A Health Thinking Day

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. The high got to 15C and the temperature is 11C this morning. Today is to be a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 14C. Beautiful fall weather. 

Lifestyle

It turned out it was all about my health yesterday. It was "ignore everything else" day. It was time to bring my health back into a primary focus rather than a secondary one. It became a deep thinking day for me. 

Health

Yesterday morning I had the worst IBS attack in a very long time. It was a combination of many things and I had to work through the causes quickly so I won't have this again. 

• Stress/anxiety/panic - I've had all three trying to meet deadlines this month. It has resulted in jaw clenching, worrying, and over focusing on getting the jobs done. 
• Over eating - too much too often. Stress does this to me and it isn't good for IBS. 
• Sugar - It's a good medium for growing things. I have had too much sugar lately. 
• Carbonated drinks - I've had my fair share. Pop and carbonated water. 
• Caffeine - coffee, tea, and dark colored pops. All on the list of what not to drink. 
• Grains - particularly wheat has been on the menu for every meal. 

I made myself go to Weight Watchers yesterday which was probably was the final straw for the attack. I self talked the whole way there and was shaking when I opened the door to enter. There were no problems. They started me over again at Week 1, were very friendly, and didn't pressure me to stay. I left there feeling 100% better than when I arrived. I will be back again next week. 

Next I went shopping and started to get foods I need to heal. Items like rice crackers, plain water, and other foods that I know I can eat. As I shopped, I decided that I would be following this regime.

• 1 cup of coffee a day. Tea will be peppermint to help calm my stomach. 
• Sugar is all but eliminated. I can have two of my low point cookies a night. 
• Carbonated drinks are off the list. Plain water with lemon or lime Mio can be had. Mio may be off the list also due to the artificial sweetener in it. 
• Small meals with a couple of rice crackers in the afternoon if I'm hungry. 
• Less wheat/grain. I looked at gluten free pasta yesterday and put it back on the shelf. It has corn flour in it. I will eat rice when I make pasta for the Spousal Unit. Bread is cut back to 1 slice a day. 
• Monitor for more triggers (food and situations) and eliminate from lifestyle.
• Remove as much stress as possible from my life. 

Following what I set out to do was hard as my body was craving sugar in the afternoon. I was hungry as I ate less at meal time. But, I forced myself to think about my health and getting better. While shopping, I gave myself permission to have a day off and do nothing at home. I bought a book to read and read I did. 

No sewing. No knitting. Just reading. 

Today

I have to do a bit of housework and it will be back to the sewing room to work on the bag for daughter. There will be no knitting tonight as I'm enjoying my book. I have to watch what I eat so I can continue healing my gut and loose weight. 

Until the next time................................