diet – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Body Shaming

Me, Hiding My Fat

My gastroenterologist prescribed me a dietician for guidance doing the Low FODMAP’s diet to help with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). Normally, I would handle a diet plan myself, but I wanted to do it right, and every website seemed to differ on what low FODMAP’s meant. Also, I did not expect to wind up dealing with body shaming.

I made an appointment with a local dietician. It went terribly. Somewhat foolishly I made a follow-up appointment because I thought anyone could have a rough day. I didn’t want to judge someone based on one meeting. These are moments I look back on and get frustrated with myself. As I near forty, it’s time to learn that my time is valuable and I can usually trust my first impression. The woman was not having a difficult day; she is just not the right person to guide me in any direction.

Where Things Went Wrong

After listening to her story of Lyme disease and SIBO and how she saved herself, she put me on a scale and gave me the fat pinch test. I have not had a fat pinch test […]

Body ShamingMaggie Downie2019-07-10T17:01:21-04:00

Low FODMAPs

I have been on a Low FODMAP’s diet since January 2^nd. Commencing immediately after the season of sugar, gluten, chocolate, carbs, gravy, chocolate, eggnog, and did I mention chocolate?

Forced into a Healthy Lifestyle

This diet is not by choice, although I guess no one can make me do it. My gastroenterologist prescribed it. I keep getting this frustrating gut bacteria called SIBO. You can delve deeper into that in my blog titled, “Gas or Menstrual Cramps.” It’s a tale filled with TMI and information you may never have wanted to know about my large and small intestine, or maybe you are super curious about intestines.

My doctor thought Low FODMAPS is so important that she prescribed me a dietician to explain just how I’m supposed to eat now. Going into the New Year I did not feel like I was in the right mental place to alter my food lifestyle. Like a little kid, I just didn’t wanna. I keep reminding myself this is a LOW FODMAPs diet, not a NO FODMAPS diet.

Always Experimenting

This is not the first time I’ve tried a diet experiment. Over the years, I’ve experimented with diets […]

Low FODMAPsMaggie Downie2019-01-30T10:07:26-05:00

Self Love

Movement can be playful!

We are often our own hardest critic. I know I am. It’s my Type-A, entrepreneurial spirit. But no matter what our nature or our career path, I think we tend to be harsh with ourselves in a way many of us would never treat anyone else we care for. We all need to give ourselves a little more self love.

In the past, I somewhat always thought this harshness was a motivator. Apparently, I respond to drill sergeant mode. Once upon a time that might have worked for me, but I’m attempting to be gentler with myself. Partly, I’m just getting tired with age (did I admit that?). Egging myself on is exhausting. Plus every year it seems to become more and more obvious that life is too short to waste time being curt with myself. I’ve even drastically reduced my road rage because I came to recognize I was the only one hot and bothered. The driver that would not let me merge was long gone.

That does not mean that I’m always successful. It is in my nature to push through without a nap and struggle with […]

Self LoveMaggie Downie2018-06-19T10:06:03-04:00

Did the Microbiome Diet Help Me?

Playing with my food.

My naturopath wanted me to do the microbiome diet for three months. The book by Raphael Kellman suggested six weeks. I was committed for five and half weeks, until Matt and I went on vacation and then I slowly descended into dairy. Though, I didn’t make my three month goal, the real question is did the microbiome diet help me?

I don’t know the answer. It’s why research on humans is so hard. There are so many variables. As I approached six weeks on the diet, the sun was coming out. We were reaching the longest day of the year. Maybe that made all the difference. My workload is less in summer, maybe that helped.

I always feel better when I eat better, so in a general sense I felt better, but never better enough to give up all that I felt I was restricting. I didn’t sleep any better. My gut felt no better. I lost some weight. I experienced some bowel trouble I didn’t have prior. You wanted to know that, right? My psoriasis did improve, but my gut actually tells me that […]

Did the Microbiome Diet Help Me?Maggie Downie2017-12-29T20:38:26-05:00

Plank Story: Afternoon Tea

When Matt and I were in Alabama earlier this year we stayed at this cute, intimate bed and breakfast. One morning during breakfast we chatted with a couple from Scotland about Trump, a recent wedding they had been too and about the Microbiome Diet I was doing. The B&B owner had been very accommodating, always making sure I had hard boiled eggs and gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free options. When the woman from Scotland heard about my diet, it reminded her that traditional afternoon tea was making a comeback in the UK.

“Oh,” she said, “if you can’t have dairy, you wouldn’t want to come to afternoon tea. It’s so dairy laden.” (Note: If you haven’t started reading this in your best Scottish brogue, start now. It makes the story better. Think Mrs. Doubtfire and you’ll pretty much have it down.) “First, they bring out these little finger sandwiches and they are all lathered in butter. And then you get scones smothered with crème fraiche. And now, after that, they offer cream cakes the size of your first. There is so much food you don’t even need an evening meal. And it’s not even really about the tea anymore. Now they bring […]

Plank Story: Afternoon TeaMaggie Downie2018-01-13T16:09:28-05:00