You Are What You Eat

Well, I guess they were right...  Indeed, you are what you eat.

Why do I say that, you might ask.  In mid-July, with the help of my chiropractor/nutritionist/friend, I found out that I have been allergic to nearly everything I've eaten for the last, say....30 years.  These low-level but ever-growing reactions to food had my body inflamed and HUGE.
I was miserable and I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was.
Thankfully after a simple blood test, it was apparent.  I was allergic to MANY things, including gluten, dairy, eggs, tomatoes, and all sorts of things. I spent 12 weeks eating a diet free from allergens.  I called it the Everything-Free Diet.  :)  I also ate the foods I was NOT allergic to in a 4-day rotation, so that I only got the same family of food once in a 4-day period.  Then, slowly, I have been attempting to add foods back into my diet, waiting to see how my body reacts.

The results have been nothing short of amazing.  First, the physical changes:

This photo is from the end of May,  but its also representative of how I looked in July:

And this photo is from October:

I've dropped 2 sizes and 20 pounds, and haven't been starving myself AT ALL!  There was no change in exercise level (practically none, other than shlepping my kids around), and no counting calories.  This is purely the result of removing allergens from my diet.

The other side-effects have been a drastic drop in stress (with no corresponding drop in stress at work!), as well as the sensitivity to touch going away.  Gary used to try to massage my neck from time to time, but it just sent me through the roof.  Now it doesn't hurt anymore.

It's really amazing the part nutrition plays in your well-being!