Eliminate Update...

So the ten day elimination cycle is over. Phew! Already learned a small piece of what is causing issues. Nightshades. Just don't know if it's all of them, someone of them, volume of them, I know none of that so that will be a stretch of trying to figure out as well. Just another week of adding in at the end of the original plan. 

But for now I'm at the end of the full elimination; so what happened?

I'm not completely pain free. That did not happen, which is a bummer. But I do have significantly less pain so that's good. So I'm better but not all better. But honestly, better at all is good. Right now it's just my old standby areas of pain. The toe I wrecked quite a few years ago, my Achilles tendon that has been an issue since my twenties and the added new one, my left pointer finger. But the finger is tender now, where as before the elimination I couldn't bend it in the morning at all. So a little pain is a step up. Age is fun...

I lost 6.2 pounds in ten days. Right? Now, I know that's not real weight loss, it's due to the really low calories while I was eating a smaller handful of foods. And I know I'm eating too few calories right now. I can feel it in my energy levels and my workout performance. But I will hopefully be able to keep the calories in check as I add foods back in and not add the weight all back on. 

And then the real challenge right now for me is the adding things back in part. For the past ten days I've been following (with modifications) Michael Symon's book and plan. He had meals lined out and options for dinners and lunches and breakfasts. He also has sections of recipes for when you find out if something triggers you. Like dairy free recipes, meatless main courses, flour free, sugar free, all of that sort of thing but what he didn't have, and I didn't notice, was a plan for adding back in.

Or I guess I should say, he has a plan, add things in one at a time over two days. Which when I first read that I thought there was no way that would be enough time and thought I'd probably add a new thing a week. But then the nightshades incident happened and I realized, oh, well, this doesn't take long at all to realize it doesn't agree with you! So I'm following his recommendation of a new thing over two days. 

But no plan as in no recipes to build on the new items. No system for what to eat now. Like the meatless recipes might still have flour and dairy. So they don't work until you've added back in all of the things and know what you have to do without.

I'll figure it out, but as I was putting together meal ideas for the next few days I realized that I'm a huge creature of habit and a lot of my meals have multiple items I've eliminated. Like I'm having chicken tonight. Great. I'll do a stir fry. But make sure no sugar so no teriyaki sauce. I'm doing a pork loin over the weekend, no mac and cheese for a side. Beef on Monday umm...after two days of chicken and two days of pork I'm running out of things to pair! Like I said, I'm figuring it out. But it's a challenge. 

Assuming everything adds in nicely I'll be done with this part by the end of February. But if I get a reaction to something I'll need to take a step back and do a couple of days of the elimination to clear it all out. By the time March starts I will look at adding in the nightshades again. Or testing to see if I can add any of them in or if that's just a no. That's going to take a bit of time since I know that something in there is causing an issue. I will, of course, start with green chile and hope that that is not one of them. 

Then after all of that is done I'll have a drink. 

I know that sounds like a joke but the last thing to add back in will be alcohol. 

So I'm starting the second half of the process now. The first half was successful as far as noticing that there is an issue and already knowing one of the trigger areas. The second half looks daunting right now and I am so over it already but it's the actual important part so I will keep telling myself that over and over. And then when I have some more answers I will start designing a new way of eating. 

But right now? Looking at the weekend? I'm ready to toss it all out the window for a stack of pancakes or a breakfast taco...

*sigh*

But I will be excited for my chicken and pork instead. 

Soooo excited....