More Tweaking...

I've lost a few pounds since my last post in January. Not much, around 5, but it's stabilized. Which is good, because I haven't gained any more, but bad, because I haven't lost any more. Some very stressful personal situations have come up in the last 6 months that I know aren't helping! They have caused me to lose sleep, which makes my body less able to function, which causes more stress, which causes me to lose more sleep... It's a vicious cycle...

I had a major gallbladder attack in March, the first in a long time. I was vomiting bile and ended up in the ER. I had a smaller one this week, but I think I know what triggered it (food intolerances + a 1-day exposure to a large amount of environmental allergens).

I also found out that I have arthritis in my lower back. I've known since '09 that I've had it in my left ankle, but it rarely bothers me (that's the one I have a rod and 8 pins in). I suspect I also have it in my left wrist (which I sprained badly twice in high school and get tendonitis in).

My inflammation levels are climbing :( I'm off work for the summer so I'm looking into making a few more dietary changes.

In researching eating plans to lower inflammation, the one thing that kept coming up was the Mediterranean diet. I knew a bit about it but not much. So I spent some time looking up the specifics - what is and isn't allowed, pros and cons, rate of long-term success, how to adapt it to lower carb, etc.

Here's what I like about it:
Emphasis on whole foods
Easily modified/customized
Not very restrictive
Relatively easy to stick with long-term
Dairy isn't the devil ;)
Nothing to count
Not very different from what I'm doing now (so only minor tweaking vs major changes)

The things I don't like about it are the same as any other healthy way of eating:
More planning
More meal prep
More cooking

Any plan I do has to be flexible. I'm already limited by the foods I react to, and at least 4 times a month I'm on the road for 6+ hours at a time. I have to eat on the road those days, and between the amount of money I have to spend on those meals, what I react to, and what's available on the route, I have very few options, none of which really fit in any healthy eating plan. But if I can do well the rest of the week, that one meal off-plan shouldn't be a big deal. And I have to allow for celebration days, like my birthday and anniversary, along with occasional meals out with family and friends.

Which leads me to another thing I like about the Mediterranean plan... The emphasis on the social aspects of eating. You don't see "cheats" mentioned. The native Mediterranean culture sees "cheats" as an occasional treat to enjoy with friends and family, in moderation. No guilt, no shame.

So here goes...

(and if you're reading this, drop me a comment so I know I'm not just talking to myself ;) )