Poop Shute

Detox Shmetox

For the better part of a couple weeks now I have been getting stomach aches fairly often. Some debilitating to the point of curled in a ball, but most only mildly irritating.

I haven't made any significant dietary changes, so I was wondering if maybe I picked up some kind of persistent stomach bug. A virus or bacteria maybe, I don't know.

I decided in advance of today to make today a "cleansing" day, in an attempt to stop feeling stomach achey all the time. I don't mean anything too terribly extreme, just a day to eliminate all the stuff that might be on the list of suspects (meat, dairy, sugar, alcohal, caffeine, and anything processed) and taking in lots of whole grains and fruits and veggies. Basically, go really heavy on the fiber and water intake to maybe clear out the old digestive system.

This is the third time I've tried this on my life, and my third failure.

Each time I have tried this I get about three quarters of the way through the day and I begin to get light-headed and dizzy and I get VERY VERY tired. I don't know if it's just my fast metabolism or if it's a blood sugar thing, but I don't think these "cleanse" diets get me enough calories to function at a normal healthy level. I eat somewhere between 3500 and 4000 calories on a normal day, and I have not gained a pound since my freshman year in college. Needless to say, a diet of grains and vegetables makes 4000 calories difficult to reach.

By about 7pm tonight I was not feeling all there. It was then that I remembered that this didn't work for me in the past, and I decided to have a little meat to catch up. I made a big dinner of okra, portobellos, brown rice, beans, and turkey sausage, and I felt much better. Other than the sausage, the rest of the meal was still in keeping with the diet. But, without the sausage I would not have the presence of mind to be telling you about it right now.

I'm pretty sure it was my workout that did me in. By the end of it I was feeling pretty spacey. Once every twelve to sixteen weeks I take a solid week off from the gym for some extreme recovery and replenishment. Maybe the next time I do that, when I'm not placing nearly as high a level of demands on my body, I may try this again. Other than that, it's just not worth it for me.