Scooby, Dooby, Doo...and the Little Dog, Too.

Day 37.

I had more energy today and that made my day! I got a little bloated mid-afternoon, but nothing else with my stomach all day. My mouth was about a 3/4. I had a headache again a couple of times, but nothing too severe.

When my fatigue lifts, it's amazing. I felt it some tonight, but that was post-workout. I had a great workout. I lasted for 1.5 hours tonight. I think I need to try to make that my "cut-off" point for my workouts. It really is not necessary to be spending hours and hours at a time in the gym. If you are working your body extremely hard during the time that you are there, you should not have to be there so long! I need to keep listening to myself on this one.

I did my HIIT with sprints tonight. I also did Sallie's Extreme Abs class. Finally, weights - miscellaneous weights for about a half hour. It's Tuesday night. I usually set aside this night for Yoga, but the Season Finale of Idol was on tonight! I could not miss it!

I am focusing on my dogs tonight, especially the Baby Great Dane. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but we have 2 dogs - an 11-month old Great Dane, Reagan and a 3-year old Peekepoo, Fiona. My heart - both of them!



Tomorrow, Reagan is getting spayed. For most dogs this procedure is really no big deal. But because of the Great Dane's size, it can be a big deal. Our breeder specifically told us, "This is a major surgery and many have lost their Danes going through this type of surgery so don't cut corners on expenses." And by expenses, she meant that we have to have a full blood panel done on Reagan tomorrow before the procedure. We do not even technically own Reagan until the spay is done. She is such a beautiful, purebred dog. Great Danes are so massive and have so many special requirements, rules and restrictions. We love her so much!

Fiona is also going to the vet tomorrow. She is due for 2 shots, so we figured that as long as we already had to bring one, we might as well get Fiona done as well. She is the little Princess in this household. Fiona has been my heart since the second I laid eyes on her. I was living in California alone - I found her in a teacup on startribune.com. I knew I had to have her. I committed to buying her even before actually seeing her. She has been mine and I have been hers since she was 8-weeks old. She is by far the more clingy between the two. I call her my Monkey-Poo a lot. She has a mouth and nose like that of a little monkey.

Fiona gives Baby Reagan a "run for her money." Fiona is allowed to sleep with us at night; Reagan sleeps in an extremely large crate in our room. Reagan will come alongside the bed for attention and Fiona typically growls and hops all over the bed as if to say to Reagan, "No way, you are not coming up here. This is my territory!"

We take our dogs for walks a lot (although, Reagan is only supposed to walk one mile or less at a time). One night while we were out walking a little boy spotted us from across the street. He saw Reagan, pointed at her and said, "Look, Mom - it's Scooby, Dooby, Dooooooo....." It was so cute! The little boy really thought she was Scooby!

Funny how dogs can warm our hearts, lift our souls and reduce the amount of stress in our lives just by being them - being there.

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Coconut Milk Light and Unsweetened Rice Milk, Flax, Banana, Mango and Stevia

Snack

• Organic Apple
  
• Lean turkey and light red kidney beans
  

Lunch

• Organic Spring Mix
  
• Olive Oil + ACV
  
• 1/2 c. grilled chicken

Pre-Workout Snack

• Lean turkey and light red kidney beans

Post-Workout Snack

• Fruit Fusion Bar
  

Dinner

• Organic Spring Mix
• Fish Oil + Spirulina + Sea Salt
• Chile Lime Chicken Burger
  

Tonight we say a prayer for Scooby, Dooby, Doo....and the Little Dog, too!

Healing. Peeling. And Supplements.

Day 36.

I am starting to heal. I can feel it, even in this first day. How can I tell? I'm extremely tired. My body has started to detox itself.

I am peeling. All over.

Supplements. They are a huge part of "Part II."

Today was a pretty good day. My stomach did very well today. No real problems. (Well, except for the fact that my "female friend" is currently with me:( Just that small stomach problem.) My mouth annoyed me some today. Probably about a level 5/6 all day. I had a slight headache off and on. Mostly, though, I just struggled with energy. I am so tired. Fatigue, oh fatigue, go away.

2 things that changed already today:
1. Toothpaste
2. Supplements

1. I am not using any toothpaste anymore that has added chemicals and artificial ingredients. Besides the increase in supplements for Part II, I am also focusing on detoxing from other parts of my life as well. There will be more on these "other parts" later, but for today we start with the toothpaste.

I am now using a toothpaste I got from Whole Foods. It's by Nature's Gate. Cherry Gel - Natural Toothpaste with fluoride.

2. Supplements. Leah has suggested some Nutritional Supplements. She does not have me doing any kind of crazy pills or anything like that, but what she does have me on are essential nutrients that are going to help me. It is my hope that they even speed up the healing process for me!

I have done some of my own research on these supplements as well. The supplements I am doing include:

Supplement	Dose
Betaine HCl	1-4 caps with each meal
Vital 10 (Klaire)	2 caps per day
Zinc solution mouth rinse	2 tsp
Aloe Vera juice	3 Tbsp daily, take about 10 min before each meal.
Fish Oil	1 tsp daily
B-Supreme	2 caps daily
Digestzymes	1-2 caps with each meal
Cal-Mag citrate	1 scoop at night

In addition, I get my daily dosage of Spirulina everyday! (I will discuss each of these supplements as time goes on.)

This all seems like a lot. Perhaps it's a bit to manage, but it becomes routine. I think of it this way: There are so many people in the world that are living with some sort of disease, curable or incurable. To make the quality of their lives better, they may take 10, 20 or even 50 pills of some sort every single day. What I'm doing by taking these supplements is helping me build the best possible immune system I can. It's helping me heal the damage that's already been done. And hopefully, then, I will never have to be someone taking pill after pill after pill.

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Steel Cut Oats, Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Coconut Milk Light, Flax, Banana and Stevia

Snack

• Organic Apple
  
• Lean turkey and light red kidney beans
  

Lunch

• Organic Spring Mix
  
• Olive Oil + ACV
  
• 1/2 c. grilled chicken

Snack

• Lean turkey and light red kidney beans
• Unsweetened, Organic Applesauce
• Dried Bananas
  

Dinner

• Organic Spring Mix
• Fish Oil + Spirulina + Sea Salt
• Grilled Chicken
  

I ended the day oh-so-sweet. Ryan and I took the dogs for a walk. It's a great way to unwind after the day. It was great for me, too, to get out and move a little despite my fatigue. I always know that being with the 3 of them, my family, is a for sure smile to my face and peace to my heart!

Things I Learned in Mexico

"Technically" Day 35.

Welcome back to me! Today is Sunday, May 17, 2009. We got back to California late last night. Can I just say this about our Honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico - WOW!

We spent an entire week in bliss. Pure bliss. Life was so relaxing and beautiful.

While on vacation in Mexico, I learned some things. 2 things were from the book, "Eat, Pray, Love" that I'm reading. The others were miscellaneous:

• The writer, Liz Gilbert, is at an Ashram. She is spending months in solitude and practicing meditation and yoga. She is forced to chant the Gurugita, which she hates. She wants to quit chanting it altogether, but knows that it's probably an important element to her "being" at the Ashram. She asks for advice on it. This is what she's told, "You have to decide for yourself. But my advice-since you asked-is that you stick to chanting the Gurugita while you're here, especially because you're having such an extreme reaction to it. If something is rubbing so hard against you, you can be sure it's working on you. This is what the Gurugita does. It burns away the ego, turns you into pure ash." (Eat, Pray, Love)

This really hit home for me. When I read this, all I could think about was my body when it's in detox-mode. I get sick. Nothing is very pleasant. The reaction I have is so extreme. It's almost like a nightmare. While reading this, though, I wondered if that reaction is actually good for me? This awful reaction that Liz faced chanting the Gurugita ended up great for her. I began to think that perhaps this is the same with food detoxification.

• The Stress Factor.

I'll say it here. I'm guessing I'll discuss it much more. I felt fine in Mexico! Starting on Saturday, May 9th up until late last night, I ate, drank and did anything I wanted! I never worried about what I was eating or drinking (how could I, really?) and I didn't even allow myself to be consumed with extensive note-taking or working out or anything. I was just simply living. I did not let living simply get into my way, at all - ever - for the entire week.

I had no mouth problems. I rarely had a stomach problem, maybe a couple of (small) instances. It was like a miracle. I would really like to be able to analyze this. I would love to know what happened (or lack thereof for that matter) but I'm chalking it up to 2 things:

1. For 25 days before I took care of me! And probably more importantly....
2. For an entire week I was completely, utterly, 100% stress-free. I took care of me, but in a way that I was not doing before.

I have learned that I need to manage stress. I need to study it, learn it and be it. I need to figure out my triggers - what drives me all the way to STRESS, STRESS and more STRESS. And when I figure it out or figure out the sum of all it's parts, I'm going to FIRE it (or them) from my life.

My health is more important to me than anything that brings me stress. I am worth it.

• Traveling

Traveling is so important. Traveling opens your eyes to many new ideas. It allows you to see that there is more to life than California, to the United States, to Mountain House, etc. There are so many beautiful places in the world. So much to do. So much to see.

Ryan and I both agree that we would rather have less, in terms of material things and possessions and be able to travel. The best thing about it, too, is that we get to see and enjoy and love and fall in love all over again - together.

I can't wait until our next trip!

• If Time Stood Still
  

We always wondered the time. "What time is it?" "How much time until...?" "What time does this open?" "Is it too early for a drink?" But finding those answers out was always so challenging, and not because they were tough to answer, but because there were no clocks!

There was not a clock in our room. There were no clocks in the restaurants or at the pool or in the lobby. There just simply were no clocks. This drove us crazy. Of course it did, we are from the United States. We are always on such a tight schedule. Time drives us. Clocks keep us accountable.

After a few days, though, I liked not knowing what time is was. I could go several hours without knowing the time. It was amazing to be lounging around, sliding in and out of the pool, lounging around more and then thinking, "Wow - I have no idea what time it is!"

• "The Bhagavad Gita - that ancient Indian Yogic text - says that it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." (Eat, Pray, Love)

I have been thinking so much about this line. Simultaneously, almost, I have been reading Inner Architect by Susan Hanshaw (inner architect). As a matter of fact, I read it 2 times while on vacation! (I would highly, highly recommend this book!) Susan's book allows you to really search within yourself. It allows you to use your creative side and it actually gets you very excited about a life you can design if you have the motivation and a positive attitude as your foundation.

(I digress..) What Susan does is pulls you out of your "comfort element" and places you into an element that allows you to see the you that you can actually be! And this is exactly what the Bhagavad Gita was saying as well. Choose what and who you want to become. Choose what you want to do with your life. Don't worry about what someone else may think. Don't take everything so seriously looking for perfection. Create your own path, even if it is imperfect. It's yours. Own it. Live it. Be it. Love it.

• I Married the Most Wonderful Man on Earth!

I truly did! Ryan is and always has been such an amazing person to me. He is patient, kind and caring. He is intelligent and loves life as much as I do. He makes me happy in the most unlikely places and at the most unlikely times. He makes me laugh. His laugh is contagious. I fall in love with him every single day...again and again and yet again, in some new way, shape or form.

I am so blessed!

• Thank God for Whole Foods Again!

Clearly there was no Whole Foods in sight. I am excited to treat my body well again via food and working out! I'm ready to go back to detox-mode.

I'm ready for Phase 2 of my healing process. I met with Leah the Friday before I left and I'm re-energized! She gave me a lot of great new stuff, which I will share throughout this upcoming week. (Speaking of Leah, she is starting a Summer 21-Day Detox on Monday, June 8th. I highly recommend it for anyone living in the Bay area. Click here for all the information!)

Tomorrow is Day 36. Back to work. Back to living without any and all of the foods that make me sick. Back to re-energizing myself through food and fitness. Back to health. And for most people this looks like, "Back to blah. Back to negative." For me, with my new-found energy, enthusiasm, positive outlook and zen, this looks like...

"Living my own destiny imperfectly and not living an imitation of somebody else's life pefectly."

A Little Secret

Day 25.

81 and sunny in Northern California today! How can I start out with a "complaining" blog entry when I can begin with letting everyone in on a secret: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

Ok, so we all know that I did not come up with that. But how true it is. All of these daunting, frustrating and annoying little things in my life have been adding up. But at the end of the day, it's mostly how I choose to deal with them. Today, another frustrating day, but it was so gorgeous out, I'm preparing to leave for Mexico and I had a great day at work! That is what I will choose to remember about today.

(But for the sake of the blog and my followers, I must tell issues for Day 25 - Quickly, though!) I was so hungry all day. My mouth annoyed me - probably about a level 6/7 today. I had that left-sided pain again today. I got bloated sometime after lunch and that continued until about 5pm. I was tired today, too. (But I was also up at 5am, so that probably doesn't count). Overall, another frustrating day - food/stomach/mouth-wise only!

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Spirulina, Fish Oil, Flax and Stevia

Snack

• Apple
• Organic, Raw Carrots

Lunch

• Organic Spring Mix + Sea Salt
  
• Olive Oil
  
• 1/4 c. Salmon
• 2 Scallops
  
• Orange
• Cantaloupe & Honeydew Melon
  

Snack

• 2 Dried Mangos
  
• Mung Dal Kitcheree
  

Dinner

• Organic Spring Mix + Collard Greens (I need to finish them up!) + Basil + Cooked Zucchini + Cooked Carrots
  
• Olive Oil + ACV+ Cinnamon + Sea Salt
  
• Salmon
• 2 Scallops
• Organic Corn Tortilla
• Orange
  
• 2 Organic, Dried Mangos

Only one more day until we leave for Mexico! I can hardly wait....please understand while I'm in Mexico that I will be "gone from my blog" for a bit. I am a little nervous about the food/drinks/etc there. I am anxious to see how it affects me. I will have some great information and updates, I'm sure, upon my return.

One thing is certain, it will be de-stressing. It will be Ryan & I, the beach, sand and sun! Cheers!

Something Sneaky.

Day 24.

Somewhere, somehow, something sneaky is going on!

Today was not such a great day for me. I think it started in my stomach last night right before bed. All day today I felt twisting and turning and bloating. I had a lot of that left-sided pain. It just kept on building and building. I worked out from 5-6pm tonight. I got home at 7pm and then I got "sick" - like I do. My mouth annoyed me today, too. Probably about a 7.

What gives?! I believe I have cut out the actual 22 ingredients I am allergic to. That being said, I have a few thoughts:

1. Last weekend. Out to eat. A lot of wine. Careful is never too careful when you put your food in someone else's hands?
2. Mustard Family. I have still been eating foods in that family.
3. Time. Perhaps my stomach is just not healed - at all. Perhaps it's not healed and then on top of it I have still been ingesting culprits in some way, shape or form?
   

At this very moment, though, I do not know what to think!

I am thankful that I have an appointment with Leah again on Friday. I'm hoping that we can discuss this and my exact steps/detox for when I return from Mexico. (Yes, we are still going to Mexico - we leave on Saturday - we can't hardly wait for our honeymoon!)

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Spirulina, Aloe Vera, Fish Oil, Flax and Stevia
• 1/2 Fruit Fusion Bar
  

Snack

• Organic Apple
• Organic, Raw Carrots

Lunch

• Organic Spring Mix + Sea Salt
  
• Olive Oil
  
• 1/4 c. Salmon
• 2 Scallops
  
• 1/2 Fruit Fusion Bar
  

Pre-Workout Snack

• Orange
• 1/4 c. Salmon

Post-Workout Snack

• Organic Apple
  

Dinner

• Organic Spring Mix + Collard Greens (I need to finish them up!) + Garlic + Basil
  
• Olive Oil + ACV+ Cinnamon + Sea Salt
  
• Salmon
• 2 Scallops
• Organic Corn Tortilla
  
• 2 Organic, Dried Mangos

Right before dinner, my stomach had settled (post-7pm). A little bit after dinner, my stomach was hurting me again...