Some time in late 2007, I knew without knowing why that something was wrong with me. Sure, I could have chalked it up to exposure to healthier lifestyles in my yoga teacher training, but I felt tired and increasingly bloated and puffy physically. I looked in the mirror and didn't see myself, while being unable to lose any weight. While many people considered me to be skinny, my clothing didn’t fit right anymore and I felt uncomfortable. Something was wrong.
After years of stomach/digestive issues, I’d resigned that that was just the way I was. How I felt must be normal, or at least I grew to think so. Last summer, I started cycling...only to shed a couple of pounds and then began gaining weight despite how much I rode and watched my diet. I got on a big dietary kick of whole grains because of the recommendations from other cyclists... everything had to be whole grains. I believe that this recommendation contributed to what I now see as an addiction to wheat products because I could never eat enough bread and pasta.
Well, the whole grains came back to kick my butt royally. My stomach problems got worse throughout the summer, yet I couldn't figure out why. I'd get sick for at least 10 days every month and a half from a simple cold. And finally after 5 months of following this diet highly recommended in cycling magazines and fellow enthusiasts and die-hards out on the bike path, consuming muffins and granola at the coffee shops in Manyunk to ‘refuel’, I crashed... I could barely make it through the day with any energy and I began to have difficulty waking up in the morning no matter how many hours of sleep I got- 8, 9, 10, 11... something was really wrong! Normal blood tests came back great... according to western medicine, I was the picture of health, yet I intuitively knew otherwise.
We say that hindsight is 20/20 because we can see where we are headed often times too late, thus there are distinct reasons why at times we find ourselves in some very peculiar and difficult circumstances. It can become so easy to ignore warning signs because we don’t always treat ourselves with the respect that we deserve. Or we simply refuse to change, thus living each day consciously or unconsciously choosing to set ourselves up for failure for fear of stepping outside of what we know to be comfortable. Thus, we get a wake up call...
Though a series of interesting circumstances, I was led to Sam, my nutritionist, who picked up on my stomach issues, energy levels, and rate of illness. Adrenal gland tests painted a serious picture nearing adrenal fatigue while hinting at a gluten intolerance. Eventual food allergy testing later confirmed the intolerance along with others to eggs, dairy, and everything in the mustard and cashew families. The plan of attack started with introducing probiotics to my system while simultaneously eliminating gluten (and later eggs and dairy) from my diet.
After 5 months gluten-free, I lost 17 lbs. I know without any doubt in my mind that it was not fat, but rather inflammation of my tissue that developed along side the dietary intolerances. There is no mistaking it when you look at my picture, as Nick, my fiancé, pointed out to me, that my face and body have changed. Everyone whom I see now asks me if I lost weight and says how healthy I look. For the first time in years, I look how I know I should.
It’s not easy being gluten-free. I certainly won’t lie about that. And I follow a basic 90/10 rule- 90% of the time following the diet while 10% of the time I eat what I would like. But realize that after all this time, my diet is ‘normal’ to me and I’ve grown accustomed to it. Interestingly, pasta and bread doesn’t taste so good anymore and I now know that I won’t die if I don’t eat them (although I do really enjoy brown rice pasta which is okay for me to eat). My stomach problems have pretty much resolved and I’ve got more energy than one knows what to do with (and I don’t drink any coffee or consume any caffeine). I feel a greater sense of mental clarity which is noticeably diminished (along with the arrival of a headache) when I do consume something with gluten. Plus, I’ve only had one cold in 15 months and no flu this year (and no flu shot either!).
So, I'm putting my story out there with the hope that it might help someone else and that it will serve as a warning to people that everyone's bodies and needs are different, therefore no one diet can be universal. I’ve been told that this is 'all in my head' because some people are uncomfortable with the idea that what they choose to consume could be harming their bodies. Isn't my picture proof enough? Thus, there is truth to the importance of a varied diet and why it is unwise to assume that what works for one person or athlete will work for everyone.
It isn't easy having food intolerances, especially trying to be out and about training on my bike, living my life and meeting up with friends. I have to plan ahead before a ride or a night out to dinner. And sometimes I will find myself going from shop to shop looking for fresh fruit because that is all I can eat at a coffee shop or restaurant. But, despite many annoyances, the benefits have completely outweighed them. Especially because I now know that my happiness isn't tied to what I'm eating- my food doesn’t own me. I choose what I consume that works best for me and am breaking the cycle of self-sabotage at every meal. The results and the feelings of regaining my health back have been the single most valuable thing I’ve ever done.
