DAY 51: Cutting my daily fat intake in half....

Ugh, I was eating too much fat...
I knew it a while ago. I was eating way too much fat most days for my fibroids to shrink properly. I've read over and over again that the vegan, low-fat vegan, and no-grain diets work best when you are trying to shrink fibroid tumors. However, it was too hard (at that time) for me to just go "cold turkey" to a vegan, low-fat, and no-grain diet.

Thank you once again to yoga...
Well, now thanks to yoga once more I'm there! : ) Finally, it's taken me weeks to get to this place. In the beginning (as far back as February) before I started this blog I attempted to go simply go to the vegan low-fat diet and struggled with it. I think this was because I was doing quite a bit of exercise (walking and some days very, very slow running) on my treadmill. I was burning more calories from this so my body needed the extra fat.

Now, I'm only doing yoga, ballet, pilates, or tai-chi type exercises every day...
I took some time and observed and reflected on my energy levels, body, and attitude as well on various days. I made based these observations on my food intake and physical activity level. With this being said, I slowly realized once more that I can in fact function just fine on a vegan, low-fat, and low/no-grain diet like I did when I was in my early to late teens. Back then, my only physical exercise was my ballet classes. I also walked to work and school some times too. Well, thinking back to his time I decided to just do yoga only one day and did not do any walking or slow running on my treadmill. I did this and felt just fine so I've determined yoga and other similar forms of exercise alone are in fact my missing link! Now, I'm no longer walking on my treadmill, but instead doing a longer session 90 minutes of one of the above natural body movement exercise routines daily. This is day#2 and so far so good!

DAY 50: Seeing a small dark/brown spot on my right side...

Seeing spots...
Good news! Today I finally noticed a small brown/dark spot on my right side. Recalling what my TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctor told me about my fibroid tumors shrinking/dissolving this is what is now happening! : ) I guess my vegan and grain-free diet is now working! I showed it to my husband and he is said he can definitely see a small dark/brown spot. I am hoping the spot eventually gets bigger or either turns into a lot more spots. This would be a very, very good thing!

Starting my second blog...
These days..I'm posting more often over on my other blog. But, I will still continue posting here too. I never intended to have two blogs, but I do think there's some good reasons for this.

DAY 48: Pondering acupunture...?

Grain-free for almost 1 week...
Today is my 6th grain-free day so it's been nearly 1 week. Things are going alright. Some things are different while other things are still the same. Since going grain-free I've already lost 2 pounds. My husband was like "Whoa" when I got on the scale.

What's the same and different too...

Exercise...
I'm exercising now each morning...doing whatever my body tells me it wants to do first. This could be yoga, pilates, tai-chi, belly dancing, or even some African type of dance movements/exercise. I also have decided to just start doing some very, very slow running only on my treadmill 2 days a week as well. It's fun and I am not bored because every day is/can be different.] This is nice because it's my choice what I want to do! Anyway, after I do my yoga, pilates, or whatever I decided on for the day I then walk for 30 minutes on my treadmill and that's it. This whole routine takes me about 1 hour and it something I can do right at home. My husband jokes with me now asking me if I've found my "Chi" yet because I do these movements that are very much tai-chi. Then he points to my Patience plaque and explains that finding your "Chi" can take years. He's joking with me I know! ;) However, the part about it taking years to discover your "Chi" is actually true from what I've read.

My Diet...
Regarding my diet as I mentioned I'm now grain-free and since I'm no longer eating grains I've started to once again include my daily snack! Oh, did I miss it...my little daily dose of homemade and yet healthy sweet treats. Currently my most popular snack is my favorite (canned pumpkin, raisins, and almonds). This is something I made up years ago because I never could eat pie crusts without getting sick, but I love pumpkin I decided to just eat the filling instead! ; ) Since I don't eat either white or sweet potatoes my other snack options thus far are butternut squash (SO GOOD) and acorn squash...with my choice of dried fruit and nuts/nut butter.

Should I give it a try...?
A couple of days ago I was talking with one of my new girlfriends and I told her all about my fibroid tumors. She listened quietly and then told me that she HAD (did you read that!) fibroid tumors too. The next sentence almost made me jump up and down. Then she said that she had them until acupuncture made them disappear all together! WHAT?! I had to ask her to repeat herself because I thought I misunderstood her. She laughed and repeated the same exact sentence again. Next, she explained that it took them only a few months to disappear completely...so much so that in fact when she returned to her doctor's office for an ultrasound...they were GONE baby GONE!!! Finally, she gave me her practitioner's contact information and said that I should give him a call! I could hardly believe what I was hearing....she said that YES acupuncture had worked fantastic for her and she knew someone who could help me right in the Chicago area. I should say that I'd heard from another woman on a message board that I frequent that acupuncture helped her, but she said it was only after they were already somewhat small though. In addition, I had a person post over at my grain-free blog that acupuncture helped her with some non-fibroid related issues too just last night.

Am I ready for it...
With all of this now said..I talked to my husband and he's overjoyed! He was practicing in the spare bedroom while I talked with my girlfriend, but as soon as I hung up talking to her I rushed excitedly into the room...yes interrupting him and told him the news! He's ready for me to give them a call ASAP, but I don't know if I'm 100% ready just yet. Needles and I don't get along so this might be rough on me. On the bright side, my husband said that he would try hard to work his rehearsing, performing, and teaching schedule around all of my appointment so he could be there with me. My girlfriend also said that the person who helped her was so great because it was her first time having acupuncture too. She said she really thinks I'll be fine and fibroid free in no time!! However, I'm still wondering if I'm ready for it just yet though. This is to be continued...FOR SURE!!!

Getting in touch with "workbaby" mom...
Well, I e-mailed "workbaby" mom to check-in on her and heard back the next day via e-mail. She said all is still "OK"with her for the most part, but that YES she did in fact have a setback/relapse. I made sure to tell her about my peanut butter cookie and grain filled few days that I'd just come out of too. She told me in e-mail that she found my story about my descend into "peanut butter purgatory" hysterical so much so that she hurt herself laughing! :( When I read this..I knew she was doing "OK" because she sounded like herself and definitely has her sense of humor!! : ) So, I'm back with my "workbaby" early next week. Yippie! Because I've really missed her and hope she's doing OK having her daddy and grandmother as daily playmates. The weather is now finally nice and warm here in Chicago so I'm definitely looking forward to our long walks and trips to the park too! Spring has finally made it here!

DAY 45: Going grain-free, relapses, and coincidences...

Going grain-free....
I'm now officially grain free...well it was actually as of Monday, April 13th. I've started another blog specifically about being a grain-free vegan. From doing my research outside of Raw Foodists and Fruitarians we grain-free vegans who also eat cooked foods are pretty rare...especially among African-American females.

What's New...
I haven't posted here in a while because I wasn't feeling well! : ( I started eating lots of grains back on Wednesday, April 9th when my vegan peanut butter cookies arrived from Sunshine! OK, I ate more of them than my husband did to be honest it was (10 cookies) in a day and a half. This was way too much for me! I said 10 because Sunshine being such a total sweetie baked extra for me and husband! She even gave him him two to snack on while he drove home from picking them up in the car! ; )

I ate the following: 1 1/4 cups of brown rice, 1 1/4 cups of legumes (beans), plus ALL of those cookies too and my system didn't handle this well at all! : ( This was WAY too much for me. My stomach ached BAD, my food didn't stay down well, I got a rash/eczema on my face (it was the worst around my eyes, and it started to spread some!), and felt groggy and exhausted. I was sick for a few days...April 10th, 11th, and part of April 12th too. I did take 2 days off from exercising (the 10th and 11th). However because I did start to feel a little better on April 12th so I started exercising again. I've now changed my exercise routine to include a little yoga at least 5 days a week so I will be walking less and may even try running alone on 2 days of the week for something different.

In addition, I did some SERIOUS thinking and reflected back over the last few days. Being sick and miserable isn't worth eating a few cookies, extra rice, and beans to me. I'd rather be a grain-free vegan that is both healthy and HAPPY! I am looking at being grain-free as an adventure of sorts. I do have a destination in mind....I am hoping that I am eventually led to motherhood! :)

Relapses and coincidences...
I also wonder if my fibroid didn't get any bigger from the cookies, extra fat in the peanut butter, and all those grains too! : ( Darn it....I guess I had a relapse or something!?! I did discuss all of this with my husband and he said he didn't think that they grew any bigger so I shouldn't be concerned. While I'm on the subject of relapses..early the next morning I got a frantic call from my "workbaby" mom's office manager indicating I won't be seeing my "workbaby" until Tuesday, April 22nd because "workbaby" mom had a relapse of sorts, so she's in need of some additional recovery time.

I haven't called or e-mailed her yet. I will get in touch with her today. I suppose I'm a tad bit nervous. Nevertheless, when we do talk I will definitely let her know that BOTH of us ironically ended up having a relapse of sorts! Maybe she'll get a little laugh in a way out of this situation so she won't feel so down about things. I've always truly felt that people (regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality) SO much more ALIKE than they are different.....what happened with my "workbaby" mom and I is a prime example of this in my opinion. Anyway, here's another link to my blog...VEGAN AND GRAIN-FREE BROWN WIFE.

Tax Day....this is it!
Finally, I know today is Tax Day...April 15th. I do hope most people are able to file their returns in time. Well, since I'm newly married this will be my first year filing jointly with my husband. This is also the first year that my taxes will be late...his/now our accountant e-mailed to inform us that he's going to file an extension for us...something about itemizations and tax paperwork that needs to be submitted for 2 additional states. Anyway, I guess there's a first time for everything...right! :)

DAY 36: Rising prices of rice and going grain-free...

EATING SCHEDULE:
9:00AM 1 banana, 1 pear, 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice, and 2 Tablespoons of Flax Meal
2:30PM 1/2 cup cooked green lentils, 3 cups of carrots, 3 cups of purple cabbage, 1/2 cup of onions, with 1/8 cup of coconut milk
7:30PM 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup of red peppers, 2 cups of yellow squash, 1 Tablespoon of almonds with a little minced garlic

EXERCISE: 60 minutes walk/running on treadmill


"Mud Pies...."
Since my blog is food related I wanted to mention a very scary article regarding the food crisis in Haiti that I'd read four months ago. It was about Haitians who were so hungry because of ever increasing food prices that they had resorted to eating dirt....making what they call "mud pies." Apparently, the crisis has grown even worse because a bag of rice is now close to $60 (US dollars).

Here's a link to the story....that ran back in January 2008.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22902512/


My LOVE and HATE relationship with grains...
As you can probably tell from reading my blog I don't eat any type of wheat/gluten containing products. Yep, this means I do NOT eat regular store-shelf (mass produced) type bread or pasta. I also only eat oatmeal and cornmeal from time to time. Less and less as time is going by because of my allergy to wheat/gluten and foods that may be cross contaminated by it.
I rarely if ever eat a dessert (cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, and the list could go on). In addition, I don't eat pancakes, waffles, or pizza either. Due to my heart condition from birth grains and I don't mix well...in particular wheat/gluten, corn, and oats. I don't eat white rice all that often because I was raised mostly eating brown rice.

Living a wheat/gluten-free life...
I've been OFF of wheat/gluten containing items for close to 10 years now officially. About one month ago while surfing around online I happened upon an interesting Hip Hop Vegans blog. There he had a link to a brand new website predominantly for black vegans, vegetarian, raw foodists, fruitarians, and those who have vegetarian tendencies. It's called SoulVegFolk and I joined as Member #10 back on March 10th. Now about one month later the website has over 230 members and is growing daily! On this website I've now come into contact with some extremely wonderful people...one of whom is my new friend Sunshine! Hooray! She's located right here in the Chicago area!!!!! Yes, that's even her real name! : ) She actually has her own online bakery for us wheat/gluten-free folks because she's also gluten-free too. She makes EXTREMELY yummy homemade/custom baked from scratch desserts!!! She was born with a heart condition as well so meeting her proves much of what I've read about and also experienced now in my own life in relation to grains. Her desserts are also EXCELLENT for those who are on special diets (dairy/wheat-free, vegan, and vegetarians) too. My husband and I recently tried her vegan peanut butter cookies and we both thought they tasted SO good! They're 100% ALL NATURAL, vegan, and wheat/gluten-free. Her cookies are made with Teff Flour. However, I'm now heading back to my grain-free diet because I feel it is where I am most comfortable. Nevertheless, it's wonderful to know that she's here for me/us in times of need. For example, for my husband, my birthday, or even when I'm pregnant once again. I know our little baby will want some grains from time to time...eventually! : )

Her website link is: http://www.sunshinesbest.com

DAY 29: Lessons are always learned through life events both good and bad...

EATING SCHEDULE:

11:30AM Plain water
12:30PM 1 cup of Red raspberry leaf and 1 cup of Red Clover Blossom Tea (brewed together)
1:00PM 1 ½ cups of strawberries
2:30PM ¾ cup of cooked brown lentils, 3 cups of cabbage, 2 cups of celery, ½ cup of onions, and 1/8 cup of coconut milk
6:30 PM ¾ cup of cooked brown rice, 3 cups of steamed kale, garlic, 1 ½ cups of pumpkin, and 1 Tablespoon of walnuts

EXERCISE: 70 minutes of walking on treadmill

Time away from my "workbaby..."
Tomorrow (Monday) starts my first week without my "workbaby." I miss her already! : ( Her mom is taking some time off (2 weeks) to deal with a health issue of her own. We've been in touch via e-mail so I know things are going "OK" for her. Nevertheless, when I learned the extent of my "workbaby's" mother's health issues it rattled me quite a bit. I'm very happy she's doing just fine now though because I deeply care for my little "workbaby's" entire family. They are such a blessing and positive light in our lives.

I believe there's a lesson of sorts in every event that happens in one's life...
Your own body has the most interesting ways giving you signs about things that SOMETHING needs to be addressed, changed, and/or reviewed in my opinion related to your lifestyle. I feel this way because interestingly enough "workbaby mom" discovered a major health concern around the same time I was going through my ectopic pregnancy. I actually knew what it was officially BEFORE her doctors did! I just had a feeling about it was all...I suppose. Nevertheless, she was OVERJOYED that what I told her was going on was true vs. what her were saying it might be.

Additional proof to my theory....
Another odd happening is that the owner of our building where we live lost his wife of 35 years to stomach cancer about a 1 1/2 months ago. He lives right next door to us and my heart aches for him every time I see him. He's so kind, understanding, and such a good person. His wife's name was my mother's middle name. We call him "Apartment Daddy" and he laughs. His wife was of course "Apartment Mommy" to us. He's in the same age range as our my both my husband and my parents too. After she passed away the first couple of times he saw my husband he cried even while he was walking down the street holding his little grand daughter's hand. My husband didn't know what to do so he just ran to them and hugged them both really tight. My heart breaks and aches for him and probably always will. They married when he was 18 and she 15. What do you say to him....? He has only daughters and granddaughter and now their mother/grandmother is gone! : (

Taking care of yourself is especially important for women....
I definitely feel that what I learned from these two women's health situations is helping me deal with my ectopic pregnancy and fibroid tumors in a very positive and proactive way. I initially wanted to do my water-fast, but then I changed my mind because I feel I'm best served by focusing on exercise and maintaining my healthy vegan habits that I had which previously helped me avoid fibroid tumors from the start. I've told my husband and he absolutely agrees that I as his wife and future mother of a child (ren) should NEVER be too busy to eat right and exercise on a daily basis.

DAY 28: It's now been 4 weeks (1 month)

EATING SCHEDULE:
9:30AM Plain water
10:00AM 1 cup of Red Raspberry Leaf and 1 cup of Red Clover Blossom Tea (brewed together)
11:00AM Honeydew Melon
1:30PM 3/4 cup of refried beans, 2 cups of cactus (nopales), 1/2 cup of red peppers, and 2 cups of yellow squash with 1/4 an avocado and some hot sauce
7:00PM 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice, 1 cup of bamboo shoots, 3 cups of bok choy ,
1 Tablespoon of peanuts, a few bits of fresh garlic, and two dashes of soy sauce


EXERCISE: 85 minutes walking on treadmill

I haven't posted in several days....
It's been a while since I've posted. Things are still going well for me with my eating schedule. I've decided a 14 day water fast isn't going to be in the cards for me right now. My weight is now125 pounds and I think it's low enough.

Re-directing my focus a little...
I'm switching my focus to my daily exercise routine. For the last week I'm been walking anywhere from 4-6 miles a day on my treadmill. So, I walk about 60-90 minutes each morning. Based on the information I've read regarding fibroid tumors women who exercise at least 4-5 hours per week are less likely to develop fibroid tumors. I love to exercise and recall that when I exercised often I felt fabulous and certainly didn't have fibroid tumors.

Feeling guilty over needing "me" time for exercise....
Before I was married I exercised quite a bit six days and sometimes seven per week. However, this changed over time when I got married. I think it had mostly to do with my husband's schedule and temperament too. He's a professional musician so he works quite a bit during the evenings and has done so for over 20 years now. A morning person my dear husband is definitely NOT! : ( He normally stays up until the wee hours (3:00am, 4:00am, and even 5:00am practicing). This is the case with him and all of his other musician friends/acquaintances too. In addition, he composes music and feels most comfortable doing this when everything is quiet/still so he can be focused. On the other hand, I like to wake up somewhat early 7am or 8am and always have. I think it has to do with the fact that I was born at 6:45am in the morning. I've always had the most energy first thing in the morning up until the late afternoon.

Well, being married to a non-morning person affected me in a way that wasn't good. Some days I woke up EARLY to exercise, but was worried that I was disturbing his sleep so I either did a shortened workout or decided not to do anything at all. : ( He would then wake-up late in the day (on the days he wasn't teaching) and want to go exercise. By then I was tired, involved with doing household chores, and would have of course already eaten something for breakfast. I only like to exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning when I wake-up. Luckily, though throughout this time I only gained a few pounds. This wasn't such a concern for me though. However, I missed my daily exercise and the time I had to just spend with "me." This continued for a while, but stopped in June/July 2007 and started back in August 2007 until March 2008 pretty much when I started this blog.

We discussed this just recently...
Finally, I talked to my husband in detail about my feelings. I explained that I was torn between spending lots of time with him (snuggled in bed) or getting up and doing my morning exercise.
I also worried that he felt resentful of my daily time away from him too. I brought it up in the same discussion we had regarding the research I'd read about daily exercise shrinking and eliminating fibroid tumors. Fortunately, he reassured me that he's just fine with me having my morning exercise time...since he's asleep anyway while I do it. He also said that he understood that women need some time in the morning for themselves because he grew up with both a mother and sister. He also mentioned that he noticed his own mother was much less stressed when she had time to herself away from he and his sister every so often too. I questioned him repeated to see if he thought I was being selfish in any way. He continually said, "No, not at all." After we talked I felt so silly to have worried over such a thing and THANK GOODNESS my husband is such an understanding man! Hmm...but I am wondering if my previous concern over our different sleep schedules may have contributed to a small amount of growth of my fibroid tumors. I was pretty stressed about it so...maybe. : ( Oh well, it doesn't matter now because they're still shrinking little by little every day.