In embarking on Operation Bikini, so much more had to change aside from the whole exercise thing. I decided I should eat better. I made some modifications and my diet isn't anywhere near perfect yet, but I've noticed some differences, and they aren't good.
One of the things I decided to cut out was bread. Or at least, cut back on it. Cutting out carbs is great for the short-term, but it's a crash diet and you can't stick to eating deviled eggs and meat and hope to live a normal life until you die. I thought I'd cut out as many of the refined carbohydrates as I could deal with for a while. This includes most breads and baked things. I bought sprouted grain bread because it's essentially a whole food and I've heard that it's good to eat if you insist on eating bread. I haven't been eating much pasta or baked things lately since. If I'm in a hurry in the morning, I'll stop by Starbucks and pick up some oatmeal and a soy latte. For lunch, if I had time to pack it, I'll have a turkey sandwich on sprouted grain bread. And for dinner, I've been eating brown rice, some veggies, and maybe some sort of protein like fish or turkey. I did this for about a week, which was a huge deal for me. I felt fine. Honestly, I didn't feel any different. Then the other day after the gym in the evening, I stopped by Smoothie Girl and ordered a smoothie so that I wouldn't have to make dinner for myself. My husband and I are on totally opposite schedules on a regular basis so he just fends for himself when it comes to dinner. I cook on weekends but really, during the week, he's on his own. So I get this smoothie. I watch the girl make it. Ice. Peanut butter. Chocolate. A whole banana. Protein powder. Blend. Pour. Straw. Have a nice day.
I'm drinking this smoothie. It's good. I'm driving home as I'm drinking it. All of a sudden my throat starts to itch. That's weird. I cough. A lot. And it continues to itch. I get home. I finish the smoothie and throw the cup away. I am still coughing and dealing with this itchy throat. I drink some ice water. It goes away. All is well.
Fast forward 5 hours after I have been sleeping. I wake up with horrible stomach pain and nausea. Do I have the flu? No.. am I going to throw up? Probably. But I can't. I have this irrational fear of vomiting, which I will discuss on another day. What is going on? This has happened before - 2 years ago when I was at a party at a friend's house. I ate some veggie dip with some broccoli. I had an allergic reaction to the dip. Same symptoms. Food allergy. Oh no! I take some Benadryl. 10 minutes later, I am fine, and out like a light. The next day I wake up and think about this. What did I eat? What am I allergic to? It must have been something in the smoothie. The only thing I can think of is the protein powder. It was whey protein, I'm pretty sure. But I've been eating sprouted wheat bread and that doesn't do this to me. So is it the wheat? Or maybe it's the gluten. My mom has a gluten allergy. She didn't start to notice it more until she changed her diet, cut things out, and then tried reintroducing things. Gluten may be my kryptonite. But maybe not. This may have been a freak incident. I give it no more thought.
A few days later, as in yesterday, I make homemade bagels with my mom. We use high gluten flour because that is what you must to do to make the greatest bagels of all time. They turn out beautifully. My mom can't eat them because of the gluten. My dad has one and he loves it. So I had one after I went home. 10 minutes after eating the bagel, I have the same reaction as I did with the smoothie.
Gluten. I may have a gluten allergy. Why didn't I notice this prior to changing my diet? Well, it's interesting how your body responds to change. When you start doing the right things, it starts to function normally, and it knows what it wants and what it doesn't want. Apparently my body doesn't want gluten. At least, I know I don't. I do not ever want to have this kind of reaction again. It's really scary.
So, in an effort to get all the traces of bad stuff out of me, my mom suggests I do a 14-day cleansing program. I say, "No. I do not want to be on the toilet for two weeks. I have a job. I have a husband. I have a cat. I have a life." She says, "No, this won't do that to you. You take a scheduled regimen of different herbs three times a day and your body balances itself out and cleans itself out over the course of two weeks." She gives me this package. It is organic and gluten free. Hooray! I read the instructions and it seems relatively un-intimidating. I figure, it can't hurt to try it.
There are three bottles of capsules in this box. Bottle #1, you are supposed to take two capsules in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes before you eat breakfast. Then, you are supposed to take 3 capsules from bottle #2 30 minutes after you eat. Then, you are supposed to take 3 capsules from bottle #2 and 2 capsules from bottle 3 in the evening.
That's a lot to remember. But I think I can do it for 14 days. I don't know. I'm kind of afraid. Is this is going to make me poop uncontrollably? It says it won't. We'll see what happens. I think this will be good though, because I'll do this and continue to not eat anything with gluten in it, and it will probably cause me to drop a ton of weight, which will definitely help with Operation Bikini. I'm kind of excited. But then I looked at what someone can eat on a gluten-free diet vs. what someone can't eat, and my soul cried.
I can't have anything with wheat, rye, or barley. I pretty much can't have any kind of baked good unless it's made with gluten-free flour. I can eat fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, and meat. But I don't really like meat, so I won't be eating it. And since there are a million things out there that have gluten added to them, I have to read labels and make sure it says gluten-free or I can't eat it. Did you know that soy sauce has gluten in it? Yeah, me neither.
This is going to be a pain in my butt. I'm highly considering to going on a whole-food-only diet, which means basically no processed food whatsoever. Totally lame. But for the time being, I'll just play it safe. If I know something is for sure gluten free (whether it says it on the package or whether I just know for sure), then I'll eat it. If not, then I won't eat it. Really stupid. I'm mad.
For example, this salad dressing that I love? Can I have it...?
Yes, I can. Victory!!
In any case, I'll let you know how the cleansing thing goes. I just started it so obviously I have nothing to say, other than the fact that the capsules smell like Italian seasoning.
This is really, really interesting! I've been working on altering my diet lately (although as a college student this is easier said than done!) and this cleansing of the body sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI hear it's supposed to be really good to do like once or twice a year.
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