progress assessment point

During the two-plus months i've been writing here, my eating patterns have been far from consistent!  To recap:

I began, strictly following the Personal Paleo Code, with very good results.  I leaped into a new physical activity after only one week and irritated my weak knee, causing inflammation which hasn't completely left me yet.  At the end of four weeks, i began introducing a few foods, because i was on a short holiday and felt entitled/self-indulgent (that's so frequently a bad idea...).  For a couple of weeks after that, i experimented with a handful of different foodstuffs, which i had eliminated at the beginning.

Almost three weeks ago, i discovered "Strong Medicine," a book by a retired doctor whose experiences during the first half of the twentieth century taught him a considerable amount about diet and health, and which he decided to share.  I chose to try some of Dr. Donaldson's recommendations, but had to tweak them a little to make them work for me.  Both ways, they were remarkably effective.

About a week and a half ago i took another trip, and was away from home just over a week.  Most of the time i adhered quite well to a dietary pattern which was a hybrid of the two above, but on ONE day, i was VERY naughty.

So here we are, just over nine weeks from my starting point:  i've learned a CONSIDERABLE amount ... and lost about ten pounds.

• the Personal Paleo Code WORKS.  It's a powerful tool for determining what foods promote well-being, as well as weight-loss.  Without even giving up ALL the "autoimmunity compromising" foods he listed, and despite the injury to my knee, i felt incredibly WELL -- considerably younger;
• rice seems to be a harmless food for me -- but not for breakfast.  I must eat a fat-protein breakfast, or i'm hungrier all day.  My body agrees with the studies about meal composition and metabolic flexibility (for a change);
• alcohol is NOT harmless, though i tolerate sake much better than wine.  I'll need to do the same sort of introduction as with the former, before i can make a comparative judgement about spirits.  The difference in joint pain and stiffness (between the beginning of February and now), i believe, can be attributed to the alcohol i used;
• the "Strong Medicine" prescription also works, but doing without salt is out of the question for me -- my digestion apparently needs it.  It seems to work well, past that one-week point during which one is losing the easy stuff, and after which most eating plans don't render much progress.  It's not for the weak, though; you've got to be determined and motivated to forgo variety in the diet, even though hunger is not a problem;
• the book "Deep Nutrition" made a big impression on me, and i'll be keeping Dr. Cate's viewpoints in mind while formulating my menus from now on.  Meat on the bone, organ meats, bone broths, fermented vegetables, etc., will be more heavily used in my house!
• i have suspicions about eggs and many nuts as allergens for me -- they no longer get a free ride.  I also seem to have a fructose malabsorption issue;
• i've decided to add tyrosine to my list of supplements.  That amino acid is not heavily present in the foods i customarily eat, so my body is only getting significant quantities through conversion from phenylalanine.  Since it's a building-block of thyroid hormone, and i've craved protein all my life, and i know i have absorption issues, i'm postulating that this may be something i need to consciously supplement.  My uneven energy levels MAY improve:  we'll see, and i'll let you know later.

So, i feel i'm on the right track.  I need to lose AT LEAST another ten pounds before i'll be satisfied -- but i'm making progress at any rate!