My Gluten-free Trial

Today marks day 9 of a gluten free diet for me. 

I decided to readdress the search for food senetvities that Clay and I started back in August of last year. He was researching two weeks ago and said he thoughtI should get tested for a gluten sensitivity, or try it myself. So, I set out on a 3-4 week journey to go gluten free before I slowly reintroduce it back into my diet and see how my body responds. 
How my body has responded after a week:

- i don't experience brain fog or mid-day fatigue. I thought this was a problem for every body. Although, maybe my new-found cup of coffee routine has contributed to that. I must say, it is nice to feel what being tired is becauseI have been able to be productive. Despite a huge set-back because I got my back out of whack. 

- My cravings aren't as intense. I don't know whether it is because I am exercising self-control already by denying myself one of my favoite food groups. I am also thinking about what I eat again. 

- I do not feel so sluggish. We're not eating out as much because, there are not as many options available.

So, overall this is progress. And I dont't miss it as much as I thought I would. 

I will probably cut back a lot more even if I end up not having a sensitivity for gluten. 

Overall. I feel good. The past 9 days have been a breeze.

No Further Up The Mountain

Le sigh.

      Gained 2 pounds on vacation. Lost 1 1/2 of those pounds last week then gained it all back this weekend. Trying my best not to get discouraged. But to see my plateau weight again (which I finally moved past right before vacation) is, admittedly discouraging. But, not enough to give up. 

       Our new diet lasted all of one day. We realized how much it would cost to purchase only meat, fruits and vegetables. In one day we had consumed more of our groceries than anticipated (meat is expensive and fresh vegetables require eating a lot of them to feel satiated) and with our penny pinching so we can conquer debt.. yeah. Pus, I was super, super grouchy: stressing over the groceries, menu, and life returning to "normal" after vacation. So, I continued the diet for 2 more days- still hoping to test food sensitivities. On Wednesday night, I tried a bowl of cereal. I checked my heart rate and it maintained itself at 78 bpm. So, no skim milk or cereal sensitivities. 

       Then there was Saturday night.... I will never ever eat again spinach and artichoke dip or potatoes when we're eating out. Still need to test a pure and simple baked potato to see how I react. For now I think it is a combination of oils used to fry in restaurants and potatoes and whatever they use in creamy foods. But, we will see. The experiment continues even if the paleo diet is not strictly adhered to. 

        My lunches last week consisted of lovely salads, some cantaloupe or apple for breakfast and celery and carrots for a snack. I intend to continue that this week. And step up my exercise. I've increased intensity, but in shorter times. Now I need to increase the times along with the intensity. 

I can do this! I would love to reach my goal weight by my birthday. Only 35 more pounds to go. It's taken me 8 months to lose 15 (but only about 5 or those months I was working hard at it) Trying my hardest not to get discouraged.