Day 3 of 6

Last time I did a six day elimination diet, day 3 was horrendous. I was aching all over, particularly in the lower abdominal area, and had hardly slept because of shooting pains down my legs and total inability to find a position that didn't hurt. I ended up taking some panadol just to get some sleep. And then, the sensation persisted for most of day 3. I had trouble believing that such symptoms could be attributed to a simple diet and so concluded that I'd probably had a coincidental attack of the flu'. Imagine my surprise when the exact same cluster of symptoms started late last night.

Again, I hardly slept and again I resorted to painkillers just to get some sanity. This time I also lay awake thinking what the hell I could possibly have eliminated from my diet that could cause such a dramatic reaction. It has to be something I eat a lot, and that's not IN the elimination diet. Unless I'm reacting to apples, broccoli, onions, garlic or olive oil (all unlikely), it pretty much comes down to wine, chocolate or coffee.. and out of those three, coffee is definitely the most often consumed - as in every day, lots of it. After spending most of my unexpectedly busy day in pain and, I must admit, in a supremely negative frame of mind, I cracked and had one espresso. I'm going to write it off as experimental. Within a few minutes I noticed a major improvement in both my mood and the pain in my legs/back/abdomen. Could this really be just caffeine withdrawal? It seems almost unbelievable, but perhaps it is. Post-elimination diet, I seriously need to moderate my caffeine intake. I managed it quite well after the last elimination, but slowly my espresso intake crept back to my usual 7 ish shots a day.

Of course, after my little caffeine hit (practically a homeopathic dose compared to my usual consumption.. or your average Starbucks) I got all excited about the possibility of having another one, possibly followed by a nice, big glass of wine at dinner. However, I managed to reign myself in and finish the day without blanking out into lalalala-I-Don't-Care-What-I-Eat-Now land. I had my mother over for dinner and, as the cook, it was pretty easy to make a compliant meal. I haven't actually told anyone that I'm doing an elimination diet. It's just regular food anyway, not like I'm walking around slurping up protein shakes instead of eating meals. Tonights meal was swordfish fillets with veges roasties. I did use a little olive oil on the roasties. Then for the other diners I made mashed potatoes and everyone was happy. I avoided the wine by claiming a 'funny tummy' (not even a lie).

Half way done and hopefully I'm past the worst and heading into the fun stuff ;)