NeuroNerd

First report: I'd planned to report weekly, but at this point, more accountability might be better than less! I'm still on track with each of my goals...I almost skipped out on yoga last night, but I did it! I was so tired...I was washing the dishes up after dinner and realized that I had stopped and was resting my head right on the faucet! [Yep, that's pretty embarrassing to admit] But, I rested a couple hours, then got the yoga in before bed. I actually started these resolutions on August 1, so it was the 7th day, and I was mentally talking myself into "it's perfectly fine to have one rest day a week..." etc, but then I decided that I just can't be the person who wimps out on the SECOND day of a public challenge. Seriously...who does that? NOT ME. And, after I rested, I actually enjoyed the yoga (as always) and felt better for it (as always). And I got my butt out of bed this morning and went for my walk, so I'm still on track. I'm glad I stuck with it last night...it makes me even more committed to stay on track today.

Wow...all three of these ideas sound *fantastic*. I know what that sack of peas in the pantry is good for, now... Thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks for the welcome! My jaw joint became inflamed (possibly triggered by just holding my mouth open at the dentist for a long time--who the heck gets hurt at the dentist?), and then the increased inflammation eventually caused the bone to breakdown and fuse across the joint. Definitely a freakish occurrence. Usually happens after a major trauma (fall, car accident, etc.) or as a congenital condition. I definitely haven't gotten a satisfactory explanation for how something like that could happen out of the blue. It was just a totally normal, non painful, teeth cleaning sort of dentist appointment--I don't think that counts as major trauma! My grant research is on neurological movement disorders. Basically, I'm looking for specific targets in the brain that would be good candidates for stimulation-type therapies (like Deep Brain Stimulation treatments in Parkinson's disease). So, for other neurological disorders, the same idea could work, but you need different anatomical targets, and different stimulation parameters, so I'm getting that set up now. Feel free to message me if you are interested in the nitty gritty details!

Yum! Coconut milk! We had a few recipes I loved with that in it as a kid....should definitely get some of that again! I can't find full nutrition facts online for the 100% whey based powders (beyond the macros)...does yours have any cholesterol in it?

Those are great ideas! I've made plenty of blended vegetables soups, and I enjoy them, but I miss that "fresh" sitting down to a salad feeling. Those would be some good ways to (nearly) achieve that again.

I can swallow the liquids, they just have to be thin (think pureed vegetable soup through a straw, not pureed vegetables from a spoon). Usually the stomach muscles mix the foods you eat with the liquids you drink (in addition to breaking things down somewhat), and then the mixed liquid empties from the stomach. So, I just have to pre-mix my foods and liquids. Do you use the 100% whey powder, or one of the specialized varieties?

That's definitely my thought, too. It's just that all the instructions/ recipe booklets from the hospital are always recommending diets based entirely on ensure, gatorade, popsicles, fruit juice, cream of wheat, and milkshakes. Those are just not the sort of thing my diet was based on in my past "real" life. I just keep thinking "surely I can at least do better than that"! I'm finally getting strong enough that I have enough energy to consider cooking/ preparing food, instead of just reaching for yet another can of Ensure, so I'm searching around for healthy ideas!

Okay....raw eggs are definitely out! That's just too gross (but I'll use the legitimate excuse that I really don't have the immune system to support that, so I don't have to try to overcome my aversion...) I should definitely start throwing some spinach in my smoothies. I've pureed cooked spinach, but I hadn't thought to just toss it in raw! Protein powders: I'm currently using Life's Basics Protein Powder. It's entirely plant based (pea, hemp, rice, and chia). I don't know much about all the protein powder options, except that there are MANY options. I have this one on the recommendation of my nutritionist (with her rationale being that since much of my protein comes from Ensure, which is highly processed, but a whey based protein source, it would be better to have a different source for balance). Would this plant based protein powder be Paleo friendly (ish), since its not soy or dairy based? Is there a community consensus on the best protein powder options (even if they are not perfectly ideal)? I know there are also egg based protein powders, but I've never tried them.

Hi there! I'm looking for Paleo friendly ideas for a liquid diet. [And, no, I'm not on some crazy liquid cleanse...my stomach muscles are paralyzed, so I can't eat solid food.] I've been relying heavily on Ensure/ Boost/ Pedialyte as major sources of calories, and would like to move to more "real food". Preferably little/ no added sugar or refined grains, with the eventual goal to be as close to Paleo as possible. But, mostly, I want to eat food made of food. Smoothie ideas? Soup ideas? Meals that you eat solid but would be amenable to blending? I have a blender and a food processor and I'll eat just about anything blended, so weird sounding suggestions are perfectly fine. Thanks!

Hello...this is my first challenge, and it comes at a great time for me. One year ago, I was a happy, healthy, fit 20-something Neuroscience grad student. I wasn't the perfect paradigm of fitness, but I (more or less regularly) lifted weights, jogged, did yoga, etc. Then, due to the combination of an unlikely occurrence and bad health insurance, my jaw bones fused together across the joint and I literally could not open my mouth. I lost 50 pounds and nearly starved to death. Happily, I've had surgery now and am on the road to recovery. I've gained back 30 pounds, thanks to some high calorie nutrition supplements that don't even resemble food. This was life-saving, but rapid weight gain does not exactly produce the most pleasing physique! I want my body back! I also want my life back, and the ability to function, and do normal things without counting things like "take out the trash" as my exercise for the day. I'm starting from less than nothing here, so my goals are very modest. In fact, the other day when I complained that I couldn't focus well on paperwork, a doctor told me that I'm basically a CORPSE, and achieving a ZOMBIE-like level of functioning would be a good achievement. That certainly put things into perspective for me! So, my goal for these 6 weeks so to progress forward, and become a zombie. Goal 1: Be able to walk for 30 minutes without stopping. (+1 Strength, + 1 Dexterity, + 1 Stamina, + 1 Constitution) That's my goal for the end of the 6 weeks. Points will be awarded based on percentage of days that I go for a walk (amount specified below). Week 1: 10 minutes once a day Week 2: 10 minutes twice a day Week 3: 20 minutes once a day Week 4: 15 minutes twice a day Week 5: 25 minutes once a day Week 6: 30 minutes once a day Goal 2: Eat 1,000 calories a day (+/- 10%). (+1 Strength, + 1 Stamina, + 2 Constitution) Don't worry, this is highly highly medically supervised, and the appropriate amount for my size and (non)-activity level. There are also many restrictions on what I can actually eat (still on a liquid diet), so the challenge is two sided. Getting 1,000 calories of *healthy* food, made of REAL FOOD, is a huge challenge. Not giving into temptation and just slurping thousands of calories of Haagen Dazs milkshakes instead is also a challenge. Points awarded as follows: +2 Constitution if average is 1,000 calories per day (+/- 10%) +1 Strength if no individual day is less than 800 calories. + 1 Stamina if no individual day is over 1200 calories. Goal 3: Practice yoga daily. (+ 1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina, +2 Constitution) I have a very short, highly adapted routine. Making progress to more time/ harder poses would be ideal, but my goal is just to actually do yoga every single day. Points awarded for percentage of days of doing yoga. Goal 4: Submit NIH grant (life goal). (+ 2 Wisdom, +1 Stamina) I really want my old life back, and can't wait to feel productive (and *be* productive!) again. I don't have much work left on the grant, and keep falling into the "when I feel better, I'll just knock that out in a solid long weekend" trap. I need to break it up into increments and do small pieces of work at a time, because I don't have the stamina for long blocks of don't-come-up-for-air-until-its-done grad student style work anymore. Points awarded (all or none) for submission of final grant by September 16. That's all for me! If you have any (esp high protein) recipe ideas for soups or smoothies, I'd be forever grateful. I'm willing to put almost anything in a blender at this point, so weird sounding is totally acceptable. Also, if you ever are tempted to go on a starvation diet, or are worried about a friend in trouble...let me know! I believe I can firmly convince anyone why the body they have is worth keeping! Thanks for the support on my first quest! NeuroNerd