LIFE WITHOUT AN APPENDIX & GALLBLADDER

Doing this Whole30 challenge has reminded me of something. That i am lacking certain organs that help me break down fats. Not that i needed reminding, but i got so caught up in the change and the challenge that i was not thinking about the back bone of the new diet. Fats for energy.

In August of 2012 while living in Houston after college, i was rushed into emergency surgery to remove my Appendix. While doing the CAT scan, they saw i had numerous stones in my Gallbladder. And out they came. My lifestyle as i have said before, was terrible. Of course this would happen.

Did i read the take home packet the Dr gave me on how to properly eat from now on? No.

Did i pay for it later? Yes.

In came 2 years of bloat, constipation, fatigue, weight gain. You name it. I never stopped eating fats, or dairy.
When i met Colby is when my whole life changed as well as my diet. He taught me what was good, vital nutrition. I remember the first time he juiced for me. Beets, kale, oranges and carrots. I chugged it and almost threw up. Its like my body was rejecting the most purest form of nutrition because i was only used to eating slop.

Slowly, after doing much research and lots of late night talks with my husband (who has a degree in nutrition) we decided, taking out dairy is what should of been happening a long time ago.

"The gallbladder is a small organ located on the underside of the liver. Its primary purpose is bile storage. The liver makes bile, a substance that helps the body break down fats. The gallbladder then stores the extra bile the liver makes, releasing it when you eat a meal with fats that need to be digested."

Now that you know that the gallbladder helps break down fats, and now that you know that i do not have a gallbladder, this Whole30 challenge is going to hurt me. Yes, i am going to stick with the no bread, no rice, beans, grains, sugars. But i just cannot start eating fats again.

I won't do that to my body. So, do i believe in the Whole30 diet? I sure do. Do i think that someone who lacks a way to break down fats should be doing the Whole30 diet? Probably not, unless they are willing to tweak it at bit. Like me.

My digestion has its up and has its downs. Thankfully, my Super Enzymes and Magnesium keep me on track and help to break down the stubborn fats i eat daily.

If you are like me, and lack a gallbladder, or lack an appendix, i have years of experience on what to eat and what not to eat. What vitamins to take and what vitamins to avoid. If you want to see pictures from my surgery, click here: Surgery.

Not all diets are going to work, not all challenges are going to be met. Sometimes we have to change and mold ourselves around them. Right now, that is what i am learning. Thank you Whole30!