DAY 40: TASTING IS BELIEVING
April 18, 2022 ~ Monday
Refeeding Update: Day 7 of 14.
Phase 3: Steamed – Continue raw fruit and vegetables but add steamed vegetables, light soups, potatoes, yams, squash, and small amounts of dressings.
The Food: I have now tasted what food REALLY tastes like. I do not want to go back. I enjoy eating a salad without dressing. The subtle flavors of the lettuce and other vegetables is simply amazing. This must have been what it tasted like for Adam and Eve and we take it for granted. I have lost so much weight. And it is not just that I lost weight but it is about where I lost the weight. Granted, I still have about 45-50 more pounds I would like to lose, but my big belly is a LOT smaller now. My arms, legs, and face are slimmer too. I am told I look vibrant or glow, although I do not feel vibrant at the moment.
Daily refeeding numbers: Weight-178.5 Weight loss since adopting diet-56.5 BP-134/85 Heart rate-80 Oxygen level-98 Temperature-97.9 Glucose-115 Sleep-3.5 One minute pulse rate-strong/steady. Muscle pain level-0 (scale 1-10) Energy level-7 (scale 1-10).
My Comments: I am sleep deprived. I feel terrible because of that. My foot numbness I mentioned yesterday is part of that. Dr. Streutker said I could take my melatonin and 1- 10 mg tab of my Amitriptyline to start. Years ago, I was given Amitriptyline because of possible nerve pain with an added benefit of helping with sleep. I had weaned off of both of these drugs before I came but when combined with my CPAP machine, they helped me to sleep. I did not come here to solve ALL my health problems. I came here to reverse diabetes and high blood pressure, which I have done. I came here to do an extended fast to allow autophagy to clean up my body and resolve lingering health issues which I have done. I came here to immerse myself in this lifestyle, which I have done. I came here to get new tools to help me accomplish this, which I have done. The issue with sleep may have to wait for back home remedies which do not involved taking these pills. Still, I was able to catch a few minutes sleep mid-morning and then ate a good lunch. I felt so much better after that.
Lecture: It is a Monday and at 2 pm Dr. Goldhamer had his weekly lecture. He uses a Power Point presentation to deliver what this lifestyle looks like and what it can do for us. He has delivered other types of lectures but this one, I have heard him deliver it 3 times. It is about the basics of the whole plant based SOS free lifestyle and believe me it is a new lifestyle. Some in the room have never heard it. Some are older patients returning for a reset. I do not might hearing it again and again. I always pick up some nuance that I did not hear before.
New Friends: I am making new friends. I will be setting up a spreadsheet with contact information. Then my plan is to create a message board where we can communicate after we leave the Center. A support group of sorts. TrueNorth does not provide this type of aftercare. All of us will face challenges when we go back home. We did this to heal our bodies as much as possible. This is not just some fad diet we are on. It is a lifestyle shift. This is not about family or friends or what they need. It is about what we need. We have all been through this together and we can find support from each other.
