Just A Cajun Girl Living In A GERD World

Y'all, don't get me wrong. I love living in Colorado. I love being next to the mountains and having amazing parks to bring my son to. I enjoy having so many healthy options restaurants and stores. Colorado was ranked number eight in healthiest states for 2018.

But...I'm from Louisiana, which was ranked number 50. I'm convinced that part of that ranking was the Cajuns. Our food is delicious. I grew up on gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding (okay, my mouth is literally salivating), and beignets. I won a church cooking contest with my crawfish pie. Now, y'all know it's good when it wins at pentecostal church cooking contest. That was Cajun grandma good.

The problem is that Cajun food doesn't exactly have a reputation for being healthy, and I've been in this GERD world for six months now. I haven't had a single Cajun dish for six months. I have been known to boude' about this in my house. My husband has even learned that word and uses it on me now. So, can Cajun food be made healthy and GERD approved without tasting like Disney's version of gumbo (I'm still not over that)? What happens when I can no longer have the Cajun Trinity and Tony Chacherie? (Don't worry, I'll let Ben have it in his.) That's what my challenge to myself is this week!

When my parents moved into their new house, my mom took all three of her girls to the back of the house where things were stored and told us that we would be able to look through her cookbooks and keep some. I tried to keep my heart rate down as I saw my sisters grabbing the "fancy" southern cookbooks because I knew exactly what I was looking for and was able to grab it before they even noticed the treasure before them. No one cooks better than a Cajun grandma, no one. I collected a treasury of church women cookbooks and the local cookbook made by senior citizens. Those cookbooks have been stained as I tried to learn all the secrets inside of them.

This week, I'll be going through all of my cookbooks and attempting to make some of them GERD friendly while still tasting delicious. Easy, no (probably my toughest challenge yet actually), but this Cajun girl is missing her Cajun food.

If anyone has any specific Cajun dish that they would like me to try to take on, leave a comment here or just comment on my post on my Facebook page when I share this. I'll be doing a new blog post with my results and recipes for the dishes that we like.

So, wish me luck and allons!

                                                  The pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!

Say What?!

See bottom of post for a meal idea

We've all been told just how powerful words are. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" Yep, the lie detector test determined that's a lie. We tell kids to be nice. "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." (So many years of silence....I'm kidding!) But, do we tell ourselves that? What power do the words we say to ourselves have over us?

I know this sounds "kumbaya"ish , but I've really been reflecting on this as my four year old has started mimicking everything we say, I  mean everything. I accidentally taught him "buttnugget" the other day and then had to tell him that mommy was wrong and we shouldn't say that. I also had to turn away so he didn't see me laugh 🤣 Think about some of the things we say about ourselves. Would you really allow someone to say that about you?

I know, I know. Kristie, where are you going with this? Aren't you supposed to be writing about GERD and eating healthy? Yes, and this is totally part of it! I can change my eating, exercise, and get off of all medicines, but I'm not taking care of my health if I'm not watching what words I'm feeding myself.

The other day, I found myself telling the hubby, "Dude, I feel so fat. I feel fatter now then I ever was." One, yes I did say that. Two, yes I did say dude. Being an elementary teacher means your vocabulary never has to grow up right? What was the husband's response? Did he help me throw a pity party compete with streamers and fat free cake (gotta still include my good friend GERD to the party)? Nope, he stared at me like I had grown a horn or something and said I needed to stop talking like that. He actually sounded offended that I would talk about the woman he loves that way. I feel like everyone needs someone like my husband in their life....Someone like my husband ladies, not my husband. He's all mine 😉 We need people who won't coddle us and will just straight up tell us when we need to start loving ourselves more and start speaking the truth. The truth wasn't that I was feeling fatter. The truth was that I was frustrated because the scale hadn't moved for a week. The truth wasn't that I felt fatter than I ever was. The truth was that I was frustrated by my own unrealistic view of myself. The truth was that I needed to start seeing myself differently.

My grandfather use to say when the words are in your mind they belong to you but the moment you say them they belong to everyone around you. You can apologize, but you can never fully take them back. I'm challenging myself to take that advice and to go a step further because when the negative self talk is in my head, it's already doing damage. When I look in the mirror and get disgusted because *gasp* I have fat on my stomach (insert the word thighs, arms, or even big toe here), I'm not embracing the fact that I'm healthy and that God gave me this body to love and appreciate. When I tell myself that it would be easier if I just give up because what's the difference anyway, I'm not acknowledging the fact that I've never been one to just give up when things get harder. Why would I start now?

I want my son to believe in himself. I want him to know just how awesome he is. As a teacher, I know that kids learn from  modeling and doing so I know that the only way he will learn this is by watching us.

So, while this blog post may seem a little off topic...GERD... acid reflux...boogie man...ahh! (okay, I've hit the keywords I'm supposed to hit now), it's just as important to feed yourself with words that really fill you and inspire you. I talked in my last post about working out to music. Ben calls my music women music because all of the songs are...basically how much I rock 🤣. I start with "Fight Song" because it reminds me that I exercise to take back my life and end on "You Say/Who You Say I Am" every day because it reminds me to speak those words over myself.

In case no one told you today, you totally and completely rock. Yep, I'm talking to you. 😉

Cool Shout Out Time: I talked to someone I love so much today, let's call her Super Ninja, and she has been working so hard to take back her health. I'm so proud of her! I told y'all in the first post that I am now your biggest cheerleader. I love hearing when people are working and reaching goals! My energy level totally goes up, and it makes me want to push that much harder so we can do it together! You guys totally inspire me! Keep telling me your victories because a dance party celebrating you is so much better than a pity party that I use to throw, even without the streamers. 🎉

*And now the moment you have all been waiting for...the moment that might save this post for people thinking I've gone off the deep end instead of writing about my GERD...my new meal idea! Ben has been stretching me to expand beyond my basic meals now that the whole family is eating healthy. So, I'm baking a pork tenderloin with a light parmesan coating tonight. Throw in a veggie (green beans) and a small baked potato and you have a meal that is restaurant quality but "I pay a whole lotta money for my kid to go to preschool and work as a public school teacher" budget friendly. Be careful when choosing your pork tenderloin. I bought two from two different stores, and they have very different fat amounts.

Let's Get Physical, Physical!

All I can think of when I read the title of this post is Olivia Newton John in full 80s workout gear. When I was a kid, I sweated to the oldies more than once or twice. In fact, to this day, I can still do the entire dance to "It's My Party, and I'll Cry If I Want To" right alongside Mr. Richard Simmons himself, and I know that "he's a rebel and he'll never be any good."

The first thing I had to do when I was diagnosed with GERD was get my diet in order. The second thing I had to do...get moving. The hard part is that it seemed like such a catch 22. GERD can be triggered by intense exercise, but exercise is also a way that they recommend to help alleviate GERD symptoms. So, I should workout to get rid of GERD, but it can also trigger it??? I decided to tread lightly, focusing on workouts that didn't stress out my core muscles.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week. I pretty much listen to them since I have so much heart disease in my family. I'm pretty sure all of South Louisiana has heart disease in their family.

I've heard many excuses about not being able to workout because there isn't enough time. I'm not here to judge or put down anyone saying this because I was that person! By the time I drove to the gym, worked out, had a hydromassage (I'm pretty sure you have to do that after exercising, right?) and drove home, an hour and a half had passed. Then I was stressed out about cooking a healthy dinner and falling behind in everything happening in my house. If you can get to the gym and it works in your schedule, that's awesome! You get it girl! (boy, woman, man, fish-okay, I'm easily distracted and just looked up at our 200 fish) I loved my workouts at the gym. I loved taking time for myself and doing something for myself...and I loved the hydromassage!!! It hasn't been practical in this season of my family's life. So, back to the drawing board.

In today's society, there are so many workouts online. There is this little known site called YouTube where you can watch everything from workout videos to kids playing with playdough. The key is to actually workout with the workout videos and not watch them while eating a snack...guilty! Y'all, I don't know what is wrong with me, but I get so much joy out of watching workout videos or the Biggest Loser while eating something unhealthy. I mean, I genuinely just got joy just typing that.  Because I have workout restrictions with my foot-a plate and five screws holding it together- most workout videos don't workout for me (hehe see what I did with that cheesy joke?). I had to modify so much that I didn't feel like I was working out.

I think the key is finding things that get you moving. You love outdoors? Go for a walk or hike or do some yoga outside. No workout equipment at home? Get to highstepping in place. Throw in some arms crosssing and touching your knees as you go. Got some cans of beans? Congrats! You have some light weights to workout with. I have 5 and 10lb weights that I bought for less than ten dollars at Wal-Mart (I invest big in my workouts obviously). Ben saw how much I love working out and bought me some resistance bands (Amazon) and a weighted medicine ball for Mother's Day. There are tons of workouts for these on Pinterest.

What's the point of this? I've had some people ask me what workouts I'm doing, but there is absolutely no magic formula. I've actually changed my workout so often because, as stated before, I get distracted easily and can't do the same workout every day. Currently, I workout on our elliptical (thank you Lord for the person getting rid of a free elliptical), use my weights for a quick arm workout, do 150 crunches, and 100 leg lifts on each side. Then I stretch to finish. Is this perfect? nope. Am I a professional trainer? nada. I figure out what works for me and what gives me those endorphins and go with it. As spoken by the very wise Elle Woods "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands; they just don't" 😉 Find positive music that gets you moving if that motivates you. I change up my songs all the time because I like certain beats when I workout, but I love finishing my stretching to Caleb and Kelsey's "You Say/Who You Say I Am" to get me refocused on who I am and do some emotional health management too.

Huge shout outs! One of my friends decided to start eating healthier two weeks ago. Out of respect to her privacy, I won't use her name so let's just call her Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman has made changes to what she eats and has been exercising and is down 8lbs! My hunka hunka burning love hubby started two weeks ago and is down 12 lbs! I was most impressed with him on Friday. He decided to go to Taco Bell and cheat, and he actually looked at the calories on the menu board to make better choices. Score!!!

Say hello to my goal jeans! Y'all these are the "maybe I'll fit them again one day" but in reality it's ten years and five sizes later jeans. Am I done? Nope! Am I supermodel skinny, hahahaha! 🤣 (I just got a core workout in laughing at that one.)  But I am healthier, and it felt so good to get into these again. 

Pizza Challenge!

Ben has been craving pizza 🍕since starting his 30 day "Eat Like Kristie" challenge and has made it very known...very known y'all. My husband is probably made of about 50% pizza at this point from all that he has eaten over the years. He didn't think I could create a healthier pizza. Because I love challenges (and because I haven't had pizza in 6 months and it sounded amazing!), I decided that we would do a pizza challenge!

We used three different crusts in our challenge. The first was just a Martha White mix, the second was a wheat crust recipe (http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252206/whole-wheat-pizza-dough/ ) and the third was one I found that Weight Watchers suggests. The last one was simple but intimidating. It is just one cup of fat free yogurt and one cup of flour mixed together (Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes). Simple enough, except for the fact that my husband hates yogurt. I kept hoping that the yogurt taste would magically cook away. We decided the only fair way to judge would be to split each pizza in half. "We all try them all!" (and yes, I was singing that Office reference in my head as we talked about it)

Ben and I required different toppings. Ben wanted a hearty pizza with lots of toppings. On his side, he had 1/4 cup pizza sauce, 1 cup fat free mozzarella, 1 cup skim milk mozzarella, 7 turkey pepperoni, 1 tbs bacon crumbling pizza topping (this was the one topping he didn't like), 2 tbs onions, 2 tbs bell pepper, 1 tb mushrooms, 1 tb olives, 1 tbs parmesan, and some Italian seasoning.

On my side of the pizzas, I had to use nonstick cooking spray instead of pizza sauce (huge GERD trigger!) but it worked out pretty well.  You can also just use a little olive oil. I then added 1 cup of fresh spinach, 1.5 oz of chicken breast, 1 cup of fat free mozzarella, 1 tbs of parmesan, and some Italian seasoning. Mine was simple, but I was still excited at the prospect of pizza.

The best thing about making your own pizza is that you control what goes on it. You control the calories, carbs, protein, and fat. Since being diagnosed with GERD, I've embraced controlling what goes in my body through cooking my own foods and experimenting with modifications. "I've got the power!" (I'm full of pop culture references tonight, okay... always.)

So...which crust won? Ben was pleasantly surprised that he didn't consider any of them bad. He said they were all good but the wheat crust was his favorite. He liked the Weight Watchers one at first but said that he tasted a yogurt aftertaste. I loved the pizza with the Weight Watchers crust! I ate half a slice of the other two and a full slice of that one. The best part was that one slice (1/8 of pizza, 1/4 of my side) was only 130 calories, .7 grams of fat, and 16.7 grams of protein. Each of my meals can have up to 3 grams of fat so I could confidently eat more than one slice of pizza using this recipe.

Mrs. Martha White failed to impress. I would only use it in emergencies. Once again, making it yourself normally tastes better.

Our stomachs are full, and my kitchen now has so much pizza in it. Guess who isn't cooking tomorrow.😉

If you have any questions about the toppings or anything else about or pizza challenge, go ahead and comment below or ask me on my fb post when I share it.

And now.....dessert!!! Ben has been crazing brownies so Enjoy Life is coming to the rescue. We have tried several of their products before and like everything so far. Since I can't have chocolate, I'm enjoying an ice cream cone (fat free cool whip in a sugar cone) Treat Yo Self! (Parks and Rec reference. I can't stop y'all) Us Patricks know how to party!

The wheat crust. Ben got started before I could take a picture.

The yogurt crust! We grabbed this one quickly.

Martha White crust.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Announcement: Since my husband has been begging for pizza, we have decided to do a pizza cook off tomorrow. We have three different healthier pizza crusts (no cauliflower because I want to still have a marriage after this cook off), pesto and olive oil, and various toppings that can be included all topped with fat free mozzarella for me and skim milk mozzarella for him. Tune in to see recipes, pictures, and what we thought!

In my first blog post, I talked about some of the foods that I eat. The next step I faced...how do I make all of these random foods into meals?! For the first couple of weeks, I ate some seriously weird meals. I sipped bone broth while eating egg whites. I ate an apple while eating egg whites. I ate a handful of almonds with some egg whites on the side....there were a lot of egg whites people. And, for a while, it worked. My pain was gone, and I was losing weight. But, it wasn't sustainable. I needed to figure out how to take these random foods and make them into a lifestyle.

So, if you are in the same position I was in, I have good news! I'm posting some of my favorite healthy meals that have been approved by my whole family. Being approved by a toddler and a male who only loves meat and potatoes is pretty much the whole spectrum.

Breakfast:

*eggs-For my eggs, I use only egg whites. If you are not into the egg white scene, I mix one whole egg with 3 tbs of egg white substitute for Ben's eggs. You get the flavor of the yolk and cut out fat. 

*hash brown potatoes-I buy frozen hash brown potatoes because I'm normally cooking breakfast at 4 am on weekdays and I shouldn't be trusted cutting potatoes with a knife at this time of day. I can't have peppers and onions, but Ben can so his are the potatoes o' brien. I use non stick cooking spray and cook them in a pan over the stove with salt and pepper. 

*turkey bacon- There are so many kinds, but we found Applegate and love it! It has no fat but tastes better than other turkey bacon that has fat in it. It's already cooked so you just brown in in a pan over the stove (once again only using non stick cooking spray)

*pancakes- I absolutely Kodiak pancakes! They have very little fat and have a lot of protein. I bake mine at 425 degrees to reduce the fat of cooking it on the stove in oil/butter. Ben is not a fan so I use Hungry Jack for his pancakes and cook them over the stove. I only use non stick cooking spray, and we finish them with a little real maple syrup ( a little goes a long way. To save on syrup, you can also dip your pancake in the syrup instead of pouring it over).

*breakfast sandwich- I like having an English muffin with some egg whites to make a breakfast sandwich. I normally use cinnamon raisin English muffins. You can also add a slice of turkey breast or ham from the deli.

Lunch and Dinner:

*parmesan chicken/fish- 🎶 "Chicken parm you taste so good" 🎶 (Yep, that's a Payton Manning reference) Dip chicken tenderloins or fish (pay attention to what type of fish. Some are high in fat) in a mixture of fat free milk and egg whites. On the side, I make a mixture of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Tony's (or whatever seasoning you like). I then dip the milk dipped chicken/fish in the parmesan cheese mixture. I lightly coat it on both sides and then cook it in a pan on the stove using only nonstick cooking spray or in the oven. If on the stove, brown both sides, and then add a little water to continue cooking it until done. If on the stove, follow the directions for the temp and time for the type of fish or for chicken breast. This is Ben's current favorite meal.

*fajitas- This one is pretty basic. I cook chicken breast, onions, and peppers in a pan with non stick cooking spray and fajita seasonings. The difference for us has been the tortilla. We use to eat it with flour tortillas. A quick switch to white corn tortillas saves calories and fat. I like to heat the tortillas in a pan on the stove using...you guessed it...non stick cooking spray. Ben was amazed at how much he could eat for less than 300 calories and about 4 grams of fat.

*red beans and rice- I'm a Cajun through and through and need my red bean fix. I'm actually cooking a huge pot of red beans  for tonight. For mine, I just cook red beans from scratch on the stove and add salt. For Ben and Zander's, I'm adding a pound of extra lean group turkey and some Butterball turkey sausage. Even though it is turkey sausage, the sodium and fat add up. So, be careful with how much you add. A little goes a long way. You can add rice when serving, but I no longer add rice to mine because I have gotten use to not having as much rice.

*burrito bowls- Another family favorite! I love that each member can customize it. I put out a little buffet of cooked chicken breast, rice with a little cilantro, black beans, pinto beans, lettuce, fat free cheddar, and fat free sour cream. I normally only use a little rice, about 1/4 cup or less, and make sure I focus on beans and chicken breast to get some healthy protein.

....and now....the update you have all been waiting for. Ben decided to do a 30 day challenge to eat healthy with me. I've gotta admit, the first day was rough. He was hungry, cranky, and had decided that I was starving him. There were flashbacks to my own behavior six months ago. Day 2 was so much better as he realized his body was already starting to feel better. His joints that usually hurt were no longer hurting. He has completely surprised me with his dedication, and has already made plans for his cheat meal after the 30 days. The surprise was when he said it would be a cheat meal and then he was going right back to the healthy eating. This has become his new lifestyle since seeing the changes in his body already. We went to the grocery store this weekend, and my husband actually checked the nutrition labels! I never thought I would hear,"Wow, that's a lot of fat" or "Did you see how much sodium is in this?" from Ben. His favorite breakfast bowl had 33 grams of fat. His beloved sub had 28 grams of fat. He summed it up pretty well the other day when he said that most people want to eat healthy, but they don't have the tools or know what they are looking for when they look at nutrition labels. I thought I was taking the summer off from teaching, but these lessons are some of my favorites because I know that I'm investing in my family's healthy future. As of Saturday, he was down ten pounds in less than a week and loving his new meals. Don't get me wrong, there are still many pizza cravings, but it's a process, he hasn't given in once, and I couldn't be prouder of him.

This picture is from 2011. It has been my goal picture, my dream. I've saved it on my phone, printed it as motivation, showed it to everyone who would look hoping that it would motivate me. I was only this weight for a couple of weeks before gaining some of the weight back and eventually gaining so much more than I ever thought possible. I saw this picture this morning and realized I'm the same weight I was in this picture. It's not a goal or dream anymore. It's my current reality and it is my past because this girl has got some new goals!

What's In A Name?

Happy Birthday! 🎂 Wait, it's not your birthday?... I thought we had the same birthday 😉 Thank you to everyone who just made a mental note to tell me happy birthday now.

I've been thinking about the power of names for a while. My name means "follower of Christ" or "annointed one." My husband's name means "son of my right hand." That got me looking a little more into what that actually meant, and I read that the right hand represented strength. So, it can mean son of strength. Really cool side note,my son's name means defender of men. So, from The Annointed Follower of Christ and The Son of Strength came The Defender of Men. If that's not asking for our own superhero storyline, I don't know what is.

So, as I started thinking about names, I started thinking about other names we are given throughout our lives. We are all given labels. Some we embrace, and some we spend our lives hiding from. I started thinking about the effect those labels have on us.

For many years, I ran from my labels and tried to cover them.  I wore the label of abandonment for years and covered it with a smile. I wore the label of rejected and tried to hide it with humor (I mean, I am hilarious). I thought I had it all under control, but it led to emotional eating that spiraled out of control.

Let me be clear. In no way am I ever going to shame people for eating delicious drops of Heaven disguised as donuts, cookies, and cake. Having a cupcake or donut with friends because you are celebrating or just having a great day is one thing. Eating a cupcake and donuts  because you're running from stress or feelings is a totally different thing that could lead to some unhealthy choices emotionally and physically. I know I'm not the only one who relates to this, I hope I'm not (there is that label of insecurity sneaking back on me). It took my husband calling it out when he saw it to make me realize how many times I emotionally ate.

So, what do we do about it? Am I magically cured? No way on GGE! (That's a Sunday School Musical reference. Do yourself a favor and look it up. It's probably one of the worst made movies ever but I just couldn't stop watching it like it would somehow get better each time.)  Part of being healthy is working on our emotional health. Who says that we have to wear names and labels that others have put on us. You know what's cool about labels? THEY COME OFF! Ask my four year old. That's how we started playing the game of guess what canned veggie we are eating tonight while cooking supper. I have to constantly remind myself of the names I was born with and the names I've worked hard for.

I'm not rejected, I've been chosen.
I'm not abandoned, I'm set apart for greater things.
I'm not worthless. I'm worth dying for.
I am a strong and confident woman.
I am an amazing wife and mom. (Okay, most days 😂)
I am a caring and passionate teacher.
I AM A UNICORN! (Side note:  I knew Ben was the right guy for me when he said I was his unicorn, something he wanted but didn't think he would ever find. )


So... for my 34th birthday, I decided that maybe we can all celebrate together. Maybe, just maybe, we can all do a little relabeling.

Help! My Husband Is Trying To Eat Healthy!

My rock star husband Ben and his friend decided that they are going to jump on board the eating like Kristie train for 30 days as a challenge. The problem...they start today and Ben is already convinced that he is going to die of hunger, convinced y'all. He mourned all the foods he loves one by one this past weekend. Bye bye soda, adios pizza, au revoir cookies and chocolate, see ya later Gatorade. The mourning period was sad (okay, I may have laughed...a lot) 🤭. Y'all, he seriously got up from bed last night to get a piece of cheese because he said he had a craving. His last words to me before bed were," See you in food purgatory."

In no way am I talking about this to make fun of my husband. I'm talking about it because IT'S HARD! I totally get it. In my first post, I talked about how I literally cried in the grocery store and told Ben there was nothing I could eat...nothing. I'm a big believer in "no man is an island", and when I started eating healthy I felt like a deserted island complete with sand, water, and my pain as the only motivation to keep going. I threw pity parties so often that I should have invested in streamers and a banner. We fail so often because we believe the ads that say it is do easy and then get discouraged and feel like failures when it isn't easy for us.

So, as these 30 days go along, I'm going to update this to brag about my amazing husband and his motivation (I may have spies at his work for accountability with soda and Carls Jr. 😉), and I want to encourage everyone working on goals that seem hard and sometimes impossible. DON'T TRY TO DO IT ALONE! Build a support system. Don't have one? Congrats, I'm your support system now. I will cheer you on. I can even mail you an envelope of confetti and glitter to celebrate. Side note, that is a personal dream of mine that I will do some day. Comment on this or talk to me on Facebook any time.

I love seeing people succeed in their goals. Want to get a new job? Whoo hoo! Going for your masters?  You've got this! Have some faith (Hey, Faith,did you get that shout out? 😉🎉) Want to get healthy? What what! My mom has childhood videos of me cheering my team on in basketball instead of playing. I even cheered for the other team because I couldn't leave them out. If you are reading this, you are on my team now. If you are reading this out of spite or to make fun of me, you are on the other team and I am still cheering for you to succeed!

Whatever your goal is, I can't wait to see you rock it! And for those wondering how Ben does...keep reading because I'll be updating the good, the bad, and the hilarious. Don't worry, I read this to him before publishing, and he laughed just as hard as I did, maybe slightly less than I did.

Ben during happier times, when he could eat whatever he wanted. He said no pictures this morning because he was feeling crank in anticipation.

GERDs the Word!

GERD, such a weird word, okay it's an acronym but still. When the doctor told me I had GERD, I laughed and told her she was wrong because I was coming in for back pain and something seriously wrong with one of the main organs. I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk straight up. I was pretty sure I needed surgery and was already dreading the sub plans. Oh the sub plans...

I didn't even get heartburn so how could I have GERD?!

So, what is GERD? Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder. Basically, so many things trigger my acid reflux. Sometimes, it feels like acid reflux. Sometimes, it feels like a line of pain across my back. Sometimes, it feels like something is stuck in my throat and I just can't get it out. For the first couple of weeks I was convinced that there was nothing I could eat without being in pain

 Then, I made a plan. Those who have known me for a while, or anyone who has seen my desk at work, know that I love post it notes and I love making lists and plans. 

So, for people who have asked me what I eat...the answer is so much! I eat small meals/snacks every two hours or so. I eat low fat, low acidic foods. I've included a link to a Google Doc. This shows all of the foods that I eat. Are these the only healthy foods in the world? No way! Am I a nutritionist/dietician? Nope. But, this is what works for me and my body and what has been approved through my doctor. So, if you find yourself popping some Tums for dessert or don't enjoy that acid reflux waking you up at night (or if you just want to try something new), check it out!

Let me know if you try it. I'm all about support systems. I cried while grocery shopping the first time after my diagnosis, and I may have called my husband and announced that there was nothing in the store that I can eat. On the very rare occasion, I can be a little dramatic.

Google Doc of Foods I Eat (This will change as I discover new things to eat)