mmmm... potable water!

I just spent two months backpacking in a developing country. I took my first real break from my strict eating patterns in the 18 months since I've started no sugar/no flour and fast-5. My eating window expanded to about 8 hours, I ate white rice (or I'd have starved!), sugar (three or four times), and refined wheat (two times).

Results:

I blessedly was able to maintain my weight without too much fuss! :) At 153 now. In the past when I've traveled like this, budget backpacker style, I've always lost weight from the usual rigors and stresses of the road. This time I'm happy with just not gaining, especially since I didn't think about my food much. I used to feel "thin" at this weight but my body has settled in and I feel normal; I'm hoping that this is just a long plateau and my body will be ready to go down another 5 lbs soon.

I discovered I'm actually allergic to wheat. Perhaps because I hadn't eaten it in so long I was quite sensitive, and both times within half an hour of eating it I felt my throat swell and increased mucous, leading to a really annoying post-nasal drip for a few days. Both occasions were at people's homes where I didn't feel comfortable enough to refuse kindly offered home-made food. Really reinforced that 'no wheat' is the best policy for me, and whenever I can I'll avoid it completely.

Regarding sugar, the first time I had a local sugar-sweetened drink I was ready to climb the walls, fidgety and chatty and unable to stop my foot from tapping. The next time the effect was less. I get habituated waaaay too quickly.

Foodwise, the most exciting thing about returning to the US is being able to consume uncooked veggies (mmmmm salad!), unskinned fruit (mmmmm apples!), and tap water.

Blessings on good municipal sewage systems. :)