Tired of battling my ulcerative colitis and not seeing sustainable results with medications, I'm trying something new. Confession: I'm 30 and have never gone on a diet before. There's been plenty of times this bod' could have used it, but I've never been motivated to deny myself of my favorite foods.
After eight months of predictably being on/off prednisone, a steroid that has served as a bandaid for my flareups, I saw a new doctor with an integrated holistic approach. I've now finished day two of twenty-one on a cleansing diet which will also serve as an elimination diet. Essentially, I'll find out what foods I may be allergic or intolerant to once they're reintroduced one at a time. YIKES! Dairy and gluten are the probable culprits.
I must say I approached this diet with great anxiety. Could I do it?! Last week I ate horribly eating up all my remaining favorite snacks in the house. At the store on Friday and on Saturday, I succumbed and bought my peanut M&Ms and cheetohs. On Sunday evening, I remembered I hadn't eaten the M&Ms so there I was in bed, cruching away at those M&Ms at 11pm! I went and did a session at the temple Saturday night to bolster my confidence and pray for strength. Ryan giggled saying he didn't know anyone went to the temple to start a diet. Ah well, this gal needs all the help she can get!
If you were to look at my kitchen counter with all the diet's supplements and stuff, you'd think a geriatric unit took up residence with us! In the morning, all the pills barely fit in my hand! I also got a full-blown sinus head cold yesterday which served to limit my tastebuds and appetite somewhat as the first "shake" went down, but I still gagged. I even called the doctor's office to ask if there was anything I could do to improve the taste. Ryan says it's not as bad as some of the shakes he's downed during diets, but it was still pretty traumatic for me.
It hasn't been so bad so far because the shakes really do satiate me til the next one. I have a pretty strict list of fruits and veggies which I can eat fresh or briefly steamed. Next week I'll be able to include some lean meats and eggs for days 8-21.
I'm indebted to a handful of women in my ward that have shared information and served as great sounding boards! In all, I KNOW I CAN DO IT and that's a great feeling!
