My "I Could Never Do That!" Story

Emily Boller originally posted her story on Disease Proof as a reaction to her peers' constant criticism of the "extreme" way of eating.  After seeing that she had lost 40 pounds in 3 months, most conversations would go like this:

'How did you lose weight?'

Of which my reply would always be 'By following Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live;...basically eating lots of high nutrient, plant-based foods.' 

'You mean no meat? No cheese? No pizza? No McDonalds?...Oh, I could never do that!' 

In her response to that constantly repeated statement of "I could never do that", she says some of these things:
"1. I could never blow the family budget on unnecessary test strips, insulin, medications, doctor and hospital bills, or bypass surgery.
2. I could never carry around expensive medical supplies and meds while traveling.
3. I could never ask a loved one to mow the lawn for me due to fatigue and ill health.
4. I could never ask someone to drive me to kidney dialysis three times a week"
(Read more at the original article)

What she says rings absolutely true with my own story of years of ill health.  As many of you know, I suffered from chronic migraines for over 13 years, dealing with, on average, three or more a week.  I had seen dozens of doctors and specialists, had MRI's, took a plethora of medications and suffered from days in bed, lights out, and constant tears.  To add up the number of hours wasted in dealing with my migraines would only make me saddened to know how much of my life was wasted on something simply because of my crappy American diet.

Here is my own version of Boller's response, as I have had many people say the same thing to me.  So, you could never give up your Big Mac and chips?  Well...

1. I could never again take above the recommended dosage of Excedrin, knowing that I could be destroying my kidneys (which I did constantly, and I feel guilty as hell for doing it, but it was my only chance of relief at the time).
2. I could never again take Excedrin like a daily vitamin, in hopes that it would prevent what I knew was inevitable.
3. I could never pray day in and day out weeks before my wedding, not that I wouldn't fall down the aisle, or that Mike might change his mind about marrying me, or that the caterer wouldn't show, but rather, that I wouldn't wake up with a migraine.  That was my deepest fear. (I literally took 3 Excedrin the night before and the morning of my wedding as preparation for the Big Day.)
4. I could never again miss one of my good friend's baby showers because I was vomiting and crying from a migraine for hours.
5.  I could never walk out of my classroom (with my students still in it) to literally fall to the floor in tears due to a sudden migraine attack & extreme pain, only to have my 10th graders run to the principals office because they thought I needed an ambulance. (I then had to be driven home by said principal because my vision was blurred, a common side effect of my migraines).
6. I could never again spend $500+ a month for pills, creams, drops, doctor's visits, etc.
7. I could never sit in doctor's office after doctor's office only to have them all say "You just need Imitrex and Topamax" after I've already told them that I've had it prescribed to me and both make me vomit all day and made my muscles so weak that I couldn't get out of bed.  None really seemed to care enough to try an alternate route. Pills, pills, pills & $$$$ was their focus.
8. I could never deal with the fear that I may have a brain tumor. (Which I was terribly afraid of, hence the MRI).
9. I could never miss out on so many incredible memories with friends & family, which happened so many times throughout the years.
10.  Lastly, I could never, ever, EVER again deal with the depression I had for months from not knowing what was wrong with me.

My health, happiness, and ability to lead a normal life is important to me, NOT seeking pleasure through tasty, unhealthy food.  Some of you may not be dealing with an immediate health problem at this moment, but think about all of the preventable diseases/illnesses that can easily be avoided by choosing a salad over a Big Mac, or oatmeal over Fruity Pebbles (cancer, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, etc).  What is truly important to you?  It's about choosing to make better decisions, knowing it could make or break your body.  Your body is only as good at the fuel you put in it.

For those that tend to be critical-  try not to be so judgmental of those "crazies" that choose to eat salad or something healthy at lunch.  (I can't tell you how many times I got the "You're eating a salad and carrots for lunch? That's it? That's so weird...").  I never quite understood why people were so quick & passionate to defend such a processed foods diet.  I even think they would agree that certain foods are bad, but when the moment comes where someone is in front of them eating well, they immediately laugh and say "You want a piece of this candy bar? Oh, that's right, you're on a DIET. Hahaha".  What does taunting accomplish? That salad is going to keep me feeling great the rest of the day, while the frozen mac & cheese in a box you (the taunter) picked up at the gas station is probably going to give you the 4:00 pm crash, bloating, and eventually hurt your body.  If you have nothing nice to say about my salad, please don't say it at all.  Now, obviously I used to eat terribly most of my life, so I'm not putting myself on a pedestal.  I'm not trying say that I am better than people who don't eat well.  I was uneducated most of my life! I made stupid decisions about healthy eating and living all. the. time.  But one thing is true: I never judged those those that strove to eat better & I sure as heck didn't try to defend my awful eating habits.  That would have just be lying to myself.  I simply chose to not do better....until now.

Emily recently followed up with "I Could Never Do That part II".  Please check it out!

Here's to a migraine-free rest of my life and a proud veggie eater.

-Lacey

Morning Coffee Alternative

Hi. My name is Lacey and I was a coffee addict.

My mornings started with a big cup of joe and some cereal. But when I decided to get healthy, caffeine had to go.   Coffee makes your heart race, causes shakiness, lack of concentration, irritability, anxiety, and the inevitable caffeine crash that comes just hours later, and the most important and dangerous part: it's extremely addictive.  Yes, caffeine is considered a drug.  And that "energy" you feel?  Well, here is what Lauren from Diary of a Nutritionist has to say:

Coffee makes us "feel" awake.  In other words, coffee acts like a fake source of energy.  I say fake, simply because it does not actually give us real energy, it only temporarily increases certain metabolic functions, like heart rate, that make us feel energized.  No amount of coffee (which has highly-acid forming effects on the body's pH) makes up for lack of sleep, which alkalizes and heals the body.

Drinking decaffeinated?...in order to make something decaffeinated, it has to be treated (and something that is 'treated' is not natural).  Unfortunately, many decaffeinated coffees are treated with chemicals. Diary of a Nutritionist

While there are some health benefits to drinking coffee, for me, any food that has an addictive property to it (like junk food), I want it gone.  And in the end, the risks outweigh the benefits by far.  Before I continue, I will say, if you like your coffee and don't want to get rid of it completely, I advise lowering the amount you drink and completely getting rid of the sugar & creamers you put in it.  Like I said, there are some health benefits to coffee so a cup every now & then is okay, but straight up black coffee is your best option if you're going to drink it at all.  Don't get me wrong, I'll have maybe 1 or 2 cups a month as a treat, but even then I avoid adding sugar and creamer like the plague.

Now, since I stopped drinking coffee I had to find a way to get my butt moving in the morning in a healthy way. Here are 3 steps I take each morning to get me ready for the day as an alternative to sitting at the table and drinking coffee:

Morning walk.

1. Walk: Roll out of bed, put on shorts, a t-shirt, and your sneakers and walk around the block.  I'm not talking about a 3 mile run (this is not meant to be your only exercise for the day).  Simply get out of the house, take 5-10 minutes before you eat breakfast, and walk.  You'll stimulate your muscles, get your blood flowing, and the fresh, cool morning air is a nice way to wake up. Make this the first thing you do every morning.  Use it as an opportunity for some "me" time, to mentally prepare for the day, and a chance to enjoy the quiet early morning air before a busy day. 
2. Energizing food: "The best energizing foods are those rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals" (Eat to Boost Your Energy).  Turns out a lot of fruits have these crucial elements to waking your body up.  Most mornings for me include my walk, then a bowl of oatmeal with homemade strawberry jam mixed in, and/or a big bowl of fruit.  Some foods that are considered energizing: blueberries, cantaloups, strawberries, mango, citrus fruits, and oatmeal.  The energizing fruits & a bowl of oatmeal are what get me going.  Eating a pop-tart just won't cut it.  By eating energizing food, you will receive true energy, not the fake stuff coffee offers.
3. The right amount of sleep: It took me a long time before I figured out the number of hours of sleep that rejuvenate me.  If I get less than 6, I'm tired. If I get more than 7 1/2, I'm tired.  Going to bed at 11 and waking up at 6 is the perfect schedule for me.  I'm rested, happy, and ready to go. The more sleep doesn't always mean more energy.  Take time to figure out how much you need and maintain a normal schedule.  Once your body becomes adjusted to the schedule, it will become more efficient in rejuvenating you.  By varying your schedule with a different amount of hours each night, your body will never be able adjust. Just like if you don't keep a schedule for the week, you're less efficient.  Same thing works for you body & sleep.

I'd say that's some good sleep.  My dear husband cuddling one of our dogs, Rita.

Find out what works for you.  And if you do decide to get rid of coffee, be aware that you may have some withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and headaches, but they should end after a couple days. In the long run, it was worth it for me as I now have true energy and therefore it is maintained throughout the day instead of just a couple hours.

Do you have a different morning routine sans coffee that works for energizing you? Comment below!!

Here's to caffeine-free mornings!

-Lacey