Well as I told you yesterday, my August monthly resolution is to be on an elimination diet. A true elimination diet is cutting out all food allergens from your life, letting your body detox all those allergens, then slowly starting to add in one food at a time. From what I have read, elimination diets last for at least three weeks. Since this is my August resolution it will last the entire month. So here is intro into my reasons for Starting My Elimination Diet, and I will do periodic updates throughout the month to let you know how things are going.

First let me start by saying I am not a doctor or a registered dietitian so please don’t take what I write as gospel or medical advise. I am just a person trying to figure her health out just like anyone else – by Googling medical advice, LOL! So what are my reasons for wanting to do an elimination diet? Well my first and foremost reason isn’t necessarily my weight – yes, it’s a factor but it’s a very close second. The main reason is that for some reason ever since I gave up meat I have random hive-like itchy bumps on my face. Now I have naturally sensitive skin so any slight red bump shows badly, but they also itch so bad! Like a mosquito bite or flea bite. It is crazy; I scratch them so bad that I peel skin off which leave scars. And the bumps aren’t just on my face but also my chest, but not as often there. I also get extremely itchy eczema on my arms by my elbows. I have tried not using different and unscented lotions but no difference in any of those changes.

The second reason is obviously to lose weight. I won’t lie and tell you my weight isn’t a top priority – I mean come on. It’s in every monthly update that I do. My mind and mood revolves around what the scale tells me every morning. I am embarrassed to say that since moving to DC last September I have gained 11.2 pounds as of today …. two days ago it was up to 13 pounds. It is just mind blowing to me that I have let myself keep gaining. It has not only worn on me mentally and emotionally but also physically and financially. Training for a half-marathon? It hurts trying to slog my body along on those miles, and totally sore afterwards. And because I have gained so much weight and inches, I have to buy larger clothes. How. Awful. I know that in the realm of thing my weight is at the bottom of world problems, but for people who have constantly struggled with their weight – who have been over 300 pounds and had gastric bypass surgery – gaining and not losing becomes the biggest issue in someones head. It is the one constant in our lives and what we always think about – not gaining, and to keep losing weight. Not becoming that person again. Believe me when I say – that it is a true fear.

After thinking about the constants in my diet all these years, I have come up with a list which include the biggies – sugar, creamer, nuts, and soy. I originally thought it may be external, like laundry detergent, face wash, or body soap and have tried changing all those different things with no luck. So I have to assume that whatever is causing the itchiness is whatever I am consuming, food-wise. Since moving here I have been eating tons of peanuts, so I thought the gains and bumps may be from those. Well I had stopped eating them for a couple week and no change. Soy milk? Stopped for a week and no change. The last time I did the “clean eating” was during Lent in 2013 and I did extremely well, losing about 12 pounds and 10 inches or so. Amazing. Then I fell off the wagon. But during that time I still allowed myself coffee creamer, soy milk, crystal light, and tofu/soy. All top allergens. Well, this time around – instead of allowing things in, I am cutting everything. Cutting what exactly? Well I Googled elimination diet and found Dr. Oz’s list of items to eat and not eat. Not eat includes the normal things you would think: gluten/wheat, sugar, dairy, peanuts. And the other stuff: soy, corn, citrus fruits (!), and tomatoes and eggplants. The most surprising to me are the citrus fruits and tomatoes. I use lemon juice in my water constantly during the day, and eat tomatoes all the time – and in soups! Eeek. That’s going to be hard.

So now I get to find ways to make eating interesting, without being a crutch. Snack with purpose, not mindless. Wish me luck on this month long journey. It’s going to be tougher than my last go-around. First up in my recipe challenge is creating a good tasting coffee creamer! And second is to find products that don’t have soy in them! I thought it was hard to find products without gluten, well sheesh! There is soy in everything, and it doesn’t necessarily list “soy.” Soy Free How To is what I am using as a guide for label-reading! Some products you may not have known have soy: vegetable broth, frozen oriental vegetables, tea bags(!), some condiments, vegetable oil, non-stick sprays. The list is crazy. There is more soy in what we buy than gluten!