Somehow I have made it to Day 30!
I have made it to the 30th day of my 30-day mission to avoid solid food for the month of June. I remember 15 days ago wondering how in the world I was going to make it for another 15 days. Getting to day 15 was difficult. Getting to day 30 seemed impossible; but here I am.
I haven’t yet made a plan for going forward from today. I’ll probably continue to avoid solids for now. But at least if I am struck by a craving for something to chew I don’t have to fight to resist that craving.
The fibroids are still in residence. But they haven’t been too much of a nuisance. I continue to make every effort not to make them take over my life in the way they have done since I discovered I had them. And I have to say, since I made the decision to stop empowering my fibroids a lot has changed for the better. So I thank the lady who contacted me privately with her insight and suggestion that I was giving my fibroids too much power. She helped me to realize that I was indeed going about my life as if everything had to be shaped around the fact that I have fibroids.
I am definitely in a good place at the moment. I am feeling strong. And while I still have my daily struggles, I am feeling far more in balance than I have in many years. Yes there are hormonal things that I am dealing with that are far from pleasant. But they’re not dominating the story of my life.
Even with my fibroid belly, I am looking and feeling the best I have in several years. I can’t predict what lies ahead; but where I am right now is significantly better than where I was 7 months ago. And I am very grateful.
If you’re trying to shrink your fibroids I wish you all the luck in the world. I’ve been at this battle for 7-9 years. I’ve tried countless remedies hoping to shrink my fibroids. The fibroids have not shrunken. But my stomach is no longer as bloated as it had become. While there is still bloating that’s associated with my menstrual cycle, the additional bloating caused by my diet has been under control.
Maybe you might have luck shrinking your fibroids. But in the meantime, if you’re walking around looking like you’re 7 or more months pregnant, half of that could be gas related bloating. And a change in your diet can fix it. I resisted changing my diet for a long time. I didn’t want to be restricted in what I could eat. But I’ve come to realize that the only effective way of controlling the situation (for me) is by adhering to a very restricted diet.
To be honest I am still struggling with the idea of having to be so strict with my diet. I like the freedom to eat. After so many years starving myself to stay thin, it felt good not having to care for that period of time I stopped caring and ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to eat it. When you don’t have very many pleasures in life, food can become a comfort. When I’m stressed, depressed, anxious I turn to food. So this is going to be a difficult journey going forward. But I know that food is the key to managing life with fibroids, At least for me it is. I can’t eat whatever I want whenever I want to eat it. And now that my 30-day no solids mission is over I have to figure out how to get back on solids without setting myself back to square one.
The journey now begins…
I’m also trying to avoid the total hysterectomy. Male doctors don’t seem to think it’s a big deal to ditch body parts. I’d prefer a myomectomy (removal of the fibroids only). But I’ve been cut on for both cesareans and spinal surgery. I don’t want to do it if I don’t have to. I have experimented with fasting and healthy activities since childhood. But PCOS in my life means insulin resistance. Even being vegetarian for almost ten years didn’t mean anything to PCOS because it’s about sugar/high glycemic foods. When it comes to fasting, I usually do water only, but since I’m anemic, I may have to supplement with juice (kale, beets, swiss chard, spinach). I had NO idea normal periods were only like 2 or 3tbsp. I’ve NEVER had periods like that! My last cycle was no less than 2 cups (and that was only 3 days of my 10 day period).
I look very pregnant. My self-esteem went into the gutter after PCOS kept my weight on the incline. I’m so determined to win at this point. I just want to feel normal. I just want doctors to stop cutting on me. I want some control over this. So I’m fasting (no protein shakes – some can be dangerous, even fatal, during fasts) with pure water and low-glycemic juice until all the excess fat is gone. After my body burns through the excess fat, maybe all my body’s attention will turn towards the fibroids. Fasting with water only is MUCH easier for me than any juicing. Juicing constantly stimulates the taste buds, making hunger a constant issue for some. When I fast purely with water, I have no hunger after Day 2. I’ve gone over 28 days before (I stopped counting), so I’m not afraid of extended fasts. Shrinking them to even half their size (one feels like a large grapefruit or small cantelope), maybe I can get a myomectomy without hearing the hysterectomy talk.
I will bookmark this page, and I will try to remember to come back and tell you what happened, Ms. Monica! 🙂 I expect to start seeing results in 30 days, but I expect noticeable changes by 60 days. So I should be back to report my findings around the start of October 2015.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Abnaxus and sorry for taking so long to reply but I have been off the site for a bit. Trying to get back actively updating soon. Looking forward to hearing about your results.
I also meant to add that I learned alot about fibroids, PCOS, and estrogen. I learned about phytoestrogens, estrogen from plants! Soy was a huge part of my diet after leaving meat behind. Now I know that soy has that estrogen too. (I’ve since found Quorn as an alternative to soy). Since high estrogen levels make fibroids grow, I like having a mental list of veggies that are safe. With my first pregnancy, my sense of smell inched me closer to a meatless diet. Smells turned me off to anything that smelled dead or like chemicals. After each fast, I would pick up new ways of eating. I would crave only pure foods when breaking my fasts. I’m convinced stuff like Doritos and sugary, processed junk are drugs/poison.
I also wanted to mention that when I break this extended fast, I will be sure to know my list of PCOS enemy foods. I crave what grows naturally out of the earth. So I will be happy with salads sprinkled with hemp, flax, and other seeds. Rice, broccoli, and walnuts sounds good too. Most of the food I will eat will be raw and fresh. I plan to only cook things like rice and peas/lentils/beans. Stuff like bread I can make fresh at home for a treat. There’s no reason I need to see a bread label with anything other than flour, yeast, and other natural ingredients….not unpronounceable preservatives and weirdness. I just don’t think ‘1st world’ people should be sicker than parts of the world America labels poor or 3rd world. (Everywhere we’ve exported our ‘FAST FOOD has citizens who are headed towards diabetes and expanding waistlines). It really is the food and chemicals (we spray crap mindlessly around us and breathe it in). I question everything I put on and in my body these days (do I really want to smear aluminum mixtures underneath my arms so I don’t sweat? …when we’re supPOSED to sweat)! I will be back in a few months, Monica. Hope you are well.
Another note for fasting folk who see they gain weight back…. if you only lose ten pounds, it should be counted as mostly water and fecal matter that have left the body. Once you begin eating again, there is food sitting there in your gut at all times from each meal. That’s the weight people think they’ve put on. Most of it. So when I fast and lose 25lbs, I expect at least 10 of it to return as I eat and drink. What I’ve noticed is as things balance out, I end up being 5 or 10lbs lighter with each fast. My highest weight was with my 2nd pregnancy. I was 235. My normal weight is a solid/lean 130-145lbs. (You’re right, Monica, I feel being too thin past age 40 can make a person look much older…I actually fear losing weight because I look 20 something to many people and I fear I will look 80 if I’m under 135, so I’m keeping my curves and muscles). After nursing my son, I hovered around 225 for a long time. Then came the back surgery (microdiscectomy). The pain and appetite loss had me drop to 205. Then a few fasts had me hover around 200, 190, then finally 180. This last year or two, I’ve relapsed with foods that are all bad for fibroids and they grew fast! So I bounced between 180 and 195 for a while. I even broke through my plateau last time with the dreaded number, 170. Now I’m realizing I’ve been on the right track…I only needed to stay on it. I will be happiest with breaking under 160 because I haven’t seen the 150s since right after the birth of my 1st boy. That was when I knew something was wrong. I was working out hard and eating healthy foods, but got stuck at 153. I was stuck there for months, then the weight crept up. At this point, I didn’t know the fibroids were in there growing. I only knew about the polycystic ovaries (but hadn’t heard of PCOS yet). I’m really hoping the facial hair will stop!!!! So around 98, depression was also an issue, because I was trying my best, I thought. And only recently did I learn how serious anemia can be (the heart). Menorrhagia is a horrid condition. I feel like I’ve lived my 1st son’s entire life in fatigue, extreme depression, and mental cloudiness. I didn’t care if I lived or died the last 2 decades almost. I was that fatigued. I felt useless. I’m so ready to leave this all behind. I’m convinced this second half of my life will be the best half.
Hi did u ever try beets and carrot juice