About four months ago, I jumped head first into the gluten free world. The plan was to eat gluten free for a period of time to see if the results would improve Troy's back and intestinal issues. Troy had also talked to co-workers who, after abstaining from gluten, felt more mentally sharp and didn't feel the "fogginess" that he often felt.
I honestly didn't think it would dramatically change my health. I had recently lost a significant amount of weight and had starting a walking regimen. My hip, knee, and ankle joints were in pain most of the time, but that was to be expected when one hasn't exercised to that extent in too many years.
So we gave up our number one comfort food in May. I was riddled with anxiety and excitement.
Within the first month, we both saw improvement in our overall health. Not to extent that I had hoped, but improvement none the less.
Troy still had his same health problems along with the foggy feeling. This prompted a visit to the doctor which resulted in a change in medication. The change in medication helped somewhat. The biggest improvement with Troy over the next few months was that he was losing weight for the first time in years. We have since decided that this is mostly due to the fact that he doesn't, on a whim, stop at McDonald's or go out to lunch with co-workers as often. We also don't have bread at restaurants.
I noticed that my hip and ankle pain was virtually gone. The nights spent tossing and turning because of my hips were a thing of the past. My left knee still ached (and still does) but I really think more weight loss will ease that pain.
Four months in, the new has worn off. We miss "normal" hot dog and hamburger buns. We miss being able to go anywhere and order anything off the menu we want. We miss deep dish pizza. I personally miss my all time favorite, 4 WW point frozen breakfast burrito made with a flour tortilla.
So, the experiment began. I bought four of my favorite burritos and decided to eat one each day to see if I could tell a difference. I ate one Thursday for lunch and was thrilled that I felt no crazy weird effects. I went for my walk Friday morning and felt fine. So I, of course, had another one Friday (yesterday) and still felt fine. "Yes!" I thought, "I can return to a normal life. Maybe the hip pain was just a fluke since I had just started walking."
This morning, I took off for my five mile walk. (I've done this for the past three Saturdays.) About half way through this morning's walk, I really thought I was going to have to call Troy to come pick me up. My hip, knees, and ankles were really hurting! I made it home but had to immediately take my shoes off because the top arch of my right foot was throbbing. I had completely forgotten about this pain. It had been an annoyance of the past that I had chalked up to bad shoes or again the new walking routine.
So, the experiment is complete and the results are in: eating gluten will not immediately send me to the bathroom or to an early grave, but if I want to have a better quality of life without unsolicited aches and pains, I need to avoid gluten.
Today, Troy is going to eat one of my burritos because he likes them, too. He's pretty sure it's going to be fine.
We'll see.
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