For all you Weight Watchers

Today was weigh in day for week #2 of the iodine free diet.
I'm happy to report that our starvation is paying off.
At least there is something to help keep us motivated for the final 2 weeks.
Evan has managed to lose over 12 lbs. in 2 weeks!
I am super proud. Not only because he lost weight, but because he has been a super trooper during this whole crappy diet. I'm sure he is hungry and frustrated, but he still gets up every morning before the chickens to go work out. I love him. He is so much more tan I will ever be when it comes to being physically fit.
And I am down 7.4 lbs. for the 2 weeks. Not too shabby. I have 11 more pounds to go before I think I will see a big difference in my health. But I think I'm off to a good start. If only I would add some exercise into that.
So we're on to week #3 now. We might very well just eat chicken and veggies for every meal since my experimenting went horribly wrong. But only 2 more weeks! We are half way- we can do this!
And don't forget the prayers for August 13th- the day when Evan has his scan. Please pray the cancer is gone- oh how awesome that would be.

I effing hate oranges

I've had a crappy day. Not a jump-off-a-bridge kinda day.
Just one of those days when things are irritating.
Like my boss. Who managed to get a virus on his computer that deleted his operating system.
So he bothered me all day about how this was really setting him behind.
Blah, blah, blah....
And then I came home and made dinner for some friends of our going through a tough time.
Luckily God was on my side for that one and the meal turned out perfect.
But my family's meal was a different story.
See I decided to experiment since the iodine free diet is limiting.
So I took 2 ingredients that I knew Evan could have and tried to make something "inventive".
Wrong.
Whoever on the internet publishes recipes for orange marmalade pork should be shot.
Because it is gross.
Did I mention I hate oranges??
But it was gross any way. So bad that Britton asked to go spit his out in the trash.
Poor kid. Poor husband. Slop for dinner.
And making cabbage as a side dish wasn't too smart either- just sayin'.

So to make up for my failure as a cook, I decided I would mow the lawn. I'm good at that.
Until the bleeping $400 bagger we own decided it wanted to get clogged repeatedly by the grass. I spent way too much time sticking my hand up the bagger shoot removing nasty grass before I decided to say screw it with the bagger and left the yard covered in clipping. I'm sure Evan is thrilled.
And I will be irritated for the rest of the week every time I look at the lawn.

So now, I'm drinking a margarita. And in case you are wondering, margaritas are iodine free.
And now I'm going to bed.
And thank God tomorrow is Friday.
Cause someone is getting hurt if I don't get some down time.

Eargasm

Happiness and Joy

Haley taught me a lesson tonight. Something that she learned at the camp she is going to this week.

She asked me if I knew the difference in happiness and joy. I thought I probably did, but I wanted her to tell me the answer. And her answer was beautiful.

She said that happiness was something that you could experience at any event. But joy, that was something that we could only experience through Jesus. It took Him dying for us to be able to experience joy.

And this I believe. And I am so glad that she does too. My baby knows real joy. The joy that only God can provide for her.

Later on I read the parent guide that was sent home from camp with her today. It said for the parents to sit with the kids and tell about moments of joy we had experienced through our children. Here's the problem- I couldn't talk through the answers to that without crying my eyes out. So I didn't tell my children about the joys they have brought me. I didn't want them to see me cry.

But every day is a joy with my children. Every day is like having sweet Jesus here telling me to be child-like.

It is a joy to watch them grow. It is a joy to watch them learn. Joy is watching them love each other.

Thank you Jesus for the joy of Haley and Britt.

Rough Weekend

If you still are following us on the journey that is the Iodine Free diet, bless you.
Because this diet is enough to put anyone into a coma.
I mean really.
Not only does it rid you of all of the good foods to enjoy in life (ummm cheese), but it also causes a lack of enjoy that is unheard of.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to get enough fuel on this diet to keep yourself excited about life.
But we are trying really hard.
Evan said it the best when he said the diet is not so bad during the week, but the weekends absolutely suck!
I felt so bad for Evan this weekend. We basically ate salad and fruit for a span of 24 hours and his energy got to rock bottom.
I kept saying, "Let's get you something to eat", as we were walking around the grocery store. And his response would be something like, "I hate flipping Publix!".
And I felt so bad I went home and made him some guacamole and chicken.
But I know that was not what he really wanted- it would just have to do.

We did "cheat" and go to a restaurant on Sunday. But he ordered steak with no seasoning and a baked sweet potato. I think it was a nice change and conformed to the diet. Getting out was just nice, especially with friends.

So we enter week 2 of 4. Wow- overwhelming to say the least. But again, all in the name of curing cancer. So we can do this. We can do this. We can do this.

Slimmin' down

One positive about this low iodine diet- weight loss!
Eating only fresh fruits and veggies and some meat has caused some pounds to start falling off.
Thank goodness- as we now have a positive angle to use in getting through the next 3 weeks.

As of today, Evan had lost 7.5 pounds in 5 days! I am very proud of him because the whole not having a thyroid thing really makes weight loss difficult. Not to mention he is getting up every morning and going to the gym or running. He really is my hero.

And I was down 5 pounds this morning. I can't be as excited about mine since I gained 4 pounds on vacation. So really I just rid myself of the vacation blot from last week plus one pound. But hey- I'll take it!

The Low Iodine Diet

In preparation for Evan's next radiation scan, he was put on a low iodine diet.
If you aren't up on your thyroid health knowledge, the thyroid is the only organ in your body that takes up iodine. So for the next 4 weeks, Evan is supposed to starve his body of iodine in hopes of making any remaining thyroid cells in his body very hungry. He will then be given a tracer dose of radioactive iodine. The starving cells should then take up all of the radioactive iodine very quickly (because they are starving) and when Evan is scanned for radiation, the cells should glow.
Our hope and prayers are that nothing glows. Because no glowing means no thyroid cells means no cancer. And we have had it with cancer.

And in case you are wondering, iodine is in everything. The basic rule is, if you can pick it or slaughter it, you can eat it. With the exception of turkey, potato skins, and shell beans which naturally contain iodine..
Dairy is completely off limits, as is anything processed, frozen, canned or boxed.
Restaurants are completely off limits. Anything with red coloring is also not allowed.
And even meat is limited to 5 ounces or less each day. So in other words, it's a strict diet.
But I'd like to think that the first four days for us have been ok. So far everyone in the family has cooperated and eaten everything I've made. And we've really tried to explain to our kids that what we are eating now is really what we should be eating all of the time.


It has also forced me to really think and plan what we eat. After all, most of the seasonings and ingredients I would use are off limits. The most obvious of which is salt.
And in case you are new to this blog, I don't actually cook. I am anticipating a call from the gas company asking us why we have started using our oven.
I have cooked 4 days straight. I am positive that is a new record.

What have I been cooking you ask?


Here's what we've had so far-


Breakfast for Evan has been shelled (non-salted)almonds and bananas. He also has oatmeal and raisins he can eat. And I purchased egg whites for a possible weekend breakfast.
Lunch is usually leftover dinner or natural peanut butter and jelly on whole grain bread and fruit.
And now where I come in- dinner:


Day 1- Chicken marinated in Italian Dressing (pan seared), whole green beans (steamed) and squash (steamed with onions)




Day 2- Flank steak marinated in salsa, grilled and cut against the grain. Sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms. Fresh guacamole. All served on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes for a Fajita Salad.






Day 3- Spaghetti with homemade natural tomato sauce.
Forgot to take a picture! But our kids loved it


Day 4- Pan seared pork medallions (seasoned with pepper), asparagus (steamed) and mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon and syrup (yes, he can have syrup)



So that's it so far. Basically, we'd love some pizza. But every ingredient is forbidden. So we will continue to eat like rabbits, all in the name of getting Evan cancer free. And if that's what it takes to get him healthy, I'd eat grass if we were told to.
And if you don't mind saying a little prayer for Evan's scan that will be August 13th, that would be great. Thanks in advance!