I've just realised it's been nearly two months since my last blog post. Oops. I'll admit it, I've been terribly lazy.
When I last posted, I was still in the throes of Cura Romana. Unfortunately, that ended with a bump as I had an allergic reaction to something I was eating and became really quite ill. I had to break the diet in a hurry simply to allow my body to recover. I still haven't figured out exactly what caused the reaction, but I think I've more or less cracked it. But as I had already lost two and a half stone in 5 weeks, and have only regained 7lbs of that, I still consider the diet a success overall and will give it another go when I know that my body has recovered from the previous burst. Even ending the diet abruptly, I have found that I have managed to learn a lot about what works for me and what doesn't simply by keeping a food diet and looking for patterns in the fluctuation of my weight and any digestive issues. And there have been very few digestive issues.
So since then I have been busy recovering, getting ready for Christmas (with an immediate family of 40 that is no mean feat!) and slowly doing a bit more work. Business is still quite slow, but I am finding that word is starting to spread and more people are willing to give alternative treatments a go. Which is very exciting news.
I have also decided that I am not going to stay at Regus in the new year. I have another couple of months before my contract runs out with them, but the way they operate does not agree with the way I operate. I still have space at A New Leaf... in Maidstone, and if there is demand I can always find a new fixed space that will suit me better. If you have any thoughts on this, please do let me know.
And I think that that might actually be all of the news I have from over the last two months. Which is a little sad really. But hopefully this year I will be a bit better about blogging regularly with more interesting topics than I have found so far!
Showing posts with label cura romana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cura romana. Show all posts
Friday, 30 December 2011
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Day 18.
I'm now onto the third week of hCG + Food Plan, and it seems to be going quite well. I've lost 17lbs so far, which is very enviable. For a while Merlin the rabbit stopped talking to me, but he's back on side now. We think he probably just smelled the detox taking place in my system and didn't want anything to do with it. I contemplated doing an extra 3 weeks for a while, but I've decided not to as I can afford it and I'm rather looking forward to eating something other than chicken, steak, tuna or omelette. There are many other options on the list, but given how I have responded badly to some of these in the past I've decided to stick to the proteins that I know and trust. I've stopped detoxing and craving, I'm barely feeling hungry at all, and I'm starting to feel a bit less tired. I don't think I'm going to get the complete health revolution that I was hoping for within the next week, but any weight lost is to be praised, I do feel like I'm on better terms with my body, and I can go back onto hCG + Food Plan without the mentoring once I have completed Consolidation.
I've learnt an awful lot from Leslie over the last two weeks, and I can't help thinking that I've got a lot more to learn over the next 7 weeks. I've got a lot to learn from my body too. I suspect I know what it's going to tell me, and the future of squidgy chip shop chips does not look good for me. But the rule with Cura Romana is not to create a list of rules for what thou may and may not eat, but rather to make you more aware of the impact each food has on your system. If I know that chips make me bloat, for example, I can choose to indulge occasionally knowing that the result will be a bloat. Or I can choose to eat something lighter, and pinch one or two of my husband's chips to get a taste.
I'm still struggling to rest as much as I should be. It doesn't help that this week seems to have a busy schedule in store for me, following on from a busy weekend. I just seem to be incapable of taking time to chill out and relax and, interestingly, that is starting to really annoy me now. I just want to put all of my commitments on hold so that I can spend an hour lying on the sofa listening to plinky plonky music. Or maybe head over to the "spa" at Larkfield Leisure Centre to have a dip in the jacuzzi and a quick sauna. Hmm, that sounds nice. I've never really been annoyed by not being able to take time to relax before, just tired. It does explain how I've managed to wind up with a fatigue deficit quite as large as I have!
It probably doesn't help that I've signed up to NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge that requires participants to write a novel (or at least 50,000 words thereof) over the course of November. It's going to be tricky, and will probably be keeping me very busy, but it will be something different, interesting and potentially rather cathartic to do. It also keeps my stuck on the sofa behind my laptop, which is a good place to get some rest. So now, as well as keeping you posted on the progress of my weight loss, I will be keeping you posted on the progress of my novel. It sounds like a fun month.
But at least I'm not trying to take part in Movember.
I've learnt an awful lot from Leslie over the last two weeks, and I can't help thinking that I've got a lot more to learn over the next 7 weeks. I've got a lot to learn from my body too. I suspect I know what it's going to tell me, and the future of squidgy chip shop chips does not look good for me. But the rule with Cura Romana is not to create a list of rules for what thou may and may not eat, but rather to make you more aware of the impact each food has on your system. If I know that chips make me bloat, for example, I can choose to indulge occasionally knowing that the result will be a bloat. Or I can choose to eat something lighter, and pinch one or two of my husband's chips to get a taste.
I'm still struggling to rest as much as I should be. It doesn't help that this week seems to have a busy schedule in store for me, following on from a busy weekend. I just seem to be incapable of taking time to chill out and relax and, interestingly, that is starting to really annoy me now. I just want to put all of my commitments on hold so that I can spend an hour lying on the sofa listening to plinky plonky music. Or maybe head over to the "spa" at Larkfield Leisure Centre to have a dip in the jacuzzi and a quick sauna. Hmm, that sounds nice. I've never really been annoyed by not being able to take time to relax before, just tired. It does explain how I've managed to wind up with a fatigue deficit quite as large as I have!
It probably doesn't help that I've signed up to NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge that requires participants to write a novel (or at least 50,000 words thereof) over the course of November. It's going to be tricky, and will probably be keeping me very busy, but it will be something different, interesting and potentially rather cathartic to do. It also keeps my stuck on the sofa behind my laptop, which is a good place to get some rest. So now, as well as keeping you posted on the progress of my weight loss, I will be keeping you posted on the progress of my novel. It sounds like a fun month.
But at least I'm not trying to take part in Movember.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Day 10.
Well, Day 10 has arrived and I am now into double figures. It's been an emotional rollercoaster this far, and the next couple of days look set to be even more rocky. Especially if I don't stop having dreams about eating forbidden foods by accident.
I've been a bit down over the last few days. One of the effects of the Cura Romana diet is to purge the system of artificial stimulants, such as sugar and chocolate (I should know better, I know), which had been keeping my heart rate high. As all of the toxicity and stimulation is slowly leaving my body my resting heart rate has dropped from 73bpm to a much more healthy 56bpm. The effect of this is that I feel a bit down. But as my detoxing phase is slowing (and with it the scarily fast weightloss), my body should be starting to adjust to the new regime. No chocolate. Check. Lower heart rate. Check. Normal level of toxins. Getting there.
During this period of low mood, I've been rather handful. I've had to lean on my husband quite hard for emotional support, as well as being absolutely useless due to working through my fatigue deficit. Even the rabbit has wanted very little to do with me. He came up for a good old sniff at one point, but I later realised that was because I'd been chopping celery and was smelling a bit like lunch to him. I had wondered why he get going up my sleeve. He's warming to me again a little now, but I think he's still suspicious of the changes that are taking place inside my body.
I'm still feeling quite low, but now the miserable phase seems to be interspersed with periods of actually feeling quite chipper and positive. This is a relief. One thing that has really helped me has been to make a Bliss List. I sat quietly for a while and made a list of all of the things that make me feel completely blissed out. Not a little bit happy, like the feeling I get when I realise there is a new episode of House on the Sky+ box, but properly blissed out. Now that I've identified a few, I need to do one every day.
Some of the items on my Bliss List are easy to incorporate into a daily routine, such as finishing an assignment in whatever course I am studying at the moment, or getting so engrossed in a book I sit down and read for the whole evening because I can't bear to go to bed without knowing how it ends. Some of them are less easy. For example, I would be hard pushed to take an hour out of my life to sit in the sun (or just out of the sun) in lightweight clothing with a good book today. At least, not without turning blue and feeling thoroughly unblissed.
Looking down my list I see that the word 'Christmas' appears repeatedly. It's a little bit early to go looking at trees, or walk around a shopping centre with their decorations up, so I've decided to have a little bliss moment by playing some of my favourite Christmas tunes while I write my blog. I'm not going to name any - that would be far too shameful - but the whole ensemble is making me want to cry with happiness.
And that's how I know I've reached my bliss.
I've been a bit down over the last few days. One of the effects of the Cura Romana diet is to purge the system of artificial stimulants, such as sugar and chocolate (I should know better, I know), which had been keeping my heart rate high. As all of the toxicity and stimulation is slowly leaving my body my resting heart rate has dropped from 73bpm to a much more healthy 56bpm. The effect of this is that I feel a bit down. But as my detoxing phase is slowing (and with it the scarily fast weightloss), my body should be starting to adjust to the new regime. No chocolate. Check. Lower heart rate. Check. Normal level of toxins. Getting there.
During this period of low mood, I've been rather handful. I've had to lean on my husband quite hard for emotional support, as well as being absolutely useless due to working through my fatigue deficit. Even the rabbit has wanted very little to do with me. He came up for a good old sniff at one point, but I later realised that was because I'd been chopping celery and was smelling a bit like lunch to him. I had wondered why he get going up my sleeve. He's warming to me again a little now, but I think he's still suspicious of the changes that are taking place inside my body.
I'm still feeling quite low, but now the miserable phase seems to be interspersed with periods of actually feeling quite chipper and positive. This is a relief. One thing that has really helped me has been to make a Bliss List. I sat quietly for a while and made a list of all of the things that make me feel completely blissed out. Not a little bit happy, like the feeling I get when I realise there is a new episode of House on the Sky+ box, but properly blissed out. Now that I've identified a few, I need to do one every day.
Some of the items on my Bliss List are easy to incorporate into a daily routine, such as finishing an assignment in whatever course I am studying at the moment, or getting so engrossed in a book I sit down and read for the whole evening because I can't bear to go to bed without knowing how it ends. Some of them are less easy. For example, I would be hard pushed to take an hour out of my life to sit in the sun (or just out of the sun) in lightweight clothing with a good book today. At least, not without turning blue and feeling thoroughly unblissed.
Looking down my list I see that the word 'Christmas' appears repeatedly. It's a little bit early to go looking at trees, or walk around a shopping centre with their decorations up, so I've decided to have a little bliss moment by playing some of my favourite Christmas tunes while I write my blog. I'm not going to name any - that would be far too shameful - but the whole ensemble is making me want to cry with happiness.
And that's how I know I've reached my bliss.
Friday, 21 October 2011
Day 7.
Almost a week into the Cura Romana programme, and I'm starting to feel the shift. I have lost an astonishing 9lbs since the weekend (and the programme only offers up to 7lbs a week), although I did have a slight panic on Wednesday evening when (6lbs down) I had a wrestle with my favourite jeans as they refused to go over my bum. Having dropped two dress sizes and gained 4 stone over the last couple of years, I think that finally the invisible weight is trying to become more visible! That said, I have noticed my wobbly bit on my belly is retreating, and I'm no longer getting stuck on the rabbit gate every time I go through it.
The hunger was there on and off for about 2 and a half days before I realised that I am not actually experiencing hunger now, but more a craving for food. The very lovely Leslie Kenton, who personally mentors everyone who takes the Inner Circle programme, has established (with a few other symptoms) that I have an overgrowth of Candida. The "yeastie beasties" as she calls them are widely believed in alternative medicine to lead to fatigue and weight gain amongst other things, so there is a part of my brain that is still sitting slack-jawed thinking that all of this could be the result of a bad case of intestinal thrush. I don't know how, but I seem to have a definite knack for picking up gut parasites. (If you haven't heard the story of my dairy allergy, please let me know.)
I miss parts of my daily routine, such as not having breakfast. First thing in the morning is usually the only time I am hungry, so I've always eaten a good-sized breakfast. Passing over that feels like I'm missing out, although it is more from routine than hunger than I feel like this. I'm making do with the insoluble fibre and vitamin C combination that I am drinking each morning, and following it up with a cup of laxative tea to prevent my bowels from becoming sluggish on such a small diet. The danger here is that I am really starting to enjoy the laxative tea. I may have to get my husband to hide it somewhere away from me once I return to normal eating to avoid accidentally brewing a cup to enjoy the flavour without thinking through the consequences. Hey, I am a blonde.
I am still detoxing. I have sat on the sofa doing very little except for reading, watching TV, playing Minecraft on my computer and daydreaming. Mainly about being slim and healthy. It feels so wrong after the pacing and being housebound with illness, but my body is working so hard to purge itself of all the rubbish its been carrying around that it needs the rest. It will let me know when it is time to get up again. I am hoping it will be before my birthday though. The intense detox that I am experiencing is what has led to my unusually high weightloss. Most people who undertake the programme would lose less weight in the same space of time, but would also be free from the drowsiness, the bunged nose and the generally feeling a bit rubbish.
On the plus side, I have already noticed that I am getting fewer sharp pains from my fibromyalgia. I am still aching all over, and am still tired, but the improvement is definitely there. I also feel a bit more flexible, as if the stiffness from my muscles is easing away. I've even managed to take baths without the aid of my bathseat, which feels fantastic. Give it a couple more days and I feel sure I'll be able to touch my toes like I used to!
A few people have expressed an interest in Cura Romana after discovering how much weight I've lost with how much ease. Even with the detox taking place, I feel much better than I ever have on any diet I've done before. I have no hunger now, am eating tasty steak on a regular basis and even the disgusting-looking supplements are actually rather tasty. Compared to most diets, Cura Romana is easy. And the big selling factor for me is that they have a 98% success rate at keeping the weight off permanently. Most diets boast a 70% success rate at losing weight initially, but don't broadcast their statistics for long-term weightloss. The 2% who gain weight again after the programme usually did something wrong at some time during the process. So if you are serious about permanent weightloss and want some of the health benefits that Cura Romana offer over other diets, check out what they have to offer at http://www.lesliekentonhcg.com/ . There is a free download called 'Pounds and Inches' which is well worth a read, and you can book a free 15-minute consultation with Leslie Kenton. She is not into hard selling, so you won't feel obligated at all if you decide you'd like to have a chat with her.
Sorry it sounds so much like a sales pitch, but I am just so relieved to have found Cura Romana that I want to share it with everyone who wants to know!
The hunger was there on and off for about 2 and a half days before I realised that I am not actually experiencing hunger now, but more a craving for food. The very lovely Leslie Kenton, who personally mentors everyone who takes the Inner Circle programme, has established (with a few other symptoms) that I have an overgrowth of Candida. The "yeastie beasties" as she calls them are widely believed in alternative medicine to lead to fatigue and weight gain amongst other things, so there is a part of my brain that is still sitting slack-jawed thinking that all of this could be the result of a bad case of intestinal thrush. I don't know how, but I seem to have a definite knack for picking up gut parasites. (If you haven't heard the story of my dairy allergy, please let me know.)
I miss parts of my daily routine, such as not having breakfast. First thing in the morning is usually the only time I am hungry, so I've always eaten a good-sized breakfast. Passing over that feels like I'm missing out, although it is more from routine than hunger than I feel like this. I'm making do with the insoluble fibre and vitamin C combination that I am drinking each morning, and following it up with a cup of laxative tea to prevent my bowels from becoming sluggish on such a small diet. The danger here is that I am really starting to enjoy the laxative tea. I may have to get my husband to hide it somewhere away from me once I return to normal eating to avoid accidentally brewing a cup to enjoy the flavour without thinking through the consequences. Hey, I am a blonde.
I am still detoxing. I have sat on the sofa doing very little except for reading, watching TV, playing Minecraft on my computer and daydreaming. Mainly about being slim and healthy. It feels so wrong after the pacing and being housebound with illness, but my body is working so hard to purge itself of all the rubbish its been carrying around that it needs the rest. It will let me know when it is time to get up again. I am hoping it will be before my birthday though. The intense detox that I am experiencing is what has led to my unusually high weightloss. Most people who undertake the programme would lose less weight in the same space of time, but would also be free from the drowsiness, the bunged nose and the generally feeling a bit rubbish.
On the plus side, I have already noticed that I am getting fewer sharp pains from my fibromyalgia. I am still aching all over, and am still tired, but the improvement is definitely there. I also feel a bit more flexible, as if the stiffness from my muscles is easing away. I've even managed to take baths without the aid of my bathseat, which feels fantastic. Give it a couple more days and I feel sure I'll be able to touch my toes like I used to!
A few people have expressed an interest in Cura Romana after discovering how much weight I've lost with how much ease. Even with the detox taking place, I feel much better than I ever have on any diet I've done before. I have no hunger now, am eating tasty steak on a regular basis and even the disgusting-looking supplements are actually rather tasty. Compared to most diets, Cura Romana is easy. And the big selling factor for me is that they have a 98% success rate at keeping the weight off permanently. Most diets boast a 70% success rate at losing weight initially, but don't broadcast their statistics for long-term weightloss. The 2% who gain weight again after the programme usually did something wrong at some time during the process. So if you are serious about permanent weightloss and want some of the health benefits that Cura Romana offer over other diets, check out what they have to offer at http://www.lesliekentonhcg.com/ . There is a free download called 'Pounds and Inches' which is well worth a read, and you can book a free 15-minute consultation with Leslie Kenton. She is not into hard selling, so you won't feel obligated at all if you decide you'd like to have a chat with her.
Sorry it sounds so much like a sales pitch, but I am just so relieved to have found Cura Romana that I want to share it with everyone who wants to know!
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Day 5.
This is now my third day on the Cura Romana hCG + Food Plan. I've been a bit hungry, which is not entirely uncommon, but no light-headedness or woozy feelings so I know my blood sugar hasn't plummeted. I've also been having some mighty detox effects, but given how toxic I was to begin with, that is also not a surprise. And if suffering the effects for a couple of days now means that I will feel better, stronger and less toxic in the long run, then I am quite willing to deal with it!
A lot of people experience no hunger at all,except right before mealtimes,from Day1 of hCG+ Food Plan. I was not one of these lucky ones. Admittedly,the hunger I felt was very mild, and seemed to pass quite quickly when I had a rest or a drink. As the days are passing, I'm becoming more and more aware that what I am thinking of as hunger is actually a craving for food. Over the next three weeks, I am hoping to see an end to this pattern. I miss my breakfast routine, and my body is slightly baffled when it doesn't get its usual meal at this time. I will adjust to this too, in time. I had also known for a long time that I felt hunger when I was bored and often had a little graze to stave off this feeling. As the detox is taking effect I am feeling lazy and sad, and the boredom graze desire is constantly nagging at me. I'm trusting myself though, and trusting the system, and doing my best to ignore these urges. I haven't succumbed yet, and if I can make it through the first two days-the hardest two days- I know I can make it to the end.
Plus I've already lost 6lbs, and that's quite an incentive to keep going.
I am feeling sad and achy, bored and irritable, and all in all rather sorry for myself. Basically, I seem to have been transported back to the body of the teen I was when I started taking the contraceptive pill to control my period pains and first gave in to the world of weight gain. This is not a bad thing. If I have not been living my life to the fullest since then, why not start my Cura Romana journey from this point? After all, I have a gap of about 12 years to fill in, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to relive some of the experiences I've had during that time from a more balanced, mature and healthy perspective. I can't undo the things that I have done"wrong", nor would I want to for the most part, but I can revisit them and learn the lessons I may have missed the first time around, or simply look at them again and say "I see how I let that happen. Let's never get to that state again." Either way, I feel that this journey will have a lot to teach me.
A lot of people experience no hunger at all,except right before mealtimes,from Day1 of hCG+ Food Plan. I was not one of these lucky ones. Admittedly,the hunger I felt was very mild, and seemed to pass quite quickly when I had a rest or a drink. As the days are passing, I'm becoming more and more aware that what I am thinking of as hunger is actually a craving for food. Over the next three weeks, I am hoping to see an end to this pattern. I miss my breakfast routine, and my body is slightly baffled when it doesn't get its usual meal at this time. I will adjust to this too, in time. I had also known for a long time that I felt hunger when I was bored and often had a little graze to stave off this feeling. As the detox is taking effect I am feeling lazy and sad, and the boredom graze desire is constantly nagging at me. I'm trusting myself though, and trusting the system, and doing my best to ignore these urges. I haven't succumbed yet, and if I can make it through the first two days-the hardest two days- I know I can make it to the end.
Plus I've already lost 6lbs, and that's quite an incentive to keep going.
I am feeling sad and achy, bored and irritable, and all in all rather sorry for myself. Basically, I seem to have been transported back to the body of the teen I was when I started taking the contraceptive pill to control my period pains and first gave in to the world of weight gain. This is not a bad thing. If I have not been living my life to the fullest since then, why not start my Cura Romana journey from this point? After all, I have a gap of about 12 years to fill in, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to relive some of the experiences I've had during that time from a more balanced, mature and healthy perspective. I can't undo the things that I have done"wrong", nor would I want to for the most part, but I can revisit them and learn the lessons I may have missed the first time around, or simply look at them again and say "I see how I let that happen. Let's never get to that state again." Either way, I feel that this journey will have a lot to teach me.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Day 3.
Well, I am now onto day 3 of my Cura Romana journey. I stuffed myself full of fatty foods for 2 days and am now 2 pounds lighter. That's not quite how it's supposed to work, but I'm pleased nonetheless. Now I'm onto day 3, and the real programme starts. 500 calories a day. Eek.
As I am living on the fat that is being released from my body's stores, I don't need to worry. I'm a little hungry now, but it will pass in the next few days. Besides, it's almost lunch time and I haven't eaten yet, which is unusual for someone who loves breakfast more than any other meal. I'm not feeling woozy or light-headed, which I usually would if I went this far into the day without eating. I am very tired, but given how tired I was before that is not a huge surprise either. On the plus side though, I did sleep uncommonly well last night.
Now that I feel like I am on the programme proper I'm kind of excited. I'm getting ready to make the changes that I have been so desperate to make. I am hitting the reboot button that I've been looking for for so long. I can cope with passing up on my favourite meal of the day for 3 weeks if it means that I can get back in touch with my body, sleep well and wake up feeling rested. And if I can shift a few pounds in the process, so much the better.
As I am living on the fat that is being released from my body's stores, I don't need to worry. I'm a little hungry now, but it will pass in the next few days. Besides, it's almost lunch time and I haven't eaten yet, which is unusual for someone who loves breakfast more than any other meal. I'm not feeling woozy or light-headed, which I usually would if I went this far into the day without eating. I am very tired, but given how tired I was before that is not a huge surprise either. On the plus side though, I did sleep uncommonly well last night.
Now that I feel like I am on the programme proper I'm kind of excited. I'm getting ready to make the changes that I have been so desperate to make. I am hitting the reboot button that I've been looking for for so long. I can cope with passing up on my favourite meal of the day for 3 weeks if it means that I can get back in touch with my body, sleep well and wake up feeling rested. And if I can shift a few pounds in the process, so much the better.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Day 1.
My last post was about getting excited to start a weight loss programme called Cura Romana. After plenty of shopping to gather all of the supplies that can help me through the process, I finally pushed the start button yesterday. This meant that today is the day. I have now officially started.
It's quite a scary step. After all, part of the process involves a very low calorie diet and strict guidelines as to how those calories are made up. I've always belittled VLCDs such as LighterLife, as I think they are dangerous, and now I find myself not just starting on one but actually looking forward to it. Of course, there is something that makes this version safe, and that is the homoeopathic equivalent of hCG. Yes, that would be the pregnancy hormone.
Those who follow my blog because they are or know chronic pain and fatigue sufferers may have heard of the pregnancy remission. Basically, when the human body is pregnant, it is like a reboot button has been pressed. Chronic pain and fatigue seem to ebb away, and sufferers tend to get a new lease of life during pregnancy that lasts after childbirth. The hormone that causes this energetic reboot is called hCG, and Cura Romana came about when a scientist discovered that injecting hCG into non-pregnant subjects (including men) triggered the same reboot. Once the homoeopathic was discovered, the programme became viable to the greater public rather than just those who could afford to go to expensive clinics to have the injections regularly administered.
Basically, hCG causes fat to be released from storage. When you're not pregnant, this means that with a little protein, vitamin and mineral support you can actually live on the fat that is being released without feeling hungry. This is how Cura Romana works. Okay, there's actually a little more to it than that, but that's the basics.
So this morning I woke up and too my homoeopathic in spray form under my tongue. I usually start my day with a big swig of water, but I had to wait 15 minutes before I could put anything else in my mouth. This was uncomfortable. My mouth and throat felt dry and scratchy. I distracted myself by doing my morning weigh in. I don't now whether it's appropriate to share this with you or not, but in the interest of being completely open I weighed in at 19 stone 13lbs. That's 279lbs. More than Homer Simpson. Let's see where it is by the time I'm done with Cura Romana.
Day 1 of Cura Romana is called a Feast Day. As it takes a couple of days for the homoeopathic to become effective in the body, for the first two days you eat plenty of high quality, rich and fatty foods. This results in a slight weight gain over the first couple of days, but as the food isn't really stored but is quickly released by the homoeopathic it is usually gone within 48 hours of starting the Food Plan. By doing Feast Days, your body is functioning with all of the necessary fats, as well as being a psychologically pleasing start to a "diet".
This meant that breakfast today was sausages, bacon and naan bread. This is officially the best diet ever!
I did have to complement the tasty breakfast with some interesting digestive support though. I usually use a Polo to mask the foul taste of my medication. As all mints are completely no-go, I've now got two mint plants sitting on my windowsill. Whenever I feel myself reaching for a mint (and those of you who know me will know how often that happens) I now pick half a leaf of mint and chomp away. It tastes cleaner and fresher, and is more satisfying as I get to chomp away on it. I don't know why I didn't make the switch years ago.
I then had a bizarre concoction of 3g of vitamin C (yes, I know it's more than the body can absorb, but it's a funny old protocol and the rules are strict) mixed with 250ml of water and a rounded teaspoon of psyllium husks. When I was told psyllium husks were insoluble fibre, I wasn't expecting them to be as insoluble as they were. I tipped my spoonful into the water and watched it bob across the surface in an almost perfect spoonful shape. Even the hand blender seemed to have difficulty getting them to socialise with the water in any way. Still, down it all went, with a slightly lemony taste from the vitamin C that was not wholly unpleasant.
I then moved onto the laxative tea. Knowing how medicinal herbal teas usually taste, this was the part I was least looking forward to. But, again, it went down quickly and easily, and rather nice. Perhaps a little sweet for my tastes, but certainly better than I was expecting and not something I will dread for the rest of the protocol.
The other task I have for the morning of Day 1 is to think about what I want to achieve on the protocol. I have 3 goals, and they are all rather simple.
Goal 1: I want to lose weight. I want to shift about 9stone, and hopefully Cura Romana will help me to kickstart that. I'm not expecting to be a shapely 11stone by the end of the nine-week programme, but I want to be in a position to see myself realistically getting there without having to struggle and cry and starve myself to death on something like LighterLife.
Goal 2: I want to be rid of my aches, pains and fatigues. It sounds like a big ask, but if any protocol has the power to do it, Cura Romana does. Let's think big.
Goal 3: I want to reunite myself with my body. For a long time now I think I was so absent in my own head that my body just carried on doing the best it could without me. I'm looking forward to being able to connect with my body, and let it know that I want to help it, I want to exercise it, and I want to look after it. After all, it's been looking after me for a long time now.
I feel like I've achieved a good amount for a Saturday morning before lunch. Now I need to go and make sure I've got plenty of tasty food in to last me for the rest of the weekend.
It's quite a scary step. After all, part of the process involves a very low calorie diet and strict guidelines as to how those calories are made up. I've always belittled VLCDs such as LighterLife, as I think they are dangerous, and now I find myself not just starting on one but actually looking forward to it. Of course, there is something that makes this version safe, and that is the homoeopathic equivalent of hCG. Yes, that would be the pregnancy hormone.
Those who follow my blog because they are or know chronic pain and fatigue sufferers may have heard of the pregnancy remission. Basically, when the human body is pregnant, it is like a reboot button has been pressed. Chronic pain and fatigue seem to ebb away, and sufferers tend to get a new lease of life during pregnancy that lasts after childbirth. The hormone that causes this energetic reboot is called hCG, and Cura Romana came about when a scientist discovered that injecting hCG into non-pregnant subjects (including men) triggered the same reboot. Once the homoeopathic was discovered, the programme became viable to the greater public rather than just those who could afford to go to expensive clinics to have the injections regularly administered.
Basically, hCG causes fat to be released from storage. When you're not pregnant, this means that with a little protein, vitamin and mineral support you can actually live on the fat that is being released without feeling hungry. This is how Cura Romana works. Okay, there's actually a little more to it than that, but that's the basics.
So this morning I woke up and too my homoeopathic in spray form under my tongue. I usually start my day with a big swig of water, but I had to wait 15 minutes before I could put anything else in my mouth. This was uncomfortable. My mouth and throat felt dry and scratchy. I distracted myself by doing my morning weigh in. I don't now whether it's appropriate to share this with you or not, but in the interest of being completely open I weighed in at 19 stone 13lbs. That's 279lbs. More than Homer Simpson. Let's see where it is by the time I'm done with Cura Romana.
Day 1 of Cura Romana is called a Feast Day. As it takes a couple of days for the homoeopathic to become effective in the body, for the first two days you eat plenty of high quality, rich and fatty foods. This results in a slight weight gain over the first couple of days, but as the food isn't really stored but is quickly released by the homoeopathic it is usually gone within 48 hours of starting the Food Plan. By doing Feast Days, your body is functioning with all of the necessary fats, as well as being a psychologically pleasing start to a "diet".
This meant that breakfast today was sausages, bacon and naan bread. This is officially the best diet ever!
I did have to complement the tasty breakfast with some interesting digestive support though. I usually use a Polo to mask the foul taste of my medication. As all mints are completely no-go, I've now got two mint plants sitting on my windowsill. Whenever I feel myself reaching for a mint (and those of you who know me will know how often that happens) I now pick half a leaf of mint and chomp away. It tastes cleaner and fresher, and is more satisfying as I get to chomp away on it. I don't know why I didn't make the switch years ago.
I then had a bizarre concoction of 3g of vitamin C (yes, I know it's more than the body can absorb, but it's a funny old protocol and the rules are strict) mixed with 250ml of water and a rounded teaspoon of psyllium husks. When I was told psyllium husks were insoluble fibre, I wasn't expecting them to be as insoluble as they were. I tipped my spoonful into the water and watched it bob across the surface in an almost perfect spoonful shape. Even the hand blender seemed to have difficulty getting them to socialise with the water in any way. Still, down it all went, with a slightly lemony taste from the vitamin C that was not wholly unpleasant.
I then moved onto the laxative tea. Knowing how medicinal herbal teas usually taste, this was the part I was least looking forward to. But, again, it went down quickly and easily, and rather nice. Perhaps a little sweet for my tastes, but certainly better than I was expecting and not something I will dread for the rest of the protocol.
The other task I have for the morning of Day 1 is to think about what I want to achieve on the protocol. I have 3 goals, and they are all rather simple.
Goal 1: I want to lose weight. I want to shift about 9stone, and hopefully Cura Romana will help me to kickstart that. I'm not expecting to be a shapely 11stone by the end of the nine-week programme, but I want to be in a position to see myself realistically getting there without having to struggle and cry and starve myself to death on something like LighterLife.
Goal 2: I want to be rid of my aches, pains and fatigues. It sounds like a big ask, but if any protocol has the power to do it, Cura Romana does. Let's think big.
Goal 3: I want to reunite myself with my body. For a long time now I think I was so absent in my own head that my body just carried on doing the best it could without me. I'm looking forward to being able to connect with my body, and let it know that I want to help it, I want to exercise it, and I want to look after it. After all, it's been looking after me for a long time now.
I feel like I've achieved a good amount for a Saturday morning before lunch. Now I need to go and make sure I've got plenty of tasty food in to last me for the rest of the weekend.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Cura Romana.
Over the next few months, I hope that there will be more blog posts. However, I will be hijacking my own blog a little. I have been introduced to a process called Cura Romana, which is essentially a detox diet combined with a homoeopathic remedy that trigger weight loss, improved health and a sense of mental and emotional wellbeing. I am looking forward to it, as these are all things I desperately need, and I want to document the journey and share it with other people who are interested. To do this, I will simply blog regularly as I undergo the process.
I recently met a therapist named Shirley, from Transition Therapies (http://www.transitiontherapies.holisticlocal.co.uk/). We were chatting generally, and the subject of my weight and health issues came up. She recommended Cura Romana, having tried it successfully herself some time before, and lent me her copy of this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cura-Romana-Weightloss-Plan/dp/0593066731/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317813287&sr=8-2 . I very quickly felt that this was something that I needed to try, and now have my own copy. I have been saying for years that I feel like I just need to hit my reboot button, and this seems to be a protocol that will allow me to do this.
So after having a massive clear out and eBay frenzy, I have managed to get the money together to get started. Leslie Kenton offers a free consultation via her website (http://www.lesliekentonhcg.com/), and if you are interested in trying this for yourself you will find that she is a wonderfully positive, non-judgemental person, who takes the same attitude towards hard sell that I do. She doesn't want to just leech money out of people and make a quick buck; she wants to see people's lives transformed, and so will choose to help those for whom the protocol will be massively beneficial over those who seem to be faddy, yo-yo dieters. If you can only accept so many people onto your programme, you want to choose those who will provide the best success stories.
At this stage, I am a little nervous. The protocol allows so little food per day. How can I possibly not be hungry? And it is almost entirely successful, as long as you follow the protocol precisely - what happens if I make a mistake? What if I get ill? What if I can't manage it? What if I am away from home, and can't eat the appropriate food? There are so many worries going through my mind. But the feedback is universal from people who have tried it - you CAN do it. It is easy. It is considerably easier than you could possibly imagine. And I am so ready to lose weight, lose pain and lose fatigue that I can be ready to make the other necessary lifestyle changes to ensure that I can make it work.
Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go buy some scales.
I recently met a therapist named Shirley, from Transition Therapies (http://www.transitiontherapies.holisticlocal.co.uk/). We were chatting generally, and the subject of my weight and health issues came up. She recommended Cura Romana, having tried it successfully herself some time before, and lent me her copy of this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cura-Romana-Weightloss-Plan/dp/0593066731/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317813287&sr=8-2 . I very quickly felt that this was something that I needed to try, and now have my own copy. I have been saying for years that I feel like I just need to hit my reboot button, and this seems to be a protocol that will allow me to do this.
So after having a massive clear out and eBay frenzy, I have managed to get the money together to get started. Leslie Kenton offers a free consultation via her website (http://www.lesliekentonhcg.com/), and if you are interested in trying this for yourself you will find that she is a wonderfully positive, non-judgemental person, who takes the same attitude towards hard sell that I do. She doesn't want to just leech money out of people and make a quick buck; she wants to see people's lives transformed, and so will choose to help those for whom the protocol will be massively beneficial over those who seem to be faddy, yo-yo dieters. If you can only accept so many people onto your programme, you want to choose those who will provide the best success stories.
At this stage, I am a little nervous. The protocol allows so little food per day. How can I possibly not be hungry? And it is almost entirely successful, as long as you follow the protocol precisely - what happens if I make a mistake? What if I get ill? What if I can't manage it? What if I am away from home, and can't eat the appropriate food? There are so many worries going through my mind. But the feedback is universal from people who have tried it - you CAN do it. It is easy. It is considerably easier than you could possibly imagine. And I am so ready to lose weight, lose pain and lose fatigue that I can be ready to make the other necessary lifestyle changes to ensure that I can make it work.
Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go buy some scales.
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