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Let's Call It ... Recovery.


SeanMike

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Just over a year ago I bought a grill. Before that I almost never cooked. I started grilling up loads of chicken, pork, veggies, etc., so that I'd have food to eat over the week. Later I bought a bike, then started running. In the fall I found out I was diabetic and had high cholesterol so I got stricter on my diet, started seeing a personal trainer, and talking to a nutritionist.

So, basically, over the course of a year I lost over 60 pounds, got my blood sugar under control, am working on my cholesterol (it was there, then went back up, and we'll see), and I feel better than I have in years.

But here's the thing: occasionally, I still eat something bad for me.

For instance, I went to the Beer & Bacon Festival. It was awesome. I had a roast beef po' boy at the Passenger last week and it was one of the best ones I've had (period).

And every night and morning after that, I've been miserable. Unable to sleep. Dehydrated/dry mouth. My stomach felt taut and I wanted to throw up.

So yeah, I can't eat stuff like that anymore. That sucks, but that's probably for the best.

But is there anyway to recover from that other than just time and Tums? It completely wrecks me in a way that I can't recover quickly from unlike booze.

I don't want to know to enable me - I'm not going to change my habits either way, I'll still eat healthy overall and occasionally have something delicious but bad for me - but just so I don't have to call in sick to work the next day because I'm exhausted and miserable.

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But is there anyway to recover from that other than just time and Tums? It completely wrecks me in a way that I can't recover quickly from unlike booze.

I don't want to know to enable me - I'm not going to change my habits either way, I'll still eat healthy overall and occasionally have something delicious but bad for me - but just so I don't have to call in sick to work the next day because I'm exhausted and miserable.

Devote your life to exercise.

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I work out 5-6 times a week under a routine my personal trainer sets up with me.

It sounds like you're moving away from unhealthy foods and so your body doesn't tolerate them like it used to. This is similar to curbing drinking, smoking, or even spicy foods - it doesn't take as much for your body to feel the punch.

A roast beef po boy doesn't sound like much, but it could be laden with nitrates and salt. If you're switching over to a healthy lifestyle, it could be your body telling you, "Don't go there anymore, my friend." I personally don't see how you've kept the diet you have for as long as you have - I eat out every meal, but I could never tolerate heavy, fried foods the way you have over the years. My ideal meal is 75% vegetable, 25% meat, but I think the quality of my diet is as good as anyone's, and I lack for nothing.

Also, make sure to drink a lot of water each day. It's not a bad habit to carry around a water glass in your hand all day long. (There are those, including my mother-in-law, who insist that you shouldn't have to drink that much water, but if you're working out and eating salty food, you should drink a good half-gallon of water a day.)

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You might go back and get your bloodwork redone to see if something else is going on.  That's a long recovery period from what sounds like two episodes of eating less healthy food, especially if you've been having the symptoms since last week.

Taking in a lot of sodium (if you've been watching that) might trigger some of this but the stomach sounds like something that should be checked out.

I hope you feel better soon.  And, if you're not taking Vitamin D, ask your doctor about it.  You don't want to take a whole lot of it on your own without checking, since it's fat soluble and can cause negative effects if levels get too high.  That seems somehow involved in regulating/preventing both diabetes and high cholesterol.

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All things in moderation.  Don't deny yourself the bad-for-you treats, but learn to make do with two or three reasonable bites, not 15-20.  Worth the trouble of teaching yourself to stop.  Anyway, once you've had enough to know what it tastes like, the additional pleasure from eating the remainder isn't so much.

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Yeah, my doc put me on a vitamin D booster when I first went to her, and now I just take a supplement.

I get my blood work done once every couple of months between this stuff and my psoriasis meds (especially since I'm changing those). But I'm thinking the water might be part of it - I've definitely been too dehydrated lately.

And yeah, I know it's because of the change of my diet. I eat a lot more vegetables, for instance, now, sometimes even entirely vegetarian meals! :D And I eat a lot less fat, even doing things like "trimming the fat off my steak before eating it". o_O

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I agree with both the more water and less indulgence suggestions.  As a third, this may sound like a weird idea, but have you tried a probiotic?  Odds are good you are changing the flora in your gut as you make drastic changes in diet, and it may help to get some of the good guys in charge of everything.  Costco has one that's a pill you take every day.  I'd tell an anecdote right now, but it isn't me who got better, and I don't know if the person who got better would want me telling it. :)  Worth a try for about 30 bucks.

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It could also be that your gall bladder is no longer up to the task of handling those delectable fat bomb meals anymore. Cut in thirds and spread out over the course of 2 - 3 days. Or see if you can get a half order.

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I can relate. My body acts in protest the next day if I consumed something too rich in oils, fat, or something. I tend to go a 180, and cleanse the body out the next day, and it seems to work for me. Typically, I just either fast and have water or hydrate with juices (usually green juice of some sort) until my system can process it out naturally. I find taking it easy is the most important thing, as well as hydration and movement. Then your body can get rid of it faster.

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I hear your pain SeanMike, I'm there too. On the whole, I changed my diet about 9 years ago - no more fast food, limited junk food. However, I occasionally have the irresistible urge for some McD's fries or a giant cheese steak or ... that I know I will regret later. I'm do pretty much what goodeats does -- water, fiber, and exercise.

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I think what you experienced has to do with American food and the amount of chemicals used.  Switzerland does not allow   chemicals to be used in the production of food and my body can handle greasy, fatty food better than it does in the States. In the States I have a sensitive stomach but over here I can eat the same foods without problem.  I would never think of having a Cheeseburger Royal, fries and a diet Coke in the States.  It would make me sick for days.  Yet today I had that for lunch and was fine.

I know none of it is good for me and that there are long term effects so I do still eat in moderation but when splurging I can enjoy at a level I would not dream of when I am home.

Regarding drinking water, it is one of the easiest things you can do for yourself.  Keep a water bottle at home, work, and in the car and you are good to go.  I drink between 50-70 oz a day and can feel a difference when I don't.

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Flexing my credentials as an RD for a moment. Congrats on the lifestyle change, that is a big accomplishment and the changes in your weight and blood sugar are evidence of that. My guess is that two things are at play here. The first is that your body acclimated away from big meals laden with fat, sugar and salt. So now when you bum rush it with those three ingredients you get a hormone rush and you feel it. Good hydration and getting right back into your normal routine can help along with an OTC Heartburn med like Zantac, since your stomach pain and wanting to boot sensation could be reflux or even gastritis. But if the pain following a big meal is sharp and radiating, it could also be gall stones and gall bladder spasms. They can last for days and can be debilitating. That isn't an uncommon for people who have been formerly overweight and then drastically drop weight. A good thing for your doc to assess next time this happens, which it will. Big, indulgent meals should happen every once in awhile.

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