Photo taken Christmas Day - 2009 I am down 10 lbs. in this photo. I am 53 years old, mother of two daughters and grandmother to one granddaughter. I was married for over 20 years, divorced, single for 8 years, and currently living with W. He and I have been together for close to 4 years.
Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. I won't get into the nitty gritty details of this awful disease here, other than to say it sucks. I may refer on occasion to having a "bad IC day," and all that means is, I am in pain - more pain than usual!
Several years ago, I worked with a nutritional biochemist, used Sunrider products, and ate a strictly vegetarian diet. I also eliminated sugar, dairy and grains from my diet. During that period, my IC went into remission and while I was only vegetarian for 2 yrs, my IC remained in remission for at least double that.
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Recently, the symptoms have returned, and I find myself pretty much house bound, and unable to get around well on my own. I cannot even begin to tell you the impact of this disease on my life. I was a Director of Customer Support, worked 10-12 hour days, commuted 1.5 hours each way, and kept a household. This disease is invisible. I look fine on the outside, but inside, a volcano is erupting. It is difficult for people to sometimes understand that even though I look okay, I may not be able to do the things they expect of me.
On top of this, about 4 years ago, I had a major heart attack. I was lucky and survived with absolutely no damage to my heart, to the utter amazement of my cardiologist. Since then, I am heavier than I have ever been in my life, and no matter what I do, I have been unable to lose weight. Sooooo...I am sick and tired, of being sick and tired. I cannot stand my body at this weight, and I hate being unable to get around on my own. I am not happy with IC being so prevalent in my life, and aside from a lot of medication (which all has negative side effects), there currently is no cure. I have no other choice than to seek an alternative means to good health. So here I am!
Two months ago, I contacted a holistic Doctor that I know and asked for his help. I had been researching some of the work he and his associates were doing and it resonated with me. This program requires a very stringent diet in conjunction with some excellent supplementation, but the concept makes sense.
One of my biggest concerns, was that W, my beloved partner, was a die-hard carnivore who not only had done all of our cooking for the past 4 years, but really loved his meat! In order to make him happy and avoid my own boredom and still achieve positive results, I am determined to find creative ways to make this fun and enjoyable, so we both benefit.
After two months, I am down about 10 pounds. W has also lost 11 pounds without trying, and is thrilled with my exploration into this new lifestyle. He is constantly amazed at how wonderful the food tastes, and how much better he feels. The thing that scares him the most is that he no longer craves red meat. I think that freaks him out a bit, but he is going with the flow. He loves to do the shopping and it is a joy to see him evolving, bringing home beautiful, fresh vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, and legumes. These are things that were not generally on his shopping list. Today he surprised me and brought me home a lovely brush for dry skin brushing!!! We schleppe to Whole Foods once a week to get bottled RO (Reverse Osmosis) water, pick up some needed supplies, and make the trip fun. Since I don't get out much, it's a short adventure for me, and time we share together. Eating raw is bringing us even closer together than we were before. It truly is amazing. I am grateful.
The challenging part about this diet is socializing outside of the house. I got through Thanksgiving without too much trouble, but I need to come up with a plan for Christmas day.
Update: I have been struggling with this, but I just posted a "BEFORE" picture and will consistently update as I move through this "program", hoping to see noticeable results. This was not easy for me as I am struggling to like my body right now.
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