Face Hangover

So over the past 6 months or so, my diet has undergone drastic changes.  Up until then, I was very much an typical guy at 30, eating a diet heavy in carbohydrates, sugar, dairy, and meat. Despite my profession as a trainer, I just was not buying into the whole diet thing.  I was doing an epic job of fooling myself into the “workout hard, and I can eat whatever I want, and it shouldn’t matter” attitude.  This led me to a sore body, belly aches, asthma was a constant, and I always seemed to be tired.  It’s amazing how this works.

With enough coffee, I could make it work.  The only thing that really changed my thinking was hearing someone claim that they took dairy out of their diet and it made their asthma go away.   The next day I did the same.  Within about 3 days or so, my asthma for the most part was gone.  Since then, I have made substantial changes in my diet, and have seen substantial changes in how I feel, perform, and look.

Positive result from eating well are no secret. This post, however, is not about the changes for the better in my diet, it is about the other side of the coin… the bad stuff.

The other day I went to eat at Whole Foods in Venice.  FYI, it’s the best restaurant in the west, in case you weren’t aware.   The Meat Department is top notch! Give them a hello anytime you swing through. You might even recognize some of them as members of The Nation. Anyways, my food choices that night were very clean, and I felt very good about them.

After dinner, those beautiful people that I was with, who will remain unnamed, started to talk about dessert.  I, for one, have absolutely zero will power when it comes to sweet things and baked goods.  So that was all it took.  I ended up at the gelato counter, tasting flavors, and they all were delightful to say the least.  I settled on cookie dough, and loved it.

Fast forward to 3:30am.  The best way I have to describe what happened, was a halfway point between my face exploding, and someone throwing a milkshake on my face.  I was in an epic bout of sneezes and coughs and wheezes that felt more like a war than a battle.   It felt like the inside of my face was itching uncontrollably. In fact, I left my house at 4:30 to go to the 24hr Walgreens to get allergy medication. Fail!

I then used a neti pot.  If you’re not familiar, you pour a saltwater solution into one nostril with a tilted head, and the water drains out the other.  I apologize for the graphic nature of the comment, but it gets the point across.  No water drained out, I felt it fill up my sinuses.  That was a weird feeling, but it gives you an idea of the clog due to the buildup.  I finally was back to bed by 5 to get up 30 minutes later.

It’s amazing what a little bit of dairy did to me, especially in contrast to my recent clean eating habits. I feel very much as if this was a human experiment gone way wrong.  But then again I think in some ways, it’s the perfect lesson.

I eat clean, and I know exactly why.  I will continue to avoid dairy and grains.  Have you had an experience like this since you have been eating clean?  Lets hear about it.

Danny Lesslie

—————–

Saturday’s Workout:

Spend 20 minutes on agility drills.

Three rounds:

In 2.5 minutes..

300 Yard Shuttle

Max Hand-Over-Hand KB Swings

-Rest 2.5 Minutes-