“Living de Good Life” is not just the name of my blog…or the name of my farm…or the name of my online presence….although it is all of those, it is more. SO. MUCH. MORE! “Why?” I hear you ask? Because, there are many things that contribute to living a good life.
One of those things that may seem illusive for some people is really feeling good. Feeling good…healthy…energetic and happy are things that are easy to take for granted until you don’t feel well, aren’t healthy, have no energy and are discouraged! I have had my share of years feeling well but when I turned 50, things seemed to take a downward turn. I severely injured my knee and discovered after a delayed visit for an MRI, that I had torn my meniscus. I had definitely taken being able to run and play with my kids, jog and walk down the street, and even go up and down the stairs doing laundry for granted!
Finally, with fear and trembling, I scheduled surgery. The recovery was rough for several reasons but the effects were much longer lasting that I expected. Possibly due to the pain pills I was given, and possibly due to years of stress and anxiety, mostly of my own doing, I developed a sliding hiatal hernia in which my stomach would slide up into the hernia and get caught, causing esophageal spasms which were described online as “pain like a heart attack”. Yes! It was! The pain was so severe that I ended up passing out and having a seizure in Whole Foods with my children present. It was frightening for them as well as for me!
A “chiropractor” (and I put it in quotation marks because he is so much more than a chiropractor) was recommended to me by a friend when my then family doctor interpreted my abdominal ultrasound as gall bladder disease and instructed me to call the surgeon and have it out immediately! I knew from doing research that my symptoms did not line up with gall bladder symptoms, so I was thrilled when Dr. Lewis was willing to take a look at the test results.
He said my diaphragm and digestive system were so inflamed that the inflammation and resulting distress was causing the recurring issues and severe pain attacks. He immediately put me on an anti-inflammatory diet* which in essence cut out all white/refined flours and sugars and listed other inflammatory foods to avoid. He also put me on an alkaline diet with a chart* of acidic foods to avoid, as well as some natural supplements to help me heal. This was turning point number one for me!
Immediately my system began healing. At the worst of it, I couldn’t even lift a gallon of milk because the muscles in my stomach and diaphragm were so inflamed. I had to be careful not to eat too much at a time and not to bend forward after eating so that my stomach wouldn’t slide up into the hernia. This meant no bending forward to do laundry, let alone lifting the laundry basket. My poor boys! They learned to do a lot of things they had been sheltered from doing. But, I did heal!
I began this regime in spring of 2013 and by mid 2014, the esophageal attacks were only a bad memory. I was beginning to get my life back! I began using natural sugars like maple syrup, coconut sugar and flours like almond and coconut. It was a challenge to learn to eat and cook a new way, but for me, it was well worth it to not have the pain and suffering I had endured.
With this new way of eating, the pounds began to fall off. I again felt like exercising and was able to lose more than thirty pounds. I was thrilled and felt like I had a new lease on life. However, even natural sugars will put weight on you and eventually, I realized I was gaining some of the weight back, even though I wasn’t eating white sugars and flours.
I tried eating more protein as in shakes and yogurt but for the most part felt like I was starving. My family really couldn’t eat the way I felt I needed to eat, so either I made two meals or tried to modify what I made for them so I could eat it but, what usually happened is that I made a meal for them and I ate next to nothing, rarely feeling satisfied.
Enter Trim Healthy Mama, at the suggesting of several friends. This was turning point number two for me. The books were gifted to me by friends as well as some of the special ingredients. Again, it took some time for me to absorb the concepts of separating fuels but what was so life-changing for me was that the sisters’ books included recipes…LOTS of recipes. I tried a few and they were delicious! My family was even willing to eat them and liked them!
Now, almost a year later, I have lost twenty-five pounds, feel like a new woman and now have a new way of eating that sustains and energizes me! The recipes are delicious and most are fairly easy to follow. You can choose not to buy special ingredients but even the few that I buy have enhanced my feeling that I am not deprived and I finally have good food to eat! I am so thankful for Trim Healthy Mama and the friends that pointed me in this direction!
This is now a way of life for me! And, (ok…you know I had to say it…) it’s such a good life!
Please comment below if you would like to know more about Trim Healthy Mama. I would be happy to share with you what I know!
*I am happy to make these charts available to you. I have a chart for anti-inflammatory foods and I have a chart for acidic/alkaline foods. Please leave a message below if you are interested in receiving either of these charts to help you heal.
