First of all, an update on the ADHD stuff - we're on day 5 of the Calm Child and Omega 3 supplements. So far, I notice a difference. It's not a miracle, by any means, but I do see slight changes that lead me to think they are helping. I'm also working on making sure that I do things to help personally, too. I make sure he's looking me in the eyes and repeats my directions, I give him time to process before asking for new things, and working on giving him skills to help him succeed. It's a learning process for both of us, but I feel we're on the right track which is helping me a lot.
Second - the weight loss struggle from hell. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I have pretty much given up for the past few weeks. I gave it my all and had decent results for a while, but once I hit that plateau I gave up. I still did a perfunctory amount of working out because I was already at the gym with the kids for thier classes, but I didn't push myself and I fell of the food part of the diet wagon pretty much completely. The hardest part was after 10 days of eating whatever and not really working hard at working out - the scale didn't change. So when I ate really well and worked my butt off I was stuck - and when I didn't - I still was at the same weight. So after that, it was an easy slide back into old, bad habits.
I am ready now, though, to get back on the wagon. I'm at the Y for 5 hours a week now, over 4 days, with nothing to do but work out. So I am going to be doing a lot of that. I'm working on going back to the healthy eating plan - not the starving eating plan. I HAVE to remember to eat breakfast, and need to end the stupid slimfast shake habit. It doesn't fill me up, and I need more of a substantial breakfast. So, I'm back to whole wheat light english muffins with laughing cow cheese, whole wheat mini bagels with nonfat cream cheese, or oatmeal with flaxseed, wheat germ and raisins. Good, healthy, fill-you-up options.
I'm also addicted to snacking - so I need to work on picking good ones. Right now my obsessions are Maui Onion and Garlic Almonds, and ranch flavored mini rice cakes. If only I could get my portion control down with those :)
Anyway, that's all for now...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The start of something new...
I haven't written in a while, things have been going crazy. I'm sure there is a lot to share since my last posting, but instead of backtracking, I'm going to start talking about a new journey my family is taking. My son, always known as the wild one, has been having trouble. He can't concentrate, can't sit still, can't remember directions even when given consistently. I have always attributed this to his being a boy, being a middle child, being 5... always a reason, always an excuse. But instead of getting better, he continues with the same behaviors and struggles constantly. He upsets himself, apologizes constantly, and he is feeling like he's missing something.
Of course, my mind immediately jumps to ADHD. I have gone back and forth with myself about getting him tested and seeing if there is any validity to my fears, but I don't want to run the risk of getting him a "diagnosis" and having it follow him throughout his school years. We all know that "those" kids get judged and treated differently in school by their teachers, peers, and even the specialists they have to see. I am also concerned with using medication. I don't know enough about the side effects, the long term studies, and the consequences - I am not against medication if it's necessary, but I am looking at the benefits of alternative treatments first.
So - long story trying to be a bit shorter, I heard about a "coffee" test. See, the caffeine in coffee works the same as the "uppers" in Ritalin and Adderall. It's a much smaller dosage than the average prescription, but in a child who actually suffers from ADHD, the caffeine will not have the common effect of making them more hyper, but will instead do the opposite and calm them down.
I tried half a cup of coffee with him last night before bed, and it truly worked. He stayed in bed, didn't jump, didn't climb, didn't do any of the things he normally does.
So we're trying the homeopathic ADHD diet. Start the day with a protein shake made of soy milk, coffee, sugar free sweetener and protein poweder, and a high protein breakfast option (for conveniece sake, a simple scrambled egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich). We are eliminating milk, which is fine since he drinks soy most of the time anyway, and as much sugar as possible. We're cutting out 90% of any processed foods, which we rarely eat anyway since I LOVE to cook from scratch. We'll continue to keep white bread, flour, pastas and rice out of the home. He will have another protein/coffee shake before bed, and possibly mid day if necessary.
After a week, we'll re-evaluate if the diet is helping enough, or if we still think we should take him to a dr. but for now, fingers are crossed!
Of course, my mind immediately jumps to ADHD. I have gone back and forth with myself about getting him tested and seeing if there is any validity to my fears, but I don't want to run the risk of getting him a "diagnosis" and having it follow him throughout his school years. We all know that "those" kids get judged and treated differently in school by their teachers, peers, and even the specialists they have to see. I am also concerned with using medication. I don't know enough about the side effects, the long term studies, and the consequences - I am not against medication if it's necessary, but I am looking at the benefits of alternative treatments first.
So - long story trying to be a bit shorter, I heard about a "coffee" test. See, the caffeine in coffee works the same as the "uppers" in Ritalin and Adderall. It's a much smaller dosage than the average prescription, but in a child who actually suffers from ADHD, the caffeine will not have the common effect of making them more hyper, but will instead do the opposite and calm them down.
I tried half a cup of coffee with him last night before bed, and it truly worked. He stayed in bed, didn't jump, didn't climb, didn't do any of the things he normally does.
So we're trying the homeopathic ADHD diet. Start the day with a protein shake made of soy milk, coffee, sugar free sweetener and protein poweder, and a high protein breakfast option (for conveniece sake, a simple scrambled egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich). We are eliminating milk, which is fine since he drinks soy most of the time anyway, and as much sugar as possible. We're cutting out 90% of any processed foods, which we rarely eat anyway since I LOVE to cook from scratch. We'll continue to keep white bread, flour, pastas and rice out of the home. He will have another protein/coffee shake before bed, and possibly mid day if necessary.
After a week, we'll re-evaluate if the diet is helping enough, or if we still think we should take him to a dr. but for now, fingers are crossed!
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