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I have been asked recently, “What are you doing?” “Are you losing weight?" But the biggest question is WHY?? Hopefully, I can answer these questions in a few paragraphs, but more importantly the why. I will explain what I am doing, why I am doing this, and the results thus far.
Well….I am 53 years old and it’s time I make some changes. Why now?? WHY not!!?? I am not the runner I just to be. I am not sleeping 8-9 hours like I once did. I have had achy joints, too much extra around the mid section, but….I have had chronic rashes for the past 6 years. They come and go. And sad to say, I have even used medications to help with the rashes. FYI: the only drugs I have had in about 30 years!!
Searching what to do and with the help of a naturopath, I started a Candida diet. A diet to help reduce yeast infection. And yes, men can have yeast problems. And yes, most issues can begin in the gut. My gut is probably trash from the amount of food I have consumed and the amount of processed or sugar that has been in my body. I used to eat 5000-7000 calories daily!!! When you run long distances, you get hungry. My food habits continued even when I was running or exercising as much. Eating is way easier than exercising.
Anyway…the Candida diet I can across is super restrictive. I did it for the gut repair aspects, but I am also doing it for the mental component. You have to train your brain. There ain’t no other way to do it. For 2 weeks I did the MEVY diet---meat, eggs, vegetables, plain yogurt. The plain yogurt is controversial because there is not diary in the diet, but I followed it anyway. I was super strict for 2 weeks with only having a few nuts, a few berries, one green apple, and one piece of sourdough bread. I referred to this as the SAD diet because sugar, gluten, and diary were cut out, and those are my 3 major food groups!!!
So….here is what happened. I thought about sugar, dreamed about sugar, watched videos about sugar ? For as much sugar that I eat that wasn’t the hard part. Eating other foods and being creative was the hard part. Luckily, my wife has been fairly supportive—or rather a lot supportive. By supportive I mean cooking special meals for me and being creative and packing lunches and breakfasts. She has made sure I followed the diet. She is a dietitian and isn’t 100% on board but is supportive of me making changes in my eating habits.
Let’s go back. I had prepared mentally for about 2-3 weeks. That preparation might be the key to following through. You have to prepare your mind and your pantry. Some diets will talk about the big cleanse. Basically, throw everything away. No processed foods. No sweets. No seed oils or processed oils. No candy. No chips. No FUN!! I mean no nothing. Probably how we should be eating anyway.
During these times, you have to pray, and pray a lot. Luckily, I have prayers memorized so that part was easy. If you aren’t spiritual, you might have to find a spirituality during this time. Praying will make the hunger pains a lot easier.
What has happened in 2 ½ weeks?? I have added some foods back in my diet, but here are some results.
*Breathing better *Less congestion *Less bloating *Less joint pain
*Weight loss (10-12 lbs) *More tired *Not sleeping well *Less coughing *Weak voice
It is important to talk about the good and bad, but this is certainly a process.
What exercises have I done?
*Running on a trampoline each morning (10-20 minutes)
*Walks with wife once a day
*Gardening *Mowing with weight vest (not recommended if back issues)
*Arm circles *Push ups & sit ups
*Lifting weights about 15-20 minutes 3 times a week
(A dreamt of doing a lot of different exercises that I didn’t do.)
No crazy exercise or heavy lifting. Body has been a little too weak for crazy stuff. Remember, your body will go through a detox during this time. Results will vary with detoxing, but I didn’t experience too many issues, stomach pains, or problems related to detoxing.
Is this a long-term diet? Absolutely not. Will this change my habits? Hopefully. Time will tell, and this is a process. But do I need to heal my gut? Yes. And do I need to change to be healthier for the future? Yes, and YES!!
This is NOT a midlife crisis, but I need to change and to make some changes.
What will I do this summer on vacation with ice cream, deserts, fried foods, etc., etc.? I am not sure but hopefully some long-term changes have been made.
Hope you enjoyed this, but more importantly hope this will help someone someday.
When is the time to change? NOW! When do we need to change our food habits and the way we think about food? NOW!
Read labels, watch videos, consult professionals. We can’t eat the same way and expect different results. And we certainly can’t eat the same foods as we did as a kid. Too many chemicals and toxins are in our foods, fruits, vegetables, and meats.
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