Preparation

As I get ready for major surgery this Friday, it occurred to me that I have spent a lot of time making sure things are prepared.

Laundry is done.
Floor is washed.
Extra pillows and blankets are purchased.
Everyone at work has a to do list.
Away voicemail and out of office message...check.
Frozen natural lemonade pops freezing.
 Medical recliner is rented (delivery tomorrow! power buttons and all!)

I have a list to bring to the drugstore tomorrow when I go fill my prescription for my pain meds. At the top of the list? Gas-X and a bottle of Magnesium citrate, which I get to drink in the midst of my clear-liquids-only diet tomorrow. This is part of something lovely called a "bowel prep." Good times. Thinking of when I prepared for vacation and printed out lists of "what to bring to Disney World" I cannot help but laugh on the inside. This is not something I ever thought I would have to prepare for.

As I went through the last few weeks since my diagnosis, I realized that I have been preparing myself since late 2012, when I started my LEAP journey. Little did I know that I was laying the foundation for this Friday. Little did I know that by eating healthy, and figuring out what foods caused inflammation in my body, and which foods made me feel bad, that I would be laying the groundwork for a healthier canvas on which my doctor could work. Little did I know that by following LEAP I would be able to stop all my medicines (Miralax, Nexium, Simvastatin) and drop my cholesterol 50+ points. My heart is healthier. My body is healthier. I am down to a more manageable weight and out of the "obese" category on the BMI chart. My fibromyalgia is gone baby gone and will not make my recovery more difficult.

I will be a better patient because my body is prepared. 

You need to prepare for so many things. It would be foolish to take a test without studying for it. Or run a marathon without training for it. Studying after the test? Foolish. Running after the race? Dumb. Had I started to "prepare" my body only after I got my diagnosis, things would be much different. I would have had two weeks in which to act; hardly enough time for a proper preparation. I wouldn't be down 24 pounds (ok ok it was 30, nobody's perfect) :) I wouldn't be able to check off the box that says "none" when the hospital forms ask me what medicines I am taking.

When it comes to taking care of our bodies, we need to prepare just for the sake of preparing. Because you just never know what will come your way - and wouldn't you rather be ready for it instead of scrambling at the last minute to see what you could do to make things better? If there was an emergency RIGHT NOW would your body be prepared to handle it? Look, I have faith, but I admit I am scared. That's the human part of me; the part that doesn't yet understand God's plan to turn this into good. But trust you me, I would be a whole lot more scared if I had been diagnosed before I started LEAP and gotten control of my eating habits. A whole lot more.

Emily's website is a great place to start to get control over your relationship with food. Whether or not you have medical problems like I had (which is where LEAP helped me) it's better to use food as your medicine than medicine as your medicine. Of course, sometimes we have no choice (I will take that Percocet on Saturday thank you very much) but it's better to have a preventive maintenance plan in place, "just in case" you get news like I did a few weeks ago.

I do not know what to expect on Friday. I am not sure I can fully prepare for that. But I take comfort in the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, and I take comfort in the fact that I have been kind to my body. I have seen my body heal and recover (most miraculously from cracked ribs and most recently from a broken toe) and I know that it heals better when it feels better to begin with.

Ask yourself one question: Are you prepared? Would you be ready if something came your way?

This guy sure was:

I want to make sure that I stay prepared. I don't want something that is well within control (that is, the choices I make about what to put into my body) to define my health in case of an emergency.

I challenge you to make like Noah and build your ark :) so that you can withstand the mighty storm. I'm getting in :)

Peace!

Healing

I am amazed at the ability the body has to heal itself, when we give it the proper tools. I am recovering from a broken toe, and I have lovingly and tenderly buddy-taped  it every day for the past 6 weeks, with a tiny piece of cotton ball between the 2 toes. I have worn sandals and fuzzy socks in the throes of winter since all other shoes hurt my toe. I did what the doctor said, and my toe is pretty much mended.

It was broken, and now it's not.

Amazing. 

I remember how astonished I was to see my hands heal after just 9 days on LEAP. My hands, once cracked and bleeding from a horrible case of eczema, literally healed right up. Obviously, something I had been eating was not agreeing with me, and this was proof positive in my eyes that the program WORKED. No placebo effect here - something worked and I could see it with my own two eyes. It's what kept me going until I healed my fibromyalgia, migraines and moodiness (yes, that needed healing too) as well as my GERD. Yup. All gone.

Lately you read about the "cracks" that I had fallen into. Slowly but surely, some of my weight loss became weight found, and I started to literally see the cracks again as my hands responded to what I was eating.

At the same time I was healing my toe, I was hurting my body by giving it things that harmed it. Ugh. But I am glad I had this paradox; because it was rather eye opening. I had the "Eureka!" moment after the 7-inch snowfall we had. Sandals in the snow weren't gonna cut it, so I decided to give my new snow boots a try. So I tried them on. And that is when I realized my toe was better. Because I had been kind to it, and loved on it, and given it what it needed. When I looked at the cracked hands that were pulling up my 2nd boot, that's when this happened.

Because I had been kind to it, and loved on it,
and given it what it needed

Too bad I hadn't been treating the rest of my body as kindly as my little piggy that went wee wee wee wee all the way home.

Your body can heal itself. You just have to give it the right tools. And to find out what those are, sometimes you need help. I thought I was doing the right thing - skim milk, wheat bread, wheat pasta…too bad those were all reactive foods. Cutting those out is what made me feel better. And I wouldn't have known how to do that without the LEAP program (and the guidance, support and wisdom of the lovely Emily). You might not need LEAP (read the page on Emily's website to see if you do!) - you might just need to stop doing whatever it is you KNOW is preventing your body from healing. But LEAP also helped heal my mind. Otherwise I wouldn't be having the light bulb moments, I wouldn't be starting all over drinking water "like it's my job" :) and I wouldn't be counting the 24 pound net loss instead of the temporary 11 pound gain.

Look, it's a lifetime issue. I get it. I did not, do not and possibly might not ever have a "normal" (by most definitions) relationship with food, my body image, or the number on the scale. I get it.

BUT.

I can heal myself from the inside out by holding to the principles I know to be true (be kind to my body, heal my body) and following the program that got me this far. It's unrealistic to think I will be perfect 100% of the time. But it's time to continue this journey of healing. Because my body can heal itself. It just needs me to help it. By giving it the right tools. Get it? Food is a tool to help me heal.  I control what goes in, and what goes in controls what goes on. 

I am about to run a 10K next week, without having done any training or running for months because of my toe. But I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and I will finish the race, because my toe is healed and the rest of me is getting better every day.

I hope that whatever it is that needs healing in your life, you will go after it with all your heart.

Let the healing begin!

Cracks

Ever have a stone hit your windshield? The sound is enough to terrify you. At first, you barely notice the little spot where it hit. It's practically microscopic. Then, day by day, it starts to splinter and grow. Until one day it is a few inches long and is now impeding your vision. Time to get it fixed. Problem is, now that it's bigger, it's harder to fix.

Got cracks?

I know I do. But my cracks are on the inside. If you struggle with food and weight issues, you know what cracks are and how they happen. And how, like the mark on your windshield, they are easier to fix as soon as they happen. Before they start to grow. But that's not really when we try to fix them, is it?

I just re-read some of my first blog entries. After a few I started to wonder where that girl was. Because lately…well, I've cracked. And unfortunately, I really only started to notice it after my vision was affected.

You know how it happens. How, at first, you are 100% in. GUNG HO. THIS IS IT. No more "next Monday" (I interrupt this blog post to share one of the funniest things I have seen on the Internet lately):

Ahem. Please have a sense of humor about it. I do, because it is SO ME. And a perfect example of what a crack  procrastination can cause. OK where was I? Right - I was cracking up.

It starts out innocently enough. 30 pounds down, you start to feel confident. (and by you, I mean me.) You start to think that "just one bite" of that reactive food won't hurt you. You start to think that you've been "so good for so long" that you "deserve" to splurge. Ok, who's with me? Good, I am not alone. You start to make excuses and have a pity, party of one.You start to miss what you can't have. You start to (taste) test the once-forbidden waters. And they are cool, and inviting, and now you want to swim in them.

Crack. 

Too late now, I already messed up. Might as well start tomorrow. Or Friday, because that is when my "new week" starts with Weight Watchers. And vacation means indulging, right?

Crack. 

No one is saying anything anymore about how great you are doing with your program, because you have stalled. Even gained a few pounds back. And you can't help but feel defeated, and that chocolate bar looks so…comforting. What could it hurt? No one will know, and it will make you/me feel better. Sugar was only a "yellow" food anyway.

Crack. 

I literally have started to see my cracks, because my eczema has returned to my hands. With a vengeance. It hurts. And I am paying attention now. I mentioned it to my husband, who asked if I might have eaten something to make it come back. Oh, I hate it when he is right. So I decide to take that as an insult, as a sign that he's noticed I have gained weight (note: that was certainly not his thought, it was mine), and I indulge again. Feeling unlovable, unlikeable, I let my emotions get the better of me and I feed them. Like, literally. I feed them. 

Crack. 

The picture in front of the Christmas tree on this blog was taken right around this time last year. I remember how confident I felt. My smile says it all. I cannot say I would smile as big if I took that picture today. I have lots of cracks to repair, and although I am not starting back at zero, I am starting. Because even though I am cracked and flawed and in need of fixing, I know I can do it because I have done it. I know that I've allowed too many cracks to appear and it's going to take some time to patch them all up. I just know I cannot keep driving if I cannot see because I will be driving blind. And the cracks are now impossible to ignore. It actually hurts to type, because my hands are literally cracked. It is physical, in-my-face proof that following LEAP heals me, and not following LEAP hurts me. Dumb, dumb, dumb. How can I still be learning, at this stage in my life, that my choices have consequences? I guess I needed a reminder. Lesson, once again, learned.

Recognize the crack when the first small stone hits your windshield. Get it repaired right away so your vision isn't impaired for the rest of your journey. The holidays can cause lots of cracks. Time to celebrate, right? But that doesn't mean eating something that is going to hurt you. Literally, like it manifested in my eczema, or otherwise. Don't brush it under the rug. The 2 pounds becomes 5 pounds and the 5 pounds becomes 10 pounds. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt that's too small now.

I know the promise have in Philippians 4:13. I can do this. It's just a matter of realizing that I see better when my windshield is not cracked. :) I have done it to myself, so I need to un-do it to myself. It's  not anyone else's responsibility but mine. I am not blaming anyone. I am actually not blaming myself, either. I am instead choosing to forgive myself and start over, because I have that opportunity every day the good Lord lets me wake up. I have 86,400 seconds a day and don't want to waste a single one causing any more cracks in my life. A cracked foundation cannot support a healthy home.

Want a place to start repairing cracks? Need some help and encouragement and maybe some healthy recipes? Try reading Emily's blog. It's chock-full of life-glue to help you stick to your goals (puns, as always, intended) She even has gift giving ideas! Emily got me on the path to enlightenment about healing my body, and I 'll forever be grateful to her. I also want to honor the gift she gave me by fixing these cracks :) and passing on her wisdom and knowledge to help others see where they are going, too!

When the holidays do not center around food, they are much merrier. At least, for me they are, because the greatest gift I can give myself is a healthier, happier me. Splurge for the holidays? Stuff yourself silly because that's what's in vogue this time of year? Eat the cookies just to get them out of the house? (yes I am talking to you, you know who you are).

It's just not worth it. Dare I say….

It's not all it's "cracked" up to be. 

Time

"You know we're gonna be OK, right?"

He turned his head from side to side, tears making a path down his cheeks.

"No."

We were trying to tell my Dad it was OK to go. That we would be OK. But he didn't believe it. He couldn't speak at that point due to the tubes helping him to breathe. He just shook his head, and cried. Tears of sorrow, tears of regret, tears for not having enough time. 

He wanted more time. More time to make sure we would be OK. More time to make amends for the time that had been wasted being bitter and angry for so many years. But in God's perfect plan that we will never understand, my Dad ran out of time at 58 years old. He made a lot of wrong things right before he died, and there was a wonderful healing of relationships along the way. But then... he was gone.

He wouldn't get to be around to know if we were OK. He wouldn't be around to see his grand kids play baseball or tennis or graduate high school. In a bittersweet, life altering moment for all of us (including him), his time was up.

I have been thinking a lot about time lately. I have had precious little of it the past few weeks as work burdens took the best of my time. And trust when I say I love what I do; but I have been see-sawing my way to find balance and have struggled a little.

I am not exaggerating when I say I had about an hour with my husband and son most nights. 15 minutes (if that) before work/school in the morning; and just about an hour when I got home before bedtime (and sometimes not even that when I had to stay super late).  Weekends weren't exempt either. It was crunch time, and I was a-crunchin'.

Little things started to dawn on me. My son's whistle while he did his homework was for an instant annoying; but then I thought about the time when he would be away at college, and I would ache for that whistle, or a "Mom can you get me some milk & cookies". Just being quiet next to my husband on the couch was a moment of being content (and I am sure he was grateful for the silence, haha).

When you recognize time is precious and short, you make the most of it. You don't waste it fighting over petty things. You don't try and control time that someone else has. You appreciate every moment. You recognize quality is better than quantity, and you cherish each minute. If my husband and son would have complained about my time away, it would have been wasting the time we did have. Thank God they are understanding, and it made our time that we did have together count.

I was thrown for a loop last week when I found out that the supplement I had been taking 3 times a day for over a year was recalled due to contamination from an antibiotic that could potentially cause life-threatening anemia. I started to worry about time. A lot. The 10 emails I got from Amazon urging me to see a doctor didn't help my anxiety either.

At any moment, our time can run out. Sometimes we get advance notice; my Dad was diagnosed in June and passed away in December. We had time to say goodbye. Not many people get that blessing. Sometimes we have no notice. And that, friends, is when we have to realize how precious time really is. "When was the last time I saw them? What was the last thing I said during our time together?" The desire of my heart is to be able to answer that question with love. To have no regrets if suddenly, time runs out, for me or someone I love. At the end of every day, I want to answer the question "To whom have I been a blessing today?" That is my goal as a manager at work, and it is a goal I have applied to my personal life as well. I am not being self-righteous here; with my heart of hearts I just want to be the best person I can be, because I remember. 

I remember the time my Dad asked me to go to the lake on Memorial Day and I told him I couldn't because I had to work. I'll be damned if I can remember what I did at work that day, but I remember it was the last boat ride he would take before he got sick.

I remember what I thought during the time it took to get my blood test results back (and, praise God, all was OK.) It's something we can all apply and learn from without being too late:

I don't want something bad to happen to me or someone I know before time becomes important.

And yes, since my blog is about being healthy, this applies to our weight loss journey too. Tomorrow is tomorrow whether or not I eat healthy. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, either; and if it comes when I am 250 pounds or when I am 150 pounds it's coming without regard to how much I weigh or if I exercise today. How am I going to feel about TODAY, TOMORROW? And OK, full disclosure, it took my cardiologist scaring the pants off of me about having a heart attack, being 50 pounds overweight and cholesterol at a sky-high number, to shake myself into realizing that my TIME would be cut short if I didn't change some habits (and shout out to LEAP for getting me 3/4 of the way there with 30 pounds and 50 cholesterol points GONE BABY GONE).

Here's what I say: the time will pass anyway. So, to quote the old knight in my favorite movie: "Choose Wisely."

You can choose to spend time complaining about how you feel, or you can choose to spend time doing something about changing it.

You can take time to plan out healthy meals and exercise or you can take time to go to the doctor's and the drugstore.

You don't put weight on overnight, and you don't take it off overnight. TIME IS PASSING RIGHT NOW. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Might as well spend your TIME on the right path. Be it with relationships, or weight loss, time may not be something we can control; but how we spend it is completely up to us. We cannot choose many things in life; but we can choose how to spend our time with ourselves or others. I am so far from perfect; but I appreciate each and every minute that I am here, and every day I get a new chance to start all over. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Charles Stanley talks about the "blessings of brokenness". It's an article I found among my Dad's papers when I was helping to sort through things. Sometimes being broken can be a blessing. It helps us see things from a perspective we wouldn't have if we hadn't gone through a certain trial. Trust you me, if I was a size 4 my whole life, I wouldn't be near as compassionate and understanding of a person. I probably would have taken my health for granted and might even have been unsympathetic to others who struggled with their weight. Nope, my brokenness was a blessing, and I am paying it forward by trying to be a blessing to others. I can think of at least a dozen people that I count among my closest friends that I would not have met had I not been overweight. (And before you get all offended, I am not saying that you're broken if you're overweight. Something is broken, and you need the tools to figure out what it is and fix it.)

My dad taught me a valuable lesson. Time - what little time we may have - is not to be wasted on regrets. It's why I like to live life to its fullest; it's why I love to travel; it's why I give what I can give with all my heart, no matter how little time I have in which to give it. One of my favorite quotes ever is "The follies which a man regrets most, in his life, are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity." ~ Helen Rowland 

What opportunity do you have that you are not taking? Don't worry about how much time it's going to take. Time is passing anyway. But you can't get started until you get started (one of those simple-but-deep thoughts). Take time out to love your loved ones. And don't forget to take time out to love yourself, too- because let's face it, you're not getting any younger either :)

It's "about time" we realize that time is not the enemy. Time is what heals us. I am hoping that I (and YOU) will be able to answer the question "To whom have I been a blessing today?" with one special word:

Head Games

Recently I was shopping for some gluten-free breakfast foods for some guests that were coming to the hotel I manage. I was on the phone with a friend talking about it, when she said something that surprised me. But then again....not really. It's a quite common thought from those who aren't affected by food sensitivities. She said, "What's up with the gluten free talk? If you ask me, it's all in your head."

I told her it most certainly wasn't all in my head (or anyone else's) because of the results I had seen from not only eliminating wheat (one of my Top 4 "red" foods on LEAP) but other foods as well.

Again, her response: "I don't care what you say, I'm not buying it, it's all in your head. The whole thing is just crazy. You didn't hear about this gluten free crap a few years ago, now everyone is on the bandwagon."

Sound like someone you might know? Sound like YOU when you hear of someone going gluten free/dairy free/sugar-free?  This is pretty much why I blog. Because I am trying to spread the word that food sensitivities are REAL, they affect people, they can make people sick, and they can keep you on unnecessary medications for years and years until the root cause of what's going on is uncovered, like it was for me with LEAP.  Now, there are medically diagnosed illnesses and allergies that are pretty obvious. I have friends who have Celiac Disease. I myself tested negative for celiac, but wheat came up as a sensitivity for me.  Not many people look at LEAP as a standard test for the kind of things I suffered from, and not many doctors are even familiar with it. So I want to spread the word. I want to let people know that food can be your medicine (and as Emily says, it's not the easiest way but it's the best way!) I am not doing LEAP for any other reason other than to heal my body. I'd love for it to be "all in my head." Because if I could eat wheat, and sugar, and black pepper, and mushrooms, and peanuts, and pistachios and ice cream and packaged cookies and cake, I WOULD. But here's the rub: when I DO eat that stuff, I get sick. I feel bad. I get heartburn and my belly makes noises and I get painful gas and my body hurts EVERYWHERE (hello, Fibromyalgia!) and it is everywhere BUT in my head. Unless I get a migraine, then it's literally in my head. But then again I haven't had one of THOSE since I started LEAP so....totally not in my head. Follow?

I think that one of THE hardest things to do is to make the people around you believe that something you have eaten your whole entire life is "suddenly bad for you." It's not - it was bad for you the whole time! - but that's what's hard to get through. When I was "dieting" and trying desperately to lose weight I ate wheat bread and wheat pasta and wheat thins and skim milk and greek yogurt and light ice cream. I found out later that cow's milk and wheat were in my red zone. The MOST reactive foods for my body. Oopsie! The stuff I ate EVERY DAY was actually working against me. Eureka.

So, when I was trying to explain my LEAP results, I was getting a lot of this from my family:

"Awwww, I feel SO bad for you" 
"That must suck!" 
"Can't you just have a small piece of cake? It's Christmas!" 
"I thought wheat bread was healthy!" 
"You can't live like that forever."
"Why would you torture yourself like that?"  

They didn't get it. They actually didn't believe it. But you know what? They don't have to believe in it. I do. They don't have to understand (although boy oh boy it would be nice if they did) that I can't just eat anything I want to anymore, because I will get sick again. Not an "in the hospital" kind of sick....an "I am not enjoying life" kind of sick. A "why do I feel so bad all the time?" kind of sick. A "this is not how I should feel every day" kind of sick.

I've had doctors tell me it's all in my head, and I cannot tell you how discouraging that was to me. I am the kind of person who wants to know the reason for any little ache or pain I have. I want to know what caused it, so I can go about fixing it. My fibromyalgia was misdiagnosed for years. I was pretty much told it was "all in my head" (by medical doctors!) and prescribed an anti-anxiety medication. Until LEAP, which identifies which foods cause my body to have an inflammatory response, I did not get full-on relief from fibromyalagia or the other things I was suffering from. No placebo effect here. It was pretty obvious once I started re-introducing foods into my diet which ones were the culprits. After the initial phases of LEAP where you eat only your "green" (non reactive) foods, your body quickly picks up on the "bad guys". I was surprised how in tune I was with myself and my reactions for the first time EVER in my life! And the proof was not only something I could "feel" (something that can easily be described as all in your head, right?) it was something I could SEE when my severe eczema on my scalp and hands started to heal. And went away.

If you are feeling bad physically, chances are it isn't all in your head. I am someone who believes that even depression isn't "all in your head" so don't buy that line. The only thing that should be in your head is a strong desire and commitment to figuring out what exactly is going on. I was at  my wit's end when I tried LEAP. And sometimes being at your wit's end can be a good thing, because there's little else to motivate you to stay where you're at. I was done feeling bad, so I took a LEAP of faith.

Do not let the naysayers convince you that what you're feeling isn't real. We all want a support system but sometimes we have to look outside of our inner circle to find it in order to connect with like-minded people who 'get' it.

Matthew 7:7 says "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Don't give up! All I know is that what I felt before (bad) was real, and what I feel now (great) is real. It's real, and no matter what you think, you won't convince me otherwise :) Keep on keeping on and you'll find that it's not all in your head, and that is one of the most freeing feelings I have ever experienced. 

Why LEAP? / Benefits of LEAP

They say it takes a while for people to notice you have lost weight. And then, all of a sudden, after you have been sweating and committing for MONTHS, out of the blue, you get asked.

"Have you lost weight?" 

Well, of course you have. That's why they asked. And you (I) wish they would have asked a few months ago, when I was at the hard part. Anyway... I always answer with a number. "25 pounds." Then the next question.

"What are you doing?" 

This is where it gets tricky for me these days. My answers in the past sounded like this:

"Atkins" 

"Slim Fast" 

"Weight Watchers" 

"Low Carb" 

"Mediterranean Diet" 

and so on. Some are embarrassing to admit I tried! 

And people would nod in agreement, because they totally knew what I was talking about. Now? When I say "I'm following a program called LEAP" I get blank stares and lots of questions. I start to go into the story of how I was feeling so bad, and then I met this amazing nutritionist, and took a blood test, and cured myself of all kinds of stuff. By this time, their eyes are getting glazed over (much like a donut I cannot have anymore) because (most of the time) all they really wanted to know was how I lost the weight. Oh yeah, by the way, I lost weight too. But not having weight loss be the primary reason to do a "diet" is so foreign to people. Not me anymore. I drank the Kool-Aid filtered lemon water and I am all about it.

I thought I would do a blog post listing why I do what I do. Why I gave up foods that I "loved" and am "depriving" myself and "not enjoying life". Quotations added to show sarcasm :) because this is a huge misconception about LEAP. I want people to know what LEAP really does for you - besides helping you lose weight.  I am also writing because I have had a few friends and even my MOM say "Just tell me what you are doing and maybe it will work for me too." Well, the thing is, it doesn't work that way. Because LEAP is a personalized program that starts with a blood test (with your blood!) and your results are going to be different from anyone else's. It's like going to a friend's house, opening their medicine cabinet, and taking their prescription for heart medicine because you have an ear ache. It's literally the wrong way to treat yourself and can wind up hurting you. Same thing with LEAP. Everyone's sensitivities will be different!

Here's the skinny (full disclosure: pun is always intended) on the benefits of doing LEAP

• Weight Loss. OK I am putting this first just in case that's all you want to know. But weight loss is what I like to call a "happy side effect" of LEAP. If you just want to lose weight, I highly recommend Weight Watchers. It's one of the most balanced diets out there and it will help you to learn portion control and healthy guidelines. Look at Jennifer Hudson.  She looks amazing, and is keeping it off.  WW lets you see how much you are really eating, giving insight to why you are not losing weight. So that's that. I am actually doing WW myself now (more on that later) in conjunction with LEAP, because I need to be held accountable. 

PLEASE NOTE: even though weight loss shouldn't be the only reason you try LEAP, if you are unable to lose weight no matter what you try, it may be for an underlying condition which would benefit from doing LEAP and is worth a shot! This was true in my case! Check out the links at the end of this post.

Here are the REAL reasons you should consider doing LEAP. These are chronic conditions that can be made worse by food sensitivities (which LEAP will identify for you) The highlighted ones were my reasons!

• Irritable Bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and heartburn
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue or general malaise
• Restlessness, irritability, depression, anxiety and mood swings
• Muscle or joint pain, aching or stiffness
• Chronic Sinusitis or sinus pain, runny nose, stuffy nose, post nasal drip
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• ADHD
• Eczema, Dermatitis, Psoriasis and other skin rashes
• Obesity and weight imbalances
• Thyroid disorders
• PCOS and related infertility issue
• Health: All you have to do is look at the laundry list of symptoms I came to Emily with to figure out how LEAP can benefit these issues. I had suffered (not being dramatic, it was suffering) from all of those things for YEARS. My biggest concerns were my digestive issues and my fibromyalgia. I knew that my fibro was most likely caused by some kind of inflammation in my body but no doctor could really help me understand it. I hurt ALL THE TIME. So I researched it a lot online and started to try things like cutting out sugar, which would help a little but not provide significant relief. I had pain which no one could explain, and that's enough to make someone feel crazy (and the fact that some doctors wanted to prescribe me Prozac only confirmed that). I knew I wasn't crazy (I know, that's what crazy people say) so that wasn't a good solution for me. My results of being on LEAP gave me a 50+ point reduction in my LDL (lousy) cholesterol, causing my cardiologist to fist pump me in the office. I had had an allergic reaction to my Simvastatin and the healthy eating and exercise habits I developed on LEAP helped naturally lower my high cholesterol. Also, since I had taken up running, my injuries such a shin splints, sore ankles etc started to lessen. Partially due to the weight loss I am sure, but I also need to give credit to the healthier eating I was doing. I recovered rather quickly from the pain of my first half marathon last October. The fact that I was able to FINISH one was nothing short of a miracle! My fibromyalgia is GONE BABY GONE. Vanished. Finito. I want to shout it from the rooftops! This is how I know this works. 

• Medicine: As a result of being on LEAP, I no longer need a pill to control my cholesterol. I am also off of my Nexium (previously on Prevacid)  for my GERD (which I had been taking for over 7 years) and off of my daily dose of Miralax (my doctor's "fix" for my digestive issues. I had taken it every day for almost 3 years and knew THAT wasn't healthy!) I am kind of saving a lot of money at the drugstore these days because food is my medicine (a philosophy Emily talks about often on her Facebook page) and found a healthy digestive enzyme Emily recommended that has my tummy under control and doing what it should.

• Mood: Those of you who know me may find it hard to believe I had mood swings. And those of you who REALLY know me will not find it so hard to believe :) I was irritable a LOT, and it wouldn't take much to set me off. Don't get me wrong - coming from NY, I am still capable of some zingers when called for - but overall, I am a more pleasant, patient person, and my family has taken notice. "I" have taken notice! Sometimes I am like, "Wow, that really would have bothered me last year" and am able to overcome it with without losing my temper or having a meltdown. All because of the food I am eating. Hmmph. Who'da thunk it. 

• Clarity: The "fibro fog" you hear about is a real thing. All I can say is that I am literally cured of my fibromyalgia and all the unpleasantness that came from it, including the mental fog that clouded my days. I feel much more aware and mindful and in tune with life in general. That is not some "new age" way of saying I am groovy man, and in touch with the universe - I am just saying that I feel sharper mentally. Look out ;)

• Sleep: I used to be able to sleep all day if you let me. On my days off, it was not unheard of to wake up at 1. As in, one p.m. And my sleep was not a "restful" sleep. And my over indulgences of the day would lead to uncomfortable night times when I would literally cry myself to sleep (this is honesty, people) because I was so full, and guilty about what I had eaten. Now? I go to sleep like a baby and am able to wake up at a decent hour. "Sleeping in" lasts til 9am these days. 

• Energy: Before LEAP I was tired ALL THE TIME. Even after sleeping for 9 hours, I was just exhausted all day. A few weeks into the program, I was jumping out of bed at 7:30 a.m. and not finding myself yawning at lunchtime. It was a palpable feeling, and quickly became addictive. I looooove not being tired during the day! 

• Migraines: This is also on the LEAP list of conditions that can be helped. I would get such bad migraines, I couldn't blink without cringing. News flash: I have not had a migraine in just about a year. When did I start LEAP? Just about a year ago. Coincidence? Me thinks not. 

• Cravings: One of my favorite "Eureka!" moments (and I have had lots) during this program was one night, about 3 weeks after I started LEAP, I realized out of the blue that I didn't want anything to eat. That nothing in the cupboards or freezer was "calling my name" and that I was not mindlessly opening and closing the fridge or cabinet doors looking for something to satisfy my cravings. Still, to this day, my cravings are all but gone. Sometimes I "get a hankering" for something, but it's different. (Tonight, it was grapes). It's not like "I have to have this NOW" like I used to get when I ate sugar (lots and lots of sugar!). "Eating clean" and not having processed foods has my body getting the nutrients it needs and my body is a happy (satisfied) camper. I eat normal portions and am satisfied with normal portions. I have not felt "stuffed" since starting LEAP. Not once. 

• Cooking: Boy, did I learn a lot. I have tried things I never thought I would try. And I became hyper-aware of the ingredients in everything I bought (in the beginning, what I bought WAS the ingredient!) and now, I am a CLC (Certified Label Checker. Self-proclaimed.) Before, my label checking consisted of making sure the 1st word on my bread ingredient list was "whole" because that's what I had been taught. Silly girl! I experimented with new recipes and had both success and failures but I learned to try new things (pinto beans and almond flour are LEAP favorite finds) I have alternatives to the things I "loved" (tonight was a brownie batch, and it was better than the other ones pre-LEAP for real.) Check out Emily's Pinterest page to get some amazing LEAP friendly recipes! She has them categorized by food type so you can easily find your non-reactive foods. This was a LIFESAVER during my first few weeks! 

So, those are the best benefits of LEAP, and ones that I am now not willing to trade in for anything I have had to give up. I do not want to go back to the life I had before, because it was not an abundant life. I felt crappy, I looked crappy (pictures now confirm my puffiness and bloating) and I did not have a happy heart. 

When I weighed in Friday, I realized I had lost 20% of my body weight. Even though I have been going on about LEAP not being a weight-loss plan, I can't say that I am not thrilled about this milestone, because I know the health benefits I will reap. Healthier heart, lowered risk of diabetes...I am out of the "obese" category on the BMI chart. It's very empowering for me. LEAP gave me back my confidence, and allowed me to heal my body inside-out. 

Wanna take a LEAP of faith? How to start? My best resource is the person who started me on my LEAP journey, the person I keep talking about, :) Emily. Check out her website on all things LEAP for detailed info. She was simply a blessing in the midst of all of my confusion about where to start and what to do, and she gave me the kick the the rear (lovingly disguised as encouragement) I needed to get me going. I went "all in" and took my LEAP of faith and I am so happy I trusted the process, which I do not think I would have done without Emily. She will work with you long-distance (I am in PA, she is in Utah, and she might as well have been right next door because she was always there for me.) 

Let me say that I have absolutely, positively nothing to gain by talking about LEAP or Emily. You can try to find someone near you if you want. But I know that my experience with Emily made all the difference (Emily I know you are reading this and I apologize if I am making you blush!) I simply am so excited about this new abundant life of mine and I want to share however I can, because I know there is someone out there who is just like me and looking for answers and if I can help just that one person, then I am paying it forward. LEAP made me want to go back to school to take some nutrition classes because it literally changed my life. I get asked questions, so I am providing a resource for answers. Do your own research and see if LEAP is right for you based on what you might be going through. Make an investment in yourself like I did; it is a priceless gift and one that I am thankful for every day. 

There are sacrifices; there are things you "love" now (but do not love you back!) that you might think you will "miss" - but LEAP helps you get over that emotional attachment to food, once you realize the physical (and mental) benefits. When my mom realized that I do not eat dairy, she said "Well if I am reactive to milk I am not giving it up because I enjoy my lattés too much." Another friend said that she was "afraid to do the test because it might say something she didn't want to hear." Lemme tell ya, if you are not willing to give up a certain food even after you find out it is making you sick, you are SO not going to do well on LEAP. Why even bother?  I made up my mind that after trying everything, I was willing to do what I had to do. Because I was sick & tired of being sick & tired, cow's milk be damned! 

I am not a paid LEAP spokesperson (but will happily take the gig if it's available, haha) - I am just an average person who went way too many years being misdiagnosed for things that could be treated with simply eating the right food. I do not want to lament the years that I feel were "wasted"- but boy oh boy, am I cherishing the years my days are making now, because I have literally never felt so good in my life. I am still "all in" and loving every minute of it. This is what LEAP did for me! Feel free to comment if you are a fellow LEAP-er to encourage those who might need it. 

Diana 

P.S. The picture on this blog is from Christmas; I celebrated my 30-pound milestone. Now, in July, I am at 37 pounds. Doing the math, you will see this is a "slow and steady" kind of thing. I was in maintenance for a while and am now pushing towards my goal in a healthy manner using WW to count my "points" as I follow my LEAP program. I need this because if I do not 'count', I tend to under eat. This is what works for me; in the beginning of LEAP it's important NOT to focus on the counting (calories or points or whatever) as you calm down your immune system. 

Goodbye Party

We have had a couple of goodbye parties at work lately. A Team Member moved out of state; another started pastry school; another left to have a baby and concentrate on motherhood. I always say "I hate to see you go but I love to see you grow" - that's true, but it's still tough to say goodbye to people that have been a part of your life for so long.


I was reminded of a goodbye party I had for myself about 9 months ago. I was reminded of it, because I found myself at the "scene of the crime" today. One of my most favorite places in the world - Wegman's.

Wegman's wasn't exactly the scene of the so-called crime. The shopping center where it's located was. I found myself there today, on my day off, because I was in need of going through a "wash out" phase of LEAP (where you go back to basics, the 1st week's list of foods, to kind of get back on track and detox a bit from any reactions you may be having) and Wegman's is chock-full of LEAP-friendly stuff.

The first time I started LEAP (about 9 months ago) I went off to Wegman's, list in hand. But, before I entered the store of organic and healthy foods, I decided to have myself a goodbye party for some food I wouldn't be having for a while. And by "for a while" I meant possibly never.

Chick-Fil-A was my first stop. Fried chicken tenders, waffle fries and ranch dressing please. Then it was off to Sweet Frog for some yogurt topped with all kinds of stuff I loved (like Snocaps and fudge and sprinkles and more fudge) - you may have read an earlier post about the tear that fell into that yogurt as I had the poor me's about my "last supper." I have had a few good laughs when I remember that.

A friend of a friend posted on Facebook about going out to "live it up" before they started a certain diet & exercise routine. Something about stuffing their face with potatoes. Been there, done that. Back when I tried Atkins, I probably had the same DNA as this guy the night before I went carb-free:

I have come a loooong way. Through LEAP I was given knowledge about the foods that were hurting my body. And this is my Eureka! moment about that:

Stuff that makes me feel bad does NOT deserve a party. 

You wouldn't throw a party for someone who is mean to you, right? Someone who hurt you? The food I was eating was literally making me sick - hurting me! - and until I realized how good I felt when I stopped eating it, I didn't fully understand that not eating it was celebration enough!

With LEAP, the only things I have to have a goodbye party for are pain, medicine, and discomfort. And the by-products that come with feeling good about yourself also let you have a goodbye party for insecurity, self-doubt and self-pity. It's an incredibly empowering experience, and I highly recommend it :) For those of you curious about LEAP (or just eating better!), start here and meet my LEAP mentor Emily, who has some amazingly sound nutritional advice!

I know you've done it. Smoked half a pack of cigs the night before you quit, drank half a bottle of wine they night before you want to dry out, ate half a batch of cookies on Sunday (because Monday was Diet Day.) Here's the thing: don't have a party about something that isn't good for you. Celebrate the good stuff, not the bad stuff! Eating 5 potatoes or half a dozen cupcakes will make you SICK, not happy. And if you're not supposed to have it, you certainly shouldn't overdose on it! It's a lesson I learned the hard way.

Once I got into my LEAP groove, I didn't overeat. I didn't feel overstuffed, I didn't feel bloated, I didn't have food comas. I just ate what I was supposed to eat and voila! - I started to feel healthier. And more importantly, I started to BE healthier. It's a feeling I want to keep feeling.

Today as I drove up to Wegman's a small smile came across my lips as I drove past Chick-Fil-A and Sweet Frog. I thought about the girl who cried a salty tear into her overly sweet yogurt. I am not that girl anymore. Yes, I have had some slip-ups lately, and I am in need of a little do-over. But knowing that didn't give me a free pass to have another "last supper." Without fanfare, I loaded my cart with my Week 1 foods. I didn't have to sneak anything in to eat tonight because I couldn't have it tomorrow. I have been faithful to LEAP about 90% of the time these past few months. Lately, I started to test some ingredients that haven't agreed with me, and now everything is so jumbled up I don't know what the heck I am having reactions to (feeling fatigued, skin breaking out, eczema, etc) so I am simply going back to what I know works. To know that THAT is what my "comfort zone" now is, is somewhat amusing. And comforting. It feels so good to know that I am not held in bondage by my old bad habits.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I can say with a very strong amount of confidence that the old has indeed passed away; the new me is here, and it feels great. By the grace of God, I will get back on track and stay back on track.

Tomorrow's menu includes steel cut oats in the slow cooker and chicken and green beans, along with some watermelon and pineapple. Now THAT'S what I call party food :)