as the visit was cancelled.  The reason I am adding to this post, right now, is that my right forearm and, especially, hand went numb and tingly. Then, there were some feelings of aches, pressures on my mid-back from inside, kind of burning and tingling in my gut and an ache under my left armpit. Now, my right neck and shoulder are going a bit numb and my left arm is starting to, as well.

I had a decent bowel movement  a little before 9 a.m., after I left home, and a good pee or two, and then nothing. I think all these weird feelings are related to my body "gathering forces" as I like to cal it. Making the special effort to really gather up toxic sludge and kick it out. Well, in about 13 minutes, now, I  will eat some grapes and help it along.

Maybe I should be eating fruit in the morning. But, then again, they also say not to eat until you are definitely hungry and I haven't felt that hungry, yet.

Maybe that better be my second rule. I have it in my head, too much, from decades of not really wanting to eat and being ordered /advised to, that one has to eat and that not wanting to eat is a sign of an illness that can be cured by eating the right food. Seriously! How weird is that? I mean, I guess it might be true for someone who is anorexic, but, that has NEVER been my problem!

12:36 pm - Totally forgot to pay attention to time. I am done eating grapes. So, I will wait until at least 12:56 pm before eating else.  By the way, I paid attention to chewing them more thoroughly and, as a result, ate far fewer before I got tired of them .At least, I guess that's why I wanted less of them.

6:30 pm  - Okay, for breakfast/unch I had two chimichangas with one each Roman tomato and avocado. (sometime after the grapes) and for dinner I had barbecued chicken thigh and one red potato, plus two tiny blue potatoes followed by some potato chips. Somewhere in there I also had more of my diet soda and I am on my second Vitamin Water.

I'm definitely done eating.

6:46 p.m  - May seriously regret eating the potatoes. They seem to be expanding in my stomach. I did not put any sort of oil on them Just salt and pepper. It really was quite a small meal, in size but, obviously, not a well-combined one.  I am feeling hotter than I had been.

Oh, I forgot. After b/l  I did eat the last little bit of the coconut cake. Then, later, my son went to the store to get bananas, as we are almost out of grapes, and, I didn't want him to get any junk sweets that pretend to be food.

Sunday  Sept 23, 2018  8:42 a.m. :  Just had a terrible b.m. Foul, weirdly in between constipation and diarrhea, felt like it left a burning hollow in my abdomen, disconcerted everywhere it traveled through; came on suddenly and as it left, it managed to make me feel less poisoned, but, somehow, worse.

This morning, at whatever stupid o'clock it was, I started having cramps in my legs again. I have been head-achy and feverish feeling.

9:01 a.m.:  Well, I had a coughing fit and now some mucus has come out of my sinuses, so I am breathing more clearly. This is after drinking distilled water this morning.

10:06 a.m; I was wondering, earlier- and, many times - if this was detoxification I was suffering the effects of, or, if I was already ill and now experiencing it more fully. Or, both. Now, I think- okay, I know I was ill in the way of needing to fix myself, but - it really is just detoxification. I feel much better after having dranken a good bit of distilled water. I won't say I feel good, but, much better.

Also, I am quite sure I lost some weight.I am more wobbly when I move about. Anyone who has ever been fat and then lost weight knows what sort of wobbly I mean, too. Anyone who has been pregnant and then seen their belly after the baby's arrival, also has a pretty good idea. I'm just so much squishier, but, obviously, can fit into my clothes some better.

And, I kept having this feeling like there was something strange feeling about my skin, whenever I had a reason to touch it. It wasn't until I was laying down and did some familiar movement, which I was expecting to be painful , that I realized what it is. There was no pain from a mild touch.

I have now pushed on several places that are usually excruciating and, so, actually need to be pushed on, and, they are no longer excruciating. Well, not to me. I don't know how they would be to someone who wasn't already used to the way they were before.

I've had several cravings, this morning, to dive in and eat a lot, to have coffee with coconut milk and sugar (the temptation-wielding bacteria said nothing about Stevia, I assure you), just a few chips. Strangely enough, when I thought about giving in and eating some grapes early and then maybe some bananas, it quieted down by quite a bit.

Anyway, right now, I have the last of the red potatoes, plus a big chopped up yellow onion, cooking in the oven. Later on, after they've had time to cool, I intend to use the vegetable broth that is on its last legs (in the refrigerator) ,and maybe a few other choice bits of veggies, along with the potatoes and onion and select spices, and, probably some coconut milk, to make us a hearty potato soup for the first meal of the day. Well, the first meal after fruit.

I'm thinking, more and more, that trying out the proper food combining is a wonderful idea. So, I am going to try having potato soup and then, later, if we are still hungry, maybe a piece of chicken and veggies.  Could have the soup right around 1 p.m., maybe, and, then the chicken around 4:30 p.m., and, call it a day. It still won't be the properest of food combinings, but, it will be closer.

I know I said I would just follow this one rule for a week without making any special efforts, but, you know ... I can already feel it is working, and, even though I would like to be able to say "This happened solely because of ..." at the end of the week, I am also 49 years of age and tired of being ill. So, what I want, even more than to impress others with Natural Hygiene, is to get on with having something of a life.


12:34 pm: I had the rest of the grapes (not that many were left) and two small bananas. I just looked up where it says bananas take about 60-90 minutes to digest. However, I have read things before that said if you want to eat several different kinds of things in  a row, then, you either need to give the first thing all the time it needs to digest (such as eating melon, then, making a meal), or, layer them in such a way that the things that take longer to digest always go in after those that take less time to digest.  It's not optimal, but, it is workable.

Well, by the time the soup is done, the banana will either be digested or a half hour off, in theory. Starches, the same site also said, take 4-5 hours to digest. Potato is a starch. So, definitely, the banana should have time to leave before the potato soup starts to ferment. However, that would mean that, if we finish eating it by 2 p.m., it would be 6 p.m., at the earliest, before it is out of there. But, let's see how long chicken takes.

According to another site, it takes chicken without skin (and, this would be) 1.5 - 2 hours to digest. So, then, if potatoes might take 5 hours and we finished eating them at 2 p.m., we could conceivably  begin eat the chicken at 5 p.m. and be okay.

Or I could cook the chicken right about now and we could eat that, and, then have the soup after, since it will take longer to digest than the chicken will. Tada!

And, this is why simple, maybe even mono, meals are considered such a lovely thing!

Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, 8:11 a.m.:  I had coffee with coconut mil yesterday, barbecued chicken followed by the potato soup, potato chips, chocolate and diet soda.  Somewhere in there, something definitely made me swell up.  Don't laugh, since most of it was not that far off from other days. I think it was just too much potatoes.

However, I also had grapes and bananas beforehand, so, for all I know, it was the bananas.

Today, I i intend to eat bananas. I was thinking of also eating other things, but, unless I get really hungry, I think no. I need to find out if bananas are my friend or foe. Not going to start eating them until I feel hungry, though.

I am instituting that as a rule:

RULES FOR ME: 
#1: I will not eat anytime between 8 p.m. and noon. Only an emergency can change this rule, and, if it happens, I will do my best to eat only high water content fruit, or, at least, another high water content food.  Begin date: 9-21-18

#2   I will  not eat unless I am actually, definitely hungry, and, if it is within my eating window of noon- 8 p.m.  Again, in an emergency, I can change the rule. But,  "Gee,  I've been offered  ...! !" is generally never an emergency.  Either is boredom or a frustrated oral fixation.

I've decided that, when it comes to Family Bible Study, we will be studying the fruitages of the holy spirit, and, we are starting with self control.

One of the reasons I am implementing a second rule already is that my waist was 43.5" yesterday (it had been swollen up to 49" at one recent point, before I quit measuring, which is part of what prompted me to look back into the  Allergy-Free COOKBOOK as well as Natural Hygiene) and today it was 45".

The other reason is that the second rule in no way affects whether or not I can tell if the first rule is helpful. For one thing, by the facts that I am not hungry before noon, now, and, I am still feeling better than I was -even though something made me balloon up - I already know that the first rule is helping me.  For another thing, not eating unless hungry is just plain good sense. It's all that time of being forced to eat when I didn't want to  and what I didn't want to which is screwing with me.

Oh man! Speaking of that, I cannot eat just bananas, today. I have some chia seed pudding I made days ago, with some coconut yogurt that I bought at least a week before I made it. And, I keep forgetting to eat it.  Well, I can start out with bananas. They take about 60-90 minutes to digest, according to a Natural Hygiene site, so , I could conceivably eat the bananas all the way up to 6 or 7 p.m. and be good.

I am not sure how fast coconut yogurt chia seed pudding with strawberries digests, but, I think it probably takes more than a half hour.

And, after I type the above (it is now 9 a.m) my son came home with pizza. Hmm ....

Tuesday, Sept 25, 2018 5:32 a.m.  So, yesterday, I had some apple cider vinegar, two bananas, some of the chia seed pudding (which is basically coconut yogurt, coconut milk and some chopped up strawberries); and, later on, I had 3.5 slices of  pepperoni and sausage pizza - but, 2.5 of them were small slices, so it really only equaled about two slices. And, somewhere in there I had some coffee with coconut milk, a very tiny Wal-Mart pecan pie, the small half of a regular size Snickers, and, the dregs of the potato chips that were bought a few days ago.

I feel amazingly alright for having eaten pizza.  Oh, I did have apple cider vinegar twice, which I am sure helped.

Then, I spent most of the day either watching videos related to the Bible and reading/listening to the Bible, or, studying up on various aspects of health.  According to Dr. Berg, in one vid he seemed to be indicating I was both too alkaline and too acid at once. But, in a second vid I found of his on the same subject, he said you can have some symptoms that seemed to indicate both, but, there is a way to really tell. For finding out if you are too alkaline, the way involves taking a test I already know the answer to.  He said if you use apple cider vinegar and it helps you, you are too alkaline.

I do wonder if it is possible to be both, though. Like, too alkaline as in not having enough stomach acid, which is a very real thing for me; but, also, too acidic in the blood, say, due to being ill and putrefying food from poor digestion and eating the wrong foods, etc.

I have realized that I have gone back to making things more complicated. But, you know, I am trying to find a way to live my life simply while untangling some very complicated health issues.

It's all right, though. I think I am mostly ready to set some more basic rules for eating and work into following them well.  I've tested the first one out fairly well and I have found it good, in that I feel better. But,  I also feel there can be more improvement.

You've read the way I've been eating. Some of it is pretty stupid. So, obviously, stupidity leaves room for improvement.

4:59 pm:  So, my sister tricked me and I actually finished eating lunch sightly before noon, which means I probably started eating around 11:30 a.m.  (sigh)  I'm not stressing though. I did my best to follow the rule.  Now,I know how it is going to go if I agree to such a venture with her,again.

As it was, shortly after we finished eating, I had quite a bit of toxic material come out, more than once, in an insistent manner and then I was fine. So fine, in fact, that I think I will probably be able to go out in service tomorrow.

I don't feel like I really lost any weight, but, if I get a chance I will weigh tomorrow and see. And, if I don't, perhaps I can weigh on Saturday.

Anyway,  I had a fairly healthy lunch special of beef with peppers and onions, lo mein, egg roll  Also had a diet soda, some Jade Boba drink (shared by three people), and a Krispy Kreme pecan pie, a tiny one. I will probably not elect to have the overly sweet drink or pie, again. Though, they did tell us there are such drinks that are less sweet.

For dinner, I am going to have a burrito and half a Cadbury Caramello. We have no greens, except frozen ones. We don't even have the burrito, yet.   Good health is something I am going to have to work toward, over time, as far as having a decent amount of fruits and vegetables on-hand.

Anyway, if there is any good change that is tangible, it will be amazing and pointed, since I have not gone out of my way, or been able to go out of my way, on eating healthier. There are intangible benefits I am experiencing. Less tiredness, less pain, less brain fog, less feeling horrible even though I ate cheese yesterday. That sort of thing.

Studying up on this video, right now.  It's about the adrenals. First off: get off coffee. (sigh) I wasn't going to watch it, because, this person looks like a large-nosed woman in a Karl Marx, err .. Groucho Marx ..., mask, proffering up 19 truths. It's very sardonic Bohemian Grove vibe. However, the comments seemed to indicate good info was inside, and, so I let it run on a wee bit and he (she? ze?) dived right in.  I'll take the plunge, then.

8:44 p.m,:  So, in watching the vid, I heard something about how important it is to sleep early. That this time of night is most beneficial. I'm tired right now, so I am going to give it a try.

Also,  I had four pieces of bread zucchini and a  chopped Roma tomato and an avocado, more or less with the burrito.

Going to post this now. Goodnight!

I begin (9-21-18)

Today is the day I begin to change my life for the better.

What does this mean?

I am going to make one major change today. Since I know intermittent fasting works and that at least some of what Natural Hygiene says works, I will begin intermittent fasting in a way that works with the idea of the body having cycles that need to be respected, which comes from Natural Hygiene.

RULES FOR ME:
#1: Implemented on September 21, 2018: I  will not eat before noon or after 8 p.m.

Addendum: If, for some reason, I have to (due to emergency or insanity) I will do my best to make it high water content fruit only.

For those who wonder about such things, this does not mean I have to eat at noon or that I must eat up until  8 p.m., or that I have to eat a certain number of meals. It only means exactly what it says.  So, even if, for some reason, I have not eaten all day and now it is 8:15 p.m. and I feel like I am starving, I will not eat; nor will I eat before noon on the next day. Even if someone invites me to a pancake breakfast, I will not eat before noon.  That is all.


For your information, I went to weigh on September 19, 2018 and found that, once again, I have gained another two lbs. I don't know precisely why I keep gaining weight, but, I do know that my stomach has swollen back up and I've been miserable. And, every time I go weigh, I have gained at least two lbs, for approx. the last couple of months. No, one time, I just hadn't lost anything and it said more of me was fat.

It may be due to stress. Regardless of why, I weigh more than I have in a very long time. The lowest I've gotten was, I believe, 236 lbs.  I was maintaining around 242- 248 lbs. Right now, I weigh 257.2 lbs. This will change, for the better, and, soon.

I think I'm going to save this as a draft and add to it for a bit. So, by the time I post it, hopefully, there will be some good news to tell.

Noon:  So, I am eating grapes right now, with the Appropriation cycle underway.  Do I have news? Yes I do.

First of all, the eating the grapes is not part of the rules, but, I think you might care to know what I do, as I go along, so you can do some of the same good things and/or avoid making some of the same mistakes.

First of all, I should tell you, I wrote the first part of this blog  this morning, finishing up around 3:30 a.m.  I couldn't sleep.  Ended up taking allergy medication. Just the pretend Benadryl from Fry's.

This morning, I had several good pees - much better than the shoddy and painful pees that had been going on, for weeks now. I also had some good (in quantity, not in smell) bowel movements.

My son and I went on a walk, sometime after 9:30 a.m.,  went down to the Dollar Tree to get some few things and then to Fry's, where I got the grapes. Boy, I was really looking around for something I could justify eating (either for health or for pleasure) , but, there was nothing that would be THAT good, that it would be worth either the price or the pain, but, especially not both. Except for the grapes. Even though they are seedless and therefore highly suspect, they taste good and they definitely got the sugar content for energy that the fruitarian was going on about, plus, the high water content for washing out the body.  And, at 77 cents per lb, they were somewhat affordable for us.

I ate several handfuls. I didn't count them or measure them in any way. Probably should have chewed them longer and better. Got to the point where I felt I had mostly enough of them, then, kept a handful to finish up and put the rest away.

don't know if this is something that happens automatically. Does my body sense that it has taken in enough of whatever it needed from the grapes and sent out signals of less palatablility? Or, do grapes just get cloying, regardless? I think the body says it. I think that's why people overeat so much on processed foods. The body is sending out signals, "Eat the part that has nutrition!" and we just never find that part, until we stumble onto a pizza with vegetables on it. Or, something like that.

On the walk, we  were talking about gardening. One of the things we have both done is to replant the rooty bits of green onions bought from a store (not Fry's), only to find that the green onions that grew back were softer, smaller, with more aroma and a far stronger taste. So much so that I postulated that perhaps this is the real reason Monsanto goes after farmers who try to grow crops from the seeds that they harvest from the crops grown from seeds they bought from Monsanto.

Because, as I said, something had to have been done to those green onions to make them less tasty and bigger. And, just one natural growing cycle, utilizing the same roots, has reverted some of that. So, maybe that's what happens to second generation Monsanto-affected seeds. Maybe they produce more natural crops and the third generation would be even better.

Anyway, the green onions give me hope, and, they also tell me more about Jehovah God.

So, here I am. It's 12:25 p.m.. I finished the grapes a wee while ago. I'm feeling .. more human? Less achy, more like things are loosening up a bit, less internally heat-stricken, like there is mucous getting ready to flow.  I don't think that is particularly about grapes. I think it is particularly about following the bodily cycles.

I mean, I had the bowel movements and went on a walk BEFORE I ate the grapes. Oh, and, my feet were doing that terrible tingle-burn, feeling like bruised meat for having been walked on, but, not as bad as usual. And, they feel less like it, now, than they did then.

My shoulder, which had been aching terribly for weeks - I couldn't move it or even just sit still without terrible pain - feels so much better. I can move it more freely and get it more into proper position.

I will go lay down for a little bit. It's coming up on 10 minutes since I finished the grapes.  My son cooked eggs and sausage earlier, which I had the strength (not of appetite,but, of eschewing social politeness of a detrimental type) to avoid eating, at the time. I will probably eat them in a wee while.

2:13 pm:  Getting ready to have an egg sandwich with maple sausage links and a salad with poppy seed dressing. Definitely ill-combined. Garlic toast for the bread, mayo, eggs, whatever my son put in the eggs, olive oil on the toast, Roma tomato, Brussels Sprouts, baby kale, lettuce in the salad.

By the way, I have a headache - but, I had no coffee this morning and also I think some of it is movement of mucous - and, I have had a few bouts of diarrhea, but, more the detoxifying kind than the just being ill kind. Some of it was fairly greasy. That's all between the last time I wrote and this time.

8:05 pm :  I finished eating around 7:30 p.m.  No, I did not eat continuously during the eating window, but, I did have the sandwich, salad, 3 small slices of Pepperidge Farms Coconut Cake, a cup of coffee, Dr. Thunder Diet Soda, distilled water (before eating and after, a bit) and a cup of tea before eating, and, ended on a baked boneless skinless chicken though with Asian barbecue sauce plus a piece of somewhat decent (for store bought) bread.

I am not advocating eating like this. Part of the reason I did it was as an experiment. If I had eaten only super healthy, well combined foods (according to the principals of Natural Hygiene), only one or two modest sized meals that were mostly fruits or vegetables, or both, and like that ... all that it would ultimately tell me (or you, perhaps) is that intermittent fasting and/or eating produce works.

Right now, I am seeing how following the body cycles works on its own.

I will say I peed a lot, had lots of bowel movements - many of them sudden and weird - and I ended up  finally taking a short, weird nap around 5 p.m., Not sure when it was, but, definitely after I said I was going to go lay down. And, up until that last piece of cake, I was moving pretty easy and my left leg was not all swollen and stiff feeling.

My left leg is a bit so, now; but, before today, both legs were so swollen I was a little afraid of bumping into things and splitting them open. 

So, done with eating tonight. Not done with diet soda. We'll see how things go. Not because I want you to think drinking diet soda is a good thing, but, because, I want to know the extent to which simply not eating hard to digest foods before noon or after 8 p.m. really works.

Short, but, sweet (probably, pun intended)

The Fruit Based Raw Vegan Diet: A Magical Cure For Everything?

Romans 14:2 One man has faith to eat everything, but the man who is weak eats only vegetables.

I agree with the video and this quote, above, from the Bible is part of why I agree with it. Mostly, it makes sense. If you cannot handle the more complicated stuff, go further back to the elementary things- either incrementally, if necessary, or, in one big leap to where you need to be.

The elementary things, as regards diet, incrementally, are to practice better food combining techniques, eating less often, working on eating better food more often than eating the worse"foods".
But, in the one big leap, the elementary things are to not eat, to eat fruit, or, to eat fruit or greens.
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Follow the eating of man backwards in the Bible and it goes like this, more or less:

Everything animal, fowl, fish or plant is okay, so long as you can handle it.

Simple meals, such as a little fish and some bread, or mono meals of just grain, or whatever else is simple but gets the job done is great. Better food is pleasurable and desirable and should be enjoyed, sometimes, but, it is not always necessary and sometimes get in the way of what is important.

Animals, fowl, fish are okay, but, don't eat scavengers.

Animals are okay,because, times have changed

Green vegetation is food for all.

Eat fruit to satisfaction.

What the man said in the video goes along with this and with some of the ideas from the Allergy-Free COOKBOOK.

That is all.

I hope you are having a lovely day!

Fibromyalgia (notes, thoughts, ideas)

According to the US National Fibromyalgia Research Association, when refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, fried foods, red meat, and processed foods are eliminated, or significantly reduced, fibromyalgia symptoms are reduced. Today’s Western diet contains many of these foods, which tend to irritate muscles and affect the immune system.

touched or stimulated.

In order to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a doctor or medical professional will usually take into consideration a range of symptoms, especially the report of widespread pain, that lasts for at least three months.  

The most common symptoms include:

• Widespread physical pain
• Pain that occurs in the same spot, on  both sides of the body
• Fatigue
• Difficulty falling asleep
• The inability to focus, also known as “fibro fog”
• Frequent headaches
• Abdominal cramping
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Paresthesia (tingling)
• Irritable Bowl Syndrome
• Heightened sensitivity to bright lights, noise and smells.
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhoids
• Dry eyes
• Pelvic pain
• Numbness
• Chemical sensitivities 
• Multiple allergies
• Weight gain
• In addition, fibromyalgia causes the pain from any given cause to be worse.
  
  The last few are from a different website. The last one is both true and not at all true. The fact is little things hurt a lot, like a hair getting pulled, but, I have had some bad things happen to me that would have incapacitated many other people and they didn't hardly phase me, because, they weren't that much worse than getting patted on the back or hugged. And, despite the pain, I like being hugged! So ...
   

A balanced diet should consist of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.(Except, for me, for now, legumes should be avoided like the plague they are!)  Include lean meats, fish, chicken and eggs and eat foods as close to nature as possible. Avoid unhealthy foods such as processed foods, foods high in sugars, salts and unsaturated fats.

There are certain foods that are known to trigger the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. These include: caffeine, aspartame, sugar, MSG, sodium nitrite, dairy, gluten

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Which means, what? They just told us to eat whole-grains and then proceeded to say that gluten (which is in most whole-grains) is a trigger.  

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Turmeric has been used for centuries in some traditional medicine to relieve pain associated with arthritis and other common conditions. The spice is known to help fight inflammation and has an analgesic effect in the body.

Onto a different website:

“It’s a chicken-and-egg situation,” says Kent Holtorf, M.D., a leading fibromyalgia specialist and founder of Holtorf Medical Group, San Francisco. “We don’t know if the fibromyalgia causes weight gain or vice versa.” 

........................................................................
Oh, well, then: let me enlighten you, Kent Holtorf, M.D., who shouldn't be a leading fibromyalgia anything if he doesn't know the answer to that yet, because leading fibromyalgia specialists should be LISTENING to persons with Fibromyalgia! :  I was stressed out, chock full of pain and allergies, and, generally miserable all my life. It wasn't until very extra-stressful events, such as people trying to gang rape me or my husband hiring people to try to off me that I had a weight problem. Before that, I was quite active and had a great muscle mass and bone mass, so I was no lightweight even when a size 5 -7, but, I was active and intelligent and doing well. Then, the added stress tore all that apart and I was in so much more pain that I could barely think or move, and, then, you see, with the additional allergies piling on too, I gained weight.

Hope that helps you to know!

____________________________________________________

When you have fibromyalgia, the appetite-signaling hormone leptin may be out of sync. That sends inaccurate hunger messages to the brain, making you eat more, says Dr. Holtorf.

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I will pray for you, Dr. Holtorf.  It takes a lot to make me want to hate someone. But, I want to hate you. So, I will pray for you and me, both. 

I DO NOT eat more than the people in my family who do not have Fibromyalgia. In fact, left to my own devices, I would have mostly eaten nothing, most days of my life, but, really stupid medical doctors kept insisting I eat things that I am fast learning I should never have gone near. Including the cruciferous veggies and soy milk combo that shot my weight up from something a little below 180 lbs. to an undisclosed amount over 335 lbs. I don't know how much it was, but, enough to make a nurse cry. 

I have a much harder time digesting things. I am allergic to a lot of things. Allergies can make you gain weight. Please read Dr. Mandell's book, which I have been and will be posting about, until your brain fog clears. Thank you!

_______________________________________

When your whole body hurts, it’s hard to believe you’ll feel less pain if you’re more active. But it’s true.

---------------------------------------------

I'm not sure which person said this one. So, I will pray for you all, generally. (And, I did).  But, guess what? 

When your leg muscles have been eaten away by Cortisol, plus, you can barely breathe due to allergies and due to your swollen intestines pushing on your lungs and your heart , and, your sinuses are bleeding, and, your leg muscles and foot muscles, and, sometimes back and arm and pelvic floor muscles and any other muscle that you have, even your eye muscles and the muscles around your mouth, start cramping up if you accidentally forget and move them just a mere fraction of an inch without assessing and planning every last gesture made .... it does not hurt you less to exercise. It really just does not. 

I am done with that particular site. I've come to the realization that they are talking to/about beginning sufferers who may, indeed, benefit from this namby-pamby advice, because, they are just at the point of being a little fatigued and a little sore and they, like their doctors, have no freaking idea how bad it can get.

Well, I hope they never find out. But, I hope the people like me, who long for the restful (for us) days that beginning sufferers have, avoid those doctors  and find some who understand the deeper, darker world of Fibromyallgia. And, whom remember to capitalize it, as if it is a scary thing that really happens and demands respect, instead of just some slang term for lazy. 
As you can see, I am a little annoyed. This is NOT the sort of information I was looking for. I was looking for real information that can help.
..................................................................................................

On to Pro Health, which starts out well by saying this: A common problem observed in Fibromyalgia is weight gain. Many patients complain to me that weight gain became a major problem once Fibromyalgia established itself.

 Contrary to the popular myth that obesity is a result of eating too much fatty foods, obesity is usually the result of eating too many carbohydrates. A carbohydrate rich diet causes weight gain by converting the extra glucose into fat and, if Fibromyalgia causes more insulin activity and sensitivity, then the weight gain can be even greater.

Another myth is that most overweight people overeat. Actually, most overweight people do not overeat. They may have a craving for carbs, and the carbs are easily converted to fat. Fibromyalgia facilitates this process. A diet modified in protein and lower in carbs may help.

People with Fibromyalgia hurt more and are not as active because activity increases pain. Thus, it is difficult to increase the energy expenditure or calorie burning related to exercise and activity. Less calories burned can mean weight gain. Any treatment program in Fibromyalgia must include attempts at increasing overall activity level.

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This is about the exact opposite of what that leading Dr. H. said, and, strangely enough, just about spot on with what I observed in my own life.

Then, the site went on to recommend a diet that would destroy me. But, it started out well.
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On to a different site:

1. All refined carbohydrates, including the sports bars and fat-free foods her dietitian had advised to "lose weight" were eliminated. These were replaced by fresh vegetables, raw nuts, modest amounts of fish, brown rice and millet. A moderate amount of fresh fruit was also allowed. She was to eat slowly and to chew her food well. Allergens she tested sensitive to were eliminated.

2. Bed time was set at 10 p.m., with no television to precede or accompany it.

3. Coffee was eliminated. The patient was instructed to drink water.

4. A program of light swimming was implemented.

5. I advised the patient not to focus on her symptoms and to get busy with activities that she enjoyed doing.

7. Periodic office visits included dietary reviews, stress reduction, counseling and gentle massage and trigger point therapy.

8. A program to regain normal flora/intestinal balance was initiated including a short liquid diet and appropriate flora replacement.

9. We discussed her marital situation and the need to resolve the disharmonious situation through appropriate counseling.

During the first 10 days, the patient felt worse as withdrawal from the caffeine and junk food took place, but by the second week a significant improvement occurred. By the end of the sixth week, her pains had diminished by 80 percent and she had become more receptive to communicating and being physical with her husband. As she felt better she was better able to relate to her husband and became emotionally warmer which he responded to favorably. Further counseling was not required.

She has become a swimming devotee and lost 20 pounds without any special "fat-free foods" or special reducing plans. She sleeps soundly, has noted much improved digestion by the altering of her diet and by changing her habits. She describes her mood as being much more upbeat. Her menstrual discomforts have lessened.

The patient recovered her health, not by "treating" her fibromyalgia, but by a comprehensive health program directed at her specific health picture. After several months of monitoring, the patient was dismissed from care with the knowledge and tools necessary to maintain herself in a good state of health for the present and to prevent health problems in the future.

Each patient is different and therefore the program for each patient must differ as well. Once, however, the causes of ill health / fibromyalgia are identified and addressed, the symptoms of Fibromyalgia can be ended and good health can be restored.

And, we are back to the first site:

Many people with fibromyalgia are very sensitive to refined sugar. Unfortunately, many people with fibromyalgia eat high-GI carbohydrates and sugar to boost energy levels. While this provides a short-term boost, too much sugar will lead to too much insulin and eventually blood sugar becomes abnormally low, called hypoglycemia, and stress hormones are released.

Learning about and eating low-GI carbohydrates will prevent the roller coaster ride caused by high-GI carbohydrates. The elimination of refined sugar from the diet enables the body to better manage blood glucose levels, when carbohydrates are eaten.

More than 75% of people with fibromyalgia have some type of sleep disturbance. A good night’s sleep most nights is essential for the body to repair and restore, which is particularly important for a person with chronic aches and pains. A person with fibromyalgia should avoid or reduce stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, and refined sugar as these foods can interfere with normal sleep patterns, and enhance fatigue.

Increasing the intake of green leafy vegetables will provide optimal nutrition. When it comes to quantity, these foods offer so much benefit, eat as much as you desire, within reason. In general, try to eat at least five servings of vegetables each day (excluding potato chips or other deep fried vegetable).

The vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals in leafy greens keep pain and inflammation under control and the fibre lowers cholesterol, controls blood pressure, balances glucose levels, and aids digestive health. A variety of leafy green vegetables can provide calcium, potassium, beta-carotene, folate, and vitamins A, C, E and K.

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Pretty good. Then, they go on to say rather insane things about whey protein.

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An elimination diet is used to systematically evaluate whether a certain food causes or worsens symptoms.

Eating a diet of mainly raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables, with far less high-fat meat and more fish or lean poultry, promotes better health in general.

A vegan, gluten-free diet has been shown to help relieve pain, improve quality of sleep, and enhance overall health in fibromyalgia patients. This type of diet reduces the intake of foods known to promote inflammation due to oxidative stress and favours foods with anti-inflammatory properties that lessen free radical production and enable oxidation.

These nutritional tips may help reduce symptoms:

• Eliminate potential food allergens – dairy, wheat (gluten), corn, soy, preservatives, food additives
• Get tested for food allergies and intolerances
• Eat antioxidant foods – fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes) and vegetables (such as kale, spinach, and capsicum)
• Avoid refined foods – white breads, pastas, sugar
• Eat less red meat and more lean meat, fish, tofu, or beans for protein
• Use healthy cooking oils – such as olive oil or coconut oil
• Reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, margarine
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine
• Limit foods high in sugar, salt, fat, and
• Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of filtered water daily.

None of this, directly above, is either against or for Natural Hygiene approaches, but, it would work well with the Natural Hygiene approach, up to an extent, and, then have to be taken further.

How far do I want to go? Do I want to go? Sometimes, I want to get rid of the refrigerator, get an ice chest to keep my food and some water in, get rid of my pans and all the other things related to the preparation of food and just go completely raw vegan. Mostly whole foods, just wash it up and eat it or chop it to blend it (in the case of greens), maybe even mono foods and eat the organic peels, vegan.

And, some days, I want to be able to eat with other humans. 

Hmm..... 

Simplified Eating (notes, ideas, thoughts)

This morning, after having spent a few days in confusion again, I prayed for clarification of what/how I should be eating. I was letting it get complicated. Now, I am back to being simple.

Simplified Eating . I keep wanting to put "Stage One", because, for a long time - years - I was experimenting and trying different things, while trying to write a book about my experiences that  would end up with a finished plan, which was to be called 'Fat Girl Refrigerator Mambo'- also the name of a badly realized art piece I had made.

I still want to write a book about my experiences, on the off-chance that it would help people. Yes, including me, but, I really don't expect a big audience or anything. So, any help would probably be more catharsis and less like being able to afford to get my shower wall repaired.

So, here is my simplified eating plan.

1. I will Intermittent Fast, with a minimum of 12 hours between the last meal of one day and the first meal of the next day.

Since the minimum is 12 hours, this means I can feel free to do 14, 18, 24, 48, 6 weeks or any other amount of fasting that I can handle, between meals.

2. I will do my best to eat 7-10 cups of either/or fruits or vegetables, on every day that I am eating.

3.  I will only eat when I am hungry enough to care about eating. Even if something "needs to be used up" or someone is offering a meal that it will "suck" to miss out on.

4. I will do my best to follow a simplified version of an allergy rotation diet. Which means, I will try not to eat the same exact plant or flesh material for more than one meal and then I will do my best not to have it for at least two days afterward. IE: Monday - spinach salad Tuesday - no wheat of any sort. Wednesday - Can have spinach, but, do not have to.

5. If I have to eat food (s) more than one meal or one day in a row, I will do my best to avoid it (them) for at least the length of time I had to eat them. IE: For some reason I have to eat spaghetti for 3 days straight. It has tomato, wheat, bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions, eggplant, oregano, basil, tarragon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper.  So,  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I eat all these things. But, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, I will eat none of these things, in any form.

I have to say "in any form", because, some people think that if you use garlic paste then you are avoiding it by using fresh garlic, garlic powder or granulated garlic on the next day.  But, no,if it has any garlic in it at all, it is verboden on any day I should be avoiding garlic. For instance.

As an alternative to rotating a food so that you eat it one day and avoid it the next (or for five days after, if you follow the allergy book) and as a concession to the fact that often certain foods are on sale and are all that can be afforded at the moment, I will probably try more the approach I read about a vegan using (though, not just with vegan foods, necessarily) of purchasing a lot of whatever is seasonal or otherwise on sale, using it for the next week, then buying a whole different list of foods for the next week. Or, in a pinch, simply fasting for a few days between meals, because, sometimes, there are months when all that can be afforded is bananas, green onions, onions, tomatoes, bananas, cabbage, kale, spinach, some form of lettuce, oatmeal, rice, coconut milk (sometimes), chicken and eggs. Because, yes, I am that poor and they are that on sale.  Hence why I said "do my best" for #4 and had to add #5 as more information on the subject.

Lastly, I will say that if you are in a similar situation, where you can only afford a very limited set of foods for a long period of time, super simplified meals, all the way up to eating just one food at a time with no spices, is an option. Despite what many people think, it is very natural and your body will probably love it, even if your taste buds want to kick you in the head.

6. I will do my best to get the highest quality of nutrient dense foods of whatever type I am eating.

IE: If all I have is $1, I might have to buy the 3 lbs/99 c. bananas from Food City and call it good. If I have $4, I might buy them, plus a $2.89 bag of spinach from Fry's. If I have more money and can shop for more things, then, I will look into the price of organic, grass fed, free range sort of foods and the price of vegetables versus meat, and, consider the total picture of how long the food must last and buy the least toxic, highest nutrient versions that will get me through that time period. Which will depend on how I am feeling, who else I have to feed, etc.

7. I will do my best to eat in a way that is not considered ill-combined by  Natural Hygiene experts, at least most of the time, to the best of my knowledge. This will include following a version of an idea that I saw in some diet plan, years ago, wherein there were two days of high carb, two days of high protein, and three days of high fat eating, in that order, every week. But, it will also follow some version of calorie cycling, in the same way, which has been shown to work in many diet plans.

Instead of high carb, there will be "carb" and it will be three days, not two. So, say, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday are CARB days; Wednesday and Thursday are "Protein days" wherein flesh foods may be used and Friday and Saturday are "Fat" days, wherein nuts, seeds, oils and avocados can be enjoyed. 

It does not have to be on this schedule, not for the specific days or the specific order. It could be CARB, PROTEIN, FAT, CARB, PROTEIN, FAT, CARB or  FAT, CARB, CARB, PROTEIN, PROTEIN, CARB,FAT. Or, even, something like FAT, FAT,  Fast, Fast, Fast, PROTEIN, PROTEIN followed by a week of CARB, CARB, Fast,  FAT, Fast, FAT, PROTEIN and another week of PROTIEN, CARB, CARB, CARB, FAST, FAT, FAT.

Because, the principle is not to follow a specific magic formula that will inspire you to burn extra fat, by what you are adding in, but, rather, it is a device by which to gain variety and to eat foods in a way that makes them easier to digest.

 It also provides calorie cycling, in a fairly natural manner, in that  the carb days  will have no oil, fatty vegetables, or flesh foods, so those days will be nutrient dense, more so than the other days, but, less caloric. The protein days will have no added oils, nuts or seeds or fatty vegetables, but, they will have a moderate amount of flesh foods, such as 2 oz - 8 oz of meat, fish or fowl, or 1-6 eggs.  Then, the fat days can have oil and fatty vegetables, nuts and seeds, if desired, which makes them more caloric days. It also makes them, probably, the best days to jump off and fast for longer.

IE: Natural Hygiene Proper Food Combining

Eat starches and acid foods at separate meals
Eat starches and proteins at separate meals.

Sugar, acids and fats retard protein digestion.

1 meal a day should be of fruit
1 giant salad should form the bulk of at least one meal
Another salad should form about half of the other meal
Eat salads without dressings of any kind.


Food Combining: Understanding How and Why It Works, part 1 of 2

Banana and grapefruit do not combine well , because, they are very different.
Soft, tender, leafy greens only consistent vegetables because they are easy to digest.
Fruits and soft leafy greens only foods body adapted for.

High water content fruits: melons: watermelon, cantaloupe, canary, honeydew  Do not mix with anything else.  Melons digest well by themselves. 15-20 minutes it is digested and ready to pass out of the stomach. If other things are eaten with it, it has to wait and it ferments.

Eat 1 kind of fruit at a time. Like, eat watermelon and nothing but watermelon.

Acid fruits: oranges, lemons, grapefruits, mandarins, pineapples,kiwis,strawberries, mangos. High water content. Eat grapefruit with grapefruit or if you must eat another fruit, eat one that is closest to the same kind of fruit (also citrus). Then,

Sub-Acid: Everything not acid or sweet fruits, that is fruit, is sub-acid. Sub-acid fruits can be eaten with acid (better) or sweet  fruits (not as well). But, they go best with themselves or with another sub-acid, in that order of wellness. Mangos, papayas, apples, plums, peaches, pears.

Sweet fruits: Bananas, egg fruit, dates, jack fruit, and, a bunch of other things I do not understand.
Sweet fruits do not combine well with acid fruits at all.

Fruits that people think are vegetables: tomatoes (acid fruit), cucumber (melon, do not eat with other things),  Better not to eat them at all, as they are not ripe. When ripe they are yellow and don't taste good. Avocados belong to themselves as a fat fruit. Or, maybe with olives. Can mix fat fruits and acid fruits (tomato, avocado) Don't eat either often or eat with nuts and seeds (though, can eat them on the same day a good while before the nuts and seeds)


Soft leafy greens go good with all fruits, except melons.  Can mix in salad with fruits. Be careful of whatever else is in it, though, and, that they combine together. And, keep it simple.


Zucchini - okay with fat and acid fruits

Nuts and seeds are high fat. Harder to digest than fat fruits. Avoid them, most of the time. Soak them if you use them.

Treat sea vegetables like leafy greens.
Mushrooms (fungi) okay with leafy greens, but, not fats. Okay with acid fruits, especially tomatoes.

Meet Natural Hygiene 

Drink distilled water.
Need to be internally clean- free of poisons and toxins.
Eat non-polluting diet (nothing in the body but air, water and foods we are biologically adapted to)
Indigestion is a sure sign of pollution.
Sleep is more important than food, because, we can only go without sleep for a few days, but, we can go without food or water for weeks and food for months.  Sleep regenerates nerve energy.

Principles of Natural Hygiene:

1. Clean air, whenever possible
2. Pure water.
3. A comfortable body temperature.
4. Internal cleanliness through proper foods and keeping our body free of pollutants.
5. Adequate sleep.
6. Proper foods: diet predominantly of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds
7. Exercise.
8. Sunshine.
9. Play and recreation.
10. Rest and relaxation.
11. Mental Poise
12. Security of Life and Means.
13. Creative work.
14. Self-Mastery.
15. Peer interaction
16. Expression of Reproductive Instinct.
17.  Love, appreciation, esteem
18. Appreciation of beauty.
19. Inspiration, purpose, motivation

Food Combining: one of most important aspects   eat enzymatically compatible.
Proteins require acid medium; carbohydrates require alkaline medium
Acid and Alkaline neutralize each other. So, eating them together leads to indigestion and disease.

Rules:
1.  Proteins and carbs taken at separate meals, with vegetables and salad. 
Exception: concentrated starchy vegetables (potato) should be treated as carbohydrate.
Protein foods: Milk, meat,nuts,seeds, soy.   Carb foods: grains, cereals, bread,dried peas and beans, sugars and honeys, all potatoes, winter squash
2. Proteins and carbohydrates are considered concentrated foods (not much water, so, harder to digest). Only one concentrated food at one meal.
3. 70-80 percent of diet should come from ingestion of high water content fruits and vegetables. This helps body wash away toxic materials.
4. Fruit should be eaten by itself or 15-20 minutes BEFORE a meal. Never with or after a meal. So that it - digesting faster than other things - can pass right through without obstruction, It tends to ferment due to high sugar content.
5. Drastically reduce or eliminate all dairy products. If eating dairy, eat it alone or with a large green salad.
 
Food groups:
1. Protein (all meat including fish, nuts, seeds, beans)
2. Dairy (milk and milk products)
3. Grains (wheat, oats, rye, millet, rice(
4. Vegetable/Fruit
5. Wine,beer, oil, and snack foods

Vegetables and fruit are all we are adapted for. The more we eat outside of this food group, the worse our health will be.  Foods that are more complicated or further outside of this food group furnishes impossible digestive tasks.  Foods not digested get fermented and putrify.

Energy comes from glucose (fructose from fruits). We only need about 4 or 5 percent amino acids in our diet. Mother's milk contains about 1 percent protein. As an adult we cannot require more protein than a growing baby. Fruits have about 1 percent protein.

ALL FOOD GROUPS, besides fruit and vegetables, are acid-forming and help to cause arthritis Meat primary source of diseases - osteoporosis, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, and bursitis.  Osteoporosis caused primarily by acid-forming diet. Porosity of the bones. Calcium being taken from bones to neutralize the acid.  White sugar and white flour can cause this, too. Milk is acid forming food. Dairy foods are not a food at all.  Can cause respiratory problems.

Eat foods in a raw state that are high in calcium - green leaves, broccoli, oranges and other fruits. Eat at least 80 percent raw foods in your diet. When you cook foods the calcium reverts back to inorganic state and the body cannot use it. Cooking foods deaminate   the amino acids and coagulate the proteins which compose the amino acids, break down the carbohydrates, and return the minerals to their inorganic state, at which point they become poisonous and/or unusable .  You can still eat them, if combined correctly, but, they should never be your primary food.

The body is unable to utilize heated fats or animal cholesterol. This gets rejected, stays in the blood stream, combines with deactivated minerals and this forms plaque, which blocks the arteries. Heated fats form acroline, which is a carcinogen. Pyrolated hydrocarbons is another name for it. Caffeine is carcinogenic.  Al

Diabetes  is caused by the  breakdown of Isle of Langerhans  Body unable to secrete insulin  caused by poisons of putrefying proteins.

Consider and apply the 19 principles of Natural Hygiene
Respect the natural body cycles: three 8 hour cycles
Elimination 4 a.m. - noon Nothing  or nothing but fruit should be taken in, during this time. Body eliminates waste materials
Appropriation noon - 8 pm  The best time to eat  Body wants to take in its fuel
Assimilation- 8 p.m. - 4 a.m.  Processing and absorbing nutrients. If you must eat, eat fruit. Preferably eat nothing.

Disease is really body cleansing itself of toxins/waste/poisons. Mucous carries poisons out of body.
Mineral water should never be in  the human diet. They cannot be utilized by the human body. Drink pure, distilled water.

Eggs are very bad for you. The body cannot digest the albumen, it is poisonous. If you cook it, it becomes putrified.  The yolk is mostly fat and hard to digest.

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I have to tell you, since you are still reading this, that when I was praying about what to do, Natural Hygiene came up several times. I tried a little of the better food combining, starting out by an accident - perhaps a providential push in the right direction- of feeling all right, then, starting to eat a tuna sandwich and feeling the immediate swelling and pain, while reading in the book Fit for Life as to how traditional sandwiches are so terribly combined and cause indigestion. It may have even been about a tuna sandwich. I don't remember for sure, but, I think it was.  So, I tried eating a vegetable sandwich, with no mayonnaise and that was pretty easily digested- I mean, I tried it the next time I was hungry and made a sandwich.  When I had one made with some fancy, expensive bread that had no animal products, sugars or yeasts in the making of it, it was so awesome! Boom! That was the sound of how fast and well it digested.  Hee hee!

The problem is, while you are ill and stressed out, it is very hard to listen to anyone, even Jehovah God. Because, your mind is addled, your body is addled, and, they are both sending strange messages to each other.

But, there I was, praying again to learn how to eat, and, somehow, I ended up back at Natural  Hygiene. Which, as far as keeping one's life simple .. wow!  Even if I said I would do Natural Hygiene, except, I would still go to family gatherings and maybe indulge in other things, or, go out to a restaurant once a week (if I wanted to), and things like that... it would still be simple.

Shopping would be easy. Go to the store. Buy several pieces of fruit and, maybe, some leafy greens, to last for a few days. Go home. Eat them. Go buy different fruit and, maybe, different leafy greens. There's a rotation diet I could follow in my sleep!  Probably, groceries would cost a lot less, too, freeing up more money for other things and making it where I needed to deal far less with the DES office, after all.

Food preparation would be easy. Peel this, maybe.  Bite that. Occasional chopping.

Which would make for less mess (dirty, greasy, baked on pans), less housework (dishes to be washed almost nil) and much less trash. In fact, if I carried my own shopping bags to the store and I got glass jars to put tap water outside to use the sun to purify it (as some believe works), there would basically be no trash. Maybe the occasional plastic bag around a group of fruit and that sort of thing.  Because, we are already putting any fruit or vegetable that goes bad, peels from it, etc. into the ground. And, we are trying to grow more of our own.

In fact, we learned, in more than one experiment, that if we replant the green onions we get from the store, the ones that grow from them are softer, darker and have so much more flavor. They have an amazing aroma.

Here's something for the conspiracy theorists: Natural Hygienists and other related persons (plant munchers, you know) say that our body smells the food as we eat it, and, then it knows what digestive enzymes to prepare. So, then, if corporations are purposely growing food that have less natural aroma, while encouraging us to combine them in an ill way, and, if the sandwich - which is a particularly bad idea, according to such people - was invented by a nobleman (the Earl of Sandwich), and, you - lovely conspiracy theorist that you are - believe that the elite are out to destroy us all... oh, put the rest together, yourself. You have to see it!  I see it and I don't even really care.

By, I don't really care, I mean,I believe that this system of things will end, and, I am not invested in this world.  I do care that people are suffering. I do not see rebelling against the powers that be as the option for surviving.

Anyway ...


I believe, though I am going to do a little more research, that this can by my main style of eating- including doing mainly high water content fruits and leafy greens, and, often doing mono eating. For my health, for being healthier to serve Jehovah, for simplifying my life.  Like, I said, a little more research - including prayer- and, also, if I then decide to go for it, a plan to get me from "here" to "there".