Keep that Switch Flipped to Positive

Today, I re-read the first two chapters of The O2 Diet and was reminded to keep "My Switch Flipped". What Keri Glassman means by this is that I need to keep my focus on what I am building (vibrant health inside and out) versus what I am get rid of (fat, wrinkles, pimples, etc). This concept is what drew me to The O2 Diet in the first place, and it totally resonates with what I KNOW to be true, but it is so easy to stay focused on what I don't like about myself and the parts of myself I want to get rid of. This kind of self criticism is de-motivating, counterproductive and NOT how I want to spend the moments of my life. And Soooo...
time to re-focus:

Today I choose to FEED myself in nurturing and positive ways as I continually create my health:

Drink more lemon water
Make sure I eat my healthy morning and afternoon snacks of fruits, vegies and raw nuts (skipping them results in getting too hungry leading me to eat too much at once or make unhealthy choices)
Add more herbs and spices to my meals (so easy to forget that marjoram, oregano, tumeric. Got the cinnamon handled: it goes in my teas, coffees, almond butter toast and yogurt every day!)
Nourish my skin excellent cleansing.
Take a few moments for myself (despite my husband's continual asking "have you fed the cats, gotten the mail, done the laundry, changed the catbox, called the tax accountant, blah blah blah) in a very busy day.
Do something nice for someone else

Now...for some more of that lemon water!

Namaste!
Lisa

Spine-Safe Boot Camp SUCCESS!!!

We've had 3 extremely productive boot camps and are thrilled with our patients' responses. Everyone is sore (including me!), but we've worked with both healthy individuals and people with pain (including backs, necks, wrists, knees and ankles) to perform essential muscle strengthening in ways that won't injure them!

Dr. Lisa and I are looking forward to keeping up with our Boot Camp fun, but we need your help. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We're always open to suggestions to improve our office.

As always, be happy ... be healthy ... and enjoy the sunshine!!!

~Dr. David

Spine Safe Boot Camp Sunday, March 28 at 1 pm

Spine Safe Boot Camp Sunday, March 28 at 1 pm

Come on over to Monta Vista Family Chiropractic at 21730 Stevens Creek Blvd, Suite 102, Cupertino, CA for a great spinally safe exercise class. Dr. David Saber will be leading a lower extremity (butt and legs), core (aka ABS) and low back class today. Expect to learn perfect form to avoid injury while doing exercises tailored to your capabilities and designed to challenge you! No matter what your level of fitness, you will feel like you have had an effective workout but you won't be injured! YAY!

Dr. Saber and I are sick and tired of seeing patients injured in boot camps doing UNSAFE exercises led by undereducated instructors. Come learn from a chiropractor who is expert in the biomechanics of your spine and musculoskeletal system!

$20 is the low price of the class and allows you to bring a friend!
Bring a mat, a towel and water.

21730 Stevens Creek Blvd, Suite 102, Cupertino, CA

Wow. WOw. WOW!!!

Today got off to an amazing start. Three women in the gym came up to me this morning and asked if I had lost weight and told me I look great. These are ladies I have seen working out at the same time in the morning for over 10 years. One lady got up close, studied my face and said "your skin looks so much younger! And rested! You look like you have changed your diet. Our food shows up on our skin, you know!" Now these are people I don't know well enough to have blabbed about the O2 with. They were just taking the time to express their observations! And that was just at the gym. Then I got to work. Several of my patients today (and earlier this week for that matter) said "you look GREAT"! I did not get this many complements after my plastic surgery in August which I made NO attempt to hide from anyone. And let me tell ya, my AMAZING plastic surgeon, Dr. Seung Kim in Palo Alto, did a fantastic and very natural job.

So after some pretty interesting moments today, I got on the scale, and lo and behold, I have lost yet another pound! yep: 129! Good Grief!! I feel like I am eating 3 good meals a day, fruit and nut snack in the morning, vegie and nuts as my afternoon snack, and more fruit or a glass of wine at night. Oh yeah, and I CERTAINLY have 1/2 oz dark chocolate every day. This eating lifestyle is sustainable, healthy, and effective!

I am so glad I read about The O2 Diet by Keri Glassman in Women's Health magazine, got the book and embarked on this lifestyle. It is AWESOME!

Spring Spirit: Outdoors and Injuries

I am totally digging this spring weather here in California (sorry to those of you who are still slugging through cold, snow and rain), and I am inspired to get outside, hike, garden, exercise and cook with all the new spring vegetables and fruits showing up in the markets!

This Spring Spirit has prompted me at add two sidebars to the blog: My favorite hikes (once again, sorry if you aren't in the Bay Area of CA) and Recipe of the Day. Check them out!

The confounding thing about getting into the garden and onto the trail is the rate of injury to those muscles, joints and tendons that spent the winter in hibernation. Over the past two weeks, we have seen tons of painful low backs, overused wrists and elbows, strained knees.

So here are a few tips that apply to ALL sports including hiking and gardening. And YES! Gardening is a SPORT!

KEY TIP #1: "Warm" your muscles and joints BEFORE engaging in exercise and gardening. To "warm", do some fast walking either in place or around your yard or block for 5 minutes. Roll your shoulders, make circles with your wrists, ankles, knees.

KEY TIP #2: Stretch AFTER not BEFORE exercise! Always hold stretches for 10-20 seconds. Shorter than that does not allow muscles to release. Longer than that can cause microfibers within the muscles and tendons to burst.

KEY TIP #3: Stretch the parts you have used: If you have been gardening, stretch your shoulders, back, forearms. If you have been hiking, biking or running, stretch your back, shoulders, calves, thighs (back and front). If you have been weight lifting, stretch the muscles you just worked.

KEY TIP #4: HYDRATE! Take water on the trail, to the gym, to the garden.

KEY TIP #5: COME TO SPINE SAFE BOOT CAMP! 60 minutes of a workout that is tailored to YOUR body and YOUR abilities taught by Dr. Saber or Dr. Stein. Sundays 1-2 pm. RSVP by Friday at noon: 408-255-2592. $20 will admit you and a friend. CLASS SIZE IS VERY LIMITED!

Cut the carbs! (At least the bad ones.)

So, I apologize in advance to the loyal Dr. Lisa followers out there. This is Dr. David, and I wanted to write a short blog entry in the same vein as Dr. Lisa's journaling of her experience as she changes her eating style in accordance with Keri Glassman's The O2 Diet.

There are a few reasons I'm not following The O2 Diet. I don't want to say that I'm lazy, per se ... just that I'm 27. I'm a boy. At 6 feet in height, I weigh 165 lbs. I'm not looking to lose weight, and I haven't quite lost that immortality complex from my youth. Also, after coming in from San Francisco for a weekend of partying with my friends, the last thing I want to do is pre-plan my meals. Call that lazy if you want, but I'm being realistic. (Although, having said all that, I'm SUPREMELY grateful to have access to Dr. Lisa's knowledge of the O2 Diet and nutrition in general to help guide me as I start my new healthy eating plan.)

My plan came from a couple years ago, while in chiropractic school. I'm a biochemist by training (worked in a research lab for 3 years before moving here), so I had a decent handle on the effects of different foods on the body. What I didn't realize until my nutrition class was the effects of sugar and starchy foods on the body's hormones and immune system. I figured eating refined foods in moderation was ok, right? WRONG. Our bodies, quite simply, were never designed to eat such highly processed foods with such regularity. Table sugar and flour don't exist in nature. When you eat them, your blood sugar spikes, followed by your insulin levels. Insulin works to clear sugar from your blood. This causes 3 major problems: drastic drop in blood sugar levels (causing the afternoon crash), increase in whole-body inflammation levels (which increases your risk for heart disease and cancer), and when done consistently, desensitizes your body to the insulin hormone (e.g. type II diabetes). I don't want to sound melodramatic, and yes ... it is possible to eat a processed-food diet and not develop any of those conditions, but it's also possible to smoke every day of your life and not get lung cancer. Doesn't mean you're not increasing your risk.

Thoroughly scared? I know I was. So I endeavored to eliminate starch and sugar, and I can tell you first hand: it sucks. No pasta, no bread, no potatoes, no ketchup, etc. What the hell is a midwest boy supposed to eat?!? And FORGET about going out. Have you ever had 4 workers at Panera look at you like a total alien? If you haven't, just ask them which of their salad dressings don't have any sugar. (I'll make it easy for you and spare you the 5 minute searching with the manager through their binder of nutritional information: The Greek and the Cobb salad.)

The cravings are a nightmare ... for the first week. But after that, you don't really feel like eating those things anymore. And after a month, anything sugary like ice cream, brownies, or cheesecake sound entirely revolting. I'm going to pop in and share my 2 cents from time to time. I've been off the white stuff (my label for sugar, refined grains, white potatoes, and white rice) for a week and a half now, and I have to say, I feel SPECTACULAR. Wake up earlier with more energy that I have consistently throughout the day. My overall sensation of hunger has decreased. (No more waking up starving.)

Keep in mind, I am NOT on a low-carb diet. Or anything as prescriptive/restricted as the South Beach Diet. I'm just trying to eat very healthy most of the time while incorporating reasonable levels of exercise. And if a 27-year-old without a care in the world can do it, so can you.

~Dr. David

Sooo Good and So Very Very Bad

I think I got a little over confident after last Friday's weigh in. Although I had some fabulous hikes over the weekend, they certainly did NOT work off the UNCONSCIOUS INDULGENCE I got myself into last night at Kate's kick off BBQ! It all started with the blood orange juice margaritas. MMM. those were a little too good. I had TWO and they were NOT weak! That lowered my inhibitions to the point that having FIVE ribs, asparagus, mushrooms (ok, those were fine) and a bit of tabouli salad (ok, not so bad there, either) AND a LARGE slice of lemon tart with blackberries and whipped cream seemed perfectly reasonable. Sooooo good. and soooo bad!

Fortunately, as if reading my mind, this morning Keri Glassman posted on her FB page a detox remedy: no sugar or salt today, have a lemon water before each meal and eat some kale and blueberries today. Just another day to get back in the saddle. Giddy-up!

Still a Loser!!!! And a Winner!

OMG! I cannot believe I have lost another half pound! I am now 130.5 lbs. lordy! I had 2 glasses of wine on St Patty's Day and have had 1/2 oz dark chocolate daily along with all my other meals and snacks. I keep the grainy carb to one serving in the morning and 2 fruit carbs daily. Whoo hoo! Also, I have been omitting another cheat on this blog: I sometimes have a tsp of honey in my tea!!!!! This diet is SOOOOOO working for me.

And here is some exciting news: my skin is getting really clear! whoo hoo! THis is a BIG DEAL for me. Now, I must say that I am in perimenopause, and my acne has always been triggered by my menses. I have not had a period since Jan 14. This may be part of the explanation. We'll see how this goes.

I have not started using any of Keri's natural skin care recipes mostly cuz once I buy the food I want to eat it rather than smear it on my face. I'm kinda food obsessed. Once I see those plump glowy blueberries or that voluptuous avocado, I can't smear it on my face. I gotta pop em in my mouth!

Toodaloo!

Artichoke-Basil-Lemon-Pistachio Pesto

For this super yummy, easy and high ORAC pesto, I started with Keri Glassman's Lemon Artichoke Pesto stuffed chicken recipe which is AMAZING. (it's on her website www.nutritiouslife.com and in The O2 Diet book)

I tweaked it cuz I had leftover spinach, no walnuts but lots of raw shelled pistachios.

Into a food processor or blender toss
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 bunch of basil leaves
1 can of water packed artichoke hearts
1 tsp of crushed garlic
fresh grated lemon peel of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 small handfuls of raw shelled pistachios
1 oz of grated parmesan
2 T extra virgin olive oil
dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne

Pulse until you have achieved the texture you like. I like it when the pistachios are still a little crunchy, but for some applications, you might like it smoother.

adjust seasonings such as lemon juice and garlic and cayenne to taste.

Great on everything from chicken breasts to eggs to pasta to acorn squash or spread on an open faced sandwich! Also stir it into soups or shake up with more lemon juice and olive oil for a salad dressing!

Super Easy, Fast and Yummy high ORAC Fish

Super Easy, Fast and Yummy high ORAC Fish.

One of my dearest oldest friends, Kathy Tavitian, taught be this dish last night, and she, being the super busy career woman she is, has very little time for cooking.

Take any fish filet you like: Snapper, cod, salmon, tilapia and divide into serving size pieces.
Place on sheet of foil about 3 times the size of the fish.
Dollop salsa plentifully on top. If you are in Phase III of the O2 Diet, add a tablespoon of grated cheese to the top.
Crimp the foil edges, sealing the fish in a little packet.
Bake at 375 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of fish.

VOILA!

P.S. you can slice some carrots and broccoli and add to packet if you like
serve with a salad.

Mangia!

That Conniving Little Voice

Last Friday I weighed in at 131 again, so I have maintained my 10 pound weight loss! Whoo Hoo! I haven't been this weight since I was about 31! I am really liking this weight. I feel pretty---dare I say---hopeful about maintaining this weight by keeping my evening munchies under control to one of my two daily servings of fruit and by really being prepared for my meals and snacks, even if "being prepared" means going to a restaurant and pre-planning what I am going to have. Well, let's be honest here, I am going to have to pay close attention to that little voice that constantly wants to sneak honey into my tea, whipped cream onto my strawberries, a handful of granola at night. That little voice is sneaky. Clever. Manipulative. Must. be. corralled and channeled into other forms of pleasure: reading, massage, exercise, a bath. yada yada. Like I EVER took a bath when I was craving sugar. Uh HUH. NOT!!!!!!

I believe that Keri Glassman has suggested a mere TWO "Conscious Indulgences" per week, but I have one every single day. So far, I have not paid the price in weight gain. Every day I have about 1/2 ounce of dark chocolate in one form or another. On the weekends I might ALSO have a glass of wine which means on some days I have TWO Conscious Indulgences! Call me lucky that so far I have maintained a good weight with this strategy. I think I have a pretty fast metabolism AND I have an active job and exercise 6 days per week, so perhaps I can hold onto this weight through these peri-menopausal years with controlled Conscious Indulgences.

So, if any of you are confused about what the Phase III and beyond O2 Lifestyle daily regimen is, I believe it is supposed to work out something like this:

Breakfast:
2/3 c to 1c of nonfat dairy or eggs (1yolk, 2-3 whites)
1 serving whole grain carb OR 1 fruit
green tea
spice or herb (ie cinnamon w/ dairy or oregano w/egg)
lemon water

Snack:
1 serving fruit or 1 serving vegetable
8 nuts or some avocado
tea and or lemon water

Lunch:
3-4 oz Lean protein
vegetables ie steamed or salad with herb/spice
fat serving ie 2 tsp olive oil
lemon water

Snack:
1 serving fruit or 1 serving vegetable
8 nuts or some avocado
OR Power Snack: 2/3-1 c nonfat dairy and 1/2-1 serving fruit
tea and or lemon water

Dinner
3-4 oz Lean protein
vegetables ie steamed or salad with herb/spice
fat serving ie 2 tsp olive oil
lemon water

One can insert either one additional grain OR one additional fruit (for a max of one serving grain plus two servings fruit OR one serving fruit and two servings grain) I routinely take one serving grain and 2 servings fruit. I like the fruit better, plus they provide more ORAC points!

Twice per week:
conscious indulgence
ie 1/2 oz dark chocolate
1 glass red wine (5 oz)

Hypo or Hyper?

It is Thursday, March 11, and I have finally returned to eating the O2 Lifestyle way without much gastrointestinal irritation. My final hurdle is the breakfast meal. I was having plan hot oatbran cereal for the last 10 days or so, unable to digest anything more complicated than that first thing in the morning (meaning no nuts, nonfat milk, fruit, coffee, green tea, etc). Today I tried my favorite weekday breakfast of 1 slice of 7 grain bread with 2 tsp unsalted almond butter. MISTAKE! I had a lot of indigestion (can we say BURPING?) for the next hour. Thank God most of that was spent driving to work and not with my patients! I don't think anyone wants their chiro burping in their face! Snacks, lunch and dinner are all ok, and I can manage green tea, as well.

My last dose of prilosec was Monday, March 8. I have not noticed a difference since going off of it, so I see no reason to continue for the full 14 days (took it for 6) as I don't want my gastric acid production shut off long term. That can't be good. Now I am seriously wondering if my problem is not increased gastric acid as much as low gastric acid. The symptoms are remarkably similar: indigestion, burping, nausea. Increased gastric acid can cause heartburn, but low acid does not. I don't have heartburn. So I am trying a little vinegar on or with my meals to see if the extra acid helps. If it worsens my symptoms, I will stop. Any one else have any feedback? In the meantime, I will continue with ginger, cinnamon and tumeric all of which aid gastric function and fight H. Pylori Bacter, a common culprit in gastric problems.

Anyone out there have any ideas?

Oscars, Red Hots and Junior Mints: strategies for coping with the Devil

Just read Keri Glassman's FB page today and was reminded how important it is to have my snacks and meals pre-planned, and when possible, prepped to take to work, etc. If I don't do this, I am far more likely to skip a snack or even possibly a meal (often this is lunch on the weekends) which leads me to, you guessed it, justify some poor choices at dinner or after, ie, a dessert AND some wine, etc). I do really well when I have my lunches and dinners made ahead to take to work (I eat dinner at the end of my work shift before I get home because I have a long commute and I don't get home until 8 pm. Since I go to bed at 9:30 pm, that does not leave enough time to digest my dinner, contributing to acid indigestion. Besides, I am ravenous by 6:45 pm when I am done with my last patient.) I am even good about pre-planning and packing my morning and afternoon snacks during the work week. If I am going out to dinner or lunch, I am careful to select restaurants that serve salad and lean protein such as fish or sashimi and seaweed salad. I avoid Indian restaurants as it is really hard to eat lean protein and steamed or raw vegetables in those establishments. I also avoid Pizza places and all fast food. That's no big sacrifice for me, as I have long avoided all of those.

Strangely enough, I have the hardest time with my weekend lunches. I am usually at home, and I just don't feel like preparing a salad with protein or steamed vegetables and protein, and I don't eat carbs at lunch EVER! as they make me drowsy so sandwiches and wraps are OUT. My brilliant new idea is to make a big batch of soup on Wednesdays so I can easily heat it up on the weekends as well as take it to work. I know, I know, there are a lot of decent canned soups out there, but I like to make soup, and my own are better. Furthermore, if I am going to be running errands on the weekend and missing lunch at home, I can just tuck a thermos of soup into my car ahead of time. Expect to see more soup recipes on this blog in the future!

So last night I went to an Oscar's Party. I had a glass of white wine, and it did no harm to my tummy (Yay!), but then out came the "movie snacks": little bowls of Red Hots, Junior Mints, Milk Duds and fresh popped popcorn on each table. After my delicious and nutritious dinner of grilled salmon atop a bed of steamed vegies, I could not keep my hands out of those little devils. My old hand to mouth, nonstop snacking addiction, took over, and I must have had 30 Red Hots!

NOTE TO SELF: keep the tempting little buggers out of my visual range! I could have moved away from the table where the snacks were (my table mates wanted them on the table, so I could not kindly remove them), and that is a strategy I will have to employ in the future!

But, as the brilliant and optimistic Keri Glassman says on today's FB page, every meal is like a Monday morning, a chance to eat a nutritious meal. And today IS Monday, and I am off to a good start! Here is to a nutritious dinner and fresh blueberries for a snack tonight!

Gobble gobble

Vegetarian Artichoke Heart Vegetable Soup

Dr. Lisa's Artichoke Heart Vegetable Soup (vegetarian)

This soup is quick, easy, inexpensive, low cal and a full meal with 9,500 ORAC points per serving! Great for lunch or dinner on a chilly day!

4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder (more to taste if you like spicy!)
1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped cauliflower
1 c. sliced crimini mushrooms
1 c water packed artichoke hearts, drained
1 c. diced canned tomatoes, drained
1 can black eyed peas, drained
1 package frozen asparagus tips
1 cup kale, cut in thin strips
8 oz white wine
chopped pistachios

spray a nonstick skillet with some canola oil or melt 1 tsp butter over medium heat. add apple, onion, mushrooms and cauliflower. saute until onions golden. meanwhile, pour the vegetable broth in a large soup pot, add all the spices and bring to simmer. add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, black eyed peas. when sauted vegetable mixture is golden, add those to the soup pot.
add the frozen asparagus tips and kale. watch the soup. when the asparagus is bright green and tender, add the white wine. take off heat.

ladle into bowls and top with 10 chopped pistachios per serving
Makes 6 servings
9500 ORACs per serving

Success with Green Tea

Feeling better day by day. Today I had 2 cups of green tea without irritating my tummy. That's good news. Still better stay away from coffee, though. Can't believe I am getting used to life with so little caffeine!

Now, to try inventing some artichoke chicken soup!
Don't even think I'll post the recipe until after Keri Glassman's recipe contest is over! hahahaha!

OMG--I forgot that my "pampering" for completing 32 days is a new bikini. Maybe I will go try some on tomorrow.......Whoo hoo!

32 days: 10 pounds down

Since today is Friday, I decided to weigh in. 131.5 So I gained a pound since Tuesday which is, in my mind, a good thing. I think my best weight is between 130 and 135, and I feel confident I can stay at that level while eating Phase III of the O2 Diet. Being sick with the tummy thing has certainly curtailed my coffee habit. Wine, too! And I know I can only have a tiny amount of chocolate: a half ounce every few days. When one has increased gastric acid production, one is not supposed to eat 2 hours before going to bed, or one pays a price in a big way, so there goes any temptation of nighttime snacking--my pre O2 Diet downfall.

Now my challenge is, as I start to feel better, resume eating a little MORE! I have had to eat minimal breakfast (only 1/2 hot oatbran with cinnamon and NOTHING else), small lunch: greens and thoroughly cooked protein, tinier dinner: chicken vegetable soup with only a few raw pecans as snack in between. I have not felt up to fruit and only a little big of plain non fat yogurt, so this weekend, I will try some low acid fruit, like berries, and a little more yogurt. Still dubious about the green tea's effect on my tummy. Wine and all things alcoholic are FEARSOME!

In the meantime, Keri Glassman has put forth a recipe challenge on her Nutritious Life Facebook page, and I intend to enter! I am going to experiment with some soups. And I have an idea for an O2 acceptable phase III Tart!

Will keep you posted on the recipe experiments.

All in all, I lost 10 pounds on the O2 Diet over 32 days, although the last 5 days of the diet I was a bit sick.

Cayenne and Ginger and Tumeric, Oh My!

And there is more: Capsaicin in cayenne increases production of the protective mucosal barrier of the stomach lining; both garlic and ginger fight H. Pylori Bacter, a bacteria that causes many ulcers, and Tumeric reduces acidity of the stomach lining.

So far, I am finding lots of great spices to consume to speed my healing and get off the Prilosec! Yay!

Instead of Green Tea, I'll be drinking ginger-cinnamon tea for awhile! And NO problem adding cayenne and tumeric and marjoram to my foods.

P.S. my oh my, this 130 lb status is a bit too thin, I think. I may be alone in this opinion, but I believe 52 year old women look better with a bit of softness and bodyfat. While I am not gaunt or skeletal, I don't want to lose one more ounce. Gaining a couple of pounds would be just fine;-)

Medicinal roles for cinnamon and marjoram! Hurray!

I just read that cinnamon helps to normalize the stomach lining and regulate gastric acid production! Furthermore, marjoram, a very high ORAC value relative of oregano, combats H. Pylori! http://www.healthyfellow.com/316/herbs-and-spices-of-life/

Guess what I am loading up on??

Human Test Tube

Got into see a doc who, based on my history, ruled out bacterial or parasitic infection (no fever or diarrhea) and gallstones (no sharp abdominal pain) and presumes I have viral enteritis (viral flu in the GI tract) and elevated gastric acid production. Rather than performing diagnostic tests to rule out H. Pylori Bacter, she wants me to take 2 weeks worth of prilosec to eliminate the symptoms of belching and sour stomach. I have reluctantly consented to do this, although I am not real keen on the insurance-influenced approach of treat first with OTC drugs that the patient pays for, run more costly diagnostics later if and only if the drugs don't work. In other words, my body is the test tube. What is worse in this scenario is that the Prilosec WILL mask the symptoms of belching and sour tummy because it WILL decrease the production of my gastric acid, but how does that affect my overall digestion and absorption of nutrients?? I will do this for 2 weeks only and if the symptoms recur, I'll go to my regular doctor and insist on at least some stool and blood testing.

While at the medical clinic, I also learned that my weight dropped to 130! Good grief! I have not weighed this little in YEARS. I can't attribute this recent weight loss to The O2 Diet, though. This is all about being afraid to eat much of anything. I CERTAINLY don't want to drop any more pounds, so I just ate a "power snack" of plain nonfat yogurt and some strawberries with a little drizzle of chocolate. Perhaps Keri Glassman would call that a power snack with a conscious indulgence. Whatever. Little by little, day by day, I hope to add elements of the O2 Diet back into my challenged gut. Tonight I will have a salad with artichoke hearts, asparagus and chicken.

Oh yeah, get this: The doc handed me a sheet of paper that says I am to avoid caffeine (yep, green tea, coffee, chocolate), alcohol, pepper, peppermint, spearmint, aspirin and ibuprofen, acidic foods (citrus and tomatoes), "highly spiced foods" (what does that mean? cinnamon and oregano or just chili pepper hot spiced foods? garlic?), and a plethora of other things. Looks like I will be getting my ORAC points through fruits, vegetables and pecans, although I'm going to research to see if cinnamon and oregano, two really high ORAC value spices, trigger acid production. If they don't, I'm gonna need em if I hope to attain my 30,000 ORACS daily!

Perhaps Ms. Glassman could provide some advise for the many many Americans who suffer from increased gastric acid production.....

STILL wrestling with this tummy bug. WHINE

Boo Hoo Hoooo. I am STILL wrestling with this tummy bug: nausea, sour stomach, lower intestinal cramping, gas and constipation mingling with awful hot flashes right before each episode of one of the above stated symptoms. It seems all started suddenly after eating Char on Feb 20 and has not abated one bit. I can eat very little without triggering more symptoms. Even almond butter on 7 grain toast sends me into a tailspin. I can eat a chicken vegetable soup from Whole Foods, a simple salad of greens and cooked chicken with rice wine vinegar and that is about it. Even an apple sent me into a tailspin, so I have been very hesitant to eat another. Successfully munched a few blueberries, so I will try more of those today. I also managed to digest some nonfat organic plain yogurt. I am wondering if this is gall bladder (sometimes fat seems to trigger and both my parents had gallstones and I am 52--prime age) or a bug, but both my Internist and my Gastroenterologist are out of town for two more weeks, so getting tested soon by any doctor of merit is not looking real feasible. So I am downing plenty of probiotics.

If you are still reading my WHINE, I mention this only because I have not been able to eat all that I need to stay true to the O2 diet and keep up with the 30,000 ORAC points a day. I am using cinnamon when I can. Today I will try it on some nonfat yogurt and blueberries. I will also try some water packed packed artichoke hearts and some steamed asparagus with some oregano and a few raw pecans. This really sucks PARTICULARLY because I have had this interruption just 6 days before the conclusion of the 32 Day Challenge I has set for myself.

On the plus side, I seriously doubt I have gained any weight. Probably lost some. So stay tuned if you can "stomach" it. So to speak. Sorry.