Progress Update! (WTF is Wrong with Me?)

Mornin’!  You know how you start writing a blog post and then one of your favorite people on earth wants to Skype so you do and 3 hours of exciting chatter later… Afternoon!

I thought I’d stop in and give you a progress update as I have heard from so many of you asking how I am doing, given that my spate of posts back in November stopped flowing.  You are lovely, lovely people and I appreciate so much when you check in.

We are making progress, but it’s a journey that’s for sure.  De-toxing your body from a lifetime of being (unknowingly) gluten-intolerant takes time.  Getting rid of gut infections (and their toxins) takes time.  Healing your gut from an onslaught of damage takes time.  Getting your liver, adrenal glands, and thyroid back on top form after a multitude of stressors, well, takes time.

I am trying to do {a lot} less and rest {a lot} more in order to speed the process, but lolling around, reading, napping, and cruising social media all weekend every weekend has never been a forte of mine.  I am a doer.  This resting lark is driving me batty.  I cannot wait to get back in the kitchen and start conjuring up some delicious new recipes for you.  I also have a lot of posts in the works to share what I’ve learned in the dietary department while I’ve been navigating my own health.  It’s been the most fascinating and most frustrating time.

But for now, I thought I’d share the changes I have seen since I started my treatment plan on September 1st last year.  It’s pretty darn cool if you ask me.

Progress since starting treatment plan: (see symptoms before I started)

• Dramatic increase in energy.  It’s still not yet back to my normal, but holy cow I am in a totally different place to where I was last July.
• Significant improvement in psoriasis and eczema – least amount since I was 11. ELEVEN!!  Only patches left now are on my elbows and 3 tiny spots on my face.
• No foot odor – hey, just telling it like it is, because this was a huge embarrassment to me previously.  Even when I wore sandals I used to get stinky feet.  Now, nada.
• No ear infections.
• No joint pain – and I mean none, anywhere.  Not my thumbs, my fingers, or my right knee.
• 15 lb weight loss, without even trying.
• Dry skin?  Nope. My skin is now like the proverbial baby’s, without the use of any external creams, lotions, or potions.  And I am talking all over, not just my face.
• Pore size on face reduced – I know, right? That was a nice surprise.  No, I have no clue why this is, but I’ll take it.
• No red patches on face.
• No blurry vision.
• No “chicken skin” – those tiny little bumps on the back of your upper arms. Yep. No more!
• No depression, mood swings, or stinky thinking.
• Circadian rhythm moved 2 hours closer to normal.
• No dry eyes.  Saving a bunch on eye-drops!
• No more emergency sprints to the bathroom.
• Noticeably thicker hair – my hairdresser was all, “Er, what are you using on your hair now?”
• My brain is online and functional first thing in the morning.  My boss loves this part.
• The return of the little white half-moons at the base of some of my nails.  (Yes, those not being there is a thing.)
• Lessening of my fingernail & toenail ridges.  Yes, nail ridges are also a thing.)
• I no longer bruise when the wind blows or someone looks at me.
• No dry lips – I can leave the house without a lip balm now.
• Skin-tags – GONE.  Just disappeared.  I have no idea where they went.  I just know they are no longer there.
• Body odor – likely TMI but I did an experiment where I slept in the same t-shirt every night for a week (it’s OK, I sleep alone).  NO. UNDER-ARM. ODOR.  I am not kidding you.  I no longer need to wear deodorant.
• I have been entirely unmedicated for 3 months and my brain hasn’t tried to kill me.  Not once.
• I have added back tomatoes, cauliflower, coconut, almonds, bell peppers, grapes, and possibly chicken.  I say possibly because I had a slight reaction to something, but that it was the chicken I need to confirm.
• I returned to yoga.  The night and day after the first session my muscles were so sore I could hardly move.  After restorative yoga!  So no, I have not started doing eccentrics again yet :-)

So much progress!  Who’da thought you could get all this simply by eating real, whole, fresh foods, eliminating things that your body is sensitive to, supplementing micro-nutrient deficiencies, and killing bugs.  Oh, and stopping all medications.

I just wanted to point out that all this progress didn’t suddenly happen last week.  I realized that it might seem that way given that I have not posted an update in a long while.  Put another way, it hasn’t taken me 4.5 months to start seeing the results above.  Some of them – like the joint pain – went away in a matter of days.  Others – like the weight loss – kicked in after 3 months.  But when I look back at the changes over the last 4.5 months it’s mighty significant.

I also thought it was time I posted a recent picture.  Here’s Moose George, Mrs. Moose, and I enjoying a fantastic evening in Phoenix over the holidays in December.  For those of you who used to frequent the awesome and original Smarter Science of Slim Forum, that’s THAT Moose George!  Thanks for an amazing meal and brilliant conversation, Moose George and Mrs. Moose!

I am so very grateful for all you wonderful people I have met through my blog, social media, cookbooks, and podcasts, and I just love meeting up with readers when I am road tripping.  The connections this blog has afforded me are so precious to me.  THANK YOU!

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