whole foods/ clean eating cleanse.. day 5

Hey Everyone,
I am on day 5 of a clean eating cleanse. I started out one week with eating no fat, wheat or gluten and only a small amount of fruit in the morning. I am eating mainly low fat protein and veggies. After 1 week I start introducing healthy fats again. I wanted to reset for marathon training I am going to start at the end of May. I work at a winery and we have an amazing food spot there as well, it is pretty challenging. I am bummed I gained a fair amount of weight back the past 6 months but so far I feel good! If anyone wants to chat about eating clean and simply to get the goals you want lets chat! Have you tried a cleanse to reset yourself? Talk to you soon!

-A
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Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Your body does not need to cleanse or reset. Your Liver and kidneys along with your bowels will do anything you need them to do. All you are doing with a 'cleanse' is making your life miserable for no apparent reason.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Hey Everyone,
    I am on day 5 of a clean eating cleanse. I started out one week with eating no fat, wheat or gluten and only a small amount of fruit in the morning. I am eating mainly low fat protein and veggies. After 1 week I start introducing healthy fats again. I wanted to reset for marathon training I am going to start at the end of May. I work at a winery and we have an amazing food spot there as well, it is pretty challenging. I am bummed I gained a fair amount of weight back the past 6 months but so far I feel good! If anyone wants to chat about eating clean and simply to get the goals you want lets chat! Have you tried a cleanse to reset yourself? Talk to you soon!

    -A

    What do you mean that you eat no fat? I don't think that's actually possible. Sorry but I'm just curious as to what you mean by that.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    I am always baffled by the "reset". What is being reset? Why does 'it' need reset? How is 'it' reset?
  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
    Hey Everyone,
    I am on day 5 of a clean eating cleanse. I started out one week with eating no fat, wheat or gluten and only a small amount of fruit in the morning. I am eating mainly low fat protein and veggies. After 1 week I start introducing healthy fats again. I wanted to reset for marathon training I am going to start at the end of May. I work at a winery and we have an amazing food spot there as well, it is pretty challenging. I am bummed I gained a fair amount of weight back the past 6 months but so far I feel good! If anyone wants to chat about eating clean and simply to get the goals you want lets chat! Have you tried a cleanse to reset yourself? Talk to you soon!

    -A

    You mean you aren't adding any extra fats to your food in the form of oil, etc. You are still consuming a low amount of fat in the meats you eat. Your diet sounds pretty good. The bulk of one's diet should come from non-starchy vegetables anyway plus whatever lean meats your body can tolerate.
  • lostalykat
    lostalykat Posts: 683 Member
    Yes, I basically cut out additional fat for a week. The reset is more of a metaphor for resetting my frame of mind. I really wanted to just have a good clean start as weight watchers seems to be to lenient for me. Please don't berate me I am still eating a good amount of food. I just wanted to have a good clean start.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    I have to agree with everyone else. Eating "clean" does not cleanse your body. Also what is clean? It's far too vague of a term. While I'm all for eating fruits and vegetables to get in fiber and micro nutrients, true progress is determined by the amount of calories and macro nutrients you consume, not the types of foods. I find creating a restrictive diet with banned foods leads people to crave and ultimately binge. Or they sabotage themselves by eating "clean" all week then going overboard with a cheat day.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I'd agree there is nothing wrong with eating "clean" if you are eating enough calorically. I think the reason people cringe at the mention is what vismal said, the experience that those who try overly restrictive diets end up giving up and the restrictions they self-imposed were not really necessary.

    That said if having a highly regimented and restricted diet is what you find motivating for you then go for it. Do realize on some level though its not at all necessary to do that for weight loss or health.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I think people are tired of people who think that salt fat and carbs are unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs even though that's not actually true.

    You need salt, you need fat, you need carbs. When someone says their diet has "no fat" in it that makes me concerned and so I respond. That is all.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hey Everyone,
    I am on day 5 of a clean eating cleanse. I started out one week with eating no fat, wheat or gluten and only a small amount of fruit in the morning. I am eating mainly low fat protein and veggies. After 1 week I start introducing healthy fats again. I wanted to reset for marathon training I am going to start at the end of May. I work at a winery and we have an amazing food spot there as well, it is pretty challenging. I am bummed I gained a fair amount of weight back the past 6 months but so far I feel good! If anyone wants to chat about eating clean and simply to get the goals you want lets chat! Have you tried a cleanse to reset yourself? Talk to you soon!

    -A
    I don't do cleanses because I feel like my body already naturally cleans itself, thus there is no reason for me to "reset" myself.

    if you lost weight before then you must know that cleanses and "eating clean" are not necessary to weight loss, but more of a preference. All that is required to lose weight is a calorie deficit, which for me includes all the foods I used to eat PLUS the foods I avoided because I thought they were the cause of my weight gain or "fattening". The only things I stay away from are candy bars and most candies because they are a trigger for me and I can't seem to eat just a bit. Everything else that I am not intolerant to I eat.

    So, you're starting to train for a marathon? How fun!

    I wish you the best of luck with your clean eating and cleanse.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    Your body does not need to cleanse or reset. Your Liver and kidneys along with your bowels will do anything you need them to do. All you are doing with a 'cleanse' is making your life miserable for no apparent reason.

    Agreed. Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. Your body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant.

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    Hey Everyone,
    I am on day 5 of a clean eating cleanse. I started out one week with eating no fat, wheat or gluten and only a small amount of fruit in the morning. I am eating mainly low fat protein and veggies. After 1 week I start introducing healthy fats again. I wanted to reset for marathon training I am going to start at the end of May. I work at a winery and we have an amazing food spot there as well, it is pretty challenging. I am bummed I gained a fair amount of weight back the past 6 months but so far I feel good! If anyone wants to chat about eating clean and simply to get the goals you want lets chat! Have you tried a cleanse to reset yourself? Talk to you soon!

    -A

    You mean you aren't adding any extra fats to your food in the form of oil, etc. You are still consuming a low amount of fat in the meats you eat. Your diet sounds pretty good. The bulk of one's diet should come from non-starchy vegetables anyway plus whatever lean meats your body can tolerate.

    No... this does NOT sound good. Women especially need higher levels of fat in general (excluding medical considerations for things such as gallbladder removal) for hormonal function, satiety, hair and nail condition, and TASTE!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    The sources are my degrees in Nutrition Science, Nutritionist certification and so on... but if you need more specific sources I suggest you do some research.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    The sources are my degrees in Nutrition Science, Nutritionist certification and so on... but if you need more specific sources I suggest you do some research.

    Eh although you might be right I have to cringe a bit at your response of just degree dropping and acting smug. Honestly not everyone has the time to do multiple years of study. If you have done so and are familiar with the literature you have the opportunity to help someone who I believe asked a legitimate question and is probably willing to hear your answer.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I think people are having a knee-jerk response to this post based on the use of the words "cleanse", "reset" and "clean" though. I was a bit concerned when OP said they were eating "no fat" but if they are eating at least 20% of their calories from fat then thats probably alright (although higher would be better).

    Sometimes following a strictly regimented diet is what it takes for someone to maintain focus and interest in pursuing their health and I think that is okay. If there is a serious medical concern past not having enough calories or the macros being severely skewed then thats fine but otherwise I think its okay to eat only lean meat and brocolli and brown rice if thats what does it for you. I myself follow a pretty regimented diet because I find it keeps me more engaged in my health.

    Now that one poster mentioned the idea of if you avoid an entire food source your body metabolically shifts in a way that can cause future allergies. I will admit if true that is a valid concern however I to would like to see some sort of study substantiating that because as a molecular biologist and biochemist I have heard of no such metabolic shunting resulting in allergy.
  • lostalykat
    lostalykat Posts: 683 Member
    wow I really didn't expect this I am sorry I reached out to try to find some friends who might know what it is like to have issues with over indulgence and struggling with weight watchers as a weight loss program.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    wow I really didn't expect this I am sorry I reached out to try to find some friends who might know what it is like to have issues with over indulgence and struggling with weight watchers as a weight loss program.

    People are just concerned that your approach might end up harming you and expressed that concern to you when you posted. You don't have to agree with them but it is something you might want to consider. People on this forum are used to a lot of people who take dieting to an extreme, cutting out many foods that are actually an important part of their health just because they think things with fat or carbohydrates are unhealthy and they end up harming themselves. Those who do these "cleanses" are often a warning sign of that and that is a trigger for the response you got.

    I wish you the best but please understand that support is not synonymous with agreement.
  • lostalykat
    lostalykat Posts: 683 Member
    I get it, and I have gone back and forth with paleo primal and not counting and all of the above. I know that healthy fat is good for the body I only took it out for a week as suggested by my sports massage therapist to assist with my joint issues. I will be going more balanced in a day or two.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I get it, and I have gone back and forth with paleo primal and not counting and all of the above. I know that healthy fat is good for the body I only took it out for a week as suggested by my sports massage therapist to assist with my joint issues. I will be going more balanced in a day or two.

    And I get that this was not the response you wanted, you wanted to form a bit of a support group to support what you are doing with your cleanse because its probably difficult.

    Bottom line, I don't personally agree that what you are doing is necessary or helpful to you but if you insist on doing it then that is your decision of course. Just please make sure you are eating enough and getting your macros that you need. I suppose if its short term you are unlikely to cause yourself lasting harm but you have to ask yourself if what you are doing right now is not sustainable then how good for you can it really be?

    Anyways I do apologize if this hurt you in any way, I think people were just concerned and perhaps read into what you were saying with your use of the word "cleanse" which is a bit of a hot button on here.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    The sources are my degrees in Nutrition Science, Nutritionist certification and so on... but if you need more specific sources I suggest you do some research.
    Interesting. You assert something and are not willing to cite specific sources.

    Elimination diets are a valid tool for finding out if you are intolerant to certain foods. It's how I found out I was both lactose intolerant and soy intolerant (at different times in my life). You don't MAKE yourself intolerant to foods, but you can built an intolerance to them over time.

    I highly doubt if someone who cuts out a certain food in an elimination diet won't be able to eat it again if they add it back in and find it was not the cause of their symptoms. If they cut it out and then add it back in and their symptoms of concern return, they obviously have some type of sensitivity and probably should refrain from eating that certain food.

    Man, I'd LOVE to have a nice bowl of REAL ice cream or a glass of REAL milk, but I can't due to migraines and horrible stomach problems.

    Sometimes people are just intolerant to foods.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    The sources are my degrees in Nutrition Science, Nutritionist certification and so on... but if you need more specific sources I suggest you do some research.

    Eh although you might be right I have to cringe a bit at your response of just degree dropping and acting smug. Honestly not everyone has the time to do multiple years of study. If you have done so and are familiar with the literature you have the opportunity to help someone who I believe asked a legitimate question and is probably willing to hear your answer.

    Thank you! I would love to hear the answer.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    The sources are my degrees in Nutrition Science, Nutritionist certification and so on... but if you need more specific sources I suggest you do some research.

    Right. Bonjour! Because saying you have degrees just makes everything automatically true.

    If you really have those degrees...good for you. But if you are going to make certain statements, provide the studies.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    OP, it's not necessary to eliminate any certain food group.

    You can eat "clean" if that's what works best for you, that's your choice.
    I think people get upset because this type of diet really isn't sustainable, though I did see you say you where planning to eat fats again soon. Personally, I enjoy the foods that I like, while making sure I hit my macros.

    Good luck on your journey!
  • Quarkles
    Quarkles Posts: 69 Member
    Most of the people responding in this thread have been on this site for years, have reached their goals and know what they're talking about. Telling someone that they're doing something unnecessary/potentially dangerous is helping. Turning a blind eye to bizarre diet trends and just going "Yeah, that no fat, no carb, all water diet is totally gonna work! You can do it!" is not supportive.
    At the end of the day, the users here who warn against fad diets are the ones that I pay attention to, and whose advice I will follow. Mindless 'supporters' who tell the successful people to shut up when they're trying to share their knowledge, well, they should take their own advice.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.

    Yeah anecdotal evidence never going to convince me, no offense. That said I'm willing to believe it is possible but I just haven't seen evidence that it is true.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.
    Well, you are sharing your experience, not just making a blanket statement. I appreciate that (and I always appreciate you posts anyway).

    I wish I'd made myself lactose intolerant because I'd love a bowl of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, but every single time I've tried to introduce lactose back into my diet, I get the horrible headaches and stomach problems.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.

    Yeah anecdotal evidence never going to convince me, no offense. That said I'm willing to believe it is possible but I just haven't seen evidence that it is true.

    No offense taken. Quite honestly, I think I'm in the same place you are with this one (even though I realize that seems like an odd thing to say given that I seem to have experienced it myself). Or perhaps this kind of transient intolerance is to be expected and is repeatable.

    Just to be safe, I'm going to continue to have a bowl of ice cream every night that it fits my calories/macros just to keep my lactose tolerance up.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.
    Well, you are sharing your experience, not just making a blanket statement. I appreciate that (and I always appreciate you posts anyway).

    I wish I'd made myself lactose intolerant because I'd love a bowl of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, but every single time I've tried to introduce lactose back into my diet, I get the horrible headaches and stomach problems.

    Have you tried the tablets? During my time of apparent intolerance, the difference between having some dairy with and without a tablet was the difference between no problems and quite disturbing intestinal distress. (Remember, please practice safe ice cream consumption.)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Unless you have allergies to dairy or gluten, you are actually doing yourself a disservice by eliminating those things from your diet. our body produces certain enzymes on a "use it or lose it" basis. Using the example of dairy, if you cut it out your body stops producing lactase. Once you reintroduce lactose into your diet (say a scoop of your favorite ice cream, perhaps?) your body can no longer digest it.

    Congratulations, you've made yourself lactose intolerant

    If you ever want to eat those foods again without gastrointestinal distress, I suggest you think twice about removing them from your diet because some arbitrary (and unnecessary) 'cleanse' tells you to do so.
    Please provide sources for the above.

    I cut out dairy for a few months and then tested as lactose intolerant (and dairy caused all kinds of problems when it did not before I cut it out). I then slowly reintroduced dairy over a period of time (first w/ the lactase tablet and then without) and can now eat dairy without any problems. I asked the gastroenterologist who dxed my intolerance if it could have been caused by my cutting it out for months prior and she said no. *shrug*

    TL;DR - I think I did just this...made myself lactose intolerant...but then reversed it.

    That said, I don't have any research cites to support it nor do I have any fancy degrees in anything nutrition related with which to impress anyone...and I'm not even entirely personally convinced of my n=1 results and that there isn't some kind of skewed personal bias involved that I'm just overlooking.

    Yeah anecdotal evidence never going to convince me, no offense. That said I'm willing to believe it is possible but I just haven't seen evidence that it is true.

    No offense taken. Quite honestly, I think I'm in the same place you are with this one (even though I realize that seems like an odd thing to say given that I seem to have experienced it myself). Or perhaps this kind of transient intolerance is to be expected and is repeatable.

    Just to be safe, I'm going to continue to have a bowl of ice cream every night that it fits my calories/macros just to keep my lactose tolerance up.

    Nah man its a healthy attitude to have in my opinion. You shared your experience and you gave it with the caveat that it was a n=1 which I totally appreciate. Human subjective experience is not a very good indicator of truth even if is your own. Its reason to look into something further but not to believe it outright and tell others about how its true. There is a reason that Science doesn't go off of anecdote.