(this sums it up perfectly)

Why would I do something so STUPID?

I was reading a Tim Ferriss article “How to Keep Feces Out of Your Blood” that had an excerpt from a book called The Paleo Solution by a guy named Robb Wolf. It was all about digestion and how to improve it. It went on and on about the harm gluten does to our body, and I couldn’t help but wonder:

Can going gluten free do all of the amazing things Robb talks about?

Okay, so I told you how this dumb idea entered my mind, but I haven’t really given you reason for why. Well, there are 3:

1. Curiosity

Everyone wants to be healthier. Was a gluten free diet able to help me with that?

Needless to say, the excerpt and the idea of preventing poop in my bloodstream peaked my interested. However, I wanted to dismiss Robb as a QUACK (who wouldn’t when the dude tells you not to eat such AMAZING food anymore?!). But the more I found out about him, the more I realized he wasn’t just blowing smoke up my a$s.

Here’s a lowdown on Robb:

Robb is a former research biochemist, has worked as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism (sounds impressive), and is the co-owner of a “Top 30 gyms in America” according to Men’s Health, NorCal Strength & Conditioning.

Pretty impressive resume for a quack. So after that, my curiosity was peaked, and I couldn’t use the this-dude-is-crazy excuse tonot go gluten free.

2. Couldn’t find any posts that answered my question

I tend to eat fairly healthy (at least I think so), but I’ve never really prescribed to any diet out there like Paleo or Veganism. I’m usually pretty skeptical of these diets, but I do admit I’m also a little bit curious about them since I always run into stories about how amazing they are. Scott Jurek  and Rich Roll, for example, are ultra marathoners I really look up to, and they both promote the Vegan lifestyle.

So, naturally, I turned to Google to see if others have tried going gluten free for 30 days. MAYBE I could save myself the misery by reading about someone else’s time doing this instead. Good idea, right? I thought so.

The problem is, when I went online to look up other people’s results, I couldn’t find any (I even went to page 3 of the Google search!) In this day and age, that’s almost IMPOSSIBLE.

(Well…damn, there goes that idea.)

3. Habit formation

Being that I’m all about habits, I thought this was an opportunity to put the Chillpill Method to the test. I love the occasional beer after dinner and a cookie from time to time. So, this was an opportunity for me to crack those habits of mine. I figured it’d be hard, but I’d eventually develop a routine that would make these 30-days bearable.

Going gluten free sounds like quitting cold turkey, but I was confident I could apply the Chillpill approach to make this easy and (dare I say it) fun.

“Alright, let’s give this a shot,” I thought.

This was right before New Year’s, so I figured I’d start 2016 with a bang. A gluten free BANG.

So with that, I decided to go gluten free, and give up all of that delicious food. 

NOTE: This was a gluten-free diet, not a Paleo diet. I still had soy, beans, and other items that are on the Paleo naughty list. To find out more about eating Paleo, check out “What is the Paleo Diet“.

Wanna follow along?

Over the next month I’ll be writing about this dumbass experiment right here on Chillpill.

I’ll write a post each week about my eating, my body, emotions, thoughts, and any other random stuff that comes to mind. 

At the end of this, I’ll recap the whole thing and talk about tips and hacks I used to survive for anyone interested in trying this out of for themselves.

You have to be getting some joy reading about my pain and misery living this gluten free nightmare. Better me than you, right? Well, liking Chillpill on Facebook, following us on Twitter, as well as subscribing to our mailing list will get you immediate access to my weekly updates.

See you next week!