I ate pretty healthy. Despite years of disordered eating, I was in an okay place. I typically chose whole grains (brown rice, sprouted grain breads, etc.), and we bought mostly organic produce. But, I also wasn’t depriving myself of the occasional slice – or two or three 😛 – of pizza. I also have a huge sweet tooth. I had heard and read from a lot of sources that there is this “80-20” rule. Eat clean 80% of the time and not-so-clean the other 20% of the time. So, I tried to stick with that.

However, I had been having conversations about giving up sugar with my husband for a little while. (He thought that was extreme. French people typically don’t get the whole diet/deprivation culture that Americans put on themselves.) And, everything I was reading about thyroid issues and hormone production made me want to give up sugar even more…next year…after the holidays…(New Year’s resolution??) I didn’t think I was quite ready to completely cut it out. But, I guess, now, I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to feel better. This food plan was kind of perfect timing and the push I needed.

The day after my appointment, we headed to Trader Joe’s where we do most of our grocery shopping.

Our list looked something like this:

• two heads of broccoli
• head of cauliflower
• celery
• cucumber
• two bags of carrots
• two bags of romaine lettuce
• spinach
• mushrooms
• green beans
• squash
• bell peppers
• sweet potatoes
• tomatoes
• beets
• olives
• raw nuts
• bouillon
• two cartons of eggs
• chicken
• beef
• fish
• turkey

I had never bought so many vegetables in my life…and I avoided the bakery and frozen food sections like the plague.

When we got home and the whole weekend before I started this food plan, I tried to do as much meal prep as possible. Sometimes meal prep for me simply means making food accessible. If the head of broccoli isn’t washed and cut up ready to be eaten, I probably won’t ever eat it. I needed to make sure I had quick food options in case I was starving. Hormone imbalance or not, when I’m hungry, I am not the most agreeable person. And, I don’t know about other moms, but my child never wants “up” more than when I’m trying to throw a meal together.

When Monday comes, I’m ready. At noon, I tell my mom I feel better already :P. And, by bedtime, I have a huge headache. Sugar withdrawal.

By Thursday, when my mom asks, “how are you feeling?”, I could confidently say that I felt little to no pain in my glute. Little to no pain, in three days. I still felt something wasn’t right. Or, maybe, it was just the absence of pain that I was no longer used to. I later noticed that I was in slight pain, but only when lying down.

That Sunday, on our way to run errands, I told my husband how good it felt to drive without pain…

This week hit, and I have a little more pain than last week. I think last night, lying down in bed, was the worst pain I had felt since starting this food plan. But, I am hopeful. And that is saying something.

I am 11 days into this diet. It gets a little easier everyday. It becomes a little more of a habit to grab a bag of raw cashews and cut-up cucumber for the road. The hardest part so far for me is breakfast. My husband, bless is heart, asks me every morning, “what do you want for breakfast?” What do I want? I want a lot of things that aren’t on that list. But, I guess I’ll settle for eggs…again…

I see the doctor next Thursday for our follow-up appointment #3. It is up to him if I get to move onto phase 2 (fingers crossed). Phase two is a lot more doable and sustainable long term. If he decides I should stick to phase 1, it will probably be for at least another 3 weeks. But, let’s be honest, I will do phase 1 until I have to. I haven’t ‘cheated’ on this diet, since it’s about so much more than weight loss for once in my life. I have so much more on the line – my mental health, my marriage, my ability to breastfeed future babies, etc. Cheating on this diet has a lot more weight (;)) attached to it than whether or not I can pull off a bikini next summer…

Hoping to post a couple recipes soon. But, if not, I will be posting an update after my appointment next week.