January 17, 2008 Canyon Ranch Day 2

Today was another busy day, packed with all sorts of activities. We were up at 7:45 (after a crummy night’s sleep on super-soft down pillows that were about as helpful as sleeping on Jello, plus my new CPAP mask which I’m not sure I like yet) and out of the room by 7:55. Hey, we don’t mess around!

We stopped to change some of my treatments around. Deb had a Mango Sugar Glo yesterday and realized I could not do it, since they’d have had to call the fire dept. to hoist me up out of the tub. So I changed it to a Silky Smooth, which rinses off in the shower—much better! Then we went to see what was for breakfast. Despite many choices, I opted for the steel cut oats. I made my oatmeal just like home—peanut butter, cinnamon, stevia, and a few raisins. It was yummy. And fresh squeezed OJ—YUM!!

From there I headed to the gym. It took me a while to figure out how to turn on the elliptical—I had to ask for help. Well DUH!, you just start pedaling. Now, there was a treadmill class going on right next to the ellipticals, and they were going VERY fast (think I’ll skip that class, thanks!) and listening to loud rock music. Which made it a bit challenging for me with my iPod playing Carole King, John Denver, and Amy Grant! Oh well, hopefully they won’t be there the same time as me tomorrow. I did my 15 minutes while looking out the window at the beautiful scenery. The woods, covered with snow, so peaceful and quiet (unlike the gym…)

After that I changed for the pool and went to H2O Power Hour. All I can say is WOW! I worked my butt off in there! It was very challenging and tiring, but I did it all and it felt great. I’m sure I’ll pay for it later when I start having pains in muscles I didn’t know I had! I showered off and headed for my pedicure. OK, so I can get a pedicure at WalMart at home for $25, but “you get what you pay for”. This was WAY better! The chair was very comfy, and the water was the perfect temperature. The girl spent a long time buffing my poor dried up feet, especially the heels which are drier than desert sand. Then there was a nice scrub, maybe salt, maybe sugar? (I’m not cooking with it, so it doesn’t matter!), followed by a soothing massage. One of the girls who works there was also getting a pedicure and the 4 of us were chatting the whole time. It was fun!

I went to change and get a dry robe for later, and decided to leave a note in Deb’s locker. Since I knew her locker #, and we have the same PIN code, I was able to open it. I had a message saying that I would not be able to see the naturopath at 5 as I had hoped, but he was still available at 3. Now, that would require me to leave my 2:00 cooking class 35 minutes early. But, being the sensible girl that I am, I decided it was worth it, since this would be my only chance to see the doctor who was most likely to be able to help me.

Off to lunch where I had a yummy tomato soup with tarragon, a shrimp fritter, and half a hummus wrap. The fritter was good, but the stuff on top was loaded with raw onions (barf!), so I took it off.. The hummus wrap had hummus, lettuce and tomato, with a side of salad. I added the salad to the wrap, and it was quite good. I hadn’t eaten a morning snack, so I had an apple too. Unfortunately, they only have Delicious apples, which are anything but. I miss my Macintosh!

Back to the room to check email (hey, it may be a getaway, but you gotta stay connected!). Deb took a nap and snored like a grizzly bear. At 2 I went down to cooking and I was the only one! Just me and Jeremy, the chef. It turned out I could have started at 1:30, since he was free, but neither of us realized it. Oh well. So we did an abbreviated class with only 3 soups instead of 5. And I got to do it ALL!!! Very cool, like a private lesson with Emeril or someone, only not as famous… We made a carrot ginger soup, which was surprisingly good, a red lentil soup that was great (I’ll be making that at home!) and an AMAZING tomato basil soup that was delicious. I came up with great idea too. We were talking about cooking, and how Laura loves to cook and wants to be a chef, and Jeremy said he’s done some mother-daughter pairs here. Then the lightbulb went on. For Laura’s Sweet 16 (OK, it’s 3.5 years away!) I had told her I’d take her and 3 friends to NYC and stay in a swanky hotel, eat at a fancy restaurant and go to a Broadway show. Much better (and cheaper) that the big bash Sweet 16 parties that have become popular (and cost $10-20 grand!!). But guess what? Instead, I’ll bring her to Canyon Ranch!! She would LOVE the pampering, the cooking, the pool, and the one on one time with me! So we will have to consider that…

At 3 I went to meet with Dr. Kevin, the naturopathic physician. He was very pleasant, and when I told him my biggest issues (arthritis, anemia, non-healing wound, sinuses) he said they were all related to inflammatory responses. I knew I wanted to do allergy testing, and he suggested some other stuff too. It was very educational. Then he mentioned an elimination diet. As in, the most likely allergy/sensitivity foods are dairy, eggs and wheat, so lets cut out dairy and wheat until we get the results in 3-4 weeks. YIKES!!!! No dairy??? No wheat??? Everything in my freezer would be off limits. No cheese, no yogurt, no milk on my Cheerios. NOOOOOOOO!!!! This was quite upsetting to even think about. The nurse brought in the info on the lab tests, and I nearly choked at the prices. Most of them were pretty much what they’d be at home, and I knew the allergy testing was not cheap. But the one test he ordered was WAY expensive!! Well, this is the most comprehensive test available for over 100 different components, including Vitamins, antioxidants, Amino Acids, Fatty Acids and Organic Acids. This stuff is very important in several areas, including mood disorders, hormonal imbalance, pain control, inflammation, arthritis, eczema, depression, chronic fatigue, and weight gain, ALL OF WHICH I HAVE!!!! So, gee, I think it’s kind of worth it! I also have to pee in a cup because that will test a bunch of other stuff. Fun, fun, fun!

As the appropriate followup to Dr. Kevin, I went down the hall for the first of 2 nutritional consults. She immediately made me a much happier camper when she suggested I wait to do the elimination diet until after I get the results. I quickly agreed—why give up what I love if I don’t have to? She also said that my diet overall is good. Just a few changes that should increase my weight loss. 1) change from bad fats to good fats (she’s making suggestions for that at our next meeting), 2) eat more salmon, like 2-3 times a week, and tuna maybe once a week. This gives me more Omega-3 fatty acids. And 3) cut back on the Lean Cuisine entrees, to maybe 2-3 times a week instead of every day. She said the Weight Watchers ones are not as good because they have more preservatives.

She said I need better salad dressings, mayo made from canola oil, better oil, and grass fed beef (which is the best kind, and I need to eat a lot of beef for the iron). Guess I’ll be shopping at Whole Foods!! Again, the big focus was on inflammatory response and deficiencies, which can cause/increase all the problems I’m having! I see her again in the AM for my “plan”. Something tells me my life is gonna change big time very soon!

We went to dinner and there was nothing on the list of entrees that sounded appealing to me. When I told the waiter, he said they also had pot roast, which wasn’t on the menu. SCORE!!! I’ll have the pot roast please! It was yummy, but there was too much for me to eat it all. It came with root veggies, and I tried a parsnip. I did not like it. Maybe it’s a root for a reason? Then again, I love carrots and potatoes, and they are root veggies too. I got a tiny piece of sweet potato, and tried the butternut squash which was not good. On my salad, I put some raw cauliflower, which I haven’t eaten in years because after the bypass it didn’t agree with me. The nutritionist suggested trying again, so I did. So far so good!!

Last on the schedule was a Canyon Ranch massage. You go to a lounge to wait and it is very quiet and peaceful, with the new age music playing softly, and a little water feature that really just made me want to pee. It is warm and humid, because the sauna, steam room, and 2 jacuzzis are there. You have to go up 2 steps to the Jacuzzi, but there’s a ramp for those who need it. I asked Deb why? Since if you need a ramp to go up 2 steps, how will you manage the 5 steps in the Jacuzzi?!?! (Things that make you go, hmmmm). The massage was so-so. I’ve had better. Like, almost all the time! She asked at the start if there were any areas to avoid or go easy on, and I told her my knees were sensitive. So where does she use the most pressure? You got it—my knees! I had a terrible itch on the back of my calf, and I kept hoping she’d rub right there. She was just to the left, just to the right, but never quite got it. Also, her nails were too long and I kept getting poked or scratched. When it was over, I thought about leaving her a little present. The massage and all the veggies here have made me quite gassy, so I thought maybe I’d leave her my signature stench. But then again, I wasn’t sure what might be behind that gas, so I thought better of it!

So now we are back in our room and it’s snack time. Yogurt and granola again, along with a Red Bosc pear, which I have never had. Lets see—do I like it? YES!! It is yummy—very juicy and lots of flavor. Much better than the Bartlett pears at Foodtown. And they gave me a HUGE cup of granola! I won’t need to ask for any more the rest of the trip!