The belly is back

“Sugar is a bigger deal for you than gluten,” concluded my doctor as she perfomed muscle-testing on me. A chiropractic neurologist, she was very happy with my progress since my first visit back in October, 10 months ago. At that appointment, I was weepy and not very hopeful. Plus my son was clingy and grabby, a little uncomfortable in his own skin. This time, Dr. Julie just adjusted me and didn’t have to give me any homeopathic remedies. The last time she gave me something that was supposed to address my being revved up and not wanting to stop, pause, or go to bed. I almost fell asleep on the drive home that time.

But this past Wednesday, just back from vacation, I was told I was doing well, but that I had to watch the sugar. This I knew. After I brought fruit back into my diet, my belly started to return. I’d had almost six-pack abs while I was fruit-free and mostly grain-free training for the June 1 half-marathon. But then all those summer fruits beckoned, and I also decided I’d freed myself from an emotional intolerance to chocolate, so I even introduced that along with some refined sugar, of which I’d had very little in recent years.

On vacation in Maine, I enjoyed lots of rice flour and buckwheat pancakes and many a tasty blueberry; see the page with the bears in the book Goodnight Maine. I wish I could show a photo of the book and also of my poor posture/looks pregnant belly. But, alas, my camera either fell out of my pocket or was enticed by my son into the toilet at Burke Lake Park. We were able to download the photos of the train and merry-go-round, but the picture-taking ability is no more.

Trust me, it’s a different look, and I’ve gained back close to six pounds. For a while, I ran out of probiotic — I use Kyodophilus these days because it’s safe to share with my son, who even asks for it in his “special drink,” a spoonful of cod liver oil. But I just don’t think I can tolerate much fruit, and I think I’ve also suffered from non-organic restaurant food that is probably not been gluten-free and dairy-free. In fact, I saw after I’d eaten some brown rice sushi at Whole Foods that the rice includes corn, another no-no for me.

So now do I go back to being as strict with my diet as I was in April? Or is it the lack of running and less yoga that’s making a difference? My back sure is more tired. Or is it the fact that I’m staying up late again so my liver is flushing toxins back into my body instead of out? I can’t seem to get religion about an early bedtime during the summer, but this bloat has got to give me some motivation, unless I’m really choosing it for some reason.

We’ll see how I feel after I get back from three days in a bathing suit on the beach in North Carolina!