So Much to Love

Today marks my fourth day alcohol-free.

As per Omar's decision to cut out all processed sugars, this is also day four of no processed sugars.

So what have I noticed?

Inflammation is going down.

I've always struggled with body swelling due to suffering from coeliac disease, and I know that consuming two to three alcoholic beverages a day were of no help. I'm sure the physical changes I'm seeing are a collaboration of both my dietary efforts and my avoidance of sugars and alcohol, but seeing them in the mirror is encouraging.

When I've been gluten-free in the past (without having any contamination accidents), I've seen my collarbones in the mirror. I could see every muscle, every ligament, and the voice box in my throat. I was able to see the muscle I've worked so hard to grow bumping up the skin. My hair was long. My skin was clear.

Lately, with the recent bout of gluten contamination and the abuse of alcohol, I've looked like a swollen version of myself. My skin has erupted in eczema, and my hair has been falling out at an alarming rate. It was so much so that I recently took a pair of children's scissors to it and slowly hacked away until it was short.

But I can see the light at the end of this tunnel.

I took this selfie today, to show the emergence of some collar bones, and also to serve as a solid "before" photo. I tried to avoid sucking in my belly, since I carry a lot of swelling there from intestinal reactions to gluten. I'm excited to share these changes with you as I go along. I'll be including selfies anytime I notice new physical changes along the way.

Thank you for sharing this experience with me, and please feel free to leave your comments below. Any advice or encouragement is always welcome and greatly appreciated.