Update

Ok so as of my last post, I was to be doing the Whole30 and updating daily.  Well I'm not sure what happened but I succumbed to cravings and I think I ran out of healthy options before I was able to go grocery shopping so here I am once again with a new plan in mind.  I workout at Crossfit321 and they are going to be starting a paleo challenge within the next few weeks.  I'm pretty much going to try and eat as paleo as possible, while avoiding foods that may affect my inflammation and control my MS.  The paleo challenge is going to result in C@$H money so I figure prepare myself now so I can WIN :-).  I've stocked up pretty good on real, whole, allowed foods so I shouldn't run into any problems running out of healthy ideas.

Recently, I picked up a copy of Practical Paleo.  In it, the author, Dianne Sanflippo of Balanced Bites has made it clearer than glass about who should be eating what and why.  Using her resources laid out in the book, I am going to try and attempt a full 30 days of the Autoimmune Protocol as well as avoiding FODMAPs since my belly is the most sensitive to everything.  Just ask my boyfriend how many times he's heard, "my stomach hurts".  It's become annoying hearing myself say it over and over, day after day.  If you're wondering what I will be eliminating and what I will be eating, this is basically the breakdown:

PALEO (eliminate the following)
-refined grains (including but not limited to barley, rye, wheat, quinoa, oats, spelt, buckwheat, rice, etc.)
-dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk,
-artificial sweeteners (splenda, sweet & low, equal, truvia, stevia, high fructose corn syrup)
-industrialized oils (cottonseed, corn, soybean, canola, or rapeseed)
-legumes (soy, beans, etc.)
-alcohol (some allow red wine but if you're eating strict paleo, this is not allowed)

AUTOIMMUNE PROTOCOL (eliminate the following in addition to the above)
-eggplant
-peppers
-tomatillos
-tomatoes
-cayenne pepper
-chili peppers
-chipolte powder
-paprika
-eggs
-nuts

FODMAPs (eliminate the following)
-artichokes
-asparagus
-beets
-broccoli
-brussels sprouts
-cabbage
-cauliflower
-dandelion greens
-eggplant
-fennel
-garlic
-green onions
-jicama
-leeks
-mushrooms
-okra
-onions
-shallots
-sunchokes
-apples (incl. applesauce)
-apricots
-avocados
-blackberries
-cherries
-figs
-lychees
-mangoes
-nectarines
-peaches
-pears
-persimmons
-plums
-watermelon
-chicory
-horseradish
-wasabi
-coconut aminos
-coconut milk
-coconut water/juice
-coconut butter
-coconut flakes
-pistachios

Ok so if you have made it this far, you might be wondering, what's left?  Well this is your answer:

ALLOWED FOODS
-carrots
-celery
-cucumber
-green beans
-kale
-lettuce
-spinach
-squash (all)
-sweet potatoes
-bananas
-blueberries
-cranberries
-grapes
-kiwi
-lemon
-lime
-melon
-oranges
-papaya
-pineapple
-plantains
-pomegranate
-raspberries
-rhubarb
-strawberries
-tangerines
-coconut oil
-olive oil
-dates
-pickles
-pumpkin
-olives (all)
-grass fed beef/bison
-organic chicken
-wild-caught fish
-organic pork
-sugar free, nitrate free bacon (mmmmmmmmm)

I will post later in the week what my meals will look like, talk about spices, alternative "milks" and I will even throw in a recipe :-)

This is what happens when you deadlift without socks

So let me just start by saying today is Monday.  I slept like shhhhhhhh last night due to the massive oven that was my bedroom.  When 5:00am rolled around, my lazy bum so nicely hit snooze once, then twice, then by the next time it went off I realized, OMFG ASHLEY GET UP, it's 5:45.  You see, I take a Crossfit class 3 times a week.  It starts at 6:00am.  It's a 10 minute drive from my house.  Part of me told myself it wasn't worth it to rush off and show up late and I would go tonight but let's be honest, me working out any other time then early morning - ain't happenin.  I found the energy to get myself there, arrived only 20 minutes late and just in time for the WOD.  Today we did a little something called deadlifts.  *Note to self - buy Crossfit socks - your shins will be freed from pain.  This bruise developed in a matter of minutes. Narley huh? Hurts like a B. Damn deadlifts. I hate love you.

As far as Whole30 goes, today is officially Day 1.  I posted yesterday reasons why I'm doing it and I have a couple more to add to that list:

#4 - I have ADD so I take Adderall.  My body currently depends on this medicine for energy.  Ask my boyfriend - I am a zombie without it.  I use it for focusing.  To keep me from running around and actually getting things done.  The problem is, I don't like taking medicines.  Never have and never will.  I'm determined to find relief from this "disorder" through Whole30 and free myself from these meds.  I only have a week's supply left so that will hit me right around day 6 or 7 so I'm hoping by then my body adjusts to the lack of sugar/carbs.

#5 - I am a sugar addict.  I have good willpower most days but to be completely honest, I developed bulimia in 2010 and ever since, I just haven't had a good relationship with food.  I used to religiously measure every calorie that went into my body and couldn't do anything, including going to work, without putting in at least 30 minutes on the elliptical every morning.  I was skinny.  In fact, I was 30 lbs skinnier than I am now but my hair was falling out, more smoke came out of my mouth than a chimney, and everyone told me I didn't look well.  I felt amazing because I was skinny.  Fast forward months later and I found myself wrapped in a binge-starve cycle that I wouldn't break for another year.  It has been a terrible roller coaster ride and I am ready to beat these sugar demons to the ground.  I am thankful for having an amazing boyfriend, Jesse, that has been uber supportive and loving of me, through all my ups and downs, and through every pound I have gained.

I have done pretty well today.  I ate some eggs and kale for breakfast, a nice big salad for lunch, some almonds for snack and paleo meatballs with broccoli for dinner.  I'm done for today and have to say I've done pretty well.  I think tomorrow I might start cutting out nuts though.  I realize they are too easy to overdose on and not long after I ate them, my whole body started feeling like it was swollen.  Coincidence? Perhaps.  But only elimination will tell.

The Whole30

What is the Whole30 you ask?  It was created by a brilliant married couple, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. They wanted to find a way to end random pains, to cure diseases, end illnesses without medication and spread all the knowledge and power they've gained over years of research, attending various seminars, and countless pages read in books.  And so they did.  What you might not realize is that these two people have done an INCREDIBLE thing.  They have developed a program that is a "reset" for your own body.  For 30 days (yes, a WHOLE 30 - pun totally intended), you eliminate grains, dairy, sugar - yes even the "fake stuff", legumes, and processed garbage.  What do you eat exactly?  It's called food.  REAL food.  Check out their website and book, It Starts With Food for more detailed information. I could give it to you now but if I were to explain the masterpiece they've created into a few short paragraphs, no way could I do it justice.  So just go buy their book, eh?  I'm not Canadian by the way, I'm just a friendly neighbor of theirs.

Why am I doing this you might ask?  There are a few reasons:

#1 - My body cannot tolerate grains.  I'm not sure which ones in particular as it seems currently rice doesn't turn my stomach upside down nearly as bad as a bowl of cheerios might so by eliminating everything for 30 days, I will be able to pinpoint which ones exactly my body is rejecting once my Whole30 is up and I start reintroducing things.

#2 - I have Multiple Sclerosis. This should be reason #1 and I'd change it if I wasn't so lazy. You see, people with my condition have a body that likes to attack itself. That's what having an autoimmune condition entails. Basically, MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. When this nerve covering is damaged, nerve signals slow down or stop.The nerve damage is caused by inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the body's own immune cells attack the nervous system. This can occur along any area of the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord. And things like grains (especially gluten) and dairy like to cause all kinds of inflammation which is no bueno for me.  So in order for me to find some relief for myself and find out what exactly is causing my MS, I must do the Whole30.

#3 - I have some lbs to lose.  Ok this isn't a weight loss program but even the Hartwigs admit themselves that 95% of people who complete a Whole30 change their body's composition in some form, even if it's not their goal.  I admit, when I eat clean, my body looks better.  I think it was Tosca Reno that said you will look like whatever you eat looks like.  Therefore, if you want to look like a bunch of donuts, all squishy and round, then have at em.  But if you want to look lean and cut, eat veggies and organic meat from animals who spend their days grazing green pastures.

So here I go!  Check back for daily updates.