Slippin' and a Slidin'

How easy is it to slide back into eating habits that cause discomfort, brain fog and pain?

September marked a year since becoming sugar free and I have been gluten free for more than 3 years.

Going Paleo in January this year meant removing dairy and grains, which included rice, breads, pastas etc. Caffeine and potatoes were also removed, as well as legumes.

After my body became accustomed to my new way of eating, I felt re-energised. My joint pain was gone, I slept better, bloating was non-existent, my digestion improved, my eyes were brighter, skin was clear and I felt more alert. I no longer needed an afternoon nap and I was able to keep up with Chicklet without praying for the night to bring me sleep.

I felt fresher and like a whole new person!

Firstly, I re-introduced caffeine .. just one cup each day and I can't have it without milk, so that was also a re-introduction and my only source of dairy. Now I have increased that to two or three cups each day. I drink lattes, so that's a lot of dairy in a day!

I am strongly considering removing caffeine permanently from my diet. All of that dairy fills me up and I am not eating enough nourishing food because of it.

Adoring Husband was losing too much weight, so to help him level out, I re-introduced rice and potatoes to his diet. Of course, I began eating those foods as well .. even though they made me feel uncomfortable and bloated afterwards, it was there, so I ate it.

I have persisted for about 8 weeks, believing that my body's reaction to these foods would ease, but they haven't. The continued discomfort is too much to manage, so I've chosen to remove these foods again from my diet.

The other slip I've made is having sugary desserts when I'm out for a meal or for morning tea .. telling myself that it wouldn't hurt once or twice a week.

But it has hurt.

Slipping back into old eating habits has had negative affects on my brain and body.

I've been feeling bloated and full after meals. My joints ache in the mornings and I am hobbling when I first arise, just as I did before I started my new way of eating. I have needed a nap for the last three afternoons (in fact, I slept for over two hours on Sunday afternoon).

My digestion has been all over the place and I've had blemishes around my mouth and chin. My mental clarity and my moods have become erratic and unreliable.

I don't like how I feel at all, so I'm taking a step back and starting again. It's time to take care of me and I need to bring nourishment to my physical body again.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today, getting back to the sugar free, dairy free, gluten free munchies.

I made 40 energy balls,  6 chocolate lava brownies + a slab of the same, a dozen macaroons, a batch of coriander pesto sauce, lamb meatloaf + a dozen lamb rissoles, broccoli au gratin, sweet potato chips and guacamole.

My kitchen was a hell of a mess for most of the day and Adoring Husband spent a lot of time emptying and re-stacking the dishwasher!

I forgot to mention yesterday that the Tawny Frogmouth was back on the nest, however, today the nest was empty again. I am monitoring daily.

So that's where I am at. I'm about to slip and slide back into good health!

Nite all