it's too early..

4:30am. I woke up with stomach pains. The kind where my stomach feels hungry, but won't growl. It's up high, and burping has made me feel better. Just under 24 hours ago, I was under anesthesia, but I don't think that's to blame.

I'm quite frustrated that I didn't keep track of the last 2-3 days, because I haven't had a bowel movement in that long. I think that's part of the bellyache. Yesterday, I even tried to eat cherries and cantaloupe and drink extra amounts of water, in hopes of passing things through. No luck. I do know I've eaten a lot of processed carbohydrates (crackers, granola bars, etc.) and have always thought that is to blame for my irregularity.

Hard to think this early. Want to try and sleep some more. Write more tomorrow, hopefully.

Confused.

Last night: Chipotle burrito + pork + brown rice + lettuce + black beans + corn salsa + medium salsa + guacamole + glass of red. No sour cream/cheese/milk products. 

Before bed, felt great. 

This morning: gas, cramps and loose stools. Realized this morning: almost every morning starts the same way that it did this morning. 

Breakfast in pieces: Black coffee, made at home. Later on, cereal (Cheerios) and low-fat milk, all I really had to eat around 9am. After I'd been up for two hours. 

By noon, I was nauseous and had a headache. Water to try and rid myself of the headache, but all the water was adding to the nausea. For lunch, ate Oriental ramen noodles + ham, cheese, mayo, mustard, whole wheat sandwich. Feeling much better. 

Stumped. And want to know why I suffer from gas, nausea, etc. EVERY MORNING. Jeez. Was my supper too spicy/eccentric? Would it help to eat such meals as lunch mid-day?

Humph. Its obviously not just stress. Thoughts?

Stress-free: the way to be.

So, I've had colleagues and friends alike that have informed me how stress plays a huge role in their digestive system. 

My mother has informed me that IBS (irritable bowel syndrome, which I've had since high school) is triggered by stress. 

As of the end of the school year, I have had considerably less stress on a daily basis. 

I'm beginning to think that stress, like so many others, has an affect on how I feel. 

However, my stress level has also varied since early June, alongside my eating habits. With work/softball, I didn't focus much on the quality of the food I was eating. Now, with the time to cook and regularly make trips to the grocery store, I am watching what I eat more and eating less processed foods (and who KNOWS all the additives in processed restaurant food).

Too many variables changed at once? Perhaps. Feeling better? Yes. So we are going with it. Also still refraining from most dairy. The occasional slice of cheese on a sandwich is consumed. 

I've also become aware of the fact that my stomach does NOT react well when food (of any kind) is put inside it when it's extremely empty. For example, breakfast is almost always rough, no matter what it consists of. Keeping myself satiated to the extent that I don't get uncomfortably hungry is another key, I believe. 

Good insight this past week. Crazy schedule/vacation plans made it challenging, but I do believe the significant decrease in stress has played a role. Will continue to monitor how hungry I get, and try to prevent it from getting too empty. 

Vacation, continued..

Foe the last few days of vacation, I've been conscious of my options and have attempted to keep my stomach at bay. 

Breakfasts: half a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted, with peanut butter. Add a banana or an apple. And black coffee.

Lunches: turkey sandwiches (excellent quality meat), some with a slice of cheese, some not.. with tomato, lettuce, mayo. Add a bag of chips and fresh fruit. Suppers: twice had a greatsalad with   vinaigrette dressings and a ton of tasty toppings, from avocado to blue cheese to blackened chicken/fish to pepperoncini. Last night: fish tacos with black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeños, and a slice of Key lime pie with raspberry sauce. Holy cow. 

Treats: dairy-free ice cream (soy-based) with peanuts, and Cuban coffee (black). Yumm. 

I've been feeling relatively well. Following my AM coffee, no bellyache. Feel like this means I should steer clear of ALL half and half. 

After the slice of Key lime pie, I did feel a bit of discomfort. It's amazing how fast it occurs (within minutes of the first bite). And I'm still a bit nauseous in late morning hours. Which I can't seem to figure out. Continuing to be very conscious. Don't want any serious episodes while I'm on the road and out in places where bathrooms aren't so accessible. 

WTF?

Okay, so.. some discomfort today, but NOTHING compared to recent weeks/months.

Here's a rundown of the last 24 hours of my life:
Woke up at 3:30a to be in Woodstock by 4:45a. An apple before security.
Dulles by 6:30a, departure for Atlanta at 8:30a. Grabbed a black coffee and banana that I finished before we landed.
Arrive in Atlanta to expensive terminal food, so ate nothing. Free small serving of pretzels on the plane.
Once we arrived in in Ft. Lauderdale at 2:30p and our tour guide met us, we stepped over to the vans and were provided turkey + cheese subs from Subway with white bread, mayo + mustard, lettuce + tomato, Lays plain chips and a chocolate chip cookie. 
Ack. Don't forge that I've been drinking ample water all day long.
Supper (at 8:30p) consisted of a Cobb salad with blue cheese + bacon bits + hardboiled eggs + avocado + cherry tomatoes + grilled yellowfish + mustard vinaigrette and water (feel like I'm missing something with the salad)..

Looking back at the day, these are the things that stand out in my own mind:
I was busy all day, YES.
I was on-the-go all day, YES.
I did NOT overeat once.
I drank a lot of water.
On more than one occasion, I allowed myself to get very hungry. Stomach = VERY empty.
I didn't put half-and-half in my coffee (which I've been doing a lot more of recently).
I had a small serving of cheese today (was going to try and avoid milk, but didn't totally succeed).
I had more fresh fruits and vegetables than I have in recent weeks (fresh fruit at breakfast and great salad for supper).
I was under a moderate amount of stress. Airport terminals with 8 middle-schoolers. Eeeek.

I'm not sure what the magic was in my choices today, but on a scale of 1-10 (considering upper GI discomfort, lower intestinal discomfort, etc), I'd give today a solid 3. And if I had to give the last month a rating on average, I'd give it a 7-8 (some days 5's, others a solid 10). Comparatively speaking, I felt really good today. GO FIGURE. ???

Side note: I've gotten some really insightful emails, messages, etc. from friends, family and colleagues. I"m taking notes and writing down considerations and "a-HA" moments. PLEASE keep them coming. I'm very appreciative. Today felt like a HUGE step in the right direction. :)

Cleaning out the 'fridge.

Tomorrow, I leave for FL for five days. I wanted to use up all my fresh ingredients in the refrigerator, and it just so happens I could create a scrumptious salad. 

LOCAL strawberries + chickpeas + red onion + LOCAL lettuce + balsamic and oil. It was really very delicious. Paired it with a glass of Syrah from Trader Joe's and there you have it. 

This afternoon, I made a batch of Amish Friendship Bread that I received from a colleague at work. It made 12 muffins and a small loaf of bread. I put fresh blueberries in the batter, which always turn out wonderful in baked treats. 

I had one of the muffins this afternoon, and BOY, was it good! However, I was thinking about starting a milk-free diet when I return from FL. The bread/muffin batter had milk and instant pudding mix in it, so I'll have to ponder what I want to do with my new treats. Maybe freeze them? 

Planning on staying as fresh and raw as I can with food tomorrow. Hopefully that's doable. And I'm also refraining from coffee in the morning, in order to make traveling easier tomorrow morning. I'm still kind of jittery from my coffee this morning, which is odd because I drink coffee regularly. Struggling to figure that one out. Hopefully a coffee-free morning tomorrow is a wise decision, as well. 

Vacation-prep (physically and mentally)..

I'm spending my Friday doing laundry and packing for a five-day trip to Florida with my middle school students. I'm eager to go, but I'm worried about the travel time and my options, in regards to the food I will be consuming the next few days. My stomach has always taken kindly to overreacting when I travel (changes in diet, time, elevation, etc). Over the course of the next five days, I will have options for some meals. Other meals, they will pack for me. I will need to stay conscious every day. I will need to listen to my body and do the best I can to give it what it needs.

I had a lot of coffee this morning, thus leaving me with a case of the shakes (minimal, not extreme). I'm also attempting to eat the remains of my fridge, so things don't spoil while I am out of town. This is also an attempt to clean out my kitchen, so upon my return, I have a clean slate to build on. Only worthwhile and smart, clean food allowed through the door of my apartment. 

Lunch was a sandwich and leftover dessert from a work potluck (which contains traces of butter and ample sugar, thus leaving me with a small bellyache). Supper will be a salad with strawberries (pictures below), balsamic vinegar, onions, chickpeas, and maybe a glass of red wine. Again, all depends on my stomach. 

More packing to do. In the meantime, allow yourself to drool over these luscious, sweet and flavorful strawberries (thanks to a dear friend).