Nope. Not happening right now.
Last summer, I joined the lovely Galit of These Little Waves as she started the 17 Day Diet. (Psst…she’s had terrific success with it – check out her progress!)
The first cycle is, how do I say it? Restrictive.
I was an unhappy camper.
The first week went fine. I stayed strong. The second week…well, let’s just say that by Friday I was jonesing for some CARBS.
And so I did it. I indulged. To put it mildly. Dinner was pasta and bread, and for dessert I had a milkshake.
The next morning, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I was groggy, bloated, nauseous and completely devoid of energy or, frankly, the will to live. It was a mess. And it felt familiar.
Then I thought back to the previous weekend. I’d felt amazing. I had energy to spare. That Sunday I’d woken up at 5AM, wrote for hours, and was actually sorry that I’d done all the chores on Saturday because I was practically jumping out of my skin with energy.
Dead serious.
This was a mega-breakthrough. Maybe carbs really were the devil, at least for me. They sapped me of my life force, especially when eaten in large amounts (and, let’s face it, I rarely eat carbs in moderation. I won’t lie).
Also not happening.
The sad fact was that I was so used to feeling like garbage, it had become second-nature. The way I felt that first weekend was like a miracle compared to my “normal”. I just never knew that I could actually feel good.
I’d like to say that I stuck to the program but you know that’s not true. I fell off the wagon and into a bakery.
So here I am again, this time on the GAPS Diet. No starch or sugar. I’m not gonna lie, I strayed over the weekend, but got back to it.
And you know what? I feel good again.
Granted, I’m still going through the whole sluggish “my body is addicted to sugar and now I’m not giving it any and zzzzzzz…..” thing, which I hope ends soon. But otherwise I feel a million times better than my old “normal”.
I guess it's okay that I can't eat these.
Brain fog? Gone.
No more bloat. I didn’t realize prior to this just how often I felt like a cow because I was so bloated.
I don’t feel nauseous and heartburny when I wake up in the morning anymore.
3:00 isn’t such an issue for me anymore. I don’t have to fight off the urge to take a cat nap in the ladies room.
And my mood is improving every day. I don’t feel so negative – even when I’m craving something on my “no-no” list. Slowly but surely I’m climbing out of my depression and into the sunlight.
It’s actually turning out to be kinda fun to learn more about myself, rather than just shoving food into my mouth and coping with the results.
Do I claim that experimenting with eliminating certain foods from your diet will do the same for you? No. I don’t know you like that. I’m not a doctor.
But I’m challenging you, here and now, to give it a shot. Just for a few days, avoid eating a certain thing, be it sugar or pasta or bread or dairy or diet soda. See what happens. You may be surprised.
If you do, let me know how it goes!
What could you stand to eliminate from your diet?
My husband had done Atkins a number of times. I tried to go along and give up carbs – but I couldn’t. I’d get through 24 hours and that would be it. Now, I have given up wheat – so no toast, my all time favorite thing, or cereal or anything like that. The strange things is – I don’t miss it. Maybe that’s because I do feel so much better – and I hated feeling just as you described: bloated, exhausted and miserable.
I know you can do this!!
I’m so glad to hear that this works for you – it gives me more energy to keep up with the program!
I started and stop Atkins twice – once after one week, at the end of which I slept until around 5PM from sheer exhaustion and then ate an entire package of soft batch Chips Ahoy (seriously), and another time I hung in for a few months.
It’s always so much better when you can focus on how good you feel, isn’t it?
So glad to hear you’re feeling better!! I’ve been trying to stay away from processed sugars and holy moly I could tell within a few days that I was not bloated anymore…especially my face. What gives?! I still put sugar in my coffee, and eat fruit and and all that jazz. Sugar really may be evil…which kills me a little.
Oh, do I hear what you’re saying! I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on the evils of sugar and it kills me – especially when it becomes clear just how pervasive it is, all throughout the foods we buy. The only thing I’m allowed to use is organic (preferably raw) honey. I’ve been told that after enough time fruit and some veggies will taste much sweeter to me…still waiting on that one.
I love this thoughtful post, Jen!
I also love that we started on this journey together, and here we are assessing it at the same time, as well!
I’m with you 100% on the effects of carbs. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I see and feel what you’ve described.
(Thank you for linking to me. I so appreciate it!)
You’re so welcome!
Thank YOU for being the catalyst, helping me see the light all those months ago, and for helping me come one step closer to understanding and taking the best possible care of myself. You’re an inspiration too, lady!
I have given up artificial sweeteners, and I wish I can say I’ve noticed a difference, but I haven’t
But I am staying strong (almost 6 months!) and hoping the long-term effects are worth it. I’m trying to eliminate processed carbs/sugar a little at a time, but I am not so great at it.
It’s tough, no doubt about it. I know that if I didn’t have this rotten disease to fight it would be a totally different situation. Like, I’d probably be drinking a venti iced mocha right at this moment.
I know I need to clean up my whole diet. No sugar. No white flour. No… Caffeine.
No caffeine? Horror! I’ve tried it before, and while I’ve draaaaastically cut back, I still have some every once in a while. Sometimes it just smells good, you know?
I won’t lie, I have some serious cleaning up to do diet-wise. I’ve given myself a pass, just temporarily, and plan to work hard at time after this baby comes. I feel so much better when I’m not eating certain things.
Well duh, now’s not the time to be facing a diet cleanup. Like you need more stress!
I couldn’t agree more with all of this! I had cut back on the sweets & carbs and then over the weekend (mostly Sunday) I went all out! Pasta, cake, a donut, and diet Coke! Wow… I felt… fat. But it was my last ‘supper’ because I joined a weight loss competition and am determined to finally lose some of this extra weight!
That’s so exciting! How’s it going so far?
Best wishes and strength to you, Jen. Why are we so reluctant to believe
how much of what we put into our mouths effects more than our waistline?
We Americans have been led seriously astray by the powers that be!
The food manufacturers in this country are akin to evil! Especially Monsanto and Dupont.
If you’re in the mood for a few sleepless nights, read about ‘em.
Isn’t it funny how quick we are to pop a pill (or a handful of pills) but how reluctant we are to attack the problem at the source? It just makes sense – what you put into your body, what makes your body run, also affects HOW your body runs.
I was watching a seminar on YouTube the other day and the speaker talked about a picture of a bunch of doctors busily mopping up the floor while a sink overflows…instead of just turning off the faucet.
[...] to eat “normal” food again so.darn.much. Or how I realized that I started using this new diet as a way to punish myself, just like I punished myself by overeating in the past. Or how I came [...]