My Candida Journey

[bellajgw]

Well, I'm beginning my own Candida-ridding journey and began yesterday. I thought I would journal it here in case it may help anyone.

Over the weekend I got rid of all dairy, mushrooms, vinegar, and other mold/fungus causing food substances in my house. I also went shopping and chose to purchase only meats that were certified organic as they were never treated with anti-biotics (as so many other meat products are). I figure, what is the point of trying to rid myself of all this yeast if I'm eating meats filled with anti-biotics. Sure, it was more expensive than going to a wholesale club and stocking up on meat, but this is a journey and I wanted to start off on the right foot.

Yesterday we had a tea I created out of herbs specifically designed to kill off yeast and fungus in the system (chamomile, calendula, clove, cinnamon, licorice root, etc) and were running errands so long that we had no breakfast. By lunch we had some pork rinds (careful of the brand as some use yeast, honest!) and home-made egg drop soup (beaten organic eggs and organic chicken broth). For dinner we had organic pork chops with a tequila-lime rub (totally atkins friendly) and faux-tatoes (cauliflower, butter and salt). Followed that up with another cup of tea. We didn't get in as much water as we wanted, maybe 50 ounces total (not including the tea) but it wasn't too bad for our first day.

Some of the symptoms we've been having seem to be clearing up. My Hunny, who has been cutting out all dairy and mushrooms all last week, says she notices that her itchy skin isn't as bad and while she seems to have a headache right now her sinus have cleared up a bit.

Day 1 down and many more to go. Breakfast was organic sausages, snack is pork rinds, lunch is leftovers and afternoon snack is egg drop soup.

Not weighing in until next Sunday morning.

[cocobelle]

Re: My Candida Journey

Yay for you! Good luck!!

[sallyseachange]

Re: My Candida Journey

Good luck on your candida ridding journey. Keep us posted!

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Today was Day 3 and I've lost a little over a pound and a half. Not too shabby. Today will throw me off ketosis because of the glucose I was injected with for my PET/CT scan. Bummer...but knowing whether or not I'm cancer-free for another year is worth it.

The food we've been eating has been pretty good. Had some chicken curry and faux-potatoes, organic sausages, egg drop soup, and tonight we had organic steak and brocolli. Had a salad from Chipotle once I found out that the meat I like is hormone and antibiotic-free AND marinaded with spices and oils that I can have on the Candida diet. Woohoo!

So, tomorrow is leftovers of the fabulous steak from tonight and tomorrow night we have spaghetti squash as our base and organic chipotle sausage with sauteed eggplant, tomato, and shredded mozerella. YUM!

Now if I could just get my fever under control (yes, I'm suffering from some nasty bugger going around, or it could be a reaction to the stuff I got flooded with today. Not sure. Guess tomorrow will tell.

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Today is Day 5 and while I had a hard time yesterday due to being sick I am still on plan (excepting the 1 cup of coffee I'm allowing myself since it was so hard to drag myself out of bed and get to work). I haven't lost any additional weight but actually gained a pound. Not too surprising as I was completely inactive the last 2 days, had my system filled with glucose from a medical test on Tuesday, and still ate quite a bit. Not letting it get me down.

We didn't end up having our spaghetti squash meal last night as Hunny forgot she promised to dog sit overnight for a friend and left me to fend for myself. Leftovers!

I had made some lunch, sauteed cabbage with organic ground beef and bacon. OH YUM!!!! A little garlic, some pepper, and that was sooooo good. Did a number on my poor stomach though...wasn't quite ready for that.

Today I eat leftover chicken curry and mozerella, egg drop soup, and tonight we dine on the spaghetti squash. We still have about 2 pounds of organic chicken left so we think we may coat them in ground pork rinds and fry them for chicken fingers. Decisions, decisions.

Work today will be stressful. I found out that I really only have about a month to complete all my projects and get my position ready for the next person before we leave for "home" and Hunny's new Boston job. Its very scary to think about not working. I hate being unemployed but this time I have a plan...I'll do nothing but job search and resume posting for about 2 weeks and if after 2 weeks I still haven't heard anything I'll temp until something permanent comes along. I can always check with my old waitressing gig at the country club and see if they would welcome me back part time. That place was always good for some stories.

[sallyseachange]

Re: My Candida Journey

Sounds like you're enjoying your diet Jacqui! Sorry to hear about your glucose test messing up your losses for a few days, but I agree... well worth it to know if you're cancer free.

Keep up the sterling job!

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Thanks Sally! I agree, mildly ticked about the gain, but I'll be going on my walk again today despite not feeling well. It will be good to be moving after not feeling well for a couple of days.

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Day 9 and I've lost that pound and got back down to 223. Hunny, on the other hand is doing brilliantly. We are now absolutely certain that her stall has been because of Candida. When she began 2 weeks ago today she weighed 266 and Sunday morning she weighed 259. She is beyond excited and I am so happy for her. The diet, while I'm feeling really good, hasn't changed much for me, but I honestly didn't expect it to as I didn't really wasn't sure I had it. So, while I'm sticking with it to support Hunny, it is her results that are most impressive.

In 14 days she has lost 7 pounds, her sinus congestion has gotten much better, she has more energy throughout the day, and she falls asleep immediately at night instead of tossing and turning. Her constipation is gone and she's been regular for days now. Her skin hasn't completely cleared up but it has gotten better.

I am so proud of her.

In better news, I found that I can still buy organic meats at my local store and won't be forced to buy it all at WholeFoods, which is quickly eating a hole through my wallet. $13 for a pound of ground beef...ouch! But we'll still come back for their sausages. I don't know of any other place that has sausages that yummy, which are completely ok on Atkins AND Candida (they all have something carby or vinegar or cheese), you just have to REALLY read the labels (like I had no idea that they use yeast AND vinegar in the BBQ flavored pork rinds...that was a painful lesson).

Our typical weekly menu includes:

scrambled eggs (Cage Free Organic)
breakfast sausages (WholeFoods organic)
special candida tea
beef/bacon/cabbage meal (WF organic)
spaghetti squash with eggplant/tomato/garlic pureed sauce with chorizo (WF organic)
chicken curry (WF organic)
pork chops in "tequila" lime rub (WF organic)
steaks with a steak rub (WF organic)
pork rinds and guacamole
mozzerella sticks
pepperoni slices (WF organic)
mashed cauliflower

We've also been using Safflower Oil and EV Olive Oil instead of butter to cook and add garlic to just about everything! I only use butter to flavor these days.

The first week, purchasing almost everything organic and at Wholefoods I spent about $180 on groceries for 2 people for 1 week (ouch!). The second week, buying only the meats at WholeFoods I spent $130. Next week I plan on buying all but the sausages and guacamole at the regular store, and hope I can reign down the cost to around $90-100.

We move in with my parents outside of Boston in the next month and we've discussed our diet with them. They have agreed to join us but NOT do it Atkins' style. So we've agreed that as long as they cook the "meat" of the meal Atkins' style they can cook whatever rice/pasta/carb they want with it and simply keep it separate. I think it will be a lot easier than trying to cook two meals in one night...plus my father is an amazing cook and may be a huge help in coming up with new menu ideas.

In the meantime I am trying not to stress about finding a job. URG!

[sallyseachange]

Re: My Candida Journey

This all sounds very positive ... particularly for Hunny. Happy for her.
Hope you manage to cut the food costs by changing shops. Sorry I can't offer any advice on that, given where I live (Italy).

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Thanks Sally, I appreciate the encouragement

I seriously messed up yesterday and the scale assalted me this morning for it.

I left my wallet at home and without money for breakfast or lunch (and having had a small dinner early the night before) I dived headfirst into the free bagels someone brought in. I started with half a bagel for breakfast which turned into the other half just an hour later, followed by two bagels for lunch and a free bag of popcorn for a snack. So, despite my water I was carbing it up in a huge, disappointing way.

So now I'm sitting here, the scale reading 225 this morning, feeling crappy, bloated, over-emotional and craving sweets like crazy. Did I mention someone brought in donuts today? I've been good, having eggs and sausage for breakfast and planning on a salad for lunch. Now I just have to deal with the consequences of having a very bad day.

I know there really is no reason for me to have messed up, I could have borrowed money from a coworker for a salad and just skipped breakfast. It was the stress, my emotional-eating habits popping up, and my money issues (grew up very poor so I'm cheap and I hate asking for help). Combine those three and it was a fatal blow. Luckily I straightened back up for dinner and had a salad.

Today Hunny is staying home after traveling (where she still managed to eat perfectly and is VERY proud of herself, as I am). She'll be making a really nice dinner tonight so I'm a very happy camper.

[sallyseachange]

Re: My Candida Journey

Awww Jacqui... so sorry you had a bad day which caused you to slip off the wagon... but kudos to you for hopping right back on.

If you can pinpoint the triggers (and you seem to have done) then it's easier to plan strategies to avoid the problem happening again. I always used to find that when faced with temptation it helped me to focus firmly on how wonderful I'd feel on making goal and how simply horrid I'd feel just a few seconds after giving in to the temptation.

If you get into the habit of always having a high fat snack with you, that can also save you from the slippery slope.

Glad you're going to have a nice dinner with Hunny!

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Today is Day 12 and things have slowed down, as to be expected. Hunny's weight loss has slowed, she's retaining water I think. I've slowed as well, but I haven't been drinking as much water and have actually started having a coffee every day. (moving 600 miles away and about to be unemployed..girl needs her cafeine!) The coffee could be doing it, but I don't know how'd I'd get through a day without it right now.

Foodwise we're doing well....everything on track since my slip. Even at work I've been good (sans the lack of water). Tomorrow we go shopping and hopefully save ourselves a little money in the process. I'll let you know how it goes.

Leftovers tonight - spaghetti squash with chicken/garlic/parsley sausage and an eggplant/garlic/tomato pureed sauce. OH YUM!

For some reason lately I've been REALLY craving sweets. It took all I had today not to grab a bag of peanut M&Ms while I got my salad.

So much work to do, so much, and only 2 weeks to get it done in. YIKES!

[lwilliams1922]

Re: My Candida Journey

Thanks for sharing your Journey!
Can you tell me how you make your sauteed cabbage?

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Sure thing. What I do is I chop he cabbage into thin slices and I start by putting it in a large stock pot (because it takes a LOT of space). I put in some olive or safflower oil and water and I let it steam for a while with a sprinkle of salt to help squeeze out the excess water...about 20 minutes. After that its at a reasonable texture and has reduced in size a bit (the more cabbage the longer it takes). By then I've already been cooking the ground beef and bacon so there is lots of grease in that pan. I transfer the cabbage over in large chunks and let it soak up the grease and saute it all together. If you use a lot of cabbage it tends to be more cabbagey (word?). But a small cabbage or half a large cabbage makes it more flavorful. Becareful of adding too much salt to the cabbage as the meat and bacon will be salty enough.

Hope that helps!

[bellajgw]

Re: My Candida Journey

Day 14, two weeks in and while things have been progressing slowly they are still progressing. Hunny has lost another pound in just two days and is feeling really good! I, on the other hand have pushed through my slow phase quicker than I thought and dropped a whopping 4 pounds in about 5 days (not weighing myself has helped I think). I'm now 1 pound away from my next minigoal.

Now for the hard part...we're moving almost across country (from DC to MA) and its exhausting trying to get packed and ready to go in just 3 weeks. We move on December 4th. Spending 8 hours in a small car with my mother and two talkative kitties is going to try my nerves so I'm allowing myself a little more freedom on the diet as there is rarely edible food at rest stops. We know there are a couple that serve salads, even hard boiled eggs, so we will be stopping at those. No, we won't be going crazy, but don't be surprised if I allow myself more than 1 cup of coffee

220. OMG. I am 21 pounds away from being in the 100s. I am 41 pounds away from being at my goal for the wedding. 6 months left to lose 41 pounds. Yikes! I can only do the best I can. Gotta get rid of these bingo chicken wings of mine. Can't be seen with arm jiggle in a sleeveless wedding dress, hehehehe

Well, off I go, so much packing to do in so little time. Thank goodness for the Thanksgiving 4 day weekend!