Fast track to wellness - Part 1

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I've been away for a while because I finally get to enjoy life in wellness as it should be. Not trying to brag but I discovered something phenomenal that catapulted me into the best health I've had thus far. Really!!! If you've been following me on Social Media, you'll know what I'm talking about. I discovered fasting end of last year. After 6 months at it, I'm ready to give you guys an overview of how my wellness has improved since I added this practice to my mix. You ready to hear? Like many of the healing tools and practices out there, this too may sound extreme. If you've had any eating disorder challenges in the past and find this triggering, please stop reading NOW... and Hugs!  For the rest of you who're curious, here's the condense of how fasting has taken my health to another new level. Let me tell you how it seemed to have reset my body and even lessened my food sensitivity.

It all started with me catching a bit of stomach bug from my kid few days before Christmas, it wasn't a big deal, but with our Hawaii trip just around the corner, I wanted to be in tip-top shape for the travels. Afterall this was the first family vacay where I was in full remission. The timing must have been right as that's when I dove deep into the philosophy of a Toronto based Nephrologist, Dr. Jason Fung  Have you heard of him?

Few years ago, when I was still having gut symptoms, I used to find a bowel rest helpful to let my digestion take a break so my body can focus on any repair it needed, I found this after my first colonoscopy, which involved some form of fasting to prep for it, or at least no solid food, my UC got a lot better. That was also why I didn't jump on the medicine right away.

So back to my fasting beginning, on Dec 20, I was really feeling the holiday sluggishness on top of hormonal imbalances too, being a peri-meno woman is always fun, right?  By Xmas eve, the stomach bug really hit me hard, I was feeling fatigued and stomach cramps.

Timing and intuition. Something inside told me to look into fasting seriously, so I did more research on what Dr. Fung has on the internet, skimmed through one of his books, The Obesity Code, and learned more about how to feel better during fasting. That's when things started turning around. I began a water only fast, actually right through Christmas dinner. Yes, you heard right. I was feeling so amazing that even being around all the holiday food didn't tempt me a bit. Crazy right?

I continued to feel better, lighter and more mental clarity on an alternate day fasting schedule after Christmas and all through my family vacation in Hawaii.

Being in Hawaii was, of course, something else. I'm sure anyone would experience a boost in healing being on an island filled with sunshine, fresh produces and of course the R and R. This was a pretty special trip where I was able to enjoy carefreely, for the first time while away from home, I seriously left my worries behind. I used to always have this hold on me, reservation keeping me from being in the moment. This time was different, was it because of my recent remission news or was it from the fasting the reset my entire body? The fasting practice became quite natural and easy. The most remarkable thing was my food sensitivities seemed to have subsided. I was able to have caffeine like coffee and tea, even tomatoes. Wow! With all the liquids I have to consume during fasting, plain water got boring fast. I added a splash of ACV ( apple cider vinegar)  to help with electrolytes and to add a little flavour but one morning, I decided to try some weak green tea... I waited for the usual effects from the past, jitters, mild heart race and generally out of sort... but it never came? Hmm... what has this fasting thing done to my body? I was intrigued. Next step, I decided to try some really diluted black coffee, while in Kona why not? Again, I waited... no effects? even when I had it in the afternoon. Perhaps by consuming the coffee black had something to do with it. Could it be my body has reset to neutral?

My body continued to lean out further, but this time I wasn't wasting away like when I lost weight from my UC flares. I noticed more muscle definition from all the TRX class I had been going to. It was like BAM the layer of security fat just melted away and HELLO muscles. Or a better description might be the layer of inflammation has disappeared.  I got super excited about learning all that I can about fasting.  I devoured the books and listened and watched to any podcast/ youtube I could get hands on. The alternate day 24 hrs fast was pretty easy to follow, I was eating lunch and dinner one day, the next I would only eat dinner. No problem.

When I returned home, I hopped on the scale and was shocked to see that I had dropped 10 lbs since I started my fasting practice. That was 2 1/2 weeks.

Did I regain the weight?

I've lost a few more lbs and now below my original goal weight. Now, my focuses are continue to swap body fat for muscles, improving stamina and just plain ol' building a STRONGER me.

Stay tuned for more about fasting

For more info on fasting check out these links

What is Fasting?

The Calorie Deception

Why wasn't Keto working anymore?

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A few years after starting keto, I got to a point in my health where I thought life was pretty good, my gut was under control,  I even got the word from my GI that my UC was actually in remission, I was ecstactic to hear of course, especially when I never imagined it would happen to me.

But by the Fall of 2017, Even with some peri-meno weight gain slowly creeping up lb by lb, I was still in a healthy weight.  But besides vanity getting to me, I knew that I can better my health to yet another level. Already feeling stronger is great. Am I just putting on muscle weight? No, I wasn't, my clothes were getting tighter. What to do? I have to admit that I was bothered by weight gain, but in comparison to how sick I was, I felt that I shouldn't focus on my body size. I should focus on how I felt but I knew I could feel better like have more energy and improve my mental sharpness.

So how do I get there? I thought keto was going to take me there. What's missing? A few years back, I slid fairly effortlessly from AIP to Wahls Paleo Plus a couple years ago. Check out my post about this transition. I increased my fat intake and cut down on my carbs, you know, the Low Carb High Fat rage? But even after I became fat adapted ( that's when I was mainly burning fat as fuel instead of glucose ), I thought I was supposed to continue eating a whole lot of fat whenever and where ever. My initial quick drop in weight slowed down and eventually stopped, then it was going back up. What gives?

So I let my way of eating go into autopilot and started increasing my exercise. I took up TRX classes at my local community center, push past some fears of stirring up old injuries and definitely gaining more strength and muscle tone. Yay!

By the end of the year, I discovered an amazing wellness tool that helped reset my body in more ways that weight set point ( the comfort zone in weight my body likes to hang out at). This tool is fasting. But this post is not about that. While learning how fasting can improve insulin resistance, I had my Ah-a moment... my biggest Keto mistake.

Too many Bulletproof drinks

All the rage about fatty drinks to extend Intermitent fasting periods apparently didn't work for me. Adding fats into my drink means I was still supplying my body with fuel. Bingo! I was consuming way too many fatty drinks throughout the day, when there's a surplus of fat being provided to the body as fuel, my body didn't need to tap into its own reserves, stored fat, for fuel. Check this link to learn more about Who needs to avoid fat bombs.

Now I also learned that fatty drinks were actually fasting crutches, some people might do fine having them but for my body, it didn't work.

Too much protein

Yup, apparently the body can turn extra protein into fat " Any protein eaten in excess needs to be converted to glucose or fat for storage" Check out this link to learn more about How much protein is excessive?  Now, when I eat, I always start with my veggies, before I dig into the protein. I always make sure I have enough fats on my plate too. Fattier meat cuts and of course avocados. Smoked Sardines or Oysters in Olive oil are also my fav quick protein to add to big salads.

So glad I've found the balance of what works for me now with the introduction of fasting in my routine. Stay tuned for more post on that to come.

How about you? Have you run into some keto stalls? How did you get past them?

Golden Healing Broth

Yup, I'm someone with mobile joints which means I can get injured easily. My challenge is to find an exercise that will strengthen the muscles to support my joints. It's been a battle trying to find ways of pushing myself just hard enough but not too much. I've been slowly getting stronger from my TRX class and even added heavier plates onto my free weights at home. So there's progress, but when I landed funny from the cardio portion in class, I heard a snap in my knee. Uh-Oh! it sounded bad. Luckily I had my essential oils with me, I immediately applied the first bottle I grabbed - Frankincense on it and eased up the rest of the class. The swelling appeared in the evening. The next day, I got in to see my chiropractor, he implied that it would take a while to heal - 6 weeks. Yikes! The adjustment helped set things into place but I know from experience that torn ligament takes time to heal. Unlike past injuries, this time I didn't wait. I did all the things to support the healing, I iced it daily, made some Golden Healing Broth with turmeric and applied my NHP ( Natural Health Products ) essential oils that can " help relieve joint or muscle pain associated with sprains, strains & rheumatoid arthritis." Did you know that there are over 30 Young Living essential oils and products approved by Health Canada as Natural Health Products? Helichrysum, Lemongrass, Celery Seed, the ones I used for my knee, are just three of many NHP you can use as natural alternative remedy to support your wellness. I was wowed by how quickly things improved. The swelling came down and seriously no pain! All I felt was weakness around the knee but pretty darn good compared to the day before. When I posted my quick and easy anti-inflammatory Golden Healing Broth on Instagram, many people asked if I've posted the recipe, so here it is.

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To learn more about Young Living's Natural Remedies Guide click HERE

To see all of the Young Living's Natural Health Products click HERE

NHP FAQ
To learn how to order your own pure essential oils click HERE or contact me, I'll help you.

Makes 2 servings     Prep time 5 mins      

Ingredients

• 2 cups bone broth (see recipe HERE)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped 
• 1-2 tbsp ginger,  peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut concentrate/ aka coconut manna
• Salt to taste 

Instructions

1. In a pot over medium heat, bring bone broth to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer
2. Add garlic, ginger to bone broth and let simmer for 2-3 minutes
3. Remove from heat and pour into high speed blender like a Vitamix, THIS is the one I have
4. Add turmeric, coconut manna, parsley to blender
5. Blend at low to med speed until smooth, for 30 secs*
6. Pour and serve

* Make sure your blender can take hot liquids and be careful not to burn yourself 


ENJOY

AIP/ Paleo/ Keto No Bake Crustless "Cheese"cake

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Hey Summer Babies, Happy Birthday! Are you scratching your heads about finding a compliant cake for your celebration? Try my No Bake Crustless "Cheese" Cake. It's a solo serving but you can easily do the math and multiply to serve the number of people coming to your party. 

Makes 1 servings     Prep time 10 mins       Set time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1/2 c coconut milk divided into two 1/4c, I used this one
• 1 tsp grass fed gelatin, I use this one
• 2 tbsp coconut concentrate ( aka. Coconut Manna), I make my own but you can use this one
• 1/4 c hot water
• Optional1/8 tsp vanilla powder or compliant vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Optional: your choice of compliant sweetener to taste
• 2 drops of lime extract or if you're in the United States, 2 drops of Young Living Lime Vitality

( Please note that internal use of essential oils is not recommended by Health Canada ) 

Instructions

1. In a bowl, bloom gelatin in 1/4 c coconut milk for 5 mins
2. Mix coconut concentrate ( manna) with the other 1/4 c coconut milk until smooth
3. Pour hot water into bloomed gelatin coconut milk mixture and stir well
4. Stir in Lime flavouring, vanilla and sweetener if you choose to
5. Pour mixture into Mason Jar and let set in fridge ( around 2 hours) 
6. Top with your favourite fruit and serve

Enjoy