CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Well I told you a few days ago that I had big news to announce. So here it is… I am doing a 30 day Paleo Challenge!!!!!!

#iamterrifiedandexcited

This has been a long time coming, and while I’m nervous, I am really excited because I think this could make a big difference in my life.

What is the 30 day Paleo Challenge (#30DPC)? Let me tell you…

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Why am I doing this you ask? Who would want to give up bread? (and yes that is my favorite food on the entire planet!) Eating like this sounds crazy? Isn’t it just a fad diet?

Well, the answer is for me, this is about a lifestyle change. I am not doing this to lose weight. I am doing this to nourish my body, which was one of my main goals for the year. Secondarily, I am doing this because I believe it will help Josh’s Psoriasis keep me healthy regarding my Crohn’s disease.

Yep, that’s right, Josh and I both have auto-immune diseases and they suck. He likes to say that if we ever had babies they would be super heroes because their immune systems would be so strong.

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However, it’s no bueno for us. I’ll tell you my story before I explain Josh’s because I am a lady and we go first.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was starting my junior year of high school. I was 16 turning 17 (and yes, I had played Liesl in the school musical – so fun!) and after a trip to the ER thinking I had appendicitis, they told me it was Crohn’s. I thought it was fake. It’s not. I learned the hard way that it was very real.

They told me I couldn’t eat fruits or veggies or fiber really and so I became a self-proclaimed meatatarain. I missed the crunch of lettuce like you wouldn’t believe. They also told me that I would have this forever, there is no cure, and that I would always have a little pain.

So I pouted but I did what they told me. I took 20 pills every day to both suppress my immune systems and reduce the inflammation in my small intestine. Crohn’s basically means that my immune system sends unnecessary white blood cells to my small intestine which causes swelling, pain, and uncomfortable problems with the bathroom. (For your sake, I shan’t go on!

For a while I did fine and then by February I had stopped taking my pills because the major pain had gone away. Well, this is the short version – remind me to type up the longer version in another post – and basically I let it get so bad that my intestine was swollen and protruding out of my stomach. I went to school to turn in a math project (#nerd) and couldn’t button my jeans. It was that bad.

That day ended with me being sent to the hospital and not let out until three weeks later with one foot less of my small intestine. That’s right surgery. I have a huge scar from my naval to pubic bone now, but the good news is that I have been extremely healthy since then. I pray that God will bless me and continue to keep me healthy, but I want to do my part too. Which is why I am doing this Paleo challenge, to remove inflammatory foods from my diet and help my intestines. (Steps off of soap box.)

Josh is a different story. His deserves a much longer post too. But what you need to know is that Josh suffers from terrible psoriasis. You wouldn’t notice because he takes care of himself so well, but it’s covering about 80% of his body and here’s the kicker: it hurts.

Honestly, I don’t even see the red patches, but I cannot stand that he is in pain. He says it feels like his skin is on fire all the time or that someone is rubbing sandpaper on a sunburn. Crazy bad.

He has tried every medicine and steroid cream there is. He has even given himself shots once a week – nothing works. So after much research, I started to think about paleo and if that might help. Danielle talks about it on her blog, and it always piqued my interest so I gave it more thought.

Then I came across The Paleo Mom and she changed my life with this post about paleofor Psoriasis. Jackpot!

Josh and I developed a plan and I haven’t seen him this hopeful about his skin in a while. So we are going to give it a try for 30 days and then modify if we need to! I’ll obvi post about our progress and offer yummy recipes and resources.

We dropped around $175 each at Whole Foods last night so we are both committed. Gotta get my money’s worth.

In addition to following the 30DPC, Josh will be eliminating the following items as they are specifically identified to help auto-immune diseases if you avoid them.

The Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP)

·         No eggs

·         No nightshades (tomatoes, hot or sweet peppers or their spices, potatoes, eggplants)

·         Nuts

·         Seeds

It’s going to be hard, but after 30 days hopefully his skin is getting better and he can reintroduce at least eggs.

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When I’m cooking for both of us, I won’t be using these ingredients either.

Honestly, I don’t think this will be impossible for me – remember I was a meatatarian for a while! However, I did partake in a complete indulge fest last night. Josh and I went out with a bang. I had pizza, chocolate chip cookies, milk, cheese dip, beer, and … you guessed it… a French baguette. I’ll miss you delicious foods, but my intestine and Josh’s skin are more important.

Opening Stats:

Mo

Weight: 127

% Body Fat: 24%

Body Mass Index: 20.5 (normal 18.5-24.9)

 

Josh

Weight: 197

%Body Fat:

Body Mass Index: 27.5 (should be 18.5 - 24.9)

As they say before any country song in a live concert… HERE WE GO!