small results so far but huge victory

So about 7 years ago I started packing on the weight and I always thought the weight gain was not proportionate to my lifestyle -

before I suddenly started gaining weight so dramatically I had actually been losing weight (after some injuries about 12 years ago I gained a bunch of weight over a 3 year period due to lack of activity). I had lost about 60 lbs over 12ish months. Then somewhere around September 2008 I started rapidly gaining weight. I put on 30 lbs in 3 months. My diet hadn't changed, it could have been better but it wasn't horrible (I don't eat fast food often, I had average meals like chicken breast, rice and broccoli for dinner for example - occasionally I would order a pizza or something but that was like once every 3 months kind of thing.) The only change in my diet at the time was I wasn't eating a bunch of candy - in June 2008 I quit my job to concentrate on school full time and previously at my job you couldn't eat on the floor except for candy so we ate a lot of chocolate and candy. So during the weight loss I was eating candy all day (weird I know). during the weight gain, no candy.... My activity levels had only changed moderately - basically I was wandering up and down the rows periodically at work all day (It was a call center) and when I quit the job I was no longer doing that.

So with very little change in diet and exercise I went from steadily losing weight to rapidly gaining. Even the doctor thought 30lbs in 3 months was extreme but had no solutions for me. Since then I have continued to gain with periods of maintaining but no losses until I had gained a total of 110lbs

during this time I would go through periods where I would start religiously counting calories, weighing food, trying to eat 'better' and exercising 5 days a week (things like swimming 2km a day for example). I would keep that up from 3-6 months but I would not lose a pound other than the 5 lbs of like water weight at the beginning.

At this point I was pretty defeated. I could only manage to hold the weight gain at bay by dieting and exercising but I couldn't lose weight. I used to be a nationally ranked athlete so I do know how to train and I know how to count calories etc.

I'm sure most people thought I was crazy but I have always felt there was something more going on because it seemed like it shouldn't be this hard. Hell I even thought I was crazy - maybe I just wasn't doing enough, maybe even though I tended to over-estimate slightly on my calorie counts just in case something was measured wrong I was still doing something wrong

Well 24 days ago I decided to try an elimination diet for 30 days because I have a bunch of random symptoms that made my doctor suggest it. So no dairy, no grains (not even gluten free ones), no legumes, no seeds, no added sugar (fruit is ok and 100% fruit juice is fine) not even artificial or natural substitutes not even honey, no nightshades and no alcohol. I tried this not for weight loss, I did it because I want to test for food sensitivities because I have symptoms that may be caused by food sensitivities. My doctor also threw in the no nightshades because he suspects I have leaky gut. He thinks it started from the years of taking NSAIDs (naproxen) 2x a day for almost 5 years. I started the NSAIDs about 6 months before the rapid weight gain began in september '08.

So far since doing this my extreme acid reflux (if I didn't take my omeprazole daily within 1.5 days the acid reflux was so bad not even 2x zantac 150 in a day wouldn't dent it)I've suffered from for 7-8 years is gone, the mild congestion I would get by the end of every day is gone, certain hormonal things that should happen on a regular basis but had all but completely stopped have started again with a vengeance and I don't feel like crap after eating a meal anymore among other things

I also have not had cravings, I feel satisfied without being hungry, the food is pretty good

but the biggest change is I have lost 16 pounds in 24 days without even trying. I'm not counting calories, I am not worried about how much I eat or when I eat the only food worry has been making sure I don't eat the forbidden stuff

I start reintroducing items next week and that process will likely take a long time.

After I am done and figure out if I have any sensitivities (I am now 99.99% positive I do have at least one given most of my symptoms are gone....) I think I will follow a similar regime with maybe a few modifications. Given that I am not feeling deprived or craving anything and am having awesome results I figure why not?

I'm so excited that for the first time in years I have had some success without even trying. I know for most people a calorie is a calorie and I generally believe in everything in moderation for the majority of people but I am now convinced that for a small percentage of us (me in particular) not every calorie is equal if you have a sensitivity