A Weighty Issue #2

(Amaya Eve - for those who know her well, she does not stop moving her legs - as in the above picture)

Over the past couple of months, I have made drastic changes to my diet. I am now gluten free, nightshade vegetable-free, and tomato-free. I am also currently on a high protein diet. I can already hear you asking 'Why?'! The 'free' choices are simply to do with my arthritis and pain management. I was so desperate to relief my aches and pains without hardcore medication that I decided to follow the advice from naturopaths. I can honestly now say - a couple of months later - that it has revolutionised my life. But more on that later ... . In relation to the high protein diet, I am currently undertaking a six week challenge at Curves, and part of this is to eat such a diet.

So what are the facts and figures? Well, since my last entry I have lost only 4kgs (89kgs), but a whopping 26cms in measurements off my frame. I can fit into one pair of old jeans, and many old skirts. But alas, there is still some way to venture. I still have 11kgs until I arrive at wedding date weight - that's two dress sizes! Yet, there is no doubting it - I feel better, sleep better and generally feel happier within my self. As my dear friend Alison said to me recently, 'You have to be in the right head space to lose weight'. I think I'm 85% into that head space.

As for gluten free: did you know that those with a gluten free diet tend to live on average a couple of years longer than those with gluten in their diet? This is not wholly my reason for a gluten free diet. Mostly, my reason has to do with my best mate, Art. Without being too technical, rheumatoid arthritis is not only about the degeneration of joints, but it is also about the immune system. Gluten and nightshade vegetables can aggravate this condition, especially gluten as it is a highly complex protein that the immune system finds difficult to break down. On this new diet, albeit an expensive one, my aches and pains have really started to ease - somewhat. No longer is it about my bones aching day-in-and-day-out, but rather a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there during one day. In the world of Art, any sort of break is a break indeed - a chance to catch one's breath before the next onslaught.

And following on from the above photograph of Amaya, and as my very longtime special friend, Jo, said in her comments in 'A Weighty Issue': 'If this is the price you paid to gain your beautiful son/daughter, isn't it the best bargain you ever came across?'