Cleanse/Elimination Diet

It's been a while since my last post...oops. I thought this might be a good start for my next round of posts. A cleaning out of my body.

I decided that I really needed a change in my eating habits as I have actually put on a few extra pounds after the holiday season. I went to see the acupuncturist 2 weeks ago to help me figure out why I have been feeling sluggish, out of sorts, bloated and unmotivated. I thought that by signing myself up for a 200 mile gravel grinder road race in early June might just be what I needed to get the fire going, but alas, it hasn't worked very well.

So, the Dr. suggested we do my LEAP test again along with an IgG blood test to see what foods are causing my body an inflammatory response. He seems to think that my adrenal glands are being over worked from foods that I really shouldn't be eating, and knowing exactly what those foods are should help. I am starting to go thru peri-menopause, not something I was wanting to have to deal with at this age, so hopefully this will alleviate my symptoms from that.

These tests are not cheap but I figured since the last time I did the LEAP test 2 years ago I actually had really good results. The problem was that after about 6-9 months my diet became worse and I was eating all kinds of junk, especially the foods that were an issue for me. I just stopped focusing on my eating habits and having terrible cravings for chocolate, sugar and almonds.

So, on Monday I started a juice fast, the 2nd one I have done this year and this time it was much easier. In the mornings I would drink 30 oz. of a Master cleanse. Water, lemon juice and maple syrup, then for breakfast a fruit juice (some combination of: apple, pear, kiwi, cantaloupe, blueberry, ginger, mango). For lunch I would have the rest of this fruit juice and then snack-dinner was a veggie juice (using: Celery, kale, beet, carrot, ginger, sweet potato, pepper, zucchini). Also drinking another 30 oz. of Master cleanse thruout the morning and a couple of cups of herbal tea.

Monday: Swim, weights. Juice. Felt pretty bloated today but not overly hungry. Last juice was about 8pm. Didn't sleep too well.

Tuesday: slept in, wanted to get up and ride but not motivated, decided to keep this as a rest day. Bitter cold @ -20. came home from work, took a hot bath and watched a movie. It was way too cold for me to get outside to sit in the hot tub!

Wednesday: Got up early with Andy and we rode the bike trainers for about :45 min. nice to spin the legs out. I didn't sleep all that great but was at least motivated to get out of bed. I also
had to make sure I had time to get in a little juicing before leaving for work at 6:00am. Today is suppose to be my last juice day but I am still feeling bloated and blah. Took a 90 min. hot yoga class after work which felt great! I really need to do that more often.

Thursday: Slept great last night. Decided to keep up with the juicing as much as I could today. I am feeling pretty good and not hungry at all. I didn't drink my first juice until noon. Busy day at work so that makes the time fly. No growling or aching of the stomach like I usually have. I did end up having a Lara bar about 3pm, very good! After work I decide to call the Dr. to see if my blood results are in. They are so I head over to his office to check them out. I will review them in depth with the Dr. in more detail in 2 weeks. I have been thru this before so I pretty much know what I need to do. No workout today, came home and watched a movie and then had some solid food, broccoli, cucumber, sunflower seeds, a few cashews with a drizzle of oil.

Friday: My day off of work. Got up early with Andy and decided to do some cooking to prepare for the next few days. Being on an elimination diet requires more time as I have to make everything from scratch and be very inventive on recipes with the limited number of foods I have to work with. At 10:00am I go lift some weights at the gym and then hit the pool for an hour with Audra. Great workout. I am feeling very good this morning but once I get home I am so ready for a nap. I take a long 1½ hr. nap. I really need to get on the bike and spin but may save it for this weekend.