I can’t not ignore this anymore. The time for excuses is gone. I have got to eat healthy… and there are so many ways to eat healthy. It is so hard to decide what to choose to eat. But for me. I absolutely cannot do gluten or dairy anymore. I basically have to stick to meat, fruit and veggies. I wound up at the ER on Saturday for digestive issues. They did a CT scan of my gut, took my bloodwork and told me my liver was slightly enlarged and that I had a fatty liver, my bloodwork looked fine and oh yea! You need to get a colonoscopy done. Time to go see a GI specialist.

Okay but can we go back to the fatty liver? What is a fatty liver? Basically, my liver is working overtime trying to get its job done and because of my “unhealthy habits” that I reverted back to, it is having a hard time doing it’s job. The liver is one of the biggest organs in our body. It is about the size of a football and weighs about 3 lbs. It is located in the upper right abdomen, underneath the ribs, below the diaphragm. It holds 13% of our bodies blood supply and is a key to helping us digest our foods.

When we eat something or drink something, it goes into our stomach and intestines and gets digested. Then it gets absorbed into the blood and gets sent to the liver.

What does the liver do?

1. It filters out all the bad stuff – sending it out the back door or through our urine.
2. It regulates the amount of sugar in the blood stream.
3. It is a fat factory – “it breaks down fats, converts excess carbs and proteins into forms that are stored for later use and synthesizes other fats, like cholesterol
4. It produces bile – which helps break down and absorb fats
5. It removes sugar from the blood and stores it as “glycogen”

It is our energy producing factory!!!

Really, the liver is pretty much the star player in our digestive system. If it goes, all you can do is hope and pray that they find another one for you. The only way to keep it healthy is to feed it well and pray that you have been handed down good genes. A failing liver can also affect the kidney, heart and lungs. Who knew?

So… a fatty liver? A fatty liver happens when to much fat builds up in the liver cells. If you are overweight, are diabetic or eat way too much sugar and junk food, you might be at risk for fatty liver disease. Apparently, I am. I am also experiencing a lot of the symptoms:

Fatigue, swollen abdomen, hard to lose the belly fat, slightly jaundiced around the eyes, nausea, and other digestive issues.

Great! And the only thing that really can help slow down the process of fatty liver disease – is eating healthy and exercising. Which is what I was doing. (Until Covid hit. I blame Covid. Damn Covid for closing down the gyms. Oh wait that was our governor). I need to get these Covid pounds off and get my liver healthy again. No more excuses. Back to low carbs and lots of meat, veggies and fruits. I need to become my own fitness trainer/motivational coach…. but that is for another blog.

Tonight’s dinner is going to be: Artichoke Goddess Chicken and Cauliflower Rice.

Resources:

What Does the Liver Do and How Do I Keep Mine Healthy

healthblog.uofmhealth.org/what-does-the-liver-do

slenderkitchen.com/recipe.4-ingredient-slow-cooker-goddess-chicken-and-artichokes

Fatty Liver Disease

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15831-fatty-liver-disease

Well, pray for me. Wish me luck, Send me positive vibes.

Remaining,

Positively, Debbie