Everyone Is Feeling the Difference

My dear, sweet husband has resolved to go on this special diet with me since it is more than a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Because of this, it means that my little girl has to eat the same thing. There are no special meals. We are not a restaurant.
The changes that are occurring are incredible. My daughter has been complaining of an upset stomach for the past two years. She was diagnosed with "childhood upset stomach" and "childhood abdominal pains" about a year ago. That was long before my stomach got really bad, so I know for a fact that she wasn't saying it because Mommy was saying it. To top it off she has had no energy. All she wants to do is go to bed and sleep. She is three, and she volunteers to take a nap. She wants to go to bed at six o'clock at night. She hardly moves around during the day. She just has no energy.
She has had some of the smoothies with me. (She nearly stole all of my last one.) She is eating what I eat when I eat. No big deal. OH MY GOODNESS! She would not stop this morning! She was all over the place with energy. She even wore out the cat! She was running, playing, laughing. I can't believe the energy she had today. It was great. She only took a two hour nap instead of a four hour nap, and she keeps trying to sneak out of her room even though it is past bedtime. This sounds more like normal three year old behavior to me.
My husband says that he hasn't really noticed any changes yet. But I have. The super deep, dark circles under his eyes have gone down to what would now be considered a normal amount. They are just barely there. I am dumbfounded because we haven't even transitioned all the way yet.
My husband has said that he noticed a tremendous difference in me. According to him (I always go by a third party objective), I am walking faster, smiling more, in a better mood. I have more energy. I didn't even take a nap today. I tried because I was a little tired, but I was not wiped out by one in the afternoon like I usually am. I laid down for a little bit, and I just could not get to sleep. So I go up and ran some errands.
I even tried to have a little bit of the 7up that was in the house today. I gagged. I had to dump water down my throat because I couldn't stand the taste of it. My husband managed to get some of it down, but he poured the whole rest of the bottle down the sink. I can hardly believe in that short amount of time that my tastes have changed that much. I about got knocked over from the smell of cake. It was nasty smelling to me. I couldn't even stomach to be around it.
To top off my wonderful day, I was able to eat solid foods!!! You have no idea what this means to me after two to three days of almost nothing but liquids. My stomach hurt a little bit (after the string cheese and the soda), but other than that it is doing great!
My husband has high hopes for this lifestyle change. I have to admit though. I am scared. My Daddy taught me how to cook the most succulent meals. I made more than one college roommate fat on my cooking. I have always prided myself on having a complete kitchen: the pots and pans, the steamer, the bread maker, the roaster, the waffle iron, and my entire shelf of cookbooks. I will have to get rid of it all. What is the use in keep such items around? It scares me. It really does.
That isn't the only fear I have. I have the nagging thought in the back of my mind saying, "What if this is like all the other attempts to feel better? What if you feel better for a few weeks, and then it gets worse than it was before? What will you do then?" This is a frightening thought because of all the attempts to feel better that have failed.
I tried an all vegetarian diet. I felt great for a while; but after just two weeks, I was back to feeling the same as before. I tried the all health food cookbook, but no luck. I tried cutting out just breads. I tried every last thing I came across, except the raw food diet. (I just couldn't give up my savory dishes.)
It is my hope. It is my desperate prayer that this is the answer to feeling alive again. I am sick and tired of BEING sick and tired. And IF my daughter does have the same problem, I want to fix it before it gets to the point that mine has. I don't want her to suffer for years. That would break my heart.