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  • What I Will Count As Success

    This would be my wishlist if we were able to stay on GAPS until we heal our damaged guts.

    These are the most important things:

    • I would love to have more energy, this is the most important thing, even if I remain at the size that I am now. At least I could get more done than just sitting at the computer and maybe be more effective when I am sitting at the computer! I know what it feels like to have energy. I actually can get something done! With no energy, I just feel like I can barely make it through the day.
    • I would love for my son with Down Syndrome to stop needing to hack and cough and spit frequently. He seems to be plagued with a lot of mucous. We also suspect that post nasal drip is draining into his stomach and at times causes him to feel nauseated.
    • I would love for him to lose weight. He needs to lose a lot of weight. It worries me a lot.
    • I would love for my husband’s ulcerative colitis to be completely healed.
    • My husband complains of not having enough energy, so I would love to see his energy level rise.

    Here are some others that I would love to see eventually:

    • I would love to lose weight. I weighed 225 two years ago, and suspect I have gained more. I will ask my husband or son to get my weight prior to starting GAPS. I just step on the scale and have them look at the number, and keep it to themselves. I probably need to lose a minimum of 80 pounds, maybe 100.
    • My husband could stand to lose some weight, too. He is in good physical shape, and active, but I suspect his gut issues are causing him to be overweight.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • An Experiment: Day 1

    I’m getting anxious to start this experiment. We’re planning to start our ten day trial beginning on December 25th to run through January 4th.

    So I decided last night (Saturday) that I would attempt a day on my own, that day being today.

    The last week has been rough on me. First off, I took off Monday (11-30) and Tuesday (12-1) from work so I could get to meet Sarah Palin at the Costco in Tempe. I was anxious on Monday night and couldn’t get to sleep until 10:30pm. Then I woke up at 2:30am, unable to sleep for the excitement and anxiety that we wouldn’t make it into the line for getting our books signed. Dh wasn’t even sure about going, because he wasn’t sure how his bathroom time was going to be. So we kind of sat around trying to figure out if we should go. I had heard on the 10pm news that 200 people were already in line waiting overnight. Finally we decided to get going and we got in line at 6:20am.

    Ends up we were 401 and 402 in line, whew. Well within the initial limit of 500 books that she was planning to sign.

    Since my son has Down Syndrome, I feel a connection to Mrs. Palin and it means a lot to me that she kept her baby, Trig. I brought two pictures of my son to show her. We were told it took her 4 seconds to sign each book and you had about that long to shake her hand and move along. I wanted to show her the pictures, and her handlers almost didn’t let me, but they decided to allow. Sarah stopped and spent about 20-30 seconds with me, and I broke down crying.

    I was tired, hungry (I’d eaten cookies and drank coffee [affiliate link]), and emotional. It was quite draining. My husband told me afterward he was watching me carefully, afraid I might pass out. Not that I’ve ever passed out. He just was concerned. Then the next two days at work (Wednesday and Thursday) I didn’t get enough sleep and was tired all day long and falling asleep driving, and had to drink coffee those days to wake myself up so I could think to get anything done. On Thursday night I made my all time favorite comfort food, Spinach and Noodle Casserole. I made two batches. One for our staff Christmas potluck party the next day, and one for dinner.

    It was delicious, as usual. I have been trying to avoid pasta and starches, and have noticed that when I don’t eat pasta/carbs I have no trouble stopping eating when I’m satisfied. With pasta, I just overeat like a crazed, starving dog.

    I overate on the Spinach and Noodle Casserole. I went to bed feeling very full and bloated.

    At work there was the usual assortment of junk food and I managed to not overeat, but it wasn’t a GAPS legal spread by any stretch of the imagination.

    On Saturday I was exhausted. I got eight hours sleep, woke up at 6:30, went out to milk at 8am and was back inside to process the milk within half an hour. I went back to bed by 9am, and slept until about 3:30pm. I also ate the remainder of the Spinach and Noodle Casserole for breakfast and lunch.

    I went to bed about 10:30, and was up by 6am this morning. I was back in bed by 11am and slept until 3pm.

    I feel that between the lack of sleep, emotional feelings, the non-nutritious food, caffeine and sugar, I was just worn out worse than ever.

    Today I had my broth early in the morning. I was a bit hungry before I went out to milk so I remembered dh had bought some ripe avocados and had one mashed up in a bowl. I am not sure if avocados are GAPS legal, and these weren’t organic. It seemed to make my stomach feel bloated.

    When I came back in from milking I had chicken breast smeared with garlic butter (is garlic GAPS legal?). This was from the chicken stock I’d cooked overnight.

    I went to bed and read Going Rogue for a while, and felt tempted to have some of the cheesecake ds2 had brought home from the staff party yesterday. But I had had some the previous day before napping, and it filled my throat with gunk and it was annoying. I didn’t want to deal with that again, and was able to be strong enough to avoid the temptation and lure of the cheesecake.

    I woke up and was kind of hungry. This time I had more chicken breast, some of the cooked carrots in broth and a bit of the garlic butter. There are these chocolate peppermint pieces that were tempting, but again I managed to avoid eating any.

    Interestingly, I have not eaten much today, and have not felt hungry. Instead I have felt satisfied. I want to be very certain that I am not lying to myself. I did feel some temptation to have cheesecake, but the side effects of having thick phlegm in my throat was not worth it. I am sure part of my fatigue is due to the carb loading in the last few days so avoiding candy is going to help me feel better.

    Ds2 brought out some salted cashews. I went to see if cashews are legal. They need to be “fresh” but I don’t know exactly what that means. Do they need to be raw? I had a three handfuls of them.

    For dinner I’m making soup. Cooking some cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots in the chicken broth and will toss in some chicken meat.

    Ds2 is making popcorn. I don’t know if can avoid eating some of it. We are going to finish watching a movie we watched half of last night. UPDATE: I was unable to avoid the popcorn and ended up eating four to six cups. Some with butter drizzled onto it. I also ate more cashews. I don’t feel overly stuffed though.

    So that’s how today’s experiment went. WAIT. One last update. The cheesecake finally got the best of me, and I ate a slice and a half. I found myself saying to myself, we’re not even on the official 10 day trial, so why not? So I ate a half slice, then compulsively went back for the last slice. At least it’s gone now. I killed it dead. No guilt. Just reporting the facts.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Things We Need to Change

    Here are the things I’m worried about, things I know need to be changed.

    • We have to stop eating pasta, bread, rice and potatoes
    • For about ten years we didn’t have any sugar or white flour in the house, but then we backslid. We need to get it out of the house again.
    • We have to stop eating dairy products. This is going to be hard. I depend on a hunk of cheese to ease my hunger at times.
    • Fast food breaches. Ds1 has his own phone and will call his brother to request that he stop on the way home and bring him Taco Bell or Jack in the Box. But usually only once a week.
    • Ds2 is a cook at his job and often brings home leftovers or extras. Which for the most part I can avoid because I don’t like how they taste.
    • Husband likes to have biscuits, rolls or bread with each meal. Also takes sandwiches for lunch. He has agreed to bring a can of tuna or two for lunch.
    • I need to learn how to make “breads” from almond flour [affiliate link] or nut butters.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • What We’re Doing Right Already

    Starting on GAPS is known to be daunting and overwhelming to most people who learn about it. I try to keep in mind that we’re already doing or know how to do a lot of the things that we need to be doing, even if we haven’t been doing them. Here’s my list:

    • We know how to make good broth (although I’m concerned our use of regular store bought chicken isn’t going to help enough)
    • We love the broth
    • Me and ds1 love soup (dh not so big a fan)
    • Having been on a low fat diet years ago, I’ve already had experience with coming up with substitutions for unapproved foods
    • we can all tolerate fats
    • everyone likes coconut okay
    • we have been cooking from scratch for years
    • we don’t cook with a microwave
    • I use baking soda [affiliate link] and vinegar to clean/rinse my hair (avoiding chemicals)
    • I use a deodorant stick (avoiding chemicals)
    • we drink well water (no fluoride and we get “dirt” since the water isn’t purified)
    • we love our water and mostly drink it (instead of soda, juice)
    • if it ends up we heal enough to tolerate raw milk, we have dairy goats (what to do with all the milk in the meantime)
    • I’ve known about WAPF principles for years so a move to GAPS isn’t too wildly different (for example, we haven’t been living off of convenience foods and fast food)
    • We like meat and vegetables and salad
    • I have been trying to limit my intake of pasta and carbs, recognizing how they make me feel after eating them
    • We don’t end dinner with “dessert” so no one will miss that
    • We have been trying to avoid MSG for over a decade
    • We have been using butter for the last 8-9 years (instead of margarine)
    • We avoid all artificial sweeteners (nutrasweet, saccharin, etc.) I have in fact been against artificial sweeteners and have tried to avoid them all my life. Ds1 is allergic to sucrose and breaks out in a measles type looking rash if he ingests it
    • we have been avoiding soy for many years

    My son with Down Syndrome tends to be a creature of habit (aren’t we all?). He becomes dependent on a routine, and then expects it. If we’d been having dessert after dinner all along, he would be upset if we stopped abruptly.

    That’s all I can think of for now.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.

  • Will Gaps Work for our Family?

    My husband and I have agreed to try a ten day trial of the GAPS diet at the end of December when I’ll have ten days off work. I have started this blog so that I will have a place to write my thoughts. I am about to burst with so many thoughts. I feel I could write a book in one sitting with all of them.

    I guess the best place to start is to detail the issues we are experiencing.

    Starlene

    • Low Thyroid – I have taken my temperature for fertility awareness and it is very low most of the month. Low waking temps are an almost certain indication of low thyroid. I have been tested, but my doctor said my tests came back “normal” and instead offered me anti-depressants. I refused them as I did not think I needed them.
    • Weight Gain – I was slender until my first child was born in 1987, I was 23 years old. I kept ten pounds of the weight. My second child was born in 1989. I gained another ten pounds. I dieted for the first time in my life starting in 1992. I lost back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 123 (and looked too thin). I tried to stay on the low fat diet for the next four years and failed miserably. I have gained roughly ten pounds every year. I do not know my current weight, but I was at 225 about one year ago. I am in size 20 jeans. The largest I have ever been. I hate it. I have tried to make peace with my body, but I just hate being this large.
    • Constant tiredness – I am always complaining of being tired, and yet I can’t stay in bed for more than 7 hours at a time or my back stiffens up. I am currently working four days a week, sometimes my boss lets me stay home and work one day. I try to get caught up on my sleep on my days off.
    • No energy – I can’t seem to get anything done on the days that I’m off. I have plenty of stamina to sit at the computer, although much of the time I can’t focus well enough to stay on task. Possible symptoms of ADD. ?
    • I suspect my adrenals are fatigued. I have many of the symptoms. I am on a corticosteroid for my asthma. I understand that corticosteroids provide enough to stimulate the adrenals. I went off my medication for about four days, I was breathing well and no wheezing. But I became more exhausted as each day passed. So I suspect my body/adrenals are now relying on the once daily dose of corticosteroids.
    • I experience constipation at times, this is a fairly new problem. About two years old. Prior to then, I never had a problem with moving my bowels.
    • I have symptoms of yeast. This next section may be TMI, so feel free to skip down to the next symptom. [I  have experienced vaginal yeast infections during the end of my cycle. Having practiced fertility awareness, coincidentally once the fertile mucous dried up, I would start getting a yeast infection. This occurred monthly. Also I am the age that my periods are beginning to be very hard to track. I stopped taking my temperature about a year ago, because why bother to find the “safe time” when the “safe time” was the time I’d have a yeast infection?]
    • Fuzzy thinking – this can be a symptom of thyroid, but also can be caused by gut issues.
    • Poor memory – I am pretty sure this also lines up with gut issues.
    • Allergy tests by allergy specialist reveal I am allergic to nearly everything I was tested for, something like 26 of 30 things – doctor is shocked that I’m not on Allegra every single day of my life
    • diagnosed with asthma after bout with pneumonia in 2001 (suspect adrenal fatigue due to this illness precipitated the asthma)
    • I have always had low energy. I spent my life as a child reading books. My first optometrist blamed my poor eyesight on the amount of reading I did.
    • Cannot find the willpower to not eat pasta if it is cooked and ready to eat
    • Feelings of depression
    • Lack of enthusiasm for life

    Husband

    • Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
    • Craves chocolate and sweets
    • Ex-alcoholic (sober and clean since 1998)
    • Feels like he is more tired than he should be
    • Wishes he had more energy

    Ds1

    • Has Down Syndrome (which complicates everything)
    • overweight
    • hacks and coughs, has lots of phlegm
    • possibly has reflux
    • craves carbohydrates
    • huge poops
    • has hair loss
    • probable thyroid issues although he is needle phobic so difficult to get bloodwork done
    • diagnosed with asthma after bout with pneumonia in 2001; currently on Qvar (suspect adrenal fatigue due to this illness precipitated the asthma)
    • seems to be tired a lot
    • little energy

    I believe my youngest son has gut issues as well, but he is not ready to get on board with us just yet.

    In looking at my family, I believe my mother, father, and all my siblings, nieces and nephews have gut issues.

    I am not sure when I’ll have more time to write again. Oh if I could only quit my job and be a stay at home mom again.

    GAPS DIET JOURNEY is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. GAPS DIET JOURNEY is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.