ELIMINATION DIET RESULTS

Do you ever feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating something? Or, don’t feel like you are having an allergic reaction BUT something just isn’t sitting right?? 

We have been feeling this way for awhile – certain foods started to become a trigger for an upset stomach, instant bloating, overall energy level being low, and Zeshan would even get welts on his skin after scratching.

I remembered seeing a cousin post about how she did an elimination diet to find out what was bothering her. Before that, we didn’t know there was such a thing. 

We did a little research and found out exactly what we needed to do and how it worked. The concept was SO easy – just cut out eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, and corn for 23 days. 

At the end of 23 days, gradually introduce each of these foods one at a time to see how your body reacts. Pay attention to any changes and your general feel. 

So we gave it a try. Worst case – 23 days of eating healthier. Best case – we figure out what common foods may be causing bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation or nausea. 

Sounded like a win-win!

Want to know what happened?? Keep reading 🙂

1. WE HAD WAY MORE ENERGY

At first, this was not the case. We were used to bread – yummy, carb filled bread. When we had to cut this out, at first it felt like we weren’t taking in enough calories and therefore felt sluggish. 

After almost 3 days, that turned right around. We woke up and felt like we had untapped energy. It was amazing!  All the natural, unprocessed food we were eating (fruits and vegetables), made our bodies happy.

And this doesn’t mean we weren’t eating fruits and vegetables before. But now, we were eating A LOT more of them because we were hungry and needed the calories. We couldn’t grab anything processed, like bread or cereal or snacks because of the wheat and soy, so we were forced to munch on veggie platters and hummus to satisfy our hunger. 

We thought our bodies were craving the bread at first, but in reality it was the sugar in it. Once we stopped eating it and it slowly left our system, that craving went away. 

2. CUT BACK ON THE COFFEE

Once we cut out all the processed foods, the extra sugars, and chemicals, our bodies naturally had more energy. And because we had more energy, we weren’t craving coffee like we used to.

We went from drinking 3 cups of coffee a day to 1 ½ cups!

In the mornings we were SO used to needing that fix, that when we didn’t have that need and we weren’t rushing to the coffee machine in the morning, it blew us away. We realized we now had natural energy!

After having Trudie we were always tired. Coffee was our lifeline. This turned into a game changer for us. We still enjoyed our coffee but in a different way. It was no longer a “I need coffee to wake up” and it was more a “ah I am enjoying this nice cup of coffee at 10:30am.”

3. RESET OUR EATING HABITS

Cutting out only 5 foods sounds easy, except for when you start looking at the ingredients on the foods you eat. You instantly cut out almost all processed foods. 

This is a great thing!

Our bodies are not meant to be eating half the stuff on the shelves, which contains lots of sugars and other chemicals for shelf life. 

It took about 10 days to finally feel like we got over the hump of craving lots of things we couldn’t eat, but once we did it was easy. 

Not only had we been trying to figure out what was bothering us, but in the process we hit the reset button on our bodies.

We won’t get into all the details, but Alycia was now regular (she has ALWAYS had issues with constipation and a sensitive system). Both of our bodies felt better overall and were actually feeling like ourselves again.

4. CLEANED OUR GUT

In all of the healthy habits we had, we were not well versed in gut health. Who knew your gut could leak?? We didn’t.

Once we started this elimination diet, one of the things we were helping to aid in curbing our hunger was bone broth. There’s nothing like a warm cup of chicken broth to fill your tummy!

There’s actually lots of things that can hurt your gut health –  not enough sleep, too much sugary foods, not enough roughage – and this can cause stomach issues like bloating and gas, skin problems and lots more.

Once we cut out the sugar and processed foods and started eating even more fresh foods, we were allowing our gut to heal.

5. ISOLATED WHAT FOOD(S) WERE BOTHERING US

So we cut out dairy, wheat, soy, corn and eggs for 23 days. In 23 days, we rid our bodies of these foods and eliminated any remnants from our system.

Next was reintroducing each one of these foods, and one at a time. We tried milk first, because of all the foods we eliminated, it gave us a sneaky suspicion it could be the culprit. 

In the milk went into our first latte in 23 days…our stomach DID NOT thank us. Just as we had guessed, we instantly felt bloated, our stomachs puffed out and we didn’t feel good the rest of the day.

Lovely. The first food we reintroduce and right away we wish we hadn’t! 

Alycia did this elimination diet a year ago and swore off wheat for months because her reaction to bread so was severe! She did find a flour solution, so there is a happy ending 🙂

6. WE LOST 12 LBS AND BURNED “PROBLEM FAT”

So here’s the big kicker to this whole elimination diet that needs no explanation!

We lost 12 pounds in 23 days by cutting out the bad foods we shouldn’t have been eating to begin with!

Our bodies reset, allowing our gut to heal. We were eating fruits and vegetables like it was our job (what else were we going to eat anyway??), and in the end, not only did we find out what our body DID NOT like, WE LOST WEIGHT in the process.

It’s a pretty good feeling to not only have your body functioning better, but to also get it on track for a healthier you, a more fit you, and a happier you. Because let’s be real, if you feel better you most certainly are happier!

We know we are! 

If you are having any issues with discomfort, irritability, or even just want to reset your system and start fresh WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying an elimination diet.

You won’t regret it. And as always, if you have questions please write to us @ alycia@coffeecupcakesandkids.com.