I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease over 25 years ago, it is a constant battle to keep my weight down and eat as healthy as I can to stay slim.

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1 DIAGNOSED AT 25 WITH DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE

3 Suffering from Chronic Pain

4 FOOD MAKES A DIFFERENCES

5 DIET I FOLLOW

6 WHERE I SHOP FOR HEALTHY GROCERIES

7 IT’S A LIFESTYLE NOT A DIET

8 DRINKING WATER

9 WHAT I DON’T EAT OR DRINK

10 ENJOY LIFE IS MY MOTTO

DIAGNOSED AT 25 WITH DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE

This helps control chronic pain and inflammation in my body. My biggest issue is food and how I cook is the biggest factor on how I feel daily. Many of the chemicals in food will affect my condition.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Degenerative disc disease refers to symptoms of back or neck pain caused by wear and tear on a spinal disc. In some cases, degenerative disc disease also causes weakness, numbness, and hot, shooting pains in the arms or legs. It typically consists of a low-level chronic pain with some days more severe pain but does not necessarily get worse with age.

Suffering from Chronic Pain

Most people do not know what it's like to have pain every day. Some days are better but it is always there. When I feel no pain which is rare, I will sometimes start crying just from the shock that my body feels normal. It has been a constant battle in my life where at times has had me in bed for weeks at a time. I also have the genetic makeup that does not allow me to take painkillers or they will make me terribly sick.

FOOD MAKES A DIFFERENCES

I would never have thought that pesticides on food makes me ill or a box of crackers will make me lay in bed for a day. It took me years to find out what aggravated my condition and had me lay in bed 4 weeks at a time. It was not until my breaking point of being so sick with the medicine doctors were giving me that I ended up in the hospital. I finally gave in to a friend of mine who recommended a doctor that tried to treat me with a specific diet for my condition.

A doctor that knew nutrition, how odd I thought. Working in education at the time, I knew that most doctors only take one class in nutrients during their time in Medical School. Within a week I started to feel better, after a month I had improved by 50%. I was now able to sleep the night without waking up in pain.

Even though I am not cured or will ever be, I can live a better life than with the medication that was prescribed. I’m lucky compared to most people with my condition. When I was going to a chronic pain clinic for help, they prescribe painkillers for the most part and in time they can become very addictive, or like me, make you deathly ill.

DIET I FOLLOW

Now I follow a Low-Carb, Gluten-Free with Lots of Veggies and Fruits diet 90% of the time but I must have the 10% to cheat once in a while! When traveling I love to explore new foods but am aware of my limitations so I limit my intake so I can try new meals on my travel adventures.

WHERE I SHOP FOR HEALTHY GROCERIES

Trader Joe’s
Giants
Farmers Market
Whole Food – ONLY SALE Produce

I shop for food once a week for all my fruits and vegetables the rest are purchased for the month. My recipes are always determined with what’s on sale and what’s in season. Produce are always cheaper if they are in season so it makes it a SALE item! Which is my favorite part.

IT’S A LIFESTYLE NOT A DIET

People always ask me how I stay slim with the amount of food I consume and I always say the same thing. There are things that I don’t eat and I always drink water. Water is key for me to feel good. I also do some type of exercise for 45 minutes 5 times a week. Even if it just walking in the neighborhood.

DRINKING WATER

I did not understand how much water I needed to drink and I always drank lots of water. Water is key for me to stay hydrated so I feel less pain. I can always tell when I have not drank enough water because I start feeling my stomach bloat and my urine is bright yellow. Yes, this makes a very big difference for me more than anything else so I drink tons of water.

WHAT I DON’T EAT OR DRINK

Because most foods are filled with chemicals that harm my body and make me gain weight I follow a few rules when it’s time to shop. Here are my guidelines:

No soda
No beer
No box food
No Peanuts
No Sugar
No white flour unless it’s Einkorn flour
No Artificial Sweetener of any kind
No GMO
No food that has been shipped to the USA
No pre-frozen meals at the supermarket
No process food – sometimes I cheat and pay for it every time!
No food that is orange like Cheetos!
No eating white food at night (rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, etc ) If it’s white not at night.

ENJOY LIFE IS MY MOTTO

Over the years, I have struggled with career choices and had to quite a few jobs due to my condition. The stress or the pressure would aggravate my condition so much that I would get flare ups and could not walk for 4 weeks at a time. So I made a decision long ago that I was going to live my best life, possibly without feeling like I missed out on something. Even though I am limited in activity, I now take into account that there are so many people worse off that I am grateful for what I can do. I decided to do this blog because my condition so I could share my story with others. Thank You for stopping by and hope you will enjoy the blog!

SOME OF MY EXPERIMENTS ON Myself