I was looking back on my 2014 year end summary and that was one rough year to say the least, 2015 turned out to be much better in every way. The amazing thing is that my prediction in my #1 goal of “Get Healthy” actually was pretty accurate. I expected to be over SIBO and healing my gut but didn’t expect to be feeling really good until 2016 but really I ended up feeling pretty good by mid-2015. I stopped taking anti-microbials in May and declared myself cured of SIBO in June and since then have been getting better and better each month with no relapse in almost eight months now. On top of eradicating my SIBO the last round of treatment I did got rid of my blastocystisis hominis too which was excellent news – SIBO and parasite free finally. I also got good news that I do not have the auto-immune condition that is a major cause of SIBO which is why I think I’ve avoided relapse for so long.
Weight gains continue
Less than a month ago I finally topped the 160 mark and have been on a slow, steady rise since then. This morning I came in at 162.2 and my body fat is now up at 16% from a low of around 12%. It looks like the weight thing is really behind me and that I’m holding my own now in that department. I’m trying to make sure any new gain is in the muscle department so I’m trying to get in the gym and lift regularly during the winter. The good news is that I’m still fast, I just had my second fastest 5-mile time this last week and overall my running is getting back to a more normal schedule though still lower miles than what I used to run but that is on purpose. Zero SIBO symptoms the last month too which is great even eating a much more varied diet and it has now been over 7 months since I stopped actively treating!
Redmond Reindeer Romp 5-mile
My second event in the Winter Trail Run Series was at my old stomping grounds – the Redmond Watershed. The last two years this event is a way below freezing ordeal but this year we had mild temperatures but with some wind and heavy rains threatening at any moment. Luckily when I arrived for setup the rains were holding off and we got everything set up and registration done before even a sprinkle appeared. I opted to run the 5-mile distance. I had thought about increasing to the half but figured I’d wait until spring and not push it, it turned out to be a good move since the cold downpour happened about halfway through for the half marathon runners.
Back to sleep restriction
For some reason my middle of the night insomnia is back with a vengeance after a few months of really good sleep. I fall asleep easily every night but wake up somewhere between 11:30-12:30 and then cannot get back to sleep until about 3:00 when I will grab a few more hours of sleep. Needless to say, I’m tired after a week of this. It sure seems like my cortisol is jacked up again since I’m feeling more anxious on top of not being able to sleep. So, tonight I go back on sleep restriction and see if I can get this back into a better pattern like I did last time around. Other than that all is good with regards to SIBO as I’ll be at 7 months on Monday since I stopped treatment with no relapse!
A lot to be thankful for
First turkey, Thanksgiving 2014
Two year ago Catherine and I ate Thanksgiving dinner at our favorite restaurant, Cafe Flora, and I felt like hell. I’d been dealing with gut issues ever since August when I took some antibiotics for a prostate infection. After doctors were no help I self diagnosed it as a candida problem so we celebrated Thanksgiving and then went on a hard-core candida cleanse the next day so I had a month from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It helped but I ended up really sick after Christmas which began my whole journey into the world of SIBO. Last year at Thanksgiving I was still not too well and had just suffered another relapse. Still, compared to 2013 I was doing a bit better after finally getting a diagnosis, totally changing my life and treating SIBO for about 4 months with herbals.
Ravenna Refresher 8k
Luna Osos with Polar Fleece Tabi Socks
The weather is below freezing so it must be time for the Northwest Trail Runs Winter Trail Run Series again. The series actually started a few weeks ago when I was in SoCal so the Ravenna Refresher was the first event I got to run and it felt like winter. It was 24 degrees in Fall City at 7 am when I took off for the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle to help setup, do registration and then run the 8k (almost 5 mile) course today. I bundled up big-time even with my snowshoe boots, fleece tights and flannel lined pants, three tops and a fleece jacket for setup and reg so I wouldn’t get too cold like I did at the last event when I cramped up immediately after starting to run and it was way colder today.
First weight goal met!
Back when I started Operation Bradley Cooper in August I had set an interim weight goal of 160. Today I finally crossed that goal for real, my first morning weigh-in above 160! This is huge, I dropped below 160 way back in January of 2014 and never got above it until today. It is good to see a steady climb since July in my weight. Now I just need to keep eating well, working out and things should settle out in the next few months to where my new normal weight is. Hoping I can get enough muscle to get it back up to around 165, just want to avoid putting it all on my belly.
Tracking my microbiome
During my whole SIBO journey I did two stool tests to see what the heck was going on in my colon and I know all of you are curious about that too. The tests I did so far were the Genova GI Effects Stool Profiles which are not cheap but were useful since the one in Sept 2014 identified the fact that I had a blastocystis homins infection, a moderate imbalance with too many pathogenic bacteria, too few beneficial bacteria and too low of levels of butyrate and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). I had almost no Lactobacillus or Bifido species and way too much m.smithii, e.coli, and a few other nasty critters.
What I do when everything is flooding
The weather has gone to hell rapidly this fall and today we are on the third big storm and flood of the last few weeks, kind of crazy. Not much fishing opportunities around here at the moment so what is a fisherman to do? Well, over the last month I’ve managed to get in some great fishing off Catalina Island in SoCal and several good hunts to gather food as well as fly tying material.
Cooke Canyon Pheasant Hunting
In mid-October Chris and I went over to Cooke Canyon to go on the first bird hunting trip of the season. We had pretty much perfect conditions, sunny and calm in Ellensburg with short-sleeve weather. We started the morning doing a bit of trap shooting and I SUCKED to say the least, I think I hit 3 clays in about 30 shots, not a good percentage. Chris, on the other hand, was spot on hitting about 95% accuracy so between the two of us we stood a chance. We hit the field and did indeed find birds and get some, we ended up with five of the seven birds that day, not bad for a first trip out of the year. I vowed to hit the trap field.
67 miles in 6 days and weight went up!
I just got back from a week of vacation in sunny Southern California where I took advantage of the perfect weather and did a LOT of walking and running. I managed to run three mornings in El Moro Canyon for a total of 15.5 miles, Catherine and I did several long beach walks at Crystal Cove clocking in 22 miles and then just normal life and playing with the niece and nephews on the beach or at the resort got us another 5 miles per day for a total of about 67 miles for the week. I figured that I was probably going to come home down 3-4 lbs after my experience in OR and the North Cascades but I got home and weighed in at 161, up 2 lbs from when I had left. It’s not like I pigged out while in SoCal either and I really didn’t have lunch the day we traveled home so to me this is a good sign that my weight issues are behind me and that I can just continue eating a good Paleo diet and probably keep slowly gaining until I hit my real weight somewhere around 165. On top of that I made it through the week w/o any symptoms and even dined out at restaurants a few times during the trip and ate onions every morning with the breakfast hash I made.