As I mentioned here and on Facebook, I’ve steered my eating towards the Paleo side of things over the last nine months. It seems most people that join the cult of CrossFit move in this direction; I’m no exception. I’ve always believed I ate entirely too many carbohydrates to meet my weight loss goals, so adopting something like Paleo was a convenient (ha!) way to change my habits. It hasn’t been an easy road, and certainly not one without detours, but I firmly believe it was a contributing factor in losing my most recent 15 pounds.
Starting today, I am doing 84 days of strict Paleo. This means no grains, no legumes, no dairy, minimal fruit (exception: moderate amount of berries and a metric ton of avocado), no processed sugar and nothing with a high glycemic index (e.g. potatoes, quinoa). Oh, and certainly no alcohol made from any of these things. If anyone believes anything is okay in moderation, it’s me… so why the change? One word: detox.
I don’t mean some hippie detox fad, but rather a way to correct some troubling trends with food. Here are some things I’ve been dealing with lately; all new to me in the last two years.
- Carrots make my throat swell to the point of making it hard to swallow. I went most of my life having no ill-effects from carrots and now it’s to the point where it scares me to eat more than a few bites. It’s serious enough that I have an EpiPen, although I’ve never had to use it. FWIW, turnips appear to have a similar effect to a lesser degree.
- Tomatoes make me feel like I have the flu for about two hours and then I feel fine again. I’ve always had an allergy to them, but it manifested as a single hive appearing the same place on my body. Now, it’s full blown fatigue and malaise that magically disappears.
- I drink beer – my sinuses swell to the point of making it difficult to breathe through my nose. I stop drinking beer – it goes away.
- Persistent, localized eczema that only responds to topical treatment for a short time.
Now, I admit it’s entirely possible these things are in my head. I may have concocted a subconscious way of feeling like crap when I eat and drink the things I really like. (Okay, so I can’t really admit that without a certain level of sarcasm.) What’s more likely is my body has always had an allergy to these things and only now that I don’t feel like crap all the time do I notice it. Or rather, maybe I notice it because I actually care about my body and pay attention to the things I do to it now. Regardless the reason, I don’t like it and I want to fix it.
The good money is on a wheat allergy exacerbating other longstanding allergies. Given there is some evidence to suggest grains and nightshades are the cause of chronic, but non-serious illnesses, I figure it can’t hurt. Best case scenario, I find a new lifestyle and lose weight in the process. Worst case scenario, they are 84 days of beer I’ll never get back in my life.
As for the 84 days, it’s three months shortened for a wedding we’re attending in Las Vegas. 🙂
Good luck to you Chris… I enjoy reading your blog.. I am a friend of your sister, Angela… and my question to you is… now What Do You Eat????? I am envious of your discipline and wish you positive vibes…
Breakfast is mostly egg and avocado, lunch is leftover dinner and dinner is usually a piece of meat and two vegetables. It’s guaranteed visits to the grocery store every weekend and a lot of planning, but eating fresh feels pretty good.