as the name of my account suggests, im still trying to figure it all out. in the process, i have, like many others, tried to address my body issues with dieting. note to younger self: that was not the move. & note to my future self: that will never be a move.
so january of 2018, i did a little research and decided to try the whole 30/paleo diet. it looked like a healthy option that wasn’t too far from my normal (eating raw veggies and meat while cutting out sugar, bread, dairy and beans). yet, this was a decision i have regretted ever since. sure, i lost a few lbs, but man, it was not worth it. once i started going back to my normal diet, i was so messed up internally that i had to schedule a colonoscopy (something most people do when they’re 50!). i wasn’t able to digest anything, like at all, and i had to cut out some of my favorite foods (rip oatmeal, you will be missed) just to try to fix the mess i made.
don’t get me wrong, the focus on protein and vegetables when eating on the whole 30/paleo can be a much needed change for many, but the change should be gradual. adding an abundance of raw vegetables and meat all at once can be an issue because they’re much harder to digest. also, adding so many at once makes it difficult to isolate veggies that may disagree with your body. this was part of my problem. the other part was that the stress of starting a new school was manifesting itself in my stomach, but i didn’t know this. i actually thought that the cramping and pain that i was feeling was the result of colon cancer (again, i can be overly dramatic).
fortunately, i ran across a few food blogger’s pages who were suffering from the same issues. their advice and knowing that i wasn’t alone helped me out so much! if i can do the same for even one person in my shoes, then talking about this less than glamorous issue will be worth it.