Day Six and Seven: Whole 30 or MS?

Day 6

Day 6 was two days ago and I didn't even get around to posting.  I was so busy that there weren't enough hours in the day to blog. I'm sure you didn't miss me too much, because once a day blogging is a lot.

Recap of my Day 6: I was appalled to learn that the vitamins I take every day have soybean oil in them.  Seriously? I was furious.  Here I go thinking I was doing great at avoiding all the no-no's and one was hiding in my vitamin.  I didn't even think to check those.  Luckily, I caught it early enough, and as a result, I plan to extend my Whole 30 into June. I do NOT want to say I am starting over because that will make my progress thus far feel like nothing. Physiologically, I  need to make sure I feel progress or else I'll be more likely to quit. I'll just call this my Whole 40!

I was incredibly tired by the end of the day.  It was really intense. I made some baked chicken thighs (that I ate for lunch today.) They were ok. I discovered I don't like chicken thighs. They are too fatty.  It's the same reason I don't like duck.  I woke up in the morning feeling like I got one hour of sleep. You know, that feeling after you've stayed up all night to cram for a test, take a quick nap, and drag yourself to the exam. Yah, kind of like that. Ahh, college/seminary days.  I can't say I miss those kinds of nights though. All this made for a great Day 7....

Day 7

I've made it to this point and my stomach isn't cooperating very well. I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced stomach issues at this point in the month, but it's not comfortable. I'm guessing it was caused by the plantain chips I ate. Something about the (approved) oil they were cooked in upset my IBS.  I'll stay away from too many of those from now on. To top it all off, both of my feet have been cramping for quite some time tonight and it's very painful.  I get charlie horses in my feet and calves quite often, but I was hoping that by eating better on Whole 30, those symptoms would go away. Wrong.

I'm having a hard time distinguishing what is a Whole 30 "symptom" or an MS related symptom.  Is my exhaustion a result of the diet change? Probably.  Is it MS fatigue? Maybe.  Is the cramping really spasticity? Who knows. It's most likely MS related, because I was experiencing them before this challenge. Is the brain fog where I can't remember what I'm doing caused by something else I don't even know about?  It's so confusing. Anyone out there have MS and doing (or completed) the Whole 30 that can give me some insight?

The thing that's most frustrating about all of this MS stuff is that it makes me miss out on things that I love to do.  I haven't worked out in so long because I have zero energy to go to the gym.  You can forget running outside because of the Texas heat. (Yes, even in May). I missed an entire concert round with Austin Civic Orchestra because I was having pain in my hands and feeling over-committed and stressed.  I haven't been able to visit my Triumphant Love Lutheran Church kiddos because of the same reasons, and now tonight, this cramping in my feet was just too much to want to be around anyone. My brain fog is making me forget things and I can't even remember simple stuff. I get up to do something and half way to my destination, I can't remember why I got up in the first place.

I guess all of these issues keep me going, in a way.  They don't necessarily make me feel good about myself, but they keep me motivated to keep going with this Whole 30 plan.  It's not going to cure me by any means, but I know that it will improve my life in many ways.  I'm just ready to start seeing changes!

Here is something important I want you to know: I don't want your pity.  I don't want special treatment. I want your support and love like you've already given. Don't stop now when the times are tough.

See you tomorrow.


If you want to know more about MS and what's being done to treat it, or to donate money to research, visit the National MS Society.