One Sunday, I was at the gym just in time for Mass at the mall chapel nearby. It happened to be a Missa cantata, a sung Mass. The priest had a great singing voice that blended perfectly with the choir’s angelic voices.

So I had my cooldown and stretching while listening to the hymns, and continued listening while sipping water after my workout. It was the best post-workout cooldown and hydration I’ve ever had since February 2024, when I started resistance training. Goosebumps galore.

And then the morning after, I had a cold. No thanks to taste-testing carbs—one bite only—since Wednesday at the other gym’s Halloween party. One small bite of carbs would always lead to another small bite the next day or two days later, until I exceeded my body’s tolerance for carbs, after which it complains through colds, skin allergies, bloating, diarrhea, and/or hypertension.

How many side effects do I need before I finally learn the lesson? Haven’t I had enough? Whew.

I was absent from the gym for two months this year because of the carbs’ side effects. The first month was due to colds and cough that lasted a month. The second month was due to hypertension which went back to normal after a few days, but I wanted to consult my low-carb doctor first, complete with lab results, before returning to the gym. Hence, the month-long absence again.

In those two months, friends were inviting me to eat out or to birthdays, and to go out of town. I always said no, but without giving any reason why. Because once I told them I was recuperating, surely they’d give me unsolicited advice which would only stress me out. So I simply said no. No is already a complete answer.

This carnivore journey continues to be a struggle. I’m surrounded by people who eat carbs, and I can relate to them because I’m a carb addict, too. I simply couldn’t resist taking a bite. Hopefully my fear of the side effects will prevail and keep me from more taste-testing.

In that recent week of one-bite-only, the most worthy carb was the ham-and-cheese empanada. Yum! It made me forget that I don’t agree with cheese or any dairy product anymore. And the crust, of course, because it’s made of flour.

But as I nursed my cold, I began to wonder if it’s indeed worth it. I don’t want to be sick anymore. I’m tired of being sick. And any sickness makes me skip gym. How to lift, say, a pair of eight-kilo dumbbells if I’m physically weak, I feel feverish, I have brain fog, my sinuses are clogged or the opposite—I have a runny nose? That’s the question.

I couldn’t even work while staying home. All I wanted to do was lie in bed and sleep the whole day. All because I took small bites of carbs. Darn.

I think my body’s tolerance for carbs has gone down to zero.

Lucky are those who can healthily survive on carbs. They can eat all the rice, pasta, bread, other baked goodies, fruits, veggies, chocolates, sugary food and drinks they want, and still continue living life without any side effects—obesity, hypertension, skin allergies, eczema, rhinitis, sinusitis, colds, body pains, muscle pains, arthritis, sciatica, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), dementia, mental health issues, bleeding gums, brain fog, fatty liver, and so on and so forth.