Now we're getting somewhere

Finally... I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!

The day Sam was born I was already counting down the days to having my body back. Losing weight, sleeping well, feeling well, getting back to a pre-baby me. But my road to getting back has been agonizingly slow. No weight loss, still no sleep, feeling pretty crappy and just discouraged by it all. I've been reading books, blogs and websites desperately seeking some answers. I've tried a few different approaches to my diet and have had mixed results. After nearly a month of head to toe unexplained itching (causing me to lose hours of sleep every night) I resigned myself to going to the doctor. Let me tell you, I HATE GOING TO THE DOCTOR! I hate that the usual 5 minute appointment results in a prescription for medications that I really don't want to take. Medicine has it's place, but in general I don't buy into the "A Pill for Every Ill". So, knowing I needed an answer, but not being able to bring myself to make another useless appointment, I searched for a new doctor. An N.M.D. to be specific. I feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Rodgers at Boise Natural Health. Can you believe that our first visit was 2 hours long?! And I walked away with a tentative plan, a few supplements, and not a single medication. Today I had my follow-up visit. What a mixture of being overwhelmed and encouraged. My blood work revealed that I am deficient in Vitamin D (easy enough to remedy with a supplement), but also that I am allergic to... hold on to your hats, people...

• Casein
• Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella)
• Milk (Cow & Goat)
• Whey
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Banana
• Cranberry
• Pineapple
• Crab
• Oyster
• Almond
• Lima Bean
• Corn
• Peanut
• Rye
• Sesame Seed
• Spelt
• Whole Wheat
• Asparagus

Yikes! Enter, overwhelmed.

So, I've got some major diet changes to make. Like going dairy-free and gluten-free. This doesn't mean that I may not be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods on occasion in the future, but for now my diet has been seriously reduced. I'm encouraged that I have a defined plan that should have me feeling better (and hopefully, lighter) soon, but holy cow, this isn't going to be easy. If you have any suggestions or great recipes feel free to share :)