There I was sitting in an ER with an IV in my arm writhing in pain. I didn’t realize it then, but that trip to the hospital was a tipping point in my life. Let’s take a look back and see how a gallbladder attack forced me to take a good hard look at the food I was putting in my body.
I had just finished up a training session at The New York Sports Club, swimming roughly a mile of intervals and running 40+ minutes on the treadmill. I was 9 months in Ironman training and I was just hammering myself with two-a-day workouts four days per week. I rushed home to get some food in my stomach, and an hour after downing an entire entrée of whole wheat linguini, the area just below my sternum started to ache. I knew this wasn’t a stomach issue because of the location of the pain. An hour went by and the ache turned into a stabbing pain. An hour later and the pain did not let up. I knew something was up so I drove over to the ER to get checked out. An ultrasound and physical examination later, the ER doctor told me I was having a gallbladder attack. He recommended that I see a gastroenterologist for a follow up. The attack subsided later in the evening, but I booked the appointment anyway.
I followed up with the gastroenterologist and she ran tests on my liver, stomach, and blood lipids but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It was recommended that I reduce the fat in my diet drastically, as the gallbladder is key in fat breakdown as it releases bile into the small intestine. I scratched my head. “I really don’t eat a ton of fat,” I said to the doc. “In fact I eat mostly whole grains. I am a triathlete,” I followed up. She didn’t give me much else but said if the symptoms persisted, she would recommend me to a surgeon to have my gallbladder removed. I did some research and found that approximately 20 million people in the United States have gallstones. Of these people, there are approximately 300,000 cholecystectomies performed annually. These numbers made me think this wasn’t such a big deal, but I wasn’t in love with the idea of getting surgery. Thankfully, my instincts were correct.
As luck would have it, my good friend at the time, Max El-Hag (Training Think Tank), recommended I read Paleo Diet for Athletes by Dr. Loren Cordain and try out a Paleo Diet. The idea behind the Paleo Diet was that the traditional western foods I was eating contained tons of anti-nutrients and gut harming proteins that were reeking havoc on my digestion. This systemic inflammation was causing my gallbladder issues and potentially killing my performance. I trusted Max and gave a strict 30 day Paleo Diet a try. Once I took wheat, legumes, and dairy out of my diet and replaced them with sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and other paleo friendly products, my gut issues disappeared (and I haven’t had them ever since). That next April, I took 13th place out of hundreds of participants at the Nautica South Beach Olympic Distance Triathlon, winning my age group as well! Not only was I feeling better, but my performance was great too!
Needless to say, changing my diet was a big step, but I felt forced to. I couldn’t live with the way I was feeling anymore. Luckily, I had guidance and someone to give me “permission” to make the change. That’s why I am so passionate about nutrition, and why I have helped thousands of clients over the past decade change their diets too! If you are dealing with gut issues, chronic fatigue, or stubborn weight loss, it’s time to book a free assessment today. The best version of you is waiting.