I haven’t posted in awhile, I’m slacking, I know. But I will be honest, I’ve been struggling. Since my relapse I had to stop working out, now that I am able to again, I have to start at the beginning. I know, I should be happy I can move, punch, lift, run, but it’s frustrating to have made progress, then have ‘lost’ a years worth in several months. I know it will come back quickly, but frustrating none the less. I had arm muscles finally! They were so hard to build, and now they seem scrawny again. But in time they will come back, progress, not perfection.
And now for my biggest struggle lately. During these past few weeks (months really) I have been reading a lot about the autoimmune protocol. An intense paleo diet that is supposed to help with all different types of autoimmune diseases, not just MS. A few weeks ago I bought the book The Paleo Approach, it’s filled with facts about your body, how it’s supposed to work, and how it doesn’t when you have an autoimmune disease. It’s mind blowing to say the least and I’m barely through the first several chapters. Through reading this, other articles on MS and diet and being aware of how foods effect me, I think I’ve discovered I am gluten intolerant. I had several meals gluten free when dinning out, and I felt so different. I felt lighter and I didn’t get any bloating/inflammation afterwards. I have been gluten free now for almost 3 weeks. And it’s been eye opening and my biggest struggle at the same time. I went gluten free about 2 years ago, and it was much easier. Possibly because I was only doing it for 30 days (elimination period, then I reintroduced it). Possibly because my health didn’t require me to be super strict. But now it feels so hard. I wasn’t eating that far off of gluten free, or paleo for that matter, it’s just harder. I do eat out much more frequently than before, so finding restaurants that have gluten free options are tricky. But I’m trying to be positive, it’s taking a while to do so and reframe my thinking, but slowly and surely I am. So now this blog will include my journey into the world of gluten free and/or paleo. I don’t think I’m mentally ready for the autoimmune protocol yet, as silly as that sounds. I’ve already noticed some positive changes, so I’m sticking with it. Here goes nothing!