New "diet"-the early days

I've started a spreadsheet of what I'm eating, drinking, snacking on.  It also includes the weather for the day, my stress level, my symptoms that day and a miscellaneous category.  Although this diet is to mainly get rid of MSG in my diet, I have also cut out all aspartame which came for me in the form of diet cokes.  I have switched to regular sodas which are too sugary for me and will probably soon lead me to drinking more water.  Yay!!  The aspartame withdrawal is causing me some headache problems already.  Starting day one.  Some of the reading I've done on it is pretty scary.  I don't miss it and I'm not addicted but I am not enjoying the headache aspect of this at all. 

When we went to the grocery store this past Sunday, we did try to read through some ingredient lists and avoid the main MSG culprits but MSG comes hidden under so many names!  There's no way we got them all but at least we've gotten started.  We will continue to fine tune it as we go along.  My husband is being supportive. 

My stress levels continue to be high and the weather has been either rainy or very windy most days which signifies a change in barometric pressure.  I'm feeling it in terms of dizziness.  I'm also still pretty weak and have noticed I don't have much stamina when I'm out trying to get things done.  My Gyn told me a couple days ago that this was "deconditioning" and I guess the only way to beat it is to try to get out and do more.  Hard to do when you're dizzy and it's so cold. 

Anyway, that's the early report.  Still don't have my appetite back fully from the last surgery and just being nauseous in general.  Have lost a few pounds and don't need to lose anymore but I'm just not hungry most of the time.  Since this last surgery, there's only been 2 days that I've managed to get 3 full meals in.  Most days I skip a meal or only eat half of what's on my plate.  That may play a role in all this as well.  So many variables...