We’ve turned the corner. While we’re still eliminating all refined sugars, processed foods, breads, grains, dairy, alcohol and a few other select items from our eating, we added back in rice and almonds this week – and it made a BIG difference. Seriously – it may not sound like that big of an addition, but it’s all in perspective. Previously we were eating only fruits, veggies and lean meats. The addition of rice and almonds provided additional snack options such as rice cakes with almond butter, which was a wonderful supplement. The one other addition was the Doc approved me adding Perpeteum (a soy-based, low sugar fuel) for use when riding over 2 hours, as I simply couldn’t store enough glycogen pre-ride to get through the workout successfully. I still miss some things (for some reason, the glass of wine with dinner has become such a habit, that seems to be what I miss most, which is interesting), but outside of being a bit limited when traveling or when at a business lunch meeting, I think I could handle this long term if necessary. In fact, this journey caused me to pull a book I’d read years ago off the shelf (The Paleo Diet for Endurance Athletes), and once this journey is over, I plan to follow that strategy in the upcoming triathlon season. We’ll do a quick review of the Paleo Diet under the “Intriguing Products and Services” section if you’re interested.