~ Gotta Get Up to Go Down ~

A long lost blog - I'm back to try again.

My weight issues will probably be life-long (does this count as pessimism? self-fulfilling prophecy?), but I am glad to report I have started to see progress in the right direction!

Ultimately, this came down to my asking a friend at church (Laura) to kinda "mentor" me through my health journey. It isn't that I don't have the knowledge - it's that I lack the self-discipline to apply what I know, and having her ask me about my decisions from week to week - and in a relationship where I am willingly submitting to her instruction and rebuke if need be - is precisely a piece I've both lacked and truly needed.

By my best calculation, I have lost 9 1/2 lbs since we started a few weeks ago.

When you get to be the size that I am, 9 1/2 pounds isn't visibly that much difference, yet. But I can "feel" that I'm less bloated - so I suspect a lot of that was water (also to be expected at the start of anything like this).

Laura has to continually remind me that I must not expect great things overnight. (yada yada yada ;)) Her estimate is that this will realistically take about a year. Much as I wish for overnight transformation, I actually believe a year is an optimistic goal. (Don't tell her I said that! ;))

For now, I find it helpful to find motivation wherever I can. It's like I'm forcefeeding my brain on pep-talks wherever they abound. A personal favorite is catching "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday nights when I can.

Profound (RE)Realization #1:

I MUST GET MORE SLEEP!

My constant depriving my body of the rest it needs (a perennial problem of mine in case you haven't noticed by now) is like health-suicide; it NOTICEABLY messes with my hormone levels and countermands my best efforts to manage my adrenalin levels. So my battle with my busyness begins again in earnest.


GOALS BY THE END OF THE PROVERBIAL YEAR-LONG JOURNEY:

I hope I'll have lost 100 lbs, have ramped up to 4x 30 min. activity per week (or more) - and that I'll LIKE it!, be consuming a maximum of 1600 calories per day of whole/organic/fresh foods, and wearing a Size 14/16 or smaller -

and, of course, then MAINTAIN healthful habits for life!


FIRST LEG OF THE RACE:

PLAN - For the past month or so, Laura has been coaching me through baby steps (decreasing daily caloric intake and increasing weekly physical activity to a habitual 3-4x per week) to prepare me for a 2-week juice fast (max 1200 calories per day intake) beginning November 1. So I'm reactivating this blog to motivate me to stick with that. :)

Any of you out there want to read this and give an encouraging word, I'm all ears...er...eyes as the case may be.

And if you'll forgive the overt application, I nevertheless pray it will be true that in my life:

~ may the Lord always INCREASE even as I decrease ~

~"The Really Good News About Stress"~

*Saw this article through a link on msnbc.com and had to check it out. Interesting - just goes to show that "it's not always an either or thing"!


The Really Good News About Stress

Surprisingly, research suggests that moderate levels can actually boost your health.
By Kate Stinchfield, Health

A report due yesterday, 100 ladybug-shaped cupcakes to make for the school bake sale (tomorrow morning!), and your mother-in-law arriving for the weekend ... Feeling stressed yet?

That might not be a bad thing, if you know how to take advantage of it. While chronic or extreme stress levels have been linked to heart disease and hypertension, among other things, research suggests that moderate levels can actually boost your health.

"The positive aspects of stress are underappreciated," says Ken Robbins, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Here's how it works: When you're stressed, your adrenal glands release a cascade of hormones, including adrenaline, which ups your heart rate and boosts energy, and cortisol, which increases glucose in the bloodstream. When your body gets overwhelmed with these chemicals for weeks and months, you start to see ill effects.

But in short bursts (like a day or less) stress can make your body more efficient and your mind razor sharp. Here's how to use stress without letting it use you.


Stress makes you smarter

Channel it to strategize

Research from The Rockefeller University in New York City and the University of Buffalo suggests that stress can enhance learning and memory, thanks to the effect of small bursts of cortisol in the brain. So when you're too wired to go to sleep, don't force it. Sit down with that report or spreadsheet, and catch up on your rest when you're calm again.



Stress makes you nicer

Channel it to reaffirm relationships

When you're stressed, your body pumps out oxytocin, a hormone that facilitates bonding—making this is an ideal time to call your college roommate or connect with friends on Facebook. And you'll probably feel like doing that anyway.

"Women are more apt to seek social support when they feel stressed," says Paul Rosch, M.D., FACP, clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry at New York Medical College. Oxytocin—and a good old-fashioned gabfest—can calm you, helping to make sure your stress levels don't go through the roof.


Stress makes you heartier

Channel it to heal your body

Bursts of stress may prime your body to battle future ailments. They can boost the immune system, with long-term effects, a study from the Stanford School of Medicine found. And you don't have to do anything—enjoy the protective benefits of short-term stress, and know that as long as you take some downtime later to breathe, your body's got you covered.


Copyright © 2009 Health Media Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.

URL: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100258015>1=31009



Well, I don't know if my BODY has me covered (so to speak), but I know that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" - and I will praise the Maker of heaven and earth for his wisdom, so that even in learning how to REST, I must not abandon ALL "stress" (or perhaps risk becoming a sluggard?), and trust HIM for the grace I need each moment....

~Leah

"...When we are bitter we assume the negative and have a critical, fault-finding spirit."

we had a guest speaker at church, last night - [Andrea Giffith from "Revive our Hearts" ministries] - addressing the ladies, sharing her testimony, etc. Her talk was entitled "Beauty for Ashes" (from text in Isaiah 61:1-3)

she had some very convicting things to say about many subjects, but what stood out to me, perhaps the most, was how we begin to physically suffer (chronic fatigue, chronic pain, depression, "no rest, no strength") because of "a root of bitterness" in our hearts. That really resonated with me - particularly with the ongoing health struggles I've had and for which my doctor has been able to really do little.

and I would say "bitterness" definitely describes my general disposition for the last several weeks, which may explain the resurgence of migraines and fatigue (and cystic acne which has again ravaged my face and back), etc.

so without compromising the appropriate "boundaries" that I've been fighting to set up with various "difficult persons" over the past few weeks (as I was even discussing with my boss yesterday re my "prickles" being up, and that I am resolved to STOP exhausting myself over building bridges that won't ever reach the other side of some chasms), nevertheless I do not like living with myself when I am "feeling" this way, and feel I must do some serious heart-examination....

among other passages, am meditating on Psalm 32, today.

~Pastor, You're Probably Fat~

An appropriate followup to my previous post:

(taken from blog at TheResurgence.com)

http://www.theresurgence.com/youre-probably-fat

Grown Man in a Bib

Was listening last night to a pre-recorded sermon by one of the pastors at my church - the topic of the message was "WORK" - but one illustration reminded me of a conviction I'd had a while back on one particular verse in the Proverbs, so I thought I would share it, here. Especially with the accompanying word picture as described by my pastor in this sermon.

As you may know, the book of Proverbs in the Bible contains many words of wisdom, among which are many discussions about the characteristics of the UNwise, the sluggard, the lazy man. One such verse is Proverbs 19:24 which says:

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again."

Perhaps the word picture here is obvious. Imagine a man slouched in his chair, lethargically plopping his hand to his dinner plate, and drooping over it with a slack expression. He looks up, but just can't quite bring himself to move his hand to bring the food to his mouth. In your mental picture, do you see a fat man?

In the above-referenced sermon, Pastor Raemisch likened this to a grown man in a high chair, wearing a bib and crying "Feed me!" The simple translation of this is, "He's too lazy even to feed himself," which immediately provoked in my mind a mental picture of FAST FOOD.

Ah, yes, now to the point. Because I am utterly dependent - as are most Americans! - on our FAST FOOD culture. Even though the food is usually awful - really awful! - I tell myself I value my time MORE and so I don't plan my meals ahead, I don't do much cooking (because what's the point when you're basically only cooking for yourself?) EVEN THOUGH I LOVE TO COOK!, and I like to do OTHER things with my time (like read, write, visit with friends, STUDY!, journal - "important" things!). I even adopt a disposition of INSISTING I remain free to do what I like with my own time. (hm. more heart idolatry?)

I have had imaginary conversations in my head to the effect of a financial counselor telling me I spend too much on eating out, and me listing off all the reasons why this is a legitimate and even necessary expenditure in my budget!

*****

The long and the short of the matter is this:

I know the good I ought to do, and I'm not doing it. (Scripturally, that makes this a matter of SIN!)

There is biblical evidence (sufficient just with the above-discussed verse) that *I* am a sluggard! I think a lot of my "eating out" could be resolved by simply "dying to self" on the matter of how I spend my TIME! which goes back to previous discussions re being much too busy, etc. (Counterintuitive to think that a sluggard might be otherwise "too busy," huh? But I must consider this!)

So, instead of making new "rules" for myself re eating out, or fast food, or the like - I am praying for a disposition that the Lord would enable me to see my TIME as HIS, and that I will continue to grow in my understanding of how to GUARD MY REST so that I will have the time I NEED for the responsibilities I have. And I am also praying that the Lord will give me the ability to see the PRIORITY of caring for my physical body - such that I will also GUARD MY HEALTH (nutrition, bulking up my immune system, etc.) with intentionality and diligence - instead of squandering it so I can "do what I want when I want!"

Any thoughts/suggestions/responses to these reflections? I'm all ears. ;)
~Leah

I just can't get enuf water.

I think I'm going to have to switch to decaf coffee, too. Not cuz the caffeine is an issue for me, jitters-wise. But I just can't drink enuf water. Does anyone know; does decaf dehydrate as much as regular coffee? Or maybe I'll go back to drinking rooibos teas....mmm....with a bit o' honey? YUMMM. ;)

Tomorrow's the big day! Weigh-in. I'll try to remember to report thereafter with any interesting updates.

Health Challenge - About to Become Official!

Work has set up TWO challenges for us - we can participate in one or the other or both - I'm doing both. The first is a "pool" of money to be divided between all the participants who don't GAIN anything during the challenge. The second is a "pot" of money which will go to the "Biggest Loser" - measuring BMI rather than total pounds. I would like to win BOTH. And I'm up for some tough competition!

But I'm already on a roll - the first big piece is perhaps obvious - EAT OUT LESS OFTEN. I'm becoming a big fan of soup, also - just gotta watch the sodium intake. But even that is a FAR more healthful option than most non-soup meal options - especially when you consider most prepared food is high in sodium ANYway.

Fighting some serious puffiness with respect to both a migraine battle this week and some PCOS related hormone issues (which triggered the migraine). So the second big piece which is also perhaps obvious - DRINK MORE WATER! I have ALWAYS been bad about this. Now not letting myself drink anything - especially coffee - without first drinking at least a full glass of water (ratio of 2 to 1 for coffee).

The "weigh in" for the health challenge at work will be next Tuesday - so the "heavier" I am to start the greater my "advantage" at the start. BUT - I'm not waiting. ;) Will be just that much MORE of a challenge for me, right? But that much more of a reward, too, I believe!

Lord, train my appetites!

~Leah

Health Challenge

Lord, let my BODY begin to reflect on my OUTside the changes you've been making on my INside....

With most of my other previously mentioned health issues being mostly "under new management" (with some PCOS and fatigue related exceptions from time to time), I am preparing to embark on a Health Challenge to tackle my greatest hurdle - my girth.

My employer is preparing to offer a weightloss challenge, the details of which are in the final stages of being hammered out. I am not sure whether this will be a more "equitable" challenge, or a "biggest loser" type challenge. I hope for the latter for greater motivation!

I shall try to keep updates concerning my progress, and the health ramifications thereof.

Any words of encouragement would be much appreciated!! ;)

~Leah

~Gluten: What You Don't Know Might Kill You~

Copied from THIS blog ~ Published on UltraWellness - Your Key to Lifelong Health and Vitality (http://www.ultrawellness.com)

Gluten: What You Don't Know Might Kill You
Something you’re eating may be killing you, and you probably don’t even know it!

If you eat cheeseburgers or French fries all the time or drink six sodas a day, you likely know you are shortening your life. But eating a nice dark, crunchy slice of whole wheat bread -- how could that be bad for you?

Well, bread contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats. It is hidden in pizza, pasta, bread, wraps, rolls, and most processed foods. Clearly, gluten is a staple of the American diet.

What most people don’t know is that gluten can cause serious health complications for many. You may be at risk even if you don’t have full blown celiac disease.

In today’s blog I want to reveal the truth about gluten, explain the dangers, and provide you with a simple system that will help you determine whether or not gluten is a problem for you.

The Dangers of Gluten

A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and "latent" celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancers.(i)

This study looked at almost 30,00 patients from 1969 to 2008 and examined deaths in three groups: Those with full-blown celiac disease, those with inflammation of their intestine but not full-blown celiac disease, and those with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy).

The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.

This is ground-breaking research that proves you don’t have to have full-blown celiac disease with a positive intestinal biopsy (which is what conventional thinking tells us) to have serious health problems and complications -- even death -- from eating gluten.

Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it. They ascribe their ill health or symptoms to something else -- not gluten sensitivity, which is 100 percent curable.

And here’s some more shocking news ...

Another study comparing the blood of 10,000 people from 50 years ago to 10,000 people today found that the incidences of full-blown celiac disease increased by 400 percent (elevated TTG antibodies) during that time period.(ii) If we saw a 400 percent increase in heart disease or cancer, this would be headline news. But we hear almost nothing about this. I will explain why I think that increase has occurred in a moment. First, let’s explore the economic cost of this hidden epidemic.

Undiagnosed gluten problems cost the American healthcare system oodles of money. Dr. Peter Green, Professor of Clinical Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University studied all 10 million subscribers to CIGNA and found those who were correctly diagnosed with celiac disease used fewer medical services and reduced their healthcare costs by more than 30 perecent.(iii) The problem is that only 1 percent of those with the problem were actually diagnosed. That means 99 percent are walking around suffering without knowing it, costing the healthcare system millions of dollars.

And it’s not just a few who suffer, but millions. Far more people have gluten sensitivity than you think -- especially those who are chronically ill. The most serious form of allergy to gluten, celiac disease, affects 1 in 100 people, or 3 million Americans, most of who don’t know they have it. But milder forms of gluten sensitivity are even more common and may affect up to one-third of the American population.

Why haven’t you heard much about this?

Well, actually you have, but you just don’t realize it. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity masquerade as dozens and dozens of other diseases with different names.

Gluten Sensitivity: One Cause, Many Diseases

A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 "diseases" that can be caused by eating gluten.(iv) These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores(v), and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric(vi) and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression(vii), schizophrenia,(viii) dementia(ix), migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage).(x) It has also been linked to autism.(xi)

We used to think that gluten problems or celiac disease were confined to children who had diarrhea, weight loss, and failure to thrive. Now we know you can be old, fat, and constipated and still have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints, digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different "diseases." To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause -- which is often gluten sensitivity -- not just the symptoms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that ALL cases of depression or autoimmune disease or any of these other problems are caused by gluten in everyone -- but it is important to look for it if you have any chronic illness.

By failing to identify gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, we create needless suffering and death for millions of Americans. Health problems caused by gluten sensitivity cannot be treated with better medication. They can only be resolved by eliminating 100 percent of the gluten from your diet.

The question that remains is: Why are we so sensitive to this "staff of life," the staple of our diet?

There are many reasons ...

They include our lack of genetic adaptation to grasses, and particularly gluten, in our diet. Wheat was introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages, and 30 percent of people of European descent carry the gene for celiac disease (HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8), which increases susceptibility to health problems from eating gluten.

American strains of wheat have a much higher gluten content (which is needed to make light, fluffy Wonder Bread and giant bagels) than those traditionally found in Europe. This super-gluten was recently introduced into our agricultural food supply and now has "infected" nearly all wheat strains in America.

To find out if you are one of the millions of people suffering from an unidentified gluten sensitivity, just follow this simple procedure.

The Elimination/Reintegration Diet

While testing can help identify gluten sensivity, the only way you will know if this is really a problem for you is to eliminate all gluten for a short period of time (2 to 4 weeks) and see how you feel. Get rid of the following foods:

• Gluten (barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, wheat, triticale -- see www.celiac.com for a complete list of foods that contain gluten, as well as often surprising and hidden sources of gluten.)
• Hidden sources (soup mixes, salad dressings, sauces, as well as lipstick, certain vitamins, medications, stamps and envelopes you have to lick, and even Play-Doh.)
For this test to work you MUST eliminate 100 percent of the gluten from your diet—no exceptions, no hidden gluten, and not a single crumb of bread.

Then eat it again and see what happens. If you feel bad at all, you need to stay off gluten permanently. This will teach you better than any test about the impact gluten has on your body.

But if you are still interested in testing, here are some things to keep in mind.

Testing for Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease

There are gluten allergy/celiac disease tests that are available through Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics. All these tests help identify various forms of allergy or sensitivity to gluten or wheat. They will look for:

• IgA anti-gliadin antibodies
• IgG anti-gliadin antibodies
• IgA anti-endomysial antibodies
• Tissue transglutaminase antibody (IgA and IgG in questionable cases)
• Total IgA antibodies
• HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genotyping for celiac disease (used occasionally to detect genetic suspectibility).
• Intestinal biopsy (rarely needed if gluten antibodies are positive -- based on my interpretation of the recent study)
When you get these tests, there are a few things to keep in mind.

In light of the new research on the dangers of gluten sensitivity without full blown celiac disease, I consider any elevation of antibodies significant and worthy of a trial of gluten elimination. Many doctors consider elevated anti-gliadin antibodies in the absence of a positive intestinal biopsy showing damage to be "false positives." That means the test looks positive but really isn’t significant.

We can no longer say that. Positive is positive and, as with all illness, there is a continuum of disease, from mild gluten sensitivity to full-blown celiac disease. If your antibodies are elevated, you should go off gluten and test to see if it is leading to your health problems.

So now you see -- that piece of bread may not be so wholesome after all! Follow the advice I’ve shared with you today to find out if gluten may be the hidden cause of your health problems. Simply eliminating this insidious substnace from your diet, may help you achieve lifelong vibrant health.

That’s all for today. Now I’d like to hear from you ...

Are you one of the millions that have been lead to believe gluten is perfectly safe to eat?

How do foods that contain gluten seem to affect you?

What tips can you share with others about eliminating gluten from your diet?

Please let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

References

(i) Ludvigsson JF, Montgomery SM, Ekbom A, Brandt L, Granath F. Small-intestinal histopathology and mortality risk in celiac disease. JAMA. 2009 Sep 16;302(11):1171-8.

(ii) Rubio-Tapia A, Kyle RA, Kaplan EL, Johnson DR, Page W, Erdtmann F, Brantner TL, Kim WR, Phelps TK, Lahr BD, Zinsmeister AR, Melton LJ 3rd, Murray JA. Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 2009 Jul;137(1):88-93

(iii) Green PH, Neugut AI, Naiyer AJ, Edwards ZC, Gabinelle S, Chinburapa V.
Economic benefits of increased diagnosis of celiac disease in a national managed care population in the United States. J Insur Med. 2008;40(3-4):218-28.

(iv) Farrell RJ, Kelly CP. Celiac sprue. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jan 17;346(3):180-8. Review.

(v) Sedghizadeh PP, Shuler CF, Allen CM, Beck FM, Kalmar JR. Celiac disease and recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a report and review of the literature. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2002;94(4):474-478.

(vi) Margutti P, Delunardo F, Ortona E. Autoantibodies associated with psychiatric disorders. Curr Neurovasc Res. 2006 May;3(2):149-57. Review.

(vii) Ludvigsson JF, Reutfors J, Osby U, Ekbom A, Montgomery SM. Coeliac disease and risk of mood disorders--a general population-based cohort study. J Affect Disord. 2007 Apr;99(1-3):117-26. Epub 2006 Oct 6.

(viii) Ludvigsson JF, Osby U, Ekbom A, Montgomery SM. Coeliac disease and risk of schizophrenia and other psychosis: a general population cohort study.
Scand J Gastroenterol. 2007 Feb;42(2):179-85.

(ix) Hu WT, Murray JA, Greenaway MC, Parisi JE, Josephs KA. Cognitive impairment and celiac disease. Arch Neurol. 2006 Oct;63(10):1440-6.

(x) Bushara KO. Neurologic presentation of celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 2005 Apr;128(4 Suppl 1):S92-7. Review.

(xi) Millward C, Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(2):CD003498. Review.

(xii) Green PH, Jabri B. Coeliac disease. Lancet. 2003 Aug 2;362(9381):383-91. Review.


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