Why I Ditched Pizza and Found Myself: A Battle with Apathy and Gluten

The body-mind connection is truly incredible.

It's a fascinating work of art that can do so many things. It can be a driving force for you in a positive direction or in a negative direction.

I'm writing this because a few weeks ago I felt like I hit a mental crossroad. MY mind was turning on me. It was creeping in, from just about every angle imaginable.

Let's go into a little story of why this was happening, because it took a bit for me to figure it out. It may help you.

A Change in Lifestyle

Back in March I was experiencing a variety of health problems. Nothing serious, but they were nagging and would’ve become serious if they weren’t taken care of.

I had been steadily exercising for about 2 months at this point, and I wanted to get a better grasp of my health overall.

So, I started seeing a Functional Medicine Doctor. I had to do a few at-home tests to get an overview of what was going on.

The results were pretty crazy to see and it all stemmed from my lifestyle at the time. I was advised to make a long list of adjustments to my day-to-day life on top of the change I already made with exercising.

In May, this protocol was given to me and it went into immediate effect. I started to apply the changes a week after receiving the list. Let’s touch on what I was required to do in a quick overview:

• Gluten Free

• Dairy Free (or high quality dairy i.e., raw milk for dairy if I wanted it)

• No more refined processed carbs

• No Alcohol

• Shift in bedtime to before midnight

• Blue Blocker glasses to limit blue light exposure after dark

• An entire array of supplements and other foods to eat or stay away from.

Talk about sticker shock. But I wanted to make changes, so I dove in.

Dietary Restrictions

The gluten part of this entire thing has been absolutely brutal. I love my bread, my pasta, my pizza - I'm Italian after all.

Giving that up has been the absolute hardest adjustment. I effectively went from eating gluten with almost every meal (3 times a day) to it being almost non-existent.

Shifting from eating something constantly to not eating it at all is difficult. If you've been reading my newsletters, you know I speak about the mind a lot. It's extremely important that you are aligned with what you are doing.

I removed all gluten from my apartment, except for whatever my S.O. wanted to continue to eat.

Dairy was easier. I swapped things out for higher quality ingredients.

Refined carbs were swapped for healthier items such as almond/coconut/cassava flour, quinoa, and gluten-free pasta & pizza. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d eat gluten-free pasta & pizza!

No alcohol was easy for me since no drinks = money saved.

The diet part is tough but I'm still sticking with it. After 3 months, I must admit it’s one thing to be cognizant of constantly. I get urges for less healthier options, but overall I’ve done really well and it’s gotten easier.

Apathy Hits

Around late June/early July, I noticed thoughts creeping in.

"I want a sandwich, I want pizza, I want pasta."

"I don't feel like going to the gym... I can take the day off today and tomorrow" <-- this one was especially prevalent.

I was becoming extremely apathetic in everything I was doing. The diet was annoying. My brain was telling me it didn't feel like going to the gym for the first time in a LONG time.

Most people at this point generally roll over and cave. We've all been there right?

Thoughts kick in - you argue with yourself and fold to the couch.

In prior articles I wrote about being aware of your thoughts and what is happening. I knew these thoughts were coming and was able to ask myself, why?

Stress is a crazy thing. What people don't realize is the compounding effect of what stressors can do to you without you even realizing it. This is why it is really important that you are aware of the stressors in your day-to-day life. You may not even realize something is a stressor. I suggest reading about this.

A small example I can give you is Blue Light at night. You may think you’re fine and that you're sleeping well. It impacts your hormones and what is produced at night whether you’re aware of it or not. This BUILDS over time.

Know Yourself

I realized I was burning out from everything I was doing with the diet, lifestyle changes, work, and just overall goals of things I want to do.

So I took a week off. I needed to find a balance to what I was doing to make it work. A health and lifestyle protocol is there to guide you, not restrict you in your life. I spoke to my Doc and she gave me the green light to take the week off.

I still went to the gym (I had to DRAG myself there). But everything else outside of alcohol was out the window. I ate pizza, burgers, and pasta. I felt better. I also knew that this couldn’t be ongoing; it was a temporary reprieve.

The Turnaround

After the no holds bar week was up, I went back on the diet and continued to drag myself to the gym because that resistance was still there.

In the past few weeks I made an adjustment to the diet to make it work. Right now I am around 90% gluten-free, so about 2/21 meals have gluten in it. Whereas before it was 19/21 a week. Every other aspect has pretty much remained the same.

I’m no longer fighting myself to go to the gym. I’ve been going steadily at about 4 days a week after making this change.

Results

This is the halfway point of what I'm doing with the diet and supplements and the results speak for themselves.

My Fatty Liver is gone - everything is back into a normal range

My blood markers are practically all back into normal range

My hormones that I am fixing are steadying out

I've noticed more energy, more drive, and a desire to be better overall.

One of my favorite parts is the urge to be stronger. I've always wanted to be fit, but the urge to grow stronger overall - to provide and to be a better man is a top priority.

Final Thoughts

I'm still on this health protocol and will continue to use it for a few more months. The diet, the lifestyle changes, and the costs that go into it were and are completely worth it. The results have been amazing!

If you take anything away from this article, it is to know yourself. Always be curious why your thoughts are going in specific directions without your permission.

Why do you insist on doing things that have no benefit to you?

I heard a quote in a Mastermind group I am in where the guy who runs it said,

This stayed with me, because it is true. What are you missing when you continuously sabotage yourself with negative behaviors?

Being able to ask myself what was going on shifted everything for me.

Do it.