So...I actually did a Whole28, which is lame. And I didn't finish well because I ate several of the problematic food groups at once when I came off of my 28, which doesn't help me narrow down which foods are causing which problems. Still, I learned a few things:
- I felt like I had more energy and was less likely to experience my periodic bouts of being down in the dumps while on the Whole30, but I thought perhaps it was a sort of placebo effect. However, once I started eating wheat, dairy, etc. again, I realized that:
- I felt awful (I can't fully explain what feels bad; just an overall malaise and lethargy).
- But it was actually how I used to feel normally.
- I couldn't stop eating those things even though I made this connection.
- Honestly, I was sort of hoping to be one of those people who experiences an extreme reaction to wheat (so that I could legitimately claim I couldn't eat it for health reasons--I know, I'm crazy). I encountered some loose flour while I was on the Whole30 and it made me feel really sneezy and reactive. But then I ate some wheat and didn't feel anything. Right away. I think probably my biggest issue with wheat is that eating it makes me want more. And more. And more even when I'm full. And more until five pounds in a week later I'm still thinking about what other wheat I might consume. I don't see everyone doing this, but I think my personal "allergic" reaction to wheat is addiction and excess weight.
- My skin was a lot better on the Whole30. In my 20s I had pretty bad adult acne (after having very little in high school). It's been better in recent years, but I'm always kind of "clogged" around the mouth area, which from my reading indicates hormonal imbalances. I'm guessing it's dairy that's causing the problem. Booooo! I used to say that if Jesus personally came down and asked me to give up cheese, I totally would. But not for anything short of that. This experiment makes me realize though that statements like that reveal that I probably should give something like that up--I don't want to be dependent on a nonessential food for happiness!
- I lost 7lbs, which frankly was disappointing to me. BUT that's better than 7lbs not lost, and I felt like my body was already starting to "shape" better, as if my fat distribution was changing. My clothes are definitely looser, and a couple people noticed that I'd lost weight.
- A major bummer for me was that on the Whole30, I started to notice additional sensitivities even to foods that were "allowed." It was like suddenly I had a clearer perspective on how things affected me, and (boooo again!) coffee seems to be an issue. Even drinking it black with a healthy breakfast apparently gives me heartburn and makes me feel jittery. The more grains and other reactive things I eat, the worse I sleep and the more I feel a need for coffee. But with the extra energy I had and the fewer issues my body was dealing with, the more noticeable the effects of the coffee were.
A couple people have asked me if I'm not doing the PHD anymore. The Whole30 is basically the strictest version of the PHD. I really believe that there are moderators and abstainers. Some people need to know that they can have a little bit of something now and then. They are the ones that tell you that you'll binge if you don't treat yourself now and then. Unfortunately I'm absolutely an abstainer. When I "treat" myself, I do it again very soon. And the next thing you know, I'm treating myself a few times a day. It's much easier for me to just avoid my trigger foods all together. So I was doing pretty well on the PHD except that I would get some dark chocolate for the weekend. And then on Monday I'd get some more because, geesh, it's Monday! Tuesday morning I'd see the bar in the cabinet and have a square. Etc., etc.
I'm actually going to start now with the Whole30 because feeling this way is not worth it.
