It is never too late!  It really is never too late to makes changes in your life?  Changes in the way you think, what you eat and how you feel.  That is what I have discovered over the last eleven weeks.   I have tried so many times to improve the fibromyalgia I have lived with for 20+ years.  After so many failed attempts, I just gave up.  I decided I felt as good as I was going to feel and all I could hope for going forward is to not get any worse.  Now I think HOW STUPID WAS THAT?   Well maybe not stupid but I was so wrong.  It isn’t too late to change the way I feel and I am living, breathing, feel-good proof of that.

My pain level is at a 2.  A TWO!!!!!!!!!  The changes I made in my eating habits were drastic but I am at a 2.  In just eleven weeks I went from an 8 to a 2.  Any person that is reading this can make an improvement in the way they feel.  It is not too late.  Little changes can yield big results.  No matter what you are suffering from or where your pain level is, it can be done.

Today may be the day you should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss an alternative treatment.  Maybe you follow my lead and find a doctor that practices alternative medicine and get another perspective on your condition.  Perhaps you can research supplements to see if one that I have discussed might be right for you.  Make a small diet change.  Cut out wheat, cut out sugar, maybe change from mostly soft drinks to mostly water.  Stop at your local farmer’s market and buy some fresh vegetables to eat this week.  It doesn’t have to be a major change but do something.

Do something just for you.  If you think that it is too late, you are so wrong.  I use to tell myself that I would love to get up one day and feel like a “normal” person, even if it was for just one day.  Well today I did that and it felt great.

I do want to give you an update on my co-workers and I after completing eleven weeks of healthy eating.  Lisa has lost 30 lbs for a total of 40 since January.  She feels so much better and she loves telling everyone how much better healthy eating feels.  She is following a Gluten Free diet and loving life.  Biggest problem she is having now is her shopping.    She cannot be trusted to go shopping and get the right size clothes for herself.  She can easily wear a 10 now but she comes in with her “new” pair of size 14 pants that are clearly way too big for her.  She is banned from shopping on her own from now on.

Jami wasn’t really over weight to start with but she is down to the weight on her driver’s license.  That was a loss of about 5 lbs and she couldn’t be happier.  She gets up every morning and runs before coming to work.  She simply eats healthy food and drinks lots of water.

I am down 27 lbs and my fatigue is better, my pain level is better and the inflammation in my body is much improved.   I continue eating the yeast free/dairy free diet and I don’t really even miss the things I was sure I could never give up.

For something fun to do this week, get out your driver’s license and see what you have listed for weight.  Jami got back down to her driver’s license weight and was so excited.  Lisa and I on the other hand, don’t expect to achieve that goal….but then again, it is never too late to try.

I want this blog to be an inspiration to each of us to improve our pain level and better deal with this diagnosis so until next week, please sign up at www.lindygolden.com to get email updates of my blog.  Next blog I am going to write about what started this new journey and changed my life.

I can’t wait to write this blog.  I have had a couple good things happen this week and weekend that I wanted to share with you. First let me say that I just finished nine weeks into the journey and I continue to do so well.  My pain level is down to a 3 and to tell you the truth, I considered actually making it a 2.  I would say 2.5 and how exciting is that?  Coming from an eight to a three in nine weeks  is nothing short of a miracle for me.

I wonder how many fibro patients are like me.  They worry about everyone else and put taking care of themselves on the back burner.  The doctor told me nine weeks ago that eating healthy would better enable me to cope with the stress in my life and that less stress would equal less pain.  I immediately thought yeah, right!  Not only do I work a high stress job that requires long hours but I feel like I was put on this earth to take care of everyone that I come in contact with that needs me.  Probably a lot of people that don’t even really need me (or maybe even want me).  I don’t talk much about me when I interact with people; instead I usually focus on them and what their problems are.  This brings me to the first of the good things that happened to me this week.  I ticked someone off this week (imagine that) and they told me I was heartless.  I looked at them and thought, really, are you kidding me.  I can think of a hundred adjectives to describe me but heartless would never, ever make the list.  I am the one that always says hi, glad to see you, I am fine and then immediately proceed into a conversation about you trying to determine what I can do to help you.  I have laughed a lot about that comment and maybe the laughter has helped improve my pain level but it did get me thinking.  Yesterday I went to a birthday party and saw several people that I had not seen for a few months.  As we were exchanging hugs and asking each other “how are you”, I would say great, I feel great.  It happened to dawn on me that I have said that for 20+ years when I didn’t feel great at all.  I didn’t even feel good most of the time.  It was always easier to get into a conversation about them than to start talking about me.  But yesterday it was different.  I said I felt great and actually meant it. What a blessing, I was giddy inside.  I FEEL GREAT!

And the next good think that happened to me, thanks to my friends on Facebook, I figured out how to swallow my Cod Liver Oil.  It works great.  Can you believe there is even a youtube video on how to take Cod Liver Oil?  Lisa and I watched it and took out a big spoon, held our noses and down it went.  That worked so much better than mixing it with yogurt.  Here is the link if you are interested http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-how-to-best-swallow-cod-liver-oil/.    If I could encourage each of you to take one small step toward a lower pain level and better control of your Fibromyalgia, the Cod Liver Oil would be my tip.  Not only is it an anti-inflammatory, but the other health benefits are numerous and it is something that requires very little effort.  Let me know if you already use it and how it has improved your health.

Until next week, please sign up to receive email updates of my blog.  And by all means, please continue to leave comments.  One little comment or idea from you could be all it takes to lower someone else’s “Fibro-Meter”.

I am two months into this journey, can you believe it?  When it first began, each day seemed like an eternity and now the days are just flying by and I am reaping the benefits everyday.  Yes my pain level is still at a 4 but my energy level has improved by leaps and bounds.   The reality of living with Fibromyalgia is that most likely we will never have a pain free day but a 50% improvement is huge.

I wanted to share the results of my doctor visit with you.  It has been 2 months since I last met with her and about 7 weeks since I started the detox.  She was very surprised with my progress.   She immediately noticed my weight loss which turned out to be 20 lbs and just icing on the cake for me.  I explained to her that my pain level had improved by about 50%, my blood pressure was down to 119/72 and my BMI was down 3.5 points.  We discussed all my concerns.  She explained that since I did the yeast detox and have been following a yeast free diet, she feels like the yeast should no longer be a problem.  I asked her about adding some fruit to my diet and she agreed that would be fine.  She told me to consume fruit like I do the starchy vegetables and limit them to 3-4 times per week.   She thinks adding fish oil (which she recommends liquid cod liver oil) to my diet could improve my pain level even more.  I still have quit a bit of inflammation in my back.

Now let’s talk about this liquid cod liver oil.  She so highly recommends this form of fish oil and the people in her office are convinced it is the best but I am having a hard time convincing myself.  The bottle said that it is the oil from the cod’s liver prior to any processing and I am thinking that was not really intended for this girl.  The bottle said 1 teaspoon but she told me I should take 1 Tablespoon.  Lucky me! She also said I could have one container of yogurt each day and I could mix my oil with the yogurt to get it down.   Now if she says to “get it down”, it ain’t good.   I hurried to the store and got my favorite strawberry yogurt and got home and realized this wonderful oil was lemon flavored.  All week I have looked at the bottle, which needs refrigerated.  I have even taken the bottle out several times, but I have yet to break the seal.  Tomorrow is the day.  Lisa, my co-worker, bought me some lemon meringue yogurt so tomorrow we are both going to try the cod liver oil in our lemon yogurt.  Heck yes I am dragging her into this.  She said she didn’t want me to go through this alone so I am very generously going to share it with her.  I will let you know next blog how this is going.

My tip for today comes from my most important mentor.  I have learned this and so much more from J.B. Glossinger, my Morning Coach and my friend.  His daily coast cast has drastically changed my life.  He recommends we make improvements 1% a day.  Just 1%!   We can all do this.  Just making one little change in our diet, our level of exercise, or our attitude can make such a difference in the way we deal with fibromyalgia and in the way we manage our pain levels.  The changes we have discussed in my blog have been drastic and the results have been also but if each person reading this will just start today by making one small change, before we know it another two months will have passed and the results could be huge.

Next blog I am going to begin giving you some tips to making the little changes in your diet so much easier.  Please sign up to receive email updates of my blog.  And by all means, please continue to leave comments.   I have received so many comments from both men and women all over the world that are suffering every day with Fibromyalgia.  Hopefully we can begin to lower their Fibro-meter also.

Well it has been a week since I finished the detox.  I must admit that my pain level is not exactly where I had hoped that it would be.  But by writing the Fibromyalgia blog, I continually go back and re-read what I have already written so that I continue to bring good content.  In doing this, I realized that I have came along way in managing my pain level.  When I started I was at an 8.  I have reduced my pain down 30% to a consistent 5.  I think that is huge after only a little under 4 weeks.  Plus I feel better.  I feel more like a normal person than I have in so many, many years. I don’t feel like I have been drugged in the morning when I get up.  For me this is gigantic and I know that for many people like me out there, it would be also.  So today I want to tell you about the “bad boy” yeast free diet.

As I said, there are many versions available on the internet.  I spent two solid days reading everything I could pull up on “yeast free diet”.  Each has its own variations.  I printed off so many but then after just a few days, I decided to pick one and stick with it.  I sent it to my family, my co-workers, and made two copies for me.  One to take home for my husband to read and one to keep with me at all times.  Not sure if that has worked.  Not a day goes by that either one of my daughters or my husband asks me, “can you eat this?”  And usually the answer is always the same.  NO!!!!!!!.   There is no doubt about it, the diet is very restrictive.  The key to this is the same as the key to so many things in our lives, instead of concentrating on what I can’t have.  I concentrate on what I CAN HAVE.  And that is what we will do today.

I can have as much as I want of low carb vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, string beans, tomatoes, and celery. There are so many more but asparagus, beet greens, collard greens, dandelion, mustard greens, rutabaga, and turnips are not going in this mouth.   I can have almost any meat, poultry, or seafood I want.  I can also have the “incredible edible” egg which to me isn’t much different than rutabaga.  Then I can have 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, safflower oil, and canola oil along with most all seasonings and fresh herbs. One big thing is that I now need to use only sea salt.  That really is a good thing.  It seems to have a better flavor and the grinders are fun.   I have quickly discovered that the right cooking method and a combination of olive oil and seasoning makes such a difference in the flavor and texture of the food I can eat.

In very limited quantities, I can have high carb vegetables (only 3-4 times a week) such as white potatoes, sweet potatoes, or beets.   Beans and peas also go into this group.  All types of seeds are allowed as are almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, and walnuts.  The nuts make great snacks and these are all of my favorites.

That is about it.  Restrictive but doable.  I look at the meter and think do I want to be at an 8 or do I want to be at a 5?  Do I want to have more energy and not feel like a walking dead person?  For me it is a no-brainer.

A tip I have for today, start a fibromyalgia journal.  Writing down how you feel and what you are doing at least a few times a week is a great reference when it comes time to look back and access your progress.  Just like with me, a 5 wasn’t really where I wanted to be but when I looked back and recalled where I was, I realized that I was making really great progress.

Next blog I will go over what I cannot have and then I want to share another story with you.  My co-worker Lisa has a doctor’s appointment coming up.  That will be a great measurement as to how the detox went from a medical perspective.   My follow up with the doctor is at the end of this month so we have a lot more coming your way.  Please sign up at www.lindygolden.com to get email updates of my blog or to catch up if you are just joining me.  And please continue to leave comments.    I promise to share every bit of information I can with you.  We never know what one thing might make a big difference for one of us.