heading over to the dark side

Back in August of last year I visited with my sister who is a huge Paleo nut.  Well, I think she is but I think maybe she's actually vegetarian.  But I could swear she was eating meat also so it's a bit confusing.  Anyway, she dropped a TON of weight (except her chest - who loses weight everywhere but their breasts???  Since I have dropped weight I rival prepubescent boys in the chest area but actually, I'm very happy with that - makes running so much more comfortable...) and looks GREAT (see, I did finish the sentence!).  Pictures above and below are calm day versus chop.

Throughout my life I have had diarrhea, constant stomach issues and eczema.  Around the time I turned 50 I removed dairy from my diet and the diarrhea and most stomach issues and eczema went away and life was good.  But I developed asthma and I still had occasional stomach issues and then began to develop itching from peanuts and one time anaphylaxis from peanuts and mangoes and had my entire face swell from mangoes.  So I took those off the menu.  About killed me to take off mangoes, especially in April when seasons starts.  Just might have to try them again this year to make sure...  and then last week I started itching with walnuts.

This is really starting to piss me off and I started looking around the interwebs to try and self diagnose (because why trust a doctor when Google is free and so much easier, right?) and found some information that asthma can be influenced by grains and magnesium.  (which reminds me to find the mag I had Jamie buy eons ago though I likely chucked it)  So I am experimenting with no grains or sugars and lots and lots and lots more veggies and protein.  Kinda like Paleo.  It doesn't hurt that there are huge weight loss claims with dumping grains and sugar and after being sick for a week and not one moment of swim, bike or run, I've gained weight.

Who gains weight with a stomach illness? That would be me.  UGH!  The entire famdamily has been under the weather with a very mysterious bug.  If it were just our family I'd be skeptical of typhoid or amoebas or something in the food but other families at the same schools have the same bug.  Girls were out of school all week.  I did Sunday and Monday's workouts and then sat out the rest of the week hoping that the rest would allow me to compete at yesterday's time trial, which, in retrospect was a HUGE waste as I'm now feeling even WORSE, GAINED FUCKING WEIGHT, and am STILL missing the time trial.  We waited until the last minute - entered a week before the event and BAM both us of down for the count with buggy tummies.

(LOVE this picture of the guys in the 2.5k swim awards)

So there's that.  Dunno why missing that time trial bugs me so much but Jamie is right pissed also.  I think it was the expectation of winning money.  We HATE missing out in winning money as it is such a novel concept and SWEET to boot.  So far I'm just 2 days into the no sugar-no grain diet and trying to figure out how to get in my maca root without Coach's Oats...  I'm going to try this for a month and then see what happens with mangoes and see if I can drop the Pulmicort and if not, I think I'll keep this diet and just add Coach's Oats daily as my only grain.  Love that stuff and now even Jesse is hooked on it.

I missed the lower price on the Cancun 10K swim and now have to figure out if I really want to shell out the increased price for that swim.  Especially since I have not been near water (or out of the palapa) for a week.  I'll make the big break today as I need to pick up immigration card so that will break my isolation and I might as well start training again.  Why does it feel so futile when you've been out of sport long?  Feels like I've lost so much fitness I may as well not bother.  Hmmm...might need some endorphins...