Phase one complete - it was hard but worth it

It's Sunday night and that means I have finished phase one of the Maker's Diet!!! I am so proud of myself. These last two weeks have probably been some of the hardest weeks I have ever gone thru - but it has been my faith, family and friends that have gotten me thru this ordeal. Here are some things I've learned as I went thru Phase One.

I'm stronger than I thought I was: This past Tuesday I hit a wall in the diet. It was a cold, rainy day. Driving home from work, all I wanted to do was come home and curl up on my couch with some comfort food. And my definition of comfort food would have been junk - nothing involved in phase one of the diet. Luckily, my 2 mile drive home on Whitlock Avenue (which typically takes about 30 minutes at 5 p.m. rush hour) gave me time to talk myself out of going home and eating bad food. I kept reminding myself that I was eating comfort food - food prescribed to me from the Creator. If I came home and ate junk, then I wouldn't be in any comfort.

A diet is easier when you're doing it for the right reasons: Several times in my life I've tried different "diets" or tried to eat "right" to lose weight. But I've failed at all of those attempts. But staying true to the Maker's Diet has been easier because the motivation behind it is pure and true. As I said from the beginning,  I'm not doing this to lose weight (although I have lost weight - don't know how much because I didn't weigh myself before I started and don't really see the need to know). I'm on this diet to regain control of my health. I'm ok with sacrificing a view of my food vices to not live a life on medicines.

I really enjoying cooking: Ok this is something that I've known about myself, but I've rekindled my love of cooking thru this diet. The past few years I've been so busy that many of my meals were quick or from a restaurant. And living by myself, I didn't like cooking for one. But this diet has forced me to slow down and be more intentional about cooking. And it's been fun experimenting. There has been a small selection of foods that I could have, but I've tried to come up with different combinations as to not get bored with anything. One of the things I've enjoyed about this diet is coming home from work and cooking.

I could not have done this with out the support of family and friends: There have been days these last two weeks that I've wanted to quit. But it's been the encouragement and support of family and friends that keeps me on course. My mom has been my constant cheerleader - asking me about the diet constantly. She's also cooked me countless meals that fit into the diet, and she always made extra so that I could take leftovers home for lunch the next day. My sister-in-law (who is a health nut herself), has been a great resource to talk to about what I should be eating and what brands, stores, etc. are the best ones to check out. And I've gained new friends in this - I've met several times and e-mail back and forth with a new friend I met thru another friend. She has Crohn's and has been on the Maker's Diet for several years now. She's been a great source of encouragement, information and accountability. She's someone I can talk to about what I'm going thru and I know she understands cause she's been there. There are countless other friends and family who have been supporting me too - most importantly with their prayers and encouragement.

This experience is bringing me closer to God: While I started this journey to gain my health back, I've also gained a closer relationship with God. I've been a Christian since I accepted Christ at summer camp when I was in 7th grade. But I've never had to fully, completely and whole-heartedly rely on, and put my faith in God like I have with this. In the quiet moments, when I'm all alone at my house and no one would really know if I ate a bag of chips of a handful of cookies, it's been God's quiet and gentle spirit that has kept me on the right path. I know he loves me and wants what's best for me. He's given me the strength to get thru this.

God is restoring me: One of my favorite worship songs right now is called "Restoration." The chorus is "You take my mourning, and turn it into dancing/ You take my weeping and turn it into laughing/ You take my mourning and turn it into dancing/ You take my sadness and turn it into joy." Those lines really explain how I feel on this journey. And I can already tell that God is beginning to restore my health. I'll spare you all the details - but basically I feel great and I'm not having as many symptoms of Crohn's. Every day gets a little better. In the end, I have full faith that God will take my sadness (poor health) and will turn it into joy (good health)!

So starting tomorrow I move on to Phase Two of the diet - and that means sweet potatoes!!!! That's probably what I'm most excited about with Phase Two. Sweet potatoes are probably one of my favorite foods, I bought some today at the store in preparation for Phase Two. I'll probably dream about sweet potatoes tonight :) Yummy!

A picture of faith

So I've finally finished week one, and I'm on to week two of phase one. It's been ok. I'm starting to get bored with my options in phase one. I was never a big egg eater and now I'm eating them every morning for breakfast cause that is about all I'm allowed to have. So I'm ready to start adding new foods. But overall I am feeling really good. I'm exercising at least 3 times a week - and I'm starting to feel the benefits they talk about in the Maker's Diet like more energy.

But I really wanted to take this time to explain the most important part of this journey - faith. I have faith that God is leading me down this path, and that he ultimately will heal me. I've learned a lot about my faith in God since I got sick last summer. There have been moments where I've hit rock bottom and have just cried. And then I try to remember to praise God when I have the good times like good reports from the doctor. My faith has been put thru the ringer, but I totally believe I have a lot stronger faith in God than I ever did when I was healthy.

Since I got sick, there has been one picture of faith that God has printed in my mind over and over again. She doesn't have a name, but her small actions caused the Son of God to notice.  Her story is found several times in the Gospel. All we really know about her is that she was bleeding for many years and spent countless dollars and time trying to find a remedy for her illness. Nothing seemed  to work - sounds familiar. When she heard that Jesus was in town, she mustered the strength to go to the street, press thru the crowd and touch the edge of Jesus' cloak. Her touch, however light it might have been, was strong enough to get Jesus' attention, because he looked for her. Once he found her and learned her story, Jesus said the words I am praying to hear: "Take heart my daughter," he said. "Your faith has healed you." Now that's that kind of faith I want, that I'm praying for, and that I'm believing will come.

I know I said this picture of faith has reappeared in mine life since I got sick last summer. In January, I was given an actual picture of it. Our church was having a week of fasting and prayer. Each night during the week our church was gathered for prayer and each night was a different theme. Thursday night was all about healing prayer - our church has an anointed healing prayer ministry so I knew I needed to be there. During the service, they had two girls painting prophetic art during worship, and the picture below is what one of the artist painted. I knew that the painting was for me - and even cooler was that one of our pastors knew my story and presented me with the painting at the end of the service. The painting now hangs in my room at the end of the bed so that I see it as I go to bed and its the first thing I see in the morning. It is a daily reminder of what I'm praying for and expecting God for. I have no doubt that one day I will hear Jesus say, "Ashley, take heart my daughter. Your faith has healed you."

Domino's pizza don't you know I'm on a diet

So yesterday when I got home from work, hanging on my front door knob was an advertisement for pizza from Domino's. It was the last thing I wanted to see after the day I had. See I have to confess - I went off the diet Friday for lunch. I had a hamburger, including bun (broke the no bread role) and a Sprite.

Here is the reason/excuse as to why I "had" to eat that way. United Way, who I work for, had their metro campaign celebration. The event was a mixture of high school pep rally and carnival. The only food available was hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and cotton candy. So I went with the hamburger; it was off the diet but was the least off the diet food available.

But I've been back on the diet ever since. And I've actually had fun coming up with different meals. I'm cooking now more than ever, and that's been fun. Last night I had pesto-lime chicken with a salad. And I made the pesto with leaves from the basil plant in my kitchen. (I've been know to kill any plant in my house - but this basil plant is out of control. So if anyone is looking for fresh basil, give me a call and I'll hook you up.) And then this morning I made an omelet with goat cheese and green peppers. It was really, really yummy.

I'm still drinking the "lawn-mower" green stuff. Every day I'm able to drink a little more than the time before but it's still awful. Apparently it's tolerable when mixed with Apple juice; however, I'm not allowed to have fruit juices in the first phase. So I suffer thru it.

One more week on phase one. I hear the second week is a little harder cause you just get tired of eating the same foods. So I'm trying to keep it interesting.

On Sunday, I'm hopefully going to have truly fresh fish. We're going to my grandparents lake in Newnan, and the plan is to fish. Usually we end up frying the fish, but I'm going to order mine baked cause I can't have bread. But it'll still be yummy. I just have to catch the fish first.

Downside of phase one

Sorry I didn't write yesterday - my mom and I had a girls' night that involved a play at Theatre on the Square. So by the time I got home, it was late and I went to bed.

Now back to what I wanted to write about. Today I experienced one of the downsides of being in Phase One of the Maker's Diet - eating out with friends. A group of my Leadership Cobb friends were getting together to celebrate a friend's birthday at one of my favorite restaurants on the Marietta Square. I went to say hello for the pre-dinner get-together, but had to say goodbye when folks started moving toward the dinner table. I could have stayed, but I was hungry. And I really could not eat (or enjoy) anything on the dinner.

So instead I came home and ate some leftovers that I had made earlier this week that fit in with phase one.  It was hard having to explain while I was leaving to my friends. "I'm going home because I'm on a diet," seems silly to say. When you say you're on a diet, most people think it's cause you want to lose weight and they tend to say some interesting things about why your not eating. But I'm not trying to lose anything. I'm actually trying to gain something back - my health. And I'm on more than just a diet; I'm on a journey to save my life.

My friends who told me about the Maker's Diet warned me about this. So I guess this is something  I need to be prepared to experience while I'm on this journey. It's a sacrifice that I'm willing to take. I'll figure out a way to be sociable with my friends, but also eat the way I'm suppose to.

Day 5 is over - I'm close to finishing week one of Phase One. Only one more week left and then we can move on to Phase Two.

The worst summer of my life

So day two of the diet wasn't much different than day one, so today I've decided to write about the summer when my whole life changed.

Last summer (2010), I felt like I was the picture of perfect health. I was running a couple times a week and going to a kickboxing class at the gym. I was in good health - here is a picture of me with my "sisters" from Spain at the Fourth of July.

The week after this picture was taken, I was a counselor at my church's summer camp. When I got home from camp I just wasn't feeling well. My stomach hurt and I was exhausted. I figured I had just picked up a bug from camp - moldy cabins and bad camp food. But my symptoms soon got worst - to the point I wasn't able to hold down food at all.

I went to my primary care doctor cause I knew this was not something that would just pass. That was a Thursday afternoon three weeks after I got home from camp. She referred me to a GI specialist with an appointment on Monday - I never made that appointment.

That Sunday, I finally mustered the strength to attend a graduation party for my friend Elise. I was exhausted and felt horrible. But I went. A good family friend, Sandy Gillam (who is a nurse), was also there and just didn't feel ok with how I looked. She ended up calling my mom who showed up at my house about an hour after I got home. Mom said we're going to the hospital - I protested the whole way, but I now know that my mom's determination probably saved my life.

When we arrived at the ER, I was immediately taken to a room - my pulse and blood pressure were dangerously low.  Soon after I got to a room, I was given two blood transfusions. I now know that the doctors were really nervous that I could have a heart attack - really scary.

I then was moved upstairs into a real room at Kennestone Hospital and met with a GI specialists the next day. After several test and biopsies the doctor determined that I either had ulcerative colotis or Crohn's, we'd have to wait for the results of the biopsies to really narrow it down. In the follow up visit, the doctor said the biopsies showed that it was Crohns.

I ended up staying in the hospital for 5 horrible days. For most of those days I was on a liquid diet. By day three of the liquid diet, when they asked me if I wanted chicken, beef or vegetable broth, I told them to spin a wheel and choose one cause they all taste the same. I'm not really a good patient.

So that is how this whole journey of dealing with Crohn's began. It was a scary time in my life that really changed my life. It's been a roller coaster, especially emotionally.

But I think my new path has leveled everything out. I think I'm finally on my way to being that picture of perfect health again!

Breakfast with the governor, cheesecake and a gross green drink

Day one of the maker's diet wasn't terrible - it wasn't my best day every, but it wasn't the worst.

My morning started off with breakfast with the governor - ok so technically I was at a Chamber breakfast where Gov. Deal with the keynote speaker and there was about 300 folks there, but my breakfast did involve the governor. I ate two scrambled eggs at home before I went to the Chamber breakfast cause I didn't know what they might have at the breakfast. I ended up just moving the food around on my plate so it looked like I ate something, but I didn't really eat during my breakfast with the governor.

Lunch was the biggest test so far - I had a lunch meeting at the Marietta Conference Center to plan our annual Heart in Hand volunteer luncheon. The Conference Center has ok food - but excellent desserts. It took every ounce of will power for me to not grab a slice of cheesecake from the buffet during my meeting. But I prevailed - and patted myself on the back :0)

I will say the worst part of today was trying to drink the gross green drink that they suggest in the Maker's Diet. It's called the Perfect Food and it's a powder, green substance you are suppose to mix with water. Horrible idea!!! The drink smells like the underside of a lawn mower and it taste even worse than that description. I could only stomach about three sips of it this morning before my gag reflex kicked in and said no more! I found some other things to mix it with that are suppose to taste a little better. I'll keep you update.

Day one down, 13 more days of phase one. I'm counting the positives. We'll see how this goes.

It'll be alright again - I'm ok

In the song "Little Miss," Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles sings about how sometimes you have to lose to win, but in the end it'll be alright again, and she's ok. That song really explains the journey I'm about to go on. And I'm hoping that you will support me along this journey - both through encouragement and most importantly prayer.

Last summer, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. When I went into the hospital last July, I almost died, and I've been fighting to regain my health back ever since. I have my good days, and I have my bad. But I'm ready for more good than back. Crohn's dieasese is an auto-immune disease where basically your digestive system is out of wack. My doctor has tried various medicines to try to regulate my digestive system, but none of them seem to work unless accompanied by a heavy dose of prednisone - a steroid dependency is not a good thing. The next step my doctor wanted to try was a stronger drug called Remicaid that would be given by an infusion every two months. But that treatment option scared me. It has some pretty harsh side-effects that I just wasn't willing to face. And after a lot of discussion with my family and friends, and a lot of prayers, I decided to tell my doctor I'd rather look at other treatment options first and leave the heavy drugs as a last resort. And much to my surprise, and excitement, my doctor was ok with that. He understood my concerns and was willing to support me in whatever my decision was.

So, here is where I finally take ownership and control of my health, and move forward in faith that God is going to heal me. According to modern medicine, Crohn's disease is not curable but it's treatable. According to the Bible, nothing is impossible for God. I'm putting my faith in God.

Starting Monday (March 7), I am going on the Maker's Diet. It is a biblically based diet that is designed for you to eat like God intended. The book, by Jordan Rubin, talks about how much of the Standard American Diet is really not good for you - and when you have a digestive disease like Crohn's it's even worse. I was introduced to this diet by a couple people who have Crohn's but have been medicine free for years. I have been encouraged by all of them to at least give it a try.

The diet is in three phases with the first phase (2 weeks) being rather restrictive - it's almost like a detox. Then little by little you're able to add back in different foods to your diet to where you can eventually eat pretty normal with a diet rich in good meats (beef, chicken, fish that have scales) and lots of fruits and vegetables.

Now I'm not going on this diet to lose weight - I'm going on this diet to take ownership of my health and hopefully go off all the meds. In order to be alright again, I'm prepared to lose some of the things I love - mainly things like bread (which I love - just ask my family, we've had family fights over bread), Chic-fil-a and caffeine.

I've decided to start this blog as more of a journal of my journey. I don't know if anyone will even read it, but as a writer, writing my thoughts down helps with the accountability this journey requires. I'll try to be as honest as I can. I just ask that you pray for me thru this so that at the end I can say - I'm ok!