So, I ended my first 30-day pescatarian challenge and it was such a success, that I started another one for January! I just ended that January challenge and am now entering my 3rd 30-day challenge.
What was the value? Well, I believe my system has been cleared-out of many toxins added by the cattle and poultry industries, like growth hormones and antibiotics. Eating grass-fed beef and ‘clean’ chicken is a nice thought, but not as easy or affordable as I needed it to be for my lifestyle. What I know for a fact: while have not lost one pound through any of this, I get lots of people saying how great I look, how I have lost so much weight, etc. I surround myself with people who don’t say these sort of things unless they mean it, so this has been nice to hear. Could it be that all of the toxins were swelling me? I don’t really know, but I am looking and feeling better.
Finally, I can tell my Aunt Patty, who is a cancer survivor, that I know what it means to go meat-free. And that – sparked by an inspiring Rich Roll video – was the major thrust of all of this. And I have told her. So, now, I move on figuring out how to tailor this to make it even healthier for me.
In between each challenge, I have had a period of feasting as a carnivore which I wanted to disclose, here.
December Break 1
The first break between the challenges was during Christmas in which I ate alot of ham. Ugh: I felt truly terrible afterward. I am not sure if it was an accumulation of all the wheat and sugar that was mounting in my system over the holidays, as well, but 3 days of eating ham definitely left me in a terrible state of physical affairs. I said, “I don’t care if I never eat another piece of ham for the rest of my life.” I’ve only said that once before and it was with meatloaf when I was very little. And since then, I’ve probably had less than 5 servings of meatloaf ever.
January Break 2
This break was very short, lasting one 24-hour period. I had half a bowl of meat chili, a big salad and burger with bacon! It was great. It wasn’t euphoric. I had only been craving chili, but figured I had better get the burger in while I could. Probably unwise, though truthful. Afterward, I felt very full, after not having eaten much during the day. I did not feel flat-out bad like I did after the Holiday Ham Parade. The next day – this morning – I woke up with a swollen face. Wow! Hadn’t seen that in quite awhile.
February Challenge 3
So, onward I go! With this challenge, I hope to eat more vegetables and fruit. I noticed that because I felt like I was giving up so much on the animal flesh side, and always having to eat fish, I ‘rewarded’ (ugh! I need to change my thinking patterns) myself with more wheat and dairy products. Wheat, I am sensitive to (though not intolerant of as a Celiac would be). And dairy, doesn’t seem to be my friend. So, while there are still toxins in me, there are at least less. I hope to do even better and move toward the life-giving nutrients that vegetables and fruit have to offer.
jenrandall.eats 