tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79525158032035397402024-03-13T17:08:16.431-07:00The GAPS Diet JourneyCome follow me as I start the GAPS diet from stage 1 and on. I am a wife, mother of 3, full-time nurse, and GAPS practitioner.Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-64695295325453431742017-01-21T16:10:00.000-08:002017-01-21T16:11:02.299-08:003 weeks down!Still going strong! Skin is up and down. Bone broth consumption not where it needs to be. But have to keep this super short. In the middle of moving this week. Planning to keep up the diet regardless of how stressed I get!! Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-9690054825154794752017-01-14T04:53:00.002-08:002017-01-14T04:53:44.552-08:002nd Week Over and things are looking up!I completed my second week of GAPS. So far so good. The temptations are getting easier and easier to deal with. Last night we went out to dinner for the first time in months. We headed to Cracker Barrel our favorite place to eat. It's not 100% GAPS friendly as I'm sure the meat is not from grass fed cows and the veggies are not organic, but life is life and we need to make adjustments for those times when we need to travel or eat out. So I kept to the meat and veggies and did not stray into the dairy or gluten areas. It was hard given I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Mac and cheese! Oh and their dumplings! But I held strong and got through it. <br />
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As for how I feel...well still tired but not exhausted like the first week. No longer dealing tired at work... just when I get home I have little energy left for anything but getting my dinner ready and putting my feet up. I need to start exercising soon but the fatigue at the end of the day is just too much. I think I'll do some exercising this weekend and pick just 2 days during the week like Tuesday and Thursday. Hopefully that will be just enough to get me going and hopefully give a burst to my energy levels. <br />
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My skin continues to go through changes. No more big sores. Instead I'm getting tiny bumps that itch like crazy in small patches here and there. There is no rhyme or reason to them. They are just annoying because of the itch. Also my neck has been itching day and night. I have no rash or eczema there nor any broken areas from scratching. It's just weird because it seems to be constant for the last 4 or 5 days and it won't stop. <br />
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I think if my skin doesn't calm down soon, I'm going to have to play around with my food. Maybe take out ghee and fruit. I'm not eating a lot of either, but I have a strong reaction to dairy so maybe the ghee itself is just too much for me right now. <br />
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Anyway, that's it for now. Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-52267535152337630272017-01-10T18:03:00.000-08:002017-01-10T18:03:36.314-08:00Beating temptation!I think the hardest part with being on the GAPS diet AND working full time is the endless amounts of temptations at work. I'm a nurse and work in the cath lab. Our job is very demanding and can be very stressful due to the critical nature of what we do. With that said, food becomes a source of fuel when we are running on empty and have only 5 minutes to eat for lunch. In other words we often grab and go. Or we get take out paid for by the numerous drug and equipment reps. Today pizza was ordered for us. But thankfully they also ordered salads and chicken wings. I had a few wings and a basic salad with my own dressing I keep in the fridge. It wasn't easy passing up the pizza but I knew when I started GAPS that this was going to happen so for weeks now I've been mentally preparing myself to just say no. Oh...and keeping healthy snacks in my pocket keeps me from getting too hungry which helps from making the mistake of eating off the diet. So far so good! 11 days down. Yeah!Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-24868328558323613702017-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:002017-01-08T05:00:49.243-08:00Week One Done!I was too tired on Friday after work to blog, and yesterday I was super busy....you know grocery shopping and lots of COOKING! I have had more energy the last few days than I had all week. Nothing spectacular, but I wasn't bone crushed tired. Thursday and Friday at work were great because I no longer felt like I just wanted to sleep! But the evenings of the last 3 days, if I sat down, I was done. My work schedule has me up at 5 am so by 9 pm I'm ready for bed! <br />
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Food so far has been good. I've been so hungry and thirsty the last 3 or 4 days as well. I seem to be eating quite a bit but not worried about it. I just eat more salad or meat or fruit. I drink lots of good water and instead of bringing 2 regular water bottles to work, I'm now going to start bringing 1 liter bottles to work. I haven't added anything new to my diet except cashews - which made me itch terribly last night. So those are a no go for now. I made some GAPS friendly muffins yesterday but they are made with almond flour. Not sure I need to just stay away from cashews right now or all nuts. I will take a little test sample today and see how I do. <br />
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Have been drinking more broth - just made 2 chickens yesterday in my big stock pot and added in onions, garlic, carrots, parsley, leeks, and celery. My broth now has a green tint to it! But I'm sure it is infused with lots of great nutrients! <br />
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Skin wise - almost all my sores are healed - just a few lingering in the end stage healing part. My lips got super chapped 2 days ago and are quite sore. But it has been only high of 20 degrees the last few days here so I'm sure the bitter cold has a bit to do with that. My eczema patches are nearly gone. I have a few on my arms and small areas on my face, but otherwise I'm still clearing up slowly but surely.Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-62687424328096292602017-01-05T17:29:00.002-08:002017-01-05T17:29:55.789-08:00Day 6 - MUCH Better Day!Not sure if it was just because work was busy or if the diet is starting to work, but today I did not experience any fatigue until evening time. This is huge for me. It felt so good to not be half asleep most of the day!<br />
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Skin is continuing to clear up....as are the sores. Only a little itchy here and there at work but more than likely due to sweating as the temperature at work was off and super warm. <br />
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Diet wise...have been skipping the broth the last day which is not good. But I've been having quite a few sugar and carb cravings and the broth makes me feel nauseated. But no cheating and able to fend off the cravings with will power. Feeling better is a HUGE motivator!!<br />
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Well that's it for now. Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-8098628820059640202017-01-04T15:52:00.000-08:002017-01-04T15:52:08.197-08:00Day Five - Extreme Fatigue!Still doing well food wise....eating what I'm supposed to and not cheating at all. Skin is remarkably improved! Sores are quickly healing with no new ones popping out. No headaches or body aches. But the fatigue is out of this world!! I could just fall asleep at any point all day today and I slept over 8 hours last night. I really hope this passes soon. According to others who have been on GAPS, there's a few things that may be causing this. The main one is die off from gut flora making drastic changes. If that's what it is then it should pass within the next week. If not I will look into changing things within the diet as recommended by others.<br />
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The only other negative I'm experiencing is intense cravings for anything carb related. Fruit is not helping my cravings. I made a stuffed shells dinner for my kids and allowed them a few left over Christmas cookies. I was calling them names under my breath for eating it....even though I made all of it!! Oy....I really hope the cravings pass soon. The less itching and better skin are really helping to keep me on track so hopefully I can get past this and move on!Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-15522495766509861242017-01-03T17:37:00.000-08:002017-01-03T17:37:04.417-08:00Day 4 - Back to.Work!My first day at work on GAPS went well overall. Slight cravings but no cheating. Felt hungry most of the day but able to offset the hunger with my banana and apple chips. The biggest obstacle I will run into is the temptations at work. I work in a department where we get a lot of visits from drug and equipment reps who always guys us lunch. Great....I know. But most restaurant food is not GAPS friendly. It will be a test of my willpower for sure. <br />
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As for my asthma....it kept getting worse. My new insurance doesn't kick in until Feb 1st so I have to wait to see a doctor to ask for cromolyn inhaler. I broke down at midnight and started back on my Singulair. It works so amazing for my asthma but I get horrible side effects. I am considering going back to homeopathy for my health. I think it would work better while I'm on GALS. Other than my asthma, everything else is status quo. My sores seem to be healing which is good. My fatigue is the same...no better and no worse. My skin seems to be improving overall. The eczema seems to be fading. Still have hives on my feet. But today they weren't bad at all. <br />
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My diet consists of meat, cooked veggies, some fruit...not much, and a few cashews here and there. Oh....and of course the broth. Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-3307340839498209512017-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:002017-01-02T10:45:11.049-08:00Day Three - Preparing food for the week of workI initially started GAPS over a week ago on a work day. I lasted until lunch when I just couldn't function. I knew the first few days were going to be bad with regards to detox so I stopped my foolishness and ate a "normal" lunch and decided to start GAPS this weekend when I had 3 days off in a row. Much better plan! <br />
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This weekend has been very busy with food preparation. Knowing I head back to work tomorrow has got me cooking and dehydrating. I made a whole chicken yesterday and then some more broth. Then I dehydrated some organic apples and bananas for snacks at work. Today I broiled up some grass fed steak and lamb chops. I will next cook up some veggies to add to the meat dishes. All these will go in the freezer so I can grab and go this week for work. I also made up some ghee as well on Saturday. We already buy raw milk weekly and I make my own butter. I just took the butter and put it in the oven for an hour or so on 250. <br />
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As for my health...suffered horrible hives on my feet all night long. I had been taking Benadryl on a regular basis since I was a kid. I have a sneaky suspicion that the hives are from coming off the benadryl. Typically my hives come and go. They have never stayed in one area for 12 plus hours. I broke this morning and took a Claritin. My asthma is slightly better but still not great. Hoping once I'm a week into GAPS that many of my allergens causing the asthma will be out of my body. It's so frustrating. I even started back on my Chinese herbs for asthma but no difference yet from yesterday.<br />
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My aches and pains are mostly gone. Had a few muscle aches in my shoulders this morning but now they are gone. My fatigue is better. I feel able to get things done today and yesterday without lingering fatigue or having to push myself. Overall worse than yesterday but nothing like day one. I remain very optimistic and will continue down this path full speed! <br />
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One other thing...I have noticed something bizarre about my skin. I've developed itchy bumps that break open when I scratch. The skin around these bumps is strong so it's not bad. But the bumps turn into small sores that have a pink/red ring around them as if they are infected. None of them hurt or draining anything. Must be toxins pushing to the surface and the redness is an inflammatory response to the toxins? They are only on my skin where I have a lot of fat. I have none on my face, neck, hands or feet. Just an interesting observation.<br />
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Below are pictures of my apple and banana chips, my ghee, and my meaty bone broth.<br />
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<br />Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-22326698821340217612017-01-01T12:26:00.000-08:002017-01-01T12:26:11.837-08:00Day Two - Detox in FULL Swing!Yesterday was by far a very miserable day by evening time. I didn't realize the extent of how much sugar and caffeine I was feeding my body on a daily basis. I had beef bone broth, all natural, no preservative sausage, scrambled eggs (free-range, organic), a salad, and my beef and cabbage with tomato sauce dinner. I drank clean water and at 10 pm drank some black, organic coffee (1/2 cup) to offset the horrendous headache I had. I tried VERY hard not to take any tylenol or motrin but the coffee was not enough and I ended up taking 600 mg motrin at midnight right before bed.<br />
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Not only did I develop a severe headache, but I developed body aches all over by evening time. I also developed over sensitivity to everything - sounds, voices, smells, touch, etc. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. Also my asthma became significantly worse which concerns me but going to give it a few days to see how it plays out. So far today only needed 2 nebs compared to 6 or 7 yesterday. <br />
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This morning I woke up with all pain and sensitivity gone. Just the asthma and occasional itching here and there. Thant's it for now....off to cook some more!Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7952515803203539740.post-6505332218616713502016-12-31T05:23:00.001-08:002016-12-31T05:23:20.393-08:00Day One - THE BEGINNINGMy GAPS journey may be officially starting today - as in I took the plunge and am starting on the intro diet TODAY. But my journey overall started many years ago. I actually do not have multiple health issues. I have one big issue that basically has controlled most of my life over the last 10 years or so. So I will start my story with why I am starting this very difficult diet. <br />
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It all started when I was 6 months old - my mom has pictures of me with bleeding cheeks. I had eczema. Back then in the 70's, eczema was common and parents were told that the child would outgrow it. Well I never outgrew it and many children started to not outgrow it when they became an adult. One doctor in California discovered that the eczema developed into an "addiction" to the steroid creams more and more children were being prescribed. I started on steroid creams around the ago of 10 or so. My eczema was starting to get bad around those years of developing hormones. And it never left....and neither did my dependence on those steroid creams. The absorption of the creams differed depending on where on the body the creams were placed, how often, and the strength of the prescription. Let's just say I had a large amount of cream absorbed over many years. Fast forward to my early 30's when having babies. My skin kept getting worse, my liver was bad (no drinking, no illicit drug use, and no hepatitis), and my health overall was fading fast. I was exhausted on a daily basis, I couldn't stop gaining weight, and I could barely take care of myself and 3 children. My doctors kept telling me to use more creams and to see a liver specialist. Well, I got tired of my doctors and went off on my own. I was still using steroid creams but only over the counter strength. My skin was horrible for 3-4 years but then slowly started to improve. I started taking milk thistle for my liver and brought my liver enzymes to within normal. I was just starting my journey to more natural health. <br />
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Then about 6 years ago, my husband and I decided I should go back to work...I had been off for over 5 years due to my health being so bad and we didn't know why. I was better and eating more healthy. It was around this time I learned about the GAPS diet but felt confident I didn't need it as I had dropped 100 lbs, was eating all natural (the Weston A Price way of eating) and had only a few skin irritations. Well, the stress of being an Emergency Room nurse took its toll on me quickly. I started eating garbage again due to time constraints and started using more and more steroid creams as my skin started to worsen. Then approximately 4 years ago, I discovered the notion that the steroid creams were the cause of my worsening skin. It all made sense. So I pitched the creams and went into a full body flare. My body was basically craving the creams. Withdrawal could last years. So my husband picked up overtime and I had to quit working once again. I suffered horribly and started gaining weight again. I was in pain on a regular basis and the constant itching was unbearable. The only thing I took was benadryl, tylenol, and motrin. I didn't want to use any other medications. I went on a journey to discover I had gene mutations like MTHFR and many others that affected my healing. I started special supplements and improved dramatically where I could at least work part time. I was trying to eat better but was always unsuccessful due to so much stress. I felt that doing GAPS at that point may actually make me worse. With GAPS, the body detoxifies significantly and the biggest detoxifying organ is the skin. Causing more irritation to my skin was just not fathomable. The pain I was already in was too much. I thought I would try it once my skin improved. Well my skin improved, but I got worse in other areas. I developed severe asthma, worsening food allergies, and chronic hives. I have tried dealing with these issues over the last few years through natural means like Chinese herbs and whatnot, but those problems continue to linger. <br />
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So that brings me to where I am at today. I recently changed my job so my stress level has reduced dramatically. I still have a demanding job but it is more controlled as are my hours. I no longer have to work nights or odd hours except for the days I am on call. And on those nights, I will only be called in for special cases. I have reduced my hives by trying to eat more low histamine and staying away from dairy. My asthma is aggravated by mold in the house and dairy and gluten. I can't do much about the mold as we rent. However we are building a new house on our property and we should be moving in 4-6 months, so that will fix that area. I no longer suffer with painful, oozing skin. If I scratch, it does not tear easily. So I now know my skin can handle the detox process of GAPS. I feel that it is now time. I have 3 days off this weekend and while I will have many bad days I'm assuming, the 3 worst days will be in the beginning as I come off all sugar and caffeine. <br />
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The issues I am hoping to fix permanently with GAPS are my chronic hives (or histamine intolerance), food sensitivities, asthma, weight gain (currently 60 lbs overweight), and chronic fatigue. While I have more energy than I used to....it definitely is not at a normal level by any means. I would put my whole family on GAPS, but at this point I have learned to not overdo it. My kids are in their teens and while very disciplined, I would not have the patience to deal with their issues going through GAPS as well as my own. None of them have any health issues. One daughter gets hand eczema during the winter but hand creams work good on her. So I will press on with GAPS for myself and then transition them to GAPS (full diet - not intro) as I head in that direction. We already eat relatively healthy in many ways - we have been drinking raw milk for over 6 years now and all meat is as natural as God intended. We also eat organic produce and eggs. We don't drink soda at home. Once in a while I will allow them to have soda when we eat out. We never eat fast food. If we go out, it is usually to Cracker Barrel or some other restaurant with healthier options. <br />
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As of today, I have skin irritation on my forearms (where I get most of my hives), a few spots on my face, and my neck. I use my nebulizer for my asthma about 3 times a day. I was up to 6-7 times a day at one point, but the Chinese herbs and staying away from dairy has helped reduce that. I get tired to the point I want to fall asleep about 2 times a day. The rest of the day I feel tired, but able to get things done. After work I can sometimes work up the energy to take a 1 mile walk. All housework is done by our kids (yes, we do pay them). I will be cooking for myself only as I have taught my kids to cook so they can cook their own meals and get help from hubby if needed. I will have to plan my meals weekly and be diligent in packing my lunch for work. I am not sure how well this will go with working as it requires a lot of time prepping food. But here I go....Tracy Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07818322348164366661noreply@blogger.com0