So it's been awhile.... Current rants on the SCD Diet

Sorry people that might actually be wondering if I died! I didn't. I just have been a bit busier than before. It always takes me a few months to adjust to new schedules. Anywho... I am alive, and actually quite well. The diet has had it's ups and downs. Mainly the ups and downs had to do with how well I have been following the diet. I have to say for me personally this diet is amazing. When I stick with it, and eat right, I have energy and feel great. I have been adding things back into my diet slowly but surely, and even though I have cheated a little here and there overall my health is great!

Here are some observations made by people that don't really have a clue about what I am doing, they just know I am doing something...

"Wow! You look great! What diet are you doing?"

"Your skin is looking really good, what makeup do you use?"

"I can't believe how tiny you are! How much weight have you lost?!"
(Just to let you know I am not by any means tiny, but in comparison with my pre-SCD self I am looking pretty good :))

So these words of random people that don't really have a clue are extremely inspiring. They help me to see that even though I haven't changed my makeup, and technically I wouldn't call this a diet for weight loss, something is very different in my life and they covet it and want it for themselves.

When I feel they might actually benefit from what I am doing, I briefly explain what I am doing and they usually walk away thinking or even saying that what I do would be impossible for them. I understand that fact. I too once thought that way. But if you want to live, and not feel "poopy" all of the time this thing really works.  

Clean Bill of Health

My blood tests all came back normal! No Celiac (we'll revisit this), no seasonal allergies (even though I have had months of sinus pressure and have been taking Zyrtec daily), and my Thyroid came back almost normal according to him. "It's just on the low end" were his exact words. "Nothing to worry about". He also told me my liver and kidney function was just fine. The only issue that he could see were a high amount of Vitamin A in my blood, and that I was low in Vitamin D. But again he said this wasn't a big deal, just amp up my daily dose of Vitamin D.

So at this point most people would walk out the door and go get a slice of pizza and a beer because "My doctor just told me I'm healthy!" Well I guess I am weird. The day after I visited the Doc I decided to start the SCD Diet. Why such a drastic step you might ask?

Even though my bloodwork came back within the normal range for everything he tested, it's a known fact even by my Doc that the Celiac test is unreliable. He basically told me that if I wanted an accurate test he would recommend a colonoscopy and and endoscopy. That would give him a better idea of whether I actually have the disease. The problem with that is then I would need to continue eating the wheat until I could go in for those tests. And the day I went in to the Doc I was at my breaking point. I had gained 10 pounds of bloat on the gluten test. I ached all over, including a horrible sinus pressure headache that never really went away. I was so fatigued that at about 3 PM every day I almost went comatose, it was impossible for me to keep up with life. I had been dealing with some major digestive issues. I was just over it. I wanted to feel better. So direct from the doctor's office I headed to the grocery store with my list for the first 2 days of the SCD Diet. Grape jello here I come!

Gut Busting - The Mystery of the Undigested Lettuce

I've been off of wheat for almost 3 consecutive years. I have known that I have an issue with wheat for almost a decade, but it wasn't until I really felt crappy that I decided to go wheat free. I've also had issues with my Thyroid. I have always been low on energy with a feeling of constant lethargy. I always thought it was because I was lazy. When I stopped eating wheat I started feeling better. It helped with my bloating and gaseousness. And I felt less pain in my joints. But after 3 years my energy levels were still very low and my digestive tract seemed to be revolting against me.

After a lengthy discussion with my hubby about my inability to digest lettuce (which I thought was a universal problem, just like corn) I decided to Google it. I googled whether or not lettuce is hard to digest. Well, to my dismay I found out my hubby was right, most people do digest lettuce just fine. But those with IBS and other gut issues tend to have a problem processing the leafy roughage. This led me to a site called SCD Lifestyle. It's definitely a monetized site, with e-books and personalized treatment strategies, but the few articles I read got me interested in the SCD Diet.

I looked up various pins on Pinterest with recipes, and I looked at different blogs sharing recipes. I found the Breaking the Vicious Cycle web site and looked over the list of legal and illegal foods. Then I thought to myself, I need to try this. This is for me. Maybe I can actually start to feel like a human again.

But first... I need to do a gluten test and get blood work done.* So I did. I ate my heart out for 2 months. I ate donuts, bavarian cream to be exact. Pizza and beer. Bagels in NYC. More beer, and chocolate cake. Then more beer. I really missed drinking beer. And I thought to myself if I test positive for Celiac, I'm never going to be able to drink a real beer again! After feeling like crap for the two months of the test and having absolutely no energy I finally went in for my blood test. Not only did the Doc test me for Celiac disease, he ran an allergy panel and he tested my thyroid. A week later I called for my results... (To be continued when I feel like typing some more)

*From my research I realized that an earlier test that I had taken for Celiac's disease was probably not accurate since I had not eaten wheat for a year. My current doctor informed me that I would need to eat wheat for at least 6-8 weeks prior to the test for a more accurate test. The testing for Celiac isn't the most reliable, but it does help things if you eat wheat before you go in. Most of what I could find said to eat 4-6 servings a day for the 6-8 weeks. No wonder I felt so badly!