Damn that Crawfish Festival! But it Had to be Done!

Houston, we have a problem....and it's called the Old Town Spring Crawfish Festival!  I'm not all the way back to square 1 with my health issues, but it ain't good right now.  I knew I couldn't go to that darn festival and behave myself.....gggggrrrrrr....no self control!  It started with the Wimberley Valley Winery sweet red and ended with the Black Iguana peach flavored frozen margaritas that you wear around your neck....OMG!  They were so good, but my insides are rebelling from the sugar, and I've got to get serious about killing the candida some more.  Why is there always a price to pay for fun?!  It's So Not fair!  But it was fun.  I was feeling much better and was almost completely pain free, and now I'm definitely feeling some abdominal aches and pains.  So it's back on the wagon for me.......for now.........sigh.

Day 3 - I think I'm starting to feel better & I'm definitely eating better

Carol, Fiber makes me...sad.

I love that Fiber One commercial, but I'm trying not to continue to live that attitude :)

I found out that my favorite protein bar was probably a major culprit in my intestinal issues, due to the sugar alcohols.  Sugar alcohols are great if you're eating low-carb and trying to control your blood sugar, but apparently they're hell on those of us with candida.  And from what I've learned, 1 out of 3 of us has candida over-growth & probably doesn't know it.  Poor diet, stress, antibiotics, birth control pills, and other medications lead to the imbalance and take over by the bad bacteria in our bodies, which can lead to yeast infections/thrush, depression/anxiety, autoimmune disorders, eczema, brain fog, muscle/joint pain, flu-like symptoms, ear and sinus infections, etc...

I'm only on Day 3, but I think I'm feeling better.  Maybe it's the placebo effect, but I don't care!  Today I've had detox tea and boiled eggs for breakfast and tuna and broccoli for lunch.  I'm drinking more water, and I'm taking my supplements and chugging the detox drink mixture (which is Not delicious).  So big improvement for me - Yay!  If I could lose some weight too, that would be a big Plus!

Eating out will be an adventure...I'm still learning what I can & can't have right now.  Last night the family wanted Chinese buffet, so I was very limited in what I could eat.  I didn't suffer, though.  I gorged on boiled shrimp and the salmon at the sushi bar with ginger.  I tried the baked salmon, but it seemed to be swimming in grease and wasn't good anyway.  I sure did want a beer, but I passed....sigh....This will take some getting used to, but I keep telling myself it's only this strict for a few months, and then I'll be able to add some good grains and some fruit, etc.  And it'll be worth it.

Day 2 - went shopping and have started detoxing!

Gave up coffee.......so tired............

Sigh...Still feeling crappy, but after doing more research, I believe it was not only my poor diet of way too many bad carbs, too much processed food, and not enough water, but I had recently started eating a protein bar in the morning which contains sugar alcohols.  Those are supposed to be terrible for those suffering from candida overgrowth.  So, no more of those for me.

I made a trip to Whole Foods for the ingredients of the detox / purge drink that will cleanse my intestines and allow the healthy bacteria to take over again after the candida dies off.  I will start the psyllium, bentonite clay and caprylic acid today. I've also started taking milk thistle, and vitamins C and B5 in addition to the probiotic I was already taking.

Learning what foods I can and can't eat will take time.  It looks like I can munch down on most non-starchy veggies, meat, fish and eggs (organic if possible), some nuts and nut butters, some beans and peas, certain good fats/oils (no margarine or shortening), avocado, lemon/lime, and stevia/yacon/Inulin/xylitol as sweeteners.

No white foods for me...that means no sugar, white pasta/bread/flour, no starchy veggies, no fruit for now or juices, no soda or coffee or black/green tea, no booze, no processed or cured meats, no peanuts, roasted/salted nuts, no pistachios/pecans/walnuts/cashews, no peanut butter, no wheat cous cous, bulgar, semolina wheat or durham wheat, no caffeine, yeast, condiments, milk, butter, cream, cow yogurt or kefir, no ice cream or sour cream, whipped cream or cow cheeses, and no white vinegar.

I switched to almond and flax milk, bought a couple of good teas to replace my coffee, and am going through sugar withdrawal as I write this!  I know it'll get better in a couple of days, and my candida symptoms should improve in a few weeks or so.  That will such a relief and well worth it, because this pain and illness is for the birds.

It sucks that it took illness to get me to eat better and take care of myself, but Oh, well.  Better late than never.

Today I ate scrambled eggs and tea for breakfast.  I had chicken breast and greek yogurt dip for Lunch.  I will do the detox drink on an empty stomach this afternoon.  I don't know what I'll do for dinner, since hubby mentioned Chinese food.  That won't work for me, because of the hidden sugars and MSG in sauces.  Maybe I can find a steamed veggie/meat, chop suey to eat.

Later!

Day 1 - I think I finally figured out why I feel like Crap so often!

Well, after doing research on the web, I think I've finally figured out what the deal is, and why I feel so bad so often.  I'm almost 100% sure it's Candida yeast over-growth.
It all started at the beginning of the year after I suffered an attack of diverticulitis and went through the usual antibiotic regimen.
I never felt like I really got better.
I went back to the gastrointerologist, and he suspected yeast. The tests came back positive for intestinal yeast, and he gave me some medicine to take for a few days & told me to eat yogurt with live cultures daily.

Me being the all-or-nothing kind of gal I am, I was gung-ho for a couple of weeks and then started to slack off.
I thought I felt better, and I did for a while.
But I've been having flu-like symptoms every once in a while that seem to hit too frequently to be that. I wake up early in the morning with all-over body ache and feeling feverish.  We're talking ache, like I can't sit, stand, lay down, or anything until the Advil kicks in anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours later.  Very uncomfortable.

After doing some research, I believe my immune system is diminished and I have symptoms associated with a big Candida Albicans over-growth.

So, what to do?

The 1st step seems to be to cut out sugar, starchy foods (which your body turns into sugar), alcohol, coffee and teas with caffeine and even de-caf versions, and grains containing gluten.

Give up my coffee?  Oh, crap. That's gonna suck.

I could go crazy & do a 7 Day Liquid Detox/Cleanse thing and then the strict diet, but I don't know.  I've never been one to stick to a liquid diet.
The cleanse is supposed to flush your intestines of the candida so you can start fresh.
But the 7-14 day Food Detox sounds like a better plan for me and should accomplish the same thing.

So, today when I get the strength, I need to head to the grocery store and possibly the health food store for lots of veggies (preferably organic) and whatever Bentonite clay is...milk thistle, Vitamins B-5 and C (which are supposed to help flush the toxins that will be produced when the Candida start to die off.)
And I'm supposed to drink lots of water, which will be a new trick for me.

After the Detox, I'm supposed to stick to a list of acceptable foods, which consists of things like:  green veggies (non-starchy), plain yogurt, kefir, fresh meats (not processed or cured), eggs, sardines and sockeye salmon (in water or olive oil), almond or coconut milk (unsweetened), healthy grains:  amaranth, buckwheat, millet, oat bran, quinoa, wild and brown rice, and gluten-free crackers made from those,  cold pressed oils such as virgin coconut, olive, sesame, pumpkin seed, macadamia, almond, flax, safflower, sunflower, coconut oil, coconut butter, Ghee, and organic butter (no margarine/shortening).

I'm supposed to avoid "white" foods such as sugar, flour, rice, regular breads and pastas.  No condiments containing hidden sugars and white vinegar.  No wheat, rye, oats or barley, spelt, corn or corn by-products, no diet soda or coffee or black/green teas with caffeine - even de-caf has some caffeine.
No milk or cream, alcohol, chocolate or cocoa powder, no carob powder, agave nectar, fruit or fruit juices (except lemon or lime squeeze), no cheese or citric acid.  No energy or sports drinks (due to taurine and sugar), no coco water or rice milk. Avoid beans including soy, tofu, soy milk, and soy cheese. No mushrooms, and no vinegar, except apple cider.

I can have chicory root coffee and the following teas:  cinnamon, clove, chamomile, Pau D'arco, peppermint, ginger, licorice and lemongrass, and I can use Stevia or Xylitol for sweetening.

So this is Day 1.
I've got to do this.  I can't go on feeling this bloated, experiencing the body aches and real pain, acid reflux and recurring illnesses.  And I'm supposed to be able to lose weight eating this way, so BONUS!
Day 1 Begins...