30 Days NoGluten/Sugar Challenge

Good luck. It ain't easy.

I still live pretty much gluten-free. I'm barely tempted to indulge when there's bread in the house. I feel way better. I used to have the need to take a nap almost everyday. Now I feel pretty energetic. Skin is better too [although I'm not saying it's a causation, I quit alcohol more than a year ago, but it definitely played a role].

I recommend that you read Grain Brain of David Perlmutter. He really goes into the bottom of things when it comes to the inflammatory effect of gluten. The book Wheat Belly must be good too.

 

So I decided to get some french fries from a snackbar with a friend on Thursday. I proposed this, but eventually I didn't really look forward to eating junk, but I thought that a cheatmeal wouldn't hurt. When in the snackbar I ordered like 4 snacks along with a medium pack of fries. This was already a mistake. Why not just a small pack of fries with like 1 snack? I guess there was a certain binging mechanism activated when I was there ordering the food.

I felt like shit when I finished my 'meal' at home. Luckily, I immediately exerted damage control by having some fresh lemon juice with sparkling water. Also some apple cider vinegar with my water before going to bed. I was really trying to get the detox process going immediately. Next day I still felt like shit. It reminded me of a hangover. Dehydrated. I just felt how taxing all these industrialized oils [in which this food is fried] were for my body. I drank like 3 liters of yerba mate tea, 1 liter of rooibos tea, 2 liters of sparkling water and I still felt dehydrated.

The good thing about this little incident is that it made me realize that I'm my framing my diet as taking a break from healthy eating instead of taking a break from unhealthy eating. Normally I'd go into self-destructive mode and keep eating like shit for a few days, but I didn't fancy that idea. I made a juice. Ate tomato paste. Went to the supermarket and got some Greek olive oil, dried dates, black tea, etc. Did exercise on an empty stomach. But still, I felt the toll on my energy levels. I felt like I was carrying a block of unhealthy fat in my body that I wanted to get rid of ASAP. It's like that feeling after I have McDonalds where I can even 'smell' the oils coming out of my pores the next day. Disgusting.

This night I relapsed with PMO... I'm not going to say it's because of the food choice of Thursday, but when I relapse, it's most likely in a situation where I feel lethargic from bad food and I'm scrolling my smartphone in bed. I always get urges in that specific situation. I couldn't sleep and was scrolling my phone and before I knew it, I was seeking P.

Today I got some eggs. Went to the supermarket again to buy more healthy food. It will be a very very long time before I will touch junk food again. Seriously.

 

So I didn't had any food with grains, refined sugar or seed oils since my last post.

Besides the occasional slip-up, it's not really challenging anymore to be glutenfree.

"One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." - Maslow

Is there room for growth in terms of my eating? Well, I frequently eat dried dates... It's literally nature's candy. It's very sweet but natural. Now I'm convinced that is has many benefits, but still... it's a lot of sugar. I'm not sure that consuming a lot of sugar although it's from a natural source doesn't have negative consequences.

Let me put this in perspective. A pack of 200g of medjoul dates is like 132g of sugar. Sure it has fiber and vitamins and dried dates surely have health benefits, but when I consume dried dates I literally eat it a whole pack in one sitting. This has a pretty immediate effect on the blood sugar and insuline levels. This can lead to insuline resistance.

So I think that for the past months I have been adding dried dates as a subtitute for snacks. I think this is just a vanilla form of the same addiction. Sure, I can stay away from gluten but stuffing my face with a bunch of dried dates shoudln't be good either. Today I bought a pack in the supermarket of a train station. I think I was already craving getting that sugar high for when I got home. It's not all bad, I'm exercising everyday so the fructose doesn't go unused.

If you have input on this, that would be highly appreciated @MindfulWarrior

 

Thanks man! Hope you'll be joining the ride with me soon!

Yeah, they are dried dates which have more sugar than the fresh equivalent.

I know you mentioned you used to fast in the beginning of the challenge. I think I will do that too now. Interesting video:



I think it's just not good that I'm spiking my insuline so much in a day. Insuline resistance makes it harder for your muscles to absorb the amino acids.

Today I fasted for 16h40. Feels good! I have a lot of dried dates in the house so I will avoid them for a while.

Progress. Growth. New avenues.

This thread started out as simply avoiding gluten and refined carbs.

Now I think it's time to throw some fasting and keto into the equation.

 

Fasted for 16h30.

Feels good.

Broke the fast with some eggs.

Also downed a pack of dried dates [yesterday too] because I have a few packs left in the house. Planning to just enjoy these and then to take a break from it for a while by not buying it. But since it's within my eating window I don't mind it too much.

Had some dried sausage and cheese cubes as snacks [I'm doing a lot of chin ups so it's not bad to stack up on proteins]. I made my own bolognese sauce in the evening, which I just ate without the spaghetti.

Will make a fresh juice of carrots, tomatoes and celery now. Like that I can end the eating window around 10 pm and fast until 2 am tomorrow.

 

Fasted for 16h40mins

Went to the market in the morning to get some Greek yoghurt, kale, sausasage, butter, etc. Broke the fast with some bolognese sauce. Ate the jar of Greek yoghurt too, along with some dried dates.

During the fast I had sparkling water and yerba mate with black tea. The fast was quite hard, especially after 12am since I had new food from market.

This evening I had kale with parsely and another leafy green. Cooked it with blood sausage and some eggs. Really good. After that I ate more dried dates [so finished the pack]. One of the dates had a really bad sour taste and had black dust in it. A fungus. Looked it up but it's not harmful. Will be eliminating dates soon when the I finish the last pack. It's not unhealthy, but you have to take into account the metabolic/hormonal reality of spiking the insuline with all this sugar, natural or not...

I did some exercise with a cinder block during the fast. It felt pretty good. Now I will be making some fresh juice and then I will do some rope skipping.

Was there any reason you aimed for 20h fasts? @MindfulWarrior

I will be doing 16h fasts minimum for a week now and then I think I will be extending it gradually towards 20h, maybe even doing an occasional 24h-48h fast, but I think I will have to let my body adapt first.

Day 3

Good video about what happens to the video when fasting

 

Day 4

Fasted for 18h50mins.

Broke the fast with kale, 3 big slices of bacon and eggs. Was really good. Just had sausage with brocolli. Will make a juice with red beets later on and start fasting again. The fast felt really uncomfortable towards the end. But when I reached 2:15 am [the point where I reached the 16h fast] I thought I'd finish writing a task I had to do for a class before eating. Then I went for a walk in the forest to extend the fast. Tough stuff. But I really think my body needs this. Making sure you pass that 16h time frame is way harder than "just skipping breakfast".

Then I ate dried dates with peca nuts. That was my last pack of dates. Won't be buying it again for a while. Besides, it's really a luxury product. It's quite expensive. I've been eating dates on the regular since the end of October. That's for about 20 weeks. I had multiple packs of dates per week, sometimes even a pack everyday [I bought it everytime when I went to the grocery store, besides when I was eating unhealthy]. If I do a conservative estimation of 3,5 packs of dates a week, that means 70 packs of dates in total. Let's say that the average price is € 4,-. The total of my expenses on dates has been € 280,-. I guess you could do this with everything and buying dates is not like buying cigarettes but I think I rather give my money to eggs and meat instead of this sweet dried fruit.

 

Day 5

Fasted for 17h.

Broke the fast with kale, bacon and eggs again. Just had a steak with a salad.

No dried dates this time. I do feel a bit depleted because of the lack of carbs. Will make a juice later.

Not much to write about. Fasting ain't easy. Drank a lot of sparkling water. But it's also good not to be dependent on the "need" to buy a sandwich or a snack somewhere in the city. It's quite a relief when I enter a small supermarket at 1pm to just buy a S Pellegrino [I'm spoiled...] whilst all the other people are buying pastery snacks etc. But I shouldn't be judgemental. I have had a lot of binges and relapses myself, so I'm everything but a Saint!

edit: 1pm instead of 1am. I don't use this time convention lol

 

Day 7

Yesterday I fasted for 17h40.

Today I fasted for 16h30.

7 days of fasting everyday for a minimum of 16h.

Today I broke my fast with eggs with kale, spinach, a bit of chicken, pumpkin seeds and Swiss cheese. I went to the market today and stacked up on some cod, turkey, etc.

I ate a lot of cheese [emmental, abbey cheese and feta] today, but that's okay. I'm doing cinderblock exercise everyday. Will do weighted chin ups after this. I also had a salad with feta cheese during the eating window.

I just finished my juice [red beet, carrot, celery, ginger, lemon]. Normally I'd drink it around 10 pm which means I will have to fast until at least 2pm of the next day. Now my fasting will be longer [it's around 8 pm now]. I will go to a class tomorrow that ends at 4pm and I don't think I will be buying food in the city. I will also be commuting back home so I will be fasting for at least 21 hours tomorrow! In a way I'm looking forward to it because this makes eating so pleasant but I know it will be tough.

 

Day 8

Fasted for 21h40mins

I feel good. I experienced a certain clarity during my fast. I also felt this confidence when I was walking around the street. Like I'm more in touch with the hunter version of myself, which makes sense of course.

Had class for 2h and it's not that the fasting [already passed 18h of fasting when the class began] was taxing for my concentration, although my concentration wasn't 100%. I can't deny I didn't feel the discomfort. I drank a lot of sparkling water.

Broke the fast with herring and some pieces of octopus I got from market yesterday. Then I made eggs with kale and spinach. Made myself a yerba mate with green tea. Will be making some cod with spinach later on this evening and end the day with a juice probably.

I will keep fasting! Planning to do some 40h+ fasts in the future, but first I need to become more comfortable with 20h fasts, which I will try to establish as my new baseline.

 

Day 9

Fasted for 21h30mins

Had 2L of yerba mate with black tea during the day. Had some apple cider vinegar with my sparkling water this morning. Also had some creatine.

Broke my fast with some cod leftovers from yesterday, used it as a starter. Then I had turkey with kale and spinach. I ate Gouda cheese at the side when I was eating the turkey. I can easily eat a lot of cheese, but I find it way more fulfilling when I eat the cheese like this instead of devouring it at random instances during the day. Having a rooibos tea right now.

There is a whole pack of waffles in my house and I feel really tempted to just eat that stuff... But I would regret it.

 

Day 10

I didn't fast today. I initially had the ambition but I caved for the food I bought in the morning at the market.

I broke my "fast" [14h-15h] with some dry sausage, a jar of Greek yoghurt, some Gouda cheese and a bit of blood sausage. You could call this "dirty keto" I guess. It was way too tempting. But I don't think you have to fast every single day in order to get the benefits. Eating the sausages etc. was also a reward for not giving into the urge to eat the waffles I had yesterday, and even this night.

Went to the house of my grandmother today to study. Didn't eat there, just drank yerba mate and sparkling water. Yerba mate is actually a great way to suppress hunger/appetite. Maybe if I drank it this morning immediately, I would have managed a 16h fast at minimum.

When I got back home I ate some of the turkey with kale I got left from yesterday. Finished my Gouda cheese. Then I ate the rest of the blood sausage with some spinach.

Now I'm drinking a juice I made consisting of red beets, carrots, ginger and a tomato. Will start fasting after I finish this. Aiming at a 20h fast tomorrow!

I noticed a certain mental clarity during my study sessions today. Is it because of the ketones? The increased insuline sensitivity that allows the glucose go to my brain better instead of inflaming it? Better absorption of the minerals? The vitamine D supplements I'm taking? My humble NoFap streak?

Or is it just a general effect of ditching the gluten and would I experience this effect even if I was on a high carb paleo?

We could debate this into eternity.

One thins is for sure: I feel that I'm doing a good deed vis-à-vis my body with intermittent fasting + eating low carb.

I got some fresh lime juice ready that I will add to my sparkling water and I will drink it later this evening. Apparently it doesn't break the fast.

 

Day 12

Yesterday's fast: 21h20

Today's fast: 22h20

Today I overate... Had some bolognese sauce from yesterday. I also had a 175g pack of Gouda cheese and 2 dry sausages. Then I also had a whole chicken breast I still had from the market this weekend. This gave me stomach ache... Then I thought it would be a good for digestion to have a jar of full yoghurt... Bad idea. Just layed in bed and took a bath to deal with the stomach ache.

Advice to myself: don't overeat man. Take it slowly. You will get your proteins.

It's kind of late so I don't really feel like typing a lot. I don't really know when my last bite was, but I will start counting my fast at 11pm as a penalty because I know it was around 9-10 pm.

It's important not to get into a cycle of overeating - fasting - overeating. This is a cautionary tale.

 

Glad you're back on the scene man!

 

Day 13

Fasted for 17h40mins, that is counting from 11pm. My last meal was I think around 9pm so technically it's around 19h.

Broke my fast with kale, bacon and eggs again. Ate a dry sausage and a meatball at the side. That's also a rule I try to follow: I don't break my fast with a snack but with a meal. Instead of just eating the dry sausage directly, I eat it at the side of my meal. Like this I also train delaying of gratification/Marshmallow test. I also ate a little jar of tomato paste [a habit I have introduced for health benefits]

Then a few hours later I ate the rest of my kale with 4 eggs and another meatball. So I had 8 eggs today. It's good because I'm lifting a lot.

Finished a fresh juice at 8pm55. Had some chromium and vitamine B after it. Will fast for 20h tomorrow. I have to think how/when I will be introducing a 38h fast. Maybe later this week.

I have a lot more cravings for cookies/chocolate since I ditched the dried dates. So I guess my dried date habit/addiction was basically a prolongation of the sugar addiction, albeit in a healthier form.

I will eat dried dates in the distant future as an exceptional treat after a long fast.

 

Day 14

Fasted for 21h25mins.

Cooked ground beef with eggplant, tomato, and 3 eggs. Ate 2 dry sausages.

Basically OMAD because I didn't really have another meal after that. Also bought bratwurst and bacon at the butcher but I think I will do a prolonged fast now and eat that Friday morning.

So I will try not to eat tomorrow and basically go to sleep in the fasted state.

Currently drinking a juice of a red beet, a carrot and a cucumber.

 

Finished my juice at 11:20pm yesterday.

I didn't eat anything today. Had two cycles of yerba mate tea [the first with black tea, the other with lemon balm] and a lot of sparkling water.

I will go to sleep in this fasted state and probably break the fast around noon tomorrow.

I think it's the first time in my life ever that I haven't eaten anything for an entire day.

I think a prolonged fast is more than 48 hours. I think I will be aiming for a 'monk fast' that is around 36 hours.

Bought some feta cheese and goat cheese today and it was pretty tempting not to eat it.

 

Day 17

Broke my fast at 37h10mins yesterday. Wasn't easy to fall asleep on an empty stomach. I felt good when I woke up, although not necessary very fresh. Although I do think it wouldn't have been a problem to go for 45hours+, I really just looked forward to eating because of the food I bought.

I broke my fast with this:



I made it with 4 eggs instead of 2 but I failed in flipping it over so it ended up more like a scrambled egg. I added a whole pack of feta cheese. I ate with a fresh tomato. This was very good and brought me so much joy.

Eating after a fast is a whole different experience in itself. You eat purposively [feed the body], not reactively [give in to impulses]. If you have the self-control to not eat for at least 16 hours, then it will be very unlikely that you'll be eating junk when you break your fast. You don't want that dopamine hit of junk food but the serotonin satisfaction of having a healthy meal.

I have to watch out with not overeating during my eating window. Yesterday I also had two packs of goat cheese [180 g per pack], a pack of Parmaham [90 g]. It's not too bad because I'm lifting, but I also need to practice moderation with these things.

Today I fasted for 20h20mins.

Broke it with some leftovers from yesterday: a sausage, a strip of bacon and veggies.

Then I tried to make another "keto sandwich", now with 2 eggs but I failed again in the flipping part. I need to practice this. I added a whole pack of feta cheese again.

I also had a pack of Parmaham and goat cheese [150 g]. Later I had chicken with my family.

I don't know if getting that much proteins is necessary. Will be doing some weighted chin ups later. I also did a 5 min pull up challenge.

I'm thinking of tracking my calories and macros, like that I really have an overview of what I eat.

So yeah, I'll keep practicing intermittent fasting for sure, aiming for 20h as a baseline now. Maybe a prolonged fast of 36 hours once per week.

 

Day 18

Fasted for 20h25mins. Broke my fast with salmon, goat cheese, onions and parsely. Man that was good.

I ate the rest of the goat cheese with prosciutto ham. Then I had 2 eggs with cabbage, onion and some mushrooms.

I also had some chicken leftovers from yesterday.

I finished my juice at 10pm40. Took some chromium and vitamine B after it.

The show goes on.