Detox is Rough

A little history: In 2006 I had my gallbladder removed because of a huge stone in it. Not cool! I've always had a sensitive stomach and allot of stomach aches. After the surgery I was hoping to feel 100x better but it wasn't. I went in for more testing and they found that I had severe reflux which I think was going on at the same time as the gallstone but it masked by that pain. This is scary because left untreated it can lead to esophageal cancer which is pretty much a death sentence.

Ever since I've been on reflux medication and had numerous upper endoscopy tests to make sure all is well down in my gut. I first started on 40mg 2x a day and hated it, horrible side effects. I switched meds and have been on 20mg 1x a day since. I can tell when I forget to take my them because I get the worst heart burn and other stomach ailments that aren't allot of fun. It's very frustrating, especially as an athlete. This type of medication can lead to increased risk of osteoporosis, which already runs in my family. Being so young, I do NOT want to be on this medication for the rest of my life so I decided that if I could control it with my diet I would. There are surgery options as well but I'm all for trying the natural fix first.

I already eat pretty healthy but during big training blocks I can get lazy because it's all I can do to get enough calories. I know certain things that trigger it already (onions, tomato, garlic, wine-NOOOOOOO), pretty much anything acidic. I try to limit these things as much as possible but with the medication it's OK to eat them, mostly. But the issue is that I don't want to rely on these meds.

Post-half marathon I decided I was going to go off all drugs and do a diet cleanse. I'm on day 3 and although I'm starving I already feel better overall! My goal has been to simply eat organic fresh foods from the earth. Nothing processed, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, etc. I'm eating allot of lean meat, fruits, and veggies. I'm waiting 4-5 hours between meals and 12 hours between dinner & breaky. That is the roughest part because I'm used to eating all day, especially during workouts. I lost 5 lbs in 24 hours, mostly water I'm sure. The first afternoon I had a bit of reflux but today I've had none. After 5 days I will start adding things back in on 5 day increments. I'll start with gluten free carbs, then dairy, then gluten. Alcohol & caffeine will be last. Each time I'll track what upsets my stomach and hopefully settle on a good diet for me.

The hardest part has been cutting the booze, caffeine, and the sweets. I love all 3 in a sinful way but they are also the worst for my stomach. Although I'm hungry most of the day I have been sleeping like a baby, I'm not bloated at all any more, and my stomach feels much better. It's amazing how great your body runs when you put good fuel into it. I also think it's good to give our bodies a break from all the crap we put into them all the time.

I'm so sick of bland food and I've had some really horrible workouts this week because I'm under-fueled. I chose to do this right after the half since I knew I would be training too much this week and I wanted to get it out of the way before most of my races start. I'm eager to see how it will (or won't) improve my performance this season.

Nashville Half Marathon below.....